We will leave Villefort on the road to Paris, travelling - thanks to trebled fees - with all speed, and passingthrough two or three apartments, enter at the Tuileries thelittle room with the arched window, so well known as havingbeen the favorite closet of Napoleon and Louis XVIII., andnow of Louis Philippe.

There, seated before a walnut table he had brought with himfrom Hartwell, and to which, from one of those fancies notuncommon to great people, he was particularly attached, theking, Louis XVIII., was carelessly listening to a man offifty or fifty-two years of age, with gray hair,aristocratic bearing, and exceedingly gentlemanly attire,and meanwhile making a marginal note in a volume ofGryphius's rather inaccurate, but much sought-after, editionof Horace - a work which was much indebted to the sagaciousobservations of the philosophical monarch.

"You say, sir" - said the king.

"That I am exceedingly disquieted, sire."

"Really, have you had a vision of the seven fat kine and theseven lean kine?"

"No, sire, for that would only betoken for us seven years ofplenty and seven years of scarcity; and with a king as fullof foresight as your majesty, scarcity is not a thing to befeared."

"Then of what other scourge are you afraid, my dear Blacas?"

"Sire, I have every reason to believe that a storm isbrewing in the south."

"Well, my dear duke," replied Louis XVIII., "I think you arewrongly informed, and know positively that, on the contrary,it is very fine weather in that direction." Man of abilityas he was, Louis XVIII. liked a pleasant jest.

"Sire," continued M. de Blacas, "if it only be to reassure afaithful servant, will your majesty send into Languedoc,Provence, and Dauphine, trusty men, who will bring you backa faithful report as to the feeling in these threeprovinces?"

"Caninus surdis," replied the king, continuing theannotations in his Horace.

"Sire," replied the courtier, laughing, in order that hemight seem to comprehend the quotation, "your majesty may beperfectly right in relying on the good feeling of France,but I fear I am not altogether wrong in dreading somedesperate attempt."

"By whom?"

"By Bonaparte, or, at least, by his adherents."

"My dear Blacas," said the king, "you with your alarmsprevent me from working."

"And you, sire, prevent me from sleeping with yoursecurity."

"Wait, my dear sir, wait a moment; for I have such adelightful note on the Pastor quum traheret - wait, and Iwill listen to you afterwards."

There was a brief pause, during which Louis XVIII. wrote, ina hand as small as possible, another note on the margin ofhis Horace, and then looking at the duke with the air of aman who thinks he has an idea of his own, while he is onlycommenting upon the idea of another, said, -

"Go on, my dear duke, go on - I listen."

"Sire," said Blacas, who had for a moment the hope ofsacrificing Villefort to his own profit, "I am compelled totell you that these are not mere rumors destitute offoundation which thus disquiet me; but a serious-minded man,deserving all my confidence, and charged by me to watch overthe south" (the duke hesitated as he pronounced thesewords), "has arrived by post to tell me that a great perilthreatens the king, and so I hastened to you, sire."

"Mala ducis avi domum," continued Louis XVIII., stillannotating.

"Does your majesty wish me to drop the subject?"

"By no means, my dear duke; but just stretch out your hand."

"Which?"

"Whichever you please - there to the left."

"Here, sire?"

"l tell you to the left, and you are looking to the right; Imean on my left - yes, there. You will find yesterday'sreport of the minister of police. But here is M. Dandrehimself;" and M. Dandre, announced by thechamberlain-in-waiting, entered.

"Come in," said Louis XVIII., with repressed smile, "comein, Baron, and tell the duke all you know - the latest newsof M. de Bonaparte; do not conceal anything, howeverserious, - let us see, the Island of Elba is a volcano, andwe may expect to have issuing thence flaming and bristlingwar - bella, horrida bella." M. Dandre leaned veryrespectfully on the back of a chair with his two hands, andsaid, -

"Has your majesty perused yesterday's report?"

"Yes, yes; but tell the duke himself, who cannot findanything, what the report contains - give him theparticulars of what the usurper is doing in his islet."

"Monsieur," said the baron to the duke, "all the servants ofhis majesty must approve of the latest intelligence which wehave from the Island of Elba. Bonaparte" - M. Dandre lookedat Louis XVIII., who, employed in writing a note, did noteven raise his head. "Bonaparte," continued the baron, "ismortally wearied, and passes whole days in watching hisminers at work at Porto-Longone."

"And scratches himself for amusement," added the king.

"Scratches himself?" inquired the duke, "what does yourmajesty mean?"

"Yes, indeed, my dear duke. Did you forget that this greatman, this hero, this demigod, is attacked with a malady ofthe skin which worries him to death, prurigo?"

"And, moreover, my dear duke," continued the minister ofpolice, "we are almost assured that, in a very short time,the usurper will be insane."

"Insane?"

