Vingt ans après. English

  63. The Trial.

  The next morning King Charles I. was haled by a strong guard before thehigh court which was to judge him. All London was crowding to the doorsof the house. The throng was terrific, and it was not till after muchpushing and some fighting that our friends reached their destination.When they did so they found the three lower rows of benches alreadyoccupied; but being anxious not to be too conspicuous, all, with theexception of Porthos, who had a fancy to display his red doublet, werequite satisfied with their places, the more so as chance had broughtthem to the centre of their row, so that they were exactly opposite thearm-chair prepared for the royal prisoner.

  Toward eleven o'clock the king entered the hall, surrounded by guards,but wearing his head covered, and with a calm expression turned to everyside with a look of complete assurance, as if he were there to presideat an assembly of submissive subjects, rather than to meet theaccusations of a rebel court.

  The judges, proud of having a monarch to humiliate, evidently preparedto enjoy the right they had arrogated to themselves, and sent an officerto inform the king that it was customary for the accused to uncover hishead.

  Charles, without replying a single word, turned his head in anotherdirection and pulled his felt hat over it. Then when the officer wasgone he sat down in the arm-chair opposite the president and struck hisboots with a little cane which he carried in his hand. Parry, whoaccompanied him, stood behind him.

  D'Artagnan was looking at Athos, whose face betrayed all those emotionswhich the king, possessing more self-control, had banished from his own.This agitation in one so cold and calm as Athos, frightened him.

  "I hope," he whispered to him, "that you will follow his majesty'sexample and not get killed for your folly in this den."

  "Set your mind at rest," replied Athos.

  "Aha!" continued D'Artagnan, "it is clear that they are afraid ofsomething or other; for look, the sentinels are being reinforced. Theyhad only halberds before, now they have muskets. The halberds were forthe audience in the rear; the muskets are for us."

  "Thirty, forty, fifty, sixty-five men," said Porthos, counting thereinforcements.

  "Ah!" said Aramis, "but you forget the officer."

  D'Artagnan grew pale with rage. He recognized Mordaunt, who with baresword was marshalling the musketeers behind the king and opposite thebenches.

  "Do you think they have recognized us?" said D'Artagnan. "In that case Ishould beat a retreat. I don't care to be shot in a box."

  "No," said Aramis, "he has not seen us. He sees no one but the king. MonDieu! how he stares at him, the insolent dog! Does he hate his majestyas much as he does us?"

  "Pardi," answered Athos "we only carried off his mother; the king hasspoiled him of his name and property."

  "True," said Aramis; "but silence! the president is speaking to theking."

  "Stuart," Bradshaw was saying, "listen to the roll call of your judgesand address to the court any observations you may have to make."

  The king turned his head away, as if these words had not been intendedfor him. Bradshaw waited, and as there was no reply there was a momentof silence.

  Out of the hundred and sixty-three members designated there were onlyseventy-three present, for the rest, fearful of taking part in such anact, had remained away.

  When the name of Colonel Fairfax was called, one of those brief butsolemn silences ensued, which announced the absence of the members whohad no wish to take a personal part in the trial.

  "Colonel Fairfax," repeated Bradshaw.

  "Fairfax," answered a laughing voice, the silvery tone of which betrayedit as that of a woman, "is not such a fool as to be here."

  A loud laugh followed these words, pronounced with that boldness whichwomen draw from their own weakness--a weakness which removes them beyondthe power of vengeance.

  "It is a woman's voice," cried Aramis; "faith, I would give a good dealif she is young and pretty." And he mounted on the bench to try and geta sight of her.

  "By my soul," said Aramis, "she is charming. Look D'Artagnan; everybodyis looking at her; and in spite of Bradshaw's gaze she has not turnedpale."

  "It is Lady Fairfax herself," said D'Artagnan. "Don't you remember,Porthos, we saw her at General Cromwell's?"

  The roll call continued.

  "These rascals will adjourn when they find that they are not insufficient force," said the Comte de la Fere.

  "You don't know them. Athos, look at Mordaunt's smile. Is that the lookof a man whose victim is likely to escape him? Ah, cursed basilisk, itwill be a happy day for me when I can cross something more than a lookwith you."

  "The king is really very handsome," said Porthos; "and look, too, thoughhe is a prisoner, how carefully he is dressed. The feather in his hat isworth at least five-and-twenty pistoles. Look at it, Aramis."

  The roll call finished, the president ordered them to read the act ofaccusation. Athos turned pale. A second time he was disappointed in hisexpectation. Notwithstanding the judges were so few the trial was tocontinue; the king then, was condemned in advance.

