"Go on with your recital, sirs," said the queen, turning to the Duc de
Chatillon. "You said that His Majesty, King Charles, my august consort,
had been condemned to death by a majority of his subjects!"
"Yes, madame," Chatillon stammered out.
Athos and Aramis were more and more astonished.
"And that being conducted to the scaffold," resumed the queen--"oh, my
lord! oh, my king!--and that being led to the scaffold he had been saved
by an indignant people."
"Just so madame," replied Chatillon, in so low a voice that though the
two friends were listening eagerly they could hardly hear this
affirmation.
The queen clasped her hands in enthusiastic gratitude, whilst her
daughter threw her arms around her mother’s neck and kissed her--her own
eyes streaming with tears.
"Now, madame, nothing remains to me except to proffer my respectful
homage," said Chatillon, who felt confused and ashamed beneath the stern
gaze of Athos.
"One moment, yes," answered the queen. "One moment--I beg--for here are
the Chevalier d’Herblay and the Comte de la Fere, just arrived from
London, and they can give you, as eye-witnesses, such details as you can
convey to the queen, my royal sister. Speak, gentlemen, speak--I am
listening; conceal nothing, gloss over nothing. Since his majesty still
lives, since the honor of the throne is safe, everything else is a
matter of indifference to me."
Athos turned pale and laid his hand on his heart.
"Well!" exclaimed the queen, who remarked this movement and his
paleness. "Speak, sir! I beg you to do so."
"I beg you to excuse me, madame; I wish to add nothing to the recital of
these gentlemen until they perceive themselves that they have perhaps
been mistaken."
"Mistaken!" cried the queen, almost suffocated by emotion; "mistaken!
what has happened, then?"
"Sir," interposed Monsieur de Flamarens to Athos, "if we are mistaken
the error has originated with the queen. I do not suppose you will have
the presumption to set it to rights--that would be to accuse Her
Majesty, Queen Anne, of falsehood."
"With the queen, sir?" replied Athos, in his calm, vibrating voice.
"Yes," murmured Flamarens, lowering his eyes.
Athos sighed deeply.
"Or rather, sir," said Aramis, with his peculiar irritating politeness,
"the error of the person who was with you when we met you in the
guardroom; for if the Comte de la Fere and I are not mistaken, we saw
you in the company of a third gentleman."
Chatillon and Flamarens started.
"Explain yourself, count!" cried the queen, whose anxiety grew greater
every moment. "On your brow I read despair--your lips falter ere you
announce some terrible tidings--your hands tremble. Oh, my God! my God!
what has happened?"
"Lord!" ejaculated the young princess, falling on her knees, "have mercy
on us!"
"Sir," said Chatillon, "if you bring bad tidings it will be cruel in you
to announce them to the queen."
Aramis went so close to Chatillon as almost to touch him.
"Sir," said he, with compressed lips and flashing eyes, "you have not
the presumption to instruct the Comte de la Fere and myself what we
ought to say here?"
During this brief altercation Athos, with his hands on his heart, his
head bent low, approached the queen and in a voice of deepest sorrow
said:
"Madame, princes--who by nature are above other men--receive from Heaven
courage to support greater misfortunes than those of lower rank, for
their hearts are elevated as their fortunes. We ought not, therefore, I
think, to act toward a queen so illustrious as your majesty as we should
act toward a woman of our lowlier condition. Queen, destined as you are
to endure every sorrow on this earth, hear the result of our unhappy
mission."
Athos, kneeling down before the queen, trembling and very cold, drew
from his bosom, inclosed in the same case, the order set in diamonds
which the queen had given to Lord de Winter and the wedding ring which
Charles I. before his death had placed in the hands of Aramis. Since the
moment he had first received these two mementoes Athos had never parted
with them.
He opened the case and offered them to the queen with deep and silent
anguish.
The queen stretched out her hand, seized the ring, pressed it
convulsively to her lips--and without being able to breathe a sigh, to
give vent to a sob, she extended her arms, became deadly pale, and fell
senseless in the arms of her attendants and her daughter.
