if among these forty there had been one good way he would have
been out long ago."

"Come, come; not such a fool as I fancied!" thought Mazarin.

"Besides, my lord must remember that Monsieur de Chavigny is governor
of Vincennes," continued La Ramee, "and that Monsieur de Chavigny is not
friendly to Monsieur de Beaufort."

"Yes, but Monsieur de Chavigny is sometimes absent."

"When he is absent I am there."

"But when you leave him, for instance?"

"Oh! when I leave him, I place in my stead a bold fellow who aspires to
be his majesty's special guard. I promise you he keeps a good watch over
the prisoner. During the three weeks that he has been with me, I have
only had to reproach him with one thing--being too severe with the
prisoners."

"And who is this Cerberus?"

"A certain Monsieur Grimaud, my lord."

"And what was he before he went to Vincennes?"

"He was in the country, as I was told by the person who recommended him
to me."

"And who recommended this man to you?"

"The steward of the Duc de Grammont."

"He is not a gossip, I hope?"

"Lord a mercy, my lord! I thought for a long time that he was dumb;
he answers only by signs. It seems his former master accustomed him to
that."

"Well, dear Monsieur la Ramee," replied the cardinal "let him prove
a true and thankful keeper and we will shut our eyes upon his rural
misdeeds and put on his back a uniform to make him respectable, and
in the pockets of that uniform some pistoles to drink to the king's
health."

Mazarin was large in promises,--quite unlike the virtuous Monsieur
Grimaud so bepraised by La Ramee; for he said nothing and did much.

It was now nine o'clock. The cardinal, therefore, got up, perfumed
himself, dressed, and went to the queen to tell her what had detained
him. The queen, who was scarcely less afraid of Monsieur de Beaufort
than the cardinal himself, and who was almost as superstitious as he
was, made him repeat word for word all La Ramee's praises of his deputy.
Then, when the cardinal had ended:

"Alas, sir! why have we not a Grimaud near every prince?"

"Patience!" replied Mazarin, with his Italian smile; "that may happen
one day; but in the meantime----"

"Well, in the meantime?"

"I shall still take precautions."

And he wrote to D'Artagnan to hasten his return.

17. Describes how the Duc de Beaufort amused his Leisure Hours in the
Donjon of Vincennes.

The captive who was the source of so much alarm