A fallen man cannot assert his right to anything, even from those whose fortunes he may have made; for a still stronger reason, he cannot claim anything from those to whom he may never have had the happiness of doing a service." "Monseigneur!" "It is perfectly true, Monsieur d'Artagnan; you have always acted in the most admirable manner towards me--in such a manner, indeed, as most becomes the man who is destined to arrest me.

You, at least, have never asked me anything." "Monsieur," replied the Gascon, touched by his eloquent and noble tone of grief, "will you--I ask it as a favor--pledge me your word as a man of honor that you will not leave this room ?" "What is the use of it, dear Monsieur d'Artagnan, since you keep watch and ward over me?
Do you suppose I should contend against the most valiant sword in the kingdom ?" "It is not that, at all, monseigneur; but that I am going to look for M.
d'Herblay, and, consequently, to leave you alone." Fouquet uttered a cry of delight and surprise.
"To look for M.d'Herblay! to leave me alone!" he exclaimed, clasping his hands together.
"Which is M.d'Herblay's room?
The blue room is it not ?" "Yes, my friend, yes." "Your friend! thank you for that word, monseigneur; you confer it upon me to-day, at least, if you have never done so before." "Ah! you have saved me." "It will take a good ten minutes to go from hence to the blue room, and to return ?" said D'Artagnan.
"Nearly so." "And then to wake Aramis, who sleeps very soundly, when he is asleep, I put that down at another five minutes; making a total of fifteen minutes' absence.

And now, monseigneur, give me your word that you will not in any way attempt to make your escape, and that when I return I shall find you here again." "I give it, monsieur," replied Fouquet, with an expression of the warmest and deepest gratitude.
D'Artagnan disappeared.

Fouquet looked at him as he quitted the room, waited with a feverish impatience until the door was closed behind him, and as soon as it was shut, flew to his keys, opened two or three secret doors concealed in various articles of furniture in the room, looked vainly for certain papers, which doubtless he had left at Saint-Mande, and which he seemed to regret not having found in them; then hurriedly seizing hold of letters, contracts, papers, writings, he heaped them up into a pile, which he burnt in the extremest haste upon the marble hearth of the fireplace, not even taking time to draw from the interior of it the vases and pots of flowers with which it was filled.

As soon as he had finished, like a man who has just escaped an imminent danger, and whose strength abandons him as soon as the danger is past, he sank down, completely overcome, on a couch.