Page:The Vicomte de Bragelonne 2.djvu/307

Rh THE VICOMTE DE BRA.GELONNE. 295 CHAPTER XLVI. THE DONATION, Colbert reappeared beneath the curtains. "Have you heard?" said Mazarin. "Alas! yes, monseigneur." "Can he be right? Can all this money be badly ac- quired?" "A Theatin, monseigneur, is a bad judge of matters of finance," repled Colbert coolly. "And yet it is very possi- ble that, according to his theological ideas, your eminence has been, in a certain degree, wrong. People generally find they have been so when they die." "In the first place, they commit the wrong of dying, Colbert." "That is true, monseigneur. Against whom, however, did the Theatin make out that you had committed these wrongs? Against the king?" Mazarin shrugged his shoulders. "As if I had not snved both his state and his finances." "That admits of no contradiction, monseigneur." "Does it? Then I have received a merely legitimate salary, in spite of the opinion of my confessor?" "That is beyond doubt." •'And I might fairly keep for my own family, which is so needy, a good fortune, the whole even of what I have gained?" "I see no impediment to that, monseigneur." "I felt assured that in consulting you, Colbert, I should have sage advice," replied Mazarin, greatly delighted. Colbert resumed his pedantic lo^k. "Monseigneur," interrupted he, "I think it would be quite as well to ex- amine whether what the Theatin said is not a snare." "Oh, no; a snare? What for? The Theatin is an honest man." "He believed your eminence to be at the gates of the tomb because your eminence consulted him. Did I not hear him say: 'Distinguish that which the king has given jou from that which you have given yourself.' Recollect, monseigneur, if he did not say something like that to you? That is quite a theatrical speech," "That is possible." "In which case, monseigneur, I should consider you as required by the Theatin to " "To make restitution!" cried Mazarin, with, great warmth. "Ehl I do not say do