"No, no," exclaimed the king, "and it shall not be made, I swear."
Notwithstanding her weakness and utter despair, she rose from the ground, saying, "It must be made, however; it must be; so do not stay me in my purpose!"
"I leave you to sacrifice yourself! I! never, never!" exclaimed the king.
"Well," murmured D'Artagnan, "I may as well go now. As soon as they begin to speak, we may as well save their having any listeners." And he quitted the room, leaving the two lovers alone.
"Sire," continued La Valliere, "not another word, I implore you. Do not destroy the only future I can hope for—my salvation; do not destroy the glory and brightness of your own future for a mere caprice."
"A caprice!" cried the king.
"Oh! sire, it is now only that I can clearly see into your heart."
"You, Louise, what mean you?"
"An inexplicable impulse, foolish and unreasonable in its nature, may momentarily appear to offer a sufficient excuse for your conduct; but there are duties imposed upon you which are incompatible with your regard for a poor girl such as I am. So forget me."
"I forget you!"