Vingt ans après. English

  48. The Riot becomes a Revolution.

  The closet into which D'Artagnan and Porthos had been ushered wasseparated from the drawing-room where the queen was by tapestriedcurtains only, and this thin partition enabled them to hear all thatpassed in the adjoining room, whilst the aperture between the twohangings, small as it was, permitted them to see.

  The queen was standing in the room, pale with anger; her self-control,however, was so great that it might have been imagined that she wascalm. Comminges, Villequier and Guitant were behind her and the womenagain were behind the men. The Chancellor Sequier, who twenty yearspreviously had persecuted her so ruthlessly, stood before her, relatinghow his carriage had been smashed, how he had been pursued and hadrushed into the Hotel d'O----, that the hotel was immediately invaded,pillaged and devastated; happily he had time to reach a closet hiddenbehind tapestry, in which he was secreted by an old woman, together withhis brother, the Bishop of Meaux. Then the danger was so imminent, therioters came so near, uttering such threats, that the chancellor thoughthis last hour had come and confessed himself to his brother priest, soas to be all ready to die in case he was discovered. Fortunately,however, he had not been taken; the people, believing that he hadescaped by some back entrance, retired and left him at liberty toretreat. Then, disguised in the clothes of the Marquis d'O----, he hadleft the hotel, stumbling over the bodies of an officer and two guardswho had been killed whilst defending the street door.

  During the recital Mazarin entered and glided noiselessly up to thequeen to listen.

  "Well," said the queen, when the chancellor had finished speaking; "whatdo you think of it all?"

  "I think that matters look very gloomy, madame."

  "But what step would you propose to me?"

  "I could propose one to your majesty, but I dare not."

  "You may, you may, sir," said the queen with a bitter smile; "you werenot so timid once."

  The chancellor reddened and stammered some words.

  "It is not a question of the past, but of the present," said the queen;"you said you could give me advice--what is it?"

  "Madame," said the chancellor, hesitating, "it would be to releaseBroussel."

  The queen, although already pale, became visibly paler and her face wascontracted.

  "Release Broussel!" she cried, "never!"

  At this moment steps were heard in the ante-room and without anyannouncement the Marechal de la Meilleraie appeared at the door.

  "Ah, there you are, marechal," cried Anne of Austria joyfully. "I trustyou have brought this rabble to reason."

  "Madame," replied the marechal, "I have left three men on the Pont Neuf,four at the Halle, six at the corner of the Rue de l'Arbre-Sec and twoat the door of your palace--fifteen in all. I have brought away ten ortwelve wounded. I know not where I have left my hat, and in allprobability I should have been left with my hat, had the coadjutor notarrived in time to rescue me."

  "Ah, indeed," said the queen, "it would have much astonished me if thatlow cur, with his distorted legs, had not been mixed up with all this."

  "Madame," said La Meilleraie, "do not say too much against him beforeme, for the service he rendered me is still fresh."

  "Very good," said the queen, "be as grateful as you like, it does notimplicate me; you are here safe and sound, that is all I wished for; youare not only welcome, but welcome back."

  "Yes, madame; but I only came back on one condition--that I wouldtransmit to your majesty the will of the people."

  "The will!" exclaimed the queen, frowning. "Oh! oh! monsieur marechal,you must indeed have found yourself in wondrous peril to have undertakenso strange a commission!"

  The irony with which these words were uttered did not escape themarechal.

  "Pardon, madame," he said, "I am not a lawyer, I am a mere soldier, andprobably, therefore, I do not quite comprehend the value of certainwords; I ought to have said the wishes, and not the will, of the people.As for what you do me the honor to say, I presume you mean I wasafraid?"

  The queen smiled.

  "Well, then, madame, yes, I did feel fear; and though I have beenthrough twelve pitched battles and I cannot count how many charges andskirmishes, I own for the third time in my life I was afraid. Yes, and Iwould rather face your majesty, however threatening your smile, thanface those demons who accompanied me hither and who sprung from I knownot whence, unless from deepest hell."

  ("Bravo," said D'Artagnan in a whisper to Porthos; "well answered.")

  "Well," said the queen, biting her lips, whilst her courtiers looked ateach other with surprise, "what is the desire of my people?"

  "That Broussel shall be given up to them, madame."

