“Himself, Monsieur Bernouin.”

“And why have you come here?”

“To bring news of Monsieur de Mazarin —­ the freshest news there is.”

“What has become of him, then?”

“He is as well as you and I.”

“Nothing bad has happened to him, then?”

“Absolutely nothing.  He felt the need of making a trip in the Ile de France, and begged us —­ the Comte de la Fere and Monsieur du Vallon —­ to accompany him.  We were too devoted servants to refuse him a request of that sort.  We set out last evening and here we are.”

“Here you are.”

“His eminence had something to communicate to her majesty, something secret and private —­ a mission that could be confided only to a sure man —­ and so has sent me to Saint Germain.  And therefore, my dear Monsieur Bernouin, if you wish to do what will be pleasing to your master, announce to her majesty that I have come, and tell her with what purpose.”

Whether he spoke seriously or in jest, since it was evident that under existing circumstances D’Artagnan was the only man who could relieve the queen’s uneasiness, Bernouin went without hesitation to announce to her this strange embassy; and as he had foreseen, the queen gave orders to introduce Monsieur d’Artagnan at once.

D’Artagnan approached the sovereign with every mark of profound respect, and having fallen on his knees presented to her the cardinal’s letter

It was, however, merely a letter of introduction.  The queen read it, recognized the writing, and, since there were no details in it of what had occurred, asked for particulars.  D’Artagnan related everything with that simple and ingenuous air which he knew how to assume on occasions.  The queen, as he went on, looked at him with increasing astonishment.  She could not comprehend how a man could conceive such an enterprise and still less how he could have the audacity to disclose it to her whose interest and almost duty it was to punish him.

“How, sir!” she cried, as D’Artagnan finished, “you dare to tell me the details of your crime —­ to give me an account of your treason!”

“Pardon, madame, but I think that either I have expressed myself badly or your majesty has imperfectly understood me.  There is here no question of crime or treason.  Monsieur de Mazarin held us in prison, Monsieur du Vallon and myself, because we could not believe that he had sent us to England to quietly look on while they cut off the head of Charles I., brother-in-law of the late king, your husband, the consort of Madame Henrietta, your sister and your guest, and because we did all that we could do to save the life of the royal martyr.  We were then convinced, my friend and I, that there was some error of which we were the victims, and that an explanation was called for between his eminence and ourselves.  Now, that an explanation may bear fruit, it is necessary that it should be quietly conducted, far from noise