ared who he was, and was
immediately recognized. In the meantime, by concealing himself first
behind one clump of trees and then behind another, the king reached
the side door of his apartment, very much humiliated, and still more
disappointed. More than that, the noise made in arresting Malicorne had
drawn La Valliere and Montalais to their window; and even Madame herself
had appeared at her own, with a pair of wax candles, one in each hand,
clamorously asking what was the matter.

In the meantime, Malicorne sent for D'Artagnan, who did not lose a
moment in hurrying to him. But it was in vain he attempted to make him
understand his reasons, and in vain also that D'Artagnan did understand
them; and, further, it was equally in vain that both their sharp and
intuitive minds endeavored to give another turn to the adventure; there
was no other resource left for Malicorne but to let it be supposed
that he had wished to enter Mademoiselle de Montalais's apartment,
as Saint-Aignan had passed for having wished to force Mademoiselle
de Tonnay-Charente's door. Madame was inflexible; in the first place,
because, if Malicorne had, in fact, wished to enter her apartment at
night through the window, and by means of the ladder, in order to see
Montalais, it was a punishable offense on Malicorne's part, and he must
be punished accordingly; and, in the second place, if Malicorne, instead
of acting in his own name, had acted as an intermediary between La
Valliere and a person whose name it was superfluous to mention, his
crime was in that case even greater, since love, which is an excuse for
everything, did not exist in the case as an excuse. Madame therefore
made the greatest possible disturbance about the matter, and obtained
his dismissal from Monsieur's household, without reflecting, poor blind
creature, that both Malicorne and Montalais held her fast in their
clutches in consequence of her visit to De Guiche, and in a variety
of other ways equally delicate. Montalais, who was perfectly furious,
wished to revenge herself immediately, but Malicorne pointed out to her
that the king's countenance would repay them for all the disgraces
in the world, and that it was a great thing to have to suffer on his
majesty's account.

Malicorne was perfectly right, and, therefore, although Montalais had
the spirit of ten women in her, he succeeded in bringing her round to
his own opinion. And we must not omit to state that the king helped them
to