The Vicomte de Bragelonne

  CHAPTER CII.

  PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE.

  Athos lost no more time in combating this immutable resolution. He gaveall his attention to preparing, during the two days the duc had grantedhim, the proper appointments for Raoul. This labor chiefly concernedGrimaud, who immediately applied himself to it with the good will andintelligence we know he possessed. Athos gave this worthy servant ordersto take the route to Paris when the equipments should be ready, and notto expose himself to keeping the duc waiting, or to delay Raoul, so thatthe duc should perceive his absence, he himself, the day after the visitof M. de Beaufort, set off for Paris with his son.

  For the poor young man it was an emotion easily to be understood, thusto return to Paris among all the people who had known and loved him.Every face recalled a suffering to him who had suffered so much, to himwho had loved so much, some circumstance of his love. Raoul, onapproaching Paris, felt as if he were dying. Once in Paris, he reallyexisted no longer. When he reached Guiche's residence, he was informedthat Guiche was with Monsieur. Raoul took the road to the Luxembourg,and when arrived, without suspecting that he was going to the placewhere La Valliere had lived, he heard so much music and respired so manyperfumes, he heard so much joyous laughter, and saw so many dancingshadows, that, if it had not been for a charitable woman, who perceivedhim so dejected and pale beneath a doorway, he would have remained therea few minutes, and then would have gone away never to return. But, as wehave said, in the first antechambers he had stopped, solely for the sakeof not mixing himself with all those happy existences which he felt weremoving around him in the adjacent salons. And as one of Monsieur'sservants, recognizing him, had asked him if he wished to see Monsieur orMadame, Raoul had scarcely answered him, but had sunk down upon a benchnear the velvet doorway, looking at a clock, which had stood for nearlyan hour.

  The servant had passed on, and another, better acquainted with him, hadcome up and interrogated Raoul as to whether he should inform M. Guicheof his being there. This name even did not rouse the recollections ofpoor Raoul. The persistent servant went on to relate that Guiche hadjust invented a new game of lottery, and was teaching it to the ladies.Raoul, opening his large eyes, like the absent man in Theophrastus, hadmade no answer, but his sadness had increased by it two shades. With hishead hanging down, his limbs relaxed, his mouth half open for the escapeof his sighs, Raoul remained, thus forgotten, in the antechamber, whenall at once a lady's robe passed, rubbing against the doors of a lateralsalon which opened upon the gallery. A lady, young, pretty, and gay,scolding an officer of the household, entered by that way, andexpressed herself with much vivacity. The officer replied in calm butfirm sentences; it was rather a little love pet than a quarrel ofcourtiers, and was terminated by a kiss on the fingers of the lady.Suddenly, on perceiving Raoul, the lady became silent, and pushing awaythe officer:

  "Make your escape, Malicorne," said she; "I did not think there was anyone here. I shall curse you, if they have either heard or seen us!"

  Malicorne hastened away. The young lady advanced behind Raoul, andstretching her joyous face oven him as he lay:

  "Monsieur is a gallant man," said she, "and no doubt--"

  She here interrupted herself by uttering a cry: "Raoul!" said she,blushing.

  "Mademoiselle de Montalais!" said Raoul, more pale than death.

  He rose unsteadily and tried to make his way across the slippery mosaicof the floor; but she had comprehended that savage and cruel grief; shefelt that in the flight of Raoul there was an accusation, or at least asuspicion against herself. A woman, ever vigilant, she did not think sheought to let the opportunity slip of making a justification; but Raoul,though stopped by her in the middle of the gallery, did not seemdisposed to surrender without a combat. He took it up in a tone so coldand embarrassed that if they had been thus surprised, the whole courtwould have had no doubt about the proceedings of Mademoiselle deMontalais.

  "Ah! monsieur," said she with disdain, "what you are doing is veryunworthy of a gentleman. My heart inclines me to speak to you; youcompromise me by a reception almost uncivil, you are wrong, monsieur;and you confound your friends with your enemies. Farewell!"

  Raoul had sworn never to speak of Louise, never even to look at thosewho might have seen Louise; he was going into another world, that hemight never meet with anything Louise had seen, or anything she hadtouched. But after the first shock of his pride, after having had aglimpse of Montalais, the companion of Louise--Montalais, who remindedhim of the turret of Blois and the joys of youth, all his reason fadedaway.

  "Pardon me, mademoiselle; it enters not, it cannot enter into mythoughts to be uncivil."

  "Do you wish to speak to me?" said she, with the smile of former days."Well! come somewhere else; for here we may be surprised."

  "Oh!" said he.

  She looked at the clock, doubtingly, then having reflected:

  "In my apartment," said she, "we shall have an hour to ourselves." And,taking her course, lighter than a fairy, she ran up to her chamber,followed by Raoul. Shutting the door, and placing in the hands of her_cameriste_, the mantle she had held upon her arm.

