"Good—day,Monsieurd'Artagnan,"saidtheminister,withmarkedaffability,"haveyouhadapleasantjourney?"
"Yes,monsieur,"saidD'Artagnan,bowingtotheneckofhishorse。
"Iheardthekinginviteyoutohistableforthisevening,"continuedtheminister;"youwillmeetanoldfriendthere。"
"Anoldfriendofmine?"askedD'Artagnan,plungingpainfullyintothedarkwavesofthepast,whichhadswallowedupforhimsomanyfriendshipsandsomanyhatreds。
"M。leDucd'Alm閐a,whoisarrivedthismorningfromSpain。"
"TheDucd'Alm閐a?"saidD'Artagnan,reflectinginvain。
"Here!"
criedanoldman,whiteassnow,sittingbentinhiscarriage,whichhecausedtobethrownopentomakeroomforthemusketeer。
"Aramis!"criedD'Artagnan,struckwithprofoundamazement。?Andhefelt,inertasitwas,thethinarmoftheoldnoblemanhangingroundhisneck。
Colbert,afterhavingobservedtheminsilenceforafewmoments,urgedhishorseforward,andleftthetwooldfriendstogether。
"Andso,"saidthemusketeer,takingAramis'sarm,"you,theexile,therebel,areagaininFrance?"
"Ah!andI
shalldinewithyouattheking'stable,"saidAramis,smiling。?"Yes,willyounotaskyourselfwhatistheuseoffidelityinthisworld??Stop!letusallowpoorLaValli鑢e'scarriagetopass。?Look,howuneasysheis!?Howhereyes,dimwithtears,followtheking,whoisridingonhorsebackyonder!"
"Withwhom?"
"WithMademoiselledeTonnay—Charente,nowMadamedeMontespan,"repliedAramis。
"Sheisjealous。?Isshethendeserted?"
"Notquiteyet,butitwillnotbelongbeforesheis。"
Transcriber'snote:MadamedeMontespanwouldoustLouisefromtheking'saffectionsby1667。—JB
Theychattedtogether,whilefollowingthesport,andAramis'scoachmandrovethemsocleverlythattheyarrivedattheinstantwhenthefalcon,attackingthebird,beathimdown,andfelluponhim。?Thekingalighted;MadamedeMontespanfollowedhisexample。?Theywereinfrontofanisolatedchapel,concealedbyhugetrees,alreadydespoiledoftheirleavesbythefirstcuttingwindsofautumn。?Behindthischapelwasaninclosure,closedbyalatticedgate。?Thefalconhadbeatendownhispreyintheinclosurebelongingtothislittlechapel,andthekingwasdesirousofgoingintotakethefirstfeather,accordingtocustom。?Thecort鑗eformedacircleroundthebuildingandthehedges,toosmalltoreceivesomany。?D'ArtagnanheldbackAramisbythearm,ashewasabout,liketherest,toalightfromhiscarriage,andinahoarse,brokenvoice,"Doyouknow,Aramis,"saidhe,"whitherchancehasconductedus?"
"No,"
repliedtheduke。
"Herereposementhatweknewwell,"saidD'Artagnan,greatlyagitated。
Aramis,withoutdivininganything,andwithatremblingstep,penetratedintothechapelbyalittledoorwhichD'Artagnanopenedforhim。?"Wherearetheyburied?"saidhe。
"There,intheinclosure。?Thereisacross,yousee,beneathyonlittlecypress。?Thetreeofgriefisplantedovertheirtomb;don'tgotoit;thekingisgoingthatway;theheronhasfallenjustthere。"
Aramisstopped,andconcealedhimselfintheshade。?Theythensaw,withoutbeingseen,thepalefaceofLaValli鑢e,who,neglectedinhercarriage,atfirstlookedon,withamelancholyheart,fromthedoor,andthen,carriedawaybyjealousy,advancedintothechapel,whence,leaningagainstapillar,shecontemplatedthekingsmilingandmakingsignstoMadamedeMontespantoapproach,astherewasnothingtobeafraidof。?MadamedeMontespancomplied;shetookthehandthekingheldouttoher,andhe,pluckingoutthefirstfeatherfromtheheron,whichthefalconerhadstrangled,placeditinhisbeautifulcompanion'shat。?She,smilinginherturn,kissedthehandtenderlywhichmadeherthispresent。?Thekinggrewscarletwithvanityandpleasure;helookedatMadamedeMontespanwithallthefireofnewlove。
"Whatwillyougivemeinexchange?"saidhe。
Shebrokeoffalittlebranchofcypressandofferedittotheking,wholookedintoxicatedwithhope。
"Humph!"
