"And Lord de Winter--do you know anything about him?"
"I know that he is in high favor with Charles I."
"The fortunes of that monarch now are at low water. He shed the blood of Strafford; that confirms what I said just now--blood will have blood. And the queen?"
"What queen?"
"Madame Henrietta of England, daughter of Henry IV."
"She is at the Louvre, as you know."
"Yes, and I hear in bitter poverty. Her daughter, during the severest cold, was obliged for want of fire to remain in bed. Do you grasp that?" said Athos, shrugging his shoulders; "the daughter of Henry IV. shivering for want of a f.a.got! Why did she not ask from any one of us a home instead of from Mazarin? She should have wanted nothing."
"Have you ever seen the queen of England?" inquired D"Artagnan.
"No; but my mother, as a child, saw her. Did I ever tell you that my mother was lady of honor to Marie de Medici?"
"Never. You know, Athos, you never spoke much of such matters."
"Ah, mon Dieu, yes, you are right," Athos replied; "but then there must be some occasion for speaking."
"Porthos wouldn"t have waited for it so patiently," said D"Artagnan, with a smile.
"Every one according to his nature, my dear D"Artagnan. Porthos, in spite of a touch of vanity, has many excellent qualities. Have you seen him?"
"I left him five days ago," said D"Artagnan, and he portrayed with Gascon wit and sprightliness the magnificence of Porthos in his Chateau of Pierrefonds; nor did he neglect to launch a few arrows of wit at the excellent Monsieur Mouston.
"I sometimes wonder," replied Athos, smiling at that gayety which recalled the good old days, "that we could form an a.s.sociation of men who would be, after twenty years of separation, still so closely bound together. Friendship throws out deep roots in honest hearts, D"Artagnan. Believe me, it is only the evil-minded who deny friendship; they cannot understand it. And Aramis?"
"I have seen him also," said D"Artagnan; "but he seemed to me cold."
"Ah, you have seen Aramis?" said Athos, turning on D"Artagnan a searching look. "Why, it is a veritable pilgrimage, my dear friend, that you are making to the Temple of Friendship, as the poets would say."
"Why, yes," replied D"Artagnan, with embarra.s.sment.
"Aramis, you know," continued Athos, "is naturally cold, and then he is always involved in intrigues with women."
"I believe he is at this moment in a very complicated one," said D"Artagnan.
Athos made no reply.
"He is not curious," thought D"Artagnan.
Athos not only failed to reply, he even changed the subject of conversation.
"You see," said he, calling D"Artagnan"s attention to the fact that they had come back to the chateau after an hour"s walk, "we have made a tour of my domains."
"All is charming and everything savors of n.o.bility," replied D"Artagnan.
At this instant they heard the sound of horses" feet.
""Tis Raoul who has come back," said Athos; "and we can now hear how the poor child is."
In fact, the young man appeared at the gate, covered with dust, entered the courtyard, leaped from his horse, which he consigned to the charge of a groom, and then went to greet the count and D"Artagnan.
"Monsieur," said Athos, placing his hand on D"Artagnan"s shoulder, "monsieur is the Chevalier D"Artagnan of whom you have often heard me speak, Raoul."
"Monsieur," said the young man, saluting again and more profoundly, "monsieur le comte has p.r.o.nounced your name before me as an example whenever he wished to speak of an intrepid and generous gentleman."
That little compliment could not fail to move D"Artagnan. He extended a hand to Raoul and said: "My young friend, all the praises that are given me should be pa.s.sed on to the count here; for he has educated me in everything and it is not his fault that his pupil profited so little from his instructions. But he will make it up in you I am sure. I like your manner, Raoul, and your politeness has touched me."
Athos was more delighted than can be told. He looked at D"Artagnan with an expression of grat.i.tude and then bestowed on Raoul one of those strange smiles, of which children are so proud when they receive them.
"Now," said D"Artagnan to himself, noticing that silent play of countenance, "I am sure of it."
"I hope the accident has been of no consequence?"
"They don"t yet know, sir, on account of the swelling; but the doctor is afraid some tendon has been injured."
At this moment a little boy, half peasant, half foot-boy, came to announce supper.
Athos led his guest into a dining-room of moderate size, the windows of which opened on one side on a garden, on the other on a hot-house full of magnificent flowers.
D"Artagnan glanced at the dinner service. The plate was magnificent, old, and appertaining to the family. D"Artagnan stopped to look at a sideboard on which was a superb ewer of silver.
"That workmanship is divine!" he exclaimed.
"Yes, a chef d"oeuvre of the great Florentine sculptor, Benvenuto Cellini," replied Athos.
"What battle does it represent?"
"That of Marignan, just at the point where one of my forefathers is offering his sword to Francis I., who has broken his. It was on that occasion that my ancestor, Enguerrand de la Fere, was made a knight of the Order of St. Michael; besides which, the king, fifteen years afterward, gave him also this ewer and a sword which you may have seen formerly in my house, also a lovely specimen of workmanship. Men were giants in those times," said Athos; "now we are pigmies in comparison. Let us sit down to supper. Call Charles," he added, addressing the boy who waited.