  "You were seeking M. de Guiche, were you not?" said she to Raoul.

  "Yes, mademoiselle."

  "I will go and ask him to come up here, presently, after I have spokento you."

  "Do so, mademoiselle."

  "Are you angry with me?"

  Raoul looked at her for a moment, then, casting down his eyes, "Yes,"said he.

  "You think I was concerned in the plot which brought about your rupture,do you not?"

  "Rupture!" said he, with bitterness. "Oh! mademoiselle, there can be norupture where there has been no love."

  "An error," replied Montalais; "Louise did love you."

  Raoul started.

  "Not with love, I know; but she liked you, and you ought to have marriedher before you set out for London."

  Raoul broke into a sinister laugh, which made Montalais shudder.

  "You tell me that very much at your ease, mademoiselle. Do people marrywhom they like? You forget that the king kept for himself as hismistress her of whom we are speaking."

  "Listen," said the young woman, pressing the cold hands of Raoul in herown, "you were wrong in every way; a man of your age ought never toleave a woman of hers alone."

  "There is no longer any faith in the world, then," said Raoul.

  "No, vicomte," said Montalais, quietly. "Nevertheless, let me tell you,that if instead of loving Louise coldly and philosophically, you hadendeavored to awaken her to love--"

  "Enough, I pray you, mademoiselle," said Raoul. "I feel that you areall, of both sexes, of a different age from me. You can laugh, and youcan banter agreeably. I, mademoiselle, I loved mademoiselle de--" Raoulcould not pronounce her name--"I loved her; well! I put faith inher--now I am quits by loving her no longer."

  "Oh, vicomte!" said Montalais, pointing to his reflection in a mirror.

  "I know what you mean, mademoiselle; I am much altered, am I not? Well!do you know why? Because my face is the mirror of my heart, the insidehas changed as you see the outside has."

  "You are consoled, then?" said Montalais, sharply.

  "No, I shall never be consoled."

  "I don't understand you, M. de Bragelonne."

  "I care but little for that. I do not too well understand myself."

  "You have not even tried to speak to Louise?"

  "Who! I?" exclaimed the young man, with eyes flashing fire; "I!--why doyou not advise me to marry her? Perhaps the king would consent now." Andhe rose from his chair full of anger.

  "I see," said Montalais, "that you are not cured, and that Louise hasone enemy the more."

  "One enemy the more!"

  "Yes; favorites are but little beloved at the court of France."

  "Oh! while she has her lover to protect her, is not that enough? She haschosen him of such a quality that her enemies cannot prevail againsther." But, stopping all at once, "And then she has you for a f
riend,mademoiselle," added he, with a shade of irony which did not glide offthe cuirass.

  "Who! I?--Oh, no! I am no longer one of those whom Mademoiselle de laValliere deigns to look upon; but--"

  This _but_, so big with menaces and storm; this _but_, which made theheart of Raoul beat, such griefs did it presage for her whom lately heloved so dearly; this terrible _but_, so significant in a woman likeMontalais, was interrupted by a moderately loud noise heard by thespeakers, proceeding from the alcove behind the wainscoting. Montalaisturned to listen, and Raoul was already rising, when a lady entered theroom quietly by the secret door, which she closed after her.

  "Madame!" exclaimed Raoul, on recognizing the sister-in-law of the king.

  "Stupid wretch!" murmured Montalais, throwing herself, but too late,before the princess, "I have been mistaken in an hour!" She had,however, time to warn the princess, who was walking toward Raoul.

  "M. de Bragelonne, madame." And at these words the princess drew back,uttering a cry in her turn.

  "Your royal highness," said Montalais, with volubility, "is kind enoughto think of this lottery, and--"

  The princess began to lose countenance. Raoul hastened his departurewithout yet divining all; but he felt that he was in the way. Madame waspreparing a word of transition to recover herself, when a closet openedin front of the alcove, and M. de Guiche issued, all radiant, also fromthat closet. The most pale of the four, we must admit, was still Raoul.The princess, however, was near fainting, and was obliged to lean uponthe foot of the bed for support. No one ventured to support her. Thisscene occupied several minutes of terrible silence. But Raoul broke it.He went up to the comte, whose inexpressible emotion made his kneestremble, and taking his hand, "Dear comte," said he, "tell Madame I amtoo unhappy not to merit my pardon; tell her also that I have loved inthe course of my life, and that the horror of the treachery that hasbeen practiced on me renders me inexorable for all other treachery thatmay be committed around me. This is why, mademoiselle," said he,smiling, to Montalais, "I never would divulge the secret of the visitsof my friend to your apartment. Obtain from Madame--from Madame, who isso clement and so generous--obtain her pardon for you whom she has justsurprised also. You are both free, love each other, be happy!"

