“Well?” asked the minister’s valet de chambre.
“Monsieur,” said the gentleman, “here is a letter for his eminence.”
“A letter! Ah! we expected one after the little journey of the morning.”
“Oh! you know, then, that his majesty——”
“As first minister, it belongs to the duties of our charge to know everything. And his majesty prays and implores, I presume.”
“I don’t know, but he sighed frequently whilst he was writing.”
“‘Yes, yes, yes; we understand all that; people sigh sometimes from happiness as well as from grief, monsieur.”
“And yet the king did not look very happy when he returned, monsieur.”
“You did not see clearly. Besides, you only saw his majesty on his return, for he was only accompanied by the lieutenant of the guards. But I had his eminence’s telescope, I looked through it when he was tired, and I am sure they both wept.”
“Well! was it for happiness they wept?”