The Vicomte de Bragelonne

by Alexandre Dumas

  CHAPTER CXXVI.

  THE ROUND OF M. DE GESVRES.

  D'Artagnan was not accustomed to resistances like that he had justexperienced. He returned, profoundly irritated, to Nantes. Irritationwith this vigorous man vented itself in an impetuous attack, which, fewpeople, hitherto, were they king, were they giants, had been able toresist. D'Artagnan, trembling with rage, went straight to the castle,and asked to speak to the king. It might be about seven o'clock in themorning, and, since his arrival at Nantes, the king had been an earlyriser. But, on arriving at the little corridor with which we areacquainted, D'Artagnan found M. de Gesvres, who stopped him verypolitely, telling him not to speak too loud and disturb the king. "Isthe king asleep?" said D'Artagnan--"well, I will let him sleep. Butabout what o'clock do you suppose he will rise?"

  "Oh! in about two hours; the king has been up all night."

  D'Artagnan took his hat again, bowed to M. de Gesvres, and returned tohis own apartments. He came back at half-past nine, and was told thatthe king was at breakfast. "That will just suit me," said D'Artagnan, "Iwill talk to the king while he is eating."

  M. de Brienne reminded D'Artagnan that the king would not receive anyone during his repasts.

  "But," said D'Artagnan, looking askant at Brienne, "you do not knowperhaps, monsieur, that I have the privilege of entree anywhere, and atany hour."

  Brienne took the hand of the captain kindly, and said, "Not at Nantes,dear Monsieur d'Artagnan. The king in this journey has changedeverything."

  D'Artagnan, a little softened, asked about what o'clock the king wouldhave finished his breakfast.

  "We don't know."

  "How!--don't know! What does that mean? You don't know how much time theking devotes to eating? It is generally an hour; and, if we admit thatthe air of the Loire gives an additional appetite, we will extend it toan hour and a half; that is enough, I think. I will wait where I am."

  "Oh! dear Monsieur d'Artagnan, the order is, not to allow any person toremain in this corridor; I am on guard for that purpose."

  D'Artagnan felt his anger mounting a second time to his brain. He wentout quickly, for fear of complicating the affair by a display ofill-humor. As soon as he was out he began to reflect. "The king," saidhe, "will not receive me, that is evident. The young man is angry; he isafraid of the words I may speak to him. Yes; but in the meantime,Belle-Isle is besieged, and my two friends are taken or killed. PoorPorthos! As to Master Aramis, he is always full of resources, and I amquite easy on his account. But, no, no; Porthos is not yet an invalid,and Aramis is not yet in his dotage. The one with his arm, the otherwith his imagination, will find work for his majesty's soldiers. Whoknows if these brave men may not get up for the edification of his MostChristian Majesty a little bastion of Saint-Gervais! I don't despair ofit. They have cannon and a garrison. And yet," continued D'Artagnan, "Idon't know whether it would not be better to stop the combat. For myselfalone, I will not put up with either surly looks, or treason, on thepart of the king; but for my friends, rebuffs, insults, I have a rightto receive everything. Shall I go to M. Colbert? Now there is a man,whom I must acquire the habit of terrifying. I will go to M. Colbert."And D'Artagnan set forward bravely to find M. Colbert, but he was toldhe was working with the king, at the castle of Nantes. "Good!" cried he,"the times are returned in which I measured my steps from M. deTreville to the cardinal, from the cardinal to the queen, from thequeen to Louis XIII. Truly is it said that men, in growing old, becomechildren again!--To the castle, then!" He returned thither. M. de Lyonnewas coming out. He gave D'Artagnan both hands, but told him that theking had been busy all the preceding evening and all night, and thatorders had been given that no one should be admitted.

  "Not even the captain who takes the order?" cried D'Artagnan. "I thinkthat he is rather too strong."

  "Not even he," said M. de Lyonne.

  "Since that is the case," replied D'Artagnan, wounded to the heart;"since the captain of the musketeers, who has always entered the king'schamber, is no longer allowed to enter it, his cabinet, or his_salle-a-manger_; either the king is dead, or his captain is indisgrace. In either case, he can no longer want him. Do me the favor,then, M. de Lyonne, who are in favor, to return and tell the kingplainly, I send him my resignation."

  "D'Artagnan, beware of what you are doing!"

  "For friendship's sake, go!" and he pushed him gently toward thecabinet.

  "Well, I will go," said Lyonne.

  D'Artagnan waited, walking about the corridor in no enviable mood.Lyonne returned. "Well, what did the king say?" exclaimed D'Artagnan.

  "He simply answered, 'That is well,'" replied Lyonne.

  "That that was well!" said the captain, with an explosion. "That is tosay, that he accepts it? Good! Now, then, I am free! I am only a plaincitizen, M. de Lyonne. I have the pleasure of bidding you good-by!Farewell, castle, corridor, antechamber! a _bourgeois_, about to breatheat liberty, takes his farewell of you."

