446 THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK. placed his coquetry in showing that he knew his business." Never were opportunities better chosen, coups de main better supported, errors of the besieged taken better advantage of. The army commanded by D'Artagnan took twelve small places within a month. He was engaged in besieging the thirteenth, which had held out five days. D'Artagnan caused the trenches to be opened without appearing to sup- pose that these people would ever allow themselves to be taken. The pioneers and laborers were, in the army of this man, a body full of emulation, ideas, and zeal, because he treated them like soldiers, knew how to render their work glorious, and never allowed them to be killed if he could prevent it. It should have been seen then with what eagerness the marshy glebes of Holland were turned over. Those turf-heaps, those mounds of potter's clay, melted at the word of the soldiers like butter in the vast frying-pans of the Friesland housewives. M. d'Artagnan dispatched a courier to the king to give him an account of the last successes, which redoubled the good humor of his majesty and his inclination to amuse the ladies. These victories of M. d'Artagnan gave so much majesty to the prince that Mme. de Montespan no longer called him anything but Louis the Invincible. So that Mile, de la Valliere, who only called the king Louis the Victorious, lost much of his majesty's favor. Besides, her eyes were frequently red, and for an Invincible nothing is more disagreeable than a mistress who weeps while every- thing is smiling around her. The star of Mile, de la Val- liere was being drowned in the horizon in clouds and tears. But the gayety of Mme. de Montespan redoubled with the successes of the king, and consoled him for every other un- pleasant circumstance. It was to D'Artagnan the king owed this ; and his majesty was anxious to acknowledge these services ; he wrote to M. Colbert : ^^MoNsiEUR Colbert: We have a promise to fulfill with Monsieur d'Artagnan, who so well keeps his. This is to inform you that the time is come for performing it. All provisions for this purpose you shall be furnished with in due time. Louis. In consequence of this, Colbert, who detained the envoy of D'Artagnan, placed in the hands of that messenger a
letter from himself for D'Artagnan, and a small coffer ol