Athos kissed the hem of the robe of the widowed queen and rising, with a
dignity that made a deep impression on those around:
"I, the Comte de la Fere, a gentleman who has never deceived any human
being, swear before God and before this unhappy queen, that all that was
possible to save the king of England was done whilst we were on English
ground. Now, chevalier," he added, turning to Aramis, "let us go. Our
duty is fulfilled."
"Not yet." said Aramis; "we have still a word to say to these
gentlemen."
And turning to Chatillon: "Sir, be so good as not to go away without
giving me an opportunity to tell you something I cannot say before the
queen."
Chatillon bowed in token of assent and they all went out, stopping at
the window of a gallery on the ground floor.
"Sir," said Aramis, "you allowed yourself just now to treat us in a most
extraordinary manner. That would not be endurable in any case, and is
still less so on the part of those who came to bring the queen the
message of a liar."
"Sir!" cried De Chatillon.
"What have you done with Monsieur de Bruy? Has he by any possibility
gone to change his face which was too like that of Monsieur de Mazarin?
There is an abundance of Italian masks at the Palais Royal, from
harlequin even to pantaloon."
"Chevalier! chevalier!" said Athos.
"Leave me alone," said Aramis impatiently. "You know well that I don’t
like to leave things half finished."
"Conclude, then, sir," answered De Chatillon, with as much hauteur as
Aramis.
"Gentlemen," resumed Aramis, "any one but the Comte de la Fere and
myself would have had you arrested--for we have friends in Paris--but we
are contented with another course. Come and converse with us for just
five minutes, sword in hand, upon this deserted terrace."
"One moment, gentlemen," cried Flamarens. "I know well that the
proposition is tempting, but at present it is impossible to accept it."
"And why not?" said Aramis, in his tone of raillery. "Is it Mazarin’s
proximity that makes you so prudent?"
"Oh, you hear that, Flamarens!" said Chatillon. "Not to reply would be a
blot on my name and my honor."
"That is my opinion," said Aramis.
"You will not reply, however, and these gentlemen, I am sure, will
presently be of my opinion."
Aramis shook his head with a motion of indescribable insolence.
Chatillon saw the motion and put his hand to his sword.
"Willingly," replied De Chatillon.
"Duke," said Flamarens, "you forget that to-morrow you are to command an
expedition of the greatest importance, projected by the prince, assented
to by the queen. Until to-morrow evening you are not at your own
disposal."
"Let it be then the day after to-morrow," said Aramis.
"To-morrow, rather," said De Chatillon, "if you will take the trouble of
coming so far as the gates of Charenton."
"How can you doubt it, sir? For the pleasure of a meeting with you I
would go to the end of the world."
"Very well, to-morrow, sir."
"I shall rely on it. Are you going to rejoin your cardinal? Swear first,
on your honor, not to inform him of our return."
"Conditions?"
"Why not?"
"Because it is for victors to make conditions, and you are not yet
victors, gentlemen."
"Then let us draw on the spot. It is all one to us--to us who do not
command to-morrow’s expedition."
Chatillon and Flamarens looked at each other. There was such irony in
the words and in the bearing of Aramis that the duke had great
difficulty in bridling his anger, but at a word from Flamarens he
restrained himself and contented himself with saying:
"You promise, sir--that’s agreed--that I shall find you to-morrow at
Charenton?"
"Oh, don’t be afraid, sir," replied Aramis; and the two gentlemen
shortly afterward left the Louvre.
"For what reason is all this fume and fury?" asked Athos. "What have
they done to you?"
"They--did you not see what they did?"
"No."
"They laughed when we swore that we had done our duty in England. Now,
if they believed us, they laughed in order to insult us; if they did not
believe it they insulted us all the more. However, I’m glad not to fight
them until to-morrow. I hope we shall have something better to do
to-night than to draw the sword."
"What have we to do?"
"Egad! to take Mazarin."
Athos curled his lip with disdain.
"These undertakings do not suit me, as you know, Aramis."
"Why?"
"Because it is taking people unawares."
"Really, Athos, you would make a singular general. You would fight only
by broad daylight, warn your foe before an attack, and never attempt
anything by night lest you should be accused of taking advantage of the
darkness."
