“Your sentence,” continued Louis, “fell upon the king and fell upon the man.  But, Monsieur d’Artagnan, that weakness, for you considered it a weakness?” — D’Artagnan made no reply — “you reproached me also with regard to monsieur, the defunct cardinal.  Now, monsieur le cardinal, did he not bring me up, did he not support me? — elevating himself and supporting himself at the same time, I admit; but the benefit was discharged.  As an ingrate or an egotist, would you, then, have better loved or served me?”

“Sire!”

“We will say no more about it, monsieur; it would only create in you too many regrets, and me too much pain.”

D’Artagnan was not convinced.  The young king, in adopting a tone of hauteur with him, did not forward his purpose.

“You have since reflected?” resumed Louis.

“Upon what, sire?” asked D’Artagnan, politely.

“Why, upon all that I have said to you, monsieur.”

“Yes, sire, no doubt — "

“And you have only waited for an opportunity of retracting your words?”

“Sire!”

“You hesitate, it seems.”

“I do not understand what your majesty did me the honor to say to me.”

Louis’s brow became cloudy.

“Have the goodness to excuse me, sire; my understanding is particularly thick; things do not penetrate it without difficulty; but it is true, once they get in, they remain there.”

“Yes, yes; you appear to have a memory.”

“Almost as good a one as your majesty’s.”

“Then give me quickly one solution.  My time is valuable.  What have you been doing since your discharge?”

“Making my fortune, sire.”

“The expression is crude, Monsieur d’Artagnan.”

“Your majesty takes it in bad part, certainly.  I entertain nothing but the profoundest respect for the king; and if I have been impolite, which might be excused by my long sojourn in camps and barracks, your majesty is too much above me to be offended at a word that innocently escapes from a soldier.”

“In fact, I know you performed a brilliant action in England, monsieur.  I only regret that you have broken your promise.”

“I!” cried D’Artagnan.

“Doubtless.  You engaged your word not to serve any other prince on quitting my service.  Now it was for King Charles II. that you undertook the marvelous carrying off of M. Monk.”

“Pardon me, sire; it was for myself.”

“And did you succeed?”

“Like the captains of the fifteenth century, coups-de-main and adventures.”

“What do you call succeeding? — a fortune?”

“A hundred thousand crowns, sire, which I now possess — that is, in one week three times as much money as I ever had in fifty years.”

“It is a handsome sum.  But you are ambitious, I perceive.”

“I, sire?  The quarter of that would be a treasure; and I swear to you I have no thought of augmenting it.”