"Captain, for Heaven's sake be calm with the king!" "Ah! ah! you are playing the brave man with me, duke!" said D'Artagnan, throwing one of his defiant glances over Gesvres.

"I have been told that you are ambitious of uniting your guards with my musketeers.

This strikes me as a splendid opportunity." "I will take exceeding good care not to avail myself of it, captain." "And why not, pray ?" "Oh, for many reasons--in the first place, for this: if I were to succeed you in the musketeers after having arrested you--" "Ah! then you admit you have arrested me ?" "No, I _don't_." "Say met me, then.

So, you were saying _if_ you were to succeed me after having arrested me ?" "Your musketeers, at the first exercise with ball cartridges, would fire _my_ way, by mistake." "Oh, as to that I won't say; for the fellows _do_ love me a little." Gesvres made D'Artagnan pass in first, and took him straight to the cabinet where Louis was waiting for his captain of the musketeers, and placed himself behind his colleague in the ante-chamber.

The king could be heard distinctly, speaking aloud to Colbert in the same cabinet where Colbert might have heard, a few days before, the king speaking aloud with M.d'Artagnan.