He bowed with a friendly air to Saint-Aignan, who was all reverences and smiles, and trembling held out his hand to Henrietta, his sister-in-law, whose beauty struck him; but he saw in the eyes of that princess an expression of coldness which would facilitate, as he thought, their future relations.
"How much more easy," thought he, "it will be to be the brother of that woman than her gallant, if she evinces towards me a coldness that my brother could not have for her, but which is imposed upon me as a duty." The only visit he dreaded at this moment was that of the queen; his heart--his mind--had just been shaken by so violent a trial, that, in spite of their firm temperament, they would not, perhaps, support another shock.

Happily the queen did not come.

Then commenced, on the part of Anne of Austria, a political dissertation upon the welcome M.
Fouquet had given to the house of France.

She mixed up hostilities with compliments addressed to the king, and questions as to his health, with little maternal flatteries and diplomatic artifices.
"Well, my son," said she, "are you convinced with regard to M.Fouquet ?" "Saint-Aignan," said Philippe, "have the goodness to go and inquire after the queen." At these words, the first Philippe had pronounced aloud, the slight difference that there was between his voice and that of the king was sensible to maternal ears, and Anne of Austria looked earnestly at her son.

Saint-Aignan left the room, and Philippe continued: "Madame, I do not like to hear M.Fouquet ill-spoken of, you know I do not--and you have even spoken well of him yourself." "That is true; therefore I only question you on the state of your sentiments with respect to him." "Sire," said Henrietta, "I, on my part, have always liked M.Fouquet.