49. Misfortune refreshes the Memory.
Anne of Austria returned to her oratory, furious.
"What!" she cried, wringing her beautiful hands, "What! the people haveseen Monsieur de Conde, a prince of the blood royal, arrested by mymother-in-law, Maria de Medicis; they saw my mother-in-law, their formerregent, expelled by the cardinal; they saw Monsieur de Vendome, that isto say, the son of Henry IV., a prisoner at Vincennes; and whilst thesegreat personages were imprisoned, insulted and threatened, they saidnothing; and now for a Broussel--good God! what, then, is to become ofroyalty?"
The queen unconsciously touched here upon the exciting question. Thepeople had made no demonstration for the princes, but they had risen forBroussel; they were taking the part of a plebeian and in defendingBroussel they instinctively felt they were defending themselves.
During this time Mazarin walked up and down the study, glancing fromtime to time at his beautiful Venetian mirror, starred in everydirection. "Ah!" he said, "it is sad, I know well, to be forced to yieldthus; but, pshaw! we shall have our revenge. What matters it aboutBroussel--it is a name, not a thing."
Mazarin, clever politician as he was, was for once mistaken; Brousselwas a thing, not a name.
The next morning, therefore, when Broussel made his entrance into Parisin a large carriage, having his son Louvieres at his side and Friquetbehind the vehicle, the people threw themselves in his way and cries of"Long live Broussel!" "Long live our father!" resounded from all partsand was death to Mazarin's ears; and the cardinal's spies brought badnews from every direction, which greatly agitated the minister, but wascalmly received by the queen. The latter seemed to be maturing in hermind some great stroke, a fact which increased the uneasiness of thecardinal, who knew the proud princess and dreaded much the determinationof Anne of Austria.
The coadjutor returned to parliament more a monarch than king, queen,and cardinal, all three together. By his advice a decree from parliamentsummoned the citizens to lay down their arms and demolish thebarricades. They now knew that it required but one hour to take up armsagain and one night to reconstruct the barricades.
Rochefort had returned to the Chevalier d'Humieres his fifty horsemen,less two, missing at roll call. But the chevalier was himself at heart aFrondist and would hear nothing said of compensation.
The mendicant had gone to his old place on the steps of Saint Eustacheand was again distributing holy water with one hand and asking alms withthe other. No one could suspect that those two hands had been engagedwith others in drawing out from the social edifice the keystone ofroyalty.
Louvieres was proud and satisfied; he had taken revenge on Mazarin andhad aided in his father's deliverance from prison. His name had beenmentioned as a name of terror at the Palais Royal. Laughingly he said tothe councillor, restored to his family:
"Do you think, father, that if now I should ask for a company the queenwould give it to me?"
D'Artagnan profited by this interval of calm to send away Raoul, whom hehad great difficulty in keeping shut up during the riot, and who wishedpositively to strike a blow for one party or the other. Raoul hadoffered some opposition at first; but D'Artagnan made use of the Comtede la Fere's name, and after paying a visit to Madame de Chevreuse,Raoul started to rejoin the army.
Rochefort alone was dissatisfied with the termination of affairs. He hadwritten to the Duc de Beaufort to come and the duke was about to arrive,and he would find Paris tranquil. He went to the coadjutor to consultwith him whether it would not be better to send word to the duke to stopon the road, but Gondy reflected for a moment, and then said:
"Let him continue his journey."
"All is not then over?" asked Rochefort.
"My dear count, we have only just begun."
"What induces you to think so?"
"The knowledge that I have of the queen's heart; she will not restcontented beaten."
"Is she, then, preparing for a stroke?"
"I hope so."
"Come, let us see what you know."
"I know that she has written to the prince to return in haste from thearmy."
"Ah! ha!" said Rochefort, "you are right. We must let Monsieur deBeaufort come."
In fact, the evening after this conversation the report was circulatedthat the Prince de Conde had arrived. It was a very simple, naturalcircumstance and yet it created a profound sensation. It was said thatMadame de Longueville, for whom the prince had more than a brother'saffection and in whom he had confided, had been indiscreet. Hisconfidence had unveiled the sinister project of the queen.
Even on the night of the prince's return, some citizens, bolder than therest, such as the sheriffs, captains and the quartermaster, went fromhouse to house among their friends, saying:
"Why do we not take the king and place him in the Hotel de Ville? It isa shame to leave him to be educated by our enemies, who will give himevil counsel; whereas, brought up by the coadjutor, for instance, hewould imbibe national principles and love his people."
That night the question was secretly agitated and on the morrow the grayand black cloaks, the patrols of armed shop-people, and the bands ofmendicants reappeared.
The queen had passed the night in lonely conference with the prince, whohad entered the oratory at midnight and did not leave till five o'clockin the morning.
At five o'clock Anne went to the cardinal's room. If she had not yettaken any repose, he at least was already up. Six days had alreadypassed out of the ten he had asked from Mordaunt; he was thereforeoccupied in revising his reply to Cromwell, when some one knocked gentlyat the door of communication with the queen's apartments. Anne ofAustria alone was permitted to enter by that door. The cardinaltherefore rose to open it.
