diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'old/2681.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | old/2681.txt | 25621 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 25621 deletions
diff --git a/old/2681.txt b/old/2681.txt deleted file mode 100644 index b52626c..0000000 --- a/old/2681.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,25621 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Ten Years Later, by Alexandre Dumas, Pere - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Ten Years Later - -Author: Alexandre Dumas, Pere - -Posting Date: August 12, 2008 [EBook #2681] -Release Date: June, 2001 - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TEN YEARS LATER *** - - - - -Produced by John Bursey - - - - - -TEN YEARS LATER - -by Alexandre Dumas - - - - -Transcriber's Notes: - -As you may be aware, Project Gutenberg has been involved with the -writings of both the Alexandre Dumases for some time now, and since we -get a few questions about the order in which the books should be read, -and in which they were published, these following comments should -hopefully help most of our readers. - -***** - -The Vicomte de Bragelonne is the final volume of D'Artagnan Romances: -it is usually split into three or four parts, and the final portion -is entitled The Man in the Iron Mask. The Man in the Iron Mask we're -familiar with today is the last volume of the four-volume edition. -[Not all the editions split them in the same manner, hence some of the -confusion...but wait...there's yet more reason for confusion.] - -We intend to do ALL of The Vicomte de Bragelonne, split into four -etexts entitled The Vicomte de Bragelonne, Ten Years Later, Louise de la -Valliere, and The Man in the Iron Mask; you WILL be getting The Man in -the Iron Mask. - -One thing that may be causing confusion is that the etext we have now, -entitled Ten Years Later, says it's the sequel to The Three Musketeers. -While this is technically true, there's another book, Twenty Years -After, that comes between. The confusion is generated by the two facts -that we published Ten Years Later BEFORE we published Twenty Years -After, and that many people see those titles as meaning Ten and Twenty -Years "After" the original story...however, this is why the different -words "After" and "Later"...the Ten Years "After" is ten years after -the Twenty Years later...as per history. Also, the third book of the -D'Artagnan Romances, while entitled The Vicomte de Bragelonne, has the -subtitle Ten Years Later. These two titles are also given to different -volumes: The Vicomte de Bragelonne can refer to the whole book, or the -first volume of the three or four-volume editions. Ten Years Later -can, similarly, refer to the whole book, or the second volume of the -four-volume edition. To add to the confusion, in the case of our etexts, -it refers to the first 104 chapters of the whole book, covering material -in the first and second etexts in the new series. Here is a guide to the -series which may prove helpful: - -The Three Musketeers: Etext 1257--First book of the D'Artagnan Romances. -Covers the years 1625-1628. - -Twenty Years After: Etext 1259--Second book of the D'Artagnan Romances. -Covers the years 1648-1649. [Third in the order that we published, but -second in time sequence!!!] - -Ten Years Later: Etext 1258--First 104 chapters of the third book of the -D'Artagnan Romances. Covers the years 1660-1661. - -The Vicomte de Bragelonne: Etext 2609 (first in the new series)--First -75 chapters of the third book of the D'Artagnan Romances. Covers the -year 1660. - -Ten Years Later: Etext 2681 (our new etext)--Chapters 76-140 of that -third book of the D'Artagnan Romances. Covers the years 1660-1661. [In -this particular editing of it] - -Louise de la Valliere: forthcoming (our next etext)--Chapters 141-208 of -the third book of the D'Artagnan Romances. Covers the year 1661. - -The Man in the Iron Mask: forthcoming (following)--Chapters 209-269 of -the third book of the D'Artagnan Romances. Covers the years 1661-1673. - -If we've calculated correctly, that fourth text SHOULD correspond to -the modern editions of The Man in the Iron Mask, which is still -widely circulated, and comprises about the last 1/4 of The Vicomte de -Bragelonne. - -Here is a list of the other Dumas Etexts we have published so far: - -Sep 1999 La Tulipe Noire, by Alexandre -Dumas[Pere#6/French][tlpnrxxx.xxx]1910 This is an abridged edition in -French, also see our full length English Etext Jul 1997 The Black Tulip, -by Alexandre Dumas[Pere][Dumas#1][tbtlpxxx.xxx] 965 Jan 1998 The Count -of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas[Pere][crstoxxx.xxx]1184 - - -Many thanks to Dr. David Coward, whose editions of the D'Artagnan -Romances have proved an invaluable source of information. - -***** - -Introduction: - -In the months of March-July in 1844, in the magazine Le Siecle, the -first portion of a story appeared, penned by the celebrated playwright -Alexandre Dumas. It was based, he claimed, on some manuscripts he had -found a year earlier in the Bibliotheque Nationale while researching a -history he planned to write on Louis XIV. They chronicled the adventures -of a young man named D'Artagnan who, upon entering Paris, became almost -immediately embroiled in court intrigues, international politics, and -ill-fated affairs between royal lovers. Over the next six years, readers -would enjoy the adventures of this youth and his three famous friends, -Porthos, Athos, and Aramis, as their exploits unraveled behind the -scenes of some of the most momentous events in French and even English -history. - -Eventually these serialized adventures were published in novel form, -and became the three D'Artagnan Romances known today. Here is a brief -summary of the first two novels: - -The Three Musketeers (serialized March-July, 1844): The year is 1625. -The young D'Artagnan arrives in Paris at the tender age of 18, and -almost immediately offends three musketeers, Porthos, Aramis, and Athos. -Instead of dueling, the four are attacked by five of the Cardinal's -guards, and the courage of the youth is made apparent during the battle. -The four become fast friends, and, when asked by D'Artagnan's landlord -to find his missing wife, embark upon an adventure that takes them -across both France and England in order to thwart the plans of the -Cardinal Richelieu. Along the way, they encounter a beautiful young spy, -named simply Milady, who will stop at nothing to disgrace Queen Anne of -Austria before her husband, Louis XIII, and take her revenge upon the -four friends. - -Twenty Years After (serialized January-August, 1845): The year is now -1648, twenty years since the close of the last story. Louis XIII has -died, as has Cardinal Richelieu, and while the crown of France may sit -upon the head of Anne of Austria as Regent for the young Louis XIV, -the real power resides with the Cardinal Mazarin, her secret husband. -D'Artagnan is now a lieutenant of musketeers, and his three friends have -retired to private life. Athos turned out to be a nobleman, the Comte de -la Fere, and has retired to his home with his son, Raoul de Bragelonne. -Aramis, whose real name is D'Herblay, has followed his intention of -shedding the musketeer's cassock for the priest's robes, and Porthos has -married a wealthy woman, who left him her fortune upon her death. But -trouble is stirring in both France and England. Cromwell menaces the -institution of royalty itself while marching against Charles I, and at -home the Fronde is threatening to tear France apart. D'Artagnan brings -his friends out of retirement to save the threatened English monarch, -but Mordaunt, the son of Milady, who seeks to avenge his mother's death -at the musketeers' hands, thwarts their valiant efforts. Undaunted, our -heroes return to France just in time to help save the young Louis XIV, -quiet the Fronde, and tweak the nose of Cardinal Mazarin. - -The third novel, The Vicomte de Bragelonne (serialized October, 1847 ---January, 1850), has enjoyed a strange history in its English -translation. It has been split into three, four, or five volumes at -various points in its history. The five-volume edition generally does -not give titles to the smaller portions, but the others do. In the -three-volume edition, the novels are entitled The Vicomte de Bragelonne, -Louise de la Valliere, and The Man in the Iron Mask. For the purposes of -this etext, I have chosen to split the novel as the four-volume edition -does, with these titles: The Vicomte de Bragelonne, Ten Years Later, -Louise de la Valliere, and The Man in the Iron Mask. In the last etext: - -The Vicomte de Bragelonne (Etext 2609): It is the year 1660, and -D'Artagnan, after thirty-five years of loyal service, has become -disgusted with serving King Louis XIV while the real power resides with -the Cardinal Mazarin, and has tendered his resignation. He embarks on -his own project, that of restoring Charles II to the throne of England, -and, with the help of Athos, succeeds, earning himself quite a fortune -in the process. D'Artagnan returns to Paris to live the life of a rich -citizen, and Athos, after negotiating the marriage of Philip, the king's -brother, to Princess Henrietta of England, likewise retires to his own -estate, La Fere. Meanwhile, Mazarin has finally died, and left Louis to -assume the reigns of power, with the assistance of M. Colbert, formerly -Mazarin's trusted clerk. Colbert has an intense hatred for M. Fouquet, -the king's superintendent of finances, and has resolved to use any -means necessary to bring about his fall. With the new rank of intendant -bestowed on him by Louis, Colbert succeeds in having two of Fouquet's -loyal friends tried and executed. He then brings to the king's attention -that Fouquet is fortifying the island of Belle-Ile-en-Mer, and could -possibly be planning to use it as a base for some military operation -against the king. Louis calls D'Artagnan out of retirement and sends -him to investigate the island, promising him a tremendous salary and his -long-promised promotion to captain of the musketeers upon his return. At -Belle-Isle, D'Artagnan discovers that the engineer of the fortifications -is, in fact, Porthos, now the Baron du Vallon, and that's not all. -The blueprints for the island, although in Porthos's handwriting, -show evidence of another script that has been erased, that of Aramis. -D'Artagnan later discovers that Aramis has become the bishop of Vannes, -which is, coincidentally, a parish belonging to M. Fouquet. Suspecting -that D'Artagnan has arrived on the king's behalf to investigate, Aramis -tricks D'Artagnan into wandering around Vannes in search of Porthos, -and sends Porthos on an heroic ride back to Paris to warn Fouquet of -the danger. Fouquet rushes to the king, and gives him Belle-Isle as a -present, thus allaying any suspicion, and at the same time humiliating -Colbert, just minutes before the usher announces someone else seeking an -audience with the king. - -And now, the second etext of The Vicomte de Bragelonne. Enjoy! - -John Bursey Mordaunt@aol.com June, 2000 - -***** - -There is one French custom that may cause confusion. The Duc d'Orleans -is traditionally called "Monsieur" and his wife "Madame." Gaston, the -king's uncle, currently holds that title. Upon the event of his death, -it will be conferred upon the king's brother, Philip, who is currently -the Duc d'Anjou. The customary title of "Monsieur" will go to him as -well, and upon his future wife, Henrietta of England, that of "Madame." -Gaston's widow will be referred to as the "Dowager Madame."--JB - - -***** - - - - -Chapter I. In which D'Artagnan finishes by at Length placing his Hand -upon his Captain's Commission. - -The reader guesses beforehand whom the usher preceded in announcing -the courier from Bretagne. This messenger was easily recognized. It was -D'Artagnan, his clothes dusty, his face inflamed, his hair dripping with -sweat, his legs stiff; he lifted his feet painfully at every step, on -which resounded the clink of his blood-stained spurs. He perceived -in the doorway he was passing through, the superintendent coming out. -Fouquet bowed with a smile to him who, an hour before, was bringing him -ruin and death. D'Artagnan found in his goodness of heart, and in his -inexhaustible vigor of body, enough presence of mind to remember -the kind reception of this man; he bowed then, also, much more from -benevolence and compassion, than from respect. He felt upon his lips the -word which had so many times been repeated to the Duc de Guise: "Fly." -But to pronounce that word would have been to betray his cause; to speak -that word in the cabinet of the king, and before an usher, would have -been to ruin himself gratuitously, and could save nobody. D'Artagnan -then, contented himself with bowing to Fouquet and entered. At this -moment the king floated between the joy the last words of Fouquet had -given him, and his pleasure at the return of D'Artagnan. Without being a -courtier, D'Artagnan had a glance as sure and as rapid as if he had been -one. He read, on his entrance, devouring humiliation on the countenance -of Colbert. He even heard the king say these words to him:-- - -"Ah! Monsieur Colbert; you have then nine hundred thousand livres at -the intendance?" Colbert, suffocated, bowed but made no reply. All this -scene entered into the mind of D'Artagnan, by the eyes and ears, at -once. - -The first word of Louis to his musketeer, as if he wished it to contrast -with what he was saying at the moment, was a kind "good day." His second -was to send away Colbert. The latter left the king's cabinet, pallid and -tottering, whilst D'Artagnan twisted up the ends of his mustache. - -"I love to see one of my servants in this disorder," said the king, -admiring the martial stains upon the clothes of his envoy. - -"I thought, sire, my presence at the Louvre was sufficiently urgent to -excuse my presenting myself thus before you." - -"You bring me great news, then, monsieur?" - -"Sire, the thing is this, in two words: Belle-Isle is fortified, -admirably fortified; Belle-Isle has a double _enceinte_, a citadel, two -detached forts; its ports contain three corsairs; and the side batteries -only await their cannon." - -"I know all that, monsieur," replied the king. - -"What! your majesty knows all that?" replied the musketeer, stupefied. - -"I have the plan of the fortifications of Belle-Isle," said the king. - -"Your majesty has the plan?" - -"Here it is." - -"It is really correct, sire: I saw a similar one on the spot." - -D'Artagnan's brow became clouded. - -"Ah! I understand all. Your majesty did not trust to me alone, but sent -some other person," said he in a reproachful tone. - -"Of what importance is the manner, monsieur, in which I have learnt what -I know, so that I know it?" - -"Sire, sire," said the musketeer, without seeking even to conceal his -dissatisfaction; "but I must be permitted to say to your majesty, that -it is not worth while to make me use such speed, to risk twenty -times the breaking of my neck, to salute me on my arrival with -such intelligence. Sire, when people are not trusted, or are deemed -insufficient, they should scarcely be employed." And D'Artagnan, with -a movement perfectly military, stamped with his foot, and left upon the -floor dust stained with blood. The king looked at him, inwardly enjoying -his first triumph. - -"Monsieur," said he, at the expiration of a minute, "not only is -Belle-Isle known to me, but, still further, Belle-Isle is mine." - -"That is well! that is well, sire, I ask but one thing more," replied -D'Artagnan.--"My discharge." - -"What! your discharge?" - -"Without doubt I am too proud to eat the bread of the king without -earning it, or rather by gaining it badly.--My discharge, sire!" - -"Oh, oh!" - -"I ask for my discharge, or I will take it." - -"You are angry, monsieur?" - -"I have reason, _mordioux!_ Thirty-two hours in the saddle, I ride day -and night, I perform prodigies of speed, I arrive stiff as the corpse of -a man who has been hung--and another arrives before me! Come, sire, I am -a fool!--My discharge, sire!" - -"Monsieur d'Artagnan," said Louis, leaning his white hand upon the dusty -arm of the musketeer, "what I tell you will not at all affect that which -I promised you. A king's word given must be kept." And the king going -straight to his table, opened a drawer, and took out a folded paper. -"Here is your commission of captain of musketeers; you have won it, -Monsieur d'Artagnan." - -D'Artagnan opened the paper eagerly, and scanned it twice. He could -scarcely believe his eyes. - -"And this commission is given you," continued the king, "not only on -account of your journey to Belle-Isle but, moreover, for your brave -intervention at the Place de Greve. There, likewise, you served me -valiantly." - -"Ah, ah!" said D'Artagnan, without his self-command being able to -prevent a blush from mounting to his eyes--"you know that also, sire?" - -"Yes, I know it." - -The king possessed a piercing glance and an infallible judgment when it -was his object to read men's minds. "You have something to say," said -he to the musketeer, "something to say which you do not say. Come, speak -freely, monsieur; you know that I told you, once and for all, that you -are to be always quite frank with me." - -"Well, sire! what I have to say is this, that I would prefer being made -captain of the musketeers for having charged a battery at the head of my -company, or taken a city, than for causing two wretches to be hung." - -"Is this quite true you tell me?" - -"And why should your majesty suspect me of dissimulation, I ask?" - -"Because I have known you well, monsieur; you cannot repent of having -drawn your sword for me." - -"Well, in that your majesty is deceived, and greatly; yes, I do repent -of having drawn my sword on account of the results that action produced; -the poor men who were hung, sire, were neither your enemies nor mine; -and they could not defend themselves." - -The king preserved silence for a moment. "And your companion, M. -d'Artagnan, does he partake of your repentance?" - -"My companion?" - -"Yes, you were not alone, I have been told." - -"Alone, where?" - -"At the Place de Greve." - -"No, sire, no," said D'Artagnan, blushing at the idea that the king -might have a suspicion that he, D'Artagnan, had wished to engross to -himself all the glory that belonged to Raoul; "no, _mordioux!_ and as -your majesty says, I had a companion, and a good companion, too." - -"A young man?" - -"Yes, sire; a young man. Oh! your majesty must accept my compliments, -you are as well informed of things out of doors as things within. It is -M. Colbert who makes all these fine reports to the king." - -"M. Colbert has said nothing but good of you, M. d'Artagnan, and he -would have met with a bad reception if he had come to tell me anything -else." - -"That is fortunate!" - -"But he also said much good of that young man." - -"And with justice," said the musketeer. - -"In short, it appears that this young man is a fire-eater," said Louis, -in order to sharpen the sentiment which he mistook for envy. - -"A fire-eater! Yes, sire," repeated D'Artagnan, delighted on his part to -direct the king's attention to Raoul. - -"Do you not know his name?" - -"Well, I think--" - -"You know him then?" - -"I have known him nearly five-and-twenty years, sire." - -"Why, he is scarcely twenty-five years old!" cried the king. - -"Well, sire! I have known him ever since he was born, that is all." - -"Do you affirm that?" - -"Sire," said D'Artagnan, "your majesty questions me with a mistrust in -which I recognize another character than your own. M. Colbert, who has -so well informed you, has he not forgotten to tell you that this young -man is the son of my most intimate friend?" - -"The Vicomte de Bragelonne?" - -"Certainly, sire. The father of the Vicomte de Bragelonne is M. le -Comte de la Fere, who so powerfully assisted in the restoration of King -Charles II. Bragelonne comes of a valiant race, sire." - -"Then he is the son of that nobleman who came to me, or rather to M. -Mazarin, on the part of King Charles II., to offer me his alliance?" - -"Exactly, sire." - -"And the Comte de la Fere is a great soldier, say you?" - -"Sire, he is a man who has drawn his sword more times for the king, your -father, than there are, at present, months in the happy life of your -majesty." - -It was Louis XIV. who now bit his lip. - -"That is well, M. d'Artagnan, very well! And M. le Comte de la Fere is -your friend, say you?" - -"For about forty years; yes, sire. Your majesty may see that I do not -speak to you of yesterday." - -"Should you be glad to see this young man, M. d'Artagnan?" - -"Delighted, sire." - -The king touched his bell, and an usher appeared. "Call M. de -Bragelonne," said the king. - -"Ah! ah! he is here?" said D'Artagnan. - -"He is on guard to-day, at the Louvre, with the company of the gentlemen -of monsieur le prince." - -The king had scarcely ceased speaking, when Raoul presented himself, -and, on seeing D'Artagnan, smiled on him with that charming smile which -is only found upon the lips of youth. - -"Come, come," said D'Artagnan, familiarly, to Raoul, "the king will -allow you to embrace me; only tell his majesty you thank him." - -Raoul bowed so gracefully, that Louis, to whom all superior qualities -were pleasing when they did not overshadow his own, admired his beauty, -strength, and modesty. - -"Monsieur," said the king, addressing Raoul, "I have asked monsieur -le prince to be kind enough to give you up to me; I have received his -reply, and you belong to me from this morning. Monsieur le prince was a -good master, but I hope you will not lose by the exchange." - -"Yes, yes, Raoul, be satisfied; the king has some good in him," said -D'Artagnan, who had fathomed the character of Louis, and who played -with his self-love, within certain limits; always observing, be it -understood, the proprieties and flattering, even when he appeared to be -bantering. - -"Sire," said Bragelonne, with voice soft and musical, and with the -natural and easy elocution he inherited from his father; "Sire, it is -not from to-day that I belong to your majesty." - -"Oh! no, I know," said the king, "you mean your enterprise of the Greve. -That day, you were truly mine, monsieur." - -"Sire, it is not of that day I would speak; it would not become me -to refer to so paltry a service in the presence of such a man as M. -d'Artagnan. I would speak of a circumstance which created an epoch in my -life, and which consecrated me, from the age of sixteen, to the devoted -service of your majesty." - -"Ah! ah!" said the king, "what was that circumstance? Tell me, -monsieur." - -"This is it, sire.--When I was setting out on my first campaign, that is -to say, to join the army of monsieur le prince, M. le Comte de la Fere -came to conduct me as far as Saint-Denis, where the remains of King -Louis XIII. wait, upon the lowest steps of the funeral _basilique_, a -successor, whom God will not send him, I hope, for many years. Then -he made me swear upon the ashes of our masters, to serve royalty, -represented by you--incarnate in you, sire--to serve it in word, in -thought, and in action. I swore, and God and the dead were witnesses to -my oath. During ten years, sire, I have not so often as I desired had -occasion to keep it. I am a soldier of your majesty, and nothing else; -and, on calling me nearer to you, I do not change my master, I only -change my garrison." - -Raoul was silent and bowed. Louis still listened after he had done -speaking. - -"_Mordioux!_" cried D'Artagnan, "that was well spoken! was it not, your -majesty? A good race! a noble race!" - -"Yes," murmured the king, without, however daring to manifest -his emotion, for it had no other cause than contact with a nature -intrinsically noble. "Yes, monsieur, you say truly:--wherever you were, -you were the king's. But in changing your garrison, believe me you will -find an advancement of which you are worthy." - -Raoul saw that this ended what the king had to say to him. And with -the perfect tact which characterized his refined nature, he bowed and -retired. - -"Is there anything else, monsieur, of which you have to inform me?" said -the king, when he found himself again alone with D'Artagnan. - -"Yes, sire, and I kept that news for the last, for it is sad, and will -clothe European royalty in mourning." - -"What do you tell me?" - -"Sire, in passing through Blois, a word, a sad word, echoed from the -palace, struck my ear." - -"In truth, you terrify me, M. d'Artagnan." - -"Sire, this word was pronounced to me by a _piqueur_, who wore crape on -his arm." - -"My uncle, Gaston of Orleans, perhaps." - -"Sire, he has rendered his last sigh." - -"And I was not warned of it!" cried the king, whose royal susceptibility -saw an insult in the absence of this intelligence. - -"Oh! do not be angry, sire," said D'Artagnan; "neither the couriers -of Paris, nor the couriers of the whole world, can travel with your -servant; the courier from Blois will not be here these two hours, and he -rides well, I assure you, seeing that I only passed him on the thither -side of Orleans." - -"My uncle Gaston," murmured Louis, pressing his hand to his brow, and -comprising in those three words all that his memory recalled of that -symbol of opposing sentiments. - -"Eh! yes, sire, it is thus," said D'Artagnan, philosophically replying -to the royal thought, "it is thus the past flies away." - -"That is true, monsieur, that is true; but there remains for us, thank -God! the future; and we will try to make it not too dark." - -"I feel confidence in your majesty on that head," said D'Artagnan, -bowing, "and now--" - -"You are right, monsieur; I had forgotten the hundred leagues you have -just ridden. Go, monsieur, take care of one of the best of soldiers, and -when you have reposed a little, come and place yourself at my disposal." - -"Sire, absent or present, I am always yours." - -D'Artagnan bowed and retired. Then, as if he had only come from -Fontainebleau, he quickly traversed the Louvre to rejoin Bragelonne. - - - -Chapter II. A Lover and His Mistress. - -Whilst the wax-lights were burning in the castle of Blois, around the -inanimate body of Gaston of Orleans, that last representative of the -past; whilst the _bourgeois_ of the city were thinking out his epitaph, -which was far from being a panegyric; whilst madame the dowager, no -longer remembering that in her young days she had loved that senseless -corpse to such a degree as to fly the paternal palace for his sake, -was making, within twenty paces of the funeral apartment, her little -calculations of interest and her little sacrifices of pride; other -interests and other prides were in agitation in all the parts of the -castle into which a living soul could penetrate. Neither the lugubrious -sounds of the bells, nor the voices of the chanters, nor the splendor -of the wax-lights through the windows, nor the preparations for the -funeral, had power to divert the attention of two persons, placed at a -window of the interior court--a window that we are acquainted with, -and which lighted a chamber forming part of what were called the little -apartments. For the rest, a joyous beam of the sun, for the sun appeared -to care little for the loss France had just suffered; a sunbeam, we say, -descended upon them, drawing perfumes from the neighboring flowers, and -animating the walls themselves. These two persons, so occupied, not by -the death of the duke, but by the conversation which was the consequence -of that death, were a young woman and a young man. The latter personage, -a man of from twenty-five to twenty-six years of age, with a mien -sometimes lively and sometimes dull, making good use of two large eyes, -shaded with long eye-lashes, was short of stature and swart of skin; he -smiled with an enormous, but well-furnished mouth, and his pointed chin, -which appeared to enjoy a mobility nature does not ordinarily grant to -that portion of the countenance, leant from time to time very lovingly -towards his interlocutrix, who, we must say, did not always draw back so -rapidly as strict propriety had a right to require. The young girl--we -know her, for we have already seen her, at that very same window, by the -light of that same sun--the young girl presented a singular mixture of -shyness and reflection; she was charming when she laughed, beautiful -when she became serious; but, let us hasten to say, she was more -frequently charming than beautiful. These two appeared to have attained -the culminating point of a discussion--half-bantering, half-serious. - -"Now, Monsieur Malicorne," said the young girl, "does it, at length, -please you that we should talk reasonably?" - -"You believe that that is very easy, Mademoiselle Aure," replied the -young man. "To do what we like, when we can only do what we are able--" - -"Good! there he is bewildered in his phrases." - -"Who, I?" - -"Yes, you; quit that lawyer's logic, my dear." - -"Another impossibility. Clerk I am, Mademoiselle de Montalais." - -"Demoiselle I am, Monsieur Malicorne." - -"Alas, I know it well, and you overwhelm me by your rank; so I will say -no more to you." - -"Well, no, I don't overwhelm you; say what you have to tell me--say it, -I insist upon it." - -"Well, I obey you." - -"That is truly fortunate." - -"Monsieur is dead." - -"Ah, _peste!_ that's news! And where do you come from, to be able to -tell us that?" - -"I come from Orleans, mademoiselle." - -"And is that all the news you bring?" - -"Ah, no; I am come to tell you that Madame Henrietta of England is -coming to marry the king's brother." - -"Indeed, Malicorne, you are insupportable with your news of the last -century. Now, mind, if you persist in this bad habit of laughing at -people, I will have you turned out." - -"Oh!" - -"Yes, for really you exasperate me." - -"There, there. Patience, mademoiselle." - -"You want to make yourself of consequence; I know well enough why. Go!" - -"Tell me, and I will answer you frankly, yes, if the thing be true." - -"You know that I am anxious to have that commission of lady of honor, -which I have been foolish enough to ask of you, and you do not use your -credit." - -"Who, I?" Malicorne cast down his eyes, joined his hands, and assumed -his sullen air. "And what credit can the poor clerk of a procurer have, -pray?" - -"Your father has not twenty thousand livres a year for nothing, M. -Malicorne." - -"A provincial fortune, Mademoiselle de Montalais." - -"Your father is not in the secrets of monsieur le prince for nothing." - -"An advantage which is confined to lending monseigneur money." - -"In a word, you are not the most cunning young fellow in the province -for nothing." - -"You flatter me!" - -"Who, I?" - -"Yes, you." - -"How so?" - -"Since I maintain that I have no credit, and you maintain I have." - -"Well, then,--my commission?" - -"Well,--your commission?" - -"Shall I have it, or shall I not?" - -"You shall have it." - -"Ay, but when?" - -"When you like." - -"Where is it, then?" - -"In my pocket." - -"How--in your pocket?" - -"Yes." - -And, with a smile, Malicorne drew from his pocket a letter, upon which -mademoiselle seized as a prey, and which she read eagerly. As she read, -her face brightened. - -"Malicorne," cried she after having read it, "In truth, you are a good -lad." - -"What for, mademoiselle?" - -"Because you might have been paid for this commission, and you have -not." And she burst into a loud laugh, thinking to put the clerk out of -countenance; but Malicorne sustained the attack bravely. - -"I do not understand you," said he. It was now Montalais who was -disconcerted in her turn. "I have declared my sentiments to you," -continued Malicorne. "You have told me three times, laughing all the -while, that you did not love me; you have embraced me once without -laughing, and that is all I want." - -"All?" said the proud and coquettish Montalais, in a tone through which -the wounded pride was visible. - -"Absolutely all, mademoiselle," replied Malicorne. - -"Ah!"--And this monosyllable indicated as much anger as the young man -might have expected gratitude. He shook his head quietly. - -"Listen, Montalais," said he, without heeding whether that familiarity -pleased his mistress or not; "let us not dispute about it." - -"And why not?" - -"Because during the year which I have known you, you might have had me -turned out of doors twenty times if I did not please you." - -"Indeed; and on what account should I have had you turned out?" - -"Because I have been sufficiently impertinent for that." - -"Oh, that,--yes, that's true." - -"You see plainly that you are forced to avow it," said Malicorne. - -"Monsieur Malicorne!" - -"Don't let us be angry; if you have retained me, then it has not been -without cause." - -"It is not, at least, because I love you," cried Montalais. - -"Granted. I will even say, at this moment, I am certain that you hate -me." - -"Oh, you have never spoken so truly." - -"Well, on my part, I detest you." - -"Ah! I take the act." - -"Take it. You find me brutal and foolish; on my part I find you have a -harsh voice, and your face is too often distorted with anger. At this -moment you would allow yourself to be thrown out of that window rather -than allow me to kiss the tip of your finger; I would precipitate myself -from the top of the balcony rather than touch the hem of your robe. But, -in five minutes, you will love me, and I shall adore you. Oh, it is just -so." - -"I doubt it." - -"And I swear it." - -"Coxcomb!" - -"And then, that is not the true reason. You stand in need of me, Aure, -and I of you. When it pleases you to be gay, I make you laugh; when it -suits me to be loving, I look at you. I have given you a commission -of lady of honor which you wished for; you will give me, presently, -something I wish for." - -"I will?" - -"Yes, you will; but, at this moment, my dear Aure, I declare to you that -I wish for absolutely nothing, so be at ease." - -"You are a frightful man, Malicorne; I was going to rejoice at getting -this commission, and thus you quench my joy." - -"Good; there is no time lost,--you will rejoice when I am gone." - -"Go, then; and after--" - -"So be it; but in the first place, a piece of advice." - -"What is it?" - -"Resume your good-humor,--you are ugly when you pout." - -"Coarse!" - -"Come, let us tell the truth to each other, while we are about it." - -"Oh, Malicorne! Bad-hearted man!" - -"Oh, Montalais! Ungrateful girl!" - -The young man leant with his elbow upon the window-frame; Montalais -took a book and opened it. Malicorne stood up, brushed his hat with his -sleeve, smoothed down his black doublet;--Montalais, though pretending -to read, looked at him out of the corner of her eye. - -"Good!" cried she, furious; "he has assumed his respectful air--and he -will pout for a week." - -"A fortnight, mademoiselle," said Malicorne, bowing. - -Montalais lifted up her little doubled fist. "Monster!" said she; "oh! -that I were a man!" - -"What would you do to me?" - -"I would strangle you." - -"Ah! very well, then," said Malicorne; "I believe I begin to desire -something." - -"And what do you desire, Monsieur Demon? That I should lose my soul from -anger?" - -Malicorne was rolling his hat respectfully between his fingers; but, all -at once, he let fall his hat, seized the young girl by the shoulders, -pulled her towards him, and sealed her mouth with two lips that were -very warm, for a man pretending to so much indifference. Aure would have -cried out, but the cry was stifled in his kiss. Nervous and, apparently, -angry, the young girl pushed Malicorne against the wall. - -"Good!" said Malicorne, philosophically, "that's enough for six weeks. -Adieu, mademoiselle, accept my very humble salutation." And he made -three steps towards the door. - -"Well! no,--you shall not go!" cried Montalais, stamping with her little -foot. "Stay where you are! I order you!" - -"You order me?" - -"Yes; am I not mistress?" - -"Of my heart and soul, without doubt." - -"A pretty property! _ma foi!_ The soul is silly and the heart dry." - -"Beware, Montalais, I know you," said Malicorne; "you are going to fall -in love with your humble servant." - -"Well, yes!" said she, hanging round his neck with childish indolence, -rather than with loving abandonment. "Well, yes! for I must thank you at -least." - -"And for what?" - -"For the commission; is it not my whole future?" - -"And mine." - -Montalais looked at him. - -"It is frightful," said she, "that one can never guess whether you are -speaking seriously or not." - -"I cannot speak more seriously. I was going to Paris,--you are going -there,--we are going there." - -"And so it was for that motive only you have served me; selfish fellow!" - -"What would you have me say, Aure? I cannot live without you." - -"Well! in truth, it is just so with me; you are, nevertheless, it must -be confessed, a very bad-hearted young man." - -"Aure, my dear Aure, take care! if you take to calling me names again, -you know the effect they produce upon me, and I shall adore you." And so -saying, Malicorne drew the young girl a second time towards him. But at -that instant a step resounded on the staircase. The young people were so -close, that they would have been surprised in the arms of each other, if -Montalais had not violently pushed Malicorne, with his back against -the door, just then opening. A loud cry, followed by angry reproaches, -immediately resounded. It was Madame de Saint-Remy who uttered the cry -and the angry words. The unlucky Malicorne almost crushed her between -the wall and the door she was coming in at. - -"It is again that good-for-nothing!" cried the old lady. "Always here!" - -"Ah, madame!" replied Malicorne, in a respectful tone; "it is eight long -days since I was here." - - - -Chapter III. In Which We at Length See the True Heroine of this History -Appear. - -Behind Madame de Saint-Remy stood Mademoiselle de la Valliere. She heard -the explosion of maternal anger, and as she divined the cause of it, -she entered the chamber trembling, and perceived the unlucky Malicorne, -whose woeful countenance might have softened or set laughing whoever -observed it coolly. He had promptly intrenched himself behind a large -chair, as if to avoid the first attacks of Madame de Saint-Remy; he had -no hopes of prevailing with words, for she spoke louder than he, and -without stopping; but he reckoned upon the eloquence of his gestures. -The old lady would neither listen to nor see anything; Malicorne had -long been one of her antipathies. But her anger was too great not to -overflow from Malicorne on his accomplice. Montalais had her turn. - -"And you, mademoiselle; you may be certain I shall inform madame of what -is going on in the apartment of one of her ladies of honor?" - -"Oh, dear mother!" cried Mademoiselle de la Valliere, "for mercy's sake, -spare--" - -"Hold your tongue, mademoiselle, and do not uselessly trouble yourself -to intercede for unworthy people; that a young maid of honor like you -should be subjected to a bad example is, certes, a misfortune great -enough; but that you should sanction it by your indulgence is what I -will not allow." - -"But in truth," said Montalais, rebelling again, "I do not know under -what pretense you treat me thus. I am doing no harm, I suppose?" - -"And that great good-for-nothing, mademoiselle," resumed Madame de -Saint-Remy, pointing to Malicorne, "is he here to do any good, I ask -you?" - -"He is neither here for good nor harm, madame; he comes to see me, that -is all." - -"It is all very well! all very well!" said the old lady. "Her royal -highness shall be informed of it, and she will judge." - -"At all events, I do not see why," replied Montalais, "it should be -forbidden M. Malicorne to have intentions towards me, if his intentions -are honorable." - -"Honorable intentions with such a face!" cried Madame de Saint-Remy. - -"I thank you in the name of my face, madame," said Malicorne. - -"Come, my daughter, come," continued Madame de Saint-Remy; "we will -go and inform madame that at the very moment she is weeping for her -husband, at the moment when we are all weeping for a master in this -old castle of Blois, the abode of grief, there are people who amuse -themselves with flirtations!" - -"Oh!" cried both the accused, with one voice. - -"A maid of honor! a maid of honor!" cried the old lady, lifting her -hands towards heaven. - -"Well! it is there you are mistaken, madame," said Montalais, highly -exasperated; "I am no longer a maid of honor, of madame's at least." - -"Have you given in your resignation, mademoiselle? That is well! I -cannot but applaud such a determination, and I do applaud it." - -"I do not give in my resignation, madame; I take another service,--that -is all." - -"In the _bourgeoisie_ or in the _robe?_" asked Madame de Saint-Remy, -disdainfully. - -"Please to learn, madame, that I am not a girl to serve either -_bourgeoises_ or _robines_; and that instead of the miserable court at -which you vegetate, I am going to reside in a court almost royal." - -"Ha, ha! a royal court," said Madame de Saint-Remy, forcing a laugh; "a -royal court! What do you think of that, my daughter?" - -And she turned towards Mademoiselle de la Valliere, whom she would by -main force have dragged away from Montalais, and who instead of obeying -the impulse of Madame de Saint-Remy, looked first at her mother and then -at Montalais with her beautiful conciliatory eyes. - -"I did not say a royal court, madame," replied Montalais; "because -Madame Henrietta of England, who is about to become the wife of S. A. -R. Monsieur, is not a queen. I said almost royal, and I spoke correctly, -since she will be sister-in-law to the king." - -A thunderbolt falling upon the castle of Blois would not have astonished -Madame de Saint-Remy more than the last sentence of Montalais. - -"What do you say? of Son Altesse Royale Madame Henrietta?" stammered out -the old lady. - -"I say I am going to belong to her household, as maid of honor; that is -what I say." - -"As maid of honor!" cried, at the same time, Madame de Saint-Remy with -despair, and Mademoiselle de la Valliere with delight. - -"Yes, madame, as maid of honor." - -The old lady's head sank down as if the blow had been too severe for -her. But, almost immediately recovering herself, she launched a last -projectile at her adversary. - -"Oh! oh!" said she; "I have heard of many of these sorts of promises -beforehand, which often lead people to flatter themselves with wild -hopes, and at the last moment, when the time comes to keep the promises, -and have the hopes realized, they are surprised to see the great credit -upon which they reckoned vanish like smoke." - -"Oh! madame, the credit of my protector is incontestable and his -promises are as good as deeds." - -"And would it be indiscreet to ask you the name of this powerful -protector?" - -"Oh! _mon Dieu!_ no! it is that gentleman there," said Montalais, -pointing to Malicorne, who, during this scene, had preserved the most -imperturbable coolness, and the most comic dignity. - -"Monsieur!" cried Madame de Saint-Remy, with an explosion of hilarity, -"monsieur is your protector! Is the man whose credit is so powerful, and -whose promises are as good as deeds, Monsieur Malicorne!" - -Malicorne bowed. - -As to Montalais, as her sole reply, she drew the brevet from her pocket, -and showed it to the old lady. - -"Here is the _brevet_," said she. - -At once all was over. As soon as she had cast a rapid glance over this -fortunate _brevet_, the good lady clasped her hands, an unspeakable -expression of envy and despair contracted her countenance, and she -was obliged to sit down to avoid fainting. Montalais was not malicious -enough to rejoice extravagantly at her victory, or to overwhelm the -conquered enemy, particularly when that enemy was the mother of her -friend; she used then, but did not abuse her triumph. Malicorne was -less generous; he assumed noble _poses_ in his _fauteuil_ and stretched -himself out with a familiarity which, two hours earlier, would have -drawn upon him threats of a caning. - -"Maid of honor to the young madame!" repeated Madame de Saint-Remy, -still but half convinced. - -"Yes, madame, and through the protection of M. Malicorne, moreover." - -"It is incredible!" repeated the old lady: "is it not incredible, -Louise?" But Louise did not reply; she was sitting, thoughtfully, almost -sad; passing one had over her beautiful brow, she sighed heavily. - -"Well, but, monsieur," said Madame de Saint-Remy, all at once, "how did -you manage to obtain this post?" - -"I asked for it, madame." - -"Of whom?" - -"One of my friends." - -"And you have friends sufficiently powerful at court to give you such -proofs of their credit?" - -"It appears so." - -"And may one ask the name of these friends?" - -"I did not say I had many friends, madame, I said I had one friend." - -"And that friend is called?" - -"_Peste!_ madame, you go too far! When one has a friend as powerful as -mine, we do not publish his name in that fashion, in open day, in order -that he may be stolen from us." - -"You are right, monsieur, to be silent as to that name; for I think it -would be pretty difficult for you to tell it." - -"At all events," said Montalais, "if the friend does not exist, the -_brevet_ does, and that cuts short the question." - -"Then, I conceive," said Madame de Saint-Remy, with the gracious smile -of the cat who is going to scratch, "when I found monsieur here just -now--" - -"Well?" - -"He brought you the _brevet_." - -"Exactly, madame; you have guessed rightly." - -"Well, then, nothing can be more moral or proper." - -"I think so, madame." - -"And I have been wrong, as it appears, in reproaching you, -mademoiselle." - -"Very wrong, madame; but I am so accustomed to your reproaches, that I -pardon you these." - -"In that case, let us begone, Louise; we have nothing to do but retire. -Well!" - -"Madame!" said La Valliere starting, "did you speak?" - -"You do not appear to be listening, my child." - -"No, madame, I was thinking." - -"About what?" - -"A thousand things." - -"You bear me no ill-will, at least, Louise?" cried Montalais, pressing -her hand. - -"And why should I, my dear Aure?" replied the girl in a voice soft as a -flute. - -"_Dame!_" resumed Madame de Saint-Remy; "if she did bear you a little -ill-will, poor girl, she could not be much blamed." - -"And why should she bear me ill-will, good gracious?" - -"It appears to me that she is of as good a family, and as pretty as -you." - -"Mother! mother!" cried Louise. - -"Prettier a hundred times, madame--not of a better family; but that does -not tell me why Louise should bear me ill-will." - -"Do you think it will be very amusing for her to be buried alive at -Blois, when you are going to shine at Paris?" - -"But, madame, it is not I who prevent Louise following me thither; on -the contrary, I should certainly be most happy if she came there." - -"But it appears that M. Malicorne, who is all-powerful at court--" - -"Ah! so much the worse, madame," said Malicorne, "every one for himself -in this poor world." - -"Malicorne! Malicorne!" said Montalais. Then stooping towards the young -man:-- - -"Occupy Madame de Saint-Remy, either in disputing with her, or making -it up with her; I must speak to Louise." And, at the same time, a soft -pressure of the hand recompensed Malicorne for his future obedience. -Malicorne went grumbling towards Madame de Saint-Remy, whilst Montalais -said to her friend, throwing one arm around her neck:-- - -"What is the matter? Tell _me_. Is it true that you would not love me if -I were to shine, as your mother says?" - -"Oh, no!" said the young girl, with difficulty restraining her tears; -"on the contrary, I rejoice at your good fortune." - -"Rejoice! why, one would say you are ready to cry!" - -"Do people never weep except from envy?" - -"Oh! yes, I understand; I am going to Paris and that word Paris recalls -to your mind a certain cavalier--" - -"Aure!" - -"A certain cavalier who formerly lived near Blois, and who now resides -at Paris." - -"In truth, I know not what ails me, but I feel stifled." - -"Weep, then, weep, as you cannot give me a smile!" - -Louise raised her sweet face, which the tears, rolling down one after -the other, illumined like diamonds. - -"Come, confess," said Montalais. - -"What shall I confess?" - -"What makes you weep; people don't weep without cause. I am your friend; -whatever you would wish me to do, I will do. Malicorne is more powerful -than you would think. Do you wish to go to Paris?" - -"Alas!" sighed Louise. - -"Do you wish to come to Paris?" - -"To remain here alone, in this old castle, I who have enjoyed the -delightful habit of listening to your songs, of pressing your hand, -of running about the park with you. Oh! how I shall be _ennuyee!_ how -quickly I shall die!" - -"Do you wish to come to Paris?" - -Louise breathed another sigh. - -"You do not answer me." - -"What would you that I should reply?" - -"Yes or no; that is not very difficult, I think." - -"Oh! you are very fortunate, Montalais!" - -"That is to say you would like to be in my place." - -Louise was silent. - -"Little obstinate thing!" said Montalais; "did ever any one keep her -secrets from her friend thus? But, confess that you would like to come -to Paris; confess that you are dying with the wish to see Raoul again." - -"I cannot confess that." - -"Then you are wrong." - -"In what way?" - -"Because--do you not see this _brevet?_" - -"To be sure I do." - -"Well, I would have got you a similar one." - -"By whose means?" - -"Malicorne's." - -"Aure, are you telling the truth? Is that possible?" - -"Malicorne is there; and what he has done for me, he surely can do for -you." - -Malicorne had heard his name pronounced twice; he was delighted -at having an opportunity of coming to a conclusion with Madame de -Saint-Remy, and he turned round:-- - -"What is the question, mademoiselle?" - -"Come hither, Malicorne," said Montalais, with an imperious gesture. -Malicorne obeyed. - -"A _brevet_ like this," said Montalais. - -"How so?" - -"A _brevet_ like this; that is plain enough." - -"But--" - -"I want one--I must have one!" - -"Oh! oh! you must have one!" - -"Yes." - -"It is impossible, is it not, M. Malicorne?" said Louise, with her -sweet, soft voice. - -"If it is for _you_, mademoiselle--" - -"For me. Yes, Monsieur Malicorne, it _would_ be for me." - -"And if Mademoiselle de Montalais asks it at the same time--" - -"Mademoiselle de Montalais does not ask it, she requires it." - -"Well! we will endeavor to obey you, mademoiselle." - -"And you will have her named?" - -"We will try." - -"No evasive answers, Louise de la Valliere shall be maid of honor to -Madame Henrietta within a week." - -"How you talk!" - -"Within a week, or else--" - -"Well! or else?" - -"You may take back your _brevet_, Monsieur Malicorne; I will not leave -my friend." - -"Dear Montalais!" - -"That is right. Keep your _brevet_; Mademoiselle de la Valliere shall be -a maid of honor." - -"Is that true?" - -"Quite true." - -"I may then hope to go to Paris?" - -"Depend on it." - -"Oh! Monsieur Malicorne, what joy!" cried Louise, clapping her hands, -and bounding with pleasure. - -"Little dissembler!" said Montalais, "try again to make me believe you -are not in love with Raoul." - -Louise blushed like a rose in June, but instead of replying, she ran and -embraced her mother. "Madame," said she, "do you know that M. Malicorne -is going to have me appointed maid of honor?" - -"M. Malicorne is a prince in disguise," replied the old lady, "he is -all-powerful, seemingly." - -"Should you also like to be a maid of honor?" asked Malicorne of Madame -de Saint-Remy. "Whilst I am about it, I might as well get everybody -appointed." - -And upon that he went away, leaving the poor lady quite disconcerted. - -"Humph!" murmured Malicorne as he descended the stairs,--"Humph! there -goes another note of a thousand livres! but I must get through as well -as I can; my friend Manicamp does nothing for nothing." - - - -Chapter IV. Malicorne and Manicamp. - -The introduction of these two new personages into this history and that -mysterious affinity of names and sentiments, merit some attention on the -part of both historian and reader. We will then enter into some details -concerning Messieurs Malicorne and Manicamp. Malicorne, we know, had -made the journey to Orleans in search of the _brevet_ destined for -Mademoiselle de Montalais, the arrival of which had produced such a -strong feeling at the castle of Blois. At that moment, M. de Manicamp -was at Orleans. A singular person was this M. de Manicamp; a very -intelligent young fellow, always poor, always needy, although he dipped -his hand freely into the purse of M. le Comte de Guiche, one of the best -furnished purses of the period. M. le Comte de Guiche had had, as -the companion of his boyhood, this De Manicamp, a poor gentleman, -vassal-born, of the house of Gramont. M. de Manicamp, with his tact -and talent had created himself a revenue in the opulent family of the -celebrated marechal. From his infancy he had, with calculation beyond -his age, lent his mane and complaisance to the follies of the Comte de -Guiche. If his noble companion had stolen some fruit destined for -Madame la Marechale, if he had broken a mirror, or put out a dog's eye, -Manicamp declared himself guilty of the crime committed, and received -the punishment, which was not made the milder for falling on the -innocent. But this was the way this system of abnegation was paid -for: instead of wearing such mean habiliments as his paternal fortunes -entitled him to, he was able to appear brilliant, superb, like a young -noble of fifty thousand livres a year. It was not that he was mean in -character or humble in spirit; no, he was a philosopher, or rather he -had the indifference, the apathy, the obstinacy which banish from man -every sentiment of the supernatural. His sole ambition was to spend -money. But, in this respect, the worthy M. de Manicamp was a gulf. Three -or four times every year he drained the Comte de Guiche, and when the -Comte de Guiche was thoroughly drained, when he had turned out his -pockets and his purse before him, when he declared that it would be at -least a fortnight before paternal munificence would refill those pockets -and that purse, Manicamp lost all his energy, he went to bed, remained -there, ate nothing and sold his handsome clothes, under the pretense -that, remaining in bed, he did not want them. During this prostration -of mind and strength, the purse of the Comte de Guiche was getting full -again, and when once filled, overflowed into that of De Manicamp, who -bought new clothes, dressed himself again, and recommenced the same -life he had followed before. The mania of selling his new clothes for -a quarter of what they were worth, had rendered our hero sufficiently -celebrated in Orleans, a city where, in general, we should be puzzled -to say why he came to pass his days of penitence. Provincial _debauches, -petits-maitres_ of six hundred livres a year, shared the fragments of -his opulence. - -Among the admirers of these splendid toilettes, our friend Malicorne -was conspicuous; he was the son of a syndic of the city, of whom M. -de Conde, always needy as a De Conde, often borrowed money at enormous -interest. M. Malicorne kept the paternal money-chest; that is to -say, that in those times of easy morals, he had made for himself, by -following the example of his father, and lending at high interest for -short terms, a revenue of eighteen hundred livres, without reckoning -six hundred livres furnished by the generosity of the syndic; so that -Malicorne was the king of the gay youth of Orleans, having two thousand -four hundred livres to scatter, squander, and waste on follies of every -kind. But, quite contrary to Manicamp, Malicorne was terribly ambitious. -He loved from ambition; he spent money out of ambition; and he would -have ruined himself for ambition. Malicorne had determined to rise, at -whatever price it might cost, and for this, whatever price it did cost, -he had given himself a mistress and a friend. The mistress, Mademoiselle -de Montalais, was cruel, as regarded love; but she was of a noble -family, and that was sufficient for Malicorne. The friend had little or -no friendship, but he was the favorite of the Comte de Guiche, himself -the friend of Monsieur, the king's brother; and that was sufficient for -Malicorne. Only, in the chapter of charges, Mademoiselle de Montalais -cost _per annum_:--ribbons, gloves, and sweets, a thousand livres. -De Manicamp cost--money lent, never returned--from twelve to fifteen -hundred livres _per annum_. So that there was nothing left for -Malicorne. Ah! yes, we are mistaken; there was left the paternal strong -box. He employed a mode of proceeding, upon which he preserved the most -profound secrecy, and which consisted in advancing to himself, from -the coffers of the syndic, half a dozen year's profits, that is to -say, fifteen thousand livres, swearing to himself--observe, quite to -himself--to repay this deficiency as soon as an opportunity should -present itself. The opportunity was expected to be the concession of -a good post in the household of Monsieur, when that household would be -established at the period of his marriage. This juncture had arrived, -and the household was about to be established. A good post in the family -of a prince of the blood, when it is given by the credit, and on the -recommendation of a friend, like the Comte de Guiche, is worth at least -twelve thousand livres _per annum_; and by the means which M. Malicorne -had taken to make his revenues fructify, twelve thousand livres might -rise to twenty thousand. Then, when once an incumbent of this post, he -would marry Mademoiselle de Montalais. Mademoiselle de Montalais, of -a half noble family, not only would be dowered, but would ennoble -Malicorne. But, in order that Mademoiselle de Montalais, who had not a -large patrimonial fortune, although an only daughter, should be suitably -dowered, it was necessary that she should belong to some great princess, -as prodigal as the dowager Madame was covetous. And in order that the -wife should not be of one party whilst the husband belonged to the -other, a situation which presents serious inconveniences, particularly -with characters like those of the future consorts--Malicorne had -imagined the idea of making the central point of union the household of -Monsieur, the king's brother. Mademoiselle de Montalais would be maid of -honor to Madame. M. Malicorne would be officer to Monsieur. - -It is plain the plan was formed by a clear head; it is plain, also, -that it had been bravely executed. Malicorne had asked Manicamp to ask -a _brevet_ of maid of honor of the Comte de Guiche; and the Comte de -Guiche had asked this _brevet_ of Monsieur, who had signed it without -hesitation. The constructive plan of Malicorne--for we may well suppose -that the combinations of a mind as active as his were not confined -to the present, but extended to the future--the constructive plan of -Malicorne, we say, was this:--To obtain entrance into the household of -Madame Henrietta for a woman devoted to himself, who was intelligent, -young, handsome, and intriguing; to learn, by means of this woman, all -the feminine secrets of the young household; whilst he, Malicorne, and -his friend Manicamp, should, between them, know all the male secrets -of the young community. It was by these means that a rapid and splendid -fortune might be acquired at one and the same time. Malicorne was a -vile name; he who bore it had too much wit to conceal this truth from -himself; but an estate might be purchased; and Malicorne of some place, -or even De Malicorne itself, for short, would ring more nobly on the -ear. - -It was not improbable that a most aristocratic origin might be hunted up -by the heralds for this name of Malicorne; might it not come from some -estate where a bull with mortal horns had caused some great misfortune, -and baptized the soil with the blood it had spilt? Certes, this plan -presented itself bristling with difficulties: but the greatest of all -was Mademoiselle de Montalais herself. Capricious, variable, close, -giddy, free, prudish, a virgin armed with claws, Erigone stained with -grapes, she sometimes overturned, with a single dash of her white -fingers, or with a single puff from her laughing lips, the edifice which -had exhausted Malicorne's patience for a month. - -Love apart, Malicorne was happy; but this love, which he could not help -feeling, he had the strength to conceal with care; persuaded that at the -least relaxing of the ties by which he had bound his Protean female, -the demon would overthrow and laugh at him. He humbled his mistress by -disdaining her. Burning with desire, when she advanced to tempt him, -he had the art to appear ice, persuaded that if he opened his arms, she -would run away laughing at him. On her side, Montalais believed she -did not love Malicorne; whilst, on the contrary, in reality she did. -Malicorne repeated to her so often his protestation of indifference, -that she finished, sometimes, by believing him; and then she believed -she detested Malicorne. If she tried to bring him back by coquetry, -Malicorne played the coquette better than she could. But what made -Montalais hold to Malicorne in an indissoluble fashion, was that -Malicorne always came cram full of fresh news from the court and the -city; Malicorne always brought to Blois a fashion, a secret, or a -perfume; that Malicorne never asked for a meeting, but, on the contrary, -required to be supplicated to receive the favors he burned to obtain. On -her side, Montalais was no miser with stories. By her means, Malicorne -learnt all that passed at Blois, in the family of the dowager Madame; -and he related to Manicamp tales that made him ready to die with -laughing, which the latter, out of idleness, took ready-made to M. de -Guiche, who carried them to Monsieur. - -Such, in two words, was the woof of petty interests and petty -conspiracies which united Blois with Orleans, and Orleans with Pairs; -and which was about to bring into the last named city where she was to -produce so great a revolution, the poor little La Valliere, who was far -from suspecting, as she returned joyfully, leaning on the arm of her -mother, for what a strange future she was reserved. As to the good -man, Malicorne--we speak of the syndic of Orleans--he did not see more -clearly into the present than others did into the future; and had no -suspicion as he walked, every day, between three and five o'clock, after -his dinner, upon the Place Sainte-Catherine, in his gray coat, cut -after the fashion of Louis XIII. and his cloth shoes with great knots of -ribbon, that it was he who was paying for all those bursts of laughter, -all those stolen kisses, all those whisperings, all those little -keepsakes, and all those bubble projects which formed a chain of -forty-five leagues in length, from the palais of Blois to the Palais -Royal. - - - -Chapter V: Manicamp and Malicorne. - -Malicorne, then, left Blois, as we have said, and went to find his -friend, Manicamp, then in temporary retreat in the city of Orleans. It -was just at the moment when that young nobleman was employed in selling -the last decent clothing he had left. He had, a fortnight before, -extorted from the Comte de Guiche a hundred pistoles, all he had, to -assist in equipping him properly to go and meet Madame, on her arrival -at Le Havre. He had drawn from Malicorne, three days before, fifty -pistoles, the price of the _brevet_ obtained for Montalais. He had then -no expectation of anything else, having exhausted all his resources, -with the exception of selling a handsome suit of cloth and satin, -embroidered and laced with gold, which had been the admiration of the -court. But to be able to sell this suit, the last he had left,--as we -have been forced to confess to the reader--Manicamp had been obliged -to take to his bed. No more fire, no more pocket-money, no more -walking-money, nothing but sleep to take the place of repasts, companies -and balls. It has been said--"He who sleeps, dines;" but it has never -been affirmed--He who sleeps, plays--or, He who sleeps, dances. -Manicamp, reduced to this extremity of neither playing nor dancing, for -a week at least, was, consequently, very sad; he was expecting a usurer, -and saw Malicorne enter. A cry of distress escaped him. - -"Eh! what!" said he, in a tone which nothing can describe, "is that you -again, dear friend?" - -"Humph! you are very polite!" said Malicorne. - -"Ay, but look you, I was expecting money, and, instead of money, I see -_you_." - -"And suppose I brought you some money?" - -"Oh! that would be quite another thing. You are very welcome, my dear -friend!" - -And he held out his hand, not for the hand of Malicorne, but for the -purse. Malicorne pretended to be mistaken, and gave him his hand. - -"And the money?" said Manicamp. - -"My dear friend, if you wish to have it, earn it." - -"What must be done for it?" - -"Earn it, _parbleu!_" - -"And after what fashion?" - -"Oh! that is rather trying, I warn you." - -"The devil!" - -"You must get out of bed, and go immediately to M. le Comte de Guiche." - -"I get up!" said Manicamp, stretching himself in his bed, complacently, -"oh, no, thank you!" - -"You have sold all your clothes?" - -"No, I have one suit left, the handsomest even, but I expect a -purchaser." - -"And the _chausses?_" - -"Well, if you look, you will see them on that chair." - -"Very well! since you have some _chausses_ and a _pourpoint_ left, put -your legs into the first and your back into the other; have a horse -saddled, and set off." - -"Not I." - -"And why not?" - -"_Morbleu!_ don't you know, then, that M. de Guiche is at Etampes?" - -"No, I thought he was at Paris. You will then only have fifteen leagues -to go, instead of thirty." - -"You are a wonderfully clever fellow! If I were to ride fifteen leagues -in these clothes, they would never be fit to put on again; and, instead -of selling them for thirty pistoles, I should be obliged to take -fifteen." - -"Sell them for whatever you like, but I must have a second commission of -maid of honor." - -"Good! for whom? Is Montalais doubled, then?" - -"Vile fellow!--It is you who are doubled. You swallow up two -fortunes--mine, and that of M. le Comte de Guiche." - -"You should say, that of M. le Comte de Guiche and yours." - -"That is true; honor where it is due; but I return to my _brevet_." - -"And you are wrong." - -"Prove me that." - -"My friend, there will only be twelve maids of honor for madame; I have -already obtained for you what twelve hundred women are trying for, and -for that I was forced to employ all my diplomacy." - -"Oh! yes, I know you have been quite heroic, my dear friend." - -"We know what we are about," said Manicamp. - -"To whom do you tell that? When I am king, I promise you one thing." - -"What? To call yourself Malicorne the First?" - -"No; to make you superintendent of my finances; but that is not the -question now." - -"Unfortunately." - -"The present affair is to procure for me a second place of maid of -honor." - -"My friend, if you were to promise me the price of heaven, I would -decline to disturb myself at this moment." - -Malicorne chinked the money in his pocket. - -"There are twenty pistoles here," said Malicorne. - -"And what would you do with twenty pistoles, _mon Dieu!_" - -"Well!" said Malicorne, a little angry, "suppose I were to add them to -the five hundred you already owe me?" - -"You are right," replied Manicamp, stretching out his hand again, "and -from that point of view I can accept them. Give them to me." - -"An instant, what the devil! it is not only holding out your hand that -will do; if I give you the twenty pistoles, shall I have my _brevet?_" - -"To be sure you shall." - -"Soon?" - -"To-day." - -"Oh! take care! Monsieur de Manicamp; you undertake much, and I do not -ask that. Thirty leagues in a day is too much, you would kill yourself." - -"I think nothing impossible when obliging a friend." - -"You are quite heroic." - -"Where are the twenty pistoles?" - -"Here they are," said Malicorne, showing them. - -"That's well." - -"Yes, but my dear M. Manicamp, you would consume them in post-horses -alone!" - -"No, no, make yourself easy on that score." - -"Pardon me. Why, it is fifteen leagues from this place to Etampes?" - -"Fourteen." - -"Well! fourteen be it; fourteen leagues makes seven posts; at twenty -_sous_ the post, seven _livres_; seven _livres_ the courier, fourteen; -as many for coming back, twenty-eight! as much for bed and supper, that -makes sixty _livres_ this complaisance would cost." - -Manicamp stretched himself like a serpent in his bed, and fixing his two -great eyes upon Malicorne, "You are right," said he; "I could not return -before to-morrow;" and he took the twenty pistoles. - -"Now, then, be off!" - -"Well, as I cannot be back before to-morrow, we have time." - -"Time for what?" - -"Time to play." - -"What do you wish to play with?" - -"Your twenty pistoles, _pardieu!_" - -"No; you always win." - -"I will wager them, then." - -"Against what?" - -"Against twenty others." - -"And what shall be the object of the wager?" - -"This. We have said it was fourteen leagues to Etampes." - -"Yes." - -"And fourteen leagues back?" - -"Doubtless." - -"Well; for these twenty-eight leagues you cannot allow less than -fourteen hours?" - -"That is agreed." - -"One hour to find the Comte de Guiche." - -"Go on." - -"And an hour to persuade him to write a letter to Monsieur." - -"Just so." - -"Sixteen hours in all?" - -"You reckon as well as M. Colbert." - -"It is now twelve o'clock." - -"Half-past." - -"_Hein!_--you have a handsome watch!" - -"What were you saying?" said Malicorne, putting his watch quickly back -into his fob. - -"Ah! true; I was offering to lay you twenty pistoles against these you -have lent me, that you will have the Comte de Guiche's letter in--" - -"How soon?" - -"In eight hours." - -"Have you a winged horse, then?" - -"That is no matter. Will you bet?" - -"I shall have the comte's letter in eight hours?" - -"Yes." - -"In hand?" - -"In hand." - -"Well, be it so; I lay," said Malicorne, curious enough to know how this -seller of clothes would get through. - -"Is it agreed?" - -"It is." - -"Pass me the pen, ink, and paper." - -"Here they are." - -"Thank you." - -Manicamp raised himself with a sigh, and leaning on his left elbow, in -his best hand, traced the following lines:-- - -"Good for an order for a place of maid of honor to Madame, which M. le -Comte de Guiche will take upon him to obtain at sight. DE MANICAMP." - -This painful task accomplished, he laid himself down in bed again. - -"Well!" asked Malicorne, "what does this mean?" - -"That means that if you are in a hurry to have the letter from the Comte -de Guiche for Monsieur, I have won my wager." - -"How the devil is that?" - -"That is transparent enough, I think; you take that paper." - -"Well?" - -"And you set out instead of me." - -"Ah!" - -"You put your horses to their best speed." - -"Good!" - -"In six hours you will be at Etampes; in seven hours you have the letter -from the comte, and I shall have won my wager without stirring from my -bed, which suits me and you too, at the same time, I am very sure." - -"Decidedly, Manicamp, you are a great man." - -"_Hein!_ I know that." - -"I am to start then for Etampes?" - -"Directly." - -"I am to go to the Comte de Guiche with this order?" - -"He will give you a similar one for Monsieur." - -"Monsieur will approve?" - -"Instantly." - -"And I shall have my _brevet?_" - -"You will." - -"Ah!" - -"Well, I hope I behave genteely?" - -"Adorably." - -"Thank you." - -"You do as you please, then, with the Comte de Guiche, Manicamp?" - -"Except making money of him--everything?" - -"_Diable!_ the exception is annoying; but then, if instead of asking him -for money, you were to ask--" - -"What?" - -"Something important." - -"What do you call important?" - -"Well! suppose one of your friends asked you to render him a service?" - -"I would not render it to him." - -"Selfish fellow!" - -"Or at least I would ask him what service he would render me in -exchange." - -"Ah! that, perhaps, is fair. Well, that friend speaks to you." - -"What, you, Malicorne?" - -"Yes; I." - -"Ah! ah! you are rich, then?" - -"I have still fifty pistoles left." - -"Exactly the sum I want. Where are those fifty pistoles?" - -"Here," said Malicorne, slapping his pocket. - -"Then speak, my friend; what do you want?" - -Malicorne took up the pen, ink, and paper again, and presented them all -to Manicamp. "Write!" said he. - -"Dictate!" - -"An order for a place in the household of Monsieur." - -"Oh!" said Manicamp, laying down the pen, "a place in the household of -Monsieur for fifty pistoles?" - -"You mistook me, my friend; you did not hear plainly." - -"What did you say, then?" - -"I said five hundred." - -"And the five hundred?" - -"Here they are." - -Manicamp devoured the rouleau with his eyes; but this time Malicorne -held it at a distance. - -"Eh! what do you say to that? Five hundred pistoles." - -"I say it is for nothing, my friend," said Manicamp, taking up the pen -again, "and you exhaust my credit. Dictate." - -Malicorne continued: - -"Which my friend the Comte de Guiche will obtain for my friend -Malicorne." - -"That's it," said Manicamp. - -"Pardon me, you have forgotten to sign." - -"Ah! that is true. The five hundred pistoles?" - -"Here are two hundred and fifty of them." - -"And the other two hundred and fifty?" - -"When I am in possession of my place." - -Manicamp made a face. - -"In that case give me the recommendation back again." - -"What to do?" - -"To add two words to it." - -"Two words?" - -"Yes; two words only." - -"What are they?" - -"In haste." - -Malicorne returned the recommendation; Manicamp added the words. - -"Good," said Malicorne, taking back the paper. - -Manicamp began to count out the pistoles. - -"There want twenty," said he. - -"How so?" - -"The twenty I have won." - -"In what way?" - -"By laying that you would have the letter from the Comte de Guiche in -eight hours." - -"Ah! that's fair," and he gave him the twenty pistoles. - -Manicamp began to scoop up his gold by handfuls, and pour it in cascades -upon his bed. - -"This second place," murmured Malicorne, whilst drying his paper, -"which, at first glance appears to cost me more than the first, but--" -He stopped, took up the pen in his turn, and wrote to Montalais:-- - -"MADEMOISELLE,--Announce to your friend that her commission will not be -long before it arrives; I am setting out to get it signed: that will be -twenty-eight leagues I shall have gone for the love of you." - -Then with his sardonic smile, taking up the interrupted sentence:--"This -place," said he, "at first glance, appears to have cost more than the -first; but--the benefit will be, I hope, in proportion with the -expense, and Mademoiselle de la Valliere will bring me back more than -Mademoiselle de Montalais, or else,--or else my name is not Malicorne. -Farewell, Manicamp," and he left the room. - - - -Chapter VI. The Courtyard of the Hotel Grammont. - -On Malicorne's arrival at Orleans, he was informed that the Comte de -Guiche had just set out for Paris. Malicorne rested himself for a couple -of hours, and then prepared to continue his journey. He reached Paris -during the night, and alighted at a small hotel, where, in his previous -journeys to the capital, he had been accustomed to put up, and at -eight o'clock the next morning presented himself at the Hotel Grammont. -Malicorne arrived just in time, for the Comte de Guiche was on the point -of taking leave of Monsieur before setting out for Le Havre, where the -principal members of the French nobility had gone to await Madame's -arrival from England. Malicorne pronounced the name of Manicamp, and was -immediately admitted. He found the Comte de Guiche in the courtyard -of the Hotel Grammont, inspecting his horses, which his trainers and -equerries were passing in review before him. The count, in the presence -of his tradespeople and of his servants, was engaged in praising or -blaming, as the case seemed to deserve, the appointments, horses, and -harness that were being submitted to him; when, in the midst of this -important occupation, the name of Manicamp was announced. - -"Manicamp!" he exclaimed; "let him enter by all means." And he advanced -a few steps toward the door. - -Malicorne slipped through the half-open door, and looking at the Comte -de Guiche, who was surprised to see a face he did not recognize, instead -of the one he expected, said: "Forgive me, monsieur le comte, but I -believe a mistake has been made. M. Manicamp himself was announced to -you, instead of which it is only an envoy from him." - -"Ah!" exclaimed De Guiche, coldly; "and what do you bring me?" - -"A letter, monsieur le comte." Malicorne handed him the first document, -and narrowly watched the count's face, who, as he read it, began to -laugh. - -"What!" he exclaimed, "another maid of honor? Are all the maids of honor -in France, then, under his protection?" - -Malicorne bowed. - -"Why does he not come himself?" he inquired. - -"He is confined to his bed." - -"The deuce! he has no money then, I suppose," said De Guiche, shrugging -his shoulders. "What does he do with his money?" - -Malicorne made a movement, to indicate that upon this subject he was as -ignorant as the count himself. "Why does he not make use of his credit, -then?" continued De Guiche. - -"With regard to that, I think--" - -"What?" - -"That Manicamp has credit with no one but yourself, monsieur le comte!" - -"He will not be at Le Havre, then?" Whereupon Malicorne made another -movement. - -"But every one will be there." - -"I trust, monsieur le comte, that he will not neglect so excellent an -opportunity." - -"He should be at Paris by this time." - -"He will take the direct road perhaps to make up for lost time." - -"Where is he now?" - -"At Orleans." - -"Monsieur," said De Guiche, "you seem to me a man of very good taste." - -Malicorne was wearing some of Manicamp's old-new clothes. He bowed in -return, saying, "You do me a very great honor, monsieur le comte." - -"Whom have I the pleasure of addressing?" - -"My name is Malicorne, monsieur." - -"M. de Malicorne, what do you think of these pistol-holsters?" - -Malicorne was a man of great readiness and immediately understood the -position of affairs. Besides, the "de" which had been prefixed to his -name, raised him to the rank of the person with whom he was conversing. -He looked at the holsters with the air of a connoisseur and said, -without hesitation: "Somewhat heavy, monsieur." - -"You see," said De Guiche to the saddler, "this gentleman, who -understands these matters well, thinks the holsters heavy, a complaint I -had already made." The saddler was full of excuses. - -"What do you think," asked De Guiche, "of this horse, which I have just -purchased?" - -"To look at it, it seems perfect, monsieur le comte; but I must mount it -before I give you my opinion." - -"Do so, M. de Malicorne, and ride him round the court two or three -times." - -The courtyard of the hotel was so arranged, that whenever there was any -occasion for it, it could be used as a riding-school. Malicorne, with -perfect ease, arranged the bridle and snaffle-reins, placed his left -hand on the horse's mane, and, with his foot in the stirrup, raised -himself and seated himself in the saddle. At first, he made the horse -walk the whole circuit of the court-yard at a foot-pace; next at a trot; -lastly at a gallop. He then drew up close to the count, dismounted, and -threw the bridle to a groom standing by. "Well," said the count, "what -do you think of it, M. de Malicorne?" - -"This horse, monsieur le comte, is of the Mecklenburg breed. In looking -whether the bit suited his mouth, I saw that he was rising seven, the -very age when the training of a horse intended for a charger should -commence. The forehand is light. A horse which holds its head high, it -is said, never tires his rider's hand. The withers are rather low. The -drooping of the hind-quarters would almost make me doubt the purity of -its German breed, and I think there is English blood in him. He stands -well on his legs, but he trots high, and may cut himself, which requires -attention to be paid to his shoeing. He is tractable; and as I made him -turn round and change his feet, I found him quick and ready in doing -so." - -"Well said, M. de Malicorne," exclaimed the comte; "you are a judge of -horses, I perceive;" then, turning towards him again, he continued, "you -are most becomingly dressed, M. de Malicorne. That is not a provincial -cut, I presume. Such a style of dress is not to be met with at Tours or -Orleans." - -"No, monsieur le comte; my clothes were made at Paris." - -"There is no doubt about that. But let us resume our own affair. -Manicamp wishes for the appointment of a second maid of honor." - -"You perceive what he has written, monsieur le comte." - -"For whom was the first appointment?" - -Malicorne felt the color rise in his face as he answered hurriedly. - -"A charming maid of honor, Mademoiselle de Montalais." - -"Ah, ah! you are acquainted with her?" - -"We are affianced, or nearly so." - -"That is quite another thing, then; a thousand compliments," exclaimed -De Guiche, upon whose lips a courtier's jest was already fitting, but -to whom the word "affianced," addressed by Malicorne with respect to -Mademoiselle de Montalais, recalled the respect due to women. - -"And for whom is the second appointment destined?" asked De Guiche; "is -it for anyone to whom Manicamp may happen to be affianced? In that case -I pity her, poor girl! for she will have a sad fellow for a husband." - -"No, monsieur le comte; the second appointment is for Mademoiselle de la -Baume le Blanc de la Valliere." - -"Unknown," said De Guiche. - -"Unknown? yes, monsieur," said Malicorne, smiling in his turn. - -"Very good. I will speak to Monsieur about it. By the by, she is of -gentle birth?" - -"She belongs to a very good family and is maid of honor to Madame." - -"That's well. Will you accompany me to Monsieur?" - -"Most certainly, if I may be permitted the honor." - -"Have you your carriage?" - -"No; I came here on horseback." - -"Dressed as you are?" - -"No, monsieur; I posted from Orleans, and I changed my traveling suit -for the one I have on, in order to present myself to you." - -"True, you already told me you had come from Orleans;" saying which he -crumpled Manicamp's letter in his hand, and thrust it in his pocket. - -"I beg your pardon," said Malicorne, timidly; "but I do not think you -have read all." - -"Not read all, do you say?" - -"No; there were two letters in the same envelope." - -"Oh! are you sure?" - -"Quite sure." - -"Let us look, then," said the count, as he opened the letter again. - -"Ah! you are right," he said opening the paper which he had not yet -read. - -"I suspected it," he continued--"another application for an appointment -under Monsieur. This Manicamp is a regular vampire:--he is carrying on a -trade in it." - -"No, monsieur le comte, he wishes to make a present of it." - -"To whom?" - -"To myself, monsieur." - -"Why did you not say so at once, my dear M. Mauvaisecorne?" - -"Malicorne, monsieur le comte." - -"Forgive me; it is that Latin that bothers me--that terrible mine of -etymologies. Why the deuce are young men of family taught Latin? _Mala_ -and _mauvaise_--you understand it is the same thing. You will forgive -me, I trust, M. de Malicorne." - -"Your kindness affects me much, monsieur: but it is a reason why I -should make you acquainted with one circumstance without any delay." - -"What is it?" - -"That I was not born a gentleman. I am not without courage, and not -altogether deficient in ability; but my name is Malicorne simply." - -"You appear to me, monsieur!" exclaimed the count, looking at the astute -face of his companion, "to be a most agreeable man. Your face pleases -me, M. Malicorne, and you must possess some indisputably excellent -qualities to have pleased that egotistical Manicamp. Be candid and tell -me whether you are not some saint descended upon the earth." - -"Why so?" - -"For the simple reason that he makes you a present of anything. Did you -not say that he intended to make you a present of some appointment in -the king's household?" - -"I beg your pardon, count; but, if I succeed in obtaining the -appointment, you, and not he, will have bestowed it on me." - -"Besides he will not have given it to you for nothing, I suppose. Stay, -I have it;--there is a Malicorne at Orleans who lends money to the -prince." - -"I think that must be my father, monsieur." - -"Ah! the prince has the father, and that terrible dragon of a Manicamp -has the son. Take care, monsieur, I know him. He will fleece you -completely." - -"The only difference is, that I lend without interest," said Malicorne, -smiling. - -"I was correct in saying you were either a saint or very much resembled -one. M. Malicorne, you shall have the post you want, or I will forfeit -my name." - -"Ah! monsieur le comte, what a debt of gratitude shall I not owe you?" -said Malicorne, transported. - -"Let us go to the prince, my dear M. Malicorne." And De Guiche proceeded -toward the door, desiring Malicorne to follow him. At the very moment -they were about to cross the threshold, a young man appeared on the -other side. He was from twenty-four to twenty-five years of age, of pale -complexion, bright eyes and brown hair and eyebrows. "Good-day," said -he, suddenly, almost pushing De Guiche back into the courtyard again. - -"Is that you, De Wardes?--What! and booted, spurred and whip in hand, -too?" - -"The most befitting costume for a man about to set off for Le Havre. -There will be no one left in Paris to-morrow." And hereupon he saluted -Malicorne with great ceremony, whose handsome dress gave him the -appearance of a prince. - -"M. Malicorne," said De Guiche to his friend. De Wardes bowed. - -"M. de Wardes," said Guiche to Malicorne, who bowed in return. "By the -by, De Wardes," continued De Guiche, "you who are so well acquainted -with these matters, can you tell us, probably, what appointments are -still vacant at the court; or rather in the prince's household?" - -"In the prince's household," said De Wardes looking up with an air of -consideration, "let me see--the appointment of the master of the horse -is vacant, I believe." - -"Oh," said Malicorne, "there is no question of such a post as that, -monsieur; my ambition is not nearly so exalted." - -De Wardes had a more penetrating observation than De Guiche, and -fathomed Malicorne immediately. "The fact is," he said, looking at him -from head to foot, "a man must be either a duke or a peer to fill that -post." - -"All I solicit," said Malicorne, "is a very humble appointment; I am of -little importance, and I do not rank myself above my position." - -"M. Malicorne, whom you see here," said De Guiche to De Wardes, "is a -very excellent fellow, whose only misfortune is that of not being of -gentle birth. As far as I am concerned, you know, I attach little value -to those who have but gentle birth to boast of." - -"Assuredly," said De Wardes; "but will you allow me to remark, my dear -count, that, without rank of some sort, one can hardly hope to belong to -his royal highness's household?" - -"You are right," said the count, "court etiquette is absolute. The -devil!--we never so much as gave it a thought." - -"Alas! a sad misfortune for me, monsieur le comte," said Malicorne, -changing color. - -"Yet not without remedy, I hope," returned De Guiche. - -"The remedy is found easily enough," exclaimed De Wardes; "you can be -created a gentleman. His Eminence, the Cardinal Mazarin, did nothing -else from morning till night." - -"Hush, hush, De Wardes," said the count; "no jests of that kind; it ill -becomes us to turn such matters into ridicule. Letters of nobility, it -is true, are purchasable; but that is a sufficient misfortune without -the nobles themselves laughing at it." - -"Upon my word, De Guiche, you're quite a Puritan, as the English say." - -At this moment the Vicomte de Bragelonne was announced by one of the -servants in the courtyard, in precisely the same manner as he would have -done in a room. - -"Come here, my dear Raoul. What! you, too, booted and spurred? You are -setting off, then?" - -Bragelonne approached the group of young men, and saluted them with that -quiet and serious manner peculiar to him. His salutation was principally -addressed to De Wardes, with whom he was unacquainted, and whose -features, on his perceiving Raoul, had assumed a strange sternness -of expression. "I have come, De Guiche," he said, "to ask your -companionship. We set off for Le Havre, I presume." - -"This is admirable--delightful. We shall have a most enjoyable journey. -M. Malicorne, M. Bragelonne--ah! M. de Wardes, let me present you." The -young men saluted each other in a restrained manner. Their very natures -seemed, from the beginning, disposed to take exception to each other. De -Wardes was pliant, subtle, full of dissimulation; Raoul was calm, grave, -and upright. "Decide between us--between De Wardes and myself, Raoul." - -"Upon what subject?" - -"Upon the subject of noble birth." - -"Who can be better informed on that subject than a De Gramont?" - -"No compliments; it is your opinion I ask." - -"At least, inform me of the subject under discussion." - -"De Wardes asserts that the distribution of titles is abused; I, on -the contrary, maintain that a title is useless to the man on whom it is -bestowed." - -"And you are correct," said Bragelonne, quietly. - -"But, monsieur le vicomte," interrupted De Wardes, with a kind of -obstinacy, "I affirm that it is I who am correct." - -"What was your opinion, monsieur?" - -"I was saying that everything is done in France at the present moment, -to humiliate men of family." - -"And by whom?" - -"By the king himself. He surrounds himself with people who cannot show -four quarterings." - -"Nonsense," said De Guiche, "where could you possibly have seen that, De -Wardes?" - -"One example will suffice," he returned, directing his look fully upon -Raoul. - -"State it then." - -"Do you know who has just been nominated captain-general of the -musketeers?--an appointment more valuable than a peerage; for it gives -precedence over all the marechals of France." - -Raoul's color mounted in his face; for he saw the object De Wardes had -in view. "No; who has been appointed? In any case it must have been -very recently, for the appointment was vacant eight days ago; a proof of -which is, that the king refused Monsieur, who solicited the post for one -of his _proteges_." - -"Well, the king refused it to Monsieur's _protege_, in order to bestow -it upon the Chevalier d'Artagnan, a younger brother of some Gascon -family, who has been trailing his sword in the ante-chambers during the -last thirty years." - -"Forgive me if I interrupt you," said Raoul, darting a glance full -of severity at De Wardes; "but you give me the impression of being -unacquainted with the gentleman of whom you are speaking." - -"I not acquainted with M. d'Artagnan? Can you tell me, monsieur, who -does _not_ know him?" - -"Those who _do_ know him, monsieur," replied Raoul, with still greater -calmness and sternness of manner, "are in the habit of saying, that if -he is not as good a gentleman as the king--which is not his fault--he is -the equal of all the kings of the earth in courage and loyalty. Such is -my opinion, monsieur; and I thank heaven I have known M. d'Artagnan from -my birth." - -De Wardes was about to reply, when De Guiche interrupted him. - - - -Chapter VII. The Portrait of Madame. - -The discussion was becoming full of bitterness. De Guiche perfectly -understood the whole matter, for there was in Bragelonne's face a look -instinctively hostile, while in that of De Wardes there was something -like a determination to offend. Without inquiring into the different -feelings which actuated his two friends, De Guiche resolved to ward off -the blow which he felt was on the point of being dealt by one of them, -and perhaps by both. "Gentlemen," he said, "we must take our leave -of each other, I must pay a visit to Monsieur. You, De Wardes, will -accompany me to the Louvre, and you, Raoul, will remain here master of -the house; and as all that is done here is under your advice, you will -bestow the last glance upon my preparations for departure." - -Raoul, with the air of one who neither seeks nor fears a quarrel, bowed -his head in token of assent, and seated himself upon a bench in the sun. -"That is well," said De Guiche, "remain where you are, Raoul, and tell -them to show you the two horses I have just purchased; you will give me -your opinion, for I only bought them on condition that you ratified the -purchase. By the by, I have to beg your pardon for having omitted to -inquire after the Comte de la Fere." While pronouncing these latter -words, he closely observed De Wardes, in order to perceive what effect -the name of Raoul's father would produce upon him. "I thank you," -answered the young man, "the count is very well." A gleam of deep hatred -passed into De Wardes's eyes. De Guiche, who appeared not to notice the -foreboding expression, went up to Raoul, and grasping him by the hand, -said,--"It is agreed, then, Bragelonne, is it not, that you will rejoin -us in the courtyard of the Palais Royal?" He then signed to De Wardes to -follow him, who had been engaged in balancing himself first on one foot, -then on the other. "We are going," said he, "come, M. Malicorne." -This name made Raoul start; for it seemed that he had already heard it -pronounced before, but he could not remember on what occasion. -While trying to recall it half-dreamily, yet half-irritated at his -conversation with De Wardes, the three young men set out on their way -towards the Palais Royal, where Monsieur was residing. Malicorne learned -two things; the first, that the young men had something to say to each -other; and the second, that he ought not to walk in the same line with -them; and therefore he walked behind. "Are you mad?" said De Guiche -to his companion, as soon as they had left the Hotel de Grammont; "you -attack M. d'Artagnan, and that, too, before Raoul." - -"Well," said De Wardes, "what then?" - -"What do you mean by 'what then?'" - -"Certainly, is there any prohibition against attacking M. d'Artagnan?" - -"But you know very well that M. d'Artagnan was one of those celebrated -and terrible four men who were called the musketeers." - -"That they may be; but I do not perceive why, on that account, I should -be forbidden to hate M. d'Artagnan." - -"What cause has he given you?" - -"Me! personally, none." - -"Why hate him, therefore?" - -"Ask my dead father that question." - -"Really, my dear De Wardes, you surprise me. M. d'Artagnan is not one to -leave unsettled any _enmity_ he may have to arrange, without completely -clearing his account. Your father, I have heard, carried matters with a -high hand. Moreover, there are no enmities so bitter that they cannot be -washed away by blood, by a good sword-thrust loyally given." - -"Listen to me, my dear De Guiche, this inveterate dislike existed -between my father and M. d'Artagnan, and when I was quite a child, -he acquainted me with the reason for it, and, as forming part of my -inheritance, I regard it as a particular legacy bestowed upon me." - -"And does this hatred concern M. d'Artagnan alone?" - -"As for that, M. d'Artagnan was so intimately associated with his three -friends, that some portion of the full measure of my hatred falls to -their lot, and that hatred is of such a nature, whenever the opportunity -occurs, they shall have no occasion to complain of their allowance." - -De Guiche had kept his eyes fixed on De Wardes, and shuddered at -the bitter manner in which the young man smiled. Something like a -presentiment flashed across his mind; he knew that the time had passed -away for _grands coups entre gentilshommes_; but that the feeling of -hatred treasured up in the mind, instead of being diffused abroad, was -still hatred all the same; that a smile was sometimes as full of meaning -as a threat; and, in a word, that to the fathers who had hated with -their hearts and fought with their arms, would now succeed the sons, who -would indeed hate with their hearts, but would no longer combat their -enemies save by means of intrigue or treachery. As, therefore, it -certainly was not Raoul whom he could suspect either of intrigue or -treachery, it was on Raoul's account that De Guiche trembled. However, -while these gloomy forebodings cast a shade of anxiety over De Guiche's -countenance, De Wardes had resumed the entire mastery over himself. - -"At all events," he observed, "I have no personal ill-will towards M. de -Bragelonne; I do not know him even." - -"In any case," said De Guiche, with a certain amount of severity in his -tone of voice, "do not forget one circumstance, that Raoul is my most -intimate friend;" a remark at which De Wardes bowed. - -The conversation terminated there, although De Guiche tried his -utmost to draw out his secret from him; but, doubtless, De Wardes had -determined to say nothing further, and he remained impenetrable. De -Guiche therefore promised himself a more satisfactory result with Raoul. -In the meantime they had reached the Palais Royal, which was surrounded -by a crowd of lookers-on. The household belonging to Monsieur awaited -his command to mount their horses, in order to form part of the escort -of the ambassadors, to whom had been intrusted the care of bringing the -young princess to Paris. The brilliant display of horses, arms, and -rich liveries, afforded some compensation in those times, thanks to the -kindly feelings of the people, and to the traditions of deep devotion -to their sovereigns, for the enormous expenses charged upon the taxes. -Mazarin had said: "Let them sing, provided they pay;" while Louis XIV.'s -remark was, "Let them look." Sight had replaced the voice; the people -could still look but they were no longer allowed to sing. De Guiche left -De Wardes and Malicorne at the bottom of the grand staircase, while -he himself, who shared the favor and good graces of Monsieur with the -Chevalier de Lorraine, who always smiled at him most affectionately, -though he could not endure him, went straight to the prince's -apartments, whom he found engaged in admiring himself in the glass, and -rouging his face. In a corner of the cabinet, the Chevalier de Lorraine -was extended full length upon some cushions, having just had his long -hair curled, with which he was playing in the same manner a woman would -have done. The prince turned round as the count entered, and perceiving -who it was, said: "Ah! is that you, De Guiche; come here and tell me the -truth." - -"You know, my lord, it is one of my defects to speak the truth." - -"You will hardly believe, De Guiche, how that wicked chevalier has -annoyed me." - -The chevalier shrugged his shoulders. - -"Why, he pretends," continued the prince, "that Mademoiselle Henrietta -is better looking as a woman than I am as a man." - -"Do not forget, my lord," said De Guiche, frowning slightly, "you -require me to speak the truth." - -"Certainly," said the prince, tremblingly. - -"Well, and I shall tell it you." - -"Do not be in a hurry, Guiche," exclaimed the prince, "you have plenty -of time; look at me attentively, and try to recollect Madame. Besides, -her portrait is here. Look at it." And he held out to him a miniature of -the finest possible execution. De Guiche took it, and looked at it for a -long time attentively. - -"Upon my honor, my lord, this is indeed a most lovely face." - -"But look at me, count, look at me," said the prince, endeavoring to -direct upon himself the attention of the count, who was completely -absorbed in contemplation of the portrait. - -"It is wonderful," murmured Guiche. - -"Really one would imagine you had never seen the young lady before." - -"It is true, my lord, I have seen her but it was five years ago; there -is a great difference between a child twelve years old, and a girl of -seventeen." - -"Well, what is your opinion?" - -"My opinion is that the portrait must be flattering, my lord." - -"Of that," said the prince triumphantly, "there can be no doubt; but let -us suppose that it is not, what would your opinion be?" - -"My lord, that your highness is exceedingly happy to have so charming a -bride." - -The Chevalier de Lorraine burst out laughing. The prince understood how -severe towards himself this opinion of the Comte de Guiche was, and he -looked somewhat displeased, saying, "My friends are not over indulgent." -De Guiche looked at the portrait again, and, after lengthened -contemplation, returned it with apparent unwillingness, saying, "Most -decidedly, my lord, I should rather prefer to look ten times at your -highness, than to look at Madame once again." It seemed as if the -chevalier had detected some mystery in these words, which were -incomprehensible to the prince, for he exclaimed: "Very well, get -married yourself." Monsieur continued painting himself, and when he -had finished, looked at the portrait again once more, turned to admire -himself in the glass, and smiled, and no doubt was satisfied with the -comparison. "You are very kind to have come," he said to Guiche, "I -feared you would leave without bidding me adieu." - -"Your highness knows me too well to believe me capable of so great a -disrespect." - -"Besides, I suppose you have something to ask from me before leaving -Paris?" - -"Your highness has indeed guessed correctly, for I have a request to -make." - -"Very good, what is it?" - -The Chevalier de Lorraine immediately displayed the greatest attention, -for he regarded every favor conferred upon another as a robbery -committed against himself. And, as Guiche hesitated, the prince said: -"If it be money, nothing could be more fortunate, for I am in funds; the -superintendent of the finances has sent me 500,000 pistoles." - -"I thank your highness; but is not an affair of money." - -"What is it, then? Tell me." - -"The appointment of a maid of honor." - -"Oh! oh! Guiche, what a protector you have become of young ladies," said -the prince, "you never speak of any one else now." - -The Chevalier de Lorraine smiled, for he knew very well that nothing -displeased the prince more than to show any interest in ladies. "My -lord," said the comte, "it is not I who am directly interested in the -lady of whom I have just spoken; I am acting on behalf of one of my -friends." - -"Ah! that is different; what is the name of the young lady in whom your -friend is so interested?" - -"Mlle. de la Baume le Blanc de la Valliere; she is already maid of honor -to the dowager princess." - -"Why, she is lame," said the Chevalier de Lorraine, stretching himself -on his cushions. - -"Lame," repeated the prince, "and Madame to have her constantly before -her eyes? Most certainly not; it may be dangerous for her when in an -interesting condition." - -The Chevalier de Lorraine burst out laughing. - -"Chevalier," said Guiche, "your conduct is ungenerous; while I am -soliciting a favor, you do me all the mischief you can." - -"Forgive me, comte," said the Chevalier de Lorraine, somewhat uneasy at -the tone in which Guiche had made his remark, "but I had no intention of -doing so, and I begin to believe that I have mistaken one young lady for -another." - -"There is no doubt of it, monsieur; and I do not hesitate to declare -that such is the case." - -"Do you attach much importance to it, Guiche?" inquired the prince. - -"I do, my lord." - -"Well, you shall have it; but ask me for no more appointments, for there -are none to give away." - -"Ah!" exclaimed the chevalier, "midday already, that is the hour fixed -for the departure." - -"You dismiss me, monsieur?" inquired Guiche. - -"Really, count, you treat me very ill to-day," replied the chevalier. - -"For heaven's sake, count, for heaven's sake, chevalier," said Monsieur, -"do you not see how you are distressing me?" - -"Your highness's signature?" said Guiche. - -"Take a blank appointment from that drawer, and give it to me." Guiche -handed the prince the document indicated, and at the same time presented -him with a pen already dipped in ink; whereupon the prince signed. -"Here," he said, returning him the appointment, "but I give it on one -condition." - -"Name it." - -"That you make friends with the chevalier." - -"Willingly," said Guiche. And he held out his hand to the chevalier with -an indifference amounting to contempt. - -"Adieu, count," said the chevalier, without seeming in any way to have -noticed the count's slight; "adieu, and bring us back a princess who -will not talk with her own portrait too much." - -"Yes, set off and lose no time. By the by, who will accompany you?" - -"Bragelonne and De Wardes." - -"Both excellent and fearless companions." - -"Too fearless," said the chevalier; "endeavor to bring them both back, -count." - -"A bad heart, bad!" murmured De Guiche; "he scents mischief everywhere, -and sooner than anything else." And taking leave of the prince, he -quitted the apartment. As soon as he reached the vestibule, he waved -in the air the paper which the prince had signed. Malicorne hurried -forward, and received it, trembling with delight. When, however, he held -in his hand, Guiche observed that he still awaited something further. - -"Patience, monsieur," he said; "the Chevalier de Lorraine was there, -and I feared an utter failure if I asked too much at once. Wait until I -return. Adieu." - -"Adieu, monsieur le comte; a thousand thanks," said Malicorne. - -"Send Manicamp to me. By the way, monsieur, is it true that Mlle. de la -Valliere is lame?" As he said this, he noticed that Bragelonne, who had -just at that moment entered the courtyard, turned suddenly pale. The -poor lover had heard the remark, which, however, was not the case with -Malicorne, for he was already beyond the reach of the count's voice. - -"Why is Louise's name spoken of here," said Raoul to himself; "oh! let -not De Wardes, who stands smiling yonder, even say a word about her in -my presence." - -"Now, gentlemen," exclaimed the Comte de Guiche, "prepare to start." - -At this moment the prince, who had complete his toilette, appeared at -the window, and was immediately saluted by the acclamations of all who -composed the escort, and ten minutes afterwards, banners, scarfs, -and feathers were fluttering and waving in the air, as the cavalcade -galloped away. - - - -Chapter VIII. Le Havre. - -This brilliant and animated company, the members of which were inspired -by various feelings, arrived at Le Havre four days after their -departure from Paris. It was about five o'clock in the afternoon, and no -intelligence had yet been received of Madame. They were soon engaged in -quest of apartments; but the greatest confusion immediately ensued among -the masters, and violent quarrels among their attendants. In the midst -of this disorder, the Comte de Guiche fancied he recognized Manicamp. It -was, indeed, Manicamp himself; but as Malicorne had taken possession of -his very best costume, he had not been able to get any other than a suit -of violet velvet, trimmed with silver. Guiche recognized him as much by -his dress as by his features, for he had very frequently seen Manicamp -in his violet suit, which was his last resource. Manicamp presented -himself to the count under an arch of torches, which set in a blaze, -rather than illuminated, the gate by which Le Havre is entered, and -which is situated close to the tower of Francis I. The count, remarking -the woe-begone expression of Manicamp's face, could not resist laughing. -"Well, my poor Manicamp," he exclaimed, "how violet you look; are you in -mourning?" - -"Yes," replied Manicamp; "I am in mourning." - -"For whom, or for what?" - -"For my blue-and-gold suit, which has disappeared, and in the place of -which I could find nothing but this; and I was even obliged to economize -from compulsion, in order to get possession of it." - -"Indeed?" - -"It is singular you should be astonished at that, since you leave me -without any money." - -"At all events, here you are, and that is the principal thing." - -"By the most horrible roads." - -"Where are you lodging?" - -"Lodging?" - -"Yes!" - -"I am not lodging anywhere." - -De Guiche began to laugh. "Well," said he, "where do you intend to -lodge?" - -"In the same place you do." - -"But I don't know, myself." - -"What do you mean by saying you don't know?" - -"Certainly, how is it likely I should know where I should stay?" - -"Have you not retained an hotel?" - -"I?" - -"Yes, you or the prince." - -"Neither of us has thought of it. Le Havre is of considerable size, -I suppose; and provided I can get a stable for a dozen horses, and a -suitable house in a good quarter--" - -"Certainly, there are some very excellent houses." - -"Well then--" - -"But not for us." - -"What do you mean by saying not for us?--for whom, then?" - -"For the English, of course." - -"For the English?" - -"Yes; the houses are all taken." - -"By whom?" - -"By the Duke of Buckingham." - -"I beg your pardon?" said Guiche, whose attention this name had -awakened. - -"Yes, by the Duke of Buckingham. His Grace was preceded by a courier, -who arrived here three days ago, and immediately retained all the houses -fit for habitation the town possesses." - -"Come, come, Manicamp, let us understand each other." - -"Well, what I have told you is clear enough, it seems to me." - -"But surely Buckingham does not occupy the whole of Le Havre?" - -"He certainly does not occupy it, since he has not yet arrived; but, -once disembarked, he will occupy it." - -"Oh! oh!" - -"It is quite clear you are not acquainted with the English; they have a -perfect rage for monopolizing everything." - -"That may be; but a man who has the whole of one house, is satisfied -with it, and does not require two." - -"Yes, but two men?" - -"Be it so; for two men, two houses, or four or six, or ten, if you like; -but there are a hundred houses at Le Havre." - -"Yes, and all the hundred are let." - -"Impossible!" - -"What an obstinate fellow you are. I tell you Buckingham has hired all -the houses surrounding the one which the queen dowager of England and -the princess her daughter will inhabit." - -"He is singular enough, indeed," said De Wardes, caressing his horse's -neck. - -"Such is the case, however, monsieur." - -"You are quite sure of it, Monsieur de Manicamp?" and as he put this -question, he looked slyly at De Guiche, as though to interrogate him -upon the degree of confidence to be placed in his friend's state of -mind. During this discussion the night had closed in, and the torches, -pages, attendants, squires, horses, and carriages, blocked up the gate -and the open place; the torches were reflected in the channel, which the -rising tide was gradually filling, while on the other side of the jetty -might be noticed groups of curious lookers-on, consisting of sailors and -townspeople, who seemed anxious to miss nothing of the spectacle. Amidst -all this hesitation of purpose, Bragelonne, as though a perfect stranger -to the scene, remained on his horse somewhat in the rear of Guiche, and -watched the rays of light reflected on the water, inhaling with rapture -the sea breezes, and listening to the waves which noisily broke upon the -shore and on the beach, tossing the spray into the air with a noise -that echoed in the distance. "But," exclaimed De Guiche, "what is -Buckingham's motive for providing such a supply of lodgings?" - -"Yes, yes," said De Wardes; "what reason has he?" - -"A very excellent one," replied Manicamp. - -"You know what it is, then?" - -"I fancy I do." - -"Tell us, then." - -"Bend your head down towards me." - -"What! may it not be spoken except in private?" - -"You shall judge of that yourself." - -"Very well." De Guiche bent down. - -"Love," said Manicamp. - -"I do not understand you at all." - -"Say rather, you cannot understand me yet." - -"Explain yourself." - -"Very well; it is quite certain, count, that his royal highness will be -the most unfortunate of husbands." - -"What do you mean?" - -"The Duke of Buckingham--" - -"It is a name of ill omen to the princes of the house of France." - -"And so the duke is madly in love with Madame, so the rumor runs, and -will have no one approach her but himself." - -De Guiche colored. "Thank you, thank you," said he to Manicamp, grasping -his hand. Then, recovering himself, added, "Whatever you do, Manicamp, -be careful that this project of Buckingham's is not made known to any -Frenchman here; for, if so, many a sword would be unsheathed in this -country that does not fear English steel." - -"But after all," said Manicamp, "I have had no satisfactory proof given -me of the love in question, and it may be no more than an idle tale." - -"No, no," said De Guiche, "it must be the truth;" and despite his -command over himself, he clenched his teeth. - -"Well," said Manicamp, "after all, what does it matter to you? What -does it matter to me whether the prince is to be what the late king -was? Buckingham the father for the queen, Buckingham the son for the -princess." - -"Manicamp! Manicamp!" - -"It is a fact, or at least, everybody says so." - -"Silence!" cried the count. - -"But why, silence?" said De Wardes; "it is a highly creditable -circumstance for the French nation. Are not you of my opinion, Monsieur -de Bragelonne?" - -"To what circumstance do you allude?" inquired De Bragelonne with an -abstracted air. - -"That the English should render homage to the beauty of our queens and -our princesses." - -"Forgive me, but I have not been paying attention to what has passed; -will you oblige me by explaining." - -"There is no doubt it was necessary that Buckingham the father should -come to Paris in order that his majesty, King Louis XIII., should -perceive that his wife was one of the most beautiful women of the French -court; and it seems necessary, at the present time, that Buckingham the -son should consecrate, by the devotion of his worship, the beauty of a -princess who has French blood in her veins. The fact of having inspired -a passion on the other side of the Channel will henceforth confer a -title to beauty on this." - -"Sir," replied De Bragelonne, "I do not like to hear such matters -treated so lightly. Gentlemen like ourselves should be careful guardians -of the honor of our queens and our princesses. If we jest at them, what -will our servants do?" - -"How am I to understand that?" said De Wardes, whose ears tingled at the -remark. - -"In any way you chose, monsieur," replied De Bragelonne, coldly. - -"Bragelonne, Bragelonne," murmured De Guiche. - -"M. de Wardes," exclaimed Manicamp, noticing that the young man had -spurred his horse close to the side of Raoul. - -"Gentlemen, gentlemen," said De Guiche, "do not set such an example in -public, in the street too. De Wardes, you are wrong." - -"Wrong; in what way, may I ask you?" - -"You are wrong, monsieur, because you are always speaking ill of someone -or something," replied Raoul, with undisturbed composure. - -"Be indulgent, Raoul," said De Guiche, in an undertone. - -"Pray do not think of fighting, gentlemen!" said Manicamp, "before you -have rested yourselves; for in that case you will not be able to do -much." - -"Come," said De Guiche, "forward, gentlemen!" and breaking through the -horses and attendants, he cleared the way for himself towards the center -of the square, through the crowd, followed by the whole cavalcade. A -large gateway looking out upon a courtyard was open; Guiche entered the -courtyard, and Bragelonne, De Wardes, Manicamp, and three or four other -gentlemen, followed him. A sort of council of war was held, and -the means to be employed for saving the dignity of the embassy were -deliberated upon. Bragelonne was of the opinion that the right of -priority should be respected, while De Wardes suggested that the town -should be sacked. This latter proposition appearing to Manicamp rather -premature, he proposed instead that they should first rest themselves. -This was the wisest thing to do, but, unhappily, to follow his advice, -two things were wanting; namely, a house and beds. De Guiche reflected -for awhile, and then said aloud, "Let him who loves me, follow me!" - -"The attendants also?" inquired a page who had approached the group. - -"Every one," exclaimed the impetuous young man. "Manicamp, show us the -way to the house destined for her royal highness's residence." - -Without in any way divining the count's project, his friends followed -him, accompanied by a crowd of people, whose acclamations and delight -seemed a happy omen for the success of that project with which they were -yet unacquainted. The wind was blowing strongly from the harbor, and -moaning in fitful gusts. - - - -Chapter IX. At Sea. - -The following day was somewhat calmer, although the gale still -continued. The sun had, however, risen through a bank of orange clouds, -tingeing with its cheerful rays the crests of the black waves. Watch was -impatiently kept from the different look-outs. Towards eleven o'clock in -the morning a ship, with sails full set, was signalled as in view; two -others followed at the distance of about half a knot. They approached -like arrows shot from the bow of a skillful archer; and yet the sea ran -so high that their speed was as nothing compared to the rolling of the -billows in which the vessels were plunging first in one direction and -then in another. The English fleet was soon recognized by the line of -the ships, and by the color of their pennants; the one which had the -princess on board and carried the admiral's flag preceded the others. - -The rumor now spread that the princess was arriving. The whole French -court ran to the harbor, while the quays and jetties were soon covered -by crowds of people. Two hours afterwards, the other vessels had -overtaken the flagship, and the three, not venturing perhaps to enter -the narrow entrance of the harbor, cast anchor between Le Havre and La -Heve. When the maneuver had been completed, the vessel which bore -the admiral saluted France by twelve discharges of cannon, which were -returned, discharge for discharge, from Fort Francis I. Immediately -afterwards a hundred boats were launched; they were covered with the -richest stuffs, and destined for the conveyance of the different members -of the French nobility towards the vessels at anchor. But when it was -observed that even inside the harbor the boats were tossed to and fro, -and that beyond the jetty the waves rose mountains high, dashing upon -the shore with a terrible uproar, it was readily believed that not one -of those frail boats would be able with safety to reach a fourth part of -the distance between the shore and the vessels at anchor. A pilot-boat, -however, notwithstanding the wind and the sea, was getting ready to -leave the harbor, for the purpose of placing itself at the admiral's -disposal. - -De Guiche, who had been looking among the different boats for one -stronger than the others, which might offer a chance of reaching the -English vessels, perceiving the pilot-boat getting ready to start, said -to Raoul: "Do you not think, Raoul, that intelligent and vigorous men, -as we are, ought to be ashamed to retreat before the brute strength of -wind and waves?" - -"That is precisely the very reflection I was silently making to myself," -replied Bragelonne. - -"Shall we get into that boat, then, and push off? Will you come, De -Wardes?" - -"Take care, or you will get drowned," said Manicamp. - -"And for no purpose," said De Wardes, "for with the wind in your teeth, -as it will be, you will never reach the vessels." - -"You refuse, then?" - -"Assuredly I do; I would willingly risk and lose my life in an encounter -against men," he said, glancing at Bragelonne, "but as to fighting with -oars against waves, I have no taste for that." - -"And for myself," said Manicamp, "even were I to succeed in reaching the -ships, I should not be indifferent to the loss of the only good dress -which I have left,--salt water would spoil it." - -"You, then, refuse also?" exclaimed De Guiche. - -"Decidedly I do; I beg you to understand that most distinctly." - -"But," exclaimed De Guiche, "look, De Wardes--look, Manicamp--look -yonder, the princesses are looking at us from the poop of the admiral's -vessel." - -"An additional reason, my dear fellow, why we should not make ourselves -ridiculous by being drowned while they are looking on." - -"Is that your last word, Manicamp?" - -"Yes." - -"And then yours, De Wardes?" - -"Yes." - -"Then I go alone." - -"Not so," said Raoul, "for I shall accompany you; I thought it was -understood I should do so." - -The fact is, that Raoul, uninfluenced by devotion, measuring the risk -they run, saw how imminent the danger was, but he willingly allowed -himself to accept a peril which De Wardes had declined. - -The boat was about to set off when De Guiche called to the pilot. -"Stay," said he: "we want two places in your boat;" and wrapping five or -six pistoles in paper, he threw them from the quay into the boat. - -"It seems you are not afraid of salt water, young gentlemen." - -"We are afraid of nothing," replied De Guiche. - -"Come along, then." - -The pilot approached the side of the boat, and the two young men, one -after the other, with equal vivacity, jumped into the boat. "Courage, my -men," said De Guiche; "I have twenty pistoles left in this purse, and as -soon as we reach the admiral's vessel they shall be yours." The sailors -bent themselves to their oars, and the boat bounded over the crest -of the waves. The interest taken in this hazardous expedition was -universal; the whole population of Le Havre hurried towards the jetties -and every look was directed towards the little bark; at one moment it -flew suspended on the crest of the foaming waves, then suddenly glided -downwards towards the bottom of a raging abyss, where it seemed utterly -lost. At the expiration of an hour's struggling with the waves, it -reached the spot where the admiral's vessel was anchored, and from the -side of which two boats had already been dispatched towards their aid. -Upon the quarter-deck of the flagship, sheltered by a canopy of velvet -and ermine, which was suspended by stout supports, Henriette, the queen -dowager, and the young princess--with the admiral, the Duke of Norfolk, -standing beside them--watched with alarm this slender bark, at one -moment tossed to the heavens, and the next buried beneath the waves, and -against whose dark sail the noble figures of the two French gentlemen -stood forth in relief like two luminous apparitions. The crew, leaning -against the bulwarks and clinging to the shrouds, cheered the courage -of the two daring young men, the skill of the pilot, and the strength of -the sailors. They were received at the side of the vessel by a shout of -triumph. The Duke of Norfolk, a handsome young man, from twenty-six -to twenty-eight years of age, advanced to meet them. De Guiche and -Bragelonne lightly mounted the ladder on the starboard side, and, -conducted by the Duke of Norfolk, who resumed his place near them, they -approached to offer their homage to the princess. Respect, and yet more, -a certain apprehension, for which he could not account, had hitherto -restrained the Comte de Guiche from looking at Madame attentively, who, -however, had observed him immediately, and had asked her mother, "Is not -that Monsieur in the boat yonder?" Madame Henriette, who knew Monsieur -better than her daughter did, smiled at the mistake her vanity had led -her into, and had answered, "No; it is only M. de Guiche, his favorite." -The princess, at this reply, was constrained to check an instinctive -tenderness of feeling which the courage displayed by the count had -awakened. At the very moment the princess had put this question to -her mother, De Guiche had, at last, summoned courage to raise his eyes -towards her and could compare the original with the portrait he had so -lately seen. No sooner had he remarked her pale face, her eyes so full -of animation, her beautiful nut-brown hair, her expressive lips, and her -every gesture, which, while betokening royal descent, seemed to thank -and to encourage him at one and the same time, than he was, for a -moment, so overcome, that, had it not been for Raoul, on whose arm -he leant, he would have fallen. His friend's amazed look, and -the encouraging gesture of the queen, restored Guiche to his -self-possession. In a few words he explained his mission, explained -in what way he had become envoy of his royal highness; and saluted, -according to their rank and the reception they gave him, the admiral and -several of the English noblemen who were grouped around the princess. - -Raoul was then presented, and was most graciously received; the share -that the Comte de la Fere had had in the restoration of Charles II. was -known to all; and, more than that, it was the comte who had been -charged with the negotiation of the marriage, by means of which the -granddaughter of Henry IV. was now returning to France. Raoul spoke -English perfectly, and constituted himself his friend's interpreter with -the young English noblemen, who were indifferently acquainted with the -French language. At this moment, a young man came forward, of extremely -handsome features, and whose dress and arms were remarkable for their -extravagance of material. He approached the princesses, who were engaged -in conversation with the Duke of Norfolk, and, in a voice which ill -concealed his impatience, said, "It is now time to disembark, your royal -highness." The younger of the princesses rose from her seat at this -remark, and was about to take the hand which the young nobleman extended -to her, with an eagerness which arose from a variety of motives, when -the admiral intervened between them, observing: "A moment, if you -please, my lord; it is not possible for ladies to disembark just now, -the sea is too rough; it is probable the wind may abate before sunset, -and the landing will not be effected, therefore, until this evening." - -"Allow me to observe, my lord," said Buckingham, with an irritation of -manner which he did not seek to disguise, "you detain these ladies, -and you have no right to do so. One of them, unhappily, now belongs to -France, and you perceive that France claims them by the voice of her -ambassadors;" and at the same moment he indicated Raoul and Guiche, whom -he saluted. - -"I cannot suppose that these gentlemen intend to expose the lives of -their royal highnesses," replied the admiral. - -"These gentlemen," retorted Buckingham, "arrived here safely, -notwithstanding the wind; allow me to believe that the danger will not -be greater for their royal highnesses when the wind will be in their -favor." - -"These envoys have shown how great their courage is," said the admiral. -"You may have observed that there was a great number of persons on shore -who did _not_ venture to accompany them. Moreover, the desire which they -had to show their respect with the least possible delay to Madame and -her illustrious mother, induced them to brave the sea, which is very -tempestuous to-day, even for sailors. These gentlemen, however, whom I -recommend as an example for my officers to follow, can hardly be so for -these ladies." - -Madame glanced at the Comte de Guiche, and perceived that his face was -burning with confusion. This look had escaped Buckingham, who had eyes -for nothing but Norfolk, of whom he was evidently very jealous; he -seemed anxious to remove the princesses from the deck of a vessel where -the admiral reigned supreme. "In that case," returned Buckingham, "I -appeal to Madame herself." - -"And I, my lord," retorted the admiral, "I appeal to my own conscience, -and to my own sense of responsibility. I have undertaken to convey -Madame safe and sound to France, and I shall keep my promise." - -"But, sir--" continued Buckingham. - -"My lord, permit me to remind you that I command here." - -"Are you aware what you are saying, my lord?" replied Buckingham, -haughtily. - -"Perfectly so; I therefore repeat it: I alone command here, all yield -obedience to me; the sea and the winds, the ships and men too." This -remark was made in a dignified and authoritative manner. Raoul observed -its effect upon Buckingham, who trembled with anger from head to foot, -and leaned against one of the poles of the tent to prevent himself -falling; his eyes became suffused with blood, and the hand which he did -not need for his support wandered towards the hilt of his sword. - -"My lord," said the queen, "permit me to observe that I agree in every -particular with the Duke of Norfolk; if the heavens, instead of being -clouded as they are at the present moment, were perfectly serene and -propitious, we can still afford to bestow a few hours upon the officer -who has conducted us so successfully, and with such extreme attention, -to the French coast, where he is to take leave of us." - -Buckingham, instead of replying, seemed to seek counsel from the -expression of Madame's face. She, however, half-concealed beneath the -thick curtains of the velvet and gold which sheltered her, had not -listened to the discussion, having been occupied in watching the Comte -de Guiche, who was conversing with Raoul. This was a fresh misfortune -for Buckingham, who fancied he perceived in Madame Henrietta's look a -deeper feeling than that of curiosity. He withdrew, almost tottering in -his gait, and nearly stumbled against the mainmast of the ship. - -"The duke has not acquired a steady footing yet," said the queen-mother, -in French, "and that may possibly be his reason for wishing to find -himself on firm land again." - -The young man overheard this remark, turned suddenly pale, and, letting -his hands fall in great discouragement by his side, drew aside, mingling -in one sigh his old affection and his new hatreds. The admiral, however, -without taking any further notice of the duke's ill-humor, led the -princesses into the quarter-deck cabin, where dinner had been served -with a magnificence worthy in every respect of his guests. The admiral -seated himself at the right hand of the princess, and placed the Comte -de Guiche on her left. This was the place Buckingham usually occupied; -and when he entered the cabin, how profound was his unhappiness to see -himself banished by etiquette from the presence of his sovereign, to a -position inferior to that which, by rank, he was entitled to. De Guiche, -on the other hand, paler still perhaps from happiness, than his rival -was from anger, seated himself tremblingly next to the princess, whose -silken robe, as it lightly touched him, caused a tremor of mingled -regret and happiness to pass through his whole frame. The repast -finished, Buckingham darted forward to hand Madame Henrietta from the -table; but this time it was De Guiche's turn to give the duke a lesson. -"Have the goodness, my lord, from this moment," said he, "not to -interpose between her royal highness and myself. From this moment, -indeed, her royal highness belongs to France, and when she deigns to -honor me by touching my hand it is the hand of Monsieur, the brother of -the king of France, she touches." - -And saying this, he presented his hand to Madame Henrietta with such -marked deference, and at the same time with a nobleness of mien so -intrepid, that a murmur of admiration rose from the English, whilst -a groan of despair escaped from Buckingham's lips. Raoul, who loved, -comprehended it all. He fixed upon his friend one of those profound -looks which a bosom friend or mother can alone extend, either as -protector or guardian, over the one who is about to stray from the right -path. Towards two o'clock in the afternoon the sun shone forth anew, the -wind subsided, the sea became smooth as a crystal mirror, and the fog, -which had shrouded the coast, disappeared like a veil withdrawn before -it. The smiling hills of France appeared in full view, with their -numerous white houses rendered more conspicuous by the bright green of -the trees or the clear blue sky. - - - -Chapter X. The Tents. - -The admiral, as we have seen, was determined to pay no further attention -to Buckingham's threatening glances and fits of passion. In fact, from -the moment they quitted England, he had gradually accustomed himself to -his behavior. De Guiche had not yet in any way remarked the animosity -which appeared to influence that young nobleman against him, but he -felt, instinctively, that there could be no sympathy between himself and -the favorite of Charles II. The queen-mother, with greater experience -and calmer judgment, perceived the exact position of affairs, and, as -she discerned its danger, was prepared to meet it, whenever the proper -moment should arrive. Quiet had been everywhere restored, except in -Buckingham's heart; he, in his impatience, addressed himself to the -princess, in a low tone of voice: "For Heaven's sake, madame, I implore -you to hasten your disembarkation. Do you not perceive how that insolent -Duke of Norfolk is killing me with his attentions and devotions to you?" - -Henrietta heard this remark; she smiled, and without turning her head -towards him, but giving only to the tone of her voice that inflection of -gentle reproach, and languid impertinence, which women and princesses so -well know how to assume, she murmured, "I have already hinted, my lord, -that you must have taken leave of your senses." - -Not a single detail escaped Raoul's attention; he heard both -Buckingham's entreaty and the princess's reply; he remarked Buckingham -retire, heard his deep sigh, and saw him pass a hand over his face. He -understood everything, and trembled as he reflected on the position -of affairs, and the state of the minds of those about him. At last the -admiral, with studied delay, gave the last orders for the departure of -the boats. Buckingham heard the directions given with such an exhibition -of delight that a stranger would really imagine the young man's reason -was affected. As the Duke of Norfolk gave his commands, a large boat or -barge, decked with flags, and capable of holding about twenty rowers and -fifteen passengers, was slowly lowered from the side of the admiral's -vessel. The barge was carpeted with velvet and decorated with coverings -embroidered with the arms of England, and with garlands of flowers; for, -at that time, ornamentation was by no means forgotten in these political -pageants. No sooner was this really royal boat afloat, and the rowers -with oars uplifted, awaiting, like soldiers presenting arms, the -embarkation of the princess, than Buckingham ran forward to the ladder -in order to take his place. His progress was, however, arrested by the -queen. "My lord," she said, "it is hardly becoming that you should allow -my daughter and myself to land without having previously ascertained -that our apartments are properly prepared. I beg your lordship to be -good enough to precede us ashore, and to give directions that everything -be in proper order on our arrival." - -This was a fresh disappointment for the duke, and, still more so, since -it was so unexpected. He hesitated, colored violently, but could not -reply. He had thought he might be able to keep near Madame during the -passage to the shore, and, by this means, to enjoy to the very last -moment the brief period fortune still reserved for him. The order, -however, was explicit; and the admiral, who heard it given, immediately -called out, "Launch the ship's gig." His directions were executed with -that celerity which distinguishes every maneuver on board a man-of-war. - -Buckingham, in utter hopelessness, cast a look of despair at the -princess, of supplication towards the queen, and directed a glance full -of anger towards the admiral. The princess pretended not to notice him, -while the queen turned aside her head, and the admiral laughed outright, -at the sound of which Buckingham seemed ready to spring upon him. The -queen-mother rose, and with a tone of authority said, "Pray set off, -sir." - -The young duke hesitated, looked around him, and with a last effort, -half-choked by contending emotions, said, "And you, gentlemen, M. de -Guiche and M. de Bragelonne, do not you accompany me?" - -De Guiche bowed and said, "Both M. de Bragelonne and myself await her -majesty's orders; whatever the commands she imposes on us, we shall obey -them." Saying this, he looked towards the princess, who cast down her -eyes. - -"Your grace will remember," said the queen, "that M. de Guiche is here -to represent Monsieur; it is he who will do the honors of France, as -you have done those of England; his presence cannot be dispensed with; -besides, we owe him this slight favor for the courage he displayed in -venturing to seek us in such a terrible stress of weather." - -Buckingham opened his lips, as if he were about to speak, but, whether -thoughts or expressions failed him, not a syllable escaped them, and -turning away, as though out of his mind, he leapt from the vessel into -the boat. The sailors were just in time to catch hold of him to steady -themselves; for his weight and the rebound had almost upset the boat. - -"His grace cannot be in his senses," said the admiral aloud to Raoul. - -"I am uneasy on the Duke's account," replied Bragelonne. - -While the boat was advancing towards the shore, the duke kept his eyes -immovably fixed on the admiral's ship, like a miser torn away from his -coffers, or a mother separated from her child, about to be lead away -to death. No one, however, acknowledged his signals, his frowns, or his -pitiful gestures. In very anguish of mind, he sank down in the boat, -burying his hands in his hair, whilst the boat, impelled by the -exertions of the merry sailors, flew over the waves. On his arrival he -was in such a state of apathy, that, had he not been received at the -harbor by the messenger whom he had directed to precede him, he would -hardly have had strength to ask his way. Having once, however, reached -the house which had been set apart for him, he shut himself up, like -Achilles in his tent. The barge bearing the princess quitted the -admiral's vessel at the very moment Buckingham landed. It was followed -by another boat filled with officers, courtiers, and zealous friends. -Great numbers of the inhabitants of Le Havre, having embarked in -fishing-cobles and boats of every description, set off to meet the royal -barge. The cannon from the forts fired salutes, which were returned by -the flagship and the two other vessels, and the flashes from the -open mouths of the cannon floated in white fumes over the waves, and -disappeared in the clear blue sky. - -The princess landed at the decorated quay. Bands of gay music greeted -her arrival, and accompanied her every step she took. During the time -she was passing through the center of town, and treading beneath her -delicate feet the richest carpets and the gayest flowers, which had been -strewn upon the ground, De Guiche and Raoul, escaping from their English -friends, hurried through the town and hastened rapidly towards the place -intended for the residence of Madame. - -"Let us hurry forward," said Raoul to De Guiche, "for if I read -Buckingham's character aright, he will create some disturbance, when he -learns the result of our deliberations of yesterday." - -"Never fear," said De Guiche, "De Wardes is there, who is determination -itself, while Manicamp is the very personification of the artless -gentleness." - -De Guiche was not, however, the less diligent on that account, and five -minutes afterwards they were within sight of the Hotel de Ville. The -first thing which struck them was the number of people assembled in -the square. "Excellent," said De Guiche; "our apartments, I see, are -prepared." - -In fact, in front of the Hotel de Ville, upon the wide open space before -it, eight tents had been raised, surmounted by the flags of France and -England united. The hotel was surrounded by tents, as by a girdle -of variegated colors; ten pages and a dozen mounted troopers, for an -escort, mounted guard before the tents. It had a singularly curious -effect, almost fairy-like in its appearance. These tents had been -constructed during the night-time. Fitted up, within and without, with -the richest materials that De Guiche had been able to procure in Le -Havre, they completely encircled the Hotel de Ville. The only passage -which led to the steps of the hotel, and which was not inclosed by the -silken barricade, was guarded by two tents, resembling two pavilions, -the doorways of both of which opened towards the entrance. These two -tents were destined for De Guiche and Raoul; in whose absence they were -intended to be occupied, that of De Guiche by De Wardes, and that of -Raoul by Manicamp. Surrounding these two tents, and the six others, a -hundred officers, gentlemen, and pages, dazzling in their display of -silk and gold, thronged like bees buzzing about a hive. Every one of -them, their swords by their sides, was ready to obey the slightest sign -either of De Guiche or Bragelonne, the leaders of the embassy. - -At the very moment the two young men appeared at the end of one of the -streets leading to the square, they perceived, crossing the square at -full gallop, a young man on horseback, whose costume was of surprising -richness. He pushed hastily thorough the crowd of curious lookers-on, -and, at the sight of these unexpected erections, uttered a cry of anger -and dismay. It was Buckingham, who had awakened from his stupor, in -order to adorn himself with a costume perfectly dazzling from its -beauty, and to await the arrival of the princess and the queen-mother -at the Hotel de Ville. At the entrance to the tents, the soldiers -barred his passage, and his further progress was arrested. Buckingham, -hopelessly infuriated, raised his whip; but his arm was seized by a -couple of officers. Of the two guardians of the tent, only one was -there. De Wardes was in the interior of the Hotel de Ville, engaging -in attending to the execution of some orders by De Guiche. At the noise -made by Buckingham, Manicamp, who was indolently reclining upon the -cushions at the doorway of one of the tents, rose with his usual -indifference, and, perceiving that the disturbance continued, made his -appearance from underneath the curtains. "What is the matter?" he said, -in a gentle tone of voice, "and who is making this disturbance?" - -It so happened, that, at the moment he began to speak, silence had just -been restored, and, although his voice was very soft and gentle in its -touch, every one heard his question. Buckingham turned round, and looked -at the tall thin figure, and the listless expression of countenance of -his questioner. Probably the personal appearance of Manicamp, who was -dressed very plainly, did not inspire him with much respect, for he -replied disdainfully, "Who may you be, monsieur?" - -Manicamp, leaning on the arm of a gigantic trooper, as firm as -the pillar of a cathedral, replied in his usual tranquil tone of -voice,--"And _you_, monsieur?" - -"I, monsieur, am the Duke of Buckingham; I have hired all the houses -which surround the Hotel de Ville, where I have business to transact; -and as these houses are let, they belong to me, and, as I hired them in -order to preserve the right of free access to the Hotel de Ville, you -are not justified in preventing me passing to it." - -"But who prevents you passing, monsieur?" inquired Manicamp. - -"Your sentinels." - -"Because you wish to pass on horseback, and orders have been given to -let only persons on foot pass." - -"No one has any right to give orders here, except myself," said -Buckingham. - -"On what grounds?" inquired Manicamp, with his soft tone. "Will you do -me the favor to explain this enigma to me?" - -"Because, as I have already told you, I have hired all the houses -looking on the square." - -"We are very well aware of that, since nothing but the square itself has -been left for us." - -"You are mistaken, monsieur; the square belongs to me, as well as the -houses in it." - -"Forgive me, monsieur, but you are mistaken there. In _our_ country, -we say, the highway belongs to the king, therefore this square is his -majesty's; and, consequently, as we are the king's ambassadors, the -square belongs to us." - -"I have already asked you who you are, monsieur," exclaimed Buckingham, -exasperated at the coolness of his interlocutor. - -"My name is Manicamp," replied the young man, in a voice whose tones -were as harmonious and sweet as the notes of an Aeolian harp. - -Buckingham shrugged his shoulders contemptuously, and said, "When I -hired these houses which surround the Hotel de Ville, the square was -unoccupied; these barracks obstruct my sight; I hereby order them to be -removed." - -A hoarse and angry murmur ran through the crowd of listeners at these -words. De Guiche arrived at this moment; he pushed through the crowd -which separated him from Buckingham, and, followed by Raoul, arrived on -the scene of action from one side, just as De Wardes came up from the -other. "Pardon me, my lord; but if you have any complaint to make, have -the goodness to address it to me, inasmuch as it was I who supplied the -plans for the construction of these tents." - -"Moreover, I would beg you to observe, monsieur, that the term 'barrack' -is a highly objectionable one!" added Manicamp, graciously. - -"You were saying, monsieur--" continued De Guiche. - -"I was saying, monsieur le comte," resumed Buckingham, in a tone of -anger more marked than ever, although in some measure moderated by the -presence of an equal, "I was saying that it is impossible these tents -can remain where they are." - -"_Impossible!