42 THE ANJOU WINE
After the most disheartening news of the king's health, a report of hisconvalescence began to prevail in the camp; and as he was very anxiousto be in person at the siege, it was said that as soon as he could mounta horse he would set forward.
Meantime, Monsieur, who knew that from one day to the other he mightexpect to be removed from his command by the Duc d'Angouleme, byBassompierre, or by Schomberg, who were all eager for his post, did butlittle, lost his days in wavering, and did not dare to attempt any greatenterprise to drive the English from the Isle of Re, where they stillbesieged the citadel St. Martin and the fort of La Pree, as on theirside the French were besieging La Rochelle.
D'Artagnan, as we have said, had become more tranquil, as always happensafter a past danger, particularly when the danger seems to havevanished. He only felt one uneasiness, and that was at not hearing anytidings from his friends.
But one morning at the commencement of the month of November everythingwas explained to him by this letter, dated from Villeroy:
M d'Artagnan,
MM Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, after having had an entertainment at myhouse and enjoying themselves very much, created such a disturbance thatthe provost of the castle, a rigid man, has ordered them to be confinedfor some days; but I accomplish the order they have given me byforwarding to you a dozen bottles of my Anjou wine, with which they aremuch pleased. They are desirous that you should drink to their health intheir favorite wine. I have done this, and am, monsieur, with greatrespect,
Your very humble and obedient servant,
Godeau, Purveyor of the Musketeers
"That's all well!" cried d'Artagnan. "They think of me in theirpleasures, as I thought of them in my troubles. Well, I will certainlydrink to their health with all my heart, but I will not drink alone."
And d'Artagnan went among those Guardsmen with whom he had formedgreater intimacy than with the others, to invite them to enjoy with himthis present of delicious Anjou wine which had been sent him fromVilleroy.
One of the two Guardsmen was engaged that evening, and another the next,so the meeting was fixed for the day after that.
D'Artagnan, on his return, sent the twelve bottles of wine to therefreshment room of the Guards, with strict orders that great careshould be taken of it; and then, on the day appointed, as the dinner wasfixed for midday d'Artagnan sent Planchet at nine in the morning toassist in preparing everything for the entertainment.
Planchet, very proud of being raised to the dignity of landlord, thoughthe would make all ready, like an intelligent man; and with this viewcalled in the assistance of the lackey of one of his master's guests,named Fourreau, and the false soldier who had tried to kill d'Artagnanand who, belonging to no corps, had entered into the service ofd'Artagnan, or rather of Planchet, after d'Artagnan had saved his life.
The hour of the banquet being come, the two guards arrived, took theirplaces, and the dishes were arranged on the table. Planchet waited,towel on arm; Fourreau uncorked the bottles; and Brisemont, which wasthe name of the convalescent, poured the wine, which was a little shakenby its journey, carefully into decanters. Of this wine, the first bottlebeing a little thick at the bottom, Brisemont poured the lees into aglass, and d'Artagnan desired him to drink it, for the poor devil hadnot yet recovered his strength.
The guests having eaten the soup, were about to lift the first glass ofwine to their lips, when all at once the cannon sounded from Fort Louisand Fort Neuf. The Guardsmen, imagining this to be caused by someunexpected attack, either of the besieged or the English, sprang totheir swords. D'Artagnan, not less forward than they, did likewise, andall ran out, in order to repair to their posts.
But scarcely were they out of the room before they were made aware ofthe cause of this noise. Cries of "Live the king! Live the cardinal!"resounded on every side, and the drums were beaten in all directions.
In short, the king, impatient, as has been said, had come by forcedmarches, and had that moment arrived with all his household and areinforcement of ten thousand troops. His Musketeers proceeded andfollowed him. D'Artagnan, placed in line with his company, saluted withan expressive gesture his three friends, whose eyes soon discovered him,and M. de Treville, who detected him at once.
The ceremony of reception over, the four friends were soon in oneanother's arms.
"Pardieu!" cried d'Artagnan, "you could not have arrived in better time;the dinner cannot have had time to get cold! Can it, gentlemen?" addedthe young man, turning to the two Guards, whom he introduced to hisfriends.
"Ah, ah!" said Porthos, "it appears we are feasting!"
"I hope," said Aramis, "there are no women at your dinner."
"Is there any drinkable wine in your tavern?" asked Athos.
