The Vicomte de Bragelonne

  CHAPTER LXXIII.

  IN WHICH PORTHOS IS CONVINCED WITHOUT HAVING UNDERSTOOD ANYTHING.

  The good and worthy Porthos, faithful to all the laws of ancientchivalry, had determined to wait for M. de Saint-Aignan until sunset;and, as Saint-Aignan did not come, as Raoul had forgotten to communicatewith his second, and as he found that waiting so long was verywearisome, Porthos had desired one of the gatekeepers to fetch him a fewbottles of good wine and a good joint of meat--so that he at least mightpass away the time with a glass of wine and a mouthful of something toeat. He had just finished when Raoul arrived, escorted by Grimaud, bothof them riding at full speed. As soon as Porthos saw the two cavaliersriding at such a pace along the road, he did not for a moment doubt butthat they were the men he was expecting, and he rose from the grass uponwhich he had been indolently reclining and began to stretch his legs andarms, saying, "See what it is to have good habits. The fellow hasfinished by coming after all. If I had gone away he would have found noone here, and would have taken an advantage from that." He then threwhimself into a martial attitude, and drew himself up to the full heightof his gigantic stature. But instead of Saint-Aignan, he only saw Raoul,who, with the most despairing gestures, accosted him by crying out,"Pray forgive me, my dear friend, I am most wretched."

  "Raoul!" cried Porthos, surprised.

  "You have been angry with me?" said Raoul, embracing Porthos.

  "I? What for?"

  "For having forgotten you. But I assure you my head seems utterly lost.If you only knew!"

  "You have killed him?"

  "Who?"

  "Saint-Aignan; or if that is not the case, what is the matter?"

  "The matter is, that Monsieur le Comte de la Fere has by this time beenarrested."

  Porthos gave a start that would have thrown down a wall.

  "Arrested," he cried out; "by whom?"

  "By D'Artagnan."

  "It is impossible," said Porthos.

  "My dear friend, it is perfectly true."

  Porthos turned toward Grimaud, as if he needed a second confirmation ofthe intelligence. Grimaud nodded his head. "And where have they takenhim to?"

  "Probably to the Bastille."

  "What makes you think that?"

  "As we came along we questioned some persons, who saw the carriage pass;and others who saw it enter the Bastille."

  "Oh, oh!" muttered Porthos.

  "What do you intend to do?" inquired Raoul.

  "I? Nothing; only I will not have Athos remain at the Bastille."

  "Do you know," said Raoul, advancing nearer to Porthos, "that the arrestwas made by order of the king?"

  Porthos looked at the young man as if to say, "What does that matter tome?" This dumb language seemed so eloquent of meaning to Raoul, that hedid not ask another question. He mounted his horse again; and Porthos,assisted by Grimaud, had already done the same.

  "Let us arrange our plan of action,"' said Raoul.

  "Yes," returned Porthos, "that is the best thing we can do."

  Raoul sighed deeply, and then paused suddenly.

  "What is the matter?" asked Porthos; "are you faint?"

  "No, only I feel how utterly helpless our position is. Can we threepretend to go and take the Bastille?"

  "Well, if D'Artagnan were only here," replied Porthos, "I don't knowabout that."

  Raoul could not resist a feeling of admiration at the sight of such aperfect confidence, heroic in its simplicity. These were truly thecelebrated men who, by three or four, attacked armies and assaultedcastles! Those men who had terrified death itself, and who survived thewrecks of an age, and were still stronger than the most robust of theyoung.

  "Monsieur," said he to Porthos, "you have just given me an idea; weabsolutely must see M. d'Artagnan."

  "Undoubtedly."

  "He ought by this time to have returned home, after having taken myfather to the Bastille. Let us go to his house."

  "First, inquire at the Bastille," said Grimaud, who was in the habit ofspeaking little, but that to the purpose.