_" exclaimed De Guiche, "and why?" - -"Because I object to them." - -A movement of impatience escaped De Guiche, but a warning glance from -Raoul restrained him. - -"You should the less object to them, monsieur, on account of the abuse -of priority you have permitted yourself to exercise." - -"_Abuse!_" - -"Most assuredly. You commission a messenger, who hires in your name the -whole of the town of Le Havre, without considering the members of the -French court, who would be sure to arrive here to meet Madame. -Your Grace will admit that this is hardly friendly conduct in the -representative of a friendly nation." - -"The right of possession belongs to him who is first on the ground." - -"Not in France, monsieur." - -"Why not in France?" - -"Because France is a country where politeness is observed." - -"Which means?" exclaimed Buckingham, in so violent a manner that those -who were present drew back, expecting an immediate collision. - -"Which means, monsieur," replied De Guiche, now rather pale, "that -I caused these tents to be raised as habitations for myself and my -friends, as a shelter for the ambassadors of France, as the only place -of refuge which your exactions have left us in the town; and that I -and those who are with me, shall remain in them, at least, until an -authority more powerful, and more supreme, than your own shall dismiss -me from them." - -"In other words, until we are ejected, as the lawyers say," observed -Manicamp, blandly. - -"I know an authority, monsieur, which I trust is such as you will -respect," said Buckingham, placing his hand on his sword. - -At this moment, and as the goddess of Discord, inflaming all minds, was -about to direct their swords against each other, Raoul gently placed his -hand on Buckingham's shoulder. "One word, my lord," he said. - -"My right, my right, first of all," exclaimed the fiery young man. - -"It is precisely upon that point I wish to have the honor of addressing -a word to you." - -"Very well, monsieur, but let your remarks be brief." - -"One question is all I ask; you can hardly expect me to be briefer." - -"Speak, monsieur, I am listening." - -"Are you, or is the Duke of Orleans, going to marry the granddaughter of -Henry IV.?" - -"What do you mean?" exclaimed Buckingham, retreating a few steps, -bewildered. - -"Have the goodness to answer me," persisted Raoul tranquilly. - -"Do you mean to ridicule me, monsieur?" inquired Buckingham. - -"Your question is a sufficient answer for me. You admit, then, that it -is not you who are going to marry the princess?" - -"You know it perfectly well, monsieur, I should imagine." - -"I beg your pardon, but your conduct has been such as to leave it not -altogether certain." - -"Proceed, monsieur, what do you mean to convey?" - -Raoul approached the duke. "Are you aware, my lord," he said, lowering -his voice, "that your extravagances very much resemble the excesses -of jealousy? These jealous fits, with respect to any woman, are not -becoming in one who is neither her lover nor her husband; and I am sure -you will admit that my remark applies with still greater force, when the -lady in question is a princess of the blood royal!" - -"Monsieur," exclaimed Buckingham, "do you mean to insult Madame -Henrietta?" - -"Be careful, my lord," replied Bragelonne, coldly, "for it is you who -insult her. A little while since, when on board the admiral's ship, -you wearied the queen, and exhausted the admiral's patience. I -was observing, my lord; and, at first, I concluded you were not -in possession of your senses, but I have since surmised the real -significance of your madness." - -"Monsieur!" exclaimed Buckingham. - -"One moment more, for I have yet another word to add. I trust I am the -only one of my companions who has guessed it." - -"Are you aware, monsieur," said Buckingham, trembling with mingled -feelings of anger and uneasiness, "are you aware that you are holding -language towards me which requires to be checked?" - -"Weigh your words well, my lord," said Raoul, haughtily; "my nature is -not such that its vivacities need checking; whilst you, on the contrary, -are descended from a race whose passions are suspected by all true -Frenchmen; I repeat, therefore, for the second time, be careful!" - -"Careful of what, may I ask? Do you presume to threaten me?" - -"I am the son of the Comte de la Fere, my lord, and I never threaten, -because I strike first. Therefore, understand me well, the threat that I -hold out to you is this--" - -Buckingham clenched his hands, but Raoul continued, as though he had not -observed the gesture. "At the very first word, beyond the respect and -deference due to her royal highness, which you permit yourself to use -towards her,--be patient my lord, for I am perfectly so." - -"You?" - -"Undoubtedly. So long as Madame remained on English territory, I held -my peace; but from the very moment she stepped on French ground, and now -that we have received her in the name of the prince, I warn you, that -at the first mark of disrespect which you, in your insane attachment, -exhibit towards the royal house of France, I shall have one of two -courses to follow;--either I declare, in the presence of every one, the -madness with which you are now affected, and I get you ignominiously -ordered back to England; or if you prefer it, I will run my dagger -through your throat in the presence of all here. This second alternative -seems to me the least disagreeable, and I think I shall hold to it." - -Buckingham had become paler than the lace collar around his neck. "M. -de Bragelonne," he said, "is it, indeed, a gentleman who is speaking to -me?" - -"Yes; only the gentleman is speaking to a madman. Get cured, my lord, -and he will hold quite another language to you." - -"But, M. de Bragelonne," murmured the duke, in a voice, half-choked, and -putting his hand to his neck,--"Do you not see I am choking?" - -"If your death were to take place at this moment, my lord," replied -Raoul, with unruffled composure, "I should, indeed, regard it as a -great happiness, for this circumstance would prevent all kinds of evil -remarks; not alone about yourself, but also about those illustrious -persons whom your devotion is compromising in so absurd a manner." - -"You are right, you are right," said the young man, almost beside -himself. "Yes, yes; better to die, than to suffer as I do at this -moment." And he grasped a beautiful dagger, the handle of which was -inlaid with precious stones; and which he half drew from his breast. - -Raoul thrust his hand aside. "Be careful what you do," he said; "if you -do not kill yourself, you commit a ridiculous action; and if you were to -kill yourself, you sprinkle blood upon the nuptial robe of the princess -of England." - -Buckingham remained a minute gasping for breath; during this interval, -his lips quivered, his fingers worked convulsively, and his eyes -wandered, as though in delirium. Then suddenly, he said, "M. de -Bragelonne, I know nowhere a nobler mind than yours; you are, indeed, -a worthy son of the most perfect gentleman that ever lived. Keep your -tents." And he threw his arms round Raoul's neck. All who were present, -astounded at this conduct, which was the very reverse of what was -expected, considering the violence of the one adversary and the -determination of the other, began immediately to clap their hands, and -a thousand cheers and joyful shouts arose from all sides. De Guiche, in -his turn, embraced Buckingham somewhat against his inclination; but, -at all events, he did embrace him. This was the signal for French and -English to do the same; and they who, until that moment, had looked at -each other with restless uncertainty, fraternized on the spot. In the -meantime, the procession of the princess arrived, and had it not been -for Bragelonne, two armies would have been engaged together in conflict, -and blood would have been shed upon the flowers with which the ground -was covered. At the appearance, however, of the banners borne at the -head of the procession, complete order was restored. - - - -Chapter XI. Night. - -Concord returned to its place amidst the tents. English and French -rivaled each other in their devotion and courteous attention to the -illustrious travelers. The English forwarded to the French baskets -of flowers, of which they had made a plentiful provision to greet the -arrival of the young princess; the French in return invited the English -to a supper, which was to be given the next day. Congratulations were -poured in upon the princess everywhere during her journey. From the -respect paid her on all sides, she seemed like a queen; and from the -adoration with which she was treated by two or three; she appeared -an object of worship. The queen-mother gave the French the most -affectionate reception. France was her native country, and she had -suffered too much unhappiness in England for England to have made her -forget France. She taught her daughter, then, by her own affection -for it, that love for a country where they had both been hospitably -received, and where a brilliant future opened before them. After the -public entry was over, and the spectators in the streets had partially -dispersed, and the sound of the music and cheering of the crowd could be -heard only in the distance; when the night had closed in, wrapping with -its star-covered mantle the sea, the harbor, the town, and surrounding -country, De Guiche, still excited by the great events of the day, -returned to his tent, and seated himself upon one of the stools with so -profound an expression of distress that Bragelonne kept his eyes fixed -upon him, until he heard him sigh, and then he approached him. The count -had thrown himself back on his seat, leaning his shoulders against the -partition of the tent, and remained thus, his face buried in his hands, -with heaving chest and restless limbs. - -"You are suffering?" asked Raoul. - -"Cruelly." - -"Bodily, I suppose?" - -"Yes; bodily." - -"This has indeed been a harassing day," continued the young man, his -eyes fixed upon his friend. - -"Yes; a night's rest will probably restore me." - -"Shall I leave you?" - -"No; I wish to talk to you." - -"You shall not speak to me, Guiche, until you have first answered my -questions." - -"Proceed then." - -"You will be frank with me?" - -"I always am." - -"Can you imagine why Buckingham has been so violent?" - -"I suspect." - -"Because he is in love with Madame, is it not?" - -"One could almost swear to it, to observe him." - -"You are mistaken; there is nothing of the kind." - -"It is you who are mistaken, Raoul; I have read his distress in his -eyes, in his every gesture and action the whole day." - -"You are a poet, my dear count, and find subjects for your muse -everywhere." - -"I can perceive love clearly enough." - -"Where it does not exist?" - -"Nay, where it does exist." - -"Do you not think you are deceiving yourself, Guiche?" - -"I am convinced of what I say," said the count. - -"Now, inform me, count," said Raoul, fixing a penetrating look upon him, -"what happened to render you so clear-sighted." - -Guiche hesitated for a moment, and then answered, "Self-love, I -suppose." - -"Self-love is a pedantic word, Guiche." - -"What do you mean?" - -"I mean that, generally, you are less out of spirits than seems to be -the case this evening." - -"I am fatigued." - -"Listen to me, Guiche; we have been campaigners together; we have been -on horseback for eighteen hours at a time, and our horses dying from -exhaustion, or hunger, have fallen beneath us, and yet we have -laughed at our mishaps. Believe me, it is not fatigue that saddens you -to-night." - -"It is annoyance, then." - -"What annoyance?" - -"That of this evening." - -"The mad conduct of the Duke of Buckingham, do you mean?" - -"Of course; is it not vexations for us, the representatives of our -sovereign master, to witness the devotion of an Englishman to our future -mistress, the second lady in point of rank in the kingdom?" - -"Yes, you are right; but I do not think any danger is to be apprehended -from Buckingham." - -"No; still he is intrusive. Did he not, on his arrival here, almost -succeed in creating a disturbance between the English and ourselves; -and, had it not been for you, for your admirable presence, for your -singular decision of character, swords would have been drawn in the very -streets of the town." - -"You observe, however, that he has changed his tactics." - -"Yes, certainly; but this is the very thing that amazes me so much. You -spoke to him in a low tone of voice, what did you say to him? You think -he loves her; you admit that such a passion does not give way readily. -He does not love her, then!" De Guiche pronounced the latter with so -marked an expression that Raoul raised his head. The noble character of -the young man's countenance expressed a displeasure which could easily -be read. - -"What I said to him, count," replied Raoul, "I will repeat to you. -Listen to me. I said, 'You are regarding with wistful feelings, and most -injurious desire, the sister of your prince,--her to whom you are -not affianced, who is not, who can never be anything to you; you are -outraging those who, like ourselves, have come to seek a young lady to -escort her to her husband.'" - -"You spoke to him in that manner?" asked Guiche, coloring. - -"In those very terms; I even added more. 'How would you regard us,' -I said, 'if you were to perceive among us a man mad enough, disloyal -enough, to entertain other than sentiments of the most perfect respect -for a princess who is the destined wife of our master?'" - -These words were so applicable to De Guiche that he turned pale, and, -overcome by a sudden agitation, was barely able to stretch out one hand -mechanically towards Raoul, as he covered his eyes and face with the -other. - -"But," continued Raoul, not interrupted by this movement of his friend, -"Heaven be praised, the French, who are pronounced to be thoughtless -and indiscreet, reckless, even, are capable of bringing a calm and sound -judgment to bear on matters of such high importance. I added even -more, for I said, 'Learn, my lord, that we gentlemen of France devote -ourselves to our sovereigns by sacrificing them our affections, as well -as our fortunes and our lives; and whenever it may chance to happen that -the tempter suggests one of those vile thoughts that set the heart on -fire, we extinguish the flame, even if it has to be done by shedding our -blood for the purpose. Thus it is that the honor of three is saved: -our country's, our master's, and our own. It is thus that we act, your -Grace; it is thus that every man of honor ought to act.' In this -manner, my dear Guiche," continued Bragelonne, "I addressed the Duke -of Buckingham; and he admitted I was right, and resigned himself -unresistingly to my arguments." - -De Guiche, who had hitherto sat leaning forward while Raoul was -speaking, drew himself up, his eyes glancing proudly; he seized Raoul's -hand, his face, which had been as cold as ice, seemed on fire. "And you -spoke magnificently," he said, in a half-choked voice; "you are indeed a -friend, Raoul. But now, I entreat you, leave me to myself." - -"Do you wish it?" - -"Yes; I need repose. Many things have agitated me to-day, both in mind -and body; when you return to-morrow I shall no longer be the same man." - -"I leave you, then," said Raoul, as he withdrew. The count advanced a -step towards his friend, and pressed him warmly in his arms. But in this -friendly pressure Raoul could detect the nervous agitation of a great -internal conflict. - -The night was clear, starlit, and splendid; the tempest had passed away, -and the sweet influences of the evening had restored life, peace and -security everywhere. A few fleecy clouds were floating in the heavens, -and indicated from their appearance a continuance of beautiful weather, -tempered by a gentle breeze from the east. Upon the large square in -front of the hotel, the shadows of the tents, intersected by the golden -moonbeams, formed as it were a huge mosaic of jet and yellow flagstones. -Soon, however, the entire town was wrapped in slumber; a feeble light -still glimmered in Madame's apartment, which looked out upon the square, -and the soft rays from the expiring lamp seemed to be the image of the -calm sleep of a young girl, hardly yet sensible of life's anxieties, and -in whom the flame of existence sinks placidly as sleep steals over the -body. - -Bragelonne quitted the tent with the slow and measured step of a man -curious to observe, but anxious not to be seen. Sheltered behind the -thick curtains of his own tent, embracing with a glance the whole -square, he noticed that, after a few moments' pause, the curtains of De -Guiche's tent were agitated, and then drawn partially aside. Behind them -he could perceive the shadow of De Guiche, his eyes, glittering in the -obscurity, fastened ardently upon the princess's sitting apartment, -which was partially lighted by the lamp in the inner room. The soft -light which illumined the windows was the count's star. The fervent -aspirations of his nature could be read in his eyes. Raoul, concealed -in the shadow, divined the many passionate thoughts that established, -between the tent of the young ambassador and the balcony of the -princess, a mysterious and magical bond of sympathy--a bond created by -thoughts imprinted with so much strength and persistence of will, -that they must have caused happy and loving dreams to alight upon the -perfumed couch, which the count, with the eyes of his soul, devoured so -eagerly. - -But De Guiche and Raoul were not the only watchers. The window of one -of the houses looking on the square was opened too, the casement of the -house where Buckingham resided. By the aid of the rays of light which -issued from this latter, the profile of the duke could be distinctly -seen, as he indolently reclined upon the carved balcony with its velvet -hangings; he also was breathing in the direction of the princess's -apartment his prayers and the wild visions of his love. - -Raoul could not resist smiling, as thinking of Madame, he said to -himself, "Hers is, indeed, a heart well besieged;" and then added, -compassionately, as he thought of Monsieur, "and he is a husband well -threatened too; it is a good thing for him that he is a prince of such -high rank, that he has an army to safeguard for him that which is his -own." Bragelonne watched for some time the conduct of the two lovers, -listened to the loud and uncivil slumbers of Manicamp, who snored as -imperiously as though he was wearing his blue and gold, instead of his -violet suit. - -Then he turned towards the night breeze which bore towards him, he -seemed to think, the distant song of the nightingale; and, after having -laid in a due provision of melancholy, another nocturnal malady, he -retired to rest thinking, with regard to his own love affair, that -perhaps four or even a larger number of eyes, quite as ardent as those -of De Guiche and Buckingham, were coveting his own idol in the -chateau at Blois. "And Mademoiselle de Montalais is by no means a very -conscientious garrison," said he to himself, sighing aloud. - - - -Chapter XII. From Le Havre to Paris. - -The next day the _fetes_ took place, accompanied by all the pomp and -animation that the resources of the town and the cheerful disposition of -men's minds could supply. During the last few hours spent in Le Havre, -every preparation for the departure had been made. After Madame had -taken leave of the English fleet, and, once again, had saluted the -country in saluting its flags, she entered her carriage, surrounded by a -brilliant escort. De Guiche had hoped that the Duke of Buckingham -would accompany the admiral to England; but Buckingham succeeded in -demonstrating to the queen that there would be great impropriety in -allowing Madame to proceed to Paris, almost unprotected. As soon as it -had been settled that Buckingham was to accompany Madame, the young -duke selected a corps of gentlemen and officers to form part of his own -suite, so that it was almost an army that now set out towards Paris, -scattering gold, and exciting the liveliest demonstrations as they -passed through the different towns and villages on the route. The -weather was very fine. France is a beautiful country, especially along -the route by which the procession passed. Spring cast its flowers and -its perfumed foliage on their path. Normandy, with its vast variety of -vegetation, its blue skies and silver rivers, displayed itself in all -the loveliness of a paradise to the new sister of the king. _Fetes_ and -brilliant displays received them everywhere along the line of march. -De Guiche and Buckingham forgot everything; De Guiche in his anxiety to -prevent any fresh attempts on the part of the duke, and Buckingham, in -his desire to awaken in the heart of the princess a softer remembrance -of the country to which the recollection of many happy days belonged. -But, alas! the poor duke could perceive that the image of that country -so cherished by himself became, from day to day, more and more effaced -in Madame's mind, in exact proportion as her affection for France became -more deeply engraved on her heart. In fact, it was not difficult to -perceive that his most devoted attention awakened no acknowledgement, -and that the grace with which he rode one of his most fiery horses was -thrown away, for it was only casually and by the merest accident that -the princess's eyes were turned towards him. In vain did he try, -in order to fix upon himself one of those looks, which were thrown -carelessly around, or bestowed elsewhere, to produce in the animal he -rode its greatest display of strength, speed, temper and address; in -vain did he, by exciting his horse almost to madness, spur him, at the -risk of dashing himself in pieces against the trees, or of rolling in -the ditches, over the gates and barriers which they passed, or down the -steep declivities of the hills. Madame, whose attention had been aroused -by the noise, turned her head for a moment to observe the cause of it, -and then, slightly smiling, again entered into conversation with her -faithful guardians, Raoul and De Guiche, who were quietly riding at her -carriage doors. Buckingham felt himself a prey to all the tortures of -jealousy; an unknown, unheard of anguish glided through his veins, and -laid siege to his heart; and then, as if to show that he knew the -folly of his conduct, and that he wished to correct, by the humblest -submission, his flights of absurdity, he mastered his horse, and -compelled him, reeking with sweat and flecked with foam, to champ -his bit close beside the carriage, amidst the crowd of courtiers. -Occasionally he obtained a word from Madame as a recompense, and yet her -speech seemed almost a reproach. - -"That is well, my lord," she said, "now you are reasonable." - -Or from Raoul, "Your Grace is killing your horse." - -Buckingham listened patiently to Raoul's remarks, for he instinctively -felt, without having had any proof that such was the case, that Raoul -checked the display of De Guiche's feelings, and that, had it not -been for Raoul, some mad act or proceeding, either of the count, or -of Buckingham himself, would have brought about an open rupture, or a -disturbance--perhaps even exile itself. From the moment of that excited -conversation the two young men had held in front of the tents at Le -Havre, when Raoul made the duke perceive the impropriety of his conduct, -Buckingham felt himself attracted towards Raoul almost in spite of -himself. He often entered into conversation with him, and it was nearly -always to talk to him either of his father or of D'Artagnan, their -mutual friend, in whose praise Buckingham was nearly as enthusiastic as -Raoul. Raoul endeavored, as much as possible, to make the conversation -turn upon this subject in De Wardes's presence, who had, during the -whole journey, been exceedingly annoyed at the superior position taken -by Bragelonne, and especially by his influence over De Guiche. De Wardes -had that keen and merciless penetration most evil natures possess; he -had immediately remarked De Guiche's melancholy, and divined the nature -of his regard for the princess. Instead, however, of treating the -subject with the same reserve which Raoul practiced; instead of -regarding with that respect, which was their due, the obligations -and duties of society, De Wardes resolutely attacked in the count the -ever-sounding chord of juvenile audacity and pride. It happened one -evening, during a halt at Mantes, that while De Guiche and De Wardes -were leaning against a barrier, engaged in conversation, Buckingham and -Raoul were also talking together as they walked up and down. Manicamp -was engaged in devoted attendance on the princess, who already treated -him without reserve, on account of his versatile fancy, his frank -courtesy of manner, and conciliatory disposition. - -"Confess," said De Wardes, "that you are really ill, and that your -pedagogue of a friend has not succeeded in curing you." - -"I do not understand you," said the count. - -"And yet it is easy enough; you are dying of love." - -"You are mad, De Wardes." - -"Madness it would be, I admit, if Madame were really indifferent to your -martyrdom; but she takes so much notice of it, observes it to such an -extent, that she compromises herself, and I tremble lest, on our arrival -at Paris, M. de Bragelonne may not denounce both of you." - -"For shame, De Wardes, again attacking De Bragelonne." - -"Come, come, a truce to child's play," replied the count's evil genius, -in an undertone; "you know as well as I do what I mean. Besides, you -must have observed how the princess's glance softens as she looks at -you;--you can tell, by the very inflection of her voice, what pleasure -she takes in listening to you, and can feel how thoroughly she -appreciates the verses you recite to her. You cannot deny, too, that -every morning she tells you how indifferently she slept the previous -night." - -"True, De Wardes, quite true; but what good is there in your telling me -all that?" - -"Is it not important to know the exact position of affairs?" - -"No, no; not when I am a witness of things that are enough to drive one -mad." - -"Stay, stay," said De Wardes; "look, she calls you,--do you understand? -Profit by the occasion, while your pedagogue is absent." - -De Guiche could not resist; an invincible attraction drew him towards -the princess. De Wardes smiled as he saw him withdraw. - -"You are mistaken, monsieur," said Raoul, suddenly stepping across -the barrier against which the previous moment the two friends had been -leaning. "The pedagogue is here, and has overheard you." - -De Wardes, at the sound of Raoul's voice, which he recognized without -having occasion to look at him, half drew his sword. - -"Put up your sword," said Raoul; "you know perfectly well that, until -our journey is at an end, every demonstration of that nature is useless. -Why do you distill into the heart of the man you term your friend all -the bitterness that infects your own? As regards myself, you wish to -arouse a feeling of deep dislike against a man of honor--my father's -friend and my own; and as for the count you wish him to love one who -is destined for your master. Really, monsieur, I should regard you as -a coward, and a traitor too, if I did not, with greater justice, regard -you as a madman." - -"Monsieur," exclaimed De Wardes, exasperated, "I was deceived, I find, -in terming you a pedagogue. The tone you assume, and the style which -is peculiarly your own, is that of a Jesuit, and not of a gentleman. -Discontinue, I beg, whenever I am present, this style I complain of, and -the tone also. I hate M. d'Artagnan, because he was guilty of a cowardly -act towards my father." - -"You lie, monsieur," said Raoul, coolly. - -"You give me the lie, monsieur?" exclaimed De Wardes. - -"Why not, if what you assert is untrue?" - -"You give me the lie, and will not draw your sword?" - -"I have resolved, monsieur, not to kill you until Madame shall have been -delivered safely into her husband's hands." - -"Kill me! Believe me, monsieur, your schoolmaster's rod does not kill so -easily." - -"No," replied Raoul, sternly, "but M. d'Artagnan's sword kills; and, not -only do I possess his sword, but he has himself taught me how to use it; -and with that sword, when a befitting time arrives, I will avenge his -name--a name you have dishonored." - -"Take care, monsieur," exclaimed De Wardes; "if you do not immediately -give me satisfaction, I will avail myself of every means to revenge -myself." - -"Indeed, monsieur," said Buckingham, suddenly, appearing upon the -scene of action, "that is a threat which savors of assassination, and -therefore, ill becomes a gentleman." - -"What did you say, my lord?" said De Wardes, turning round towards him. - -"I said, monsieur, that the words you have just spoken are displeasing -to my English ears." - -"Very well, monsieur, if what you say is true," exclaimed De Wardes, -thoroughly incensed, "I at least find in you one who will not escape me. -Understand my words as you like." - -"I take them in the manner they cannot but be understood," replied -Buckingham, with that haughty tone which characterized him, and which, -even in ordinary conversation, gave a tone of defiance to everything he -said; "M. de Bragelonne is my friend, you insult M. de Bragelonne, and -you shall give me satisfaction for that insult." - -De Wardes cast a look upon De Bragelonne, who, faithful to the character -he had assumed, remained calm and unmoved, even after the duke's -defiance. - -"It would seem that I did not insult M. de Bragelonne, since M. de -Bragelonne, who carries a sword by his side, does not consider himself -insulted." - -"At all events you insult someone." - -"Yes, I insulted M. d'Artagnan," resumed De Wardes, who had observed -that this was the only means of stinging Raoul, so as to awaken his -anger. - -"That, then," said Buckingham, "is another matter." - -"Precisely so," said De Wardes; "it is the province of M. d'Artagnan's -friends to defend him." - -"I am entirely of your opinion," replied the duke, who had regained all -his indifference of manner; "if M. de Bragelonne were offended, I could -not reasonably be expected to espouse his quarrel, since he is himself -here; but when you say that it is a quarrel of M. d'Artagnan--" - -"You will of course leave me to deal with the matter," said De Wardes. - -"Nay, on the contrary, for I draw my sword," said Buckingham, -unsheathing it as he spoke; "for if M. d'Artagnan injured your father, -he rendered, or at least did all that he could to render, a great -service to mine." - -De Wardes was thunderstruck. - -"M. d'Artagnan," continued Buckingham, "is the bravest gentleman I know. -I shall be delighted, as I owe him many personal obligations, to settle -them with you, by crossing my sword with yours." At the same moment -Buckingham drew his sword from its scabbard, saluted Raoul, and put -himself on guard. - -De Wardes advanced a step to meet him. - -"Stay, gentlemen," said Raoul, advancing towards them, and placing his -own drawn sword between the combatants, "the affair is hardly worth the -trouble of blood being shed almost in the presence of the princess. -M. de Wardes speaks ill of M. d'Artagnan, with whom he is not even -acquainted." - -"What, monsieur," said De Wardes, setting his teeth hard together, and -resting the point of his sword on the toe of his boot, "do you assert -that I do not know M. d'Artagnan?" - -"Certainly not; you do not know him," replied Raoul, coldly, "and you -are even not aware where he is to be found." - -"Not know where he is?" - -"Such must be the case, since you fix your quarrel with him upon -strangers, instead of seeking M. d'Artagnan where he is to be found." De -Wardes turned pale. "Well, monsieur," continued Raoul, "I will tell you -where M. d'Artagnan is: he is now in Paris; when on duty he is to be -met with at the Louvre,--when not on duty, in the Rue des Lombards. -M. d'Artagnan can easily be discovered at either of those two places. -Having, therefore, as you assert, so many causes of complaint against -him, show your courage in seeking him out, and afford him an opportunity -of giving you that satisfaction you seem to ask of every one but of -himself." De Wardes passed his hand across his forehead, which was -covered with perspiration. "For shame, M. de Wardes! so quarrelsome -a disposition is hardly becoming after the publication of the edicts -against duels. Pray think of that; the king will be incensed at our -disobedience, particularly at such a time,--and his majesty will be in -the right." - -"Excuses," murmured De Wardes; "mere pretexts." - -"Really, M. De Wardes," resumed Raoul, "such remarks are the idlest -bluster. You know very well that the Duke of Buckingham is a man of -undoubted courage, who has already fought ten duels, and will probably -fight eleven. His name alone is significant enough. As far as I am -concerned, you are well aware that I can fight also. I fought at Lens, -at Bleneau, at the Dunes in front of the artillery, a hundred paces in -front of the line, while you--I say this parenthetically--were a hundred -paces behind it. True it is, that on that occasion there was far too -great a concourse of persons present for your courage to be observed, -and on that account perhaps you did not reveal it; while here, it would -be a display, and would excite remark--you wish that others should talk -about you, in what manner you do not care. Do not depend upon me, M. de -Wardes to assist you in your designs, for I shall certainly not afford -you that pleasure." - -"Sensibly observed," said Buckingham, putting up his sword, "and I ask -your forgiveness, M. de Bragelonne, for having allowed myself to yield -to a first impulse." - -De Wardes, however, on the contrary, perfectly furious, bounded forward -and raised his sword, threateningly, against Raoul, who had scarcely -enough time to put himself in a posture of defense. - -"Take care, monsieur," said Bragelonne, tranquilly, "or you will put out -one of my eyes." - -"You will not fight, then?" said De Wardes. - -"Not at this moment; but this I promise to do; immediately on our -arrival at Paris I will conduct you to M. d'Artagnan, to whom you shall -detail all the causes of complaint you have against him. M d'Artagnan -will solicit the king's permission to measure swords with you. The -king will yield his consent, and when you shall have received the -sword-thrust in due course, you will consider, in a calmer frame -of mind, the precepts of the Gospel, which enjoin forgetfulness of -injuries." - -"Ah!" exclaimed De Wardes, furious at this imperturbable coolness, "one -can clearly see you are half a bastard, M. de Bragelonne." - -Raoul became as pale as death; his eyes flashed lightning, causing De -Wardes involuntarily to fall back. Buckingham, also, who had perceived -their expression, threw himself between the two adversaries, whom he -had expected to see precipitate themselves on each other. De Wardes had -reserved this injury for the last; he clasped his sword firmly in his -hand, and awaited the encounter. "You are right, monsieur," said Raoul, -mastering his emotion, "I am only acquainted with my father's name; but -I know too well that the Comte de la Fere is too upright and honorable -a man to allow me to fear for a single moment that there is, as you -insinuate, any stain upon my birth. My ignorance, therefore, of my -mother's name is a misfortune for me, and not a reproach. You are -deficient in loyalty of conduct; you are wanting in courtesy, in -reproaching me with misfortune. It matters little, however, the insult -has been given, and I consider myself insulted accordingly. It is quite -understood, then, that after you shall have received satisfaction from -M. d'Artagnan, you will settle your quarrel with me." - -"I admire your prudence, monsieur," replied De Wardes with a bitter -smile; "a little while ago you promised me a sword-thrust from M. -d'Artagnan, and now, after I shall have received his, you offer me one -from yourself." - -"Do not disturb yourself," replied Raoul, with concentrated anger; "in -all affairs of that nature, M. d'Artagnan is exceedingly skillful, and -I will beg him as a favor to treat you as he did your father; in other -words, to spare your life at least, so as to leave me the pleasure, -after your recovery, of killing you outright; for you have the heart of -a viper, M. de Wardes, and in very truth, too many precautions cannot be -taken against you." - -"I shall take my precautions against you," said De Wardes, "be assured -of it." - -"Allow me, monsieur," said Buckingham, "to translate your remark by a -piece of advice I am about to give M. de Bragelonne; M. de Bragelonne, -wear a cuirass." - -De Wardes clenched his hands. "Ah!" said he, "you two gentlemen intend -to wait until you have taken that precaution before you measure your -swords against mine." - -"Very well, monsieur," said Raoul, "since you positively will have it -so, let us settle the affair now." And, drawing his sword, he advanced -towards De Wardes. - -"What are you going to do?" said Buckingham. - -"Be easy," said Raoul, "it will not be very long." - -De Wardes placed himself on his guard; their swords crossed. De Wardes -flew upon Raoul with such impetuosity, that at the first clashing of the -steel blades Buckingham clearly saw that Raoul was only trifling with -his adversary. Buckingham stepped aside, and watched the combat. Raoul -was as calm as if he were handling a foil instead of a sword; having -retreated a step, he parried three or four fierce thrusts which De -Wardes made at him, caught the sword of the latter with within his own, -and sent it flying twenty paces the other side of the barrier. Then as -De Wardes stood disarmed and astounded at his defeat, Raoul sheathed -his sword, seized him by the collar and the waist band, and hurled his -adversary to the other end of the barrier, trembling, and mad with rage. - -"We shall meet again," murmured De Wardes, rising from the ground and -picking up his sword. - -"I have done nothing for the last hour," said Raoul, rising from the -ground, "but say the same thing." Then, turning towards the duke, he -said, "I entreat you to be silent about this affair; I am ashamed -to have gone so far, but my anger carried me away, and I ask your -forgiveness for it;--forget it, too." - -"Dear viscount," said the duke, pressing with his own the vigorous and -valiant hand of his companion, "allow me, on the contrary, to remember -it, and to look after your safety; that man is dangerous,--he will kill -you." - -"My father," replied Raoul, "lived for twenty years under the menace of -a much more formidable enemy, and he still lives." - -"Your father had good friends, viscount." - -"Yes," sighed Raoul, "such friends, indeed, that none are now left like -them." - -"Do not say that, I beg, at the very moment I offer you my friendship;" -and Buckingham opened his arms to embrace Raoul, who delightedly -received the proffered alliance. "In my family," added Buckingham, "you -are aware, M. de Bragelonne, we die to save our friends." - -"I know it well, duke," replied Raoul. - - - -Chapter XIII. An Account of what the Chevalier de Lorraine Thought of -Madame. - -Nothing further interrupted the journey. Under a pretext that was little -remarked, M. de Wardes went forward in advance of the others. He took -Manicamp with him, for his equable and dreamy disposition acted as a -counterpoise to his own. It is a subject of remark, that quarrelsome -and restless characters invariably seek the companionship of gentle, -timorous dispositions, as if the former sought, in the contrast, a -repose for their own ill-humor, and the latter a protection for their -weakness. Buckingham and Bragelonne, admitting De Guiche into their -friendship, in concert with him, sang the praises of the princess during -the whole of the journey. Bragelonne, had, however, insisted that their -three voices should be in concert, instead of singing in solo parts, -as De Guiche and his rival seemed to have acquired a dangerous habit of -doing. This style of harmony pleased the queen-mother exceedingly, -but it was not perhaps so agreeable to the young princess, who was an -incarnation of coquetry, and who, without any fear as far as her -own voice was concerned, sought opportunities of so perilously -distinguishing herself. She possessed one of those fearless and -incautious dispositions that find gratification in an excess of -sensitiveness of feeling, and for whom, also, danger has a certain -fascination. And so her glances, her smiles, her toilette, an -inexhaustible armory of weapons of offense, were showered on the three -young men with overwhelming force; and, from her well-stored arsenal -issued glances, kindly recognitions, and a thousand other little -charming attentions which were intended to strike at long range the -gentlemen who formed the escort, the townspeople, the officers of the -different cities she passed through, pages, populace, and servants; -it was wholesale slaughter, a general devastation. By the time Madame -arrived at Paris, she had reduced to slavery about a hundred thousand -lovers: and brought in her train to Paris half a dozen men who were -almost mad about her, and two who were, indeed, literally out of their -minds. Raoul was the only person who divined the power of this woman's -attraction, and as his heart was already engaged, he arrived in the -capital full of indifference and distrust. Occasionally during the -journey he conversed with the queen of England respecting the power -of fascination which Madame possessed, and the mother, whom so many -misfortunes and deceptions had taught experience, replied: "Henrietta -was sure to be illustrious in one way or another, whether born in a -palace or born in obscurity; for she is a woman of great imagination, -capricious and self-willed." De Wardes and Manicamp, in their -self-assumed character of courtiers, had announced the princess's -arrival. The procession was met at Nanterre by a brilliant escort -of cavaliers and carriages. It was Monsieur himself, followed by the -Chevalier de Lorraine and by his favorites, the latter being themselves -followed by a portion of the king's military household, who had arrived -to meet his affianced bride. At St. Germain, the princess and her mother -had changed their heavy traveling carriage, somewhat impaired by the -journey, for a light, richly decorated chariot drawn by six horses with -white and gold harness. Seated in this open carriage, as though upon -a throne, and beneath a parasol of embroidered silk, fringed with -feathers, sat the young and lovely princess, on whose beaming face were -reflected the softened rose-tints which suited her delicate skin to -perfection. Monsieur, on reaching the carriage, was struck by her -beauty; he showed his admiration in so marked a manner that the -Chevalier de Lorraine shrugged his shoulders as he listened to his -compliments, while Buckingham and De Guiche were almost heart-broken. -After the usual courtesies had been rendered, and the ceremony -completed, the procession slowly resumed the road to Paris. The -presentations had been carelessly made, and Buckingham, with the rest of -the English gentlemen, had been introduced to Monsieur, from whom they -had received but very indifferent attention. But, during their progress, -as he observed that the duke devoted himself with his accustomed -eagerness to the carriage-door, he asked the Chevalier de Lorraine, his -inseparable companion, "Who is that cavalier?" - -"He was presented to your highness a short while ago; it is the handsome -Duke of Buckingham." - -"Ah, yes, I remember." - -"Madame's knight," added the favorite, with an inflection of the voice -which envious minds can alone give to the simplest phrases. - -"What do you say?" replied the prince. - -"I said 'Madame's knight'." - -"Has she a recognized knight, then?" - -"One would think you can judge of that for yourself; look, only, how -they are laughing and flirting. All three of them." - -"What do you mean by _all three?_" - -"Do you not see that De Guiche is one of the party?" - -"Yes, I see. But what does that prove?" - -"That Madame has two admirers instead of one." - -"You poison the simplest thing!" - -"I poison nothing. Ah! your royal highness's mind is perverted. The -honors of the kingdom of France are being paid to your wife and you are -not satisfied." - -The Duke of Orleans dreaded the satirical humor of the Chevalier de -Lorraine whenever it reached a certain degree of bitterness, and he -changed the conversation abruptly. "The princess is pretty," said he, -very negligently, as if he were speaking of a stranger. - -"Yes," replied the chevalier, in the same tone. - -"You say 'yes' like a 'no'. She has very beautiful black eyes." - -"Yes, but small." - -"That is so, but they are brilliant. She is tall, and of a good figure." - -"I fancy she stoops a little, my lord." - -"I do not deny it. She has a noble appearance." - -"Yes, but her face is thin." - -"I thought her teeth beautiful." - -"They can easily be seen, for her mouth is large enough. Decidedly, I -was wrong, my lord; you are certainly handsomer than your wife." - -"But do you think me as handsome as Buckingham?" - -"Certainly, and he thinks so, too; for look, my lord, he is redoubling -his attentions to Madame to prevent your effacing the impression he has -made." - -Monsieur made a movement of impatience, but as he noticed a smile of -triumph pass across the chevalier's lips, he drew up his horse to a -foot-pace. "Why," said he, "should I occupy myself any longer about my -cousin? Do I not already know her? Were we not brought up together? Did -I not see her at the Louvre when she was quite a child?" - -"A great change has taken place in her since then, prince. At the period -you allude to, she was somewhat less brilliant, and scarcely so proud, -either. One evening, particularly, you may remember, my lord, the -king refused to dance with her, because he thought her plain and badly -dressed!" - -These words made the Duke of Orleans frown. It was by no means -flattering for him to marry a princess of whom, when young, the king had -not thought much. He would probably have retorted, but at this moment -De Guiche quitted the carriage to join the prince. He had remarked the -prince and the chevalier together, and full of anxious attention he -seemed to try and guess the nature of the remarks which they had just -exchanged. The chevalier, whether he had some treacherous object in -view, or from imprudence, did not take the trouble to dissimulate. -"Count," he said, "you're a man of excellent taste." - -"Thank you for the compliment," replied De Guiche; "but why do you say -that?" - -"Well I appeal to his highness." - -"No doubt of it," said Monsieur; "and Guiche knows perfectly well that I -regard him as a most finished cavalier." - -"Well, since that is decided, I resume. You have been in the princess's -society, count, for the last eight days, have you not?" - -"Yes," replied De Guiche, coloring in spite of himself. - -"Well then, tell us frankly, what do you think of her personal -appearance?" - -"Of her personal appearance?" returned De Guiche, stupefied. - -"Yes; of her appearance, of her mind, of herself, in fact." - -Astounded by this question, De Guiche hesitated answering. - -"Come, come, De Guiche," resumed the chevalier, laughingly, "tell us -your opinion frankly; the prince commands it." - -"Yes, yes," said the prince, "be frank." - -De Guiche stammered out a few unintelligible words. - -"I am perfectly well aware," returned Monsieur, "that the subject is a -delicate one, but you know you can tell me everything. What do you think -of her?" - -In order to avoid betraying his real thoughts, De Guiche had recourse -to the only defense which a man taken by surprise really has, and -accordingly told an untruth. "I do not find Madame," he said, "either -good or bad looking, yet rather good than bad looking." - -"What! count," exclaimed the chevalier, "you who went into such -ecstasies and uttered so many exclamations at the sight of her -portrait." - -De Guiche colored violently. Very fortunately, his horse, which -was slightly restive, enabled him by a sudden plunge to conceal his -agitation. "What portrait?" he murmured, joining them again. The -chevalier had not taken his eyes off him. - -"Yes, the portrait. Was not the miniature a good likeness?" - -"I do not remember. I had forgotten the portrait; it quite escaped my -recollection." - -"And yet it made a very marked impression upon you," said the chevalier. - -"That is not unlikely." - -"Is she witty, at all events?" inquired the duke. - -"I believe so, my lord." - -"Is M. de Buckingham witty, too?" said the chevalier. - -"I do not know." - -"My own opinion is that he must be," replied the chevalier, "for he -makes Madame laugh, and she seems to take no little pleasure in his -society, which never happens to a clever woman when in the company of a -simpleton." - -"Of course, then, he must be clever," said De Guiche, simply. - -At this moment Raoul opportunely arrived, seeing how De Guiche was -pressed by his dangerous questioner, to whom he addressed a remark, and -in that way changed the conversation. The _entree_ was brilliant and -joyous. - -The king, in honor of his brother, had directed that the festivities -should be on a scale of the greatest possible magnificence. Madame and -her mother alighted at the Louvre, where, during their exile they had -so gloomily submitted to obscurity, misery, and privations of every -description. That palace, which had been so inhospitable a residence -for the unhappy daughter of Henry IV., the naked walls, the uneven -floorings, the ceilings matted with cobwebs, the vast dilapidated -chimney-places, the cold hearths on which the charity extended to them -by parliament hardly permitted a fire to glow, was completely altered -in appearance. The richest hangings and the thickest carpets, glistening -flagstones, and pictures, with their richly gilded frames; in every -direction could be seen candelabra, mirrors, and furniture and fittings -of the most sumptuous character; in every direction, also, were guards -of the proudest military bearing, with floating plumes, crowds of -attendants and courtiers in the ante-chambers and upon the staircases. -In the courtyards, where the grass had formerly been allowed to -luxuriate, as if the ungrateful Mazarin had thought it a good idea to -let the Parisians perceive the solitude and disorder were, with misery -and despair, the fit accompaniments of fallen monarchy; the immense -courtyards, formerly silent and desolate, were now thronged with -courtiers whose horses were pacing and prancing to and fro. The -carriages were filled with young and beautiful women, who awaited the -opportunity of saluting, as she passed, the daughter of that daughter of -France who, during her widowhood and exile, had sometimes gone without -wood for her fire, and bread for her table, whom the meanest attendant -at the chateau had treated with indifference and contempt. And so, the -Madame Henriette once more returned to the Louvre, with her heart more -swollen with bitter recollections than her daughter's, whose disposition -was fickle and forgetful, with triumph and delight. She knew but too -well this brilliant reception was paid to the happy mother of a king -restored to his throne, a throne second to none in Europe, while the -worse than indifferent reception she had before met with was paid -to her, the daughter of Henry IV., as a punishment for having been -unfortunate. After the princess had been installed in their apartments -and had rested, the gentlemen who had formed their escort, having, in -like manner, recovered from their fatigue, they resumed their accustomed -habits and occupations. Raoul began by setting off to see his father, -who had left for Blois. He then tried to see M. d'Artagnan, who, -however, being engaged in the organization of a military household for -the king, could not be found anywhere. Bragelonne next sought out De -Guiche, but the count was occupied in a long conference with his tailors -and with Manicamp, which consumed his whole time. With the Duke of -Buckingham he fared still worse, for the duke was purchasing horses -after horses, diamonds upon diamonds. He monopolized every embroiderer, -jeweler, and tailor that Paris could boast of. Between De Guiche and -himself a vigorous contest ensued, invariably a courteous one, in which, -in order to insure success, the duke was ready to spend a million; while -the Marechal de Gramont had only allowed his son sixty thousand francs. -So Buckingham laughed and spent his money. Guiche groaned in despair, -and would have shown it more violently, had it not been for the advice -De Bragelonne gave him. - -"A million!" repeated De Guiche daily; "I must submit. Why will not the -marechal advance me a portion of my patrimony?" - -"Because you would throw it away," said Raoul. - -"What can that matter to him? If I am to die of it, I shall die of it, -and then I shall need nothing further." - -"But what need is there to die?" said Raoul. - -"I do not wish to be conquered in elegance by an Englishman." - -"My dear count," said Manicamp, "elegance is not a costly commodity, it -is only a very difficult accomplishment." - -"Yes, but difficult things cost a good deal of money, and I have only -got sixty thousand francs." - -"A very embarrassing state of things, truly," said De Wardes; "even if -you spent as much as Buckingham, there is only nine hundred and forty -thousand francs difference." - -"Where am I to find them?" - -"Get into debt." - -"I am in debt already." - -"A greater reason for getting further." - -Advice like this resulted in De Guiche becoming excited to such an -extent that he committed extravagances where Buckingham only incurred -expenses. The rumor of this extravagant profuseness delighted the -hearts of all the shopkeepers in Paris; from the hotel of the Duke of -Buckingham to that of the Comte de Gramont nothing but miracles was -attempted. While all this was going on, Madame was resting herself, and -Bragelonne was engaged in writing to Mademoiselle de la Valliere. He had -already dispatched four letters, and not an answer to any one of them -had been received, when, on the very morning fixed for the marriage -ceremony, which was to take place in the chapel at the Palais Royal, -Raoul, who was dressing, heard his valet announce M. de Malicorne. "What -can this Malicorne want with me?" thought Raoul; and then said to his -valet, "Let him wait." - -"It is a gentleman from Blois," said the valet. - -"Admit him at once," said Raoul, eagerly. - -Malicorne entered as brilliant as a star, and wearing a superb sword at -his side. After having saluted Raoul most gracefully, he said: "M. de -Bragelonne, I am the bearer of a thousand compliments from a lady to -you." - -Raoul colored. "From a lady," said he, "from a lady of Blois?" - -"Yes, monsieur; from Mademoiselle de Montalais." - -"Thank you, monsieur; I recollect you now," said Raoul. "And what does -Mademoiselle de Montalais require of me." - -Malicorne drew four letters from his pocket, which he offered to Raoul. - -"My own letters, is it possible?" he said, turning pale; "my letters, -and the seals unbroken?" - -"Monsieur, your letters did not find at Blois the person to whom they -were addressed, and so they are now returned to you." - -"Mademoiselle de la Valliere has left Blois, then?" exclaimed Raoul. - -"Eight days ago." - -"Where is she, then?" - -"In Paris." - -"How is it known that these letters were from me?" - -"Mademoiselle de Montalais recognized your handwriting and your seal," -said Malicorne. - -Raoul colored and smiled. "Mademoiselle de Montalais is exceedingly -amiable," he said; "she is always kind and charming." - -"Always, monsieur." - -"Surely she could have given me some precise information about -Mademoiselle de la Valliere. I never could find her in this immense -city." - -Malicorne drew another packet from his pocket. "You may possibly find in -this letter what you are anxious to learn." - -Raoul hurriedly broke the seal. The writing was that of Mademoiselle -Aure, and inclosed were these words:--"Paris, Palais Royal. The day of -the nuptial blessing." - -"What does this mean?" inquired Raoul of Malicorne; "you probably know?" - -"I do, monsieur." - -"For pity's sake, tell me, then." - -"Impossible, monsieur." - -"Why so?" - -"Because Mademoiselle Aure has forbidden me to do so." - -Raoul looked at his strange visitor, and remained silent;--"At least, -tell me whether it is fortunate or unfortunate." - -"That you will see." - -"You are very severe in your reservations." - -"Will you grant me one favor, monsieur?" said Malicorne. - -"In exchange for that you refuse me?" - -"Precisely." - -"What is it?" - -"I have the greatest desire to see the ceremony, and I have no ticket -to admit me, in spite of all the steps I have taken to secure one. Could -you get me admitted?" - -"Certainly." - -"Do me this kindness, then, I entreat." - -"Most willingly, monsieur; come with me." - -"I am exceedingly indebted to you, monsieur," said Malicorne. - -"I thought you were a friend of M. de Manicamp." - -"I am, monsieur; but this morning I was with him as he was dressing, and -I let a bottle of blacking fall over his new dress, and he flew at me -sword in hand, so that I was obliged to make my escape. That is the -reason I could not ask him for a ticket. He wanted to kill me." - -"I can well believe it," laughed Raoul. "I know Manicamp is capable of -killing a man who has been unfortunate enough to commit the crime you -have to reproach yourself with, but I will repair the mischief as far as -you are concerned. I will but fasten my cloak, and shall then be ready -to serve you, not only as a guide, but as your introducer, too." - - - -Chapter XIV. A Surprise for Raoul. - -Madame's marriage was celebrated in the chapel of the Palais Royal, in -the presence of a crowd of courtiers, who had been most scrupulously -selected. However, notwithstanding the marked favor which an invitation -indicated, Raoul, faithful to his promise to Malicorne, who was so -anxious to witness the ceremony, obtained admission for him. After he -had fulfilled this engagement, Raoul approached De Guiche, who, as if -in contrast with his magnificent costume, exhibited a countenance so -utterly dejected, that the Duke of Buckingham was the only one present -who could contend with him as far as pallor and discomfiture were -concerned. - -"Take care, count," said Raoul, approaching his friend, and preparing to -support him at the moment the archbishop blessed the married couple. In -fact, the Prince of Conde was attentively scrutinizing these two images -of desolation, standing like caryatides on either side of the nave -of the church. The count, after that, kept a more careful watch over -himself. - -At the termination of the ceremony, the king and queen passed onward -towards the grand reception-room, where Madame and her suite were to be -presented to them. It was remarked that the king, who had seemed more -than surprised at his sister-in-law's appearance, was most flattering -in his compliments to her. Again, it was remarked that the queen-mother, -fixing a long and thoughtful gaze upon Buckingham, leaned towards -Madame de Motteville as though to ask her, "Do you not see how much he -resembles his father?" and finally it was remarked that Monsieur watched -everybody, and seemed quite discontented. After the reception of the -princess and ambassadors, Monsieur solicited the king's permission to -present to him as well as to Madame the persons belonging to their new -household. - -"Are you aware, vicomte," inquired the Prince de Conde of Raoul, -"whether the household has been selected by a person of taste, and -whether there are any faces worth looking at?" - -"I have not the slightest idea, monseigneur," replied Raoul. - -"You affect ignorance, surely." - -"In what way, monseigneur?" - -"You are a friend of De Guiche, who is one of the friends of the -prince." - -"That may be so, monseigneur; but the matter having no interest whatever -for me, I have never questioned De Guiche on the subject; and De Guiche, -on his part, never having been questioned, did not communicate any -particulars to me." - -"But Manicamp?" - -"It is true I saw Manicamp at Le Havre, and during the journey here, but -I was no more inquisitive with him than I had been towards De Guiche. -Besides, is it likely that Manicamp should know anything of such -matters? for he is a person of only secondary importance." - -"My dear vicomte, do you not know better than that?" said the prince; -"why, it is these persons of secondary importance, who, on such -occasions, have all the influence; and the truth is, that nearly -everything has been done through Manicamp's presentations to De Guiche, -and through De Guiche to Monsieur." - -"I assure you, monseigneur, I was ignorant of that," said Raoul, "and -what your highness does me the honor to impart is perfectly new to me." - -"I will most readily believe you, although it seems incredible; besides -we shall not have long to wait. See, the flying squadron is advancing, -as good Queen Catherine used to say. Ah! ah! what pretty faces!" - -A bevy of young girls at this moment entered the _salon_, conducted by -Madame de Navailles, and to Manicamp's credit be it said, if indeed -he had taken that part in their selection which the Prince de Conde -assigned him, it was a display calculated to dazzle those who, like the -prince, could appreciate every character and style of beauty. A young, -fair-complexioned girl, from twenty to one-and-twenty years of age, and -whose large blue eyes flashed, as she opened them, in the most dazzling -manner, walked at the head of the band and was the first presented. - -"Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente," said Madame de Navailles to Monsieur, -who, as he saluted his wife, repeated "Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente." - -"Ah! ah!" said the Prince de Conde to Raoul, "she is presentable -enough." - -"Yes," said Raoul, "but has she not a somewhat haughty style?" - -"Bah! we know these airs very well, vicomte; three months hence she will -be tame enough. But look, there, indeed, is a pretty face." - -"Yes," said Raoul, "and one I am acquainted with." - -"Mademoiselle Aure de Montalais," said Madame de Navailles. The name and -Christian name were carefully repeated by Monsieur. - -"Great heavens!" exclaimed Raoul, fixing his bewildered gaze upon the -entrance doorway. - -"What's the matter?" inquired the prince; "was it Mademoiselle Aure de -Montalais who made you utter such a 'Great heavens'?" - -"No, monseigneur, no," replied Raoul, pale and trembling. - -"Well, then, if it be not Mademoiselle Aure de Montalais, it is that -pretty _blonde_ who follows her. What beautiful eyes! She is rather -thin, but has fascinations without number." - -"Mademoiselle de la Baume le Blanc de la Valliere!" said Madame de -Navailles; and, as this name resounded through his whole being, a cloud -seemed to rise from his breast to his eyes, so that he neither saw nor -heard anything more; and the prince, finding him nothing more than a -mere echo which remained silent under his railleries, moved forward to -inspect somewhat closer the beautiful girls whom his first glance had -already particularized. - -"Louise here! Louise a maid of honor to Madame!" murmured Raoul, and his -eyes, which did not suffice to satisfy his reason, wandered from Louise -to Montalais. The latter had already emancipated herself from her -assumed timidity, which she only needed for the presentation and for her -reverences. - -Mademoiselle de Montalais, from the corner of the room to which she had -retired, was looking with no slight confidence at the different persons -present; and, having discovered Raoul, she amused herself with the -profound astonishment which her own and her friend's presence there -caused the unhappy lover. Her waggish and malicious look, which Raoul -tried to avoid meeting, and which yet he sought inquiringly from time -to time, placed him on the rack. As for Louise, whether from natural -timidity, or some other reason for which Raoul could not account, she -kept her eyes constantly cast down; intimidated, dazzled, and with -impeded respiration, she withdrew herself as much as possible aside, -unaffected even by the nudges Montalais gave her with her elbow. The -whole scene was a perfect enigma for Raoul, the key to which he would -have given anything to obtain. But no one was there who could assist -him, not even Malicorne; who, a little uneasy at finding himself in the -presence of so many persons of good birth, and not a little discouraged -by Montalais's bantering glances, had described a circle, and by degrees -succeeded in getting a few paces from the prince, behind the group of -maids of honor, and nearly within reach of Mademoiselle Aure's voice, -she being the planet around which he, as her attendant satellite, seemed -constrained to gravitate. As he recovered his self-possession, Raoul -fancied he recognized voices on his right hand side that were familiar -to him, and he perceived De Wardes, De Guiche, and the Chevalier de -Lorraine conversing together. It is true they were talking in tones so -low, that the sound of their words could hardly be heard in the vast -apartment. To speak in that manner from any particular place without -bending down, or turning round, or looking at the person with whom one -may be engaged in conversation, is a talent that cannot be immediately -acquired by newcomers. Long study is needed for such conversations, -which, without a look, gesture, or movement of the head, seem like the -conversation of a group of statues. In fact, the king's and queen's -grand assemblies, while their majesties were speaking, and while every -one present seemed to be listening in the midst of the most profound -silence, some of these noiseless conversations took place, in which -adulation was not the prevailing feature. But Raoul was one among others -exceedingly clever in this art, so much a matter of etiquette, that from -the movement of the lips, he was often able to guess the sense of the -words. - -"Who is that Montalais?" inquired De Wardes, "and that La Valliere? What -country-town have we had sent here?" - -"Montalais?" said the chevalier,--"oh, I know her; she is a good sort of -girl, whom we shall find amusing enough. La Valliere is a charming girl, -slightly lame." - -"Ah! bah!" said De Wardes. - -"Do not be absurd, De Wardes, there are some very characteristic and -ingenious Latin axioms about lame ladies." - -"Gentlemen, gentlemen," said De Guiche, looking at Raoul with -uneasiness, "be a little careful, I entreat you." - -But the uneasiness of the count, in appearance at least, was not needed. -Raoul had preserved the firmest and most indifferent countenance, -although he had not lost a word that passed. He seemed to keep an -account of the insolence and license of the two speakers in order to -settle matters with them at the earliest opportunity. - -De Wardes seemed to guess what was passing in his mind, and continued: - -"Who are these young ladies' lovers?" - -"Montalais's lover?" said the chevalier. - -"Yes, Montalais first." - -"You, I, or De Guiche,--whoever likes, in fact." - -"And the other?" - -"Mademoiselle de la Valliere?" - -"Yes." - -"Take care, gentlemen," exclaimed De Guiche, anxious to put a stop to -the chevalier's reply; "take care, Madame is listening to us." - -Raoul had thrust his hand up to the wrist into his _justaucorps_ in -great agitation. But the very malignity which he saw was excited against -these poor girls made him take a serious resolution. "Poor Louise," he -thought, "has come here only with an honorable object in view, and under -honorable protection; and I must learn what that object is which she -has in view, and who it is that protects her." And following Malicorne's -maneuver, he made his way toward the group of the maids of honor. The -presentations were soon over. The king, who had done nothing but look -at and admire Madame, shortly afterwards left the reception-room, -accompanied by the two queens. The Chevalier de Lorraine resumed his -place beside Monsieur, and, as he accompanied him, insinuated a few -drops of the venom he had collected during the last hour, while looking -at some of the faces in the court, and suspecting that some of their -hearts might be happy. A few of the persons present followed the king -as he quitted the apartment; but such of the courtiers as assumed an -independence of character, and professed a gallantry of disposition, -began to approach the ladies of the court. The prince paid his -compliments to Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente, Buckingham devoted -himself to Madame Chalais and Mademoiselle de Lafayette, whom Madame -already distinguished by her notice, and whom she held in high regard. -As for the Comte de Guiche, who had abandoned Monsieur as soon as he -could approach Madame alone, he conversed, with great animation, with -Madame de Valentinois, and with Mademoiselle de Crequy and de Chatillon. - -Amid these varied political, and amorous interests, Malicorne was -anxious to gain Montalais's attention; but the latter preferred talking -with Raoul, even if it were only to amuse herself with his innumerable -questions and his astonishment. Raoul had gone directly to Mademoiselle -de la Valliere, and had saluted her with the profoundest respect, at -which Louise blushed, and could not say a word. Montalais, however, -hurried to her assistance. - -"Well, monsieur le vicomte, here we are, you see." - -"I do, indeed, see you," said Raoul smiling, "and it is exactly because -you are here that I wish to ask for some explanation." - -Malicorne approached the group with his most fascinating smile. - -"Go away, Malicorne; really you are exceedingly indiscreet." At this -remark Malicorne bit his lips and retired a few steps, without making -any reply. His smile, however, changed its expression, and from its -former frankness, became mocking in its expression. - -"You wished for an explanation, M. Raoul?" inquired Montalais. - -"It is surely worth one, I think; Mademoiselle de la Valliere is a maid -of honor to Madame!" - -"Why should she not be a maid of honor, as well as myself?" inquired -Montalais. - -"Pray accept my compliments, young ladies," said Raoul, who fancied he -perceived they were not disposed to answer him in a direct manner. - -"Your remark was not made in a very complimentary manner, vicomte." - -"Mine?" - -"Certainly; I appeal to Louise." - -"M. de Bragelonne probably thinks the position is above my condition," -said Louise, hesitatingly. - -"Assuredly not," replied Raoul, eagerly, "you know very well that such -is not my feeling; were you called upon to occupy a queen's throne, I -should not be surprised; how much greater reason, then, such a position -as this? The only circumstance that amazes me is, that I should have -learned it only to-day, and that by the merest accident." - -"That is true," replied Montalais, with her usual giddiness; "you know -nothing about it, and there is no reason you should. M. de Bragelonne -had written several letters to you, but your mother was the only person -who remained behind at Blois, and it was necessary to prevent these -letters from falling into her hands; I intercepted them, and returned -them to M. Raoul, so that he believed you were still at Blois while you -were here in Paris, and had no idea whatever, indeed, how high you had -risen in rank." - -"Did you not inform M. Raoul, as I begged you to do?" - -"Why should I? to give him opportunity of making some of his severe -remarks and moral reflections, and to undo what we have had so much -trouble in effecting? Certainly not." - -"Am I so very severe, then?" said Raoul, inquiringly. - -"Besides," said Montalais, "it is sufficient to say that it suited me. -I was about setting off for Paris--you were away; Louise was weeping her -eyes out; interpret that as you please; I begged a friend, a protector -of mine, who had obtained the appointment for me, to solicit one for -Louise; the appointment arrived. Louise left in order to get her costume -prepared; as I had my own ready, I remained behind; I received your -letters, and returned them to you, adding a few words, promising you a -surprise. Your surprise is before you, monsieur, and seems to be a fair -one enough; you have nothing more to ask. Come, M. Malicorne, it is now -time to leave these young people together: they have many things to -talk about; give me your hand; I trust that you appreciate the honor -conferred upon you, M. Malicorne." - -"Forgive me," said Raoul, arresting the giddy girl, and giving to -his voice an intonation, the gravity of which contrasted with that of -Montalais; "forgive me, but may I inquire the name of the protector you -speak of; for if protection be extended towards you, Mademoiselle de -Montalais,--for which, indeed, so many reasons exist," added Raoul, -bowing, "I do not see that the same reasons exist why Mademoiselle de la -Valliere should be similarly cared for." - -"But, M. Raoul," said Louise, innocently, "there is no difference in the -matter, and I do not see why I should not tell it you myself; it was M. -Malicorne who obtained it for me." - -Raoul remained for a moment almost stupefied, asking himself if they -were trifling with him; he then turned round to interrogate Malicorne, -but he had been hurried away by Montalais, and was already at some -distance from them. Mademoiselle de la Valliere attempted to follow her -friend, but Raoul, with gentle authority, detained her. - -"Louise, one word, I beg." - -"But, M. Raoul," said Louise, blushing, "we are alone. Every one has -left. They will become anxious, and will be looking for us." - -"Fear nothing," said the young man, smiling, "we are neither of us of -sufficient importance for our absence to be remarked." - -"But I have my duty to perform, M. Raoul." - -"Do not be alarmed, I am acquainted with these usages of the court; you -will not be on duty until to-morrow; a few minutes are at your disposal, -which will enable you to give me the information I am about to have the -honor to ask you for." - -"How serious you are, M. Raoul!" said Louise. - -"Because the circumstances are serious. Are you listening?" - -"I am listening; I would only repeat, monsieur, that we are quite -alone." - -"You are right," said Raoul, and, offering her his hand, he led the -young girl into the gallery adjoining the reception-room, the windows -of which looked out upon the courtyard. Every one hurried towards the -middle window, which had a balcony outside, from which all the details -of the slow and formal preparations for departure could be seen. Raoul -opened one of the side windows, and then, being alone with Louise, said -to her: "You know, Louise, that from my childhood I have regarded you -as my sister, as one who has been the confidante of all my troubles, to -whom I have entrusted all my hopes." - -"Yes, M. Raoul," she answered softly; "yes, M. Raoul, I know that." - -"You used, on your side, to show the same friendship towards me, and had -the same confidence in me; why have you not, on this occasion, been my -friend,--why have you shown suspicion of me?" - -Mademoiselle de la Valliere did not answer. "I fondly thought you loved -me," said Raoul, whose voice became more and more agitated; "I fondly -thought you consented to all the plans we had, together, laid down for -our own happiness, at the time when we wandered up and down the walks of -Cour-Cheverny, under the avenue of poplar trees leading to Blois. You -do not answer me, Louise. Is it possible," he inquired, breathing with -difficulty, "that you no longer love me?" - -"I did not say so," replied Louise, softly. - -"Oh! tell me the truth, I implore you. All my hopes in life are centered -in you. I chose you for your gentle and simple tastes. Do not suffer -yourself to be dazzled, Louise, now that you are in the midst of a court -where all that is pure too soon becomes corrupt--where all that is young -too soon grows old. Louise, close your ears, so as not to hear what may -be said; shut your eyes, so as not to see the examples before you; shut -your lips, that you may not inhale the corrupting influences about -you. Without falsehood or subterfuge, Louise, am I to believe what -Mademoiselle de Montalais stated? Louise, did you come to Paris because -I was no longer at Blois?" - -La Valliere blushed and concealed her face in her hands. - -"Yes, it was so, then!" exclaimed Raoul, delightedly; "that was, then, -your reason for coming here. I love you as I never yet loved you. -Thanks, Louise, for this devotion; but measures must be taken to place -you beyond all insult, to shield you from every lure. Louise, a maid of -honor, in the court of a young princess in these days of free manners -and inconstant affections--a maid of honor is placed as an object of -attack without having any means of defence afforded her; this state of -things cannot continue; you must be married in order to be respected." - -"Married?" - -"Yes, here is my hand, Louise; will you place yours within it?" - -"But your father?" - -"My father leaves me perfectly free." - -"Yet--" - -"I understand your scruples, Louise; I will consult my father." - -"Reflect, M. Raoul; wait." - -"Wait! it is impossible. Reflect, Louise, when _you_ are concerned! it -would be insulting,--give me your hand, dear Louise; I am my own master. -My father will consent, I know; give me your hand, do not keep me -waiting thus. One word in answer, one word only; if not, I shall begin -to think that, in order to change you forever, nothing more was needed -than a single step in the palace, a single breath of favor, a smile from -the queen, a look from the king." - -Raoul had no sooner pronounced this latter word, than La Valliere became -as pale as death, no doubt from fear at seeing the young man excite -himself. With a movement as rapid as thought, she placed both her -hands in those of Raoul, and then fled, without adding a syllable; -disappearing without casting a look behind her. Raoul felt his whole -frame tremble at the contact of her hand; he received the compact as a -solemn bargain wrung by affection from her child-like timidity. - - - -Chapter XV. The Consent of Athos. - -Raoul quitted the Palais Royal full of ideas that admitted no delay in -execution. He mounted his horse in the courtyard, and followed the road -to Blois, while the marriage festivities of Monsieur and the princess of -England were being celebrated with exceeding animation by the courtiers, -but to the despair of De Guiche and Buckingham. Raoul lost no time -on the road, and in sixteen hours he arrived at Blois. As he traveled -along, he marshaled his arguments in the most becoming manner. Fever is -an argument that cannot be answered, and Raoul had an attack. Athos -was in his study, making additions to his memoirs, when Raoul entered, -accompanied by Grimaud. Keen-sighted and penetrating, a mere glance at -his son told him that something extraordinary had befallen him. - -"You seem to come on a matter of importance," said he to Raoul, after he -had embraced him, pointing to a seat. - -"Yes, monsieur," replied the young man; "and I entreat you to give me -the same kind attention that has never yet failed me." - -"Speak, Raoul." - -"I present the case to you, monsieur, free from all preface, for that -would be unworthy of you. Mademoiselle de la Valliere is in Paris as one -of Madame's maids of honor. I have pondered deeply on the matter; I love -Mademoiselle de la Valliere above everything; and it is not proper to -leave her in a position where her reputation, her virtue even, may be -assailed. It is my wish, therefore, to marry her, monsieur, and I have -come to solicit your consent to my marriage." - -While this communication was being made to him, Athos maintained the -profoundest silence and reserve. Raoul, who had begun his address with -an assumption of self-possession, finished it by allowing a manifest -emotion to escape him at every word. Athos fixed upon Bragelonne a -searching look, overshadowed indeed by a slight sadness. - -"You have reflected well upon it?" he inquired. - -"Yes, monsieur." - -"I believe you are already acquainted with my views respecting this -alliance?" - -"Yes, monsieur," replied Raoul, in a low tone of voice; "but you added, -that if I persisted--" - -"You do persist, then?" - -Raoul stammered out an almost unintelligible assent. - -"Your passion," continued Athos, tranquilly, "must indeed be very great, -since, notwithstanding my dislike to this union, you persist in wanting -it." - -Raoul passed his hand trembling across his forehead to remove the -perspiration that collected there. Athos looked at him, and his heart -was touched by pity. He rose and said,-- - -"It is no matter. My own personal feelings are not to be taken into -consideration since yours are concerned; I am ready to give it. Tell me -what you want." - -"Your kind indulgence, first of all, monsieur," said Raoul, taking hold -of his hand. - -"You have mistaken my feelings, Raoul, I have more than mere indulgence -for you in my heart." - -Raoul kissed as devotedly as a lover could have done the hand he held in -his own. - -"Come, come," said Athos, "I am quite ready; what do you wish me to -sign?" - -"Nothing whatever, monsieur, only it would be very kind if you would -take the trouble to write to the king, to whom I belong, and solicit his -majesty's permission for me to marry Mademoiselle de la Valliere." - -"Well thought, Raoul! After, or rather before myself, you have a master -to consult, that master being the king; it is loyal in you to submit -yourself voluntarily to this double proof; I will grant your request -without delay, Raoul." - -The count approached the window, and leaning out, called to Grimaud, -who showed his head from an arbor covered with jasmine, which he was -occupied in trimming. - -"My horses, Grimaud," continued the count. - -"Why this order, monsieur?" inquired Raoul. - -"We shall set off in a few hours." - -"Whither?" - -"For Paris." - -"Paris, monsieur?" - -"Is not the king at Paris?" - -"Certainly." - -"Well, ought we not to go there?" - -"Yes, monsieur," said Raoul, almost alarmed by this kind condescension. -"I do not ask you to put yourself to such inconvenience, and a letter -merely--" - -"You mistake my position, Raoul; it is not respectful that a simple -gentleman, such as I am, should write to his sovereign. I wish to speak, -I ought to speak, to the king, and I will do so. We will go together, -Raoul." - -"You overpower me with your kindness, monsieur." - -"How do you think his majesty is affected?" - -"Towards me, monsieur?" - -"Yes." - -"Excellently well disposed." - -"You _know_ that to be so?" continued the count. - -"The king has himself told me so." - -"On what occasion?" - -"Upon the recommendation of M. d'Artagnan, I believe, and on account of -an affair in the Place de Greve, when I had the honor to draw my sword -in the king's service. I have reason to believe that, vanity apart, I -stand well with his majesty." - -"So much the better." - -"But I entreat you, monsieur," pursued Raoul, "not to maintain towards -me your present grave and serious manner. Do not make me bitterly regret -having listened to a feeling stronger than anything else." - -"That is the second time you have said so, Raoul; it was quite -unnecessary; you require my formal consent, and you have it. We need -talk no more on the subject, therefore. Come and see my new plantations, -Raoul." - -The young man knew very well, that, after the expression of his father's -wish, no opportunity of discussion was left him. He bowed his head, and -followed his father into the garden. Athos slowly pointed out to him -the grafts, the cuttings, and the avenues he was planting. This perfect -repose of manner disconcerted Raoul extremely; the affection with which -his own heart was filled seemed so great that the whole world could -hardly contain it. How, then, could his father's heart remain void, -and closed to its influence? Bragelonne, therefore, collecting all his -courage, suddenly exclaimed,-- - -"It is impossible, monsieur, you can have any reason to reject -Mademoiselle de la Valliere! In Heaven's name, she is so good, so -gentle and pure, that your mind, so perfect in its penetration, ought -to appreciate her accordingly. Does any secret repugnance, or any -hereditary dislike, exist between you and her family?" - -"Look, Raoul, at that beautiful lily of the valley," said Athos; -"observe how the shade and the damp situation suit it, particularly the -shadow which that sycamore-tree casts over it, so that the warmth, and -not the blazing heat of the sun, filters through its leaves." - -Raoul stopped, bit his lips, and then, with the blood mantling in his -face, he said, courageously,--"One word of explanation, I beg, monsieur. -You cannot forget that your son is a man." - -"In that case," replied Athos, drawing himself up with sternness, "prove -to me that you are a man, for you do not show yourself a son. I begged -you to wait the opportunity of forming an illustrious alliance. I would -have obtained a wife for you from the first ranks of the rich nobility. -I wish you to be distinguished by the splendor which glory and fortune -confer, for nobility of descent you have already." - -"Monsieur," exclaimed Raoul, carried away by a first impulse. "I was -reproached the other day for not knowing who my mother was." - -Athos turned pale; then, knitting his brows like the greatest of all -the heathen deities:--"I am waiting to learn the reply you made," he -demanded, in an imperious manner. - -"Forgive me! oh, forgive me," murmured the young man, sinking at once -from the lofty tone he had assumed. - -"What was your reply, monsieur?" inquired the count, stamping his feet -upon the ground. - -"Monsieur, my sword was in my hand immediately, my adversary placed -himself on guard, I struck his sword over the palisade, and threw him -after it." - -"Why did you suffer him to live?" - -"The king has prohibited duelling, and, at the moment, I was an -ambassador of the king." - -"Very well," said Athos, "but all the greater reason I should see his -majesty." - -"What do you intend to ask him?" - -"Authority to draw my sword against the man who has inflicted this -injury upon me." - -"If I did not act as I ought to have done, I beg you to forgive me." - -"Did I reproach you, Raoul?" - -"Still, the permission you are going to ask from the king?" - -"I will implore his majesty to sign your marriage-contract, but on one -condition." - -"Are conditions necessary with me, monsieur? Command, and you shall be -obeyed." - -"On the condition, I repeat," continued Athos; "that you tell me the -name of the man who spoke of your mother in that way." - -"What need is there that you should know his name; the offense was -directed against myself, and the permission once obtained from his -majesty, to revenge it is my affair." - -"Tell me his name, monsieur." - -"I will not allow you to expose yourself." - -"Do you take me for a Don Diego? His name, I say." - -"You insist upon it?" - -"I demand it." - -"The Vicomte de Wardes." - -"Very well," said Athos, tranquilly, "I know him. But our horses are -ready, I see; and, instead of delaying our departure for a couple of -hours, we will set off at once. Come, monsieur." - - - -Chapter XVI. Monsieur Becomes Jealous of the Duke of Buckingham. - -While the Comte de la Fere was proceeding on his way to Pairs, -accompanied by Raoul, the Palais Royal was the theatre wherein a scene -of what Moliere would have called excellent comedy, was being performed. -Four days had elapsed since his marriage, and Monsieur, having -breakfasted very hurriedly, passed into his ante-chamber, frowning and -out of temper. The repast had not been over-agreeable. Madame had had -breakfast served in her own apartment, and Monsieur had breakfasted -almost alone; the Chevalier de Lorraine and Manicamp were the only -persons present at the meal, which lasted three-quarters of an hour -without a single syllable having been uttered. Manicamp, who was less -intimate with his royal highness than the Chevalier de Lorraine, vainly -endeavored to detect, from the expression of the prince's face, what had -made him so ill-humored. The Chevalier de Lorraine, who had no occasion -to speculate about anything, inasmuch as he knew all, ate his breakfast -with that extraordinary appetite which the troubles of one's friends but -stimulates, and enjoyed at the same time both Monsieur's ill-humor and -the vexation of Manicamp. He seemed delighted, while he went on eating, -to detain a prince, who was very impatient to move, still at table. -Monsieur at times repented the ascendency which he had permitted the -Chevalier de Lorraine to acquire over him, and which exempted the latter -from any observance of etiquette towards him. Monsieur was now in one -of those moods, but he dreaded as much as he liked the chevalier, and -contented himself with nursing his anger without betraying it. Every -now and then Monsieur raised his eyes to the ceiling, then lowered them -towards the slices of _pate_ which the chevalier was attacking, and -finally, not caring to betray the resentment, he gesticulated in a -manner which Harlequin might have envied. At last, however, Monsieur -could control himself no longer, and at the dessert, rising from the -table in excessive wrath, as we have related, he left the Chevalier de -Lorraine to finish his breakfast as he pleased. Seeing Monsieur rise -from the table, Manicamp, napkin in hand, rose also. Monsieur ran rather -than walked, towards the ante-chamber, where, noticing an usher in -attendance, he gave him some directions in a low tone of voice. -Then, turning back again, but avoiding passing through the breakfast -apartment, he crossed several rooms, with the intention of seeking the -queen-mother in her oratory, where she usually remained. - -It was about ten o'clock in the morning. Anne of Austria was engaged in -writing as Monsieur entered. The queen-mother was extremely attached to -her son, for he was handsome in person and amiable in disposition. He -was, in fact, more affectionate, and it might be, more effeminate -than the king. He pleased his mother by those trifling sympathizing -attentions all women are glad to receive. Anne of Austria, who would -have been rejoiced to have had a daughter, almost found in this, her -favorite son, the attentions, solicitude, and playful manners of a -child of twelve years of age. All the time he passed with his mother he -employed in admiring her arms, in giving his opinion upon her cosmetics, -and recipes for compounding essences, in which she was very particular; -and then, too, he kissed her hands and cheeks in the most childlike and -endearing manner, and had always some sweetmeats to offer her, or some -new style of dress to recommend. Anne of Austria loved the king, -or rather the regal power in her eldest son; Louis XIV. represented -legitimacy by right divine. With the king, her character was that of -the queen-mother, with Philip she was simply the mother. The latter -knew that, of all places, a mother's heart is the most compassionate and -surest. When quite a child he always fled there for refuge when he and -his brother quarreled, often, after having struck him, which constituted -the crime of high treason on his part, after certain engagements with -hands and nails, in which the king and his rebellious subject indulged -in their night-dresses respecting the right to a disputed bed, having -their servant Laporte as umpire,--Philip, conqueror, but terrified at -victory, used to flee to his mother to obtain reinforcements from her, -or at least the assurance of forgiveness, which Louis XIV. granted with -difficulty, and after an interval. Anne, from this habit of peaceable -intervention, succeeded in arranging the disputes of her sons, and in -sharing, at the same time, all their secrets. The king, somewhat jealous -of that maternal solicitude which was bestowed particularly on his -brother, felt disposed to show towards Anne of Austria more submission -and attachment than his character really dictated. Anne of Austria had -adopted this line of conduct especially towards the young queen. In this -manner she ruled with almost despotic sway over the royal household, and -she was already preparing her batteries to govern with the same absolute -authority the household of her second son. Anne experienced almost -a feeling of pride whenever she saw any one enter her apartment with -woe-begone looks, pale cheeks, or red eyes, gathering from appearances -that assistance was required either by the weakest or the most -rebellious. She was writing, we have said, when Monsieur entered her -oratory, not with red eyes or pale cheeks, but restless, out of temper, -and annoyed. With an absent air he kissed his mother's hands, and sat -himself down before receiving her permission to do so. Considering the -strict rules of etiquette established at the court of Anne of Austria, -this forgetfulness of customary civilities was a sign of preoccupation, -especially on Philip's part, who, of his own accord, observed a respect -towards her of a somewhat exaggerated character. If, therefore, he so -notoriously failed in this regard, there must be a serious cause for it. - -"What is the matter, Philip?" inquired Anne of Austria, turning towards -her son. - -"A good many things," murmured the prince, in a doleful tone of voice. - -"You look like a man who has a great deal to do," said the queen, laying -down her pen. Philip frowned, but did not reply. "Among the various -subjects which occupy your mind," said Anne of Austria, "there must -surely be one that absorbs it more than others." - -"One has indeed occupied me more than any other." - -"Well, what is it? I am listening." - -Philip opened his mouth as if to express all the troubles his mind was -filled with, and which he seemed to be waiting only for an opportunity -of declaring. But he suddenly became silent, and a sigh alone expressed -all that his heart was overflowing with. - -"Come, Philip, show a little firmness," said the queen-mother. "When one -has to complain of anything, it is generally an individual who is the -cause of it. Am I not right?" - -"I do not say no, madame." - -"Whom do you wish to speak about? Come, take courage." - -"In fact, madame, what I might possibly have to say must be kept a -profound secret; for when a lady is in the case--" - -"Ah! you are speaking of Madame, then?" inquired the queen-mother, with -a feeling of the liveliest curiosity. - -"Yes." - -"Well, then, if you wish to speak of Madame, do not hesitate to do so. I -am your mother, and she is no more than a stranger to me. Yet, as she is -my daughter-in-law, rest assured I shall be interested, even were it for -your own sake alone, in hearing all you may have to say about her." - -"Pray tell me, madame, in your turn, whether you have not remarked -something?" - -"'Something'! Philip? Your words almost frighten me, from their want of -meaning. What do you mean by 'something?'" - -"Madame is pretty, certainly." - -"No doubt of it." - -"Yet not altogether beautiful." - -"No, but as she grows older, she will probably become strikingly -beautiful. You must have remarked the change which a few years have -already made in her. Her beauty will improve more and more; she is now -only sixteen years of age. At fifteen I was, myself, very thin; but even -as she is at present, Madame is very pretty." - -"And consequently others have remarked it." - -"Undoubtedly, for a woman of ordinary rank is noticed--and with still -greater reason a princess." - -"She has been well brought up, I suppose?" - -"Madame Henriette, her mother, is a woman somewhat cold in manner, -slightly pretentious, but full of noble thoughts. The princess's -education may have been neglected, but her principles, I believe, are -good. Such at least was the opinion I formed of her when she resided in -France; but she afterwards returned to England, and I am ignorant what -may have occurred there." - -"What do you mean?" - -"Simply that there are some heads naturally giddy, which are easily -turned by prosperity." - -"That is the very word, madame. I think the princess rather giddy." - -"We must not exaggerate, Philip; she is clever and witty, and has a -certain amount of coquetry very natural in a young woman; but this -defect in persons of high rank and position, is a great advantage at a -court. A princess who is tinged with coquetry usually forms a brilliant -court; her smile stimulates luxury, arouses wit, and even courage; the -nobles, too, fight better for a prince whose wife is beautiful." - -"Thank you extremely, madame," said Philip, with some temper; "you -really have drawn some very alarming pictures for me." - -"In what respect?" asked the queen, with pretended simplicity. - -"You know, madame," said Philip, dolefully, "whether I had or had not a -very great dislike to getting married." - -"Now, indeed, you alarm me. You have some serious cause of complaint -against Madame." - -"I do not precisely say it is serious." - -"In that case, then, throw aside your doleful looks. If you show -yourself to others in your present state, people will take you for a -very unhappy husband." - -"The fact is," replied Philip, "I am not altogether satisfied as a -husband, and I shall not be sorry if others know it." - -"For shame, Philip." - -"Well, then, madame, I will tell you frankly that I do not understand -the life I am required to lead." - -"Explain yourself." - -"My wife does not seem to belong to me; she is always leaving me -for some reason or another. In the mornings there are visits, -correspondences, and toilettes; in the evenings, balls and concerts." - -"You are jealous, Philip." - -"I! Heaven forbid. Let others act the part of a jealous husband, not I. -But I _am_ annoyed." - -"All these things you reproach your wife with are perfectly innocent, -and, so long as you have nothing of greater importance--" - -"Yet, listen; without being very blamable, a woman can excite a -good deal of uneasiness. Certain visitors may be received, certain -preferences shown, which expose young women to remark, and which are -enough to drive out of their senses even those husbands who are least -disposed to be jealous." - -"Ah! now we are coming to the real point at last, and not without some -difficulty. You speak of frequent visits, and certain preferences--very -good; for the last hour we have been beating about the bush, and at last -you have broached the true question." - -"Well then, yes--" - -"This is more serious than I thought. It is possible, then, that Madame -can have given you grounds for these complaints against her?" - -"Precisely so." - -"What, your wife, married only four days ago, prefers some other person -to yourself? Take care, Philip, you exaggerate your grievances; in -wishing to prove everything, you prove nothing." - -The prince, bewildered by his mother's serious manner, wished to reply, -but he could only stammer out some unintelligible words. - -"You draw back, then?" said Anne of Austria. "I prefer that, as it is an -acknowledgement of your mistake." - -"No!" exclaimed Philip, "I do not draw back, and I will prove all I -asserted. I spoke of preference and of visits, did I not? Well, listen." - -Anne of Austria prepared herself to listen, with that love of gossip -which the best woman living and the best mother, were she a queen even, -always finds in being mixed up with the petty squabbles of a household. - -"Well," said Philip, "tell me one thing." - -"What is that?" - -"Why does my wife retain an English court about her?" said Philip, as -he crossed his arms and looked his mother steadily in the face, as if he -were convinced that she could not answer the question. - -"For a very simple reason," returned Anne of Austria; "because the -English are her countrymen, because they have expended large sums in -order to accompany her to France, and because it would hardly be polite ---not politic, certainly--to dismiss abruptly those members of the -English nobility who have not shrunk from any devotion or sacrifice." - -"A wonderful sacrifice indeed," returned Philip, "to desert a wretched -country to come to a beautiful one, where a greater effect can -be produced for a guinea that can be procured elsewhere for four! -Extraordinary devotion, really, to travel a hundred leagues in company -with a woman one is in love with!" - -"In love, Philip! think what you are saying. Who is in love with -Madame?" - -"The Duke of Buckingham. Perhaps you will defend him, too?" - -Anne of Austria blushed and smiled at the same time. The name of the -Duke of Buckingham recalled certain recollections of a very tender and -melancholy nature. "The Duke of Buckingham?" she murmured. - -"Yes; one of those arm-chair soldiers--" - -"The Buckinghams are loyal and brave," said Anne of Austria, -courageously. - -"This is too bad; my own mother takes the part of my wife's lover -against me," exclaimed Philip, incensed to such an extent that his weak -organization was affected almost to tears. - -"Philip, my son," exclaimed Anne of Austria, "such an expression is -unworthy of you. Your wife has no lover; and, had she one, it would not -be the Duke of Buckingham. The members of that family, I repeat, -are loyal and discreet, and the rights of hospitality are sure to be -respected by them." - -"The Duke of Buckingham is an Englishman, madame," said Philip, "and may -I ask if the English so very religiously respect what belongs to princes -of France?" - -Anne blushed a second time, and turned aside under the pretext of taking -her pen from her desk again, but in reality to conceal her confusion -from her son. "Really, Philip," she said, "you seem to discover -expressions for the purpose of embarrassing me, and your anger blinds -you while it alarms me; reflect a little." - -"There is no need for reflection, madame. I can see with my own eyes." - -"Well, and what do you see?" - -"That Buckingham never quits my wife. He presumes to make presents to -her, and she ventures to accept them. Yesterday she was talking about -_sauchets a la violette_; well, our French perfumers, you know very -well, madame, for you have over and over again asked for it without -success--our French perfumers, I say, have never been able to procure -this scent. The duke, however, wore about him a _sachet a la violette_, -and I am sure that the one my wife has came from him." - -"Indeed, monsieur," said Anne of Austria, "you build your pyramids on -needle points; be careful. What harm, I ask you, can there be in a man -giving to his countrywoman a recipe for a new essence? These strange -ideas, I protest, painfully recall your father to me; he who so -frequently and so unjustly made me suffer." - -"The Duke of Buckingham's father was probably more reserved and more -respectful than his son," said Philip, thoughtlessly, not perceiving how -deeply he had wounded his mother's feelings. The queen turned pale, -and pressed her clenched hands upon her bosom; but, recovering herself -immediately, she said, "You came here with some intention or another, I -suppose?" - -"Certainly." - -"What was it?" - -"I came, madame, intending to complain energetically, and to inform you -that I will not submit to such behavior from the Duke of Buckingham." - -"What do you intend to do, then?" - -"I shall complain to the king." - -"And what do you expect the king to reply?" - -"Very well, then," said Monsieur, with an expression of stern -determination on his countenance, which offered a singular contrast to -its usual gentleness. "Very well. I will right myself!" - -"What do you call righting yourself?" inquired Anne of Austria, in -alarm. - -"I will have the Duke of Buckingham quit the princess, I will have him -quit France, and I will see that my wishes are intimated to him." - -"You will intimate nothing of the kind, Philip," said the queen, "for if -you act in that manner, and violate hospitality to that extent, I will -invoke the severity of the king against you." - -"Do you threaten me, madame?" exclaimed Philip, almost in tears; "do you -threaten me in the midst of my complaints?" - -"I do not threaten you; I do but place an obstacle in the path of your -hasty anger. I maintain, that, to adopt towards the Duke of Buckingham, -or any other Englishman, any rigorous measure--to take even a -discourteous step towards him, would be to plunge France and England -into the most disastrous disagreement. Can it be possible that a prince -of the blood, the brother of the king of France, does not know how to -hide an injury, even did it exist in reality, where political necessity -requires it?" Philip made a movement. "Besides," continued the queen, -"the injury is neither true nor possible, and it is merely a matter of -silly jealousy." - -"Madame, I know what I know." - -"Whatever you may know, I can only advise you to be patient." - -"I am not patient by disposition, madame." - -The queen rose, full of severity, and with an icy ceremonious manner. -"Explain what you really require, monsieur," she said. - -"I do not require anything, madame; I simply express what I desire. -If the Duke of Buckingham does not, of his own accord, discontinue his -visits to my apartments I shall forbid him entrance." - -"That is a point you will refer to the king," said Anne of Austria, her -heart swelling as she spoke, and her voice trembling with emotion. - -"But, madame," exclaimed Philip, striking his hands together, "act as my -mother and not as the queen, since I speak to you as a son; it is simply -a matter of a few minutes' conversation between the duke and myself." - -"It is that very conversation I forbid," said the queen, resuming her -authority, "because it is unworthy of you." - -"Be it so; I will not appear in the matter, but I shall intimate my will -to Madame." - -"Oh!" said the queen-mother, with a melancholy arising from reflection, -"never tyrannize over a wife--never behave too haughtily or imperiously -towards your own. A woman unwillingly convinced, is unconvinced." - -"What is to be done, then?--I will consult my friends about it." - -"Yes, your double-dealing advisers, your Chevalier de Lorraine--your De -Wardes. Intrust the conduct of this affair to me. You wish the Duke of -Buckingham to leave, do you not?" - -"As soon as possible, madame." - -"Send the duke to me, then; smile upon your wife, behave to her, to the -king, to every one, as usual. But follow no advice but mine. Alas! I too -well know what any household comes to, that is troubled by advisers." - -"You shall be obeyed, madame." - -"And you will be satisfied at the result. Send the duke to me." - -"That will not be difficult." - -"Where do you suppose him to be?" - -"At my wife's door, whose _levee_ he is probably awaiting." - -"Very well," said Anne of Austria, calmly. "Be good enough to tell the -duke that I shall be charmed if he will pay me a visit." - -Philip kissed his mother's hand, and started off to find the Duke of -Buckingham. - - - -Chapter XVII. Forever! - -The Duke of Buckingham, obedient to the queen-mother's invitation, -presented himself in her apartments half an hour after the departure of -the Duc d'Orleans. When his name was announced by the gentleman-usher -in attendance, the queen, who was sitting with her elbow resting on a -table, and her head buried in her hands, rose, and smilingly received -the graceful and respectful salutation which the duke addressed to her. -Anne of Austria was still beautiful. It is well known that at her then -somewhat advanced age, her long auburn hair, perfectly formed hands, and -bright ruby lips, were still the admiration of all who saw her. On the -present occasion, abandoned entirely to a remembrance which evoked all -the past in her heart, she looked almost as beautiful as in the days -of her youth, when her palace was open to the visits of the Duke of -Buckingham's father, then a young and impassioned man, as well as an -unfortunate prince, who lived for her alone, and died with her name upon -his lips. Anne of Austria fixed upon Buckingham a look so tender in -its expression, that it denoted, not alone the indulgence of maternal -affection, but a gentleness of expression like the coquetry of a woman -who loves. - -"Your majesty," said Buckingham, respectfully, "desired to speak to me." - -"Yes, duke," said the queen, in English; "will you be good enough to sit -down?" - -The favor which Anne of Austria thus extended to the young man, and the -welcome sound of the language of a country from which the duke had been -estranged since his stay in France, deeply affected him. He immediately -conjectured that the queen had a request to make of him. After having -abandoned the first few moments to the irrepressible emotions she -experienced, the queen resumed the smiling air with which she had -received him. "What do you think of France?" she said, in French. - -"It is a lovely country, madame," replied the duke. - -"Had you ever seen it before?" - -"Once only, madame." - -"But, like all true Englishmen, you prefer England?" - -"I prefer my own native land to France," replied the duke; "but if -your majesty were to ask me which of the two cities, London or Pairs, I -should prefer as a residence, I should be forced to answer Paris." - -Anne of Austria observed the ardent manner with which these words had -been pronounced. "I am told, my lord, you have rich possessions in your -own country, and that you live in a splendid and time-honored place." - -"It was my father's residence," replied Buckingham, casting down his -eyes. - -"Those are indeed great advantages and _souvenirs_," replied the -queen, alluding, in spite of herself, to recollections from which it is -impossible voluntarily to detach one's self. - -"In fact," said the duke, yielding to the melancholy influence of this -opening conversation, "sensitive persons live as much in the past or the -future, as in the present." - -"That is very true," said the queen, in a low tone of voice. "It -follows, then, my lord," she added, "that you, who are a man of feeling, -will soon quit France in order to shut yourself up with your wealth and -your relics of the past." - -Buckingham raised his head and said, "I think not, madame." - -"What do you mean?" - -"On the contrary, I think of leaving England in order to take up my -residence in France." - -It was now Anne of Austria's turn to exhibit surprise. "Why?" she said. -"Are you not in favor with the new king?" - -"Perfectly so, madame, for his majesty's kindness to me is unbounded." - -"It cannot," said the queen, "be because your fortune has diminished, -for it is said to be enormous." - -"My income, madame, has never been so large." - -"There is some secret cause, then?" - -"No, madame," said Buckingham, eagerly, "there is nothing secret in my -reason for this determination. I prefer residence in France; I like -a court so distinguished by its refinement and courtesy; I like -the amusements, somewhat serious in their nature, which are not the -amusements of my own country, and which are met with in France." - -Anne of Austria smiled shrewdly. "Amusements of a serious nature?" she -said. "Has your Grace well reflected on their seriousness?" The duke -hesitated. "There is no amusement so serious," continued the queen, "as -to prevent a man of your rank--" - -"Your majesty seems to insist greatly on that point," interrupted the -duke. - -"Do you think so, my lord?" - -"If you will forgive me for saying so, it is the second time you have -vaunted the attractions of England at the expense of the delight which -all experience who live in France." - -Anne of Austria approached the young man, and placing her beautiful -hand upon his shoulder, which trembled at the touch, said, "Believe me, -monsieur, nothing can equal a residence in one's own native country. I -have very frequently had occasion to regret Spain. I have lived long, my -lord, very long for a woman, and I confess to you, that not a year has -passed I have not regretted Spain." - -"Not one year, madame?" said the young duke coldly. "Not one of those -years when you reigned Queen of Beauty--as you still are, indeed?" - -"A truce to flattery, duke, for I am old enough to be your mother." She -emphasized these latter words in a manner, and with a gentleness, which -penetrated Buckingham's heart. "Yes," she said, "I am old enough to be -your mother; and for this reason, I will give you a word of advice." - -"That advice being that I should return to London?" he exclaimed. - -"Yes, my lord." - -The duke clasped his hands with a terrified gesture, which could not -fail of its effect upon the queen, already disposed to softer feelings -by the tenderness of her own recollections. "It must be so," added the -queen. - -"What!" he again exclaimed, "am I seriously told that I must -leave,--that I must exile myself,--that I am to flee at once?" - -"Exile yourself, did you say? One would fancy France was your native -country." - -"Madame, the country of those who love is the country of those whom they -love." - -"Not another word, my lord; you forget whom you are addressing." - -Buckingham threw himself on his knees. "Madame, you are the source of -intelligence, of goodness, and of compassion; you are the first person -in this kingdom, not only by your rank, but the first person in the -world on account of your angelic attributes. I have said nothing, -madame. Have I, indeed, said anything you should answer with such a -cruel remark? What have I betrayed?" - -"You have betrayed yourself," said the queen, in a low tone of voice. - -"I have said nothing,--I know nothing." - -"You forget you have spoken and thought in the presence of a woman; and -besides--" - -"Besides," said the duke, "no one knows you are listening to me." - -"On the contrary, it is known; you have all the defects and all the -qualities of youth." - -"I have been betrayed or denounced, then?" - -"By whom?" - -"By those who, at Le Havre, had, with infernal perspicacity, read my -heart like an open book." - -"I do not know whom you mean." - -"M. de Bragelonne, for instance." - -"I know the name without being acquainted with the person to whom it -belongs. M. de Bragelonne has said nothing." - -"Who can it be, then? If any one, madame, had had the boldness to notice -in me that which I do not myself wish to behold--" - -"What would you do, duke?" - -"There are secrets which kill those who discover them." - -"He, then, who has discovered your secret, madman that you are, still -lives; and, what is more, you will not slay him, for he is armed on all -sides,--he is a husband, a jealous man,--he is the second gentleman in -France,--he is my son, the Duc du Orleans." - -The duke turned pale as death. "You are very cruel, madame," he said. - -"You see, Buckingham," said Anne of Austria, sadly, "how you pass from -one extreme to another, and fight with shadows, when it would seem so -easy to remain at peace with yourself." - -"If we fight, madame, we die on the field of battle," replied the young -man, gently, abandoning himself to the most gloomy depression. - -Anne ran towards him and took him by the hand. "Villiers," she said, in -English, with a vehemence of tone which nothing could resist, "what -is it you ask? Do you ask a mother to sacrifice her son,--a queen to -consent to the dishonor of her house? Child that you are, do not dream -of it. What! in order to spare your tears am I to commit these crimes? -Villiers! you speak of the dead; the dead, at least, were full of -respect and submission; they resigned themselves to an order of exile; -they carried their despair away with them in their hearts, like a -priceless possession, because the despair was caused by the woman they -loved, and because death, thus deceptive, was like a gift of a favor -conferred upon them." - -Buckingham rose, his features distorted, and his hands pressed against -his heart. "You are right, madame," he said, "but those of whom you -speak had received their order of exile from the lips of the one whom -they loved; they were not driven away; they were entreated to leave, and -were not laughed at." - -"No," murmured Anne of Austria, "they were not forgotten. But who says -you are driven away, or that you are exiled? Who says that your devotion -will not be remembered? I do not speak on any one's behalf but my own, -when I tell you to leave. Do me this kindness,--grant me this favor; let -me, for this also, be indebted to one of your name." - -"It is for your sake, then, madame?" - -"For mine alone." - -"No one whom I shall leave behind me will venture to mock,--no prince -even who shall say, 'I required it.'" - -"Listen to me, duke," and hereupon the dignified features of the queen -assumed a solemn expression. "I swear to you that no one commands in -this matter but myself. I swear to you that, not only shall no one -either laugh or boast in any way, but no one even shall fail in the -respect due to your rank. Rely upon me, duke, as I rely upon you." - -"You do not explain yourself, madame; my heart is full of bitterness, -and I am in utter despair; no consolation, however gentle and -affectionate, can afford me relief." - -"Do you remember your mother, duke?" replied the queen, with a winning -smile. - -"Very slightly, madame; yet I remember how she used to cover me with her -caresses and her tears whenever I wept." - -"Villiers," murmured the queen, passing her arm round the young man's -neck, "look upon me as your mother, and believe that no one shall ever -make my son weep." - -"I thank you, madame," said the young man affected and almost suffocated -by his emotion; "I feel there is still room in my heart for a gentler -and nobler sentiment than love." - -The queen-mother looked at him and pressed his hand. "Go," she said. - -"When must I leave? Command me." - -"At any time that may suit you, my lord," resumed the queen; "you will -choose your own day of departure. Instead, however, of setting off -to-day, as you would doubtless wish to do, or to-morrow, as others -may have expected, leave the day after to-morrow, in the evening; but -announce to-day that it is your wish to leave." - -"My wish?" murmured the young duke. - -"Yes, duke." - -"And shall I never return to France?" - -Anne of Austria reflected for a moment, seemingly absorbed in sad and -serious thought. "It would be a consolation for me," she said, "if -you were to return on the day when I shall be carried to my final -resting-place at Saint-Dennis beside the king, my husband." - -"Madame, you are goodness itself; the tide of prosperity is setting in -on you; your cup brims over with happiness, and many long years are yet -before you." - -"In that case you will not come for some time, then," said the queen, -endeavoring to smile. - -"I shall not return," said Buckingham, "young as I am. Death does not -reckon by years; it is impartial; some die young, some reach old age." - -"I will not harbor any sorrowful ideas, duke. Let me comfort you; return -in two years. I perceive from your face that the very idea which saddens -you so much now, will have disappeared before six months have passed, -and will be not only dead but forgotten in the period of absence I have -assigned you." - -"I think you judged me better a little while ago, madame," replied the -young man, "when you said that time is powerless against members of the -family of Buckingham." - -"Silence," said the queen, kissing the duke upon the forehead with an -affection she could not restrain. "Go, go; spare me and forget yourself -no longer. I am the queen; you are the subject of the king of England; -King Charles awaits your return. Adieu, Villiers,--farewell." - -"Forever!" replied the young man, and he fled, endeavoring to master his -emotions. - -Anne leaned her head upon her hands, and then looking at herself in the -glass, murmured, "It has been truly said, that a woman who has truly -loved is always young, and that the bloom of the girl of twenty years -ever lies concealed in some secret cloister of the heart." [1] - - - -Chapter XVIII. King Louis XIV. does not think Mademoiselle de la -Valliere either rich enough or pretty enough for a Gentleman of the Rank -of the Vicomte de Bragelonne. - - -Raoul and the Comte de la Fere reached Paris the evening of the same day -on which Buckingham had held the conversation with the queen-mother. -The count had scarcely arrived, when, through Raoul, he solicited an -audience of the king. His majesty had passed a portion of the morning in -looking over, with madame and the ladies of the court, various goods of -Lyons manufacture, of which he had made his sister-in-law a present. A -court dinner had succeeded, then cards, and afterwards, according to his -usual custom, the king, leaving the card-tables at eight o'clock, passed -into his cabinet in order to work with M. Colbert and M. Fouquet. Raoul -entered the ante-chamber at the very moment the two ministers quitted -it, and the king, perceiving him through the half-closed door, said, -"What do you want, M. de Bragelonne?" - -The young man approached: "An audience, sire," he replied, "for the -Comte de la Fere, who has just arrived from Blois, and is most anxious -to have an interview with your majesty." - -"I have an hour to spare between cards and supper," said the king. "Is -the Comte de la Fere at hand?" - -"He is below, and awaits your majesty's permission." - -"Let him come up at once," said the king, and five minutes afterwards -Athos entered the presence of Louis XIV. He was received by the king -with that gracious kindness of manner which Louis, with a tact beyond -his years, reserved for the purpose of gaining those who were not to be -conquered by ordinary favors. "Let me hope, comte," said the king, "that -you have come to ask me for something." - -"I will not conceal from your majesty," replied the comte, "that I am -indeed come for that purpose." - -"That is well," said the king, joyously. - -"It is not for myself, sire." - -"So much the worse; but, at least, I will do for your _protege_ what you -refuse to permit me to do for you." - -"Your majesty encourages me. I have come to speak on behalf of the -Vicomte de Bragelonne." - -"It is the same as if you spoke on your own behalf, comte." - -"Not altogether so, sire. I am desirous of obtaining from your majesty -that which I cannot ask for myself. The vicomte thinks of marrying." - -"He is still very young; but that does not matter. He is an eminently -distinguished man; I will choose a wife for him." - -"He has already chosen one, sire, and only awaits your consent." - -"It is only a question, then, of signing the marriage-contract?" Athos -bowed. "Has he chose a wife whose fortune and position accord with your -own anticipation?" - -Athos hesitated for a moment. "His affirmed wife is of good birth, but -has no fortune." - -"That is a misfortune we can remedy." - -"You overwhelm me with gratitude, sire; but your majesty will permit me -to offer a remark?" - -"Do so, comte." - -"Your majesty seems to intimate an intention of giving a -marriage-portion to this young lady." - -"Certainly." - -"I should regret, sire, if the step I have taken towards your majesty -should be attended by this result." - -"No false delicacy, comte; what is the bride's name?" - -"Mademoiselle de la Baume le Blanc de la Valliere," said Athos, coldly. - -"I seem to know that name," said the king, as if reflecting; "there was -a Marquis de la Valliere." - -"Yes, sire, it is his daughter." - -"But he died, and his widow married again M. de Saint-Remy, I think, -steward of the dowager Madame's household." - -"Your majesty is correctly informed." - -"More than that, the young lady has lately become one of the princess's -maids of honor." - -"Your majesty is better acquainted with her history than am I." - -The king again reflected, and glancing at the comte's anxious -countenance, said: "The young lady does not seem to me to be very -pretty, comte." - -"I am not quite sure," replied Athos. - -"I have seen her, but she hardly struck me as being so." - -"She seems to be a good and modest girl, but has little beauty, sire." - -"Beautiful fair hair, however." - -"I think so." - -"And her blue eyes are tolerably good." - -"Yes, sire." - -"With regard to her beauty, then, the match is but an ordinary one. Now -for the money side of the question." - -"Fifteen to twenty thousand francs dowry at the very outset, sire; the -lovers are disinterested enough; for myself, I care little for money." - -"For superfluity, you mean; but a needful amount is of importance. With -fifteen thousand francs, without landed property, a woman cannot live at -court. We will make up the deficiency; I will do it for De Bragelonne." -The king again remarked the coldness with which Athos received the -remark. - -"Let us pass from the question of money to that of rank," said Louis -XIV.; "the daughter of the Marquis de la Valliere, that is well enough; -but there is that excellent Saint-Remy, who somewhat damages the credit -of the family; and you, comte, are rather particular, I believe, about -your own family." - -"Sire, I no longer hold to anything but my devotion to your majesty." - -The king again paused. "A moment, comte. You have surprised me in no -little degree from the beginning of your conversation. You came to ask -me to authorize a marriage, and you seem greatly disturbed in having to -make the request. Nay, pardon me, comte, but I am rarely deceived, -young as I am; for while with some persons I place my friendship at the -disposal of my understanding, with others I call my distrust to my aid, -by which my discernment is increased. I repeat, that you do not prefer -your request as though you wished it success." - -"Well, sire, that is true." - -"I do not understand you, then; refuse." - -"Nay, sire; I love De Bragelonne with my whole heart; he is smitten with -Mademoiselle de la Valliere, he weaves dreams of bliss for the future; -I am not one who is willing to destroy the illusions of youth. This -marriage is objectionable to me, but I implore your majesty to consent -to it forthwith, and thus make Raoul happy." - -"Tell me, comte, is she in love with him?" - -"If your majesty requires me to speak candidly, I do not believe in -Mademoiselle de la Valliere's affection; the delight at being at court, -the honor of being in the service of Madame, counteract in her head -whatever affection she may happen to have in her heart; it is a marriage -similar to many others which already exist at court; but De Bragelonne -wishes it, and so let it be." - -"And yet you do not resemble those easy-tempered fathers who volunteer -as stepping-stones for their children," said the king. - -"I am determined enough against the viciously disposed, but not so -against men of upright character. Raoul is suffering; he is in great -distress of mind; his disposition, naturally light and cheerful, has -become gloomy and melancholy. I do not wish to deprive your majesty of -the services he may be able to render." - -"I understand you," said the king; "and what is more, I understand your -heart, too, comte." - -"There is no occasion, therefore," replied the comte, "to tell your -majesty that my object is to make these children, or rather Raoul, -happy." - -"And I, too, as much as yourself, comte, wish to secure M. de -Bragelonne's happiness." - -"I only await your majesty's signature. Raoul will have the honor of -presenting himself before your majesty to receive your consent." - -"You are mistaken, comte," said the king, firmly; "I have just said that -I desire to secure M. de Bragelonne's happiness, and from the present -moment, therefore, I oppose his marriage." - -"But, sire," exclaimed Athos, "your majesty has promised!" - -"Not so, comte, I did not promise you, for it is opposed to my own -views." - -"I appreciate your majesty's considerate and generous intentions on my -behalf; but I take the liberty of recalling to you that I undertook to -approach you as an