"I know a means of procuring them," said the d.u.c.h.esse, thoughtlessly.
This remark made the chevalier p.r.i.c.k up his ears; and from the moment his adversary had committed this error, his mind was so thoroughly on its guard, that he seemed every moment to gain the advantage more and more; and she, consequently, to lose it. "I will admit, for argument"s sake, that you obtain the money," he resumed; "you will lose twice as much, having a hundred thousand francs" pension to receive instead of sixty thousand, and that for a period of ten years."
"Not so, for I shall only be subjected to this reduction of my income during the period of M. Fouquet"s remaining in power, a period which I estimate at two months."
"Ah!" said Aramis.
"I am frank, you see."
"I thank you for it, d.u.c.h.esse; but you would be wrong to suppose that after M. Fouquet"s disgrace the order would resume the payment of your pension."
"I know a means of making the order pay, as I know a means of forcing the queen-mother to concede what I require."
"In that case, d.u.c.h.esse, we are all obliged to strike our flags to you.
The victory is yours, and the triumph also. Be clement, I entreat you."
"But is it possible," resumed the d.u.c.h.esse, without taking notice of the irony, "that you really draw back from a miserable sum of five hundred thousand francs, when it is a question of sparing you--I mean your friend--I beg your pardon, I ought rather to say your protector--the disagreeable consequences which a party contest produces?"
"d.u.c.h.esse, I tell you why; supposing the five hundred thousand francs were to be given you, M. Laicques will require his share, which will be another five hundred thousand francs, I presume? and then, after M. de Laicques"s and your own portions have been arranged, the portions which your children, your poor pensioners, and various other persons will require, will start up as fresh claims, and these letters, however compromising they may be in their nature, are not worth from three to four millions. Can you have forgotten the queen of France"s diamonds?--they were surely worth more than these bits of waste paper signed by Mazarin, and yet their recovery did not cost a fourth part of what you ask for yourself."
"Yes, that is true; but the merchant values his goods at his own price, and it is for the purchaser to buy or refuse."
"Stay a moment, d.u.c.h.esse; would you like me to tell you why I will not buy your letters?"
"Pray tell me."
"Because the letters you claim to be Mazarin"s are false."
"What an absurdity."
"I have no doubt of it, for it would, to say the least, be very singular, that after you had quarreled with the queen through M.
Mazarin"s means, you should have kept up any intimate acquaintance with the latter; it would look as if you had been acting as a spy; and upon my word, I do not like to make use of the word."
"Oh! pray do."
"You great complacence would seem suspicions, at all events."
"That is quite true; but the contents of the letters are even more so."
"I pledge you my word, d.u.c.h.esse, that you will not be able to make use of it with the queen."
"Oh! yes, indeed; I can make use of everything with the queen."
"Very good," thought Aramis. "Croak on, old owl--hiss, beldame-viper."
But the d.u.c.h.esse had said enough, and advanced a few steps towards the door. Aramis, however, had reserved one exposure which she did _not_ expect.
He rang the bell, candles immediately appeared in the adjoining room, and the bishop found himself completely encircled by lights, which shone upon the worn, haggard face of the d.u.c.h.esse, revealing every feature but too clearly. Aramis fixed a long ironical look upon her pale, thin, withered cheeks--her dim, dull eyes--and upon her lips, which she kept carefully closed over her discolored scanty teeth. He, however, had thrown himself into a graceful att.i.tude, with his haughty and intelligent head thrown back; he smiled so as to reveal teeth still brilliant and dazzling. The antiquated coquette understood the trick that had been played her. She was standing immediately before a large mirror, in which her decrepitude, so carefully concealed, was only made more manifest. And, thereupon, without even saluting Aramis, who bowed with the ease and grace of the musketeer of early days, she hurried away with trembling steps, which her very precipitation only the more impeded. Aramis sprang across the room, like a zephyr, to lead her to the door. Madame de Chevreuse made a sign to her servant, who resumed his musket, and she left the house where such tender friends had not been able to understand each other only because they had understood each other too well.
Chapter XLI. Wherein May Be Seen that a Bargain Which Cannot Be Made with One Person, Can Be Carried Out with Another.
Aramis had been perfectly correct in his supposition; for hardly had she left the house in the Place Baudoyer than Madame de Chevreuse proceeded homeward. She was doubtless afraid of being followed, and by this means thought she might succeed in throwing those who might be following her off their guard; but scarcely had she arrived within the door of the hotel, and hardly had a.s.sured herself that no one who could cause her any uneasiness was on her track, when she opened the door of the garden, leading into another street, and hurried towards the Rue Croix des Pet.i.ts-Champs, where M. Colbert resided.