saidAramistoD'Artagnan;"thepresentisbutasadone,forthatcypressshadesatomb。"
"Yes,andthetombisthatofRaouldeBragelonne,"saidD'Artagnanaloud;"ofRaoul,whosleepsunderthatcrosswithhisfather。"
Agroanresounded—theysawawomanfallfaintingtotheground。?MademoiselledelaValli鑢ehadseenall,heardall。
"Poorwoman!"mutteredD'Artagnan,ashehelpedtheattendantstocarrybacktohercarriagethelonelyladywhoselothenceforthinlifewassuffering。
ThateveningD'Artagnanwasseatedattheking'stable,nearM。ColbertandM。leDucd'Alm閐a。?Thekingwasverygay。?Hepaidathousandlittleattentionstothequeen,athousandkindnessestoMadame,seatedathislefthand,andverysad。?Itmighthavebeensupposedthattimeofcalmwhenthekingwaswonttowatchhismother'seyesfortheapprovalordisapprovalofwhathehadjustdone。
Ofmistressestherewasnoquestionatthisdinner。?ThekingaddressedAramistwoorthreetimes,callinghimM。
l'ambassadeur,whichincreasedthesurprisealreadyfeltbyD'Artagnanatseeinghisfriendtherebelsomarvelouslywellreceivedatcourt。
Theking,onrisingfromtable,gavehishandtothequeen,andmadeasigntoColbert,whoseeyewasonhismaster'sface。?ColberttookD'ArtagnanandAramisononeside。?Thekingbegantochatwithhissister,whilstMonsieur,veryuneasy,entertainedthequeenwithapreoccupiedair,withoutceasingtowatchhiswifeandbrotherfromthecornerofhiseye。?TheconversationbetweenAramis,D'Artagnan,andColbertturneduponindifferentsubjects。?Theyspokeofprecedingministers;ColbertrelatedthesuccessfultricksofMazarin,anddesiredthoseofRichelieutoberelatedtohim。?D'Artagnancouldnotovercomehissurpriseatfindingthisman,withhisheavyeyebrowsandlowforehead,displaysomuchsoundknowledgeandcheerfulspirits。?Aramiswasastonishedatthatlightnessofcharacterwhichpermittedthisseriousmantoretardwithadvantagethemomentformoreimportantconversation,towhichnobodymadeanyallusion,althoughallthreeinterlocutorsfeltitsimminence。?Itwasveryplain,fromtheembarrassedappearanceofMonsieur,howmuchtheconversationofthekingandMadameannoyedhim。?Madame'seyeswerealmostred:wasshegoingtocomplain??Wasshegoingtoexposealittlescandalinopencourt??Thekingtookherononeside,andinatonesotenderthatitmusthaveremindedtheprincessofthetimewhenshewaslovedforherself:
"Sister,"
saidhe,"whydoIseetearsinthoselovelyeyes?"
"Why—sire—"saidshe。
"Monsieurisjealous,ishenot,sister?"
ShelookedtowardsMonsieur,aninfalliblesignthattheyweretalkingabouthim。
"Yes,"
saidshe。
"Listentome,"saidtheking;"ifyourfriendscompromiseyou,itisnotMonsieur'sfault。"
HespokethesewordswithsomuchkindnessthatMadame,encouraged,havingbornesomanysolitarygriefssolong,wasnearlyburstingintotears,sofullwasherheart。
"Come,come,dearlittlesister,"saidtheking,"tellmeyourgriefs;onthewordofabrother,Ipitythem;onthewordofaking,Iwillputanendtothem。"
Sheraisedhergloriouseyesand,inamelancholytone:
"Itisnotmyfriendswhocompromiseme,"saidshe;"theyareeitherabsentorconcealed;theyhavebeenbroughtintodisgracewithyourmajesty;they,sodevoted,sogood,soloyal!"
