Vingt ans après. English

by Alexandre Dumas

  82. Precautions.

  After quitting Anne, Mazarin took the road to Rueil, where he usuallyresided; in those times of disturbance he went about with numerousfollowers and often disguised himself. In military dress he was, indeed,as we have stated, a very handsome man.

  In the court of the old Chateau of Saint Germain he entered his coach,and reached the Seine at Chatou. The prince had supplied him with fiftylight horse, not so much by way of guard as to show the deputies howreadily the queen's generals dispersed their troops and to prove thatthey might be safely scattered at pleasure. Athos, on horseback, withouthis sword and kept in sight by Comminges, followed the cardinal insilence. Grimaud, finding that his master had been arrested, fell backinto the ranks near Aramis, without saying a word and as if nothing hadhappened.

  Grimaud had, indeed, during twenty-two years of service, seen his masterextricate himself from so many difficulties that nothing less thanAthos's imminent death was likely to make him uneasy.

  At the branching off of the road toward Paris, Aramis, who had followedin the cardinal's suite, turned back. Mazarin went to the right hand andAramis could see the prisoner disappear at the turning of the avenue.Athos, at the same moment, moved by a similar impulse, looked back also.The two friends exchanged a simple inclination of the head and Aramisput his finger to his hat, as if to bow, Athos alone comprehending bythat signal that he had some project in his head.

  Ten minutes afterward Mazarin entered the court of that chateau whichhis predecessor had built for him at Rueil; as he alighted, Commingesapproached him.

  "My lord," he asked, "where does your eminence wish Monsieur Comte de laFere to be lodged?"

  "In the pavilion of the orangery, of course, in front of the pavilionwhere the guard is. I wish every respect to be shown the count, althoughhe is the prisoner of her majesty the queen."

  "My lord," answered Comminges, "he begs to be taken to the place whereMonsieur d'Artagnan is confined--that is, in the hunting lodge, oppositethe orangery."

  Mazarin thought for an instant.

  Comminges saw that he was undecided.

  "'Tis a very strong post," he resumed, "and we have forty good men,tried soldiers, having no connection with Frondeurs nor any interest inthe Fronde."

  "If we put these three men together, Monsieur Comminges," said Mazarin,"we must double the guard, and we are not rich enough in fighting men tocommit such acts of prodigality."

  Comminges smiled; Mazarin read and construed that smile.

  "You do not know these men, Monsieur Comminges, but I know them, firstpersonally, also by hearsay. I sent them to carry aid to King Charlesand they performed prodigies to save him; had it not been for an adversedestiny, that beloved monarch would this day have been among us."

  "But since they served your eminence so well, why are they, my lordcardinal, in prison?"

  "In prison?" said Mazarin, "and when has Rueil been a prison?"

  "Ever since there were prisoners in it," answered Comminges.

  "These gentlemen, Comminges, are not prisoners," returned Mazarin, withhis ironical smile, "only guests; but guests so precious that I have puta grating before each of their windows and bolts to their doors, thatthey may not refuse to continue my visitors. So much do I esteem themthat I am going to make the Comte de la Fere a visit, that I mayconverse with him tete-a-tete, and that we may not be disturbed at ourinterview you must conduct him, as I said before, to the pavilion of theorangery; that, you know, is my daily promenade. Well, while taking mywalk I will call on him and we will talk. Although he professes to be myenemy I have sympathy for him, and if he is reasonable perhaps we shallarrange matters."

  Comminges bowed, and returned to Athos, who was awaiting with apparentcalmness, but with real anxiety, the result of the interview.

  "Well?" he said to the lieutenant.

  "Sir," replied Comminges, "it seems that it is impossible."

  "Monsieur de Comminges," said Athos, "I have been a soldier all my lifeand I know the force of orders; but outside your orders there is aservice you can render me."

  "I will do it with all my heart," said Comminges; "for I know who youare and what service you once performed for her majesty; I know, too,how dear to you is the young man who came so valiantly to my aid whenthat old rogue of a Broussel was arrested. I am entirely at yourservice, except only for my orders."

  "Thank you, sir; what I am about to ask will not compromise you in anydegree."

  "If it should even compromise me a little," said Monsieur de Comminges,with a smile, "still make your demand. I don't like Mazarin any betterthan you do. I serve the queen and that draws me naturally into theservice of the cardinal; but I serve the one with joy and the otheragainst my will. Speak, then, I beg of you; I wait and listen."

  "Since there is no harm," said Athos, "in my knowing that D'Artagnan ishere, I presume there will be none in his knowing that I am here."

