Louise de la Valliere

by Alexandre Dumas

  Chapter XL: Two Old Friends.

  Whilst every one at court was busily engaged with his own affairs, a manmysteriously took up his post behind the Place de Greve, in thehouse which we once saw besieged by D'Artagnan on the occasion of the_emeute_. The principal entrance of the house was in the Place Baudoyer;it was tolerably large, surrounded by gardens, inclosed in the RueSaint-Jean by the shops of toolmakers, which protected it from pryinglooks, and was walled in by a triple rampart of stone, noise, andverdure, like an embalmed mummy in its triple coffin. The man we havejust alluded to walked along with a firm step, although he was no longerin his early prime. His dark cloak and long sword plainly revealedone who seemed in search of adventures; and, judging from his curlingmustache, his fine smooth skin, which could be seen beneath his_sombrero_, it would not have been difficult to pronounce that gallantryhad not a little share in his adventures. In fact, hardly had thecavalier entered the house, when the clock struck eight; and ten minutesafterwards a lady, followed by a servant armed to the teeth, approachedand knocked at the same door, which an old woman immediately opened forher. The lady raised her veil as she entered; though no longer beautifulor young, she was still active and of an imposing carriage. Sheconcealed, beneath a rich toilette and the most exquisite taste, an agewhich Ninon de l'Enclos alone could have smiled at with impunity. Hardlyhad she reached the vestibule, when the cavalier, whose features we haveonly roughly sketched, advanced towards her, holding out his hand.

  "Good day, my dear duchesse," he said.

  "How do you do, my dear Aramis?" replied the duchesse.

  He led her to a most elegantly furnished apartment, on whose highwindows were reflected the expiring rays of the setting sun, whichfiltered gaudily through the dark green needles of the adjacent firs.They sat down side by side. Neither of them thought of asking foradditional light in the room, and they buried themselves as it were inthe shadow, as if they wished to bury themselves in forgetfulness.

  "Chevalier," said the duchesse, "you have never given me a single signof life since our interview at Fontainebleau, and I confess that yourpresence there on the day of the Franciscan's death, and your initiationin certain secrets, caused me the liveliest astonishment I everexperienced in my whole life."

  "I can explain my presence there to you, as well as my initiation," saidAramis.

  "But let us, first of all," said the duchess, "talk a little ofourselves, for our friendship is by no means of recent date."

  "Yes, madame: and if Heaven wills it, we shall continue to be friends, Iwill not say for a long time, but forever."

  "That is quite certain, chevalier, and my visit is a proof of it."

  "Our interests, duchess, are no longer the same as they used to be,"said Aramis, smiling without apprehension in the growing gloom by whichthe room was overcast, for it could not reveal that his smile was lessagreeable and not so bright as formerly.

  "No, chevalier, at the present day we have other interests. Everyperiod of life brings its own; and, as we now understand each other inconversing, as perfectly as we formerly did without saying a word, letus talk, if you like."

  "I am at your orders, duchesse. Ah! I beg your pardon, how did youobtain my address, and what was your object?"

  "You ask me why? I have told you. Curiosity in the first place. I wishedto know what you could have to do with the Franciscan, with whom I hadcertain business transactions, and who died so singularly. You know thaton the occasion of our interview at Fontainebleau, in the cemetery, atthe foot of the grave so recently closed, we were both so much overcomeby our emotions that we omitted to confide to each other what we mayhave to say."

  "Yes, madame."

  "Well, then, I had no sooner left you than I repented, and have eversince been most anxious to ascertain the truth. You know that Madame deLongueville and myself are almost one, I suppose?"

  "I was not aware," said Aramis, discreetly.

  "I remembered, therefore," continued the duchesse, "that neither of ussaid anything to the other in the cemetery; that you did not speak ofthe relationship in which you stood to the Franciscan, whose burial yousuperintended, and that I did not refer to the position in which Istood to him; all which seemed very unworthy of two such old friends asourselves, and I have sought an opportunity of an interview with you inorder to give you some information that I have recently acquired, and toassure you that Marie Michon, now no more, has left behind her one whohas preserved her recollection of events."

