Chapter LII. Two Jealousies.
Lovers are tender towards everything that forms part of the daily lifeof the object of their affection. Raoul no sooner found himself alonewith Montalais, than he kissed her hand with rapture. "There, there,"said the young girl, sadly, "you are throwing your kisses away; I willguarantee that they will not bring you back any interest."
"How so?--Why?--Will you explain to me, my dear Aure?"
"Madame will explain everything to you. I am going to take you to herapartments.
"_What!_"
"Silence! and throw away your dark and savage looks. The windows herehave eyes, the walls have ears. Have the kindness not to look at me anylonger; be good enough to speak to me aloud of the rain, of the fineweather, and of the charms of England."
"At all events--" interrupted Raoul.
"I tell you, I warn you, that wherever people may be, I know not how,Madame is sure to have eyes and ears open. I am not very desirous, youcan easily believe, of being dismissed or thrown in to the Bastile. Letus talk, I tell you, or rather, do not let us talk at all."
Raoul clenched his hands, and tried to assume the look and gait of aman of courage, it is true, but of a man of courage on his way to thetorture chamber. Montalais, glancing in every direction, walking alongwith an easy swinging gait, and holding up her head pertly in the air,preceded him to Madame's apartments, where he was at once introduced."Well," he thought, "this day will pass away without my learninganything. Guiche showed too much consideration for my feelings; he hadno doubt come to an understanding with Madame, and both of them, by afriendly plot, agreed to postpone the solution of the problem. Whyhave I not a determined, inveterate enemy--that serpent, De Wardes, forinstance; that he would bite, is very likely; but I should not hesitateany more. To hesitate, to doubt--better, far, to die."
The next moment Raoul was in Madame's presence. Henrietta, more charmingthan ever, was half lying, half reclining in her armchair, her smallfeet upon an embroidered velvet cushion; she was playing with a kittenwith long silky fur, which was biting her fingers and hanging by thelace of her collar.
Madame seemed plunged in deep thought, so deep, indeed, that it requiredboth Montalais and Raoul's voice to disturb her from her reverie.
"Your highness sent for me?" repeated Raoul.
Madame shook her head as if she were just awakening, and then said,"Good morning, Monsieur de Bragelonne; yes, I sent for you; so you havereturned from England?"
"Yes, Madame, and am at your royal highness's commands."
"Thank you; leave us, Montalais," and the latter immediately left theroom.
"You have a few minutes to give me, Monsieur de Bragelonne, have younot?"
"My life is at your royal highness's disposal," Raoul returned withrespect, guessing that there was something serious in these unusualcourtesies; nor was he displeased, indeed, to observe the seriousnessof her manner, feeling persuaded that there was some sort of affinitybetween Madame's sentiments and his own. In fact, every one at court,of any perception at all, knew perfectly well the capricious fancy andabsurd despotism of the princess's singular character. Madame hadbeen flattered beyond all bounds by the king's attention; she hadmade herself talked about; she had inspired the queen with that mortaljealousy which is the stinging scorpion at the heel of every woman'shappiness; Madame, in a word, in her attempts to cure a wounded pride,found that her heart had become deeply and passionately attached. Weknow what Madame had done to recall Raoul, who had been sent out ofthe way by Louis XIV. Raoul did not know of her letter to Charles II.,although D'Artagnan had guessed its contents. Who will undertake toaccount for that seemingly inexplicable mixture of love and vanity, thatpassionate tenderness of feeling, that prodigious duplicity of conduct?No one can, indeed; not even the bad angel who kindles the love ofcoquetry in the heart of a woman. "Monsieur de Bragelonne," said theprincess, after a moment's pause, "have you returned satisfied?"
Bragelonne looked at Madame Henrietta, and seeing how pale she was, notalone from what she was keeping back, but also from what she was burningto say, said: "Satisfied! what is there for me to be satisfied ordissatisfied about, Madame?"
"But what are those things with which a man of your age, and of yourappearance, is usually either satisfied or dissatisfied?"
"How eager she is," thought Raoul, almost terrified; "what venom is itshe is going to distil into my heart?" and then, frightened at whatshe might possibly be going to tell him, and wishing to put off theopportunity of having everything explained, which he had hitherto soardently wished for, yet had dreaded so much, he replied: "I left,Madame, a dear friend in good health, and on my return I find him veryill."
"You refer to M. de Guiche," replied Madame Henrietta, withimperturbable self-possession; "I _have_ heard he is a very dear friendof yours."
"He is, indeed, Madame."
