Louise de la Valliere

by Alexandre Dumas

  Chapter XXXIII. Which Treats of Carpentry Operations, and FurnishesDetails upon the Mode of Constructing Staircases.

  The advice which had been given to Montalais was communicated by herto La Valliere, who could not but acknowledge that it was by no meansdeficient in judgment, and who, after a certain amount of resistance,rising rather from timidity than indifference to the project, resolvedto put it into execution. This story of the two girls weeping, andfilling Madame's bedroom with the noisiest lamentations, was Malicorne's_chef-d'oeuvre_. As nothing is so probable as improbability, so naturalas romance, this kind of Arabian Nights story succeeded perfectly withMadame. The first thing she did was to send Montalais away, and then,three days, or rather three nights afterwards, she had La Valliereremoved. She gave the latter one of the small rooms on the top story,situated immediately over the apartments allotted to the gentlemenof Monsieur's suite. One story only, that is to say, a mere flooringseparated the maids of honor from the officers and gentlemen of herhusband's household. A private staircase, which was placed under Madamede Navailles's surveillance, was the only means of communication. Forgreater safety, Madame de Navailles, who had heard of his majesty'sprevious attempts, had the windows of the rooms and the openings of thechimneys carefully barred. There was, therefore, every possible securityprovided for Mademoiselle de la Valliere, whose room now bore moreresemblance to a cage than to anything else. When Mademoiselle de laValliere was in her own room, and she was there very frequently, forMadame scarcely ever had any occasion for her services, since she onceknew she was safe under Madame de Navailles's inspection, Mademoisellede la Valliere had no better means of amusing herself than lookingthrough the bars of her windows. It happened, therefore, that onemorning, as she was looking out as usual, she perceived Malicorne at oneof the windows exactly opposite to her own. He held a carpenter's rulein his hand, was surveying the buildings, and seemed to be adding upsome figures on paper. La Valliere recognized Malicorne and nodded tohim; Malicorne, in his turn, replied by a formal bow, and disappearedfrom the window. She was surprised at this marked coolness, so differentfrom his usual unfailing good-humor, but she remembered that he had losthis appointment on her account, and that he could hardly be very amiablydisposed towards her, since, in all probability, she would never be ina position to make him any recompense for what he had lost. She knew howto forgive offenses, and with still more readiness could she sympathizewith misfortune. La Valliere would have asked Montalais her opinion, ifshe had been within hearing, but she was absent, it being the hourshe commonly devoted to her own correspondence. Suddenly La Valliereobserved something thrown from the window where Malicorne had beenstanding, pass across the open space which separated the iron bars, androll upon the floor. She advanced with no little curiosity towards thisobject, and picked it up; it was a wooden reel for silk, only, in thisinstance, instead of silk, a piece of paper was rolled round it. LaValliere unrolled it and read as follows:

  "MADEMOISELLE,--I am exceedingly anxious to learn two things: the firstis, to know if the flooring of your apartment is wood or brick; thesecond, to ascertain at what distance your bed is placed from thewindow. Forgive my importunity, and will you be good enough to send mean answer by the same way you receive this letter--that is to say, bymeans of the silk winder; only, instead of throwing into my room, asI have thrown it into yours, which will be too difficult for youto attempt, have the goodness merely to let it fall. Believe me,mademoiselle, your most humble, most respectful servant,

  "MALICORNE.

  "Write the reply, if you please, upon the letter itself."

  "Ah! poor fellow," exclaimed La Valliere, "he must have gone out of hismind;" and she directed towards her correspondent--of whom she caughtbut a faint glimpse, in consequence of the darkness of the room--a lookfull of compassionate consideration. Malicorne understood her, and shookhis head, as if he meant to say, "No, no, I am not out of my mind; bequite satisfied."

  She smiled, as if still in doubt.

  "No, no," he signified by a gesture, "my head is right," and pointedto his head, then, after moving his hand like a man who writes veryrapidly, he put his hands together as if entreating her to write.

  La Valliere, even if he were mad, saw no impropriety in doing whatMalicorne requested her; she took a pencil and wrote "Wood," and thenwalked slowly from her window to her bed, and wrote, "Six paces," andhaving done this, she looked out again at Malicorne, who bowed to her,signifying that he was about to descend. La Valliere understood thatit was to pick up the silk winder. She approached the window, and, inaccordance with Malicorne's instructions, let it fall. The winder wasstill rolling along the flag-stones as Malicorne started after it,overtook and picked it up, and beginning to peel it as a monkey woulddo with a nut, he ran straight towards M. de Saint-Aignan's apartment.Saint-Aignan had chosen, or rather solicited, that his rooms might beas near the king as possible, as certain plants seek the sun's rays inorder to develop themselves more luxuriantly. His apartment consisted oftwo rooms, in that portion of the palace occupied by Louis XIV. himself.M. de Saint-Aignan was very proud of this proximity, which affordedeasy access to his majesty, and, more than that, the favor of occasionalunexpected meetings. At the moment we are now referring to, hewas engaged in having both his rooms magnificently carpeted, withexpectation of receiving the honor of frequent visits from the king; forhis majesty, since his passion for La Valliere, had chosen Saint-Aignanas his confidant, and could not, in fact, do without him, either nightor day. Malicorne introduced himself to the comte, and met with nodifficulties, because he had been favorably noticed by the king; andalso, because the credit which one man may happen to enjoy is always abait for others. Saint-Aignan asked his visitor if he brought any newswith him.

