aid the marquise, rising--"therefore, beware!----"

"Marquise, in truth you terrify yourself too much at least, unless this
terror is but a pretext----"

"He is very deep, very deep; this M. Colbert: beware!"

Fouquet, in his turn, drew himself up. "And I?" asked he.

"And you, you have only a noble heart. Beware! beware!"

"So?"

"I have done what was right, my friend, at the risk of my reputation.
Adieu!"

"Not adieu, au revoir!"

"Perhaps," said the marquise, giving her hand to Fouquet to kiss, and
walking towards the door with so firm a step, that he did not dare to
bar her passage. As to Fouquet, he retook, with his head hanging down
and a fixed cloud on his brow, the path of the subterranean passage
along which ran the metal wires that communicated from one house to
the other, transmitting, through two glasses, the wishes and signals of
hidden correspondents.

CHAPTER 55. The Abbe Fouquet

Fouquet hastened back to his apartment by the subterranean passage, and
immediately closed the mirror with the spring. He was scarcely in his
closet, when he heard some one knocking violently at the door, and a
well-known voice crying:--"Open the door, monseigneur, I entreat you,
open the door!" Fouquet quickly restored a little order to everything
that might have revealed either his absence or his agitation: he spread
his papers over the desk, took up a pen, and, to gain time, said,
through the closed door,--"Who is there?"

"What, monseigneur, do you not know me?" replied the voice.

"Yes, yes," said Fouquet to himself, "yes, my friend I know you well
enough." And then, aloud: "Is it not Gourville?"

"Why, yes, monseigneur."

Fouquet arose, cast a last look at one of his glasses, went to the
door, pushed back the bolt, and Gourville entered. "Ah, monseigneur!
monseigneur!" cried he, "what cruelty!"

"In what?"

"I have been a quarter of an hour imploring you to open the door, and
you would not even answer me."

"Once for all, you know that I will not be disturbed when I am busy.
Now, although I might make you an exception, Gourville, I insist upon my
orders being respected by others."

"Monseigneur, at this moment, orders, doors, bolts, locks, and walls, I
could have broken, forced and overthrown!"

"Ah! ah! it relates to some great event, then?" asked Fouquet.

"Oh! I assure you it does, monseigneur," replied Gourville.

"And what is this event?" said Fouquet, a little troubled by the evid