  The princess felt for a moment the despair which cannot be described; itwas repugnant to her, notwithstanding the exquisite delicacy which Raoulhad exhibited, to feel herself at the mercy of an indiscretion. It wasequally repugnant to her to accept the evasion offered by this delicatedeception. Agitated, nervous, she struggled against the double stings ofthe two troubles. Raoul comprehended her position, and came once more toher aid. Bending his knee before her, "Madame!" said he, in a low voice,"in two days I shall be far from Paris; in a fortnight I shall be farfrom France, where I shall never be seen again."

  "Are you going away, then?" said she, with great delight.

  "With M. de Beaufort."

  "Into Africa!" cried Guiche, in his turn. "You, Raoul--oh! myfriend--into Africa, where everybody dies!"

  And forgetting everything, forgetting that that forgetfulness itselfcompromised the princess more eloquently than his presence, "Ingrate!"said he, "and you have not even consulted me!" And he embraced him;during which time Montalais had led away Madame, and disappearedherself.

  Raoul passed his hand over his brow, and said with a smile, "I have beendreaming!" Then warmly to Guiche, who, by degrees, absorbed him, "Myfriend," said he, "I conceal nothing from you, who are the elected of myheart. I am going to seek death in yonder country; your secret will notremain in my breast more than a year."

  "Oh, Raoul! a man!"

  "Do you know what is my thought, Guiche? This is it--'I shall live more,being buried beneath the earth, than I have lived for this month past.'We are Christians, my friend, and if such suffering were to continue, Iwould not be answerable for the safety of my soul."

  Guiche was anxious to raise objections.

  "Not one word more on my account," said Raoul; "but advice to you, dearfriend; what I am going to say to you is of much greater importance."

  "What is that?"

  "Without doubt, you risk much more than I do, because you love."

  "Oh!"

  "It is a joy so sweet to me to be able to speak to you thus! Well, then,Guiche, beware of Montalais."

  "What! of that kind friend?"

  "She was the friend of--her you know of. She ruined her by pride."

  "You are mistaken."

  "And now, when she has ruined her, she would ravish from her the onlything that renders that woman excusable in my eyes."

  "What is that?"

  "Her love."

  "What do you mean by that?"

  "I mean that there is a plot formed against her who is the mistress ofthe king--a plot formed in the very house of Madame."

  "Can you think so?"

  "I am certain of it."

  "By Montalais?"

  "Take her as the least dangerous of the enemies I dread for--the other."

  "Explain yourself clearly, my friend; and, if I can understand you--"

  "In two words. Madame has been jealous of the king."

  "I know she has--"

  "Oh! fear nothing--you are beloved--you are beloved, Guiche; do you feelthe value of these three words? They signify that you can raise yourhead, that you can sleep tranquilly, that you can thank God every minuteof your life. You are beloved; that signifies that you may heareverything, even the counsel of a friend who wishes to preserve yourhappiness. You are beloved, Guiche--you are beloved! You do not endurethose atrocious nights, those nights without end, which, with arid eyeand devoured heart, others pass through who are destined to die. Youwill live long, if you act like the miser who, bit by bit, crumb bycrumb, collects and heaps up diamonds and gold. You are beloved!--allowme to tell you what you must do that you may be beloved forever."

  Guiche contemplated for sometime this unfortunate young man, half madwith despair, till there passed through his heart something like remorseat his own happiness. Raoul suppressed his feverish excitement, toassume the voice and countenance of an impassible man. "They will makeher, whose name I should wish still to be able to pronounce--they willmake her suffer. Swear to me that you will not second them inanything--but that you will defend her, when possible, as I would havedone myself."

  "I swear I will," replied Guiche.

  "And," continued Raoul, "some day when you shall have rendered her agreat service--some day when she shall thank you, promise me to saythese words to her--'I have done you this kindness, madame, by the warmdesire of M. de Bragelonne, whom you so deeply injured.'"

  "I swear I will," murmured Guiche.

  "That is all. Adieu! I set out to-morrow, or the day after, for Toulon.If you have a few hours to spare, give them to me."

  "All! all!" cried the young man.

  "Thank you!"

  "And what are you going to do now?"

  "I am going to meet M. le Comte at the house of Planchet, where we hopeto find M. d'Artagnan."

  "M. d'Artagnan?"

  "Yes, I wish to embrace him before my departure. He is a brave man, wholoves me dearly. Farewell, my friend: you are expected, no doubt; youwill find me, when you wish, at the lodgings of the comte. Farewell!"

  The two young men embraced. They who might have seen them both thus,would not have hesitated to say, pointing to Raoul: "That is the happyman!"