  "I have received no orders on that point."

  "Well, then, do me the kindness to give him my regards and tell him thatI am his neighbor. Tell him also what you have just told me--thatMazarin has placed me in the pavilion of the orangery in order to makeme a visit, and assure him that I shall take advantage of this honor heproposes to accord to me to obtain from him some amelioration of ourcaptivity."

  "Which cannot last," interrupted Comminges; "the cardinal said so; thereis no prison here."

  "But there are oubliettes!" replied Athos, smiling.

  "Oh! that's a different thing; yes, I know there are traditions of thatsort," said Comminges. "It was in the time of the other cardinal, whowas a great nobleman; but our Mazarin--impossible! an Italian adventurerwould not dare to go such lengths with such men as ourselves. Oubliettesare employed as a means of kingly vengeance, and a low-born fellow suchas he is would not have recourse to them. Your arrest is known, that ofyour friends will soon be known; and all the nobility of France woulddemand an explanation of your disappearance. No, no, be easy on thatscore. I will, however, inform Monsieur d'Artagnan of your arrivalhere."

  Comminges then led the count to a room on the ground floor of apavilion, at the end of the orangery. They passed through a courtyard asthey went, full of soldiers and courtiers. In the centre of this court,in the form of a horseshoe, were the buildings occupied by Mazarin, andat each wing the pavilion (or smaller building), where D'Artagnan wasconfined, and that, level with the orangery, where Athos was to be. Fromthe ends of these two wings extended the park.

  Athos, when he reached his appointed room, observed through the gratingsof his window, walls and roofs; and was told, on inquiry, by Comminges,that he was looking on the back of the pavilion where D'Artagnan wasconfined.

  "Yes, 'tis too true," said Comminges, "'tis almost a prison; but what asingular fancy this is of yours, count--you, who are the very flower ofour nobility--to squander your valor and loyalty amongst these upstarts,the Frondists! Really, count, if ever I thought that I had a friend inthe ranks of the royal army, it was you. A Frondeur! you, the Comte dela Fere, on the side of Broussel, Blancmesnil and Viole! For shame! you,a Frondeur!"

  "On my word of honor," said Athos, "one must be either a Mazarinist or aFrondeur. For a long time I had these words whispered in my ears, and Ichose the latter; at any rate, it is a French word. And now, I am aFrondeur--not of Broussel's party, nor of Blancmesnil's, nor am I withViole; but with the Duc de Beaufort, the Ducs de Bouillon and d'Elbeuf;with princes, not with presidents, councillors and low-born lawyers.Besides, what a charming outlook it would have been to serve thecardinal! Look at that wall--without a single window--which tells youfine things about Mazarin's gratitude!"

  "Yes," replied De Comminges, "more especially if it could reveal howMonsieur d'Artagnan for this last week has been anathematizing him."

  "Poor D'Artagnan'" said Athos, with the charming melancholy that was oneof the traits of his character, "so brave, so good, so terrible to theenemies of those he loves. You have two unruly prisoners there, sir."

  "Unruly,
" Comminges smiled; "you wish to terrify me, I suppose. When hecame here, Monsieur D'Artagnan provoked and braved the soldiers andinferior officers, in order, I suppose, to have his sword back. Thatmood lasted some time; but now he's as gentle as a lamb and sings Gasconsongs, which make one die of laughing."

  "And Du Vallon?" asked Athos.

  "Ah, he's quite another sort of person--a formidable gentleman, indeed.The first day he broke all the doors in with a single push of hisshoulder; and I expected to see him leave Rueil in the same way asSamson left Gaza. But his temper cooled down, like his friend's; he notonly gets used to his captivity, but jokes about it."

  "So much the better," said Athos.

  "Do you think anything else was to be expected of them?" askedComminges, who, putting together what Mazarin had said of his prisonersand what the Comte de la Fere had said, began to feel a degree ofuneasiness.

  Athos, on the other hand, reflected that this recent gentleness of hisfriends most certainly arose from some plan formed by D'Artagnan.Unwilling to injure them by praising them too highly, he replied: "They?They are two hotheads--the one a Gascon, the other from Picardy; bothare easily excited, but they quiet down immediately. You have had aproof of that in what you have just related to me."

  This, too, was the opinion of Comminges, who withdrew somewhatreassured. Athos remained alone in the vast chamber, where, according tothe cardinal's directions, he was treated with all the courtesy due to anobleman. He awaited Mazarin's promised visit to get some light on hispresent situation.