  "I told you so, Athos," said D'Artagnan, shrugging his shoulders. "Nowtake your courage in both hands and hear what this gentleman in black isgoing to say about his sovereign, with full license and privilege."

  Never till then had a more brutal accusation or meaner insults tarnishedkingly majesty.

  Charles listened with marked attention, passing over the insults, notingthe grievances, and, when hatred overflowed all bounds and the accuserturned executioner beforehand, replying with a smile of lofty scorn.

  "The fact is," said D'Artagnan, "if men are punished for imprudence andtriviality, this poor king deserves punishment. But it seems to me thatthat which he is just now undergoing is hard enough."

  "In any case," Aramis replied, "the punishment should fall not on theking, but on his ministers; for the first article of the constitutionis, 'The king can do no wrong.'"

  "As for me," thought Porthos, giving Mordaunt his whole attention, "wereit not for breaking in on the majesty of the situation I would leap downfrom the bench, reach Mordaunt in three bounds and strangle him; I wouldthen take him by the feet and knock the life out of these wretchedmusketeers who parody the musketeers of France. Meantime, D'Artagnan,who is full of invention, would find some way to save the king. I mustspeak to him about it."

  As to Athos, his face aflame, his fists clinched, his lips bitten tillthey bled, he sat there foaming with rage at that endless parliamentaryinsult and that long enduring royal patience; the inflexible arm andsteadfast heart had given place to a trembling hand and a body shaken byexcitement.

  At this moment the accuser concluded with these words: "The presentaccusation is preferred by us in the name of the English people."

  At these words there was a murmur along the benches, and a second voice,not that of a woman, but a man's, stout and furious, thundered behindD'Artagnan.

  "You lie!" it cried. "Nine-tenths of the English people are horrified atwhat you say."

  This voice was that of Athos, who, standing up with outstretched handand quite out of his mind, thus assailed the public accuser.

  King, judges, spectators, all turned their eyes to the bench where thefour friends were seated. Mordaunt did the same and recognized thegentleman, around whom the three other Frenchmen were standing, pale andmenacing. His eyes glittered with delight. He had discovered those towhose death he had devoted his life. A movement of fury called to hisside some twenty of his musketeers, and pointing to the bench where hisenemies were: "Fire on that bench!" he cried.

  But with the rapidity of thought D'Artagnan seized Athos by the waist,and followed by Porthos with Aramis, leaped down from the benches,rushed into the passages, and flying down the staircase were lost in thecrowd without, while the muskets within were pointed on some threethousand spectators, whose piteous cries and noisy alarm stopped theimpulse already given to bloodshed.

  Charles also had recognized the four Frenchmen. He put one hand on hisheart to still
its beating and the other over his eyes, that he mightnot witness the slaying of his faithful friends.

  Mordaunt, pale and trembling with anger, rushed from the hall sword inhand, followed by six pikemen, pushing, inquiring and panting in thecrowd; and then, having found nothing, returned.

  The tumult was indescribable. More than half an hour passed before anyone could make himself heard. The judges were looking for a new outbreakfrom the benches. The spectators saw the muskets leveled at them, anddivided between fear and curiosity, remained noisy and excited.

  Quiet was at length restored.

  "What have you to say in your defense?" asked Bradshaw of the king.

  Then rising, with his head still covered, in the tone of a judge ratherthan a prisoner, Charles began.

  "Before questioning me," he said, "reply to my question. I was free atNewcastle and had there concluded a treaty with both houses. Instead ofperforming your part of this contract, as I performed mine, you boughtme from the Scotch, cheaply, I know, and that does honor to the economictalent of your government. But because you have paid the price of aslave, do you imagine that I have ceased to be your king? No. To answeryou would be to forget it. I shall only reply to you when you havesatisfied me of your right to question me. To answer you would be toacknowledge you as my judges, and I only acknowledge you as myexecutioners." And in the middle of a deathlike silence, Charles, calm,lofty, and with his head still covered, sat down again in his arm-chair.

  "Why are not my Frenchmen here?" he murmured proudly and turning hiseyes to the benches where they had appeared for a moment; "they wouldhave seen that their friend was worthy of their defense while alive, andof their tears when dead."

  "Well," said the president, seeing that Charles was determined to remainsilent, "so be it. We will judge you in spite of your silence. You areaccused of treason, of abuse of power, and murder. The evidence willsupport it. Go, and another sitting will accomplish what you havepostponed in this."

  Charles rose and turned toward Parry, whom he saw pale and with histemples dewed with moisture.

  "Well, my dear Parry," said he, "what is the matter, and what can affectyou in this manner?"

