Chapter 41 - Page 2

d’Artagnan, “the King alone, understand,- the King alone has a right to command my Musketeers; but as to you, I forbid you to do it, and I tell you so before his Majesty. Gentlemen who wear swords are not fellows with pens behind their ears.”

“D’Artagnan! d’Artagnan!” murmured the King.

“It is humiliating,” continued the musketeer; “my soldiers are disgraced. I do not command reitres, nor clerks of the intendance, mordioux!”

“Well; but what is all this about?” said the King, with authority.

“About this, Sire: Monsieur- Monsieur, who could not guess your Majesty’s orders, and consequently could not know I was gone to arrest M. Fouquet; Monsieur, who has caused the iron cage to be constructed for his patron of yesterday- has sent M. de Roncherat to the lodgings of M. Fouquet, and under pretence of taking away the superintendent’s papers they have taken away the furniture. My Musketeers have been placed round the house all the morning; such were my orders. Why did any one presume to order them to enter? Why, by forcing them to assist in this pillage, have they been made accomplices in it? Mordioux! we serve the King, we do; but we do not serve M. Colbert!”

“M. d’Artagnan,” said the King, sternly, “take care! It is not in my presence that such explanations, and made in this tone, should take place.”

“I have acted for the good of the King,” said Colbert, in a faltering voice; “it is hard to be so treated by one of your Majesty’s officers, and that without vengeance, on account of the respect I owe the King.”

“The respect you owe the King,” cried d’Artagnan, his eyes flashing fire, “consists in the first place in making his authority respected and his person beloved. Every agent of a power without control represents that power, and when people curse the hand which strikes them, it is to the royal hand that God makes the reproach, do you hear? Must a soldier hardened by forty years of wounds and blood give you this lesson, Monsieur? Must mercy be on my side, and ferocity on yours? You have caused the innocent to be arrested, bound, and imprisoned!”

“The accomplices, perhaps, of M. Fouquet,” said Colbert.

“Who told you that M. Fouquet had accomplices, or even that he was guilty? The King alone knows that; his justice is not blind! When he shall say, ‘Arrest and imprison’ such and such people, then he shall be obeyed. Do not talk to me then any more of the respect you owe the King; and be careful of your words, that they may not chance to convey any menace,- for the King will not allow those to be threatened who do him service by others who do him disservice. And in case I should have- which God