Athos smiled.
"You know one cannot change his nature," he said. "Besides, do you know
what is our situation, and whether Mazarin’s arrest wouldn’t be rather
an encumbrance than an advantage?"
"Say at once you disapprove of my proposal."
"I think you ought to do nothing, since you exacted a promise from these
gentlemen not to let Mazarin know that we were in France."
"I have entered into no engagement and consider myself quite free. Come,
come."
"Where?"
"Either to seek the Duc de Beaufort or the Duc de Bouillon, and to tell
them about this."
"Yes, but on one condition--that we begin by the coadjutor. He is a
priest, learned in cases of conscience, and we will tell him ours."
It was then agreed that they were to go first to Monsieur de Bouillon,
as his house came first; but first of all Athos begged that he might go
to the Hotel du Grand Charlemagne, to see Raoul.
They re-entered the boat which had brought them to the Louvre and thence
proceeded to the Halles; and taking up Grimaud and Blaisois, they went
on foot to the Rue Guenegaud.
But Raoul was not at the Hotel du Grand Charlemagne. He had received a
message from the prince, to whom he had hastened with Olivain the
instant he had received it.
77. The three Lieutenants of the Generalissimo.
The night was dark, but still the town resounded with those noises that
disclose a city in a state of siege. Athos and Aramis did not proceed a
hundred steps without being stopped by sentinels placed before the
barricades, who demanded the watchword; and on their saying that they
were going to Monsieur de Bouillon on a mission of importance a guide
was given them under pretext of conducting them, but in fact as a spy
over their movements.
On arriving at the Hotel de Bouillon they came across a little troop of
three cavaliers, who seemed to know every possible password; for they
walked without either guide or escort, and on arriving at the barricades
had nothing to do but to speak to those who guarded them, who instantly
let them pass with evident deference, due probably to their high birth.
On seeing them Athos and Aramis stood still.
"Oh!" cried Aramis, "do you see, count?"
"Yes," said Athos.
"Who do these three cavaliers appear to you to be?"
"What do you think, Aramis?"
"Why, they are our men."
"You are not mistaken; I recognize Monsieur de Flamarens."
"And I, Monsieur de Chatillon."
"As to the cavalier in the brown cloak----"
"It is the cardinal."
"In person."
"How the devil do they venture so near the Hotel de Bouillon?"
Athos smiled, but did not reply. Five minutes afterward they knocked at
the prince’s door.
This door was guarded by a sentinel and there was also a guard placed in
the courtyard, ready to obey the orders of the Prince de Conti’s
lieutenant.
Monsieur de Bouillon had the gout, but notwithstanding his illness,
which had prevented his mounting on horseback for the last month---that
is, since Paris had been besieged--he was ready to receive the Comte de
la Fere and the Chevalier d’Herblay.
He was in bed, but surrounded with all the paraphernalia of war.
Everywhere were swords, pistols, cuirasses, and arquebuses, and it was
plain that as soon as his gout was better Monsieur de Bouillon would
give a pretty tangle to the enemies of the parliament to unravel.
Meanwhile, to his great regret, as he said, he was obliged to keep his
bed.
"Ah, gentlemen," he cried, as the two friends entered, "you are very
happy! you can ride, you can go and come and fight for the cause of the
people. But I, as you see, am nailed to my bed--ah! this demon,
gout--this demon, gout!"
"My lord," said Athos, "we are just arrived from England and our first
concern is to inquire after your health."
"Thanks, gentlemen, thanks! As you see, my health is but indifferent.
But you come from England. And King Charles is well, as I have just
heard?"
"He is dead, my lord!" said Aramis.
"Pooh!" said the duke, too much astonished to believe it true.
"Dead on the scaffold; condemned by parliament."
"Impossible!"
"And executed in our presence."
"What, then, has Monsieur de Flamarens been telling me?"
"Monsieur de Flamarens?"
"Yes, he has just gone out."
Athos smiled. "With two companions?" he said.