  Accordingly, they hastened toward the fortress, when one of thosechances which Heaven bestows on men of strong will, caused Grimaudsuddenly to perceive the carriage, which was entering by the great gateof the drawbridge. This was at the moment that D'Artagnan was, as wehave seen, returning from his visit to the king. In vain was it thatRaoul urged on his horse in order to join the carriage, and to see whomit contained. The horses had already gained the other side of the greatgate, which again closed, while one of the sentries struck the nose ofRaoul's horse with his musket; Raoul turned about, only too happy tofind he had ascertained something respecting the carriage which hadcontained his father. "We have him," said Grimaud.

  "If we wait a little it is certain he will leave; don't you think so, myfriend?"

  "Unless, indeed, D'Artagnan also be a prisoner," replied Porthos, "inwhich case everything is lost."

  Raoul returned no answer, for any hypothesis was admissible. Heinstructed Grimaud to lead the horses to the little streetJean-Beausire, so as to give rise to less suspicion, and himself withhis piercing gaze watched for the exit either of D'Artagnan or thecarriage. Nor had he decided wrongly; for twenty minutes had not elapsedbefore the gate reopened and the carriage reappeared. A dazzling of theeyes prevented Raoul from distinguishing what figures occupied theinterior. Grimaud averred that he had seen two persons, and that one ofthem was his master. Porthos kept looking at Raoul and Grimaud by turns,in the hope of understanding their idea.

  "It is clear," said Grimaud, "that if the comte is in the carriage,either he is set at liberty or they are taking him to another prison."

  "We shall soon see that by the road he takes," answered Porthos.

  "If he is set at liberty," said Grimaud, "they will conduct him home."

  "True," rejoined Porthos.

  "The carriage does not take that way," cried Raoul; and indeed thehorses were just disappearing down the Faubourg St. Antoine.

  "Let us hasten," said Porthos; "we will attack the carriage on the road,and tell Athos to flee."

  "Rebellion," murmured Raoul.

  Porthos darted a second glance at Raoul, quite worthy of the first.Raoul replied only by spurring the flanks of his steed. In a fewmoments the three cavaliers had overtaken the carriage, and followed itso closely that their horses' breath moistened the back of it.D'Artagnan, whose senses were ever on the alert, heard the trot of thehorses, at the moment when Raoul was telling Porthos to pass the chariotso as to see who was the person accompanying Athos. Porthos complied,but could not see anything, for the blinds were lowered. Rage andimpatience were gaining mastery over Raoul. He had just noticed themystery preserved by Athos' companion, and determined on proceeding toextremities. On his part, D'Artagnan had perfectly recognized Porthos,and Raoul also, from under the blinds, and had communicated to the comtethe result of his observation. They were desirous only of seeing whetherRaoul and Porthos would push the affair to the uttermost. And this theyspeedily did, for Raoul presenting his pistol threw himself on theleader, commanding the coachman to stop. Porthos seized the coachman anddragged him from his seat. Grimaud already had hold of the carriagedoor. Raoul threw open his arms, exclaiming, "M. le Comte! M. le Comte!"

  "Ah! is it you, Raoul?" said Athos, intoxicated with joy.

  "Not bad, indeed!" added D'Artagnan, with a burst of laughter, and theyboth embraced the young man and Porthos, who had taken possession ofthem.

  "My brave Porthos! best of friends," cried Athos, "it is still the samewith you."

  "He is still only twenty," said D'Artagnan, "brave Porthos!"

  "Confound it!" answered Porthos, slightly confused, "we thought that youwere being arrested."

  "While," rejoined Athos, "the matter in question was nothing but mytaking a drive in M. d'Artagnan's carriage."

  "But we followed you from the Bastille," returned Raoul, with a tone ofsuspicion and reproach.

  "Where we had been to take supper with our good friend M. Ba
isemeaux. Doyou recollect Baisemeaux, Porthos?"

  "Very well, indeed."

  "And there we saw Aramis."