"Well, pardieu! there is yours, my dear friend," replied d'Artagnan.
"Our wine!" said Athos, astonished.
"Yes, that you sent me."
"We sent you wine?"
"You know very well--the wine from the hills of Anjou."
"Yes, I know what brand you are talking about."
"The wine you prefer."
"Well, in the absence of champagne and chambertin, you must contentyourselves with that."
"And so, connoisseurs in wine as we are, we have sent you some Anjouwine?" said Porthos.
"Not exactly, it is the wine that was sent by your order."
"On our account?" said the three Musketeers.
"Did you send this wine, Aramis?" said Athos.
"No; and you, Porthos?"
"No; and you, Athos?"
"No!"
"If it was not you, it was your purveyor," said d'Artagnan.
"Our purveyor!"
"Yes, your purveyor, Godeau--the purveyor of the Musketeers."
"My faith! never mind where it comes from," said Porthos, "let us tasteit, and if it is good, let us drink it."
"No," said Athos; "don't let us drink wine which comes from an unknownsource."
"You are right, Athos," said d'Artagnan. "Did none of you charge yourpurveyor, Godeau, to send me some wine?"
"No! And yet you say he has sent you some as from us?"
"Here is his letter," said d'Artagnan, and he presented the note to hiscomrades.
"This is not his writing!" said Athos. "I am acquainted with it; beforewe left Villeroy I settled the accounts of the regiment."
"A false letter altogether," said Porthos, "we have not beendisciplined."
"d'Artagnan," said Aramis, in a reproachful tone, "how could you believethat we had made a disturbance?"
D'Artagnan grew pale, and a convulsive trembling shook all his limbs.
"Thou alarmest me!" said Athos, who never used thee and thou but uponvery particular occasions, "what has happened?"
"Look you, my friends!" cried d'Artagnan, "a horrible suspicion crossesmy mind! Can this be another vengeance of that woman?"
It was now Athos who turned pale.
D'Artagnan rushed toward the refreshment room, the three Musketeers andthe two Guards following him.
The first object that met the eyes of d'Artagnan on entering the roomwas Brisemont, stretched upon the ground and rolling in horribleconvulsions.
Planchet and Fourreau, as pale as death, were trying to give him succor;but it was plain that all assistance was useless--all the features ofthe dying man were distorted with agony.
"Ah!" cried he, on perceiving d'Artagnan, "ah! this is frightful! Youpretend to pardon me, and you poison me!"
"I!" cried d'Artagnan. "I, wretch? What do you say?"
"I say that it was you who gave me the wine; I say that it was you whodesired me to drink it. I say you wished to avenge yourself on me, and Isay that it is horrible!"
"Do not think so, Brisemont," said d'Artagnan; "do not think so. I swearto you, I protest--"
"Oh, but God is above! God will punish you! My God, grant that he mayone day suffer what I suffer!"
"Upon the Gospel," said d'Artagnan, throwing himself down by the dy
ingman, "I swear to you that the wine was poisoned and that I was going todrink of it as you did."
"I do not believe you," cried the soldier, and he expired amid horribletortures.
"Frightful! frightful!" murmured Athos, while Porthos broke the bottlesand Aramis gave orders, a little too late, that a confessor should besent for.
"Oh, my friends," said d'Artagnan, "you come once more to save my life,not only mine but that of these gentlemen. Gentlemen," continued he,addressing the Guardsmen, "I request you will be silent with regard tothis adventure. Great personages may have had a hand in what you haveseen, and if talked about, the evil would only recoil upon us."
"Ah, monsieur!" stammered Planchet, more dead than alive, "ah, monsieur,what an escape I have had!"
"How, sirrah! you were going to drink my wine?"
"To the health of the king, monsieur; I was going to drink a small glassof it if Fourreau had not told me I was called."
"Alas!" said Fourreau, whose teeth chattered with terror, "I wanted toget him out of the way that I might drink myself."
"Gentlemen," said d'Artagnan, addressing the Guardsmen, "you may easilycomprehend that such a feast can only be very dull after what has takenplace; so accept my excuses, and put off the party till another day, Ibeg of you."
The two Guardsmen courteously accepted d'Artagnan's excuses, andperceiving that the four friends desired to be alone, retired.
