Meanwhile the cardinal returned to his own room; and afterasking Bernouin, who stood at the door, whether anything hadoccurred during his absence, and being answered in thenegative, he desired that he might be left alone.

When he was alone he opened the door of the corridor andthen that of the ante-chamber. There D'Artagnan was asleepupon a bench.

The cardinal went up to him and touched his shoulder.D'Artagnan started, awakened himself, and as he awoke, stoodup exactly like a soldier under arms.

"Here I am," said he. "Who calls me?"

"I," said Mazarin, with his most smiling expression.

"I ask pardon of your eminence," said D'Artagnan, "but I wasso fatigued - - "

"Don't ask my pardon, monsieur," said Mazarin, "for youfatigued yourself in my service."

D'Artagnan admired Mazarin's gracious manner. "Ah," said he,between his teeth, "is there truth in the proverb thatfortune comes while one sleeps?"

"Follow me, monsieur," said Mazarin.

"Come, come," murmured D'Artagnan, "Rochefort has kept hispromise, but where in the devil is he?" And he searched thecabinet even to the smallest recesses, but there was no signof Rochefort.

"Monsieur d'Artagnan," said the cardinal, sitting down on afauteuil, "you have always seemed to me to be a brave andhonorable man."

"Possibly," thought D'Artagnan, "but he has taken a longtime to let me know his thoughts;" nevertheless, he bowed tothe very ground in gratitude for Mazarin's compliment.

"Well," continued Mazarin, "the time has come to put to useyour talents and your valor."

There was a sudden gleam of joy in the officer's eyes, whichvanished immediately, for he knew nothing of Mazarin'spurpose.

"Order, my lord," he said; "I am ready to obey youreminence."

"Monsieur d'Artagnan," continued the cardinal, "youperformed sundry superb exploits in the last reign."

"Your eminence is too good to remember such trifles in myfavor. It is true I fought with tolerable success."

"I don't speak of your warlike exploits, monsieur," saidMazarin; "although they gained you much reputation, theywere surpassed by others."

D'Artagnan pretended astonishment.

"Well, you do not reply?" resumed Mazarin.

"I am waiting, my lord, till you tell me of what exploitsyou speak."

"I speak of the adventure - Eh, you know well what I mean."

"Alas, no, my lord!" replied D'Artagnan, surprised.

"You are discreet - so much the better. I speak of thatadventure in behalf of the queen, of the ornaments, of thejourney you made with three of your friends."

"Aha!" thought the Gascon; "is this a snare or not? Let mebe on my guard."

And he assumed a look of stupidity which Mendori orBellerose, two of the first actors of the day, might haveenvied.

"Bravo!" cried Mazarin; "they told me that you were the manI wanted. Come, let us see what you will do for me."

"Everything that your eminence may please to command me,"was the reply.

"You will do for me what you have done for the queen?"

"Certainly," D'Artagnan said to himself, "he wishes to makeme speak out. He's not more cunning than De Richelieu was!Devil take him!" Then he said aloud:

"The queen, my lord? I don't comprehend."

"You don't comprehend that I want you and your three friendsto be of use to me?"

"Which of my friends, my lord?"

"Your three friends - the friends of former days."

"Of former days, my lord! In former days I had not onlythree friends, I had thirty; at two-and-twenty one callsevery man one's friend."

"Well, sir," returned Mazarin, "prudence is a fine thing,but to-day you might regret having been too prudent."

"My lord, Pythagoras made his disciples keep silence forfive years that they might learn to hold their tongues."

"But you have been silent for twenty years, sir. Speak, nowthe queen herself releases you from your promise."

"The queen!" said D'Artagnan, with an astonishment whichthis time was not pretended.

"Yes, the queen! And as a proof of what I say she commandedme to show you this diamond, which she thinks you know."

And so saying, Mazarin extended his hand to the officer, whosighed as he recognized the ring so gracefully given to himby the queen on the night of the ball at the Hotel de Villeand which she had repurchased from Monsieur des Essarts.

"'Tis true. I remember well that diamond, which belonged tothe queen."

"You see, then, that I speak to you in the queen's name.Answer me without acting as if you were on the stage; yourinterests are concerned in your so doing."

"Faith, my lord, it is very necessary for me to make myfortune, your eminence has so long forgotten me."

"We need only a week to amend all that. Come, you areaccounted for, you are here, but where are your friends?"

