form me of his plan in order to succeed. Freed from the
real king, it would have been impossible in all futurity to guess the
false. And if the usurper had been recognized by Anne of Austria,
he would still have been--her son. The usurper, as far as Monsieur
d'Herblay's conscience was concerned, was still a king of the blood of
Louis XIII. Moreover, the conspirator, in that course, would have had
security, secrecy, impunity. A pistol-bullet would have procured him all
that. For the sake of Heaven, sire, grant me his forgiveness."

The king, instead of being touched by the picture, so faithfully drawn
in all details, of Aramis's generosity, felt himself most painfully and
cruelly humiliated. His unconquerable pride revolted at the idea that a
man had held suspended at the end of his finger the thread of his royal
life. Every word that fell from Fouquet's lips, and which he thought
most efficacious in procuring his friend's pardon, seemed to pour
another drop of poison into the already ulcerated heart of Louis XIV.
Nothing could bend or soften him. Addressing himself to Fouquet, he
said, "I really don't know, monsieur, why you should solicit the pardon
of these men. What good is there in asking that which can be obtained
without solicitation?"

"I do not understand you, sire."

"It is not difficult, either. Where am I now?"

"In the Bastile, sire."

"Yes; in a dungeon. I am looked upon as a madman, am I not?"

"Yes, sire."

"And no one is known here but Marchiali?"

"Certainly."

"Well; change nothing in the position of affairs. Let the poor madman
rot between the slimy walls of the Bastile, and M. d'Herblay and M.
du Vallon will stand in no need of my forgiveness. Their new king will
absolve them."

"Your majesty does me a great injustice, sire; and you are wrong,"
replied Fouquet, dryly; "I am not child enough, nor is M. d'Herblay
silly enough, to have omitted to make all these reflections; and if I
had wished to make a new king, as you say, I had no occasion to have
come here to force open the gates and doors of the Bastile, to free
you from this place. That would show a want of even common sense. Your
majesty's mind is disturbed by anger; otherwise you would be far from
offending, groundlessly, the very one of your servants who has rendered
you the most important service of all."

Louis perceived that he had gone too far; that the gates of the Bastile
were still closed upon him, whilst, by degrees, the f