CHAPTER CIV.
THE INVENTORY OF M. DE BEAUFORT.
To have talked of D'Artagnan with Planchet, to have seen Planchet quitParis to bury himself in his county retreat, had been for Athos and hisson like a last farewell to the noise of the capital--to their life offormer days. What, in fact, did these men leave behind them--one of whomhad exhausted the past age in glory, and the other the present age inmisfortune? Evidently, neither of them had anything to ask of hiscontemporaries. They had only to pay a visit to M. de Beaufort, andarrange with him the particulars of the departure. The duc was lodgedmagnificently in Paris. He had one of those superb establishmentspertaining to great fortunes, which certain old men remembered to haveseen flourish in the times of wasteful liberality in Henry III.'s reign.Then, really, several great nobles were richer than the king. They knewit, used it, and never deprived themselves of the pleasure ofhumiliating his royal majesty when they had an opportunity. It was thisegotistical aristocracy which Richelieu had constrained to contribute,with its blood, its purse, and its duties, to what was from his timestyled the king's service. From Louis XI.--that terrible mower down ofthe great--to Richelieu, how many families had raised their heads! Howmany from Richelieu to Louis XIV. had bowed their heads never to raisethem again. But M. de Beaufort was born a prince, and of a blood whichis not shed upon scaffolds, unless by the decree of peoples. This princehad kept up a grand style of living. How did he maintain his horses, hispeople, and his table? Nobody knew; himself less than others. Only therewere then privileges for the sons of kings, to whom nobody refused tobecome a creditor, whether from respect, devotedness, or a persuasionthat they would some day be paid.
Athos and Raoul found the mansion of the duc in as much confusion asthat of Planchet. The duc, likewise, was making his inventory; that isto say, he was distributing to his friends everything of value he had inhis house. Owing nearly two millions--an enormous amount in thosedays--M. de Beaufort had calculated that he could not set out for Africawithout a good round sum; and, in order to find that sum, he wasdistributing to his old creditors plate, arms, jewels and furniture,which was more magnificent than selling it, and brought him back double.In fact, how could a man to whom ten thousand livres were owing, refuseto carry away a present of six thousand, enhanced in merit from havingbelonged to a descendant of Henry IV.? And how, after having carriedaway that present, could he refuse ten thousand livres more to thisgenerous noble? This, then, was what had happened. The duc had no longera dwelling-house--that had become useless to an admiral, whose place ofresidence is his ship; he had no longer need of superfluous arms, whenhe was placed amid his cannons; no more jewels, which the sea might robhim of; but he had three or four hundred thousand crowns fresh in hiscoffers. And throughout the house there was a joyous movement of peoplewho believed they were plundering monseigneur. The prince had, in asupreme degree, the art of making happy the creditors the most to bepitied. Every distressed man, every empty purse, found with him patienceand intelligence of his position. To some he said, "I wish I had whatyou have, I would give it you." And to others, "I have but this silverewer, it is worth at least five hundred livres--take it."
The effect of which was--so truly is courtesy a current payment--thatthe prince constantly found means to renew his creditors. This time heused no ceremony; it might be called a general pillage. He gave upeverything. The oriental fable of the poor Arab, who carried away fromthe pillage of a palace a kettle at the bottom of which was concealed abag of gold, and whom everybody allowed to pass without jealousy--thisfable had become a truth in the prince's mansion. Many contractors paidthemselves upon the offices of the duc. Thus, the provision department,who plundered the clothes-presses and the harness-rooms, attached verylittle value to things which tailors and saddlers set great store by.Anxious to carry home to their wives preserves given them bymonseigneur, many were seen bounding joyously along, under the weight ofearthen jars and bottles, gloriously stamped with the arms of theprince. M. de Beaufort finished by giving away his horses and the hayfrom his lofts. He made more than thirty happy with kitchen utensils;and thirty more, with the contents of his cellar. Still further; allthese people went away with the conviction that M. de Beaufort onlyacted in this manner to prepare for a new fortune concealed beneath theArab tents. They repeated to each other, while devastating his hotel,that he was sent to Gigelli by the king, to reconstruct his lostfortunes; that the treasures of Africa would be equally divided betweenthe admiral and the king of France; that these treasures consisted inmines of diamonds, or other fabulous stones; the gold and silver minesof Mount Atlas did not even obtain the honor of being named. In additionto the mines to be worked--which could not be begun till after thecampaign--there would be the booty made by the army. M. de Beaufortwould lay his hands upon all the riches pirates had robbed Christendomof since the battle of Lepanto. The number of millions from thesesources defied calculation. Why, then, should he who was going in questof such treasures set any store by the poor utensils of his past life?And, reciprocally, why should they spare the property of him who sparedit so little himself?
Such was the position of affairs. Athos, with his investigating glance,saw what was going on at once. He found the admiral of France a littleexalted, for he was rising from a table of fifty covers, at which theguests had drunk long and deeply to the prosperity of the expedition; atwhich, with the dessert, the remains of the meal had been given to theservants, and the empty dishes and plates to the curious. The prince wasintoxicated with his ruin and his popularity at the same time. He haddrunk his old wine to the health of his future wine. When he saw Athosand Raoul--
"There is my aid-de-camp being brought to me!" he cried. "Come hither,comte; come hither, vicomte." Athos tried to find a passage through theheaps of linen and plate.