ambassador." - -"An ambassador, comte, frequently asks, but does not always obtain what -he asks." - -"But, sire, it will be such a blow for De Bragelonne." - -"My hand shall deal the blow; I will speak to the vicomte." - -"Love, sire, is overwhelming in its might." - -"Love can be resisted, comte. I myself can assure you of that." - -"When one has the soul of a king,--your own, for instance, sire." - -"Do not make yourself uneasy on the subject. I have certain views for -De Bragelonne. I do not say that he shall not marry Mademoiselle de la -Valliere, but I do not wish him to marry so young; I do not wish him to -marry her until she has acquired a fortune; and he, on his side, no less -deserves favor, such as I wish to confer upon him. In a word, comte, I -wish them to wait." - -"Yet once more, sire." - -"Comte, you told me you came here to request a favor." - -"Assuredly, sire." - -"Grant me one, then, instead; let us speak no longer upon this matter. -It is probable that, before long, war may be declared. I require men -about me who are unfettered. I should hesitate to send under fire a -married man, or a father of a family. I should hesitate also, on De -Bragelonne's account, to endow with a fortune, without some sound reason -for it, a young girl, a perfect stranger; such an act would sow jealousy -amongst my nobility." Athos bowed, and remained silent. - -"Is that all you wished to ask me?" added Louis XIV. - -"Absolutely all, sire; and I take my leave of your majesty. Is it, -however, necessary that I should inform Raoul?" - -"Spare yourself the trouble and annoyance. Tell the vicomte that at my -_levee_ to-morrow morning I will speak to him. I shall expect you this -evening, comte, to join my card-table." - -"I am in traveling-costume, sire." - -"A day will come, I hope, when you will leave me no more. Before long, -comte, the monarchy will be established in such a manner as to enable me -to offer a worthy hospitality to men of your merit." - -"Provided, sire, a monarch reigns grandly in the hearts of his subjects, -the palace he inhabits matters little, since he is worshipped in -a temple." With these words Athos left the cabinet, and found De -Bragelonne, who was awaiting him anxiously. - -"Well, monsieur?" said the young man. - -"The king, Raoul, is well intentioned towards us both; not, perhaps, in -the sense you suppose, but he is kind, and generously disposed to our -house." - -"You have bad news to communicate to me, monsieur," said the young man, -turning very pale. - -"The king himself will inform you to-morrow morning that it is not bad -news." - -"The king has not signed, however?" - -"The king wishes himself to settle the terms of the contract, and he -desires to make it so grand that he requires time for consideration. -Throw the blame rather on your own impatience, than on the king's good -feelings towards you." - -Raoul, in utter consternation, on account of his knowledge of the -count's frankness as well as his diplomacy, remained plunged in dull and -gloomy stupor. - -"Will you not go with me to my lodgings?" said Athos. - -"I beg your pardon, monsieur; I will follow you," he stammered out, -following Athos down the staircase. - -"Since I am here," said Athos, suddenly, "cannot I see M. d'Artagnan?" - -"Shall I show you his apartments?" said De Bragelonne. - -"Do so." - -"They are on the opposite staircase." - -They altered their course, but on reaching the landing of the grand -staircase, Raoul perceived a servant in the Comte de Guiche's livery, -who ran towards him as soon as he heard his voice. - -"What is it?" said Raoul. - -"This note, monsieur. My master heard of your return and wrote to you -without delay; I have been looking for you for the last half-hour." - -Raoul approached Athos as he unsealed the letter, saying, "With your -permission, monsieur." - -"Certainly." - -"Dear Raoul," wrote the Comte de Guiche, "I have an affair in hand which -requires immediate attention; I know you have returned; come to me as -soon as possible." - -Hardly had he finished reading it, when a servant in the livery of the -Duke of Buckingham, turning out of the gallery, recognized Raoul, and -approached him respectfully, saying, "From his Grace, monsieur." - -"Well, Raoul, as I see you are already as busy as a general of an army, -I shall leave you, and will find M. d'Artagnan myself." - -"You will excuse me, I trust," said Raoul. - -"Yes, yes, I excuse you; adieu, Raoul; you will find me at my apartments -until to-morrow; during the day I may set out for Blois, unless I have -orders to the contrary." - -"I shall present my respects to you to-morrow, monsieur." - -As soon as Athos had left, Raoul opened Buckingham's letter. - -"Monsieur de Bragelonne," it ran, "You are, of all the Frenchmen I -have known, the one with whom I am most pleased; I am about to put your -friendship to the proof. I have received a certain message, written -in very good French. As I am an Englishman, I am afraid of not -comprehending it very clearly. The letter has a good name attached to -it, and that is all I can tell you. Will you be good enough to come and -see me? for I am told you have arrived from Blois. - -"Your devoted - -"VILLIERS, Duke of Buckingham." - - -"I am going now to see your master," said Raoul to De Guiche's servant, -as he dismissed him; "and I shall be with the Duke of Buckingham in an -hour," he added, dismissing with these words the duke's messenger. - - - -Chapter XIX. Sword-Thrusts in the Water. - -Raoul, on betaking himself to De Guiche, found him conversing with De -Wardes and Manicamp. De Wardes, since the affair of the barricade, -had treated Raoul as a stranger; they behaved as if they were not -acquainted. As Raoul entered, De Guiche walked up to him; and Raoul, -as he grasped his friend's hand, glanced rapidly at his two companions, -hoping to be able to read on their faces what was passing in their -minds. De Wardes was cold and impenetrable; Manicamp seemed absorbed in -the contemplation of some trimming to his dress. De Guiche led Raoul -to an adjoining cabinet, and made him sit down, saying, "How well you -look!" - -"That is singular," replied Raoul, "for I am far from being in good -spirits." - -"It is your case, then, Raoul, as it is my own,--our love affairs do not -progress." - -"So much the better, count, as far as _you_ are concerned; the worst -news would be good news." - -"In that case do not distress yourself, for, not only am I very unhappy, -but, what is more, I see others about me who are happy." - -"Really, I do not understand you," replied Raoul; "explain yourself." - -"You will soon learn. I have tried, but in vain, to overcome the feeling -you saw dawn in me, increase, and take entire possession of me. I have -summoned all your advice and my own strength to my aid. I have well -weighed the unfortunate affair in which I have embarked; I have sounded -its depths; that it is an abyss, I am aware, but it matters little for -_I_ shall pursue my own course." - -"This is madness, De Guiche! you cannot advance another step without -risking your own ruin to-day, perhaps your life to-morrow." - -"Whatever may happen, I have done with reflections; listen." - -"And you hope to succeed; you believe that Madame will love you?" - -"Raoul, I believe nothing; I hope, because hope exists in man, and never -abandons him until death." - -"But, admitting that you obtain the happiness you covet, even then, you -are more certainly lost than if you had failed in obtaining it." - -"I beseech you, Raoul, not to interrupt me any more; you could never -convince me, for I tell you beforehand, I do not wish to be convinced; I -have gone so far I cannot recede; I have suffered so much, death itself -would be a boon. I no longer love to madness, Raoul, I am being engulfed -by a whirlpool of jealousy." - -Raoul struck his hands together with an expression resembling anger. -"Well?" said he. - -"Well or ill matters little. This is what I claim from you, my friend, -my almost brother. During the last three days Madame has been living in -a perfect intoxication of gayety. On the first day, I dared not look -at her; I hated her for not being as unhappy as myself. The next day I -could not bear her out of my sight; and she, Raoul--at least I thought -I remarked it--she looked at me, if not with pity, at least with -gentleness. But between her looks and mine, a shadow intervened; -another's smile invited hers. Beside her horse another's always gallops, -which is not mine; in her ear another's caressing voice, not mine, -unceasingly vibrates. Raoul, for three days past my brain has been on -fire; flame, not blood, courses through my veins. That shadow must be -driven away, that smile must be quenched; that voice must be silenced." - -"You wish Monsieur's death," exclaimed Raoul. - -"No, no, I am not jealous of the husband; I am jealous of the lover." - -"Of the lover?" said Raoul. - -"Have you not observed it, you who were formerly so keen-sighted?" - -"Are you jealous of the Duke of Buckingham?" - -"To the very death." - -"Again jealous?" - -"This time the affair will be easy to arrange between us; I have taken -the initiative, and have sent him a letter." - -"It was you, then, who wrote to him?" - -"How do you know that?" - -"I know it, because he told me so. Look at this;" and he handed De -Guiche the letter he had received nearly at the same moment as his own. -De Guiche read it eagerly, and said, "He is a brave man, and more than -that, a gallant man." - -"Most certainly the duke is a gallant man; I need not ask if you wrote -to him in a similar style." - -"He will show you my letter when you call on him on my behalf." - -"But that is almost out of the question." - -"What is?" - -"That I shall call on him for that purpose." - -"Why so?" - -"The duke consults me as you do." - -"I suppose you will give _me_ the preference! Listen to me, Raoul, I -wish you to tell his Grace--it is a very simple matter--that to-day, -to-morrow, the following day, or any other day he may choose, I will -meet him at Vincennes." - -"Reflect, De Guiche." - -"I thought I told you I have reflected." - -"The duke is a stranger here; he is on a mission which renders his -person inviolable.... Vincennes is close to the Bastile." - -"The consequences concern _me_." - -"But the motive for this meeting? What motive do you wish me to assign?" - -"Be perfectly easy on that score, he will not ask any. The duke must be -as sick of me as I am of him. I implore you, therefore, seek the duke, -and if it is necessary to entreat him, to accept my offer, I will do -so." - -"That is useless. The duke has already informed me that he wishes to -speak to me. The duke is now playing cards with the king. Let us both go -there. I will draw him aside in the gallery; you will remain aloof. Two -words will be sufficient." - -"That is well arranged. I will take De Wardes to keep me in -countenance." - -"Why not Manicamp? De Wardes can join us at any time; we can leave him -here." - -"Yes, that is true." - -"He knows nothing?" - -"Positively nothing. You continue still on an unfriendly footing, then?" - -"Has he not told you anything?" - -"Nothing." - -"I do not like the man, and, as I _never_ liked him, the result is, that -I am on no worse terms with him to-day than I was yesterday." - -"Let us go, then." - -The four descended the stairs. De Guiche's carriage was waiting at the -door, and took them to the Palais Royal. As they were going along, Raoul -was engaged in devising his scheme of action. The sole depositary of two -secrets, he did not despair of concluding some arrangement between the -two parties. He knew the influence he exercised over Buckingham, and -the ascendency he had acquired over De Guiche, and affairs did not look -utterly hopeless. On their arrival in the gallery, dazzling with the -blaze of light, where the most beautiful and illustrious women of the -court moved to and fro, like stars in their own atmosphere, Raoul could -not prevent himself for a moment forgetting De Guiche in order to -seek out Louise, who, amidst her companions, like a dove completely -fascinated, gazed long and fixedly upon the royal circle, which -glittered with jewels and gold. All its members were standing, the king -alone being seated. Raoul perceived Buckingham, who was standing a few -paces from Monsieur, in a group of French and English, who were admiring -his aristocratic carriage and the incomparable magnificence of his -costume. Some of the older courtiers remembered having seen his father, -but their recollections were not prejudicial to the son. - -Buckingham was conversing with Fouquet, who was talking with him aloud -about Belle-Isle. "I cannot speak to him at present," said Raoul. - -"Wait, then, and choose your opportunity, but finish everything -speedily. I am on thorns." - -"See, our deliverer approaches," said Raoul, perceiving D'Artagnan, who, -magnificently dressed in his new uniform of captain of the musketeers, -had just made his entry in the gallery; and he advanced towards -D'Artagnan. - -"The Comte de la Fere has been looking for you, chevalier," said Raoul. - -"Yes," replied D'Artagnan, "I have just left him." - -"I thought you would have passed a portion of the evening together." - -"We have arranged to meet again." - -As he answered Raoul, his absent looks were directed on all sides, as -if seeking some one in the crowd or looking for something in the room. -Suddenly his gaze became fixed, like that of an eagle on its prey. Raoul -followed the direction of his glance, and noticed that De Guiche and -D'Artagnan saluted each other, but he could not distinguish at whom the -captain's lingering and haughty glance was aimed. - -"Chevalier," said Raoul, "there is no one here but yourself who can -render me a service." - -"What is it, my dear vicomte?" - -"It is simply to go and interrupt the Duke of Buckingham, to whom I wish -to say two words, and, as the duke is conversing with M. Fouquet, you -understand that it would not do for _me_ to throw myself into the middle -of the conversation." - -"Ah, ah, is M. Fouquet there?" inquired D'Artagnan. - -"Do you not see him?" - -"Yes, now I do. But do you think I have a greater right than you have?" - -"You are a more important personage." - -"Yes, you're right; I am captain of the musketeers; I have had the post -promised me so long, and have enjoyed it for so brief a period, that I -am always forgetting my dignity." - -"You will do me this service, will you not?" - -"M. Fouquet--the deuce!" - -"Are you not on good terms with him?" - -"It is rather he who may not be on good terms with me; however, since it -must be done some day or another--" - -"Stay; I think he is looking at you; or is it likely that it might be--" - -"No, no; don't deceive yourself, it is indeed me for whom this honor is -intended." - -"The opportunity is a good one, then?" - -"Do you think so?" - -"Pray go." - -"Well, I will." - -De Guiche had not removed his eyes from Raoul, who made a sign to him -that all was arranged. D'Artagnan walked straight up to the group, and -civilly saluted M. Fouquet as well as the others. - -"Good evening, M. d'Artagnan; we were speaking of Belle-Isle," said -Fouquet, with that usage of society, and that perfect knowledge of the -language of looks, which require half a lifetime thoroughly to acquire, -and which some persons, notwithstanding all their study, never attain. - -"Of Belle-Ile-en-Mer! Ah!" said D'Artagnan. "It belongs to you, I -believe, M. Fouquet?" - -"M. Fouquet has just told us that he had presented it to the king," said -Buckingham. - -"Do you know Belle-Isle, chevalier?" inquired Fouquet. - -"I have only been there once," replied D'Artagnan, with readiness and -good-humor. - -"Did you remain there long?" - -"Scarcely a day." - -"Did you see much of it while you were there?" - -"All that could be seen in a day." - -"A great deal can be seen with observation as keen as yours," said -Fouquet; at which D'Artagnan bowed. - -During this Raoul made a sign to Buckingham. "M. Fouquet," said -Buckingham, "I leave the captain with you, he is more learned than I -am in bastions, scarps, and counter-scarps, and I will join one of my -friends, who has just beckoned me." Saying this, Buckingham disengaged -himself from the group, and advanced towards Raoul, stopping for a -moment at the table where the queen-mother, the young queen, and the -king were playing together. - -"Now, Raoul," said De Guiche, "there he is; be firm and quick." - -Buckingham, having made some complimentary remark to Madame, continued -his way towards Raoul, who advanced to meet him, while De Guiche -remained in his place, though he followed him with his eyes. The -maneuver was so arranged that the young men met in an open space which -was left vacant, between the groups of players and the gallery, where -they walked, stopping now and then for the purpose of saying a few words -to some of the graver courtiers who were walking there. At the moment -when the two lines were about to unite, they were broken by a third. It -was Monsieur who advanced towards the Duke of Buckingham. Monsieur had -his most engaging smile on his red and perfumed lips. - -"My dear duke," said he, with the most affectionate politeness; "is it -really true what I have just been told?" - -Buckingham turned round; he had not noticed Monsieur approach; but had -merely heard his voice. He started in spite of his command over himself, -and a slight pallor overspread his face. "Monseigneur," he asked, "what -has been told you that surprises you so much?" - -"That which throws me into despair, and will, in truth, be a real cause -of mourning for the whole court." - -"Your highness is very kind, for I perceive that you allude to my -departure." - -"Precisely." - -Guiche had overheard the conversation from where he was standing, and -started in his turn. "His departure," he murmured. "What does he say?" - -Philip continued with the same gracious air, "I can easily conceive, -monsieur, why the king of Great Britain recalls you; we all know that -King Charles II., who appreciates true gentlemen, cannot dispense with -you. But it cannot be supposed we can let you go without great regret; -and I beg you to receive the expression of my own." - -"Believe me, monseigneur," said the duke, "that if I quit the court of -France--" - -"Because you are recalled; but, if you suppose the expression of my own -wish on the subject might possibly have any influence with the king, I -will gladly volunteer to entreat his majesty Charles II. to leave you -with us a little while longer." - -"I am overwhelmed, monseigneur, by so much kindness," replied -Buckingham; "but I have received positive commands. My residence in -France was limited; I have prolonged it at the risk of displeasing my -gracious sovereign. It is only this very day that I recollected I ought -to have set off four days ago." - -"Indeed," said Monsieur. - -"Yes; but," added Buckingham, raising his voice in such a manner that -the princess could hear him,--"but I resemble that dweller in the East, -who turned mad, and remained so for several days, owing to a delightful -dream that he had had, but who one day awoke, if not completely -cured, in some respects rational at least. The court of France has its -intoxicating properties, which are not unlike this dream, my lord; but -at last I wake and leave it. I shall be unable, therefore, to prolong my -residence, as your highness has so kindly invited me to do." - -"When do you leave?" inquired Philip, with an expression full of -interest. - -"To-morrow, monseigneur. My carriages have been ready for three days." - -The Duc d'Orleans made a movement of the head, which seemed to -signify, "Since you are determined, duke, there is nothing to be said." -Buckingham returned the gesture, concealing under a smile a contraction -of his heart; and then Monsieur moved away in the same direction by -which he had approached. At the same moment, however, De Guiche advanced -from the opposite direction. Raoul feared that the impatient young man -might possibly make the proposition himself, and hurried forth before -him. - -"No, no, Raoul, all is useless now," said Guiche, holding both his hands -towards the duke, and leading him behind a column. "Forgive me, duke, -for what I wrote to you, I was mad; give me back my letter." - -"It is true," said the duke, "you cannot owe me a grudge any longer -now." - -"Forgive me, duke; my friendship, my lasting friendship is yours." - -"There is certainly no reason why you should bear me any ill-will from -the moment I leave her never to see her again." - -Raoul heard these words, and comprehending that his presence was now -useless between the young men, who had now only friendly words to -exchange, withdrew a few paces; a movement which brought him closer to -De Wardes, who was conversing with the Chevalier de Lorraine respecting -the departure of Buckingham. "A strategic retreat," said De Wardes. - -"Why so?" - -"Because the dear duke saves a sword-thrust by it." At which reply both -laughed. - -Raoul, indignant, turned round frowningly, flushed with anger and his -lip curling with disdain. The Chevalier de Lorraine turned on his heel, -but De Wardes remained and waited. - -"You will not break yourself of the habit," said Raoul to De Wardes, "of -insulting the absent; yesterday it was M. d'Artagnan, to-day it is the -Duke of Buckingham." - -"You know very well, monsieur," returned De Wardes, "that I sometimes -insult those who are present." - -De Wardes was close to Raoul, their shoulders met, their faces -approached, as if to mutually inflame each other by the fire of their -looks and of their anger. It could be seen that the one was at the -height of fury, the other at the end of his patience. Suddenly a voice -was heard behind them full of grace and courtesy, saying, "I believe I -heard my name pronounced." - -They turned round and saw D'Artagnan, who, with a smiling eye and a -cheerful face, had just placed his hand on De Wardes's shoulder. Raoul -stepped back to make room for the musketeer. De Wardes trembled from -head to foot, turned pale, but did not move. D'Artagnan, still with the -same smile, took the place which Raoul had abandoned to him. - -"Thank you, my dear Raoul," he said. "M. de Wardes, I wish to talk with -you. Do not leave us, Raoul; every one can hear what I have to say to M. -de Wardes." His smile immediately faded away, and his glace became cold -and sharp as a sword. - -"I am at your orders, monsieur," said De Wardes. - -"For a very long time," resumed D'Artagnan, "I have sought an -opportunity of conversing with you; to-day is the first time I have -found it. The place is badly chosen, I admit, but you will perhaps -have the goodness to accompany me to my apartments, which are on the -staircase at the end of this gallery." - -"I follow you, monsieur," said De Wardes. - -"Are you alone here?" said D'Artagnan. - -"No; I have M. Manicamp and M. de Guiche, two of my friends." - -"That's well," said D'Artagnan; "but two persons are not sufficient; you -will be able to find a few others, I trust." - -"Certainly," said the young man, who did not know what object D'Artagnan -had in view. "As many as you please." - -"Are they friends?" - -"Yes, monsieur." - -"Real friends?" - -"No doubt of it." - -"Very well, get a good supply, then. Do you come, too, Raoul; bring M. -de Guiche and the Duke of Buckingham." - -"What a disturbance," replied De Wardes, attempting to smile. The -captain slightly signed to him with his hand, as though to recommend him -to be patient, and then led the way to his apartments. [2] - - - -Chapter XX. Sword-Thrusts in the Water (concluded). - -D'Artagnan's apartment was not unoccupied; for the Comte de la Fere, -seated in the recess of a window, awaited him. "Well," said he to -D'Artagnan, as he saw him enter. - -"Well," said the latter, "M. de Wardes has done me the honor to pay me a -visit, in company with some of his own friends, as well as of ours." In -fact, behind the musketeer appeared De Wardes and Manicamp, followed -by De Guiche and Buckingham, who looked surprised, not knowing what was -expected of them. Raoul was accompanied by two or three gentlemen; and, -as he entered, glanced round the room, and perceiving the count, he went -and placed himself by his side. D'Artagnan received his visitors -with all the courtesy he was capable of; he preserved his unmoved and -unconcerned look. All the persons present were men of distinction, -occupying posts of honor and credit at the court. After he had -apologized to each of them for any inconvenience he might have put -them to, he turned towards De Wardes, who, in spite of his customary -self-command, could not prevent his face betraying some surprise mingled -with not a little uneasiness. - -"Now, monsieur," said D'Artagnan, "since we are no longer within the -precincts of the king's palace, and since we can speak out without -failing in respect to propriety, I will inform you why I have taken the -liberty to request you to visit me here, and why I have invited these -gentlemen to be present at the same time. My friend, the Comte de la -Fere, has acquainted me with the injurious reports you are spreading -about myself. You have stated that you regard me as your mortal enemy, -because I was, so you affirm, that of your father." - -"Perfectly true, monsieur, I have said so," replied De Wardes, whose -pallid face became slightly tinged with color. - -"You accuse me, therefore, of a crime, or a fault, or of some mean -and cowardly act. Have the goodness to state your charge against me in -precise terms." - -"In the presence of witnesses?" - -"Most certainly in the presence of witnesses; and you see I have -selected them as being experienced in affairs of honor." - -"You do not appreciate my delicacy, monsieur. I have accused you, it is -true; but I have kept the nature of the accusation a perfect secret. -I entered into no details; but have rested satisfied by expressing my -hatred in the presence of those on whom a duty was almost imposed to -acquaint you with it. You have not taken the discreetness I have shown -into consideration, although you were interested in remaining silent. I -can hardly recognize your habitual prudence in that, M. d'Artagnan." - -D'Artagnan, who was quietly biting the corner of his moustache, said, -"I have already had the honor to beg you to state the particulars of the -grievances you say you have against me." - -"Aloud?" - -"Certainly, aloud." - -"In that case, I will speak." - -"Speak, monsieur," said D'Artagnan, bowing; "we are all listening to -you." - -"Well, monsieur, it is not a question of a personal injury towards -myself, but one towards my father." - -"That you have already stated." - -"Yes; but there are certain subjects which are only approached with -hesitation." - -"If that hesitation, in your case, really does exist, I entreat you to -overcome it." - -"Even if it refer to a disgraceful action?" - -"Yes; in every and any case." - -Those who were present at this scene had, at first, looked at each other -with a good deal of uneasiness. They were reassured, however, when they -saw that D'Artagnan manifested no emotion whatever. - -De Wardes still maintained the same unbroken silence. "Speak, monsieur," -said the musketeer; "you see you are keeping us waiting." - -"Listen, then:--My father loved a lady of noble birth, and this lady -loved my father." D'Artagnan and Athos exchanged looks. De Wardes -continued: "M. d'Artagnan found some letters which indicated a -rendezvous, substituted himself, under disguise, for the person who was -expected, and took advantage of the darkness." - -"That is perfectly true," said D'Artagnan. - -A slight murmur was heard from those present. "Yes, I was guilty of that -dishonorable action. You should have added, monsieur, since you are so -impartial, that, at the period when the circumstance which you have just -related happened, I was not one-and-twenty years of age." - -A renewed murmur was heard, but this time of astonishment, and almost of -doubt. - -"It was a most shameful deception, I admit," said D'Artagnan, "and I -have not waited for M. de Wardes's reproaches to reproach myself for it, -and very bitterly, too. Age has, however, made me more reasonable, and, -above all, more upright; and this injury has been atoned for by a long -and lasting regret. But I appeal to you, gentlemen; this affair took -place in 1626, at a period, happily for yourselves, known to you by -tradition only, at a period when love was not over-scrupulous, -when consciences did not distill, as in the present day, poison and -bitterness. We were young soldiers, always fighting, or being attacked, -our swords always in our hands, or at least ready to be drawn from their -sheaths. Death then always stared us in the face, war hardened us, and -the cardinal pressed us sorely. I have repented of it, and more than -that--I still repent it, M. de Wardes." - -"I can well understand that, monsieur, for the action itself needed -repentance; but you were not the less the cause of that lady's disgrace. -She, of whom you have been speaking, covered with shame, borne down by -the affront you brought upon her, fled, quitted France, and no one ever -knew what became of her." - -"Stay," said the Comte de la Fere, stretching his hand towards De -Wardes, with a peculiar smile upon his face, "you are mistaken; she was -seen; and there are persons even now present, who, having often heard -her spoken of, will easily recognize her by the description I am about -to give. She was about five-and-twenty years of age, slender in form, of -a pale complexion, and fair-haired; she was married in England." - -"Married?" exclaimed De Wardes. - -"So, you were not aware she was married? You see we are far better -informed than yourself. Do you happen to know she was usually styled 'My -Lady,' without the addition of any name to that description?" - -"Yes, I know that." - -"Good Heavens!" murmured Buckingham. - -"Very well, monsieur. That woman, who came from England, returned to -England after having thrice attempted M. d'Artagnan's life. That was but -just, you will say, since M. d'Artagnan had insulted her. But that which -was not just was, that, when in England, this woman, by her seductions, -completely enslaved a young man in the service of Lord de Winter, by -name Felton. You change color, my lord," said Athos, turning to the Duke -of Buckingham, "and your eyes kindle with anger and sorrow. Let your -Grace finish the recital, then, and tell M. de Wardes who this woman was -who placed the knife in the hand of your father's murderer." - -A cry escaped from the lips of all present. The young duke passed his -handkerchief across his forehead, which was covered with perspiration. A -dead silence ensued among the spectators. - -"You see, M. de Wardes," said D'Artagnan, whom this recital had -impressed more and more, as his own recollection revived as Athos spoke, -"you see that my crime did not cause the destruction of any one's soul, -and that the soul in question may fairly be considered to have been -altogether lost before my regret. It is, however, an act of conscience -on my part. Now this matter is settled, therefore, it remains for me -to ask, with the greatest humility, your forgiveness for this shameless -action, as most certainly I should have asked it of your father, if -he were still alive, and if I had met him after my return to France, -subsequent to the death of King Charles I." - -"That is too much, M. d'Artagnan," exclaimed many voices, with -animation. - -"No, gentlemen," said the captain. "And now, M. de Wardes, I hope all is -finished between us, and that you will have no further occasion to speak -ill of me again. Do you consider it completely settled?" - -De Wardes bowed, and muttered to himself inarticulately. - -"I trust also," said D'Artagnan, approaching the young man closely, -"that you will no longer speak ill of any one, as it seems you have the -unfortunate habit of doing; for a man so puritanically conscientious -as you are, who can reproach an old soldier for a youthful freak -five-and-thirty years after it happened, will allow me to ask whether -you, who advocate such excessive purity of conscience, will undertake on -your side to do nothing contrary either to conscience or the principle -of honor. And now, listen attentively to what I am going to say, M. de -Wardes, in conclusion. Take care that no tale, with which your name may -be associated, reaches my ear." - -"Monsieur," said De Wardes, "it is useless threatening to no purpose." - -"I have not yet finished, M. de Wardes, and you must listen to me still -further." The circle of listeners, full of eager curiosity, drew closer. -"You spoke just now of the honor of a woman, and of the honor of -your father. We were glad to hear you speak in that manner; for it is -pleasing to think that such a sentiment of delicacy and rectitude, and -which did not exist, it seems, in _our_ minds, lives in our children; -and it is delightful, too, to see a young man, at an age when men from -habit become the destroyers of the honor of women, respect and defend -it." - -De Wardes bit his lip and clenched his hands, evidently much disturbed -to learn how this discourse, the commencement of which was announced in -so threatening a manner, would terminate. - -"How did it happen, then, that you allowed yourself to say to M. de -Bragelonne that he did not know who his mother was?" - -Raoul's eyes flashed, as, darting forward, he exclaimed,--"Chevalier, -this is a personal affair of my own!" At which exclamation, a smile, -full of malice, passed across De Wardes's face. - -D'Artagnan put Raoul aside, saying,--"Do not interrupt me, young man." -And looking at De Wardes in an authoritative manner, he continued:--"I -am now dealing with a matter which cannot be settled by means of the -sword. I discuss it before men of honor, all of whom have more than once -had their swords in their hands in affairs of honor. I selected them -expressly. These gentlemen well know that every secret for which men -fight ceases to be a secret. I again put my question to M. de Wardes. -What was the subject of conversation when you offended this young man, -in offending his father and mother at the same time?" - -"It seems to me," returned De Wardes, "that liberty of speech is -allowed, when it is supported by every means which a man of courage has -at his disposal." - -"Tell me what the means are by which a man of courage can sustain a -slanderous expression." - -"The sword." - -"You fail, not only in logic, in your argument, but in religion and -honor. You expose the lives of many others, without referring to your -own, which seems to be full of hazard. Besides, fashions pass away, -monsieur, and the fashion of duelling has passed away, without referring -in any way to the edicts of his majesty which forbid it. Therefore, in -order to be consistent with your own chivalrous notions, you will at -once apologize to M. de Bragelonne; you will tell him how much you -regret having spoken so lightly, and that the nobility and purity of -his race are inscribed, not in his heart alone, but still more in every -action of his life. You will do and say this, M. de Wardes, as I, an old -officer, did and said just now to your boy's moustache." - -"And if I refuse?" inquired De Wardes. - -"In that case the result will be--" - -"That which you think you will prevent," said De Wardes, laughing; "the -result will be that your conciliatory address will end in a violation of -the king's prohibition." - -"Not so," said the captain, "you are quite mistaken." - -"What will be the result, then?" - -"The result will be that I shall go to the king, with whom I am on -tolerably good terms, to whom I have been happy enough to render certain -services, dating from a period when you were not born, and who, at -my request, has just sent me an order in blank for M. Baisemeaux de -Montlezun, governor of the Bastile; and I shall say to the king: 'Sire, -a man has in a most cowardly way insulted M. de Bragelonne by insulting -his mother; I have written this man's name upon the _lettre de cachet_ -which your majesty has been kind enough to give me, so that M. de Wardes -is in the Bastile for three years." And D'Artagnan, drawing the order -signed by the king from his pocket, held it towards De Wardes. - -Remarking that the young man was not quite convinced, and received -the warning as an idle threat, he shrugged his shoulders and walked -leisurely towards the table, upon which lay a writing-case and a pen, -the length of which would have terrified the topographical Porthos. De -Wardes then saw that nothing could well be more seriously intended -than the threat in question, for the Bastile, even at that period, was -already held in dread. He advanced a step towards Raoul, and, in an -almost unintelligible voice, said,--"I offer my apologies in the terms -which M. d'Artagnan just now dictated, and which I am forced to make to -you." - -"One moment, monsieur," said the musketeer, with the greatest -tranquillity, "you mistake the terms of the apology. I did not say, 'and -which I am forced to make'; I said, 'and which my conscience induces me -to make.' This latter expression, believe me, is better than the former; -and it will be far preferable, since it will be the most truthful -expression of your own sentiments." - -"I subscribe to it," said De Wardes; "but submit, gentlemen, that a -thrust of the sword through the body, as was the custom formerly, was -far better than tyranny like this." - -"No, monsieur," replied Buckingham; "for the sword-thrust, when -received, was no indication that a particular person was right or wrong; -it only showed that he was more or less skillful in the use of the -weapon." - -"Monsieur!" exclaimed De Wardes. - -"There, now," interrupted D'Artagnan, "you are going to say something -very rude, and I am rendering a service by stopping you in time." - -"Is that all, monsieur?" inquired De Wardes. - -"Absolutely everything," replied D'Artagnan; "and these gentlemen, as -well as myself, are quite satisfied with you." - -"Believe me, monsieur, that your reconciliations are not successful." - -"In what way?" - -"Because, as we are now about to separate, I would wager that M. de -Bragelonne and myself are greater enemies than ever." - -"You are deceived, monsieur, as far as I am concerned," returned Raoul; -"for I do not retain the slightest animosity in my heart against you." - -This last blow overwhelmed De Wardes. He cast his eyes around him like -a man bewildered. D'Artagnan saluted most courteously the gentlemen who -had been present at the explanation; and every one, on leaving the room, -shook hands with him; but not one hand was held out towards De Wardes. -"Oh!" exclaimed the young man, "can I not find some one on whom to wreak -my vengeance?" - -"You can, monsieur, for I am here," whispered a voice full of menace in -his ear. - -De Wardes turned round, and saw the Duke of Buckingham, who, having -probably remained behind with that intention, had just approached him. -"You, monsieur?" exclaimed De Wardes. - -"Yes, I! I am no subject of the king of France; I am not going to remain -on the territory, since I am about setting off for England. I have -accumulated in my heart such a mass of despair and rage, that I, too, -like yourself, need to revenge myself upon some one. I approve M. -d'Artagnan's principles profoundly, but I am not bound to apply them -to you. I am an Englishman, and, in my turn, I propose to you what you -proposed to others to no purpose. Since you, therefore, are so terribly -incensed, take me as a remedy. In thirty-four hours' time I shall be at -Calais. Come with me; the journey will appear shorter if together, than -if alone. We will fight, when we get there, upon the sands which are -covered by the rising tide, and which form part of the French territory -during six hours of the day, but belong to the territory of Heaven -during the other six." - -"I accept willingly," said De Wardes. - -"I assure you," said the duke, "that if you kill me, you will be -rendering me an infinite service." - -"I will do my utmost to make myself agreeable to you, duke," said De -Wardes. - -"It is agreed, then, that I carry you off with me?" - -"I shall be at your commands. I needed some real danger and some mortal -risk to run, to tranquilize me." - -"In that case, I think you have met with what you are looking for. -Farewell, M. de Wardes; to-morrow morning, my valet will tell you the -exact hour of our departure; we can travel together like two excellent -friends. I generally travel as fast as I can. Adieu." - -Buckingham saluted De Wardes, and returned towards the king's -apartments; De Wardes, irritated beyond measure, left the Palais Royal, -and hurried through the streets homeward to the house where he lodged. - - - -Chapter XXI. Baisemeaux de Montlezun. - -After the austere lesson administered to De Wardes, Athos and D'Artagnan -together descended the staircase which led to the courtyard of the -Palais Royal. "You perceive," said Athos to D'Artagnan, "that Raoul -cannot, sooner or later, avoid a duel with De Wardes, for De Wardes is -as brave as he is vicious and wicked." - -"I know such fellows well," replied D'Artagnan; "I had an affair with -the father. I assure you that, although at that time I had good muscles -and a sort of brute courage--I assure you that the father did me some -mischief. But you should have seen how I fought it out with him. Ah, -Athos, such encounters never take place in these times! I had a hand -which could never remain at rest, a hand like quicksilver,--you knew -its quality, for you have seen me at work. My sword was no longer than -a piece of steel; it was a serpent that assumed every form and every -length, seeking where it might thrust its head; in other words, where it -might fix its bite. I advanced half a dozen paces, then three, and then, -body to body, I pressed my antagonist closely, then I darted back again -ten paces. No human power could resist that ferocious ardor. Well, -De Wardes the father, with the bravery of his race, with his dogged -courage, occupied a good deal of my time; and my fingers, at the end of -the engagement, were, I well remember, tired enough." - -"It is, then, as I said," resumed Athos, "the son will always be looking -out for Raoul, and will end by meeting him; and Raoul can easily be -found when he is sought for." - -"Agreed; but Raoul calculates well; he bears no grudge against De -Wardes,--he has said so; he will wait until he is provoked, and in that -case his position is a good one. The king will not be able to get out -of temper about the matter; besides we shall know how to pacify his -majesty. But why so full of these fears and anxieties? You don't easily -get alarmed." - -"I will tell you what makes me anxious; Raoul is to see the king -to-morrow, when his majesty will inform him of his wishes respecting a -certain marriage. Raoul, loving as he does, will get out of temper, and -once in an angry mood, if he were to meet De Wardes, the shell would -explode." - -"We will prevent the explosion." - -"Not I," said Athos, "for I must return to Blois. All this gilded -elegance of the court, all these intrigues, sicken me. I am no longer a -young man who can make terms with the meanness of the day. I have read -in the Great Book many things too beautiful and too comprehensive to -longer take any interest in the trifling phrases which these men whisper -among themselves when they wish to deceive others. In one word, I am -weary of Paris wherever and whenever you are not with me; and as I -cannot have you with me always, I wish to return to Blois." - -"How wrong you are, Athos; how you gainsay your origin and the destiny -of your noble nature. Men of your stamp are created to continue, to the -very last moment, in full possession of their great faculties. Look at -my sword, a Spanish blade, the one I wore at La Rochelle; it served me -for thirty years without fail; one day in the winter it fell upon the -marble floor on the Louvre and was broken. I had a hunting-knife made of -it which will last a hundred years yet. You, Athos, with your loyalty, -your frankness, your cool courage, and your sound information, are -the very man kings need to warn and direct them. Remain here; Monsieur -Fouquet will not last as long as my Spanish blade." - -"Is it possible," said Athos, smiling, "that my friend, D'Artagnan, who, -after having raised me to the skies, making me an object of worship, -casts me down from the top of Olympus, and hurls me to the ground? -I have more exalted ambition, D'Artagnan. To be a minister--to be a -slave,--never! Am I not still greater? I am nothing. I remember having -heard you occasionally call me 'the great Athos'; I defy you, therefore, -if I were minister, to continue to bestow that title upon me. No, no; I -do not yield myself in this manner." - -"We will not speak of it any more, then; renounce everything, even the -brotherly feeling which unites us." - -"It is almost cruel what you say." - -D'Artagnan pressed Athos's hand warmly. "No, no; renounce everything -without fear. Raoul can get on without you. I am at Paris." - -"In that case I shall return to Blois. We will take leave of each other -to-night; to-morrow at daybreak I shall be on my horse again." - -"You cannot return to your hotel alone; why did you not bring Grimaud -with you?" - -"Grimaud takes his rest now; he goes to bed early, for my poor old -servant gets easily fatigued. He came from Blois with me, and I -compelled him to remain within doors; for if, in retracing the forty -leagues which separate us from Blois, he needed to draw breath even, he -would die without a murmur. But I don't want to lose Grimaud." - -"You shall have one of my musketeers to carry a torch for you. _Hola!_ -some one there," called out D'Artagnan, leaning over the gilded -balustrade. The heads of seven or eight musketeers appeared. "I wish -some gentleman, who is so disposed, to escort the Comte de la Fere," -cried D'Artagnan. - -"Thank you for your readiness, gentlemen," said Athos; "I regret to have -occasion to trouble you in this manner." - -"I would willingly escort the Comte de la Fere," said some one, "if I -had not to speak to Monsieur d'Artagnan." - -"Who is that?" said D'Artagnan, looking into the darkness. - -"I, Monsieur d'Artagnan." - -"Heaven forgive me, if that is not Monsieur Baisemeaux's voice." - -"It is, monsieur." - -"What are you doing in the courtyard, my dear Baisemeaux?" - -"I am waiting your orders, my dear Monsieur d'Artagnan." - -"Wretch that I am," thought D'Artagnan; "true, you have been told, -I suppose, that some one was to be arrested, and have come yourself, -instead of sending an officer?" - -"I came because I had occasion to speak to you." - -"You did not send to me?" - -"I waited until you were disengaged," said Monsieur Baisemeaux, timidly. - -"I leave you, D'Artagnan," said Athos. - -"Not before I have present Monsieur Baisemeaux de Montlezun, the -governor of the Bastile." - -Baisemeaux and Athos saluted each other. - -"Surely you must know each other," said D'Artagnan. - -"I have an indistinct recollection of Monsieur Baisemeaux," said Athos. - -"You remember, my dear, Baisemeaux, the king's guardsman with whom we -used formerly to have such delightful meetings in the cardinal's time?" - -"Perfectly," said Athos, taking leave of him with affability. - -"Monsieur le Comte de la Fere, whose _nom de guerre_ was Athos," -whispered D'Artagnan to Baisemeaux. - -"Yes, yes, a brave man, one of the celebrated four." - -"Precisely so. But, my dear Baisemeaux, shall we talk now?" - -"If you please." - -"In the first place, as for the orders--there are none. The king does -not intend to arrest the person in question. - -"So much the worse," said Baisemeaux with a sigh. - -"What do you mean by so much the worse?" exclaimed D'Artagnan, laughing. - -"No doubt of it," returned the governor, "my prisoners are my income." - -"I beg your pardon, I did not see it in that light." - -"And so there are no orders," repeated Baisemeaux with a sigh. "What -an admirable situation yours is, captain," he continued, after a pause; -"captain-lieutenant of the musketeers." - -"Oh, it is good enough; but I don't see why you should envy me; you, -governor of the Bastile, the first castle in France." - -"I am well aware of that," said Baisemeaux, in a sorrowful tone of -voice. - -"You say that like a man confessing his sins. I would willingly exchange -my profits for yours." - -"Don't speak of profits to me, if you wish to save me the bitterest -anguish of mind." - -"Why do you look first on one side and then on the other, as if you were -afraid of being arrested yourself, you whose business it is to arrest -others?" - -"I was looking to see whether any one could see or listen to us; it -would be safer to confer more in private, if you would grant me such a -favor." - -"Baisemeaux, you seem to forget we are acquaintances of five and thirty -years' standing. Don't assume such sanctified airs; make yourself quite -comfortable; I don't eat governors of the Bastile raw." - -"Heaven be praised!" - -"Come into the courtyard with me; it's a beautiful moonlit night; we -will walk up and down, arm in arm, under the trees, while you tell me -your pitiful tale." He drew the doleful governor into the courtyard, -took him by the arm as he had said, and, in his rough, good-humored way, -cried: "Out with it, rattle away, Baisemeaux; what have you got to say?" - -"It's a long story." - -"You prefer your own lamentations, then; my opinion is, it will be -longer than ever. I'll wager you are making fifty thousand francs out of -your pigeons in the Bastile." - -"Would to heaven that were the case, M. d'Artagnan." - -"You surprise me, Baisemeaux; just look at you, acting the anchorite. -I should like to show you your face in a glass, and you would see how -plump and florid-looking you are, as fat and round as a cheese, with -eyes like lighted coals; and if it were not for that ugly wrinkle you -try to cultivate on your forehead, you would hardly look fifty years -old, and you are sixty, if I am not mistaken." - -"All quite true." - -"Of course I knew it was true, as true as the fifty thousand francs -profit you make;" at which remark Baisemeaux stamped on the ground. - -"Well, well," said D'Artagnan, "I will add up your accounts for you: you -were captain of M. Mazarin's guards; and twelve thousand francs a year -would in twelve years amount to one hundred and forty thousand francs." - -"Twelve thousand francs! Are you mad?" cried Baisemeaux; "the old miser -gave me no more than six thousand, and the expenses of the post amounted -to six thousand five hundred francs. M. Colbert, who deducted the other -six thousand francs, condescended to allow me to take fifty thousand -francs as a gratification; so that, if it were not for my little estate -at Montlezun, which brings me in twelve thousand francs a year, I could -not have met my engagements." - -"Well, then, how about the fifty thousand francs from the Bastile? -There, I trust, you are boarded and lodged, and get your six thousand -francs salary besides." - -"Admitted!" - -"Whether the year be good or bad, there are fifty prisoners, who, on the -average, bring you in a thousand francs a year each." - -"I don't deny it." - -"Well, there is at once an income of fifty thousand francs; you have -held the post three years, and must have received in that time one -hundred and fifty thousand francs." - -"You forget one circumstance, dear M. d'Artagnan." - -"What is that?" - -"That while you received your appointment as captain from the king -himself, I received mine as governor from Messieurs Tremblay and -Louviere." - -"Quite right, and Tremblay was not a man to let you have the post for -nothing." - -"Nor Louviere either: the result was, that I gave seventy-five thousand -francs to Tremblay as his share." - -"Very agreeable that! and to Louviere?" - -"The very same." - -"Money down?" - -"No: that would have been impossible. The king did not wish, or rather -M. Mazarin did not wish, to have the appearance of removing those -two gentlemen, who had sprung from the barricades; he permitted them, -therefore, to make certain extravagant conditions for their retirement." - -"What were those conditions?" - -"Tremble... three years' income for the good-will." - -"The deuce! so that the one hundred and fifty thousand francs have -passed into their hands." - -"Precisely so." - -"And beyond that?" - -"A sum of one hundred and fifty thousand francs, or fifteen thousand -pistoles, whichever you please, in three payments." - -"Exorbitant." - -"Yes, but that is not all." - -"What besides?" - -"In default of the fulfillment by me of any one of those conditions, -those gentlemen enter upon their functions again. The king has been -induced to sign that." - -"It is monstrous, incredible!" - -"Such is the fact, however." - -"I do indeed pity you, Baisemeaux. But why, in the name of fortune, did -M. Mazarin grant you this pretended favor? It would have been far better -to have refused you altogether." - -"Certainly, but he was strongly persuaded to do so by my protector." - -"Who is he?" - -"One of your own friends, indeed; M. d'Herblay." - -"M. d'Herblay! Aramis!" - -"Just so; he has been very kind towards me." - -"Kind! to make you enter into such a bargain!" - -"Listen! I wished to leave the cardinal's service. M. d'Herblay spoke on -my behalf to Louviere and Tremblay--they objected; I wished to have the -appointment very much, for I knew what it could be made to produce; -in my distress I confided in M. d'Herblay, and he offered to become my -surety for the different payments." - -"You astound me! Aramis became your surety?" - -"Like a man of honor; he procured the signature; Tremblay and Louviere -resigned their appointments; I have paid every year twenty-five thousand -francs to these two gentlemen; on the thirty-first of May, every year, -M. d'Herblay himself comes to the Bastile, and brings me five thousand -pistoles to distribute between my crocodiles." - -"You owe Aramis one hundred and fifty thousand francs, then?" - -"That is the very thing which is the cause of my despair, for I only owe -him one hundred thousand." - -"I don't quite understand you." - -"He came and settled with the vampires only two years. To-day, however, -is the thirty-first of May, and he has not been yet, and to-morrow, at -midday, the payment falls due; if, therefore, I don't pay to-morrow, -those gentlemen can, by the terms of the contract, break off the -bargain; I shall be stripped of everything; I shall have worked for -three years, and given two hundred and fifty thousand francs for -nothing, absolutely for nothing at all, dear M. d'Artagnan." - -"This is very strange," murmured D'Artagnan. - -"You can now imagine that I may well have wrinkles on my forehead, can -you not?" - -"Yes, indeed!" - -"And you can imagine, too, that notwithstanding I may be as round as a -cheese, with a complexion like an apple, and my eyes like coals on fire, -I may almost be afraid that I shall not have a cheese or an apple left -me to eat, and that my eyes will be left me only to weep with." - -"It is really a very grievous affair." - -"I have come to you, M. d'Artagnan, for you are the only man who can get -me out of my trouble." - -"In what way?" - -"You are acquainted with the Abbe d'Herblay, and you know that he is a -somewhat mysterious gentleman." - -"Yes." - -"Well, you can, perhaps, give me the address of his presbytery, for I -have been to Noisy-le-Sec, and he is no longer there." - -"I should think not, indeed. He is Bishop of Vannes." - -"What! Vannes in Bretagne?" - -"Yes." - -The little man began to tear his hair, saying, "How can I get to Vannes -from here by midday to-morrow? I am a lost man." - -"Your despair quite distresses me." - -"Vannes, Vannes!" cried Baisemeaux. - -"But listen; a bishop is not always a resident. M. d'Herblay may not -possibly be so far away as you fear." - -"Pray tell me his address." - -"I really don't know it." - -"In that case I am lost. I will go and throw myself at the king's feet." - -"But, Baisemeaux, I can hardly believe what you tell me; besides, since -the Bastile is capable of producing fifty thousand francs a year, why -have you not tried to screw one hundred thousand out of it?" - -"Because I am an honest man, M. d'Artagnan, and because my prisoners are -fed like ambassadors." - -"Well, you're in a fair way to get out of your difficulties; give -yourself a good attack of indigestion with your excellent living, and -put yourself out of the way between this and midday to-morrow." - -"How can you be hard-hearted enough to laugh?" - -"Nay, you really afflict me. Come, Baisemeaux, if you can pledge me your -word of honor, do so, that you will not open your lips to any one about -what I am going to say to you." - -"Never, never!" - -"You wish to put your hands on Aramis?" - -"At any cost!" - -"Well, go and see where M. Fouquet is." - -"Why, what connection can there be--" - -"How stupid you are! Don't you know that Vannes is in the diocese of -Belle-Isle, or Belle-Isle in the diocese of Vannes? Belle-Isle belongs -to M. Fouquet, and M. Fouquet nominated M. d'Herblay to that bishopric!" - -"I see, I see; you restore me to life again." - -"So much the better. Go and tell M. Fouquet very simply that you wish to -speak to M. d'Herblay." - -"Of course, of course," exclaimed Baisemeaux, delightedly. - -"But," said D'Artagnan, checking him by a severe look, "your word of -honor?" - -"I give you my sacred word of honor," replied the little man, about to -set off running. - -"Where are you going?" - -"To M. Fouquet's house." - -"It is useless doing that; M. Fouquet is playing at cards with the king. -All you can do is to pay M. Fouquet a visit early to-morrow morning." - -"I will do so. Thank you." - -"Good luck attend you," said D'Artagnan. - -"Thank you." - -"This is a strange affair," murmured D'Artagnan, as he slowly ascended -the staircase after he had left Baisemeaux. "What possible interest can -Aramis have in obliging Baisemeaux in this manner? Well, I suppose we -shall learn some day or another." - - - -Chapter XXII. The King's Card-Table. - -Fouquet was present, as D'Artagnan had said, at the king's card-table. -It seemed as if Buckingham's departure had shed a balm on the lacerated -hearts of the previous evening. Monsieur, radiant with delight, made a -thousand affectionate signs to his mother. The Count de Guiche could not -separate himself from Buckingham, and while playing, conversed with him -upon the circumstance of his projected voyage. Buckingham, thoughtful, -and kind in his manner, like a man who has adopted a resolution, -listened to the count, and from time to time cast a look full of regret -and hopeless affection at Madame. The princess, in the midst of her -elation of spirits, divided her attention between the king, who was -playing with her, Monsieur, who quietly joked her about her enormous -winnings, and De Guiche, who exhibited an extravagant delight. Of -Buckingham she took but little notice; for her, this fugitive, this -exile, was now simply a remembrance, no longer a man. Light hearts are -thus constituted; while they themselves continue untouched, they roughly -break off with every one who may possibly interfere with their little -calculations of self comfort. Madame had received Buckingham's smiles -and attentions and sighs while he was present; but what was the good -of sighing, smiling, and kneeling at a distance? Can one tell in what -direction the winds in the Channel, which toss mighty vessels to and -fro, carry such sighs as these? The duke could not fail to mark this -change, and his heart was cruelly hurt. Of a sensitive character, proud -and susceptible of deep attachment, he cursed the day on which such a -passion had entered his heart. The looks he cast, from time to time -at Madame, became colder by degrees at the chilling complexion of his -thoughts. He could hardly yet despair, but he was strong enough to -impose silence upon the tumultuous outcries of his heart. In exact -proportion, however, as Madame suspected this change of feeling, she -redoubled her activity to regain the ray of light she was about to lose; -her timid and indecisive mind was displayed in brilliant flashes of -wit and humor. At any cost she felt that she must be remarked above -everything and every one, even above the king himself. And she was so, -for the queens, notwithstanding their dignity, and the king, despite the -respect which etiquette required, were all eclipsed by her. The queens, -stately and ceremonious, were softened and could not restrain their -laughter. Madame Henriette, the queen-mother, was dazzled by the -brilliancy which cast distinction upon her family, thanks to the wit of -the grand-daughter of Henry IV. The king, jealous, as a young man and -as a monarch, of the superiority of those who surrounded him, could not -resist admitting himself vanquished by a petulance so thoroughly French -in its nature, whose energy more than ever increased by English humor. -Like a child, he was captivated by her radiant beauty, which her wit -made still more dazzling. Madame's eyes flashed like lightning. Wit and -humor escaped from her scarlet lips like persuasion from the lips of -Nestor of old. The whole court, subdued by her enchanting grace, -noticed for the first time that laughter could be indulged in before the -greatest monarch in the world, like people who merited their appellation -of the wittiest and most polished people in Europe. - -Madame, from that evening, achieved and enjoyed a success capable of -bewildering all not born to those altitudes termed thrones; which, in -spite of their elevation, are sheltered from such giddiness. From that -very moment Louis XIV. acknowledged Madame as a person to be recognized. -Buckingham regarded her as a coquette deserving the cruelest tortures, -and De Guiche looked upon her as a divinity; the courtiers as a star -whose light might some day become the focus of all favor and power. And -yet Louis XIV., a few years previously, had not even condescended to -offer his hand to that "ugly girl" for a ballet; and Buckingham had -worshipped this coquette "on both knees." De Guiche had once looked upon -this divinity as a mere woman; and the courtiers had not dared to extol -this star in her upward progress, fearful to disgust the monarch whom -such a dull star had formerly displeased. - -Let us see what was taking place during this memorable evening at the -king's card-table. The young queen, although Spanish by birth, and the -niece of Anne of Austria, loved the king, and could not conceal her -affection. Anne of Austria, a keen observer, like all women, and -imperious, like every queen, was sensible of Madame's power, and -acquiesced in it immediately, a circumstance which induced the young -queen to raise the siege and retire to her apartments. The king hardly -paid any attention to her departure, notwithstanding the pretended -symptoms of indisposition by which it was accompanied. Encouraged by the -rules of etiquette, which he had begun to introduce at the court as an -element of every relation of life, Louis XIV. did not disturb himself; -he offered his hand to Madame without looking at Monsieur his brother, -and led the young princess to the door of her apartments. It was -remarked, that at the threshold of the door, his majesty, freed from -every restraint, or not equal to the situation, sighed very deeply. -The ladies present--nothing escapes a woman's glance--Mademoiselle -Montalais, for instance--did not fail to say to each other, "the king -sighed," and "Madame sighed too." This had been indeed the case. Madame -had sighed very noiselessly, but with an accompaniment very far more -dangerous for the king's repose. Madame had sighed, first closing her -beautiful black eyes, next opening them, and then, laden, as they were, -with an indescribable mournfulness of expression, she had raised them -towards the king, whose face at that moment visibly heightened in color. -The consequence of these blushes, of those interchanged sighs, and of -this royal agitation, was, that Montalais had committed an indiscretion -which had certainly affected her companion, for Mademoiselle de la -Valliere, less clear sighted, perhaps, turned pale when the king -blushed; and her attendance being required upon Madame, she tremblingly -followed the princess without thinking of taking the gloves, which court -etiquette required her to do. True it is that the young country girl -might allege as her excuse the agitation into which the king seemed to -be thrown, for Mademoiselle de la Valliere, busily engaged in closing -the door, had involuntarily fixed her eyes upon the king, who, as he -retired backwards, had his face towards it. The king returned to the -room where the card-tables were set out. He wished to speak to the -different persons there, but it was easy to see that his mind was -absent. He jumbled different accounts together, which was taken -advantage of by some of the noblemen who had retained those habits since -the time of Monsieur Mazarin--who had a poor memory, but was a good -calculator. In this way, Monsieur Manicamp, with a thoughtless and -absent air--for M. Manicamp was the honestest man in the world, -appropriated twenty thousand francs, which were littering the table, and -which did not seem to belong to any person in particular. In the same -way, Monsieur de Wardes, whose head was doubtless a little bewildered by -the occurrences of the evening, somehow forgot to leave behind him the -sixty double louis which he had won for the Duke of Buckingham, and -which the duke, incapable, like his father, of soiling his hands with -coin of any sort, had left lying on the table before him. The king -only recovered his attention in some degree at the moment that Monsieur -Colbert, who had been narrowly observant for some minutes, approached, -and, doubtless, with great respect, yet with much perseverance, -whispered a counsel of some sort into the still tingling ears of the -king. The king, at the suggestion, listened with renewed attention and -immediately looking around him, said, "Is Monsieur Fouquet no longer -here?" - -"Yes, sire, I am here," replied the superintendent, till then engaged -with Buckingham, and approached the king, who advanced a step towards -him with a smiling yet negligent air. "Forgive me," said Louis, "if I -interrupt your conversation; but I claim your attention wherever I may -require your services." - -"I am always at the king's service," replied Fouquet. - -"And your cash-box, too," said the king, laughing with a false smile. - -"My cash-box more than anything else," said Fouquet, coldly. - -"The fact is, I wish to give a _fete_ at Fontainebleau--to keep open -house for fifteen days, and I shall require--" and he stopped, glancing -at Colbert. Fouquet waited without showing discomposure; and the king -resumed, answering Colbert's icy smile, "four million francs." - -"Four million," repeated Fouquet, bowing profoundly. And his nails, -buried in his bosom, were thrust into his flesh, but the tranquil -expression of his face remained unaltered. "When will they be required, -sire?" - -"Take your time,--I mean--no, no; as soon as possible." - -"A certain time will be necessary, sire." - -"Time!" exclaimed Colbert, triumphantly. - -"The time, monsieur," said the superintendent, with the haughtiest -disdain, "simply to _count the money_; a million can only be drawn and -weighed in a day." - -"Four days, then," said Colbert. - -"My clerks," replied Fouquet, addressing himself to the king, "will -perform wonders on his majesty's service, and the sum shall be ready in -three days." - -It was for Colbert now to turn pale. Louis looked at him astonished. -Fouquet withdrew without any parade or weakness, smiling at his numerous -friends, in whose countenances alone he read the sincerity of their -friendship--an interest partaking of compassion. Fouquet, however, -should not be judged by his smile, for, in reality, he felt as if he had -been stricken by death. Drops of blood beneath his coat stained the fine -linen that clothed his chest. His dress concealed the blood, and his -smile the rage which devoured him. His domestics perceived, by the -manner in which he approached his carriage, that their master was not in -the best of humors: the result of their discernment was, that his orders -were executed with that exactitude of maneuver which is found on board -a man-of-war, commanded during a storm by an ill-tempered captain. The -carriage, therefore, did not simply roll along--it flew. Fouquet had -hardly time to recover himself during the drive; on his arrival he -went at once to Aramis, who had not yet retired for the night. As for -Porthos, he had supped very agreeably off a roast leg of mutton, two -pheasants, and a perfect heap of cray-fish; he then directed his body to -be anointed with perfumed oils, in the manner of the wrestlers of -old; and when this anointment was completed, he had himself wrapped in -flannels and placed in a warm bed. Aramis, as we have already said, -had not retired. Seated at his ease in a velvet dressing-gown, he wrote -letter after letter in that fine and hurried handwriting, a page of -which contained a quarter of a volume. The door was thrown hurriedly -open, and the superintendent appeared, pale, agitated, anxious. Aramis -looked up: "Good-evening," said he; and his searching look detected his -host's sadness and disordered state of mind. "Was your play as good as -his majesty's?" asked Aramis, by way of beginning the conversation. - -Fouquet threw himself upon a couch, and then pointed to the door to -the servant who had followed him; when the servant had left he said, -"Excellent." - -Aramis, who had followed every movement with his eyes, noticed that he -stretched himself upon the cushions with a sort of feverish impatience. -"You have lost as usual?" inquired Aramis, his pen still in his hand. - -"Even more than usual," replied Fouquet. - -"You know how to support losses?" - -"Sometimes." - -"What, Monsieur Fouquet a bad player!" - -"There is play and play, Monsieur d'Herblay." - -"How much have you lost?" inquired Aramis, with a slight uneasiness. - -Fouquet collected himself a moment, and then, without the slightest -emotion, said, "The evening has cost me four millions," and a bitter -laugh drowned the last vibration of these words. - -Aramis, who did not expect such an amount, dropped his pen. "Four -millions," he said; "you have lost four millions,--impossible!" - -"Monsieur Colbert held my cards for me," replied the superintendent, -with a similar bitter laugh. - -"Ah, now I understand; so, so, a new application for funds?" - -"Yes, and from the king's own lips. It was impossible to ruin a man with -a more charming smile. What do you think of it?" - -"It is clear that your destruction is the object in view." - -"That is your opinion?" - -"Still. Besides, there is nothing in it which should astonish you, for -we have foreseen it all along." - -"Yes; but I did not expect four millions." - -"No doubt the amount is serious, but, after all, four millions are -not quite the death of a man, especially when the man in question is -Monsieur Fouquet." - -"My dear D'Herblay, if you knew the contents of my coffers, you would be -less easy." - -"And you promised?" - -"What could I _do?_" - -"That's true." - -"The very day I refuse, Colbert will procure the money; whence I know -not, but he _will_ procure it: and I shall be lost." - -"There is no doubt of that. In how many days did you promise the four -millions?" - -"In three days. The king seemed exceedingly pressed." - -"_In three days?_" - -"When I think," resumed Fouquet, "that just now as I passed along the -streets, the people cried out, 'There is the rich Monsieur Fouquet,' it -is enough to turn my brain." - -"Stay, monsieur, the matter is not worth so much trouble," said Aramis, -calmly, sprinkling some sand over the letter he had just written. - -"Suggest a remedy, then, for this evil without a remedy." - -"There is only one remedy for you,--pay." - -"But it is very uncertain whether I have the money. Everything must be -exhausted; Belle-Isle is paid for; the pension has been paid; and money, -since the investigation of the accounts of those who farm the revenue, -is scarce. Besides, admitting that I pay this time, how can I do so on -another occasion? When kings have tasted money, they are like tigers who -have tasted flesh, they devour everything. The day will arrive--_must_ -arrive--when I shall have to say, 'Impossible, sire,' and on that very -day I am a lost man." - -Aramis raised his shoulders slightly, saying: - -"A man in your position, my lord, is only lost when he wishes to be so." - -"A man, whatever his position may be, cannot hope to struggle against a -king." - -"Nonsense; when I was young I wrestled successfully with the Cardinal -Richelieu, who was king of France,--nay more--cardinal." - -"Where are my armies, my troops, my treasures? I have not even -Belle-Isle." - -"Bah! necessity is the mother of invention, and when you think all is -lost, something will be discovered which will retrieve everything." - -"Who will discover this wonderful something?" - -"Yourself." - -"I! I resign my office of inventor." - -"Then _I_ will." - -"Be it so. But set to work without delay." - -"Oh! we have time enough!" - -"You kill me, D'Herblay, with your calmness," said the superintendent, -passing his handkerchief over his face. - -"Do you not remember that I one day told you not to make yourself -uneasy, if you possessed courage? _Have_ you any?" - -"I believe so." - -"Then don't make yourself uneasy." - -"It is decided then, that, at the last moment, you will come to my -assistance." - -"It will only be the repayment of a debt I owe you." - -"It is the vocation of financiers to anticipate the wants of men such as -yourself, D'Herblay." - -"If obligingness is the vocation of financiers, charity is the virtue -of the clergy. Only, on this occasion, do you act, monsieur. You are not -yet sufficiently reduced, and at the last moment we will see what is to -be done." - -"We shall see, then, in a very short time." - -"Very well. However, permit me to tell you that, personally, I regret -exceedingly that you are at present so short of money, because I myself -was about to ask you for some." - -"For yourself?" - -"For myself, or some of my people, for mine or for ours." - -"How much do you want?" - -"Be easy on that score; a roundish sum, it is true, but not too -exorbitant." - -"Tell me the amount." - -"Fifty thousand francs." - -"Oh! a mere nothing. Of course one has always fifty thousand francs. -Why the deuce cannot that knave Colbert be as easily satisfied as you -are--and I should give myself far less trouble than I do. When do you -need this sum?" - -"To-morrow morning; but you wish to know its destination?" - -"Nay, nay, chevalier, I need no explanation." - -"To-morrow is the first of June." - -"Well?" - -"One of our bonds becomes due." - -"I did not know we had any bonds." - -"Certainly, to-morrow we pay our last third instalment." - -"What third?" - -"Of the one hundred and fifty thousand francs to Baisemeaux." - -"Baisemeaux? Who is he?" - -"The governor of the Bastile." - -"Yes, I remember. On what grounds am I to pay one hundred and fifty -thousand francs for that man." - -"On account of the appointment which he, or rather we, purchased from -Louviere and Tremblay." - -"I have a very vague recollection of the matter." - -"That is likely enough, for you have so many affairs to attend to. -However, I do not believe you have any affair in the world of greater -importance than this one." - -"Tell me, then, why we purchased this appointment." - -"Why, in order to render him a service in the first place, and -afterwards ourselves." - -"Ourselves? You are joking." - -"Monseigneur, the time may come when the governor of the Bastile may -prove a very excellent acquaintance." - -"I have not the good fortune to understand you, D'Herblay." - -"Monseigneur, we had our own poets, our own engineer, our own architect, -our own musicians, our own printer, and our own painters; we needed our -own governor of the Bastile." - -"Do you think so?" - -"Let us not deceive ourselves, monseigneur; we are very much opposed to -paying the Bastile a visit," added the prelate, displaying, beneath -his pale lips, teeth which were still the same beautiful teeth so much -admired thirty years previously by Marie Michon. - -"And you think it is not too much to pay one hundred and fifty thousand -francs for that? I thought you generally put out money at better -interest than that." - -"The day will come when you will admit your mistake." - -"My dear D'Herblay, the very day on which a man enters the Bastile, he -is no longer protected by his past." - -"Yes, he is, if the bonds are perfectly regular; besides, that good -fellow Baisemeaux has not a courtier's heart. I am certain, my lord, -that he will not remain ungrateful for that money, without taking into -account, I repeat, that I retain the acknowledgements." - -"It is a strange affair! usury in a matter of benevolence." - -"Do not mix yourself up with it, monseigneur; if there be usury, it is -I who practice it, and both of us reap the advantage from it--that is -all." - -"Some intrigue, D'Herblay?" - -"I do not deny it." - -"And Baisemeaux an accomplice in it?" - -"Why not?--there are worse accomplices than he. May I depend, then, upon -the five thousand pistoles to-morrow?" - -"Do you want them this evening?" - -"It would be better, for I wish to start early; poor Baisemeaux will not -be able to imagine what has be become of me, and must be upon thorns." - -"You shall have the amount in an hour. Ah, D'Herblay, the interest -of your one hundred and fifty thousand francs will never pay my four -millions for me." - -"Why not, monseigneur?" - -"Good-night, I have business to transact with my clerks before I -retire." - -"A good night's rest, monseigneur." - -"D'Herblay, you wish things that are impossible." - -"Shall I have my fifty thousand francs this evening?" - -"Yes." - -"Go to sleep, then, in perfect safety--it is I who tell you to do so." - -Notwithstanding this assurance, and the tone in which it was given, -Fouquet left the room shaking his head, and heaving a sigh. - - - -Chapter XXIII. M. Baisemeaux de Montlezun's Accounts. - -The clock of St. Paul was striking seven as Aramis, on horseback, -dressed as a simple citizen, that is to say, in colored suit, with no -distinctive mark about him, except a kind of hunting-knife by his side, -passed before the Rue du Petit-Musc, and stopped opposite the Rue des -Tournelles, at the gate of the Bastile. Two sentinels were on duty at -the gate; they made no difficulty about admitting Aramis, who entered -without dismounting, and they pointed out the way he was to go by a -long passage with buildings on both sides. This passage led to the -drawbridge, or, in other words, to the real entrance. The drawbridge was -down, and the duty of the day was about being entered upon. The sentinel -at the outer guardhouse stopped Aramis's further progress, asking him, -in a rough tone of voice, what had brought him there. Aramis explained, -with his usual politeness, that a wish to speak to M. Baisemeaux de -Montlezun had occasioned his visit. The first sentinel then summoned a -second sentinel, stationed within an inner lodge, who showed his face -at the grating, and inspected the new arrival most attentively. Aramis -reiterated the expression of his wish to see the governor; whereupon the -sentinel called to an officer of lower grade, who was walking about in a -tolerably spacious courtyard and who, in turn, on being informed of his -object, ran to seek one of the officers of the governor's staff. The -latter, after having listened to Aramis's request, begged him to wait a -moment, then went away a short distance, but returned to ask his name. -"I cannot tell it you, monsieur," said Aramis; "I need only mention that -I have matters of such importance to communicate to the governor, that -I can only rely beforehand upon one thing, that M. de Baisemeaux will be -delighted to see me; nay, more than that, when you have told him that it -is the person whom he expected on the first of June, I am convinced he -will hasten here himself." The officer could not possibly believe that a -man of the governor's importance should put himself out for a person of -so little importance as the citizen-looking visitor on horseback. "It -happens most fortunately, monsieur," he said, "that the governor is just -going out, and you can perceive his carriage with the horses already -harnessed, in the courtyard yonder; there will be no occasion for him to -come to meet you, as he will see you as he passes by." Aramis bowed to -signify his assent; he did not wish to inspire others with too exalted -an opinion of himself, and therefore waited patiently and in silence, -leaning upon the saddle-bow of his horse. Ten minutes had hardly elapsed -when the governor's carriage was observed to move. The governor appeared -at the door, and got into the carriage, which immediately prepared to -start. The same ceremony was observed for the governor himself as with -a suspected stranger; the sentinel at the lodge advanced as the -carriage was about to pass under the arch, and the governor opened the -carriage-door, himself setting the example of obedience to orders; -so that, in this way, the sentinel could convince himself that no one -quitted the Bastile improperly. The carriage rolled along under the -archway, but at the moment the iron-gate was opened, the officer -approached the carriage, which had again been stopped, and said -something to the governor, who immediately put his head out of -the door-way, and perceived Aramis on horseback at the end of the -drawbridge. He immediately uttered almost a shout of delight, and got -out, or rather darted out of his carriage, running towards Aramis, whose -hands he seized, making a thousand apologies. He almost embraced him. -"What a difficult matter to enter the Bastile!" said Aramis. "Is it the -same for those who are sent here against their wills, as for those who -come of their own accord?" - -"A thousand pardons, my lord. How delighted I am to see your Grace!" - -"Hush! What are you thinking of, my dear M. Baisemeaux? What do you -suppose would be thought of a bishop in my present costume?" - -"Pray, excuse me, I had forgotten. Take this gentleman's horse to the -stables," cried Baisemeaux. - -"No, no," said Aramis; "I have five thousand pistoles in the -saddle-bags." - -The governor's countenance became so radiant, that if the prisoners had -seen him they would have imagined some prince of the royal blood had -arrived. "Yes, you are right, the horse shall be taken to the government -house. Will you get into the carriage, my dear M. d'Herblay? and it -shall take us back to my house." - -"Get into a carriage to cross a courtyard! do you believe I am so great -an invalid? No, no, we will go on foot." - -Baisemeaux then offered his arm as a support, but the prelate did -not accept it. They arrived in this manner at the government house, -Baisemeaux rubbing his hands and glancing at the horse from time to -time, while Aramis was looking at the bleak bare walls. A tolerably -handsome vestibule and a staircase of white stone led to the governor's -apartments, who crossed the ante-chamber, the dining-room, where -breakfast was being prepared, opened a small side door, and closeted -himself with his guest in a large cabinet, the windows of which opened -obliquely upon the courtyard and the stables. Baisemeaux installed the -prelate with that all-inclusive politeness of which a good man, or a -grateful man, alone possesses the secret. An arm-chair, a footstool, -a small table beside him, on which to rest his hand, everything was -prepared by the governor himself. With his own hands, too, he placed -upon the table, with much solicitude, the bag containing the gold, which -one of the soldiers had brought up with the most respectful devotion; -and the soldier having left the room, Baisemeaux himself closed the door -after him, drew aside one of the window-curtains, and looked steadfastly -at Aramis to see if the prelate required anything further. - -"Well, my lord," he said, still standing up, "of all men of their word, -you still continue to be the most punctual." - -"In matters of business, dear M. de Baisemeaux, exactitude is not a -virtue only, it is a duty as well." - -"Yes, in matters of business, certainly; but what you have with me is -not of that character; it is a service you are rendering me." - -"Come, confess, dear M. de Baisemeaux, that, notwithstanding this -exactitude, you have not been without a little uneasiness." - -"About your health, I certainly have," stammered out Baisemeaux. - -"I wished to come here yesterday, but I was not able, as I was too -fatigued," continued Aramis. Baisemeaux anxiously slipped another -cushion behind his guest's back. "But," continued Aramis, "I promised -myself to come and pay you a visit to-day, early in the morning." - -"You are really very kind, my lord." - -"And it was a good thing for me I was punctual, I think." - -"What do you mean?" - -"Yes, you were going out." At which latter remark Baisemeaux colored and -said, "It is true I was going out." - -"Then I prevent you," said Aramis; whereupon the embarrassment of -Baisemeaux became visibly greater. "I am putting you to inconvenience," -he continued, fixing a keen glace upon the poor governor; "if I had -known that, I should not have come." - -"How can your lordship imagine that you could ever inconvenience me?" - -"Confess you were going in search of money." - -"No," stammered out Baisemeaux, "no! I assure you I was going to--" - -"Does the governor still intend to go to M. Fouquet?" suddenly called -out the major from below. Baisemeaux ran to the window like a madman. -"No, no," he exclaimed in a state of desperation, "who the deuce is -speaking of M. Fouquet? are you drunk below there? why am I interrupted -when I am engaged on business?" - -"You were going to M. Fouquet's," said Aramis, biting his lips, "to M. -Fouquet, the abbe, or the superintendent?" - -Baisemeaux almost made up his mind to tell an untruth, but he could not -summon courage to do so. "To the superintendent," he said. - -"It is true, then, that you were in want of money, since you were going -to a person who gives it away!" - -"I assure you, my lord--" - -"You were afraid?" - -"My dear lord, it was the uncertainty and ignorance in which I was as to -where you were to be found." - -"You would have found the money you require at M. Fouquet's, for he is a -man whose hand is always open." - -"I swear that I should never have ventured to ask M. Fouquet for money. -I only wished to ask him for your address." - -"To ask M. Fouquet for my address?" exclaimed Aramis, opening his eyes -in real astonishment. - -"Yes," said Baisemeaux, greatly disturbed by the glance which the -prelate fixed upon him,--"at M. Fouquet's certainly." - -"There is no harm in that, dear M. Baisemeaux, only I would ask, why ask -my address of M. Fouquet?" - -"That I might write to you." - -"I understand," said Aramis smiling, "but that is not what I meant; I do -not ask you what you required my address for: I only ask why you should -go to M. Fouquet for it?" - -"Oh!" said Baisemeaux, "as Belle-Isle is the property of M. Fouquet, -and as Belle-Isle is in the diocese of Vannes, and as you are bishop of -Vannes--" - -"But, my dear Baisemeaux, since you knew I was bishop of Vannes, you had -no occasion to ask M. Fouquet for my address." - -"Well, monsieur," said Baisemeaux, completely at bay, "if I have acted -indiscreetly, I beg your pardon most sincerely." - -"Nonsense," observed Aramis calmly: "how can you possibly have acted -indiscreetly?" And while he composed his face, and continued to smile -cheerfully on the governor, he was considering how Baisemeaux, who was -not aware of his address, knew, however, that Vannes was his residence. -"I shall clear all this up," he said to himself; and then speaking -aloud, added,--"Well, my dear governor shall we now arrange our little -accounts?" - -"I am at your orders, my lord; but tell me beforehand, my lord, whether -you will do me the honor to breakfast with me as usual?" - -"Very willingly, indeed." - -"That's well," said Baisemeaux, as he struck the bell before him three -times. - -"What does that mean?" inquired Aramis. - -"That I have some one to breakfast with me, and that preparations are to -be made accordingly." - -"And you rang thrice. Really, my dear governor, I begin to think you are -acting ceremoniously with me." - -"No, indeed. Besides, the least I can do is to receive you in the best -way I can." - -"But why so?" - -"Because not even a prince could have done what you have done for me." - -"Nonsense! nonsense!" - -"Nay, I assure you--" - -"Let us speak of other matters," said Aramis. "Or rather, tell me how -your affairs here are getting on." - -"Not over well." - -"The deuce!" - -"M. de Mazarin was not hard enough." - -"Yes, I see; you require a government full of suspicion--like that of -the old cardinal, for instance." - -"Yes; matters went on better under him. The brother of his 'gray -eminence' made his fortune here." - -"Believe me, my dear governor," said Aramis, drawing closer to -Baisemeaux, "a young king is well worth an old cardinal. Youth has -its suspicions, its fits of anger, its prejudices, as old age has its -hatreds, its precautions, and its fears. Have you paid your three years' -profits to Louvidre and Tremblay?" - -"Most certainly I have." - -"So that you have nothing more to give them than the fifty thousand -francs I have brought with me?" - -"Nothing." - -"Have you not saved anything, then?" - -"My lord, in giving the fifty thousand francs of my own to these -gentlemen, I assure you that I gave them everything I gain. I told M. -d'Artagnan so yesterday evening." - -"Ah!" said Aramis, whose eyes sparkled for a moment, but became -immediately afterwards as unmoved as before; "so you have been to see my -old friend D'Artagnan; how was he?" - -"Wonderfully well." - -"And what did you say to him, M. de Baisemeaux?" - -"I told him," continued the governor, not perceiving his own -thoughtlessness; "I told him that I fed my prisoners too well." - -"How many have you?" inquired Aramis, in an indifferent tone of voice. - -"Sixty." - -"Well, that is a tolerably round number." - -"In former times, my lord, there were, during certain years, as many as -two hundred." - -"Still a minimum of sixty is not to be grumbled at." - -"Perhaps not; for, to anybody but myself, each prisoner would bring in -two hundred and fifty pistoles; for instance, for a prince of the blood -I have fifty francs a day." - -"Only you have no prince of the blood; at least, I suppose so," said -Aramis, with a slight tremor in his voice. - -"No, thank heaven!--I mean, no, unfortunately." - -"What do you mean by unfortunately?" - -"Because my appointment would be improved by it. So fifty francs per day -for a prince of the blood, thirty-six for a marechal of France--" - -"But you have as many marechals of France, I suppose, as you have -princes of the blood?" - -"Alas! no more. It is true lieutenant-generals and brigadiers pay -twenty-six francs, and I have two of them. After that, come councilors -of parliament, who bring me fifteen francs, and I have six of them." - -"I did not know," said Aramis, "that councilors were so productive." - -"Yes; but from fifteen francs I sink at once to ten francs; namely, for -an ordinary judge, and for an ecclesiastic." - -"And you have seven, you say; an excellent affair." - -"Nay, a bad one, and for this reason. How can I possibly treat these -poor fellows, who are of some good, at all events, otherwise than as a -councilor of parliament?" - -"Yes, you are right; I do not see five francs difference between them." - -"You understand; if I have a fine fish, I pay four or five francs for -it; if I get a fine fowl, it cost me a franc and a half. I fatten a good -deal of poultry, but I have to buy grain, and you cannot imagine the -army of rats that infest this place." - -"Why not get half a dozen cats to deal with them?" - -"Cats, indeed; yes, they eat them, but I was obliged to give up the idea -because of the way in which they treated my grain. I have been obliged -to have some terrier dogs sent me from England to kill the rats. These -dogs, unfortunately, have tremendous appetites; they eat as much as a -prisoner of the fifth order, without taking into account the rabbits and -fowls they kill." - -Was Aramis really listening or not? No one could have told; his downcast -eyes showed the attentive man, but the restless hand betrayed the man -absorbed in thought--Aramis was meditating. - -"I was saying," continued Baisemeaux, "that a good-sized fowl costs me -a franc and a half, and that a fine fish costs me four or five francs. -Three meals are served at the Bastile, and, as the prisoners, having -nothing to do, are always eating, a ten-franc man costs me seven francs -and a half." - -"But did you not say that you treated those at ten francs like those at -fifteen?" - -"Yes, certainly." - -"Very well! Then you gain seven francs and a half upon those who pay you -fifteen francs." - -"I _must_ compensate myself somehow," said Baisemeaux, who saw how he -had been snapped up. - -"You are quite right, my dear governor; but have you no prisoners below -ten francs?" - -"Oh, yes! we have citizens and barristers at five francs." - -"And do they eat, too?" - -"Not a doubt about it; only you understand that they do not get fish or -poultry, nor rich wines at every meal; but at all events thrice a week -they have a good dish at their dinner." - -"Really, you are quite a philanthropist, my dear governor, and you will -ruin yourself." - -"No; understand me; when the fifteen-franc has not eaten his fowl, or -the ten-franc has left his dish unfinished, I send it to the five-franc -prisoner; it is a feast for the poor devil, and one must be charitable, -you know." - -"And what do you make out of your five-franc prisoners?" - -"A franc and a half." - -"Baisemeaux, you're an honest fellow; in honest truth I say so." - -"Thank you, my lord. But I feel most for the small tradesmen and -bailiffs' clerks, who are rated at three francs. They do not often see -Rhine carp or Channel sturgeon." - -"But do not the five-franc gentlemen sometimes leave some scraps?" - -"Oh! my lord, do not believe I am so stingy as that; I delight the heart -of some poor little tradesman or clerk by sending him a wing of a red -partridge, a slice of venison, or a slice of a truffled pasty, dishes -which he never tasted except in his dreams; these are the leavings of -the twenty-four-franc prisoners; and as he eats and drinks, at dessert -he cries 'Long live the King,' and blesses the Bastile; with a couple -bottles of champagne, which cost me five sous, I make him tipsy every -Sunday. That class of people call down blessings upon me, and are sorry -to leave the prison. Do you know that I have remarked, and it does me -infinite honor, that certain prisoners, who have been set at liberty, -have, almost immediately afterwards, got imprisoned again? Why should -this be the case, unless it be to enjoy the pleasures of my kitchen? It -is really the fact." - -Aramis smiled with an expression of incredulity. - -"You smile," said Baisemeaux. - -"I do," returned Aramis. - -"I tell you that we have names which have been inscribed on our books -thrice in the space of two years." - -"I must see it before I believe it," said Aramis. - -"Well, I can show it to you, although it is prohibited to communicate -the registers to strangers; and if you really wish to see it with your -own eyes--" - -"I should be delighted, I confess." - -"Very well," said Baisemeaux, and he took out of a cupboard a large -register. Aramis followed him most anxiously with his eyes, and -Baisemeaux returned, placed the register upon the table, and turned over -the leaves for a minute, and stayed at the letter M. - -"Look here," said he, "Martinier, January, 1659; Martinier, June, 1660; -Martinier, March, 1661. Mazarinades, etc.; you understand it was only -a pretext; people were not sent to the Bastile for jokes against M. -Mazarin; the fellow denounced himself in order to get imprisoned here." - -"And what was his object?" - -"None other than to return to my kitchen at three francs a day." - -"Three francs--poor devil!" - -"The poet, my lord, belongs to the lowest scale, the same style of board -as the small tradesman and bailiff's clerk; but I repeat, it is to those -people that I give these little surprises." - -Aramis mechanically turned over the leaves of the register, continuing -to read the names, but without appearing to take any interest in the -names he read. - -"In 1661, you perceive," said Baisemeaux, "eighty entries; and in 1659, -eighty also." - -"Ah!" said Aramis. "Seldon; I seem to know that name. Was it not you who -spoke to me about a certain young man?" - -"Yes, a poor devil of a student, who made--What do you call that where -two Latin verses rhyme together?" - -"A distich." - -"Yes; that is it." - -"Poor fellow; for a distich." - -"Do you know that he made this distich against the Jesuits?" - -"That makes no difference; the punishment seems very severe. Do not pity -him; last year you seemed to interest yourself in him." - -"Yes, I did so." - -"Well, as your interest is all-powerful here, my lord, I have treated -him since that time as a prisoner at fifteen francs." - -"The same as this one, then," said Aramis, who had continued turning -over the leaves, and who had stopped at one of the names which followed -Martinier. - -"Yes, the same as that one." - -"Is that Marchiali an Italian?" said Aramis, pointing with his finger to -the name which had attracted his attention. - -"Hush!" said Baisemeaux. - -"Why hush?" said Aramis, involuntarily clenching his white hand. - -"I thought I had already spoken to you about that Marchiali." - -"No, it is the first time I ever heard his name pronounced." - -"That may be, but perhaps I have spoken to you about him without naming -him." - -"Is he an old offender?" asked Aramis, attempting to smile. - -"On the contrary, he is quite young." - -"Is his crime, then, very heinous?" - -"Unpardonable." - -"Has he assassinated any one?" - -"Bah!" - -"An incendiary, then?" - -"Bah!" - -"Has he slandered any one?" - -"No, no! It is he who--" and Baisemeaux approached Aramis's ear, -making a sort of ear-trumpet of his hands, and whispered: "It is he who -presumes to resemble the--" - -"Yes, yes," said Aramis; "I now remember you already spoke about it last -year to me; but the crime appeared to me so slight." - -"Slight, do you say?" - -"Or rather, so involuntary." - -"My lord, it is not involuntarily that such a resemblance is detected." - -"Well, the fact is, I had forgotten it. But, my dear host," said Aramis, -closing the register, "if I am not mistaken, we are summoned." - -Baisemeaux took the register, hastily restored it to its place in the -closet, which he locked, and put the key in his pocket. "Will it be -agreeable to your lordship to breakfast now?" said he; "for you are -right in supposing that breakfast was announced." - -"Assuredly, my dear governor," and they passed into the dining-room. - - - -Chapter XXIV. The Breakfast at Monsieur de Baisemeaux's. - -Aramis was generally temperate; but on this occasion, while taking -every care of his constitution, he did ample justice to Baisemeaux's -breakfast, which, in all respects, was most excellent. The latter on -his side, was animated with the wildest gayety; the sight of the five -thousand pistoles, which he glanced at from time to time, seemed to open -his heart. Every now and then he looked at Aramis with an expression of -the deepest gratitude; while the latter, leaning back in his chair, took -a few sips of wine from his glass, with the air of a connoisseur. "Let -me never hear any ill words against the fare of the Bastile," said he, -half closing his eyes; "happy are the prisoners who can get only half a -bottle of such Burgundy every day." - -"All those at fifteen francs drink it," said Baisemeaux. "It is very old -Volnay." - -"Does that poor student, Seldon, drink such good wine?" - -"Oh, no!" - -"I thought I heard you say he was boarded at fifteen francs." - -"He! no, indeed; a man who makes districts--distichs I mean--at fifteen -francs! No, no! it is his neighbor who is at fifteen francs." - -"Which neighbor?" - -"The other, second Bertaudiere." - -"Excuse me, my dear governor; but you speak a language which requires -quite an apprenticeship to understand." - -"Very true," said the governor. "Allow me to explain: second Bertaudiere -is the person who occupies the second floor of the tower of the -Bertaudiere." - -"So that Bertaudiere is the name of one of the towers of the Bastile? -The fact is, I think I recollect hearing that each tower has a name of -its own. Whereabouts is the one you are speaking of?" - -"Look," said Baisemeaux, going to the window. "It is that tower to the -left--the second one." - -"Is the prisoner at fifteen francs there?" - -"Yes." - -"Since when?" - -"Seven or eight years, nearly." - -"What do you mean by nearly? Do you not know the dates more precisely?" - -"It was not in my time, M. d'Herblay." - -"But I should have thought that Louviere or Tremblay would have told -you." - -"The secrets of the Bastile are never handed over with the keys of the -governorship." - -"Indeed! Then the cause of his imprisonment is a mystery--a state -secret." - -"Oh, no! I do not suppose it is a state secret, but a secret--like -everything that happens at the Bastile." - -"But," said Aramis, "why do you speak more freely of Seldon than of -second Bertaudiere?" - -"Because, in my opinion, the crime of the man who writes a distich is -not so great as that of the man who resembles--" - -"Yes, yes; I understand you. Still, do not the turnkeys talk with your -prisoners?" - -"Of course." - -"The prisoners, I suppose, tell them they are not guilty?" - -"They are _always_ telling them that; it is a matter of course; the same -song over and over again." - -"But does not the resemblance you were speaking about just now strike -the turnkeys?" - -"My dear M. d'Herblay, it is only for men attached to the court, as you -are, to take trouble about such matters." - -"You're right, you're right, my dear M. Baisemeaux. Let me give you -another taste of this Volnay." - -"Not a taste merely, a full glass; fill yours too." - -"Nay, nay! You are a musketeer still, to the very tips of your fingers, -while I have become a bishop. A taste for me; a glass for yourself." - -"As you please." And Aramis and the governor nodded to each other, as -they drank their wine. "But," said Aramis, looking with fixed attention -at the ruby-colored wine he had raised to the level of his eyes, as if -he wished to enjoy it with all his senses at the same moment, "but -what you might call a resemblance, another would not, perhaps, take any -notice of." - -"Most certainly he would, though, if it were any one who knew the person -he resembles." - -"I really think, dear M. Baisemeaux, that it can be nothing more than a -resemblance of your own creation." - -"Upon my honor, it is not so." - -"Stay," continued Aramis. "I have seen many persons very like the one -we are speaking of; but, out of respect, no one ever said anything about -it." - -"Very likely; because there is resemblance and resemblance. This is a -striking one, and, if you were to see him, you would admit it to be so." - -"If I were to see him, indeed," said Aramis, in an indifferent tone; -"but in all probability I never shall." - -"Why not?" - -"Because if I were even to put my foot inside one of those horrible -dungeons, I should fancy I was buried there forever." - -"No, no; the cells are very good places to live in." - -"I really do not, and cannot believe it, and that is a fact." - -"Pray do not speak ill of second Bertaudiere. It is really a good room, -very nicely furnished and carpeted. The young fellow has by no means -been unhappy there; the best lodging the Bastile affords has been his. -There is a chance for you." - -"Nay, nay," said Aramis, coldly; "you will never make me believe there -are any good rooms in the Bastile; and, as for your carpets, they exist -only in your imagination. I should find nothing but spiders, rats, and -perhaps toads, too." - -"Toads?" cried Baisemeaux. - -"Yes, in the dungeons." - -"Ah! I don't say there are not toads in the dungeons," replied -Baisemeaux. "But--will you be convinced by your own eyes?" he continued, -with a sudden impulse. - -"No, certainly not." - -"Not even to satisfy yourself of the resemblance which you deny, as you -do the carpets?" - -"Some spectral-looking person, a mere shadow; an unhappy, dying man." - -"Nothing of the kind--as brisk and vigorous a young fellow as ever -lived." - -"Melancholy and ill-tempered, then?" - -"Not at all; very gay and lively." - -"Nonsense; you are joking." - -"Will you follow me?" said Baisemeaux. - -"What for?" - -"To go the round of the Bastile." - -"Why?" - -"You will then see for yourself--see with your own eyes." - -"But the regulations?" - -"Never mind them. To-day my major has leave of absence; the lieutenant -is visiting the post on the bastions; we are sole masters of the -situation." - -"No, no, my dear governor; why, the very idea of the sound of the bolts -makes me shudder. You will only have to forget me in second or fourth -Bertaudiere, and then--" - -"You are refusing an opportunity that may never present itself again. Do -you know that, to obtain the favor I propose to you gratis, some of the -princes of the blood have offered me as much as fifty thousand francs." - -"Really! he must be worth seeing, then?" - -"Forbidden fruit, my lord; forbidden fruit. You who belong to the church -ought to know that." - -"Well, if had any curiosity, it would be to see the poor author of the -distich." - -"Very well, we will see him, too; but if I were at all curious, it would -be about the beautiful carpeted room and its lodger." - -"Furniture is very commonplace; and a face with no expression in it -offers little or no interest." - -"But a boarder at fifteen francs is always interesting." - -"By the by, I forgot to ask you about that. Why fifteen francs for him, -and only three francs for poor Seldon?" - -"The distinction made in that instance was a truly noble act, and one -which displayed the king's goodness of heart to great advantage." - -"The king's, you say." - -"The cardinal's, I mean. 'This unhappy man,' said M. Mazarin, 'is -destined to remain in prison forever.'" - -"Why so?" - -"Why, it seems that his crime is a lasting one; and, consequently, his -punishment ought to be so, too." - -"Lasting?" - -"No doubt of it, unless he is fortunate enough to catch the small-pox, -and even that is difficult, for we never get any impure air here." - -"Nothing can be more ingenious than your train of reasoning, my dear M. -Baisemeaux. Do you, however, mean to say that this unfortunate man must -suffer without interruption or termination?" - -"I did not say he was to suffer, my lord; a fifteen-franc boarder does -not suffer." - -"He suffers imprisonment, at all events." - -"No doubt; there is no help for that, but this suffering is sweetened -for him. You must admit that this young fellow was not born to eat all -the good things he does eat; for instance, such things as we have on the -table now; this pasty that has not been touched, these crawfish from the -River Marne, of which we have hardly taken any, and which are almost -as large as lobsters; all these things will at once be taken to second -Bertaudiere, with a bottle of that Volnay which you think so excellent. -After you have seen it you will believe it, I hope." - -"Yes, my dear governor, certainly; but all this time you are thinking -only of your very happy fifteen-franc prisoner, and you forget poor -Seldon, my _protege_." - -"Well, out of consideration for you, it shall be a gala day for him; he -shall have some biscuits and preserves with this small bottle of port." - -"You are a good-hearted fellow; I have said so already, and I repeat it, -my dear Baisemeaux." - -"Well, let us set off, then," said the governor, a little bewildered, -partly from the wine he had drunk, and partly from Aramis's praises. - -"Do not forget that I only go to oblige you," said the prelate. - -"Very well; but you will thank me when you get there." - -"Let us go, then." - -"Wait until I have summoned the jailer," said Baisemeaux, as he struck -the bell twice; at which summons a man appeared. "I am going to visit -the towers," said the governor. "No guards, no drums, no noise at all." - -"If I were not to leave my cloak here," said Aramis, pretending to -be alarmed, "I should really think I was going to prison on my own -account." - -The jailer preceded the governor, Aramis walking on his right hand; some -of the soldiers who happened to be in the courtyard drew themselves up -in a line, as stiff as posts, as the governor passed along. Baisemeaux -led the way down several steps which conducted to a sort of esplanade; -thence they arrived at the drawbridge, where the sentinels on duty -received the governor with the proper honors. The governor turned toward -Aramis, and, speaking in such a tone that the sentinels could not lose a -word, he observed,--"I hope you have a good memory, monsieur?" - -"Why?" inquired Aramis. - -"On account of your plans and your measurements, for you know that no -one is allowed, not architects even, to enter where the prisoners are, -with paper, pens or pencil." - -"Good," said Aramis to himself, "it seems I am an architect, then. It -sounds like one of D'Artagnan's jokes, who perceived in me the engineer -of Belle-Isle." Then he added aloud: "Be easy on that score, -monsieur; in our profession, a mere glance and a good memory are quite -sufficient." - -Baisemeaux did not change countenance, and the soldiers took Aramis for -what he seemed to be. "Very well; we will first visit la Bertaudiere," -said Baisemeaux, still intending the sentinels to hear him. Then, -turning to the jailer, he added: "You will take the opportunity of -carrying to No. 2 the few dainties I pointed out." - -"Dear M. de Baisemeaux," said Aramis, "you are always forgetting No. 3." - -"So I am," said the governor; and upon that, they began to ascend. The -number of bolts, gratings, and locks for this single courtyard would -have sufficed for the safety of an entire city. Aramis was neither an -imaginative nor a sensitive man; he had been somewhat of a poet in his -youth, but his heart was hard and indifferent, as the heart of every man -of fifty-five years of age is, who has been frequently and passionately -attached to women in his lifetime, or rather who has been passionately -loved by them. But when he placed his foot upon the worn stone steps, -along which so many unhappy wretches had passed, when he felt himself -impregnated, as it were, with the atmosphere of those gloomy dungeons, -moistened with tears, there could be but little doubt he was overcome -by his feelings, for his head was bowed and his eyes became dim, as he -followed Baisemeaux without a syllable. - - - -Chapter XXV. The Second Floor of la Bertaudiere. - -On the second flight of stairs, whether from fatigue or emotion, the -breathing of the visitor began to fail him, and he leaned against the -wall. "Will you begin with this one?" said Baisemeaux; "for since we are -going to both, it matters very little whether we ascend from the second -to the third story, or descend from the third to the second." - -"No, no," exclaimed Aramis, eagerly, "higher, if you please; the one -above is the more urgent." They continued their ascent. "Ask the jailer -for the keys," whispered Aramis. Baisemeaux did so, took the keys, and, -himself, opened the door of the third room. The jailer was the first to -enter; he placed upon the table the provisions, which the kind-hearted -governor called dainties, and then left the room. The prisoner had -not stirred; Baisemeaux then entered, while Aramis remained at the -threshold, from which place he saw a youth about eighteen years of age, -who, raising his head at the unusual noise, jumped off the bed, as he -perceived the governor, and clasping his hands together, began to cry -out, "My mother, my mother," in tones which betrayed such deep distress -that Aramis, despite his command over himself, felt a shudder pass -through his frame. "My dear boy," said Baisemeaux, endeavoring to smile, -"I have brought you a diversion and an extra,--the one for the mind, the -other for the body; this gentleman has come to take your measure, and -here are some preserves for your dessert." - -"Oh, monsieur!" exclaimed the young man, "keep me in solitude for a year, -let me have nothing but bread and water for a year, but tell me that at -the end of a year I shall leave this place, tell me that at the end of a -year I shall see my mother again." - -"But I have heard you say that your mother was very poor, and that you -were very badly lodged when you were living with her, while here--upon -my word!" - -"If she were poor, monsieur, the greater reason to restore her only -means of support to her. Badly lodged with her! Oh, monsieur, every one -is always well lodged when he is free." - -"At all events, since you yourself admit you have done nothing but write -that unhappy distich--" - -"But without any intention, I swear. Let me be punished--cut off the -hand which wrote it, I will work with the other--but restore my mother -to me." - -"My boy," said Baisemeaux, "you know very well that it does not depend -upon me; all I can do for you is to increase your rations, give you a -glass of port wine now and then, slip in a biscuit for you between a -couple of plates." - -"Great heaven!" exclaimed the young man, falling backward and rolling on -the ground. - -Aramis, unable to bear this scene any longer, withdrew as far as the -landing. "Unhappy, wretched man," he murmured. - -"Yes, monsieur, he is indeed very wretched," said the jailer; "but it is -his parents' fault." - -"In what way?" - -"No doubt. Why did they let him learn Latin? Too much knowledge, you -see; it is that which does harm. Now I, for instance, can't read or -write, and therefore I am not in prison." Aramis looked at the man, -who seemed to think that being a jailer in the Bastile was not being in -prison. As for Baisemeaux, noticing the little effect produced by his -advice and his port wine, he left the dungeon quite upset. "You have -forgotten to close the door," said the jailer. - -"So I have," said Baisemeaux; "there are the keys, do you do it." - -"I will solicit the pardon of that poor boy," said Aramis. - -"And if you do not succeed," said Baisemeaux, "at least beg that he may -be transferred to the ten-franc list, by which both he and I shall be -gainers." - -"If the other prisoner calls out for his mother in a similar manner," -said Aramis, "I prefer not to enter at all, but will take my measure -from outside." - -"No fear of that, monsieur architect, the one we are now going to see is -as gentle as a lamb; before he could call after his mother he must open -his lips, and he never says a word." - -"Let us go in, then," said Aramis, gloomily. - -"Are you the architect of the prisons, monsieur?" said the jailer. - -"I am." - -"It is odd, then, that you are not more accustomed to all this." - -Aramis perceived that, to avoid giving rise to any suspicions, he must -summon all his strength of mind to his assistance. Baisemeaux, who -carried the keys, opened the door. "Stay outside," he said to the -jailer, "and wait for us at the bottom of the steps." The jailer obeyed -and withdrew. - -Baisemeaux entered first, and opened the second door himself. By the -light which filtered through the iron-barred window, could be seen a -handsome young man, short in stature, with closely cut hair, and a beard -beginning to grow; he was sitting on a stool, his elbow resting on an -armchair, and with all the upper part of his body reclining against it. -His dress, thrown upon the bed, was of rich black velvet, and he inhaled -the fresh air which blew in upon his breast through a shirt of the very -finest cambric. As the governor entered, the young man turned his head -with a look full of indifference; and on recognizing Baisemeaux, he -arose and saluted him courteously. But when his eyes fell upon Aramis, -who remained in the background, the latter trembled, turned pale, and -his hat, which he held in his hand, fell upon the ground, as if all -his muscles had become relaxed at once. Baisemeaux, habituated to the -presence of his prisoner, did not seem to share any of the sensations -which Aramis experienced, but, with all the zeal of a good servant, he -busied himself in arranging on the table the pasty and crawfish he -had brought with him. Occupied in this manner, he did not remark how -disturbed his guest had become. When he had finished, however, he turned -to the young prisoner and said: "You are looking very well,--are you -so?" - -"Quite well, I thank you, monsieur," replied the young man. - -The effect of the voice was such as almost to overpower Aramis, and -notwithstanding his control over himself, he advanced a few steps -towards him, with his eyes wide open and his lips trembling. The -movement he made was so marked that Baisemeaux, notwithstanding his -preoccupation, observed it. "This gentleman is an architect who has come -to examine your chimney," said Baisemeaux; "does it smoke?" - -"Never, monsieur." - -"You were saying just now," said the governor, rubbing his hands -together, "that it was not possible for a man to be happy in prison; -here, however, is one who is so. You have nothing to complain of, I -hope?" - -"Nothing." - -"Do you ever feel weary?" said Aramis. - -"Never." - -"Ha, ha," said Baisemeaux, in a low tone of voice; "was I right?" - -"Well, my dear governor, it is impossible not to yield to evidence. Is -it allowed to put any question to him?" - -"As many as you like." - -"Very well; be good enough to ask him if he knows why he is here." - -"This gentleman requests me to ask you," said Baisemeaux, "if you are -aware of the cause of your imprisonment?" - -"No, monsieur," said the young man, unaffectedly, "I am not." - -"That is hardly possible," said Aramis, carried away by his feelings -in spite of himself; "if you were really ignorant of the cause of your -detention, you would be furious." - -"I was so during the early days of my imprisonment." - -"Why are you not so now?" - -"Because I have reflected." - -"That is strange," said Aramis. - -"Is it not odd?" said Baisemeaux. - -"May one venture to ask you, monsieur, on what you have reflected?" - -"I felt that as I had committed no crime, Heaven could not punish me." - -"What is a prison, then," inquired Aramis, "if it be not a punishment." - -"Alas! I cannot tell," said the young man; "all that I can tell you now -is the very opposite of what I felt seven years ago." - -"To hear you converse, to witness your resignation, one might almost -believe that you liked your imprisonment?" - -"I endure it." - -"In the certainty of recovering your freedom some day, I suppose?" - -"I have no certainty; hope, I have, and that is all; and yet I -acknowledge that this hope becomes less every day." - -"Still, why should you not again be free, since you have already been -so?" - -"That is precisely the reason," replied the young man, "which prevents -me from expecting liberty; why should I have been imprisoned at all if -it had been intended to release me afterwards?" - -"How old are you?" - -"I do not know." - -"What is your name?" - -"I have forgotten the name by which I was called." - -"Who are your parents?" - -"I never knew them." - -"But those who brought you up?" - -"They did not call me their son." - -"Did you ever love any one before coming here?" - -"I loved my nurse, and my flowers." - -"Was that all?" - -"I also loved my valet." - -"Do you regret your nurse and your valet?" - -"I wept very much when they died." - -"Did they die since you have been here, or before you came?" - -"They died the evening before I was carried off." - -"Both at the same time?" - -"Yes, both at the same time." - -"In what manner were you carried off?" - -"A man came for me, directed me to get into a carriage, which was closed -and locked, and brought me here." - -"Would you be able to recognize that man again?" - -"He was masked." - -"Is this not an extraordinary tale?" said Baisemeaux, in a low tone of -voice, to Aramis, who could hardly breathe. - -"It is indeed extraordinary," he murmured. - -"But what is still more extraordinary is, that he has never told me so -much as he has just told you." - -"Perhaps the reason may be that you have never questioned him," said -Aramis. - -"It's possible," replied Baisemeaux; "I have no curiosity. Have you -looked at the room? it's a fine one, is it not?" - -"Very much so." - -"A carpet--" - -"Beautiful." - -"I'll wager he had nothing like it before he came here." - -"I think so, too." And then again turning towards the young man, he -said, "Do you not remember to have been visited at some time or another -by a strange lady or gentleman?" - -"Yes, indeed; thrice by a woman, who each time came to the door in a -carriage, and entered covered with a veil, which she raised when we were -together and alone." - -"Do you remember that woman?" - -"Yes." - -"What did she say to you?" - -The young man smiled mournfully, and then replied, "She inquired, as you -have just done, if I were happy, and if I were getting weary." - -"What did she do on arriving, and on leaving you?" - -"She pressed me in her arms, held me in her embrace, and kissed me." - -"Do you remember her?" - -"Perfectly." - -"Do you recall her features distinctly?" - -"Yes." - -"You would recognize her, then, if accident brought her before you, or -led you into her person?" - -"Most certainly." - -A flush of fleeting satisfaction passed across Aramis's face. At this -moment Baisemeaux heard the jailer approaching. "Shall we leave?" he -said, hastily, to Aramis. - -Aramis, who probably had learnt all that he cared to know, replied, -"When you like." - -The young man saw them prepare to leave, and saluted them politely. -Baisemeaux replied merely by a nod of the head, while Aramis, with a -respect, arising perhaps from the sight of such misfortune, saluted the -prisoner profoundly. They left the room, Baisemeaux closing the door -behind them. - -"Well," said Baisemeaux, as they descended the staircase, "what do you -think of it all?" - -"I have discovered the secret, my dear governor," he said. - -"Bah! what is the secret, then?" - -"A murder was committed in that house." - -"Nonsense." - -"But attend; the valet and nurse died the same day." - -"Well." - -"And by poison. What do you think?" - -"That is very likely to be true." - -"What! that that young man is an assassin?" - -"Who said that? What makes you think that poor young fellow could be an -assassin?" - -"The very thing I was saying. A crime was committed in his house," said -Aramis, "and that was quite sufficient; perhaps he saw the criminals, -and it was feared that he might say something." - -"The deuce! if I only thought that--" - -"Well?" - -"I would redouble the surveillance." - -"Oh, he does not seem to wish to escape." - -"You do not know what prisoners are." - -"Has he any books?" - -"None; they are strictly prohibited, and under M. de Mazarin's own -hand." - -"Have you the writing still?" - -"Yes, my lord; would you like to look at it as you return to take your -cloak?" - -"I should, for I like to look at autographs." - -"Well, then, this one is of the most unquestionable authenticity; there -is only one erasure." - -"Ah, ah! an erasure; and in what respect?" - -"With respect to a figure. At first there was written: 'To be boarded at -fifty francs.'" - -"As princes of the blood, in fact?" - -"But the cardinal must have seen his mistake, you understand; for he -canceled the zero, and has added a one before the five. But, by the -by--" - -"What?" - -"You do not speak of the resemblance." - -"I do not speak of it, dear M. de Baisemeaux, for a very simple reason-- -because it does not exist." - -"The deuce it doesn't." - -"Or, if it does exist, it is only in your own imagination; but, -supposing it were to exist elsewhere, I think it would be better for you -not to speak of about it." - -"Really." - -"The king, Louis XIV.--you understand--would be excessively angry with -you, if he were to learn that you contributed in any way to spread the -report that one of his subjects has the effrontery to resemble him." - -"It is true, quite true," said Baisemeaux, thoroughly alarmed; "but I -have not spoken of the circumstance to any one but yourself, and you -understand, monseigneur, that I perfectly rely on your discretion." - -"Oh, be easy." - -"Do you still wish to see the note?" - -"Certainly." - -While engaged in this manner in conversation, they had returned to -the governor's apartments; Baisemeaux took from the cupboard a private -register, like the one he had already shown Aramis, but fastened by -a lock, the key which opened it being one of a small bunch which -Baisemeaux always carried with him. Then placing the book upon the -table, he opened it at the letter "M," and showed Aramis the following -note in the column of observations: "No books at any time; all linen -and clothes of the finest and best quality to be procured; no exercise; -always the same jailer; no communications with any one. Musical -instruments; every liberty and every indulgence which his welfare may -require; to be boarded at fifteen francs. M. de Baisemeaux can claim -more if the fifteen francs be not sufficient." - -"Ah," said Baisemeaux, "now I think of it, I shall claim it." - -Aramis shut the book. "Yes," he said, "it is indeed M. de Mazarin's -handwriting; I recognize it well. Now, my dear governor," he continued, -as if this last communication had exhausted his interest, "let us now -turn over to our own little affairs." - -"Well, what time for repayment do you wish me to take? Fix it yourself." - -"There need not be any particular period fixed; give me a simple -acknowledgement for one hundred and fifty thousand francs." - -"When to be made payable?" - -"When I require it; but, you understand, I shall only wish it when you -yourself do." - -"Oh, I am quite easy on that score," said Baisemeaux, smiling; "but I -have already given you two receipts." - -"Which I now destroy," said Aramis; and after having shown the two -receipts to Baisemeaux, he destroyed them. Overcome by so great a mark -of confidence, Baisemeaux unhesitatingly wrote out an acknowledgement of -a debt of one hundred and fifty thousand francs, payable at the pleasure -of the prelate. Aramis, who had, by glancing over the governor's -shoulder, followed the pen as he wrote, put the acknowledgement into his -pocket without seeming to have read it, which made Baisemeaux perfectly -easy. "Now," said Aramis, "you will not be angry with me if I were to -carry off one of your prisoners?" - -"What do you mean?" - -"By obtaining his pardon, of course. Have I not already told you that I -took a great interest in poor Seldon?" - -"Yes, quite true, you did so." - -"Well?" - -"That is your affair; do as you think proper. I see you have an open -hand, and an arm that can reach a great way." - -"Adieu, adieu." And Aramis left, carrying with him the governor's best -wishes. - - - -Chapter XXVI. The Two Friends. - -At the very time M. de Baisemeaux was showing Aramis the prisoners in -the Bastile, a carriage drew up at Madame de Belliere's door, and, at -that still early hour, a young woman alighted, her head muffled in -a silk hood. When the servants announced Madame Vanel to Madame de -Belliere, the latter was engaged, or rather was absorbed, in reading -a letter, which she hurriedly concealed. She had hardly finished her -morning toilette, her maid being still in the next room. At the name--at -the footsteps of Marguerite Vanel, Madame de Belliere ran to meet her. -She fancied she could detect in her friend's eyes a brightness which was -neither that of health nor of pleasure. Marguerite embraced her, pressed -her hands, and hardly allowed her time to speak. "Dearest," she -said, "have you forgotten me? Have you quite given yourself up to the -pleasures of the court?" - -"I have not even seen the marriage _fetes_." - -"What are you doing with yourself, then?" - -"I am getting ready to leave for Belliere." - -"For Belliere?" - -"Yes." - -"You are becoming rustic in your tastes, then; I delight to see you so -disposed. But you are pale." - -"No, I am perfectly well." - -"So much the better; I was becoming uneasy about you. You do not know -what I have been told." - -"People say so many things." - -"Yes, but this is very singular." - -"How well you know how to excite curiosity, Marguerite." - -"Well, I was afraid of vexing you." - -"Never; you have yourself always admired me for my evenness of temper." - -"Well, then, it is said that--no, I shall never be able to tell you." - -"Do not let us talk about it, then," said Madame de Belliere, who -detected the ill-nature that was concealed by all these prefaces, yet -felt the most anxious curiosity on the subject. - -"Well, then, my dear marquise, it is said, for some time past, you no -longer continue to regret Monsieur de Belliere as you used to." - -"It is an ill-natured report, Marguerite. I do regret, and shall always -regret, my husband; but it is now two years since he died. I am only -twenty-eight years old, and my grief at his loss ought not always to -control every action and thought of my life. You, Marguerite, who are -the model of a wife, would not believe me if I were to say so." - -"Why not? Your heart is so soft and yielding," she said, spitefully. - -"Yours is so, too, Marguerite, and yet I did not perceive that you -allowed yourself to be overcome by grief when your heart was wounded." -These words were in direct allusion to Marguerite's rupture with the -superintendent, and were also a veiled but direct reproach made against -her friend's heart. - -As if she only awaited this signal to discharge her shaft, Marguerite -exclaimed, "Well, Elise, it is said you are in love." And she looked -fixedly at Madame de Belliere, who blushed against her will. - -"Women can never escape slander," replied the marquise, after a moment's -pause. - -"No one slanders you, Elise." - -"What!