CHAPTER LXXXVI.
THE WINE OF MELUN.
The king had, in point of fact, entered Melun with the intention ofmerely passing through the city. The youthful monarch was most eagerlyanxious for amusements; only twice during the journey had he been ableto catch a glimpse of La Valliere, and, suspecting that his onlyopportunity of speaking to her would be after nightfall, in the gardens,and after the ceremonial of reception had been gone through, he had beenvery desirous to arrive at Vaux as early as possible. But he reckonedwithout his captain of the musketeers, and without M. Colbert. LikeCalypso, who could not be consoled at the departure of Ulysses, ourGascon could not console himself for not having guessed why Aramis hadasked Percerin to show him the king's new costumes. "There is not adoubt," he said to himself, "that my friend the bishop of Vannes hadsome motive in that;" and then he began to rack his brains mostuselessly. D'Artagnan, so intimately acquainted with all the courtintrigues, who knew the position of Fouquet better even than Fouquethimself did, had conceived the strangest fancies and suspicions at theannouncement of the fete, which would have ruined a wealthy man, andwhich became impossible, utter madness even, for a man so destitute ashe was. And then, the presence of Aramis, who had returned fromBelle-Isle, and been nominated by Monsieur Fouquet inspector-general ofall the arrangements; his perseverance in mixing himself up with all thesurintendant's affairs; his visit to Baisemeaux;--all this suspicioussingularity of conduct had excessively troubled and tormented D'Artagnanduring the last several weeks.
"With men of Aramis' stamp," he said, "one is never the stronger exceptsword in hand. So long as Aramis continued a soldier, there was hope ofgetting the better of him; but since he has covered his cuirass with astole, we are lost. But what can Aramis' object possibly be?" AndD'Artagnan plunged again into deep thought. "What does it matter to me,after all," he continued, "if his only object is to overthrow M.Colbert? And what else can he be after?" And D'Artagnan rubbed hisforehead--that fertile land, whence the plowshare of his nails hadturned up so many and such admirable ideas in his time. He, at first,thought of talking the matter over with Colbert, but his friendship forAramis, the oath of earlier days, bound him too strictly. He revolted atthe bare idea of such a thing, and, besides, he hated the financier toocordially. Then, again, he wished to unburden his mind to the king; butyet the king would not be able to understand the suspicions, which hadnot even a shadow of reality at their base. He resolved to addresshimself to Aramis, direct, the first time he met him. "I will take him,"said the musketeer, "between a couple of candles, suddenly, and when heleast expects it, I will place my hand upon his heart, and he will tellme--What will he tell me? Yes, he will tell me something, for, mordioux!there is something in it, I know."
Somewhat calmer, D'Artagnan made every preparation for the journey, andtook the greatest care that the military household of the king, as yetvery inconsiderable in numbers, should be well officered and welldisciplined in its meager and limited proportions. The result was that,through the captain's arrangements, the king, on arriving at Melun, sawhimself at the head of the musketeers, his Swiss guards, as well as apicket of the French guards. It might almost have been called a smallarmy. M. Colbert looked at the troops with great delight: he even wishedthere had been a third more in number.
"But why?" said the king.
"In order to show greater honor to M. Fouquet," replied Colbert.
"In order to ruin him the sooner," thought D'Artagnan.
When this little army appeared before Melun, the chief magistrates cameout to meet the king, and to present him with the keys of the city, andinvited him to enter the Hotel de Ville, in order to partake of the wineof honor. The king, who expected to pass through the city and to proceedto Vaux without delay, became quite red in the face from vexation.
"Who was fool enough to occasion this delay?" muttered the king, betweenhis teeth, as the chief magistrate was in the middle of a long address.
"Not I, certainly," replied D'Artagnan, "but I believe it was M.Colbert."
Colbert, having heard his name pronounced, said, "What was M. d'Artagnangood enough to say?"
"I was good enough to remark that it was you who stopped the king'sprogress, so that he might taste the vin de Brie. Was I right?"
"Quite so, monsieur."
"In that case, then, it was you whom the king called some name orother."
"What name?"
"I hardly know; but wait a moment--idiot, I think it was--no, no, it wasfool or stupid. Yes; his majesty said that the man who had thought ofthe vin de Melun was something of the sort."
D'Artagnan, after this broadside, quietly caressed his mustache; M.Colbert's large head seemed to become larger and larger than ever.D'Artagnan, seeing how ugly anger made him, did not stop half-way. Theorator still went on with his speech, while the king's color was visiblyincreasing.
"Mordioux!" said the musketeer, coolly, "the king is going to have anattack of determination of blood to the head. Where the deuce did youget hold of that idea, Monsieur Colbert? You have no luck."
"Monsieur," said the financier, drawing himself up, "my zeal for theking's service inspired me with the idea."
"Bah!"
"Monsieur, Melun is a city, an excellent city, which pays well, andwhich it would be imprudent to displease."
