Louise de la Valliere

  Chapter IX. Explanations.

  Aramis cleverly managed to effect a diversion for the purpose of findingD'Artagnan and Porthos. He came up to the latter, behind one of thecolumns, and, as he pressed his hand, said, "So you have escaped from myprison?"

  "Do not scold him," said D'Artagnan; "it was I, dear Aramis, who set himfree."

  "Ah! my friend," replied Aramis, looking at Porthos, "could you not havewaited with a little more patience?"

  D'Artagnan came to the assistance of Porthos, who already began tobreathe hard, in sore perplexity.

  "You see, you members of the Church are great politicians; we meresoldiers come at once to the point. The facts are these: I went to payBaisemeaux a visit--"

  Aramis pricked up his ears at this announcement.

  "Stay!" said Porthos; "you make me remember that I have a letter fromBaisemeaux for you, Aramis." And Porthos held out the bishop the letterwe have already seen. Aramis begged to be allowed to read it, and readit without D'Artagnan feeling in the slightest degree embarrassed bythe circumstance that he was so well acquainted with the contents of it.Besides, Aramis's face was so impenetrable, that D'Artagnan could notbut admire him more than ever; after he had read it, he put the letterinto his pocket with the calmest possible air.

  "You were saying, captain?" he observed.

  "I was saying," continued the musketeer, "that I had gone to payBaisemeaux a visit on his majesty's service."

  "On his majesty's service?" said Aramis.

  "Yes," said D'Artagnan, "and, naturally enough, we talked about you andour friends. I must say that Baisemeaux received me coldly; so I soontook my leave of him. As I was returning, a soldier accosted me, andsaid (no doubt as he recognized me, notwithstanding I was in privateclothes), 'Captain, will you be good enough to read me the name writtenon this envelope?' and I read, 'To Monsieur du Vallon, at M. Fouquet'shouse, Saint-Mande.' The deuce, I said to myself, Porthos has notreturned, then, as I fancied, to Bell-Isle, or to Pierrefonds, but isat M. Fouquet's house, at Saint-Mande; and as M. Fouquet is not atSaint-Mande, Porthos must be quite alone, or, at all events, withAramis; I will go and see Porthos, and I accordingly went to seePorthos."

  "Very good," said Aramis, thoughtfully.

  "You never told me that," said Porthos.

  "I had no time, my friend."

  "And you brought back Porthos with you to Fontainebleau?"

  "Yes, to Planchet's house."

  "Does Planchet live at Fontainebleau?" inquired Aramis.

  "Yes, near the cemetery," said Porthos, thoughtlessly.

  "What do you mean by 'near the cemetery?'" said Aramis, suspiciously.

  "Come," thought the musketeer, "since there is to be a squabble, let ustake advantage of it."

  "Yes, the cemetery," said Porthos. "Planchet is a very excellent fellow,who makes very excellent preserves; but his house has windows which lookout upon the cemetery. And a confoundedly melancholy prospect it is! Sothis morning--"

  "This morning?" said Aramis, more and more excited.

  D'Artagnan turned his back to them, and walked to the window, where hebegan to play a march upon one of the panes of glass.

  "Yes, this morning we saw a man buried there."

  "Ah!"

  "Very depressing, was it not? I should never be able to live in a housewhere burials can always be seen from the window. D'Artagnan, on thecontrary, seems to like it very much."

  "So D'Artagnan saw it as well?"

  "Not simply _saw_ it; he literally never took his eyes off the wholetime."

  Aramis started, and turned to look at the musketeer, but the latter wasengaged in earnest conversation with Saint-Aignan. Aramis continued toquestion Porthos, and when he had squeezed all the juice out of thisenormous lemon, he threw the peel aside. He turned towards his friendD'Artagnan, and clapping him on the shoulder, when Saint-Aignan had lefthim, the king's supper having been announced, said, "D'Artagnan."

  "Yes, my dear fellow," he replied.

  "We do not sup with his majesty, I believe?"

  "Well?--_we_ do."

  "Can you give me ten minutes' conversation?"

  "Twenty, if you like. His majesty will take quite that time to getproperly seated at table."

  "Where shall we talk, then?"

  "Here, upon these seats if you like; the king has left, we can sit down,and the apartment is empty."

  "Let us sit down, then."

  They sat down, and Aramis took one of D'Artagnan's hands in his.

  "Tell me, candidly, my dear friend, whether you have not counseledPorthos to distrust me a little?"