--people say that I am in love, and yet they do not slander me!" - -"In the first place, if it be true, it is no slander, but simply a -scandal-loving report. In the next place--for you did not allow me -to finish what I was saying--the public does not assert that you have -abandoned yourself to this passion. It represents you, on the contrary, -as a virtuous but loving woman, defending yourself with claws and -teeth, shutting yourself up in your own house as in a fortress; in other -respects, as impenetrable as that of Danae, notwithstanding Danae's -tower was made of brass." - -"You are witty, Marguerite," said Madame de Belliere, angrily. - -"You always flatter me, Elise. In short, however, you are reported to be -incorruptible and unapproachable. You cannot decide whether the world is -calumniating you or not; but what is it you are musing about while I am -speaking to you?" - -"I?" - -"Yes; you are blushing and do not answer me." - -"I was trying," said the marquise, raising her beautiful eyes brightened -with an indication of growing temper, "I was trying to discover to what -you could possibly have alluded, you who are so learned in mythological -subjects, in comparing me to Danae." - -"You were trying to guess that?" said Marguerite, laughing. - -"Yes; do you not remember that at the convent, when we were solving our -problems in arithmetic--ah! what I have to tell you is learned also, but -it is my turn--do you not remember, that if one of the terms were given, -we were to find the other? Therefore do _you_ guess now?" - -"I cannot conjecture what you mean." - -"And yet nothing is more simple. You pretend that I am in love, do you -not?" - -"So it is said." - -"Very well; it is not said, I suppose, that I am in love with an -abstraction. There must surely be a name mentioned in this report." - -"Certainly, a name is mentioned." - -"Very well; it is not surprising, then, that I should try to guess this -name, since you do not tell it." - -"My dear marquise, when I saw you blush, I did not think you would have -to spend much time in conjectures." - -"It was the word Danae which you used that surprised me. Danae means a -shower of gold, does it not?" - -"That is to say that the Jupiter of Danae changed himself into a shower -of gold for her." - -"My lover, then, he whom you assign me--" - -"I beg your pardon; I am your friend, and assign you no one." - -"That may be; but those who are ill disposed towards me." - -"Do you wish to hear the name?" - -"I have been waiting this half hour for it." - -"Well, then, you shall hear it. Do not be shocked; he is a man high in -power." - -"Good," said the marquise, as she clenched her hands like a patient at -the approach of the knife. - -"He is a very wealthy man," continued Marguerite; "the wealthiest, it -may be. In a word, it is--" - -The marquise closed her eyes for a moment. - -"It is the Duke of Buckingham," said Marguerite, bursting into laughter. -This perfidy had been calculated with extreme ability; the name that -was pronounced, instead of the name which the marquise awaited, had -precisely the same effect upon her as the badly sharpened axes, that had -hacked, without destroying, Messieurs de Chalais and de Thou upon the -scaffold. She recovered herself, however, and said, "I was perfectly -right in saying you were a witty woman, for you are making the time pass -away most agreeably. This joke is a most amusing one, for I have never -seen the Duke of Buckingham." - -"Never?" said Marguerite, restraining her laughter. - -"I have never even left my own house since the duke has been at Paris." - -"Oh!" resumed Madame Vanel, stretching out her foot towards a paper -which was lying on the carpet near the window; "it is not necessary for -people to see each other, since they can write." The marquise trembled, -for this paper was the envelope of the letter she was reading as her -friend had entered, and was sealed with the superintendent's arms. As -she leaned back on the sofa on which she was sitting, Madame de Belliere -covered the paper with the thick folds of her large silk dress, and so -concealed it. - -"Come, Marguerite, tell me, is it to tell me all these foolish reports -that you have come to see me so early in the day?" - -"No; I came to see you, in the first place, and to remind you of those -habits of our earlier days, so delightful to remember, when we used to -wander about together at Vincennes, and, sitting beneath an oak, or in -some sylvan shade, used to talk of those we loved, and who loved us." - -"Do you propose that we should go out together now?" - -"My carriage is here, and I have three hours at my disposal." - -"I am not dressed yet, Marguerite; but if you wish that we should talk -together, we can, without going to the woods of Vincennes, find in my -own garden here, beautiful trees, shady groves, a green sward covered -with daisies and violets, the perfume of which can be perceived from -where we are sitting." - -"I regret your refusal, my dear marquise, for I wanted to pour out my -whole heart into yours." - -"I repeat again, Marguerite, my heart is yours just as much in this -room, or beneath the lime-trees in the garden here, as it would be under -the oaks in the woods yonder." - -"It is not the same thing for me. In approaching Vincennes, marquise, -my ardent aspirations approach nearer to that object towards which they -have for some days past been directed." The marquise suddenly raised -her head. "Are you surprised, then, that I am still thinking of -Saint-Mande?" - -"Of Saint-Mande?" exclaimed Madame de Belliere; and the looks of both -women met each other like two resistless swords. - -"You, so proud!" said the marquise, disdainfully. - -"I, so proud!" replied Madame Vanel. "Such is my nature. I do not -forgive neglect--I cannot endure infidelity. When I leave any one who -weeps at my abandonment, I feel induced still to love him; but when -others forsake me and laugh at their infidelity, I love distractedly." - -Madame de Belliere could not restrain an involuntary movement. - -"She is jealous," said Marguerite to herself. - -"Then," continued the marquise, "you are quite enamored of the Duke -of Buckingham--I mean of M. Fouquet?" Elise felt the allusion, and -her blood seemed to congeal in her heart. "And you wished to go to -Vincennes,--to Saint-Mande, even?" - -"I hardly know what I wished: you would have advised me perhaps." - -"In what respect?" - -"You have often done so." - -"Most certainly I should not have done so in the present instance, for -I do not forgive as you do. I am less loving, perhaps; when my heart has -been once wounded, it remains so always." - -"But M. Fouquet has not wounded you," said Marguerite Vanel, with the -most perfect simplicity. - -"You perfectly understand what I mean. M. Fouquet has not wounded me; -I do not know of either obligation or injury received at his hands, but -you have reason to complain of him. You are my friend, and I am afraid I -should not advise you as you would like." - -"Ah! you are prejudging the case." - -"The sighs you spoke of just now are more than indications." - -"You overwhelm me," said the young woman suddenly, as if collecting her -whole strength, like a wrestler preparing for a last struggle; "you take -only my evil dispositions and my weaknesses into calculation, and do -not speak of my pure and generous feelings. If, at this moment, I feel -instinctively attracted towards the superintendent, if I even make an -advance to him, which, I confess, is very probable, my motive for it -is, that M. Fouquet's fate deeply affects me, and because he is, in my -opinion, one of the most unfortunate men living." - -"Ah!" said the marquise, placing her hand upon her heart, "something -new, then, has occurred?" - -"Do you not know it?" - -"I am utterly ignorant of everything about him," said Madame de -Belliere, with the poignant anguish that suspends thought and speech, -and even life itself. - -"In the first place, then, the king's favor is entirely withdrawn from -M. Fouquet, and conferred on M. Colbert." - -"So it is stated." - -"It is very clear, since the discovery of the plot of Belle-Isle." - -"I was told that the discovery of the fortifications there had turned -out to M. Fouquet's honor." - -Marguerite began to laugh in so cruel a manner that Madame de Belliere -could at that moment have delightedly plunged a dagger in her bosom. -"Dearest," continued Marguerite, "there is no longer any question of M. -Fouquet's honor; his safety is concerned. Before three days are passed -the ruin of the superintendent will be complete." - -"Stay," said the marquise, in her turn smiling, "that is going a little -fast." - -"I said three days, because I wish to deceive myself with a hope; but -probably the catastrophe will be complete within twenty-four hours." - -"Why so?" - -"For the simplest of all reasons,--that M. Fouquet has no more money." - -"In matters of finance, my dear Marguerite, some are without money -to-day, who to-morrow can procure millions." - -"That might be M. Fouquet's case when he had two wealthy and clever -friends who amassed money for him, and wrung it from every possible or -impossible source; but those friends are dead." - -"Money does not die, Marguerite; it may be concealed, but it can be -looked for, bought and found." - -"You see things on the bright side, and so much the better for you. It -is really very unfortunate that you are not the Egeria of M. Fouquet; -you might now show him the source whence he could obtain the millions -which the king asked him for yesterday." - -"Millions!" said the marquise, in terror. - -"Four--an even number." - -"Infamous!" murmured Madame de Belliere, tortured by her friend's -merciless delight. - -"M. Fouquet, I should think, must certainly have four millions," she -replied, courageously. - -"If he has those which the king requires to-day," said Marguerite, "he -will not, perhaps, possess those which the king will demand in a month -or so." - -"The king will exact money from him again, then?" - -"No doubt; and that is my reason for saying that the ruin of poor M. -Fouquet is inevitable. Pride will induce him to furnish the money, and -when he has no more, he will fall." - -"It is true," said the marquise, trembling; "the plan is a bold one; but -tell me, does M. Colbert hate M. Fouquet so very much?" - -"I think he does not like him. M. Colbert is powerful; he improves -on close acquaintance; he has gigantic ideas, a strong will, and -discretion; he will rise." - -"He will be superintendent?" - -"It is probable. Such is the reason, my dear marquise, why I felt myself -impressed in favor of that poor man, who once loved, and even adored me; -and why, when I see him so unfortunate, I forgive his infidelity, which -I have reason to believe he also regrets; and why, moreover, I should -not have been disinclined to afford him some consolation, or some good -advice; he would have understood the step I had taken, and would have -thought kindly of me for it. It is gratifying to be loved, you know. -Men value love more highly when they are no longer blinded by its -influence." - -The marquise, bewildered and overcome by these cruel attacks, which had -been calculated with the greatest nicety and precision, hardly knew what -to answer in return; she even seemed to have lost all power of thought. -Her perfidious friend's voice had assumed the most affectionate tone; -she spoke as a woman, but concealed the instincts of a wolf. - -"Well," said Madame de Belliere, who had a vague hope that Marguerite -would cease to overwhelm a vanquished enemy, "why do you not go and see -M. Fouquet?" - -"Decidedly, marquise, you have made me reflect. No, it would be -unbecoming for me to make the first advance. M. Fouquet no doubt loves -me, but he is too proud. I cannot expose myself to an affront.... -besides, I have my husband to consider. You tell me nothing? Very well, -I shall consult M. Colbert on the subject." Marguerite rose smilingly, -as though to take leave, but the marquise had not the strength to -imitate her. Marguerite advanced a few paces, in order that she might -continue to enjoy the humiliating grief in which her rival was plunged, -and then said, suddenly,--"You do not accompany me to the door, then?" -The marquise rose, pale and almost lifeless, without thinking of -the envelope, which had occupied her attention so greatly at the -commencement of the conversation, and which was revealed at the first -step she took. She then opened the door of her oratory, and without even -turning her head towards Marguerite Vanel, entered it, closing the door -after her. Marguerite said, or rather muttered a few words, which Madame -de Belliere did not even hear. As soon, however, as the marquise had -disappeared, her envious enemy, not being able to resist the desire -to satisfy herself that her suspicions were well founded, advanced -stealthily like a panther, and seized the envelope. "Ah!" she said, -gnashing her teeth, "it was indeed a letter from M. Fouquet she was -reading when I arrived," and then darted out of the room. During this -interval, the marquise, having arrived behind the rampart, as it were, -of her door, felt that her strength was failing her; for a moment she -remained rigid, pale and motionless as a statue, and then, like a statue -shaken on its base by an earthquake, tottered and fell inanimate on -the carpet. The noise of the fall resounded at the same moment as the -rolling of Marguerite's carriage leaving the hotel. - - - -Chapter XXVII. Madame de Belliere's Plate. - -The blow had been the more painful on account of its being unexpected. -It was some time before the marquise recovered herself; but once -recovered, she began to reflect upon the events so heartlessly announced -to her. She therefore returned, at the risk even of losing her life in -the way, to that train of ideas which her relentless friend had -forced her to pursue. Treason, then--deep menaces, concealed under -the semblance of public interest--such were Colbert's maneuvers. A -detestable delight at an approaching downfall, untiring efforts to -attain this object, means of seduction no less wicked than the crime -itself--such were the weapons Marguerite employed. The crooked atoms -of Descartes triumphed; to the man without compassion was united a -woman without heart. The marquise perceived, with sorrow rather than -indignation, that the king was an accomplice in the plot which betrayed -the duplicity of Louis XIII. in his advanced age, and the avarice of -Mazarin at a period of life when he had not had the opportunity of -gorging himself with French gold. The spirit of this courageous -woman soon resumed its energy, no longer overwhelmed by indulgence in -compassionate lamentations. The marquise was not one to weep when action -was necessary, nor to waste time in bewailing a misfortune as long as -means still existed of relieving it. For some minutes she buried her -face in her cold fingers, and then, raising her head, rang for her -attendants with a steady hand, and with a gesture betraying a fixed -determination of purpose. Her resolution was taken. - -"Is everything prepared for my departure?" she inquired of one of her -female attendants who entered. - -"Yes, madame; but it was not expected that your ladyship would leave for -Belliere for the next few days." - -"All my jewels and articles of value, then, are packed up?" - -"Yes, madame; but hitherto we have been in the habit of leaving them in -Paris. Your ladyship does not generally take your jewels with you into -the country." - -"But they are all in order, you say?" - -"Yes, in your ladyship's own room." - -"The gold plate?" - -"In the chest." - -"And the silver plate?" - -"In the great oak closet." - -The marquise remained silent for a few moments, and then said calmly, -"Let my goldsmith be sent for." - -Her attendants quitted the room to execute the order. The marquise, -however, had entered her own room, and was inspecting her casket of -jewels with the greatest attention. Never, until now, had she bestowed -such close attention upon riches in which women take so much pride; -never, until now, had she looked at her jewels, except for the purpose -of making a selection according to their settings or their colors. -On this occasion, however, she admired the size of the rubies and the -brilliancy of the diamonds; she grieved over every blemish and every -defect; she thought the gold light, and the stones wretched. The -goldsmith, as he entered, found her thus occupied. "M. Faucheux," she -said, "I believe you supplied me with my gold service?" - -"I did, your ladyship." - -"I do not now remember the amount of the account." - -"Of the new service, madame, or of that which M. de Belliere presented -to you on your marriage? for I have furnished both." - -"First of all, the new one." - -"The covers, the goblets, and the dishes, with their covers, the -_eau-epergne_, the ice-pails, the dishes for the preserves, and the tea -and coffee urns, cost your ladyship sixty thousand francs." - -"No more?" - -"Your ladyship thought the account very high." - -"Yes, yes; I remember, in fact, that it was dear; but it was the -workmanship, I suppose?" - -"Yes, madame; the designs, the chasings--all new patterns." - -"What proportion of the cost does the workmanship form? Do not hesitate -to tell me." - -"A third of its value, madame." - -"There is the other service, the old one, that which belonged to my -husband?" - -"Yes, madame; there is less workmanship in that than in the other. Its -intrinsic value does not exceed thirty thousand francs." - -"Thirty thousand," murmured the marquise. "But, M. Faucheux, there is -also the service which belonged to my mother; all that massive plate -which I did not wish to part with, on account of the associations -connected with it." - -"Ah! madame, that would indeed be an excellent resource for those who, -unlike your ladyship, might not be in position to keep their plate. In -chasing that they worked in solid metal. But that service is no longer -in fashion. Its weight is its only advantage." - -"That is all I care about. How much does it weigh?" - -"Fifty thousand livres at the very least. I do not allude to the -enormous vases for the buffet, which alone weigh five thousand livres, -or ten thousand the pair." - -"One hundred and thirty," murmured the marquise. "You are quite sure of -your figures, M. Faucheux?" - -"The amount is entered in my books. Your ladyship is extremely -methodical, I am aware." - -"Let us now turn to another subject," said Madame de Belliere; and she -opened one of her jewel-boxes. - -"I recognize these emeralds," said M. Faucheux; "for it was I who had -the setting of them. They are the most beautiful in the whole court. No, -I am mistaken; Madame de Chatillon has the most beautiful set; she had -them from Messieurs de Guise; but your set, madame, comes next." - -"What are they worth?" - -"Mounted?" - -"No; supposing I wished to sell them." - -"I know very well who would buy them," exclaimed M. Faucheux. - -"That is the very thing I ask. They could be sold, then?" - -"All your jewels could be sold, madame. It is well known that you -possess the most beautiful jewels in Paris. You are not changeable in -your tastes; when you make a purchase it is of the very best; and what -you purchase you do not part with." - -"What could these emeralds be sold for, then?" - -"A hundred and thirty thousand francs." - -The marquise wrote down upon her tablets the amount which the jeweler -mentioned. "The ruby necklace?" she said. - -"Are they balas-rubies, madame?" - -"Here they are." - -"They are beautiful--magnificent. I did not know your ladyship had these -stones." - -"What is their value?" - -"Two hundred thousand francs. The center one is alone worth a hundred -thousand." - -"I thought so," said the marquise. "As for diamonds, I have them in -numbers; rings, necklaces, sprigs, ear-rings, clasps. Tell me their -value, M. Faucheux." - -The jeweler took his magnifying-glass and scales, weighed and inspected -them, and silently made his calculations. "These stones," he said, "must -have cost your ladyship an income of forty thousand francs." - -"You value them at eight hundred thousand francs?" - -"Nearly so." - -"It is about what I imagined--but the settings are not included?" - -"No, madame; but if I were called upon to sell or to buy, I should be -satisfied with the gold of the settings alone as my profit upon the -transaction. I should make a good twenty-five thousand francs." - -"An agreeable sum." - -"Very much so, madame." - -"Will you then accept that profit, then, on condition of converting the -jewels into money?" - -"But you do not intend to sell you diamonds, I suppose, madame?" -exclaimed the bewildered jeweler. - -"Silence, M. Faucheux, do not disturb yourself about that; give me an -answer simply. You are an honorable man, with whom my family has dealt -for thirty years; you knew my father and mother, whom your own father -and mother served. I address you as a friend; will you accept the gold -of the settings in return for a sum of ready money to be placed in my -hands?" - -"Eight hundred thousand francs! it is enormous." - -"I know it." - -"Impossible to find." - -"Not so." - -"But reflect, madame, upon the effect which will be produced by the sale -of your jewels." - -"No one need know it. You can get sets of false jewels made for me, -similar to the real. Do not answer a word; I insist upon it. Sell them -separately, sell the stones only." - -"In that way it is easy. Monsieur is looking out for some sets of -jewels as well as single stones for Madame's toilette. There will be -a competition for them. I can easily dispose of six hundred thousand -francs' worth to Monsieur. I am certain yours are the most beautiful." - -"When can you do so?" - -"In less than three days' time." - -"Very well, the remainder you will dispose of among private individuals. -For the present, make me out a contract of sale, payment to be made in -four days." - -"I entreat you to reflect, madame; for if you force the sale, you will -lose a hundred thousand francs." - -"If necessary, I will lose two hundred; I wish everything to be settled -this evening. Do you accept?" - -"I do, your ladyship. I will not conceal from you that I shall make -fifty thousand francs by the transaction." - -"So much the better for you. In what way shall I have the money?" - -"Either in gold, or in bills of the bank of Lyons, payable at M. -Colbert's." - -"I agree," said the marquise, eagerly; "return home and bring the sum in -question in notes, as soon as possible." - -"Yes, madame, but for Heaven's sake--" - -"Not a word, M. Faucheux. By the by, I was forgetting the silver plate. -What is the value of that which I have?" - -"Fifty thousand francs, madame." - -"That makes a million," said the marquise to herself. "M. Faucheux, you -will take away with you both the gold and silver plate. I can assign, as -a pretext, that I wish it remodeled on patters more in accordance with -my own taste. Melt it down, and return me its value in money, at once." - -"It shall be done, your ladyship." - -"You will be good enough to place the money in a chest, and direct one -of your clerks to accompany the chest, and without my servants seeing -him; and order him to wait for me in a carriage." - -"In Madame de Faucheux's carriage?" said the jeweler. - -"If you will allow it, and I will call for it at your house." - -"Certainly, your ladyship." - -"I will direct some of my servants to convey the plate to your house." -The marquise rung. "Let the small van be placed at M. Faucheux's -disposal," she said. The jeweler bowed and left the house, directing -that the van should follow him closely, saying aloud, that the marquise -was about to have her plate melted down in order to have other plate -manufactured of a more modern style. Three hours afterwards she went to -M. Faucheux's house and received from him eight hundred francs in gold -inclosed in a chest, which one of the clerks could hardly carry towards -Madame Faucheux's carriage--for Madame Faucheux kept her carriage. As -the daughter of a president of accounts, she had brought a marriage -portion of thirty thousand crowns to her husband, who was syndic of the -goldsmiths. These thirty thousand crowns had become very fruitful during -twenty years. The jeweler, though a _millionaire_, was a modest man. He -had purchased a substantial carriage, built in 1648, ten years after the -king's birth. This carriage, or rather house upon wheels, excited the -admiration of the whole quarter in which he resided--it was covered -with allegorical paintings, and clouds scattered over with stars. The -marquise entered this somewhat extraordinary vehicle, sitting opposite -the clerk, who endeavored to put his knees out of the way, afraid even -of touching the marquise's dress. It was the clerk, too, who told the -coachman, who was very proud of having a marquise to drive, to take the -road to Saint-Mande. - - - -Chapter XXVIII. The Dowry. - -Monsieur Faucheux's horses were serviceable animals, with thickset knees -and legs that had some difficulty in moving. Like the carriage, they -belonged to the earlier part of the century. They were not as fleet as -the English horses of M. Fouquet, and consequently it took two hours -to get to Saint-Mande. Their progress, it might be said, was majestic. -Majesty, however, precludes hurry. The marquise stopped the carriage at -the door so well known to her, although she had seen it only once, under -circumstances, it will now be remembered, no less painful than those -which brought her now to it again. She drew a key from her pocket, -and inserted it into the lock, pushed open the door, which noiselessly -yielded to her touch, and directed the clerk to carry the chest upstairs -to the first floor. The weight of the chest was so great that the clerk -was obliged to get the coachman to assist him with it. They placed it -in a small cabinet, ante-room, or boudoir rather, adjoining the saloon -where we once saw M. Fouquet at the marquise's feet. Madame de Belliere -gave the coachman a louis, smiled gracefully at the clerk, and dismissed -them both. She closed the door after them, and waited in the room, alone -and barricaded. There was no servant to be seen about the rooms, but -everything was prepared as though some invisible genius had divined the -wishes and desires of an expected guest. The fire was laid, candles -in the candelabra, refreshments upon the table, books scattered about, -fresh-cut flowers in the vases. One might almost have imagined it an -enchanted house. - -The marquise lighted the candles, inhaled the perfume of the flowers, -sat down, and was soon plunged in profound thought. Her deep musings, -melancholy though they were, were not untinged with a certain vague joy. -Spread out before her was a treasure, a million wrung from her fortune -as a gleaner plucks the blue corn-flower from her crown of flowers. She -conjured up the sweetest dreams. Her principal thought, and one that -took precedence of all others, was to devise means of leaving this money -for M. Fouquet without his possibly learning from whom the gift had -come. This idea, naturally enough, was the first to present itself to -her mind. But although, on reflection, it appeared difficult to carry -out, she did not despair of success. She would then ring to summon M. -Fouquet and make her escape, happier than if, instead of having given -a million, she had herself found one. But, being there, and having seen -the boudoir so coquettishly decorated that it might almost be said the -least particle of dust had but the moment before been removed by the -servants; having observed the drawing-room, so perfectly arranged that -it might almost be said her presence there had driven away the fairies -who were its occupants, she asked herself if the glance or gaze of -those whom she had displaced--whether spirits, fairies, elves, or human -creatures--had not already recognized her. To secure success, it -was necessary that some steps should be seriously taken, and it was -necessary also that the superintendent should comprehend the serious -position in which he was placed, in order to yield compliance with -the generous fancies of a woman; all the fascinations of an eloquent -friendship would be required to persuade him, and, should this be -insufficient, the maddening influence of a devoted passion, which, in -its resolute determination to carry conviction, would not be turned -aside. Was not the superintendent, indeed, known for his delicacy and -dignity of feeling? Would he allow himself to accept from any woman that -of which she had stripped herself? No! He would resist, and if any voice -in the world could overcome his resistance, it would be the voice of the -woman he loved. - -Another doubt, and that a cruel one, suggested itself to Madame de -Belliere with a sharp, acute pain, like a dagger thrust. Did he really -love her? Would that volatile mind, that inconstant heart, be likely to -be fixed for a moment, even were it to gaze upon an angel? Was it not -the same with Fouquet, notwithstanding his genius and his uprightness of -conduct, as with those conquerors on the field of battle who shed tears -when they have gained a victory? "I must learn if it be so, and must -judge of that for myself," said the marquise. "Who can tell whether that -heart, so coveted, is not common in its impulses, and full of alloy? Who -can tell if that mind, when the touchstone is applied to it, will not -be found of a mean and vulgar character? Come, come," she said, "this -is doubting and hesitation too much--to the proof," she said, looking -at the timepiece. "It is now seven o'clock," she said; "he must have -arrived; it is the hour for signing his papers." With a feverish -impatience she rose and walked towards the mirror, in which she smiled -with a resolute smile of devotedness; she touched the spring and drew -out the handle of the bell. Then, as if exhausted beforehand by the -struggle she had just undergone, she threw herself on her knees, in -utter abandonment, before a large couch, in which she buried her face in -her trembling hands. Ten minutes afterwards she heard the spring of the -door sound. The door moved upon invisible hinges, and Fouquet appeared. -He looked pale, and seemed bowed down by the weight of some bitter -reflection. He did not hurry, but simply came at the summons. The -preoccupation of his mind must indeed have been very great, that a -man, so devoted to pleasure, for whom indeed pleasure meant everything, -should obey such a summons so listlessly. The previous night, in fact, -fertile in melancholy ideas, had sharpened his features, generally so -noble in their indifference of expression, and had traced dark lines -of anxiety around his eyes. Handsome and noble he still was, and the -melancholy expression of his mouth, a rare expression with men, gave a -new character to his features, by which his youth seemed to be renewed. -Dressed in black, the lace in front of his chest much disarranged by -his feverishly restless hand, the looks of the superintendent, full of -dreamy reflection, were fixed upon the threshold of the room which -he had so frequently approached in search of expected happiness. This -gloomy gentleness of manner, this smiling sadness of expression, which -had replaced his former excessive joy, produced an indescribable effect -upon Madame de Belliere, who was regarding him at a distance. - -A woman's eye can read the face of the man she loves, its every feeling -of pride, its every expression of suffering; it might almost be said -that Heaven has graciously granted to women, on account of their very -weakness, more than it has accorded to other creatures. They can conceal -their own feelings from a man, but from them no man can conceal his. The -marquise divined in a single glace the whole weight of the unhappiness -of the superintendent. She divined a night passed without sleep, a day -passed in deceptions. From that moment she was firm in her own strength, -and she felt that she loved Fouquet beyond everything else. She arose -and approached him, saying, "You wrote to me this morning to say you -were beginning to forget me, and that I, whom you had not seen lately, -had no doubt ceased to think of you. I have come to undeceive you, -monsieur, and the more completely so, because there is one thing I can -read in your eyes." - -"What is that, madame?" said Fouquet, astonished. - -"That you have never loved me so much as at this moment; in the same -manner you can read, in my present step towards you, that I have not -forgotten you." - -"Oh! madame," said Fouquet, whose face was for a moment lighted up by -a sudden gleam of joy, "you are indeed an angel, and no man can -suspect you. All he can do is to humble himself before you and entreat -forgiveness." - -"Your forgiveness is granted, then," said the marquise. Fouquet was -about to throw himself upon his knees. "No, no," she said, "sit here by -my side. Ah! that is an evil thought which has just crossed your mind." - -"How do you detect it, madame?" - -"By the smile that has just marred the expression of your countenance. -Be candid, and tell me what your thought was--no secrets between -friends." - -"Tell me, then, madame, why you have been so harsh these three or four -months past?" - -"Harsh?" - -"Yes; did you not forbid me to visit you?" - -"Alas!" said Madame de Belliere, sighing, "because your visit to me -was the cause of your being visited with a great misfortune; because my -house is watched; because the same eyes that have seen you already might -see you again; because I think it less dangerous for you that I should -come here than that you should come to my house; and, lastly, because -I know you to be already unhappy enough not to wish to increase your -unhappiness further." - -Fouquet started, for these words recalled all the anxieties connected -with his office of superintendent--he who, for the last few minutes, had -indulged in all the wild aspirations of the lover. "I unhappy?" he said, -endeavoring to smile: "indeed, marquise, you will almost make me believe -I am so, judging from your own sadness. Are your beautiful eyes raised -upon me merely in pity? I was looking for another expression from them." - -"It is not I who am sad, monsieur; look in the mirror, there--it is -yourself." - -"It is true I am somewhat pale, marquise; but it is from overwork; the -king yesterday required a supply of money from me." - -"Yes, four millions; I am aware of it." - -"You know it?" exclaimed Fouquet, in a tone of surprise; "how can you -have learnt it? It was after the departure of the queen, and in the -presence of one person only, that the king--" - -"You perceive that I do know it; is that not sufficient? Well, go on, -monsieur, the money the king has required you to supply--" - -"You understand, marquise, that I have been obliged to procure it, then -to get it counted, afterwards registered--altogether a long affair. -Since Monsieur de Mazarin's death, financial affairs occasion some -little fatigue and embarrassment. My administration is somewhat -overtaxed, and this is the reason why I have not slept during the past -night." - -"So you have the amount?" inquired the marquise, with some anxiety. - -"It would indeed be strange, marquise," replied Fouquet, cheerfully, "if -a superintendent of finances were not to have a paltry four millions in -his coffers." - -"Yes, yes, I believe you either have, or will have them." - -"What do you mean by saying I shall have them?" - -"It is not very long since you were required to furnish two millions." - -"On the contrary, it seems almost an age; but do not let us talk of -money matters any longer." - -"On the contrary, we will continue to speak of them, for that is my only -reason for coming to see you." - -"I am at a loss to compass your meaning," said the superintendent, whose -eyes began to express an anxious curiosity. - -"Tell me, monsieur, is the office of superintendent a permanent -position?" - -"You surprise me, marchioness, for you speak as if you had some motive -or interest in putting the question." - -"My reason is simple enough; I am desirous of placing some money in your -hands, and naturally I wish to know if you are certain of your post." - -"Really, marquise, I am at a loss what to reply; I cannot conceive your -meaning." - -"Seriously, then, dear M. Fouquet, I have certain funds which somewhat -embarrass me. I am tired of investing my money in lands, and am anxious -to intrust it to some friend who will turn it to account." - -"Surely it does not press," said M. Fouquet. - -"On the contrary, it is very pressing." - -"Very well, we will talk of that by and by." - -"By and by will not do, for my money is there," returned the marquise, -pointing out the coffer to the superintendent, and showing him, as she -opened it, the bundles of notes and heaps of gold. Fouquet, who had -risen from his seat at the same moment as Madame de Belliere, remained -for a moment plunged in thought; then suddenly starting back, he turned -pale, and sank down in his chair, concealing his face in his hands. -"Madame, madame," he murmured, "what opinion can you have of me, when -you make me such an offer?" - -"Of you!" returned the marquise. "Tell me, rather, what you yourself -think of the step I have taken." - -"You bring me this money for myself, and you bring it because you know -me to be embarrassed. Nay, do not deny it, for I am sure of it. Can I -not read your heart?" - -"If you know my heart, then, can you not see that it is my heart I offer -you?" - -"I have guessed rightly, then," exclaimed Fouquet. "In truth, madame, I -have never yet given you the right to insult me in this manner." - -"Insult you," she said, turning pale, "what singular delicacy of -feeling! You tell me you love me; in the name of that affection you wish -me to sacrifice my reputation and my honor, yet, when I offer you money -which is my own, you refuse me." - -"Madame, you are at liberty to preserve what you term your reputation -and your honor. Permit me to preserve mine. Leave me to my ruin, leave -me to sink beneath the weight of the hatreds which surround me, beneath -the faults I have committed, beneath the load, even, of my remorse, -but, for Heaven's sake, madame, do not overwhelm me with this last -infliction." - -"A short time since, M. Fouquet, you were wanting in judgment; now you -are wanting in feeling." - -Fouquet pressed his clenched hand upon his breast, heaving with emotion, -saying: "overwhelm me, madame, for I have nothing to reply." - -"I offered you my friendship, M. Fouquet." - -"Yes, madame, and you limited yourself to that." - -"And what I am now doing is the act of a friend." - -"No doubt it is." - -"And you reject this mark of my friendship?" - -"I do reject it." - -"Monsieur Fouquet, look at me," said the marquise, with glistening eyes, -"I now offer you my love." - -"Oh, madame," exclaimed Fouquet. - -"I have loved you for a long while past; women, like men, have a false -delicacy at times. For a long time past I have loved you, but would not -confess it. Well, then, you have implored this love on your knees, and I -have refused you; I was blind, as you were a little while since; but as -it was my love that you sought, it is my love I now offer you." - -"Oh! madame, you overwhelm me beneath a load of happiness." - -"Will you be happy, then, if I am yours--entirely?" - -"It will be the supremest happiness for me." - -"Take me, then. If, however, for your sake I sacrifice a prejudice, do -you, for mine, sacrifice a scruple." - -"Do not tempt me." - -"Do not refuse me." - -"Think seriously of what you are proposing." - -"Fouquet, but one word. Let it be 'No,' and I open this door," and she -pointed to the door which led into the streets, "and you will never see -me again. Let that word be 'Yes,' and I am yours entirely." - -"Elise! Elise! But this coffer?" - -"Contains my dowry." - -"It is your ruin," exclaimed Fouquet, turning over the gold and papers; -"there must be a million here." - -"Yes, my jewels, for which I care no longer if you do not love me, and -for which, equally, I care no longer if you love me as I love you." - -"This is too much," exclaimed Fouquet. "I yield, I yield, even were it -only to consecrate so much devotion. I accept the dowry." - -"And take the woman with it," said the marquise, throwing herself into -his arms. - - - -Chapter XXIX. Le Terrain de Dieu. - -During the progress of these events Buckingham and De Wardes traveled -in excellent companionship, and made the journey from Paris to Calais in -undisturbed harmony together. Buckingham had hurried his departure, so -that the greater part of his _adieux_ were very hastily made. His visit -to Monsieur and Madame, to the young queen, and to the queen-dowager, -had been paid collectively--a precaution on the part of the queen-mother -which saved him the distress of any private conversation with Monsieur, -and also the danger of seeing Madame again. The carriages containing the -luggage had already been sent on beforehand, and in the evening he set -off in his traveling carriage with his attendants. - -De Wardes, irritated at finding himself dragged away in so abrupt a -manner by this Englishman, had sought in his subtle mind for some -means of escaping from his fetters; but no one having rendered him any -assistance in this respect, he was absolutely obliged, therefore, to -submit to the burden of his own evil thoughts and caustic spirit. - -Such of his friends in whom he had been able to confide, had, in their -character of wits, rallied him upon the duke's superiority. Others, -less brilliant, but more sensible, had reminded him of the king's orders -prohibiting dueling. Others, again, and they the larger number, who, -in virtue of charity, or national vanity, might have rendered him -assistance, did not care to run the risk of incurring disgrace, and -would, at the best, have informed the ministers of a departure which -might end in a massacre on a small scale. The result was, that, after -having fully deliberated upon the matter, De Wardes packed up his -luggage, took a couple of horses, and, followed only by one servant, -made his way towards the barrier, where Buckingham's carriage was to -await him. - -The duke received his adversary as he would have done an intimate -acquaintance, made room beside him on the same seat with himself, -offered him refreshments, and spread over his knees the sable cloak that -had been thrown on the front seat. They then conversed of the court, -without alluding to Madame; of Monsieur, without speaking of domestic -affairs; of the king, without speaking of his brother's wife; of the -queen-mother, without alluding to her daughter-in-law; of the king of -England, without alluding to his sister; of the state of the affections -of either of the travelers, without pronouncing any name that might be -dangerous. In this way the journey, which was performed by short stages, -was most agreeable, and Buckingham, almost a Frenchman from wit and -education, was delighted at having so admirably selected his traveling -companion. Elegant repasts were served, of which they partook but -lightly; trials of horses made in the beautiful meadows that skirted the -road; coursing indulged in, for Buckingham had his greyhounds with him; -and in such ways did they pass away the pleasant time. The duke somewhat -resembled the beautiful river Seine, which folds France a thousand times -in its loving embrace, before deciding upon joining its waters with the -ocean. In quitting France, it was her recently adopted daughter he had -brought to Paris whom he chiefly regretted; his every thought was a -remembrance of her--his every memory a regret. Therefore, whenever, now -and then, despite his command over himself, he was lost in thought, -De Wardes left him entirely to his musings. This delicacy might have -touched Buckingham, and changed his feelings towards De Wardes, if -the latter, while preserving silence, had shown a glance less full -of malice, and a smile less false. Instinctive dislikes, however, -are relentless; nothing appeases them; a few ashes may, sometimes, -apparently, extinguish them; but beneath those ashes the smothered -embers rage more furiously. Having exhausted every means of amusement -the route offered, they arrived, as we have said, at Calais towards the -end of the sixth day. The duke's attendants, since the previous evening, -had traveled in advance, and now chartered a boat, for the purpose -of joining the yacht, which had been tacking about in sight, or -bore broadside on, whenever it felt its white wings wearied, within -cannon-shot of the jetty. - -The boat was destined for the transport of the duke's equipages from the -shore to the yacht. The horses had been embarked, having been hoisted -from the boat upon the deck in baskets, expressly made for the purpose, -and wadded in such a manner that their limbs, even in the most violent -fits of terror or impatience, were always protected by the soft support -which the sides afforded, and their coats not even turned. Eight of -these baskets, placed side by side, filled the ship's hold. It is well -known that, in short voyages horses refuse to eat, but remain trembling -all the while, with the best of food before them, such as they would -have greatly coveted on land. By degrees, the duke's entire equipage was -transported on board the yacht; he was then informed that everything was -in readiness, and that they only waited for him, whenever he would be -disposed to embark with the French gentleman; for no one could possibly -imagine that the French gentleman would have any other accounts to -settle with his Grace other than those of friendship. Buckingham desired -the captain to be told to hold himself in readiness, but that, as the -sea was beautiful, and as the day promised a splendid sunset, he did not -intend to go on board until nightfall, and would avail himself of the -evening to enjoy a walk on the strand. He added also, that, finding -himself in such excellent company, he had not the least desire to hasten -his embarkation. - -As he said this he pointed out to those who surrounded him the -magnificent spectacle which the sky presented, of deepest azure in the -horizon, the amphitheatre of fleecy clouds ascending from the sun's disc -to the zenith, assuming the appearance of a range of snowy mountains, -whose summits were heaped one upon another. The dome of clouds was -tinged at its base with, as it were, the foam of rubies, fading away -into opal and pearly tints, in proportion as the gaze was carried from -base to summit. The sea was gilded with the same reflection, and upon -the crest of every sparkling wave danced a point of light, like a -diamond by lamplight. The mildness of the evening, the sea breezes, so -dear to contemplative minds, setting in from the east and blowing in -delicious gusts; then, in the distance, the black outline of the yacht -with its rigging traced upon the empurpled background of the sky--while, -dotting the horizon, might be seen, here and there, vessels with their -trimmed sails, like the wings of a seagull about to plunge; such a -spectacle indeed well merited admiration. A crowd of curious idlers -followed the richly dressed attendants, amongst whom they mistook -the steward and the secretary for the master and his friend. As for -Buckingham, who was dressed very simply, in a gray satin vest, and -doublet of violet-colored velvet, wearing his hat thrust over his eyes, -and without orders or embroidery, he was taken no more notice of than De -Wardes, who was in black, like an attorney. - -The duke's attendants had received directions to have a boat in -readiness at the jetty head, and to watch the embarkation of their -master, without approaching him until either he or his friend should -summon them,--"whatever may happen," he had added, laying a stress upon -these words, so that they might not be misunderstood. Having walked a -few paces upon the strand, Buckingham said to De Wardes, "I think it is -now time to take leave of each other. The tide, you perceive, is rising; -ten minutes hence it will have soaked the sands where we are now walking -in such a manner that we shall not be able to keep our footing." - -"I await your orders, my lord, but--" - -"But, you mean, we are still upon soil which is part of the king's -territory." - -"Exactly." - -"Well, do you see yonder a kind of little island surrounded by a circle -of water? The pool is increasing every minute, and the isle is gradually -disappearing. This island, indeed, belongs to Heaven, for it is situated -between two seas, and is not shown on the king's charts. Do you observe -it?" - -"Yes; but we can hardly reach it now, without getting our feet wet." - -"Yes; but observe that it forms an eminence tolerably high, and that the -tide rises up on every side, leaving the top free. We shall be admirably -placed upon that little theatre. What do you think of it?" - -"I shall be perfectly happy wherever I may have the honor of crossing my -sword with your lordship's." - -"Very well, then, I am distressed to be the cause of your wetting your -feet, M. de Wardes, but it is most essential you should be able to say -to the king: 'Sire, I did not fight upon your majesty's territory.' -Perhaps the distinction is somewhat subtle, but, since Port-Royal, your -nation delights in subtleties of expression. Do not let us complain -of this, however, for it makes your wit very brilliant, and of a style -peculiarly your own. If you do not object, we will hurry ourselves, for -the sea, I perceive, is rising fast, and night is setting in." - -"My reason for not walking faster was, that I did not wish to precede -your Grace. Are you still on dry land, my lord?" - -"Yes, at present I am. Look yonder! My servants are afraid we shall be -drowned, and have converted the boat into a cruiser. Do you remark how -curiously it dances upon the crests of the waves? But, as it makes me -feel sea-sick, would you permit me to turn my back towards them?" - -"You will observe, my lord, that in turning your back to them, you will -have the sun full in your face." - -"Oh, its rays are very feeble at this hour and it will soon disappear; -do not be uneasy on that score." - -"As you please, my lord; it was out of consideration for your lordship -that I made the remark." - -"I am aware of that, M. de Wardes, and I fully appreciate your kindness. -Shall we take off our doublets?" - -"As you please, my lord." - -"Do not hesitate to tell me, M. de Wardes, if you do not feel -comfortable upon the wet sand, or if you think yourself a little too -close to French territory. We could fight in England, or even upon my -yacht." - -"We are exceedingly well placed here, my lord; only I have the honor to -remark that, as the sea is rising fast, we have hardly time--" - -Buckingham made a sign of assent, took off his doublet and threw it on -the ground, a proceeding which De Wardes imitated. Both their bodies, -which seemed like phantoms to those who were looking at them from the -shore, were thrown strongly into relief by a dark red violet-colored -shadow with which the sky became overspread. - -"Upon my word, your Grace," said De Wardes, "we shall hardly have time -to begin. Do you not perceive how our feet are sinking into the sand?" - -"I have sunk up to the ankles," said Buckingham, "without reckoning that -the water is even now breaking in upon us." - -"It has already reached me. As soon as you please, therefore, your -Grace," said De Wardes, who drew his sword, a movement imitated by the -duke. - -"M. de Wardes," said Buckingham, "one final word. I am about to -fight you because I do not like you,--because you have wounded me in -ridiculing a certain devotional regard I have entertained, and one which -I acknowledge that, at this moment, I still retain, and for which I -would very willingly die. You are a bad and heartless man, M. de Wardes, -and I will do my very utmost to take your life; for I feel assured that, -if you survive this engagement, you will, in the future, work great -mischief towards my friends. That is all I have to remark, M. de -Wardes," concluded Buckingham as he saluted him. - -"And I, my lord, have only this to reply to you: I have not disliked you -hitherto, but, since you give me such a character, I hate you, and will -do all I possibly can to kill you;" and De Wardes saluted Buckingham. - -Their swords crossed at the same moment, like two flashes of lightning -on a dark night. The swords seemed to seek each other, guessed their -position, and met. Both were practiced swordsmen, and the earlier passes -were without any result. The night was fast closing in, and it was so -dark that they attacked and defended themselves almost instinctively. -Suddenly De Wardes felt his word arrested,--he had just touched -Buckingham's shoulder. The duke's sword sunk, as his arm was lowered. - -"You are wounded, my lord," said De Wardes, drawing back a step or two. - -"Yes, monsieur, but only slightly." - -"Yet you quitted your guard." - -"Only from the first effect of the cold steel, but I have recovered. -Let us go on, if you please." And disengaging his sword with a sinister -clashing of the blade, the duke wounded the marquis in the breast. - -"A hit?" he said. - -"No," cried De Wardes, not moving from his place. - -"I beg your pardon, but observing that your shirt was stained--" said -Buckingham. - -"Well," said De Wardes furiously, "it is now your turn." - -And with a terrible lunge, he pierced Buckingham's arm, the sword -passing between the two bones. Buckingham feeling his right arm -paralyzed, stretched out his left, seized his sword, which was about -falling from his nerveless grasp, and before De Wardes could resume his -guard, he thrust him through the breast. De Wardes tottered, his knees -gave way beneath him, and leaving his sword still fixed in the duke's -arm, he fell into the water, which was soon crimsoned with a more -genuine reflection than that which it had borrowed from the clouds. De -Wardes was not dead; he felt the terrible danger that menaced him, for -the sea rose fast. The duke, too, perceived the danger. With an effort -and an exclamation of pain he tore out the blade which remained in his -arm, and turning towards De Wardes said, "Are you dead, marquis?" - -"No," replied De Wardes, in a voice choked by the blood which rushed -from his lungs to his throat, "but very near it." - -"Well, what is to be done; can you walk?" said Buckingham, supporting -him on his knee. - -"Impossible," he replied. Then falling down again, said, "call to your -people, or I shall be drowned." - -"Halloa! boat there! quick, quick!" - -The boat flew over the waves, but the sea rose faster than the boat -could approach. Buckingham saw that De Wardes was on the point of being -again covered by a wave; he passed his left arm, safe and unwounded, -round his body and raised him up. The wave ascended to his waist, -but did not move him. The duke immediately began to carry his late -antagonist towards the shore. He had hardly gone ten paces, when a -second wave, rushing onwards higher, more furious and menacing than the -former, struck him at the height of his chest, threw him over and buried -him beneath the water. At the reflux, however, the duke and De Wardes -were discovered lying on the strand. De Wardes had fainted. At this -moment four of the duke's sailors, who comprehended the danger, threw -themselves into the sea, and in a moment were close beside him. Their -terror was extreme when they observed how their master became covered -with blood, in proportion to the water, with which it was impregnated, -flowed towards his knees and feet; they wished to carry him. - -"No, no," exclaimed the duke, "take the marquis on shore first." - -"Death to the Frenchman!" cried the English sullenly. - -"Wretched knaves!" exclaimed the duke, drawing himself up with a haughty -gesture, which sprinkled them with blood, "obey directly! M. de Wardes -on shore! M. de Wardes's safety to be looked to first, or I will have -you all hanged!" - -The boat had by this time reached them; the secretary and steward leaped -into the sea, and approached the marquis, who no longer showed any sign -of life. - -"I commit him to your care, as you value your lives," said the duke. -"Take M. de Wardes on shore." They took him in their arms, and carried -him to the dry sand, where the tide never rose so high. A few idlers -and five or six fishermen had gathered on the shore, attracted by the -strange spectacle of two men fighting with the water up to their knees. -The fishermen, observing a group of men approaching carrying a wounded -man, entered the sea until the water was up to their waists. The English -transferred the wounded man to them, at the very moment the latter began -to open his eyes again. The salt water and the fine sand had got into -his wounds, and caused him the acutest pain. The duke's secretary drew -out a purse filled with gold from his pocket, and handed it to the one -among those present who appeared of most importance, saying: "From my -master, his Grace the Duke of Buckingham, in order that every possible -care may be taken of the Marquis de Wardes." - -Then, followed by those who had accompanied him, he returned to the -boat, which Buckingham had been enabled to reach with the greatest -difficulty, but only after he had seen De Wardes out of danger. By this -time it was high tide; embroidered coats, and silk sashes were lost; -many hats, too, had been carried away by the waves. The flow of the tide -had borne the duke's and De Wardes's clothes to the shore, and De Wardes -was wrapped in the duke's doublet, under the belief that it was his own, -when the fishermen carried him in their arms towards the town. - - - -Chapter XXX. Threefold Love. - -As soon as Buckingham departed, Guiche imagined the coast would be -perfectly clear for him without any interference. Monsieur, who no -longer retained the slightest feeling of jealousy, and who, besides, -permitted himself to be monopolized by the Chevalier de Lorraine, -allowed as much liberty and freedom in his house as the most exacting -could desire. The king, on his side, who had conceived a strong -predilection for his sister-in-law's society, invented a variety of -amusements, in quick succession to each other, in order to render her -residence in Paris as cheerful as possible, so that in fact, not a day -passed without a ball at the Palais Royal, or a reception in Monsieur's -apartments. The king had directed that Fontainebleau should be prepared -for the reception of the court, and every one was using his utmost -interest to get invited. Madame led a life of incessant occupation; -neither her voice nor her pen were idle for a moment. The conversations -with De Guiche were gradually assuming a tone of interest which might -unmistakably be recognized as the prelude of a deep-seated attachment. -When eyes look languishingly while the subject under discussion happens -to be colors of materials for dresses; when a whole hour is occupied in -analyzing the merits and the perfume of a _sachet_ or a flower;--there -are words in this style of conversation which every one might listen to, -but there are gestures and sighs that every one cannot perceive. After -Madame had talked for some time with De Guiche, she conversed with -the king, who paid her a visit regularly every day. They played, wrote -verses, or selected mottoes or emblematical devices; this spring was -not only the Maytide of nature, it was the youth of an entire people, of -which those at court were the head. The king was handsome, young, and of -unequaled gallantry. All women were passionately loved by him, even the -queen, his wife. This mighty monarch was, however, more timid and more -reserved than any other person in the kingdom, to such a degree, indeed, -that he did not confess his sentiments even to himself. This timidity of -bearing restrained him within the limits of ordinary politeness, and no -woman could boast of having any preference shown her beyond that shown -to others. It might be foretold that the day when his real character -would be displayed would be the dawn of a new sovereignty; but as yet -he had not declared himself. M. de Guiche took advantage of this, and -constituted himself the sovereign prince of the whole laughter-loving -court. It had been reported that he was on the best of terms with -Mademoiselle de Montalais; that he had been assiduously attentive to -Mademoiselle de Chatillon; but now he was not even barely civil to any -of the court beauties. He had eyes and ears for one person alone. In -this manner, and, as it were, without design, he devoted himself to -Monsieur, who had a great regard for him, and kept him as much as -possible in his own apartments. Unsociable from natural disposition, he -had estranged himself too much previous to the arrival of Madame, -but, after her arrival, he did not estrange himself sufficiently. This -conduct, which every one had observed, had been particularly remarked -by the evil genius of the house, the Chevalier de Lorraine, for whom -Monsieur exhibited the warmest attachment because he was of a very -cheerful disposition, even in his remarks most full of malice, and -because he was never at a loss how to wile the time away. The Chevalier -de Lorraine, therefore, having noticed that he was threatened with being -supplanted by De Guiche, resorted to strong measures. He disappeared -from the court, leaving Monsieur much embarrassed. The first day of his -absence, Monsieur hardly inquired about him, for he had De Guiche with -him, and, except that the time given to conversation with Madame, his -days and nights were rigorously devoted to the prince. On the second -day, however, Monsieur, finding no one near him, inquired where the -chevalier was. He was told that no one knew. - -De Guiche, after having spent the morning in selecting embroideries and -fringes with Madame, went to console the prince. But after dinner, -as there were some amethysts to be looked at, De Guiche returned to -Madame's cabinet. Monsieur was left quite to himself during the time -devoted to dressing and decorating himself; he felt that he was the most -miserable of men, and again inquired whether there was any news of the -chevalier, in reply to which he was told that no one could tell -where the chevalier was to be found. Monsieur, hardly knowing in what -direction to inflict his weariness, went to Madame's apartments dressed -in his morning-gown. He found a large assemblage of people there, -laughing and whispering in every part of the room; at one end, a group -of women around one of the courtiers, talking together, amid smothered -bursts of laughter; at the other end, Manicamp and Malicorne were being -pillaged at cards by Montalais and Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente, -while two others were standing by, laughing. In another part were -Madame, seated upon some cushions on the floor, and De Guiche, on his -knees beside her, spreading out a handful of pearls and precious stones, -while the princess, with her white and slender fingers pointed out such -among them as pleased her the most. Again, in another corner of the -room, a guitar player was playing some of the Spanish seguedillas, to -which Madame had taken the greatest fancy ever since she had heard them -sung by the young queen with a melancholy expression of voice. But the -songs which the Spanish princess had sung with tears in her eyes, the -young Englishwoman was humming with a smile that well displayed her -beautiful teeth. The cabinet presented, in fact, the most perfect -representation of unrestrained pleasure and amusement. As he entered, -Monsieur was struck at beholding so many persons enjoying themselves -without him. He was so jealous at the sight that he could not resist -exclaiming, like a child, "What! you are amusing yourselves here, while -I am sick and tired of being alone!" - -The sound of his voice was like a clap of thunder coming to interrupt -the warbling of birds under the leafy covert of the trees; a dead -silence ensued. De Guiche was on his feet in a moment. Malicorne tried -to hide himself behind Montalais. Manicamp stood bolt upright, and -assumed a very ceremonious demeanor. The guitar player thrust his -instrument under a table, covering it with a piece of carpet to conceal -it from the prince's observation. Madame was the only one who did -not move, and smiling at her husband, said, "Is not this the hour you -usually devote to your toilette?" - -"An hour which others select, it seems, for amusing themselves," replied -the prince, grumblingly. - -This untoward remark was the signal for a general rout; the women fled -like a flock of terrified starlings; the guitar player vanished like a -shadow; Malicorne, still protected by Montalais, who purposely widened -out her dress, glided behind the hanging tapestry. As for Manicamp, he -went to the assistance of De Guiche, who naturally remained near Madame, -and both of them, with the princess herself, courageously sustained the -attack. The count was too happy to bear malice against the husband; -but Monsieur bore a grudge against his wife. Nothing was wanting but a -quarrel; he sought it, and the hurried departure of the crowd, which had -been so joyous before he arrived, and was so disturbed by his entrance, -furnished him with a pretext. - -"Why do they run away at the very sight of me?" he inquired, in a -supercilious tone; to which remark Madame replied, that, "whenever the -master of the house made his appearance, the family kept aloof out of -respect." As she said this, she made so funny and so pretty a grimace, -that De Guiche and Manicamp could not control themselves; they burst -into a peal of laugher; Madame followed their example, and even Monsieur -himself could not resist it, and he was obliged to sit down, as, for -laughing, he could scarcely keep his equilibrium. However, he very soon -left off, but his anger had increased. He was still more furious because -he had permitted himself to laugh, than from having seen others laugh. -He looked at Manicamp steadily, not venturing to show his anger towards -De Guiche; but, at a sign which displayed no little amount of annoyance, -Manicamp and De Guiche left the room, so that Madame, left alone, -began sadly to pick up her pearls and amethysts, no longer smiling, and -speaking still less. - -"I am very happy," said the duke, "to find myself treated as a stranger -here, Madame," and he left the room in a passion. On his way out, he met -Montalais, who was in attendance in the ante-room. "It is very agreeable -to pay you a visit here, but outside the door." - -Montalais made a very low obeisance. "I do not quite understand what -your royal highness does me the honor to say." - -"I say that when you are all laughing together in Madame's apartment, he -is an unwelcome visitor who does not remain outside." - -"Your royal highness does not think, and does not speak so, of -yourself?" - -"On the contrary, it is on my own account that I do speak and think. I -have no reason, certainly, to flatter myself about the reception I meet -with here at any time. How is it that, on the very day there is music -and a little society in Madame's apartments--in my own apartments, -indeed, for they are mine--on the very day that I wish to amuse myself a -little in my turn, every one runs away? Are they afraid to see me, that -they all take wing as soon as I appear? Is there anything wrong, then, -going on in my absence?" - -"Yet nothing has been done to-day, monseigneur, which is not done every -day." - -"What! do they laugh like that every day?" - -"Why, yes, monseigneur." - -"The same group of people simpering and the same singing and strumming -going on every day?" - -"The guitar, monseigneur, was introduced to-day; but when we have no -guitars, we have violins and flutes; ladies soon weary without music." - -"The deuce!--and the men?" - -"What men, monseigneur?" - -"M. de Guiche, M. de Manicamp, and the rest of them?" - -"They all belong to your highness's household." - -"Yes, yes, you are right," said the prince, as he returned to his own -apartments, full of thought. He threw himself into the largest of his -arm-chairs, without looking at himself in the glass. "Where can the -chevalier be?" said he. One of the prince's attendants happened to be -near him, overheard his remark, and replied,-- - -"No one knows, your highness." - -"Still the same answer. The first one who answers me again, 'I do not -know,' I will discharge." Every one at this remark hurried out of his -apartments, in the same manner as the others had fled from Madame's -apartments. The prince then flew into the wildest rage. He kicked over -a chiffonier, which tumbled on the carpet, broken into pieces. He next -went into the galleries, and with the greatest coolness threw down, -one after another, an enameled vase, a porphyry ewer, and a bronze -candelabrum. The noise summoned every one to the various doors. - -"What is your highness's pleasure?" said the captain of the guards, -timidly. - -"I am treating myself to some music," replied the prince, gnashing his -teeth. - -The captain of the guards desired his royal highness's physician to be -sent for. But before he came, Malicorne arrived, saying to the prince, -"Monseigneur, the Chevalier de Lorraine is here." - -The duke looked at Malicorne, and smiled graciously at him, just as the -chevalier entered. - - - -Chapter XXXI. M. de Lorraine's Jealousy. - -The Duc d'Orleans uttered a cry of delight on perceiving the Chevalier -de Lorraine. "This is fortunate, indeed," he said; "by what happy chance -do I see you? Had you indeed disappeared, as every one assured me?" - -"Yes, monseigneur." - -"A caprice?" - -"I to venture upon caprices with your highness! The respect--" - -"Put respect out of the way, for you fail in it every day. I absolve -you; but why did you leave me?" - -"Because I felt that I was of no further use to you." - -"Explain yourself." - -"Your highness has people about you who are far more amusing that _I_ -can ever be. I felt I was not strong enough to enter into contest with -them, and I therefore withdrew." - -"This extreme diffidence shows a want of common sense. Who are those -with whom you cannot contend? De Guiche?" - -"I name no one." - -"This is absurd. Does De Guiche annoy you?" - -"I do not say he does; do not force me to speak, however; you know very -well that De Guiche is one of our best friends." - -"Who is it, then?" - -"Excuse me, monseigneur, let us say no more about it." The chevalier -knew perfectly well that curiosity is excited in the same way as thirst ---by removing that which quenches it; or in other words, by denying an -explanation. - -"No, no," said the prince; "I wish to know why you went away." - -"In that case, monseigneur, I will tell you; but do not get angry. I -remarked that my presence was disagreeable." - -"To whom?" - -"To Madame." - -"What do you mean?" said the duke in astonishment. - -"It is simple enough; Madame is very probably jealous of the regard you -are good enough to testify for me." - -"Has she shown it to you?" - -"Madame never addresses a syllable to me, particularly since a certain -time." - -"Since _what_ time?" - -"Since the time when, M. de Guiche having made himself more agreeable to -her than I could, she receives him at every and any hour." - -The duke colored. "At any hour, chevalier; what do you mean by that?" - -"You see, your highness, I have already displeased you; I was quite sure -I should." - -"I am not displeased; but what you say is rather startling. In what -respect does Madame prefer De Guiche to you?" - -"I shall say no more," said the chevalier, saluting the prince -ceremoniously. - -"On the contrary, I require you to speak. If you withdraw on that -account, you must indeed be very jealous." - -"One cannot help being jealous, monseigneur, when one loves. Is not your -royal highness jealous of Madame? Would you not, if you saw some one -always near Madame, and always treated with great favor, take umbrage -at it? One's friends are as one's lovers. Your highness has sometimes -conferred the distinguished honor upon me of calling me your friend." - -"Yes, yes,; but you used a phrase which has a very equivocal -significance; you are unfortunate in your phrases." - -"What phrase, monseigneur?" - -"You said, 'treated with great favor.' What do you mean by favor?" - -"Nothing can be more simple," said the chevalier, with an expression of -great frankness; "for instance, whenever a husband remarks that his wife -summons such and such a man near her; whenever this man is always to -be found by her side, or in attendance at the door of her carriage; -whenever the bouquet of the one is always the same color as the -ribbons of the other; when music and supper parties are held in private -apartments; whenever a dead silence takes place immediately the husband -makes his appearance in his wife's rooms; and when the husband suddenly -finds that he has, as a companion, the most devoted and the kindest -of men, who, a week before, was with him as little as possible; why, -then--" - -"Well, finish." - -"Why, then, I say, monseigneur, one possibly may get jealous. But all -these details hardly apply; for our conversation had nothing to do with -them." - -The duke was evidently very much agitated, and seemed to struggle with -himself a good deal. "You have not told me," he then remarked, "why you -absented yourself. A little while ago you said it was from a fear of -intruding; you added, even, that you had observed a disposition on -Madame's part to encourage De Guiche." - -"Pardon me, monseigneur, I did not say that." - -"You did, indeed." - -"Well, if I did say so, I observed nothing but what was very -inoffensive." - -"At all events, you remarked something." - -"You embarrass me, monseigneur." - -"What does that matter? Answer me. If you speak the truth, why should -you feel embarrassed?" - -"I always speak the truth, monseigneur; but I also always hesitate when -it is a question of repeating what others say." - -"Ah! repeat? It appears that it is talked about, then?" - -"I acknowledge that others have spoken to me on the subject." - -"Who?" said the prince. - -The chevalier assumed almost an angry air, as he replied, "Monseigneur, -you are subjecting me to cross-examination; you treat me as a criminal -at the bar; the rumors which idly pass by a gentleman's ears do not -remain there. Your highness wishes me to magnify rumors until it attains -the importance of an event." - -"However," said the duke, in great displeasure, "the fact remains that -you withdrew on account of this report." - -"To speak the truth, others have talked to me of the attentions of M. de -Guiche to Madame, nothing more; perfectly harmless, I repeat, and more -than that, allowable. But do not be unjust, monseigneur, and do not -attach any undue importance to it. It does not concern you." - -"M. de Guiche's attentions to Madame do not concern me?" - -"No, monseigneur; and what I say to you I would say to De Guiche -himself, so little do I think of the attentions he pays Madame. Nay, -I would say it even to Madame herself. Only you understand what I am -afraid of--I am afraid of being thought jealous of the favor shown, -when I am only jealous as far as friendship is concerned. I know your -disposition; I know that when you bestow your affections you become -exclusively attached. You love Madame--and who, indeed, would _not_ love -her? Follow me attentively as I proceed:--Madame has noticed among your -friends the handsomest and most fascinating of them all; she will begin -to influence you on his behalf in such a way that you will neglect the -others. Your indifference would kill me; it is already bad enough to -have to support Madame's indifference. I have, therefore, made up my -mind to give way to the favorite whose happiness I envy, even while I -acknowledge my sincere friendship and sincere admiration for him. Well, -monseigneur, do you see anything to object to in this reasoning? Is -it not that of a man of honor? Is my conduct that of a sincere friend? -Answer me, at least, after having so closely questioned me." - -The duke had seated himself, with his head buried in his hands. After a -silence long enough to enable the chevalier to judge the effect of this -oratorical display, the duke arose, saying, "Come, be candid." - -"As I always am." - -"Very well. You know that we already observed something respecting that -mad fellow, Buckingham." - -"Do not say anything against Madame, monseigneur, or I shall take my -leave. It is impossible you can be suspicious of Madame?" - -"No, no, chevalier; I do not suspect Madame; but in fact, I observe--I -compare--" - -"Buckingham was a madman, monseigneur." - -"A madman about whom, however, you opened my eyes thoroughly." - -"No, no," said the chevalier, quickly; "it was not I who opened your -eyes, it was De Guiche. Do not confound us, I beg." And he began to -laugh in so harsh a manner that it sounded like the hiss of a serpent. - -"Yes, yes; I remember. You said a few words, but De Guiche showed the -most jealousy." - -"I should think so," continued the chevalier, in the same tone. "He was -fighting for home and altar." - -"What did you say?" said the duke, haughtily, thoroughly roused by this -insidious jest. - -"Am I not right? for does not M. de Guiche hold the chief post of honor -in your household?" - -"Well," replied the duke, somewhat calmed, "had this passion of -Buckingham been remarked?" - -"Certainly." - -"Very well. Do people say that M. de Guiche's is remarked as much?" - -"Pardon me, monseigneur; you are again mistaken; no one says that M. de -Guiche entertains anything of the sort." - -"Very good." - -"You see, monseigneur, that it would have been better, a hundred times -better, to have left me in my retirement, than to have allowed you to -conjure up, by aid of any scruples I may have had, suspicions which -Madame will regard as crimes, and she would be in the right, too." - -"What would you do?" - -"Act reasonably." - -"In what way?" - -"I should not pay the slightest attention to the society of these new -Epicurean philosophers; and, in that way, the rumors will cease." - -"Well, I will see; I will think it over." - -"Oh, you have time enough; the danger is not great; and then, besides, -it is not a question of danger or of passion. It all arose from a fear -I had to see your friendship for me decrease. From the very moment you -restore it, with so kind an assurance of its existence, I have no longer -any other idea in my head." - -The duke shook his head as if he meant to say: "If you have no more -ideas, I have, though." It being now the dinner hour, the prince sent to -inform Madame of it; but she returned a message to the effect that she -could not be present, but would dine in her own apartment. - -"That is not my fault," said the duke. "This morning, having taken them -by surprise in the midst of a musical party, I got jealous; and so they -are in the sulks with me." - -"We will dine alone," said the chevalier, with a sigh; "I regret De -Guiche is not here." - -"Oh! De Guiche will not remain long in the sulks; he is a very -good-natured fellow." - -"Monseigneur," said the chevalier, suddenly, "an excellent idea has -struck me, in our conversation just now. I may have exasperated your -highness, and caused you some dissatisfaction. It is but fitting that I -should be the mediator. I will go and look for the count, and bring him -back with me." - -"Ah! chevalier, you are really a very good-natured fellow." - -"You say that as if you were surprised." - -"Well, you are not so tender-hearted every day." - -"That may be; but confess that I know how to repair a wrong I may have -done." - -"I confess that." - -"Will your highness do me the favor to wait here a few minutes?" - -"Willingly; be off, and I will try on my Fontainebleau costume." - -The chevalier left the room, called his different attendant with the -greatest care, as if he were giving them different orders. All went -off in various directions; but he retained his _valet de chambre_. -"Ascertain, and immediately, too, of M. de Guiche is not in Madame's -apartments. How can one learn it?" - -"Very easily, monsieur. I will ask Malicorne, who will find out from -Mlle. de Montalais. I may as well tell you, however, that the inquiry -will be useless; for all M. de Guiche's attendants are gone, and he must -have left with them." - -"Ascertain, nevertheless." - -Ten minutes had hardly passed, when the valet returned. He beckoned his -master mysteriously towards the servants' staircase, and showed him into -a small room with a window looking out upon the garden. "What is the -matter?" said the chevalier; "why so many precautions?" - -"Look, monsieur," said the valet, "look yonder, under the walnut-tree." - -"Ah?" said the chevalier. "I see Manicamp there. What is he waiting -for?" - -"You will see in a moment, monsieur, if you wait patiently. There, do -you see now?" - -"I see one, two, four musicians with their instruments, and behind them, -urging them on, De Guiche himself. What is he doing there, though?" - -"He is waiting until the little door of the staircase, belonging to the -ladies of honor, is opened; by that staircase he will ascend to Madame's -apartments, where some new pieces of music are going to be performed -during dinner." - -"This is admirable news you tell me." - -"Is it not, monsieur?" - -"Was it M. de Malicorne who told you this?" - -"Yes, monsieur." - -"He likes you, then?" - -"No, monsieur, it is Monsieur that he likes." - -"Why?" - -"Because he wishes to belong to his household." - -"And most certainly he shall. How much did he give you for that?" - -"The secret which I now dispose of to you, monsieur." - -"And which I buy for a hundred pistoles. Take them." - -"Thank you, monsieur. Look, look, the little door opens; a woman admits -the musicians." - -"It is Montalais." - -"Hush, monseigneur; do not call out her name; whoever says Montalais -says Malicorne. If you quarrel with the one, you will be on bad terms -with the other." - -"Very well; I have seen nothing." - -"And I," said the valet, pocketing the purse, "have received nothing." - -The chevalier, being now certain that Guiche had entered, returned to -the prince, whom he found splendidly dressed and radiant with joy, as -with good looks. "I am told," he exclaimed, "that the king has taken the -sun as his device; really, monseigneur, it is you whom this device would -best suit." - -"Where is De Guiche?" - -"He cannot be found. He has fled--has evaporated entirely. Your scolding -of this morning terrified him. He could not be found in his apartments." - -"Bah! the hair-brained fellow is capable of setting off post-haste to -his own estates. Poor man! we will recall him. Come, let us dine now." - -"Monseigneur, to-day is a very festival of ideas; I have another." - -"What is it?" - -"Madame is angry with you, and she has reason to be so. You owe her -revenge; go and dine with her." - -"Oh! that would be acting like a weak and whimsical husband." - -"It is the duty of a good husband to do so. The princess is no doubt -wearied enough; she will be weeping in her plate, and here eyes will get -quite red. A husband who is the cause of his wife's eyes getting red is -an odious creature. Come, monseigneur, come." - -"I cannot; for I have directed dinner to be served here." - -"Yet see, monseigneur, how dull we shall be; I shall be low-spirited -because I know that Madame will be alone; you, hard and savage as you -wish to appear, will be sighing all the while. Take me with you to -Madame's dinner, and that will be a delightful surprise. I am sure we -shall be very merry; you were in the wrong this morning." - -"Well, perhaps I was." - -"There is no perhaps at all, for it is a fact you were so." - -"Chevalier, chevalier, your advice is not good." - -"Nay, my advice is good; all the advantages are on your own side. Your -violet-colored suit, embroidered with gold, becomes you admirably. -Madame will be as much vanquished by the man as by the action. Come, -monseigneur." - -"You decide me; let us go." - -The duke left his room, accompanied by the chevalier and went towards -Madame's apartments. The chevalier hastily whispered to the valet, "Be -sure there are some people before that little door, so that no one can -escape in that direction. Run, run!" And he followed the duke towards -the ante-chambers of Madame's suite of apartments, and when the ushers -were about to announce them, the chevalier said, laughing, "His highness -wishes to surprise Madame." - - - -Chapter XXXII. Monsieur is Jealous of Guiche. - -Monsieur entered the room abruptly, as persons do who mean well and -think they confer pleasure, or as those who hope to surprise some -secret, the terrible reward of jealous people. Madame, almost out of -her senses with joy at the first bars of music, was dancing in the most -unrestrained manner, leaving the dinner, which had been already begun, -unfinished. Her partner was M. de Guiche, who, with his arms raised, -and his eyes half closed, was kneeling on one knee, like the Spanish -dancers, with looks full of passion, and gestures of the most caressing -character. The princess was dancing round him with a responsive -smile, and the same air of alluring seductiveness. Montalais stood -by admiringly; La Valliere, seated in a corner of the room, looked on -thoughtfully. It is impossible to describe the effect which the presence -of the prince produced upon this gleeful company, and it would be -equally impossible to describe the effect which the sight of their -happiness produced upon Philip. The Comte de Guiche had no power to -move; Madame remained in the middle of one of the figures and of an -attitude, unable to utter a word. The Chevalier de Lorraine, leaning his -back against the doorway, smiled like a man in the very height of -the frankest admiration. The pallor of the prince, and the convulsive -twitching of his hands and limbs, were the first symptoms that struck -those present. A dead silence succeeded the merry music of the dance. -The Chevalier de Lorraine took advantage of this interval to salute -Madame and De Guiche most respectfully, affecting to join them together -in his reverences as though they were the master and mistress of the -house. Monsieur then approached them, saying, in a hoarse tone of voice, -"I am delighted; I came here expecting to find you ill and low-spirited, -and I find you abandoning yourself to new amusements; really, it is most -fortunate. My house is the pleasantest in the kingdom." Then turning -towards De Guiche, "Comte," he said, "I did not know you were so good -a dancer." And, again addressing his wife, he said, "Show a little more -consideration for me, Madame; whenever you intend to amuse yourselves -here, invite me. I am a prince, unfortunately, very much neglected." - -Guiche had now recovered his self-possession, and with the spirited -boldness which was natural to him, and sat so well upon him, he said, -"Your highness knows very well that my very life is at your service, -and whenever there is a question of its being needed, I am ready; but -to-day, as it is only a question of dancing to music, I dance." - -"And you are perfectly right," said the prince, coldly. "But, Madame," -he continued, "you do not remark that your ladies deprive me of my -friends; M. de Guiche does not belong to you, Madame, but to me. If you -wish to dine without me you have your ladies. When I dine alone I have -my gentlemen; do not strip me of _everything_." - -Madame felt the reproach and the lesson, and the color rushed to her -face. "Monsieur," she replied, "I was not aware, when I came to the -court of France, that princesses of my rank were to be regarded as the -women in Turkey are. I was not aware that we were not allowed to be -seen; but, since such is your desire, I will conform myself to it; -pray do not hesitate, if you should wish it, to have my windows barred, -even." - -This repartee, which made Montalais and De Guiche smile, rekindled -the prince's anger, no inconsiderable portion of which had already -evaporated in words. - -"Very well," he said, in a concentrated tone of voice, "this is the way -in which I am respected in my own house." - -"Monseigneur, monseigneur," murmured the chevalier in the duke's ear, -in such a manner that every one could observe he was endeavoring to calm -him. - -"Come," replied the prince, as his only answer to the remark, hurrying -him away, and turning round with so hasty a movement that he almost ran -against Madame. The chevalier followed him to his own apartment, where -the prince had no sooner seated himself than he gave free vent to his -fury. The chevalier raised his eyes towards the ceiling, joined his -hands together, and said not a word. - -"Give me your opinion," exclaimed the prince. - -"Upon what?" - -"Upon what is taking place here." - -"Oh, monseigneur, it is a very serious matter." - -"It is abominable! I cannot live in this manner." - -"How miserable all this is," said the chevalier. "We hoped to enjoy -tranquillity after that madman Buckingham had left." - -"And this is worse." - -"I do not say that, monseigneur." - -"Yes, but I say it; for Buckingham would never have ventured upon a -fourth part of what we have just now seen." - -"What do you mean?" - -"To conceal oneself for the purposes of dancing, and to feign -indisposition in order to dine _tete-a-tete_." - -"No, no, monseigneur." - -"Yes, yes," exclaimed the prince, exciting himself like a self-willed -child; "but I will not endure it any longer, I must learn what is really -going on." - -"Oh, monseigneur, an exposure--" - -"By Heaven, monsieur, _shall_ I put myself out of the way, when people -show so little consideration for me? Wait for me here, chevalier, wait -for me here." The prince disappeared in the neighboring apartment and -inquired of the gentleman in attendance if the queen-mother had returned -from chapel. - -Anne of Austria felt that her happiness was now complete; peace restored -to her family, a nation delighted with the presence of a young monarch -who had shown an aptitude for affairs of great importance; the revenues -of the state increased; external peace assured; everything seemed to -promise a tranquil future. Her thoughts recurred, now and then, to the -poor young nobleman whom she had received as a mother, and had driven -away as a hard-hearted step-mother, and she sighed as she thought of -him. - -Suddenly the Duc d'Orleans entered her room. "Dear mother," he exclaimed -hurriedly, closing the door, "things cannot go on as they are now." - -Anne of Austria raised her beautiful eyes towards him, and with an -unmoved suavity of manner, said, "What do you allude to?" - -"I wish to speak of Madame." - -"Your wife?" - -"Yes, madame." - -"I suppose that silly fellow Buckingham has been writing a farewell -letter to her." - -"Oh! yes, madame; of course, it is a question of Buckingham." - -"Of whom else could it be, then? for that poor fellow was, wrongly -enough, the object of your jealousy, and I thought--" - -"My wife, madame, has already replaced the Duke of Buckingham." - -"Philip, what are you saying? You are speaking very heedlessly." - -"No, no. Madame has so managed matters, that I am still jealous." - -"Of whom, in Heaven's name?" - -"Is it possible you have not remarked it? Have you not noticed that M. -de Guiche is always in her apartments--always with her?" - -The queen clapped her hands together, and began to laugh. "Philip," she -said, "your jealousy is not merely a defect, it is a disease." - -"Whether a defect or a disease, madame, I am the sufferer from it." - -"And do you imagine that a complaint which exists only in your own -imagination can be cured? You wish it to be said you are right in being -jealous, when there is no ground whatever for your jealousy." - -"Of course, you will begin to say for this gentleman what you already -said on the behalf of the other." - -"Because, Philip," said the queen dryly, "what you did for the other, -you are going to do for this one." - -The prince bowed, slightly annoyed. "If I give you facts," he said, -"will you believe me?" - -"If it regarded anything else but jealousy, I would believe you without -your bringing facts forward; but as jealousy is the case, I promise -nothing." - -"It is just the same as if your majesty were to desire me to hold my -tongue, and sent me away unheard." - -"Far from it; you are my son, I owe you a mother's indulgence." - -"Oh, say what you think; you owe me as much indulgence as a madman -deserves." - -"Do not exaggerate, Philip, and take care how you represent your wife to -me as a woman of depraved mind--" - -"But facts, mother, facts!" - -"Well, I am listening." - -"This morning at ten o'clock they were playing music in Madame's -apartments." - -"No harm in that, surely." - -"M. de Guiche was talking with her alone--Ah! I forgot to tell you, -that, during the last ten days, he has never left her side." - -"If they were doing any harm they would hide themselves." - -"Very good," exclaimed the duke, "I expected you to say that. Pray -remember with precision the words you have just uttered. This morning -I took them by surprise, and showed my dissatisfaction in a very marked -manner." - -"Rely upon it, that is quite sufficient; it was, perhaps, even a little -too much. These young women easily take offense. To reproach them for -an error they have not committed is, sometimes, almost equivalent to -telling them they might be guilty of even worse." - -"Very good, very good; but wait a minute. Do not forget what you have -just this moment said, that this morning's lesson ought to have been -sufficient, and that if they had been doing what was wrong, they would -have hidden themselves." - -"Yes, I said so." - -"Well, just now, repenting of my hastiness of the morning, and imagining -that Guiche was sulking in his own apartments, I went to pay Madame -a visit. Can you guess what, or whom, I found there? Another set of -musicians; more dancing, and Guiche himself--he was concealed there." - -Anne of Austria frowned. "It was imprudent," she said. "What did Madame -say?" - -"Nothing." - -"And Guiche?" - -"As much--oh, no! he muttered some impertinent remark or another." - -"Well, what is your opinion, Philip?" - -"That I have been made a fool of; that Buckingham was only a pretext, -and that Guiche is the one who is really to blame in the matter." - -Anne shrugged her shoulders. "Well," she said, "what else?" - -"I wish De Guiche to be dismissed from my household, as Buckingham was, -and I shall ask the king, unless--" - -"Unless what?" - -"Unless you, my dear mother, who are so clever and so kind, will execute -the commission yourself." - -"I will not do it, Philip." - -"What, madame?" - -"Listen, Philip; I am not disposed to pay people ill compliments -every day; I have some influence over young people, but I cannot take -advantage of it without running the chances of losing it altogether. -Besides, there is nothing to prove that M. de Guiche is guilty." - -"He has displeased me." - -"That is your own affair." - -"Very well, I know what I shall do," said the prince, impetuously. - -Anne looked at him with some uneasiness. "What do you intend to do?" she -said. - -"I will have him drowned in my fish-pond the very next time I find -him in my apartments again." Having launched this terrible threat, the -prince expected his mother would be frightened out of her senses; but -the queen was unmoved. - -"Do so," she said. - -Philip was as weak as a woman, and began to cry out, "Every one betrays -me,--no one cares for me; my mother, even, joins my enemies." - -"Your mother, Philip, sees further in the matter than you do, and does -not care about advising you, since you will not listen to her." - -"I will go to the king." - -"I was about to propose that to you. I am now expecting his majesty; -it is the hour he usually pays me a visit; explain the matter to him -yourself." - -She had hardly finished when Philip heard the door of the ante-room open -with some noise. He began to feel nervous. At the sound of the king's -footsteps, which could be heard upon the carpet, the duke hurriedly made -his escape. Anne of Austria could not resist laughing, and was laughing -still when the king entered. He came very affectionately to inquire -after the even now uncertain health of the queen-mother, and to announce -to her that the preparations for the journey to Fontainebleau were -complete. Seeing her laugh, his uneasiness on her account diminished, -and he addressed her in a vivacious tone himself. Anne of Austria took -him by the hand, and, in a voice full of playfulness, said, "Do you -know, sire that I am proud of being a Spanish woman?" - -"Why, madame?" - -"Because Spanish women are worth more than English women at least." - -"Explain yourself." - -"Since your marriage you have not, I believe, had a single reproach to -make against the queen." - -"Certainly not." - -"And you, too, have been married some time. Your brother, on the -contrary, has been married but a fortnight." - -"Well?" - -"He is now finding fault with Madame a second time." - -"What, Buckingham still?" - -"No, another." - -"Who?" - -"Guiche." - -"Really? Madame is a coquette, then?" - -"I fear so." - -"My poor brother," said the king, laughing. - -"You don't object to coquettes, it seems?" - -"In Madame, certainly I do; but Madame is not a coquette at heart." - -"That may be, but your brother is excessively angry about it." - -"What does he want?" - -"He wants to drown Guiche." - -"That is a violent measure to resort to." - -"Do not laugh; he is extremely irritated. Think of what can be done." - -"To save Guiche--certainly." - -"Of, if your brother heard you, he would conspire against you as your -uncle did against your father." - -"No; Philip has too much affection for me for that, and I, on my side, -have too great a regard for him; we shall live together on very good -terms. But what is the substance of his request?" - -"That you will prevent Madame from being a coquette and Guiche from -being amiable." - -"Is that all? My brother has an exalted idea of sovereign power. To -reform a man, not to speak about reforming a woman!" - -"How will you set about it?" - -"With a word to Guiche, who is a clever fellow, I will undertake to -convince him." - -"But Madame?" - -"That is more difficult; a word will not be enough. I will compose a -homily and read it to her." - -"There is no time to be lost." - -"Oh, I will use the utmost diligence. There is a repetition of the -ballet this afternoon." - -"You will read her a lecture while you are dancing?" - -"Yes, madame." - -"You promise to convert her?" - -"I will root out the heresy altogether, either by convincing her, or by -extreme measures." - -"That is all right, then. Do not mix me up in the affair; Madame would -never forgive me all her life, and as a mother-in-law, I ought to desire -to live on good terms with my new-found daughter." - -"The king, madame, will take all upon himself. But let me reflect." - -"What about?" - -"It would be better, perhaps, if I were to go and see Madame in her own -apartment." - -"Would that not seem a somewhat serious step to take?" - -"Yes; but seriousness is not unbecoming in preachers, and the music -of the ballet would drown half my arguments. Besides, the object is -to prevent any violent measures on my brother's part, so that a little -precipitation may be advisable. Is Madame in her own apartment?" - -"I believe so." - -"What is my statement of grievances to consist of?" - -"In a few words, of the following: music uninterruptedly; Guiche's -assiduity; suspicions of treasonable plots and practices." - -"And the proofs?" - -"There _are_ none." - -"Very well; I will go at once to see Madame." The king turned to look in -the mirrors at his costume, which was very rich, and his face, which -was radiant as the morning. "I suppose my brother is kept a little at a -distance," said the king. - -"Fire and water cannot be more opposite." - -"That will do. Permit me, madame, to kiss your hands, the most beautiful -hands in France." - -"May you be successful, sire, as the family peacemaker." - -"I do not employ an ambassador," said Louis, "which is as much as to say -that I shall succeed." He laughed as he left the room, and carelessly -adjusted his ruffles as he went along. - - - -Chapter XXXIII. The Mediator. - -When the king made his appearance in Madame's apartments, the courtiers, -whom the news of a conjugal misunderstanding had dispersed through the -various apartments, began to entertain the most serious apprehensions. A -storm was brewing in that direction, the elements of which the Chevalier -de Lorraine, in the midst of the different groups, was analyzing with -delight, contributing to the weaker, and acting, according to his own -wicked designs, in such a manner with regard to the stronger, as to -produce the most disastrous consequences possible. As Anne of Austria -had herself said, the presence of the king gave a solemn and serious -character to the event. Indeed, in the year 1662, the dissatisfaction of -Monsieur with Madame, and the king's intervention in the private affairs -of Monsieur, was a matter of no inconsiderable moment. [3] - -The boldest, even, who had been the associates of the Comte de Guiche, -had, from the first moment, held aloof from him, with a sort of nervous -apprehension; and the comte himself, infected by the general panic, -retired to his own room. The king entered Madame's private apartments, -acknowledging and returning the salutations, as he was always in the -habit of doing. The ladies of honor were ranged in a line on his passage -along the gallery. Although his majesty was very much preoccupied, -he gave the glance of a master at the two rows of young and beautiful -girls, who modestly cast down their eyes, blushing as they felt the -king's gaze fall upon them. One only of the number, whose long hair fell -in silken masses upon the most beautiful skin imaginable, was pale, -and could hardly sustain herself, notwithstanding the knocks which her -companion gave her with her elbow. It was La Valliere whom Montalais -supported in that manner by whispering some of that courage to her with -which she herself was so abundantly provided. The king could not resist -turning round to look at them again. Their faces, which had already been -raised, were again lowered, but the only fair head among them remained -motionless, as if all the strength and intelligence she had left -had abandoned her. When he entered Madame's room, Louis found his -sister-in-law reclining upon the cushions of her cabinet. She rose and -made a profound reverence, murmuring some words of thanks for the honor -she was receiving. She then resumed her seat, overcome by a sudden -weakness, which was no doubt assumed, for a delightful color animated -her cheeks, and her eyes, still red from the tears she had recently -shed, never had more fire in them. When the king was seated, as soon as -he had remarked, with that accuracy of observation which characterized -him, the disorder of the apartment, and the no less great disorder of -Madame's countenance, he assumed a playful manner, saying, "My dear -sister, at what hour to-day would you wish the repetition of the ballet -to take place?" - -Madame, shaking her charming head, slowly and languishingly said: "Ah! -sire, will you graciously excuse my appearance at the repetition? I was -about to send to inform you that I could not attend to-day." - -"Indeed," said the king, in apparent surprise; "are you not well?" - -"No, sire." - -"I will summon your medical attendants, then." - -"No, for they can do nothing for my indisposition." - -"You alarm me." - -"Sire, I wish to ask your majesty's permission to return to England." - -The king started. "Return to England," he said; "do you really say what -you mean?" - -"I say it reluctantly, sire," replied the grand-daughter of Henry IV., -firmly, her beautiful black eyes flashing. "I regret to have to confide -such matters to your majesty, but I feel myself too unhappy at your -majesty's court; and I wish to return to my own family." - -"Madame, madame," exclaimed the king, as he approached her. - -"Listen to me, sire," continued the young woman, acquiring by degrees -that ascendency over her interrogator which her beauty and her nervous -nature conferred; "young as I am, I have already suffered humiliation, -and have endured disdain here. Oh! do not contradict me, sire," she -said, with a smile. The king colored. - -"Then," she continued, "I had reasoned myself into the belief that -Heaven called me into existence with that object--I, the daughter of a -powerful monarch; that since my father had been deprived of life, Heaven -could well smite my pride. I have suffered greatly; I have been the -cause, too, of my mother suffering much; but I vowed that if Providence -ever placed me in a position of independence, even were it that of a -workman of the lower classes, who gains her bread by her labor, I would -never suffer humiliation again. That day has now arrived; I have been -restored to the fortune due to my rank and to my birth; I have even -ascended again the steps of a throne, and I thought that, in allying -myself with a French prince, I should find in him a relation, a friend, -an equal; but I perceive I have found only a master, and I rebel. My -mother shall know nothing of it; you whom I respect, and whom I--love--" - -The king started; never had any voice so gratified his ear. - -"You, sire, who know all, since you have come here; you will, perhaps, -understand me. If you had not come, I should have gone to you. I wish -for permission to go away. I leave it to your delicacy of feeling to -exculpate and to protect me." - -"My dear sister," murmured the king, overpowered by this bold attack, -"have you reflected upon the enormous difficulty of the project you have -conceived?" - -"Sire, I do not reflect, I feel. Attacked, I instinctively repel the -attack, nothing more." - -"Come, tell me, what have they done to you?" said the king. - -The princess, it will have been seen, by this peculiarly feminine -maneuver, had escaped every reproach, and advanced on her side a far -more serious one; from the accused she became the accuser. It is an -infallible sign of guilt; but notwithstanding that, all women, even the -least clever of the sex, invariably know how to derive some such means -of turning the tables. The king had forgotten that he was paying her a -visit in order to say to her, "What have you done to my brother?" and he -was reduced to weakly asking her, "What have they done to you?" - -"What have they done to me?" replied Madame. "One must be a woman to -understand it, sire--they have made me shed tears;" and, with one of -her fingers, whose slenderness and perfect whiteness were unequaled, -she pointed to her brilliant eyes swimming with unshed drops, and again -began to weep. - -"I implore you, my dear sister!" said the king, advancing to take her -warm and throbbing hand, which she abandoned to him. - -"In the first place, sire, I was deprived of the presence of my -brother's friend. The Duke of Buckingham was an agreeable, cheerful -visitor; my own countryman, who knew my habits; I will say almost a -companion, so accustomed had we been to pass our days together, with our -other friends, upon the beautiful piece of water at St. James's." - -"But Villiers was in love with you." - -"A pretext! What does it matter," she said, seriously, "whether the duke -was in love with me or not? Is a man in love so very dangerous for -me? Ah! sire, it is not sufficient for a man to love a woman." And she -smiled so tenderly, and with so much archness, that the king felt his -heart swell and throb in his breast. - -"At all events, if my brother were jealous?" interrupted the king. - -"Very well, I admit that is a reason; and the duke was sent away -accordingly." - -"No, not sent away." - -"Driven away, dismissed, expelled, then, if you prefer it, sire. One of -the first gentlemen of Europe obliged to leave the court of the King -of France, of Louis XIV., like a beggar, on account of a glance or a -bouquet. It was little worthy of a most gallant court; but forgive me, -sire; I forgot, that, in speaking thus, I am attacking your sovereign -power." - -"I assure you, my dear sister, it was not I who dismissed the Duke of -Buckingham; I was charmed with him." - -"It was not you?" said Madame; "ah! so much the better;" and she -emphasized the "so much the better," as if she had instead said, "so -much the worse." - -A few minutes' silence ensued. She then resumed: "The Duke of Buckingham -having left--I now know why and by whose means--I thought I should have -recovered my tranquillity; but not at all, for all at once Monsieur -found another pretext; all at once--" - -"All at once," said the king, playfully, "some one else presents -himself. It is but natural; you are beautiful, and will always meet with -men who will madly love you." - -"In that case," exclaimed the princess, "I will create a solitude around -me, which indeed seems to be what is wished, and what is being prepared -for me. But no, I prefer to return to London. There I am known and -appreciated. I shall have friends, without fearing they may be regarded -as my lovers. Shame! it is a disgraceful suspicion, and unworthy a -gentleman. Monsieur has lost everything in my estimation, since he has -shown me he can be a tyrant to a woman." - -"Nay, nay, my brother's only fault is that of loving you." - -"Love me! Monsieur love me! Ah! sire," and she burst out laughing. -"Monsieur will never love any woman," she said; "Monsieur loves himself -too much; no, unhappily for me, Monsieur's jealousy is of the worst -kind--he is jealous without love." - -"Confess, however," said the king, who began to be excited by this -varied and animated conversation; "confess that Guiche loves you." - -"Ah! sire, I know nothing about that." - -"You must have perceived it. A man who loves readily betrays himself." - -"M. de Guiche has not betrayed himself." - -"My dear sister, you are defending M. de Guiche." - -"I, indeed! Ah, sire, I only needed a suspicion from yourself to crown -my wretchedness." - -"No, madame, no," returned the king, hurriedly; "do not distress -yourself. Nay, you are weeping. I implore you to calm yourself." - -She wept, however, and large tears fell upon her hands; the king took -one of her hands in his, and kissed the tears away. She looked at him -so sadly and with so much tenderness that he felt his heart giving way -under her gaze. - -"You have no kind of feeling, then, for Guiche?" he said, more disturbed -than became his character of mediator. - -"None--absolutely none." - -"Then I can reassure my brother in that respect?" - -"Nothing will satisfy him, sire. Do not believe he is jealous. Monsieur -has been badly advised by some one, and he is of nervous disposition." - -"He may well be so when you are concerned," said the king. - -Madame cast down her eyes, and was silent; the king did so likewise, -still holding her hand all the while. Their momentary silence seemed to -last an age. Madame gently withdrew her hand, and from that moment, she -felt her triumph was certain, and that the field of battle was her own. - -"Monsieur complains," said the king, "that you prefer the society of -private individuals to his own conversation and society." - -"But Monsieur passes his life in looking at his face in the glass, -and in plotting all sorts of spiteful things against women with the -Chevalier de Lorraine." - -"Oh, you are going somewhat too far." - -"I only tell you what is true. Do you observe for yourself, sire, and -you will see that I am right." - -"I will observe; but, in the meantime, what satisfaction can I give my -brother?" - -"My departure." - -"You repeat that word," exclaimed the king, imprudently, as if, during -the last ten minutes, such a change had been produced that Madame would -have had all her ideas on the subject thoroughly changed. - -"Sire, I cannot be happy here any longer," she said. "M. de Guiche -annoys Monsieur. Will he be sent away, too?" - -"If it be necessary, why not?" replied the king, smiling. - -"Well; and after M. de Guiche--whom, by the by, I shall regret--I warn -you, sire." - -"Ah, you will regret him?" - -"Certainly; he is amiable, he has a great friendship for me, and he -amuses me." - -"If Monsieur were only to hear you," said the king, slightly annoyed, -"do you know I would not undertake to make it up again between you; nay, -I would not even attempt it." - -"Sire, can you, even now, prevent Monsieur from being jealous of the -first person who may approach? I know very well that M. de Guiche is not -the first." - -"Again I warn you that as a good brother I shall take a dislike to De -Guiche." - -"Ah, sire, do not, I entreat you, adopt either the sympathies or the -dislikes of Monsieur. Remain king; better for yourself and for every one -else." - -"You jest charmingly, madame; and I can well understand how the people -you attack must adore you." - -"And is that the reason why you, sire, whom I had regarded as my -defender, are about to join these who persecute me?" said Madame. - -"I your persecutor! Heaven forbid!" - -"Then," she continued, languishingly, "grant me a favor." - -"Whatever you wish." - -"Let me return to England." - -"Never, never!" exclaimed Louis XIV. - -"I am a prisoner, then?" - -"In France--if France is a prison--yes." - -"What must I do, then?" - -"I will tell you. Instead of devoting yourself to friendships which are -somewhat unstable, instead of alarming us by your retirement, remain -always in our society, do not leave us, let us live as a united family. -M. de Guiche is certainly very amiable; but if, at least, we do not -possess his wit--" - -"Ah, sire, you know very well you are pretending to be modest." - -"No, I swear to you. One may be a king, and yet feel that he possesses -fewer chances of pleasing than many other gentlemen." - -"I am sure, sire, that you do not believe a single word you are saying." - -The king looked at Madame tenderly, and said, "Will you promise me one -thing?" - -"What is it?" - -"That you will no longer waste upon strangers, in your own apartments, -the time which you owe us. Shall we make an offensive and defensive -alliance against the common enemy?" - -"An alliance with you, sire?" - -"Why not? Are you not a sovereign power?" - -"But are you, sire, a reliable ally?" - -"You shall see, madame." - -"And when shall this alliance commence?" - -"This very day." - -"I will draw up the treaty, and you shall sign it." - -"Blindly." - -"Then, sire, I promise you wonders; you are the star of the court, and -when you make your appearance, everything will be resplendent." - -"Oh, madame, madame," said Louis XIV., "you know well that there is no -brilliancy that does not proceed from yourself, and that if I assume the -sun as my device, it is only an emblem." - -"Sire, you flatter your ally, and you wish to deceive her," said Madame, -threatening the king with her finger menacingly raised. - -"What! you believe I am deceiving you, when I assure you of my -affection?" - -"Yes." - -"What makes you so suspicious?" - -"One thing." - -"What is it? I shall indeed be unhappy if I do not overcome it." - -"That one thing in question, sire, is not in your power, not even in the -power of Heaven." - -"Tell me what it is." - -"The past." - -"I do not understand, madame," said the king, precisely because he had -understood her but too well. - -The princess took his hand in hers. "Sire," she said, "I have had the -misfortune to displease you for so long a period, that I have almost -the right to ask myself to-day why you were able to accept me as a -sister-in-law." - -"Displease me! You have displeased me?" - -"Nay, do not deny it, for I remember it well." - -"Our alliance shall date from to-day," exclaimed the king, with a warmth -that was not assumed. "You will not think any more of the past, will -you? I myself am resolved that I will not. I shall always remember the -present; I have it before my eyes; look." And he led the princess before -a mirror, in which she saw herself reflected, blushing and beautiful -enough to overcome a saint. - -"It is all the same," she murmured; "it will not be a very worthy -alliance." - -"Must I swear?" inquired the king, intoxicated by the voluptuous turn -the whole conversation had taken. - -"Oh, I will not refuse to witness a resounding oath," said Madame; "it -has always the _semblance_ of security." - -The king knelt upon a footstool and took Madame's hand. She, with a -smile that no painter could ever succeed in depicting, and which a poet -might only imagine, gave him both her hands, in which he hid his burning -face. Neither of them could utter a syllable. The king felt Madame -withdraw her hands, caressing his face while she did so. He rose -immediately and left the apartment. The courtiers remarked his -heightened color, and concluded that the scene had been a stormy one. -The Chevalier de Lorraine, however, hastened to say, "Nay, be comforted, -gentlemen, his majesty is always pale when he is angry." - - - -Chapter XXXIV. The Advisers. - -The king left Madame in a state of agitation it would have been -difficult even for himself to have explained. It is impossible, in fact, -to depict the secret play of those strange sympathies which, suddenly -and apparently without any cause, are excited, after many years passed -in the greatest calmness and indifference, by two hearts destined to -love each other. Why had Louis formerly disdained, almost hated, Madame? -Why did he now find the same woman so beautiful, so captivating? And -why, not only were his thoughts occupied about her, but still more, why -were they so continuously occupied about her? Why, in fact, had Madame, -whose eyes and mind were sought for in another direction, shown during -the last week towards the king a semblance of favor which encouraged -the belief of still greater regard. It must not be supposed that Louis -proposed to himself any plan of seduction; the tie which united Madame -to his brother was, or at least, seemed to him, an insuperable barrier; -he was even too far removed from that barrier to perceive its existence. -But on the downward path of those passions in which the heart rejoices, -towards which youth impels us, no one can decide where to stop, not even -the man who has in advance calculated all the chances of his own success -or another's submission. As far as Madame was concerned, her regard -for the king may easily be explained: she was young, a coquette, and -ardently fond of admiration. Hers was one of those buoyant, impetuous -natures, which upon a theatre would leap over the greatest obstacles to -obtain an acknowledgement of applause from the spectators. It was not -surprising, then, that, after having been adored by Buckingham, by De -Guiche, who was superior to Buckingham, even if it were only from -that negative merit, so much appreciated by women, that is to say, -novelty--it was not surprising, we say, that the princess should raise -her ambition to being admired by the king, who not only was the first -person in the kingdom, but was one of the handsomest and cleverest men -in Europe. As for the sudden passion with which Louis was inspired for -his sister-in-law, physiology would perhaps supply an explanation -by some hackneyed commonplace reasons, and nature by means of her -mysterious affinity of characters. Madame had the most beautiful black -eyes in the world; Louis, eyes as beautiful, but blue. Madame was -laughter-loving and unreserved in her manners; Louis, melancholy and -diffident. Summoned to meet each other for the first time upon the -grounds of interest and common curiosity, these two opposite -natures were mutually influenced by the mingling of their reciprocal -contradictions of character. Louis, when he returned to his own rooms, -acknowledged to himself that Madame was the most attractive woman of his -court. Madame, left alone, delightedly thought that she had made a -great impression on the king. This feeling with her must remain passive, -whilst the king could not but act with all the natural vehemence of the -heated fancies of a young man, and of a young man who has but to express -a wish to see his wish fulfilled. - -The first thing the king did was to announce to Monsieur that everything -was quietly arranged; that Madame had the greatest respect, the -sincerest affection for him; but that she was of a proud, impetuous -character, and that her susceptibilities were so acute as to require -very careful management. - -Monsieur replied in the reticent tone of voice he generally adopted with -his brother, that he could not very well understand the susceptibilities -of a woman whose conduct might, in his opinion, expose her to censorious -remarks, and that if any one had a right to feel wounded, it was he, -Monsieur himself. To this the king replied in a quick tone of voice, -which showed the interest he took in his sister-in-law, "Thank Heaven, -Madame is above censure." - -"The censure of others, certainly, I admit," said Monsieur; "but not -above mine, I presume." - -"Well," said the king, "all I have to say, Philip, is that Madame's -conduct does not deserve your censure. She certainly is heedless and -singular, but professes the best feelings. The English character is not -always well understood in France, and the liberty of English manners -sometimes surprises those who do not know the extent to which this -liberty is enriched by innocence." - -"Ah!" said Monsieur, more and more piqued, "from the very moment that -your majesty absolves my wife, whom I accuse, my wife is not guilty, and -I have nothing more to say." - -"Philip," replied the king hastily, for he felt the voice of conscience -murmuring softly in his heart, that Monsieur was not altogether -wrong, "what I have done, and what I have said, has been only for your -happiness. I was told that you complained of a want of confidence and -attention on Madame's part, and I did not wish your uneasiness to be -prolonged. It is part of my duty to watch over your household, as over -that of the humblest of my subjects. I have satisfied myself, -therefore, with the sincerest pleasure, that your apprehensions have no -foundation." - -"And," continued Monsieur, in an interrogative tone of voice, and fixing -his eyes upon his brother, "what your majesty has discovered for Madame ---and I bow myself to your superior judgment--have you verified for -those who have been the cause of the scandal of which I complain?" - -"You are right, Philip," said the king; "I will reserve that point for -future consideration." - -These words comprised an order as well as a consolation; the prince felt -it to be so, and withdrew. - -As for Louis, he went to seek his mother, for he felt that he had need -of a more complete absolution than that he had just received from his -brother. Anne of Austria did not entertain for M. de Guiche the same -reasons for indulgence she had had for Buckingham. She perceived, at -the very first words he pronounced, that Louis was not disposed to be -severe. - -To appear in a contradictory humor was one of the stratagems of the good -queen, in order to succeed in ascertaining the truth. But Louis was no -longer in his apprenticeship; already for more than a year past he -had been king, and during that year he had learned how to dissemble. -Listening to Anne of Austria, in order to permit her to disclose her own -thoughts, testifying his approval only by look and gesture, he became -convinced, from certain piercing glances, and from certain skillful -insinuations, that the queen, so clear-sighted in matters of gallantry, -had, if not guessed, at least suspected, his weakness for Madame. Of all -his auxiliaries, Anne of Austria would be the most important to secure; -of all his enemies, Anne of Austria would prove most dangerous. Louis, -therefore, changed his maneuvers. He complained of Madame, absolved -Monsieur, listened to what his mother had to say of De Guiche, as he had -previously listened to what she had to say of Buckingham, and then, when -he saw that she thought she had gained a complete victory over him, he -left her. - -The whole of the court, that is to say, all the favorites and more -intimate associates, and they were numerous, since there were already -five masters, were assembled in the evening for the repetition of the -ballet. This interval had been occupied by poor De Guiche in receiving -visits; among the number was one which he hoped and feared nearly to -an equal extent. It was that of the Chevalier de Lorraine. About three -o'clock in the afternoon the chevalier entered De Guiche's rooms. His -looks were of the most reassuring character. "Monsieur," said he to -De Guiche, "was in an excellent humor, and no none could say that the -slightest cloud had passed across the conjugal sky. Besides, Monsieur -was not one to bear ill-feeling." - -For a long time past, during his residence at the court, the Chevalier -de Lorraine had decided, that of Louis XIII.'s two sons, Monsieur -was the one who had inherited the father's character--an uncertain, -irresolute character; impulsively good, indifferently disposed at -bottom; but certainly a cipher for his friends. He especially cheered De -Guiche, by pointing out to him that Madame would, before long, succeed -in governing her husband, and that, consequently, that man would govern -Monsieur who should succeed in influencing Madame. - -To this, De Guiche full of mistrust and presence of mind, replied, "Yes, -chevalier; but I believe Madame to be a very dangerous person." - -"In what respect?" - -"She has perceived that Monsieur is not very passionately inclined -towards women." - -"Quite true," said the Chevalier de Lorraine, laughing. - -"In that case, Madame will choose the first one who approaches, in order -to make him the object of her preference, and to bring back her husband -by jealousy." - -"Deep! deep!" exclaimed the chevalier. - -"But true," replied De Guiche. - -Neither the one nor the other expressed his real thought. De Guiche, at -the very moment he thus attacked Madame's character, mentally asked her -forgiveness from the bottom of his heart. The chevalier, while admiring -De Guiche's penetration, was leading him, blindfolded, to the brink -of the precipice. De Guiche then questioned him more directly upon the -effect produced by the scene of the morning, and upon the still more -serious effect produced by the scene at dinner. - -"But I have already told you they are all laughing at it," replied the -Chevalier de Lorraine, "and Monsieur himself at the head of them." - -"Yet," hazarded De Guiche, "I have heard that the king paid Madame a -visit." - -"Yes, precisely so. Madame was the only one who did not laugh, and the -king went to her in order to make her laugh, too." - -"So that--" - -"So that nothing is altered in the arrangements of the day," said the -chevalier. - -"And is there a repetition of the ballet this evening?" - -"Certainly." - -"Are you sure?" - -"Quite," returned the chevalier. - -At this moment of the conversation between the two young men, Raoul -entered, looking full of anxiety. As soon as the chevalier, who had a -secret dislike for him, as for every other noble character, perceived -him enter, he rose from his seat. - -"What do you advise me to do, then?" inquired De Guiche of the -chevalier. - -"I advise you to go to sleep in perfect tranquillity, my dear count." - -"And my advice, De Guiche," said Raoul, "is the very opposite." - -"What is that?" - -"To mount your horse and set off at once for one of your estates; on -your arrival, follow the chevalier's advice, if you like; and, what is -more, you can sleep there as long and as tranquilly as you please." - -"What! set off!" exclaimed the chevalier, feigning surprise; "why should -De Guiche set off?" - -"Because, and you cannot be ignorant of it--you particularly so-- -because every one is talking about the scene which has passed between -Monsieur and De Guiche." - -De Guiche turned pale. - -"Not at all," replied the chevalier, "not at all; and you have been -wrongly informed, M. de Bragelonne." - -"I have been perfectly well informed, on the contrary, monsieur," -replied Raoul, "and the advice I give De Guiche is that of a friend." - -During this discussion, De Guiche, somewhat shaken, looked alternately -first at one and then at the other of his advisers. He inwardly felt -that a game, important in all its consequences for the rest of his life, -was being played at that moment. - -"Is it not fact," said the chevalier, putting the question to the -count himself, "is it not fact, De Guiche, that the scene was not -so tempestuous as the Vicomte de Bragelonne seems to think, and who, -moreover, was not himself there?" - -"Whether tempestuous or not," persisted Raoul, "it is not precisely of -the scene itself that I am speaking, but of the consequences that may -ensue. I know that Monsieur has threatened, I know that Madame has been -in tears." - -"Madame in tears!" exclaimed De Guiche, imprudently clasping his hands. - -"Ah!" said the chevalier, laughing, "this is indeed a circumstance I -was not acquainted with. You are decidedly better informed than I am, -Monsieur de Bragelonne." - -"And it is because I am better informed than yourself, chevalier, that I -insist upon De Guiche leaving." - -"No, no; I regret to differ from you, vicomte; but his departure is -unnecessary. Why, indeed, should he leave? tell us why." - -"The king!" - -"The king!" exclaimed De Guiche. - -"Yes; I tell you the king has taken up the affair." - -"Bah!" said the chevalier, "the king likes De Guiche, and particularly -his father; reflect, that, if the count were to leave, it would be an -admission that he had done something which merited rebuke." - -"Why so?" - -"No doubt of it; when one runs away, it is either from guilt or fear." - -"Sometimes, because a man is offended; often because he is wrongfully -accused," said Bragelonne. "We will assign as a reason for his -departure, that he feels hurt and injured--nothing will be easier; we -will say that we both did our utmost to keep him, and you, at least, -will not be speaking otherwise than the truth. Come, De Guiche, you are -innocent, and, being so, the scene of to-day must have wounded you. So -set off." - -"No, De Guiche, remain where you are," said the chevalier; "precisely -as M. de Bragelonne has put it, because you are innocent. Once more, -forgive me, vicomte; but my opinion is the very opposite to your own." - -"And you are at perfect liberty to maintain it, monsieur; but be assured -that the exile which De Guiche will voluntarily impose upon himself -will be of short duration. He can terminate it whenever he pleases, and -returning from his voluntary exile, he will meet with smiles from all -lips; while, on the contrary, the anger of the king may now draw down a -storm upon his head, the end of which no one can foresee." - -The chevalier smiled, and muttered to himself, "That is the very thing I -wish." And at the same time he shrugged his shoulders, a movement which -did not escape the count, who dreaded, if he quitted the court, to seem -to yield to a feeling of fear. - -"No, no; I have decided, Bragelonne; I stay." - -"I prophesy, then," said Raoul, sadly, "that misfortune will befall you, -De Guiche." - -"I, too, am a prophet, but not a prophet of evil; on the contrary, -count, I say to you, 'remain.'" - -"Are you sure," inquired De Guiche, "that the repetition of the ballet -still takes place?" - -"Quite sure." - -"Well, you see, Raoul," continued De Guiche, endeavoring to smile, "you -see, the court is not so very sorrowful, or so readily disposed for -internal dissensions, when dancing is carried on with such assiduity. -Come, acknowledge that," said the count to Raoul, who shook his head, -saying, "I have nothing to add." - -"But," inquired the chevalier, curious to learn whence Raoul had -obtained his information, the exactitude of which he was inwardly forced -to admit, "since you say you are well informed, vicomte, how can you be -better informed than myself, who am one of the prince's most intimate -companions?" - -"To such a declaration I submit. You certainly ought to be perfectly -well informed, I admit; and, as a man of honor is incapable of saying -anything but what he knows to be true, or of speaking otherwise than -what he thinks, I will say no more, but confess myself defeated, and -leave you in possession of the field of battle." - -Whereupon Raoul, who now seemed only to care to be left quiet, threw -himself upon a couch, whilst the count summoned his servants to aid him -in dressing. The chevalier, finding that time was passing away, wished -to leave; but he feared, too, that Raoul, left alone with De Guiche, -might yet influence him to change his mind. He therefore made use of his -last resource. - -"Madame," he said, "will be brilliant; she appears to-day in her costume -of Pomona." - -"Yes, that is so," exclaimed the count. - -"And she has just given directions in consequence," continued the -chevalier. "You know, Monsieur de Bragelonne, that the king is to appear -as Spring." - -"It will be admirable," said De Guiche; "and that is a better reason -for me to remain than any you have yet given, because I am to appear -as Autumn, and shall have to dance with Madame. I cannot absent myself -without the king's orders, since my departure would interrupt the -ballet." - -"I," said the chevalier, "am to be only a simple _egypan_; true, it is, -I am a bad dancer, and my legs are not well made. Gentlemen, adieu. -Do not forget the basket of fruit, which you are to offer to Pomona, -count." - -"Rest assured," said De Guiche, delightedly, "I shall forget nothing." - -"I am now quite certain that he will remain," murmured the Chevalier de -Lorraine to himself. - -Raoul, when the chevalier had left, did not even attempt to dissuade -his friend, for he felt that it would be trouble thrown away; he merely -observed to the comte, in his melancholy and melodious voice, "You are -embarking in a most dangerous enterprise. I know you well; you go to -extremes in everything, and the lady you love does so, too. Admitting -for an instant that she should at last love you--" - -"Oh, never!" exclaimed De Guiche. - -"Why do you say never?" - -"Because it would be a great misfortune for both of us." - -"In that case, instead of regarding you simply imprudent, I cannot but -consider you absolutely mad." - -"Why?" - -"Are you perfectly sure--mind, answer me frankly--that you do not wish -her whom you love to make any sacrifice for you?" - -"Yes, yes; quite sure." - -"Love her, then, at a distance." - -"What! at a distance?" - -"Certainly; what matters being present or absent, since you expect -nothing from her? Love her portrait, a memento." - -"Raoul!" - -"Love is a shadow, an illusion, a chimera; be devoted to the affection -itself, in giving a name to your ideality." - -"Ah!" - -"You turn away; your servants approach. I will say no more. In good or -bad fortune, De Guiche, depend on me." - -"Indeed I shall do so." - -"Very well; that is all I had to say to you. Spare no pains in your -person, De Guiche, and look your very best. Adieu." - -"You will not be present, then, at the ballet, vicomte?" - -"No; I shall have a visit to pay in town. Farewell, De Guiche." - -The reception was to take place in the king's apartments. In the first -place, there were the queens, then Madame, and a few ladies of the -court, who had been carefully selected. A great number of courtiers, -also selected, occupied the time, before the dancing commenced, in -conversing, as people knew how to converse in those times. None of the -ladies who had received invitations appeared in the costumes of -the _fete_, as the Chevalier de Lorraine had predicted, but many -conversations took place about the rich and ingenious toilettes designed -by different painters for the ballet of "The Demi-Gods," for thus were -termed the kings and queens of which Fontainebleau was about to -become the Pantheon. Monsieur arrived, holding in his hand a drawing -representing his character; he looked somewhat anxious; he bowed -courteously to the young queen and his mother, but saluted Madame almost -cavalierly. His notice of her and his coldness of manner were observed -by all. M. de Guiche indemnified the princess by a look of passionate -devotion, and it must be admitted that Madame, as she raised her eyes, -returned it to him with interest. It is unquestionable that De Guiche -had never looked so handsome, for Madame's glance had its customary -effect of lighting up the features of the son of the Marshal de Gramont. -The king's sister-in-law felt a storm mustering above her head; she -felt, too, that during the whole of the day, so fruitful in future -events, she had acted unjustly, if not treasonably, towards one who -loved her with such a depth of devotion. In her eyes the moment seemed -to have arrived for an acknowledgement to the poor victim of the -injustice of the morning. Her heart spoke, and murmured the name of -De Guiche; the count was sincerely pitied and accordingly gained the -victory over all others. Neither Monsieur, nor the king, nor the Duke of -Buckingham, was any longer thought of; De Guiche at that moment reigned -without a rival. But although Monsieur also looked very handsome, still -he could not be compared to the count. It is well known--indeed all -women say so--that a wide difference invariably exists between the good -looks of a lover and those of a husband. Besides, in the present case, -after Monsieur had left, and after the courteous and affectionate -recognition of the young queen and of the queen-mother, and the careless -and indifferent notice of Madame, which all the courtiers had remarked; -all these motives gave the lover the advantage over the husband. -Monsieur was too great a personage to notice these details. Nothing -is so certain as a well settled idea of superiority to prove the -inferiority of the man who has that opinion of himself. The king -arrived. Every one looked for what might possibly happen in the glance, -which began to bestir the world, like the brow of Jupiter Tonans. Louis -had none of his brother's gloominess, but was perfectly radiant. Having -examined the greater part of the drawings which were displayed for his -inspection on every side, he gave his opinion or made his remarks upon -them, and in this manner rendered some happy and others wretched by a -single word. Suddenly his glance, which was smilingly directed towards -Madame, detected the slight correspondence established between the -princess and the count. He bit his lips, but when he opened them again -to utter a few commonplace remarks, he said, advancing towards the -queens:-- - -"I have just been informed that everything is now prepared at -Fontainebleau, in accordance with my directions." A murmur of -satisfaction arose from the different groups, and the king perceived -on every face the greatest anxiety to receive an invitation for the -_fetes_. "I shall leave to-morrow," he added. Whereupon the profoundest -silence immediately ensued. "And I invite," said the king, finishing, -"all those who are now present to get ready to accompany me." - -Smiling faces were now everywhere visible, with the exception of -Monsieur, who seemed to retain his ill-humor. The different noblemen -and ladies of the court thereupon defiled before the king, one after the -other, in order to thank his majesty for the great honor which had been -conferred upon them by the invitation. When it came to De Guiche's turn, -the king said, "Ah! M. de Guiche, I did not see you." - -The comte bowed, and Madame turned pale. De Guiche was about to open -his lips to express his thanks, when the king said, "Comte, this is the -season for farming purposes in the country; I am sure your tenants in -Normandy will be glad to see you." - -The king, after this pitiless attack, turned his back on the poor comte, -whose turn it was now to become pale; he advanced a few steps towards -the king, forgetting that the king is never spoken to except in reply to -questions addressed. - -"I have perhaps misunderstood your majesty," he stammered out. - -The king turned his head slightly, and with a cold and stern glance, -which plunged like a sword relentlessly into the hearts of those under -disgrace, repeated, "I said retire to your estates," allowing every -syllable to fall slowly one by one. - -A cold perspiration bedewed the comte's face, his hands convulsively -opened, and his hat, which he held between his trembling fingers, fell -to the ground. Louis sought his mother's glance, as though to show her -that he was master; he sought his brother's triumphant look, as if to -ask him if he were satisfied with the vengeance taken; and lastly, his -eyes fell upon Madame; but the princess was laughing and smiling with -Madame de Noailles. She heard nothing, or rather had pretended not to -hear at all. The Chevalier de Lorraine looked on also, with one of those -looks of fixed hostility that seemed to give to a man's glance the power -of a lever when it raises an obstacle, wrests it away, and casts it to -a distance. M. de Guiche was left alone in the king's cabinet, the whole -of the company having departed. Shadows seemed to dance before his eyes. -He suddenly broke through the settled despair that overwhelmed him, and -flew to hide himself in his own room, where Raoul awaited him, immovable -in his own sad presentiments. - -"Well?" he murmured, seeing his friend enter, bareheaded, with a wild -gaze and tottering gait. - -"Yes, yes, it is true," said De Guiche, unable to utter more, and -falling exhausted upon the couch. - -"And she?" inquired Raoul. - -"She," exclaimed his unhappy friend, as he raised his hand clenched in -anger, towards Heaven. "She!