Page:The Vicomte de Bragelonne 2.djvu/507

THE VICOMTE DE BRAGELONNE. 405 talent who do honor to my reign." And while saying obese words he turned toward Colbert. The latter felt himself crushed, the sweat flowed from his brow, no word presented itself to his lips, he suffered an inexpressible martyrdom. "'You will recollect that name," added Louis XIV. Colbert bowed, but was paler than his ruffles of Flemish lace. Fouquet continued: "The masonries are of Koman mastic; the architects have composed it for me after the best accounts of antiquity." "And the cannon?" asked Louis. "Oh! sire, that concerns your majesty; it did not becom© ne to place cannon in my own house, unless your majesty lad told me it was yours." Louis began to float, undetermined, between the hatred which this so powerful man inspired him with, and the pity he felt for that other man, so cast down, who seemed to nim the counterfeit of the former. But the consciousness of his kingly duty prevailed over the feelings of the man, and he stretched out his finger to the paper. "It must have cost you a great deal of money to carry these plans into execution," said he. "I believe I had the honor of telling your majesty the amount?" "Repeat it, if you please; I have forgotten it." "Sixteen hundred thousand livres." "Sixteen hundred thousand livres; you are enormously Hch J monsieur." "It is your majesty who is rich, since Belle-Isle is yours." "Yes, thank you; but however rich I may be, Monsieur Fouquet — " The king stopped. "Well, sire?" asked the surintendant. "I foresee the moment when I shall want money.' "You, sire? And at what moment, then?" "To-morrow, for example." "Will your majesty do me the honor to explain yourself?" "My brother is going to marry the princess of England. 5 "Well, sire?" "Well, I ought to give the young princess a reception worthy of the granddaughter of Henry IV." "That is but just, sire." "Then I shall want money." "No doubt." "I shall want — " Louis hesitated. The sum he was going to demand was the same that he had been obliged to