servant, will your majesty send into Languedoc, Provence, and Dauphiné trusty men who will bring you back a faithful report as to the feeling in these three provinces?"
Canimus surdis, replied the king, continuing the annotations in his Horace.
"Sire," replied the courtier, laughing, in order that he might seem to comprehend the quotation, "your majesty may be perfectly right in relying on the good feeling of France, but I fear I am not altogether wrong in dreading some desperate attempt."
"By whom?"
"By Bonaparte, or, at least, his party."
"My dear Blacas," said the king, "you with your alarms prevent me from working."
"And you, sire, prevent me from sleeping with your security."
"Wait, my dear sir, wait a moment; for I have such a delightful note on the Pastor quum traheret — wait, and I will listen to you afterward."
There was a brief pause, during which Louis XVIII. wrote, in a hand as small as possible, another note on the margin of his Horace, and then, looking at the duke with the air of a man who thinks he has an idea of his own, whilst he is but commenting upon the idea of another, he said:
"Go on, my dear duke, go on — I listen."
"Sire," said Blacas, who had for a moment the hope of sacrificing Villefort to his own profit, "I am compelled to tell you that these are not mere rumors destitute of foundation which thus disquiet me; but a reflective man, deserving all my confidence, and charged by me to watch over the south" (the duke hesitated as he pronounced these words), "has arrived post to tell me a great peril threatens the king, and then I hastened to you, sire."
Mala ducis avi domum, continued Louis XVIII., still annotating.
"Does your majesty wish me to cease as to this subject?"
"By no means, dear duke; but just stretch out your hand."
"Which?"
"Whichever you please — there to the left."
"Here, sire?"
"I tell you to the left, and you seek the right; I mean on my right — yes, there. You will find the report of the minister of police of yesterday. But here is M. Dandré himself." And M. Dandré, announced by the chamberlain-in-waiting, entered.
"Did you not say M. Dandré?" said the king to the servant who announced the minister of police.
"Yes, sire, the Baron Dandré," the man replied.
"Of course, the Baron," said Louis XVIII., with an imperceptible