--" - -"What did she say and do?" - -"She said that her dress suited her admirably, and then she laughed." - -A fit of hysteric laughter seemed to shatter his nerves, for he fell -backwards, completely overcome. - - - -Chapter XXXV. Fontainebleau. - -For four days, every kind of enchantment brought together in the -magnificent gardens of Fontainebleau had converted this spot into a -place of the most perfect enjoyment. M. Colbert seemed gifted with -ubiquity. In the morning there were the accounts of the previous night's -expenses to settle; during the day, programmes, essays, enrolments, -payments. M. Colbert had amassed four millions of francs, and dispersed -them with sleepless economy. He was horrified at the expenses which -mythology involved; not a wood nymph, nor a dryad, that cost less than a -hundred francs a day! The dress alone amounted to three hundred francs. -The expense of powder and sulphur for fireworks amounted, every night, -to a hundred thousand francs. In addition to these, the illuminations -on the borders of the sheet of water cost thirty thousand francs -every evening. The _fetes_ had been magnificent; and Colbert could not -restrain his delight. From time to time, he noticed Madame and the king -setting forth on hunting expeditions, or preparing for the reception -of different fantastic personages, solemn ceremonials, which had been -extemporized a fortnight before, and in which Madame's sparkling wit and -the king's magnificence were equally well displayed. - -For Madame, the heroine of the _fete_, replied to the addresses of the -deputations from unknown races--Garamanths, Scythians, Hyperboreans, -Caucasians, and Patagonians, who seemed to issue from the ground for the -purpose of approaching her with their congratulations; and upon every -representative of these races the king bestowed a diamond, or some other -article of value. Then the deputies, in verses more or less amusing, -compared the king to the sun, Madame to Phoebe, the sun's sister, and -the queen and Monsieur were no more spoken of than if the king had -married Henrietta of England, and not Maria Theresa of Austria. The -happy pair, hand in hand, imperceptibly pressing each other's fingers, -drank in deep draughts the sweet beverage of adulation, by which the -attractions of youth, beauty, power and love are enhanced. Every one at -Fontainebleau was amazed at the extent of the influence which Madame had -so rapidly acquired over the king, and whispered among themselves that -Madame was, in point of fact, the true queen; and in effect, the king -himself proclaimed its truth by his every thought, word, and look. He -formed his wishes, he drew his inspirations from Madame's eyes, and his -delight was unbounded when Madame deigned to smile upon him. And was -Madame, on her side, intoxicated with the power she wielded, as she -beheld every one at her feet? This was a question she herself could -hardly answer; but what she did know was, that she could frame no wish, -and that she felt herself to be perfectly happy. The result of all these -changes, the source of which emanated from the royal will, was that -Monsieur, instead of being the second person in the kingdom, had, in -reality, become the third. And it was now far worse than in the time -when De Guiche's guitars were heard in Madame's apartments; for, then, -at least, Monsieur had the satisfaction of frightening those who annoyed -him. Since the departure, however, of the enemy, who had been driven -away by means of his alliance with the king, Monsieur had to submit to a -burden, heavier, but in a very different sense, to his former one. Every -evening Madame returned home quite exhausted. Horse-riding, bathing -in the Seine, spectacles, dinners under the leafy covert of the trees, -balls on the banks of the grand canal, concerts, etc., etc.; all this -would have been sufficient to have killed, not a slight and delicate -woman, but the strongest porter in the _chateau_. It is perfectly -true that, with regard to dancing, concerts, and promenades, and such -matters, a woman is far stronger than the most robust of porters. But, -however great a woman's strength may be, there is a limit to it, and she -cannot hold out long under such a system. As for Monsieur, he had not -even the satisfaction of witnessing Madame's abdication of her royalty -in the evening, for she lived in the royal pavilion with the young queen -and the queen-mother. As a matter of course, the Chevalier de Lorraine -did not quit Monsieur, and did not fail to distil drops of gall into -every wound the latter received. The result was, that Monsieur--who -had at first been in the highest spirits, and completely restored since -Guiche's departure--subsided into his melancholy state three days after -the court was installed at Fontainebleau. - -It happened, however, that, one day, about two o'clock in the afternoon, -Monsieur, who had risen late, and had bestowed upon his toilet more than -his usual attention,--it happened, we repeat, that Monsieur, who had not -heard of any plans having been arranged for the day, formed the project -of collecting his own court, and of carrying Madame off with him to -Moret, where he possessed a charming country house. He accordingly went -to the queen's pavilion, and was astonished, on entering, to find none -of the royal servants in attendance. Quite alone, therefore, he entered -the rooms, a door on the left opening to Madame's apartment, the one on -the right to the young queen's. In his wife's apartment, Monsieur was -informed, by a sempstress who was working there, that every one had left -at eleven o'clock, for the purpose of bathing in the Seine, that a grand -_fete_ was to be made of the expedition, that all the carriages had been -placed at the park gates, and that they had all set out more than an -hour ago. - -"Very good," said Monsieur, "the idea is a good one; the heat is very -oppressive, and I have no objection to bathe, too." - -He summoned his servants, but no one came. He summoned those in -attendance on Madame, but everybody had gone out. He went to the -stables, where he was informed by a groom that there were no carriages -of any description. He desired that a couple of horses should be -saddled, one for himself and the other for his valet. The groom told him -that all the horses had been sent away. Monsieur, pale with anger, again -descended towards the queen's apartments, and penetrated as far as -Anne of Austria's oratory, where he perceived, through the half-opened -tapestry-hangings, his young and beautiful sister on her knees before -the queen-mother, who appeared weeping bitterly. He had not been either -seen or heard. He cautiously approached the opening, and listened, the -sight of so much grief having aroused his curiosity. Not only was the -young queen weeping, but she was complaining also. "Yes," she said, "the -king neglects me, the king devotes himself to pleasures and amusements -only, in which I have no share." - -"Patience, patience, my daughter," said Anne of Austria, in Spanish; and -then, also in Spanish, added some words of advice, which Monsieur did -not understand. The queen replied by accusations, mingled with sighs and -sobs, among which Monsieur often distinguished the word _banos_, which -Maria Theresa accentuated with spiteful anger. - -"The baths," said Monsieur to himself; "it seems it is the baths that -have put her out." And he endeavored to put together the disconnected -phrases which he had been able to understand. It was easy to guess that -the queen was complaining bitterly, and that, if Anne of Austria did not -console her, she at least endeavored to do so. Monsieur was afraid to -be detected listening at the door and he therefore made up his mind to -cough; the two queens turned round at the sound and Monsieur entered. At -sight of the prince, the young queen rose precipitately, and dried her -tears. Monsieur, however, knew the people he had to deal with too -well, and was naturally too polite to remain silent, and he accordingly -saluted them. The queen-mother smiled pleasantly at him, saying, "What -do you want, Philip?" - -"I?--nothing," stammered Monsieur. "I was looking for--" - -"Whom?" - -"I was looking for Madame." - -"Madame is at the baths." - -"And the king?" said Monsieur, in a tone which made the queen tremble. - -"The king also, the whole court as well," replied Anne of Austria. - -"Except you, madame," said Monsieur. - -"Oh! I," said the young queen, "I seem to terrify all those who amuse -themselves." - -"And so do I,--judging from appearances," rejoined Monsieur. - -Anne of Austria made a sigh to her daughter-in-law, who withdrew, -weeping. - -Monsieur's brows contracted, as he remarked aloud, "What a cheerless -house. What do you think of it, mother?" - -"Why, no; everybody here is pleasure-hunting." - -"Yes, indeed, that is the very thing that makes those dull who do not -care for pleasure." - -"In what a tone you say that, Philip." - -"Upon my word, madame, I speak as I think." - -"Explain yourself; what is the matter?" - -"Ask my sister-in-law, rather, who, just now, was detailing all her -grievances to you." - -"Her grievances, what--" - -"Yes, I was listening; accidentally, I confess, but still I listened--so -that I heard only too well my sister complain of those famous baths of -Madame--" - -"Ah! folly!" - -"No, no, no; people are not always foolish when they weep. The queen -said _banos_, which means baths." - -"I repeat, Philip," said Anne of Austria, "that your sister is -childishly jealous." - -"In that case, madame," replied the prince, "I, too, must with great -humility accuse myself of possessing the same defect." - -"You also, Philip?" - -"Certainly." - -"Are you really jealous of these baths?" - -"And why not, madame, when the king goes to the baths with my wife, and -does not take the queen? Why not, when Madame goes to the baths with the -king, and does not do me the honor to even invite me? And you enjoin my -sister-in-law to be satisfied, and require me to be satisfied, too." - -"You are raving, my dear Philip," said Anne of Austria; "you have driven -the Duke of Buckingham away; you have been the cause of M. de Guiche's -exile; do you now wish to send the king away from Fontainebleau?" - -"I do not pretend to anything of the kind, madame," said Monsieur, -bitterly; "but, at least, I can withdraw, and I shall do so." - -"Jealous of the king--jealous of your brother?" - -"Yes, madame, I am jealous of the king--of my own brother, and -remarkably jealous, too." - -"Really, Monsieur," exclaimed Anne of Austria, affecting to be -indignant, "I begin to believe you are mad, and a sworn enemy to my -repose. I therefore abandon the place to you, for I have no means of -defending myself against such monomanias." - -She arose and left Monsieur a prey to the most extravagant transport -of passion. He remained for a moment completely bewildered; then, -recovering himself, again went to the stables, found the groom, once -more asked him for a carriage or a horse, and upon his reply that there -was neither the one or the other, Monsieur snatched a long whip from the -hand of a stable-boy, and began to pursue the poor devil of a groom all -round the servants' courtyard, whipping him the while, in spite of his -cries and excuses; then, quite out of breath, covered with perspiration, -and trembling in every limb, he returned to his own apartments, broke -in pieces some beautiful specimens of porcelain, and then got into bed, -booted and spurred as he was, crying out for some one to come to him. -[4] - - - -Chapter XXXVI. The Bath. - -At Vulaines, beneath the impenetrable shade of flowering osiers -and willows, which, as they bent down their green heads, dipped -the extremities of their branches in the blue waters, a long and -flat-bottomed boat, with ladders covered with long blue curtains, served -as a refuge for the bathing Dianas, who, as they left the water, were -watched by twenty plumed Acteons, who, eagerly, and full of admiration, -galloped up and down the flowery banks of the river. But Diana -herself, even the chaste Diana, clothed in her long chlamys, was less -beautiful--less impenetrable, than Madame, as young and beautiful -as that goddess herself. For, notwithstanding the fine tunic of the -huntress, her round and delicate knee can be seen; and notwithstanding -the sonorous quiver, her brown shoulders can be detected; whereas, in -Madame's case, a long white veil enveloped her, wrapping her round and -round a hundred times, as she resigned herself into the hands of her -female attendants, and thus was rendered inaccessible to the most -indiscreet, as well as to the most penetrating gaze. When she ascended -the ladder, the poets were present--and all were poets when Madame was -the subject of discussion--the twenty poets who were galloping about, -stopped, and with one voice, exclaimed that pearls, and not drops of -water, were falling from her person, to be lost again in the happy -river. The king, the center of these effusions, and of this respectful -homage, imposed silence upon those expatiators, for whom it seemed -impossible to exhaust their raptures, and he rode away, for fear of -offending, even through the silken curtains, the modesty of the woman -and the dignity of the princess. A great blank thereupon ensued in -the scene, and perfect silence in the boat. From the movements on -board--from the flutterings and agitations of the curtains--the goings -to and fro of the female attendants engaged in their duties, could be -guessed. - -The king smilingly listened to the conversation of the courtiers around -him, but it could easily be perceived that he gave but little, if any, -attention to their remarks. In fact, hardly had the sound of the rings -drawn along the curtain-rods announced that Madame was dressed, and that -the goddess was about to make her reappearance, than the king, -returning to his former post immediately, and running quite close to -the river-bank, gave the signal for all those to approach whose duty -or pleasure summoned them to Madame's side. The pages hurried forward, -conducting the led horses; the carriages, which had remained sheltered -under the trees, advanced towards the tent, followed by a crowd of -servants, bearers, and female attendants, who, while their masters had -been bathing, had mutually exchanged their own observations, critical -remarks, and the discussion of matters personal--the fugitive journal -of that period, of which no one now remembers anything, not even by the -waves, the witnesses of what went on that day--themselves now sublimed -into immensity, as the actors have vanished into eternity. - -A crowd of people swarming upon the banks of the river, without -reckoning the groups of peasants drawn together by their anxiety to see -the king and the princess, was, for many minutes, the most disorderly, -but the most agreeable, mob imaginable. The king dismounted from his -horse, a movement which was imitated by all the courtiers, and offered -his hat to Madame, whose rich riding-habit displayed her fine figure, -which was set off to great advantage by that garment, made of fine -woolen cloth embroidered with silver. Her hair, still damp and blacker -than jet, hung in heavy masses upon her white and delicate neck. Joy and -health sparkled in her beautiful eyes; composed, yet full of energy, she -inhaled the air in deep draughts, under a lace parasol, which was borne -by one of her pages. Nothing could be more charming, more graceful, more -poetical, than these two figures buried under the rose-colored shade -of the parasol, the king, whose white teeth were displayed in continual -smiles, and Madame, whose black eyes sparkled like carbuncles in the -glittering reflection of the changing hues of the silk. When Madame -approached her horse, a magnificent animal of Andalusian breed, of -spotless white, somewhat heavy, perhaps, but with a spirited and -splendid head, in which the mixture, happily combined, of Arabian and -Spanish blood could be readily traced, and whose long tail swept the -ground; and as the princess affected difficulty in mounting, the king -took her in his arms in such a manner that Madame's arm was clasped like -a circlet of alabaster around the king's neck. Louis, as he withdrew, -involuntarily touched with his lips the arm, which was not withheld, and -the princess having thanked her royal equerry, every one sprang to his -saddle at the same moment. The king and Madame drew aside to allow the -carriages, the outriders, and runners, to pass by. A fair proportion of -the cavaliers, released from the restraint etiquette had imposed upon -them, gave the rein to their horses, and darted after the carriages -which bore the maids of honor, as blooming as so many virgin huntresses -around Diana, and the human whirlwind, laughing, chattering, and noisy, -passed onward. - -The king and Madame, however, kept their horses in hand at a foot-pace. -Behind his majesty and his sister-in-law, certain of the courtiers ---those, at least, who were seriously disposed or were anxious to be -within reach, or under the eyes, of the king--followed at a respectful -distance, restraining their impatient horses, regulating their pace by -that of the king and Madame, and abandoned themselves to all the delight -and gratification which is to be found in the conversation of clever -people, who can, with perfect courtesy, make a thousand atrocious, but -laughable remarks about their neighbors. In their stifled laughter, and -in the little reticences of their sardonic humor, Monsieur, the poor -absentee, was not spared. But they pitied, and bewailed greatly, the -fate of De Guiche, and it must be confessed that their compassion, as -far as he was concerned, was not misplaced. The king and Madame having -breathed the horses, and repeated a hundred times over such remarks as -the courtiers, who supplied them with talk, suggested to them, set off -at a hand gallop, and the leafy coverts of the forest resounded to the -footfalls of the mounted party. To the conversations beneath the -shade of the trees,--to remarks made in the shape of confidential -communications, and observations, mysteriously exchanged, succeeded the -noisiest bursts of laughter;--from the very outriders to royalty itself, -merriment seemed to spread. Every one began to laugh and to cry out. -The magpies and the jays fluttered away uttering their guttural cries, -beneath the waving avenues of oaks; the cuckoo staid his monotonous cry -in the recesses of the forest; the chaffinch and tomtit flew away in -clouds; while the terrified deer bounded riverwards from the midst of -the thickets. This crowd, spreading joy, confusion, and light wherever -it passed, was heralded, it may be said, to the chateau by its own -clamor. As the king and Madame entered the village, they were received -by the acclamations of the crowd. Madame hastened to look for Monsieur, -for she instinctively understood that he had been far too long kept from -sharing in this joy. The king went to rejoin the queens; he knew he owed -them--one especially--a compensation for his long absence. But Madame -was not admitted to Monsieur's apartments, and she was informed that -Monsieur was asleep. The king, instead of being met by Maria Theresa -smiling, as was usual with her, found Anne of Austria in the gallery -watching for his return, who advanced to meet him, and taking him by the -hand, led him to her own apartment. No one ever knew what was the nature -of the conversation which took place between them, or rather what it was -that the queen-mother said to Louis XIV.; but the general tenor of the -interview might certainly be guessed from the annoyed expression of the -king's face as he left her. - -But we, whose mission it is to interpret all things, as it is also to -communicate our interpretations to our readers,--we should fail in -our duty, if we were to leave them in ignorance of the result of this -interview. It will be found sufficiently detailed, at least we hope so, -in the following chapter. - - - -Chapter XXXVII. The Butterfly-Chase. - -The king, on retiring to his apartments to give some directions and -to arrange his ideas, found on his toilette-glass a small note, the -handwriting of which seemed disguised. He opened it and read--"Come -quickly, I have a thousand things to say to you." The king and Madame -had not been separated a sufficiently long time for these thousand -things to be the result of the three thousand which they had been -saying to each other during the route which separated Vulaines from -Fontainebleau. The confused and hurried character of the note gave the -king a great deal to reflect upon. He occupied himself but slightly with -his toilette, and set off to pay his visit to Madame. The princess, who -did not wish to have the appearance of expecting him, had gone into the -gardens with the ladies of her suite. When the king was informed that -Madame had left her apartments and had gone for a walk in the gardens, -he collected all the gentlemen he could find, and invited them to follow -him. He found Madame engaged in chasing butterflies, on a large lawn -bordered with heliotrope and flowering broom. She was looking on as the -most adventurous and youngest of her ladies ran to and fro, and with her -back turned to a high hedge, very impatiently awaited the arrival of the -king, with whom she had appointed the rendezvous. The sound of many feet -upon the gravel walk made her turn round. Louis XIV. was hatless, he -had struck down with his cane a peacock butterfly, which Monsieur de -Saint-Aignan had picked up from the ground quite stunned. - -"You see, Madame," said the king, as he approached her, "that I, too, -am hunting on your behalf!" and then, turning towards those who had -accompanied him, said, "Gentlemen, see if each of you cannot obtain as -much for these ladies," a remark which was a signal for all to retire. -And thereupon a curious spectacle might have been observed; old and -corpulent courtiers were seen running after butterflies, losing their -hats as they ran, and with their raised canes cutting down the myrtles -and the furze, as they would have done the Spaniards. - -The king offered Madame his arm, and they both selected, as the center -of observation, a bench with a roof of boards and moss, a kind of hut -roughly designed by the modest genius of one of the gardeners who had -inaugurated the picturesque and fanciful amid the formal style of -the gardening of that period. This sheltered retreat, covered with -nasturtiums and climbing roses, screened the bench, so that the -spectators, insulated in the middle of the lawn, saw and were seen on -every side, but could not be heard, without perceiving those who might -approach for the purpose of listening. Seated thus, the king made a sign -of encouragement to those who were running about; and then, as if he -were engaged with Madame in a dissertation upon the butterfly, which he -had thrust through with a gold pin and fastened on his hat, said to her, -"How admirably we are placed here for conversations." - -"Yes, sire, for I wished to be heard by you alone, and yet to be seen by -every one." - -"And I also," said Louis. - -"My note surprised you?" - -"Terrified me rather. But what I have to tell you is more important." - -"It cannot be, sire. Do you know that Monsieur refuses to see me?" - -"Why so?" - -"Can you not guess why?" - -"Ah, Madame! in that case we have both the same thing to say to each -other." - -"What has happened to you, then?" - -"You wish me to begin?" - -"Yes, for I have told you all." - -"Well, then, as soon as I returned, I found my mother waiting for me, -and she led me away to her own apartments." - -"The queen-mother?" said Madame, with some anxiety, "the matter is -serious then." - -"Indeed it is, for she told me... but, in the first place, allow me to -preface what I have to say with one remark. Has Monsieur ever spoken to -you about me?" - -"Often." - -"Has he ever spoken to you about his jealousy?" - -"More frequently still." - -"Of his jealousy of me?" - -"No, but of the Duke of Buckingham and De Guiche." - -"Well, Madame, Monsieur's present idea is a jealousy of myself." - -"Really," replied the princess, smiling archly. - -"And it really seems to me," continued the king, "that we have never -given any ground--" - -"Never! at least _I_ have not. But who told you that Monsieur was -jealous?" - -"My mother represented to me that Monsieur entered her apartments like a -madman, that he uttered a thousand complaints against you, and--forgive -me for saying it--against your coquetry. It appears that Monsieur -indulges in injustice, too." - -"You are very kind, sire." - -"My mother reassured him; but he pretended that people reassure him too -often, and that he had had quite enough of it." - -"Would it not be better for him not to make himself uneasy in any way?" - -"The very thing I said." - -"Confess, sire, that the world is very wicked. Is it possible that a -brother and sister cannot converse together, or take pleasure in each -other's company, without giving rise to remarks and suspicions? For -indeed, sire, we are doing no harm, and have no intention of doing any." -And she looked at the king with that proud yet provoking glance that -kindles desire in the coldest and wisest of men. - -"No!" sighed the king, "that is true." - -"You know very well, sire, that if it were to continue, I should be -obliged to make a disturbance. Do you decide upon our conduct, and say -whether it has, or has not, been perfectly correct." - -"Oh, certainly--perfectly correct." - -"Often alone together,--for we delight in the same things,--we might -possibly be led away into error, but _have_ we been? I regard you as a -brother, and nothing more." - -The king frowned. She continued: - -"Your hand, which often meets my own, does not excite in me that -agitation and emotion which is the case with those who love each other, -for instance--" - -"Enough," said the king, "enough, I entreat you. You have no pity--you -are killing me." - -"What is the matter?" - -"In fact, then, you distinctly say you experience nothing when near me." - -"Oh, sire! I don't say that--my affection--" - -"Enough, Henrietta, I again entreat you. If you believe me to be marble, -as you are, undeceive yourself." - -"I do not understand you, sire." - -"Very well," said the king, casting down his eyes. "And so our meetings, -the pressure of each other's hand, the looks we have exchanged--Yes, -yes; you are right, and I understand your meaning," and he buried his -face in his hands. - -"Take care, sire," said Madame, hurriedly, "Monsieur de Saint-Aignan is -looking at you." - -"Of course," said Louis, angrily; "never even the shadow of liberty! -never any sincerity in my intercourse with any one! I imagine I have -found a friend, who is nothing but a spy; a dearer friend, who is only -a--sister!" - -Madame was silent, and cast down her eyes. - -"My husband is jealous," she murmured, in a tone of which nothing could -equal its sweetness and charm. - -"You are right," exclaimed the king, suddenly. - -"You see," she said, looking at him in a manner that set his heart on -fire, "you are free, you are not suspected, the peace of your house is -not disturbed." - -"Alas," said the king, "as yet you know nothing, for the queen is -jealous." - -"Maria Theresa!" - -"Stark mad with jealousy! Monsieur's jealousy arises from hers; she was -weeping and complaining to my mother, and was reproaching us for those -bathing parties, which have made me so happy." - -"And me too," answered Madame, by a look. - -"When, suddenly," continued the king, "Monsieur, who was listening, -heard the word '_banos_,' which the queen pronounced with some degree -of bitterness, that awakened his attention; he entered the room, looking -quite wild, broke into the conversation, and began to quarrel with my -mother so bitterly that she was obliged to leave him; so that, while you -have a jealous husband to deal with, I shall have perpetually present -before me a specter of jealousy with swollen eyes, a cadaverous face, -and sinister looks." - -"Poor king," murmured Madame, as she lightly touched the king's hand. -He retained her hand in his, and in order to press it without exciting -suspicion in the spectators, who were not so much taken up with the -butterflies that they could not occupy themselves about other matters, -and who perceived clearly enough that there was some mystery in the -king's and Madame's conversation, Louis placed the dying butterfly -before his sister-in-law, and bent over it as if to count the thousand -eyes of its wings, or the particles of golden dust which covered it. -Neither of them spoke; however, their hair mingled, their breaths -united, and their hands feverishly throbbed in each other's grasp. Five -minutes passed in this manner. - - - -Chapter XXXVIII. What Was Caught after the Butterflies. - -The two young people remained for a moment with their heads bent down, -bowed, as it were, beneath the double thought of the love which was -springing up in their hearts, and which gives birth to so many happy -fancies in the imaginations of twenty years of age. Henrietta gave -a side glance, from time to time, at the king. Hers was one of those -finely-organized natures capable of looking inwardly at itself, as well -as at others at the same moment. She perceived Love lying at the bottom -of Louis's heart, as a skillful diver sees a pearl at the bottom of -the sea. She knew Louis was hesitating, if not in doubt, and that his -indolent or timid heart required aid and encouragement. "And so?" she -said, interrogatively, breaking the silence. - -"What do you mean?" inquired Louis, after a moment's pause. - -"I mean, that I shall be obliged to return to the resolution I had -formed." - -"To what resolution?" - -"To that which I have already submitted to your majesty." - -"When?" - -"On the very day we had a certain explanation about Monsieur's -jealousies." - -"What did you say to me then?" inquired Louis, with some anxiety. - -"Do you not remember, sire?" - -"Alas! if it be another cause of unhappiness, I shall recollect it soon -enough." - -"A cause of unhappiness for myself alone, sire," replied Madame -Henrietta; "but as it is necessary, I must submit to it." - -"At least, tell me what it is," said the king. - -"Absence." - -"Still that unkind resolve?" - -"Believe me, sire, I have not found it without a violent struggle with -myself; it is absolutely necessary I should return to England." - -"Never, never will I permit you to leave France," exclaimed the king. - -"And yet, sire," said Madame, affecting a gentle yet sorrowful -determination, "nothing is more urgently necessary; nay, more than that, -I am persuaded it is your mother's desire I should do so." - -"Desire!" exclaimed the king; "that is a very strange expression to use -to me." - -"Still," replied Madame Henrietta, smilingly, "are you not happy in -submitting to the wishes of so good a mother?" - -"Enough, I implore you; you rend my very soul." - -"I?" - -"Yes; for you speak of your departure with tranquillity." - -"I was not born for happiness, sire," replied the princess, dejectedly; -"and I acquired, in very early life, the habit of seeing my dearest -wishes disappointed." - -"Do you speak truly?" said the king. "Would your departure gainsay any -one of your cherished thoughts?" - -"If I were to say 'yes,' would you begin to take your misfortune -patiently?" - -"How cruel you are!" - -"Take care, sire; some one is coming." - -The king looked all round him, and said, "No, there is no one," and -then continued: "Come, Henrietta, instead of trying to contend against -Monsieur's jealousy by a departure which would kill me--" - -Henrietta slightly shrugged her shoulders like a woman unconvinced. -"Yes," repeated Louis, "which would kill me, I say. Instead of fixing -your mind on this departure, does not your imagination--or rather does -not your heart--suggest some expedient?" - -"What is it you wish my heart to suggest?" - -"Tell me, how can one prove to another that it is wrong to be jealous?" - -"In the first place, sire, by giving no motive for jealousy; in other -words, in loving no one but the person in question." - -"Oh! I expected more than that." - -"What did you expect?" - -"That you would simply tell me that jealous people are pacified -by concealing the affection which is entertained for the object of -jealousy." - -"Dissimulation is difficult, sire." - -"Yet it is only be means of conquering difficulties that any happiness -is attained. As far as I am concerned, I swear I will give the lie to -those who are jealous of me by pretending to treat you like any other -woman." - -"A bad, as well as unsafe, means," said the young princess, shaking her -pretty head. - -"You seem to think everything bad, dear Henrietta," said Louis, -discontentedly. "You negative everything I propose. Suggest, at least, -something else in its stead. Come, try and think. I trust implicitly to -a woman's invention. Do you invent in your turn?" - -"Well, sire, I have hit upon something. Will you listen to it?" - -"Can you ask me? You speak of a matter of life or death to me, and then -ask if I will listen." - -"Well, I judge of it by my own case. If my husband intended to put me on -the wrong scent with regard to another woman, one thing would reassure -me more than anything else." - -"What would that be?" - -"In the first place to see that he never took any notice of the woman in -question." - -"Exactly. That is precisely what I said just now." - -"Very well; but in order to be perfectly reassured on the subject, I -should like to see him occupy himself with some one else." - -"Ah! I understand you," replied Louis, smiling. "But confess, dear -Henrietta, if the means is at least ingenious, it is hardly charitable." - -"Why so?" - -"In curing the dread of a wound in a jealous person's mind, you inflict -one upon the heart. His fear ceases, it is true; but the evil still -exists; and that seems to me to be far worse." - -"Agreed; but he does not detect, he does not suspect the real enemy; he -does no prejudice to love itself; he concentrates all his strength on -the side where his strength will do no injury to anything or any one. -In a word, sire, my plan, which I confess I am surprised to find you -dispute, is mischievous to jealous people, it is true; but to lovers it -is full of advantage. Besides, let me ask, sire, who, except yourself, -has ever thought of pitying jealous people? Are they not a melancholy -crew of grumblers always equally unhappy, whether with or without -a cause? You may remove that cause, but you never can remove their -sufferings. It is a disease which lies in the imagination, and, like all -imaginary disorders, it is incurable. By the by, I remember an aphorism -upon this subject, of poor Dr. Dawley, a clever and amusing man, who, -had it not been for my brother, who could not do without him, I should -have with me now. He used to say, 'Whenever you are likely to suffer -from two affections, choose that which will give you the least trouble, -and I will allow you to retain it; for it is positive,' he said, 'that -that very ailment is of the greatest service to me, in order to enable -me to get rid of the other.'" - -"Well and judiciously remarked, Henrietta," replied the king, smiling. - -"Oh! we have some clever people in London, sire." - -"And those clever people produce adorable pupils. I will grant this -Daley, Darley, Dawley, or whatever you call him, a pension for his -aphorism; but I entreat you, Henrietta, to begin by choosing the least -of your evils. You do not answer--you smile. I guess that the least of -your bugbears is your stay in France. I will allow you to retain this -information; and, in order to begin with the cure of the other, I will -this very day begin to look out for a subject which shall divert the -attention of the jealous members of either sex who persecute us both." - -"Hush! this time some one is really coming," said Madame; and she -stooped to gather a flower from the thick grass at her feet. Some one, -in fact, was approaching; for, suddenly, a bevy of young girls ran down -from the top of the hillock, following the cavaliers--the cause of this -interruption being a magnificent hawk-moth, with wings like rose-leaves. -The prey in question had fallen into the net of Mademoiselle de -Tonnay-Charente, who displayed it with some pride to her less successful -rivals. The queen of the chase had seated herself some twenty paces from -the bank on which Louis and Madame Henrietta were reclining; and leaned -her back against a magnificent oak-tree entwined with ivy, and stuck -the butterfly on the long cane she carried in her hand. Mademoiselle -de Tonnay-Charente was very beautiful, and the gentlemen, accordingly, -deserted her companions, and under the pretext of complimenting her -upon her success, pressed in a circle around her. The king and princess -looked gloomily at this scene, as spectators of maturer age look on -at the games of little children. "They seem to be amusing themselves -there," said the king. - -"Greatly, sire; I have always found that people are amused wherever -youth and beauty are to be found." - -"What do you think of Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente, Henrietta?" -inquired the king. - -"I think she has rather too much flax-yellow and lily-whiteness in her -complexion," replied Madame, fixing in a moment upon the only fault it -was possible to find in the almost perfect beauty of the future Madame -de Montespan." - -"Rather too fair, yes; but beautiful, I think, in spite of that." - -"Is that your opinion, sire?" - -"Yes, really." - -"Very well; and it is mine, too." - -"And she seems to be much sought after." - -"On, that is a matter of course. Lovers flutter from one to another. If -we had hunted for lovers instead of butterflies, you can see, from those -who surround her, what successful sport we should have had." - -"Tell me, Henrietta, what would be said if the king were to make himself -one of those lovers, and let his glance fall in that direction? Would -some one else be jealous, in such a case?" - -"Oh! sire, Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente is a very efficacious -remedy," said Madame, with a sigh. "She would cure a jealous man, -certainly; but she might possibly make a woman jealous, too." - -"Henrietta," exclaimed Louis, "you fill my heart with joy. Yes, yes; -Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente is far too beautiful to serve as a -cloak." - -"A king's cloak," said Madame Henrietta, smiling, "ought to be -beautiful." - -"Do you advise me to do it, then?" inquired Louis. - -"I! what should I say, sire, except that to give such an advice would be -to supply arms against myself? It would be folly or pride to advise you -to take, for the heroine of an assumed affection, a woman more beautiful -than the one for whom you pretend to feel real regard." - -The king tried to take Madame's hand in his own; his eyes sought hers; -and then he murmured a few words so full of tenderness, but pronounced -in so low a tone, that the historian, who ought to hear everything, -could not hear them. Then, speaking aloud, he said, "Do you yourself -choose for me the one who is to cure our jealous friend. To her, then, -all my devotion, all my attention, all the time that I can spare from -my occupations, shall be devoted. For her shall be the flower that I -may pluck for you, the fond thoughts with which you have inspired me. -Towards her I will direct the glance I dare not bestow upon you, and -which ought to be able to rouse you from your indifference. But, be -careful in your selection, lest, in offering her the rose which I may -have plucked, I find myself conquered by you; and my looks, my hand, my -lips, turn immediately towards you, even were the whole world to guess -my secret." - -While these words escaped from the king's lips, in a stream of wild -affection, Madame blushed, breathless, happy, proud, almost intoxicated -with delight. She could find nothing to say in reply; her pride and her -thirst for homage were satisfied. "I shall fail," she said, raising her -beautiful black eyes, "but not as you beg me, for all this incense which -you wish to burn on the altar of another divinity. Ah! sire, I too shall -be jealous of it, and want restored to me; and would not that a particle -of it should be lost in the way. Therefore, sire, with your royal -permission, I will choose one who shall appear to me the least likely -to distract your attention, and who will leave my image intact and -unshadowed in your heart." - -"Happily for me," said the king, "your heart is not hard and unfeeling. -If it were so, I should be alarmed at the threat you hold out. -Precautions were taken on this point, and around you, as around myself, -it would be difficult to meet with a disagreeable-looking face." - -Whilst the king was speaking, Madame had risen from her seat, looked -around the greensward, and after a careful and silent examination, -she called the king to her side, and said, "See yonder, sire, upon the -declivity of that little hill, near that group of Guelder roses, that -beautiful girl walking alone, her head down, her arms hanging by her -side, with her eyes fixed upon the flowers, which she crushes beneath -her feet, like one who is lost in thought." - -"Mademoiselle de Valliere, do you mean?" remarked the king. - -"Yes." - -"Oh!" - -"Will she not suit you, sire?" - -"Why, look how thin the poor child is. She has hardly any flesh upon her -bones." - -"Nay: am I stout then?" - -"She is so melancholy." - -"The greater contrast to myself, who am accused of being too lively." - -"She is lame." - -"Do you really think so?" - -"No doubt of it. Look; she has allowed every one to pass by her, through -fear of her defect being remarked." - -"Well, she will not run so fast as Daphne, and will not be as able to -escape Apollo." - -"Henrietta," said the king, out of temper; "of all your maids of honor, -you have really selected for me the one most full of defects." - -"Still she is one of my maids of honor." - -"Of course; but what do you mean?" - -"I mean that, in order to visit this new divinity, you will not be able -to do so without paying a visit to my apartments, and that, as propriety -will forbid your conversing with her in private, you will be compelled -to see her in my circle, to speak, as it were, at me, while speaking to -her. I mean, in fact, that those who may be jealous, will be wrong if -they suppose you come to my apartments for my sake, since you will go -there for Mademoiselle de la Valliere." - -"Who happens to be lame." - -"Hardly that." - -"Who never opens her lips." - -"But who, when she does open them, displays a beautiful set of teeth." - -"Who may serve as a model for an osteologist." - -"Your favor will change her appearance." - -"Henrietta!" - -"At all events you allowed me to choose." - -"Alas! yes." - -"Well, my choice is made: I impose her upon you, and you must submit." - -"Oh! I would accept one of the furies, if you were to insist upon it." - -"La Valliere is as gentle as a lamb: do not fear she will ever -contradict you when you tell her you love her," said Madame, laughing. - -"You are not afraid, are you, that I shall say too much to her?" - -"It would be for my sake." - -"The treaty is agreed to, then?" - -"Not only so, but signed. You will continue to show me the friendship of -a brother, the attention of a brother, the gallantry of a monarch, will -you not?" - -"I will preserve for you intact a heart that has already become -accustomed to beat only at your command." - -"Very well, do you not see that we have guaranteed the future by this -means?" - -"I hope so." - -"Will your mother cease to regard me as an enemy?" - -"Yes." - -"Will Maria Theresa leave off speaking in Spanish before Monsieur, -who has a horror of conversation held in foreign languages, because -he always thinks he is being ill spoken of? and lastly," continued the -princess, "will people persist in attributing a wrongful affection to -the king when the truth is, we can offer nothing to each other, except -absolute sympathy, free from mental reservation?" - -"Yes, yes," said the king, hesitatingly. "But other things may still be -said of us." - -"What can be said, sire? shall we never be left in tranquillity?" - -"People will say I am deficient in taste; but what is my self-respect in -comparison with your tranquillity?" - -"In comparison with my honor, sire, and that of our family, you mean. -Besides, I beg you to attend, do not be so hastily prejudiced against La -Valliere. She is slightly lame, it is true, but she is not deficient in -good sense. Moreover, all that the king touches is converted into gold." - -"Well, Madame, rest assured of one thing, namely, that I am still -grateful to you: you might even yet make me pay dearer for your stay in -France." - -"Sire, some one approaches." - -"Well!" - -"One last word." - -"Say it." - -"You are prudent and judicious, sire; but in the present instance you -will be obliged to summon to your aid all your prudence, and all your -judgment." - -"Oh!" exclaimed Louis, laughing, "from this very day I shall begin to -act my part, and you shall see whether I am not quite fit to represent -the character of a tender swain. After luncheon, there will be a -promenade in the forest, and then there is supper and the ballet at ten -o'clock." - -"I know it." - -"The ardor of my passion shall blaze more brilliantly than the -fireworks, shall shine more steadily than our friend Colbert's lamps; -it shall shine so dazzlingly that the queens and Monsieur will be almost -blinded by it." - -"Take care, sire, take care." - -"In Heaven's name, what have I done, then?" - -"I shall begin to recall the compliments I paid you just now. You -prudent! you wise! did I say? Why, you begin by the most reckless -inconsistencies! Can a passion be kindled in this manner, like a torch, -in a moment? Can a monarch, such as you are, without any preparation, -fall at the feet of a girl like La Valliere?" - -"Ah! Henrietta, now I understand you. We have not yet begun the -campaign, and you are plundering me already." - -"No, I am only recalling you to common-sense ideas. Let your passion be -kindled gradually, instead of allowing it to burst forth so suddenly. -Jove's thunders and lightnings are heard and seen before the palace -is set on fire. Everything has its commencements. If you are so easily -excited, no one will believe you are really captivated, and every one -will think you out of your senses--if even, indeed, the truth itself not -be guessed. The public is not so fatuous as they seem." - -The king was obliged to admit that Madame was an angel for sense, and -the very reverse for cleverness. He bowed, and said: "Agreed, Madame, -I will think over my plan of attack: great military men--my cousin -De Conde for instance--grow pale in meditation upon their strategical -plans, before they move one of the pawns, which people call armies; I -therefore wish to draw up a complete plan of campaign; for you know that -the tender passion is subdivided in a variety of ways. Well, then, -I shall stop at the village of Little Attentions, at the hamlet of -Love-Letters, before I follow the road of Visible Affection; the way is -clear enough, you know, and poor Madame de Scudery would never forgive -me for passing though a halting-place without stopping." - -"Oh! now we have returned to our proper senses, shall we say adieu, -sire?" - -"Alas! it must be so, for see, we are interrupted." - -"Yes, indeed," said Henrietta, "they are bringing Mademoiselle de -Tonnay-Charente and her sphinx butterfly in grand procession this way." - -"It is perfectly well understood, that this evening, during the -promenade, I am to make my escape into the forest, and find La Valliere -without you." - -"I will take care to send her away." - -"Very well! I will speak to her when she is with her companions, and I -will then discharge my first arrow at her." - -"Be skillful," said Madame, laughing, "and do not miss the heart." - -Then the princess took leave of the king, and went forward to meet the -merry troop, which was advancing with much ceremony, and a great many -pretended flourishes of trumpets, imitated with their mouths. - - - -Chapter XXXIX. The Ballet of the Seasons. - -At the conclusion of the banquet, which was served at five o'clock, the -king entered his cabinet, where his tailors were awaiting him for the -purpose of trying on the celebrated costume representing Spring, which -was the result of so much imagination, and had cost so many efforts of -thought to the designers and ornament-workers of the court. As for the -ballet itself, every person knew the part he had to take in it, and -how to perform it. The king had resolved to make it surprise. Hardly, -therefore, had he finished his conference, and entered his own -apartment, than he desired his two masters of the ceremonies, Villeroy -and Saint-Aignan, to be sent for. Both replied that they only awaited -his orders, and that everything was ready to begin, but that it was -necessary to be sure of fine weather and a favorable night before these -orders could be carried out. The king opened his window; the pale-gold -hues of the evening were visible on the horizon through the vistas of -the wood, and the moon, white as snow, was already mounting the heavens. -Not a ripple could be noticed on the surface of the green waters; the -swans themselves, even, reposing with folded wings like ships at anchor, -seemed inspirations of the warmth of the air, the freshness of the -water, and the silence of the beautiful evening. The king, having -observed all these things, and contemplated the magnificent picture -before him, gave the order which De Villeroy and De Saint-Aignan -awaited; but with a view of insuring the execution of this order in a -royal manner, one last question was necessary, and Louis XIV. put it to -the two gentlemen in the following manner:--"Have you any money?" - -"Sire," replied Saint-Aignan, "we have arranged everything with M. -Colbert." - -"Ah! very well!" - -"Yes, sire, and M. Colbert said he would wait upon your majesty, as -soon as your majesty should manifest an intention of carrying out the -_fetes_, of which he has furnished the programme." - -"Let him come in, then," said the king; and as if Colbert had been -listening at the door for the purpose of keeping himself _au courant_ -with the conversation, he entered as soon as the king had pronounced his -name to the two courtiers. - -"Ah! M. Colbert," said the king. "Gentlemen, to your posts," whereupon -Saint-Aignan and Villeroy took their leave. The king seated himself in -an easy-chair near the window, saying: "The ballet will take place this -evening, M. Colbert." - -"In that case, sire, I will pay all accounts to-morrow." - -"Why so?" - -"I promised the tradespeople to pay their bills the day following that -on which the ballet should take place." - -"Very well, M. Colbert, pay them, since you have promised to do so." - -"Certainly, sire; but I must have money to do that." - -"What! have not the four millions, which M. Fouquet promised, been sent? -I forgot to ask you about it." - -"Sire, they were sent at the hour promised." - -"Well?" - -"Well, sire, the colored lamps, the fireworks, the musicians, and the -cooks, have swallowed up four millions in eight days." - -"Entirely?" - -"To the last penny. Every time your majesty directed the banks of the -grand canal to be illuminated, as much oil was consumed as there was -water in the basins." - -"Well, well, M. Colbert; the fact is, then, you have no more money?" - -"I have no more, sire, but M. Fouquet has," Colbert replied, his face -darkening with a sinister expression of pleasure. - -"What do you mean?" inquired Louis. - -"We have already made M. Fouquet advance six millions. He has given -them with too much grace not to have others still to give, if they are -required, which is the case at the present moment. It is necessary, -therefore, that he should comply." - -The king frowned. "M. Colbert," said he, accentuating the financier's -name, "that is not the way I understood the matter; I do not wish to -make use, against any of my servants, of a means of pressure which -may oppress him and fetter his services. In eight days M. Fouquet has -furnished six millions; that is a good round sum." - -Colbert turned pale. "And yet," he said, "your majesty did not use this -language some time ago, when the news about Belle-Isle arrived, for -instance." - -"You are right, M. Colbert." - -"Nothing, however, has changed since then; on the contrary, indeed." - -"In my thoughts, monsieur, everything has changed." - -"Does your majesty then no longer believe the disloyal attempt?" - -"My affairs concern myself alone, monsieur; and I have already told you -I transact them without interference." - -"Then, I perceive," said Colbert, trembling with anger and fear, "that I -have had the misfortune to fall into disgrace with your majesty." - -"Not at all; you are, on the contrary, most agreeable to me." - -"Yet, sire," said the minister, with a certain affected bluntness, so -successful when it was a question of flattering Louis's self-esteem, -"what use is there in being agreeable to your majesty, if one can no -longer be of any use?" - -"I reserve your services for a better occasion; and believe me, they -will only be the better appreciated." - -"Your majesty's plan, then, in this affair, is--" - -"You want money, M. Colbert?" - -"Seven hundred thousand francs, sire." - -"You will take them from my private treasure." Colbert bowed. "And," -added Louis, "as it seems a difficult matter for you, notwithstanding -your economy, to defray, with so limited a sum, the expenses which I -intend to incur, I will at once sign an order for three millions." - -The king took a pen and signed an order immediately, then handed it -to Colbert. "Be satisfied, M. Colbert, the plan I have adopted is one -worthy of a king," said Louis XIV., who pronounced these words with all -the majesty he knew how to assume in such circumstances; and dismissed -Colbert for the purpose of giving an audience to his tailors. - -The order issued by the king was known throughout the whole of -Fontainebleau; it was already known, too, that the king was trying on -his costume, and that the ballet would be danced in the evening. The -news circulated with the rapidity of lightning; during its progress it -kindled every variety of coquetry, desire, and wild ambition. At the -same moment, as if by enchantment, every one who knew how to hold a -needle, every one who could distinguish a coat from a pair of trousers, -was summoned to the assistance of those who had received invitations. -The king had completed his toilette by nine o'clock; he appeared in an -open carriage decorated with branches of trees and flowers. The queens -had taken their seats upon a magnificent dias or platform, erected -upon the borders of the lake, in a theater of wonderful elegance of -construction. In the space of five hours the carpenters had put together -all the different parts connected with the building; the upholsterers -had laid down the carpets, erected the seats; and, as if at the wave -of an enchanter's wand, a thousand arms, aiding, instead of interfering -with each other, had constructed the building, amidst the sound of -music; whilst, at the same time, other workmen illuminated the theater -and the shores of the lake with an incalculable number of lamps. As the -heavens, set with stars, were perfectly unclouded, as not even a breath -of air could be heard in the woods, and as if Nature itself had yielded -complacently to the king's fancies, the back of the theater had been -left open; so that, behind the foreground of the scenes, could be seen -as a background the beautiful sky, glittering with stars; the sheet of -water, illuminated by the lights which were reflected in it; and the -bluish outline of the grand masses of woods, with their rounded tops. -When the king made his appearance, the theater was full, and presented -to the view one vast group, dazzling with gold and precious stones; -in which, however, at the first glance, no single face could be -distinguished. By degrees, as the sight became accustomed to so much -brilliancy, the rarest beauties appeared to the view, as in the evening -sky the stars appear one by one to him who closes his eyes and then -opens them again. - -The theater represented a grove of trees; a few fauns lifting up their -cloven feet were jumping about; a dryad made her appearance on the -scene, and was immediately pursued by them; others gathered round her -for her defense, and they quarrelled as they danced. Suddenly, for the -purpose of restoring peace and order, Spring, accompanied by his whole -court, made his appearance. The Elements, subaltern powers of mythology, -together with their attributes, hastened to follow their gracious -sovereign. The Seasons, allies of Spring, followed him closely, to form -a quadrille, which, after many words of more or less flattering import, -was the commencement of the dance. The music, hautboys, flutes, and -viols, was delightfully descriptive of rural delights. The king had -already made his appearance, amid thunders of applause. He was dressed -in a tunic of flowers, which set off his graceful and well-formed figure -to advantage. His legs, the best-shaped at court, were displayed to -great advantage in flesh-colored silken hose, of silk so fine and so -transparent that it seemed almost like flesh itself. The most beautiful -pale-lilac satin shoes, with bows of flowers and leaves, imprisoned his -small feet. The bust of the figure was in harmonious keeping with the -base; Louis's waving hair floated on his shoulders, the freshness of his -complexion was enhanced by the brilliancy of his beautiful blue eyes, -which softly kindled all hearts; a mouth with tempting lips, which -deigned to open in smiles. Such was the prince of that period: justly -that evening styled "The King of all the Loves." There was something in -his carriage which resembled the buoyant movements of an immortal, and -he did not dance so much as seem to soar along. His entrance produced, -therefore, the most brilliant effect. Suddenly the Comte de Saint-Aignan -was observed endeavoring to approach either the king or Madame. - -The princess--who was robed in a long dress, diaphanous and light as the -finest network tissue from the hands of skillful Mechlin workers, one -knee occasionally revealed beneath the folds of the tunic, and her -little feet encased in silken slippers decked with pearls--advanced -radiant with beauty, accompanied by her _cortege_ of Bacchantes, and -had already reached the spot assigned to her in the dance. The applause -continued so long that the comte had ample leisure to join the king. - -"What is the matter, Saint-Aignan?" said Spring. - -"Nothing whatever," replied the courtier, as pale as death; "but your -majesty has not thought of Fruits." - -"Yes; it is suppressed." - -"Far from it, sire; your majesty having given no directions about it, -the musicians have retained it." - -"How excessively annoying," said the king. "This figure cannot be -performed, since M. de Guiche is absent. It must be suppressed." - -"Ah, sire, a quarter of an hour's music without any dancing will produce -an effect so chilling as to ruin the success of the ballet." - -"But, come, since--" - -"Oh, sire, that is not the greatest misfortune; for, after all, the -orchestra could still just as well cut it out, if it were necessary; -but--" - -"But what?" - -"Why, M. de Guiche is here." - -"Here?" replied the king, frowning, "here? Are you sure?" - -"Yes, sire; and ready dressed for the ballet." - -The king felt himself color deeply, and said, "You are probably -mistaken." - -"So little is that the case, sire, that if your majesty will look to the -right, you will see that the comte is in waiting." - -Louis turned hastily towards the side, and in fact, on his right, -brilliant in his character of Autumn, De Guiche awaited until the king -should look at him, in order that he might address him. To give an idea -of the stupefaction of the king, and that of Monsieur, who was moving -about restlessly in his box,--to describe also the agitated movement -of the heads in the theater, and the strange emotion of Madame, at the -sight of her partner,--is a task we must leave to abler hands. The king -stood almost gaping with astonishment as he looked at the comte, who, -bowing lowly, approached Louis with the profoundest respect. - -"Sire," he said, "your majesty's most devoted servant approaches to -perform a service on this occasion with similar zeal that he has already -shown on the field of battle. Your majesty, in omitting the dance of the -Fruits, would be losing the most beautiful scene in the ballet. I did -not wish to be the substance of so dark a shadow to your majesty's -elegance, skill, and graceful invention; and I have left my tenants in -order to place my services at your majesty's commands." - -Every word fell distinctly, in perfect harmony and eloquence, upon Louis -XIV.'s ears. Their flattery pleased, as much as De Guiche's courage had -astonished him, and he simply replied: "I did not tell you to return, -comte." - -"Certainly not, sire; but your majesty did not tell me to remain." - -The king perceived that time was passing away, that if this strange -scene were prolonged it would complicate everything, and that a single -cloud upon the picture would eventually spoil the whole. Besides, the -king's heart was filled with two or three new ideas; he had just derived -fresh inspiration from the eloquent glances of Madame. Her look had said -to him: "Since they are jealous of you, divide their suspicions, for the -man who distrusts two rivals does not object to either in particular." -So that Madame, by this clever diversion, decided him. The king smiled -upon De Guiche, who did not comprehend a word of Madame's dumb language, -but he remarked that she pretended not to look at him, and he attributed -the pardon which had been conferred upon him to the princess's kindness -of heart. The king seemed only pleased with every one present. Monsieur -was the only one who did not understand anything about the matter. The -ballet began; the effect was more than beautiful. When the music, by -its bursts of melody, carried away these illustrious dancers, when the -simple, untutored pantomime of that period, only the more natural on -account of the very indifferent acting of the august actors, had reached -its culminating point of triumph, the theater shook with tumultuous -applause. - -De Guiche shone like a sun, but like a courtly sun, that is resigned to -fill a subordinate part. Disdainful of a success of which Madame showed -no acknowledgement, he thought of nothing but boldly regaining the -marked preference of the princess. She, however, did not bestow a single -glance upon him. By degrees all his happiness, all his brilliancy, -subsided into regret and uneasiness; so that his limbs lost their power, -his arms hung heavily by his sides, and his head drooped as though he -was stupefied. The king, who had from this moment become in reality -the principal dancer in the quadrille, cast a look upon his vanquished -rival. De Guiche soon ceased to sustain even the character of the -courtier; without applause, he danced indifferently, and very soon -could not dance at all, by which accident the triumph of the king and of -Madame was assured. - - - -Chapter XL: The Nymphs of the Park of Fontainebleau. - -The king remained for a moment to enjoy a triumph as complete as it -could possibly be. He then turned towards Madame, for the purpose of -admiring her also a little in her turn. Young persons love with more -vivacity, perhaps with greater ardor and deeper passion, than others -more advanced in years; but all the other feelings are at the same time -developed in proportion to their youth and vigor: so that vanity being -with them almost always the equivalent of love, the latter feeling, -according to the laws of equipoise, never attains that degree of -perfection which it acquires in men and women from thirty to five and -thirty years of age. Louis thought of Madame, but only after he had -studiously thought of himself; and Madame carefully thought of herself, -without bestowing a single thought upon the king. The victim, however, -of all these royal affections and affectations, was poor De Guiche. -Every one could observe his agitation and prostration--a prostration -which was, indeed, the more remarkable since people were not accustomed -to see him with his arms hanging listlessly by his side, his head -bewildered, and his eyes with all their bright intelligence bedimmed. It -rarely happened that any uneasiness was excited on his account, whenever -a question of elegance or taste was under discussion; and De Guiche's -defeat was accordingly attributed by the greater number present to his -courtier-like tact and ability. But there were others--keen-sighted -observers are always to be met with at court--who remarked his paleness -and his altered looks; which he could neither feign nor conceal, -and their conclusion was that De Guiche was not acting the part of a -flatterer. All these sufferings, successes, and remarks were blended, -confounded, and lost in the uproar of applause. When, however, the -queens expressed their satisfaction and the spectators their enthusiasm, -when the king had retired to his dressing-room to change his costume, -and whilst Monsieur, dressed as a woman, as he delighted to be, was -in his turn dancing about, De Guiche, who had now recovered himself, -approached Madame, who, seated at the back of the theater, was waiting -for the second part, and had quitted the others for the purpose of -creating a sort of solitude for herself in the midst of the crowd, to -meditate, as it were, beforehand, upon chorographic effects; and it will -be perfectly understood that, absorbed in deep meditation, she did not -see, or rather pretended not to notice, anything that was passing around -her. De Guiche, observing that she was alone, near a thicket constructed -of painted cloth, approached her. Two of her maids of honor, dressed -as hamadryads, seeing De Guiche advance, drew back out of respect., -whereupon De Guiche proceeded towards the middle of the circle and -saluted her royal highness; but, whether she did or did not observe -his salutations, the princess did not even turn her head. A cold -shiver passed through poor De Guiche; he was unprepared for such utter -indifference, for he had neither seen nor been told of anything that had -taken place, and consequently could guess nothing. Remarking, therefore, -that his obeisance obtained him no acknowledgement, he advanced one step -further, and in a voice which he tried, though vainly, to render calm, -said: "I have the honor to present my most humble respects to your royal -highness." - -Upon this Madame deigned to turn her eyes languishingly towards the -comte, observing. "Ah! M. de Guiche, is that you? good day!" - -The comte's patience almost forsook him, as he continued,--"Your royal -highness danced just now most charmingly." - -"Do you think so?" she replied with indifference. - -"Yes; the character which your royal highness assumed is in perfect -harmony with your own." - -Madame again turned round, and, looking De Guiche full in the face with -a bright and steady gaze, said,--"Why so?" - -"Oh! there can be no doubt of it." - -"Explain yourself?" - -"You represented a divinity, beautiful, disdainful, inconstant." - -"You mean Pomona, comte?" - -"I allude to the goddess." - -Madame remained silent for a moment, with her lips compressed, and then -observed,--"But, comte, you, too, are an excellent dancer." - -"Nay, Madame, I am only one of those who are never noticed, or who are -soon forgotten if they ever happen to be noticed." - -With this remark, accompanied by one of those deep sighs which affect -the remotest fibers of one's being, his heart burdened with sorrow -and throbbing fast, his head on fire, and his gaze wandering, he bowed -breathlessly, and withdrew behind the thicket. The only reply Madame -condescended to make was by slightly raising her shoulders, and, as her -ladies of honor had discreetly retired while the conversation -lasted, she recalled them by a look. The ladies were Mademoiselle de -Tonnay-Charente and Mademoiselle de Montalais. - -"Did you hear what the Comte de Guiche said?" the princess inquired. - -"No." - -"It really is very singular," she continued, in a compassionate tone, -"how exile has affected poor M. de Guiche's wit." And then, in a louder -voice, fearful lest her unhappy victim might lose a syllable, she -said,--"In the first place he danced badly, and afterwards his remarks -were very silly." - -She then rose, humming the air to which she was presently going to -dance. De Guiche had overheard everything. The arrow pierced his heart -and wounded him mortally. Then, at the risk of interrupting the progress -of the _fete_ by his annoyance, he fled from the scene, tearing his -beautiful costume of Autumn in pieces, and scattering, as he went along, -the branches of vines, mulberry and almond trees, with all the other -artificial attributes of his assumed divinity. A quarter of an hour -afterwards he returned to the theater; but it will be readily believed -that it was only a powerful effort of reason over his great excitement -that enabled him to go back; or perhaps, for love is thus strangely -constituted, he found it impossible even to remain much longer separated -from the presence of one who had broken his heart. Madame was finishing -her figure. She saw, but did not look at De Guiche, who, irritated and -revengeful, turned his back upon her as she passed him, escorted by her -nymphs, and followed by a hundred flatterers. During this time, at the -other end of the theater, near the lake, a young woman was seated, with -her eyes fixed upon one of the windows of the theater, from which were -issuing streams of light--the window in question being that of the royal -box. As De Guiche quitted the theater for the purpose of getting into -the fresh air he so much needed, he passed close to this figure and -saluted her. When she perceived the young man, she rose, like a woman -surprised in the midst of ideas she was desirous of concealing -from herself. De Guiche stopped as he recognized her, and said -hurriedly,--"Good evening, Mademoiselle de la Valliere; I am indeed -fortunate in meeting you." - -"I, also, M. de Guiche, am glad of this accidental meeting," said the -young girl, as she was about to withdraw. - -"Pray do not leave me," said De Guiche, stretching out his hand towards -her, "for you would be contradicting the kind words you have just -pronounced. Remain, I implore you: the evening is most lovely. You wish -to escape from the merry tumult, and prefer your own society. Well, I -can understand it; all women who are possessed of any feeling do, and -one never finds them dull or lonely when removed from the giddy vortex -of these exciting amusements. Oh! Heaven!" he exclaimed, suddenly. - -"What is the matter, monsieur le comte?" inquired La Valliere, with some -anxiety. "You seem agitated." - -"I! oh, no!" - -"Will you allow me, M. de Guiche, to return you the thanks I had -proposed to offer you on the very first opportunity? It is to your -recommendation, I am aware, that I owe my admission among the number of -Madame's maids of honor." - -"Indeed! Ah! I remember now, and I congratulate myself. Do you love any -one?" - -"I!" exclaimed La Valliere. - -"Forgive me, I hardly know what I am saying; a thousand times forgive -me; Madame was right, quite right, this brutal exile has completely -turned my brain." - -"And yet it seemed to me that the king received you with kindness." - -"Do you think so? Received me with kindness--perhaps so--yes--" - -"There cannot be a doubt he received you kindly, for, in fact, you -returned without his permission." - -"Quite true, and I believe you are right. But have you not seen M. de -Bragelonne here?" - -La Valliere started at the name. "Why do you ask?" she inquired. - -"Have I offended you again?" said De Guiche. "In that case I am indeed -unhappy, and greatly to be pitied." - -"Yes, very unhappy, and very much to be pitied, Monsieur de Guiche, for -you seem to be suffering terribly." - -"Oh! mademoiselle, why have I not a devoted sister, or a true friend, -such as yourself?" - -"You have friends, Monsieur de Guiche, and the Vicomte de Bragelonne, of -whom you spoke just now, is, I believe, one of the most devoted." - -"Yes, yes, you are right, he is one of my best friends. Farewell, -Mademoiselle de la Valliere, farewell." And he fled, like one possessed, -along the banks of the lake. His dark shadow glided, lengthening as it -disappeared, among the illumined yews and glittering undulations of the -water. La Valliere looked after him, saying,--"Yes, yes, he, too, is -suffering, and I begin to understand why." - -She had hardly finished when her companions, Mademoiselle de Montalais -and Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente, ran forward. They were released -from their attendance, and had changed their costumes of nymphs; -delighted with the beautiful night, and the success of the evening, they -returned to look after their companion. - -"What, already here!" they said to her. "We thought we should be first -at the rendezvous." - -"I have been here this quarter of an hour," replied La Valliere. - -"Did not the dancing amuse you?" - -"No." - -"But surely the enchanting spectacle?" - -"No more than the dancing. As far as beauty is concerned, I much prefer -that which these dark woods present, in whose depths can be seen, now -in one direction and again in another, a light passing by, as though it -were an eye, in color like a midnight rainbow, sometimes open, at others -closed." - -"La Valliere is quite a poetess," said Tonnay-Charente. - -"In other words," said Montalais, "she is insupportable. Whenever there -is a question of laughing a little or of amusing ourselves, La Valliere -begins to cry; whenever we girls have reason to cry, because, perhaps, -we have mislaid our dresses, or because our vanity as been wounded, or -our costume fails to produce an effect, La Valliere laughs." - -"As far as I am concerned, that is not my character," said Mademoiselle -de Tonnay-Charente. "I am a woman; and there are few like me; whoever -loves me, flatters me; whoever flatters me, pleases me; and whoever -pleases--" - -"Well!" said Montalais, "you do not finish." - -"It is too difficult," replied Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente, laughing -loudly. "Do you, who are so clever, finish for me." - -"And you, Louise?" said Montalais, "does any one please you?" - -"That is a matter that concerns no one but myself," replied the young -girl, rising from the mossy bank on which she had been reclining during -the whole time the ballet lasted. "Now, mesdemoiselles, we have agreed -to amuse ourselves to-night without any one to overlook us, and without -any escort. We are three in number, we like one another, and the night -is lovely. Look yonder, do you not see the moon slowly rising, silvering -the topmost branches of the chestnuts and the oaks. Oh, beautiful walk! -sweet liberty! exquisite soft turf of the woods, the happiness which -your friendship confers upon me! let us walk arm in arm towards those -large trees. Out yonder all are at this moment seated at table and -fully occupied, or preparing to adorn themselves for a set and formal -promenade; horses are being saddled, or harnessed to the carriages--the -queen's mules or Madame's four white ponies. As for ourselves, we shall -soon reach some retired spot where no eyes can see us and no step follow -ours. Do you not remember, Montalais, the woods of Cheverny and of -Chambord, the innumerable rustling poplars of Blois, where we exchanged -our mutual hopes?" - -"And confidences too?" - -"Yes." - -"Well," said Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente, "I also think a good deal; -but I take care--" - -"To say nothing," said Montalais, "so that when Mademoiselle de -Tonnay-Charente thinks, Athenais is the only one who knows it." - -"Hush!" said Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente, "I hear steps approaching -from this side." - -"Quick, quick, then, among the high reed-grass," said Montalais; "stoop, -Athenais, you are so tall." - -Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente stooped as she was told, and, almost at -the same moment, they saw two gentlemen approaching, their heads bent -down, walking arm in arm, on the fine gravel walk running parallel with -the bank. The young girls had, indeed, made themselves small--indeed -invisible. - -"It is Monsieur de Guiche," whispered Montalais in Mademoiselle de -Tonnay-Charente's ear. - -"It is Monsieur de Bragelonne," whispered the latter to La Valliere. - -The two young men approached still closer, conversing in animated tones. -"She was here just now," said the count. "If I had only seen her, I -should have declared it to be a vision, but I spoke to her." - -"You are positive, then?" - -"Yes; but perhaps I frightened her." - -"In what way?" - -"Oh! I was still half crazy at you know what; so that she could hardly -have understood what I was saying, and must have grown alarmed." - -"Oh!" said Bragelonne, "do not make yourself uneasy: she is all -kindness, and will excuse you; she is clear-sighted, and will -understand." - -"Yes, but if she should have understood, and understood too well, she -may talk." - -"You do not know Louise, count," said Raoul. "Louise possesses every -virtue, and has not a single fault." And the two young men passed on, -and, as they proceeded, their voices were soon lost in the distance. - -"How is it, La Valliere," said Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente, "that -the Vicomte de Bragelonne spoke of you as Louise?" - -"We were brought up together," replied Louise, blushing; "M. de -Bragelonne has honored me by asking my hand in marriage, but--" - -"Well?" - -"It seems the king will not consent to it." - -"Eh! Why the king? and what has the king to do with it?" exclaimed Aure, -sharply. "Good gracious! has the king any right to interfere in matters -of that kind? Politics are politics, as M. de Mazarin used to say; but -love is love. If, therefore, you love M. de Bragelonne, marry him. _I_ -give _my_ consent." - -Athenais began to laugh. - -"Oh! I am speaking seriously," replied Montalais, "and my opinion in -this case is quite as good as the king's, I suppose; is it not, Louise?" - -"Come," said La Valliere, "these gentlemen have passed; let us take -advantage of our being alone to cross the open ground and so take refuge -in the woods." - -"So much the better," said Athenais, "because I see the torches setting -out from the chateau and the theater, and they seem as if they were -preceding some person of distinction." - -"Let us run, then," said all three. And, gracefully lifting up the long -skirts of their silk dresses, they lightly ran across the open space -between the lake and the thickest covert of the park. Montalais agile as -a deer, Athenais eager as a young wolf, bounded through the dry grass, -and, now and then, some bold Acteon might, by the aid of the faint -light, have perceived their straight and well-formed limbs somewhat -displayed beneath the heavy folds of their satin petticoats. La -Valliere, more refined and more bashful, allowed her dress to flow -around her; retarded also by the lameness of her foot, it was not long -before she called out to her companions to halt, and, left behind, she -obliged them both to wait for her. At this moment, a man, concealed in -a dry ditch planted with young willow saplings, scrambled quickly up its -shelving side, and ran off in the direction of the chateau. The three -young girls, on their side, reached the outskirts of the park, every -path of which they well knew. The ditches were bordered by high hedges -full of flowers, which on that side protected the foot-passengers from -being intruded upon by the horses and carriages. In fact, the sound of -Madame's and the queen's carriages could be heard in the distance upon -the hard dry ground of the roads, followed by the mounted cavaliers. -Distant music reached them in response, and when the soft notes died -away, the nightingale, with throat of pride, poured forth his melodious -chants, and his most complicated, learned, and sweetest compositions -to those who had met beneath the thick covert of the woods. Near the -songster, in the dark background of the large trees, could be seen the -glistening eyes of an owl, attracted by the harmony. In this way -the _fete_ of the whole court was a _fete_ also for the mysterious -inhabitants of the forest; for certainly the deer in the brake, the -pheasant on the branch, the fox in its hole, were all listening. One -could realize the life led by this nocturnal and invisible population -from the restless movements that suddenly took place among the leaves. -Our sylvan nymphs uttered a slight cry, but, reassured immediately -afterwards, they laughed, and resumed their walk. In this manner they -reached the royal oak, the venerable relic of a tree which in its -prime has listened to the sighs of Henry II. for the beautiful Diana of -Poitiers, and later still to those of Henry IV. for the lovely Gabrielle -d'Estrees. Beneath this oak the gardeners had piled up the moss and -turf in such a manner that never had a seat more luxuriously rested the -wearied limbs of man or monarch. The trunk, somewhat rough to recline -against, was sufficiently large to accommodate the three young girls, -whose voices were lost among the branches, which stretched upwards to -the sky. - - - -Chapter XLI. What Was Said under the Royal Oak. - -The softness of the air, the stillness of the foliage, tacitly imposed -upon these young girls an engagement to change immediately their giddy -conversation for one of a more serious character. She, indeed, whose -disposition was the most lively,--Montalais, for instance,--was the -first to yield to the influence; and she began by heaving a deep sigh, -and saying:--"What happiness to be here alone, and at liberty, with -every right to be frank, especially towards one another." - -"Yes," said Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente; "for the court, however -brilliant it may be, has always some falsehood concealed beneath the -folds of its velvet robes, or the glitter of its diamonds." - -"I," replied La Valliere, "I never tell a falsehood; when I cannot speak -the truth, I remain silent." - -"You will not long remain in favor," said Montalais; "it is not here -as it was at Blois, where we told the dowager Madame all our little -annoyances, and all our longings. There were certain days when Madame -remembered that she herself had been young, and, on those days, whoever -talked with her found in her a sincere friend. She related to us her -flirtations with Monsieur, and we told her of the flirtations she -had had with others, or, at least, the rumors of them that had spread -abroad. Poor woman, so simple-minded! she laughed at them, as we did. -Where is she now?" - -"Ah, Montalais,--laughter-loving Montalais!" cried La Valliere; "you -see you are sighing again; the woods inspire you, and you are almost -reasonable this evening." - -"You ought not, either of you," said Athenais, "to regret the court at -Blois so much, unless you do not feel happy with us. A court is a place -where men and women resort to talk of matters which mothers, guardians, -and especially confessors, severely denounce." - -"Oh, Athenais!" said Louise, blushing. - -"Athenais is frank to-night," said Montalais; "let us avail ourselves of -it." - -"Yes, let us take advantage of it, for this evening I could divulge the -softest secrets of my heart." - -"Ah, if M. Montespan were here!" said Montalais. - -"Do you think that I care for M. de Montespan?" murmured the beautiful -young girl. - -"He is handsome, I believe?" - -"Yes. And that is no small advantage in my eyes." - -"There now, you see--" - -"I will go further, and say, that of all the men whom one sees here, he -is the handsomest, and the most--" - -"What was that?" said La Valliere, starting suddenly from the mossy -bank. - -"A deer hurrying by, perhaps." - -"I am only afraid of men," said Athenais. - -"When they do not resemble M. de Montespan." - -"A truce to raillery. M. de Montespan is attentive to me, but that does -not commit me in any way. Is not M. de Guiche here, he who is so devoted -to Madame?" - -"Poor fellow!" said La Valliere. - -"Why to be pitied? Madame is sufficiently beautiful, and of high enough -rank, I suppose." - -La Valliere shook her head sorrowfully, saying, "When one loves, it is -neither beauty nor rank;--when one loves it should be the heart, or the -eyes only, of him, or of her whom one loves." - -Montalais began to laugh loudly. "Heart, eyes," she said; "oh, -sugar-plums!" - -"I speak for myself;" replied La Valliere. - -"Noble sentiments," said Athenais, with an air of protection, but with -indifference. - -"Are they not your own?" asked Louise. - -"Perfectly so; but to continue: how can one pity a man who bestows his -attentions upon such a woman as Madame? If any disproportion exists, it -is on the count's side." - -"Oh! no, no," returned La Valliere; "it is on Madame's side." - -"Explain yourself." - -"I will. Madame has not even a wish to know what love is. She diverts -herself with the feeling, as children do with fireworks, form which a -spark might set a palace on fire. It makes a display, and that is all -she cares about. Besides, pleasure forms the tissue of which she wishes -her life to be woven. M. de Guiche loves this illustrious personage, but -she will never love him." - -Athenais laughed disdainfully. "Do people really ever love?" she said. -"Where are the noble sentiments you just now uttered? Does not a woman's -virtue consist in the uncompromising refusal of every intrigue that -might compromise her? A properly regulated woman, endowed with a natural -heart, ought to look at men, make herself loved--adored, even, by them, -and say at the very utmost but once in her life, 'I begin to think that -I ought not to have been what I am,--I should have detested this one -less than others.'" - -"Therefore," exclaimed La Valliere, "that is what M. de Montespan has to -expect." - -"Certainly; he, as well as every one else. What! have I not said that I -admit he possesses a certain superiority, and would not that be enough? -My dear child, a woman is a queen during the entire period nature -permits her to enjoy sovereign power--from fifteen to thirty-five years -of age. After that, we are free to have a heart, when we only have that -left--" - -"Oh, oh!" murmured La Valliere. - -"Excellent," cried Montalais; "a very masterly woman; Athenais, you will -make your way in the world." - -"Do you not approve of what I say?" - -"Completely," replied her laughing companion. - -"You are not serious, Montalais?" said Louise. - -"Yes, yes; I approve everything Athenais has just said; only--" - -"Only _what?_" - -"Well, I cannot carry it out. I have the firmest principles; I form -resolutions beside which the laws of the Stadtholder and of the King -of Spain are child's play; but when the moment arrives to put them into -execution, nothing comes of them." - -"Your courage fails?" said Athenais, scornfully. - -"Miserably so." - -"Great weakness of nature," returned Athenais. "But at least you make a -choice." - -"Why, no. It pleases fate to disappoint me in everything; I dream of -emperors, and I find only--" - -"Aure, Aure!" exclaimed La Valliere, "for pity's sake, do not, for the -pleasure of saying something witty, sacrifice those who love you with -such devoted affection." - -"Oh, I do not trouble myself much about that; those who love me are -sufficiently happy that I do not dismiss them altogether. So much the -worse for myself if I have a weakness for any one, but so much the worse -for others if I revenge myself upon them for it." - -"You are right," said Athenais, "and, perhaps, you too will reach the -goal. In other words, young ladies, that is termed being a coquette. -Men, who are very silly in most things, are particularly so in -confounding, under the term of coquetry, a woman's pride, and love -of changing her sentiments as she does her dress. I, for instance, am -proud; that is to say, impregnable. I treat my admirers harshly, but -without any pretention to retain them. Men call me a coquette, because -they are vain enough to think I care for them. Other women--Montalais, -for instance--have allowed themselves to be influenced by flattery; they -would be lost were it not for that most fortunate principle of instinct -which urges them to change suddenly, and punish the man whose devotion -they so recently accepted." - -"A very learned dissertation," said Montalais, in the tone of thorough -enjoyment. - -"It is odious!" murmured Louise. - -"Thanks to that sort of coquetry, for, indeed, that is genuine -coquetry," continued Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente; "the lover who, a -little while since, was puffed up with pride, in a minute afterwards is -suffering at every pore of his vanity and self-esteem. He was, perhaps, -already beginning to assume the airs of a conqueror, but now he retreats -defeated; he was about to assume an air of protection towards us, but -he is obliged to prostrate himself once more. The result of all this is, -that, instead of having a husband who is jealous and troublesome, -free from restraint in his conduct towards us, we have a lover always -trembling in our presence, always fascinated by our attractions, always -submissive; and for this simple reason, that he finds the same woman -never twice of the same mind. Be convinced, therefore, of the advantages -of coquetry. Possessing that, one reigns a queen among women in cases -where Providence has withheld that precious faculty of holding one's -heart and mind in check." - -"How clever you are," said Montalais, "and how well you understand the -duty women owe themselves!" - -"I am only settling a case of individual happiness," said Athenais -modestly; "and defending myself, like all weak, loving dispositions, -against the oppressions of the stronger." - -"La Valliere does not say a word." - -"Does she not approve of what we are saying?" - -"Nay; only I do not understand it," said Louise. "You talk like people -not called upon to live in this world of ours." - -"And very pretty your world is," said Montalais. - -"A world," returned Athenais, "in which men worship a woman until she -has fallen,--and insult her when she has fallen." - -"Who spoke to you of falling?" said Louise. - -"Yours is a new theory, then; will you tell us how you intend to resist -yielding to temptation, if you allow yourself to be hurried away by -feelings of affection?" - -"Oh!" exclaimed the young girl, raising towards the dark heavens her -beautiful large eyes filled with tears, "if you did but know what a -heart is, I would explain, and convince you; a loving heart is stronger -than all your coquetry, more powerful than all your pride. A woman is -never truly loved, I believe; a man never loves with idolatry, unless -he feels sure he is loved in return. Let old men, whom we read of in -comedies, fancy themselves adored by coquettes. A young man is conscious -of, and knows them; if he has a fancy, or a strong desire, and an -absorbing passion, for a coquette, he cannot mistake her; a coquette may -drive him out of his senses, but will never make him fall in love. Love, -such as I conceive it to be, is an incessant, complete, and perfect -sacrifice; but it is not the sacrifice of one only of the two persons -thus united. It is the perfect abnegation of two who are desirous of -blending their beings into one. If ever I love, I shall implore my lover -to leave me free and pure; I will tell him, and he will understand, that -my heart was torn by my refusal, and he, in his love for me, aware of -the magnitude of my sacrifice,--he, in his turn, I say, will store his -devotion for me,--will respect me, and will not seek my ruin, to insult -me when I shall have fallen, as you said just now, whilst uttering your -blasphemies against love, such as I understand it. That is my idea of -love. And now you will tell me, perhaps, that my love will despise me; I -defy him to do so, unless he be the vilest of men, and my heart assures -me that it is not such a man I would choose. A look from me will repay -him for the sacrifices he makes, or will inspire him with the virtues -which he would never think he possessed." - -"But, Louise," exclaimed Montalais, "you tell us this, and do not carry -it into practice." - -"What do you mean?" - -"You are adored by Raoul de Bragelonne, who worships you on both knees. -The poor fellow is made the victim of your virtue, just as he would be-- -nay, more than he would be, even--of my coquetry, or Athenais's pride." - -"All this is simply a different shade of coquetry," said Athenais; "and -Louise, I perceive, is a coquette without knowing it." - -"Oh!" said La Valliere. - -"Yes, you may call it instinct, if you please, keenest sensibility, -exquisite refinement of feeling, perpetual play of restrained outbreaks -of affection, which end in smoke. It is very artful too, and very -effective. I should even, now that I reflect upon it, have preferred -this system of tactics to my own pride, for waging war on members of -the other sex, because it offers the advantage sometimes of thoroughly -convincing them; but, at the present moment, without utterly condemning -myself, I declare it to be superior to the non-complex coquetry of -Montalais." And the two young girls began to laugh. - -La Valliere alone preserved silence, and quietly shook her head. Then, -a moment after, she added, "If you were to tell me, in the presence of -a man, but a fourth part of what you have just said, or even if I were -assured that you think it, I should die of shame and grief where I am -now." - -"Very well; die, poor tender little darling," replied Mademoiselle de -Tonnay-Charente; "for if there are no men here, there are at least two -women, your own friends, who declare you to be attained and convicted of -being a coquette from instinct; in other words, the most dangerous kind -of coquette the world possesses." - -"Oh! mesdemoiselles," replied La Valliere, blushing, and almost ready to -weep. Her two companions again burst out laughing. - -"Very well! I will ask Bragelonne to tell me." - -"Bragelonne?" said Athenais. - -"Yes! Bragelonne, who is as courageous as Caesar, and as clever and -witty as M. Fouquet. Poor fellow! for twelve years he has known you, -loved you, and yet--one can hardly believe it--he has never even kissed -the tips of your fingers." - -"Tell us the reason of this cruelty, you who are all heart," said -Athenais to La Valliere. - -"Let me explain it by a single word--virtue. You will perhaps deny the -existence of virtue?" - -"Come, Louise, tell us the truth," said Aure, taking her by the hand. - -"What do you wish me to tell you?" cried La Valliere. - -"Whatever you like; but it will be useless for you to say anything, -for I persist in my opinion of you. A coquette from instinct; in other -words, as I have already said, and I say it again, the most dangerous of -all coquettes." - -"Oh! no, no; for pity's sake do not believe that!" - -"What! twelve years of extreme severity." - -"How can that be, since twelve years ago I was only five years old? -The frivolity of the child cannot surely be placed to the young girl's -account." - -"Well! you are now seventeen; three years instead of twelve. During -those three years you have remained constantly and unchangeably cruel. -Against you are arrayed the silent shades of Blois, the meetings when -you diligently conned the stars together, the evening wanderings beneath -the plantain-trees, his impassioned twenty years speaking to your -fourteen summers, the fire of his glances addressed to yourself." - -"Yes, yes; but so it is!" - -"Impossible!" - -"But why impossible?" - -"Tell us something credible and we will believe you." - -"Yet, if you were to suppose one thing." - -"What is that?" - -"Suppose that I thought I was in love, and that I am not." - -"What! not in love!" - -"Well, then! if I have acted in a different manner to what others do -when they are in love, it is because I do not love; and because my hour -has not yet come." - -"Louise, Louise," said Montalais, "take care or I will remind you of the -remark you made just now. Raoul is not here; do not overwhelm him while -he is absent; be charitable, and if, on closer inspection, you think you -do not love him, tell him so, poor fellow!" and she began to laugh. - -"Louise pitied M. de Guiche just now," said Athenais; "would it be -possible to detect an explanation of her indifference for the one in -this compassion for the other?" - -"Say what you please," said La Valliere, sadly; "upbraid me as you like, -since you do not understand me." - -"Oh! oh!" replied Montalais, "temper, sorrow, tears; we are jesting, -Louise, and are not, I assure you, quite the monsters you suppose. -Look at the proud Athenais, as she is called; she does not love M. de -Montespan, it is true, but she would be in despair if M. de Montespan -did not continue to love her. Look at me; I laugh at M. Malicorne, -but the poor fellow whom I laugh at knows precisely when he will be -permitted to press his lips upon my hand. And yet the eldest of us is -not twenty yet. What a future before us!" - -"Silly, silly girls!" murmured Louise. - -"You are quite right," said Montalais; "and you alone have spoken words -of wisdom." - -"Certainly." - -"I do not dispute it," replied Athenais. "And so it is clear you do not -love poor M. de Bragelonne?" - -"Perhaps she does," said Montalais; "she is not yet quite certain of it. -But, in any case, listen, Athenais; if M. de Bragelonne is ever free, I -will give you a little friendly advice." - -"What is that?" - -"To look at him well before you decide in favor of M. de Montespan." - -"Oh! in that way of considering the subject, M. de Bragelonne is not -the only one whom one could look at with pleasure; M. de Guiche, for -instance, has his value also." - -"He did not distinguish himself this evening," said Montalais; "and I -know from very good authority that Madame thought him insupportable." - -"M. de Saint-Aignan produced a most brilliant effect, and I am sure that -more than one person who saw him dance this evening will not soon forget -him. Do you not think so, La Valliere?" - -"Why do you ask me? I did not see him, nor do I know him." - -"What! you did not see M. de Saint-Aignan? Don't you know him?" - -"No." - -"Come, come, do not affect a virtue more extravagantly excessive than -our vanity!--you have eyes, I suppose?" - -"Excellent." - -"Then you must have seen all those who danced this evening." - -"Yes, nearly all." - -"That is a very impertinent 'nearly all' for somebody." - -"You must take it for what it is worth." - -"Very well; now, among all those gentlemen whom you saw, which do you -prefer?" - -"Yes," said Montalais, "is it M. de Saint-Aignan, or M. de Guiche, or -M.--" - -"I prefer no one; I thought them all about the same." - -"Do you mean, then, that among that brilliant assembly, the first court -in the world, no one pleased you?" - -"I do not say that." - -"Tell us, then, who your ideal is?" - -"It is not an ideal being." - -"He exists, then?" - -"In very truth," exclaimed La Valliere, aroused and excited; "I cannot -understand you at all. What! you who have a heart as I have, eyes as I -have, and yet you speak of M. de Guiche, of M. de Saint-Aignan, when the -king was there." These words, uttered in a precipitate manner, and in -an agitated, fervid tone of voice, made her two companions, between whom -she was seated, exclaim in a manner that terrified her, "_The king!_" - -La Valliere buried her face in her hands. "Yes," she murmured; "the -king! the king! Have you ever seen any one to be compared to the king?" - -"You were right just now in saying you had excellent eyes, Louise, for -you see a great distance; too far, indeed. Alas! the king is not one -upon whom our poor eyes have a right to hinge themselves." - -"That is too true," cried La Valliere; "it is not the privilege of all -eyes to gaze upon the sun; but I will look upon him, even were I to be -blinded in doing so." At this moment, and as though caused by the words -which had just escaped La Valliere's lips, a rustling of leaves, and of -what sounded like some silken material, was heard behind the adjoining -bushes. The young girls hastily rose, almost terrified out of their -senses. They distinctly saw the leaves move, without being able to see -what it was that stirred them. - -"It is a wolf or a wild boar," cried Montalais; "fly! fly!" The three -girls, in the extremity of terror, fled by the first path that presented -itself, and did not stop until they had reached the verge of the wood. -There, breathless, leaning against each other, feeling their hearts -throb wildly, they endeavored to collect their senses, but could only -succeed in doing so after the lapse of some minutes. Perceiving at last -the lights from the windows of the chateau, they decided to walk towards -them. La Valliere was exhausted with fatigue, and Aure and Athenais were -obliged to support her. - -"We have escaped well," said Montalais. - -"I am greatly afraid," said La Valliere, "that it was something -worse than a wolf. For my part, and I speak as I think, I should have -preferred to have run the risk of being devoured alive by some wild -animal than to have been listened to and overheard. Fool, fool that I -am! How could I have thought, how could I have said what I did?" And -saying this her head bowed like the water tossed plume of a bulrush; -she felt her limbs fail, and her strength abandoning her, and, gliding -almost inanimate from the arms of her companions, sank down upon the -turf. - - - -Chapter XLII. The King's Uneasiness. - -Let us leave poor La Valliere, who had fainted in the arms of her two -companions, and return to the precincts of the royal oak. The young -girls had hardly run twenty paces, when the sound which had so much -alarmed them was renewed among the branches. A man's figure might -indistinctly be perceived, and putting the branches of the bushes aside, -he appeared upon the verge of the wood, and perceiving that the place -was empty, burst out into a peal of laughter. It is almost superfluous -to add that the form in question was that of a young and handsome -cavalier, who immediately made a sign to another, who thereupon made his -appearance. - -"What, sire," said the second figure, advancing timidly, "has your -majesty put our young sentimentalists to flight?" - -"It seems so," said the king, "and you can show yourself without fear." - -"Take care, sire, you will be recognized." - -"But I tell you they are flown." - -"This is a most fortunate meeting, sire; and, if I dared offer an -opinion to your majesty, we ought to follow them." - -"They are far enough away by this time." - -"They would quickly allow themselves to be overtaken, especially if they -knew who were following them." - -"What do you mean by that, coxcomb that you are?" - -"Why, one of them seems to have taken a fancy to me, and another -compared you to the sun." - -"The greater reason why we should not show ourselves, Saint-Aignan. The -sun never shows itself in the night-time." - -"Upon my word, sire, your majesty seems to have very little curiosity. -In your place, I should like to know who are the two nymphs, the two -dryads, the two hamadryads, who have so good an opinion of us." - -"I shall know them again very well, I assure you, without running after -them." - -"By what means?" - -"By their voices, of course. They belong to the court, and the one who -spoke of me had a remarkably sweet voice." - -"Ah! your majesty permits yourself to be influenced by flattery." - -"No one will ever say it is a means _you_ make use of." - -"Forgive my stupidity, sire." - -"Come; let us go and look where I told you." - -"Is the passion, then, which your majesty confided to me, already -forgotten?" - -"Oh! no, indeed. How is it possible to forget such beautiful eyes as -Mademoiselle de la Valliere has?" - -"Yet the other one has a beautiful voice." - -"Which one?" - -"The lady who has fallen in love with the sun." - -"M. de Saint-Aignan!" - -"Forgive me, sire." - -"Well, I am not sorry you should believe me to be an admirer of sweet -voices as well as of beautiful eyes. I know you to be a terrible talker, -and to-morrow I shall have to pay for the confidence I have shown you." - -"What do you mean, sire?" - -"That to-morrow every one will know that I have designs upon this little -La Valliere; but be careful, Saint-Aignan, I have confided my secret to -no one but you, and if any one should speak to me about it, I shall know -who has betrayed my secret." - -"You are angry, sire." - -"No; but you understand I do not wish to compromise the poor girl." - -"Do not be afraid, sire." - -"You promise me, then?" - -"I give you my word of honor." - -"Excellent," thought the king, laughing to himself; "now every one -will know to-morrow that I have been running about after La Valliere -to-night." - -Then, endeavoring to see where he was, he said: "Why we have lost -ourselves." - -"Not quite so bad as that, sire." - -"Where does that gate lead to?" - -"To Rond-Point, sire." - -"Where were we going when we heard the sound of women's voices?" - -"Yes, sire, and the termination of a conversation in which I had the -honor of hearing my own name pronounced by the side of your majesty's." - -"You return to that subject too frequently, Saint-Aignan." - -"Your majesty will forgive me, but I am delighted to know that a woman -exists whose thoughts are occupied about me, without my knowledge, -and without my having done anything to deserve it. Your majesty cannot -comprehend this satisfaction, for your rank and merit attract attention, -and compel regard." - -"No, no, Saint-Aignan, believe me or not, as you like," said the king, -leaning familiarly upon Saint-Aignan's arm and taking the path he -thought would lead them to the chateau; "but this candid confession, -this perfectly disinterested preference of one who will, perhaps, never -attract my attention--in one word, the mystery of this adventure excites -me, and the truth is, that if I were not so taken with La Valliere--" - -"Do not let that interfere with your majesty's intentions: you have time -enough before you." - -"What do you mean?" - -"La Valliere is said to be very strict in her ideas." - -"You excite my curiosity and I am anxious to see her again. Come, let us -walk on." - -The king spoke untruly, for nothing, on the contrary, could make him -less anxious, but he had a part to play, and so he walked on hurriedly. -Saint-Aignan followed him at a short distance. Suddenly the king -stopped; the courtier followed his example. - -"Saint-Aignan," he said, "do you not hear some one moaning?" - -"Yes, sire, and weeping, too, it seems." - -"It is in this direction," said the king. "It sounds like the tears and -sobs of a woman." - -"Run," said the king; and, following a by-path, they ran across the -grass. As they approached, the cries were more distinctly heard. - -"Help, help," exclaimed two voices. The king and his companion redoubled -their speed, and, as they approached nearer, the sighs they had -heard were changed into loud sobs. The cry of "Help! help!" was again -repeated; at the sound of which, the king and Saint-Aignan increased the -rapidity of their pace. Suddenly at the other side of a ditch, under -the branches of a willow, they perceived a woman on her knees, holding -another in her arms who seemed to have fainted. A few paces from them, -a third, standing in the middle of the path, was calling for assistance. -Perceiving the two gentlemen, whose rank she could not tell, her cries -for assistance were redoubled. The king, who was in advance of his -companion, leaped across the ditch, and reached the group at the very -moment when, from the end of the path which led to the chateau, a dozen -persons were approaching, who had been drawn to the spot by the -same cries that had attracted the attention of the king and M. de -Saint-Aignan. - -"What is the matter, young ladies?" said Louis. - -"The king!" exclaimed Mademoiselle de Montalais, in her astonishment, -letting La Valliere's head fall upon the ground. - -"Yes, it is the king; but that is no reason why you should abandon your -companion. Who is she?" - -"It is Mademoiselle de la Valliere, sire." - -"Mademoiselle de la Valliere!" - -"Yes, sire, she has just fainted." - -"Poor child!" said the king. "Quick, quick, fetch a surgeon." But -however great the anxiety with which the king had pronounced these words -may have seemed to others, he had not so carefully schooled himself -but that they appeared, as well as the gesture which accompanied them, -somewhat cold to Saint-Aignan, to whom the king had confided the sudden -love with which she had inspired him. - -"Saint-Aignan," continued the king, "watch over Mademoiselle de la -Valliere, I beg. Send for a surgeon. I will hasten forward and inform -Madame of the accident which has befallen one of her maids of honor." -And, in fact, while M. de Saint-Aignan was busily engaged in making -preparations for carrying Mademoiselle de la Valliere to the chateau, -the king hurried forward, happy to have an opportunity of approaching -Madame, and of speaking to her under a colorable pretext. Fortunately, a -carriage was passing; the coachman was told to stop, and the persons who -were inside, having been informed of the accident, eagerly gave up their -seats to Mademoiselle de la Valliere. The current of fresh air produced -by the rapid motion of the carriage soon recalled her to her senses. -Having reached the chateau, she was able, though very weak, to -alight from the carriage, and, with the assistance of Athenais and of -Montalais, to reach the inner apartments. They made her sit down in one -of the rooms of the ground floor. After a while, as the accident had not -produced much effect upon those who had been walking, the promenade was -resumed. During this time, the king had found Madame beneath a tree with -overhanging branches, and had seated himself by her side. - -"Take care, sire," said Henrietta to him, in a low tone, "you do not -show yourself as indifferent as you ought to be." - -"Alas!" replied the king, in the same tone, "I much fear we have entered -into an agreement above our strength to keep." He then added aloud, "You -have heard of the accident, I suppose?" - -"What accident?" - -"Oh! in seeing you I forgot I hurried here expressly to tell you of it. -I am, however, painfully affected by it; one of your maids of honor, -Mademoiselle de la Valliere, has just fainted." - -"Indeed! poor girl," said the princess, quietly, "what was the cause of -it?" - -She then added in an undertone, "You forget, sire, that you wish others -to believe in your passion for this girl, and yet you remain here while -she is almost dying, perhaps, elsewhere." - -"Ah! Madame," said the king, sighing, "how much more perfect you are in -your part than I am, and how actively you think of everything." - -He then rose, saying loud enough for every one to hear him, "Permit -me to leave you, Madame; my uneasiness is very great, and I wish to -be quite certain, myself, that proper attention has been given to -Mademoiselle de la Valliere." And the king left again to return to La -Valliere, while those who had been present commented upon the king's -remark:--"My uneasiness is very great." - - - -Chapter XLIII. The King's Secret. - -On his way Louis met the Comte de Saint-Aignan. "Well, Saint-Aignan," he -inquired, with affected interest, "how is the invalid." - -"Really, sire," stammered Saint-Aignan, "to my shame, I confess I do not -know." - -"What! you do not know?" said the king, pretending to take in a serious -manner this want of attention for the object of his predilection. - -"Will your majesty pardon me; but I have just met one of our three -loquacious wood-nymphs, and I confess that my attention has been taken -away from other matters." - -"Ah!" said the king, eagerly, "you have found, then--" - -"The one who deigned to speak of me in such advantageous terms; and, -having found mine, I was searching for yours, sire, when I had the -happiness to meet your majesty." - -"Very well; but Mademoiselle de la Valliere before everything else," -said the king, faithful to the character he had assumed. - -"Oh! our charming invalid!" said Saint-Aignan; "how fortunately her -fainting fit came on, since your majesty had already occupied yourself -about her." - -"What is the name of your fair lady, Saint-Aignan? Is it a secret?" - -"It ought to be a secret, and a very great one, even; but your majesty -is well aware that no secret can possibly exist for you." - -"Well, what is her name?" - -"Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente." - -"Is she pretty?" - -"Exceedingly, sire; and I recognized the voice which pronounced my name -in such tender accents. I accosted her, questioned her as well as I -was able to do, in the midst of the crowd; and she told me, without -suspecting anything, that a little while ago she was under the great -oak, with her two friends, when the sound of a wolf or a robber had -terrified them, and made them run away." - -"But," inquired the king, anxiously, "what are the names of these two -friends?" - -"Sire," said Saint-Aignan, "will your majesty send me forthwith to the -Bastile?" - -"What for?" - -"Because I am an egotist and a fool. My surprise was so great at such a -conquest, and at so fortunate a discovery, that I went no further in my -inquiries. Besides, I did not think that your majesty would attach any -very great importance to what you heard, knowing how much your attention -was taken up by Mademoiselle de la Valliere; and then, Mademoiselle de -Tonnay-Charente left me precipitately, to return to Mademoiselle de la -Valliere." - -"Let us hope, then, that I shall be as fortunate as yourself. Come, -Saint-Aignan." - -"Your majesty is ambitions, I perceive, and does not wish to allow any -conquest to escape you. Well, I assure you that I will conscientiously -set about my inquiries; and, moreover, from one or the other of those -Three Graces we shall learn the names of the rest, and by the names -their secrets." - -"I, too," said the king, "only require to hear her voice to know it -again. Come, let us say no more about it, but show me where poor La -Valliere is." - -"Well," thought Saint-Aignan, "the king's regard is beginning to display -itself, and for that girl too. It is extraordinary; I should never have -believed it." And with this thought passing through his mind, he showed -the king the room to which La Valliere had been carried; the king -entered, followed by Saint-Aignan. In a low chamber, near a large -window looking out upon the gardens, La Valliere, reclining in a large -armchair, was inhaling deep draughts of the perfumed evening breeze. -From the loosened body of her dress, the lace fell in tumbled folds, -mingling with the tresses of her beautiful fair hair, which lay -scattered upon her shoulders. Her languishing eyes were filled with -tears; she seemed as lifeless as those beautiful visions of our dreams, -that pass before the mental eye of the sleeper, half-opening their wings -without moving them, unclosing their lips without a sound escaping -them. The pearl-like pallor of La Valliere possessed a charm it would -be impossible to describe. Mental and bodily suffering had produced -upon her features a soft and noble expression of grief; from the perfect -passiveness of her arms and bust, she more resembled one whose soul had -passed away, than a living being; she seemed not to hear either of -the whisperings which arose from the court. She seemed to be communing -within herself; and her beautiful, delicate hands trembled from time -to time as though at the contact of some invisible touch. She was so -completely absorbed in her reverie, that the king entered without her -perceiving him. At a distance he gazed upon her lovely face, upon which -the moon shed its pure silvery light. - -"Good Heavens!" he exclaimed, with a terror he could not control, "she -is dead." - -"No, sire," said Montalais, in a low voice; "on the contrary, she is -better. Are you not better, Louise?" - -But Louise did not answer. "Louise," continued Montalais, "the king has -deigned to express his uneasiness on your account." - -"The king!" exclaimed Louise, starting up abruptly, as if a stream of -fire had started through her frame to her heart; "the king uneasy about -me?" - -"Yes," said Montalais. - -"The king is here, then?" said La Valliere, not venturing to look round -her. - -"That voice! that voice!" whispered Louis, eagerly, to Saint-Aignan. - -"Yes, it is so," replied Saint-Aignan; "your majesty is right; it is she -who declared her love for the sun." - -"Hush!" said the king. And then approaching La Valliere, he said, "You -are not well, Mademoiselle de la Valliere? Just now, indeed, in the -park, I saw that you had fainted. How were you attacked?" - -"Sire," stammered out the poor child, pale and trembling, "I really do -not know." - -"You have been walking too far," said the king; "and fatigue, perhaps--" - -"No, sire," said Montalais, eagerly, answering for her friend, "it could -not be from fatigue, for we passed most of the evening seated beneath -the royal oak." - -"Under the royal oak?" returned the king, starting. "I was not deceived; -it is as I thought." And he directed a look of intelligence at the -comte. - -"Yes," said Saint-Aignan, "under the royal oak, with Mademoiselle de -Tonnay-Charente." - -"How do you know that?" inquired Montalais. - -"In a very simple way. Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente told me so." - -"In that case, she probably told you the cause of Mademoiselle de la -Valliere's fainting?" - -"Why, yes; she told me something about a wolf or a robber. I forget -precisely which." La Valliere listened, her eyes fixed, her bosom -heaving, as if, gifted with an acuteness of perception, she foresaw a -portion of the truth. Louis imagined this attitude and agitation to -be the consequence of a terror only partially reassured. "Nay, fear -nothing," he said, with a rising emotion which he could not conceal; -"the wolf which terrified you so much was simply a wolf with two legs." - -"It was a man, then!" said Louise; "it was a man who was listening?" - -"Suppose it was so, mademoiselle, what great harm was there in his -having listened? Is it likely that, even in your own opinion, you would -have said anything which could not have been listened to?" - -La Valliere wrung her hands, and hid her face in them, as if to hide her -blushes. "In Heaven's name," she said, "who was concealed there? Who was -listening?" - -The king advanced towards her, to take hold of one of her hands. "It -was I," he said, bowing with marked respect. "Is it likely I could have -frightened you?" La Valliere uttered a loud cry; for the second time -her strength forsook her; and moaning in utter despair, she again fell -lifeless in her chair. The king had just time to hold out his arm; so -that she was partially supported by him. Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente -and Montalais, who stood a few paces from the king and La Valliere, -motionless and almost petrified at the recollection of their -conversation with La Valliere, did not even think of offering their -assistance, feeling restrained by the presence of the king, who, with -one knee on the ground, held La Valliere round the waist with his arm. - -"You heard, sire!" murmured Athenais. But the king did not reply; he -remained with his eyes fixed upon La Valliere's half-closed eyes, and -held her quiescent hand in his own. - -"Of course," replied Saint-Aignan, who, on his side, hoping that -Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente, too, would faint, advancing towards -her, holding his arms extended,--"of course; we did not even lose a -single word." But the haughty Athenais was not a woman to faint easily; -she darted a terrible look at Saint-Aignan, and fled. Montalais, with -more courage, advanced hurriedly towards Louise, and received her from -the king's hands, who was already fast losing his presence of mind, as -he felt his face covered by the perfumed tresses of the seemingly dying -girl. "Excellent," whispered Saint-Aignan. "This is indeed an adventure; -and it will be my own fault if I am not the first to relate it." - -The king approached him, and, with a trembling voice and a passionate -gesture, said, "Not a syllable, comte." - -The poor king forgot that, only an hour before, he had given him a -similar recommendation, but with the very opposite intention; namely, -that the comte should be indiscreet. It followed, as a matter of course, -that he latter recommendation was quite as unnecessary as the -former. Half an hour afterwards, everybody in Fontainebleau knew that -Mademoiselle de la Valliere had had a conversation under the royal oak -with Montalais and Tonnay-Charente, and that in this conversation she -had confessed her affection for the king. It was known, also, that the -king, after having manifested the uneasiness with which Mademoiselle -de la Valliere's health had inspired him, had turned pale, and trembled -very much as he received the beautiful girl fainting into his arms; so -that it was quite agreed among the courtiers, that the greatest event of -the period had just been revealed; that his majesty loved Mademoiselle -de la Valliere, and that, consequently, Monsieur could now sleep in -perfect tranquillity. It was this, even, that the queen-mother, as -surprised as the others by the sudden change, hastened to tell the young -queen and Philip d'Orleans. Only she set to work in a different manner, -by attacking them in the following way:--To her daughter-in-law she -said, "See, now, Therese, how very wrong you were to accuse the king; -now it is said he is devoted to some other person; why should there be -any greater truth in the report of to-day than in that of yesterday, or -in that of yesterday than in that of to-day?" To Monsieur, in relating -to him the adventure of the royal oak, she said, "Are you not very -absurd in your jealousies, my dear Philip? It is asserted that the king -is madly in love with that little La Valliere. Say nothing of it to -your wife; for the queen will know all about it very soon." This latter -confidential communication had an immediate result. Monsieur, who had -regained his composure, went triumphantly to look after his wife, and -it was not yet midnight and the _fete_ was to continue until two in the -morning, he offered her his hand for a promenade. At the end of a few -paces, however, the first thing he did was to disobey his mother's -injunctions. - -"Do not tell any one, the queen least of all," he said mysteriously, -"what people say about the king." - -"What do they say about him?" inquired Madame. - -"That my brother has suddenly fallen in love." - -"With whom?" - -"With Mademoiselle de la Valliere." - -As it was dark, Madame could smile at her ease. - -"Ah!" she said, "and how long is it since this has been the case?" - -"For some days, it seems. But that was nothing but nonsense; it is only -this evening that he has revealed his passion." - -"The king shows his good taste," said Madame; "in my opinion she is a -very charming girl." - -"I verily believe you are jesting." - -"I! in what way?" - -"In any case this passion will make some one very happy, even if it be -only La Valliere herself." - -"Really," continued the princess, "you speak as if you had read into the -inmost recesses of La Valliere's heart. Who has told you that she agrees -to return the king's affection?" - -"And who has told you that she will not return it?" - -"She loves the Vicomte de Bragelonne." - -"You think so?" - -"She is even affianced to him." - -"She was so." - -"What do you mean?" - -"When they went to ask the king's permission to arrange the marriage, he -refused his permission." - -"Refused?" - -"Yes, although the request was preferred by the Comte de la Fere -himself, for whom the king has the greatest regard, on account of the -part he took in your royal brother's restoration, and in other events, -also, which happened a long time ago." - -"Well! the poor lovers must wait until the king is pleased to change his -opinion; they are young, and there is time enough." - -"But, dear me," said Philip, laughing, "I perceive you do not know the -best part of the affair." - -"No!" - -"That by which the king was most deeply touched." - -"The king, do you say, has been deeply touched?" - -"To the very quick of his heart." - -"But how?--in what manner?--tell me directly." - -"By an adventure, the romance of which cannot be equalled." - -"You know how I love to hear of such adventures, and yet you keep me -waiting," said the princess, impatiently. - -"Well, then--" and Monsieur paused. - -"I am listening." - -"Under the royal oak--you know where the royal oak is?" - -"What can that matter? Under the royal oak, you were saying?" - -"Well! Mademoiselle de la Valliere, fancying herself to be alone with -her two friends, revealed to them her affection for the king." - -"Ah!" said Madame, beginning to be uneasy, "her affection for the king?" - -"Yes." - -"When was this?" - -"About an hour ago." - -Madame started, and then said, "And no one knew of this affection?" - -"No one." - -"Not even his majesty?" - -"Not even his majesty. The artful little puss kept her secret strictly -to herself, when suddenly it proved stronger than herself, and so -escaped her." - -"And from whom did you get this absurd tale?" - -"Why, as everybody else did, from La Valliere herself, who confessed her -love to Montalais and Tonnay-Charente, who were her companions." - -Madame stopped suddenly, and by a hasty movement let go her husband's -hand. - -"Did you say it was an hour ago she made this confession?" Madame -inquired. - -"About that time." - -"Is the king aware of it?" - -"Why, that is the very thing which constitutes the perfect romance of -the affair, for the king was behind the royal oak with Saint-Aignan, and -heard the whole of the interesting conversation without losing a single -word of it." - -Madame felt struck to the heart, saying incautiously, "But I have seen -the king since, and he never told me a word about it." - -"Of course," said Monsieur; "he took care not to speak of it to you -himself, since he recommended every one not to say a word about it." - -"What do you mean?" said Madame, growing angry. - -"I mean that they wished to keep you in ignorance of the affair -altogether." - -"But why should they wish to conceal it from me?" - -"From the fear that your friendship for the young queen might induce you -to say something about it to her, nothing more." - -Madame hung down her head; her feelings were grievously wounded. She -could not enjoy a moment's repose until she had met the king. As a king -is, most naturally, the very last person in his kingdom who knows what -is said about him, in the same way that a lover is the only one who is -kept in ignorance of what is said about his mistress, therefore, when -the king perceived Madame, who was looking for him, he approached her -in some perturbation, but still gracious and attentive in his manner. -Madame waited for him to speak about La Valliere first; but as he did -not speak of her, she said, "And the poor girl?" - -"What poor girl?" said the king. - -"La Valliere. Did you not tell me, sire, that she had fainted?" - -"She is still very ill," said the king, affecting the greatest -indifference. - -"But surely that will prejudicially affect the rumor you were going to -spread, sire?" - -"What rumor?" - -"That your attention was taken up by her." - -"Oh!" said the king, carelessly, "I trust it will be reported all the -same." - -Madame still waited; she wished to know if the king would speak to her -of the adventure of the royal oak. But the king did not say a word about -it. Madame, on her side, did not open her lips about it; so that the -king took leave of her without having reposed the slightest confidence -in her. Hardly had she watched the king move away, than she set out in -search of Saint-Aignan. Saint-Aignan was never very difficult to find; -he was like the smaller vessels that always follow in the wake of, and -as tenders to, the larger ships. Saint-Aignan was the very man whom -Madame needed in her then state of mind. And as for him, he only looked -for worthier ears than others he had found to have an opportunity of -recounting the event in all its details. And so he did not spare Madame -a single word of the whole affair. When he had finished, Madame said to -him, "Confess, now, that is his all a charming invention." - -"Invention, no; a true story, yes." - -"Confess, whether invention or true story, that it was told to you as -you have told it to me, but that you were not there." - -"Upon my honor, Madame, I was there." - -"And you think that these confessions may have made an impression on the -king?" - -"Certainly, as those of Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente did upon me," -replied Saint-Aignan; "do not forget, Madame, that Mademoiselle de la -Valliere compared the king to the sun; that was flattering enough." - -"The king does not permit himself to be influenced by such flatteries." - -"Madame, the king is just as much Adonis as Apollo; and I saw plain -enough just now when La Valliere fell into his arms." - -"La Valliere fell into the king's arms!" - -"Oh! it was the most graceful picture possible; just imagine, La -Valliere had fallen back fainting, and--" - -"Well! what did you see?--tell me--speak!" - -"I saw what ten other people saw at the same time as myself; I saw that -when La Valliere fell into his arms, the king almost fainted himself." - -Madame smothered a subdued cry, the only indication of her smothered -anger. - -"Thank you," she said, laughing in a convulsive manner, "you relate -stories delightfully, M. de Saint-Aignan." And she hurried away, alone, -and almost suffocated by painful emotion, towards the chateau. - - - -Chapter XLIV. Courses de Nuit. - -Monsieur quitted the princess in the best possible humor, and feeling -greatly fatigued, retired to his apartments, leaving every one to finish -the night as he chose. When in his room, Monsieur began to dress for the -night with careful attention, which displayed itself from time to time -in paroxysms of satisfaction. While his attendants were engaged in -curling his hair, he sang the principal airs of the ballet which the -violins had played, and to which the king had danced. He then summoned -his tailors, inspected his costumes for the next day, and, in token of -his extreme satisfaction, distributed various presents among them. As, -however, the Chevalier de Lorraine, who had seen the prince return to -the chateau, entered the room, Monsieur overwhelmed him with kindness. -The former, after having saluted the prince, remained silent for a -moment, like a sharpshooter who deliberates before deciding in what -direction he will renew his fire; then, seeming to make up his mind, he -said, "Have you remarked a very singular coincidence, monseigneur?" - -"No; what is it?" - -"The bad reception which his majesty, in appearance, gave the Comte de -Guiche." - -"In appearance?" - -"Yes, certainly; since, in reality, he has restored him to favor." - -"I did not notice it," said the prince. - -"What, did you not remark, that, instead of ordering him to go away -again into exile, as was natural, he encouraged him in his opposition by -permitting him to resume his place in the ballet?" - -"And you think the king was wrong, chevalier?" said the prince. - -"Are you not of my opinion, prince?" - -"Not altogether so, my dear chevalier; and I think the king was quite -right not to have made a disturbance against a poor fellow whose want of -judgment is more to be complained of than his intention." - -"Really," said the chevalier, "as far as I am concerned, I confess that -this magnanimity astonishes me to the highest degree." - -"Why so?" inquired Philip. - -"Because I should have thought the king had been more jealous," replied -the chevalier, spitefully. During the last few minutes Monsieur had -felt there was something of an irritating nature concealed under his -favorite's remarks; this last word, however, ignited the powder. - -"Jealous!" exclaimed the prince. "Jealous! what do you mean? Jealous of -what, if you please--or jealous of whom?" - -The chevalier perceived that he had allowed an excessively mischievous -remark to escape him, as he was in the habit of doing. He endeavored, -therefore, apparently to recall it while it was still possible to do so. -"Jealous of his authority," he said, with an assumed frankness; "of what -else would you have the king jealous?" - -"Ah!" said the prince, "that's very proper." - -"Did your royal highness," continued the chevalier, "solicit dear De -Guiche's pardon?" - -"No, indeed," said Monsieur. "De Guiche is an excellent fellow, and full -of courage; but as I do not approve of his conduct with Madame, I wish -him neither harm nor good." - -The chevalier had assumed a bitterness with regard to De Guiche, as he -had attempted to do with regard to the king; but he thought he perceived -that the time for indulgence, and even for the utmost indifference, -had arrived, and that, in order to throw some light on the question, it -might be necessary for him to put the lamp, as the saying is, beneath -the husband's very nose. - -"Very well, very well," said the chevalier to himself, "I must wait for -De Wardes; he will do more in one day than I in a month; for I verily -believe he is even more envious than I. Then, again, it is not De Wardes -I require so much as that some event or another should happen; and in -the whole of this affair I see none. That De Guiche returned after he -had been sent away is certainly serious enough, but all its seriousness -disappears when I learn that De Guiche has returned at the very moment -Madame troubles herself no longer about him. Madame, in fact, is -occupied with the king, that is clear; but she will not be so much -longer if, as it is asserted, the king has ceased to trouble his -head about her. The moral of the whole matter is, to remain perfectly -neutral, and await the arrival of some new caprice and let that -decide the whole affair." And the chevalier thereupon settled himself -resignedly in the armchair in which Monsieur permitted him to seat -himself in his presence, and, having no more spiteful or malicious -remarks to make, the consequence was that De Lorraine's wit seemed to -have deserted him. Most fortunately Monsieur was in high good-humor, -and he had enough for two, until the time arrived for dismissing -his servants and gentlemen of the chamber, and he passed into his -sleeping-apartment. As he withdrew, he desired the chevalier to -present his compliments to Madame, and say that, as the night was cool, -Monsieur, who was afraid of the toothache, would not venture out again -into the park during the remainder of the evening. The chevalier entered -the princess's apartments at the very moment she came in herself. He -acquitted himself faithfully of the commission intrusted to him, and, in -the first place, remarked all the indifference and annoyance with -which Madame received her husband's communication--a circumstance which -appeared to him fraught with something fresh. If Madame had been about -to leave her apartments with that strangeness of manner, he would have -followed her; but she was returning to them; there was nothing to -be done, therefore he turned upon his heel like an unemployed heron, -appearing to question earth, air, and water about it; shook his head, -and walked away mechanically in the direction of the gardens. He had -hardly gone a hundred paces when he met two young men, walking arm in -arm, with their heads bent down, and idly kicking the small stones out -of their path as they walked on, plunged in thought. It was De Guiche -and De Bragelonne, the sight of whom, as it always did, produced upon -the chevalier, instinctively, a feeling of repugnance. He did not, -however, the less, on that account, salute them with a very low bow, -which they returned with interest. Then, observing that the park was -nearly deserted, that the illuminations began to burn out, and that the -morning breeze was setting in, he turned to the left, and entered the -chateau again, by one of the smaller courtyards. The others turned aside -to the right, and continued on their way towards the large park. As the -chevalier was ascending the side staircase, which led to the private -entrance, he saw a woman, followed by another, make her appearance under -the arcade which led from the small to the large courtyard. The two -women walked so fast that the rustling of their dresses could be -distinguished through the silence of the night. The style of their -mantles, their graceful figures, a mysterious yet haughty carriage which -distinguished them both, especially the one who walked first, struck the -chevalier. - -"I certainly know those two," he said to himself, pausing upon the top -step of the small staircase. Then, as with the instinct of a bloodhound -he was about to follow them, one of the servants who had been running -after him arrested his attention. - -"Monsieur," he said, "the courier has arrived." - -"Very well," said the chevalier, "there is time enough; to-morrow will -do." - -"There are some urgent letters which you would be glad to see, perhaps." - -"Where from?" inquired the chevalier. - -"One from England, and the other from Calais; the latter arrived by -express, and seems of great importance." - -"From Calais! Who the deuce can have to write to me from Calais?" - -"I think I recognize the handwriting of Monsieur le Comte de Wardes." - -"Oh!" cried the chevalier, forgetting his intention of acting the -spy, "in that case I will come up at once." This he did, while the two -unknown beings disappeared at the end of the court opposite to the one -by which they had just entered. We shall now follow them, and leave the -chevalier undisturbed to his correspondence. When they had arrived at -the grove of trees, the foremost of the two halted, somewhat out of -breath, and, cautiously raising her hood, said, "Are we still far from -the tree?" - -"Yes, Madame, more than five hundred paces; but pray rest awhile, you -will not be able to walk much longer at this rate." - -"You are right," said the princes, for it was she; and she leaned -against a tree. "And now," she resumed, after having recovered her -breath, "tell me the whole truth, and conceal nothing from me." - -"Oh, Madame," cried the young girl, "you are already angry with me." - -"No, my dear Athenais, reassure yourself, I am in no way angry with you. -After all, these things do not concern me personally. You are anxious -about what you may have said under the oak; you are afraid of having -offended the king, and I wish to tranquillize you by ascertaining myself -if it were possible you could have been overheard." - -"Oh, yes, Madame, the king was close to us." - -"Still, you were not speaking so loud that some of your remarks may not -have been lost." - -"We thought we were quite alone, Madame." - -"There were three of you, you say?" - -"Yes; La Valliere, Montalais, and myself." - -"And _you_, individually, spoke in a light manner of the king?" - -"I am afraid so. Should such be the case, will your highness have the -kindness to make my peace with his majesty?" - -"If there should be any occasion for it, I promise you I will do so. -However, as I have already told you, it will be better not to anticipate -evil. The night is now very dark, and the darkness is still greater -under the trees. It is not likely you were recognized by the king. To -inform him of it, by being the first to speak, is to denounce yourself." - -"Oh, Madame, Madame! if Mademoiselle de la Valliere were recognized, -I must have been recognized also. Besides, M. de Saint-Aignan left no -doubt on the subject." - -"Did you, then, say anything very disrespectful of the king?" - -"Not at all; it was one of the others who made some very flattering -speeches about the king; and my remarks must have been much in contrast -with hers." - -"Montalais is such a giddy girl," said Madame. - -"It was not Montalais. Montalais said nothing; it was La Valliere." - -Madame started as if she had not known it perfectly well already. "No, -no," she said, "the king cannot have heard. Besides, we will now try the -experiment for which we came out. Show me the oak. Do you know where it -is?" she continued. - -"Alas! Madame, yes." - -"And you can find it again?" - -"With my eyes shut." - -"Very well; sit down on the bank where you were, where La Valliere was, -and speak in the same tone and to the same effect as you did before; I -will conceal myself in the thicket, and if I can hear you, I will tell -you so." - -"Yes, Madame." - -"If, therefore, you really spoke loud enough for the king to have heard -you, in that case--" - -Athenais seemed to await the conclusion of the sentence with some -anxiety. - -"In that case," said Madame, in a suffocated voice, arising doubtless -from her hurried progress, "in that case, I forbid you--" And Madame -again increased her pace. Suddenly, however, she stopped. "An idea -occurs to me," she said. - -"A good idea, no doubt, Madame," replied Mademoiselle de -Tonnay-Charente. - -"Montalais must be as much embarrassed as La Valliere and yourself." - -"Less so, for she is less compromised, having said less." - -"That does not matter; she will help you, I dare say, by deviating a -little from the exact truth." - -"Especially if she knows that your highness is kind enough to interest -yourself about me." - -"Very well, I think I have discovered what it is best for you all to -pretend." - -"How delightful." - -"You had better say that all three of you were perfectly well aware that -the king was behind the tree, or behind the thicket, whichever it might -have been; and that you knew M. de Saint-Aignan was there too." - -"Yes, Madame." - -"For you cannot disguise it from yourself, Athenais, Saint-Aignan takes -advantage of some very flattering remarks you made about him." - -"Well, Madame, you see very clearly that one can be overheard," cried -Athenais, "since M. de Saint-Aignan overheard us." - -Madame bit her lips, for she had thoughtlessly committed herself. "Oh, -you know Saint-Aignan's character very well," she said, "the favor the -king shows him almost turns his brain, and he talks at random; not only -so, he very often invents. That is not the question; the fact remains, -did or did not the king overhear?" - -"Oh, yes, Madame, he certainly did," said Athenais, in despair. - -"In that case, do what I said: maintain boldly that all three of you -knew--mind, all three of you, for if there is a doubt about any one of -you, there will be a doubt about all,--persist, I say, that you knew -that the king and M. de Saint-Aignan were there, and that you wished to -amuse yourself at the expense of those who were listening." - -"Oh, Madame, at the _king's_ expense; we shall never dare say that!" - -"It is a simple jest; an innocent deception readily permitted in young -girls whom men wish to take by surprise. In this manner everything -explains itself. What Montalais said of Malicorne, a mere jest; what you -said of M. de Saint-Aignan, a mere jest too; and what La Valliere might -have said of--" - -"And which she would have given anything to recall." - -"Are you sure of that?" - -"Perfectly." - -"Very well, an additional reason. Say the whole affair was a mere -joke. M. de Malicorne will have no occasion to get out of temper; M. -de Saint-Aignan will be completely put out of countenance; _he_ will be -laughed at instead of you; and lastly, the king will be punished for a -curiosity unworthy of his rank. Let people laugh a little at the king in -this affair, and I do not think he will complain of it." - -"Oh, Madame, you are indeed an angel of goodness and sense!" - -"It is to my own advantage." - -"In what way?" - -"How can you ask me why it is to my advantage to spare my maids of honor -the remarks, annoyances, perhaps even calumnies, that might follow? -Alas! you well know that the court has no indulgence for this sort of -peccadillo. But we have now been walking for some time, shall we be long -before we reach it?" - -"About fifty or sixty paces further; turn to the left, Madame, if you -please." - -"And you are sure of Montalais?" said Madame. - -"Oh, certainly." - -"Will she do what you ask her?" - -"Everything. She will be delighted." - -"And La Valliere--" ventured the princess. - -"Ah, there will be some difficulty with her, Madame; she would scorn to -tell a falsehood." - -"Yet, when it is in her interest to do so--" - -"I am afraid that that would not make the slightest difference in her -ideas." - -"Yes, yes," said Madame. "I have been already told that; she is one of -those overnice and affectedly particular people who place heaven in the -foreground in order to conceal themselves behind it. But if she refuses -to tell a falsehood,--as she will expose herself to the jests of the -whole court, as she will have annoyed the king by a confession as -ridiculous as it was immodest,--Mademoiselle la Baume le Blanc de la -Valliere will think it but proper I should send her back again to her -pigeons in the country, in order that, in Touraine yonder, or in Le -Blaisois,--I know not where it may be,--she may at her ease study -sentiment and pastoral life combined." - -These words were uttered with a vehemence and harshness that terrified -Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente; and the consequence was, that, as far -as she was concerned, she promised to tell as many falsehoods as might -be necessary. It was in this frame of mind that Madame and her companion -reached the precincts of the royal oak. - -"Here we are," said Tonnay-Charente. - -"We shall soon learn if one can overhear," replied Madame. - -"Hush!" whispered the young girl, holding Madame back with a hurried -gesture, entirely forgetful of her companion's rank. Madame stopped. - -"You see that you can hear," said Athenais. - -"How?" - -"Listen." - -Madame held her breath; and, in fact, the following words pronounced by -a gentle and melancholy voice, floated towards them: - -"I tell you, vicomte, I tell you I love her madly; I tell you I love her -to distraction." - -Madame started at the voice; and, beneath her hood, a bright joyous -smile illumined her features. It was she who now held back her -companion, and with a light step leading her some twenty paces away, -that is to say, out of the reach of the voice, she said, "Remain here, -my dear Athenais, and let no one surprise us. I think it must be you -they are conversing about." - -"Me, Madame?" - -"Yes, you--or rather your adventure. I will go and listen; if we were -both there, we should be discovered. Or, stay!