“But not every one; a deputation of two or four people.”
“Every one, madame.”
“But reflect, they will keep us here till daybreak.”
“It shall take but a quarter of an hour, I answer for everything, madame; believe me, I know the people; they are like a great child, who only wants humoring. Before the sleeping king they will be mute, gentle and timid as lambs.”
“Go, Laporte,” said the queen.
The young king approached his mother and said, “Why do as these people ask?”
“It must be so, my son,” said Anne of Austria.
“But if they say, ‘it must be’ to me, am I no longer king?”
The queen remained silent.
“Sire,” said D’Artagnan, “will your majesty permit me to ask you a question?”