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The Vicomte De Bragelonne
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The Vicomte De Bragelonne 33 at Prostate Health
Bernouin?""Yes, monseigneur.""And the ciphers?""Stand straight under one another.""Cast them up, Bernouin.""Thirty-nine millions two hundred and sixty thousand livres,monseigneur.""Ah!" cried the cardinal, in a tone of vexation; "there arenot yet forty millions!"Bernouin recommenced the addition."No, monseigneur; there want seven hundred and fortythousand livres."Mazarin asked for the account, and revised it carefully."Yes, but," said Bernouin, "thirty-nine millions two hundredand sixty thousand livres make a good round sum.""Ah, Bernouin, I wish the king had it.""Your eminence told me that this money was his majestys.""Doubtless, as clear, as transparent as possible. Thesethirty-nine millions are bespoken, and much more."Bernouin smiled after his own fashion -- that is, like a manwho believes no more than he is willing to believe -- whilstpreparing the cardinals night draught, and putting hispillow to rights."Oh!" said Mazarin, when the valet had gone out; "not yetforty millions! I must, however, attain that sum, which Ihad set down for myself. But who knows whether I shall havetime? I sink, I am going, I shall never reach it! And yet,who knows that I may not find two or three millions in thepockets of my good friends the Spaniards? They discoveredPeru, those people did, and -- what the devil! they musthave something left."As he was speaking thus, entirely occupied with his ciphers,and thinking no more of his gout, repelled by apreoccupation which, with the cardinal, was the mostpowerful of all preoccupations, Bernouin rushed into thechamber, quite in a fright."Well!" asked the cardinal, "what is the matter now?""The king, monseigneur, -- the king!""How? -- the king!" said Mazarin, quickly concealing hispaper. "The king here! the king at this hour! I thought hewas in bed long ago. What is the matter, then?"The king could hear these last words, and see the terrifiedgesture of the cardinal rising up in his bed, for he enteredthe chamber at that moment."It is nothing, monsieur le cardinal, or at least nothingwhich can alarm you. It is an important communication whichI wish to make to your eminence to-night -- that is all."Mazarin immediately thought of that marked attention whichthe king had given to his words concerning Mademoiselle deMancini, and the communication appeared to him probably torefer to this source. He recovered his serenity theninstantly, and assumed his most agreeable air, a change ofcountenance which inspired the king with the greatest joy;and when Louis was seated, --"Sire," said the cardinal, "I ought certainly to listen toyour majesty standing, but the violence of my complaint ----""No ceremony between us, my dear monsieur le cardinal," saidLouis kindly: "I am your pupil, and not the king, you knowvery well, and this evening in particular, as I come to youas a petitioner, as a solicitor, and one very humble, anddesirous to be kindly received, too."Mazarin, seeing the heightened color of the king, wasconfirmed in his first idea; that is to say, that lovethoughts were hidden under all these fine words. This time,political cunning, keen as it was, made a mistake; thiscolor was not caused by the bashfulness of a juvenilepassion, but only by the painful contraction of the royalpride.Like a good uncle, Mazarin felt disposed to facilitate theconfidence."Speak, sire," said he, "and since your majesty is willingfor an instant to forget that I am your subject, and call meyour master and instructor, I promise your majesty my mostdevoted and tender consideration.""Thanks, monsieur le cardinal," answered the king; "thatwhich I have to ask of your eminence has but little to dowith myself.""So much the worse!" replied the cardinal, "so much theworse! Sire, I should wish your majesty to ask of mesomething of importance, even a sacrifice; but whatever itmay be that you ask me, I am ready to set your heart at restby granting it, my dear sire.""Well, this is what brings me here," said the king, with abeating of the heart that had no equal except the beating ofthe heart of the minister; "I have just received a visitfrom my brother, the king of England."Mazarin bounded in his bed as if he had been put in relationwith a Leyden jar or a voltaic pile, at the same time that asurprise, or rather a manifest disappointment, inflamed hisfeatures with such a blaze of anger, that Louis XIV., littlediplomatist as he was, saw that the minister had hoped tohear
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