  "I admit, I have, but not as you understand it. I saw that Porthos wasbored to death, and I wished, by presenting him to the king, to do forhim, and for you, what you would never do for yourselves."

  "What is that?"

  "Speak in your own praise."

  "And you have done it most nobly; I thank you."

  "And I brought the cardinal's hat a little nearer, just as it seemed tobe retreating from you."

  "Ah! I admit that," said Aramis, with a singular smile, "you are,indeed, not to be matched for making your friends' fortunes for them."

  "You see, then, that I only acted with the view of making Porthos'sfortune for him."

  "I meant to have done that myself; but your arm reaches farther thanours."

  It was now D'Artagnan's turn to smile.

  "Come," said Aramis, "we ought to deal truthfully with each other. Doyou still love me, D'Artagnan?"

  "The same as I used to do," replied D'Artagnan, without compromisinghimself too much by this reply.

  "In that case, thanks; and now, for the most perfect frankness," saidAramis; "you visited Belle-Isle on behalf of the king?"

  "_Pardieu!_"

  "You wished to deprive us of the pleasure of offering Bell-Islecompletely fortified to the king."

  "But before I could deprive you of that pleasure, I ought to have beenmade acquainted with your intention of doing so."

  "You came to Belle-Isle without knowing anything?"

  "Of you! yes. How the devil could I imagine that Aramis had becomeso clever an engineer as to be able to fortify like Polybius, orArchimedes?"

  "True. And yet you smelt me out over yonder?"

  "Oh! yes."

  "And Porthos, too?"

  "I did not divine that Aramis was an engineer. I was only able to guessthat Porthos might have become one. There is a saying, one becomes anorator, one is born a poet; but it has never been said, one is bornPorthos, and one becomes an engineer."

  "Your wit is always amusing," said Aramis, coldly.

  "Well, I will go on."

  "Do. When you found out our secret, you made all the haste you could tocommunicate it to the king."

  "I certainly made as much haste as I could, since I saw that you weremaking still more. When a man weighing two hundred and fifty pounds, asPorthos does, rides post; when a gouty prelate--I beg your pardon, butyou yourself told me you were so--when a prelate scours the highway--Inaturally suppose that my two friends, who did not wish to becommunicative with me, had certain matters of the highest importanceto conceal from me, and so I made as much haste as my leanness and theabsence of gout would allow."

  "Did it not occur to you, my dear friend, that you might be renderingPorthos and myself a very sad service?"

  "Yes, I thought it not unlikely; but you and Porthos made me play a veryridiculous part at Belle-Isle."

  "I beg your pardon," said Aramis.

  "Excuse me," said D'Artagnan.

  "So that," pursued Aramis, "you now know everything?"

  "No, indeed."

  "You know I was obliged to inform M. Fouquet of what had happened, inorder that he would be able to anticipate what you might have to tellthe king?"

  "That is rather obscure."

  "Not at all: M. Fouquet has his enemies--you will admit that, Isuppose."

  "Certainly."

  "And one in particular."

  "A dangerous one
?"

  "A mortal enemy. Well, in order to counteract that man's influence, itwas necessary that M. Fouquet should give the king a proof of his greatdevotion to him, and of his readiness to make the greatest sacrifices.He surprised his majesty by offering him Belle-Isle. If you had been thefirst to reach Paris, the surprise would have been destroyed, it wouldhave looked as if we had yielded to fear."

  "I understand."

  "That is the whole mystery," said Aramis, satisfied that he had at lastquite convinced the musketeer.

  "Only," said the latter, "it would have been more simple to havetaken me aside, and said to me, 'My dear D'Artagnan, we are fortifyingBelle-Isle, and intend to offer it to the king. Tell us frankly, forwhom you are acting. Are you a friend of M. Colbert, or of M. Fouquet?'Perhaps I should not have answered you, but you would have added,--'Areyou my friend?' I should have said 'Yes.'" Aramis hung down his head."In this way," continued D'Artagnan, "you would have paralyzed mymovements, and I should have gone to the king, and said, 'Sire, M.Fouquet is fortifying Belle-Isle, and exceedingly well, too; but here isa note, which the governor of Belle-Isle gave me for your majesty;' or,'M. Fouquet is about to wait upon your majesty to explain his intentionswith regard to it.' I should not have been placed in an absurd position;you would have enjoyed the surprise so long planned, and we should nothave had any occasion to look askant at each other when we met."

