you ever been in want of any?"
"Oh, if you only knew at what a cost I procured the last supply!"
"The next shall cost you nothing."
"But who will give it me?"
"I will."
"What! give me six millions?"
"Ten, if necessary."
"Upon my word, D'Herblay," said Fouquet, "your confidence alarms me more than the king's displeasure. Who can you possibly be, after all?"
"You know me well enough, I should think."
"Of course; but what is it you are aiming at?"
"I wish to see upon the throne of France a king devoted to Monsieur Fouquet, and I wish Monsieur Fouquet to be devoted to me."
"Oh!" exclaimed Fouquet, pressing his hand, "as for belonging to you. I am yours entirely: but believe me, my dear D'Herblay, you are deceiving yourself."
"In what respect?"
"The king will never become devoted to me."
"I do not remember to have said that the king would be devoted to you."
"Why, on the contrary, you have this moment said so."
"I did not say the king: I said a king."
"Is it not all the same?"
"No, on the contrary, it is quite different."
"I do not understand you."
"You will do so shortly then. Suppose, for instance, the king in question were to be a very different person to Louis XIV."
"Another person?"
"Yes, who is indebted for everything to you."
"Impossible!"
"His very throne even."
"You are mad, D'Herblay! There is no man living besides Louis XIV. who can sit on the throne of France. I see none, not one."
"Unless it be Monsieur," said Fouquet, looking at Aramis uneasily, "yet Monsieur—"
"It is not Monsieur."
"But how can it be that a prince not of the royal line, that a prince without any right—"
"My king, or rather your king, will be everything that is necessary, be assured of that."
"Be careful, Monsieur d'Herblay; you make my blood run cold, and my head swim."
Aramis smiled. "There is but little occasion for that," he replied.
"Again, I repeat, you terrify me!" said Fouquet.
Aramis smiled.
"You laugh," said Fouquet.
"The day will come when you will laugh too; only at the present moment I must laugh alone."
"But explain yourself."
"When the proper day shall have arrived, I will explain all. Fear nothing; have faith in me, and doubt nothing."
"The fact is, I cannot but doubt, because I do not see clearly, or at all even."
"That is because of your blindness: but a day will come when you will be enlightened."
"Oh," said Fouquet, "how willingly would I believe!"
"You without belief! You who, through my means, have ten times crossed the abyss yawning at your feet, and in which, had you been alone, you would have been irretrievably swallowed up! You without belief! you who, from procureur-general, attained the rank of intendant, from the rank of intendant that of first minister of the crown, and who, from the rank of first minister, will pass to that of mayor of the palace! But no," he said, with the same unaltered smile, "no, no, you cannot see, and consequently cannot believe that." And Aramis rose to withdraw.
"One word more," said Fouquet. "You have never yet spoken to me in this manner, you have never yet shown yourself so confident—I should rather say so daring."
"Because it is necessary, in order to speak confidently, to have the lips unfettered."
"And that is now your case?"
"Yes."
"Since a very short time, then?"
"Since yesterday only."
"Oh, Monsieur d'Herblay, take care; your confidence is becoming audacity."
"One can well be audacious when one is powerful."
"And you are powerful?"
"I have already offered you ten millions: I offer them again to you."
Fouquet rose, much agitated and disturbed.
"Come," he said, "come; you spoke of overthrowing kings and replacing them by others. If, indeed, I am not really out of my senses, is or is not that what you said just now?"
"You are by no means out of your senses, for it is perfectly true I did say all that just now."
"And why did you say so?"
"Because it is easy to speak in this manner of thrones being cast down, and kings being raised up, when one is, one's self, far above all king's and thrones, of this world at least."
"Your power is infinite, then?" cried Fouquet.
"I have told you so already, and I repeat it," replied Aramis, with glistening eyes and trembling lips.
Fouquet threw himself back in his chair and buried his face in his hands. Aramis looked at him for a moment, as the angel of human destinies might have looked upon a simple mortal being.
"Adieu," he said to him, "sleep undisturbed, and send your letter to La Valliere. To-morrow we shall see each other again."
"Yes, to-morrow," said Fouquet, shaking his hand like a man returning to his senses. "But where shall we see each other?"
"At the king's promenade, if you like."
"Agreed." And they separated.
CHAPTER III.
THE STORM.