  And without waiting longer, the captain sprang from the terrace down thestaircase, where he had picked up the fragments of Gourville's letter.Five minutes after, he was at the hostelry, where, according to thecustom of all great officers who have lodgings at the castle, he hadtaken what was called his city chamber. But when arrived there, insteadof throwing off his sword and cloak, he took his pistols, put his moneyinto a large leather purse, sent for his horses from the castle stables,and gave orders for reaching Vannes during the night. Everything went onaccording to his wishes. At eight o'clock in the evening, he was puttinghis foot in the stirrup, when M. de Gesvres appeared, at the head oftwelve guards, in front of the hostelry. D'Artagnan saw all from thecorner of his eye; he could not fail seeing thirteen men and thirteenhorses. But he feigned not to observe anything, and was about to put hishorse in motion. Gesvres rode up to him. "Monsieur d'Artagnan!" said healoud.

  "Ah, Monsieur de Gesvres! good-evening!"

  "One would say you were getting on horseback."

  "More than that--I am mounted, as you see."

  "It is fortunate I have met with you."

  "Were you looking for me, then?"

  "Mon Dieu! yes."

  "On the part of the king, I will wager?"

  "Yes."

  "As I, three days ago, went in search of M. Fouquet?"

  "Oh!"

  "Nonsense! It is of no use being delicate with me; that is all laborlost. Tell me at once you are come to arrest me."

  "To arrest you--good heavens! no."

  "Why do you come to accost me with twelve horsemen at your heels, then?"

  "I am making my round."

  "That isn't bad! And so you pick me up in your round, eh?"

  "I don't pick you up; I meet with you, and I beg you to come with me."

  "Where?"

  "To the king."

  "Good!" said D'Artagnan, with a bantering air; "the king has nothing todo at last!"

  "For Heaven's sake, captain," said M. de Gesvres, in a low voice to themusketeer, "do not compromise yourself! these men hear you."

  D'Artagnan laughed aloud, and replied, "March! People who are arrestedare placed between the six first guards and the six last."

  "But as I do not arrest you," said M. de Gesvres, "you will march behindwith me, if you please."

  "Well," said D'Artagnan, "that is very polite, duc, and you are right inbeing so; for if ever I had had to make my rounds near your_chambre-de-ville_, I should have been courteous to you, I assure you,by the faith of a gentleman! Now, one favor more: what does the kingwant with me?"

  "Oh, the king is furious!"

  "Very well! the king, who has thought it worth while to be furious, maytake the trouble of getting calm again; that is all that. I shan't dieof that, I will swear."

  "No, but--"

  "But--I shall be sent to keep company with poor M. Fouquet. Mordioux!That is a gallant man, a worthy man! We shall live very sociablytogether, I will be bound."

  "Here we are at our place of destination," said the duc. "Captain, forHeaven
's sake be calm with the king!"

  "Ah, ah! you are playing the brave man with me, duc!" said D'Artagnan,throwing one of his defiant glances over De Gesvres. "I have been toldthat you are ambitious of uniting your guards with my musketeers. Thisstrikes me as a capital opportunity."

  "I will take devilish good care not to avail myself of it, captain."

  "And why not?"

  "Oh, for many reasons--in the first place, for this: If I were tosucceed you in the musketeers, after having arrested you--"

  "Ah! then, you admit you have arrested me?"

  "No, I don't."

  "Say, met me, then. So you were saying, _if_ you were to succeed me,after having arrested me?"

  "Your musketeers, at the first exercise with ball cartridges, would allfire toward me, by mistake."

  "Ah! as to that I won't say; for the fellows do love me a little."

  Gesvres made D'Artagnan pass in first, and took him straight to thecabinet where the king was waiting for his captain of the musketeers,and placed himself behind his colleague in the antechamber. The kingcould be heard distinctly, speaking aloud to Colbert, in the samecabinet where Colbert might have heard, a few days before, the kingspeaking aloud with M. d'Artagnan. The guards remained as a mountedpiquet before the principal gate; and the report was quickly spreadthrough the city that monsieur le capitaine of the musketeers had justbeen arrested by order of the king. Then, these men were seen to be inmotion, as, in the good old times of Louis XIII., and M. de Treville;groups were formed, the staircases were filled; vague murmurs, issuingfrom the courts below, came rolling up to the upper stories, like thehoarse moanings of the tide-waves. M. de Gesvres became very uneasy. Helooked at his guards, who, after being interrogated by the musketeerswho had just got among their ranks, began to shun them with amanifestation of uneasiness. D'Artagnan was certainly less disturbedthan M. de Gesvres, the captain of the guards, was. As soon as heentered, he had seated himself on the ledge of a window, whence, withhis eagle glance, he saw all that was going on, without the leastemotion. None of the progress of the fermentation which had manifesteditself at the report of his arrest had escaped him. He foresaw themoment when the explosion would take place, and we know that hisprevisions were pretty correct.

  "It would be very whimsical," thought he, "if, this evening, mypraetorians should make me king of France. How I should laugh!"

  But, at the height, all was stopped. Guards, musketeers, officers,soldiers, murmurs and uneasinesses, all dispersed, vanished, died away;no more tempest, no more menace, no more sedition. One word had calmedall the waves. The king had desired Brienne to say, "Hush, messieurs!you disturb the king."

  D'Artagnan sighed. "All is over!" said he; "the musketeers of thepresent day are not those of his majesty Louis XIII. All is over!"

  "M. d'Artagnan to the king's apartment," cried an usher.