When the young Guardsman and the three Musketeers were withoutwitnesses, they looked at one another with an air which plainlyexpressed that each of them perceived the gravity of their situation.
"In the first place," said Athos, "let us leave this chamber; the deadare not agreeable company, particularly when they have died a violentdeath."
"Planchet," said d'Artagnan, "I commit the corpse of this poor devil toyour care. Let him be interred in holy ground. He committed a crime, itis true; but he repented of it."
And the four friends quit the room, leaving to Planchet and Fourreau theduty of paying mortuary honors to Brisemont.
The host gave them another chamber, and served them with fresh eggs andsome water, which Athos went himself to draw at the fountain. In a fewwords, Porthos and Aramis were posted as to the situation.
"Well," said d'Artagnan to Athos, "you see, my dear friend, that this iswar to the death."
Athos shook his head.
"Yes, yes," replied he, "I perceive that plainly; but do you reallybelieve it is she?"
"I am sure of it."
"Nevertheless, I confess I still doubt."
"But the fleur-de-lis on her shoulder?"
"She is some Englishwoman who has committed a crime in France, and hasbeen branded in consequence."
"Athos, she is your wife, I tell you," repeated d'Artagnan; "onlyreflect how much the two descriptions resemble each other."
"Yes; but I should think the other must be dead, I hanged her soeffectually."
It was d'Artagnan who now shook his head in his turn.
"But in either case, what is to be done?" said the young man.
"The fact is, one cannot remain thus, with a sword hanging eternallyover his head," said Athos. "We must extricate ourselves from thisposition."
"But how?"
"Listen! You must try to see her, and have an explanation with her. Sayto her: 'Peace or war! My word as a gentleman never to say anything ofyou, never to do anything against you; on your side, a solemn oath toremain neutral with respect to me. If not, I will apply to thechancellor, I will apply to the king, I will apply to the hangman, Iwill move the courts against you, I will denounce you as branded, I willbring you to trial; and if you are acquitted, well, by the faith of agentleman, I will kill you at the corner of some wall, as I would a maddog.'"
"I like the means well enough," said d'Artagnan, "but where and how tomeet with her?"
"Time, dear friend, time brings round opportunity; opportunity is themartingale of man. The more we have ventured the more we gain, when weknow how to wait."
"Yes; but to wait surrounded by assassins and poisoners."
"Bah!" said Athos. "God has preserved us hitherto, God will preserve usstill."
"Yes, we. Besides, we are men; and everything considered, it is our lotto risk our lives; but she," asked he, in an undertone.
"What she?" asked Athos.
"Constance."
"Madame Bonacieux! Ah, that's true!" said Athos. "My poor friend, I hadforgotten you were in love."
"Well, but," said Aramis, "have you not learned by the letter you foundon the wretched corpse that she is in a convent? One may be verycomfortable in a convent; and as soon as the siege of La Rochelle isterminated, I promise you on my part--"
"Good," cried Athos, "good! Yes, my dear Aramis, we all know that yourviews have a religious tendency."
"I am only temporarily a Musketeer," said Aramis, humbly.
"It is some time since we heard from his mistress," said Athos, in a lowvoice. "But take no notice; we know all about that."
"Well," said Porthos, "it appears to me that the means are very simple."
"What?" asked d'Artagnan.
"You say she is in a convent?" replied Porthos.
"Yes."
"Very well. As soon as the siege is over, we'll carry her off from thatconvent."
"But we must first learn what convent she is in."
"That's true," said Porthos.
"But I think I have it," said Athos. "Don't you say, dear d'Artagnan,that it is the queen who has made choice of the convent for her?"
"I believe so, at least."
"In that case Porthos will assist us."
"And how so, if you please?"
"Why, by your marchioness, your duchess, your princess. She must have along arm."
"Hush!" said Porthos, placing a finger on his lips. "I believe her to bea cardinalist; she must know nothing of the matter."
"Then," said Aramis, "I take upon myself to obtain intelligence of her."
"You, Aramis?" cried the three friends. "You! And how?"
"By the queen's almoner, to whom I am very intimately allied," saidAramis, coloring.
And on this assurance, the four friends, who had finished their modestrepast, separated, with the promise of meeting again that evening.D'Artagnan returned to less important affairs, and the three Musketeersrepaired to the king's quarters, where they had to prepare theirlodging.