  "Never!" said the queen, "never!"

  "Your majesty is mistress," said La Meilleraie, retreating a few steps.

  "Where are you going, marechal?" asked the queen.

  "To give your majesty's reply to those who await it."

  "Stay, marechal; I will not appear to parley with rebels."

  "Madame, I have pledged my word, and unless you order me to be arrestedI shall be forced to return."

  Anne of Austria's eyes shot glances of fire.

  "Oh! that is no impediment, sir," said she; "I have had greater men thanyou arrested--Guitant!"

  Mazarin sprang forward.

  "Madame," said he, "if I dared in my turn advise----"

  "Would it be to give up Broussel, sir? If so, you can spare yourself thetrouble."

  "No," said Mazarin; "although, perhaps, that counsel is as good as anyother."

  "Then what may it be?"

  "To call for monsieur le coadjuteur."

  "The coadjutor!" cried the queen, "that dreadful mischief maker! It ishe who has raised all this revolt."

  "The more reason," said Mazarin; "if he has raised it he can put itdown."

  "And hold, madame," suggested Comminges, who was near a window, out ofwhich he could see; "hold, the moment is a happy one, for there he isnow, giving his blessing in the square of the Palais Royal."

  The queen sprang to the window.

  "It is true," she said, "the arch hypocrite--see!"

  "I see," said Mazarin, "that everybody kneels before him, although he bebut coadjutor, whilst I, were I in his place, though I am cardinal,should be torn to pieces. I persist, then, madame, in my wish" (he laidan emphasis on the word), "that your majesty should receive thecoadjutor."

  "And wherefore do you not say, like the rest, your will?" replied thequeen, in a low voice.

  Mazarin bowed.

  "Monsieur le marechal," said the queen, after a moment's reflection, "goand find the coadjutor and bring him to me."

  "And what shall I say to the people?"

  "That they must have patience," said Anne, "as I have."

  The fiery Spanish woman spoke in a tone so imperative that the marechalmade no reply; he bowed and went out.

  (D'Artagnan turned to Porthos. "How will this end?" he said.

  "We shall soon see," said Porthos, in his tranquil way.)

  In the meantime Anne of Austria approached Comminges and conversed withhim in a subdued tone, whilst Mazarin glanced uneasily at the corneroccupied by D'Artagnan and Porthos. Ere long the door opened and themarechal entered, followed by the coadjutor.

  "There, madame," he said, "is Monsieur Gondy, who hastens to obey yourmajesty's summons."

  The queen advanced a few steps to meet him, and then stopped, cold,severe, unmoved, with her lower lip scornfully protruded.

  Gondy bowed respectfully.

  "Well, sir," said the queen, "what is your opinion of this riot?"

  "That it is no longer a riot, madame," he replied, "but a revolt."

  "The revolt is at the door of those who think my people can rebel,"cried Anne, unable to dissimulate before the coadjutor, whom she lookedupon, and probably with reason, as the promoter of the tumult. "Revolt!thus it is called by those who have wished for this demonstration andwho are, perhaps, the cause of it; but, wait, wait! the king's
authoritywill put all this to rights."

  "Was it to tell me that, madame," coldly replied Gondy, "that yourmajesty admitted me to the honor of entering your presence?"

  "No, my dear coadjutor," said Mazarin; "it was to ask your advice in theunhappy dilemma in which we find ourselves."

  "Is it true," asked Gondy, feigning astonishment, "that her majestysummoned me to ask for my opinion?"

  "Yes," said the queen, "it is requested."

  The coadjutor bowed.

  "Your majesty wishes, then----"

  "You to say what you would do in her place," Mazarin hastened to reply.

  The coadjutor looked at the queen, who replied by a sign in theaffirmative.

  "Were I in her majesty's place," said Gondy, coldly, "I should nothesitate; I should release Broussel."

  "And if I do not give him up, what think you will be the result?"exclaimed the queen.

  "I believe that not a stone in Paris will remain unturned," put in themarechal.

  "It was not your opinion that I asked," said the queen, sharply, withouteven turning around.

  "If it is I whom your majesty interrogates," replied the coadjutor inthe same calm manner, "I reply that I hold monsieur le marechal'sopinion in every respect."