  "In the Bastille?"

  "At supper."

  "Ah!" said Porthos, again breathing freely.

  "He gave us a thousand messages for you."

  "And where is M. le Comte going?" asked Grimaud, already recompensed bya smile from his master.

  "We are going home to Blois."

  "How can that be?"

  "At once?" said Raoul.

  "Yes; right forward."

  "Without any luggage?"

  "Oh! Raoul would have been instructed to forward me mine, or to bring itwith him on his return, _if_ he returns."

  "If nothing detains him longer in Paris," said D'Artagnan, with a glancefirm and cutting as steel, and as painful (for it reopened the pooryoung fellow's wounds), "he will do well to follow you, Athos."

  "There is nothing to keep me any longer in Paris," said Raoul.

  "Then we will go immediately," replied Athos.

  "And M. d'Artagnan?"

  "Oh! as for me, I was only accompanying Athos as far as the barrier, andI return with Porthos."

  "Very good," said the latter.

  "Come, my son," added the comte, gently passing his arm round Raoul'sneck to draw him into the carriage, and again embracing him. "Grimaud,"continued the comte, "you will return quietly to Paris with your horseand M. de Valon's, for Raoul and I will mount here and give up thecarriage to these two gentlemen to return to Paris in; and then, as soonas you arrive, you will take my clothes and letters and forward thewhole to me at home."

  "But," observed Raoul, who was anxious to make the comte converse, "whenyou return to Paris, there will not be a single thing there foryou--which will be very inconvenient."

  "I think it will be a very long time, Raoul, ere I return to Paris. Thelast sojourn we have made there has not been of a nature to encourageme to repeat it."

  RAOUL PRESENTING HIS PISTOL THREW HIMSELF ON THELEADER, COMMANDING THE COACHMAN TO STOP.--_Page 288._]

  Raoul hung his head and said not a word more. Athos descended from thecarriage and mounted the horse which had brought Porthos, and whichseemed no little pleased at the exchange. Then they embraced, claspedeach other's hands, interchanged a thousand pledges of eternalfriendship. Porthos promised to spend a month with Athos at the firstopportunity. D'Artagnan engaged to take advantage of his first leave ofabsence; and then, having embraced Raoul for the last time: "To you, myboy," said he, "I will write." Coming from D'Artagnan, who he knew wrotebut very seldom, these words expressed everything. Raoul was moved evento tears. He tore himself away from the musketeer and departed.

  D'Artagnan rejoined Porthos in the carriage. "Well," said he, "my dearfriend, what a day we have had!"

  "Indeed we have," answered Porthos.

  "You must be quite worn out?"

  "Not quite; however, I shall retire early to rest, so as to be readyto-morrow."

  "And wherefore?"

  "Why, to complete what I have begun."

  "You make me shudder, my friend, you seem to me quite angry. What thedevil _have_ you begun which is not finished?"

  "Listen; Raoul has not fought, but _I_ must fight."

  "With whom?--with the king?"

  "How!" exclaimed Porthos, astounded, "with the king?"

  "Yes, I say, you great baby, with the king!"

  "I assure you it is with M. Saint-Aignan."

  "Look now, this is what I mean: you draw your sword against the king infighting with this gentleman."

  "Ah!" said Porthos, staring; "are you sure of it?"

  "Indeed I am."

  "What in the world are we to do, then?"

  "We must try and make a good supper, Porthos. The captain of themusketeers keeps a tolerable table. There you will see the handsomeSaint-Aignan, and will drink his health."

  "I!" cried Porthos, horrified.

  "What!" said D'Artagnan, "you refuse to drink the king's health?"

  "But, body alive! I am not talking to you about the king at all; I amspeaking of M. de Saint-Aignan."

  "But since I repeat that it is the same thing."

  "Ah, well, well!" said Porthos, overcome.

  "You understand, don't you?"

  "No," answered Porthos, "but 'tis all the same."