  "While, on the contrary," replied Aramis, "you have acted altogetheras one friendly to M. Colbert. And you really are a friend of his, Isuppose?"

  "Certainly not, indeed!" exclaimed the captain. "M. Colbert is a meanfellow, and I hate him as I used to hate Mazarin, but without fearinghim."

  "Well, then," said Aramis, "I love M. Fouquet, and his interests aremine. You know my position. I have no property or means whatever. M.Fouquet gave me several livings, a bishopric as well; M. Fouquet hasserved and obliged me like the generous-hearted man he is, and I knowthe world sufficiently well to appreciate a kindness when I meet withone. M. Fouquet has won my regard, and I have devoted myself to hisservice."

  "You could not possibly do better. You will find him a very liberalmaster."

  Aramis bit his lips; and then said, "The best a man could possiblyhave." He then paused for a minute, D'Artagnan taking good care not tointerrupt him.

  "I suppose you know how Porthos got mixed up in all this?"

  "No," said D'Artagnan; "I am curious, of course, but I never question afriend when he wishes to keep a secret from me."

  "Well, then, I will tell you."

  "It is hardly worth the trouble, if the confidence is to bind me in anyway."

  "Oh! do not be afraid.; there is no man whom I love better thanPorthos, because he is so simple-minded and good-natured. Porthos isso straightforward in everything. Since I have become a bishop, I havelooked for these primeval natures, which make me love truth and hateintrigue."

  D'Artagnan stroked his mustache, but said nothing.

  "I saw Porthos and again cultivated his acquaintance; his own timehanging idly on his hands, his presence recalled my earlier and betterdays without engaging me in any present evil. I sent for Porthos to cometo Vannes. M. Fouquet, whose regard for me is very great, havinglearnt that Porthos and I were attached to each other by old ties offriendship, promised him increase of rank at the earliest promotion, andthat is the whole secret."

  "I shall not abuse your confidence," said D'Artagnan.

  "I am sure of that, my dear friend; no one has a finer sense of honorthan yourself."

  "I flatter myself that you are right, Aramis."

  "And now"--and here the prelate looked searchingly and scrutinizinglyat his friend--"now let us talk of ourselves and for ourselves; will youbecome one of M. Fouquet's friends? Do not interrupt me until you knowwhat that means."

  "Well, I am listening."

  "Will you become a marechal of France, peer, duke, and the possessor ofa duchy, with a million of francs?"

  "But, my friend," replied D'Artagnan, "what must one do to get allthat?"

  "Belong to M. Fouquet."

  "But I already belong to the king."

  "Not exclusively, I suppose."

  "Oh! a D'Artagnan cannot be divided."

  "You have, I presume, ambitions, as noble hearts like yours have."

  "Yes, certainly I have."

  "Well?"

  "Well! I wish to be a marechal; the king will make me marechal, duke,peer; the king will make me all that."

  Aramis fixed a searching look upon D'Artagnan.

  "Is not the king master?" said D'Artagnan.

  "No one disputes it; but Louis XIII. was master also."

  "Oh! my dear friend, between Richelieu and Louis XIII. stood noD'Artagnan," said the musketeer, very quietly.

  "There are many stumbling-blocks round the king," said Aramis.

  "Not for the king's feet."

  "Very likely not; still--"

  "One moment, Aramis; I observe that every one thinks of himself, andnever of his poor prince; I will maintain myself maintaining him."

  "And if you meet with ingratitude?"

  "The weak alone are afraid of that."

  "You are quite certain of yourself?"

  "I think so."

  "Still, the king may some day have no further need for you!"

  "On the contrary, I think his need of me will soon be greater than ever;and hearken, my dear fellow, if it became necessary to arrest a newConde, who would do it? This--this alone in France!" and D'Artagnanstruck his sword, which clanked sullenly on the tesselated floor.

  "You are right," said Aramis, turning very pale; and then he rose andpressed D'Artagnan's hand.

  "That is the last summons for supper," said the captain of themusketeers; "will you excuse me?"

  Aramis threw his arm round the musketeer's neck, and said, "Afriend like you is the brightest jewel in the royal crown." And theyimmediately separated.

  "I was right," mused D'Artagnan; "there is, indeed, something strangelyserious stirring."

  "We must hasten the explosion," breathed the coming cardinal, "forD'Artagnan has discovered the existence of a plot."