himself--and that he had now
come to his point at last.

"And in what have I been so unfortunate as to displease your Majesty?"
asked M. de Treville, feigning the most profound astonishment.

"Is it thus you perform your charge, monsieur?" continued the king,
without directly replying to de Treville's question. "Is it for this I
name you captain of my Musketeers, that they should assassinate a man,
disturb a whole quarter, and endeavor to set fire to Paris, without
your saying a word? But yet," continued the king, "undoubtedly my haste
accuses you wrongfully; without doubt the rioters are in prison, and you
come to tell me justice is done."

"Sire," replied M. de Treville, calmly, "on the contrary, I come to
demand it of you."

"And against whom?" cried the king.

"Against calumniators," said M. de Treville.

"Ah! This is something new," replied the king. "Will you tell me that
your three damned Musketeers, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, and your
youngster from Bearn, have not fallen, like so many furies, upon poor
Bernajoux, and have not maltreated him in such a fashion that probably
by this time he is dead? Will you tell me that they did not lay siege to
the hotel of the Duc de la Tremouille, and that they did not endeavor to
burn it?--which would not, perhaps, have been a great misfortune in time
of war, seeing that it is nothing but a nest of Huguenots, but which is,
in time of peace, a frightful example. Tell me, now, can you deny all
this?"

"And who told you this fine story, sire?" asked Treville, quietly.

"Who has told me this fine story, monsieur? Who should it be but he who
watches while I sleep, who labors while I amuse myself, who conducts
everything at home and abroad--in France as in Europe?"

"Your Majesty probably refers to God," said M. de Treville; "for I know
no one except God who can be so far above your Majesty."

"No, monsieur; I speak of the prop of the state, of my only servant, of
my only friend--of the cardinal."

"His Eminence is not his holiness, sire."

"What do you mean by that, monsieur?"

"That it is only the Pope who is infallible, and that this infallibility
does not extend to cardinals."

"You mean to say that he deceives me; you mean to say that he betrays
me? You accuse him, then? Come, speak; avow freely that you accuse him!"

"No, sire, but I say that he deceives himself. I say that he is
ill-informed. I say that he has hastily accused your Majesty's
Musketeers, t