"To meddle in politics," he exclaimed, in a languid voice, leaning back in his easy-chair. "Ah! dear D"Artagnan! see how regularly I live and how easy I am here. We have experienced the ingrat.i.tude of "the great," as you well know."
""Tis true," replied D"Artagnan. "Yet the great sometimes repent of their ingrat.i.tude."
"In that case it would be quite another thing. Come! let"s be merciful to every sinner! Besides, you are right in another respect, which is in thinking that if we were to meddle in politics there could not be a better time than the present."
"How can you know that? You who never interest yourself in politics?"
"Ah! without caring about them myself, I live among those who are much occupied in them. Poet as I am, I am intimate with Sarazin, who is devoted to the Prince de Conti, and with Monsieur de Bois-Robert, who, since the death of Cardinal Richelieu, is of all parties or any party; so that political discussions have not altogether been uninteresting to me."
"I have no doubt of it," said D"Artagnan.
"Now, my dear friend, look upon all I tell you as merely the statement of a monk--of a man who resembles an echo--repeating simply what he hears. I understand that Mazarin is at this very moment extremely uneasy as to the state of affairs; that his orders are not respected like those of our former bugbear, the deceased cardinal, whose portrait as you see hangs yonder--for whatever may be thought of him, it must be allowed that Richelieu was great."
"I will not contradict you there," said D"Artagnan.
"My first impressions were favorable to the minister; I said to myself that a minister is never loved, but that with the genius this one was said to have he would eventually triumph over his enemies and would make himself feared, which in my opinion is much more to be desired than to be loved----"
D"Artagnan made a sign with his head which indicated that he entirely approved that doubtful maxim.
"This, then," continued Aramis, "was my first opinion; but as I am very ignorant in matters of this kind and as the humility which I profess obliges me not to rest on my own judgment, but to ask the opinion of others, I have inquired--Eh!--my friend----"
Aramis paused.
"Well? what?" asked his friend.
"Well, I must mortify myself. I must confess that I was mistaken. Monsieur de Mazarin is not a man of genius, as I thought, he is a man of no origin--once a servant of Cardinal Bentivoglio, and he got on by intrigue. He is an upstart, a man of no name, who will only be the tool of a party in France. He will ama.s.s wealth, he will injure the king"s revenue and pay to himself the pensions which Richelieu paid to others. He is neither a gentleman in manner nor in feeling, but a sort of buffoon, a punchinello, a pantaloon. Do you know him? I do not."
"Hem!" said D"Artagnan, "there is some truth in what you say."
"Ah! it fills me with pride to find that, thanks to a common sort of penetration with which I am endowed, I am approved by a man like you, fresh from the court."
"But you speak of him, not of his party, his resources."
"It is true--the queen is for him."
"Something in his favor."
"But he will never have the king."
"A mere child."
"A child who will be of age in four years. Then he has neither the parliament nor the people with him--they represent the wealth of the country; nor the n.o.bles nor the princes, who are the military power of France."
D"Artagnan scratched his ear. He was forced to confess to himself that this reasoning was not only comprehensive, but just.
"You see, my poor friend, that I am sometimes bereft of my ordinary thoughtfulness; perhaps I am wrong in speaking thus to you, who have evidently a leaning to Mazarin."
"I!" cried D"Artagnan, "not in the least."
"You spoke of a mission."
"Did I? I was wrong then, no, I said what you say--there is a crisis at hand. Well! let"s fly the feather before the wind; let us join with that side to which the wind will carry it and resume our adventurous life. We were once four valiant knights--four hearts fondly united; let us unite again, not our hearts, which have never been severed, but our courage and our fortunes. Here"s a good opportunity for getting something better than a diamond."
"You are right, D"Artagnan; I held a similar project, but as I had not nor ever shall have your fruitful, vigorous imagination, the idea was suggested to me. Every one nowadays wants auxiliaries; propositions have been made to me and I confess to you frankly that the coadjutor has made me speak out."
