Part 62 (2/2)
”As the engineer of Belle-Isle, of course”
”Is it possible?”
”Quite true”
”Shall we not be obliged, then, to send him back to Belle-Isle?”
”Most certainly; I a him as soon as possible Porthos is very fond of display; he is nan, Athos, and myself are alone acquainted with; he never conity himself; to the officers there, he would seem like a Paladin of the time of the Crusades He wouldtipsy in the least hiard him with admiration and sympathy; if, therefore, it should happen that we have any orders requiring to be carried out, Porthos is an incarnation of the order itself, and whatever he chose to do others would find theed to submit to”
”Send him back, then”
”That is what I intend to do; but only in a few days; for I ”
”What is it?”
”I begin to nan He is not at Fontainebleau, as you nan is never absent, or apparently idle, without some object in view And now thatto try and ascertain what the affairs are in which D'Artagnan is engaged”
”Your own affairs are settled, you say?”
”Yes”
”You are very fortunate in that case, then, and I should like to be able to say the same”
”I hope you do notcould be better than the king's reception of you”
”True”
”And Colbert leaves you in peace”
”Nearly so”
”In that case,” said Aramis, with that connection of ideas which ht upon the young girl I was speaking to you about yesterday”
”Whootten already? I mean La Valliere”
”Ah! of course, of course”
”Do you object, then, to try and make a conquest of her?”
”In one respect only; ed in another direction, and I positively do not care about the girl in the least”
”Oh, oh!” said Araed, you say The deuce! we must take care of that”
”Why?”
”Because it is terrible to have the heart occupied, when others, besides yourself, have so ht So you see, at your first suood do you see in , it is said, has taken a fancy to her; at least, so it is supposed”
”But you, who know everything, know very differently”
”I know that the king is greatly and suddenly changed; that the day before yesterday he was crazy over Madao, Monsieur coal s were the consequence”
”How do you know all that?”
”I do know it; at all events, since thesehas not addressed a word, has not paid the slightest attention, to her royal highness”
”Well, what next?”
”Since then, he has been taken up with Mademoiselle de la Valliere Now, Mademoiselle de la Valliere is one of Madame's maids of honor You happen to know, I suppose, what is called a chaperon in matters of love Well, then, Mademoiselle de la Valliere is Madae of this state of things You have no occasion for me to tell you that But, at all events, wounded vanity will render the conquest an easier one; the girl will get hold of the king, and Madame's secret, and you can scarcely predict what a et at her?”
”Nay, you, of all men, to ask me such a question!” said Aramis
”Very true I shall not have any time to take any notice of her”
”She is poor and unassu, you will create a position for her, and whether she ta as his lady confessor, or his sweetheart, you will have enlisted a new and valuable ally”
”Very good,” said Fouquet ”What is to be done, then, with regard to this girl?”
”Whenever you have taken a fancy to any lady, Monsieur Fouquet, what course have you generally pursued?”
”I have written to her, protesting my devotion to her I have added, how happy I should be to render her any service in ned 'Fouquet,' at the end of the letter”
”And has any one offered resistance?”
”One person only,” replied Fouquet ”But, four days ago, she yielded, as the others had done”
”Will you take the trouble to write?” said Ara: ”I rite at your dictation My head is so taken up in another direction, that I should not be able to write a couple lines”
”Very well,” said Aramis, ”write”
And he dictated, as follows: ”Mademoiselle-I have seen you-and you will not be surprised to learn, I think you very beautiful But, for want of the position you merit at court, your presence there is a waste of time The devotion of a ht possibly serve as a means of display for your talent and beauty I place my devotion at your feet; but, as an affection, however reserved and unpresuht possibly compromise the object of its worshi+p, it would ill beco co assured If you would deign to accept, and reply to ratitude to you infinished writing, Fouquet looked at Aran it,” said the latter