LOUISE DE LA VALLIERB. 421
- To get yourself arrested — you?"
"Of course. My friend will get wearied to death in the Bastile by himself, and I have come to propose to your majesty to permit me to bear him company; if your majesty will but give the word, I will arrest myself; I shall not need the captain of the guards for that, I assure you." The king darted toward the table and seized hold of a pen to write the order for D'Artagnan's imprisonment.
- Tay attention, monsieur, that this is forever!" cried the
king, in a tone of stern menace. "I can quite believe that," returned the musketeer; "for when you have once done such an act as that, you will never be able to look me in the face again." The king dashed down his pen violently. "Leave the room, monsieur!" he said. "Not so, if it please your majesty." "How is that?" "Sire, I came to speak gently and temperately to your majesty; your majesty got into a passion with me; that is a misfortune; but I shall not the less, on that account, say what I had to say to you." "Your resignation, monsieur — your resignation!" cried the king. "Sire, you know whether I care about my resignation or not, since at Blois, on the very day when you refused King Charles the million which my friend, the Comte de la Fere, gave him, I then tendered my resignation to your majesty." "Very well, monsieur — do it at once!" "No, sire; for there is no question of my resignation at the present moment. Your majesty took up your pen just now to send me to the Bastile — why should you change your intention?" "D'Artagnan! Gascon that you are! who is the king, allow me to ask — you or myself?" "You, sire, unfortunately." "What do you mean by 'unfortunately?* " "Yes, sire; for if it were I " "If it were you, you would approve of Monsieur d'Artag- nan's rebellious conduct, I suppose?" "Certainly." "Eeally!" said the king, shrugging his shoulders. "And I should tell my captain of the musketeers," con- tinued D'Artagnan, "I should tell him, looking at him all the while with human eyes, and not with eyes like coals of fire, 'Monsieur d'Artagnan, I had forgotten that I was the