"Monsieur de Gondy! the cardinal"s enemy?"
"No; the king"s friend," said Aramis; "the king"s friend, you understand. Well, it is a question of serving the king, the gentleman"s duty."
"But the king is with Mazarin."
"He is, but not willingly; in appearance, not heart; and that is exactly the snare the king"s enemies are preparing for the poor child."
"Ah! but this is, indeed, civil war which you propose to me, dear Aramis."
"War for the king."
"Yet the king will be at the head of the army on Mazarin"s side."
"But his heart will be in the army commanded by the Duc de Beaufort."
"Monsieur de Beaufort? He is at Vincennes."
"Did I say Monsieur de Beaufort? Monsieur de Beaufort or another. Monsieur de Beaufort or Monsieur le Prince."
"But Monsieur le Prince is to set out for the army; he is entirely devoted to the cardinal."
"Oh oh!" said Aramis, "there are questions between them at this very moment. And besides, if it is not the prince, then Monsieur de Gondy----"
"But Monsieur de Gondy is to be made a cardinal; they are soliciting the hat for him."
"And are there no cardinals that can fight? Come now, recall the four cardinals that at the head of armies have equalled Monsieur de Guebriant and Monsieur de Ga.s.sion."
"But a humpbacked general!
"Under the cuira.s.s the hump will not be seen. Besides, remember that Alexander was lame and Hannibal had but one eye."
"Do you see any great advantage in adhering to this party?" asked D"Artagnan.
"I foresee in it the aid of powerful princes."
"With the enmity of the government."
"Counteracted by parliament and insurrections."
"That may be done if they can separate the king from his mother."
"That may be done," said Aramis.
"Never!" cried D"Artagnan. "You, Aramis, know Anne of Austria better than I do. Do you think she will ever forget that her son is her safeguard, her shield, the pledge for her dignity, for her fortune and her life? Should she forsake Mazarin she must join her son and go over to the princes" side; but you know better than I do that there are certain reasons why she can never abandon Mazarin."
"Perhaps you are right," said Aramis, thoughtfully; "therefore I shall not pledge myself."
"To them or to us, do you mean, Aramis?"
"To no one. I am a priest," resumed Aramis. "What have I to do with politics? I am not obliged to read any breviary. I have a jolly little circle of witty abbes and pretty women; everything goes on smoothly, so certainly, dear friend, I shall not meddle in politics."
"Well, listen, my dear Aramis," said D"Artagnan; "your philosophy convinces me, on my honor. I don"t know what devil of an insect stung me and made me ambitious. I have a post by which I live; at the death of Monsieur de Treville, who is old, I may be a captain, which is a very snug berth for a once penniless Gascon. Instead of running after adventures I shall accept an invitation from Porthos; I shall go and shoot on his estate. You know he has estates--Porthos?"
"I should think so, indeed. Ten leagues of wood, of marsh land and valleys; he is lord of the hill and the plain and is now carrying on a suit for his feudal rights against the Bishop of Noyon!"
"Good," said D"Artagnan to himself. "That"s what I wanted to know. Porthos is in Picardy."
Then aloud: "And he has taken his ancient name of Vallon?"
"To which he adds that of Bracieux, an estate which has been a barony, by my troth."
"So that Porthos will be a baron."
"I don"t doubt it. The "Baroness Porthos" will sound particularly charming."
And the two friends began to laugh.
"So," D"Artagnan resumed, "you will not become a partisan of Mazarin"s?"
"Nor you of the Prince de Conde?"
"No, let us belong to no party, but remain friends; let us be neither Cardinalists nor Frondists."
"Adieu, then." And D"Artagnan poured out a gla.s.s of wine.
"To old times," he said.
"Yes," returned Aramis. "Unhappily, those times are past."
"Nonsense! They will return," said D"Artagnan. "At all events, if you want me, remember the Rue Tiquetonne, Hotel de la Chevrette."
