Louise de la Valliere

  Chapter LXII. What Raoul Had Guessed.

  As soon as Raoul had quitted Athos and D'Artagnan, as the twoexclamations that had followed his departure escaped their lips, theyfound themselves face to face alone. Athos immediately resumed theearnest air that he had assumed at D'Artagnan's arrival.

  "Well," he said, "what have you come to announce to me, my friend?"

  "I?" inquired D'Artagnan.

  "Yes; I do not see you in this way without some reason for it," saidAthos, smiling.

  "The deuce!" said D'Artagnan.

  "I will place you at your ease. The king is furious, I suppose?"

  "Well, I must say he is not altogether pleased."

  "And you have come to arrest me, then?"

  "My dear friend, you have hit the very mark."

  "Oh, I expected it. I am quite ready to go with you."

  "Deuce take it!" said D'Artagnan, "what a hurry you are in."

  "I am afraid of delaying you," said Athos, smiling.

  "I have plenty of time. Are you not curious, besides, to know how thingswent on between the king and me?"

  "If you will be good enough to tell me, I will listen with the greatestof pleasure," said Athos, pointing out to D'Artagnan a large chair, intowhich the latter threw himself, assuming the easiest possible attitude.

  "Well, I will do so willingly enough," continued D'Artagnan, "for theconversation is rather curious, I must say. In the first place the kingsent for me."

  "As soon as I had left?"

  "You were just going down the last steps of the staircase, as themusketeers told me. I arrived. My dear Athos, he was not red in the facemerely, he was positively purple. I was not aware, of course, of whathad passed; only, on the ground, lying on the floor, I saw a swordbroken in two."

  "'Captain d'Artagnan,' cried the king, as soon as he saw me.

  "'Sire,' I replied.

  "'M. de la Fere has just left me; he is an insolent man.'

  "'An insolent man!' I exclaimed, in such a tone that the king stoppedsuddenly short.

  "'Captain d'Artagnan,' resumed the king, with his teeth clenched, 'youwill be good enough to listen to and hear me.'

  "'That is my duty, sire.'

  "'I have, out of consideration for M. de la Fere, wished to sparehim--he is a man of whom I still retain some kind recollections--thediscredit of being arrested in my palace. You will therefore take acarriage.' At this I made a slight movement.

  "'If you object to arrest him yourself,' continued the king, 'send me mycaptain of the guards.'

  "'Sire,' I replied, 'there is no necessity for the captain of theguards, since I am on duty.'

  "'I should not like to annoy you,' said the king, kindly, 'for you havealways served me well, Monsieur D'Artagnan.'

  "'You do not "annoy" me, sire,' I replied; 'I am on duty, that is all.'

  "'But,' said the king, in astonishment, 'I believe the comte is yourfriend?'

  "'If he were my father, sire, it would not make me less on duty than Iam.'

  "The king looked at me; he saw how unmoved my face was, and seemedsatisfied. 'You will arrest M. le Comte de la Fere, then?' he inquired.

  "'Most certainly, sire, if you give me the order to do so.'

  "'Very well; I order you to do so.'

  "I bowed, and replied, 'Where is the comte, sire?'

  "'You will look for him.'

  "'And am I to arrest him, wherever he may be?'

  "'Yes; but try that he may be at his own house. If he should havestarted for his own estate, leave Paris at once, and arrest him on hisway thither.'

  "I bowed; but as I did not move, he said, 'Well, what are you waitingfor?'

  "'For the order to arrest the comte, signed by yourself.'

  "The king seemed annoyed; for, in point of fact, it was the exercise ofa fresh act of authority, a repetition of the arbitrary act, if, indeed,it is to be considered as such. He took hold of his pen slowly, andevidently in no very good temper; and then he wrote, 'Order for M. leChevalier d'Artagnan, captain of my musketeers, to arrest M. le Comte dela Fere, wherever he is to be found.' He then turned towards me; but Iwas looking on without moving a muscle of my face. In all probability hethought he perceived something like bravado in my tranquil manner,for he signed hurriedly, and then handing me the order, he said, 'Go,monsieur!' I obeyed; and here I am."

  Athos pressed his friend's hand. "Well, let us set off," he said.

  "Oh! surely," said D'Artagnan, "you must have some trifling matters toarrange before you leave your apartments in this manner."

  "I?--not at all."

  "Why not?"

  "Why, you know, D'Artagnan, that I have always been a very simpletraveler on this earth, ready to go to the end of the world by the orderof my sovereign; ready to quit it at the summons of my Maker. What doesa man who is thus prepared require in such a case?--a portmanteau, ora shroud. I am ready at this moment, as I have always been, my dearfriend, and can accompany you at once."

  "But, Bragelonne--"

  "I have brought him up in the same principles I laid down for myown guidance; and you observed that, as soon as he perceived you, heguessed, that very moment, the motive of your visit. We have thrown himoff his guard for a moment; but do not be uneasy, he is sufficientlyprepared for my disgrace not to be too much alarmed at it. So, let usgo."

  "Very well, let us go," said D'Artagnan, quietly.

  "As I broke my sword in the king's presence, and threw the pieces at hisfeet, I presume that will dispense with the necessity of delivering itover to you."

  "You are quite right; and besides that, what the deuce do you suppose Icould do with your sword?"

