"It is no use speaking of it, then," said the duchesse, "and Dampierre must get restored how it can." "Oh! you are not embarrassed to such an extent as that, I suppose." "No; I am never embarrassed." "And the queen," continued the bishop, "will certainly do for you what the surintendant is unable to do." "Oh! certainly. But tell me, do you not think it would be better that I should speak, myself, to M. Fouquet about these letters?" "Nay, duchesse, you will do precisely whatever you please in that respect. M. Fouquet either feels, or does not feel himself to be guilty; if he really be so, I know he is proud enough not to confess it; if he be not so, he will be exceedingly offended at your menace." "As usual, you reason like an angel," said the duchesse, as she rose from her seat. "And so, you are now going to denounce M. Fouquet to the queen," said Aramis. "'Denounce!' Oh! what a disagreeable word. I shall not 'denounce,' my dear friend; you now know matters of policy too well to be ignorant how easily these affairs are arranged, I shall merely side against M. Fouquet, and nothing more; and, in a war of party against party, a weapon of attack is always a weapon." "No doubt." "And once on friendly terms again with the queen-mother, I may be dangerous toward some persons." "You are at perfect liberty to be so, duchesse." "A liberty of which I shall avail myself." "You are not ignorant, I suppose, duchesse, that M. Fouquet is on the best terms with the king of Spain." "I suppose so." "If, therefore, you begin a party warfare against M. Fouquet, he will reply in the same way; for he, too, is at perfect liberty to do so, is he not?" "Oh! certainly." "And as he is on good terms with Spain, he will make use of that friendship as a weapon of attack." "You mean, that he will be on good terms with the general of the order of the Jesuits, my dear Aramis." "That may be the case, duchesse." "And that, consequently, the pension I have been receiving from the order will be stopped." "I am greatly afraid it might be." "Well; I must contrive to console myself in the best way I can; for after Richelieu, after the Frondes, after exile, what is there left for Madame de Chevreuse to be afraid of?" "The pension, you are aware, is forty-eight thousand francs." "Alas! I am quite aware of it." "Moreover, in party contests, you know, the friends of the enemy do not escape." "Ah! you mean that poor Laicques will have to suffer." "I am afraid it is almost inevitable, duchesse." "Oh! he only receives twelve thousand francs pension." "Yes, but the king of Spain has some influence left; advised by M. Fouquet he might get M. Laicques shut up in prison for a little while." "I am not very nervous on that point, my dear friend; because, thanks to a reconciliation with Anne of Austria, I will undertake that France should insist upon M. Laicques' liberation." "True. In that case, you will have something else to apprehend."