  Aramis bowed over the duchess's hand, and pressed his lips upon it. "Youmust have had some trouble to find me again," he said.

  "Yes," she answered, annoyed to find the subject taking a turn whichAramis wished to give it; "but I knew you were a friend of M. Fouquet's,and so I inquired in that direction."

  "A friend! oh!" exclaimed the chevalier, "I can hardly pretend to be_that_. A poor priest who has been favored by a generous protector, andwhose heart is full of gratitude and devotion, is all that I pretend tobe to M. Fouquet."

  "He made you a bishop?"

  "Yes, duchesse."

  "A very good retiring pension for so handsome a musketeer."

  "Yes; in the same way that political intrigue is for yourself," thoughtAramis. "And so," he added, "you inquired after me at M. Fouquet's?"

  "Easily enough. You had been to Fontainebleau with him, and hadundertaken a voyage to your diocese, which is Belle-Ile-en-Mer, Ibelieve."

  "No, madame," said Aramis. "My diocese is Vannes."

  "I meant that. I only thought that Belle-Ile-en-Mer--"

  "Is a property belonging to M. Fouquet, nothing more."

  "Ah! I had been told that Belle-Isle was fortified; besides, I know howgreat the military knowledge is you possess."

  "I have forgotten everything of the kind since I entered the Church,"said Aramis, annoyed.

  "Suffice it to know that I learned you had returned from Vannes, andI sent off to one of our friends, M. le Comte de la Fere, who isdiscretion itself, in order to ascertain it, but he answered that he wasnot aware of your address."

  "So like Athos," thought the bishop; "the really good man neverchanges."

  "Well, then, you know that I cannot venture to show myself here, andthat the queen-mother has always some grievance or other against me."

  "Yes, indeed, and I am surprised at it."

  "Oh! there are various reasons for it. But, to continue, being obligedto conceal myself, I was fortunate enough to meet with M. d'Artagnan,who was formerly one of your old friends, I believe?"

  "A friend of mine still, duchesse."

  "He gave me certain information, and sent me to M. Baisemeaux, thegovernor of the Bastile."

  Aramis was somewhat agitated at this remark, and a light flashed fromhis eyes in the darkness of the room, which he could not concealfrom his keen-sighted friend. "M. de Baisemeaux!" he said, "why didD'Artagnan send you to M. de Baisemeaux?"

  "I cannot tell you."

  "What can this possibly mean?" said the bishop, summoning all theresources of his mind to his aid, in order to carry on the combat in abefitting manner.

  "M. de Baisemeaux is greatly indebted to you, D'Artagnan told me."

  "True, he is so."

  "And the address of a creditor is as easily ascertained as that of adebtor."

  "Very true; and so Baisemeaux indicated to you--"

  "Saint-Mande, where I forwarded a letter to you."

  "Which I have in my hand, and which is most precious to me," saidAramis, "because I am indebted to it for the pleasure of seeing youhere." The duchesse, satisfied at having successfully overcome thevarious difficulties of so delicate an explanation, began to breathefreely again, which Aramis, however, could not succeed in doing. "We hadgot as far as your visit to M. Baisemeaux, I believe?"

  "Nay," she said, laughing, "farther than that."

  "In that case we must have been speaking about the grudge you haveagainst the queen-mother."

  "Further still," she returned, "further still; we were talking of thec
onnection--"

  "Which existed between you and the Franciscan," said Aramis,interrupting her eagerly, "well, I am listening to you veryattentively."

  "It is easily explained," returned the duchesse. "You know that I amliving at Brussels with M. de Laicques?"

  "I heard so."

  "You know that my children have ruined and stripped me of everything."

  "How terrible, dear duchesse."

  "Terrible indeed; this obliged me to resort to some means of obtaining alivelihood, and, particularly, to avoid vegetating for the remainder ofmy existence. I had old hatreds to turn to account, old friendships tomake use of; I no longer had either credit or protectors."

