Silence fell upon the chamber with the velvet curtains.

The king, still very young, and very timid in the presence of him who had been his master from his birth, still respected him much, particularly now, in the supreme majesty of death.

He did not dare, therefore, to begin the conversation, feeling that every word must have its weight not only upon things of this world, but of the next.

As to the cardinal, at that moment he had but one thought--his donation.

It was not physical pain which gave him that air of despondency, and that lugubrious look; it was the expectation of the thanks that were about to issue from the king's mouth, and cut off all hope of restitution.
Mazarin was the first to break the silence.