  The color mounted to the queen's face; her fine blue eyes seemed tostart out of her head and her carmine lips, compared by all the poets ofthe day to a pomegranate in flower, were trembling with anger. Mazarinhimself, who was well accustomed to the domestic outbreaks of thisdisturbed household, was alarmed.

  "Give up Broussel!" she cried; "fine counsel, indeed. Upon my word! onecan easily see it comes from a priest."

  Gondy remained firm, and the abuse of the day seemed to glide over hishead as the sarcasms of the evening before had done; but hatred andrevenge were accumulating in his heart silently and drop by drop. Helooked coldly at the queen, who nudged Mazarin to make him say somethingin his turn.

  Mazarin, according to his custom, was thinking much and saying little.

  "Ho! ho!" said he, "good advice, advice of a friend. I, too, would giveup that good Monsieur Broussel, dead or alive, and all would be at anend."

  "If you yield him dead, all will indeed be at an end, my lord, but quiteotherwise than you mean."

  "Did I say 'dead or alive?'" replied Mazarin. "It was only a way ofspeaking. You know I am not familiar with the French language, whichyou, monsieur le coadjuteur, both speak and write so well."

  ("This is a council of state," D'Artagnan remarked to Porthos; "but weheld better ones at La Rochelle, with Athos and Aramis."

  "At the Saint Gervais bastion," said Porthos.

  "There and elsewhere.")

  The coadjutor let the storm pass over his head and resumed, still withthe same tranquillity:

  "Madame, if the opinion I have submitted to you does not please you itis doubtless because you have better counsels to follow. I know too wellthe wisdom of the queen and that of her advisers to suppose that theywill leave the capital long in trouble that may lead to a revolution."

  "Thus, then, it is your opinion," said Anne of Austria, with a sneer andbiting her lips with rage, "that yesterday's riot, which to-day isalready a rebellion, to-morrow may become a revolution?"

  "Yes, madame," replied the coadjutor, gravely.

  "But if I am to believe you, sir, the people seem to have thrown off allrestraint."

  "It is a bad year for kings," said Gondy, shaking his head; "look atEngland, madame."

  "Yes; but fortunately we have no Oliver Cromwell in France," replied thequeen.

  "Who knows?" said Gondy; "such men are like thunderbolts--one recognizesthem only when they have struck."

  Every one shuddered and there was a moment of silence, during which thequeen pressed her hand to her side, evidently to still the beatings ofher heart.

  ("Porthos," murmured D'Artagnan, "look well at that priest."

  "Yes," said Porthos, "I see him. What then?"

  "Well, he is a man."

  Porthos looked at D'Artagnan in astonishment. Evidently he did notunderstand his meaning.)

  "Your majesty," continued the coadjutor, pitilessly, "is about to takesuch measures as seem good to you, but I foresee that they will beviolent and such as will still further exasperate the rioters."

  "In that case, you, monsieur le coadjuteur, who have such power overthem and are at the same time friendly to us," said the queen,ironically, "will quiet them by bestowing your blessing upon them."

  "Perhaps it will be too late," said Gondy, still unmoved; "perhaps Ishall have lost all influence; while by giving up Broussel your majestywill strike at the root of the sedition and will gain the right topunish severely any revival of the revolt."

  "Have I not, then, that right?" cried the queen.

  "If you have it, use it," replied Gondy.

  ("Peste!" said D'Artagnan to Porthos. "There is a man after my ownheart. Oh! if he were minister and I were his D'Artagnan, instead ofbelonging to that beast of a Mazarin, mordieu! what fine things we woulddo together!"

  "Yes," said Porthos.)

  The queen made a sign for every one, except Mazarin, to quit the room;and Gondy bowed, as if to leave with the rest.

  "Stay, sir," said Anne to him.

  "Good," thought Gondy, "she is going to yield."

  ("She is going to have him killed," said D'Artagnan to Porthos, "but atall events it shall not be by me. I swear to Heaven, on the contrary,that if they fall upon him I will fall upon them."

  "And I, too," said Porthos.)

  "Good," muttered Mazarin, sitting down, "we shall soon see somethingstartling."

