were to prove to be as the others! He was shaken
to the soul at the very thought. Twice he tried to pluck it out, and
twice his trembling fingers fumbled with the paper. Then he tossed it
over to Louvois. "Read it to me," said he.

The minister opened the letter out and flattened it upon the table, with
a malicious light dancing in his eyes, which might have cost him his
position had the king but read it aright.

"'My dear nephew,'" he read, "'what you ask me in your last is
absolutely impossible. I have never abused the king's favour so far as
to ask for any profit for myself, and I should be equally sorry to
solicit any advance for my relatives. No one would rejoice more than I
to see you rise to be major in your regiment, but your valour and your
loyalty must be the cause, and you must not hope to do it through any
word of mine. To serve such a man as the king is its own reward, and I
am sure that whether you remain a cornet or rise to some higher rank,
you will be equally zealous in his cause. He is surrounded, unhappily,
by many base parasites. Some of these are mere fools, like Lauzun;
others are knaves, like the late Fouquet; and some seem to be both fools
and knaves, like Louvois, the minister of war.'" Here the reader choked
with rage, and sat gurgling and drumming his fingers upon the table.

"Go on, Louvois, go on," said Louis, smiling up at the ceiling.

"'These are the clouds which surround the sun, my dear nephew; but the
sun is, believe me, shining brightly behind them. For years I have
known that noble nature as few others can know it, and I can tell you
that his virtues are his own, but that if ever his glory is for an
instant dimmed over, it is because his kindness of heart has allowed him
to be swayed by those who are about him. We hope soon to see you back
at Versailles, staggering under the weight of your laurels. Meanwhile
accept my love and every wish for your speedy promotion, although it
cannot be obtained in the way which you suggest.'"

"Ah," cried the king, his love shining in his eyes, "how could I for an
instant doubt her! And yet I had been so shaken by the others!
Francoise is as true as steel. Was it not a beautiful letter, Louvois?"

"Madame is a very clever woman," said the minister evasively.

"And such a reader of hearts! Has she not seen my character aright?"

"At least she has not read mine, sire."

There was a tap at the door, and Bontems peeped in. "The ar