"Ah, the next! You will observe, monsieur, that the one I have already mentioned is a most serious injury, to which you have given no answer, or rather, have answered very indifferently. Is it possible, monsieur, that you have changed your lodgings? M. de Bragelonne feels insulted at your having done so, and you do not attempt to excuse yourself."
"What!" cried Saint-Aignan, who was getting annoyed at the perfect coolness of his visitor--"what! am I to consult M. de Bragelonne whether I am to move or not? You can hardly be serious, monsieur."
"I am. And it is absolutely necessary, monsieur; but under any circ.u.mstances, you will admit that it is nothing in comparison with the second ground of complaint."
"Well, what is that?"
Porthos a.s.sumed a very solemn expression as he said: "How about the trap-door, monsieur?"
Saint-Aignan turned exceedingly pale. He pushed back his chair so abruptly, that Porthos, simple as he was, perceived that the blow had told. "The trap-door," murmured Saint-Aignan.
"Yes, monsieur, explain that if you can," said Porthos, shaking his head.
Saint-Aignan held down his head, as he murmured: "I have been betrayed, everything is known!"
"Everything," replied Porthos, who knew nothing.
"You see me perfectly overwhelmed," pursued Saint-Aignan, "overwhelmed to a degree that I hardly know what I am about."
"A guilty conscience, monsieur. Your affair is a bad one, and when the public learns all about it, it will judge--"
"Oh, monsieur!" exclaimed the count, hurriedly, "such a secret ought not to be known even by one"s confessor."
"That we will think about," said Porthos; "the secret will not go far, in fact."
"Surely, monsieur," returned Saint-Aignan, "since M. de Bragelonne has penetrated the secret, he must be aware of the danger he as well as others run the risk of incurring."
"M. de Bragelonne runs no danger, monsieur, nor does he fear any either, as you, if it please Heaven, will find out very soon."
"This fellow is a perfect madman," thought Saint-Aignan. "What, in Heaven"s name, does he want?" He then said aloud: "Come, monsieur, let us hush up this affair."
"You forget the portrait," said Porthos, in a voice of thunder, which made the comte"s blood freeze in his veins.
As the portrait in question was La Valliere"s portrait, and no mistake could any longer exist on the subject, Saint-Aignan"s eyes were completely opened. "Ah!" he exclaimed--"ah! monsieur, I remember now that M. de Bragelonne was engaged to be married to her."
Porthos a.s.sumed an imposing air, all the majesty of ignorance, in fact, as he said: "It matters nothing whatever to me, nor to yourself, indeed, whether or not my friend was, as you say, engaged to be married. I am even astonished that you should have made use of so indiscreet a remark.
It may possibly do your cause harm, monsieur."
"Monsieur," replied Saint-Aignan, "you are the incarnation of intelligence, delicacy, and loyalty of feeling united. I see the whole matter now clearly enough."
"So much the better," said Porthos.
"And," pursued Saint-Aignan, "you have made me comprehend it in the most ingenious and the most delicate manner possible. I beg you to accept my best thanks." Porthos drew himself up, unable to resist the flattery of the remark. "Only, now that I know everything, permit me to explain--"
Porthos shook his head, as a man who does not wish to hear, but Saint-Aignan continued: "I am in despair, I a.s.sure you, at all that has happened; but how would you have acted in my place? Come, between ourselves, tell me what you would have done?"
Porthos drew himself up as he answered: "There is now no question at all of what I should have done, young man; you have been made acquainted with the three causes of complaint against you, I believe?"
"As for the first, my change of rooms, and I now address myself to you as a man of honor and of great intelligence, could I, when the desire of so august a personage was so urgently expressed that I should move, ought I to have disobeyed?"
Porthos was about to speak, but Saint-Aignan did not give him time to answer. "Ah! my frankness, I see, convinces you," he said, interpreting the movement according to his own fancy. "You feel that I am right."
