“Surely he did, and here I have it in memorandum, for I was to have taken it up with yourself,” replied the regent.

“So,” exclaimed Law, a look of surprise passing over his countenance, until now rigidly controlled, as he gazed at the little slip of paper.  “Your Grace advises me that there are issued at this time in the shares of the Company no less than two billion, two hundred and thirty-five million, eighty-five thousand, five hundred and ninety livres in notes!  Against this, as your Grace is good enough to agree with me, we have thirteen hundred millions of specie.  Your Grace, yourself and I have seen some pretty games in our day.  Look you, the merriest game of all your life is now but just before you!”

“And you would go and leave me at this time?”

“Never in my life have I forsaken a friend at the time of distress,” replied Law.  “But your Grace absolved me when you forsook me, when you doubted and hesitated regarding me, and believed the protestations of those not so able as myself to judge of what was best.  And now it is too late.  Will your Grace allow me to suggest that a place behind stout gates and barred doors, deep within the interior of the Palais Royal, will be the best residence for him to-night—­perhaps for several nights to come?”

“And yourself?”

“As for myself, it does not matter,” replied Law, slowly and deliberately.  “I have lived, and I thought I had succeeded.  Indeed, success was mine for some short months, though now I must meet failure.  I have this to console me—­that ’twas failure not of my own fault.  As for France, I loved her.  As for America, I believe in her to-day, this very hour.  As for your Grace in person, I was your friend, nor was I ever disloyal to you.  But it sometimes doth seem that, no matter how sincere be one in one’s endeavors, no matter how cherished, no matter how successful for a time may be his ambitions, there is ever some little blight to eat the face of the full fruit of his happiness.  To-morrow I shall perhaps not be alive.  It is very well.  There is nothing I could desire, and it is as well to-morrow as at any time.”

“But surely, Monsieur L’as,” interrupted the regent, with a trace of his old generosity, “if there should be outbreak, as you fear, I shall, of course, give you a guard.  I shall indeed see you safe out of the city, if you so prefer, though I had much liefer you would remain and try to help us undo this coil, wherein I much misdoubt myself.”

“Your Grace, I am a disappointed man, a man with nothing in the world to comfort him.  I have said that I would not help you, since ’twas yourself brought ruin on my plans, and cast down that work which I had labored all my life to finish.  Yet I will advise this, as being your most immediate plan.  Smooth down this France as best you may.  Remit more taxes, as I said.  Depreciate the value of these shares gently, but rapidly as you can.  Institute great numbers of perpetual annuities.