"Raving mad; his head becomes weaker. Sometimes he weepsbitterly, sometimes laughs boisterously, at other time hepasses hours on the seashore, flinging stones in the waterand when the flint makes `duck-and-drake' five or six times,he appears as delighted as if he had gained another Marengoor Austerlitz. Now, you must agree that these areindubitable symptoms of insanity."

"Or of wisdom, my dear baron - or of wisdom," said LouisXVIII., laughing; "the greatest captains of antiquity amusedthemselves by casting pebbles into the ocean - seePlutarch's life of Scipio Africanus."

M. de Blacas pondered deeply between the confident monarchand the truthful minister. Villefort, who did not choose toreveal the whole secret, lest another should reap all thebenefit of the disclosure, had yet communicated enough tocause him the greatest uneasiness.

"Well, well, Dandre," said Louis XVIII., "Blacas is not yetconvinced; let us proceed, therefore, to the usurper'sconversion." The minister of police bowed.

"The usurper's conversion!" murmured the duke, looking atthe king and Dandre, who spoke alternately, like Virgil'sshepherds. "The usurper converted!"

"Decidedly, my dear duke."

"In what way converted?"

"To good principles. Tell him all about it, baron."

"Why, this is the way of it," said the minister, with thegravest air in the world: "Napoleon lately had a review, andas two or three of his old veterans expressed a desire toreturn to France, he gave them their dismissal, and exhortedthem to `serve the good king.' These were his own words, ofthat I am certain."

"Well, Blacas, what think you of this?" inquired the kingtriumphantly, and pausing for a moment from the voluminousscholiast before him.

"I say, sire, that the minister of police is greatlydeceived or I am; and as it is impossible it can be theminister of police as he has the guardianship of the safetyand honor of your majesty, it is probable that I am inerror. However, sire, if I might advise, your majesty willinterrogate the person of whom I spoke to you, and I willurge your majesty to do him this honor."

"Most willingly, duke; under your auspices I will receiveany person you please, but you must not expect me to be tooconfiding. Baron, have you any report more recent than thisdated the 20th February. - this is the 4th of March?"

"No, sire, but I am hourly expecting one; it may havearrived since I left my office."

"Go thither, and if there be none - well, well," continuedLouis XVIII., "make one; that is the usual way, is it not?"and the king laughed facetiously.

"Oh, sire," replied the minister, "we have no occasion toinvent any; every day our desks are loaded with mostcircumstantial denunciations, coming from hosts of peoplewho hope for some return for services which they seek torender, but cannot; they trust to fortune, and rely uponsome unexpected event in some way to justify theirpredictions."

"Well, sir, go"; said Louis XVIII., "and remember that I amwaiting for you."

"I will but go and return, sire; I shall be back in tenminutes."

"And I, sire," said M. de Blacas, "will go and find mymessenger."

"Wait, sir, wait," said Louis XVIII. "Really, M. de Blacas,I must change your armorial bearings; I will give you aneagle with outstretched wings, holding in its claws a preywhich tries in vain to escape, and bearing this device - Tenax."

"Sire, I listen," said De Blacas, biting his nails withimpatience.

"I wish to consult you on this passage, `Molli fugiensanhelitu," you know it refers to a stag flying from a wolf.Are you not a sportsman and a great wolf-hunter? Well, then,what do you think of the molli anhelitu?"

"Admirable, sire; but my messenger is like the stag yourefer to, for he has posted two hundred and twenty leaguesin scarcely three days."

"Which is undergoing great fatigue and anxiety, my dearduke, when we have a telegraph which transmits messages inthree or four hours, and that without getting in the leastout of breath."

"Ah, sire, you recompense but badly this poor young man, whohas come so far, and with so much ardor, to give yourmajesty useful information. If only for the sake of M. deSalvieux, who recommends him to me, I entreat your majestyto receive him graciously."

"M. de Salvieux, my brother's chamberlain?"

"Yes, sire."

"He is at Marseilles."

"And writes me thence."

"Does he speak to you of this conspiracy?"

"No; but strongly recommends M. de Villefort, and begs me topresent him to your majesty."

"M. de Villefort!" cried the king, "is the messenger's nameM. de Villefort?"

"Yes, sire."

"And he comes from Marseilles?"

"In person."

"Why did you not mention his name at once?" replied theking, betraying some uneasiness.

"Sire, I thought his name was unknown to your majesty."

"No, no, Blacas; he is a man of strong and elevatedunderstanding, ambitious, too, and, pardieu, you know hisfather's name!"

"His father?"

"Yes, Noirtier."

"Noirtier the Girondin? - Noirtier the senator?"

"He himself."

"And your majesty has employed the son of such a man?"

"Blacas, my friend, you have but limited comprehension. Itold you Villefort was ambitions, and to attain thisambition Villefort would sacrifice everything, even hisfather."