Porthos did not reply, and so Saint-Aignan continued: "I pa.s.s by that unfortunate trap-door," he said, placing his hand on Porthos"s arm, "that trap-door, the occasion and means of so much unhappiness, and which was constructed for--you know what. Well, then, in plain truth, do you suppose that it was I who, of my own accord, in such a place, too, had that trap-door made?--Oh, no!--you do not believe it; and here, again, you feel, you guess, you understand the influence of a will superior to my own. You can conceive the infatuation, the blind, irresistible pa.s.sion which has been at work. But, thank Heaven! I am fortunate in speaking to a man who has so much sensitiveness of feeling; and if it were not so, indeed, what an amount of misery and scandal would fall upon her, poor girl! and upon him--whom I will not name."
Porthos, confused and bewildered by the eloquence and gestures of Saint-Aignan, made a thousand efforts to stem this torrent of words, of which, by the by, he did not understand a single one; he remained upright and motionless on his seat, and that was all he could do.
Saint-Aignan continued, and gave a new inflection to his voice, and an increasing vehemence to his gesture: "As for the portrait, for I readily believe the portrait is the princ.i.p.al cause of complaint, tell me candidly if you think me to blame?--Who was it who wished to have her portrait? Was it I?--Who is in love with her? Is it I?--Who wishes to gain her affection? Again, is it I?--Who took her likeness? I, do you think? No! a thousand times no! I know M. de Bragelonne must be in a state of despair; I know these misfortunes are most cruel. But I, too, am suffering as well; and yet there is no possibility of offering any resistance. Suppose we were to fight? we would be laughed at. If he obstinately persist in his course, he is lost. You will tell me, I know, that despair is ridiculous, but then you are a sensible man. You have understood me. I perceived by your serious, thoughtful, embarra.s.sed air, even, that the importance of the situation we are placed in has not escaped you. Return, therefore, to M. de Bragelonne; thank him--as I have indeed reason to thank him--for having chosen as an intermediary a man of your high merit. Believe me that I shall, on my side, preserve an eternal grat.i.tude for the man who has so ingeniously, so cleverly arranged the misunderstanding between us. And since ill luck would have it that the secret should be known to four instead of three, why, this secret, which might make the most ambitious man"s fortune, I am delighted to share with you, monsieur, from the bottom of my heart I am delighted at it. From this very moment you can make use of me as you please, I place myself entirely at your mercy. What can I possibly do for you? What can I solicit, nay, require even? You have only to speak, monsieur, only to speak."
And, according to the familiarly friendly fashion of that period, Saint-Aignan threw his arms round Porthos, and clasped him tenderly in his embrace. Porthos allowed him to do this with the most perfect indifference. "Speak," resumed Saint-Aignan, "what do you require?"
"Monsieur," said Porthos, "I have a horse below: be good enough to mount him; he is a very good one and will play you no tricks."
"Mount on horseback! what for?" inquired Saint-Aignan, with no little curiosity.
"To accompany me to where M. de Bragelonne is waiting us."
"Ah! he wishes to speak to me, I suppose? I can well believe that; he wishes to have the details, very likely; alas! it is a very delicate matter; but at the present moment I cannot, for the king is waiting for me."
"The king must wait, then," said Porthos.
"What do you say? the king must wait!" interrupted the finished courtier, with a smile of utter amazement, for he could not understand that the king could under any circ.u.mstances be supposed to have to wait.
"It is merely the affair of a very short hour," returned Porthos.
"But where is M. de Bragelonne waiting for me?"
"At the Minimes, at Vincennes."
"Ah, indeed! but are we going to laugh over the affair when we get there?"
"I don"t think it likely," said Porthos, as his face a.s.sumed a look of utter hardness.
"But the Minimes is a rendezvous where duels take place, and what can I have to do at the Minimes?"
Porthos slowly drew his sword, and said: "That is the length of my friend"s sword."
"Why, the man is mad!" cried Saint-Aignan.
The color mounted to Porthos"s face, as he replied: "If I had not the honor of being in your own apartment, monsieur, and of representing M.
de Bragelonne"s interests, I would throw you out of the window. It will be merely a pleasure postponed, and you will lose nothing by waiting.
Will you come with me to the Minimes, monsieur, of your own free will?"
"But--"
"Take care, I will carry you if you do not come quickly."
"Basque!" cried Saint-Aignan. As soon as Basque appeared, he said, "The king wishes to see monsieur le comte."
"That is very different," said Porthos; "the king"s service before anything else. We will wait until this evening, monsieur."