Chapter 23 - Page 2

the virtue of my mother can be suspected. And my first minister, has he not already done justice on the criminals?”

“Reflect, Sire, before you are carried away by your anger,” replied Fouquet. “The birth of your brother-”

“I have only one brother; and that is Monsieur. You know it as well as myself. There is a plot, I tell you, beginning with the governor of the Bastille.”

“Be careful, Sire, for this man has been deceived as every one else has by the Prince’s likeness to yourself.”

“Likeness? absurd!”

“This Marchiali must, however, be very like your Majesty to be able to deceive every one,” Fouquet persisted.

“Ridiculous!”

“Do not say so, Sire; those who had prepared everything in order to face and deceive your ministers, your mother, your officers of state, the members of your family, must be quite confident of the resemblance between you.”

“There is truth in that,” murmured the King; “but where are these persons, then?”

“At Vaux.”

“At Vaux! and you suffer them to remain there?”

“My most pressing duty seemed to be your Majesty’s release. I have accomplished that duty; and now whatever your Majesty may command, shall be done. I await your orders.”

Louis reflected for a few minutes. “Muster all the troops in Paris,” he said.

“All the necessary orders are given for that purpose,” replied Fouquet.

“You have given orders?” exclaimed the King.

“For that purpose,- yes, Sire! your Majesty will be at the head of ten thousand men in an hour.”

The only reply the King made was to take hold of Fouquet’s hand with such an expression of feeling that it was very easy to perceive how strongly he had until that remark maintained his suspicions of the minister, notwithstanding the latter’s intervention. “And with these troops,” he said, “we shall go at once and besiege in your house the rebels who by this time will have established and intrenched themselves there.”

“I should be surprised if that were the case,” replied Fouquet.

“Why?”

“Because their chief,- the very soul of the enterprise,- having been unmasked by me, the whole plan seems to me to have miscarried.”

“You have unmasked this false Prince also?”

“No, I have not seen him.”

“Whom have you seen, then?”

“The leader of the enterprise is not that unhappy young man; the latter is merely an instrument, destined through his whole life to wretchedness, I plainly