--go and fetch Montalais, -and then return and wait for me with her at the entrance of the forest." -And then, as Athenais hesitated, she again said "Go!" in a voice which -did not admit of reply. Athenais thereupon arranged her dress so as to -prevent its rustling being heard; and, by a path beyond the group of -trees, she regained the flower-garden. As for Madame, she concealed -herself in the thicket, leaning her back against a gigantic -chestnut-tree, one of the branches of which had been cut in such -a manner as to form a seat, and waited there, full of anxiety and -apprehension. "Now," she said, "since one can hear from this place, let -us listen to what M. de Bragelonne and that other madly-in-love fool, -the Comte de Guiche, have to say about me." - - - -Chapter XLV. In Which Madame Acquires a Proof that Listeners Hear What -Is Said. - -There was a moment's silence, as if the mysterious sounds of night were -hushed to listen, at the same time as Madame, to the youthful passionate -disclosures of De Guiche. - -Raoul was about to speak. He leaned indolently against the trunk of the -large oak, and replied in his sweet and musical voice, "Alas, my dear De -Guiche, it is a great misfortune." - -"Yes," cried the latter, "great indeed." - -"You do not understand me, De Guiche. I say that it is a great -misfortune for you, not merely loving, but not knowing how to conceal -your love." - -"What do you mean?" said De Guiche. - -"Yes, you do not perceive one thing; namely, that it is no longer to the -only friend you have,--in other words,--to a man who would rather die -than betray you; you do not perceive, I say, that it is no longer to -your only friend that you confide your passion, but to the first person -that approaches you." - -"Are you mad, Bragelonne," exclaimed De Guiche, "to say such a thing to -me?" - -"The fact stands thus, however." - -"Impossible! How, in what manner can I have ever been indiscreet to such -an extent?" - -"I mean, that your eyes, your looks, your sighs, proclaim, in spite of -yourself, that exaggerated feeling which leads and hurries a man beyond -his own control. In such a case he ceases to be master of himself; he is -a prey to a mad passion, that makes him confide his grief to the trees, -or to the air, from the very moment he has no longer any living being in -reach of his voice. Besides, remember this: it very rarely happens that -there is not always some one present to hear, especially the very things -which ought _not_ to be heard." De Guiche uttered a deep sigh. "Nay," -continued Bragelonne, "you distress me; since your return here, you have -a thousand times, and in a thousand different ways, confessed your love -for her; and yet, had you not said one word, your return alone would -have been a terrible indiscretion. I persist, then, in drawing this -conclusion; that if you do not place a better watch over yourself than -you have hitherto done, one day or other something will happen that will -cause an explosion. Who will save you then? Answer me. Who will save -her? for, innocent as she will be of your affection, your affection will -be an accusation against her in the hands of her enemies." - -"Alas!" murmured De Guiche; and a deep sigh accompanied the exclamation. - -"That is not answering me, De Guiche." - -"Yes, yes." - -"Well, what reply have you to make?" - -"This, that when the day arrives I shall be no more a living being than -I feel myself now." - -"I do not understand you." - -"So many vicissitudes have worn me out. At present, I am no more a -thinking, acting being; at present, the most worthless of men is -better than I am; my remaining strength is exhausted, my latest-formed -resolutions have vanished, and I abandon myself to my fate. When a man -is out campaigning, as we have been together, and he sets off alone and -unaccompanied for a skirmish, it sometimes happens that he may meet with -a party of five or six foragers, and although alone, he defends himself; -afterwards, five or six others arrive unexpectedly, his anger is aroused -and he persists; but if six, eight, or ten others should still be met -with, he either sets spurs to his horse, if he should still happen to -retain one, or lets himself be slain to save an ignominious flight. -Such, indeed, is my own case: first, I had to struggle against myself; -afterwards, against Buckingham; now, since the king is in the field, I -will not contend against the king, nor even, I wish you to understand, -will the king retire; nor even against the nature of that woman. Still -I do not deceive myself; having devoted myself to the service of such a -love, I will lose my life in it." - -"It is not the lady you ought to reproach," replied Raoul; "it is -yourself." - -"Why so?" - -"You know the princess's character,--somewhat giddy, easily captivated -by novelty, susceptible to flattery, whether it come from a blind person -or a child, and yet you allow your passion for her to eat your very life -away. Look at her,--love her, if you will,--for no one whose heart is -not engaged elsewhere can see her without loving her. Yet, while you -love her, respect, in the first place, her husband's rank, then herself, -and lastly, your own safety." - -"Thanks, Raoul." - -"What for?" - -"Because, seeing how much I suffer through this woman, you endeavor -to console me, because you tell me all the good of her you think, and -perhaps even that which you do not think." - -"Oh," said Raoul, "there you are wrong, comte; what I think I do not -always say, but in that case I say nothing; but when I speak, I know not -how to feign or to deceive; and whoever listens to me may believe me." - -During this conversation, Madame, her head stretched forward with -eager ear and dilated glance, endeavoring to penetrate the obscurity, -thirstily drank in the faintest sound of their voices. - -"Oh, I know her better than you do, then!" exclaimed Guiche. "She is not -merely giddy, but frivolous; she is not only attracted by novelty, -she is utterly oblivious, and is without faith; she is not simply -susceptible to flattery, she is a practiced and cruel coquette. A -thorough coquette! yes, yes, I am sure of it. Believe me, Bragelonne, -I am suffering all the torments of hell; brave, passionately fond of -danger, I meet a danger greater than my strength and my courage. But, -believe me, Raoul, I reserve for myself a victory which shall cost her -floods of tears." - -"A victory," he asked, "and of what kind?" - -"Of what kind, you ask?" - -"Yes." - -"One day I will accost her, and will address her thus: 'I was young-- -madly in love, I possessed, however, sufficient respect to throw myself -at your feet, and to prostrate myself in the dust, if your looks had not -raised me to your hand. I fancied I understood your looks, I rose, and -then, without having done anything more towards you than love you yet -more devotedly, if that were possible--you, a woman without heart, -faith, or love, in very wantonness, dashed me down again from sheer -caprice. You are unworthy, princess of the royal blood though you may -be, of the love of a man of honor; I offer my life as a sacrifice for -having loved you too tenderly, and I die despairing you.'" - -"Oh!" cried Raoul, terrified at the accents of profound truth which De -Guiche's words betrayed, "I was right in saying you were mad, Guiche." - -"Yes, yes," exclaimed De Guiche, following out his own idea; "since -there are no wars here now, I will flee yonder to the north, seek -service in the Empire, where some Hungarian, or Croat, or Turk, will -perhaps kindly put me out of my misery." De Guiche did not finish, or -rather as he finished, a sound made him start, and at the same moment -caused Raoul to leap to his feet. As for De Guiche, buried in his own -thoughts, he remained seated, with his head tightly pressed between his -hands. The branches of the tree were pushed aside, and a woman, pale and -much agitated, appeared before the two young men. With one hand she -held back the branches, which would have struck her face, and, with the -other, she raised the hood of the mantle which covered her shoulders. -By her clear and lustrous glance, by her lofty carriage, by her haughty -attitude, and, more than all that, by the throbbing of his own heart, De -Guiche recognized Madame, and, uttering a loud cry, he removed his hands -from his temple, and covered his eyes with them. Raoul, trembling and -out of countenance, merely muttered a few words of respect. - -"Monsieur de Bragelonne," said the princess, "have the goodness, I beg, -to see if my attendants are not somewhere yonder, either in the walks or -in the groves; and you, M. de Guiche, remain here: I am tired, and you -will perhaps give me your arm." - -Had a thunderbolt fallen at the feet of the unhappy young man, he would -have been less terrified than by her cold and severe tone. However, as -he himself had just said, he was brave; and as in the depths of his own -heart he had just decisively made up his mind, De Guiche arose, and, -observing Bragelonne's hesitation, he turned towards him a glance full -of resignation and grateful acknowledgement. Instead of immediately -answering Madame, he even advanced a step towards the vicomte, and -holding out the arm which the princess had just desired him to give her, -he pressed his friend's hand in his own, with a sigh, in which he seemed -to give to friendship all the life that was left in the depths of his -heart. Madame, who in her pride had never known what it was to wait, now -waited until this mute colloquy was at an end. Her royal hand remained -suspended in the air, and, when Raoul had left, it sank without anger, -but not without emotion, in that of De Guiche. They were alone in the -depths of the dark and silent forest, and nothing could be heard but -Raoul's hastily retreating footsteps along the obscure paths. Over their -heads was extended the thick and fragrant vault of branches, through the -occasional openings of which the stars could be seen glittering in their -beauty. Madame softly drew De Guiche about a hundred paces away from -that indiscreet tree which had heard, and had allowed so many things to -be heard, during the evening, and, leading him to a neighboring glade, -so that they could see a certain distance around them, she said in a -trembling voice, "I have brought you here, because yonder where you -were, everything can be overheard." - -"Everything can be overheard, did you say, Madame?" replied the young -man, mechanically. - -"Yes." - -"Which means--" murmured De Guiche. - -"Which means that I have heard every syllable you have said." - -"Oh, Heaven! this only was wanting to destroy me," stammered De Guiche; -and he bent down his head, like an exhausted swimmer beneath the wave -which engulfs him. - -"And so," she said, "you judge me as you have said?" De Guiche grew -pale, turned his head aside, and was silent. He felt almost on the point -of fainting. - -"I do not complain," continued the princess, in a tone of voice full -of gentleness; "I prefer a frankness that wounds me, to flattery, which -would deceive me. And so, according to your opinion, M. de Guiche, I am -a coquette, an a worthless creature." - -"Worthless," cried the young man; "you worthless! Oh, no; most certainly -I did not say, I could not have said, that that which was the most -precious object in life for me could be worthless. No, no; I did not say -that." - -"A woman who sees a man perish, consumed by the fire she has kindled, -and who does not allay that fire, is, in my opinion, a worthless woman." - -"What can it matter to you what I said?" returned the comte. "What am -I compared to you, and why should you even trouble yourself to know -whether I exist or not?" - -"Monsieur de Guiche, both you and I are human beings, and, knowing you -as I do, I do not wish you to risk your life; with you I will change -my conduct and character. I will be, not frank, for I am always so, but -truthful. I implore you, therefore, to love me no more, and to forget -utterly that I have ever addressed a word or a glance towards you." - -De Guiche turned around, bending a look full of passionate devotion upon -her. "You," he said; "_you_ excuse yourself; _you_ implore me?" - -"Certainly; since I have done evil, I ought to repair the evil I have -done. And so, comte, this is what we will agree to. You will forgive my -frivolity and my coquetry. Nay, do not interrupt me. I will forgive -you for having said I was frivolous and a coquette, or something worse, -perhaps; and you will renounce your idea of dying, and will preserve for -your family, for the king, and for our sex, a cavalier whom every one -esteems, and whom many hold dear." Madame pronounced this last word -in such an accent of frankness, and even of tenderness, that poor De -Guiche's heart felt almost bursting. - -"Oh! Madame, Madame!" he stammered out. - -"Nay, listen further," she continued. "When you shall have renounced -all thought of me forever, from necessity in the first place, and, -next, because you will yield to my entreaty, then you will judge me more -favorably, and I am convinced you will replace this love--forgive the -frivolity of the expression--by a sincere friendship, which you will -be ready to offer me, and which, I promise you, shall be cordially -accepted." - -De Guiche, his forehead bedewed with perspiration, a feeling of death -in his heart, and a trembling agitation through his whole frame, bit -his lip, stamped his foot on the ground, and, in a word, devoured -the bitterness of his grief. "Madame," he said, "what you offer is -impossible, and I cannot accept such conditions." - -"What!" said Madame, "do you refuse my friendship, then?" - -"No, no! I do not need your friendship, Madame. I prefer to die from -love, than to live for friendship." - -"Comte!" - -"Oh! Madame," cried De Guiche, "the present is a moment for me, in -which no other consideration and no other respect exist, than the -consideration and respect of a man of honor towards the woman he -worships. Drive me away, curse me, denounce me, you will be perfectly -right. I have uttered complaints against you, but their bitterness has -been owing to my passion for you; I have said I wish to die, and die I -will. If I lived, you would forget me; but dead, you would never forget -me, I am sure." - -Henrietta, who was standing buried in thought, and nearly as agitated as -De Guiche himself, turned aside her head as but a minute before he had -turned aside his. Then, after a moment's pause, she said, "And you love -me, then, very much?" - -"Madly; madly enough to die from it, whether you drive me from you, or -whether you listen to me still." - -"It is a hopeless case," she said, in a playful manner; "a case which -must be treated with soothing application. Give me your hand. It is as -cold as ice." De Guiche knelt down, and pressed to his lips, not one, -but both of Madame's hands. - -"Love me, then," said the princess, "since it cannot be otherwise." And -almost imperceptibly she pressed his fingers, raising him thus, partly -in the manner of a queen, and partly as a fond and affectionate woman -would have done. De Guiche trembled from head to foot, and Madame, who -felt how passion coursed through every fiber of his being, knew that -he indeed loved truly. "Give me your arm, comte," she said, "and let us -return." - -"Ah! Madame," said the comte, trembling and bewildered; "you have -discovered a third way of killing me." - -"But, happily, it is the slowest way, is it not?" she replied, as she -led him towards the grove of trees they had so lately quitted. - - - -Chapter XLVI. Aramis's Correspondence. - -When De Guiche's affairs, which had been suddenly set to right without -his having been able to guess the cause of their improvement, assumed -the unexpected aspect we have seen, Raoul, in obedience to the request -of the princess, had withdrawn in order not to interrupt an explanation, -the results of which he was far from guessing; and he soon after joined -the ladies of honor who were walking about in the flower-gardens. During -this time, the Chevalier de Lorraine, who had returned to his own room, -read De Wardes's latter with surprise, for it informed him by the hand -of his valet, of the sword-thrust received at Calais, and of all the -details of the adventure, and invited him to inform De Guiche and -Monsieur, whatever there might be in the affair likely to be most -disagreeable to both of them. De Wardes particularly endeavored to prove -to the chevalier the violence of Madame's affection for Buckingham, and -he finished his letter by declaring that he thought this feeling was -returned. The chevalier shrugged his shoulders at the last paragraph, -and, in fact, De Wardes was out of date, as we have seen. De Wardes was -still only at Buckingham's affair. The chevalier threw the letter over -his shoulder upon an adjoining table, and said in a disdainful tone, -"It is really incredible; and yet poor De Wardes is not deficient in -ability; but the truth is, it is not very apparent, so easy is it to -grow rusty in the country. The deuce take the simpleton, who ought to -have written to me about matters of importance, and yet he writes such -silly stuff as that. If it had not been for that miserable letter, which -has no meaning at all in it, I should have detected in the grove yonder -a charming little intrigue, which would have compromised a woman, would -have perhaps have been as good as a sword-thrust for a man, and have -diverted Monsieur for many days to come." - -He looked at his watch. "It is now too late," he said. "One o'clock -in the morning; every one must have returned to the king's apartments, -where the night is to be finished; well, the scent is lost, and unless -some extraordinary chance--" And thus saying, as if to appeal to his -good star, the chevalier, greatly out of temper, approached the -window, which looked out upon a somewhat solitary part of the garden. -Immediately, and as if some evil genius was at his orders, he perceived -returning towards the chateau, accompanied by a man, a silk mantle of -a dark color, and recognized the figure which had struck his attention -half an hour previously. - -"Admirable!" he thought, striking his hands together, "this is my -providential mysterious affair." And he started out precipitately, along -the staircase, hoping to reach the courtyard in time to recognize the -woman in the mantle, and her companion. But as he arrived at the door of -the little court, he nearly knocked against Madame, whose radiant face -seemed full of charming revelations beneath the mantle which protected -without concealing her. Unfortunately, Madame was alone. The chevalier -knew that since he had seen her, not five minutes before, with a -gentleman, the gentleman in question could not be far off. Consequently, -he hardly took time to salute the princess as he drew up to allow her -to pass; then when she had advanced a few steps, with the rapidity of a -woman who fears recognition, and when the chevalier perceived that she -was too much occupied with her own thoughts to trouble herself about -him, he darted into the garden, looked hastily round on every side, and -embraced within his glance as much of the horizon as he possibly could. -He was just in time; the gentleman who had accompanied Madame was still -in sight; only he was hurrying towards one of the wings of the chateau, -behind which he was on the point of disappearing. There was not an -instant to lose; the chevalier darted in pursuit of him, prepared to -slacken his pace as he approached the unknown; but in spite of the -diligence he used, the unknown had disappeared behind the flight of -steps before he approached. - -It was evident, however, that as the man pursued was walking quietly, in -a pensive manner, with his head bent down, either beneath the weight of -grief or happiness, when once the angle was passed, unless, indeed, he -were to enter by some door or another, the chevalier could not fail to -overtake him. And this, certainly, would have happened, if, at the -very moment he turned the angle, the chevalier had not run against two -persons, who were themselves wheeling in the opposite direction. -The chevalier was ready to seek a quarrel with these two troublesome -intruders, when, looking up, he recognized the superintendent. Fouquet -was accompanied by a person whom the chevalier now saw for the first -time. This stranger was the bishop of Vannes. Checked by the important -character of the individual, and obliged out of politeness to make his -own excuses when he expected to receive them, the chevalier stepped back -a few paces; and as Monsieur Fouquet possessed, if not the friendship, -at least the respect of every one; as the king himself, although he was -rather his enemy than his friend, treated M. Fouquet as a man of great -consideration, the chevalier did what the king himself would have done, -namely, he bowed to M. Fouquet, who returned his salutation with kindly -politeness, perceiving that the gentleman had run against him by mistake -and without any intention of being rude. Then, almost immediately -afterwards, having recognized the Chevalier de Lorraine, he made a few -civil remarks, to which the chevalier was obliged to reply. Brief as the -conversation was, De Lorraine saw, with the most unfeigned displeasure, -the figure of his unknown becoming dimmer in the distance, and fast -disappearing in the darkness. The chevalier resigned himself, and, -once resigned, gave his entire attention to Fouquet:--"You arrive late, -monsieur," he said. "Your absence has occasioned great surprise, and -I heard Monsieur express himself as much astonished that, having been -invited by the king, you had not come." - -"It was impossible for me to do so; but I came as soon as I was free." - -"Is Paris quiet?" - -"Perfectly so. Paris has received the last tax very well." - -"Ah! I understand you wished to assure yourself of this good feeling -before you came to participate in our _fetes_." - -"I have arrived, however, somewhat late to enjoy them. I will ask you, -therefore, to inform me if the king is in the chateau or not, if I am -likely to be able to see him this evening, or if I shall have to wait -until to-morrow." - -"We have lost sight of his majesty during the last half-hour nearly," -said the chevalier. - -"Perhaps he is in Madame's apartments?" inquired Fouquet. - -"Not in Madame's apartments, I should think, for I just now met Madame -as she was entering by the small staircase; and unless the gentleman -whom you a moment ago encountered was the king himself--" and the -chevalier paused, hoping that, in this manner, he might learn who it -was he had been hurrying after. But Fouquet, whether he had or had not -recognized De Guiche, simply replied, "No, monsieur, it was not the -king." - -The chevalier, disappointed in his expectation, saluted them; but as he -did so, casting a parting glance around him, and perceiving M. Colbert -in the center of a group, he said to the superintendent: "Stay, -monsieur; there is some one under the trees yonder, who will be able to -inform you better than myself." - -"Who?" asked Fouquet, whose near-sightedness prevented him from seeing -through the darkness. - -"M. Colbert," returned the chevalier. - -"Indeed! That person, then, who is speaking yonder to those men with -torches in their hands, is M. Colbert?" - -"M. Colbert himself. He is giving orders personally to the workmen who -are arranging the lamps for the illuminations." - -"Thank you," said Fouquet, with an inclination of the head, which -indicated that he had obtained all the information he wished. The -chevalier, on his side, having, on the contrary, learned nothing at all, -withdrew with a profound salutation. - -He had scarcely left when Fouquet, knitting his brows, fell into a deep -reverie. Aramis looked at him for a moment with a mingled feeling of -compassion and silence. - -"What!" he said to him, "the fellow's name alone seemed to affect you. -Is it possible that, full of triumph and delight as you were just now, -the sight merely of that man is capable of dispiriting you? Tell me, -have you faith in your good star?" - -"No," replied Fouquet, dejectedly. - -"Why not?" - -"Because I am too full of happiness at this present moment," he replied, -in a trembling voice. "You, my dear D'Herblay, who are so learned, will -remember the history of a certain tyrant of Samos. What can I throw into -the sea to avert approaching evil? Yes! I repeat it once more, I am -too full of happiness! so happy that I wish for nothing beyond what I -have... I have risen so high... You know my motto: '_Quo non ascendam?_' -I have risen so high that nothing is left me but to descend from my -elevation. I cannot believe in the progress of a success already more -than human." - -Aramis smiled as he fixed his kind and penetrating glance upon him. -"If I were aware of the cause of your happiness," he said, "I should -probably fear for your grace; but you regard me in the light of a true -friend; I mean, you turn to me in misfortune, nothing more. Even that -is an immense and precious boon, I know; but the truth is, I have a -just right to beg you to confide in me, from time to time, any fortunate -circumstances that befall you, in which I should rejoice, you know, more -than if they had befallen myself." - -"My dear prelate," said Fouquet, laughing, "my secrets are of too -profane a character to confide them to a bishop, however great a -worldling he may be." - -"Bah! in confession." - -"Oh! I should blush too much if you were my confessor." And Fouquet -began to sigh. Aramis again looked at him without further betrayal of -his thoughts than a placid smile. - -"Well," he said, "discretion is a great virtue." - -"Silence," said Fouquet; "yonder venomous reptile has recognized us, and -is crawling this way." - -"Colbert?" - -"Yes; leave me, D'Herblay; I do not wish that fellow to see you with me, -or he will take an aversion to _you_." - -Aramis pressed his hand, saying, "What need have I of his friendship, -while you are here?" - -"Yes, but I may not always be here," replied Fouquet, dejectedly. - -"On that day, then, if that day should ever dawn," said Aramis, -tranquilly, "we will think over a means of dispensing with the -friendship, or of braving the dislike of M. Colbert. But tell me, my -dear Fouquet, instead of conversing with this reptile, as you did him -the honor of styling him, a conversation the need for which I do not -perceive, why do you not pay a visit, if not to the king, at least to -Madame?" - -"To Madame," said the superintendent, his mind occupied by his -_souvenirs_. "Yes, certainly, to Madame." - -"You remember," continued Aramis, "that we have been told that Madame -stands high in favor during the last two or three days. It enters into -your policy, and forms part of our plans, that you should assiduously -devote yourself to his majesty's friends. It is a means of counteracting -the growing influence of M. Colbert. Present yourself, therefore, as -soon as possible to Madame, and, for our sakes, treat this ally with -consideration." - -"But," said Fouquet, "are you quite sure that it is upon her that the -king has his eyes fixed at the present moment?" - -"If the needle has turned, it must be since the morning. You know I have -my police." - -"Very well! I will go there at once, and, at all events, I shall have -a means of introduction in the shape of a magnificent pair of antique -cameos set with diamonds." - -"I have seen them, and nothing could be more costly and regal." - -At this moment they were interrupted by a servant followed by a courier. -"For you, monseigneur," said the courier aloud, presenting a letter to -Fouquet. - -"For your grace," said the lackey in a low tone, handing Aramis a -letter. And as the lackey carried a torch in his hand, he placed himself -between the superintendent and the bishop of Vannes, so that both of -them could read at the same time. As Fouquet looked at the fine and -delicate writing on the envelope, he started with delight. Those who -love, or who are beloved, will understand his anxiety in the first -place, and his happiness in the next. He hastily tore open the letter, -which, however, contained only these words: "It is but an hour since -I quitted you, it is an age since I told you how much I love you." And -that was all. Madame de Belliere had, in fact, left Fouquet about an -hour previously, after having passed two days with him; and apprehensive -lest his remembrance of her might be effaced for too long a period from -the heart she regretted, she dispatched a courier to him as the bearer -of this important communication. Fouquet kissed the letter, and rewarded -the bearer with a handful of gold. As for Aramis, he, on his side, was -engaged in reading, but with more coolness and reflection, the following -letter: - -"The king has this evening been struck with a strange fancy; a woman -loves him. He learned it accidentally, as he was listening to the -conversation of this young girl with her companions; and his majesty -has entirely abandoned himself to his new caprice. The girl's name is -Mademoiselle de la Valliere, and she is sufficiently pretty to warrant -this caprice becoming a strong attachment. Beware of Mademoiselle de la -Valliere." - -There was not a word about Madame. Aramis slowly folded the letter and -put it in his pocket. Fouquet was still delightedly inhaling the perfume -of his epistle. - -"Monseigneur," said Aramis, touching Fouquet's arm. - -"Yes, what is it?" he asked. - -"An idea has just occurred to me. Are you acquainted with a young girl -of the name of La Valliere? - -"Not at all." - -"Reflect a little." - -"Ah! yes, I believe so; one of Madame's maids of honor." - -"That must be the one." - -"Well, what then?" - -"Well, monseigneur, it is to that young girl that you must pay your -visit this evening." - -"Bah! why so?" - -"Nay, more than that, it is to her you must present your cameos." - -"Nonsense." - -"You know, monseigneur, that my advice is not to be regarded lightly." - -"But this is unforeseen--" - -"That is my affair. Pay your court in due form, and without loss of -time, to Mademoiselle de la Valliere. I will be your guarantee with -Madame de Belliere that your devotion is altogether politic." - -"What do you mean, my dear D'Herblay, and whose name have you just -pronounced?" - -"A name which ought to convince you that, as I am so well informed about -yourself, I may possibly be just as well informed about others. Pay your -court, therefore, to La Valliere." - -"I will pay my court to whomsoever you like," replied Fouquet, his heart -filled with happiness. - -"Come, come, descend again to the earth, traveler in the seventh -heaven," said Aramis; "M. Colbert is approaching. He has been -recruiting while we were reading; see, how he is surrounded, praised, -congratulated; he is decidedly becoming powerful." In fact, Colbert was -advancing, escorted by all the courtiers who remained in the gardens, -every one of whom complimented him upon the arrangements of the _fete_: -all of which so puffed him up that he could hardly contain himself. - -"If La Fontaine were here," said Fouquet, smiling, "what an admirable -opportunity for him to recite his fable of 'The Frog that wanted to make -itself as big as the Ox.'" - -Colbert arrived in the center of the circle blazing with light; Fouquet -awaited his approach, unmoved and with a slightly mocking smile. Colbert -smiled too; he had been observing his enemy during the last quarter of -an hour, and had been approaching him gradually. Colbert's smile was a -presage of hostility. - -"Oh, oh!" said Aramis, in a low tone of voice to the superintendent; -"the scoundrel is going to ask you again for more millions to pay for -his fireworks and his colored lamps." Colbert was the first to salute -them, and with an air which he endeavored to render respectful. Fouquet -hardly moved his head. - -"Well, monseigneur, what do your eyes say? Have we shown our good -taste?" - -"Perfect taste," replied Fouquet, without permitting the slightest tone -of raillery to be remarked in his words. - -"Oh!" said Colbert, maliciously, "you are treating us with indulgence. -We are poor, we servants of the king, and Fontainebleau is no way to be -compared as a residence with Vaux." - -"Quite true," replied Fouquet coolly. - -"But what can we do, monseigneur?" continued Colbert, "we have done our -best on slender resources." - -Fouquet made a gesture of assent. - -"But," pursued Colbert, "it would be only a proper display of your -magnificence, monseigneur, if you were to offer to his majesty a _fete_ -in your wonderful gardens--in those gardens which have cost you sixty -millions of francs." - -"Seventy-two," said Fouquet. - -"An additional reason," returned Colbert; "it would, indeed, be truly -magnificent." - -"But do you suppose, monsieur, that his majesty would deign to accept my -invitation?" - -"I have no doubt whatever of it," cried Colbert, hastily; "I will -guarantee that he does." - -"You are exceedingly kind," said Fouquet. "I may depend on it, then?" - -"Yes, monseigneur; yes, certainly." - -"Then I will consider the matter," yawned Fouquet. - -"Accept, accept," whispered Aramis, eagerly. - -"You will consider?" repeated Colbert. - -"Yes," replied Fouquet; "in order to know what day I shall submit my -invitation to the king." - -"This very evening, monseigneur, this very evening." - -"Agreed," said the superintendent. "Gentlemen, I should wish to issue -my invitations; but you know that wherever the king goes, the king is -in his own palace; it is by his majesty, therefore, that you must be -invited." A murmur of delight immediately arose. Fouquet bowed and left. - -"Proud and dauntless man," thought Colbert, "you accept, and yet you -know it will cost you ten millions." - -"You have ruined me," whispered Fouquet, in a low tone, to Aramis. - -"I have saved you," replied the latter, whilst Fouquet ascended the -flight of steps and inquired whether the king was still visible. - - - -Chapter XLVII. The Orderly Clerk. - -The king, anxious to be again quite alone, in order to reflect well -upon what was passing in his heart, had withdrawn to his own apartments, -where M. de Saint-Aignan had, after his conversation with Madame, gone -to meet him. This conversation has already been related. The favorite, -vain of his twofold importance, and feeling that he had become, during -the last two hours, the confidant of the king, began to treat the -affairs of the court in a somewhat indifferent manner: and, from the -position in which he had placed himself, or rather, where chance had -placed him, he saw nothing but love and garlands of flowers around him. -The king's love for Madame, that of Madame for the king, that of Guiche -for Madame, that of La Valliere for the king, that of Malicorne for -Montalais, that of Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente for himself, was -not all this, truly, more than enough to turn the head of any courtier? -Besides, Saint-Aignan was the model of courtiers, past, present, and to -come; and, moreover, showed himself such an excellent narrator, and -so discerningly appreciative that the king listened to him with an -appearance of great interest, particularly when he described the excited -manner with which Madame had sought for him to converse about the affair -of Mademoiselle de la Valliere. While the king no longer experienced for -Madame any remains of the passion he had once felt for her, there was, -in this same eagerness of Madame to procure information about him, great -gratification for his vanity, from which he could not free himself. He -experienced this pleasure then, but nothing more, and his heart was not, -for a single moment, alarmed at what Madame might, or might not, think -of his adventure. When, however, Saint-Aignan had finished, the king, -while preparing to retire to rest, asked, "Now, Saint-Aignan, you know -what Mademoiselle de la Valliere is, do you not?" - -"Not only what she is, but what she will be." - -"What do you mean?" - -"I mean that she is everything that woman can wish to be--that is to -say, beloved by your majesty; I mean, that she will be everything your -majesty may wish her to be." - -"That is not what I am asking. I do not wish to know what she is to-day, -or what she will be to-morrow; as you have remarked, that is my affair. -But tell me what others say of her." - -"They say she is well conducted." - -"Oh!" said the king, smiling, "that is mere report." - -"But rare enough, at court, sire, to believe when it is spread." - -"Perhaps you are right. Is she well born?" - -"Excellently; the daughter of the Marquis de la Valliere, and -step-daughter of that good M. de Saint-Remy." - -"Ah, yes! my aunt's major-domo; I remember; and I remember now that I -saw her as I passed through Blois. She was presented to the queens. I -have even to reproach myself that I did not on that occasion pay her the -attention she deserved." - -"Oh, sire! I trust that your majesty will now repair time lost." - -"And the report--you tell me--is, that Mademoiselle de la Valliere never -had a lover." - -"In any case, I do not think your majesty would be much alarmed at the -rivalry." - -"Yet, stay," said the king, in a very serious tone of voice. - -"Your majesty?" - -"I remember." - -"Ah!" - -"If she has no lover, she has, at least, a betrothed." - -"A betrothed!" - -"What! Count, do you not know that?" - -"No." - -"You, the man who knows all the news?" - -"Your majesty will excuse me. You know this betrothed, then?" - -"Assuredly! his father came to ask me to sign the marriage contract: it -is--" The king was about to pronounce the Vicomte de Bragelonne's name, -when he stopped, and knitted his brows. - -"It is--" repeated Saint-Aignan, inquiringly. - -"I don't remember now," replied Louis XIV., endeavoring to conceal an -annoyance he had some trouble to disguise. - -"Can I put your majesty in the way?" inquired the Comte de Saint-Aignan. - -"No; for I no longer remember to whom I intended to refer; indeed, I -only remember very indistinctly, that one of the maids of honor was to -marry--the name, however, has escaped me." - -"Was it Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente he was going to marry?" inquired -Saint-Aignan. - -"Very likely," said the king. - -"In that case, the intended was M. de Montespan; but Mademoiselle de -Tonnay-Charente did not speak of it, it seemed to me, in such a manner -as would frighten suitors away." - -"At all events," said the king, "I know nothing, or almost nothing, -about Mademoiselle de la Valliere. Saint-Aignan, I rely upon you to -procure me every information about her." - -"Yes, sire, and when shall I have the honor of seeing your majesty -again, to give you the latest news?" - -"Whenever you have procured it." - -"I shall obtain it speedily, then, if the information can be as quickly -obtained as my wish to see your majesty again." - -"Well said, count! By the by, has Madame displayed any ill-feeling -against this poor girl?" - -"None, sire." - -"Madame did not get angry, then?" - -"I do not know; I only know that she laughed continually." - -"That's well; but I think I hear voices in the ante-rooms--no doubt a -courier has just arrived. Inquire, Saint-Aignan." The count ran to the -door and exchanged a few words with the usher; he returned to the king, -saying, "Sire, it is M. Fouquet who has this moment arrived, by your -majesty's orders, he says. He presented himself, but, because of the -lateness of the hour, he does not press for an audience this evening, -and is satisfied to have his presence here formally announced." - -"M. Fouquet! I wrote to him at three o'clock, inviting him to be at -Fontainebleau the following day, and he arrives at Fontainebleau at -two o'clock in the morning! This is, indeed, zeal!" exclaimed the -king, delighted to see himself so promptly obeyed. "On the contrary, M. -Fouquet shall have his audience. I summoned him, and will receive him. -Let him be introduced. As for you, count, pursue your inquiries, and be -here to-morrow." - -The king placed his finger on his lips; and Saint-Aignan, his heart -brimful of happiness, hastily withdrew, telling the usher to introduce -M. Fouquet, who, thereupon, entered the king's apartment. Louis rose to -receive him. - -"Good evening, M. Fouquet," he said, smiling graciously; "I congratulate -you on your punctuality; and yet my message must have reached you late?" - -"At nine in the evening, sire." - -"You have been working very hard lately, M. Fouquet, for I have been -informed that you have not left your rooms at Saint-Mande during the -last three or four days." - -"It is perfectly true, your majesty, that I have kept myself shut up for -the past three days," replied Fouquet. - -"Do you know, M. Fouquet, that I had a great many things to say to you?" -continued the king, with a most gracious air. - -"Your majesty overwhelms me, and since you are so graciously disposed -towards me, will you permit me to remind you of the promise made to -grant an audience?" - -"Ah, yes! some church dignitary, who thinks he has to thank me for -something, is it not?" - -"Precisely so, sire. The hour is, perhaps, badly chosen; but the time -of the companion whom I have brought with me is valuable, and as -Fontainebleau is on the way to his diocese--" - -"Who is it, then?" - -"The bishop of Vannes, whose appointment your majesty, at my -recommendation, deigned, three months since, to sign." - -"That is very possible," said the king, who had signed without reading; -"and he is here?" - -"Yes, sire; Vannes is an important diocese; the flock belonging to this -pastor needed his religious consolation; they are savages, whom it is -necessary to polish, at the same time that he instructs them, and M. -d'Herblay is unequalled in such kind of missions." - -"M. d'Herblay!" said the king, musingly, as if his name, heard long -since, was not, however, unknown to him. - -"Oh!" said Fouquet, promptly, "your majesty is not acquainted with the -obscure name of one of your most faithful and valuable servants?" - -"No, I confess I am not. And so he wishes to set off again?" - -"He has this very day received letters which will, perhaps, compel him -to leave, so that, before setting off for that unknown region called -Bretagne, he is desirous of paying his respects to your majesty." - -"Is he waiting?" - -"He is here, sire." - -"Let him enter." - -Fouquet made a sign to the usher in attendance, who was waiting behind -the tapestry. The door opened, and Aramis entered. The king allowed him -to finish the compliments which he addressed to him, and fixed a long -look upon a countenance which no one could forget, after having once -beheld it. - -"Vannes!" he said: "you are bishop of Vannes, I believe?" - -"Yes, sire." - -"Vannes is in Bretagne, I think?" Aramis bowed. - -"Near the coast?" Aramis again bowed. - -"A few leagues from Bell-Isle, is it not?" - -"Yes, sire," replied Aramis; "six leagues, I believe." - -"Six leagues; a mere step, then," said Louis XIV. - -"Not for us poor Bretons, sire," replied Aramis: "six leagues, on the -contrary, is a great distance, if it be six leagues on land; and an -immense distance, if it be leagues on the sea. Besides, I have the honor -to mention to your majesty that there are six leagues of sea from the -river to Belle-Isle." - -"It is said that M. Fouquet has a very beautiful house there?" inquired -the king. - -"Yes, it is said so," replied Aramis, looking quietly at Fouquet. - -"What do you mean by 'it is said so?'" exclaimed the king. - -"He has, sire." - -"Really, M. Fouquet, I must confess that one circumstance surprises me." - -"What may that be, sire?" - -"That you should have at the head of the diocese a man like M. -d'Herblay, and yet should not have shown him Belle-Isle." - -"Oh, sire," replied the bishop, without giving Fouquet time to answer, -"we poor Breton prelates seldom leave our residences." - -"M. de Vannes," said the king, "I will punish M. Fouquet for his -indifference." - -"In what way, sire?" - -"I will change your bishopric." - -Fouquet bit his lips, but Aramis only smiled. - -"What income does Vannes bring you in?" continued the king. - -"Sixty thousand livres, sire," said Aramis. - -"So trifling an amount as that; but you possess other property, Monsieur -de Vannes?" - -"I have nothing else, sire; only M. Fouquet pays me one thousand two -hundred livres a year for his pew in the church." - -"Well, M. d'Herblay, I promise you something better than that." - -"Sire--" - -"I will not forget you." - -Aramis bowed, and the king also bowed to him in a respectful manner, as -he was accustomed to do towards women and members of the Church. Aramis -gathered that his audience was at an end; he took his leave of the -king in the simple, unpretending language of a country pastor, and -disappeared. - -"He is, indeed, a remarkable face," said the king, following him with -his eyes as long as he could see him, and even to a certain degree when -he was no longer to be seen. - -"Sire," replied Fouquet, "if that bishop had been educated early in -life, no prelate in the kingdom would deserve the highest distinctions -better than he." - -"His learning is not extensive, then?" - -"He changed the sword for the crucifix, and that rather late in life. -But it matters little, if your majesty will permit me to speak of M. de -Vannes again on another occasion--" - -"I beg you to do so. But before speaking of him, let us speak of -yourself, M. Fouquet." - -"Of me, sire?" - -"Yes, I have to pay you a thousand compliments." - -"I cannot express to your majesty the delight with which you overwhelm -me." - -"I understand you, M. Fouquet. I confess, however, to have had certain -prejudices against you." - -"In that case, I was indeed unhappy, sire." - -"But they exist no longer. Did you not perceive--" - -"I did, indeed, sire; but I awaited with resignation the day when the -truth would prevail; and it seems that that day has now arrived." - -"Ah! you knew, then, you were in disgrace with me?" - -"Alas! sire, I perceived it." - -"And do you know the reason?" - -"Perfectly well; your majesty thought that I had been wastefully lavish -in expenditure." - -"Not so; far from that." - -"Or, rather an indifferent administrator. In a word, you thought -that, as the people had no money, there would be none for your majesty -either." - -"Yes, I thought so; but I was deceived." - -Fouquet bowed. - -"And no disturbances, no complaints?" - -"And money enough," said Fouquet. - -"The fact is that you have been profuse with it during the last month." - -"I have more, not only for all your majesty's requirements, but for all -your caprices." - -"I thank you, Monsieur Fouquet," replied the king, seriously. "I will -not put you to the proof. For the next two months I do not intend to ask -you for anything." - -"I will avail myself of the interval to amass five or six millions, -which will be serviceable as money in hand in case of war." - -"Five or six millions!" - -"For the expenses of your majesty's household only, be it understood." - -"You think war probable, M. Fouquet?" - -"I think that if Heaven has bestowed on the eagle a beak and claws, it -is to enable him to show his royal character." - -The king blushed with pleasure. - -"We have spent a great deal of money these few days past, Monsieur -Fouquet; will you not scold me for it?" - -"Sire, your majesty has still twenty years of youth to enjoy, and a -thousand million francs to lavish in those twenty years." - -"That is a great deal of money, M. Fouquet," said the king. - -"I will economize, sire. Besides, your majesty as two valuable servants -in M. Colbert and myself. The one will encourage you to be prodigal with -your treasures--and this shall be myself, if my services should continue -to be agreeable to your majesty; and the other will economize money for -you, and this will be M. Colbert's province." - -"M. Colbert?" returned the king, astonished. - -"Certainly, sire; M. Colbert is an excellent accountant." - -At this commendation, bestowed by the traduced on the traducer, the king -felt himself penetrated with confidence and admiration. There was not, -moreover, either in Fouquet's voice or look, anything which injuriously -affected a single syllable of the remark he had made; he did not pass -one eulogium, as it were, in order to acquire the right of making -two reproaches. The king comprehended him, and yielding to so much -generosity and address, he said, "You praise M. Colbert, then?" - -"Yes, sire, I praise him; for, besides being a man of merit, I believe -him to be devoted to your majesty's interests." - -"Is that because he has often interfered with your own views?" said the -king, smiling. - -"Exactly, sire." - -"Explain yourself." - -"It is simple enough. I am the man who is needed to make the money come -in; he is the man who is needed to prevent it leaving." - -"Nay, nay, monsieur le surintendant, you will presently say something -which will correct this good opinion." - -"Do you mean as far as administrative abilities are concerned, sire?" - -"Yes." - -"Not in the slightest." - -"Really?" - -"Upon my honor, sire, I do not know throughout France a better clerk -than M. Colbert." - -This word "clerk" did not possess, in 1661, the somewhat subservient -signification attached to it in the present day; but, as spoken by -Fouquet, whom the king had addressed as the superintendent, it seemed -to acquire an insignificant and petty character, that at this juncture -served admirably to restore Fouquet to his place, and Colbert to his -own. - -"And yet," said Louis XIV., "it was Colbert, however, that, -notwithstanding his economy, had the arrangement of my _fetes_ here at -Fontainebleau; and I assure you, Monsieur Fouquet, that in no way has -he checked the expenditure of money." Fouquet bowed, but did not reply. - -"Is it not your opinion too?" said the king. - -"I think, sire," he replied, "that M. Colbert has done what he had to do -in an exceedingly orderly manner, and that he deserves, in this respect, -all the praise your majesty may bestow upon him." - -The word "orderly" was a proper accompaniment for the word "clerk." The -king possessed that extreme sensitiveness of organization, that delicacy -of perception, which pierced through and detected the regular order of -feelings and sensations, before the actual sensations themselves, and -he therefore comprehended that the clerk had, in Fouquet's opinion, been -too full of method and order in his arrangements; in other words, that -the magnificent _fetes_ of Fontainebleau might have been rendered more -magnificent still. The king consequently felt that there was something -in the amusements he had provided with which some person or another -might be able to find fault; he experienced a little of the annoyance -felt by a person coming from the provinces to Paris, dressed out in the -very best clothes which his wardrobe can furnish, only to find that -the fashionably dressed man there looks at him either too much or not -enough. This part of the conversation, which Fouquet had carried on with -so much moderation, yet with extreme tact, inspired the king with the -highest esteem for the character of the man and the capacity of the -minister. Fouquet took his leave at a quarter to three in the morning, -and the king went to bed a little uneasy and confused at the indirect -lesson he had received; and a good hour was employed by him in going -over again in memory the embroideries, the tapestries, the bills of fare -of the various banquets, the architecture of the triumphal arches, the -arrangements for the illuminations and fireworks, all the offspring -of the "Clerk Colbert's" invention. The result was, the king passed in -review before him everything that had taken place during the last -eight days, and decided that faults could be found in his _fetes_. -But Fouquet, by his politeness, his thoughtful consideration, and his -generosity, had injured Colbert more deeply than the latter, by his -artifice, his ill-will, and his persevering hatred, had ever yet -succeeded in hurting Fouquet. - - - -Chapter XLVIII. Fontainebleau at Two o'Clock in the Morning. - -As we have seen, Saint-Aignan had quitted the king's apartment at the -very moment the superintendent entered it. Saint-Aignan was charged with -a mission that required dispatch, and he was going to do his utmost to -turn his time to the best advantage. He whom we have introduced as the -king's friend was indeed an uncommon personage; he was one of those -valuable courtiers whose vigilance and acuteness of perception threw -all other favorites into the shade, and counterbalanced, by his close -attention, the servility of Dangeau, who was not the favorite, but the -toady of the king. M. de Saint-Aignan began to think what was to be -done in the present position of affairs. He reflected that his first -information ought to come from De Guiche. He therefore set out in search -of him, but De Guiche, whom we saw disappear behind one of the wings, -and who seemed to have returned to his own apartments, had not entered -the chateau. Saint-Aignan therefore went in quest of him, and after -having turned, and twisted, and searched in every direction, he -perceived something like a human form leaning against a tree. This -figure was as motionless as a statue, and seemed deeply engaged in -looking at a window, although its curtains were closely drawn. As this -window happened to be Madame's, Saint-Aignan concluded that the form in -question must be that of De Guiche. He advanced cautiously, and found -he was not mistaken. De Guiche had, after his conversation with Madame, -carried away such a weight of happiness, that all of his strength of -mind was hardly sufficient to enable him to support it. On his side, -Saint-Aignan knew that De Guiche had had something to do with La -Valliere's introduction to Madame's household, for a courtier knows -everything and forgets nothing; but he had never learned under what -title or conditions De Guiche had conferred his protection upon La -Valliere. But, as in asking a great many questions it is singular if a -man does not learn something, Saint-Aignan reckoned upon learning much -or little, as the case might be, if he questioned De Guiche with that -extreme tact, and, at the same time, with that persistence in attaining -an object, of which he was capable. Saint-Aignan's plan was as follows: -If the information obtained was satisfactory, he would inform the king, -with alacrity, that he had lighted upon a pearl, and claim the privilege -of setting the pearl in question in the royal crown. If the information -were unsatisfactory,--which, after all, might be possible,--he would -examine how far the king cared about La Valliere, and make use of his -information in such a manner as to get rid of the girl altogether, and -thereby obtain all the merit of her banishment with all the ladies of -the court who might have the least pretensions to the king's heart, -beginning with Madame and finishing with the queen. In case the king -should show himself obstinate in his fancy, then he would not produce -the damaging information he had obtained, but would let La Valliere -know that this damaging information was carefully preserved in a secret -drawer of her confidant's memory. In this manner, he would be able -to air his generosity before the poor girl's eyes, and so keep her in -constant suspense between gratitude and apprehension, to such an extent -as to make her a friend at court, interested, as an accomplice, in -trying to make his fortune, while she was making her own. As far as -concerned the day when the bombshell of the past should burst, if ever -there were any occasion, Saint-Aignan promised himself that he would -by that time have taken all possible precautions, and would pretend an -entire ignorance of the matter to the king; while, with regard to La -Valliere, he would still have an opportunity of being considered the -personification of generosity. It was with such ideas as these, which -the fire of covetousness had caused to dawn in half an hour, that -Saint-Aignan, the son of earth, as La Fontaine would have said, -determined to get De Guiche into conversation: in other words, to -trouble him in his happiness--a happiness of which Saint-Aignan was -quite ignorant. It was long past one o'clock in the morning when -Saint-Aignan perceived De Guiche, standing, motionless, leaning -against the trunk of a tree, with his eyes fastened upon the lighted -window,--the sleepiest hour of night-time, which painters crown with -myrtles and budding poppies, the hour when eyes are heavy, hearts throb, -and heads feel dull and languid--an hour which casts upon the day which -has passed away a look of regret, while addressing a loving greeting -to the dawning light. For De Guiche it was the dawn of unutterable -happiness; he would have bestowed a treasure upon a beggar, had one -stood before him, to secure him uninterrupted indulgence in his -dreams. It was precisely at this hour that Saint-Aignan, badly -advised,--selfishness always counsels badly,--came and struck him on the -shoulder, at the very moment he was murmuring a word, or rather a name. - -"Ah!" he cried loudly, "I was looking for you." - -"For me?" said De Guiche, starting. - -"Yes; and I find you seemingly moon-struck. Is it likely, my dear comte, -you have been attacked by a poetical malady, and are making verses?" - -The young man forced a smile upon his lips, while a thousand conflicting -sensations were muttering defiance of Saint-Aignan in the deep recesses -of his heart. "Perhaps," he said. "But by what happy chance--" - -"Ah! your remark shows that you did not hear what I said." - -"How so?" - -"Why, I began by telling you I was looking for you." - -"You were looking for me?" - -"Yes: and I find you now in the very act." - -"Of doing what, I should like to know?" - -"Of singing the praises of Phyllis." - -"Well, I do not deny it," said De Guiche, laughing. "Yes, my dear comte, -I was celebrating Phyllis's praises." - -"And you have acquired the right to do so." - -"I?" - -"You; no doubt of it. You; the intrepid protector of every beautiful and -clever woman." - -"In the name of goodness, what story have you got hold of now?" - -"Acknowledged truths, I am well aware. But stay a moment; I am in love." - -"You?" - -"Yes." - -"So much the better, my dear comte; tell me all about it." And De -Guiche, afraid that Saint-Aignan might perhaps presently observe the -window, where the light was still burning, took the comte's arm and -endeavored to lead him away. - -"Oh!" said the latter, resisting, "do not take me towards those dark -woods, it is too damp there. Let us stay in the moonlight." And while -he yielded to the pressure of De Guiche's arm, he remained in the -flower-garden adjoining the chateau. - -"Well," said De Guiche, resigning himself, "lead me where you like, and -ask me what you please." - -"It is impossible to be more agreeable than you are." And then, after -a moment's silence, Saint-Aignan continued, "I wish you to tell me -something about a certain person in who you have interested yourself." - -"And with whom you are in love?" - -"I will neither admit nor deny it. You understand that a man does not -very readily place his heart where there is no hope of return, and that -it is most essential he should take measures of security in advance." - -"You are right," said De Guiche with a sigh; "a man's heart is a very -precious gift." - -"Mine particularly is very tender, and in that light I present it to -you." - -"Oh! you are well known, comte. Well?" - -"It is simply a question of Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente." - -"Why, my dear Saint-Aignan, you are losing your senses, I should think." - -"Why so?" - -"I have never shown or taken any interest in Mademoiselle de -Tonnay-Charente." - -"Bah!" - -"Never." - -"Did you not obtain admission for Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente into -Madame's household?" - -"Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente--and you ought to know it better than -any one else, my dear comte--is of a sufficiently good family to make -her presence here desirable, and her admittance very easy." - -"You are jesting." - -"No; and upon my honor I do not know what you mean." - -"And you had nothing, then, to do with her admission?" - -"No." - -"You do not know her?" - -"I saw her for the first time the day she was presented to Madame. -Therefore, as I have never taken any interest in her, as I do not know -her, I am not able to give you the information you require." And De -Guiche made a movement as though he were about to leave his questioner. - -"Nay, nay, one moment, my dear comte," said Saint-Aignan; "you shall not -escape me in this manner." - -"Why, really, it seems to me that it is now time to return to our -apartments." - -"And yet you were not going in when I--did not meet, but found you." - -"Therefore, my dear comte," said De Guiche, "as long as you have -anything to say to me, I place myself entirely at your service." - -"And you are quite right in doing so. What matters half an hour more or -less? Will you swear that you have no injurious communications to -make to me about her, and that any injurious communications you might -possibly have to make are not the cause of your silence?" - -"Oh! I believe the poor child to be as pure as crystal." - -"You overwhelm me with joy. And yet I do not wish to have towards you -the appearance of a man so badly informed as I seem. It is quite certain -that you supplied the princess's household with the ladies of honor. -Nay, a song has even been written about it." - -"Oh! songs are written about everything." - -"Do you know it?" - -"No: sing it to me and I shall make its acquaintance." - -"I cannot tell you how it begins; I only remember how it ends." - -"Very well, at all events, that is something." - -"When Maids of Honor happen to run short, Lo!--Guiche will furnish the -entire Court." - -"The idea is weak, and the rhyme poor," said De Guiche. - -"What can you expect, my dear fellow? it is not Racine's or Moliere's, -but La Feuillade's; and a great lord cannot rhyme like a beggarly poet." - -"It is very unfortunate, though, that you only remember the -termination." - -"Stay, stay, I have just recollected the beginning of the second -couplet." - -"Why, there's the birdcage, with a pretty pair, The charming Montalais, -and..." - -"And La Valliere," exclaimed Guiche, impatiently, and completely -ignorant besides of Saint-Aignan's object. - -"Yes, yes, you have it. You have hit upon the word, 'La Valliere.'" - -"A grand discovery indeed." - -"Montalais and La Valliere, these, then, are the two young girls in whom -you interest yourself," said Saint-Aignan, laughing. - -"And so Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente's name is not to be met with in -the song?" - -"No, indeed." - -"And are you satisfied, then?" - -"Perfectly; but I find Montalais there," said Saint-Aignan, still -laughing. - -"Oh! you will find her everywhere. She is a singularly active young -lady." - -"You know her?" - -"Indirectly. She was the _protegee_ of a man named Malicorne, who is a -_protegee_ of Manicamp's; Manicamp asked me to get the situation of -maid of honor for Montalais in Madame's household, and a situation for -Malicorne as an officer in Monsieur's household. Well, I asked for the -appointments, for you know very well that I have a weakness for that -droll fellow Manicamp." - -"And you obtained what you sought?" - -"For Montalais, yes; for Malicorne, yes and no; for as yet he is only on -trial. Do you wish to know anything else?" - -"The last word of the couplet still remains, La Valliere," said -Saint-Aignan, resuming the smile that so tormented Guiche. - -"Well," said the latter, "it is true that I obtained admission for her -in Madame's household." - -"Ah!" said Saint-Aignan. - -"But," continued Guiche, assuming a great coldness of manner, "you will -oblige me, comte, not to jest about that name. Mademoiselle la Baume le -Blanc de la Valliere is a young lady perfectly well-conducted." - -"Perfectly well-conducted do you say?" - -"Yes." - -"Then you have not heard the last rumor?" exclaimed Saint-Aignan. - -"No, and you will do me a service, my dear comte, in keeping this report -to yourself and to those who circulate it." - -"Ah! bah! you take the matter up very seriously." - -"Yes; Mademoiselle de Valliere is beloved by one of my best friends." - -Saint-Aignan started. "Aha!" he said. - -"Yes, comte," continued Guiche; "and consequently, you, the most -distinguished man in France for polished courtesy of manner, will -understand that I cannot allow my friend to be placed in a ridiculous -position." - -Saint-Aignan began to bite his nails, partially from vexation, and -partially from disappointed curiosity. Guiche made him a very profound -bow. - -"You send me away," said Saint-Aignan, who was dying to know the name of -the friend. - -"I do not send you away, my dear fellow. I am going to finish my lines -to Phyllis." - -"And those lines--" - -"Are a _quatrain_. You understand, I trust, that a _quatrain_ is a -serious affair?" - -"Of course." - -"And as, of these four lines, of which it is composed, I have yet three -and a half to make, I need my undivided attention." - -"I quite understand. Adieu! comte. By the by--" - -"What?" - -"Are you quick at making verses?" - -"Wonderfully so." - -"Will you have quite finished the three lines and a half to-morrow -morning?" - -"I _hope_ so." - -"Adieu, then, until to-morrow." - -"Adieu, adieu!" - -Saint-Aignan was obliged to accept the notice to quit; he accordingly -did so, and disappeared behind the hedge. Their conversation had led -Guiche and Saint-Aignan a good distance from the chateau. - -Every mathematician, every poet, and every dreamer has his own subjects -of interest. Saint-Aignan, on leaving Guiche, found himself at the -extremity of the grove,--at the very spot where the outbuildings of -the servants begin, and where, behind the thickets of acacias and -chestnut-trees interlacing their branches, which were hidden by masses -of clematis and young vines, the wall which separated the woods from -the courtyard was erected. Saint-Aignan, alone, took the path which led -towards these buildings; De Guiche going off in the opposite direction. -The one proceeded to the flower-garden, while the other bent his steps -towards the walls. Saint-Aignan walked on between rows of mountain-ash, -lilac, and hawthorn, which formed an almost impenetrable roof above his -head; his feet were buried in the soft gravel and thick moss. He was -deliberating a means of taking his revenge, which seemed difficult for -him to carry out, and was vexed with himself for not having learned -more about La Valliere, notwithstanding the ingenious measures he -had resorted to in order to acquire more information about her, when -suddenly the murmur of a human voice attracted his attention. He -heard whispers, the complaining tones of a woman's voice mingled with -entreaties, smothered laughter, sighs, and half-stilted exclamations of -surprise; but above them all, the woman's voice prevailed. Saint-Aignan -stopped to look about him; he perceived from the greatest surprise that -the voices proceeded, not from the ground, but from the branches of the -trees. As he glided along under the covered walk, he raised his head, -and observed at the top of the wall a woman perched upon a ladder, in -eager conversation with a man seated on a branch of a chestnut-tree, -whose head alone could be seen, the rest of his body being concealed in -the thick covert of the chestnut. [5] - - - -Chapter XLIX. The Labyrinth. - -Saint-Aignan, who had only been seeking for information, had met with an -adventure. This was indeed a piece of good luck. Curious to learn why, -and particularly what about, this man and woman were conversing at such -an hour, and in such a singular position, Saint-Aignan made himself as -small as he possibly could, and approached almost under the rounds -of the ladder. And taking measures to make himself as comfortable as -possible, he leaned his back against a tree and listened, and heard the -following conversation. The woman was the first to speak. - -"Really, Monsieur Manicamp," she said, in a voice which, notwithstanding -the reproaches she addressed to him, preserved a marked tone of -coquetry, "really your indiscretion is of a very dangerous character. We -cannot talk long in this manner without being observed." - -"That is very probable," said the man, in the calmest and coolest of -tones. - -"In that case, then, what would people say? Oh! if any one were to see -me, I declare I should die of very shame." - -"Oh! that would be very silly; I do not believe you would." - -"It might have been different if there had been anything between us; but -to injure myself gratuitously is really very foolish of me; so, adieu, -Monsieur Manicamp." - -"So far so good; I know the man, and now let me see who the woman is," -said Saint-Aignan, watching the rounds of the ladder, on which were -standing two pretty little feet covered with blue satin shoes. - -"Nay, nay, for pity's sake, my dear Montalais," cried Manicamp, "deuce -take it, do not go away; I have a great many things to say to you, of -the greatest importance, still." - -"Montalais," said Saint-Aignan to himself, "one of the three. Each of -the three gossips had her adventure, only I imagined the hero of this -one's adventure was Malicorne and not Manicamp." - -At her companion's appeal, Montalais stopped in the middle of her -descent, and Saint-Aignan could observe the unfortunate Manicamp climb -from one branch of the chestnut-tree to another, either to improve his -situation or to overcome the fatigue consequent upon his inconvenient -position. - -"Now, listen to me," said he; "you quite understand, I hope, that my -intentions are perfectly innocent?" - -"Of course. But why did you write me a letter stimulating my gratitude -towards you? Why did you ask me for an interview at such an hour and in -such a place as this?" - -"I stimulated your gratitude in reminding you that it was I who had been -the means of your becoming attached to Madame's household; because most -anxiously desirous of obtaining the interview you have been kind enough -to grant me, I employed the means which appeared to me most certain to -insure it. And my reason for soliciting it, at such an hour and in such -a locality, was, that the hour seemed to me to be the most prudent, and -the locality the least open to observation. Moreover, I had occasion -to speak to you upon certain subjects which require both prudence and -solitude." - -"Monsieur Manicamp!" - -"But everything I wish to say is perfectly honorable, I assure you." - -"I think, Monsieur Manicamp, it will be more becoming in me to take my -leave." - -"No, no!--listen to me, or I will jump from my perch here to yours; -and be careful how you set me at defiance, for a branch of this -chestnut-tree causes me a good deal of annoyance, and may provoke me to -extreme measures. Do not follow the example of this branch, then, but -listen to me." - -"I am listening, and I agree to do so; but be as brief as possible, for -if you have a branch of the chestnut-tree which annoys you, I wish you -to understand that one of the rounds of the ladder is hurting the soles -of my feet, and my shoes are being cut through." - -"Do me the kindness to give me your hand." - -"Why?" - -"Will you have the goodness to do so?" - -"There is my hand, then; but what are you going to do?" - -"To draw you towards me." - -"What for? You surely do not wish me to join you in the tree?" - -"No; but I wish you to sit down upon the wall; there, that will do; -there is quite room enough, and I would give a great deal to be allowed -to sit down beside you." - -"No, no; you are very well where you are; we should be seen." - -"Do you really think so?" said Manicamp, in an insinuating voice. - -"I am sure of it." - -"Very well, I remain in my tree, then, although I cannot be worse -placed." - -"Monsieur Manicamp, we are wandering away from the subject." - -"You are right, we are so." - -"You wrote me a letter?" - -"I did." - -"Why did you write?" - -"Fancy, at two o'clock to-day, De Guiche left." - -"What then?" - -"Seeing him set off, I followed him, as I usually do." - -"Of course, I see that, since you are here now." - -"Don't be in a hurry. You are aware, I suppose, that De Guiche is up to -his very neck in disgrace?" - -"Alas! yes." - -"It was the very height of imprudence on his part, then, to come to -Fontainebleau to seek those who had at Paris sent him away into exile, -and particularly those from whom he had been separated." - -"Monsieur Manicamp, you reason like Pythagoras." - -"Moreover, De Guiche is as obstinate as a man in love can be, and he -refused to listen to any of my remonstrances. I begged, I implored him, -but he would not listen to anything. Oh, the deuce!" - -"What's the matter?" - -"I beg your pardon, Mademoiselle Montalais, but this confounded branch, -about which I have already had the honor of speaking to you, has just -torn a certain portion of my dress." - -"It is quite dark," replied Montalais, laughing; "so, pray continue, M. -Manicamp." - -"De Guiche set off on horseback as hard as he could, I following him, -at a slower pace. You quite understand that to throw one's self into -the water, for instance, with a friend, at the same headlong rate as he -himself would do it, would be the act either of a fool or a madman. I -therefore allowed De Guiche to get in advance, and I proceeded on my -way with a commendable slowness of pace, feeling quite sure that my -unfortunate friend would not be received, or, if he had been, that he -would ride off again at the very first cross, disagreeable answer; -and that I should see him returning much faster than he went, without -having, myself, gone much farther than Ris or Melun--and that even was a -good distance you will admit, for it is eleven leagues to get there and -as many to return." - -Montalais shrugged her shoulders. - -"Laugh as much as you like; but if, instead of being comfortably seated -on the top of the wall as you are, you were sitting on this branch as if -you were on horseback, you would, like Augustus, aspire to descend." - -"Be patient, my dear M. Manicamp; a few minutes will soon pass away; you -were saying, I think, that you had gone beyond Ris and Melun." - -"Yes, I went through Ris and Melun, and I continued to go on, more -and more surprised that I did not see him returning; and here I am at -Fontainebleau; I look for and inquire after De Guiche everywhere, but -no one has seen him, no one in the town has spoken to him; he arrived -riding at full gallop, he entered the chateau; and there he has -disappeared. I have been here at Fontainebleau since eight o'clock this -evening inquiring for De Guiche in every direction, but no De Guiche -can be found. I am dying with uneasiness. You understand that I have not -been running my head into the lion's den, in entering the chateau, as my -imprudent friend has done; I came at once to the servants' offices, and -I succeeded in getting a letter conveyed to you; and now, for Heaven's -sake, my dear young lady, relieve me from my anxiety." - -"There will be no difficulty in that, my dear M. Manicamp; your friend -De Guiche has been admirably received." - -"Bah!" - -"The king made quite a fuss over him." - -"The king, who exiled him!" - -"Madame smiled upon him, and Monsieur appears to like him better than -ever." - -"Ah! ah!" said Manicamp, "that explains to me, then, why and how he has -remained. And did he not say anything about me?" - -"Not a word." - -"That is very unkind. What is he doing now?" - -"In all probability he is asleep, or, if not asleep, dreaming." - -"And what have they been doing all the evening?" - -"Dancing." - -"The famous ballet? How did De Guiche look?" - -"Superb!" - -"Dear fellow! And now, pray forgive me, Mademoiselle Montalais; but all -I now have to do is pass from where I now am to your apartment." - -"What do you mean?" - -"I cannot suppose that the door of the chateau will be opened for me at -this hour; and as for spending the night upon this branch, I possibly -might not object to do so, but I declare it is impossible for any other -animal than a boa-constrictor to do it." - -"But, M. Manicamp, I cannot introduce a man over the wall in that -manner." - -"Two, if you please," said a second voice, but in so timid a tone that -it seemed as if its owner felt the utter impropriety of such a request. - -"Good gracious!" exclaimed Montalais, "who is that speaking to me?" - -"Malicorne, Mademoiselle Montalais." - -And as Malicorne spoke, he raised himself from the ground to the lowest -branches, and thence to the height of the wall. - -"Monsieur Malicorne! why, you are both mad!" - -"How do you do, Mademoiselle Montalais?" inquired Malicorne. - -"I needed but this!" said Montalais, in despair. - -"Oh! Mademoiselle Montalais," murmured Malicorne; "do not be so severe, -I beseech you." - -"In fact," said Manicamp, "we are your friends, and you cannot possibly -wish your friends to lose their lives; and to leave us to pass the night -on these branches is in fact condemning us to death." - -"Oh!" said Montalais, "Monsieur Malicorne is so robust that a night -passed in the open air with the beautiful stars above him will not do -him any harm, and it will be a just punishment for the trick he has -played me." - -"Be it so, then; let Malicorne arrange matters with you in the best way -he can; I pass over," said Manicamp. And bending down the famous branch -against which he had directed such bitter complaints, he succeeded, by -the assistance of his hands and feet, in seating himself side by side -with Montalais, who tried to push him back, while he endeavored to -maintain his position, and, moreover, he succeeded. Having taken -possession of the ladder, he stepped on it, and then gallantly offered -his hand to his fair antagonist. While this was going on, Malicorne had -installed himself in the chestnut-tree, in the very place Manicamp had -just left, determining within himself to succeed him in the one he now -occupied. Manicamp and Montalais descended a few rounds of the ladder, -Manicamp insisting, and Montalais laughing and objecting. - -Suddenly Malicorne's voice was heard in tones of entreaty: - -"I entreat you, Mademoiselle Montalais, not to leave me here. My -position is very insecure, and some accident will be certain to befall -me, if I attempt unaided to reach the other side of the wall; it does -not matter if Manicamp tears his clothes, for he can make use of M. de -Guiche's wardrobe; but I shall not be able to use even those belonging -to M. Manicamp, for they will be torn." - -"My opinion," said Manicamp, without taking any notice of Malicorne's -lamentations, "is that the best thing to be done is to go and look for -De Guiche without delay, for, by and by, perhaps, I may not be able to -get to his apartments." - -"That is my own opinion, too," replied Montalais; "so, go at once, -Monsieur Manicamp." - -"A thousand thanks. Adieu Mademoiselle Montalais," said Manicamp, -jumping to the ground; "your condescension cannot be repaid." - -"Farewell, M. Manicamp; I am now going to get rid of M. Malicorne." - -Malicorne sighed. Manicamp went away a few paces, but returning to the -foot of the ladder, he said, "By the by, how do I get to M. de Guiche's -apartments?" - -"Nothing easier. You go along by the hedge until you reach a place where -the paths cross." - -"Yes." - -"You will see four paths." - -"Exactly." - -"One of which you will take." - -"Which of them?" - -"That to the right." - -"That to the right?" - -"No, to the left." - -"The deuce!" - -"No, no, wait a minute--" - -"You do not seem to be quite sure. Think again, I beg." - -"You take the middle path." - -"But there are _four_." - -"So there are. All I know is, that one of the four paths leads straight -to Madame's apartments; and that one I am well acquainted with." - -"But M. de Guiche is not in Madame's apartments, I suppose?" - -"No, indeed." - -"Well, then the path which leads to Madame's apartments is of no use to -me, and I would willingly exchange it for the one that leads to where M. -de Guiche is lodging." - -"Of course, and I know that as well; but as for indicating it from where -we are, it is quite impossible." - -"Well, let us suppose that I have succeeded in finding that fortunate -path." - -"In that case, you are almost there, for you have nothing else to do but -cross the labyrinth." - -"_Nothing_ more than that? The deuce! so there is a labyrinth as well." - -"Yes, and complicated enough too; even in daylight one may sometimes -be deceived,--there are turnings and windings without end: in the first -place, you must turn three times to the right, then twice to the left, -then turn once--stay, is it once or twice, though? at all events, when -you get clear of the labyrinth, you will see an avenue of sycamores, -and this avenue leads straight to the pavilion in which M. de Guiche is -lodging." - -"Nothing could be more clearly indicated," said Manicamp; "and I have -not the slightest doubt in the world that if I were to follow your -directions, I should lose my way immediately. I have, therefore, a -slight service to ask of you." - -"What may that be?" - -"That you will offer me your arm and guide me yourself, like another-- -like another--I used to know mythology, but other important matters have -made me forget it; pray come with me, then?" - -"And am I to be abandoned, then?" cried Malicorne. - -"It is quite impossible, monsieur," said Montalais to Manicamp; "if I -were to be seen with you at such an hour, what would be said of me?" - -"Your own conscience would acquit you," said Manicamp, sententiously. - -"Impossible, monsieur, impossible." - -"In that case, let me assist Malicorne to get down; he is a very -intelligent fellow, and possesses a very keen scent; he will guide me, -and if we lose ourselves, both of us will be lost, and the one will save -the other. If we are together, and should be met by any one, we shall -look as if we had some matter of business in hand; whilst alone I should -have the appearance either of a lover or a robber. Come, Malicorne, here -is the ladder." - -Malicorne had already stretched out one of his legs towards the top of -the wall, when Manicamp said, in a whisper, "Hush!" - -"What's the matter?" inquired Montalais. - -"I hear footsteps." - -"Good heavens!" - -In fact the fancied footsteps soon became a reality; the foliage was -pushed aside, and Saint-Aignan appeared, with a smile on his lips, and -his hand stretched out towards them, taking every one by surprise; -that is to say, Malicorne upon the tree with his head stretched out, -Montalais upon the round of the ladder and clinging to it tightly, -and Manicamp on the ground with his foot advanced ready to set off. -"Good-evening, Manicamp," said the comte, "I am glad to see you, my dear -fellow; we missed you this evening, and a good many inquiries have been -made about you. Mademoiselle de Montalais, your most obedient servant." - -Montalais blushed. "Good heavens!" she exclaimed, hiding her face in -both her hands. - -"Pray reassure yourself; I know how perfectly innocent you are, and I -shall give a good account of you. Manicamp, do you follow me: the hedge, -the cross-paths, and labyrinth, I am well acquainted with them all; -I will be your Ariadne. There now, your mythological name is found at -last." - -"Perfectly true, comte." - -"And take M. Malicorne away with you at the same time," said Montalais. - -"No, indeed," said Malicorne; "M. Manicamp has conversed with you -as long as he liked, and now it is my turn, if you please; I have a -multitude of things to tell you about our future prospects." - -"You hear," said the comte, laughing; "stay with him, Mademoiselle -Montalais. This is, indeed, a night for secrets." And, taking Manicamp's -arm, the comte led him rapidly away in the direction of the road -Montalais knew so well, and indicated so badly. Montalais followed them -with her eyes as long as she could perceive them. - - - -Chapter L: How Malicorne Had Been Turned Out of the Hotel of the Beau -Paon. - -While Montalais was engaged in looking after the comte and Manicamp, -Malicorne had taken advantage of the young girl's attention being drawn -away to render his position somewhat more tolerable, and when she turned -round, she immediately noticed the change which had taken place; for -he had seated himself, like a monkey, upon the wall, the foliage of the -wild vine and honeysuckle curled around his head like a faun, while -the twisted ivy branches represented tolerably enough his cloven -feet. Montalais required nothing to make her resemblance to a dryad as -complete as possible. "Well," she said, ascending another round of the -ladder, "are you resolved to render me unhappy? have you not persecuted -me enough, tyrant that you are?" - -"I a tyrant?" said Malicorne. - -"Yes, you are always compromising me, Monsieur Malicorne; you are a -perfect monster of wickedness." - -"I?" - -"What have you to do with Fontainebleau? Is not Orleans your place of -residence?" - -"Do you ask me what I have to do here? I wanted to see you." - -"Ah, great need of that." - -"Not as far as concerns yourself, perhaps, but as far as I am concerned, -Mademoiselle Montalais, you know very well that I have left my home, and -that, for the future, I have no other place of residence than that which -you may happen to have. As you, therefore, are staying at Fontainebleau -at the present moment, I have come to Fontainebleau." - -Montalais shrugged her shoulders. "You wished to see me, did you not?" -she said. - -"Of course." - -"Very well, you have seen me,--you are satisfied; so now go away." - -"Oh, no," said Malicorne; "I came to talk with you as well as to see -you." - -"Very well, we will talk by and by, and in another place than this." - -"By and by! Heaven only knows if I shall meet you by and by in another -place. We shall never find a more favorable one than this." - -"But I cannot this evening, nor at the present moment." - -"Why not?" - -"Because a thousand things have happened to-night." - -"Well, then, my affair will make a thousand and one." - -"No, no; Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente is waiting for me in our room -to communicate something of the very greatest importance." - -"How long has she been waiting?" - -"For an hour at least." - -"In that case," said Malicorne, tranquilly, "she can wait a few minutes -longer." - -"Monsieur Malicorne," said Montalais, "you are forgetting yourself." - -"You should rather say that it is you who are forgetting me, and that I -am getting impatient at the part you make me play here indeed! For the -last week I have been prowling about among the company, and you have not -once deigned to notice my presence." - -"Have you been prowling about here for a week, M. Malicorne?" - -"Like a wolf; sometimes I have been burnt by the fireworks, which -have singed two of my wigs; at others, I have been completely -drenched in the osiers by the evening damps, or the spray from the -fountains,--half-famished, fatigued to death, with the view of a wall -always before me, and the prospect of having to scale it perhaps. Upon -my word, this is not the sort of life for any one to lead who is -neither a squirrel, a salamander, nor an otter; and since you drive your -inhumanity so far as to wish to make me renounce my condition as a man, -I declare it openly. A man I am, indeed, and a man I will remain, unless -by superior orders." - -"Well, then, tell me, what do you wish,--what do you require,--what do -you insist upon?" said Montalais, in a submissive tone. - -"Do you mean to tell me that you did not know I was at Fontainebleau?" - -"I?" - -"Nay, be frank." - -"I suspected so." - -"Well, then, could you not have contrived during the last week to have -seen me once a day, at least?" - -"I have always been prevented, M. Malicorne." - -"Fiddlesticks!" - -"Ask my companion, if you do not believe me." - -"I shall ask no one to explain matters, I know better than any one." - -"Compose yourself, M. Malicorne: things will change." - -"They must indeed." - -"You know that, whether I see you or not, I am thinking of you," said -Montalais, in a coaxing tone of voice. - -"Oh, you are thinking of me, are you? well, and is there anything new?" - -"What about?" - -"About my post in Monsieur's household." - -"Ah, my dear Malicorne, no one has ventured lately to approach his royal -highness." - -"Well, but now?" - -"Now it is quite a different thing; since yesterday he has left off -being jealous." - -"Bah! how has his jealousy subsided?" - -"It has been diverted into another channel." - -"Tell me all about it." - -"A report was spread that the king had fallen in love with some one -else, and Monsieur was tranquillized immediately." - -"And who spread the report?" - -Montalais lowered her voice. "Between ourselves," she said, "I think -that Madame and the king have come to a secret understanding about it." - -"Ah!" said Malicorne; "that was the only way to manage it. But what -about poor M. de Guiche?" - -"Oh, as for him, he is completely turned off." - -"Have they been writing to each other?" - -"No, certainly not; I have not seen a pen in either of their hands for -the last week." - -"On what terms are you with Madame?" - -"The very best." - -"And with the king?" - -"The king always smiles at me whenever I pass him." - -"Good. Now tell me whom have the two lovers selected to serve as their -screen?" - -"La Valliere." - -"Oh, oh, poor girl! We must prevent that!" - -"Why?" - -"Because, if M. Raoul Bragelonne were to suspect it, he would either -kill her or kill himself." - -"Raoul, poor fellow! do you think so?" - -"Women pretend to have a knowledge of the state of people's affections," -said Malicorne, "and they do not even know how to read the thoughts of -their own minds and hearts. Well, I can tell you that M. de Bragelonne -loves La Valliere to such a degree that, if she deceived him, he would, -I repeat, either kill himself or kill her." - -"But the king is there to defend her," said Montalais. - -"The king!" exclaimed Malicorne; "Raoul would kill the king as he would -a common thief." - -"Good heavens!" said Montalais; "you are mad, M. Malicorne." - -"Not in the least. Everything I have told you is, on the contrary, -perfectly serious; and, for my own part, I know one thing." - -"What is that?" - -"That I shall quietly tell Raoul of the trick." - -"Hush!" said Montalais, mounting another round of the ladder, so as to -approach Malicorne more closely, "do not open your lips to poor Raoul." - -"Why not?" - -"Because, as yet you know nothing at all." - -"What is the matter, then?" - -"Why, this evening--but no one is listening, I hope?" - -"No." - -"This evening, then, beneath the royal oak, La Valliere said aloud, and -innocently enough, 'I cannot conceive that when one has once seen the -king, one can ever love another man.'" - -Malicorne almost jumped off the wall. "Unhappy girl! did she really say -that?" - -"Word for word." - -"And she thinks so?" - -"La Valliere always thinks what she says." - -"That positively cries aloud for vengeance. Why, women are the veriest -serpents," said Malicorne. - -"Compose yourself, my dear Malicorne, compose yourself." - -"No, no; let us take the evil in time, on the contrary. There is time -enough yet to tell Raoul of it." - -"Blunderer, on the contrary, it is too late," replied Montalais. - -"How so?" - -"La Valliere's remark, which was intended for the king, reached its -destination." - -"The king knows it, then? The king was told of it, I suppose?" - -"The king heard it." - -"_Ahime!_ as the cardinal used to say." - -"The king was hidden in the thicket close to the royal oak." - -"It follows, then," said Malicorne, "that for the future, the plan which -the king and Madame have arranged, will go as easily as if it were on -wheels, and will pass over poor Bragelonne's body." - -"Precisely so." - -"Well," said Malicorne, after a moment's reflection, "do not let us -interpose our poor selves between a large oak-tree and a great king, for -we should certainly be ground to pieces." - -"The very thing I was going to say to you." - -"Let us think of ourselves, then." - -"My own idea." - -"Open your beautiful eyes, then." - -"And you your large ears." - -"Approach your little mouth for a kiss." - -"Here," said Montalais, who paid the debt immediately in ringing coin. - -"Now let us consider. First, we have M. de Guiche, who is in love with -Madame; then La Valliere, who is in love with the king; next, the king, -who is in love both with Madame and La Valliere; lastly Monsieur, who -loves no one but himself. Among all these loves, a noodle would make his -fortune: a greater reason, therefore, for sensible people like ourselves -to do so." - -"There you are with your dreams again." - -"Nay, rather with realities. Let me still lead you, darling. I do not -think you have been very badly off hitherto?" - -"No." - -"Well, the future is guaranteed by the past. Only, since all here think -of themselves before anything else, let us do so too." - -"Perfectly right." - -"But of ourselves only." - -"Be it so." - -"An offensive and defensive alliance." - -"I am ready to swear it." - -"Put out your hand, then, and say, 'All for Malicorne.'" - -"All for Malicorne." - -"And I, 'All for Montalais,'" replied Malicorne, stretching out his hand -in his turn. - -"And now, what is to be done?" - -"Keep your eyes and ears constantly open; collect every means of attack -which may be serviceable against others; never let anything lie about -which can be used against ourselves." - -"Agreed." - -"Decided." - -"Sworn to. And now the agreement entered into, good-bye." - -"What do you mean by 'good-bye?'" - -"Of course you can now return to your inn." - -"To my inn?" - -"Yes; are you not lodging at the sign of the Beau Paon?" - -"Montalais, Montalais, you now betray that you were aware of my being at -Fontainebleau." - -"Well; and what does that prove, except that I occupy myself about you -more than you deserve?" - -"Hum!" - -"Go back, then, to the Beau Paon." - -"That is now quite out of the question." - -"Have you not a room there?" - -"I had, but have it no longer." - -"Who has taken it from you, then?" - -"I will tell you. Some little time ago I was returning there, after I -had been running about after you; and having reached my hotel quite out -of breath, I perceived a litter, upon which four peasants were carrying -a sick monk." - -"A monk?" - -"Yes, an old gray-bearded Franciscan. As I was looking at the monk, they -entered the hotel; and as they were carrying him up the staircase, I -followed, and as I reached the top of the staircase I observed that they -took him into my room." - -"Into your room?" - -"Yes, into my own apartment. Supposing it to be a mistake, I summoned -the landlord, who said that the room which had been let to me for the -past eight days was let to the Franciscan for the ninth." - -"Oh, oh!" - -"That was exactly what I said; nay, I did even more, for I was inclined -to get out of temper. I went up-stairs again. I spoke to the Franciscan -himself, and wished to prove to him the impropriety of the step; when -this monk, dying though he seemed to be, raised himself upon his -arm, fixed a pair of blazing eyes upon me, and, in a voice which was -admirably suited for commanding a charge of cavalry, said, 'Turn this -fellow out of doors;' which was done, immediately by the landlord and -the four porters, who made me descend the staircase somewhat faster than -was agreeable. This is how it happens, dearest, that I have no lodging." - -"Who can this Franciscan be?" said Montalais. "Is he a general?" - -"That is exactly the very title that one of the bearers of the litter -gave him as he spoke to him in a low tone." - -"So that--" said Montalais. - -"So that I have no room, no hotel, no lodging; and I am as determined as -my friend Manicamp was just now, not to pass the night in the open air." - -"What is to be done, then?" said Montalais. - -"Nothing easier," said a third voice; whereupon Montalais and Malicorne -uttered a simultaneous cry, and Saint-Aignan appeared. "Dear Monsieur -Malicorne," said Saint-Aignan, "a very lucky accident has brought me -back to extricate you from your embarrassment. Come, I can offer you a -room in my own apartments, which, I can assure you, no Franciscan will -deprive you of. As for you, my dear lady, rest easy. I already knew -Mademoiselle de la Valliere's secret, and that of Mademoiselle de -Tonnay-Charente; your own you have just been kind enough to confide -to me; for which I thank you. I can keep three quite as well as one." -Malicorne and Montalais looked at each other, like children detected in -a theft; but as Malicorne saw a great advantage in the proposition which -had been made to him, he gave Montalais a sign of assent, which -she returned. Malicorne then descended the ladder, round by round, -reflecting at every step on the means of obtaining piecemeal from M. -de Saint-Aignan all he might possibly know about the famous secret. -Montalais had already darted away like a deer, and neither cross-road -nor labyrinth was able to lead her wrong. As for Saint-Aignan, he -carried off Malicorne with him to his apartments, showing him a thousand -attentions, enchanted to have so close at hand the very two men who, -even supposing De Guiche were to remain silent, could give him the best -information about the maids of honor. - - - -Chapter LI. What Actually Occurred at the Inn Called the Beau Paon. - -In the first place, let us supply our readers with a few details -about the inn called Beau Paon. It owed its name to its sign, which -represented a peacock spreading its tail. But, in imitation of certain -painters who bestowed the face of a handsome young man on the serpent -which tempted Eve, the limner of the sign had conferred upon the peacock -the features of a woman. This famous inn, an architectural epigram -against that half of the human race which renders existence delightful, -was situated at Fontainebleau, in the first turning on the left-hand -side, which divides the road from Paris, the large artery that -constitutes in itself alone the entire town of Fontainebleau. The side -street in question was then known as the Rue de Lyon, doubtless because, -geographically, it led in the direction of the second capital of the -kingdom. The street itself was composed of two houses occupied by -persons of the class of tradespeople, the houses being separated by -two large gardens bordered with hedges running round them. Apparently, -however, there were three houses in the street. Let us explain, -notwithstanding appearances, how there were in fact only two. The inn of -the Beau Paon had its principal front towards the main street; but -upon the Rue de Lyon there were two ranges of buildings divided by -courtyards, which comprised sets of apartments for the reception of -all classes of travelers, whether on foot or on horseback, or even with -their own carriages; and in which could be supplied, not only board -and lodging, but also accommodation for exercise, or opportunities -of solitude for even the wealthiest courtiers, whenever, after having -received some check at the court, they wished to shut themselves up to -their own society, either to devour an affront, or to brood on revenge. -From the windows of this part of the building travelers could perceive, -in the first place, the street with the grass growing between the -stones, which were being gradually loosened by it; next the beautiful -hedges of elder and thorn, which embraced, as though within two green -and flowery arms, the house of which we have spoken; and then, in the -spaces between those houses, forming the groundwork of the picture, -and appearing an almost impassable barrier, a line of thick trees, -the advanced sentinels of the vast forest which extends in front of -Fontainebleau. It was therefore easy, provided one secured an apartment -at the angle of the building, to obtain, by the main street from Paris, -a view of, as well as to hear, the passers-by and the _fetes_; and, by -the Rue de Lyon, to look upon and to enjoy the calm of the country. And -this without reckoning that, in cases of urgent necessity, at the very -moment people might be knocking at the principal door in the Rue de -Paris, one could make one's escape by the little door in the Rue de -Lyon, and, creeping along the gardens of the private houses, attain the -outskirts of the forest. Malicorne, who, it will be remembered, was the -first to speak about this inn, by way of deploring his being turned out -of it, being then absorbed in his own affairs, had not told Montalais -all that could be said about this curious inn; and we will try to repair -the omission. With the exception of the few words he had said about -the Franciscan friar, Malicorne had not given any particulars about -the travelers who were staying in the inn. The manner in which they -had arrived, the manner in which they had lived, the difficulty which -existed for every one but certain privileged travelers, of entering the -hotel without a password, or living there without certain preparatory -precautions, must have struck Malicorne; and, we will venture to say, -really did so. But Malicorne, as we have already said, had personal -matters of his own to occupy his attention which prevented him from -paying much attention to others. In fact, all the apartments of the -hotel were engaged and retained by certain strangers, who never stirred -out, who were incommunicative in their address, with countenances full -of thoughtful preoccupation, and not one of whom was known to Malicorne. -Every one of these travelers had reached the hotel after his own arrival -there; each man had entered after having given a kind of password, which -had at first attracted Malicorne's attention; but having inquired, in -an indiscreet manner, about it, he had been informed that the host had -given as a reason for this extreme vigilance, that, as the town was so -full of wealthy noblemen, it must also be as full of clever and zealous -pickpockets. The reputation of an honest inn like that of the Beau Paon -was concerned in not allowing its visitors to be robbed. It occasionally -happened that Malicorne asked himself, as he thought matters carefully -over in his mind, and reflected upon his own position in the inn, how it -was that they had allowed him to become an inmate of the hotel, when he -had observed, since his residence there, admission refused to so many. -He asked himself, too, how it was that Manicamp, who, in his opinion, -must be a man to be looked upon with veneration by everybody, having -wished to bait his horse at the Beau Paon, on arriving there, both horse -and rider had been incontinently turned away with a _nescio vos_ of the -most positive character. All this for Malicorne, whose mind being fully -occupied by his own love affair and personal ambition, was a problem -he had not applied himself to solve. Had he wished to do so, we should -hardly venture, notwithstanding the intelligence we have accorded as -his due, to say he would have succeeded. A few words will prove to the -reader that no one but Oedipus in person could have solved the enigma in -question. During the week, seven travelers had taken up their abode in -the inn, all of them having arrived there the day after the fortunate -day on which Malicorne had fixed his choice on the Beau Paon. These -seven persons, accompanied by a suitable retinue, were the following:-- - -First of all, a brigadier in the German army, his secretary, physician, -three servants, and seven horses. The brigadier's name was the Comte -de Wostpur.--A Spanish cardinal, with two nephews, two secretaries, an -officer of his household, and twelve horses. The cardinal's name was -Monseigneur Herrebia.--A rich merchant of Bremen, with his man-servant -and two horses. This merchant's name was Meinheer Bonstett.--A Venetian -senator with his wife and daughter, both extremely beautiful. The -senator's name was Signor Marini.--A Scottish laird, with seven -highlanders of his clan, all on foot. The laird's name was MacCumnor.-- -An Austrian from Vienna without title or coat of arms, who had arrived -in a carriage; a good deal of the priest, and something of the soldier. -He was called the Councilor.--And, finally, a Flemish lady, with a -man-servant, a lady's maid, and a female companion, a large retinue of -servants, great display, and immense horses. She was called the Flemish -lady. - -All these travelers had arrived on the same day, and yet their arrival -had occasioned no confusion in the inn, no stoppage in the street; -their apartments had been fixed upon beforehand, by their couriers or -secretaries, who had arrived the previous evening or that very morning. -Malicorne, who had arrived the previous day, riding an ill-conditioned -horse, with a slender valise, had announced himself at the hotel of -the Beau Paon as the friend of a nobleman desirous of witnessing the -_fetes_, and who would himself arrive almost immediately. The landlord, -on hearing these words, had smiled as if he were perfectly well -acquainted either with Malicorne or his friend the nobleman, and had -said to him, "Since you are the first arrival, monsieur, choose what -apartment you please." And this was said with that obsequiousness of -manners, so full of meaning with landlords, which means, "Make yourself -perfectly easy, monsieur: we know with whom we have to do, and you will -be treated accordingly." These words, and their accompanying gesture, -Malicorne had thought very friendly, but rather obscure. However, as he -did not wish to be very extravagant in his expenses, and as he thought -that if he were to ask for a small apartment he would doubtless have -been refused, on account of his want of consequence, he hastened to -close at once with the innkeeper's remark, and deceive him with a -cunning equal to his own. So, smiling as a man would do for whom -whatever might be done was but simply his due, he said, "My dear host, I -shall take the best and the gayest room in the house." - -"With a stable?" - -"Yes, with a stable." - -"And when will you take it?" - -"Immediately if it be possible." - -"Quite so." - -"But," said Malicorne, "I shall leave the large room unoccupied for the -present." - -"Very good!" said the landlord, with an air of intelligence. - -"Certain reasons, which you will understand by and by, oblige me to -take, at my own cost, this small room only." - -"Yes, yes," said the host. - -"When my friend arrives, he will occupy the large apartment: and as a -matter of course, as this larger apartment will be his own affair, he -will settle for it himself." - -"Certainly," said the landlord, "certainly; let it be understood in that -manner." - -"It is agreed, then, that such shall be the terms?" - -"Word for word." - -"It is extraordinary," said Malicorne to himself. "You quite understand, -then?" - -"Yes." - -"There is nothing more to be said. Since you understand,--for you do -clearly understand, do you not?" - -"Perfectly." - -"Very well; and now show me to my room." - -The landlord, cap in hand, preceded Malicorne, who installed himself -in his room, and became more and more surprised to observe that the -landlord, at every ascent or descent, looked and winked at him in a -manner which indicated the best possible intelligence between them. - -"There is some mistake here," said Malicorne to himself; "but until it -is cleared up, I shall take advantage of it, which is the best thing -I can possibly do." And he darted out of his room, like a hunting-dog -following a scent, in search of all the news and curiosities of the -court, getting himself burnt in one place and drowned in another, as he -had told Mademoiselle de Montalais. The day after he had been installed -in his room, he had noticed the seven travelers arrive successively, who -speedily filled the whole hotel. When he saw this perfect multitude -of people, of carriages, and retinue, Malicorne rubbed his hands -delightedly, thinking that, one day later, he should not have found a -bed to lie upon after his return from his exploring expeditions. When -all the travelers were lodged, the landlord entered Malicorne's room, -and with his accustomed courteousness, said to him, "You are aware, my -dear monsieur, that the large room in the third detached building is -still reserved for you?" - -"Of course I am aware of it." - -"I am really making you a present of it." - -"Thank you." - -"So that when your friend comes--" - -"Well!" - -"He will be satisfied with me, I hope: or, if he be not, he will be very -difficult to please." - -"Excuse me, but will you allow me to say a few words about my friend?" - -"Of course, for you have a perfect right to do so." - -"He intended to come, as you know." - -"And he does so still." - -"He may possibly have changed his opinion." - -"No." - -"You are quite sure, then?" - -"Quite sure." - -"But in case you should have some doubt." - -"Well!" - -"I can only say that I do not positively assure you that he will come." - -"Yet he told you--" - -"He certainly did tell me; but you know that man proposes and God -disposes,--_verba volant, scripta manent_." - -"Which is as much to say--" - -"That what is spoken flies away, and what is written remains; and, as -he did not write to me, but contented himself by saying to me, 'I will -authorize you, yet without specifically instructing you,' you must feel -that it places me in a very embarrassing position." - -"What do you authorize me to do, then?" - -"Why, to let your rooms if you find a good tenant for them." - -"I?" - -"Yes, you." - -"Never will I do such a thing, monsieur. If he has not written to you, -he has written to me." - -"Ah! what does he say? Let us see if his letter agrees with his words." - -"These are almost his very words. 'To the landlord of the Beau Paon -Hotel,--You will have been informed of the meeting arranged to take -place in your inn between some people of importance; I shall be one of -those who will meet with the others at Fontainebleau. Keep for me, then, -a small room for a friend who will arrive either before or after me--' -and you are the friend, I suppose," said the landlord, interrupting his -reading of the letter. Malicorne bowed modestly. The landlord continued: - -"'And a large apartment for myself. The large apartment is my own -affair, but I wish the price of the smaller room to be moderate, as it -is destined for a fellow who is deucedly poor.' It is still you he is -speaking of, is he not?" said the host. - -"Oh, certainly," said Malicorne. - -"Then we are agreed; your friend will settle for his apartment, and you -for your own." - -"May I be broken alive on the wheel," said Malicorne to himself, "if -I understand anything at all about it," and then he said aloud, "Well, -then, are you satisfied with the name?" - -"With what name?" - -"With the name at the end of the letter. Does it give you the guarantee -you require?" - -"I was going to ask you the name." - -"What! was the letter not signed?" - -"No," said the landlord, opening his eyes very wide, full of mystery and -curiosity. - -"In that case," said Malicorne, imitating his gesture and his mysterious -look, "if he has not given you his name, you understand, he must have -his reasons for it." - -"Oh, of course." - -"And, therefore, I, his friend, his confidant, must not betray him." - -"You are perfectly right, monsieur," said the landlord, "and I do not -insist upon it." - -"I appreciate your delicacy. As for myself, as my friend told you, -my room is a separate affair, so let us come to terms about it. Short -accounts make long friends. How much is it?" - -"There is no hurry." - -"Never mind, let us reckon it all up all the same. Room, my own board, a -place in the stable for my horse, and his feed. How much per day?" - -"Four livres, monsieur." - -"Which will make twelve livres for the three days I have been here?" - -"Yes, monsieur." - -"Here are your twelve livres, then." - -"But why settle now?" - -"Because," said Malicorne, lowering his voice, and resorting to his -former air of mystery, because he saw that the mysterious had succeeded, -"because if I had to set off suddenly, to decamp at any moment, my -account would be settled." - -"You are right, monsieur." - -"I may consider myself at home, then?" - -"Perfectly." - -"So far so well. Adieu!" And the landlord withdrew. Malicorne, left -alone, reasoned with himself in the following manner: "No one but De -Guiche or Manicamp could have written to this fellow; De Guiche, because -he wishes to secure a lodging for himself beyond the precincts of the -court, in the event of his success or failure, as the case might be; -Manicamp, because De Guiche must have intrusted him with his commission. -And De Guiche or Manicamp will have argued in this manner. The large -apartment would serve for the reception, in a befitting manner, of a -lady thickly veiled, reserving to the lady in question a double means -of exit, either in a street somewhat deserted, or closely adjoining the -forest. The smaller room might either shelter Manicamp for a time, who -is De Guiche's confidant, and would be the vigilant keeper of the door, -or De Guiche himself, acting, for greater safety, the part of a master -and confidant at the same time. Yet," he continued, "how about this -meeting which is to take place, and which has actually taken place, in -this hotel? No doubt they are persons who are going to be presented to -the king. And the 'poor devil,' for whom the smaller room is destined, -is a trick, in order to better conceal De Guiche or Manicamp. If this -be the case, as very likely it is, there is only half the mischief done, -for there is simply the length of a purse string between Manicamp and -Malicorne." After he had thus reasoned the matter out, Malicorne slept -soundly, leaving the seven travelers to occupy, and in every sense -of the word to walk up and down, their several lodgings in the hotel. -Whenever there was nothing at court to put him out, when he had wearied -himself with his excursions and investigations, tired of writing letters -which he could never find an opportunity of delivering to the people -they were intended for, he returned home to his comfortable little room, -and leaning upon the balcony, which was filled with nasturtiums and -white pinks, for whom Fontainebleau seemed to possess no attractions -with all its illuminations, amusements, and _fetes_. - -Things went on in this manner until the seventh day, a day of which -we have given such full details, with its night also, in the preceding -chapters. On that night Malicorne was enjoying the fresh air, seated at -his window, toward one o'clock in the morning, when Manicamp appeared on -horseback, with a thoughtful and listless air. - -"Good!" said Malicorne to himself, recognizing him at the first glance; -"there's my friend, who is come to take possession of his apartment, -that is to say, of my room." And he called to Manicamp, who looked up -and immediately recognized Malicorne. - -"Ah! by Jove!" said the former, his countenance clearing up, "glad to -see you, Malicorne. I have been wandering about Fontainebleau, looking -for three things I cannot find: De Guiche, a room, and a stable." - -"Of M. de Guiche I cannot give you either good or bad news, for I have -not seen him; but as far as concerns your room and a stable, that's -another matter, for they have been retained here for you." - -"Retained--and by whom?" - -"By yourself, I presume." - -"By _me?_" - -"Do you mean to say you did not take lodgings here?" - -"By no means," said Manicamp. - -At this moment the landlord appeared on the threshold of the door. - -"I want a room," said Manicamp. - -"Did you engage one, monsieur?" - -"No." - -"Then I have no rooms to let." - -"In that case, I have engaged a room," said Manicamp. - -"A room simply, or lodgings?" - -"Anything you please." - -"By letter?" inquired the landlord. - -Malicorne nodded affirmatively to Manicamp. - -"Of course by letter," said Manicamp. "Did you not receive a letter from -me?" - -"What was the date of the letter?" inquired the host, in whom Manicamp's -hesitation had aroused some suspicion. - -Manicamp rubbed his ear, and looked up at Malicorne's window; but -Malicorne had left his window and was coming down the stairs to his -friend's assistance. At the very same moment, a traveler, wrapped in -a large Spanish cloak, appeared at the porch, near enough to hear the -conversation. - -"I ask you what was the date of the letter you wrote to me to retain -apartments here?" repeated the landlord, pressing the question. - -"Last Wednesday was the date," said the mysterious stranger, in a soft -and polished tone of voice, touching the landlord on the shoulder. - -Manicamp drew back, and it was now Malicorne's turn, who appeared on the -threshold, to scratch his ear. The landlord saluted the new arrival as a -man who recognizes his true guest. - -"Monsieur," he said to him, with civility, "your apartment is ready -for you, and the stables too, only--" He looked round him and inquired, -"Your horses?" - -"My horses may or may not arrive. That, however, matters but little -to you, provided you are paid for what has been engaged." The landlord -bowed lower still. - -"You have," continued the unknown traveler, "kept for me in addition, -the small room I asked for?" - -"Oh!" said Malicorne, endeavoring to hide himself. - -"Your friend has occupied it during the last week," said the landlord, -pointing to Malicorne, who was trying to make himself as small as -possible. The traveler, drawing his cloak round him so as to cover the -lower part of his face, cast a rapid glance at Malicorne, and said, -"This gentleman is no friend of mine." - -The landlord started violently. - -"I am not acquainted with this gentleman," continued the traveler. - -"What!" exclaimed the host, turning to Malicorne, "are you not this -gentleman's friend, then?" - -"What does it matter whether I am or not, provided you are paid?" said -Malicorne, parodying the stranger's remark in a very majestic manner. - -"It matters so far as this," said the landlord, who began to perceive -that one person had been taken for another, "that I beg you, monsieur, -to leave the rooms, which had been engaged beforehand, and by some one -else instead of you." - -"Still," said Malicorne, "this gentleman cannot require at the same -time a room on the first floor and an apartment on the second. If this -gentleman will take the room, I will take the apartment: if he prefers -the apartment, I will be satisfied with the room." - -"I am exceedingly distressed, monsieur," said the traveler in his soft -voice, "but I need both the room and the apartment." - -"At least, tell me for whom?" inquired Malicorne. - -"The apartment I require for myself." - -"Very well; but the room?" - -"Look," said the traveler, pointing towards a sort of procession which -was approaching. - -Malicorne looked in the direction indicated, and observed borne upon -a litter, the arrival of the Franciscan, whose installation in his -apartment he had, with a few details of his own, related to Montalais, -and whom he had so uselessly endeavored to convert to humbler views. The -result of the arrival of the stranger, and of the sick Franciscan, was -Malicorne's expulsion, without any consideration for his feelings, -from the inn, by the landlord and the peasants who had carried the -Franciscan. The details have already been given of what followed this -expulsion; of Manicamp's conversation with Montalais; how Manicamp, with -greater cleverness than Malicorne had shown, had succeeded in obtaining -news of De Guiche, of the subsequent conversation of Montalais with -Malicorne, and, finally, of the billets with which the Comte de -Saint-Aignan had furnished Manicamp and Malicorne. It remains for us -to inform our readers who was the traveler in the cloak--the principal -tenant of the double apartment, of which Malicorne had only occupied -a portion--and the Franciscan, quite as mysterious a personage, whose -arrival, together with that of the stranger, unfortunately upset the two -friends' plans. - - - -Chapter LII. A Jesuit of the Eleventh Year. - -In the first place, in order not to weary the reader's patience, we will -hasten to answer the first question. The traveler with the cloak held -over his face was Aramis, who, after he had left Fouquet, and taken -from a portmanteau, which his servant had opened, a cavalier's complete -costume, quitted the chateau, and went to the hotel of the Beau Paon, -where, by letters, seven or eight days previously, he had, as the -landlord had stated, directed a room and an apartment to be retained -for him. Immediately after Malicorne and Manicamp had been turned out, -Aramis approached the Franciscan, and asked him whether he would prefer -the apartment or the room. The Franciscan inquired where they were both -situated. He was told that the room was on the first, and the apartment -on the second floor. - -"The room, then," he said. - -Aramis did not contradict him, but, with great submissiveness, said to -the landlord: "The room." And bowing with respect he withdrew into the -apartment, and the Franciscan was accordingly carried at once into the -room. Now, is it not extraordinary that this respect should be shown by -a prelate of the Church for a simple monk, for one, too, belonging to a -mendicant order; to whom was given up, without a request for it even, a -room which so many travelers were desirous of obtaining? How, too, can -one explain the unexpected arrival of Aramis at the hotel--he who had -entered the chateau with M. Fouquet, and could have remained at the -chateau with M. Fouquet if he had liked? The Franciscan supported his -removal up the staircase without uttering a complaint, although it was -evident he suffered very much, and that every time the litter knocked -against the wall or the railing of the staircase, he experienced a -terrible shock throughout his frame. And finally, when he had arrived in -the room, he said to those who carried him: "Help me to place myself in -that armchair." The bearers of the litter placed it on the ground, and -lifting the sick man up as gently as possible, carried him to the chair -he had indicated, which was situated at the head of the bed. "Now," he -added, with a marked benignity of gesture and tone, "desire the landlord -to come." - -They obeyed, and five minutes afterwards the landlord appeared at the -door. - -"Be kind enough," said the Franciscan to him, "to send these excellent -fellows away; they are vassals of the Vicomte de Melun. They found -me when I had fainted on the road overcome by the heat, and without -thinking of whether they would be paid for their trouble, they wished to -carry me to their own home. But I know at what cost to themselves is the -hospitality which the poor extend to a sick monk, and I preferred this -hotel, where, moreover, I was expected." - -The landlord looked at the Franciscan in amazement, but the latter, -with his thumb, made the sign of the cross in a peculiar manner upon his -breast. The host replied by making a similar sign on his left shoulder. -"Yes, indeed," he said, "we did expect you, but we hoped that you would -arrive in a better state of health." And as the peasants were looking -at the innkeeper, usually so supercilious, and saw how respectful he had -become in the presence of a poor monk, the Franciscan drew from a deep -pocket three or four pieces of gold which he held out. - -"My friends," said he, "here is something to repay you for the care -you have taken of me. So make yourselves perfectly easy, and do not be -afraid of leaving me here. The order to which I belong, and for which -I am traveling, does not require me to beg; only, as the attention you -have shown me deserves to be rewarded, take these two louis and depart -in peace." - -The peasants did not dare to take them; the landlord took the two louis -out of the monk's hand and placed them in that of one of the peasants, -all four of whom withdrew, opening their eyes wider than ever. The door -was then closed; and, while the innkeeper stood respectfully near it, -the Franciscan collected himself for a moment. He then passed across -his sallow face a hand which seemed dried up by fever, and rubbed his -nervous and agitated fingers across his beard. His large eyes, hollowed -by sickness and inquietude, seemed to peruse in the vague distance a -mournful and fixed idea. - -"What physicians have you at Fontainebleau?" he inquired, after a long -pause. - -"We have three, holy father." - -"What are their names?" - -"Luiniguet first." - -"The next one?" - -"A brother of the Carmelite order, named Brother Hubert." - -"The next?" - -"A secular member, named Grisart." - -"Ah! Grisart?" murmured the monk, "send for M. Grisart immediately." - -The landlord moved in prompt obedience to the direction. - -"Tell me what priests are there here?" - -"What priests?" - -"Yes; belonging to what orders?" - -"There are Jesuits, Augustines, and Cordeliers; but the Jesuits are the -closest at hand. Shall I send for a confessor belonging to the order of -Jesuits?" - -"Yes, immediately." - -It will be imagined that, at the sign of the cross which they had -exchanged, the landlord and the invalid monk had recognized each other -as two affiliated members of the well-known Society of Jesus. Left to -himself, the Franciscan drew from his pocket a bundle of papers, some of -which he read over with the most careful attention. The violence of -his disorder, however, overcame his courage; his eyes rolled in their -sockets, a cold sweat poured down his face, and he nearly fainted, and -lay with his head thrown backwards and his arms hanging down on both -sides of his chair. For more than five minutes he remained without any -movement, when the landlord returned, bringing with him the physician, -whom he hardly allowed time to dress himself. The noise they made in -entering the room, the current of air, which the opening of the door -occasioned, restored the Franciscan to his senses. He hurriedly seized -hold of the papers which were lying about, and with his long and bony -hand concealed them under the cushions of the chair. The landlord went -out of the room, leaving patient and physician together. - -"Come here, Monsieur Grisart," said the Franciscan to the doctor; -"approach closer, for there is no time to lose. Try, by touch and sound, -and consider and pronounce your sentence." - -"The landlord," replied the doctor, "told me I had the honor of -attending an affiliated brother." - -"Yes," replied the Franciscan, "it is so. Tell me the truth, then; I -feel very ill, and I think I am about to die." - -The physician took the monk's hand, and felt his pulse. "Oh, oh," he -said, "a dangerous fever." - -"What do you call a dangerous fever?" inquired the Franciscan, with an -imperious look. - -"To an affiliated member of the first or second year," replied the -physician, looking inquiringly at the monk, "I should say--a fever that -may be cured." - -"But to me?" said the Franciscan. The physician hesitated. - -"Look at my grey hair, and my forehead, full of anxious thought," he -continued: "look at the lines in my face, by which I reckon up the -trials I have undergone; I am a Jesuit of the eleventh year, Monsieur -Grisart." The physician started, for, in fact, a Jesuit of the eleventh -year was one of those men who had been initiated in all the secrets -of the order, one of those for whom science has no more secrets, the -society no further barriers to present--temporal obedience, no more -trammels. - -"In that case," said Grisart, saluting him with respect, "I am in the -presence of a master?" - -"Yes; act, therefore, accordingly." - -"And you wish to know?" - -"My real state." - -"Well," said the physician, "it is a brain fever, which has reached its -highest degree of intensity." - -"There is no hope, then?" inquired the Franciscan, in a quick tone of -voice. - -"I do not say that," replied the doctor; "yet, considering the -disordered state of the brain, the hurried respiration, the rapidity of -the pulse, and the burning nature of the fever which is devouring you--" - -"And which has thrice prostrated me since this morning," said the monk. - -"All things considered, I shall call it a terrible attack. But why did -you not stop on your road?" - -"I was expected here, and I was obliged to come." - -"Even at the risk of your life?" - -"Yes, at the risk of dying on the way." - -"Very well. Considering all the symptoms of your case, I must tell you -that your condition is almost desperate." - -The Franciscan smiled in a strange manner. - -"What you have just told me is, perhaps, sufficient for what is due to -an affiliated member, even of the eleventh year; but for what is due -to me, Monsieur Grisart, it is too little, and I have a right to demand -more. Come, then, let us be more candid still, and as frank as if you -were making your own confession to Heaven. Besides, I have already sent -for a confessor." - -"Oh! I have hopes, however," murmured the doctor. - -"Answer me," said the sick man, displaying with a dignified gesture -a golden ring, the stone of which had until that moment been turned -inside, and which bore engraved thereon the distinguishing mark of the -Society of Jesus. - -Grisart uttered loud exclamation. "The general!" he cried. - -"Silence," said the Franciscan., "you can now understand that the whole -truth is all important." - -"Monseigneur, monseigneur," murmured Grisart, "send for the confessor, -for in two hours, at the next seizure, you will be attacked by delirium, -and will pass away in its course." - -"Very well," said the patient, for a moment contracting his eyebrows, "I -have still two hours to live then?" - -"Yes; particularly if you take the potion I will send you presently." - -"And that will give me two hours of life?" - -"Two hours." - -"I would take it, were it poison, for those two hours are necessary not -only for myself, but for the glory of the order." - -"What a loss, what a catastrophe for us all!" murmured the physician. - -"It is the loss of one man--nothing more," replied the Franciscan, "for -Heaven will enable the poor monk, who is about to leave you, to find -a worthy successor. Adieu, Monsieur Grisart; already even, through the -goodness of Heaven, I have met with you. A physician who had not been -one of our holy order, would have left me in ignorance of my condition; -and, confident that existence would be prolonged a few days further, I -should not have taken the necessary precautions. You are a learned man, -Monsieur Grisart, and that confers an honor upon us all; it would have -been repugnant to my feelings to have found one of our order of little -standing in his profession. Adieu, Monsieur Grisart; send me the cordial -immediately." - -"Give me your blessing, at least, monseigneur." - -"In my mind, I do; go, go; in my mind, I do so, I tell you--_animo_, -Maitre Grisart, _viribus impossibile_." And he again fell back on the -armchair, in an almost senseless state. M. Grisart hesitated, whether -he should give him immediate assistance, or should run to prepare the -cordial he had promised. He decided in favor of the cordial, for he -darted out of the room and disappeared down the staircase. [6] - - - -Chapter LIII. The State Secret. - -A few moments after the doctor's departure, the confessor arrived. He -had hardly crossed the threshold of the door when the Franciscan fixed -a penetrating look upon him, and, shaking his head, murmured--"A weak -mind, I see; may Heaven forgive me if I die without the help of this -living piece of human infirmity." The confessor, on his side, regarded -the dying man with astonishment, almost with terror. He had never beheld -eyes so burningly bright at the very moment they were about to close, -nor looks so terrible at the moment they were about to be quenched in -death. The Franciscan made a rapid and imperious movement of his hand. -"Sit down, there, my father," he said, "and listen to me." The Jesuit -confessor, a good priest, a recently initiated member of the order, -who had merely seen the beginning of its mysteries, yielded to the -superiority assumed by the penitent. - -"There are several persons staying in this hotel," continued the -Franciscan. - -"But," inquired the Jesuit, "I thought I had been summoned to listen to -a confession. Is your remark, then, a confession?" - -"Why do you ask?" - -"In order to know whether I am to keep your words secret." - -"My remarks are part of my confession; I confide them to you in your -character of a confessor." - -"Very well," said the priest, seating himself on the chair which the -Franciscan had, with great difficulty, just left, to lie down on the -bed. - -The Franciscan continued,--"I repeat, there are several persons staying -in this inn." - -"So I have heard." - -"They ought to be eight in number." - -The Jesuit made a sign that he understood him. "The first to whom I wish -to speak," said the dying man, "is a German from Vienna, whose name is -Baron de Wostpur. Be kind enough to go to him, and tell him the person -he expected has arrived." The confessor, astounded, looked at his -penitent; the confession seemed a singular one. - -"Obey," said the Franciscan, in a tone of command impossible to resist. -The good Jesuit, completely subdued, rose and left the room. As soon as -he had gone, the Franciscan again took up the papers which a crisis of -the fever had already, once before, obliged him to put aside. - -"The Baron de Wostpur? Good!" he said; "ambitious, a fool, and -straitened in means." - -He folded up the papers, which he thrust under his pillow. Rapid -footsteps were heard at the end of the corridor. The confessor returned, -followed by the Baron de Wostpur, who walked along with his head raised, -as if he were discussing with himself the possibility of touching the -ceiling with the feather in his hat. Therefore, at the appearance of -the Franciscan, at his melancholy look, and seeing the plainness of the -room, he stopped, and inquired,--"Who has summoned me?" - -"I," said the Franciscan, who turned towards the confessor, saying, "My -good father, leave us for a moment together; when this gentleman leaves, -you will return here." The Jesuit left the room, and, doubtless, availed -himself of this momentary exile from the presence of the dying man -to ask the host for some explanation about this strange penitent, who -treated his confessor no better than he would a man servant. The baron -approached the bed, and wished to speak, but the hand of the Franciscan -imposed silence upon him. - -"Every moment is precious," said the latter, hurriedly. "You have come -here for the competition, have you not?" - -"Yes, my father." - -"You hope to be elected general of the order?" - -"I hope so." - -"You know on what conditions only you can possibly attain this high -position, which makes one man the master of monarchs, the equal of -popes?" - -"Who are you," inquired the baron, "to subject me to these -interrogations?" - -"I am he whom you expected." - -"The elector-general?" - -"I am the elected." - -"You are--" - -The Franciscan did not give him time to reply; he extended his shrunken -hand, on which glittered the ring of the general of the order. The baron -drew back in surprise; and then, immediately afterwards, bowing with the -profoundest respect, he exclaimed,--"Is it possible that you are here, -monseigneur; you, in this wretched room; you, upon this miserable bed; -you, in search of and selecting the future general, that is, your own -successor?" - -"Do not distress yourself about that, monsieur, but fulfil immediately -the principal condition, of furnishing the order with a secret of -importance, of such importance that one of the greatest courts of Europe -will, by your instrumentality, forever be subjected to the order. Well! -do you possess the secret which you promised, in your request, addressed -to the grand council?" - -"Monseigneur--" - -"Let us proceed, however, in due order," said the monk. "You are the -Baron de Wostpur?" - -"Yes, monseigneur." - -"And this letter is from you?" - -"Yes, monseigneur." - -The general of the Jesuits drew a paper from his bundle, and presented -it to the baron, who glanced at it, and made a sign in the affirmative, -saying, "Yes, monseigneur, this letter is mine." - -"Can you show me the reply which the secretary of the grand council -returned to you?" - -"Here it is," said the baron, holding towards the Franciscan a letter -bearing simply the address, "To his excellency the Baron de Wostpur," -and containing only this phrase, "From the 15th to the 22nd May, -Fontainebleau, the hotel of the Beau Paon.