  The queen's eyes followed the retreating figures and when the last hadclosed the door she turned away. It was evident that she was makingunnatural efforts to subdue her anger; she fanned herself, smelled ather vinaigrette and walked up and down. Gondy, who began to feel uneasy,examined the tapestry with his eyes, touched the coat of mail which hewore under his long gown and felt from time to time to see if the handleof a good Spanish dagger, which was hidden under his cloak, was wellwithin reach.

  "And now," at last said the queen, "now that we are alone, repeat yourcounsel, monsieur le coadjuteur."

  "It is this, madame: that you should appear to have reflected, andpublicly acknowledge an error, which constitutes the extra strength of astrong government; release Broussel from prison and give him back to thepeople."

  "Oh!" cried Anne, "to humble myself thus! Am I, or am I not, the queen?This screaming mob, are they, or are they not, my subjects? Have Ifriends? Have I guards? Ah! by Notre Dame! as Queen Catherine used tosay," continued she, excited by her own words, "rather than give up thisinfamous Broussel to them I will strangle him with my own hands!"

  And she sprang toward Gondy, whom assuredly at that moment she hatedmore than Broussel, with outstretched arms. The coadjutor remainedimmovable and not a muscle of his face was discomposed; only his glanceflashed like a sword in returning the furious looks of the queen.

  ("He were a dead man" said the Gascon, "if there were still a Vitry atthe court and if Vitry entered at this moment; but for my part, beforehe could reach the good prelate I would kill Vitry at once; the cardinalwould be infinitely pleased with me."

  "Hush!" said Porthos; "listen.")

  "Madame," cried the cardinal, seizing hold of Anne and drawing her back,"Madame, what are you about?"

  Then he added in Spanish, "Anne, are you mad? You, a queen to quarrellike a washerwoman! And do you not perceive that in the person of thispriest is represented the whole people of Paris and that it is dangerousto insult him at this moment, and if this priest wished it, in an houryou would be without a crown? Come, then, on another occasion you can befirm and strong; but to-day is not the proper time; to-day, flatter andcaress, or you are only a common woman."

  (At the first words of this address D'Artagnan had seized Porthos's arm,which he pressed with gradually increasing force. When Mazarin ceasedspeaking he said to Porthos in a low tone:

 
"Never tell Mazarin that I understand Spanish, or I am a lost man andyou are also."

  "All right," said Porthos.)

  This rough appeal, marked by the eloquence which characterized Mazarinwhen he spoke in Italian or Spanish and which he lost entirely inspeaking French, was uttered with such impenetrable expression thatGondy, clever physiognomist as he was, had no suspicion of its beingmore than a simple warning to be more subdued.

  The queen, on her part, thus chided, softened immediately and sat down,and in an almost weeping voice, letting her arms fall by her side, said:

  "Pardon me, sir, and attribute this violence to what I suffer. A woman,and consequently subject to the weaknesses of my sex, I am alarmed atthe idea of civil war; a queen, accustomed to be obeyed, I am excited atthe first opposition."

  "Madame," replied Gondy, bowing, "your majesty is mistaken in qualifyingmy sincere advice as opposition. Your majesty has none but submissiveand respectful subjects. It is not the queen with whom the people aredispleased; they ask for Broussel and are only too happy, if you releasehim to them, to live under your government."

  Mazarin, who at the words, "It is not the queen with whom the people aredispleased," had pricked up his ears, thinking that the coadjutor wasabout to speak of the cries, "Down with Mazarin," and pleased withGondy's suppression of this fact, he said with his sweetest voice andhis most gracious expression:

  "Madame, credit the coadjutor, who is one of the most able politicianswe have; the first available cardinal's hat seems to belong already tohis noble brow."

  "Ah! how much you have need of me, cunning rogue!" thought Gondy.

  ("And what will he promise us?" said D'Artagnan. "Peste, if he is givingaway hats like that, Porthos, let us look out and both demand a regimentto-morrow. Corbleu! let the civil war last but one year and I will havea constable's sword gilt for me."

  "And for me?" put in Porthos.

  "For you? I will give you the baton of the Marechal de la Meilleraie,who does not seem to be much in favor just now.")

  "And so, sir," said the queen, "you are seriously afraid of a publictumult."

  "Seriously," said Gondy, astonished at not having further advanced; "Ifear that when the torrent has broken its embankment it will causefearful destruction."

  "And I," said the queen, "think that in such a case other embankmentsshould be raised to oppose it. Go; I will reflect."