"There now! I, who do not pretend to be a financier, saw only one ideain your idea."
"What was that, monsieur?"
"That of causing a little annoyance to M. Fouquet, who is making himselfquite giddy on his donjons yonder, in waiting for us."
This was a home-stroke, hard enough in all conscience. Colbert wascompletely thrown out of his saddle by it, and retired, thoroughlydiscomfited. Fortunately, the speech was now at an end; the king drankthe wine which was presented to him, and then every one resumed theprogress through the city. The king bit his lips in anger, for theevening was closing in, and all hope of a walk with La Valliere was atan end. In order that the whole of the king's household should enterVaux, four hours at least were necessary, owing to the differentarrangements. The king, therefore, who was boiling with impatience,hurried forward as much as possible, in order to reach it beforenightfall. But, at the moment he was setting off again, other and freshdifficulties arose.
"Is not the king going to sleep at Melun?" said Colbert, in a low toneof voice, to D'Artagnan.
M. Colbert must have been badly inspired that day, to address himself inthat manner to the chief of the musketeers; for the latter guessed thatthe king's intention was very far from that of remaining where he was.D'Artagnan would not allow him to enter Vaux except he were well andstrongly accompanied; and desired that his majesty would not enterexcept with all the escort. On the other hand, he felt that these delayswould irritate that impatient character beyond measure. In what waycould he possibly reconcile these two difficulties? D'Artagnan took upColbert's remark, and determined to repeat it to the king.
"Sire," he said, "M. Colbert has been asking me if your majesty does notintend to sleep at Melun."
"Sleep at Melun! What for?" exclaimed Louis XIV. "Sleep at Melun! Who,in Heaven's name, can have thought of such a thing when M. Fouquet isexpecting us this evening?"
"It was simply," returned Colbert, quickly, "the fear of causing yourmajesty any delay; for, according to established etiquette, you cannotenter any place, with the exception of your own royal residences, untilthe soldiers' quarters have been marked out by the quartermaster, andthe garrison properly distributed."
D'Artagnan listened with the greatest attention, biting his mustache toconceal his vexation; and the queens listened attentively also. Theywere fatigued, and would have liked to have gone to rest withoutproceeding any farther; and, especially, in order to prevent the kingwalking about in the evening with M. de Saint-Aignan and the ladies ofthe court; for, if etiquette required the princesses to remain withintheir own rooms, the ladies of honor, as soon as they had performed theservices required of them, had no restrictions placed upon them, butwere at lib
erty to walk about as they pleased. It will easily beconjectured that all these rival interests, gathering together invapors, must necessarily produce clouds, and that the clouds would befollowed by a tempest. The king had no mustache to gnaw, and thereforekept biting the handle of his whip instead, with ill-concealedimpatience. How could he get out of it? D'Artagnan looked as agreeableas possible, and Colbert as sulky as he could. Whom was there he couldget in a passion with?
"We will consult the queen," said Louis XIV., bowing to the royalladies. And this kindness of consideration, which softenedMaria-Theresa's heart, who was of a kind and generous disposition, whenleft to her own free will, replied:
"I shall be delighted to do whatever your majesty wishes."
"How long will it take us to get to Vaux?" inquired Anne of Austria, inslow and measured accents, and placing her hand upon her bosom, wherethe seat of her pain lay.
"An hour for your majesties' carriages," said D'Artagnan; "the roads aretolerably good."
The king looked at him. "And a quarter of an hour for the king," hehastened to add.
"We should arrive by daylight?" said Louis XIV.
"But the billetting of the king's military escort," objected Colbert,softly, "will make his majesty lose all the advantage of his speed,however quick he may be."
"Double ass that you are!" thought D'Artagnan; "if I had any interest ormotive in demolishing your credit, I could do it in ten minutes. If Iwere in the king's place," he added, aloud, "I should, in going to M.Fouquet, leave my escort behind me; I should go to him as a friend; Ishould enter accompanied only by my captain of the guards; I shouldconsider that I was acting more nobly, and should be invested with astill more sacred character by doing so."
Delight sparkled in the king's eyes. "That is indeed a very goodsuggestion. We will go to see a friend as friends; those gentlemen whoare with the carriages can go slowly: but we who are mounted will rideon." And he rode off, accompanied by all those who were mounted. Colberthid his ugly head behind his horse's neck.
"I shall be quits," said D'Artagnan, as he galloped along, "by getting alittle talk with Aramis this evening. And then, M. Fouquet is a man ofhonor. Mordioux! I have said so, and it must be so."
And this was the way how, toward seven o'clock in the evening, withoutannouncing his arrival by the din of trumpets, and without even hisadvanced guard, without out-riders or musketeers, the king presentedhimself before the gate of Vaux, where Fouquet, who had been informed ofhis royal guest's approach, had been waiting for the last half-hour,with his head uncovered, surrounded by his household and his friends.