--A. M. D. G." [7] - -"Right," said the Franciscan, "and now speak." - -"I have a body of troops, composed of 50,000 men; all the officers are -gained over. I am encamped on the Danube. In four days I can overthrow -the emperor, who is, as you are aware, opposed to the progress of our -order, and can replace him by whichever of the princes of his family the -order may determine upon." The Franciscan listened, unmoved. - -"Is that all?" he said. - -"A revolution throughout Europe is included in my plan," said the baron. - -"Very well, Monsieur de Wostpur, you will receive a reply; return to -your room, and leave Fontainebleau within a quarter of an hour." The -baron withdrew backwards, as obsequiously as if he were taking leave of -the emperor he was ready to betray. - -"There is no secret there," murmured the Franciscan, "it is a plot. -Besides," he added, after a moment's reflection, "the future of Europe -is no longer in the hands of the House of Austria." - -And with a pencil he held in his hand, he struck the Baron de Wostpur's -name from the list. - -"Now for the cardinal," he said; "we ought to get something more serious -from the side of Spain." - -Raising his head, he perceived the confessor, who was awaiting his -orders as respectfully as a school-boy. - -"Ah, ah!" he said, noticing his submissive air, "you have been talking -with the landlord." - -"Yes, monseigneur; and to the physician." - -"To Grisart?" - -"Yes." - -"He is here, then?" - -"He is waiting with the potion he promised." - -"Very well; if I require him, I will call; you now understand the great -importance of my confession, do you not?" - -"Yes, monseigneur." - -"Then go and fetch me the Spanish Cardinal Herrebia. Make haste. Only, -as you now understand the matter in hand, you will remain near me, for I -begin to feel faint." - -"Shall I summon the physician?" - -"Not yet, not yet... the Spanish cardinal, no one else. Fly." - -Five minutes afterwards, the cardinal, pale and disturbed, entered the -little room. - -"I am informed, monseigneur,--" stammered the cardinal. - -"To the point," said the Franciscan, in a faint voice, showing the -cardinal a letter which he had written to the grand council. "Is that -your handwriting?" - -"Yes, but--" - -"And your summons?" - -The cardinal hesitated to answer. His purple revolted against the mean -garb of the poor Franciscan, who stretched out his hand and displayed -the ring, which produced its effect, greater in proportion to the -greatness of the person over whom the Franciscan exercised his -influence. - -"Quick, the secret, the secret!" said the dying man, leaning upon his -confessor. - -"_Coram isto?_" inquired the Spanish cardinal. [8] - -"Speak in Spanish," said the Franciscan, showing the liveliest -attention. - -"You are aware, monseigneur," said the cardinal, continuing the -conversation in Castilian, "that the condition of the marriage of the -Infanta with the king of France was the absolute renunciation of the -rights of the said Infanta, as well as of King Louis XIV., to all claim -to the crown of Spain." The Franciscan made a sign in the affirmative. - -"The consequence is," continued the cardinal, "that the peace and -alliance between the two kingdoms depend upon the observance of that -clause of the contract." A similar sign from the Franciscan. "Not only -France and Spain," continued the cardinal, "but the whole of Europe -even, would be violently rent asunder by the faithlessness of either -party." Another movement of the dying man's head. - -"It further results," continued the speaker, "that the man who might be -able to foresee events, and to render certain that which is no more than -a vague idea floating in the mind of man, that is to say, the idea of a -future good or evil, would preserve the world from a great catastrophe; -and the event, which has no fixed certainty even in the brain of him who -originated it, could be turned to the advantage of our order." - -"_Pronto_, _pronto!_" murmured the Franciscan, in Spanish, who suddenly -became paler, and leaned upon the priest. The cardinal approached the -ear of the dying man, and said, "Well, monseigneur, I know that the king -of France has determined that, at the very first pretext, a death for -instance, either that of the king of Spain, or that of a brother of the -Infanta, France will, arms in hand, claim the inheritance, and I have in -my possession, already prepared, the plan of policy agreed upon by Louis -XIV. for this occasion." - -"And this plan?" said the Franciscan. - -"Here it is," returned the cardinal. - -"In whose handwriting is it?" - -"My own." - -"Have you anything further to say to me?" - -"I think I have said a good deal, my lord," replied the cardinal. - -"Yes, you have rendered the order a great service. But how did you -procure the details, by the aid of which you have constructed your -plan?" - -"I have the under-servants of the king of France in my pay, and I obtain -from them all the waste papers, which have been saved from being burnt." - -"Very ingenious," murmured the Franciscan, endeavoring to smile; "you -will leave this hotel, cardinal, in a quarter of an hour, and a reply -shall be sent you." The cardinal withdrew. - -"Call Grisart, and desire the Venetian Marini to come," said the sick -man. - -While the confessor obeyed, the Franciscan, instead of striking out the -cardinal's name, as he had done the baron's, made a cross at the side -of it. Then, exhausted by the effort, he fell back on his bed, murmuring -the name of Dr. Grisart. When he returned to his senses, he had drunk -about half of the potion, of which the remainder was left in the glass, -and he found himself supported by the physician, while the Venetian and -the confessor were standing close to the door. The Venetian submitted to -the same formalities as his two predecessors, hesitated as they had done -at the sight of the two strangers, but his confidence restored by the -order of the general, he revealed that the pope, terrified at the -power of the order, was weaving a plot for the general expulsion of the -Jesuits, and was tampering with the different courts of Europe in order -to obtain their assistance. He described the pontiff's auxiliaries, -his means of action, and indicated the particular locality in the -Archipelago where, by a sudden surprise, two cardinals, adepts of -the eleventh year, and, consequently, high in authority, were to be -transported, together with thirty-two of the principal affiliated -members of Rome. The Franciscan thanked the Signor Marini. It was by no -means a slight service he had rendered the society by denouncing this -pontifical project. The Venetian thereupon received directions to -set off in a quarter of an hour, and left as radiant as if he already -possessed the ring, the sign of the supreme authority of the society. -As, however, he was departing, the Franciscan murmured to himself: -"All these men are either spies, or a sort of police, not one of them a -general; they have all discovered a plot, but not one of them a secret. -It is not by means of ruin, or war, or force, that the Society of Jesus -is to be governed, but by that mysterious influence moral superiority -alone confers. No, the man is not yet found, and to complete the -misfortune, Heaven strikes me down, and I am dying. Oh! must the society -indeed fall with me for want of a column to support it? Must death, -which is waiting for me, swallow up with me the future of the order; -that future which ten years more of my own life would have rendered -eternal? for that future, with the reign of the new king, is -opening radiant and full of splendor." These words, which had been -half-reflected, half-pronounced aloud, were listened to by the Jesuit -confessor with a terror similar to that with which one listens to the -wanderings of a person attacked by fever, whilst Grisart, with a mind of -higher order, devoured them as the revelations of an unknown world, in -which his looks were plunged without ability to comprehend. Suddenly the -Franciscan recovered himself. - -"Let us finish this," he said; "death is approaching. Oh! just now I -was dying resignedly, for I hoped... while now I sink in despair, unless -those who remain... Grisart, Grisart, give me to live a single hour -longer." - -Grisart approached the dying monk, and made him swallow a few drops, not -of the potion which was still left in the glass, but of the contents of -a small bottle he had upon his person. - -"Call the Scotchman!" exclaimed the Franciscan; "call the Bremen -merchant. Call, call quickly. I am dying. I am suffocated." - -The confessor darted forward to seek assistance, as if there had been -any human strength which could hold back the hand of death, which was -weighing down the sick man; but, at the threshold of the door, he -found Aramis, who, with his finger on his lips, like the statue of -Harpocrates, the god of silence, by a look motioned him back to the -end of the apartment. The physician and the confessor, after having -consulted each other by looks, made a movement as if to push Aramis -aside, who, however, with two signs of the cross, each made in a -different manner, transfixed them both in their places. - -"A chief!" they both murmured. - -Aramis slowly advanced into the room where the dying man was struggling -against the first attack of the agony which had seized him. As for the -Franciscan, whether owing to the effect of the elixir, or whether the -appearance of Aramis had restored his strength, he made a movement, and -his eyes glaring, his mouth half open, and his hair damp with sweat, sat -up upon the bed. Aramis felt that the air of the room was stifling; the -windows were closed; the fire was burning upon the hearth; a pair of -candles of yellow wax were guttering down in the copper candlesticks, -and still further increased, by their thick smoke, the temperature of -the room. Aramis opened the window, and fixing upon the dying man a -look full of intelligence and respect, said to him: "Monseigneur, pray -forgive my coming in this manner, before you summoned me, but your state -alarms me, and I thought you might possibly die before you had seen me, -for I am but the sixth upon your list." - -The dying man started and looked at the list. - -"You are, therefore, he who was formerly called Aramis, and since, the -Chevalier d'Herblay? You are the bishop of Vannes?" - -"Yes, my lord." - -"I know you, I have seen you." - -"At the last jubilee, we were with the Holy Father together." - -"Yes, yes, I remember; and you place yourself on the list of -candidates?" - -"Monseigneur, I have heard it said that the order required to become -possessed of a great state secret, and knowing that from modesty you -had in anticipation resigned your functions in favor of the person who -should be the depositary of such a secret, I wrote to say that I was -ready to compete, possessing alone a secret I believe to be important." - -"Speak," said the Franciscan; "I am ready to listen to you, and to judge -the importance of the secret." - -"A secret of the value of that which I have the honor to confide to -you cannot be communicated by word of mouth. Any idea which, when once -expressed, has thereby lost its safeguard, and has become vulgarized -by any manifestation or communication of it whatever, no longer is the -property of him who gave it birth. My words may be overheard by some -listener, or perhaps by an enemy; one ought not, therefore, to speak at -random, for, in such a case, the secret would cease to be one." - -"How do you propose, then, to convey your secret?" inquired the dying -monk. - -With one hand Aramis signed to the physician and the confessor to -withdraw, and with the other he handed to the Franciscan a paper -enclosed in a double envelope. - -"Is not writing more dangerous still than language?" - -"No, my lord," said Aramis, "for you will find within this envelope -characters which you and I alone can understand." The Franciscan looked -at Aramis with an astonishment which momentarily increased. - -"It is a cipher," continued the latter, "which you used in 1655, and -which your secretary, Juan Jujan, who is dead, could alone decipher, if -he were restored to life." - -"You knew this cipher, then?" - -"It was I who taught it him," said Aramis, bowing with a gracefulness -full of respect, and advancing towards the door as if to leave the room: -but a gesture of the Franciscan accompanied by a cry for him to remain, -restrained him. - -"_Ecce homo!_" he exclaimed; then reading the paper a second time, he -called out, "Approach, approach quickly!" - -Aramis returned to the side of the Franciscan, with the same calm -countenance and the same respectful manner, unchanged. The Franciscan, -extending his arm, burnt by the flame of the candle the paper which -Aramis had handed him. Then, taking hold of Aramis's hand, he drew him -towards him, and inquired: "In what manner and by whose means could you -possibly become acquainted with such a secret?" - -"Through Madame de Chevreuse, the intimate friend and _confidante_ of -the queen." - -"And Madame de Chevreuse--" - -"Is dead." - -"Did any others know it?" - -"A man and a woman only, and they of the lower classes." - -"Who are they?" - -"Persons who had brought him up." - -"What has become of them?" - -"Dead also. This secret burns like vitriol." - -"But you survive?" - -"No one is aware that I know it." - -"And for what length of time have you possessed this secret?" - -"For the last fifteen years." - -"And you have kept it?" - -"I wished to live." - -"And you give it to the order without ambition, without -acknowledgement?" - -"I give it to the order with ambition and with a hope of return," said -Aramis; "for if you live, my lord, you will make of me, now you know me, -what I can and ought to be." - -"And as I am dying," exclaimed the Franciscan, "I constitute you my -successor... Thus." And drawing off the ring, he passed it on Aramis's -finger. Then, turning towards the two spectators of this scene, he said: -"Be ye witnesses of this, and testify, if need be, that, sick in body, -but sound in mind, I have freely and voluntarily bestowed this ring, -the token of supreme authority, upon Monseigneur d'Herblay, bishop -of Vannes, whom I nominate my successor, and before whom I, an humble -sinner, about to appear before Heaven, prostrate myself, as an example -for all to follow." And the Franciscan bowed lowly and submissively, -whilst the physician and the Jesuit fell on their knees. Aramis, -even while he became paler than the dying man himself, bent his looks -successively upon all the actors of this scene. Profoundly gratified -ambition flowed with life-blood towards his heart. - -"We must lose no time," said the Franciscan; "what I had still to do on -earth was urgent. I shall never succeed in carrying it out." - -"I will do it," said Aramis. - -"It is well," said the Franciscan, and then turning towards the Jesuit -and the doctor, he added, "Leave us alone," a direction they instantly -obeyed. - -"With this sign," he said, "you are the man needed to shake the world -from one end to the other; with this sign you will overthrow; with this -sign you will edify; _in hoc signo vinces!_" [9] - -"Close the door," continued the Franciscan after a pause. Aramis shut -and bolted the door, and returned to the side of the Franciscan. - -"The pope is conspiring against the order," said the monk; "the pope -must die." - -"He shall die," said Aramis, quietly. - -"Seven hundred thousand livres are owing to a Bremen merchant of the -name of Bonstett, who came here to get the guarantee of my signature." - -"He shall be paid," said Aramis. - -"Six knights of Malta, whose names are written here, have discovered, -by the indiscretion of one of the affiliated of the eleventh year, the -three mysteries; it must be ascertained what else these men have done -with the secret, to get it back again and bury it." - -"It shall be done." - -"Three dangerous affiliated members must be sent away into Tibet, there -to perish; they stand condemned. Here are their names." - -"I will see that the sentence be carried out." - -"Lastly, there is a lady at Anvers, grand-niece of Ravaillac; she holds -certain papers in her hands that compromise the order. There has been -payable to the family during the last fifty-one years a pension of -fifty thousand livres. The pension is a heavy one, and the order is not -wealthy. Redeem the papers, for a sum of money paid down, or, in case of -refusal, stop the pension--but run no risk." - -"I will quickly decide what is best to be done," said Aramis. - -"A vessel chartered from Lima entered the port of Lisbon last week; -ostensibly it is laden with chocolate, in reality with gold. Every ingot -is concealed by a coating of chocolate. The vessel belongs to the -order; it is worth seventeen millions of livres; you will see that it is -claimed; here are the bills of landing." - -"To what port shall I direct it to be taken?" - -"To Bayonne." - -"Before three weeks are over it shall be there, wind and weather -permitting. Is that all?" The Franciscan made a sign in the affirmative, -for he could no longer speak; the blood rushed to his throat and his -head, and gushed from his mouth, his nostrils, and his eyes. The dying -man had barely time to press Aramis's hand, when he fell in convulsions -from his bed upon the floor. Aramis placed his hand upon the -Franciscan's heart, but it had ceased to beat. As he stooped down, -Aramis observed that a fragment of the paper he had given the Franciscan -had escaped being burnt. He picked it up, and burnt it to the last atom. -Then, summoning the confessor and the physician, he said to the former: -"Your penitent is in heaven; he needs nothing more than prayers and the -burial bestowed upon the pious dead. Go and prepare what is necessary -for a simple interment, such as a poor monk only would require. Go." - -The Jesuit left the room. Then, turning towards the physician, and -observing his pale and anxious face, he said, in a low tone of voice: -"Monsieur Grisart, empty and clean this glass; _there is too much left -in it of what the grand council desired you to put in_." - -Grisart, amazed, overcome, completely astounded, almost fell backwards -in his extreme terror. Aramis shrugged his shoulders in sign of pity, -took the glass, and poured out the contents among the ashes of the -hearth. He then left the room, carrying the papers of the dead man with -him. - - - -Chapter LIV. A Mission. - -The next day, or rather the same day (for the events we have just -described were concluded only at three o'clock in the morning), before -breakfast was served, and as the king was preparing to go to mass with -the two queens; as Monsieur, with the Chevalier de Lorraine, and a few -other intimate companions, was mounting his horse to set off for the -river, to take one of those celebrated baths with which the ladies -of the court were so infatuated, as, in fact, no one remained in -the chateau, with the exception of Madame who, under the pretext of -indisposition, would not leave her room; Montalais was seen, or rather -not was not seen, to glide stealthily out of the room appropriated to -the maids of honor, leading La Valliere after her, who tried to conceal -herself as much as possible, and both of them, hurrying secretly through -the gardens, succeeded, looking round them at every step they took, in -reaching the thicket. The weather was cloudy, a warm breeze bowed the -flowers and the shrubs, the burning dust, swept along in clouds by the -wind, was whirled in eddies towards the trees. Montalais, who, during -their progress, had discharged the functions of a clever scout, advanced -a few steps further, and turning round again, to be quite sure that no -one was either listening or approaching, said to her companion, "Thank -goodness, we are quite alone! Since yesterday every one spies on -us here, and a circle seems to be drawn round us, as if we were -plague-stricken." La Valliere bent down her head and sighed. "It is -positively unheard of," continued Montalais; "from M. Malicorne to M. de -Saint-Aignan, every one wishes to get hold of our secret. Come, Louise, -let us take counsel, you and I, together, in order that I may know what -to do." - -La Valliere lifted towards her companion her beautiful eyes, pure and -deep as the azure of a spring sky, "And I," she said, "will ask you why -we have been summoned to Madame's own room? Why have we slept close -to her apartment, instead of sleeping as usual in our own? Why did you -return so late, and whence are these measures of strict supervision -which have been adopted since this morning, with respect to us both?" - -"My dear Louise, you answer my question by another, or rather, by ten -others, which is not answering me at all. I will tell you all you want -to know later, and as it is of secondary importance, you can wait. What -I ask you--for everything will depend upon that--is, whether there is or -is not any secret?" - -"I do not know if there is any secret," said La Valliere; "but I -do know, for my part at least, that there has been great imprudence -committed. Since the foolish remark I made, and my still more silly -fainting yesterday, every one here is making remarks about us." - -"Speak for yourself," said Montalais, laughing, "speak for yourself and -for Tonnay-Charente; for both of you made your declarations of love to -the skies, which unfortunately were intercepted." - -La Valliere hung down her head. "Really you overwhelm me," she said. - -"I?" - -"Yes, you torture me with your jests." - -"Listen to me, Louise. These are no jests, for nothing is more serious; -on the contrary, I did not drag you out of the chateau; I did not miss -attending mass; I did not pretend to have a cold, as Madame did, which -she has no more than I have; and, lastly, I did not display ten times -more diplomacy than M. Colbert inherited from M. de Mazarin, and makes -use of with respect to M. Fouquet, in order to find means of confiding -my perplexities to you, for the sole end and purpose that, when at -last we were alone, with no one to listen to us, you should deal -hypocritically with me. No, no; believe me, that when I ask you a -question, it is not from curiosity alone, but really because the -position is a critical one. What you said yesterday is now known,--it -is a text on which every one is discoursing. Every one embellishes it -to the utmost, and according to his own fancy; you had the honor last -night, and you have it still to-day, of occupying the whole court, my -dear Louise; and the number of tender and witty remarks which have been -ascribed to you, would make Mademoiselle de Scudery and her brother -burst from very spite, if they were faithfully reported." - -"But, dearest Montalais," said the poor girl, "you know better than any -one exactly what I said, since you were present when I said it." - -"Yes, I know. But that is not the question. I have not forgotten a -single syllable you uttered, but did you think what you were saying?" - -Louise became confused. "What," she exclaimed, "more questions still! -Oh, heavens! when I would give the world to forget what I did say, how -does it happen that every one does all he possibly can to remind me of -it? Oh, this is indeed terrible!" - -"What is?" - -"To have a friend who ought to spare me, who might advise me and help me -to save myself, and yet who is undoing me--is killing me." - -"There, there, that will do," said Montalais; "after having said too -little, you now say too much. No one thinks of killing you, nor even of -robbing you, even of your secret; I wish to have it voluntarily, and in -no other way; for the question does not concern your own affairs only, -but ours also; and Tonnay-Charente would tell you as I do, if she -were here. For, the fact is, that last evening she wished to have -some private conversation in our room, and I was going there after the -Manicamp and Malicorne colloquies terminated, when I learned, on my -return, rather late, it is true, that Madame had sequestered her maids -of honor, and that we were to sleep in her apartments, instead of our -own. Moreover, Madame has shut up her maids of honor in order that they -should not have the time to concert any measures together, and this -morning she was closeted with Tonnay-Charente with the same object. Tell -me, then, to what extent Athenais and I can rely upon you, as we will -tell you in what way you can rely upon us?" - -"I do not clearly understand the question you have put," said Louise, -much agitated. - -"Hum! and yet, on the contrary, you seem to understand me very well. -However, I will put my questions in a more precise manner, in order that -you may not be able, in the slightest degree, to evade them. Listen to -me: _Do you love M. de Bragelonne?_ That is plain enough, is it not?" - -At this question, which fell like the first bombshell of a besieging -army into a doomed town, Louise started. "You ask me," she exclaimed, -"if I love Raoul, the friend of my childhood,--my brother almost?" - -"No, no, no! Again you evade me, or rather, you wish to escape me. I do -not ask if you love Raoul, your childhood's friend,--your brother; but I -ask if you love the Vicomte de Bragelonne, your affianced husband?" - -"Good heavens! dear Montalais," said Louise, "how severe your tone is!" - -"You deserve no indulgence,--I am neither more nor less severe than -usual. I put a question to you, so answer it." - -"You certainly do not," said Louise, in a choking voice, "speak to me -like a friend; but I will answer you as a true friend." - -"Well, do so." - -"Very well; my heart is full of scruples and silly feelings of pride, -with respect to everything that a woman ought to keep secret, and in -this respect no one has ever read into the bottom of my soul." - -"That I know very well. If I had read it, I should not interrogate you -as I have done; I should simply say,--'My good Louise, you have the -happiness of an acquaintance with M. de Bragelonne, who is an excellent -young man, and an advantageous match for a girl without fortune. M. de -la Fere will leave something like fifteen thousand livres a year to his -son. At a future day, then, you, as this son's wife, will have fifteen -thousand livres a year; which is not bad. Turn, then, neither to the -right hand nor to the left, but go frankly to M. de Bragelonne; that -is to say, to the altar to which he will lead you. Afterwards, why-- -afterwards, according to his disposition, you will be emancipated or -enslaved; in other words, you will have a right to commit any piece of -folly people commit who have either too much liberty or too little.' -That is, my dear Louise, what I should have told you at first, if I had -been able to read your heart." - -"And I should have thanked you," stammered out Louise, "although the -advice does not appear to me to be altogether sound." - -"Wait, wait. But immediately after having given you that advice, I -should have added,--'Louise, it is very dangerous to pass whole days -with your head drooping, your hands unoccupied, your eyes restless and -full of thought; it is dangerous to prefer the least frequented paths, -and no longer be amused with such diversions as gladden young girls' -hearts; it is dangerous, Louise, to scrawl with the point of your foot, -as you do, upon the gravel, certain letters it is useless for you to -efface, but which appear again under your heel, particularly when those -letters rather resemble the letter L than the letter B; and, lastly, it -is dangerous to allow the mind to dwell on a thousand wild fancies, the -fruits of solitude and heartache; these fancies, while they sink into -a young girl's mind, make her cheeks sink in also, so that it is not -unusual, on such occasions, to find the most delightful persons in -the world become the most disagreeable, and the wittiest to become the -dullest.'" - -"I thank you, dearest Aure," replied La Valliere, gently; "it is like -you to speak to me in this manner, and I thank you for it." - -"It was only for the benefit of wild dreamers, such as I have just -described, that I spoke; do not take any of my words, then, to yourself, -except such as you think you deserve. Stay, I hardly know what story -recurs to my memory of some silly or melancholy girl, who was gradually -pining away because she fancied that the prince, or the king, or the -emperor, whoever it was--and it does not matter much which--had fallen -in love with her; while on the contrary, the prince, or the king, or the -emperor, whichever you please, was plainly in love with some one else, -and--a singular circumstance, one, indeed, which she could not perceive, -although every one around and about her perceived it clearly enough-- -made use of her as a screen for his own love affair. You laugh as I do, -at this poor silly girl, do you not, Louise?" - -"I?--oh! of course," stammered Louise, pale as death. - -"And you are right, too, for the thing is amusing enough. The story, -whether true or false, amused me, and so I remembered it and told it -to you. Just imagine then, my good Louise, the mischief that such a -melancholy would create in anybody's brain,--a melancholy, I mean, of -that kind. For my own part, I resolved to tell you the story; for -if such a thing were to happen to either of _us_, it would be most -essential to be assured of its truth; to-day it is a snare, to-morrow -it would become a jest and mockery, the next day it would mean death -itself." La Valliere started again, and became, if possible, still -paler. - -"Whenever a king takes notice of us," continued Montalais, "he lets us -see it easily enough, and, if we happen to be the object he covets, he -knows very well how to gain his object. You see, then, Louise, that, in -such circumstances, between young girls exposed to such a danger as the -one in question, the most perfect confidence should exist, in order that -those hearts which are not disposed towards melancholy may watch over -those likely to become so." - -"Silence, silence!" said La Valliere; "some one approaches." - -"Some one is approaching fast, in fact," said Montalais; "but who can it -possibly be? Everybody is away, either at mass with the king, or bathing -with Monsieur." - -At the end of the walk the young girls perceived almost immediately, -beneath the arching trees, the graceful carriage and noble stature of a -young man, who, with his sword under his arm and a cloak thrown across -his shoulders, booted and spurred besides, saluted them from the -distance with a gentle smile. "Raoul!" exclaimed Montalais. - -"M. de Bragelonne!" murmured Louise. - -"A very proper judge to decide upon our difference of opinion," said -Montalais. - -"Oh! Montalais, Montalais, for pity's sake," exclaimed La Valliere, -"after having been so cruel, show me a little mercy." These words, -uttered with all the fervor of a prayer, effaced all trace of irony, if -not from Montalais's heart, at least from her face. - -"Why, you are as handsome as Amadis, Monsieur de Bragelonne," she cried -to Raoul, "and armed and booted like him." - -"A thousand compliments, young ladies," replied Raoul, bowing. - -"But why, I ask, are you booted in this manner?" repeated Montalais, -whilst La Valliere, although she looked at Raoul with a surprise equal -to that of her companion, nevertheless uttered not a word. - -"Why?" inquired Raoul. - -"Yes!" ventured Louise. - -"Because I am about to set off," said Bragelonne, looking at Louise. - -The young girl seemed as though smitten by some superstitious feeling of -terror, and tottered. "You are going away, Raoul!" she cried; "and where -are you going?" - -"Dearest Louise," he replied, with that quiet, composed manner which was -natural to him, "I am going to England." - -"What are you going to do in England?" - -"The king has sent me there." - -"The king!" exclaimed Louise and Aure together, involuntarily exchanging -glances, the conversation which had just been interrupted recurring to -them both. Raoul intercepted the glance, but could not understand its -meaning, and, naturally enough, attributed it to the interest both the -young girls took in him. - -"His majesty," he said, "has been good enough to remember that the Comte -de la Fere is high in favor with King Charles II. This morning, as he -was on his way to attend mass, the king, seeing me as he passed, signed -to me to approach, which I accordingly did. 'Monsieur de Bragelonne,' -he said to me, 'you will call upon M. Fouquet, who has received from me -letters for the king of Great Britain; you will be the bearer of them.' -I bowed. 'Ah!' his majesty added, 'before you leave, you will be good -enough to take any commissions which Madame may have for the king her -brother.'" - -"Gracious heaven!" murmured Louise, much agitated, and yet full of -thought at the same time. - -"So quickly! You are desired to set off in such haste!" said Montalais, -almost paralyzed by this unforeseen event. - -"Properly to obey those whom we respect," said Raoul, "it is necessary -to obey quickly. Within ten minutes after I had received the order, I -was ready. Madame, already informed, is writing the letter which she -is good enough to do me the honor of intrusting to me. In the meantime, -learning from Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente that it was likely you -would be in this direction, I came here, and am happy to find you both." - -"And both of us very sad, as you see," said Montalais, going to Louise's -assistance, whose countenance was visibly altered. - -"Suffering?" responded Raoul, pressing Louise's hand with a tender -curiosity. "Your hand is like ice." - -"It is nothing." - -"This coldness does not reach your heart, Louise, does it?" inquired the -young man, with a tender smile. Louise raised her head hastily, as if -the question had been inspired by some suspicion, and had aroused a -feeling of remorse. - -"Oh! you know," she said, with an effort, "that my heart will never be -cold towards a friend like yourself, Monsieur de Bragelonne." - -"Thank you, Louise. I know both your heart and your mind; it is not by -the touch of the hand that one can judge of an affection like yours. You -know, Louise, how devotedly I love you, with what perfect and unreserved -confidence I reserve my life for you; will you not forgive me, then, for -speaking to you with something like the frankness of a child?" - -"Speak, Monsieur Raoul," said Louise, trembling painfully, "I am -listening." - -"I cannot part from you, carrying away with me a thought that tortures -me; absurd I know it to be, and yet one which rends my very heart." - -"Are you going away, then, for any length of time?" inquired La -Valliere, with faltering utterance, while Montalais turned her head -aside. - -"No; probably I shall not be absent more than a fortnight." La Valliere -pressed her hand upon her heart, which felt as though it were breaking. - -"It is strange," pursued Raoul, looking at the young girl with a -melancholy expression; "I have often left you when setting off on -adventures fraught with danger. Then I started joyously enough--my heart -free, my mind intoxicated by thoughts of happiness in store for me, -hopes of which the future was full; and yet I was about to face the -Spanish cannon, or the halberds of the Walloons. To-day, without the -existence of any danger or uneasiness, and by the sunniest path in the -world, I am going in search of a glorious recompense, which this mark -of the king's favor seems to indicate, for I am, perhaps, going to win -_you_, Louise. What other favor, more precious than yourself, could the -king confer upon me? Yet, Louise, in very truth I know not how or why, -but this happiness and this future seem to vanish before my very eyes -like mist--like an idle dream; and I feel here, here at the very bottom -of my heart, a deep-seated grief, a dejection I cannot overcome-- -something heavy, passionless, death-like,--resembling a corpse. Oh! -Louise, too well do I know why; it is because I have never loved you so -truly as now. God help me!" - -At this last exclamation, which issued as it were from a broken heart, -Louise burst into tears, and threw herself into Montalais's arms. The -latter, although she was not easily moved, felt the tears rush to her -eyes. Raoul noted only the tears Louise shed; his look, however, did not -penetrate--nay, sought not to penetrate--beyond those tears. He bent his -knee before her, and tenderly kissed her hand; and it was evident that -in that kiss he poured out his whole heart. - -"Rise, rise," said Montalais to him, ready to cry, "for Athenais is -coming." - -Raoul rose, brushed his knee with the back of his hand, smiled again -upon Louise, whose eyes were fixed on the ground, and, having pressed -Montalais's hand gratefully, he turned round to salute Mademoiselle de -Tonnay-Charente, the sound of whose silken robe was already heard upon -the gravel walk. "Has Madame finished her letter?" he inquired, when the -young girl came within reach of his voice. - -"Yes, the letter is finished, sealed, and her royal highness is ready to -receive you." - -Raoul, at this remark, hardly gave himself time to salute Athenais, cast -one look at Louise, bowed to Montalais, and withdrew in the direction of -the chateau. As he withdrew he again turned round, but at last, at the -end of the grand walk, it was useless to do so again, as he could no -longer see them. The three young girls, on their side, had, with widely -different feelings, watched him disappear. - -"At last," said Athenais, the first to interrupt the silence, "at last -we are alone, free to talk of yesterday's great affair, and to come -to an understanding upon the conduct it is advisable for us to pursue. -Besides, if you will listen to me," she continued, looking round on -all sides, "I will explain to you, as briefly as possible, in the first -place, our own duty, such as I imagine it to be, and, if you do -not understand a hint, what is Madame's desire on the subject." And -Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente pronounced these words in such a tone as -to leave no doubt, in her companion's minds, upon the official character -with which she was invested. - -"Madame's desire!" exclaimed Montalais and La Valliere together. - -"Her _ultimatum_," replied Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente, -diplomatically. - -"But," murmured La Valliere, "does Madame know, then--" - -"Madame knows more about the matter than we said, even," said Athenais, -in a formal, precise manner. "Therefore let us come to a proper -understanding." - -"Yes, indeed," said Montalais, "and I am listening in breathless -attention." - -"Gracious heavens!" murmured Louise, trembling, "shall I ever survive -this cruel evening?" - -"Oh! do not frighten yourself in that manner," said Athenais; "we have -found a remedy." So, seating herself between her two companions, and -taking each of them by the hand, which she held in her own, she began. -The first words were hardly spoke, when they heard a horse galloping -away over the stones of the public high-road, outside the gates of the -chateau. - - - -Chapter LV. Happy as a Prince. - -At the very moment he was about entering the chateau, Bragelonne met De -Guiche. But before having been met by Raoul, De Guiche had met Manicamp, -who had met Malicorne. How was it that Malicorne had met Manicamp? -Nothing more simple, for he had awaited his return from mass, where he -had accompanied M. de Saint-Aignan. When they met, they congratulated -each other upon their good fortune, and Manicamp availed himself of -the circumstance to ask his friend if he had not a few crowns still -remaining at the bottom of his pocket. The latter, without expressing -any surprise at the question, which he perhaps expected, answered that -every pocket which is always being drawn upon without anything ever -being put in it, resembles those wells which supply water during the -winter, but which gardeners render useless by exhausting during the -summer; that his, Malicorne's, pocket certainly was deep, and that -there would be a pleasure in drawing on it in times of plenty, but that, -unhappily, abuse had produced barrenness. To this remark, Manicamp, deep -in thought, had replied, "Quite true!" - -"The question, then, is how to fill it?" Malicorne added. - -"Of course; but in what way?" - -"Nothing easier, my dear Monsieur Manicamp." - -"So much the better. How?" - -"A post in Monsieur's household, and the pocket is full again." - -"You have the post?" - -"That is, I have the promise of being nominated." - -"Well!" - -"Yes; but the promise of nomination, without the post itself, is like a -purse with no money in it." - -"Quite true," Manicamp replied a second time. - -"Let us try for the post, then," the candidate had persisted. - -"My dear fellow," sighed Manicamp, "an appointment in his royal -highness's household is one of the gravest difficulties of our -position." - -"Oh! oh!" - -"There is no question that, at the present moment, we cannot ask -Monsieur for anything." - -"Why so?" "Because we are not on good terms with him." - -"A great absurdity, too," said Malicorne, promptly. - -"Bah! and if we were to show Madame any attention," said Manicamp, -"frankly speaking, do you think we should please Monsieur?" - -"Precisely; if we show Madame any attention, and do it adroitly, -Monsieur ought to adore us." - -"Hum!" - -"Either that or we are great fools. Make haste, therefore, M. Manicamp, -you who are so able a politician, and make M. de Guiche and his royal -highness friendly again." - -"Tell me, what did M. de Saint-Aignan tell you, Malicorne?" - -"Tell me? nothing; he asked me several questions, and that was all." - -"Well, was he less discreet, then, with me." - -"What did he tell you?" - -"That the king is passionately in love with Mademoiselle de la -Valliere." - -"We knew that already," replied Malicorne, ironically; "and everybody -talks about it loud enough for all to know it; but in the meantime, do -what I advise you; speak to M. de Guiche, and endeavor to get him to -make advances to Monsieur. Deuce take it! he owes his royal highness -that, at least." - -"But we must see De Guiche, then?" - -"There does not seem to be any great difficulty in that; try to see him -in the same way I tried to see you; wait for him; you know that he is -naturally very fond of walking." - -"Yes; but whereabouts does he walk?" - -"What a question to ask! Do you not know that he is in love with -Madame?" - -"So it is said." - -"Very well; you will find him walking about on the side of the chateau -where her apartments are." - -"Stay, my dear Malicorne, you were not mistaken, for here he is coming." - -"Why should I be mistaken? Have you ever noticed that I am in the habit -of making a mistake? Come, we only need to understand each other. Are -you in want of money?" - -"Ah!" exclaimed Manicamp, mournfully. - -"Well, I want my appointment. Let Malicorne have the appointment, and -Manicamp shall have the money. There is no greater difficulty in the way -than that." - -"Very well; in that case make yourself easy. I will do my best." - -"Do." - -De Guiche approached, Malicorne stepped aside, and Manicamp caught -hold of De Guiche, who was thoughtful and melancholy. "Tell me, my dear -comte, what rhyme you were trying to find," said Manicamp. "I have an -excellent one to match yours, particularly if yours ends in _ame_." - -De Guiche shook his head, and recognizing a friend, he took him by the -arm. "My dear Manicamp," he said, "I am in search of something very -different from a rhyme." - -"What is it you are looking for?" - -"You will help me to find what I am in search of," continued the comte: -"you who are such an idle fellow, in other words, a man with a mind full -of ingenious devices." - -"I am getting my ingenuity ready, then, my dear comte." - -"This is the state of the case, then: I wish to approach a particular -house, where I have some business." - -"You must get near the house, then," said Manicamp. - -"Very good; but in this house dwells a husband who happens to be -jealous." - -"Is he more jealous than the dog Cerberus?" - -"Not more, but quite as much so." - -"Has he three mouths, as that obdurate guardian of the infernal regions -had? Do not shrug your shoulders, my dear comte: I put the question -to you with an excellent reason, since poets pretend that, in order to -soften Monsieur Cerberus, the visitor must take something enticing -with him--a cake, for instance. Therefore, I, who view the matter in a -prosaic light, that is to say in the light of reality, I say: one cake -is very little for three mouths. If your jealous husband has three -mouths, comte, get three cakes." - -"Manicamp, I can get such advice as that from M. de Beautru." - -"In order to get better advice," said Manicamp, with a comical -seriousness of expression, "you will be obliged to adopt a more precise -formula than you have used towards me." - -"If Raoul were here," said De Guiche, "he would be sure to understand -me." - -"So I think, particularly if you said to him: 'I should very much -like to see Madame a little nearer, but I fear Monsieur, because he is -jealous.'" - -"Manicamp!" cried the comte, angrily, and endeavoring to overwhelm his -tormentor by a look, who did not, however, appear to be in the slightest -degree disturbed by it. - -"What is the matter now, my dear comte?" inquired Manicamp. - -"What! is it thus you blaspheme the most sacred of names?" - -"What names?" - -"Monsieur! Madame! the highest names in the kingdom." - -"You are very strangely mistaken, my dear comte. I never mentioned the -highest names in the kingdom. I merely answered you in reference to the -subject of a jealous husband, whose name you did not tell me, and who, -as a matter of course, has a wife. I therefore replied to you, in order -to see Madame, you must get a little more intimate with Monsieur." - -"Double-dealer that you are," said the comte, smiling; "was that what -you said?" - -"Nothing else." - -"Very good; what then?" - -"Now," added Manicamp, "let the question be regarding the Duchess--or -the Duke--; very well, I shall say: Let us get into the house in -some way or other, for that is a tactic which cannot in any case be -unfavorable to your love affair." - -"Ah! Manicamp, if you could but find me a pretext, a good pretext." - -"A pretext; I can find you a hundred, nay, a thousand. If Malicorne were -here, he would have already hit upon a thousand excellent pretexts." - -"Who is Malicorne?" replied De Guiche, half-shutting his eyes, like a -person reflecting, "I seem to know the name." - -"Know him! I should think so: you owe his father thirty thousand -crowns." - -"Ah, indeed! so it's that worthy fellow from Orleans." - -"Whom you promised an appointment in Monsieur's household; not the -jealous husband, but the other." - -"Well, then, since your friend Malicorne is such an inventive genius, -let him find me a means of being adored by Monsieur, and a pretext to -make my peace with him." - -"Very good: I'll talk to him about it." - -"But who is that coming?" - -"The Vicomte de Bragelonne." - -"Raoul! yes, it is he," said De Guiche, as he hastened forward to meet -him. "You here, Raoul?" said De Guiche. - -"Yes: I was looking for you to say farewell," replied Raoul, warmly, -pressing the comte's hand. "How do you do, Monsieur Manicamp?" - -"How is this, vicomte, you are leaving us?" - -"Yes, a mission from the king." - -"Where are you going?" - -"To London. On leaving you, I am going to Madame; she has a letter to -give me for his majesty, Charles II." - - -"You will find her alone, for Monsieur has gone out; gone to bathe, in -fact." - -"In that case, you, who are one of Monsieur's gentlemen in waiting, will -undertake to make my excuses to him. I would have waited in order to -receive any directions he might have to give me, if the desire for my -immediate departure had not been intimated to me by M. Fouquet on behalf -of his majesty." - -Manicamp touched De Guiche's elbow, saying, "There's a pretext for you." - -"What?" - -"M. de Bragelonne's excuses." - -"A weak pretext," said De Guiche. - -"An excellent one, if Monsieur is not angry with you; but a paltry one -if he bears you ill-will." - -"You are right, Manicamp; a pretext, however poor it may be, is all I -require. And so, a pleasant journey to you, Raoul!" And the two friends -took a warm leave of each other. - -Five minutes afterwards Raoul entered Madame's apartments, as -Mademoiselle de Montalais had begged him to do. Madame was still seated -at the table where she had written her letter. Before her was still -burning the rose-colored taper she had used to seal it. Only in her deep -reflection, for Madame seemed to be buried in thought, she had forgotten -to extinguish the light. Bragelonne was a very model of elegance in -every way; it was impossible to see him once without always remembering -him; and not only had Madame seen him once, but it will not be -forgotten he was one of the very first who had gone to meet her, and had -accompanied her from Le Havre to Paris. Madame preserved therefore an -excellent recollection of him. - -"Ah! M. de Bragelonne," she said to him, "you are going to see my -brother, who will be delighted to pay to the son a portion of the debt -of gratitude he contracted with the father." - -"The Comte de la Fere, Madame, has been abundantly recompensed for the -little service he had the happiness to render the king, by the kindness -manifested towards him, and it is I who will have to convey to his -majesty the assurance of the respect, devotion, and gratitude of both -father and son." - -"Do you know my brother?" - -"No, your highness; I shall have the honor of seeing his majesty for the -first time." - -"You require no recommendation to him. At all events, however, if you -have any doubt about your personal merit, take me unhesitatingly for -your surety." - -"Your royal highness overwhelms me with kindness." - -"No! M. de Bragelonne, I well remember that we were fellow-travelers -once, and that I remarked your extreme prudence in the midst of the -extravagant absurdities committed, on both sides, by two of the greatest -simpletons in the world,--M. de Guiche and the Duke of Buckingham. Let -us not speak of them, however; but of yourself. Are you going to England -to remain there permanently? Forgive my inquiry: it is not curiosity, -but a desire to be of service to you in anything I can." - -"No, Madame; I am going to England to fulfil a mission which his majesty -has been kind enough to confide to me--nothing more." - -"And you propose to return to France?" - -"As soon as I have accomplished my mission; unless, indeed, his majesty, -King Charles II., should have other orders for me." - -"He well beg you, at the very least, I am sure, to remain near him as -long as possible." - -"In that case, as I shall not know how to refuse, I will now beforehand -entreat your royal highness to have the goodness to remind the king of -France that one of his devoted servants is far away from him." - -"Take care that when you _are_ recalled, you do not consider his command -an abuse of power." - -"I do not understand you, Madame." - -"The court of France is not easily matched, I am aware, but yet we have -some pretty women at the court of England also." - -Raoul smiled. - -"Oh!" said Madame, "yours is a smile which portends no good to my -countrywomen. It is as though you were telling them, Monsieur de -Bragelonne: 'I visit you, but I leave my heart on the other side of the -Channel.' Did not your smile indicate that?" - -"Your highness is gifted with the power of reading the inmost depths -of the soul, and you will understand, therefore, why, at present, any -prolonged residence at the court of England would be a matter of the -deepest regret." - -"And I need not inquire if so gallant a knight is recompensed in -return?" - -"I have been brought up, Madame, with her whom I love, and I believe our -affection is mutual." - -"In that case, do not delay your departure, Monsieur de Bragelonne, -and delay not your return, for on your return we shall see two persons -happy; for I hope no obstacle exists to your felicity." - -"There is a great obstacle, Madame." - -"Indeed! what is it?" - -"The king's wishes on the subject." - -"The king opposes your marriage?" - -"He postpones it, at least. I solicited his majesty's consent through -the Comte de la Fere, and, without absolutely refusing it, he positively -said it must be deferred." - -"Is the young lady whom you love unworthy of you, then?" - -"She is worthy of a king's affection, Madame." - -"I mean, she is not, perhaps, of birth equal to your own." - -"Her family is excellent." - -"Is she young, beautiful?" - -"She is seventeen, and, in my opinion, exceedingly beautiful." - -"Is she in the country, or at Paris?" - -"She is here at Fontainebleau, Madame." - -"At the court?" - -"Yes." - -"Do I know her?" - -"She has the honor to form one of your highness's household." - -"Her name?" inquired the princess, anxiously; "if indeed," she added, -hastily, "her name is not a secret." - -"No, Madame, my affection is too pure for me to make a secret of it to -any one, and with still greater reason to your royal highness, whose -kindness towards me has been so extreme. It is Mademoiselle Louise de la -Valliere." - -Madame could not restrain an exclamation, in which a feeling -stronger than surprise might have been detected. "Ah!" she said, "La -Valliere--she who yesterday--" she paused, and then continued, "she who -was taken ill, I believe." - -"Yes, Madame; it was only this morning that I heard of the accident that -had befallen her." - -"Did you see her before you came to me?" - -"I had the honor of taking leave of her." - -"And you say," resumed Madame, making a powerful effort over herself, -"that the king has--deferred your marriage with this young girl." - -"Yes, Madame, deferred it." - -"Did he assign any reason for this postponement?" - -"None." - -"How long is it since the Comte de la Fere preferred his request to the -king?" - -"More than a month, Madame." - -"It is very singular," said the princess, as something like a film -clouded her eyes. - -"A month?" she repeated. - -"About a month." - -"You are right, vicomte," said the princess, with a smile, in which De -Bragelonne might have remarked a kind of restraint; "my brother must not -keep you too long in England; set off at once, and in the first letter I -write to England, I will claim you in the king's name." And Madame rose -to place her letter in Bragelonne's hands. Raoul understood that his -audience was at an end; he took the letter, bowed lowly to the princess, -and left the room. - -"A month!" murmured the princess; "could I have been blind, then, to so -great an extent, and could he have loved her for this last month?" -And as Madame had nothing to do, she sat down to begin a letter to her -brother, the postscript of which was a summons for Bragelonne to return. - -The Comte de Guiche, as we have seen, had yielded to the pressing -persuasions of Manicamp, and allowed himself to be led to the stables, -where they desired their horses to be got ready for them; then, by one -of the side paths, a description of which has already been given, -they advanced to meet Monsieur, who, having just finished bathing, was -returning towards the chateau, wearing a woman's veil to protect his -face from getting burnt by the sun, which was shining very brightly. -Monsieur was in one of those fits of good humor to which the admiration -of his own good looks sometimes gave occasion. As he was bathing he -had been able to compare the whiteness of his body with that of the -courtiers, and, thanks to the care which his royal highness took of -himself, no one, not even the Chevalier de Lorraine, was able to stand -the comparison. Monsieur, moreover, had been tolerably successful in -swimming, and his muscles having been exercised by the healthy immersion -in the cool water, he was in a light and cheerful state of mind and -body. So that, at the sight of Guiche, who advanced to meet him at a -hand gallop, mounted upon a magnificent white horse, the prince could -not restrain an exclamation of delight. - -"I think matters look well," said Manicamp, who fancied he could read -this friendly disposition upon his royal highness's countenance. - -"Good day, De Guiche, good day," exclaimed the prince. - -"Long life to your royal highness!" replied De Guiche, encouraged by the -tone of Philip's voice; "health, joy, happiness, and prosperity to your -highness." - -"Welcome, De Guiche, come on my right side, but keep your horse in hand, -for I wish to return at a walking pace under the cool shade of these -trees." - -"As you please, monseigneur," said De Guiche, taking his place on the -prince's right as he had been invited to do. - -"Now, my dear De Guiche," said the prince, "give me a little news -of that De Guiche whom I used to know formerly, and who used to pay -attentions to my wife." - -Guiche blushed to the very whites of his eyes, while Monsieur burst out -laughing, as though he had made the wittiest remark in the world. The -few privileged courtiers who surrounded Monsieur thought it their duty -to follow his example, although they had not heard the remark, and a -noisy burst of laughter immediately followed, beginning with the first -courtier, passing on through the whole company, and only terminating -with the last. De Guiche, although blushing scarlet, put a good -countenance on the matter; Manicamp looked at him. - -"Ah! monseigneur," replied De Guiche, "show a little charity towards -such a miserable fellow as I am: do not hold me up to the ridicule of -the Chevalier de Lorraine." - -"How do you mean?" - -"If he hears you ridicule me, he will go beyond your highness, and will -show no pity." - -"About your passion and the princess, do you mean?" - -"For mercy's sake, monseigneur." - -"Come, come, De Guiche, confess that you _did_ get a little sweet upon -Madame." - -"I will never confess such a thing, monseigneur." - -"Out of respect for me, I suppose; but I release you from your respect, -De Guiche. Confess, as if it were simply a question about Mademoiselle -de Chalais or Mademoiselle de la Valliere." - -Then breaking off, he said, beginning to laugh again, "Comte, that -wasn't at all bad!--a remark like a sword, which cuts two ways at once. -I hit you and my brother at the same time, Chalais and La Valliere, your -affianced bride and his future lady love." - -"Really, monseigneur," said the comte, "you are in a most brilliant humor -to-day." - -"The fact is, I feel well, and then I am pleased to see you again. But -you were angry with me, were you not?" - -"I, monseigneur? Why should I have been so?" - -"Because I interfered with your sarabands and your other Spanish -amusements. Nay, do not deny it. On that day you left the princess's -apartments with your eyes full of fury; that brought you ill-luck, for -you danced in the ballet yesterday in a most wretched manner. Now don't -get sulky, De Guiche, for it does you no good, but makes you look like a -tame bear. If the princess did not look at you attentively yesterday, I -am quite sure of one thing." - -"What is that, monseigneur? Your highness alarms me." - -"She has quite forsworn you now," said the prince, with a burst of loud -laughter. - -"Decidedly," thought Manicamp, "rank has nothing to do with it, and all -men are alike." - -The prince continued: "At all events, you have now returned, and it is -to be hoped that the chevalier will become amiable again." - -"How so, monseigneur: and by what miracle can I exercise such an -influence over M. de Lorraine?" - -"The matter is very simple, he is jealous of you." - -"Bah! it is not possible." - -"It is the case, though." - -"He does me too much honor." - -"The fact is, that when you are here, he is full of kindness and -attention, but when you are gone he makes me suffer a perfect martyrdom. -I am like a see-saw. Besides, you do not know the idea that has struck -me?" - -"I do not even suspect it." - -"Well, then; when you were in exile--for you really were exiled, my poor -De Guiche--" - -"I should think so, indeed; but whose fault was it?" said De Guiche, -pretending to speak in an angry tone. - -"Not mine, certainly, my dear comte," replied his royal highness, "upon -my honor, I did not ask for the king to exile you--" - -"No, not you, monseigneur, I am well aware; but--" - -"But Madame; well, as far as that goes, I do not say it was not the -case. Why, what the deuce did you do or say to Madame?" - -"Really, monseigneur--" - -"Women, I know, have their grudges, and my wife is not free from -caprices of that nature. But if she were the cause of your being exiled -I bear you no ill-will." - -"In that case, monseigneur," said De Guiche. "I am not altogether -unhappy." - -Manicamp, who was following closely behind De Guiche and who did -not lose a word of what the prince was saying, bent down to his very -shoulders over his horse's neck, in order to conceal the laughter he -could not repress. - -"Besides, your exile started a project in my head." - -"Good." - -"When the chevalier--finding you were no longer here, and sure of -reigning undisturbed--began to bully me, I, observing that my wife, in -the most perfect contrast to him, was most kind and amiable towards me -who had neglected her so much, the idea occurred to me of becoming a -model husband--a rarity, a curiosity, at the court; and I had an idea of -getting very fond of my wife." - -De Guiche looked at the prince with a stupefied expression of -countenance, which was not assumed. - -"Oh! monseigneur," De Guiche stammered out; "surely, that never -seriously occurred to you." - -"Indeed it did. I have some property that my brother gave me on my -marriage; she has some money of her own, and not a little either, for -she gets money from her brother and brother-in-law of England and France -at the same time. Well! we should have left the court. I should have -retired to my chateau at Villers-Cotterets, situated in the middle of a -forest, in which we should have led a most sentimental life in the -very same spot where my grandfather, Henry IV., sojourned with La Belle -Gabrielle. What do you think of that idea, De Guiche?" - -"Why, it is enough to make one shiver, monseigneur," replied De Guiche, -who shuddered in reality. - -"Ah! I see you would never be able to endure being exiled a second -time." - -"I, monseigneur?" - -"I will not carry you off with us, as I had first intended." - -"What, with you, monseigneur?" - -"Yes; if the idea should occur to me again of taking a dislike to the -court." - -"Oh! do not let that make any difference, monseigneur; I would follow -your highness to the end of the world." - -"Clumsy fellow that you are!" said Manicamp, grumblingly, pushing his -horse towards De Guiche, so as almost to unseat him, and then, as -he passed close to him, as if he had lost command over the horse, he -whispered, "For goodness' sake, think what you are saying." - -"Well, it is agreed, then," said the prince; "since you are so devoted -to me, I shall take you with me." - -"Anywhere, monseigneur," replied De Guiche in a joyous tone, "whenever -you like, and at once, too. Are you ready?" - -And De Guiche, laughingly, gave his horse the rein, and galloped forward -a few yards. - -"One moment," said the prince. "Let us go to the chateau first." - -"What for?" - -"Why, to take my wife, of course." - -"What for?" asked De Guiche. - -"Why, since I tell you that it is a project of conjugal affection, it is -necessary I should take my wife with me." - -"In that case, monseigneur," replied the comte, "I am greatly concerned, -but no De Guiche for you." - -"Bah!" - -"Yes.--Why do you take Madame with you?" - -"Because I begin to fancy I love her," said the prince. - -De Guiche turned slightly pale, but endeavored to preserve his seeming -cheerfulness. - -"If you love Madame, monseigneur," he said, "that ought to be quite -enough for you, and you have no further need of your friends." - -"Not bad, not bad," murmured Manicamp. - -"There, your fear of Madame has begun again," replied the prince. - -"Why, monseigneur, I have experienced that to my cost; a woman who was -the cause of my being exiled!" - -"What a revengeful disposition you have, De Guiche, how virulently you -bear malice." - -"I should like the case to be your own, monseigneur." - -"Decidedly, then, that was the reason why you danced so badly yesterday; -you wished to revenge yourself, I suppose, by trying to make Madame make -a mistake in her dancing; ah! that is very paltry, De Guiche, and I will -tell Madame of it." - -"You may tell her whatever you please, monseigneur, for her highness -cannot hate me more than she does." - -"Nonsense, you are exaggerating; and this because merely of the -fortnight's sojourn in the country she imposed on you." - -"Monseigneur, a fortnight is a fortnight; and when the time is passed in -getting sick and tired of everything, a fortnight is an eternity." - -"So that you will not forgive her?" - -"Never!" - -"Come, come, De Guiche, be a better disposed fellow than that. I wish -to make your peace with her; you will find, in conversing with her, -that she has no malice or unkindness in her nature, and that she is very -talented." - -"Monseigneur--" - -"You will see that she can receive her friends like a princess, and -laugh like a citizen's wife; you will see that, when she pleases, she -can make the pleasant hours pass like minutes. Come, De Guiche, you must -really make up your differences with my wife." - -"Upon my word," said Manicamp to himself, "the prince is a husband whose -wife's name will bring him ill-luck, and King Candaules, of old, was a -tiger beside his royal highness." - -"At all events," added the prince, "I am sure you will make it up with -my wife: I guarantee you will do so. Only, I must show you the way now. -There is nothing commonplace about her: it is not every one who takes -her fancy." - -"Monseigneur--" - -"No resistance, De Guiche, or I shall get out of temper," replied the -prince. - -"Well, since he will have it so," murmured Manicamp, in Guiche's ear, -"do as he wants you to do." - -"Well, monseigneur," said the comte, "I obey." - -"And to begin," resumed the prince, "there will be cards, this evening, -in Madame's apartment; you will dine with me, and I will take you there -with me." - -"Oh! as for that, monseigneur," objected De Guiche, "you will allow me -to object." - -"What, again! this is positive rebellion." - -"Madame received me too indifferently, yesterday, before the whole -court." - -"Really!" said the prince, laughing. - -"Nay, so much so, indeed, that she did not even answer me when I -addressed her; it may be a good thing to have no self-respect at all, -but to have too little is not enough, as the saying is." - -"Comte! after dinner, you will go to your own apartments and dress -yourself, and then you will come to fetch me. I shall wait for you." - -"Since your highness absolutely commands it." - -"Positively." - -"He will not lose his hold," said Manicamp; "these are the things to -which husbands cling most obstinately. Ah! what a pity M. Moliere could -not have heard this man; he would have turned him into verse if he had." - -The prince and his court, chatting in this manner, returned to the -coolest apartments of the chateau. - -"By the by," said De Guiche, as they were standing by the door, "I had a -commission for your royal highness." - -"Execute it, then." - -"M. de Bragelonne has, by the king's order, set off for London, and he -charged me with his respects for you; monseigneur." - -"A pleasant journey to the vicomte, whom I like very much. Go and dress -yourself, De Guiche, and come back for me. If you don't come back--" - -"What will happen, monseigneur?" - -"I will have you sent to the Bastile." - -"Well," said De Guiche, laughing, "his royal highness, monseigneur, is -decidedly the counterpart of her royal highness, Madame. Madame gets -me sent into exile, because she does not care for me sufficiently; and -monseigneur gets me imprisoned, because he cares for me too much. I -thank monseigneur, and I thank Madame." - -"Come, come," said the prince, "you are a delightful companion, and you -know I cannot do without you. Return as soon as you can." - -"Very well; but I am in the humor to prove myself difficult to be -pleased, in _my_ turn, monseigneur." - -"Bah!" - -"So, I will not return to your royal highness, except upon one -condition." - -"Name it." - -"I want to oblige the friend of one of my friends." - -"What's his name?" - -"Malicorne." - -"An ugly name." - -"But very well borne, monseigneur." - -"That may be. Well?" - -"Well, I owe M. Malicorne a place in your household, monseigneur." - -"What kind of a place?" - -"Any kind of a place; a supervision of some sort or another, for -instance." - -"That happens very fortunately, for yesterday I dismissed my chief usher -of the apartments." - -"That will do admirably. What are his duties?" - -"Nothing, except to look about and make his report." - -"A sort of interior police?" - -"Exactly." - -"Ah, how excellently that will suit Malicorne," Manicamp ventured to -say. - -"You know the person we are speaking of, M. Manicamp?" inquired the -prince. - -"Intimately, monseigneur. He is a friend of mine." - -"And your opinion is?" - -"That your highness could never get a better usher of the apartments -than he will make." - -"How much does the appointment bring in?" inquired the comte of the -prince. - -"I don't know at all, only I have always been told that he could make as -much as he pleased when he was thoroughly in earnest." - -"What do you call being thoroughly in earnest, prince?" - -"It means, of course, when the functionary in question is a man who has -his wits about him." - -"In that case I think your highness will be content, for Malicorne is as -sharp as the devil himself." - -"Good! the appointment will be an expensive one for me, in that case," -replied the prince, laughing. "You are making me a positive present, -comte." - -"I believe so, monseigneur." - -"Well, go and announce to your M. Melicorne--" - -"Malicorne, monseigneur." - -"I shall never get hold of that name." - -"You say Manicamp very well, monseigneur." - -"Oh, I ought to say Malicorne very well, too. The alliteration will help -me." - -"Say what you like, monseigneur, I can promise you your inspector of -apartments will not be annoyed; he has the very happiest disposition -that can be met with." - -"Well, then, my dear De Guiche, inform him of his nomination. But, -stay--" - -"What is it, monseigneur?" - -"I wish to see him beforehand; if he be as ugly as his name, I retract -every word I have said." - -"Your highness knows him, for you have already seen him at the Palais -Royal; nay, indeed, it was I who presented him to you." - -"Ah, I remember now--not a bad-looking fellow." - -"I know you must have noticed him, monseigneur." - -"Yes, yes, yes. You see, De Guiche, I do not wish that either my wife or -myself should have ugly faces before our eyes. My wife will have all her -maids of honor pretty; I, all the gentlemen about me good-looking. In -this way, De Guiche, you see, that any children we may have will run a -good chance of being pretty, if my wife and myself have handsome models -before us." - -"Most magnificently argued, monseigneur," said Manicamp, showing his -approval by look and voice at the same time. - -As for De Guiche, he very probably did not find the argument so -convincing, for he merely signified his opinion by a gesture, which, -moreover, exhibited in a marked manner some indecision of mind on the -subject. Manicamp went off to inform Malicorne of the good news he had -just learned. De Guiche seemed very unwilling to take his departure -for the purpose of dressing himself. Monsieur, singing, laughing, and -admiring himself, passed away the time until the dinner-hour, in a frame -of mind that justified the proverb of "Happy as a prince." - - - -Chapter LVI. Story of a Dryad and a Naiad. - -Every one had partaken of the banquet at the chateau, and afterwards -assumed their full court dresses. The usual hour for the repast was -five o'clock. If we say, then, that the repast occupied an hour, and -the toilette two hours, everybody was ready about eight o'clock in the -evening. Towards eight o'clock, then, the guests began to arrive -at Madame's, for we have already intimated that it was Madame who -"received" that evening. And at Madame's _soirees_ no one failed to -be present; for the evenings passed in her apartments always had that -perfect charm about them which the queen, that pious and excellent -princess, had not been able to confer upon her _reunions_. For, -unfortunately, one of the advantages of goodness of disposition is that -it is far less amusing than wit of an ill-natured character. And yet, -let us hasten to add, that such a style of wit could not be assigned -to Madame, for her disposition of mind, naturally of the very highest -order, comprised too much true generosity, too many noble impulses -and high-souled thoughts, to warrant her being termed ill-natured. But -Madame was endowed with a spirit of resistance--a gift frequently fatal -to its possessor, for it breaks where another disposition would have -bent; the result was that blows did not become deadened upon her as upon -what might be termed the cotton-wadded feelings of Maria Theresa. -Her heart rebounded at each attack, and therefore, whenever she was -attacked, even in a manner that almost stunned her, she returned blow -for blow to any one imprudent enough to tilt against her. - -Was this really maliciousness of disposition or simply waywardness of -character? We regard those rich and powerful natures as like the tree -of knowledge, producing good and evil at the same time; a double branch, -always blooming and fruitful, of which those who wish to eat know how -to detect the good fruit, and from which the worthless and frivolous die -who have eaten of it--a circumstance which is by no means to be regarded -as a great misfortune. Madame, therefore, who had a well-disguised -plan in her mind of constituting herself the second, if not even the -principal, queen of the court, rendered her receptions delightful -to all, from the conversation, the opportunities of meeting, and the -perfect liberty she allowed every one of making any remark he pleased, -on the condition, however, that the remark was amusing or sensible. And -it will hardly be believed, that, by that means, there was less talking -among the society Madame assembled together than elsewhere. Madame hated -people who talked much, and took a remarkably cruel revenge upon them, -for she allowed them to talk. She disliked pretension, too, and never -overlooked that defect, even in the king himself. It was more than a -weakness of Monsieur, and the princess had undertaken the amazing task -of curing him of it. As for the rest, poets, wits, beautiful women, all -were received by her with the air of a mistress superior to her slaves. -Sufficiently meditative in her liveliest humors to make even poets -meditate; sufficiently pretty to dazzle by her attractions, even among -the prettiest; sufficiently witty for the most distinguished persons -who were present, to be listened to with pleasure--it will easily be -believed that the _reunions_ held in Madame's apartments must naturally -have proved very attractive. All who were young flocked there, and when -the king himself happens to be young, everybody at court is so too. -And so, the older ladies of the court, the strong-minded women of the -regency, or of the last reign, pouted and sulked at their ease; but -others only laughed at the fits of sulkiness in which these venerable -individuals indulged, who had carried the love of authority so far as -even to take command of bodies of soldiers in the wars of the Fronde, -in order, as Madame asserted, not to lose their influence over men -altogether. As eight o'clock struck her royal highness entered the great -drawing-room accompanied by her ladies in attendance, and found several -gentlemen belonging to the court already there, having been waiting for -some minutes. Among those who had arrived before the hour fixed for the -reception she looked round for one who, she thought, ought to have been -first in attendance, but he was not there. However, almost at the very -moment she completed her investigation, Monsieur was announced. Monsieur -looked splendid. All the precious stones and jewels of Cardinal Mazarin, -which of course that minister could not do otherwise than leave; all the -queen-mother's jewels as well as a few belonging to his wife--Monsieur -wore them all, and he was as dazzling as the rising sun. Behind him -followed De Guiche, with hesitating steps and an air of contrition -admirably assumed; De Guiche wore a costume of French-gray velvet, -embroidered with silver, and trimmed with blue ribbons: he wore also -Mechlin lace as rare and beautiful in its own way as the jewels of -Monsieur in theirs. The plume in his hat was red. Madame, too, wore -several colors, and preferred red for embroidery, gray for dress, and -blue for flowers. M. de Guiche, dressed as we have described, looked so -handsome that he excited every one's observation. An interesting pallor -of complexion, a languid expression of the eyes, his white hands seen -through the masses of lace that covered them, the melancholy expression -of his mouth--it was only necessary, indeed, to see M. de Guiche to -admit that few men at the court of France could hope to equal him. The -consequence was that Monsieur, who was pretentious enough to fancy he -could eclipse a star even, if a star had adorned itself in a similar -manner to himself, was, on the contrary, completely eclipsed in all -imaginations, which are silent judges certainly, but very positive and -firm in their convictions. Madame looked at De Guiche lightly, but light -as her look had been, it brought a delightful color to his face. In -fact, Madame found De Guiche so handsome and so admirably dressed, that -she almost ceased regretting the royal conquest she felt she was on the -point of escaping her. Her heart, therefore, sent the blood to her face. -Monsieur approached her. He had not noticed the princess's blush, or if -he had seen it, he was far from attributing it to its true cause. - -"Madame," he said, kissing his wife's hand, "there is some one present -here, who has fallen into disgrace, an unhappy exile whom I venture to -recommend to your kindness. Do not forget, I beg, that he is one of -my best friends, and that a gentle reception of him will please me -greatly." - -"What exile? what disgraced person are you speaking of?" inquired -Madame, looking all round, and not permitting her glance to rest more on -the count than on the others. - -This was the moment to present De Guiche, and the prince drew aside and -let De Guiche pass him, who, with a tolerably well-assumed awkwardness -of manner, approached Madame and made his reverence to her. - -"What!" exclaimed Madame, as if she were greatly surprised, "is M. de -Guiche the disgraced individual you speak of, the exile in question?" - -"Yes, certainly," returned the duke. - -"Indeed," said Madame, "he seems almost the only person here!" - -"You are unjust, Madame," said the prince. - -"I?" - -"Certainly. Come, forgive the poor fellow." - -"Forgive him what? What have I to forgive M. de Guiche?" - -"Come, explain yourself, De Guiche. What do you wish to be forgiven?" -inquired the prince. - -"Alas! her royal highness knows very well what it is," replied the -latter, in a hypocritical tone. - -"Come, come, give him your hand, Madame," said Philip. - -"If it will give you any pleasure, Monsieur," and, with a movement of -her eyes and shoulders, which it would be impossible to describe, Madame -extended towards the young man her beautiful and perfumed hand, upon -which he pressed his lips. It was evident that he did so for some little -time, and that Madame did not withdraw her hand too quickly, for the -duke added: - -"De Guiche is not wickedly disposed, Madame; so do not be afraid, he -will not bite you." - -A pretext was given in the gallery by the duke's remark, which was -not, perhaps, very laughable, for every one to laugh excessively. The -situation was odd enough, and some kindly disposed persons had observed -it. Monsieur was still enjoying the effect of his remark, when the -king was announced. The appearance of the room at that moment was as -follows:--in the center, before the fireplace, which was filled with -flowers, Madame was standing up, with her maids of honor formed in two -wings, on either side of her; around whom the butterflies of the court -were fluttering. Several other groups were formed in the recesses of the -windows, like soldiers stationed in their different towers who belong to -the same garrison. From their respective places they could pick up the -remarks which fell from the principal group. From one of these groups, -the nearest to the fireplace, Malicorne, who had been at once raised to -the dignity, through Manicamp and De Guiche, of the post of master of -the apartments, and whose official costume had been ready for the last -two months, was brilliant with gold lace, and shone upon Montalais, -standing on Madame's extreme left, with all the fire of his eyes and -splendor of his velvet. Madame was conversing with Mademoiselle -de Chatillon and Mademoiselle de Crequy, who were next to her, and -addressed a few words to Monsieur, who drew aside as soon as the king -was announced. Mademoiselle de la Valliere, like Montalais, was on -Madame's left hand, and the last but one on the line, Mademoiselle de -Tonnay-Charente being on her right. She was stationed as certain bodies -of troops are, whose weakness is suspected, and who are placed between -two experienced regiments. Guarded in this manner by the companions who -had shared her adventure, La Valliere, whether from regret at Raoul's -departure, or still suffering from the emotion caused by recent -events, which had begun to render her name familiar on the lips of -the courtiers, La Valliere, we repeat, hid her eyes, red with weeping, -behind her fan, and seemed to give the greatest attention to the remarks -which Montalais and Athenais, alternately, whispered to her from time to -time. As soon as the king's name was announced a general movement took -place in the apartment. Madame, in her character as hostess, rose -to receive the royal visitor; but as she rose, notwithstanding her -preoccupation of mind, she glanced hastily towards her right; her -glance, which the presumptuous De Guiche regarded as intended for -himself, rested, as it swept over the whole circle, upon La Valliere, -whose warm blush and restless emotion it instantly perceived. - -The king advanced to the middle of the group, which had now become a -general one, by a movement which took place from the circumference to -the center. Every head bowed low before his majesty, the ladies bending -like frail, magnificent lilies before King Aquilo. There was nothing -very severe, we will even say, nothing very royal that evening about the -king, except youth and good looks. He wore an air of animated joyousness -and good-humor which set all imaginations at work, and, thereupon, all -present promised themselves a delightful evening, for no other reason -than from having remarked the desire his majesty had to amuse himself -in Madame's apartments. If there was any one in particular whose high -spirits and good-humor equalled the king's, it was M. de Saint-Aignan, -who was dressed in a rose-colored costume, with face and ribbons of the -same color, and, in addition, particularly rose-colored in his -ideas, for that evening M. de Saint-Aignan was prolific in jests. The -circumstance which had given a new expansion to the numerous ideas -germinating in his fertile brain was, that he had just perceived -that Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente was, like himself, dressed in -rose-color. We would not wish to say, however, that the wily courtier -had not know beforehand that the beautiful Athenais was to wear that -particular color; for he very well knew the art of unlocking the lips of -a dress-maker or a lady's maid as to her mistress's intentions. He -cast as many killing glances at Mademoiselle Athenais as he had bows -of ribbons on his stockings and doublet; in other words he discharged -a prodigious number. The king having paid Madame the customary -compliments, and Madame having requested him to be seated, the circle -was immediately formed. Louis inquired of Monsieur the particulars of -the day's bathing; and stated, looking at the ladies present while he -spoke, that certain poets were engaged turning into verse the enchanting -diversion of the baths of Vulaines, and that one of them particularly, -M. Loret, seemed to have been intrusted with the confidence of some -water-nymph, as he had in his verses recounted many circumstances that -were actually true--at which remark more than one lady present felt -herself bound to blush. The king at this moment took the opportunity of -looking round him at more leisure; Montalais was the only one who did -not blush sufficiently to prevent her looking at the king, and she -saw him fix his eyes devouringly on Mademoiselle de la Valliere. This -undaunted maid of honor, Mademoiselle de Montalais, be it understood, -forced the king to lower his gaze, and so saved Louise de la Valliere -from a sympathetic warmth of feeling this gaze might possibly have -conveyed. Louis was appropriated by Madame, who overwhelmed him with -inquiries, and no one in the world knew how to ask questions better than -she did. He tried, however, to render the conversation general, and, -with the view of effecting this, he redoubled his attention and devotion -to her. Madame coveted complimentary remarks, and, determined to procure -them at any cost, she addressed herself to the king, saying: - -"Sire, your majesty, who is aware of everything which occurs in your -kingdom, ought to know beforehand the verses confided to M. Loret by -this nymph; will your majesty kindly communicate them to us?" - -"Madame," replied the king, with perfect grace of manner, "I dare -not--you, personally, might be in no little degree confused at having to -listen to certain details--but Saint-Aignan tells a story well, and has -a perfect recollection of the verses. If he does not remember them, he -will invent. I can certify he is almost a poet himself." Saint-Aignan, -thus brought prominently forward, was compelled to introduce himself -as advantageously as possible. Unfortunately, however, for Madame, he -thought of his own personal affairs only; in other words, instead of -paying Madame the compliments she so much desired and relished, his -mind was fixed upon making as much display as possible of his own -good fortune. Again glancing, therefore, for the hundredth time at the -beautiful Athenais, who carried into practice her previous evening's -theory of not even deigning to look at her adorer, he said:-- - -"Your majesty will perhaps pardon me for having too indifferently -remembered the verses which the nymph dictated to Loret; but if the -king has not retained any recollection of them, how could I possibly -remember?" - -Madame did not receive this shortcoming of the courtier very favorably. - -"Ah! madame," added Saint-Aignan, "at present it is no longer a question -what the water-nymphs have to say; and one would almost be tempted to -believe that nothing of any interest now occurs in those liquid realms. -It is upon earth, madame, important events happen. Ah! Madame, upon the -earth, how many tales are there full of--" - -"Well," said Madame, "and what is taking place upon the earth?" - -"That question must be asked of the Dryads," replied the comte; "the -Dryads inhabit the forest, as your royal highness is aware." - -"I am aware also, that they are naturally very talkative, Monsieur de -Saint-Aignan." - -"Such is the case, Madame; but when they say such delightful things, it -would be ungracious to accuse them of being too talkative." - -"Do they talk so delightfully, then?" inquired the princess, -indifferently. "Really, Monsieur de Saint-Aignan, you excite my -curiosity; and, if I were the king, I would require you immediately to -tell us what the delightful things are these Dryads have been saying, -since you alone seem to understand their language." - -"I am at his majesty's orders, Madame, in that respect," replied the -comte, quickly. - -"What a fortunate fellow this Saint-Aignan is to understand the language -of the Dryads," said Monsieur. - -"I understand it perfectly, monseigneur, as I do my own language." - -"Tell us all about them, then," said Madame. - -The king felt embarrassed, for his confidant was, in all probability, -about to embark in a difficult matter. He felt that it would be so, from -the general attention excited by Saint-Aignan's preamble, and aroused -too by Madame's peculiar manner. The most reserved of those who were -present seemed ready to devour every syllable the comte was about to -pronounce. They coughed, drew closer together, looked curiously at some -of the maids of honor, who, in order to support with greater propriety, -or with more steadiness, the fixity of the inquisitorial looks bent -upon them, adjusted their fans accordingly, and assumed the bearing of a -duelist about to be exposed to his adversary's fire. At this epoch, -the fashion of ingeniously constructed conversations, and hazardously -dangerous recitals, so prevailed, that, where, in modern times, a whole -company assembled in a drawing-room would begin to suspect some scandal, -or disclosure, or tragic event, and would hurry away in dismay, Madame's -guests quietly settled themselves in their places, in order not to lose -a word or gesture of the comedy composed by Monsieur de Saint-Aignan for -their benefit, and the termination of which, whatever the style and -the plot might be, must, as a matter of course, be marked by the most -perfect propriety. The comte as known as a man of extreme refinement, -and an admirable narrator. He courageously began, then, amidst a -profound silence, which would have been formidable to any one but -himself:--"Madame, by the king's permission, I address myself, in the -first place, to your royal highness, since you admit yourself to be -the person present possessing the greatest curiosity. I have the -honor, therefore, to inform your royal highness that the Dryad -more particularly inhabits the hollows of oaks; and, as Dryads are -mythological creatures of great beauty, they inhabit the most beautiful -trees, in other words, the largest to be found." - -At this exordium, which recalled, under a transparent veil, the -celebrated story of the royal oak, which had played so important a part -in the last evening, so many hearts began to beat, both from joy and -uneasiness, that, if Saint-Aignan had not had a good and sonorous voice, -their throbbings might have been heard above the sound of his voice. - -"There must surely be Dryads at Fontainebleau, then," said Madame, in a -perfectly calm voice; "for I have never, in all my life, seen finer -oaks than in the royal park." And as she spoke, she directed towards De -Guiche a look of which he had no reason to complain, as he had of the -one that preceded it; which, as we have already mentioned, had reserved -a certain amount of indefiniteness most painful for so loving a heart as -his. - -"Precisely, Madame, it is of Fontainebleau I was about to speak to -your royal highness," said Saint-Aignan; "for the Dryad whose story is -engaging our attention, lives in the park belonging to the chateau of -his majesty." - -The affair was fairly embarked on; the action was begun, and it was no -longer possible for auditory or narrator to draw back. - -"It will be worth listening to," said Madame; "for the story not only -appears to me to have all the interest of a national incident, but still -more, seems to be a circumstance of very recent occurrence." - -"I ought to begin at the beginning," said the comte. "In the first -place, then, there lived at Fontainebleau, in a cottage of modest and -unassuming appearance, two shepherds. The one was the shepherd Tyrcis, -the owner of extensive domains transmitted to him from his parents, by -right of inheritance. Tyrcis was young and handsome, and, from his many -qualifications, he might be pronounced to be the first and foremost -among the shepherds in the whole country; one might even boldly say he -was the king of shepherds." A subdued murmur of approbation encouraged -the narrator, who continued:--"His strength equals his courage; no one -displays greater address in hunting wild beasts, nor greater wisdom in -matters where judgment is required. Whenever he mounts and exercises his -horse in the beautiful plains of his inheritance, or whenever he joins -with the shepherds who owe him allegiance, in different games of skill -and strength, one might say that it is the god Mars hurling his lance on -the plains of Thrace, or, even better, that it was Apollo himself, the -god of day, radiant upon earth, bearing his flaming darts in his hand." -Every one understood that this allegorical portrait of the king was not -the worst exordium the narrator could have chosen; and consequently it -did not fail to produce its effect, either upon those who, from duty or -inclination, applauded it to the very echo, or on the king himself, to -whom flattery was very agreeable when delicately conveyed, and whom, -indeed, it did not always displease, even when it was a little too -broad. Saint-Aignan then continued:--"It is not in games of glory only, -ladies, that the shepherd Tyrcis had acquired that reputation by which -he was regarded as the king of the shepherds." - -"Of the shepherds of Fontainebleau," said the king, smilingly, to -Madame. - -"Oh!" exclaimed Madame, "Fontainebleau is selected arbitrarily by the -poet; but I should say, of the shepherds of the whole world." The king -forgot his part of a passive auditor, and bowed. - -"It is," paused Saint-Aignan, amidst a flattering murmur of applause, -"it is with ladies fair especially that the qualities of this king of -the shepherds are most prominently displayed. He is a shepherd with a -mind as refined as his heart is pure; he can pay a compliment with a -charm of manner whose fascination it is impossible to resist; and in his -attachments he is so discreet, that beautiful and happy conquests may -regard their lot as more than enviable. Never a syllable of disclosure, -never a moment's forgetfulness. Whoever has seen and heard Tyrcis -must love him; whoever loves and is beloved by him, has indeed found -happiness." Saint-Aignan here paused; he was enjoying the pleasure -of all these compliments; and the portrait he had drawn, however -grotesquely inflated it might be, had found favor in certain ears, -in which the perfections of the shepherd did not seem to have been -exaggerated. Madame begged the orator to continue. "Tyrcis," said the -comte, "had a faithful companion, or rather a devoted servant, whose -name was--Amyntas." - -"Ah!" said Madame, archly, "now for the portrait of Amyntas; you are -such an excellent painter, Monsieur de Saint-Aignan." - -"Madame--" - -"Oh! comte, do not, I entreat you, sacrifice poor Amyntas; I should -never forgive you." - -"Madame, Amyntas is of too humble a position, particularly beside -Tyrcis, for his person to be honored by a parallel. There are certain -friends who resemble those followers of ancient times, who caused -themselves to be buried alive at their masters' feet. Amyntas's place, -too, is at the feet of Tyrcis; he cares for no other; and if, sometimes, -the illustrious hero--" - -"Illustrious shepherd, you mean?" said Madame, pretending to correct M. -de Saint-Aignan. - -"Your royal highness is right; I was mistaken," returned the courtier; -"if, I say, the shepherd Tyrcis deigns occasionally to call Amyntas his -friend, and to open his heart to him, it is an unparalleled favor, which -the latter regards as the most unbounded felicity." - -"All that you say," interrupted Madame, "establishes the extreme -devotion of Amyntas to Tyrcis, but does not furnish us with the portrait -of Amyntas. Comte, do not flatter him, if you like; but describe him to -us. I will have Amyntas's portrait." Saint-Aignan obeyed, after having -bowed profoundly to his majesty's sister-in-law. - -"Amyntas," he said, "is somewhat older than Tyrcis; he is not an -ill-favored shepherd; it is even said that the muses condescended to -smile upon him at his birth, even as Hebe smiled upon youth. He is not -ambitious of display, but he is ambitious of being loved; and he might -not, perhaps, be found unworthy of it, if he were only sufficiently -well-known." - -This latter paragraph, strengthened by a killing glance, was directed -straight to Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente, who received them both -unmoved. But the modesty and tact of the allusion had produced a good -effect; Amyntas reaped the benefit of it in the applause bestowed upon -him: Tyrcis's head even gave the signal for it by a consenting bow, full -of good feeling. - -"One evening," continued Saint-Aignan, "Tyrcis and Amyntas were walking -together in the forest, talking of their love disappointments. Do not -forget, ladies, that the story of the Dryad is now beginning, otherwise -it would be easy to tell you what Tyrcis and Amyntas, the two most -discreet shepherds of the whole earth, were talking about. They reached -the thickest part of the forest, for the purpose of being quite alone, -and of confiding their troubles more freely to each other, when suddenly -the sound of voices struck upon their ears." - -"Ah, ah!" said those who surrounded the narrator. "Nothing can be more -interesting." - -At this point, Madame, like a vigilant general inspecting his army, -glanced at Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente, who could not help wincing -as they drew themselves up. - -"These harmonious voices," resumed Saint-Aignan, "were those of certain -shepherdesses, who had been likewise desirous of enjoying the coolness -of the shade, and who, knowing the isolated and almost unapproachable -situation of the place, had betaken themselves there to interchange -their ideas upon--" A loud burst of laughter occasioned by this remark -of Saint-Aignan, and an imperceptible smile of the king, as he looked at -Tonnay-Charente, followed this sally. - -"The Dryad affirms positively," continued Saint-Aignan, "that the -shepherdesses were three in number, and that all three were young and -beautiful." - -"What were their names?" said Madame, quickly. - -"Their names?" said Saint-Aignan, who hesitated from fear of committing -an indiscretion. - -"Of course; you call your shepherds Tyrcis and Amyntas; give your -shepherdesses names in a similar manner." - -"Oh! Madame, I am not an inventor; I relate simply what took place as -the Dryad related it to me." - -"What did your Dryad, then, call these shepherdesses? You have a very -treacherous memory, I fear. This Dryad must have fallen out with the -goddess Mnemosyne." - -"These shepherdesses, Madame? Pray remember that it is a crime to betray -a woman's name." - -"From which a woman absolves you, comte, on the condition that you will -reveal the names of the shepherdesses." - -"Their names were Phyllis, Amaryllis, and Galatea." - -"Exceedingly well!--they have not lost by the delay," said Madame, "and -now we have three charming names. But now for their portraits." - -Saint-Aignan again made a slight movement. - -"Nay, comte, let us proceed in due order," returned Madame. "Ought we -not, sire, to have the portraits of the shepherdesses?" - -The king, who expected this determined perseverance, and who began to -feel some uneasiness, did not think it safe to provoke so dangerous -an interrogator. He thought, too, that Saint-Aignan, in drawing the -portraits, would find a means of insinuating some flattering allusions -which would be agreeable to the ears of one his majesty was interested -in pleasing. It was with this hope and with this fear that Louis -authorized Saint-Aignan to sketch the portraits of the shepherdesses, -Phyllis, Amaryllis, and Galatea. - -"Very well, then; be it so," said Saint-Aignan, like a man who has made -up his mind, and he began. - - - -Chapter LVII. Conclusion of the Story of a Naiad and of a Dryad. - -"Phyllis," said Saint-Aignan, with a glance of defiance at Montalais, -such as a fencing-master would give who invites an antagonist worthy -of him to place himself on guard, "Phyllis is neither fair nor dark, -neither tall nor short, neither too grave nor too gay; though but a -shepherdess, she is as witty as a princess, and as coquettish as the -most finished flirt that ever lived. Nothing can equal her excellent -vision. Her heart yearns for everything her gaze embraces. She is like -a bird, which, always warbling, at one moment skims the ground, at the -next rises fluttering in pursuit of a butterfly, then rests itself upon -the topmost branch of a tree, where it defies the bird-catchers either -to come and seize it or to entrap it in their nets." The portrait bore -such a strong resemblance to Montalais, that all eyes were directed -towards her; she, however, with her head raised, and with a steady, -unmoved look, listened to Saint-Aignan, as if he were speaking of an -utter stranger. - -"Is that all, Monsieur de Saint-Aignan?" inquired the princess. - -"Oh! your royal highness, the portrait is but a mere sketch, and many -more additions could be made, but I fear to weary your patience, or -offend the modesty of the shepherdess, and I shall therefore pass on to -her companion, Amaryllis." - -"Very well," said Madame, "pass on to Amaryllis, Monsieur de -Saint-Aignan, we are all attention." - -"Amaryllis is the eldest of the three, and yet," Saint-Aignan hastened -to add, "this advanced age does not reach twenty years." - -Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente, who had slightly knitted her brows at -the commencement of the description, unbent them with a smile. - -"She is tall, with an astonishing abundance of beautiful hair, which -she fastens in the manner of the Grecian statues; her walk is full of -majesty, her attitude haughty; she has the air, therefore, rather of a -goddess than a mere mortal, and among the goddesses, she most resembles -Diana the huntress; with this sole difference, however, that the cruel -shepherdess, having stolen the quiver of young love, while poor Cupid -was sleeping in a thicket of roses, instead of directing her arrows -against the inhabitants of the forest, discharges them pitilessly -against all poor shepherds who pass within reach of her bow and of her -eyes." - -"Oh! what a wicked shepherdess!" said Madame. "She may some day -wound herself with one of those arrows she discharges, as you say, so -mercilessly on all sides." - -"It is the hope of shepherds, one and all!" said Saint-Aignan. - -"And that of the shepherd Amyntas in particular, I suppose?" said -Madame. - -"The shepherd Amyntas is so timid," said Saint-Aignan, with the most -modest air he could assume, "that if he cherishes such a hope as that, -no one has ever known anything about it, for he conceals it in the -very depths of his heart." A flattering murmur of applause greeted this -profession of faith on behalf of the shepherd. - -"And Galatea?" inquired Madame. "I am impatient to see a hand so -skillful as yours continue the portrait where Virgil left it, and finish -it before our eyes." - -"Madame," said Saint-Aignan, "I am indeed a poor dumb post beside the -mighty Virgil. Still, encouraged by your desire, I will do my best." - -Saint-Aignan extended his foot and hand, and thus began:--"White as -milk, she casts upon the breeze the perfume of her fair hair tinged with -golden hues, as are the ears of corn. One is tempted to inquire if she -is not the beautiful Europa, who inspired Jupiter with a tender passion -as she played with her companions in the flower-spangled meadows. From -her exquisite eyes, blue as azure heaven on the clearest summer day, -emanates a tender light, which reverie nurtures, and love dispenses. -When she frowns, or bends her looks towards the ground, the sun is -veiled in token of mourning. When she smiles, on the contrary, nature -resumes her jollity, and the birds, for a brief moment silenced, -recommence their songs amid the leafy covert of the trees. Galatea," -said Saint-Aignan, in conclusion, "is worthy of the admiration of the -whole world; and if she should ever bestow her heart upon another, happy -will that man be to whom she consecrates her first affections." - -Madame, who had attentively listened to the portrait Saint-Aignan -had drawn, as, indeed, had all the others, contented herself with -accentuating her approbation of the most poetic passage by occasional -inclinations of her head; but it was impossible to say if these marks of -assent were accorded to the ability of the narrator of the resemblance -of the portrait. The consequence, therefore, was, that as Madame did not -openly exhibit any approbation, no one felt authorized to applaud, not -even Monsieur, who secretly thought that Saint-Aignan dwelt too much -upon the portraits of the shepherdesses, and had somewhat slightingly -passed over the portraits of the shepherds. The whole assembly seemed -suddenly chilled. Saint-Aignan, who had exhausted his rhetorical skill -and his palette of artistic tints in sketching the portrait of Galatea, -and who, after the favor with which his other descriptions had been -received, already imagined he could hear the loudest applause allotted -to this last one, was himself more disappointed than the king and the -rest of the company. A moment's silence followed, which was at last -broken by Madame. - -"Well, sir," she inquired, "What is your majesty's opinion of these -three portraits?" - -The king, who wished to relieve Saint-Aignan's embarrassment without -compromising himself, replied, "Why, Amaryllis, in my opinion, is -beautiful." - -"For my part," said Monsieur, "I prefer Phyllis; she is a capital girl, -or rather a good-sort-of-fellow of a nymph." - -A gentle laugh followed, and this time the looks were so direct, that -Montalais felt herself blushing almost scarlet. - -"Well," resumed Madame, "what were those shepherdesses saying to each -other?" - -Saint-Aignan, however, whose vanity had been wounded, did not feel -himself in a position to sustain an attack of new and refreshed troops, -and merely said, "Madame, the shepherdesses were confiding to one -another their little preferences." - -"Nay, nay! Monsieur de Saint-Aignan, you are a perfect stream of -pastoral poesy," said Madame, with an amiable smile, which somewhat -comforted the narrator. - -"They confessed that love is a mighty peril, but that the absence of -love is the heart's sentence of death." - -"What was the conclusion they came to?" inquired Madame. - -"They came to the conclusion that love was necessary." - -"Very good! Did they lay down any conditions?" - -"That of choice, simply," said Saint-Aignan. "I ought even to -add,--remember it is the Dryad who is speaking,--that one of the -shepherdesses, Amaryllis, I believe, was completely opposed to the -necessity of loving, and yet she did not positively deny that she had -allowed the image of a certain shepherd to take refuge in her heart." - -"Was it Amyntas or Tyrcis?" - -"Amyntas, Madame," said Saint-Aignan, modestly. "But Galatea, the gentle -and soft-eyed Galatea, immediately replied, that neither Amyntas, nor -Alphesiboeus, nor Tityrus, nor indeed any of the handsomest shepherds of -the country, were to be compared to Tyrcis; that Tyrcis was as superior -to all other men, as the oak to all other trees, as the lily in its -majesty to all other flowers. She drew even such a portrait of Tyrcis -that Tyrcis himself, who was listening, must have felt truly flattered -at it, notwithstanding his rank as a shepherd. Thus Tyrcis and Amyntas -had been distinguished by Phyllis and Galatea; and thus had the secrets -of two hearts revealed beneath the shades of evening, and amid the -recesses of the woods. Such, Madame, is what the Dryad related to me; -she who knows all that takes place in the hollows of oaks and grassy -dells; she who knows the loves of the birds, and all they wish to convey -by their songs; she who understands, in fact, the language of the wind -among the branches, the humming of the insect with its gold and emerald -wings in the corolla of the wild-flowers; it was she who related the -particulars to me, and I have repeated them." - -"And now you have finished, Monsieur de Saint-Aignan, have you not?" -said Madame, with a smile that made the king tremble. - -"Quite finished," replied Saint-Aignan, "and but too happy if I have -been able to amuse your royal highness for a few moments." - -"Moments which have been too brief," replied the princess; "for you -have related most admirably all you know; but, my dear Monsieur -de Saint-Aignan, you have been unfortunate enough to obtain your -information from one Dryad only, I believe?" - -"Yes, Madame, only from one, I confess." - -"The fact was, that you passed by a little Naiad, who pretended to know -nothing at all, and yet knew a great deal more than your Dryad, my dear -comte." - -"A Naiad!" repeated several voices, who began to suspect that the story -had a continuation. - -"Of course close beside the oak you are speaking of, which, if I am -not mistaken, is called the royal oak--is it not so, Monsieur de -Saint-Aignan?" - -Saint-Aignan and the king exchanged glances. - -"Yes, Madame," the former replied. - -"Well, close beside the oak there is a pretty little spring, which -runs murmuringly over the pebbles, between banks of forget-me-nots and -daffodils." - -"I believe you are correct," said the king, with some uneasiness, and -listening with some anxiety to his sister-in-law's narrative. - -"Oh! there is one, I can assure you," said Madame; "and the proof of it -is, that the Naiad who resides in that little stream stopped me as I was -about to come." - -"Ah?" said Saint-Aignan. - -"Yes, indeed," continued the princess, "and she did so in order to -communicate to me many particulars Monsieur de Saint-Aignan has omitted -in his recital." - -"Pray relate them yourself, then," said Monsieur, "you can relate -stories in such a charming manner." The princess bowed at the conjugal -compliment paid her. - -"I do not possess the poetical powers of the comte, nor his ability to -bring to light the smallest details." - -"You will not be listened to with less interest on that account," said -the king, who already perceived that something hostile was intended in -his sister-in-law's story. - -"I speak, too," continued Madame, "in the name of that poor little -Naiad, who is indeed the most charming creature I ever met. Moreover, -she laughed so heartily while she was telling me her story, that, in -pursuance of that medical axiom that laughter is the finest physic in -the world, I ask permission to laugh a little myself when I recollect -her words." - -The king and Saint-Aignan, who noticed spreading over many of the faces -present a distant and prophetic ripple of the laughter Madame announced, -finished by looking at each other, as if asking themselves whether there -was not some little conspiracy concealed beneath these words. But Madame -was determined to turn the knife in the wound over and over again; she -therefore resumed with the air of the most perfect candor, in other -words, with the most dangerous of all her airs: "Well, then, I passed -that way," she said, "and as I found beneath my steps many fresh -flowers newly blown, no doubt Phyllis, Amaryllis, Galatea, and all your -shepherdesses had passed the same way before me." - -The king bit his lips, for the recital was becoming more and more -threatening. "My little Naiad," continued Madame, "was cooing over her -quaint song in the bed of the rivulet; as I perceived that she accosted -me by touching the hem of my dress, I could not think of receiving her -advances ungraciously, and more particularly so, since, after all, a -divinity, even though she be of a second grade, is always of greater -importance than a mortal, though a princess. I thereupon accosted the -Naiad, and bursting into laughter, this is what she said to me: - -"'Fancy, princess...' You understand, sire, it is the Naiad who is -speaking?" - -The king bowed assentingly; and Madame continued:--"'Fancy, princess, -the banks of my little stream have just witnessed a most amusing scene. -Two shepherds, full of curiosity, even indiscreetly so, have allowed -themselves to be mystified in a most amusing manner by three nymphs, or -three shepherdesses,'--I beg your pardon, but I do not now remember if -it was nymphs or shepherdesses she said; but it does not much matter, so -we will continue." - -The king, at this opening, colored visibly, and Saint-Aignan, completely -losing countenance, began to open his eyes in the greatest possible -anxiety. - -"'The two shepherds,' pursued my nymph, still laughing, 'followed in -the wake of the three young ladies,'--no, I mean, of the three nymphs; -forgive me, I ought to say, of the three shepherdesses. It is not always -wise to do that, for it may be awkward for those who are followed. I -appeal to all the ladies present, and not one of them, I am sure, will -contradict me." - -The king, who was much disturbed by what he suspected was about to -follow, signified his assent by a gesture. - -"'But,' continued the Naiad, 'the shepherdesses had noticed Tyrcis and -Amyntas gliding into the wood, and, by the light of the moon, they -had recognized them through the grove of the trees.' Ah, you laugh!" -interrupted Madame; "wait, wait, you are not yet at the end." - -The king turned pale; Saint-Aignan wiped his forehead, now dewed -with perspiration. Among the groups of ladies present could be heard -smothered laughter and stealthy whispers. - -"'The shepherdesses, I was saying, noticing how indiscreet the two -shepherds were, proceeded to sit down at the foot of the royal oak; and, -when they perceived that their over-curious listeners were sufficiently -near, so that not a syllable of what they might say could be lost, they -addressed towards them very innocently, in the most artless manner -in the world indeed, a passionate declaration, which from the vanity -natural to all men, and even to the most sentimental of shepherds, -seemed to the two listeners as sweet as honey.'" - -The king, at these words, which the assembly was unable to hear without -laughing, could not restrain a flash of anger darting from his eyes. As -for Saint-Aignan, he let his head fall upon his breast, and concealed, -under a silly laugh, the extreme annoyance he felt. - -"Oh," said the king, drawing himself up to his full height, "upon my -word, that is a most amusing jest, certainly; but, really and truly, are -you sure you quite understood the language of the Naiads?" - -"The comte, sire, pretends to have perfectly understood that of the -Dryads," retorted Madame, icily. - -"No doubt," said the king; "but you know the comte has the weakness to -aspire to become a member of the Academy, so that, with this object in -view, he has learnt all sorts of things of which very happily you are -ignorant; and it might possibly happen that the language of the Nymph of -the Waters might be among the number of things you have not studied." - -"Of course, sire," replied Madame, "for facts of that nature one -does not altogether rely upon one's self alone; a woman's ear is not -infallible, so says Saint Augustine; and I, therefore, wished to satisfy -myself by other opinions beside my own, and as my Naiad, who, in her -character of a goddess, is polyglot,--is not that the expression, M. de -Saint-Aignan?" - -"I believe so," said the latter, quite out of countenance. - -"Well," continued the princess, "as my Naiad, who, in her character of -a goddess, had, at first spoken to me in English, I feared, as -you suggest, that I might have misunderstood her, and I requested -Mesdemoiselles de Montalais, de Tonnay-Charente, and de la Valliere, to -come to me, begging my Naiad to repeat to me in the French language, the -recital she had already communicated to me in English." - -"And did she do so?" inquired the king. - -"Oh, she is the most polite divinity it is possible to imagine! Yes, -sire, she did so; so that no doubt whatever remains on the subject. Is -it not so, young ladies?" said the princess, turning towards the left of -her army; "did not the Naiad say precisely what I have related, and -have I, in any one particular, exceeded the truth, Phyllis? I beg your -pardon, I mean Mademoiselle Aure de Montalais?" - -"Precisely as you have stated, Madame," articulated Mademoiselle de -Montalais, very distinctly. - -"Is it true, Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente?" - -"The perfect truth," replied Athenais, in a voice quite as firm, but not -yet so distinct. - -"And you, La Valliere?" asked Madame. - -The poor girl felt the king's ardent look fixed upon her,--she dared -not deny--she dared not tell a falsehood; she merely bowed her head; -and everybody took it for a token of assent. Her head, however, was not -raised again, chilled as she was by a coldness more bitter than that of -death. This triple testimony overwhelmed the king. As for Saint-Aignan, -he did not even attempt to dissemble his despair, and, hardly knowing -what he said, he stammered out, "An excellent jest! admirably played!" - -"A just punishment for curiosity," said the king, in a hoarse voice. -"Oh! who would think, after the chastisement that Tyrcis and Amyntas -had suffered, of endeavoring to surprise what is passing in the heart of -shepherdesses? Assuredly I shall not, for one; and, you, gentlemen?" - -"Nor I! nor I!" repeated, in a chorus, the group of courtiers. - -Madame was filled with triumph at the king's annoyance; and was full of -delight, thinking that her story had been, or was to be, the termination -of the whole affair. As for Monsieur, who had laughed at the two stories -without comprehending anything about them, he turned towards De Guiche, -and said to him, "Well, comte, you say nothing; can you not find -something to say? Do you pity M. Tyrcis and M. Amyntas, for instance?" - -"I pity them with all my soul," replied De Guiche; "for, in very truth, -love is so sweet a fancy, that to lose it, fancy though it may be, is to -lose more than life itself. If, therefore, these two shepherds thought -themselves beloved,--if they were happy in that idea, and if, instead -of that happiness, they meet not only that empty void which resembles -death, but jeers and jests at love itself, which is worse than a -thousand deaths,--in that case, I say that Tyrcis and Amyntas are the -two most unhappy men I know." - -"And you are right, too, Monsieur de Guiche," said the king; "for, in -fact, the injury in question is a very hard return for a little harmless -curiosity." - -"That is as much to say, then, that the story of my Naiad has displeased -the king?" asked Madame, innocently. - -"Nay, Madame, undeceive yourself," said Louis, taking the princess by -the hand; "your Naiad, on the contrary, has pleased me, and the more so, -because she was so truthful, and because her tale, I ought to add, is -confirmed by the testimony of unimpeachable witnesses." - -These words fell upon La Valliere, accompanied by a look that on one, -from Socrates to Montaigne, could have exactly defined. The look and the -king's remark succeeded in overpowering the unhappy girl, who, with her -head upon Montalais's shoulder, seemed to have fainted away. The king -rose, without remarking this circumstance, of which no one, moreover, -took any notice, and, contrary to his usual custom, for generally he -remained late in Madame's apartments, he took his leave, and retired to -his own side of the palace. Saint-Aignan followed him, leaving the rooms -in as much despair as he had entered them with delight. Mademoiselle -de Tonnay-Charente, less sensitive than La Valliere, was not much -frightened, and did not faint. However, it may be that the last look of -Saint-Aignan had hardly been so majestic as the king's. - - - -Chapter LVIII. Royal Psychology. - -The king returned to his apartments with hurried steps. The reason he -walked as fast as he did was probably to avoid tottering in his gait. -He seemed to leave behind him as he went along a trace of a mysterious -sorrow. That gayety of manner, which every one had remarked in him on -his arrival, and which they had been delighted to perceive, had not -perhaps been understood in its true sense: but his stormy departure, his -disordered countenance, all knew, or at least thought they could -tell the reason of. Madame's levity of manner, her somewhat bitter -jests,--bitter for persons of a sensitive disposition, and particularly -for one of the king's character; the great resemblance which naturally -existed between the king and an ordinary mortal, were among the reasons -assigned for the precipitate and unexpected departure of his majesty. -Madame, keen-sighted enough in other respects, did not, however, at -first see anything extraordinary in it. It was quite sufficient for her -to have inflicted some slight wound upon the vanity or self-esteem of -one who, so soon forgetting the engagements he had contracted, seemed to -have undertaken to disdain, without cause, the noblest and highest prize -in France. It was not an unimportant matter for Madame, in the present -position of affairs, to let the king perceive the difference which -existed between the bestowal of his affections on one in a high station, -and the running after each passing fancy, like a youth fresh from the -provinces. With regard to those higher placed affections, recognizing -their dignity and their illimitable influence, acknowledging in them -a certain etiquette and display--a monarch not only did not act in a -manner derogatory to his high position, but found even repose, security, -mystery, and general respect therein. On the contrary, in the debasement -of a common or humble attachment, he would encounter, even among his -meanest subjects, carping and sarcastic remarks; he would forfeit his -character of infallibility and inviolability. Having descended to -the region of petty human miseries, he would be subjected to paltry -contentions. In one word, to convert the royal divinity into a mere -mortal by striking at his heart, or rather even at his face, like the -meanest of his subjects, was to inflict a terrible blow upon the pride -of that generous nature. Louis was more easily captivated by vanity than -affection. Madame had wisely calculated her vengeance, and it has been -seen, also, in what manner she carried it out. Let it not be supposed, -however, that Madame possessed such terrible passions as the heroines of -the middle ages, or that she regarded things from a pessimistic point of -view; on the contrary, Madame, young, amiable, of cultivated intellect, -coquettish, loving in her nature, but rather from fancy, or imagination, -or ambition, than from her heart--Madame, we say, on the contrary, -inaugurated that epoch of light and fleeting amusements, which -distinguished the hundred and twenty years that intervened between -the middle of the seventeenth century, and the last quarter of the -eighteenth. Madame saw, therefore, or rather fancied she saw, -things under their true aspect; she knew that the king, her august -brother-in-law, had been the first to ridicule the humble La Valliere, -and that, in accordance with his usual custom, it was hardly probable -he would ever love the person who had excited his laughter, even had it -been only for a moment. Moreover, was not her vanity ever present, -that evil influence which plays so important a part in that comedy of -dramatic incidents called the life of a woman? Did not her vanity tell -her, aloud, in a subdued voice, in a whisper, in every variety of tone, -that she could not, in reality, she a princess, young, beautiful, and -rich, be compared to the poor La Valliere, as youthful as herself it -is true, but far less pretty, certainly, and utterly without money, -protectors, or position? And surprise need not be excited with respect -to Madame; for it is known that the greatest characters are those -who flatter themselves the most in the comparisons they draw between -themselves and others, between others and themselves. It may perhaps be -asked what was Madame's motive for an attack so skillfully conceived -and executed. Why was there such a display of forces, if it were not -seriously her intention to dislodge the king from a heart that had never -been occupied before, in which he seemed disposed to take refuge? Was -there any necessity, then, for Madame to attach so great an importance -to La Valliere, if she did not fear her? Yet Madame did not fear La -Valliere in that direction in which an historian, who knows everything, -sees into the future, or rather, the past. Madame was neither a -prophetess nor a sibyl; nor could she, any more than another, read what -was written in that terrible and fatal book of the future, which records -in its most secret pages the most serious events. No, Madame desired -simply to punish the king for having availed himself of secret means -altogether feminine in their nature; she wished to prove to him that if -he made use of offensive weapons of that nature, she, a woman of ready -wit and high descent, would assuredly discover in the arsenal of her -imagination defensive weapons proof even against the thrusts of a -monarch. Moreover, she wished him to learn that, in a war of that -description, kings are held of no account, or, at all events, that kings -who fight on their own behalf, like ordinary individuals, may witness -the fall of their crown in the first encounter; and that, in fact, if he -had expected to be adored by all the ladies of the court from the -very first, from a confident reliance on his mere appearance, it was a -pretension which was most preposterous and insulting even, for certain -persons who filled a higher position than others, and that a lesson -taught in season to this royal personage, who assumed too high and -haughty a carriage, would be rendering him a great service. Such, -indeed, were Madame's reflections with respect to the king. The sequel -itself was not thought of. And in this manner, it will be seen that she -had exercised all her influence over the minds of her maids of honor, -and with all its accompanying details, had arranged the comedy which had -just been acted. The king was completely bewildered by it; for the first -time since he had escaped from the trammels of M. de Mazarin, he found -himself treated as a man. Similar severity from any of his subjects -would have been at once resisted by him. Strength comes with battle. -But to match one's self with women, to be attacked by them, to have been -imposed upon by mere girls from the country, who had come from Blois -expressly for that purpose; it was the depth of dishonor for a young -sovereign full of the pride his personal advantages and royal power -inspired him with. There was nothing he could do--neither reproaches, -nor exile--nor could he even show the annoyance he felt. To manifest -vexation would have been to admit that he had been touched, like -Hamlet, by a sword from which the button had been removed--the sword of -ridicule. To show animosity against women--humiliation! especially -when the women in question have laughter on their side, as a means of -vengeance. If, instead of leaving all the responsibility of the affair -to these women, one of the courtiers had had anything to do with the -intrigue, how delightedly would Louis have seized the opportunity of -turning the Bastile to personal account. But there, again, the king's -anger paused, checked by reason. To be the master of armies, of prisons, -of an almost divine authority, and to exert such majesty and might in -the service of a petty grudge, would be unworthy not only of a monarch, -but even of a man. It was necessary, therefore, simply to swallow the -affront in silence, and to wear his usual gentleness and graciousness -of expression. It was essential to treat Madame as a friend. As a -friend!