"My good Charles, I particularly recommend to your care Planchet, the laquais of Monsieur D"Artagnan. He likes good wine; now you have the key of the cellar. He has slept a long time on a hard bed, so he won"t object to a soft one; take every care of him, I beg of you." Charles bowed and retired.
"You think of everything," said D"Artagnan; "and I thank you for Planchet, my dear Athos."
Raoul stared on hearing this name and looked at the count to be quite sure that it was he whom the lieutenant thus addressed.
"That name sounds strange to you," said Athos, smiling; "it was my nom de guerre when Monsieur D"Artagnan, two other gallant friends and myself performed some feats of arms at the siege of La Roch.e.l.le, under the deceased cardinal and Monsieur de Ba.s.sompierre. My friend is still so kind as to address me by that old and well beloved appellation, which makes my heart glad when I hear it."
""Tis an ill.u.s.trious name," said the lieutenant, "and had one day triumphal honors paid to it."
"What do you mean, sir?" inquired Raoul.
"You have not forgotten St. Gervais, Athos, and the napkin which was converted into a banner?" and he then related to Raoul the story of the bastion, and Raoul fancied he was listening to one of those deeds of arms belonging to days of chivalry, so gloriously recounted by Ta.s.so and Ariosto.
"D"Artagnan does not tell you, Raoul," said Athos, in his turn, "that he was reckoned one of the finest swordsmen of his time--a knuckle of iron, a wrist of steel, a sure eye and a glance of fire; that"s what his adversary met with. He was eighteen, only three years older than you are, Raoul, when I saw him set to work, pitted against tried men."
"And did Monsieur D"Artagnan come off the conqueror?" asked the young man, with glistening eye.
"I killed one man, if I recollect rightly," replied D"Artagnan, with a look of inquiry directed to Athos; "another I disarmed or wounded, I don"t remember which."
"Wounded!" said Athos; "it was a phenomenon of skill."
The young man would willingly have prolonged this conversation far into the night, but Athos pointed out to him that his guest must need repose. D"Artagnan would fain have declared that he was not fatigued, but Athos insisted on his retiring to his chamber, conducted thither by Raoul.
15. Athos as a Diplomatist.
D"Artagnan retired to bed--not to sleep, but to think over all he had heard that evening. Being naturally goodhearted, and having had once a liking for Athos, which had grown into a sincere friendship, he was delighted at thus meeting a man full of intelligence and moral strength, instead of a drunkard. He admitted without annoyance the continued superiority of Athos over himself, devoid as he was of that jealousy which might have saddened a less generous disposition; he was delighted also that the high qualities of Athos appeared to promise favorably for his mission. Nevertheless, it seemed to him that Athos was not in all respects sincere and frank. Who was the youth he had adopted and who bore so striking a resemblance to him? What could explain Athos"s having re-entered the world and the extreme sobriety he had observed at table? The absence of Grimaud, whose name had never once been uttered by Athos, gave D"Artagnan uneasiness. It was evident either that he no longer possessed the confidence of his friend, or that Athos was bound by some invisible chain, or that he had been forewarned of the lieutenant"s visit.
He could not help thinking of M. Rochefort, whom he had seen in Notre Dame; could De Rochefort have forestalled him with Athos? Again, the moderate fortune which Athos possessed, concealed as it was, so skillfully, seemed to show a regard for appearances and to betray a latent ambition which might be easily aroused. The clear and vigorous intellect of Athos would render him more open to conviction than a less able man would be. He would enter into the minister"s schemes with the more ardor, because his natural activity would be doubled by necessity.
Resolved to seek an explanation on all these points on the following day, D"Artagnan, in spite of his fatigue, prepared for an attack and determined that it should take place after breakfast. He determined to cultivate the good-will of the youth Raoul and, either whilst fencing with him or when out shooting, to extract from his simplicity some information which would connect the Athos of old times with the Athos of the present. But D"Artagnan at the same time, being a man of extreme caution, was quite aware what injury he should do himself, if by any indiscretion or awkwardness he should betray has manoeuvering to the experienced eye of Athos. Besides, to tell truth, whilst D"Artagnan was quite disposed to adopt a subtle course against the cunning of Aramis or the vanity of Porthos, he was ashamed to equivocate with Athos, true-hearted, open Athos. It seemed to him that if Porthos and Aramis deemed him superior to them in the arts of diplomacy, they would like him all the better for it; but that Athos, on the contrary, would despise him.
"Ah! why is not Grimaud, the taciturn Grimaud, here?" thought D"Artagnan, "there are so many things his silence would have told me; with Grimaud silence was another form of eloquence!"