"YousaythisonaccountofDeGuiche,whomIhaveexiled,atMonsieur'sdesire?"
"Andwho,sincethatunjustexile,hasendeavoredtogethimselfkilledonceeveryday。"
"Unjust,sayyou,sister?"
"Sounjust,thatifIhadnothadtherespectmixedwithfriendshipthatIhavealwaysentertainedforyourmajesty—"
"Well!"
"Well!?IwouldhaveaskedmybrotherCharles,uponwhomIcanalways—"
Thekingstarted。?"What,then?"
"IwouldhaveaskedhimtohavehaditrepresentedtoyouthatMonsieurandhisfavoriteM。leChevalierdeLorraineoughtnotwithimpunitytoconstitutethemselvestheexecutionersofmyhonorandmyhappiness。"
"TheChevalierdeLorraine,"saidtheking;"thatdismalfellow?"
"Ismymortalenemy。?Whilstthatmanlivesinmyhousehold,whereMonsieurretainshimanddelegateshispowertohim,I
shallbethemostmiserablewomaninthekingdom。"
"So,"
saidtheking,slowly,"youcallyourbrotherofEnglandabetterfriendthanIam?"
"Actionsspeakforthemselves,sire。"
"Andyouwouldprefergoingtoaskassistancethere—"
"Tomyowncountry!"saidshewithpride;"yes,sire。"
"YouarethegrandchildofHenryIV。aswellasmyself,lady。?Cousinandbrother—in—law,doesnotthatamountprettywelltothetitleofbrother—germain?"
"Then,"
saidHenrietta,"act!"
"Letusformanalliance。"
"Begin。"
"Ihave,yousay,unjustlyexiledDeGuiche。"
"Oh!
yes,"saidshe,blushing。
"DeGuicheshallreturn。"
Transcriber'snote:DeGuichewouldnotreturntocourtuntil1671。—JB
"Sofar,well。"
"AndnowyousaythatIdowronginhavinginyourhouseholdtheChevalierdeLorraine,whogivesMonsieurilladvicerespectingyou?"
"RememberwellwhatItellyou,sire;theChevalierdeLorrainesomeday—Observe,ifeverIcometoadreadfulend,IbeforehandaccusetheChevalierdeLorraine;
hehasaspiritthatiscapableofanycrime!"
"TheChevalierdeLorraineshallnolongerannoyyou—Ipromiseyouthat。"
Transcriber'snote:Madamediddieofpoisonin1670,shortlyafterreturningfromthemissiondescribedlater。?TheChevalierdeLorrainehadactuallybeenorderedoutofFrancein1662。—JB
"Thenthatwillbeatruepreliminaryofalliance,sire,—Isign;butsinceyouhavedoneyourpart,tellmewhatshallbemine。"
"InsteadofembroilingmewithyourbrotherCharles,youmustmakehimamoreintimatefriendthanever。"
"Thatisveryeasy。"
"Oh!notquitesoeasyasyoumaysuppose,forinordinaryfriendshippeopleembraceorexercisehospitality,andthatonlycostsakissorareturn,profitableexpenses;butinpoliticalfriendship—"
"Ah!it'sapoliticalfriendship,isit?"
"Yes,mysister;andthen,insteadofembracesandfeasts,itissoldiers—itissoldiersallaliveandwellequipped—thatwemustserveuptoourfriends;
vesselswemustoffer,allarmedwithcannonsandstoredwithprovisions。?Ithenceresultsthatwehavenotalwayscoffersinafitconditionforsuchfriendships。"
"Ah!youarequiteright,"saidMadame;"thecoffersofthekingofEnglandhavebeensonorousforsometime。"
"Butyou,mysister,whohavesomuchinfluenceoveryourbrother,youcansecuremorethananambassadorcouldevergetthepromiseof。"
"ToeffectthatImustgotoLondon,mydearbrother。"
"Ihavethoughtso,"repliedtheking,eagerly;"andIhavesaidtomyselfthatsuchavoyagewoulddoyourhealthandspiritsgood。"
"Only,"
interruptedMadame,"itispossibleIshouldfail。?ThekingofEnglandhasdangerouscounselors。"
"Counselors,doyousay?"
