"Listen to me, my lord; it is now four years since you espoused in France the mistress of this house. Whether the marriage be legal or not, having been contracted after your execution, and consequently during the widowhood of your first wife, does not concern me--that is a matter for your conscience and the church." "Decidedly my friend the duke has placed himself in an exceptional position," said Croustillac to himself, "he can be murdered because he is dead; and he can remarry because his wife is his widow! I begin to have my ideas singularly mixed, for since yesterday very strange things have come to my knowledge." "You see, my lord, that my information is exact." "Exact--exact--to a certain point. You believe me capable of having remarried after my execution; that is rather risky. The devil! sir, one must be very sure of his facts, at least, to attribute to men such original proceedings." "Hold, my lord, you doubtless do not believe in my authority, and you jest; but your gayety does not surprise me; your grace has kept his freedom of spirit in circumstances more serious than this." "What would you wish, sir? gayety is the wealth of the poor." "My lord," cried the colonel, in a severe tone, "the king, my master, does not merit this reproach." "What reproach?" said the Gascon, stupefied. "Your grace said that gayety is the wealth of the poor." "Well, sir, I do not see what there is to insult your master, the king, in that." "Is it not equivalent to saying, my lord, that because you see yourself in the power of my master that you look upon yourself as despoiled of everything?" "You are sensitive, sir. Be assured this reflection was purely philosophical and did not have reference to my particular position." "That is different, my lord; but I am astonished to hear you speak of your poverty." "Zounds! that has often made me bitterly lament," said Croustillac, laughing. "Few fortunes equal yours, sir. The enormous sum you received from the sale of a portion of your precious stones will be secured to you and yours. William of Orange, my master, is not one of those who enrich themselves by confiscating the goods of their political enemies." "I did not know thou wast so rich, poor Croustillac," said the Gascon to himself. "If I had known this, how little would I have swallowed candles for the amusement of that brute of a sea captain." Then he continued, aloud, "I am aware of the generosity of your master, sir; also of my goods and treasures." And the Gascon said to himself, "It does me good to say this for once in my life--my goods, my treasures." "The king, my master, my lord, has directed me to say to you that you can charter a vessel to carry your wealth to England."