There reigned a perfect stillness in the house. D"Artagnan had heard the door shut and the shutters barred; the dogs became in their turn silent. At last a nightingale, lost in a thicket of shrubs, in the midst of its most melodious cadences had fluted low and lower into stillness and fallen asleep. Not a sound was heard in the castle, except of a footstep up and down, in the chamber above--as he supposed, the bedroom of Athos.
"He is walking about and thinking," thought D"Artagnan; "but of what? It is impossible to know; everything else might be guessed, but not that."
At length Athos went to bed, apparently, for the noise ceased.
Silence and fatigue together overcame D"Artagnan and sleep overtook him also. He was not, however, a good sleeper. Scarcely had dawn gilded his window curtains when he sprang out of bed and opened the windows. Somebody, he perceived, was in the courtyard, moving stealthily. True to his custom of never pa.s.sing anything over that it was within his power to know, D"Artagnan looked out of the window and perceived the close red coat and brown hair of Raoul.
The young man was opening the door of the stable. He then, with noiseless haste, took out the horse that he had ridden on the previous evening, saddled and bridled it himself and led the animal into the alley to the right of the kitchen-garden, opened a side door which conducted him to a bridle road, shut it after him, and D"Artagnan saw him pa.s.s by like a dart, bending, as he went, beneath the pendent flowery branches of maple and acacia. The road, as D"Artagnan had observed, was the way to Blois.
"So!" thought the Gascon "here"s a young blade who has already his love affair, who doesn"t at all agree with Athos in his hatred to the fair s.e.x. He"s not going to hunt, for he has neither dogs nor arms; he"s not going on a message, for he goes secretly. Why does he go in secret? Is he afraid of me or of his father? for I am sure the count is his father. By Jove! I shall know about that soon, for I shall soon speak out to Athos."
Day was now advanced; all the noises that had ceased the night before reawakened, one after the other. The bird on the branch, the dog in his kennel, the sheep in the field, the boats moored in the Loire, even, became alive and vocal. The latter, leaving the sh.o.r.e, abandoned themselves gaily to the current. The Gascon gave a last twirl to his mustache, a last turn to his hair, brushed, from habit, the brim of his hat with the sleeve of his doublet, and went downstairs. Scarcely had he descended the last step of the threshold when he saw Athos bent down toward the ground, as if he were looking for a crown-piece in the dust.
"Good-morning, my dear host," cried D"Artagnan.
"Good-day to you; have you slept well?"
"Excellently, Athos, but what are you looking for? You are perhaps a tulip fancier?"
"My dear friend, if I am, you must not laugh at me for being so. In the country people alter; one gets to like, without knowing it, all those beautiful objects that G.o.d causes to spring from the earth, which are despised in cities. I was looking anxiously for some iris roots I planted here, close to this reservoir, and which some one has trampled upon this morning. These gardeners are the most careless people in the world; in bringing the horse out to the water they"ve allowed him to walk over the border."
D"Artagnan began to smile.
"Ah! you think so, do you?"
And he took his friend along the alley, where a number of tracks like those which had trampled down the flowerbeds, were visible.
"Here are the horse"s hoofs again, it seems, Athos," he said carelessly.
"Yes, indeed, the marks are recent."
"Quite so," replied the lieutenant.
"Who went out this morning?" Athos asked, uneasily. "Has any horse got loose?"
"Not likely," answered the Gascon; "these marks are regular."
"Where is Raoul?" asked Athos; "how is it that I have not seen him?"
"Hush!" exclaimed D"Artagnan, putting his finger on his lips; and he related what he had seen, watching Athos all the while.
"Ah, he"s gone to Blois; the poor boy----"
"Wherefore?"
"Ah, to inquire after the little La Valliere; she has sprained her foot, you know."
"You think he has?"
"I am sure of it," said Athos; "don"t you see that Raoul is in love?"
"Indeed! with whom--with a child seven years old?"
"Dear friend, at Raoul"s age the heart is so expansive that it must encircle one object or another, fancied or real. Well, his love is half real, half fanciful. She is the prettiest little creature in the world, with flaxen hair, blue eyes,--at once saucy and languishing."
"But what say you to Raoul"s fancy?"
"Nothing--I laugh at Raoul; but this first desire of the heart is imperious. I remember, just at his age, how deep in love I was with a Grecian statue which our good king, then Henry IV., gave my father, insomuch that I was mad with grief when they told me that the story of Pygmalion was nothing but a fable."
"It is mere want of occupation. You do not make Raoul work, so he takes his own way of employing himself."
"Exactly; therefore I think of sending him away from here."
"You will be wise to do so."
"No doubt of it; but it will break his heart. So long as three or four years ago he used to adorn and adore his little idol, whom he will some day fall in love with in right earnest if he remains here. The parents of little La Valliere have for a long time perceived and been amused at it; now they begin to look concerned."
"Nonsense! However, Raoul must be diverted from this fancy. Send him away or you will never make a man of him."
"I think I shall send him to Paris."
"So!" thought D"Artagnan, and it seemed to him that the moment for attack had arrived.