"Precisely。?If,bychance,yourmajestyhadanyintention—Iamonlysupposingso—ofaskingCharlesII。hisallianceinawar—"
"A
war?"
"Yes;well!
thentheking'scounselors,whoareinnumberseven—MademoiselleStewart,MademoiselleWells,MademoiselleGwyn,MissOrchay,MademoiselleZunga,MissDavies,andtheproudCountessofCastlemaine—willrepresenttothekingthatwarcostsagreatdealofmoney;thatitisbettertogiveballsandsuppersatHamptonCourtthantoequipshipsofthelineatPortsmouthandGreenwich。"
"Andthenyournegotiationswillfail?"
"Oh!thoseladiescauseallnegotiationstofallthroughwhichtheydon'tmakethemselves。"
"Doyouknowtheideathathasstruckme,sister?"
"No;informmewhatitis。"
"Itisthat,searchingwellaroundyou,youmightperhapsfindafemalecounselortotakewithyoutoyourbrother,whoseeloquencemightparalyzetheill—willofthesevenothers。"
"Thatisreallyanidea,sire,andIwillsearch。"
"Youwillfindwhatyouwant。"
"Ihopeso。"
"Aprettyambassadressisnecessary;anagreeablefaceisbetterthananuglyone,isitnot?"
"Mostassuredly。"
"Ananimated,lively,audaciouscharacter。"
"Certainly。"
"Nobility;
thatis,enoughtoenablehertoapproachthekingwithoutawkwardness—nottoolofty,soasnottotroubleherselfaboutthedignityofherrace。"
"Verytrue。"
"AndwhoknowsalittleEnglish。"
"MonDieu!why,someone,"criedMadame,"likeMademoiselledeK閞oualle,forinstance!"
"Oh!why,yes!"saidLouisXIV。;"youhavehitthemark,—itisyouwhohavefound,mysister。"
"Iwilltakeher;shewillhavenocausetocomplain,Isuppose。"
"Oh!no,I
willnamehers閐uctricepl閚ipotentiaireatonce,andwilladdadowrytothetitle。"
"Thatiswell。"
"Ifancyyoualreadyonyourroad,mydearlittlesister,consoledforallyourgriefs。"
"Iwillgo,ontwoconditions。?Thefirstis,thatI
shallknowwhatIamnegotiatingabout。"
"Thatisit。?TheDutch,youknow,insultmedailyintheirgazettes,andbytheirrepublicanattitude。?Idonotlikerepublics。"
"Thatmayeasilybeimagined,sire。"
"Iseewithpainthatthesekingsofthesea—theycallthemselvesso—keeptradefromFranceintheIndies,andthattheirvesselswillsoonoccupyalltheportsofEurope。?Suchapoweristoonearme,sister。"
"Theyareyourallies,nevertheless。"
"Thatiswhytheywerewronginhavingthemedalyouhaveheardofstruck;amedalwhichrepresentsHollandstoppingthesun,asJoshuadid,withthislegend:Thesunhadstoppedbeforeme。?Thereisnotmuchfraternityinthat,isthere?"
"Ithoughtyouhadforgottenthatmiserableepisode?"
"Ineverforgetanything,sister。?Andifmytruefriends,suchasyourbrotherCharles,arewillingtosecondme—"?Theprincessremainedpensivelysilent。
"Listentome;thereistheempireof?theseastobeshared,"saidLouisXIV。?"Forthispartition,whichEnglandsubmitsto,couldInotrepresentthesecondpartyaswellastheDutch?"