"With two companions, yes," replied the duke. Then he added with a
certain uneasiness, "Did you meet them?"
"Why, yes, I think so--in the street," said Athos; and he looked
smilingly at Aramis, who looked at him with an expression of surprise.
"The devil take this gout!" cried Monsieur de Bouillon, evidently ill at
ease.
"My lord," said Athos, "we admire your devotion to the cause you have
espoused, in remaining at the head of the army whilst so ill, in so much
pain."
"One must," replied Monsieur de Bouillon, "sacrifice one’s comfort to
the public good; but I confess to you I am now almost exhausted. My
spirit is willing, my head is clear, but this demon, the gout, o’ercrows
me. I confess, if the court would do justice to my claims and give the
head of my house the title of prince, and if my brother De Turenne were
reinstated in his command I would return to my estates and leave the
court and parliament to settle things between themselves as they might."
"You are perfectly right, my lord."
"You think so? At this very moment the court is making overtures to me;
hitherto I have repulsed them; but since such men as you assure me that
I am wrong in doing so, I’ve a good mind to follow your advice and to
accept a proposition made to me by the Duc de Chatillon just now."
"Accept it, my lord, accept it," said Aramis.
"Faith! yes. I am even sorry that this evening I almost repulsed--but
there will be a conference to-morrow and we shall see."
The two friends saluted the duke.
"Go, gentlemen," he said; "you must be much fatigued after your voyage.
Poor King Charles! But, after all, he was somewhat to blame in all that
business and we may console ourselves with the reflection that France
has no cause of reproach in the matter and did all she could to serve
him."
"Oh! as to that," said Aramis, "we are witnesses. Mazarin
especially----"
"Yes, do you know, I am very glad to hear you give that testimony; the
cardinal has some good in him, and if he were not a foreigner--well, he
would be more justly estimated. Oh! the devil take this gout!"
Athos and Aramis took their leave, but even in the ante-chamber they
could still hear the duke’s cries; he was evidently suffering the
tortures of the damned.
When they reached the street, Aramis said:
"Well, Athos, what do you think?"
"Of whom?"
"Pardieu! of Monsieur de Bouillon."
"My friend, I think that he is much troubled with gout."
"You noticed that I didn’t breathe a word as to the purpose of our
visit?"
"You did well; you would have caused him an access of his disease. Let
us go to Monsieur de Beaufort."
The two friends went to the Hotel de Vendome. It was ten o’clock when
they arrived. The Hotel de Vendome was not less guarded than the Hotel
de Bouillon, and presented as warlike an appearance. There were
sentinels, a guard in the court, stacks of arms, and horses saddled. Two
horsemen going out as Athos and Aramis entered were obliged to give
place to them.
"Ah! ah! gentlemen," said Aramis, "decidedly it is a night for meetings.
We shall be very unfortunate if, after meeting so often this evening, we
should not succeed in meeting to-morrow."
"Oh, as to that, sir," replied Chatillon (for it was he who, with
Flamarens, was leaving the Duc de Beaufort), "you may be assured; for if
we meet by night without seeking each other, much more shall we meet by
day when wishing it."
"I hope that is true," said Aramis.
"As for me, I am sure of it," said the duke.
De Flamarens and De Chatillon continued on their way and Athos and
Aramis dismounted.
Hardly had they given the bridles of their horses to their lackeys and
rid themselves of their cloaks when a man approached them, and after
looking at them for an instant by the doubtful light of the lantern hung
in the centre of the courtyard he uttered an exclamation of joy and ran
to embrace them.
"Comte de la Fere!" the man cried out; "Chevalier d’Herblay! How does it
happen that you are in Paris?"
"Rochefort!" cried the two friends.
"Yes! we arrived four or five days ago from the Vendomois, as you know,
and we are going to give Mazarin something to do. You are still with us,
I presume?"
"More than ever. And the duke?"
"Furious against the cardinal. You know his success--our dear duke? He
is really king of Paris; he can’t go out without being mobbed by his
admirers."
"Ah! so much the better! Can we have the honor of seeing his highness?"