"Then, sire, may I present him?"

"This instant, duke! Where is he?"

"Waiting below, in my carriage."

"Seek him at once."

"I hasten to do so." The duke left the royal presence withthe speed of a young man; his really sincere royalism madehim youthful again. Louis XVIII. remained alone, and turninghis eyes on his half-opened Horace, muttered, -

"Justum et tenacem propositi virum."

M. de Blacas returned as speedily as he had departed, but inthe ante-chamber he was forced to appeal to the king'sauthority. Villefort's dusty garb, his costume, which wasnot of courtly cut, excited the susceptibility of M. deBreze, who was all astonishment at finding that this youngman had the audacity to enter before the king in suchattire. The duke, however, overcame all difficulties with aword - his majesty's order; and, in spite of theprotestations which the master of ceremonies made for thehonor of his office and principles, Villefort wasintroduced.

The king was seated in the same place where the duke hadleft him. On opening the door, Villefort found himselffacing him, and the young magistrate's first impulse was topause.

"Come in, M. de Villefort," said the king, "come in."Villefort bowed, and advancing a few steps, waited until theking should interrogate him.

"M. de Villefort," said Louis XVIII., "the Duc de Blacasassures me you have some interesting information tocommunicate.

"Sire, the duke is right, and I believe your majesty willthink it equally important."

"In the first place, and before everything else, sir, is thenews as bad in your opinion as I am asked to believe?"

"Sire, I believe it to be most urgent, but I hope, by thespeed I have used, that it is not irreparable."

"Speak as fully as you please, sir," said the king, whobegan to give way to the emotion which had showed itself inBlacas's face and affected Villefort's voice. "Speak, sir,and pray begin at the beginning; I like order ineverything."

"Sire," said Villefort, "I will render a faithful report toyour majesty, but I must entreat your forgiveness if myanxiety leads to some obscurity in my language." A glance atthe king after this discreet and subtle exordium, assuredVillefort of the benignity of his august auditor, and hewent on: -

"Sire, I have come as rapidly to Paris as possible, toinform your majesty that I have discovered, in the exerciseof my duties, not a commonplace and insignificant plot, suchas is every day got up in the lower ranks of the people andin the army, but an actual conspiracy - a storm whichmenaces no less than your majesty's throne. Sire, theusurper is arming three ships, he meditates some project,which, however mad, is yet, perhaps, terrible. At thismoment he will have left Elba, to go whither I know not, butassuredly to attempt a landing either at Naples, or on thecoast of Tuscany, or perhaps on the shores of France. Yourmajesty is well aware that the sovereign of the Island ofElba has maintained his relations with Italy and France?"

"I am, sir," said the king, much agitated; "and recently wehave had information that the Bonapartist clubs have hadmeetings in the Rue Saint-Jacques. But proceed, I beg ofyou. How did you obtain these details?"

"Sire, they are the results of an examination which I havemade of a man of Marseilles, whom I have watched for sometime, and arrested on the day of my departure. This person,a sailor, of turbulent character, and whom I suspected ofBonapartism, has been secretly to the Island of Elba. Therehe saw the grand-marshal, who charged him with an oralmessage to a Bonapartist in Paris, whose name I could notextract from him; but this mission was to prepare men'sminds for a return (it is the man who says this, sire) - areturn which will soon occur."

"And where is this man?"

"In prison, sire."

"And the matter seems serious to you?"

"So serious, sire, that when the circumstance surprised mein the midst of a family festival, on the very day of mybetrothal, I left my bride and friends, postponingeverything, that I might hasten to lay at your majesty'sfeet the fears which impressed me, and the assurance of mydevotion."

"True," said Louis XVIII., "was there not a marriageengagement between you and Mademoiselle de Saint-Meran?"

"Daughter of one of your majesty's most faithful servants."

"Yes, yes; but let us talk of this plot, M. de Villefort."

"Sire, I fear it is more than a plot; I fear it is aconspiracy."

"A conspiracy in these times," said Louis XVIII., smiling,"is a thing very easy to meditate, but more difficult toconduct to an end, inasmuch as, re-established so recentlyon the throne of our ancestors, we have our eyes open atonce upon the past, the present, and the future. For thelast ten months my ministers have redoubled their vigilance,in order to watch the shore of the Mediterranean. IfBonaparte landed at Naples, the whole coalition would be onfoot before he could even reach Piomoino; if he land inTuscany, he will be in an unfriendly territory; if he landin France, it must be with a handful of men, and the resultof that is easily foretold, execrated as he is by thepopulation. Take courage, sir; but at the same time rely onour royal gratitude."

"Ah, here is M. Dandre!" cried de Blacas. At this instantthe minister of police appeared at the door, pale,trembling, and as if ready to faint. Villefort was about toretire, but M. de Blacas, taking his hand, restrained him.