"WehaveMademoiselledeK閞oualletotreatthatquestion,"repliedMadame。
"Yoursecondconditionforgoing,ifyouplease,sister?"
"TheconsentofMonsieur,myhusband。"
"Youshallhaveit。"
"Thenconsidermealreadygone,brother。"
Onhearingthesewords,LouisXIV。turnedroundtowardsthecorneroftheroominwhichD'Artagnan,Colbert,andAramisstood,andmadeanaffirmativesigntohisminister。?Colbertthenbrokeinontheconversationsuddenly,andsaidtoAramis:
"Monsieurl'ambassadeur,shallwetalkaboutbusiness?"
D'Artagnanimmediatelywithdrew,frompoliteness。?Hedirectedhisstepstowardsthefireplace,withinhearingofwhatthekingwasabouttosaytoMonsieur,who,evidentlyuneasy,hadgonetohim。?Thefaceofthekingwasanimated。?Uponhisbrowwasstampedastrengthofwill,theexpressionofwhichalreadymetnofurthercontradictioninFrance,andwassoontomeetnomoreinEurope。
"Monsieur,"
saidthekingtohisbrother,"IamnotpleasedwithM。leChevalierdeLorraine。?You,whodohimthehonortoprotecthim,mustadvisehimtotravelforafewmonths。"
ThesewordsfellwiththecrushofanavalancheuponMonsieur,whoadoredhisfavorite,andconcentratedallhisaffectionsinhim。
"Inwhathasthechevalierbeeninconsiderateenoughtodispleaseyourmajesty?"
criedhe,dartingafuriouslookatMadame。
"Iwilltellyouthatwhenheisgone,"saidtheking,suavely。?"AndalsowhenMadame,here,shallhavecrossedoverintoEngland。"
"Madame!inEngland!"murmuredMonsieur,inamazement。
"Inaweek,brother,"continuedtheking,"whilstwewillgowhitherIwillshortlytellyou。"?Andthekingturnedonhisheel,smilinginhisbrother'sface,tosweeten,asitwere,thebitterdraughthehadgivenhim。
DuringthistimeColbertwastalkingwiththeDucd'Alm閐a。
"Monsieur,"
saidColberttoAramis,"thisisthemomentforustocometoanunderstanding。?Ihavemadeyourpeacewiththeking,andIowedthatclearlytoamanofsomuchmerit;butasyouhaveoftenexpressedfriendshipforme,anopportunitypresentsitselfforgivingmeaproofofit。?Youare,besides,moreaFrenchmanthanaSpaniard。?Shallwesecure—answermefrankly—theneutralityofSpain,ifweundertakeanythingagainsttheUnitedProvinces?"
"Monsieur,"
repliedAramis,"theinterestofSpainisclear。?ToembroilEuropewiththeProvinceswoulddoubtlessbeourpolicy,butthekingofFranceisanallyoftheUnitedProvinces。?Youarenotignorant,besides,thatitwouldinferamaritimewar,andthatFranceisinnostatetoundertakethiswithadvantage。"
Colbert,turningroundatthismoment,sawD'Artagnanwhowasseekingsomeinterlocutor,duringthis"aside"ofthekingandMonsieur。?Hecalledhim,atthesametimesayinginalowvoicetoAramis,"WemaytalkopenlywithD'Artagnan,Isuppose?"
"Oh!
certainly,"repliedtheambassador。
"Weweresaying,M。d'Alm閐aandI,"saidColbert,"thataconflictwiththeUnitedProvinceswouldmeanamaritimewar。"
"That'sevidentenough,"repliedthemusketeer。
"Andwhatdoyouthinkofit,Monsieurd'Artagnan?"
