assembly had risen with a great noise of rolling of
chairs and tables being pushed away.

"Let everybody depart by degrees," said Mazarin in a whisper to Louis
XIV., "and be so good as to excuse me a few minutes. I am going to
dispatch an affair about which I wish to converse with your majesty this
very evening."

"And the queens?" asked Louis XIV.

"And M. le Duc d'Anjou," said his eminence.

At the same time he turned round in his ruelle, the curtains of which,
in falling, concealed the bed. The cardinal, nevertheless, did not lose
sight of the conspirators.

"M. le Comte de Guiche," said he, in a fretful voice, whilst putting on,
behind the curtain, his dressing-gown, with the assistance of Bernouin.

"I am here, my lord," said the young man, as he approached.

"Take my cards, you are lucky. Win a little money for me of these
gentlemen."

"Yes, my lord."

The young man sat down at the table from which the king withdrew to talk
with the two queens. A serious game was commenced between the comte
and several rich courtiers. In the meantime Philip was discussing the
questions of dress with the Chevalier de Lorraine, and they had ceased
to hear the rustling of the cardinal's silk robe from behind the
curtain. His eminence had followed Bernouin into the closet adjoining
the bedroom.

CHAPTER 40. An Affair of State

The cardinal, on passing into his cabinet, found the Comte de la Fere,
who was waiting for him, engaged in admiring a very fine Raphael placed
over a sideboard covered with plate. His eminence came in softly,
lightly, and silently as a shadow, and surprised the countenance of the
comte, as he was accustomed to do, pretending to divine by the simple
expression of the face of his interlocutor what would be the result of
the conversation.

But this time Mazarin was foiled in his expectation: he read nothing
upon the face of Athos, not even the respect he was accustomed to see on
all faces. Athos was dressed in black, with a simple lacing of silver.
He wore the Holy Ghost, the Garter, and the Golden Fleece, three orders
of such importance, that a king alone, or else a player, could wear them
at once.

Mazarin rummaged a long time in his somewhat troubled memory to recall
the name he ought to give to this icy figure, but he did not succeed. "I
am told," said he, at length, "you have a message from England for me."

And he sat down, dismissing Bernouin, who, in his quality of secretary,
wa