We have already said that evening, or rather night, had closed in; it was a dark, thick night, besides; Paris had once more sunk into its calm, quiescent state, enshrouding alike within its indulgent mantle the high-born d.u.c.h.esse carrying out her political intrigue, and the simple citizen"s wife, who, having been detained late by a supper in the city, was making her way slowly homewards, hanging on the arm of a lover, by the shortest possible route. Madame de Chevreuse had been too well accustomed to nocturnal political intrigues to be ignorant that a minister never denies himself, even at his own private residence, to any young and beautiful woman who may chance to object to the dust and confusion of a public office, or to old women, as full of experience as of years, who dislike the indiscreet echo of official residences. A valet received the d.u.c.h.esse under the peristyle, and received her, it must be admitted, with some indifference of manner; he intimated, after having looked at her face, that it was hardly at such an hour that one so advanced in years as herself could be permitted to disturb Monsieur Colbert"s important occupations. But Madame de Chevreuse, without looking or appearing to be annoyed, wrote her name upon a leaf of her tablets--a name which had but too frequently sounded so disagreeably in the ears of Louis XIII. and of the great cardinal. She wrote her name in the large, ill-formed characters of the higher cla.s.ses of that period, handed it to the valet, without uttering a word, but with so haughty and imperious a gesture, that the fellow, well accustomed to judge of people from their manners and appearance, perceived at once the quality of the person before him, bowed his head, and ran to M. Colbert"s room. The minister could not control a sudden exclamation as he opened the paper; and the valet, gathering from it the interest with which his master regarded the mysterious visitor, returned as fast as he could to beg the d.u.c.h.esse to follow him. She ascended to the first floor of the beautiful new house very slowly, rested herself on the landing-place, in order not to enter the apartment out of breath, and appeared before M. Colbert, who, with his own hands, held both the folding doors open. The d.u.c.h.esse paused at the threshold, for the purpose of well studying the character of the man with whom she was about to converse. At the first glance, the round, large, heavy head, thick brows, and ill-favored features of Colbert, who wore, thrust low down on his head, a cap like a priest"s _calotte_, seemed to indicate that but little difficulty was likely to be met with in her negotiations with him, but also that she was to expect as little interest in the discussion of particulars; for there was scarcely any indication that the rough and uncouth nature of the man was susceptible to the impulses of a refined revenge, or of an exalted ambition. But when, on closer inspection, the d.u.c.h.esse perceived the small, piercingly black eyes, the longitudinal wrinkles of his high and ma.s.sive forehead, the imperceptible twitching of the lips, on which were apparent traces of rough good-humor, Madame de Chevreuse altered her opinion of him, and felt she could say to herself: "I have found the man I want."
"What is the subject, madame, which procures me the honor of a visit from you?" he inquired.
"The need I have of you, monsieur," returned the d.u.c.h.esse, "as well as that which you have of me."
"I am delighted, madame, with the first portion of your sentence; but, as far as the second portion is concerned--"
Madame de Chevreuse sat down in the armchair which M. Colbert advanced towards her. "Monsieur Colbert, you are the intendant of finances, and are ambitious of becoming the superintendent?"
"Madame!"
"Nay, do not deny it; that would only unnecessarily prolong our conversation, and that is useless."
"And yet, madame, however well-disposed and inclined to show politeness I may be towards a lady of your position and merit, nothing will make me confess that I have ever entertained the idea of supplanting my superior."
"I said nothing about supplanting, Monsieur Colbert. Could I accidentally have made use of that word? I hardly think that likely.
The word "replace" is less aggressive in its signification, and more grammatically suitable, as M. de Voiture would say. I presume, therefore, that you are ambitious of replacing M. Fouquet."
"M. Fouquet"s fortune, madame, enables him to withstand all attempts.
The superintendent in this age plays the part of the Colossus of Rhodes; the vessels pa.s.s beneath him and do not overthrow him."
"I ought to have availed myself precisely of that very comparison. It is true, M. Fouquet plays the part of the Colossus of Rhodes; but I remember to have heard it said by M. Conrart, a member of the academy, I believe, that when the Colossus of Rhodes fell from its lofty position, the merchant who had cast it down--a merchant, nothing more, M.
Colbert--loaded four hundred camels with the ruins. A merchant! and that is considerably less than an intendant of finances."
"Madame, I can a.s.sure you that I shall never overthrow M. Fouquet."
"Very good, Monsieur Colbert, since you persist in showing so much sensitiveness with me, as if you were ignorant that I am Madame de Chevreuse, and also that I am somewhat advanced in years; in other words, that you have to do with a woman who has had political dealings with the Cardinal Richelieu, and who has no time to lose; as, I repeat, you do not hesitate to commit such an imprudence, I shall go and find others who are more intelligent and more desirous of making their fortunes."
"How, madame, how?"
"You give me a very poor idea of negotiations of the present day.
I a.s.sure you that if, in my earlier days, a woman had gone to M.
de Cinq-Mars, who was not, moreover, a man of a very high order of intellect, and had said to him about the cardinal what I have just said to you of M. Fouquet, M. de Cinq-Mars would by this time have already set actively to work."
"Nay, madame, show a little indulgence, I entreat you."
"Well, then, do you really consent to replace M. Fouquet?"
"Certainly, I do, if the king dismisses M. Fouquet."
"Again, a word too much; it is quite evident that, if you have not yet succeeded in driving M. Fouquet from his post, it is because you have not been able to do so. Therefore, I should be the greatest simpleton possible if, in coming to you, I did not bring the very thing you require."