  "Oh, my king," said Parry, with tears in his eyes and in a tone ofsupplication, "do not look to the left as we leave the hall."

  "And why, Parry?"

  "Do not look, I implore you, my king."

  "But what is the matter? Speak," said Charles, attempting to look acrossthe hedge of guards which surrounded him.

  "It is--but you will not look, will you?--it is because they have hadthe axe, with which criminals are executed, brought and placed there onthe table. The sight is hideous."

  "Fools," said Charles, "do they take me for a coward, like themselves?You have done well to warn me. Thank you, Parry."

  When the moment arrived the king followed his guards out of the hall. Ashe passed the table on which the axe was laid, he stopped, and turningwith a smile, said:

  "Ah! the axe, an ingenious device, and well worthy of those who know notwhat a gentleman is; you frighten me not, executioner's axe," added he,touching it with the cane which he held in his hand, "and I strike younow, waiting patiently and Christianly for you to return the blow."

  And shrugging his shoulders with unaffected contempt he passed on. Whenhe reached the door a stream of people, who had been disappointed in notbeing able to get into the house and to make amends had collected to seehim come out, stood on each side, as he passed, many among them glaringon him with threatening looks.

  "How many people," thought he, "and not one true friend."

  And as he uttered these words of doubt and depression within his mind, avoice beside him said:

  "Respect to fallen majesty."

  The king turned quickly around, with tears in his eyes and heart. It wasan old soldier of the guards who could not see his king pass captivebefore him without rendering him this final homage. But the next momentthe unfortunate man was nearly killed with heavy blows of sword-hilts,and among those who set upon him the king recognized Captain Groslow.

  "Alas!" said Charles, "that is a severe chastisement for a very triflingfault."

  He continued his walk, but he had scarcely gone a hundred paces, when afurious fellow, leaning between two soldiers, spat in the king's face,as once an infamous and accursed Jew spit in the face of Jesus ofNazareth. Loud roars of laughter and sullen murmurs arose together. Thecrowd opened and closed again, undulating like a stormy sea, and theking imagined that he saw shining in the midst of this living wave thebright eyes of Athos.

  Charles wiped his face and said with a sad smile: "Poor wretch, for halfa crown he would do as much to his own father."

  The king was not mistaken. Athos and his friends, again mingling withthe throng, were taking a last look at the martyr king.

  When the soldier saluted Charles, Athos's heart bounded for joy; andthat unfortunate, on coming to himself, found ten guineas that theFrench gentleman had slipped into his pocket. But when the cowardlyinsulter spat in the face of the captive monarch Athos grasped hisdagger. But D'Artagnan stopped his hand and in a hoarse voice cried,"Wait!"

  Athos stopped. D'Artagnan, leaning on Athos, made a sign to Porthos andAramis to keep near them and then placed himself behind the man with thebare arms, who was still laughing at his own vile pleasantry andreceiving the congratulations of several others.

  The man took his way toward the city. The four friends followed him. Theman, who had the appearance of being a butcher, descended a little steepand isolated street, looking on to the river, with two of his friends.Arrived at the bank of the river the three men perceived that they werefollowed, turned around, and looking insolently at the Frenchmen, passedsome jests from one to another.

  "I don't know English, Athos," said D'Artagnan; "but you know it andwill interpret for me."

  Then quickening their steps they passed the three men, but turned backimmediately, and D'Artagnan walked straight up to the butcher andtouching him on the chest with the tip of his finger, said to Athos:

  "Say this to him in English: 'You are a coward. You have insulted adefenseless man. You have befouled the face of your king. You mustdie.'"

  Athos, pale as a ghost, repeated these words to the man, who, seeing thebodeful preparations that were making, put himself in an attitude ofdefense. Aramis, at this movement, drew his sword.

  "No," cried D'Artagnan, "no steel. Steel is for gentlemen."

  And seizing the butcher by the throat:

  "Porthos," said he, "kill this fellow for me with a single blow."

  Porthos raised his terrible fist, which whistled through the air like asling, and the portentous mass fell with a smothered crash on theinsulter's skull and crushed it. The man fell like an ox beneath thepoleaxe. His companions, horror-struck, could neither move nor cry out.

  "Tell them this, Athos," resumed D'Artagnan; "thus shall all die whoforget that a captive man is sacred and that a captive king doublyrepresents the Lord."

  Athos repeated D'Artagnan's words.

  The fellows looked at the body of their companion, swimming in blood,and then recovering voice and legs together, ran screaming off.

  "Justice is done," said Porthos, wiping his forehead.

  "And now," said D'Artagnan to Athos, "entertain no further doubts aboutme; I undertake all that concerns the king."