"I shall be proud to present you," and Rochefort walked on. Every door
was opened to him. Monsieur de Beaufort was at supper, but he rose
quickly on hearing the two friends announced.
"Ah!" he cried, "by Jove! you’re welcome, sirs. You are coming to sup
with me, are you not? Boisgoli, tell Noirmont that I have two guests.
You know Noirmont, do you not? The successor of Father Marteau who makes
the excellent pies you know of. Boisgoli, let him send one of his best,
but not such a one as he made for La Ramee. Thank God! we don’t want
either rope ladders or gag-pears now."
"My lord," said Athos, "do not let us disturb you. We came merely to
inquire after your health and to take your orders."
"As to my health, since it has stood five years of prison, with Monsieur
de Chavigny to boot, ’tis excellent! As to my orders, since every one
gives his own commands in our party, I shall end, if this goes on, by
giving none at all."
"In short, my lord," said Athos, glancing at Aramis, "your highness is
discontented with your party?"
"Discontented, sir! say my highness is furious! To such a degree, I
assure you, though I would not say so to others, that if the queen,
acknowledging the injuries she has done me, would recall my mother and
give me the reversion of the admiralty, which belonged to my father and
was promised me at his death, well! it would not be long before I should
be training dogs to say that there were greater traitors in France than
the Cardinal Mazarin!"
At this Athos and Aramis could not help exchanging not only a look but a
smile; and had they not known it for a fact, this would have told them
that De Chatillon and De Flamarens had been there.
"My lord," said Athos, "we are satisfied; we came here only to express
our loyalty and to say that we are at your lordship’s service and his
most faithful servants."
"My most faithful friends, gentlemen, my most faithful friends; you have
proved it. And if ever I am reconciled with the court I shall prove to
you, I hope, that I remain your friend, as well as that of--what the
devil are their names--D’Artagnan and Porthos?"
"D’Artagnan and Porthos."
"Ah, yes. You understand, then, Comte de la Fere, you understand,
Chevalier d’Herblay, that I am altogether and always at your service."
Athos and Aramis bowed and went out.
"My dear Athos," cried Aramis, "I think you consented to accompany me
only to give me a lesson--God forgive me!"
"Wait a little, Aramis; it will be time for you to perceive my motive
when we have paid our visit to the coadjutor."
"Let us then go to the archiepiscopal palace," said Aramis.
They directed their horses to the city. On arriving at the cradle from
which Paris sprang they found it inundated with water, and it was again
necessary to take a boat. The palace rose from the bosom of the water,
and to see the number of boats around it one would have fancied one’s
self not in Paris, but in Venice. Some of these boats were dark and
mysterious, others noisy and lighted up with torches. The friends slid
in through this congestion of embarkation and landed in their turn. The
palace was surrounded with water, but a kind of staircase had been fixed
to the lower walls; and the only difference was, that instead of
entering by the doors, people entered by the windows.
Thus did Athos and Aramis make their appearance in the ante-chamber,
where about a dozen noblemen were collected in waiting.
"Good heavens!" said Aramis to Athos, "does the coadjutor intend to
indulge himself in the pleasure of making us cool our hearts off in his
ante-chamber?"
"My dear friend, we must take people as we find them. The coadjutor is
at this moment one of the seven kings of Paris, and has a court. Let us
send in our names, and if he does not send us a suitable message we will
leave him to his own affairs or those of France. Let us call one of
these lackeys, with a demi-pistole in the left hand."
"Exactly so," cried Aramis. "Ah! if I’m not mistaken here’s Bazin. Come
here, fellow."
Bazin, who was crossing the ante-chamber majestically in his clerical
dress, turned around to see who the impertinent gentleman was who thus
addressed him; but seeing his friends he went up to them quickly and
expressed delight at seeing them.
"A truce to compliments," said Aramis; "we want to see the coadjutor,
and instantly, as we are in haste."
"Certainly, sir--it is not such lords as you are who are allowed to wait
in the ante-chamber, only just now he has a secret conference with
Monsieur de Bruy."
"De Bruy!" cried the friends, "’tis then useless our seeing monsieur the
coadjutor this evening," said Aramis, "so we give it up."