The queen was in a morning gown, but it became her still; for, likeDiana of Poictiers and Ninon, Anne of Austria enjoyed the privilege ofremaining ever beautiful; nevertheless, this morning she lookedhandsomer than usual, for her eyes had all the sparkle inwardsatisfaction adds to expression.
"What is the matter, madame?" said Mazarin, uneasily. "You seem secretlyelated."
"Yes, Giulio," she said, "proud and happy; for I have found the means ofstrangling this hydra."
"You are a great politician, my queen," said Mazarin; "let us hear themeans." And he hid what he had written by sliding the letter under afolio of blank paper.
"You know," said the queen, "that they want to take the king away fromme?"
"Alas! yes, and to hang me."
"They shall not have the king."
"Nor hang me."
"Listen. I want to carry off my son from them, with yourself. I wishthat this event, which on the day it is known will completely change theaspect of affairs, should be accomplished without the knowledge of anyothers but yourself, myself, and a third person."
"And who is this third person?"
"Monsieur le Prince."
"He has come, then, as they told me?"
"Last evening."
"And you have seen him?"
"He has just left me."
"And will he aid this project?"
"The plan is his own."
"And Paris?"
"He will starve it out and force it to surrender at discretion."
"The plan is not wanting in grandeur; I see but one impediment."
"What is it?"
"Impossibility."
"A senseless word. Nothing is impossible."
"On paper."
"In execution. We have money?"
"A little," said Mazarin, trembling, lest Anne should ask to draw uponhis purse.
"Troops?"
"Five or six thousand men."
"Courage?"
"Plenty."
"Then the thing is easy. Oh! do think of it, Giulio! Paris, this odiousParis, waking up one morning without queen or king, surrounded,besieged, famished--having for its sole resource its stupid parliamentand their coadjutor with crooked limbs!"
"Charming! charming!" said Mazarin. "I can imagine the effect, I do
notsee the means."
"I will find the means myself."
"You are aware it will be war, civil war, furious, devouring,implacable?"
"Oh! yes, yes, war," said Anne of Austria. "Yes, I will reduce thisrebellious city to ashes. I will extinguish the fire with blood! I willperpetuate the crime and punishment by making a frightful example.Paris!; I--I detest, I loathe it!"
"Very fine, Anne. You are now sanguinary; but take care. We are not inthe time of Malatesta and Castruccio Castracani. You will get yourselfdecapitated, my beautiful queen, and that would be a pity."
"You laugh."
"Faintly. It is dangerous to go to war with a nation. Look at yourbrother monarch, Charles I. He is badly off, very badly."
"We are in France, and I am Spanish."
"So much the worse; I had much rather you were French and myself also;they would hate us both less."
"Nevertheless, you consent?"
"Yes, if the thing be possible."
"It is; it is I who tell you so; make preparations for departure."
"I! I am always prepared to go, only, as you know, I never do go, andperhaps shall go this time as little as before."
"In short, if I go, will you go too?"
"I will try."
"You torment me, Giulio, with your fears; and what are you afraid of,then?"
"Of many things."
"What are they?"
Mazarin's face, smiling as it was, became clouded.
"Anne," said he, "you are but a woman and as a woman you may insult menat your ease, knowing that you can do it with impunity. You accuse me offear; I have not so much as you have, since I do not fly as you do.Against whom do they cry out? is it against you or against myself? Whomwould they hang, yourself or me? Well, I can weather the storm--I, whom,notwithstanding, you tax with fear--not with bravado, that is not myway; but I am firm. Imitate me. Make less hubbub and think more deeply.You cry very loud, you end by doing nothing; you talk of flying----"
Mazarin shrugged his shoulders and taking the queen's hand led her tothe window.
"Look!" he said.
"Well?" said the queen, blinded by her obstinacy.
"Well, what do you see from this window? If I am not mistaken those arecitizens, helmeted and mailed, armed with good muskets, as in the timeof the League, and whose eyes are so intently fixed on this window thatthey will see you if you raise that curtain much; and now come to theother side--what do you see? Creatures of the people, armed withhalberds, guarding your doors. You will see the same at every openingfrom this palace to which I should lead you. Your doors are guarded, theairholes of your cellars are guarded, and I could say to you, as thatgood La Ramee said to me of the Duc de Beaufort, you must be either birdor mouse to get out."
"He did get out, nevertheless."
"Do you think of escaping in the same way?"
"I am a prisoner, then?"
"Parbleu!" said Mazarin, "I have been proving it to you this last hour."
And he quietly resumed his dispatch at the place where he had beeninterrupted.
Anne, trembling with anger and scarlet with humiliation, left the room,shutting the door violently after her. Mazarin did not even turn around.When once more in her own apartment Anne fell into a chair and wept;then suddenly struck with an idea:
"I am saved!" she exclaimed, rising; "oh, yes! yes! I know a man whowill find the means of taking me from Paris, a man I have too longforgotten." Then falling into a reverie, she added, however, with anexpression of joy, "Ungrateful woman that I am, for twenty years I haveforgotten this man, whom I ought to have made a marechal of France. Mymother-in-law expended gold, caresses, dignities on Concini, who ruinedher; the king made Vitry marechal of France for an assassination: whileI have left in obscurity, in poverty, the noble D'Artagnan, who savedme!"
And running to a table, on which were paper, pens and ink, she hastilybegan to write.