"And I shall be at the convent of Jesuits; from six in the morning to eight at night come by the door. From eight in the evening until six in the morning come in by the window."
"Adieu, dear friend."
"Oh, I can"t let you go so! I will go with you." And he took his sword and cloak.
"He wants to be sure that I go away," said D"Artagnan to himself.
Aramis whistled for Bazin, but Bazin was asleep in the ante-chamber, and Aramis was obliged to shake him by the ear to awake him.
Bazin stretched his arms, rubbed his eyes, and tried to go to sleep again.
"Come, come, sleepy head; quick, the ladder!"
"But," said Bazin, yawning portentously, "the ladder is still at the window."
"The other one, the gardener"s. Didn"t you see that Monsieur d"Artagnan mounted with difficulty? It will be even more difficult to descend."
D"Artagnan was about to a.s.sure Aramis that he could descend easily, when an idea came into his head which silenced him.
Bazin uttered a profound sigh and went out to look for the ladder. Presently a good, solid, wooden ladder was placed against the window.
"Now then," said D"Artagnan, "this is something like; this is a means of communication. A woman could go up a ladder like that."
Aramis"s searching look seemed to seek his friend"s thought even at the bottom of his heart, but D"Artagnan sustained the inquisition with an air of admirable simplicity. Besides, at that moment he put his foot on the first step of the ladder and began his descent. In a moment he was on the ground. Bazin remained at the window.
"Stay there," said Aramis; "I shall return immediately."
The two friends went toward the shed. At their approach Planchet came out leading the two horses.
"That is good to see," said Aramis. "There is a servant active and vigilant, not like that lazy fellow Bazin, who is no longer good for anything since he became connected with the church. Follow us, Planchet; we shall continue our conversation to the end of the village."
They traversed the width of the village, talking of indifferent things, then as they reached the last houses: "Go, then, dear friend," said Aramis, "follow your own career. Fortune lavishes her smiles upon you; do not let her flee from your embrace. As for me, I remain in my humility and indolence. Adieu!"
"Thus "tis quite decided," said D"Artagnan, "that what I have to offer to you does not tempt you?"
"On the contrary, it would tempt me were I any other man," rejoined Aramis; "but I repeat, I am made up of contradictions. What I hate to-day I adore to-morrow, and vice versa. You see that I cannot, like you, for instance, settle on any fixed plan."
"Thou liest, subtile one," said D"Artagnan to himself. "Thou alone, on the contrary, knowest how to choose thy object and to gain it stealthily."
The friends embraced. They descended into the plain by the ladder. Planchet met them hard by the shed. D"Artagnan jumped into the saddle, then the old companions in arms again shook hands. D"Artagnan and Planchet spurred their steeds and took the road to Paris.
But after he had gone about two hundred steps D"Artagnan stopped short, alighted, threw the bridle of his horse over the arm of Planchet and took the pistols from his saddle-bow to fasten them to his girdle.
"What"s the matter?" asked Planchet.
"This is the matter: be he ever so cunning he shall never say I was his dupe. Stand here, don"t stir, turn your back to the road and wait for me."
Having thus spoken, D"Artagnan cleared the ditch by the roadside and crossed the plain so as to wind around the village. He had observed between the house that Madame de Longueville inhabited and the convent of the Jesuits, an open s.p.a.ce surrounded by a hedge.
The moon had now risen and he could see well enough to retrace his road.
He reached the hedge and hid himself behind it; in pa.s.sing by the house where the scene which we have related took place, he remarked that the window was again lighted up and he was convinced that Aramis had not yet returned to his own apartment and that when he did it would not be alone.
In truth, in a few minutes he heard steps approaching and low whispers.
Close to the hedge the steps stopped.
D"Artagnan knelt down near the thickest part of the hedge.
Two men, to the astonishment of D"Artagnan, appeared shortly; soon, however, his surprise vanished, for he heard the murmurs of a soft, harmonious voice; one of these two men was a woman disguised as a cavalier.