"I do not know, my lord. We have parted company this longtime; all three have left the service."

"Where can you find them, then?"

"Wherever they are, that's my business."

"Well, now, what are your conditions, if I employ you?"

"Money, my lord, as much money as what you wish me toundertake will require. I remember too well how sometimes wewere stopped for want of money, and but for that diamond,which I was obliged to sell, we should have remained on theroad."

"The devil he does! Money! and a large sum!" said Mazarin."Pray, are you aware that the king has no money in histreasury?"

"Do then as I did, my lord. Sell the crown diamonds. Trustme, don't let us try to do things cheaply. Greatundertakings come poorly off with paltry means."

"Well," returned Mazarin, "we will satisfy you."

"Richelieu," thought D'Artagnan, "would have given me fivehundred pistoles in advance."

"You will then be at my service?" asked Mazarin.

"Yes, if my friends agree."

"But if they refuse can I count on you?"

"I have never accomplished anything alone," said D'Artagnan,shaking his head.

"Go, then, and find them."

"What shall I say to them by way of inducement to serve youreminence?"

"You know them better than I. Adapt your promises to theirrespective characters."

"What shall I promise?"

"That if they serve me as well as they served the queen mygratitude shall be magnificent."

"But what are we to do?"

"Make your mind easy; when the time for action comes youshall be put in full possession of what I require from you;wait till that time arrives and find out your friends."

"My lord, perhaps they are not in Paris. It is even probablethat I shall have to make a journey. I am only a lieutenantof musketeers, very poor, and journeys cost money.

"My intention," said Mazarin, "is not that you go with agreat following; my plans require secrecy, and would bejeopardized by a too extravagant equipment."

"Still, my lord, I can't travel on my pay, for it is nowthree months behind; and I can't travel on my savings, forin my twenty-two years of service I have accumulated nothingbut debts."

Mazarin remained some moments in deep thought, as if he werefighting with himself; then, going to a large cupboardclosed with a triple lock, he took from it a bag of silver,and weighing it twice in his hands before he gave it toD'Artagnan:

"Take this," he said with a sigh, "'tis merely for yourjourney."

"If these are Spanish doubloons, or even gold crowns,"thought D'Artagnan, "we shall yet be able to do businesstogether." He saluted the cardinal and plunged the bag intothe depths of an immense pocket.

"Well, then, all is settled; you are to set off," said thecardinal.

"Yes, my lord."

"Apropos, what are the names of your friends?"

"The Count de la Fere, formerly styled Athos; Monsieur duVallon, whom we used to call Porthos; the Chevalierd'Herblay, now the Abbe d'Herblay, whom we styled Aramis- - "

The cardinal smiled.

"Younger sons," he said, "who enlisted in the musketeersunder feigned names in order not to lower their familynames. Long swords but light purses. Was that it?"

"If, God willing, these swords should be devoted to theservice of your eminence," said D'Artagnan, "I shall ventureto express a wish, which is, that in its turn the purse ofyour eminence may become light and theirs heavy - for withthese three men your eminence may rouse all Europe if youlike."

"These Gascons," said the cardinal, laughing, "almost beatthe Italians in effrontery."

"At all events," answered D'Artagnan, with a smile almost ascrafty as the cardinal's, "they beat them when they drawtheir swords."

He then withdrew, and as he passed into the courtyard hestopped near a lamp and dived eagerly into the bag of money.

"Crown pieces only - silver pieces! I suspected it. Ah!Mazarin! Mazarin! thou hast no confidence in me! so much theworse for thee, for harm may come of it!"

Meanwhile the cardinal was rubbing his hands in greatsatisfaction.

"A hundred pistoles! a hundred pistoles! for a hundredpistoles I have discovered a secret for which Richelieuwould have paid twenty thousand crowns; without reckoningthe value of that diamond" - he cast a complacent look atthe ring, which he had kept, instead of restoring toD'Artagnan - "which is worth, at least, ten thousandfrancs."

He returned to his room, and after depositing the ring in acasket filled with brilliants of every sort, for thecardinal was a connoisseur in precious stones, he called toBernouin to undress him, regardless of the noises ofgun-fire that, though it was now near midnight, continued toresound through Paris.

In the meantime D'Artagnan took his way toward the RueTiquetonne, where he lived at the Hotel de la Chevrette.

We will explain in a few words how D'Artagnan had been ledto choose that place of residence.