"Ithinkthattocarryonsuchawarsuccessfully,youmusthaveverylargelandforces。"
"Whatdidyousay?"saidColbert,thinkinghehadillunderstoodhim。
"Whysuchalargelandarmy?"saidAramis。
"BecausethekingwillbebeatenbyseaifhehasnottheEnglishwithhim,andthatwhenbeatenbysea,hewillsoonbeinvaded,eitherbytheDutchinhisports,orbytheSpaniardsbyland。"
"AndSpainneutral?"askedAramis。
"Neutralaslongasthekingshallprovestronger,"rejoinedD'Artagnan。
Colbertadmiredthatsagacitywhichnevertouchedaquestionwithoutenlighteningitthoroughly。?Aramissmiled,ashehadlongknownthatindiplomacyD'Artagnanacknowledgednosuperior。?Colbert,who,likeallproudmen,dweltuponhisfantasywithacertaintyofsuccess,resumedthesubject,"Whotoldyou,M。d'Artagnan,thatthekinghadnonavy?"
"Oh!?Itakenoheedofthesedetails,"
repliedthecaptain。?"Iambutanindifferentsailor。?Likeallnervouspeople,Ihatethesea;andyetIhaveanideathat,withships,Francebeingaseaportwithtwohundredexits,wemighthavesailors。"
Colbertdrewfromhispocketalittleoblongbookdividedintotwocolumns。?Onthefirstwerethenamesofvessels,ontheotherthefiguresrecapitulatingthenumberofcannonandmenrequisitetoequiptheseships。?"Ihavehadthesameideaasyou,"saidhetoD'Artagnan,"andIhavehadanaccountdrawnupofthevesselswehavealtogether—thirty—fiveships。"
"Thirty—fiveships!impossible!"criedD'Artagnan。
"Somethingliketwothousandpiecesofcannon,"saidColbert。?"Thatiswhatthekingpossessesatthismoment。?Offiveandthirtyvesselswecanmakethreesquadrons,butImusthavefive。"
"Five!"
criedAramis。
"Theywillbeafloatbeforetheendoftheyear,gentlemen;thekingwillhavefiftyshipoftheline。?Wemayventureonacontestwiththem,maywenot?"
"Tobuildvessels,"saidD'Artagnan,"isdifficult,butpossible。?Astoarmingthem,howisthattobedone??InFrancethereareneitherfoundriesnormilitarydocks。"
"Bah!"
repliedColbert,inabanteringtone,"Ihaveplannedallthatthisyearandahalfpast,didyounotknowit??DoyouknowM。d'Imfreville?"
"D'Imfreville?"
repliedD'Artagnan;"no。"
"HeisamanIhavediscovered;hehasaspecialty;heisamanofgenius—heknowshowtosetmentowork。?ItishewhohascastcannonandcutthewoodsofBourgogne。?Andthen,monsieurl'ambassadeur,youmaynotbelievewhatIamgoingtotellyou,butIhaveastillfurtheridea。"
"Oh,monsieur!"saidAramis,civilly,"Ialwaysbelieveyou。"
"CalculatinguponthecharacteroftheDutch,ourallies,Isaidtomyself,'Theyaremerchants,theyarefriendlywiththeking;theywillbehappytoselltothekingwhattheyfabricateforthemselves;thenthemorewebuy'—Ah!?Imustaddthis:IhaveForant—doyouknowForant,D'Artagnan?"
Colbert,inhiswarmth,forgothimself;hecalledthecaptainsimplyD'Artagnan,asthekingdid。?Butthecaptainonlysmiledatit。
"No,"
repliedhe,"Idonotknowhim。"
"ThatisanothermanIhavediscovered,withageniusforbuying。?ThisForanthaspurchasedforme350,000
poundsofironinballs,200,000poundsofpowder,twelvecargoesofNortherntimber,matches,grenades,pitch,tar—Iknownotwhat!witha?savingofsevenpercentuponwhatallthosearticleswouldcostmefabricatedinFrance。"
"Thatisacapitalandquaintidea,"repliedD'Artagnan,"tohaveDutchcannon—ballscastwhichwillreturntotheDutch。"
"Isitnot,withloss,too?"?AndColbertlaughedaloud。?Hewasdelightedwithhisownjoke。
"Stillfurther,"addedhe,"thesesameDutcharebuildingfortheking,atthismoment,sixvesselsafterthemodelofthebestoftheirname。?Destouches—Ah!perhapsyoudon'tknowDestouches?"
"No,monsieur。"