  "Yes; great news," replied the latter.

  "Ah! ah!" said Saint-Aignan, "what is it?"

  "Mademoiselle de la Valliere has changed her quarters."

  "What do you mean?" said Saint-Aignan, opening his eyes very wide. "Shewas living in the same apartments as Madame."

  "Precisely so; but Madame got tired of her proximity, and has installedher in a room which is situated exactly above your future apartment."

  "What! up there," exclaimed Saint-Aignan, with surprise, and pointing atthe floor above him with his finger.

  "No," said Malicorne, "yonder," indicating the building opposite.

  "What do you mean, then, by saying that her room is above my apartment?"

  "Because I am sure that your apartment _ought_, providentially, to beunder Mademoiselle de la Valliere's room."

  Saint-Aignan, at this remark, gave poor Malicorne a look, similar to oneof those La Valliere had already given a quarter of an hour before, thatis to say, he thought he had lost his senses.

  "Monsieur," said Malicorne to him, "I wish to answer what you arethinking about."

  "What do you mean by 'what I am thinking about'?"

  "My reason is, that you have not clearly understood what I want toconvey."

  "I admit it."

  "Well, then, you are aware that underneath the apartments set forMadame's maids of honor, the gentlemen in attendance on the king and onMonsieur are lodged."

  "Yes, I know that, since Manicamp, De Wardes, and others are livingthere."

  "Precisely. Well, monsieur, admire the singularity of the circumstance;the two rooms destined for M. de Guiche are exactly the very tworooms situated underneath those which Mademoiselle de Montalais andMademoiselle de la Valliere occupy."

  "Well; what then?"

  "'What then,' do you say? Why, these two rooms are empty, since M. deGuiche is now lying wounded at Fontainebleau."

  "I assure you, my dear fellow, I cannot grasp your meaning."

  "Well! if I had the happiness to call myself Saint-Aignan, I shouldguess immediately."

  "And what would you do then?"

  "I should at once change the rooms I am occupying here, for those whichM. de Guiche is not using yonder."

  "Can you suppose such a thing?" said Saint-A
ignan, disdainfully. "What!abandon the chief post of honor, the proximity to the king, a privilegeconceded only to princes of the blood, to dukes, and peers! Permit meto tell you, my dear Monsieur de Malicorne, that you must be out of yoursenses."

  "Monsieur," replied the young man, seriously, "you commit two mistakes.My name is Malicorne, simply; and I am in perfect possession of all mysenses." Then, drawing a paper from his pocket, he said, "Listen to whatI am going to say; and afterwards, I will show you this paper."

  "I am listening," said Saint-Aignan.

  "You know that Madame looks after La Valliere as carefully as Argus didafter the nymph Io."

  "I do."

  "You know that the king has sought for an opportunity, but uselessly,of speaking to the prisoner, and that neither you nor myself have yetsucceeded in procuring him this piece of good fortune."

  "You certainly ought to know something about the subject, my poorMalicorne," said Saint-Aignan, smiling.

  "Very good; what do you suppose would happen to the man whoseimagination devised some means of bringing the lovers together?"

  "Oh! the king would set no bounds to his gratitude."

  "Let me ask you, then, M. de Saint-Aignan, whether you would not becurious to taste a little of this royal gratitude?"

  "Certainly," replied Saint-Aignan, "any favor of my master, as arecognition of the proper discharge of my duty, would assuredly be mostprecious."

  "In that case, look at this paper, monsieur le comte."

  "What is it--a plan?"

  "Yes; a plan of M. de Guiche's two rooms, which, in all probability,will soon be your two rooms."

  "Oh! no, whatever may happen."

  "Why so?"

  "Because my rooms are the envy of too many gentlemen, to whom Icertainly shall not give them up; M. de Roquelaure, for instance, M. dela Ferte, and M. de Dangeau, would all be anxious to get them."

  "In that case I shall leave you, monsieur le comte, and I shall go andoffer to one of those gentlemen the plan I have just shown you, togetherwith the advantages annexed to it."

  "But why do you not keep them for yourself?" inquired Saint-Aignan,suspiciously.

