mured the king.

"The second idea, the devoted, reasonable idea--the least important,
sir--was to go and dig up a million in gold, buried by King Charles I.
at Newcastle, and to purchase with that gold the adherence of Monk."

"Oh, oh!" said Mazarin, reanimated by the word million. "But Newcastle
was at the time occupied by Monk."

"Yes, monsieur le cardinal, and that is why I venture to call the idea
courageous as well as devoted. It was necessary, if Monk refused the
offers of the negotiator, to reinstate King Charles II. in possession of
this million, which was to be torn, as it were, from the loyalty and
not the loyalism of General Monk. This was effected in spite of many
difficulties: the general proved to be loyal, and allowed the money to
be taken away."

"It seems to me," said the timid, thoughtful king, "that Charles II.
could not have known of this million whilst he was in Paris."

"It seems to me," rejoined the cardinal, maliciously, "that his majesty
the king of Great Britain knew perfectly well of this million, but that
he preferred having two millions to having one."

"Sire," said Athos, firmly, "the king of England, whilst in France, was
so poor that he had not even money to take the post; so destitute of
hope that he frequently thought of dying. He was so entirely ignorant of
the existence of the million at Newcastle, that but for a gentleman--one
of your majesty's subjects--the moral depositary of the million, who
revealed the secret to King Charles II., that prince would still be
vegetating in the most cruel forgetfulness."

"Let us pass on to the strange, bold and ingenious idea," interrupted
Mazarin, whose sagacity foresaw a check. "What was that idea?"

"This--M. Monk formed the only obstacle to the re-establishment of
the fallen king. A Frenchman imagined the idea of suppressing this
obstacle."

"Oh! oh! but he is a scoundrel, that Frenchman," said Mazarin; "and the
idea is not so ingenious as to prevent its author being tied up by the
neck at the Place de Greve, by decree of the parliament."

"Your eminence is mistaken," replied Athos, dryly; "I did not say that
the Frenchman in question had resolved to assassinate M. Monk, but only
to suppress him. The words of the French language have a value which the
gentlemen of France know perfectly. Besides, this is an affair of
war; and when men serve kings against their enemies they are not to be
condemned by a parliament--God is their judge. T