"Ah! step over, step over!" said the duc, offering a full glass toAthos. The latter took it; Raoul scarcely moistened his lips.
"Here is your commission," said the prince to Raoul. "I had prepared it,reckoning upon you. You will go on before me as far as Antibes."
"Yes, monseigneur."
"Here is the order." And De Beaufort gave Raoul the order. "Do you knowanything of the sea?"
"Yes, monseigneur; I have traveled with M. le Prince."
"That is well. All these barges and lighters must be in attendance toform an escort, and carry my provisions. The army must be prepared toembark in a fortnight at the latest."
"That shall be done, monseigneur."
"The present order gives you the right to visit and search all the islesalong the coast; you will there make the enrollments and levies you maywant for me."
"Yes, Monsieur le Duc."
"And as you are an active man, and will work freely, you will spend muchmoney."
"I hope not, monseigneur."
"But I reckon you will. My intendant has prepared orders of a thousandlivres, drawn upon the cities of the south; he will give you a hundredof them. Now, dear vicomte, begone."
Athos interrupted the prince. "Keep your money, monseigneur; war is tobe made among the Arabs with gold as well as lead."
"I wish to try the contrary," replied the duc; "and then, you areacquainted with my ideas upon the expedition--plenty of noise, plenty offire, and, if so it must be, I shall disappear in the smoke." Havingspoken thus, M. de Beaufort began to laugh; but his mirth was notreciprocated by Athos and Raoul. He perceived this at once. "Ah," saidhe, with the courteous egotism of his rank and his age, "you are suchpeople as a man should not see after dinner; you are cold, stiff, anddry, when I am all fire, all suppleness, and all wine. No, devil takeme! I should always see you fasting, vicomte, and you, comte, if youwear such a face as that, you will see me no more."
He said this, pressing the hand of Athos, who replied with asmile--"Monseigneur, do not talk so grandly because you happen to haveplenty of money. I predict that within a month you will be dry, stiff,and cold, in presence of your strong box, and that then, having Raoul atyour elbow, quite fasting, you will be surpr
ised to see him gay,animated, and generous, because he will have some new crowns to offeryou."
"God grant it may be so!" cried the delighted duc. "Comte, stay withme."
"No, I shall go with Raoul; the mission with which you charge him is atroublesome and a difficult one. Alone, it would be too much for him toexecute. You do not observe, monseigneur, you have given him a commandof the first order."
"Bah!"
"And in the marine."
"That may be true. But when people resemble him, do they not do all thatis required of them?"
"Monseigneur, I believe you will find nowhere so much zeal andintelligence, so much real bravery, as in Raoul; but if he failed inyour embarkation, you would only meet with what you deserve."
"Humph! you are scolding me, then."
"Monseigneur, to provision a fleet, to assemble a flotilla, to enrollyour maritime force, would take an admiral a year. Raoul is a cavalryofficer, and you allow him a fortnight!"
"I tell you he will get through."
"He may; but I will help him."
"To be sure you will; I reckoned upon you, and still further believethat when we are once at Toulon you will not let him depart alone."
"Oh!" said Athos, shaking his head.
"Patience! patience!"
"Monseigneur, permit us to take our leave."
"Begone, then, and my good fortune attend you."
"Adieu! monseigneur; and may your good fortune attend you likewise."
"Here is an expedition admirably commenced!" said Athos to his son. "Noprovisions--no store flotilla! What can be done, thus?"
"Humph!" murmured Raoul; "if all are going to do as I am, provisionswill not be wanted."
"Monsieur," replied Athos, sternly, "do not be unjust and senseless inyour egotism, or your grief, whichever you please to call it. If you setout for this war solely with the intention of getting killed in it, youstand in need of nobody, and it was scarcely worth while to recommendyou to M. de Beaufort. But when you have been introduced to the princecommandant--when you have accepted the responsibility of a post in hisarmy, the question is no longer about you, but about all those poorsoldiers, who, as well as you, have hearts and bodies, who will weep fortheir country and endure all the necessities of their human condition.Remember, Raoul, that an officer is a minister as useful as a priest andthat he ought to have more charity than a priest."
"Monsieur, I know it, and have practiced it; I would have continued todo so still, but--"
"You forget also that you are of a country which is proud of itsmilitary glory; go and die if you like, but do not die without honor andwithout advantage to France. Cheer up, Raoul! do not let my words grieveyou; I love you, and wish to see you perfect."
"I love your reproaches, monsieur," said the young man, mildly; "theyalone may cure me, because they prove to me that some one loves mestill."
"And now, Raoul, let us be off; the weather is so fine, the heavens areso pure, those heavens which we shall always find above our heads, whichyou will see more pure still at Gigelli, and which will speak to you ofme there, as they speak to me here of God."
The two gentlemen, after having agreed on this point, talked over thewild freaks of the duke, convinced that France would be served in a veryincomplete manner, as regarded both spirit and practice, in the ensuingexpedition; and having summed up his policy under the word vanity, theyset forward, in obedience to their will rather than to their destiny.The sacrifice was accomplished.