at that time he was
hardly four years old."

"Yes, but I could give him the order--I, Guitant--and I preferred to
give it to you."

Guitant, without reply, rode forward and desired the sentinel to call
Monsieur de Villequier.

"Ah! so you are here!" cried the officer, in the tone of ill-humor
habitual to him; "what the devil are you doing here?"

"I wish to know--can you tell me, pray--is anything fresh occurring in
this part of the town?"

"What do you mean? People cry out, 'Long live the king! down with
Mazarin!' That's nothing new; no, we've been used to those acclamations
for some time."

"And you sing chorus," replied Guitant, laughing.

"Faith, I've half a mind to do it. In my opinion the people are right;
and cheerfully would I give up five years of my pay--which I am never
paid, by the way--to make the king five years older."

"Really! And pray what would come to pass, supposing the king were five
years older than he is?"

"As soon as ever the king comes of age he will issue his commands
himself, and 'tis far pleasanter to obey the grandson of Henry IV. than
the son of Peter Mazarin. 'Sdeath! I would die willingly for the king,
but supposing I happened to be killed on account of Mazarin, as your
nephew came near being to-day, there could be nothing in Paradise,
however well placed I might be there, that could console me for it."

"Well, well, Monsieur de Villequier," Mazarin interposed, "I shall make
it my care the king hears of your loyalty. Come, gentlemen," addressing
the troop, "let us return."

"Stop," exclaimed Villequier, "so Mazarin was here! so much the better.
I have been waiting for a long time to tell him what I think of him. I
am obliged to you Guitant, although your intention was perhaps not very
favorable to me, for such an opportunity."

He turned away and went off to his post, whistling a tune then popular
among the party called the "Fronde," whilst Mazarin returned, in a
pensive mood, toward the Palais Royal. All that he had heard from these
three different men, Comminges, Guitant and Villequier, confirmed him in
his conviction that in case of serious tumults there would be no one
on his side except the queen; and then Anne of Austria had so often
deserted her friends that her support seemed most precarious. During
the whole of this nocturnal ride, during the whole time that he was
endeavoring to understand the various characters of Comminges, Guitant
and Villequier, Mazarin wa