  "Because the king would never do me the honor of paying me a visitopenly, whilst he would readily go and see any one of those gentlemen."

  "What! the king would go and see any one of those gentlemen?"

  "Go! most certainly he would ten times instead of once. Is it possibleyou can ask me if the king would go to an apartment which would bringhim nearer to Mademoiselle de la Valliere?"

  "Yes, indeed, delightfully near her, with a floor between them."

  Malicorne unfolded the piece of paper which had been wrapped round thebobbin. "Monsieur le comte," he said, "have the goodness to observe thatthe flooring of Mademoiselle de la Valliere's room is merely a woodenflooring."

  "Well?"

  "Well! all you would have to do would be to get hold of a journeymancarpenter, lock him up in your apartments, without letting him knowwhere you have taken him to, and let him make a hole in your ceiling,and consequently in the flooring of Mademoiselle de la Valliere's room."

  "Good heavens!" exclaimed Saint-Aignan, as if dazzled.

  "What is the matter?" said Malicorne.

  "Nothing, except that you have hit upon a singular, bold idea,monsieur."

  "It will seem a very trifling one to the king, I assure you."

  "Lovers never think of the risk they run."

  "What danger do you apprehend, monsieur le comte?"

  "Why, effecting such an opening as that will make a terrible noise: itcould be heard all over the palace."

  "Oh! monsieur le comte, I am quite sure that the carpenter I shallselect will not make the slightest noise in the world. He will saw anopening three feet square, with a saw covered with tow, and no one, noteven those adjoining, will know that he is at work."

  "My dear Monsieur Malicorne, you astound, you positively bewilder me."

  "To continue," replied Malicorne, quietly, "in the room, the ceiling ofwhich you will have cut through, you will put up a staircase, which willeither allow Mademoiselle de la Valliere to descend into your room, orthe king to ascend into Mademoiselle de la Valliere's room."

  "But the staircase will be seen."

  "No; for in your room it will be hidden by a partition, over whichyou will throw a tapestry similar to that which covers the rest of theapartment; and in Mademoiselle de la Valliere's room it will not beseen, for the trapdoor, which will be a part of the flooring itself,will be made to open under the bed."

  "Of course," said Saint-Aignan, whose eyes began to sparkle withdelight.

  "And now, monsieur le comte, there is no occasion to make you admitthat the king will frequently come to the room where such a staircase isconstructed. I think that M. Dangeau, particularly, will be struck by myidea, and I shall now go and explain to him."

  "But, my dear Monsieur Malicorne, you forget that you spoke to me aboutit the first, and that I have consequently the right of priority."

  "Do you wish for the preference?"

  "Do I wish it? Of course I do."

  "The fact is, Monsieur de Saint-Aignan, I am presenting you with aJacob's ladder, which is better than the promise of an additional stepin the peerage--perhaps, even with a good estate to accompany yourdukedom."

  "At least," replied Saint-Aignan, "it will give me an opportunity ofshowing the king that he is not mistaken in occasionally calling me hisfriend; an opportunity, dear M. Malicorne, for which I am indebted toyou."

  "And which you will not forget to remember?" inquired Malicorne,smiling.

  "Nothing will delight me more, monsieur."

  "But I am not the king's friend; I am simply his attendant."

  "Yes; and if you imagine that that staircase is as good as a dukedom formyself, I think there will certainly be letters of nobility at the topof it for you."

  Malicorne bowed.

  "All I have to do now," said Saint-Aignan, "is to move as soon aspossible."

  "I do not think the king will object to it. Ask his permission,however."

  "I will go and see him this very moment."

  "And I will run and get the carpenter I was speaking of."

  "When will he be here?"

  "This very evening."

  "Do not forget your precautions."

  "He shall be brought with his eyes bandaged."

  "And I will send you one of my carriages."

  "Without arms."

  "And one of my servants without livery. But stay, what will La Vallieresay if she sees what is going on?"

  "Oh! I can assure you she will be very much interested in the operation,and I am equally sure that if the king has not courage enough to ascendto her room, she will have sufficient curiosity to come down to him."

  "We will live in hope," said Saint-Aignan; "and now I am off to hismajesty. At what time will the carpenter be here?"

  "At eight o'clock."

  "How long do you suppose he will take to make this opening?"

  "About a couple of hours; only afterwards he must have sufficient timeto construct what may be called the hyphen between the two rooms. Onenight and a portion of the following day will do; we must not reckonupon less than two days, including putting up the staircase."

  "Two days, that is a very long time."

  "Nay; when one undertakes to open up communications with paradiseitself, we must at least take care that the approaches are respectable."

  "Quite right; so farewell for a short time, dear M. Malicorne. I shallbegin to remove the day after to-morrow, in the evening."