"Well, it is quite true he has been wounded; but he is better now.Oh! M. de Guiche is not to be pitied," she said hurriedly; and then,recovering herself, added, "But has he anything to complain of? Has hecomplained of anything? Is there any cause of grief or sorrow that weare not acquainted with?"
"I allude only to his wound, Madame."
"So much the better, then, for, in other respects, M. de Guiche seemsto be very happy; he is always in very high spirits. I am sure that you,Monsieur de Bragelonne, would far prefer to be, like him, wounded onlyin the body... for what, in deed, is such a wound, after all!"
Raoul started. "Alas!" he said to himself, "she is returning to it."
"What did you say?" she inquired.
"I did not say anything Madame."
"You did not say anything; you disapprove of my observation, then? youare perfectly satisfied, I suppose?"
Raoul approached closer to her. "Madame," he said, "your royal highnesswishes to say something to me, and your instinctive kindness andgenerosity of disposition induce you to be careful and considerate asto your manner of conveying it. Will your royal highness throw this kindforbearance aside? I am able to bear everything; and I am listening."
"Ah!" replied Henrietta, "what do you understand, then?"
"That which your royal highness wishes me to understand," said Raoul,trembling, notwithstanding his command over himself, as he pronouncedthese words.
"In point of fact," murmured the princess... "it seems cruel, but since Ihave begun--"
"Yes, Madame, once your highness has deigned to begin, will youcondescend to finish--"
Henrietta rose hurriedly and walked a few paces up and down her room."What did M. de Guiche tell you?" she said, suddenly.
"Nothing, Madame."
"Nothing! Did he say nothing? Ah! how well I recognize him in that."
"No doubt he wished to spare me."
"And that is what friends call friendship. But surely, M. d'Artagnan,whom you have just left, must have told you."
"No more than De Guiche, Madame."
Henrietta made a gesture full of impatience, as she said, "At least, youknow all the court knows."
"I know nothing at all, Madame."
"Not the scene in the storm?"
"No, Madame."
"Not the _tete-a-tete_ in the forest?"
"No, Madame."
"Nor the flight to Chaillot?"
Raoul, whose head dropped like a blossom cut down by the reaper, madean almost superhuman effort to smile, as he replied with the greatestgentleness: "I have had the honor of telling your royal highness thatI am absolutely ignorant of everything, that I am a poor unrememberedoutcast, who has this moment arrived from England. There have rolled somany stormy waves between myself and those I left behind me here, thatthe rumor of none of the circumstances your highness refers to, has beenable to reach me."
Henrietta was affected by his extreme pallor, his gentleness, and hisgreat courage. The principal feeling in her heart at that moment was aneager desire to hear the nature of the remembrance which the poor loverretained of the woman who had made him suffer so much. "Monsieur deBragelonne,"
she said, "that which your friends have refused to do, Iwill do for you, whom I like and esteem very much. I will be your friendon this occasion. You hold your head high, as a man of honor should; andI deeply regret that you may have to bow before ridicule, and in a fewdays, it might be, contempt."
"Ah!" exclaimed Raoul, perfectly livid. "It is as bad as that, then?"
"If you do not know," said the princess, "I see that you guess; you wereaffianced, I believe, to Mademoiselle de la Valliere?"
"Yes, Madame."
"By that right, you deserve to be warned about her, as some day oranother I shall be obliged to dismiss Mademoiselle de la Valliere frommy service--"
"Dismiss La Valliere!" cried Bragelonne.
"Of course. Do you suppose I shall always be amenable to the tears andprotestations of the king? No, no! my house shall no longer be made aconvenience for such practices; but you tremble, you cannot stand--"
"No, Madame, no," said Bragelonne, making an effort over himself; "Ithought I should have died just now, that was all. Your royal highnessdid me the honor to say that the king wept and implored you--"
"Yes, but in vain," returned the princess; who then related to Raoul thescene that took place at Chaillot, and the king's despair on his return;she told him of his indulgence to herself and the terrible word withwhich the outraged princess, the humiliated coquette, had quashed theroyal anger.
Raoul stood with his head bent down.
"What do you think of it all?" she said.
"The king loves her," he replied.
"But you seem to think she does not love him!"
"Alas, Madame, I was thinking of the time when she loved _me_."
Henrietta was for a moment struck with admiration at this sublimedisbelief: and then, shrugging her shoulders, she said, "You do notbelieve me, I see. How deeply you must love her. And you doubt if sheloves the king?"
"I do, until I have a proof of it. Forgive me, Madame, but she hasgiven me her word; and her mind and heart are too upright to tell afalsehood."
"You require a proof! Be it so. Come with me, then."
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