  Gondy looked at Mazarin, astonished, and Mazarin approached the queen tospeak to her, but at this moment a frightful tumult arose from thesquare of the Palais Royal.

  Gondy smiled, the queen's color rose and Mazarin grew even paler.

  "What is that again?" he asked.

  At this moment Comminges rushed into the room.

  "Pardon, your majesty," he cried, "but the people have dashed thesentinels against the gates and they are now forcing the doors; what areyour commands?"

  "Listen, madame," said Gondy.

  The moaning of waves, the noise of thunder, the roaring of a volcano,cannot be compared with the tempest of cries heard at that moment.

  "What are my commands?" said the queen.

  "Yes, for time presses."

  "How many men have you about the Palais Royal?"

  "Six hundred."

  "Place a hundred around the king and with the remainder sweep away thismob for me."

  "Madame," cried Mazarin, "what are you about?"

  "Go!" said the queen.

  Comminges went out with a soldier's passive obedience.

  At this moment a monstrous battering was heard. One of the gates beganto yield.

  "Oh! madame," cried Mazarin, "you have ruined us all--the king, yourselfand me."

  At this cry from the soul of the frightened cardinal, Anne becamealarmed in her turn and would have recalled Comminges.

  "It is too late," said Mazarin, tearing his hair, "too late!"

  The gale had given way. Hoarse shouts were heard from the excited mob.D'Artagnan put his hand to his sword, motioning to Porthos to follow hisexample.

  "Save the queen!" cried Mazarin to the coadjutor.

  Gondy sprang to the window and threw it open; he recognized Louvieres atthe head of a troop of about three or four thousand men.

  "Not a step further," he shouted, "the queen is signing!"

  "What are you saying?" asked the queen.

  "The truth, madame," said Mazarin, placing a pen and a paper before her,"you must;" then he added: "Sign, Anne, I implore you--I command you."

  The queen fell into a chair, took the pen and signed.

  The people, kept back by Louvieres, had not made another step forward;but the awful murmuring, which indicates an angry people, continued.

  The queen had written, "The keeper of the prison at Saint Germain willset Councillor Broussel at liberty;" and she had signed it.

  The coadjutor, whose eyes devoured her slightest movements, seized thepaper immediately the signature had been affixed to it, returned to thewindow and waved it in his hand.

  "This is the order," he said.

  All Paris seemed to shout with joy, and then the air resounded with thecries of "Long live Broussel!" "Long live the coadjutor!"

  "Long live the queen!" cried De Gondy; but the cries which replied tohis were poor and few, and perhaps he had but uttered it to make Anne ofAustria sensible of her weakness.

  "And now that you have obtained what you want, go," said she, "Monsieurde Gondy."

  "Whenever her majesty has need of me," replied the coadjutor, bowing,"her majesty knows I am at her command."

  "Ah, cursed priest!" cried Anne, when he had retired, stretching out herarm to the scarcely closed door, "one day I will make you drink thedregs of the atrocious gall you have poured out on me to-day."

  Mazarin wished to approach her. "Leave me!" she exclaimed; "you are nota man!" and she went out of the room.

  "It is you who are not a woman," muttered Mazarin.

  Then, after a moment of reverie, he remembered where he had leftD'Artagnan and Porthos and that they must have overheard everything. Heknit his brows and went direct to the tapestry, which he pushed aside.The closet was empty.

  At the queen's last word, D'Artagnan had dragged Porthos into thegallery. Thither Mazarin went in his turn and found the two friendswalking up and down.

  "Why did you leave the closet, Monsieur d'Artagnan?" asked the cardinal.

  "Because," replied D'Artagnan, "the queen desired every one to leave andI thought that this command was intended for us as well as for therest."

  "And you have been here since----"

  "About a quarter of an hour," said D'Artagnan, motioning to Porthos notto contradict him.

  Mazarin saw the sign and remained convinced that D'Artagnan had seen andheard everything; but he was pleased with his falsehood.

  "Decidedly, Monsieur d'Artagnan, you are the man I have been seeking.You may reckon upon me and so may your friend." Then bowing to the twomusketeers with his most gracious smile, he re-entered his closet morecalmly, for on the departure of De Gondy the uproar had ceased as thoughby enchantment.