This apprehension caused us to speedily break in upon the conversation the admiral was having with the king, under a polite excuse invented by the queen my mother, who, approaching the king, said out loud that she had no idea he would make the admiral talk so much, and that she saw quite well that his physicians and surgeons considered it bad for him, as it certainly was very dangerous, and enough to throw him into a fever, which was, above everything, to be guarded against.

She begged the king to put off the rest of their conversation to another time, when the admiral was better.

This vexed the king mightily, for he was very anxious to hear the remainder of what the admiral had to say to him.

However, he being unable to gainsay so specious an argument, we got the king away.

And incontinently the queen-mother (and I too) begged the king to let us know the secret conversation which the admiral had held with him, and in which he had been unwilling that we should be participators; which the king refused several times to do.