--Well, and why not? Either Madame had been the instigator of the -affair, or the affair itself had found her passive. If she had been the -instigator of it, it certainly was a bold measure on her part, but, at -all events, it was but natural in her. Who was it that had sought her in -the earliest moments of her married life to whisper words of love in -her ear? Who was it that had dared to calculate the possibility of -committing a crime against the marriage vow--a crime, too, still more -deplorable on account of the relationship between them? Who was it that, -shielded behind his royal authority, had said to this young creature: -be not afraid, love but the king of France, who is above all, and a -movement of whose sceptered hand will protect you against all attacks, -even from your own remorse? And she had listened to and obeyed the royal -voice, had been influenced by his ensnaring tones; and when, morally -speaking, she had sacrificed her honor in listening to him, she saw -herself repaid for her sacrifice by an infidelity the more humiliating, -since it was occasioned by a woman far beneath her in the world. - -Had Madame, therefore, been the instigator of the revenge, she would -have been right. If, on the contrary, she had remained passive in the -whole affair, what grounds had the king to be angry with her on that -account? Was it for her to restrain, or rather could she restrain, the -chattering of a few country girls? and was it for her, by an excess -of zeal that might have been misinterpreted, to check, at the risk of -increasing it, the impertinence of their conduct? All these various -reasonings were like so many actual stings to the king's pride; but when -he had carefully, in his own mind, gone over all the various causes of -complaint, Louis was surprised, upon due reflection--in other words, -after the wound has been dressed--to find that there were other causes -of suffering, secret, unendurable, and unrevealed. There was one -circumstance he dared not confess, even to himself; namely, that the -acute pain from which he was suffering had its seat in his heart. The -fact is, he had permitted his heart to be gratified by La Valliere's -innocent confusion. He had dreamed of a pure affection--of an affection -for Louis the man, and not the sovereign--of an affection free from -all self-interest; and his heart, simpler and more youthful than he had -imagined it to be, had to meet that other heart that had revealed -itself to him by its aspirations. The commonest thing in the complicated -history of love, is the double inoculation of love to which any two -hearts are subjected; the one loves nearly always before the other, in -the same way that the latter finishes nearly always by loving after the -other. In this way, the electric current is established, in proportion -to the intensity of the passion which is first kindled. The more -Mademoiselle de la Valliere showed her affection, the more the king's -affection had increased. And it was precisely that which had annoyed his -majesty. For it was now fairly demonstrated to him, that no sympathetic -current had been the means of hurrying his heart away in its course, -because there had been no confession of love in the case--because the -confession was, in fact, an insult towards the man and towards the -sovereign; and finally, because--and the word, too, burnt like a hot -iron--because, in fact, it was nothing but a mystification after all. -This girl, therefore, who, in strictness, could not lay claim to -beauty, or birth, or great intelligence--who had been selected by Madame -herself, on account of her unpretending position, had not only aroused -the king's regard, but had, moreover, treated him with disdain--he, the -king, a man who, like an eastern potentate, had but to bestow a glance, -to indicate with his finger, to throw his handkerchief. And, since the -previous evening, his mind had been so absorbed with this girl that he -could think and dream of nothing else. Since the previous evening his -imagination had been occupied by clothing her image with charms to which -she could not lay claim. In very truth, he whom such vast interests -summoned, and whom so many women smiled upon invitingly, had, since the -previous evening, consecrated every moment of his time, every throb of -his heart, to this sole dream. It was, indeed, either too much, or not -sufficient. The indignation of the king, making him forget everything, -and, among others, that Saint-Aignan was present, was poured out in -the most violent imprecations. True it is, that Saint-Aignan had taken -refuge in a corner of the room; and from his corner, regarded -the tempest passing over. His own personal disappointment seemed -contemptible, in comparison with the anger of the king. He compared -with his own petty vanity the prodigious pride of offended majesty; -and, being well read in the hearts of kings in general, and in those of -powerful kings in particular, he began to ask himself if this weight of -anger, as yet held in suspense, would not soon terminate by falling -upon his own head, for the very reason that others were guilty, and -he innocent. In point of fact, the king, all at once, did arrest his -hurried pace; and, fixing a look full of anger upon Saint-Aignan, -suddenly cried out: "And you, Saint-Aignan?" - -Saint-Aignan made a sign which was intended to signify, "Well, sire?" - -"Yes; you have been as silly as myself, I think." - -"Sire," stammered out Saint-Aignan. - -"You permitted us to be deceived by this shameless trick." - -"Sire," said Saint-Aignan, whose agitation was such as to make him -tremble in every limb, "let me entreat your majesty not to exasperate -yourself. Women, you know, are characters full of imperfections, created -for the misfortune of mankind: to expect anything good from them is to -require them to perform impossibilities." - -The king, who had the greatest consideration for himself, and who had -begun to acquire over his emotions that command which he preserved over -them all his life, perceived that he was doing an outrage to his own -dignity in displaying so much animosity about so trifling an object. -"No," he said, hastily; "you are mistaken, Saint-Aignan; I am not angry; -I can only wonder that we should have been turned into ridicule so -cleverly and with such audacity by these young girls. I am particularly -surprised that, although we might have informed ourselves accurately on -the subject, we were silly enough to leave the matter for our own hearts -to decide." - -"The heart, sire, is an organ which requires positively to be reduced to -its material functions, but which, for the sake of humanity's peace of -mind, should be deprived of all its metaphysical inclinations. For my -own part, I confess, when I saw that your majesty's heart was so taken -up by this little--" - -"My heart taken up! I! My mind might, perhaps, have been so; but as for -my heart, it was--" Louis again perceived that, in order to fill one -gulf, he was about to dig another. "Besides," he added, "I have no fault -to find with the girl. I was quite aware that she was in love with some -one else." - -"The Vicomte de Bragelonne. I informed your majesty of the -circumstance." - -"You did so: but you were not the first who told me. The Comte de la -Fere had solicited from me Mademoiselle de la Valliere's hand for his -son. And, on his return from England, the marriage shall be celebrated, -since they love each other." - -"I recognize your majesty's great generosity of disposition in that -act." - -"So, Saint-Aignan, we will cease to occupy ourselves with these matters -any longer," said Louis. - -"Yes, we will digest the affront, sire," replied the courtier, with -resignation. - -"Besides, it will be an easy matter to do so," said the king, checking a -sigh. - -"And, by way of a beginning, I will set about the composition of an -epigram upon all three of them. I will call it 'The Naiad and Dryad,' -which will please Madame." - -"Do so, Saint-Aignan, do so," said the king, indifferently. "You shall -read me your verses; they will amuse me. Ah! it does not signify, -Saint-Aignan," added the king, like a man breathing with difficulty, -"the blow requires more than human strength to support in a dignified -manner." As the king thus spoke, assuming an air of the most angelic -patience, one of the servants in attendance knocked gently at the door. -Saint-Aignan drew aside, out of respect. - -"Come in," said the king. The servant partially opened the door. "What -is it?" inquired Louis. - -The servant held out a letter of a triangular shape. "For your majesty," -he said. - -"From whom?" - -"I do not know. One of the officers on duty gave it to me." - -The valet, in obedience to a gesture of the king, handed him the -letter. The king advanced towards the candles, opened the note, read -the signature, and uttered a loud cry. Saint-Aignan was sufficiently -respectful not to look on; but, without looking on, he saw and heard -all, and ran towards the king, who with a gesture dismissed the servant. -"Oh, heavens!" said the king, as he read the note. - -"Is your majesty unwell?" inquired Saint-Aignan, stretching forward his -arms. - -"No, no, Saint-Aignan--read!" and he handed him the note. - -Saint-Aignan's eyes fell upon the signature. "La Valliere!" he -exclaimed. "Oh, sire!" - -"Read, _read!_" - -And Saint-Aignan read: - -"Forgive my importunity, sire; and forgive, also, the absence of the -formalities which may be wanting in this letter. A note seems to be more -speedy and more urgent than a dispatch. I venture, therefore, to address -this note to your majesty. I have retired to my own room, overcome with -grief and fatigue, sire; and I implore your majesty to grant me the -favor of an audience, which will enable me to confess the _truth_ to my -sovereign. - -"LOUISE de la VALLIERE." - -"Well?" asked the king, taking the letter from Saint-Aignan's hands, who -was completely bewildered by what he had just read. - -"Well!" repeated Saint-Aignan. - -"What do you think of it?" - -"I hardly know." - -"Still, what is your opinion?" - -"Sire, the young lady must have heard the muttering of the thunder, and -has got frightened." - -"Frightened at what?" asked Louis with dignity. - -"Why, your majesty has a thousand reasons to be angry with the author or -authors of so hazardous a joke; and, if your majesty's memory were to be -awakened in a disagreeable sense, it would be a perpetual menace hanging -over the head of this imprudent girl." - -"Saint-Aignan, I do not think as you do." - -"Your majesty doubtless sees more clearly than myself." - -"Well! I see affliction and restraint in these lines; more particularly -since I recall some of the details of the scene which took place this -evening in Madame's apartments--" The king suddenly stopped, leaving his -meaning unexpressed. - -"In fact," resumed Saint-Aignan, "your majesty will grant an audience; -nothing is clearer than that." - -"I will do better, Saint-Aignan." - -"What is that, sire?" - -"Put on your cloak." - -"But, sire--" - -"You know the suite of rooms where Madame's maids of honor are lodged?" - -"Certainly." - -"You know some means of obtaining an entrance there." - -"As far as that is concerned, I do not." - -"At all events, you must be acquainted with some one there." - -"Really, your majesty is the source of every good idea." - -"You do know some one, then. Who is it?" - -"I know a certain gentleman, who is on very good terms with a certain -young lady there." - -"One of the maids of honor?" - -"Yes, sire." - -"With Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente, I suppose?" said the king, -laughing. - -"Fortunately, no, sire; with Montalais." - -"What is his name?" - -"Malicorne." - -"And you can depend on him?" - -"I believe so, sire. He ought to have a key of some sort in his -possession; and if he should happen to have one, as I have done him a -service, why, he will let us have it." - -"Nothing could be better. Let us set off immediately." - -The king threw his cloak over Saint-Aignan's shoulders, asked him for -his, and both went out into the vestibule. - - - -Chapter LIX. Something That neither Naiad nor Dryad Foresaw. - -Saint-Aignan stopped at the foot of the staircase leading to the -_entresol_, where the maids of honor were lodged, and to the first -floor, where Madame's apartments were situated. Then, by means of one -of the servants who was passing, he sent to apprise Malicorne, who was -still with Monsieur. After having waited ten minutes, Malicorne arrived, -full of self-importance. The king drew back towards the darkest part of -the vestibule. Saint-Aignan, on the contrary, advanced to meet him, but -at the first words, indicating his wish, Malicorne drew back abruptly. - -"Oh, oh!" he said, "you want me to introduce you into the rooms of the -maids of honor?" - -"Yes." - -"You know very well that I cannot do anything of the kind, without being -made acquainted with your object." - -"Unfortunately, my dear Monsieur Malicorne, it is quite impossible for -me to give you any explanation; you must therefore confide in me as in a -friend who got you out of a great difficulty yesterday, and who now begs -you to draw him out of one to-day." - -"Yet I told you, monsieur, what my object was; which was, not to sleep -out in the open air, and any man might express the same wish, whilst -you, however, admit nothing." - -"Believe me, my dear Monsieur Malicorne," Saint-Aignan persisted, "that -if I were permitted to explain myself, I would do so." - -"In that case, my dear monsieur, it is impossible for me to allow you to -enter Mademoiselle de Montalais's apartment." - -"Why so?" - -"You know why, better than any one else, since you caught me on the wall -paying my addresses to Mademoiselle de Montalais; it would, therefore, -be an excess of kindness on my part, you will admit, since I am paying -my attentions to her, to open the door of her room to you." - -"But who told you it was on her account I asked you for the key?" - -"For whom, then?" - -"She does not lodge there alone, I suppose?" - -"No, certainly; for Mademoiselle de la Valliere shares her rooms with -her; but, really, you have nothing more to do with Mademoiselle de la -Valliere than with Mademoiselle de Montalais, and there are only two men -to whom I would give this key; to M. de Bragelonne, if he begged me to -give it to him, and to the king, if he commanded me." - -"In that case, give me the key, monsieur: I order you to do so," said -the king, advancing from the obscurity, and partially opening his cloak. -"Mademoiselle de Montalais will step down to talk with you, while we go -up-stairs to Mademoiselle de la Valliere, for, in fact, it is she only -whom we desire to see." - -"The king!" exclaimed Malicorne, bowing to the very ground. - -"Yes, the king," said Louis, smiling: "the king, who is as pleased with -your resistance as with your capitulation. Rise, monsieur, and render us -the service we request of you." - -"I obey, your majesty," said Malicorne, leading the way up the -staircase. - -"Get Mademoiselle de Montalais to come down," said the king, "and do not -breathe a word to her of my visit." - -Malicorne bowed in token of obedience, and proceeded up the staircase. -But the king, after a hasty reflection, followed him, and that, too, -with such rapidity, that, although Malicorne was already more than -half-way up the staircase, the king reached the room at the same -moment. He then observed, by the door which remained half-opened behind -Malicorne, La Valliere, sitting in an armchair with her head thrown -back, and in the opposite corner Montalais, who, in her dressing-gown, -was standing before a looking-glass, engaged in arranging her hair, and -parleying the while with Malicorne. The king hurriedly opened the door -and entered the room. Montalais called out at the noise made by the -opening of the door, and, recognizing the king, made her escape. La -Valliere rose from her seat, like a dead person galvanized, and then -fell back in her armchair. The king advanced slowly towards her. - -"You wished for an audience, I believe," he said coldly. "I am ready to -hear you. Speak." - -Saint-Aignan, faithful to his character of being deaf, blind, and dumb, -had stationed himself in a corner of the door, upon a stool which by -chance he found there. Concealed by the tapestry which covered the -doorway, and leaning his back against the wall, he could thus listen -without being seen; resigning himself to the post of a good watch-dog, -who patiently waits and watches without ever getting in his master's -way. - -La Valliere, terror-stricken at the king's irritated aspect, rose a -second time, and assuming a posture full of humility and entreaty, -murmured, "Forgive me, sire." - -"What need is there for my forgiveness?" asked Louis. - -"Sire, I have been guilty of a great fault; nay, more than a great -fault, a great crime." - -"You?" - -"Sire, I have offended your majesty." - -"Not in the slightest degree in the world," replied Louis XIV. - -"I implore you, sire, not to maintain towards me that terrible -seriousness of manner which reveals your majesty's just anger. I feel I -have offended you, sire; but I wish to explain to you how it was that I -have not offended you of my own accord." - -"In the first place," said the king, "in what way can you possibly have -offended me? I cannot perceive how. Surely not on account of a young -girl's harmless and very innocent jest? You turned the credulity of a -young man into ridicule--it was very natural to do so: any other woman -in your place would have done the same." - -"Oh! your majesty overwhelms me by your remark." - -"Why so?" - -"Because, if I had been the author of the jest, it would not have been -innocent." - -"Well, is that all you had to say to me in soliciting an audience?" said -the king, as though about to turn away. - -Thereupon La Valliere, in an abrupt and a broken voice, her eyes dried -up by the fire of her tears, made a step towards the king, and said, -"Did your majesty hear everything?" - -"Everything, what?" - -"Everything I said beneath the royal oak." - -"I did not lose a syllable." - -"And now, after your majesty really heard all, are you able to think I -abused your credibility?" - -"Credulity; yes, indeed, you have selected the very word." - -"And your majesty did not suppose that a poor girl like myself might -possibly be compelled to submit to the will of others?" - -"Forgive me," returned the king; "but I shall never be able to -understand that she, who of her own free will could express herself so -unreservedly beneath the royal oak, would allow herself to be influenced -to such an extent by the direction of others." - -"But the threat held out against me, sire." - -"Threat! who threatened you--who dared to threaten you?" - -"Those who have the right to do so, sire." - -"I do not recognize any one as possessing the right to threaten the -humblest of my subjects." - -"Forgive me, sire, but near your majesty, even, there are persons -sufficiently high in position to have, or to believe that they possess, -the right of injuring a young girl, without fortune, and possessing only -her reputation." - -"In what way injure her?" - -"In depriving her of her reputation, by disgracefully expelling her from -the court." - -"Oh! Mademoiselle de la Valliere," said the king bitterly, "I prefer -those persons who exculpate themselves without incriminating others." - -"Sire!" - -"Yes; and I confess that I greatly regret to perceive, that an easy -justification, as your own would have been, is now complicated in my -presence by a tissue of reproaches and imputations against others." - -"And which you do not believe?" exclaimed La Valliere. The king remained -silent. - -"Nay, but tell me!" repeated La Valliere, vehemently. - -"I regret to confess it," repeated the king, bowing coldly. - -The young girl uttered a deep groan, striking her hands together in -despair. "You do not believe me, then," she said to the king, who -still remained silent, while poor La Valliere's features became visibly -changed at his continued silence. "Therefore, you believe," she said, -"that I pre-arranged this ridiculous, this infamous plot, of trifling, -in so shameless a manner, with your majesty." - -"Nay," said the king, "it was neither ridiculous nor infamous; it was -not even a plot; merely a jest, more or less amusing, and nothing more." - -"Oh!" murmured the young girl, "the king does not, and will not believe -me, then?" - -"No, indeed, I will not believe you," said the king. "Besides, in point -of fact, what can be more natural? The king, you argue, follows me, -listens to me, watches me; the king wishes perhaps to amuse himself -at my expense, I will amuse myself at his, and as the king is very -tender-hearted, I will take his heart by storm." - -La Valliere hid her face in her hands, as she stifled her sobs. The -king continued pitilessly; he was revenging himself upon the poor victim -before him for all he had himself suffered. - -"Let us invent, then, this story of my loving him and preferring him to -others. The king is so simple and so conceited that he will believe me; -and then we can go and tell others how credulous the king is, and can -enjoy a laugh at his expense." - -"Oh!" exclaimed La Valliere, "you think that, you believe that!--it is -frightful." - -"And," pursued the king, "that is not all; if this self-conceited prince -take our jest seriously, if he should be imprudent enough to exhibit -before others anything like delight at it, well, in that case, the king -will be humiliated before the whole court; and what a delightful story -it will be, too, for him to whom I am really attached, in fact part of -my dowry for my husband, to have the adventure to relate of the monarch -who was so amusingly deceived by a young girl." - -"Sire!" exclaimed La Valliere, her mind bewildered, almost wandering, -indeed, "not another word, I implore you; do you not see that you are -killing me?" - -"A jest, nothing but a jest," murmured the king, who, however, began to -be somewhat affected. - -La Valliere fell upon her knees, and that so violently, that the sound -could be heard upon the hard floor. "Sire," she said, "I prefer shame to -disloyalty." - -"What do you mean?" inquired the king, without moving a step to raise -the young girl from her knees. - -"Sire, when I shall have sacrificed my honor and my reason both to you, -you will perhaps believe in my loyalty. The tale which was related to -you in Madame's apartments, and by Madame herself, is utterly false; and -that which I said beneath the great oak--" - -"Well!" - -"That is the only truth." - -"What!" exclaimed the king. - -"Sire," exclaimed La Valliere, hurried away by the violence of her -emotions, "were I to die of shame on the very spot where my knees are -fixed, I would repeat it until my latest breath; I said that I loved -you, and it is true; I do love you." - -"You!" - -"I have loved you, sire, from the very first day I ever saw you; from -the moment when at Blois, where I was pining away my existence, your -royal looks, full of light and life, were first bent upon me. I love -you still, sire; it is a crime of high treason, I know, that a poor girl -like myself should love her sovereign, and should presume to tell him -so. Punish me for my audacity, despise me for my shameless immodesty; -but do not ever say, do not ever think, that I have jested with or -deceived you. I belong to a family whose loyalty has been proved, sire, -and I, too, love my king." - -Suddenly her strength, voice, and respiration ceased, and she fell -forward, like the flower Virgil alludes to, which the scythe of the -reaper severed in the midst of the grass. The king, at these words, at -this vehement entreaty, no longer retained any ill-will or doubt in -his mind: his whole heart seemed to expand at the glowing breath of an -affection which proclaimed itself in such noble and courageous language. -When, therefore, he heard the passionate confession, his strength seemed -to fail him, and he hid his face in his hands. But when he felt La -Valliere's hands clinging to his own, when their warm pressure fired his -blood, he bent forward, and passing his arm round La Valliere's waist, -he raised her from the ground and pressed her against his heart. But -she, her drooping head fallen forward on her bosom, seemed to have -ceased to live. The king, terrified, called out for Saint-Aignan. -Saint-Aignan, who had carried his discretion so far as to remain without -stirring in his corner, pretending to wipe away a tear, ran forward at -the king's summons. He then assisted Louis to seat the young girl upon -a couch, slapped her hands, sprinkled some Hungary water over her -face, calling out all the while, "Come, come, it is all over; the king -believes you, and forgives you. There, there now! take care, or you -will agitate his majesty too much; his majesty is so sensitive, so -tender-hearted. Now, really, Mademoiselle de la Valliere, you must pay -attention, for the king is very pale." - -The fact was, the king was visibly losing color. But La Valliere did not -move. - -"Do pray recover," continued Saint-Aignan. "I beg, I implore you; it is -really time you should; think only of one thing, that if the king should -become unwell, I should be obliged to summon his physician. What a state -of things that would be! So do pray rouse yourself; make an effort, pray -do, and do so at once, my dear." - -It was difficult to display more persuasive eloquence than Saint-Aignan -did, but something still more powerful, and of a more energetic nature -than this eloquence, aroused La Valliere. The king, who was kneeling -before her, covered the palms of her hands with those burning kisses -which are to the hands what a kiss upon the lips is to the face. La -Valliere's senses returned to her; she languidly opened her eyes and, -with a dying look, murmured, "Oh! sire, has your majesty pardoned me, -then?" - -The king did not reply, for he was still too much overcome. Saint-Aignan -thought it was his duty again to retire, for he observed the passionate -devotion which was displayed in the king's gaze. La Valliere rose. - -"And now, sire, that I have justified myself, at least I trust so, in -your majesty's eyes, grant me leave to retire into a convent. I shall -bless your majesty all my life, and I shall die thanking and loving -Heaven for having granted me one hour of perfect happiness." - -"No, no," replied the king, "you will live here blessing Heaven, on the -contrary, but loving Louis, who will make your existence one of perfect -felicity--Louis who loves you--Louis who swears it." - -"Oh! sire, sire!" - -And upon this doubt of La Valliere, the king's kisses became so warm -that Saint-Aignan thought it was his duty to retire behind the tapestry. -These kisses, however, which she had not the strength at first to -resist, began to intimidate the young girl. - -"Oh! sire," she exclaimed, "do not make me repeat my loyalty, for this -would show me that your majesty despises me still." - -"Mademoiselle de la Valliere," said the king, suddenly, drawing back -with an air full of respect, "there is nothing in the world that I love -and honor more than yourself, and nothing in my court, I call Heaven -to witness, shall be so highly regarded as you shall be henceforward. -I entreat your forgiveness for my transport; it arose from an excess -of affection, but I can prove to you that I love you more than ever by -respecting you as much as you can possibly desire or deserve." Then, -bending before her, and taking her by the hand, he said to her, "Will -you honor me by accepting the kiss I press upon your hand?" And the -king's lips were pressed respectfully and lightly upon the young girl's -trembling hand. "Henceforth," added Louis, rising and bending his glance -upon La Valliere, "henceforth you are under my safeguard. Do not speak -to any one of the injury I have done you, forgive others that which they -may have attempted. For the future, you shall be so far above all those, -that, far from inspiring you with fear, they shall be even beneath your -pity." And he bowed as reverently as though he were leaving a place -of worship. Then calling to Saint-Aignan, who approached with great -humility, he said, "I hope, comte, that Mademoiselle de la Valliere will -kindly confer a little of her friendship upon you, in return for that -which I have vowed to her eternally." - -Saint-Aignan bent his knee before La Valliere, saying, "How happy, -indeed, would such an honor make me!" - -"I will send your companion back to you," said the king. "Farewell! or, -rather, adieu till we meet again; do not forget me in your prayers, I -entreat." - -"Oh!" cried La Valliere, "be assured that you and Heaven are in my heart -together." - -These words of Louise elated the king, who, full of happiness, -hurried Saint-Aignan down the stairs. Madame had not anticipated this -_denouement_; and neither the Naiad nor the Dryad had breathed a word -about it. - - - -Chapter LX. The New General of the Jesuits. - -While La Valliere and the king were mingling, in their first confession -of love, all the bitterness of the past, the happiness of the present, -and hopes of the future, Fouquet had retired to the apartments which -had been assigned to him in the chateau, and was conversing with Aramis -precisely upon the very subjects which the king at that moment was -forgetting. - -"Now tell me," said Fouquet, after having installed his guest in an -armchair and seated himself by his side, "tell me, Monsieur d'Herblay, -what is our position with regard to the Belle-Isle affair, and whether -you have received any news about it." - -"Everything is going on in that direction as we wish," replied Aramis; -"the expenses have been paid, and nothing has transpired of our -designs." - -"But what about the soldiers the king wished to send there?" - -"I have received news this morning they arrived there fifteen days ago." - -"And how have they been treated?" - -"In the best manner possible." - -"What has become of the former garrison?" - -"The soldiers were landed at Sarzeau, and then transferred immediately -to Quimper." - -"And the new garrison?" - -"Belongs to us from this very moment." - -"Are you sure of what you say, my dear Monsieur de Vannes?" - -"Quite sure, and, moreover, you will see by and by how matters have -turned out." - -"Still you are very well aware, that, of all the garrison towns, -Belle-Isle is precisely the very worst." - -"I know it, and have acted accordingly; no space to move about, no -gayety, no cheerful society, no gambling permitted: well, it is a great -pity," added Aramis, with one of those smiles so peculiar to him, "to -see how much young people at the present day seek amusement, and how -much, consequently, they incline to the man who procures and pays for -their favorite pastimes." - -"But if they amuse themselves at Bell-Isle?" - -"If they amuse themselves through the king's means, they will attach -themselves to the king; but if they get bored to death through the -king's means, and amuse themselves through M. Fouquet, they will attach -themselves to M. Fouquet." - -"And you informed my intendant, of course?--so that immediately on their -arrival--" - -"By no means; they were left alone a whole week, to weary themselves -at their ease; but, at the end of the week, they cried out, saying that -former officers amused themselves much better. Whereupon they were told -that the old officers had been able to make a friend of M. Fouquet, and -that M. Fouquet, knowing them to be friends of his, had from that moment -done all he possibly could to prevent their getting wearied or -bored upon his estates. Upon this they began to reflect. Immediately -afterwards, however, the intendant added, that without anticipating M. -Fouquet's orders, he knew his master sufficiently well to be aware that -he took an interest in every gentleman in the king's service, and that, -although he did not know the new-comers, he would do as much for them as -he had done for the others." - -"Excellent! and I trust that the promises were followed up; I desire, as -you know, that no promise should ever be made in my name without being -kept." - -"Without a moment's loss of time, our two privateers, and your own -horses, were placed at the disposal of the officers; the keys of -the principal mansion were handed over to them, so that they made up -hunting-parties, and walking excursions with such ladies as are to be -found in Belle-Isle; and such other as they are enabled to enlist from -the neighborhood, who have no fear of sea-sickness." - -"And there is a fair sprinkling to be met with at Sarzeau and Vannes, I -believe, your eminence?" - -"Yes; in fact all along the coast," said Aramis, quietly. - -"And now, how about the soldiers?" - -"Everything precisely the same, in a relative degree, you understand; -the soldiers have plenty of wine, excellent provisions, and good pay." - -"Very good; so that--" - -"So that this garrison can be depended upon, and it is a better one than -the last." - -"Good." - -"The result is, if Fortune favors us, so that the garrisons are changed -in this manner, only every two months, that, at the end of every -three years, the whole army will, in its turn, have been there; and, -therefore, instead of having one regiment in our favor, we shall have -fifty thousand men." - -"Yes, yes; I knew perfectly well," said Fouquet, "that no friend could -be more incomparable and invaluable than yourself, my dear Monsieur -d'Herblay; but," he added, laughing, "all this time we are forgetting -our friend, Du Vallon; what has become of him? During the three days I -spent at Saint-Mande, I confess I have forgotten him completely." - -"I do not forget him, however," returned Aramis. "Porthos is at -Saint-Mande; his joints are kept well greased, the greatest care is -being taken care of him with regard to the food he eats, and the wines -he drinks; I advise him to take daily airings in the small park, which -you have kept for your own use, and he makes us of it accordingly. He -begins to walk again, he exercises his muscular powers by bending down -young elm-trees, or making the old oaks fly into splinters, as Milo of -Crotona used to do; and, as there are no lions in the park, it is not -unlikely we shall find him alive. Porthos is a brave fellow." - -"Yes, but in the mean time he will get bored to death." - -"Oh, no; he never does that." - -"He will be asking questions?" - -"He sees no one." - -"At all events, he is looking or hoping for something or another." - -"I have inspired in him a hope which we will realize some fine morning, -and on that he subsists." - -"What is it?" - -"That of being presented to the king." - -"Oh! in what character?" - -"As the engineer of Belle-Isle, of course." - -"Is it possible?" - -"Quite true." - -"Shall we not be obliged, then, to send him back to Belle-Isle?" - -"Most certainly; I am even thinking of sending him as soon as possible. -Porthos is very fond of display; he is man whose weakness D'Artagnan, -Athos, and myself are alone acquainted with; he never commits himself -in any way; he is dignity himself; to the officers there, he would seem -like a Paladin of the time of the Crusades. He would make the whole -staff drunk, without getting tipsy in the least himself, and every one -will regard him with admiration and sympathy; if, therefore, it should -happen that we have any orders requiring to be carried out, Porthos is -an incarnation of the order itself, and whatever he chose to do others -would find themselves obliged to submit to." - -"Send him back, then." - -"That is what I intend to do; but only in a few days; for I must not -omit to tell you one thing." - -"What is it?" - -"I begin to mistrust D'Artagnan. He is not at Fontainebleau, as you -may have noticed, and D'Artagnan is never absent, or apparently idle, -without some object in view. And now that my own affairs are settled, I -am going to try and ascertain what the affairs are in which D'Artagnan -is engaged." - -"Your own affairs are settled, you say?" - -"Yes." - -"You are very fortunate in that case, then, and I should like to be able -to say the same." - -"I hope you do not make yourself uneasy." - -"Hum!" - -"Nothing could be better than the king's reception of you." - -"True." - -"And Colbert leaves you in peace." - -"Nearly so." - -"In that case," said Aramis, with that connection of ideas which marked -him, "in that case, then, we can bestow a thought upon the young girl I -was speaking to you about yesterday." - -"Whom do you mean?" - -"What, have you forgotten already? I mean La Valliere." - -"Ah! of course, of course." - -"Do you object, then, to try and make a conquest of her?" - -"In one respect only; my heart is engaged in another direction, and I -positively do not care about the girl in the least." - -"Oh, oh!" said Aramis, "your heart is engaged, you say. The deuce! we -must take care of that." - -"Why?" - -"Because it is terrible to have the heart occupied, when others, besides -yourself, have so much need of the head." - -"You are right. So you see, at your first summons, I left everything. -But to return to this girl. What good do you see in my troubling myself -about her?" - -"This.--The king, it is said, has taken a fancy to her; at least, so it -is supposed." - -"But you, who know everything, know very differently." - -"I know that the king is greatly and suddenly changed; that the day -before yesterday he was crazy over Madame; that a few days ago, Monsieur -complained of it, even to the queen-mother; and that some conjugal -misunderstandings and maternal scoldings were the consequence." - -"How do you know all that?" - -"I do know it; at all events, since these misunderstandings and -scoldings, the king has not addressed a word, has not paid the slightest -attention, to her royal highness." - -"Well, what next?" - -"Since then, he has been taken up with Mademoiselle de la Valliere. -Now, Mademoiselle de la Valliere is one of Madame's maids of honor. You -happen to know, I suppose, what is called a _chaperon_ in matters of -love. Well, then, Mademoiselle de la Valliere is Madame's _chaperon_. -It is for you to take advantage of this state of things. You have no -occasion for me to tell you that. But, at all events, wounded vanity -will render the conquest an easier one; the girl will get hold of the -king, and Madame's secret, and you can scarcely predict what a man of -intelligence can do with a secret." - -"But how to get at her?" - -"Nay, you, of all men, to ask me such a question!" said Aramis. - -"Very true. I shall not have any time to take any notice of her." - -"She is poor and unassuming, you will create a position for her, and -whether she tames the king as his lady confessor, or his sweetheart, you -will have enlisted a new and valuable ally." - -"Very good," said Fouquet. "What is to be done, then, with regard to -this girl?" - -"Whenever you have taken a fancy to any lady, Monsieur Fouquet, what -course have you generally pursued?" - -"I have written to her, protesting my devotion to her. I have added, how -happy I should be to render her any service in my power, and have signed -'Fouquet,' at the end of the letter." - -"And has any one offered resistance?" - -"One person only," replied Fouquet. "But, four days ago, she yielded, as -the others had done." - -"Will you take the trouble to write?" said Aramis, holding a pen towards -him, which Fouquet took, saying: - -"I will write at your dictation. My head is so taken up in another -direction, that I should not be able to write a couple lines." - -"Very well," said Aramis, "write." - -And he dictated, as follows: "Mademoiselle--I have seen you--and you -will not be surprised to learn, I think you very beautiful. But, for -want of the position you merit at court, your presence there is a waste -of time. The devotion of a man of honor, should ambition of any kind -inspire you, might possibly serve as a means of display for your talent -and beauty. I place my devotion at your feet; but, as an affection, -however reserved and unpresuming it may be, might possibly compromise -the object of its worship, it would ill become a person of your merit -running the risk of being compromised, without her future being assured. -If you would deign to accept, and reply to my affection, my affection -shall prove its gratitude to you in making you free and independent -forever." - -Having finished writing, Fouquet looked at Aramis. - -"Sign it," said the latter. - -"Is it absolutely necessary?" - -"Your signature at the foot of that letter is worth a million; you -forget that." Fouquet signed. - -"Now, by whom do you intend to send this letter?" asked Aramis. - -"By an excellent servant of mine." - -"Can you rely on him?" - -"He is a man who has been with me all my life." - -"Very well. Besides, in this case, we are not playing for very heavy -stakes." - -"How so? For if what you say be true of the accommodating disposition of -this girl for the king and Madame, the king will give her all the money -she can ask for." - -"The king has money, then?" asked Aramis. - -"I suppose so, for he has not asked me for any more." - -"Be easy, he will ask for some, soon." - -"Nay, more than that, I had thought he would have spoken to me about the -_fete_ at Vaux, but he never said a word about it." - -"He will be sure to do so, though." - -"You must think the king's disposition a very cruel one, Monsieur -d'Herblay." - -"It is not he who is so." - -"He is young, and therefore his disposition is a kind one." - -"He is young, and either he is weak, or his passions are strong; and -Monsieur Colbert holds his weakness and his passions in his villainous -grasp." - -"You admit that you fear him?" - -"I do not deny it." - -"I that case I am lost." - -"Why so?" - -"My only influence with the king has been through the money I commanded, -and now I am a ruined man." - -"Not so." - -"What do you mean by 'not so?' Do you know my affairs better than -myself?" - -"That is not unlikely." - -"If he were to request this _fete_ to be given?" - -"You would give it, of course." - -"But where is the money to come from?" - -"Have you ever been in want of any?" - -"Oh! if you only knew at what a cost I procured the last supply." - -"The next shall cost you nothing." - -"But who will give it me?" - -"I will." - -"What, give me six millions?" - -"Ten, if necessary." - -"Upon my word, D'Herblay," said Fouquet, "your confidence alarms me more -than the king's displeasure. Who can you possibly be, after all?" - -"You know me well enough, I should think." - -"Of course; but what is it you are aiming at?" - -"I wish to see upon the throne of France a king devoted to Monsieur -Fouquet, and I wish Monsieur Fouquet to be devoted to me." - -"Oh!" exclaimed Fouquet, pressing his hand,--"as for being devoted to -you, I am yours, entirely; but believe me, my dear D'Herblay, you are -deceiving yourself." - -"In what respect?" - -"The king will never become devoted to me." - -"I do not remember to have said that King Louis would ever become -devoted to you." - -"Why, on the contrary, you have this moment said so." - -"I did not say _the_ king; I said _a_ king." - -"Is it not all the same?" - -"No, on the contrary, it is altogether different." - -"I do not understand you." - -"You will do so, shortly, then; suppose, for instance, the king in -question were to be a very different person to Louis XIV." - -"Another person." - -"Yes, who is indebted for everything to you." - -"Impossible." - -"His very throne, even." - -"You are mad, D'Herblay. There is no man living besides Louis XIV. who -can sit on the throne of France. I know of none, not one." - -"_But_ I know one." - -"Unless it be Monsieur," said Fouquet, looking at Aramis uneasily; "yet -Monsieur--" - -"It is _not_ Monsieur." - -"But how can it be, that a prince not of the royal line, that a prince -without any right--" - -"My king, or rather your king, will be everything that is necessary, be -assured of that." - -"Be careful, Monsieur d'Herblay, you make my blood run cold, and my head -swim." - -Aramis smiled. "There is but little occasion for that," he replied. - -"Again, I repeat, you terrify me," said Fouquet. Aramis smiled. - -"You laugh," said Fouquet. - -"The day will come when you will laugh too; only at the present moment I -must laugh alone." - -"But explain yourself." - -"When the proper time comes, I will explain all. Fear nothing. Have -faith in me, and doubt nothing." - -"The fact is, I cannot but doubt, because I do not see clearly, or even -at all." - -"That is because of your blindness; but a day will come when you will be -enlightened." - -"Oh!" said Fouquet, "how willingly would I believe." - -"You, without belief! you, who, through my means, have ten times crossed -the abyss yawning at your feet, and in which, had you been alone, you -would have been irretrievably swallowed; you, without belief; you, who -from procureur-general attained the rank of intendant, from the rank -of intendant, that of the first minister of the crown, and who from the -rank of first minister will pass to that of mayor of the palace. But -no," he said, with the same unaltered smile, "no, no, you cannot see, -and consequently cannot believe--what I tell you." And Aramis rose to -withdraw. - -"One word more," said Fouquet; "you have never yet spoken to me in this -manner, you have never yet shown yourself so confident, I should rather -say so daring." - -"Because it is necessary, in order to speak confidently, to have the -lips unfettered." - -"And that is now your case?" - -"Yes." - -"Since a very short time, then?" - -"Since yesterday, only." - -"Oh! Monsieur d'Herblay, take care, your confidence is becoming -audacity." - -"One can well be audacious when one is powerful." - -"And you are powerful?" - -"I have already offered you ten millions; I repeat the offer." - -Fouquet rose, profoundly agitated. - -"Come," he said, "come; you spoke of overthrowing kings and replacing -them by others. If, indeed, I am not really out of my senses, is or is -not that what you said just now?" - -"You are by no means out of your senses, for it is perfectly true I did -say all that just now." - -"And why did you say so?" - -"Because it is easy to speak in this manner of thrones being cast down, -and kings being raised up, when one is, one's self, far above all kings -and thrones, of this world at least." - -"Your power is infinite, then?" cried Fouquet. - -"I have told you so already, and I repeat it," replied Aramis, with -glistening eyes and trembling lips. - -Fouquet threw himself back in his chair, and buried his face in -his hands. Aramis looked at him for a moment, as the angel of human -destinies might have looked upon a simple mortal. - -"Adieu," he said to him, "sleep undisturbed, and send your letter to La -Valliere. To-morrow we shall see each other again." - -"Yes, to-morrow," said Fouquet, shaking his hands like a man returning -to his senses. "But where shall we see each other?" - -"At the king's promenade, if you like." - -"Agreed." And they separated. - - - -Chapter LXI. The Storm. - -The dawn of the following day was dark and gloomy, and as every one knew -that the promenade was down in the royal programme, every one's gaze, as -his eyes were opened, was directed towards the sky. Just above the tops -of the trees a thick, suffocating vapor seemed to remain suspended, with -barely sufficient power to rise thirty feet above the ground under the -influence of the sun's rays, which was scarcely visible as a faint spot -of lesser darkness through the veil of heavy mist. No dew had fallen -in the morning; the turf was dried up for want of moisture, the flowers -withered. The birds sang less inspiringly than usual upon the boughs, -which remained motionless as the limbs of corpses. The strange confused -and animated murmurs, which seemed born and to exist in virtue of the -sun, that respiration of nature which is unceasingly heard amidst all -other sounds, could not be heard now, and never had the silence been so -profound. - -The king had noticed the cheerless aspect of the heavens as he -approached the window immediately upon rising. But as all the -necessary directions had been given respecting the promenade, and -every preparation had been made accordingly, and as, which was far -more imperious than anything else, Louis relied upon this promenade to -satisfy the cravings of his imagination, and we will even already say, -the clamorous desires of his heart--the king unhesitatingly decided -that the appearance of the heavens had nothing whatever to do with the -matter; that the promenade was arranged, and that, whatever the state of -the weather, the promenade should take place. Besides, there are -certain terrestrial sovereigns who seem to have accorded them privileged -existences, and there are certain times when it might almost be supposed -that the expressed wish of an earthly monarch has its influence over the -Divine will. It was Virgil who observed of Augustus: _Nocte pluit tota -redeunt spectacula mane_. [10] - -Louis attended mass as usual, but it was evident that his attention was -somewhat distracted from the presence of the Creator by the remembrance -of the creature. His mind was occupied during the service in reckoning -more than once the number of minutes, then of seconds, which separated -him from the blissful moment when the promenade would begin, that is -to say, the moment when Madame would set out with her maids of honor. -Besides, as a matter of course, everybody at the chateau was ignorant -of the interview which had taken place between La Valliere and the king. -Montalais, perhaps, with her usual chattering propensity, might have -been disposed to talk about it; but Montalais on this occasion was held -in check by Malicorne, who had securely fastened on her pretty lips the -golden padlock of mutual interest. As for Louis XIV., his happiness was -so extreme that he had forgiven Madame, or nearly so, her little -piece of malice of the previous evening. In fact, he had occasion to -congratulate himself rather than to complain of it. Had it not been for -her ill-natured action, he would not have received the letter from -La Valliere; had it not been for the letter, he would have had no -interview; and had it not been for the interview he would have remained -undecided. His heart was filled with too much happiness for any -ill-feeling to remain in it, at that moment at least. Instead, -therefore, of knitting his brows into a frown when he perceived his -sister-in-law, Louis resolved to receive her in a more friendly and -gracious manner than usual. But on one condition only, that she would be -ready to set out early. Such was the nature of Louis's thoughts during -mass; which made him, during the ceremony, forget matters which, in his -character of Most Christian King and of the eldest son of the Church, -ought to have occupied his attention. He returned to the chateau, and -as the promenade was fixed for midday, and it was at present just ten -o'clock, he set to work desperately with Colbert and Lyonne. But even -while he worked Louis went from the table to the window, inasmuch as the -window looked out upon Madame's pavilion: he could see M. Fouquet in the -courtyard, to whom the courtiers, since the favor shown towards him -on the previous evening, paid greater attention than ever. The king, -instinctively, on noticing Fouquet, turned towards Colbert, who was -smiling, and seemed full of benevolence and delight, a state of feeling -which had arisen from the very moment one of his secretaries had entered -and handed him a pocket-book, which he had put unopened into his pocket. -But, as there was always something sinister at the bottom of any delight -expressed by Colbert, Louis preferred, of the smiles of the two men, -that of Fouquet. He beckoned to the superintendent to come up, and -turning towards Lyonne and Colbert, he said:--"Finish this matter, place -it on my desk, and I will read it at my leisure." And he left the -room. At the sign the king had made to him, Fouquet had hastened up -the staircase, while Aramis, who was with the superintendent, quietly -retired among the group of courtiers and disappeared without having been -even observed by the king. The king and Fouquet met at the top of the -staircase. - -"Sire," said Fouquet, remarking the gracious manner in which Louis was -about to receive him, "your majesty has overwhelmed me with kindness -during the last few days. It is not a youthful monarch, but a being of -higher order, who reigns over France, one whom pleasure, happiness, and -love acknowledge as their master." The king colored. The compliment, -although flattering, was not the less somewhat pointed. Louis -conducted Fouquet to a small room that divided his study from his -sleeping-apartment. - -"Do you know why I summoned you?" said the king as he seated himself -upon the edge of the window, so as not to lose anything that might be -passing in the gardens which fronted the opposite entrance to Madame's -pavilion. - -"No, sire," replied Fouquet, "but I am sure for something agreeable, if -I am to judge from your majesty's gracious smile." - -"You are mistaken, then." - -"I, sire?" - -"For I summoned you, on the contrary, to pick a quarrel with you." - -"With me, sire?" - -"Yes: and that a serious one." - -"Your majesty alarms me--and yet I was most confident in your justice -and goodness." - -"Do you know I am told, Monsieur Fouquet, that you are preparing a grand -_fete_ at Vaux." - -Fouquet smiled, as a sick man would do at the first shiver of a fever -which has left him but returns again. - -"And that you have not invited me!" continued the king. - -"Sire," replied Fouquet, "I have not even thought of the _fete_ you -speak of, and it was only yesterday evening that one of my _friends_," -Fouquet laid a stress upon the word, "was kind enough to make me think -of it." - -"Yet I saw you yesterday evening, Monsieur Fouquet, and you said nothing -to me about it." - -"How dared I hope that your majesty would so greatly descend from your -own exalted station as to honor my dwelling with your royal presence?" - - -"Excuse me, Monsieur Fouquet, you did not speak to me about your -_fete_." - -"I did not allude to the _fete_ to your majesty, I repeat, in the -first place, because nothing had been decided with regard to it, and, -secondly, because I feared a refusal." - -"And something made you fear a refusal, Monsieur Fouquet? You see I am -determined to push you hard." - -"The profound wish I had that your majesty should accept my -invitation--" - -"Well, Monsieur Fouquet, nothing is easier, I perceive, than our coming -to an understanding. Your wish is to invite me to your _fete_, my own is -to be present at it; invite me and I will go." - -"Is it possible that your majesty will deign to accept?" murmured the -superintendent. - -"Why, really, monsieur," said the king, laughing, "I think I do more -than accept; I rather fancy I am inviting myself." - -"Your majesty overwhelms me with honor and delight," exclaimed Fouquet, -"but I shall be obliged to repeat what M. Vieuville said to your -ancestor, Henry IV., _Domine non sum dignus_." [11] - -"To which I reply, Monsieur Fouquet, that if you give a _fete_, I will -go, whether I am invited or not." - -"I thank your majesty deeply," said Fouquet, as he raised his head -beneath this favor, which he was convinced would be his ruin. - -"But how could your majesty have been informed of it?" - -"By a public rumor, Monsieur Fouquet, which says such wonderful things -of yourself and the marvels of your house. Would you become proud, -Monsieur Fouquet, if the king were to be jealous of you?" - -"I should be the happiest man in the world, sire, since the very day -on which your majesty were to be jealous of Vaux, I should possess -something worthy of being offered to you." - -"Very well, Monsieur Fouquet, prepare your _fete_, and open the door of -your house as wide as possible." - -"It is for your majesty to fix the day." - -"This day month, then." - -"Has your majesty any further commands?" - -"Nothing, Monsieur Fouquet, except from the present moment until then to -have you near me as much as possible." - -"I have the honor to form one of your majesty's party for the -promenade." - -"Very good; indeed, I am now setting out; for there are the ladies, I -see, who are going to start." - -With this remark, the king, with all the eagerness, not only of a young -man, but of a young man in love, withdrew from the window, in order -to take his gloves and cane, which his valet held ready for him. The -neighing of the horses and the crunching of the wheels on the gravel of -the courtyard could be distinctly heard. The king descended the stairs, -and at the moment he appeared upon the flight of steps, every -one stopped. The king walked straight up to the young queen. The -queen-mother, who was still suffering more than ever from the illness -with which she was afflicted, did not wish to go out. Maria Theresa -accompanied Madame in her carriage, and asked the king in what direction -he wished the promenade to drive. The king, who had just seen La -Valliere, still pale from the event of the previous evening, get into -a carriage with three of her companions, told the queen that he had no -preference, and wherever she would like to go, there would he be with -her. The queen then desired that the outriders should proceed in the -direction of Apremont. The outriders set off accordingly before the -others. The king rode on horseback, and for a few minutes accompanied -the carriage of the queen and Madame. The weather had cleared up a -little, but a kind of veil of dust, like a thick gauze, was still spread -over the surface of the heavens, and the sun made every atom glisten -within the circuit of its rays. The heat was stifling; but, as the king -did not seem to pay any attention to the appearance of the heavens, no -one made himself uneasy about it, and the promenade, in obedience to the -orders given by the queen, took its course in the direction of Apremont. -The courtiers who followed were in the very highest spirits; it was -evident that every one tried to forget, and to make others forget, the -bitter discussions of the previous evening. Madame, particularly, was -delightful. In fact, seeing the king at the door of her carriage, as she -did not suppose he would be there for the queen's sake, she hoped that -her prince had returned to her. Hardly, however, had they proceeded a -quarter of a mile on the road, when the king, with a gracious smile, -saluted them and drew up his horse, leaving the queen's carriage to pass -on, then that of the principal ladies of honor, and then all the others -in succession, who, seeing the king stop, wished in their turn to stop -too; but the king made a sign to them to continue their progress. When -La Valliere's carriage passed, the king approached it, saluted the -ladies who were inside, and was preparing to accompany the carriage -containing the maids of honor, in the same way he had followed that in -which Madame was, when suddenly the whole file of carriages stopped. It -was probable that Madame, uneasy at the king having left her, had just -given directions for the performance of this maneuver, the direction in -which the promenade was to take place having been left to her. The king, -having sent to inquire what her object was in stopping the cavalcade, -was informed in reply, that she wished to walk. She most likely hoped -that the king, who was following the carriages of the maids of honor on -horseback, would not venture to follow the maids of honor themselves on -foot. They had arrived in the middle of the forest. - -The promenade, in fact, was not ill-timed, especially for those who were -dreamers or lovers. From the little open space where the halt had taken -place, three beautiful long walks, shady and undulating, stretched out -before them. These walks were covered with moss or with leaves that -formed a carpet from the loom of nature; and each walk had its horizon -in the distance, consisting of about a hand-breadth of sky, apparent -through the interlacing of the branches of the trees. At the end of -almost every walk, evidently in great tribulation and uneasiness, the -startled deer were seen hurrying to and fro, first stopping for a moment -in the middle of the path, and then raising their heads they fled with -the speed of an arrow or bounded into the depths of the forest, where -they disappeared from view; now and then a rabbit, of philosophical -mien, might be noticed quietly sitting upright, rubbing his muzzle -with his fore paws, and looking about inquiringly, as though wondering -whether all these people, who were approaching in his direction, and -who had just disturbed him in his meditations and his meal, were not -followed by their dogs, or had not their guns under their arms. All -alighted from their carriages as soon as they observed that the queen -was doing so. Maria Theresa took the arm of one of her ladies of honor, -and, with a side glance towards the king, who did not perceive that he -was in the slightest degree the object of the queen's attention, entered -the forest by the first path before her. Two of the outriders preceded -her majesty with long poles, which they used for the purpose of putting -the branches of the trees aside, or removing the bushes that might -impede her progress. As soon as Madame alighted, she found the Comte -de Guiche at her side, who bowed and placed himself at her disposal. -Monsieur, delighted with his bath of the two previous days, had -announced his preference for the river, and, having given De Guiche -leave of absence, remained at the chateau with the Chevalier de Lorraine -and Manicamp. He was not in the slightest degree jealous. He had been -looked for to no purpose among those present; but as Monsieur was a man -who thought a great deal of himself, and usually added very little to -the general pleasure, his absence was rather a subject of satisfaction -than regret. Every one had followed the example which the queen and -Madame had set, doing just as they pleased, according as chance or fancy -influenced them. The king, we have already observed, remained near La -Valliere, and, throwing himself off his horse at the moment the door of -her carriage was opened, he offered her his hand to alight. Montalais -and Tonnay-Charente immediately drew back and kept at a distance; the -former from calculated, the latter from natural motives. There was this -difference, however, between the two, that the one had withdrawn from -a wish to please the king, the other for a very opposite reason. During -the last half-hour the weather also had undergone a change; the veil -which had been spread over the sky, as if driven by a blast of heated -air, had become massed together in the western part of the heavens; -and afterwards, as if driven by a current of air from the opposite -direction, was now advancing slowly and heavily towards them. The -approach of the storm could be felt, but as the king did not perceive -it, no one thought it proper to do so. The promenade was therefore -continued; some of the company, with minds ill at ease on the subject, -raised their eyes from time to time towards the sky; others, even more -timid still, walked about without wandering too far from the carriages, -where they relied upon taking shelter in case the storm burst. The -greater number of these, however, observing that the king fearlessly -entered the wood with La Valliere, followed his majesty. The king, -noticing this, took La Valliere's hand, and led her to a lateral -forest-alley; where no one this time ventured to follow him. - - - -Chapter LXII. The Shower of Rain. - -At this moment, and in the same direction, too, that the king and La -Valliere had taken, except that they were in the wood itself instead of -following the path, two men were walking together, utterly indifferent -to the appearance of the heavens. Their heads were bent down in the -manner of people occupied with matters of great moment. They had not -observed either De Guiche or Madame, the king or La Valliere. Suddenly -something fell through the air like a colossal sheet of flame, followed -by a loud but distant rumbling noise. - -"Ah!" said one of them, raising his head, "here comes the storm. Let us -reach our carriages, my dear D'Herblay." - -Aramis looked inquiringly at the heavens. "There is no occasion to hurry -yet," he said; and then resuming the conversation where it had doubtless -been interrupted, he said, "You were observing that the letter we wrote -last evening must by this time have reached its destination?" - -"I was saying that she certainly has it." - -"Whom did you send it by?" - -"By my own servant, as I have already told you." - -"Did he bring back an answer?" - -"I have not seen him since; the young girl was probably in attendance -on Madame, or was in her own room dressing, and he may have had to -wait. Our time for leaving arrived, and we set off, of course; I cannot, -therefore, know what is going on yonder." - -"Did you see the king before leaving?" - -"Yes." - -"How did he seem?" - -"Nothing could have passed off better, or worse; according as he be -sincere or hypocritical." - -"And the _fete?_" - -"Will take place in a month." - -"He invited himself, you say?" - -"With a pertinacity in which I detected Colbert's influence. But has not -last night removed your illusions?" - -"What illusions?" - -"With respect to the assistance you may be able to give me under these -circumstances." - -"No; I have passed the night writing, and all my orders are given." - -"Do not conceal it from yourself, D'Herblay, but the _fete_ will cost -some millions." - -"I will supply six; do you on your side get two or three." - -"You are a wonderful man, my dear D'Herblay." - -Aramis smiled. - -"But," inquired Fouquet, with some remaining uneasiness, "how is it that -while you are now squandering millions in this manner, a few days ago -you did not pay the fifty thousand francs to Baisemeaux out of your own -pocket?" - -"Because a few days ago I was as poor as Job." - -"And to-day?" - -"To-day I am wealthier than the king himself." - -"Very well," said Fouquet; "I understand men pretty well; I know you are -incapable of forfeiting your word; I do not wish to wrest your secret -from you, and so let us talk no more about it." - -At this moment a dull, heavy rumbling was heard, which suddenly -developed into a violent clap of thunder. - -"Oh, oh!" said Fouquet, "I was quite right in what I said." - -"Come," said Aramis, "let us rejoin the carriages." - -"We shall not have time," said Fouquet, "for here comes the rain." - -In fact, as he spoke, and as if the heavens were opened, a shower of -large drops of rain was suddenly heard pattering on the leaves about -them. - -"We shall have time," said Aramis, "to reach the carriages before the -foliage becomes saturated." - -"It will be better," said Fouquet, "to take shelter somewhere--in a -grotto, for instance." - -"Yes, but where are we to find a grotto?" inquired Aramis. - -"I know one," said Fouquet, smiling, "not ten paces from here." Then -looking round him, he added: "Yes, we are quite right." - -"You are very fortunate to have so good a memory," said Aramis, smiling -in his turn, "but are you not afraid that your coachman, finding we do -not return, will suppose we have taken another road back, and that he -will not follow the carriages belonging to the court?" - -"Oh, there is no fear of that," said Fouquet; "whenever I place my -coachman and my carriage in any particular spot, nothing but an express -order from the king could stir them; and more than that, too, it seems -that we are not the only ones who have come so far, for I hear footsteps -and the sound of voices." - -As he spoke, Fouquet turned round, and opened with his cane a mass of -foliage which hid the path from his view. Aramis's glance as well as his -own plunged at the same moment through the aperture he had made. - -"A woman," said Aramis. - -"And a man," said Fouquet. - -"It is La Valliere and the king," they both exclaimed together. - -"Oh, oh!" said Aramis, "is his majesty aware of your cavern as well? -I should not be astonished if he were, for he seems to be on very good -terms with the dryads of Fontainebleau." - -"Never mind," said Fouquet; "let us get there. If he is not aware of -it, we shall see what he will do if he should know it, as it has two -entrances, so that whilst he enters by one, we can leave by the other." - -"Is it far?" asked Aramis, "for the rain is beginning to penetrate." - -"We are there now," said Fouquet, as he pushed aside a few branches, and -an excavation in the solid rock could be observed, hitherto concealed by -heaths, ivy, and a thick covert of small shrubs. - -Fouquet led the way, followed by Aramis; but as the latter entered the -grotto, he turned round, saying: "Yes, they are entering the wood; and, -see, they are bending their steps this way." - -"Very well; let us make room for them," said Fouquet, smiling and -pulling Aramis by his cloak; "but I do not think the king knows of my -grotto." - -"Yes," said Aramis, "they are looking about them, but it is only for a -thicker tree." - -Aramis was not mistaken, the king's looks were directed upward, and not -around him. He held La Valliere's arm within his own, and held her hand -in his. La Valliere's feet began to sleep on the damp grass. Louis again -looked round him with greater attention than before, and perceiving an -enormous oak with wide-spreading branches, he hurriedly drew La Valliere -beneath its protecting shelter. The poor girl looked round her on all -sides, and seemed half afraid, half desirous of being followed. The -king made her lean back against the trunk of the tree, whose vast -circumference, protected by the thickness of the foliage, was as dry as -if at that moment the rain had not been falling in torrents. He himself -remained standing before her with his head uncovered. After a few -minutes, however, some drops of rain penetrated through the branches of -the tree and fell on the king's forehead, who did not pay any attention -to them. - -"Oh, sire!" murmured La Valliere, pushing the king's hat towards him. -But the king simply bowed, and determinedly refused to cover his head. - -"Now or never is the time to offer your place," said Fouquet in Aramis's -ear. - -"Now or never is the time to listen, and not lose a syllable of what -they may have to say to each other," replied Aramis in Fouquet's ear. - -In fact they both remained perfectly silent, and the king's voice -reached them where they were. - -"Believe me," said the king, "I perceive, or rather I can imagine your -uneasiness; believe me, I sincerely regret having isolated you from the -rest of the company, and brought you, also, to a spot where you will be -inconvenienced by the rain. You are wet already, and perhaps cold too?" - -"No, sire." - -"And yet you tremble?" - -"I am afraid, sire, that my absence may be misinterpreted; at a moment, -too, when all the others are reunited." - -"I would not hesitate to propose returning to the carriages, -Mademoiselle de la Valliere, but pray look and listen, and tell me if it -be possible to attempt to make the slightest progress at present?" - -In fact the thunder was still rolling, and the rain continued to fall in -torrents. - -"Besides," continued the king, "no possible interpretation can be made -which would be to your discredit. Are you not with the king of France; -in other words, with the first gentleman of the kingdom?" - -"Certainly, sire," replied La Valliere, "and it is a very distinguished -honor for me; it is not, therefore, for myself that I fear any -interpretations that may be made." - -"For whom, then?" - -"For you, sire." - -"For _me?_" said the king, smiling, "I do not understand you." - -"Has your majesty already forgotten what took place yesterday evening in -her royal highness's apartments?" - -"Oh! forget that, I beg, or allow me to remember it for no other purpose -than to thank you once more for your letter, and--" - -"Sire," interrupted La Valliere, "the rain is falling, and your -majesty's head is uncovered." - -"I entreat you not to think of anything but yourself." - -"Oh! I," said La Valliere, smiling, "I am a country girl, accustomed -to roaming through the meadows of the Loire and the gardens of Blois, -whatever the weather may be. And, as for my clothes," she added, looking -at her simple muslin dress, "your majesty sees there is but little room -for injury." - -"Indeed, I have already noticed, more than once, that you owed nearly -everything to yourself and nothing to your toilette. Your freedom from -coquetry is one of your greatest charms in my eyes." - -"Sire, do not make me out better than I am, and say merely, 'You cannot -possibly be a coquette.'" - -"Why so?" - -"Because," said La Valliere, smiling, "I am not rich." - -"You admit, then," said the king, quickly, "that you have a love for -beautiful things?" - -"Sire, I only regard those things as beautiful which are within my -reach. Everything which is too highly placed for me--" - -"You are indifferent to?" - -"Is foreign to me, as being prohibited." - -"And I," said the king, "do not find that you are at my court on -the footing you should be. The services of your family have not been -sufficiently brought under my notice. The advancement of your family was -cruelly neglected by my uncle." - -"On the contrary, sire. His royal highness, the Duke of Orleans, was -always exceedingly kind towards M. de Saint-Remy, my step-father. The -services rendered were humble, and, properly speaking, our services have -been adequately recognized. It is not every one who is happy enough to -find opportunities of serving his sovereign with distinction. I have no -doubt at all, that, if ever opportunities had been met with, my family's -actions would have been as lofty as their loyalty was firm: but that -happiness was never ours." - -"In that case, Mademoiselle de la Valliere, it belongs to kings to -repair the want of opportunity, and most delightedly do I undertake to -repair, in your instance, and with the least possible delay, the wrongs -of fortune towards you." - -"Nay, sire," cried La Valliere, eagerly; "leave things, I beg, as they -are now." - -"Is it possible! you refuse what I ought, and what I wish to do for -you?" - -"All I desired has been granted me, when the honor was conferred upon me -of forming one of Madame's household." - -"But if you refuse for yourself, at least accept for your family." - -"Your generous intentions, sire, bewilder me and make me apprehensive, -for, in doing for my family what your kindness urges you to do, your -majesty will raise up enemies for us, and enemies for yourself, too. -Leave me in the ranks of middle life, sire; of all the feelings and -sentiments I experience, leave me to enjoy the pleasing instinct of -disinterestedness." - -"The sentiments you express," said the king, "are indeed admirable." - -"Quite true," murmured Aramis in Fouquet's ear, "and he cannot be -accustomed to them." - -"But," replied Fouquet, "suppose she were to make a similar reply to my -letter." - -"True!" said Aramis, "let us not anticipate, but wait the conclusion." - -"And then, dear Monsieur d'Herblay," added the superintendent, hardly -able to appreciate the sentiments which La Valliere had just expressed, -"it is very often sound calculation to seem disinterested with -monarchs." - -"Exactly what I was thinking this very minute," said Aramis. "Let us -listen." - -The king approached nearer to La Valliere, and as the rain dripped more -and more through the foliage of the oak, he held his hat over the head -of the young girl, who raised her beautiful blue eyes towards the royal -hat which sheltered her, and shook her head, sighing deeply as she did -so. - -"What melancholy thought," said the king, "can possibly reach your heart -when I place mine as a rampart before it?" - -"I will tell you, sire. I had already once before broached this -question, which is so difficult for a young girl of my age to discuss, -but your majesty imposed silence on me. Your majesty belongs not -to yourself alone: you are married; and every sentiment which would -separate your majesty from the queen, in leading you to take notice -of me, will be a source of profoundest sorrow for the queen." The -king endeavored to interrupt the young girl, but she continued with a -suppliant gesture. "The Queen Maria, with an attachment which can be -well understood, follows with her eyes every step of your majesty which -separates you from her. Happy enough in having had her fate united to -your own, she weepingly implores Heaven to preserve you to her, and is -jealous of the faintest throb of your heart bestowed elsewhere." The -king again seemed anxious to speak, but again did La Valliere venture to -prevent him.--"Would it not, therefore, be a most blamable action," she -continued, "if your majesty, a witness of this anxious and disinterested -affection, gave the queen any cause for jealousy? Forgive me, sire, for -the expressions I have used. I well know it is impossible, or rather -that it would be impossible, that the greatest queen of the whole world -could be jealous of a poor girl like myself. But though a queen, she is -still a woman, and her heart, like that of the rest of her sex, cannot -close itself against the suspicions which such as are evilly disposed, -insinuate. For Heaven's sake, sire, think no more of me; I am unworthy -of your regard." - -"Do you not know that in speaking as you have done, you change my esteem -for you into the profoundest admiration?" - -"Sire, you assume my words to be contrary to the truth; you suppose me -to be better than I really am, and attach a greater merit to me than God -ever intended should be the case. Spare me, sire; for, did I not know -that your majesty was the most generous man in your kingdom, I should -believe you were jesting." - -"You do not, I know, fear such a thing; I am quite sure of that," -exclaimed Louis. - -"I shall be obliged to believe it, if your majesty continues to hold -such language towards me." - -"I am most unhappy, then," said the king, in a tone of regret which was -not assumed; "I am the unhappiest prince in the Christian world, since -I am powerless to induce belief in my words, in one whom I love the best -in the wide world, and who almost breaks my heart by refusing to credit -my regard for her." - -"Oh, sire!" said La Valliere, gently putting the king aside, who had -approached nearer to her, "I think the storm has passed away now, and -the rain has ceased." At the very moment, however, as the poor girl, -fleeing as it were from her own heart, which doubtless throbbed but too -well in unison with the king's, uttered these words, the storm undertook -to contradict her. A dead-white flash of lightning illumined the -forest with a weird glare, and a peal of thunder, like a discharge of -artillery, burst over their heads, as if the height of the oak that -sheltered them had attracted the storm. The young girl could not repress -a cry of terror. The king with one hand drew her towards his heart, and -stretched the other above her head, as though to shield her from the -lightning. A moment's silence ensued, as the group, delightful as -everything young and loving is delightful, remained motionless, while -Fouquet and Aramis contemplated it in attitudes as motionless as La -Valliere and the king. "Oh, sire!" murmured La Valliere, "do you hear?" -and her head fell upon his shoulder. - -"Yes," said the king. "You see, the storm has not passed away." - -"_It is a warning, sire_." The king smiled. "Sire, it is the voice of -Heaven in anger." - -"Be it so," said the king. "I agree to accept that peal of thunder as -a warning, and even as a menace, if, in five minutes from the present -moment, it is renewed with equal violence; but if not, permit me to -think that the storm is a storm simply, and nothing more." And the king, -at the same moment, raised his head, as if to interrogate the heavens. -But, as if the remark had been heard and accepted, during the five -minutes which elapsed after the burst of thunder which had alarmed them, -no renewed peal was heard; and, when the thunder was again heard, it was -passing as plainly as if, during those same five minutes, the storm, put -to flight, had traversed the heavens with the wings of the wind. "Well, -Louise," said the king, in a low tone of voice, "do you still threaten -me with the anger of Heaven? and, since you wished to regard the storm -as a warning, do you still believe it bodes misfortune?" - -The young girl looked up, and saw that while they had been talking, the -rain had penetrated the foliage above them, and was trickling down -the king's face. "Oh, sire, sire!" she exclaimed, in accents of eager -apprehensions, which greatly agitated the king. "Is it for me," she -murmured, "that the king remains thus uncovered, and exposed to the -rain? What am I, then?" - -"You are, you perceive," said the king, "the divinity who dissipates the -storm, and brings back fine weather." In fact, even as the king spoke, -a ray of sunlight streamed through the forest, and caused the rain-drops -which rested upon the leaves, or fell vertically among the openings in -the branches of the trees, to glisten like diamonds. - -"Sire," said La Valliere, almost overcome, but making a powerful effort -over herself, "think of the anxieties your majesty will have to submit -to on my account. At this very moment, they are seeking you in every -direction. The queen must be full of uneasiness; and Madame--oh, -Madame!" the young girl exclaimed, with an expression almost resembling -terror. - -This name had a certain effect upon the king. He started, and disengaged -himself from La Valliere, whom he had, till that moment, held pressed -against his heart. He then advanced towards the path, in order to look -round, and returned, somewhat thoughtfully, to La Valliere. "Madame, did -you say?" he remarked. - -"Yes, Madame; she, too, is jealous," said La Valliere, with a marked -tone of voice; and her eyes, so timorous in their expression, and -so modestly fugitive in their glance, for a moment, ventured to look -inquiringly into the king's. - -"Still," returned Louis, making an effort over himself, "it seems to me -that Madame has no reason, no right to be jealous of me." - -"Alas!" murmured La Valliere. - -"Are you, too," said the king, almost in a tone of reproach, "are -you among those who think the sister has a right to be jealous of the -brother?" - -"It is not for me, sire, to seek to penetrate your majesty's secrets." - -"You _do_ believe it, then?" exclaimed the king. - -"I believe Madame is jealous, sire," La Valliere replied, firmly. - -"Is it possible," said the king with some anxiety, "that you have -perceived it, then, from her conduct towards you? Have her manners -in any way been such towards you that you can attribute them to the -jealousy you speak of?" - -"Not at all, sire; I am of so little importance." - -"Oh! if it were really the case--" exclaimed Louis, violently. - -"Sire," interrupted the young girl, "it has ceased raining; some one is -coming, I think." And, forgetful of all etiquette, she had seized the -king by the arm. - -"Well," replied the king, "let them come. Who is there who would venture -to think I had done wrong in remaining alone with Mademoiselle de la -Valliere?" - -"For pity's sake, sire! they will think it strange to see you wet -through, in this manner, and that you should have run such risk for me." - -"I have simply done my duty as a gentleman," said Louis; "and woe to him -who may fail in his, in criticising his sovereign's conduct." In fact, -at this moment a few eager and curious faces were seen in the walk, as -if engaged in a search. Catching glimpses at last of the king and La -Valliere, they seemed to have found what they were seeking. They were -some of the courtiers who had been sent by the queen and Madame, and -uncovered themselves, in token of having perceived his majesty. But -Louis, notwithstanding La Valliere's confusion, did not quit his -respectful and tender attitude. Then, when all the courtiers were -assembled in the walk--when every one had been able to perceive the -extraordinary mark of deference with which he had treated the young -girl, by remaining standing and bare-headed during the storm--he offered -her his arm, led her towards the group who were waiting, recognized by -an inclination of the head the respectful salutations which were paid -him on all sides; and, still holding his hat in his hand, he conducted -her to her carriage. And, as a few sparse drops of rain continued -to fall--a last adieu of the vanishing storm--the other ladies, whom -respect had prevented from getting into their carriages before the king, -remained altogether unprotected by hood or cloak, exposed to the rain -from which the king was protecting, as well as he was able, the humblest -among them. The queen and Madame must, like the others, have witnessed -this exaggerated courtesy of the king. Madame was so disconcerted at -it, that she touched the queen with her elbow, saying at the same time, -"Look there, look there." - -The queen closed her eyes as if she had been suddenly seized with -a fainting-spell. She lifted her hands to her face and entered her -carriage, Madame following her. The king again mounted his horse, -and without showing a preference for any particular carriage door, he -returned to Fontainebleau, the reins hanging over his horse's neck, -absorbed in thought. As soon as the crowd had disappeared, and the sound -of the horses and carriages grew fainter in the distance, and when they -were certain, in fact, that no one could see them, Aramis and Fouquet -came out of their grotto, and both of them in silence passed slowly -on towards the walk. Aramis looked most narrowly not only at the whole -extent of the open space stretching out before and behind him, but even -into the very depth of the wood. - -"Monsieur Fouquet," he said, when he had quite satisfied himself that -they were alone, "we must get back, at any cost, that letter you wrote -to La Valliere." - -"That will be easy enough," said Fouquet, "if my servant has not given -it to her." - -"In any case it must be had, do you understand?" - -"Yes. The king is in love with the girl, you mean?" - -"Deeply, and what is worse is, that on her side, the girl is -passionately attached to him." - -"As much as to say that we must change our tactics, I suppose?" - -"Not a doubt of it; you have no time to lose. You must see La Valliere, -and, without thinking any more of becoming her lover, which is out of -the question, must declare yourself her most devoted friend and her most -humble servant." - -"I will do so," replied Fouquet, "and without the slightest feeling of -disinclination, for she seems a good-hearted girl." - -"Or a very clever one," said Aramis; "but in that case, all the greater -reason." Then he added, after a moment's pause, "If I am not mistaken, -that girl will become the strongest passion of the king's life. Let us -return to our carriage, and, as fast as possible, to the chateau." - - - -Chapter LXIII. Toby. - -Two hours after the superintendent's carriage had set off by Aramis's -directions, conveying them both towards Fontainebleau with the fleetness -of the clouds the last breath of the tempest was hurrying across the -face of heaven, La Valliere was closeted in her own apartment, with a -simple muslin wrapper round her, having just finished a slight repast, -which was placed upon a marble table. Suddenly the door was opened, -and a servant entered to announce M. Fouquet, who had called to request -permission to pay his respects to her. She made him repeat the message -twice over, for the poor girl only knew M. Fouquet by name, and could -not conceive what business she could possibly have with a superintendent -of finances. However, as he might represent the king--and, after the -conversation we have recorded, it was very likely--she glanced at her -mirror, drew out still more the ringlets of her hair, and desired him -to be admitted. La Valliere could not, however, refrain from a certain -feeling of uneasiness. A visit from the superintendent was not an -ordinary event in the life of any woman attached to the court. Fouquet, -so notorious for his generosity, his gallantry, and his sensitive -delicacy of feeling with regard to women generally, had received -more invitations than he had requested audiences. In many houses, the -presence of the superintendent had been significant of fortune; in many -hearts, of love. Fouquet entered the apartment with a manner full of -respect, presenting himself with that ease and gracefulness of manner -which was the distinctive characteristic of the men of eminence of that -period, and which at the present day seems no longer to be understood, -even through the interpretation of the portraits of the period, in -which the painter has endeavored to recall them to being. La Valliere -acknowledged the ceremonious salutation which Fouquet addressed to her -by a gentle inclination of the head, and motioned him to a seat. But -Fouquet, with a bow, said, "I will not sit down until you have pardoned -me." - -"I?" asked La Valliere, "pardon what?" - -Fouquet fixed a most piercing look upon the young girl, and fancied he -could perceive in her face nothing but the most unaffected surprise. "I -observe," he said, "that you have as much generosity as intelligence, -and I read in your eyes the forgiveness I solicit. A pardon pronounced -by your lips is insufficient for me, and I need the forgiveness of your -heart and mind." - -"Upon my honor, monsieur," said La Valliere, "I assure you most -positively I do not understand your meaning." - -"Again, that is a delicacy on your part which charms me," replied -Fouquet, "and I see you do not wish me to blush before you." - -"Blush! blush before _me!_ Why should you blush?" - -"Can I have deceived myself," said Fouquet; "and can I have been happy -enough not to have offended you by my conduct towards you?" - -"Really, monsieur," said La Valliere, shrugging her shoulders, "you -speak in enigmas, and I suppose I am too ignorant to understand you." - -"Be it so," said Fouquet; "I will not insist. Tell me, only, I entreat -you, that I may rely upon your full and complete forgiveness." - -"I have but one reply to make to you, monsieur," said La Valliere, -somewhat impatiently, "and I hope that will satisfy you. If I knew the -wrong you have done me, I would forgive you, and I now do so with still -greater reason since I am ignorant of the wrong you allude to." - -Fouquet bit his lips, as Aramis would have done. "In that case," he -said, "I may hope, that, notwithstanding what has happened, our good -understanding will remain undisturbed, and that you will kindly confer -the favor upon me of believing in my respectful friendship." - -La Valliere fancied that she now began to understand, and said to -herself, "I should not have believed M. Fouquet so eager to seek -the source of a favor so very recent," and then added aloud, "Your -friendship, monsieur! you offer me your friendship. The honor, on the -contrary, is mine, and I feel overpowered by it." - -"I am aware," replied Fouquet, "that the friendship of the master may -appear more brilliant and desirable than that of the servant; but I -assure you the latter will be quite as devoted, quite as faithful, and -altogether disinterested." - -La Valliere bowed, for, in fact, the voice of the superintendent seemed -to convey both conviction and real devotion in its tone, and she held -out her hand to him, saying, "I believe you." - -Fouquet eagerly took hold of the young girl's hand. "You see no -difficulty, therefore," he added, "in restoring me that unhappy letter." - -"What letter?" inquired La Valliere. - -Fouquet interrogated her with his most searching gaze, as he had already -done before, but the same ingenious expressions, the same transparently -candid look met his. "I am obliged to confess," he said, after this -denial, "that your heart is the most delicate in the world, and I should -not feel I was a man of honor and uprightness if I were to suspect -anything from a woman so generous as yourself." - -"Really, Monsieur Fouquet," replied La Valliere, "it is with profound -regret I am obliged to repeat that I absolutely understand nothing of -what you refer to." - -"In fact, then, upon your honor, mademoiselle, you have not received any -letter from me?" - -"Upon my honor, none," replied La Valliere, firmly. - -"Very well, that is quite sufficient; permit me, then, to renew the -assurance of my utmost esteem and respect," said Fouquet. Then, bowing, -he left the room to seek Aramis, who was waiting for him in his -own apartment, and leaving La Valliere to ask herself whether the -superintendent had not lost his senses. - -"Well!" inquired Aramis, who was impatiently waiting Fouquet's return, -"are you satisfied with the favorite?" - -"Enchanted," replied Fouquet; "she is a woman full of intelligence and -fine feeling." - -"She did not get angry, then?" - -"Far from that--she did not even seem to understand." - -"To understand what?" - -"To understand that I had written to her." - -"She must, however, have understood you sufficiently to give the letter -back to you, for I presume she returned it." - -"Not at all." - -"At least, you satisfied yourself that she had burnt it." - -"My dear Monsieur d'Herblay, I have been playing at cross-purposes for -more than an hour, and, however amusing it may be, I begin to have had -enough of this game. So understand me thoroughly: the girl pretended not -to understand what I was saying to her; she denied having received any -letter; therefore, having positively denied its receipt, she was unable -either to return or burn it." - -"Oh, oh!" said Aramis, with uneasiness, "what is this you tell me?" - -"I say that she swore most positively she had not received any letter." - -"That is too much. And did you not insist?" - -"On the contrary, I did insist, almost impertinently even." - -"And she persisted in her denial?" - -"Unhesitatingly." - -"And did she not contradict herself?" - -"Not once." - -"But, in that case, then, you have left our letter in her hands?" - -"How could I do otherwise?" - -"Oh! it was a great mistake." - -"What the deuce would you have done in my place?" - -"One could not force her, certainly, but it is very embarrassing; such a -letter ought not to remain in existence against us." - -"Oh! the young girl's disposition is generosity itself; I looked at her -eyes, and I can read eyes well." - -"You think she can be relied upon?" - -"From my heart I do." - -"Well, I think we are mistaken." - -"In what way?" - -"I think that, in point of fact, as she herself told you, she did not -receive the letter." - -"What! do you suppose--" - -"I suppose that, from some motive, of which we know nothing, your man -did not deliver the letter to her." - -Fouquet rang the bell. A servant appeared. "Send Toby here," he said. A -moment afterwards a man made his appearance, with an anxious, restless -look, shrewd expression of the mouth, with short arms, and his back -somewhat bent. Aramis fixed a penetrating look upon him. - -"Will you allow me to interrogate him myself?" inquired Aramis. - -"Do so," said Fouquet. - -Aramis was about to say something to the lackey, when he paused. "No," -he said; "he would see that we attach too much importance to his answer; -therefore question him yourself; I will pretend to be writing." Aramis -accordingly placed himself at a table, his back turned towards the old -attendant, whose every gesture and look he watched in a looking-glass -opposite to him. - -"Come here, Toby," said Fouquet to the valet, who approached with a -tolerably firm step. "How did you execute my commission?" inquired -Fouquet. - -"In the usual way, monseigneur," replied the man. - -"But how, tell me?" - -"I succeeded in penetrating as far as Mademoiselle de la Valliere's -apartment; but she was at mass, and so I placed the note on her -toilette-table. Is not that what you told me to do?" - -"Precisely; and is that all?" - -"Absolutely all, monseigneur." - -"No one was there?" - -"No one." - -"Did you conceal yourself as I told you?" - -"Yes." - -"And she returned?" - -"Ten minutes afterwards." - -"And no one could have taken the letter?" - -"No one; for no one had entered the room." - -"From the outside, but from the interior?" - -"From the place where I was secreted, I could see to the very end of the -room." - -"Now listen to me," said Fouquet, looking fixedly at the lackey; "if -this letter did not reach its proper destination, confess it; for, if a -mistake has been made, your head shall be the forfeit." - -Toby started, but immediately recovered himself. "Monseigneur," he said, -"I placed the letter on the very place I told you: and I ask only -half an hour to prove to you that the letter is in Mademoiselle de la -Valliere's hand, or to bring you back the letter itself." - -Aramis looked at the valet scrutinizingly. Fouquet was ready in placing -confidence in people, and for twenty years this man had served him -faithfully. "Go," he said; "but bring me the proof you speak of." The -lackey quitted the room. - -"Well, what do you think of it?" inquired Fouquet of Aramis. - -"I think that you must, by some means or another, assure yourself of -the truth, either that the letter has, or has not, reached La Valliere; -that, in the first case, La Valliere must return it to you, or satisfy -you by burning it in your presence; that, in the second, you must have -the letter back again, even were it to cost you a million. Come, is not -that your opinion?" - -"Yes; but still, my dear bishop, I believe you are exaggerating the -importance of the affair." - -"Blind, how blind you are!" murmured Aramis. - -"La Valliere," returned Fouquet, "whom we assume to be a schemer of the -first ability, is simply nothing more than a coquette, who hopes that I -shall pay my court to her, because I have already done so, and who, now -that she has received a confirmation of the king's regard, hopes to keep -me in leading strings with the letter. It is natural enough." - -Aramis shook his head. - -"Is not that your opinion?" said Fouquet. - -"She is not a coquette," he replied. - -"Allow me to tell you--" - -"Oh! I am well enough acquainted with women who are coquettes," said -Aramis. - -"My dear friend!" - -"It is a long time ago since I finished my education, you mean. But -women are the same, throughout the centuries." - -"True; but men change, and you at the present day are far more -suspicious than you formerly were." And then, beginning to laugh, he -added, "Come, if La Valliere is willing to love me only to the extent -of a third, and the king two-thirds, do you think the condition -acceptable?" - -Aramis rose impatiently. "La Valliere," he said, "has never loved, and -never will love, any one but the king." - -"At all events," said Fouquet, "what would you do?" - -"Ask me rather what I would have done?" - -"Well! what would you have done?" - -"In the first place, I should not have allowed that man to depart." - -"Toby?" - -"Yes; Toby is a traitor. Nay, I am sure of it, and I would not have let -him go until he had told me the truth." - -"There is still time. I will recall him, and do you question him in your -turn." - -"Agreed." - -"But I assure you it is useless. He has been with me for twenty years, -and has never made the slightest mistake, and yet," added Fouquet, -laughing, "it would have been easy enough for him to have done so." - -"Still, call him back. This morning I fancy I saw that face, in earnest -conversation with one of M. Colbert's men." - -"Where was that?" - -"Opposite the stables." - -"Bah! all my people are at daggers drawn with that fellow." - -"I saw him, I tell you, and his face, which should have been unknown to -me when he entered just now, struck me as disagreeably familiar." - -"Why did you not say something, then, while he was here?" - -"Because it is only at this very minute that my memory is clear upon the -subject." - -"Really," said Fouquet, "you alarm me." And he again rang the bell. - -"Provided that it is not already too late," said Aramis. - -Fouquet once more rang impatiently. The valet usually in attendance -appeared. "Toby!" said Fouquet, "send Toby." The valet again shut the -door. - -"You leave me at perfect liberty, I suppose?" - -"Entirely so." - -"I may employ all means, then, to ascertain the truth." - -"All." - -"Intimidation, even?" - -"I constitute you public prosecutor in my place." - -They waited ten minutes longer, but uselessly, and Fouquet, thoroughly -out of patience, again rang loudly. - -"Toby!" he exclaimed. - -"Monseigneur," said the valet, "they are looking for him." - -"He cannot be far distant, I have not given him any commission to -execute." - -"I will go and see, monseigneur," replied the valet, as he closed the -door. Aramis, during the interview, walked impatiently, but without a -syllable, up and down the cabinet. They waited a further ten minutes. -Fouquet rang in a manner to alarm the very dead. The valet again -presented himself, trembling in a way to induce a belief that he was the -bearer of bad news. - -"Monseigneur is mistaken," he said, before even Fouquet could -interrogate him, "you must have given Toby some commission, for he -has been to the stables and taken your lordship's swiftest horse, and -saddled it himself." - -"Well?" - -"And he has gone off." - -"Gone!" exclaimed Fouquet. "Let him be pursued, let him be captured." - -"Nay, nay," whispered Aramis, taking him by the hand, "be calm, the evil -is done." - -The valet quietly went out. - -"The evil is done, you say?" - -"No doubt; I was sure of it. And now, let us give no cause for -suspicion; we must calculate the result of the blow, and ward it off, if -possible." - -"After all," said Fouquet, "the evil is not great." - -"You think so?" said Aramis. - -"Of course. Surely a man is allowed to write a love-letter to a woman." - -"A man, certainly; a subject, no; especially, too, when the woman in -question is one with whom the king is in love." - -"But the king was not in love with La Valliere a week ago! he was not in -love with her yesterday, and the letter is dated yesterday; I could not -guess the king was in love, when the king's affection was not even yet -in existence." - -"As you please," replied Aramis; "but unfortunately the letter is not -dated, and it is that circumstance particularly which annoys me. If it -had only been dated yesterday, I should not have the slightest shadow of -uneasiness on your account." - -Fouquet shrugged his shoulders. - -"Am I not my own master," he said, "and is the king, then, king of my -brain and of my flesh?" - -"You are right," replied Aramis, "do not let us attach greater -importance to matters than is necessary; and besides... Well! if we are -menaced, we have means of defense." - -"Oh! menaced!" said Fouquet, "you do not place this gnat bite, as it -were, among the number of menaces which may compromise my fortune and my -life, do you?" - -"Do not forget, Monsieur Fouquet, that the bit of an insect can kill a -giant, if the insect be venomous." - -"But has this sovereign power you were speaking of, already vanished?" - -"I am all-powerful, it is true, but I am not immortal." - -"Come, then, the most pressing matter is to find Toby again, I suppose. -Is not that your opinion?" - -"Oh! as for that, you will not find him again," said Aramis, "and if he -were of any great value to you, you must give him up for lost." - -"At all events he is somewhere or another in the world," said Fouquet. - -"You're right, let me act," replied Aramis. - - - -Chapter LXIV. Madame's Four Chances. - -Anne of Austria had begged the young queen to pay her a visit. For some -time past suffering most acutely, and losing both her youth and beauty -with that rapidity which signalizes the decline of women for whom life -has been one long contest, Anne of Austria had, in addition to her -physical sufferings, to experience the bitterness of being no longer -held in any esteem, except as a surviving remembrance of the past, -amidst the youthful beauties, wits, and influential forces of her court. -Her physician's opinions, her mirror also, grieved her far less than the -inexorable warnings which the society of the courtiers afforded, who, -like rats in a ship, abandon the hold into which on the very next voyage -the water will infallibly penetrate, owing to the ravages of decay. Anne -of Austria did not feel satisfied with the time her eldest son devoted -to her. The king, a good son, more from affectation than from affection, -had at first been in the habit of passing an hour in the morning and one -in the evening with his mother; but, since he had himself undertaken -the conduct of state affairs, the duration of the morning and evening's -visit had been reduced by one half; and then, by degrees, the morning -visit had been suppressed altogether. They met at mass; the evening -visit was replaced by a meeting, either at the king's assembly or at -Madame's, which the queen attended obligingly enough, out of regard to -her two sons. - -The result of this was, that Madame gradually acquired an immense -influence over the court, which made her apartments the true royal place -of meeting. This, Anne of Austria perceived; knowing herself to be very -ill, and condemned by her sufferings to frequent retirement, she was -distressed at the idea that the greater part of her future days and -evenings would pass away solitary, useless, and in despondency. She -recalled with terror the isolation in which Cardinal Richelieu had -formerly left her, those dreaded and insupportable evenings, during -which, however, she had both youth and beauty, which are ever -accompanied by hope, to console her. She next formed the project of -transporting the court to her own apartments, and of attracting Madame, -with her brilliant escort, to her gloomy and already sorrowful abode, -where the widow of a king of France, and the mother of a king of France, -was reduced to console, in her artificial widowhood, the weeping wife of -a king of France. - -Anne began to reflect. She had intrigued a good deal in her life. In -the good times past, when her youthful mind nursed projects that were, -ultimately, invariably successful, she had by her side, to stimulate -her ambition and her love, a friend of her own sex, more eager, more -ambitious than herself,--a friend who had loved her, a rare circumstance -at courts, and whom some petty considerations had removed from her -forever. But for many years past--except Madame de Motteville, and La -Molena, her Spanish nurse, a confidante in her character of countrywoman -and woman too--who could boast of having given good advice to the queen? -Who, too, among all the youthful heads there, could recall the past for -her,--that past in which alone she lived? Anne of Austria remembered -Madame de Chevreuse, in the first place exiled rather by her wish than -the king's, and then dying in exile, the wife of a gentleman of obscure -birth and position. She asked herself what Madame de Chevreuse would -have advised her to do in similar circumstances, in their mutual -difficulties arising from their intrigues; and after serious reflection, -it seemed as if the clever, subtle mind of her friend, full of -experience and sound judgment, answered her in the well-remembered -ironical tones: "All the insignificant young people are poor and greedy -of gain. They require gold and incomes to supply means of amusement; -it is by interest you must gain them over." And Anne of Austria adopted -this plan. Her purse was well filled, and she had at her disposal a -considerable sum of money, which had been amassed by Mazarin for her, -and lodged in a place of safety. She possessed the most magnificent -jewels in France, and especially pearls of a size so large that they -made the king sigh every time he saw them, because the pearls of his -crown were like millet seed compared to them. Anne of Austria had -neither beauty nor charms any longer at her disposal. She gave out, -therefore, that her wealth was great, and as an inducement for others -to visit her apartments she let it be known that there were good gold -crowns to be won at play, or that handsome presents were likely to be -made on days when all went well with her; or windfalls, in the shape of -annuities which she had wrung from the king by entreaty, and thus she -determined to maintain her credit. In the first place, she tried these -means upon Madame; because to gain her consent was of more importance -than anything else. Madame, notwithstanding the bold confidence which -her wit and beauty inspired her, blindly ran head foremost into the net -thus stretched out to catch her. Enriched by degrees by these presents -and transfers of property, she took a fancy to inheritances by -anticipation. Anne of Austria adopted the same means towards Monsieur, -and even towards the king himself. She instituted lotteries in her -apartments. The day on which the present chapter opens, invitations had -been issued for a late supper in the queen-mother's apartments, as she -intended that two beautiful diamond bracelets of exquisite workmanship -should be put into a lottery. The medallions were antique cameos of -the greatest value; the diamonds, in point of intrinsic value, did not -represent a very considerable amount, but the originality and rarity of -the workmanship were such, that every one at court not only wished to -possess the bracelets, but even to see the queen herself wear them; for, -on the days she wore them, it was considered as a favor to be admitted -to admire them in kissing her hands. The courtiers had, even with regard -to this subject, adopted various expressions of gallantry to establish -the aphorism, that the bracelets would have been priceless in value if -they had not been unfortunate enough to be placed in contact with arms -as beautiful as the queen's. This compliment had been honored by a -translation into all the languages of Europe, and numerous verses in -Latin and French had been circulated on the subject. The day that Anne -of Austria had selected for the lottery was a decisive moment; the king -had not been near his mother for a couple of days; Madame, after the -great scene of the Dryads and Naiads, was sulking by herself. It -is true, the king's fit of resentment was over, but his mind was -absorbingly occupied by a circumstance that raised him above the stormy -disputes and giddy pleasures of the court. - -Anne of Austria effected a diversion by the announcement of the famous -lottery to take place in her apartments on the following evening. With -this object in view, she saw the young queen, whom, as we have already -seen, she had invited to pay her a visit in the morning. "I have good -news to tell you," she said to her; "the king has been saying the most -tender things about you. He is young, you know, and easily drawn away; -but so long as you keep near me, he will not venture to keep away from -you, to whom, besides, he is most warmly and affectionately attached. I -intend to have a lottery this evening and shall expect to see you." - -"I have heard," said the young queen, with a sort of timid reproach, -"that your majesty intends to put in the lottery those lovely bracelets -whose rarity is so great that we ought not to allow them to pass out of -the custody of the crown, even were there no other reason than that they -had once belonged to you." - -"My daughter," said Anne of Austria, who read the young queen's -thoughts, and wished to console her for not having received the -bracelets as a present, "it is positively necessary that I should induce -Madame to pass her time in my apartments." - -"Madame!" said the young queen, blushing. - -"Of course: would you not prefer to have a rival near you, whom you -could watch and influence, to knowing the king is with her, always as -ready to flirt as to be flirted with by her? The lottery I have proposed -is my means of attraction for that purpose; do you blame me?" - -"Oh, no!" returned Maria Theresa, clapping her hands with a childlike -expression of delight. - -"And you no longer regret, then, that I did not give you these -bracelets, as I at first intended to do?" - -"Oh, no, no!" - -"Very well; make yourself look as beautiful as possible that our supper -may be very brilliant; the gayer you seem, the more charming you appear, -and you will eclipse all the ladies present as much by your brilliancy -as by your rank." - -Maria Theresa left full of delight. An hour afterwards, Anne of Austria -received a visit from Madame, whom she covered with caresses, saying, -"Excellent news! the king is charmed with my lottery." - -"But I," replied Madame, "am not so greatly charmed: to see such -beautiful bracelets on any one's arms but yours or mine, is what I -cannot reconcile myself to." - -"Well, well," said Anne of Austria, concealing by a smile a violent -pang she had just experienced, "do not look at things in the worst light -immediately." - -"Ah, Madame, Fortune is blind, and I am told there are two hundred -tickets." - -"Quite as many as that; but you cannot surely forget that there can only -be one winner." - -"No doubt. But who will that be? Can you tell?" said Madame, in despair. - -"You remind me that I had a dream last night; my dreams are always -good,--I sleep so little." - -"What was your dream?--but are you suffering?" - -"No," said the queen, stifling with wonderful command the torture of a -renewed attack of shooting pains in her bosom; "I dreamed that the king -won the bracelets." - -"The king!" - -"You are going to ask me, I think, what the king could possibly do with -the bracelets?" - -"Yes." - -"And you would not add, perhaps, that it would be very fortunate if the -king were really to win, for he would be obliged to give the bracelets -to some one else." - -"To restore them to you, for instance." - -"In which case I should immediately give them away; for you do not -think, I suppose," said the queen, laughing, "that I have put these -bracelets up to a lottery from necessity. My object was to give them -without arousing any one's jealousy; but if Fortune will not get me out -of my difficulty--well, I will teach Fortune a lesson--and I know -very well to whom I intend to offer the bracelets." These words were -accompanied by so expressive a smile, that Madame could not resist -paying her by a grateful kiss. - -"But," added Anne of Austria, "do you not know, as well as I do, that if -the king were to win the bracelets, he would not restore them to me?" - -"You mean he would give them to the queen?" - -"No; and for the very same reason that he would not give them back again -to me; since, if I had wished to make the queen a present of them, I had -no need of him for that purpose." - -Madame cast a side glance upon the bracelets, which, in their casket, -were dazzlingly exposed to view upon a table close beside her. - -"How beautiful they are," she said, sighing. "But stay," Madame -continued, "we are quite forgetting that your majesty's dream was -nothing but a dream." - -"I should be very much surprised," returned Anne of Austria, "if my -dream were to deceive me; that has happened to me very seldom." - -"We may look upon you as a prophetess, then." - -"I have already said, that I dream but very rarely; but the coincidence -of my dream about this matter, with my own ideas, is extraordinary! it -agrees so wonderfully with my own views and arrangements." - -"What arrangements do you allude to?" - -"That you will get the bracelets, for instance." - -"In that case, it will not be the king." - -"Oh!" said Anne of Austria, "there is not such a very great distance -between his majesty's heart and your own; for, are you not his sister, -for whom he has a great regard? There is not, I repeat, so very wide a -distance, that my dream can be pronounced false on that account. Come, -let us reckon up the chances in its favor." - -"I will count them." - -"In the first place, we will begin with the dream. If the king wins, he -is sure to give you the bracelets." - -"I admit that is one." - -"If you win them, they are yours." - -"Naturally; that may be admitted also." - -"Lastly;--if Monsieur were to win them!" - -"Oh!" said Madame, laughing heartily, "he would give them to the -Chevalier de Lorraine." - -Anne of Austria laughed as heartily as her daughter-in-law; so much so, -indeed, that her sufferings again returned, and made her turn suddenly -pale in the very midst of her enjoyment. - -"What is the matter?" inquired Madame, terrified. - -"Nothing, nothing; a pain in my side. I have been laughing too much. We -were at the fourth chance, I think." - -"I cannot see a fourth." - -"I beg your pardon; I am not excluded from the chance of winning, and if -I be the winner, you are sure of me." - -"Oh! thank you, thank you!" exclaimed Madame. - -"I hope that you look upon yourself as one whose chances are good, and -that my dream now begins to assure the solid outlines of reality." - -"Yes, indeed: you give me both hope and confidence," said Madame, "and -the bracelets, won in this manner, will be a hundred times more precious -to me." - -"Well! then, good-bye, until this evening." And the two princesses -separated. Anne of Austria, after her daughter-in-law had left her, said -to herself, as she examined the bracelets, "They are, indeed, precious; -since, by their means, this evening, I shall have won over a heart to my -side, at the same time, fathomed an important secret." - -Then turning towards the deserted recess in her room, she said, -addressing vacancy,--"Is it not thus that you would have acted, my poor -Chevreuse? Yes, yes; I know it is." - -And, like a perfume of other, fairer days, her youth, her imagination, -and her happiness seemed to be wafted towards the echo of this -invocation. - - - -Chapter LXV. The Lottery. - -By eight o'clock in the evening, every one had assembled in the -queen-mother's apartments. Anne of Austria, in full dress, beautiful -still, from former loveliness, and from all the resources coquetry -can command at the hands of clever assistants, concealed, or rather -pretended to conceal, from the crowd of courtiers who surrounded her, -and who still admired her, thanks to the combination of circumstances -which we have indicated in the preceding chapter, the ravages, which -were already visible, of the acute suffering to which she finally -yielded a few years later. Madame, almost as great a coquette as Anne of -Austria, and the queen, simple and natural as usual, were seated beside -her, each contending for her good graces. The ladies of honor, united -in a body, in order to resist with greater effect, and consequently with -more success, the witty and lively conversations which the young men -held about them, were enabled, like a battalion formed in a square, -to offer each other the means of attack and defense which were thus -at their command. Montalais, learned in that species of warfare which -consists of sustained skirmishing, protected the whole line by a sort -of rolling fire she directed against the enemy. Saint-Aignan, in utter -despair at the rigor, which became almost insulting from the very fact -of her persisting in it, Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente displayed, -tried to turn his back upon her; but, overcome by the irresistible -brilliancy of her eyes, he, every moment, returned to consecrate his -defeat by new submissions, to which Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente did -not fail to reply by fresh acts of impertinence. Saint-Aignan did not -know which way to turn. La Valliere had about her, not exactly a court, -but sprinklings of courtiers. Saint-Aignan, hoping by this maneuver to -attract Athenais's attention towards him, approached the young girl, and -saluted her with a respect that induced some to believe that he wished -to balance Athenais by Louise. But these were persons who had neither -been witnesses of the scene during the shower, nor had heard it spoken -of. As the majority was already informed, and well informed, too, on the -matter, the acknowledged favor with which she was regarded had attracted -to her side some of the most astute, as well as the least sensible, -members of the court. The former, because they said with Montaigne, -"How do I know?" and the latter, who said with Rabelais, "Perhaps." -The greatest number had followed in the wake of the latter, just as in -hunting five or six of the best hounds alone follow the scent of the -animal hunted, whilst the remainder of the pack follow only the scent of -the hounds. The two queens and Madame examined with particular attention -the toilettes of their ladies and maids of honor; and they condescended -to forget they were queens in recollecting that they were women. In -other words, they pitilessly picked to pieces every person present who -wore a petticoat. The looks of both princesses simultaneously fell upon -La Valliere, who, as we have just said, was completely surrounded -at that moment. Madame knew not what pity was, and said to the -queen-mother, as she turned towards her, "If Fortune were just, she -would favor that poor La Valliere." - -"That is not possible," said the queen-mother, smiling. - -"Why not?" - -"There are only two hundred tickets, so that it was not possible to -inscribe every one's name on the list." - -"And hers is not there, then?" - -"No!" - -"What a pity! she might have won them, and then sold them." - -"Sold them!" exclaimed the queen. - -"Yes; it would have been a dowry for her, and she would not have been -obliged to marry without her _trousseau_, as will probably be the case." - -"Really," answered the queen-mother, "poor little thing: has she no -dresses, then?" - -And she pronounced these words like a woman who has never been able to -understand the inconveniences of a slenderly filled purse. - -"Stay, look at her. Heaven forgive me, if she is not wearing the very -same petticoat this evening that she had on this morning during the -promenade, and which she managed to keep clean, thanks to the care the -king took of her, in sheltering her from the rain." - -At the very moment Madame uttered these words the king entered the -room. The two queens would not perhaps have observed his arrival, so -completely were they occupied in their ill-natured remarks, had not -Madame noticed that, all at once, La Valliere, who was standing up -facing the gallery, exhibited certain signs of confusion, and then -said a few words to the courtiers who surrounded her, who immediately -dispersed. This movement induced Madame to look towards the door, and -at that moment, the captain of the guards announced the king. At this -moment La Valliere, who had hitherto kept her eyes fixed upon the -gallery, suddenly cast them down as the king entered. His majesty was -dressed magnificently and in the most perfect taste; he was conversing -with Monsieur and the Duc de Roquelaure, Monsieur on his right, and the -Duc de Roquelaure on his left. The king advanced, in the first place, -towards the queens, to whom he bowed with an air full of graceful -respect. He took his mother's hand and kissed it, addressed a few -compliments to Madame upon the beauty of her toilette, and then began -to make the round of the assembly. La Valliere was saluted in the same -manner as the others, but with neither more nor less attention. His -majesty then returned to his mother and his wife. When the courtiers -noticed that the king had only addressed some ordinary remark to the -young girl who had been so particularly noticed in the morning, they -immediately drew their own conclusion to account for this coldness of -manner; this conclusion being, that although the king may have taken -a sudden fancy to her, that fancy had already disappeared. One thing, -however, must be remarked, that close beside La Valliere, among the -number of the courtiers, M. Fouquet was to be seen; and his respectfully -attentive manner served to sustain the young girl in the midst of the -varied emotions that visibly agitated her. - -M. Fouquet was just on the point, moreover, of speaking in a more -friendly manner with Mademoiselle de la Valliere, when M. Colbert -approached, and after having bowed to Fouquet with all the formality of -respectful politeness, he seemed to take up a post beside La Valliere, -for the purpose of entering into conversation with her. Fouquet -immediately quitted his place. These proceedings were eagerly devoured -by the eyes of Montalais and Malicorne, who mutually exchanged their -observations on the subject. De Guiche, standing within the embrasure of -one of the windows, saw no one but Madame. But as Madame, on her side, -frequently glanced at La Valliere, De Guiche's eyes, following -Madame's, were from time to time cast upon the young girl. La Valliere -instinctively felt herself sinking beneath the weight of all these -different looks, inspired, some by interest, others by envy. She had -nothing to compensate her for her sufferings, not a kind word from her -companions, nor a look of affection from the king. No one could possibly -express the misery the poor girl was suffering. The queen-mother -next directed the small table to be brought forward, on which the -lottery-tickets were placed, two hundred in number, and begged Madame de -Motteville to read the list of the names. It was a matter of course -that this list had been drawn out in strict accordance with the laws of -etiquette. The king's name was first on the list, next the queen-mother, -then the queen, Monsieur, Madame, and so on. All hearts throbbed -anxiously as the list was read out; more than three hundred persons had -been invited, and each of them was anxious to learn whether his or -her name was to be found in the number of privileged names. The king -listened with as much attention as the others, and when the last name -had been pronounced, he noticed that La Valliere had been omitted from -the list. Every one, of course, remarked this omission. The king flushed -as if much annoyed; but La Valliere, gentle and resigned, as usual, -exhibited nothing of the sort. While the list was being read, the king -had not taken his eyes off the young girl, who seemed to expand, as it -were, beneath the happy influence she felt was shed around her, and who -was delighted and too pure in spirit for any other thought than that of -love to find an entrance either to her mind or her heart. Acknowledging -this touching self-denial by the fixity of his attention, the king -showed La Valliere how much he appreciated its delicacy. When the list -was finished, the different faces of those who had been omitted or -forgotten fully expressed their disappointment. Malicorne was also -left out from amongst the men; and the grimace he made plainly said -to Montalais, who was also forgotten, "Cannot we contrive to arrange -matters with Fortune in such a manner that she shall not forget us?" -to which a smile full of intelligence from Mademoiselle Aure, replied: -"Certainly we can." - -The tickets were distributed to each according to the number listed. The -king received his first, next the queen-mother, then Monsieur, then the -queen and Madame, and so on. After this, Anne of Austria opened a small -Spanish leather bag, containing two hundred numbers engraved upon small -balls of mother-of-pearl, and presented the open sack to the youngest -of her maids of honor, for the purpose of taking one of the balls out of -it. The eager expectation of the throng, amidst all the tediously slow -preparations, was rather that of cupidity than curiosity. Saint-Aignan -bent towards Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente to whisper to her, "Since -we have each a number, let us unite our two chances. The bracelet shall -be yours if I win, and if you are successful, deign to give me but one -look of your beautiful eyes." - -"No," said Athenais, "if you win the bracelet, keep it, every one for -himself." - -"You are without any pity," said Saint-Aignan, "and I will punish you by -a quatrain:-- - -"Beautiful Iris, to my vows You are too opposed--" - -"Silence," said Athenais, "you will prevent me hearing the winning -number." - -"Number one," said the young girl who had drawn the mother-of-pearl from -the Spanish leather bag. - -"The king!" exclaimed the queen-mother. - -"The king has won," repeated the queen, delightedly. - -"Oh! the king! your dream!" said Madame, joyously, in the ear of Anne of -Austria. - -The king was the only one who did not exhibit any satisfaction. He -merely thanked Fortune for what she had done for him, in addressing a -slight salutation to the young girl who had been chosen as her proxy. -Then receiving from the hands of Anne of Austria, amid the eager desire -of the whole assembly, the casket inclosing the bracelets, he said, "Are -these bracelets really beautiful, then?" - -"Look at them," said Anne of Austria, "and judge for yourself." - -The king looked at them, and said, "Yes, indeed, an admirable medallion. -What perfect finish!" - -Queen Maria Theresa easily saw, and that, too at the very first glance, -that the king would not offer the bracelets to her; but, as he did not -seem the least degree in the world disposed to offer them to Madame, -she felt almost satisfied, or nearly so. The king sat down. The most -intimate among the courtiers approached, one by one, for the purpose of -admiring more closely the beautiful piece of workmanship, which soon, -with the king's permission, was handed about from person to person. -Immediately, every one, connoisseurs or not, uttered various -exclamations of surprise, and overwhelmed the king with congratulations. -There was, in fact, something for everybody to admire--the brilliance -for some, and the cutting for others. The ladies present visibly -displayed their impatience to see such a treasure monopolized by the -gentlemen. - -"Gentlemen, gentlemen," said the king, whom nothing escaped, "one would -almost think that you wore bracelets as the Sabines used to do; hand -them round for a while for the inspection of the ladies, who seem to -have, and with far greater right, an excuse for understanding such -matters!" - -These words appeared to Madame the commencement of a decision she -expected. She gathered, besides, this happy belief from the glances of -the queen-mother. The courtier who held them at the moment the king -made this remark, amidst the general agitation, hastened to place the -bracelets in the hands of the queen, Maria Theresa, who, knowing too -well, poor woman, that they were not designed for her, hardly looked at -them, and almost immediately passed them on to Madame. The latter, and -even more minutely, Monsieur, gave the bracelets a long look of anxious -and almost covetous desire. She then handed the jewels to those ladies -who were near her, pronouncing this single word, but with an accent -which was worth a long phrase, "Magnificent!" - -The ladies who had received the bracelets from Madame's hands looked at -them as long as they chose to examine them, and then made them circulate -by passing them on towards the right. During this time the king was -tranquilly conversing with De Guiche and Fouquet, rather passively -letting them talk than himself listening. Accustomed to the set form -of ordinary phrases, his ear, like that of all men who exercise -an incontestable superiority over others, merely selected from the -conversations held in various directions the indispensable word which -requires reply. His attention, however, was now elsewhere, for it -wandered as his eyes did. - -Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente was the last of the ladies inscribed for -tickets; and, as if she had ranked according to her name upon the list, -she had only Montalais and La Valliere near her. When the bracelets -reached these two latter, no one appeared to take any further notice of -them. The humble hands which for a moment touched these jewels, deprived -them, for the time, of their importance--a circumstance which did not, -however, prevent Montalais from starting with joy, envy, and covetous -desire, at the sight of the beautiful stones still more than at their -magnificent workmanship. It is evident that if she were compelled to -decide between the pecuniary value and the artistic beauty, Montalais -would unhesitatingly have preferred diamonds to cameos, and her -disinclination, therefore, to pass them on to her companion, -La Valliere, was very great. La Valliere fixed a look almost of -indifference upon the jewels. - -"Oh, how beautiful, how magnificent these bracelets are!" exclaimed -Montalais; "and yet you do not go into ecstasies about them, Louise! You -are no true woman, I am sure." - -"Yes, I am, indeed," replied the young girl, with an accent of the -most charming melancholy; "but why desire that which can never, by any -possibility, be ours?" - -The king, his head bent forward, was listening to what Louise was -saying. Hardly had the vibration of her voice reached his ear than he -rose, radiant with delight, and passing across the whole assembly, -from the place where he stood, to La Valliere, "You are mistaken, -mademoiselle," he said, "you are a woman, and every woman has a right to -wear jewels, which are a woman's appurtenance." - -"Oh, sire!" said La Valliere, "your majesty will not absolutely believe -in my modesty?" - -"I believe you possess every virtue, mademoiselle; frankness as well as -every other; I entreat you, therefore, to say frankly what you think of -these bracelets?" - -"That they are beautiful, sire, and cannot be offered to any other than -a queen." - -"I am delighted that such is your opinion, mademoiselle; the bracelets -are yours, and the king begs your acceptance of them." - -And as, with a movement almost resembling terror, La Valliere eagerly -held out the casket to the king, the king gently pushed back her -trembling hand. - -A silence of astonishment, more profound than that of death, reigned in -the assembly. - -And yet, from the side where the queens were, no one had heard what he -had said, nor understood what he had done. A charitable friend, however, -took upon herself to spread the news; it was Tonnay-Charente, to whom -Madame had made a sign to approach. - -"Good heavens!" explained Tonnay-Charente, "how happy that La Valliere -is! the king has just given her the bracelets." - -Madame bit her lips to such a degree that the blood appeared upon the -surface of the skin. The young queen looked first at La Valliere and -then at Madame, and began to laugh. Anne of Austria rested her chin upon -her beautiful white hand, and remained for a long time absorbed by a -presentiment that disturbed her mind, and by a terrible pang which stung -her heart. De Guiche, observing Madame turn pale, and guessing the cause -of her change of color, abruptly quitted the assembly and disappeared. -Malicorne was then able to approach Montalais very quietly, and under -cover of the general din of conversation, said to her: - -"Aure, your fortune and our future are standing at your elbow." - -"Yes," was her reply, as she tenderly embraced La Valliere, whom, -inwardly, she was tempted to strangle. - - -End of Ten Years Later. The next text in the series is Louise de la -Valliere. - - - - -Footnotes: - -[Footnote 1: In the three-volume edition, Volume 1, entitled The Vicomte de -Bragelonne, ends here.] - -[Footnote 2: In most other editions, the previous chapter and the next are -usually combined into one chapter, entitled "D'Artagnan calls -De Wardes to account."] - -[Footnote 3: Dumas is mistaken. The events in the following chapters -occurred in 1661.] - -[Footnote 4: In the five-volume edition, Volume 2 ends here.] - -[Footnote 5: The verses in this chapter have been re-written to give the -flavor of them rather than the meaning. A more literal translation -would look like this: - - "Guiche is the furnisher - Of the maids of honor." - - and-- - - "He has stocked the birdcage; - Montalais and--" - -It would be more accurate, though, to say "baited" rather than -"stocked" in the second couplet.] - -[Footnote 6: The Latin translates to "The spirit is willing, but the flesh -is weak."] - -[Footnote 7: "Ad majorem Dei gloriam" was the motto of the Jesuits. It -translates to "For the greater glory of God."] - -[Footnote 8: "In the presence of these men?"] - -[Footnote 9: "By this sign you shall conquer."] - -[Footnote 10: "It rained all night long; the games will be held tomorrow."] - -[Footnote 11: "Lord, I am not worthy."] - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Ten Years Later, by Alexandre Dumas, Pere - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TEN YEARS LATER *** - -***** This file should be named 2681.txt or 2681.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/2/6/8/2681/ - -Produced by John Bursey - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at -http://gutenberg.org/license). - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org. - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at -http://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at -809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email -business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact -information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official -page at http://pglaf.org - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit http://pglaf.org - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - http://www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. |