hapter LIII. King Louis XIV.

The king was seated in his cabinet, with his back turned towards the
door of entrance. In front of him was a mirror, in which, while turning
over his papers, he could see at a glance those who came in. He did
not take any notice of the entrance of D'Artagnan, but spread above his
letters and plans the large silk cloth he used to conceal his secrets
from the importunate. D'Artagnan understood this by-play, and kept
in the background; so that at the end of a minute the king, who heard
nothing, and saw nothing save from the corner of his eye, was obliged to
cry, "Is not M. d'Artagnan there?"

"I am here, sire," replied the musketeer, advancing.

"Well, monsieur," said the king, fixing his pellucid eyes on D'Artagnan,
"what have you to say to me?"

"I, sire!" replied the latter, who watched the first blow of his
adversary to make a good retort; "I have nothing to say to your majesty,
unless it be that you have caused me to be arrested, and here I am."

The king was going to reply that he had not had D'Artagnan arrested, but
any such sentence appeared too much like an excuse, and he was silent.
D'Artagnan likewise preserved an obstinate silence.

"Monsieur," at length resumed the king, "what did I charge you to go and
do at Belle-Isle? Tell me, if you please."

The king while uttering these words looked intently at his captain.
Here D'Artagnan was fortunate; the king seemed to place the game in his
hands.

"I believe," replied he, "that your majesty does me the honor to ask
what I went to Belle-Isle to accomplish?"

"Yes, monsieur."

"Well! sire, I know nothing about it; it is not of me that question
should be asked, but of that infinite number of officers of all kinds,
to whom have been given innumerable orders of all kinds, whilst to me,
head of the expedition, nothing precise was said or stated in any form
whatever."

The king was hurt: he showed it by his reply. "Monsieur," said he,
"orders have only been given to such as were judged faithful."

"And, therefore, I have been astonished, sire," retorted the musketeer,
"that a captain like myself, who ranks with a marechal of France,
should have found himself under the orders of five or six lieutenants or
majors, good to make spies of, possibly, but not at all fit to conduct
a warlike expedition. It was upon this subject I came to demand an
explanation of your majesty, when I found the door closed against me,
which, the final ins