And they hastened to quit the palace, followed by Bazin, who was lavish
of bows and compliments.
"Well," said Athos, when Aramis and he were in the boat again, "are you
beginning to be convinced that we should have done a bad turn to all
these people in arresting Mazarin?"
"You are wisdom incarnate, Athos," Aramis replied.
What had especially been observed by the two friends was the little
interest taken by the court of France in the terrible events which had
occurred in England, which they thought should have arrested the
attention of all Europe.
In fact, aside from a poor widow and a royal orphan who wept in the
corner of the Louvre, no one appeared to be aware that Charles I. had
ever lived and that he had perished on the scaffold.
The two friends made an appointment for ten o’clock on the following
day; for though the night was well advanced when they reached the door
of the hotel, Aramis said that he had certain important visits to make
and left Athos to enter alone.
At ten o’clock the next day they met again. Athos had been out since six
o’clock.
"Well, have you any news?" Athos asked.
"Nothing. No one has seen D’Artagnan and Porthos has not appeared. Have
you anything?"
"Nothing."
"The devil!" said Aramis.
"In fact," said Athos, "this delay is not natural; they took the
shortest route and should have arrived before we did."
"Add to that D’Artagnan’s rapidity in action and that he is not the man
to lose an hour, knowing that we were expecting him."
"He expected, you will remember, to be here on the fifth."
"And here we are at the ninth. This evening the margin of possible delay
expires."
"What do you think should be done," asked Athos, "if we have no news of
them to-night?"
"Pardieu! we must go and look for them."
"All right," said Athos.
"But Raoul?" said Aramis.
A light cloud passed over the count’s face.
"Raoul gives me much uneasiness," he said. "He received yesterday a
message from the Prince de Conde; he went to meet him at Saint Cloud and
has not returned."
"Have you seen Madame de Chevreuse?"
"She was not at home. And you, Aramis, you were going, I think, to visit
Madame de Longueville."
"I did go there."
"Well?"
"She was no longer there, but she had left her new address."
"Where was she?"
"Guess; I give you a thousand chances."
"How should I know where the most beautiful and active of the Frondists
was at midnight? for I presume it was when you left me that you went to
visit her."
"At the Hotel de Ville, my dear fellow."
"What! at the Hotel de Ville? Has she, then, been appointed provost of
merchants?"
"No; but she has become queen of Paris, ad interim, and since she could
not venture at once to establish herself in the Palais Royal or the
Tuileries, she is installed at the Hotel de Ville, where she is on the
point of giving an heir or an heiress to that dear duke."
"You didn’t tell me of that, Aramis."
"Really? It was my forgetfulness then; pardon me."
"Now," asked Athos, "what are we to do with ourselves till evening? Here
we are without occupation, it seems to me."
"You forget, my friend, that we have work cut out for us in the
direction of Charenton; I hope to see Monsieur de Chatillon, whom I’ve
hated for a long time, there."
"Why have you hated him?"
"Because he is the brother of Coligny."
"Ah, true! he who presumed to be a rival of yours, for which he was
severely punished; that ought to satisfy you."
"’Yes, but it does not; I am rancorous--the only stigma that proves me
to be a churchman. Do you understand? You understand that you are in no
way obliged to go with me."
"Come, now," said Athos, "you are joking."
"In that case, my dear friend, if you are resolved to accompany me there
is no time to lose; the drum beats; I observed cannon on the road; I saw
the citizens in order of battle on the Place of the Hotel de Ville;
certainly the fight will be in the direction of Charenton, as the Duc de
Chatillon said."
"I supposed," said Athos, "that last night’s conferences would modify
those warlike arrangements."
"No doubt; but they will fight, none the less, if only to mask the
conferences."
"Poor creatures!" said Athos, "who are going to be killed, in order that
Monsieur de Bouillon may have his estate at Sedan restored to him, that
the reversion of the admiralty may be given to the Duc de Beaufort, and
that the coadjutor may be made a cardinal."
"Come, come, dear Athos, confess that you would not be so philosophical
if your Raoul were to be involved in this affair."
