Page:Ten Years Later.djvu/483

Rh TEN" YEAE8 LATER. 471 hapi^y enough to find opportunities of serving his sovereign with distinction. I liave no doubt at all that, if ever opportunities had been met with, my family's actions would; but that happiness has never been ours." "In that case. Mademoiselle de la Valliere, it belongs to kings to repair the want of opportunity, and most de- lightedly do I undertake to repair in your instance, and with the least possible delay, the wrongs of fortune toward you." "Nay, sire," cried La Valliere eagerly; "leave things, I beg, as they now are." "Is it possible! You refuse what I ought, and what I wish to do for you?" "All I desired has been granted me, when the honor was conferred upon me of forming oneof madame's household." "But if you refuse for yourself, at least accept for your family," "Your generous intention, sire, bewilders and makes me apprehensive, for, in doing for my family what your kind- ness urges you to do, your majesty Avill raise up enemies for us, and enemies for yourself, too. Leave me in my mediocrity, sire; of all the feelings and sentiments I ex- perience, leave me to enjoy that pleasing delicacy of disin- terestedness." "The sentiments you express," said the king, "are in- deed admirable." "Quite true," murmured Aramis in Fouquet's ear, "and he cannot be accustomed to them." "But," replied Fouquet, "suppose she were to make a similar reply to my letter." "True!" said Aramis, "let us not anticipate, but wait the conclusion." "And then, dearJMonsieur d'Herblay,' added the surin- tendant, hardly able to appreciate the sentiments which La Valliere had just expressed, "it is very often a sound calcu- lation to seem disinterested with monarchs." "Exactly what I was thinking this very minute," said Aramis. "Let us listen." The king approached nearer to La Valliere, and as the rain dripped more and more through the foliage of the oak, he held his hat over the head of the young girl, who raised her beautiful blue eyes toward the royal hat which sheltered her, and shook her head, sighing deeply as she did so. "What melancholy thought," said the king, "can possi- bly reach your heart when I place mine as a rampart before it?"