Part 80 (1/2)
”My lord cardinal!” interrupted Louis
”Sire, listen to this advice”
”I a”
”Come nearer, sire, for I a bent over the dying man ”Sire,” said Mazarin, in so low a tone that the breath of his words arrived only like a reco--”Sire, never have a prime minister”
Louis drew back astonished The advice was a confession--a treasure, in fact, was that sincere confession of Mazarin The legacy of the cardinal to the young king was composed of six words only, but those six words, as Mazarin had said, orth forty millions Louis remained for an instant bewildered As for Mazarin, he appeared only to have said so the curtains of the alcove Mazarin understood: ”Yes, yes!” cried he, warmly, ”yes, sire, I recommend to you a wise man, an honest man, and a clever man”
”Tell me his name, my lord”
”His name is yet almost unknown, sire; it is M Colbert, my attendant
Oh! try him,” added Mazarin, in an earnest voice; ”all that he has predicted has colance, he is neverstill Sire, I owe youyou M Colbert”
”So be it,” said Louis, faintly, for, as Mazarin had said, the naht the enthusias man The cardinal sank back on his pillows
”For the present, adieu, sire! adieu,” h journey to take before I presentfelt the tears rise to his eyes; he bent over the dying man, already half a corpse, and then hastily retired
Chapter XLIX The First Appearance of Colbert
The whole night was passed in anguish, coawaited his liberty Louis did not go to bed An hour after leaving the chadressed, adorned and painted, and seeing the austus, he no doubt considered the world a great stage, and was desirous of playing out the last act of the comedy Anne of Austria reappeared nomore to do there Propriety was the pretext for her absence On his part, the cardinal did not ask for her: the advice the queen had giver her son rankled in his heart
Towards ony came on
He had revised his will, and as this as the exact expression of his wishes, and as he feared that soe of his weakness to iven orders to Colbert, alked up and down the corridor which led to the cardinal's bed-cha, shut up in his own apartment, dispatched his nurse every hour to Mazarin's cha hi heard that Mazarin was dressed, painted, and had seen the a were being read for the cardinal At one o'clock in the , Guenaud had administered the last re tiive place to another tiood secret thrust Mazarin, after having taken the reave orders that the news should be spread everywhere of a fortunate crisis The king, on learning this, felt as if a cold sere passing over his brow;--he had had a gliht of liberty; slavery appeared to him more dark and less acceptable than ever But the bulletin which followed entirely changed the face of things Mazarin could no longer breathe at all, and could scarcely follow the prayers which the cure of Saint-Nicholas-des-Chaitated walk about his chamber, and consulted, as he walked, several papers drawn from a casket of which he alone had the key A third time the nurse returned M de Mazarin had just uttered a joke, and had ordered his ”Flora,” by titian, to be revarnished At length, towards two o'clock in the er resist his weariness: he had not slept for twenty-four hours Sleep, so powerful at his age, overcao to bed for that hour; he slept in a fauteuil About four o'clock his nurse awoke hi
”Well,her hands with an air of co arose at a bound, as if a steel spring had been applied to his legs ”Dead!” cried he
”Alas! yes”
”Is it quite certain?”
”Yes”
”Official?”
”Yes”
”Has the news been made public?”