"Perhaps you speak the truth, Aramis."
"Well, let us go, then, where the fighting is, for that is the most
likely place to meet with D’Artagnan, Porthos, and possibly even Raoul.
Stop, there are a fine body of citizens passing; quite attractive, by
Jupiter! and their captain--see! he has the true military style."
"What, ho!" said Grimaud.
"What?" asked Athos.
"Planchet, sir."
"Lieutenant yesterday," said Aramis, "captain to-day, colonel,
doubtless, to-morrow; in a fortnight the fellow will be marshal of
France."
"Question him about the fight," said Athos.
Planchet, prouder than ever of his new duties, deigned to explain to the
two gentlemen that he was ordered to take up his position on the Place
Royale with two hundred men, forming the rear of the army of Paris, and
to march on Charenton when necessary.
"This day will be a warm one," said Planchet, in a warlike tone.
"No doubt," said Aramis, "but it is far from here to the enemy."
"Sir, the distance will be diminished," said a subordinate.
Aramis saluted, then turning toward Athos:
"I don’t care to camp on the Place Royale with all these people," he
said. "Shall we go forward? We shall see better what is going on."
"And then Monsieur de Chatillon will not come to the Place Royale to
look for you. Come, then, my friend, we will go forward."
"Haven’t you something to say to Monsieur de Flamarens on your own
account?"
"My friend," said Athos, "I have made a resolution never to draw my
sword save when it is absolutely necessary."
"And how long ago was that?"
"When I last drew my poniard."
"Ah! Good! another souvenir of Monsieur Mordaunt. Well, my friend,
nothing now is lacking except that you should feel remorse for having
killed that fellow."
"Hush!" said Athos, putting a finger on his lips, with the sad smile
peculiar to him; "let us talk no more of Mordaunt--it will bring bad
luck." And Athos set forward toward Charenton, followed closely by
Aramis.
78. The Battle of Charenton.
As Athos and Aramis proceeded, and passed different companies on the
road, they became aware that they were arriving near the field of
battle.
"Ah! my friend!" cried Athos, suddenly, "where have you brought us? I
fancy I perceive around us faces of different officers in the royal
army; is not that the Duc de Chatillon himself coming toward us with his
brigadiers?"
"Good-day, sirs," said the duke, advancing; "you are puzzled by what you
see here, but one word will explain everything. There is now a truce and
a conference. The prince, Monsieur de Retz, the Duc de Beaufort, the Duc
de Bouillon, are talking over public affairs. Now one of two things must
happen: either matters will not be arranged, or they will be arranged,
in which last case I shall be relieved of my command and we shall still
meet again."
"Sir," said Aramis, "you speak to the point. Allow me to ask you a
question: Where are the plenipotentiaries?"
"At Charenton, in the second house on the right on entering from the
direction of Paris."
"And was this conference arranged beforehand?"
"No, gentlemen, it seems to be the result of certain propositions which
Mazarin made last night to the Parisians."
Athos and Aramis exchanged smiles; for they well knew what those
propositions were, to whom they had been made and who had made them.
"And that house in which the plenipotentiaries are," asked Athos,
"belongs to----"
"To Monsieur de Chanleu, who commands your troops at Charenton. I say
your troops, for I presume that you gentlemen are Frondeurs?"
"Yes, almost," said Aramis.
"We are for the king and the princes," added Athos.
"We must understand each other," said the duke. "The king is with us and
his generals are the Duke of Orleans and the Prince de Conde, although I
must add ’tis almost impossible now to know to which party any one
belongs."
"Yes," answered Athos, "but his right place is in our ranks, with the
Prince de Conti, De Beaufort, D’Elbeuf, and De Bouillon; but, sir,
supposing that the conference is broken off--are you going to try to
take Charenton?"
"Such are my orders."
"Sir, since you command the cavalry----"
"Pardon me, I am commander-in-chief."
"So much the better. You must know all your officers--I mean those more
distinguished."
"Why, yes, very nearly."
"Will you then kindly tell me if you have in your command the Chevalier d’Artagnan, lieutenant in the musketeers?" |
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