  "Am I to walk behind, or before you?" inquired Athos, laughing.

  "You will walk arm in arm with me," replied D'Artagnan, as he took thecomte's arm to descend the staircase; and in this manner they arrived atthe landing. Grimaud, whom they had met in the ante-room, looked at themas they went out together in this manner, with some little uneasiness;his experience of affairs was quite sufficient to give him good reasonto suspect that there was something wrong.

  "Ah! is that you, Grimaud?" said Athos, kindly. "We are going--"

  "To take a turn in my carriage," interrupted D'Artagnan, with a friendlynod of the head.

  Grimaud thanked D'Artagnan by a grimace, which was evidently intendedfor a smile, and accompanied both the friends to the door. Athos enteredfirst into the carriage; D'Artagnan followed him without saying a wordto the coachman. The departure had taken place so quietly, that itexcited no disturbance or attention even in the neighborhood. When thecarriage had reached the quays, "You are taking me to the Bastile, Iperceive," said Athos.

  "I?" said D'Artagnan, "I take you wherever you may choose to go; nowhereelse, I can assure you."

  "What do you mean?" said the comte, surprised.

  "Why, surely, my dear friend," said D'Artagnan, "you quite understandthat I undertook the mission with no other object in view than that ofcarrying it out exactly as you liked. You surely did not expect that Iwas going to get you thrown into prison like that, brutally, and withoutany reflection. If I had anticipated that, I should have let the captainof the guards undertake it."

  "And so--?" said Athos.

  "And so, I repeat again, we will go wherever you may choose."

  "My dear friend," said Athos, embracing D'Artagnan, "how like you thatis!"

  "Well, it seems simple enough to me. The coachman will take you to thebarrier of the Cours-la-Reine; you will find a horse there which I haveordered to be kept ready for you; with that horse you will be able to dothree posts without stopping; and I, on my side, will take care not toreturn to the king, to tell him that you have gone away, until the verymoment it will be impossible to overtake you. In the meantime you willhave reached Le Havre, and from Le Havre across to England, where youwill find the charming residence of which M. Monk made me a present,without speaking of the hospitality which King Charles will not fail toshow you. Well, what do you think of this project?" r />
  Athos shook his head, and then said, smiling as he did so, "No, no, takeme to the Bastile."

  "You are an obstinate fellow, my dear Athos," returned D'Artagnan,"reflect for a few moments."

  "On what subject?"

  "That you are no longer twenty years of age. Believe me, I speakaccording to my own knowledge and experience. A prison is certain deathfor men who are at our time of life. No, no; I will never allow you tolanguish in prison in such a way. Why, the very thought of it makes myhead turn giddy."

  "Dear D'Artagnan," Athos replied, "Heaven most fortunately made my bodyas strong, powerful, and enduring as my mind; and, rely upon it, I shallretain my strength up to the very last moment."

  "But this is not strength of mind or character; it is sheer madness."

  "No, D'Artagnan, it is the highest order of reasoning. Do not supposethat I should in the slightest degree in the world discuss the questionwith you, whether you would not be ruined in endeavoring to save me. Ishould have done precisely as you propose if flight had been part ofmy plan of action; I should, therefore, have accepted from you what,without any doubt, you would have accepted from me. No! I know you toowell even to breathe a word upon the subject."

  "Ah! if you would only let me do it," said D'Artagnan, "what a dance wewould give his most gracious majesty!"

  "Still he is the king; do not forget that, my dear friend."

  "Oh! that is all the same to me; and king though he be, I would plainlytell him, 'Sire, imprison, exile, kill every one in France and Europe;order me to arrest and poniard even whom you like--even were itMonsieur, your own brother; but do not touch one of the four musketeers,or if so, _mordioux!_'"

  "My dear friend," replied Athos, with perfect calmness, "I should liketo persuade you of one thing; namely, that I wish to be arrested; that Idesire above all things that my arrest should take place."

  D'Artagnan made a slight movement of his shoulders.

  "Nay, I wish it, I repeat, more than anything; if you were to let meescape, it would be only to return of my own accord, and constitutemyself a prisoner. I wish to prove to this young man, who is dazzledby the power and splendor of his crown, that he can be regarded as thefirst and chiefest among men only on the one condition of his provinghimself to be the most generous and the wisest. He may punish me,imprison, torture me, it matters not. He abuses his opportunities, andI wish him to learn the bitterness of remorse, while Heaven teaches himwhat chastisement is."

  "Well, well," replied D'Artagnan, "I know only too well that, when youhave once said, 'no,' you mean 'no.' I do not insist any longer; youwish to go to the Bastile?"

  "I do wish to go there."

  "Let us go, then! To the Bastile!" cried D'Artagnan to the coachman.And throwing himself back in the carriage, he gnawed the ends of hismustache with a fury which, for Athos, who knew him well, signified aresolution either already taken or in course of formation. A profoundsilence ensued in the carriage, which continued to roll on, but neitherfaster nor slower than before. Athos took the musketeer by the hand.

  "You are not angry with me, D'Artagnan?" he said.

  "I!--oh, no! certainly not; of course not. What you do for heroism, Ishould have done from obstinacy."

  "But you are quite of opinion, are you not, that Heaven will avenge me,D'Artagnan?"

  "And I know one or two on earth who will not fail to lend a helpinghand," said the captain.