  "_You_, who had extended protection towards so many persons," saidAramis, softly.

  "It is always the case, chevalier. Well, at the present time I am in thehabit of seeing the king of Spain very frequently."

  "Ah!"

  "Who has just nominated a general of the Jesuits, according to the usualcustom."

  "Is it usual, indeed?"

  "Were you not aware of it?"

  "I beg your pardon; I was inattentive."

  "You must be aware of that--you who were on such good terms with theFranciscan."

  "With the general of the Jesuits, you mean?"

  "Exactly. Well, then, I have seen the king of Spain, who wished to dome a service, but was unable. He gave me recommendations, however, toFlanders, both for myself and for Laicques too; and conferred a pensionon me out of the funds belonging to the order."

  "Of Jesuits?"

  "Yes. The general--I mean the Franciscan--was sent to me; and, for thepurpose of conforming with the requisitions of the statues of the order,and of entitling me to the pension, I was reputed to be in a position torender certain services. You are aware that that is the rule?"

  "No, I did not know it," said Aramis.

  Madame de Chevreuse paused to look at Aramis, but it was perfectly dark."Well, such is the rule, however," she resumed. "I had, therefore, toappear to possess a power of usefulness of some kind or other, andI proposed to travel for the order, and I was placed on the list ofaffiliated travelers. You understand it was a formality, by means ofwhich I received my pension, which was very convenient for me."

  "Good heavens! duchesse, what you tell me is like a dagger-thrust. _You_obliged to receive a pension from the Jesuits?"

  "No, chevalier! from Spain."

  "Except for a conscientious scruple, duchesse, you will admit that it ispretty nearly the same thing."

  "No, not at all."

  "But surely of your magnificent fortune there must remain--"

  "Dampierre is all that remains."

  "And that is handsome enough."

  "Yes; but Dampierre is burdened, mortgaged, and almost fallen to ruin,like its owner."

  "And can the queen-mother know and see all that, without shedding atear?" said Aramis, with a penetrating look, which encountered nothingbut darkness.

  "Yes. She has forgotten everything."

  "You, I believe, attempted to get restored to favor?"

  "Yes; but, most singularly, the young king inherits the antipathy hisdear father had for me. You will, perhaps, tell me that I am indeed awoman to be hated, and that I am no longer one who can be loved."

  "Dear duchesse, pray come quickly to the cause that brought you here;for I think we can be of service to each other."

  "Such has been my own thought. I came to Fontainebleau with a doubleobject in view. In the first place, I was summoned there by theFranciscan whom you knew. By the by, how did you know him?--for I havetold you my story, and have not yet heard yours."

  "I knew him in a very natural way, duchesse. I studied theology with himat Parma. We became fast friends; and it happened, from time to time,that business, or travel, or war, separated us from each other."

  "You were, of course, aware that he was the general of the Jesuits?"

  "I suspected it."

  "But by what extraordinary chance did it happen that you were at thehotel when the affiliated travelers met together?"

  "Oh!" said Aramis, in a calm voice, "it was the merest chance in theworld. I was going to Fontainebleau to see M. Fouquet, for the purposeof obtaining an audience of the king. I was passing by, unknown; I sawthe poor dying monk in the road, and recognized him immediately. Youknow the rest--he died in my arms."

  "Yes; but bequeathing to you so vast a power that you issue yoursovereign orders and directions like a monarch."

  "He certainly did leave me a few commissions to settle."

  "And what for me?"

  "I have told you--a sum of twelve thousand livres was to be paid toyou. I thought I had given you the necessary signature to enable you toreceive it. Did you not get the money?"

  "Oh! yes, yes. You give your orders, I am informed, with so muchmystery, and such a majestic presence, that it is generally believed youare the successor of the defunct chief."

  Aramis colored impatiently, and the duchesse continued: "I have obtainedmy information," she said, "from the king of Spain himself; and hecleared up some of my doubts on the point. Every general of the Jesuitsis nominated by him, and must be a Spaniard, according to the statutesof the order. You are not a Spaniard, nor have you been nominated by theking of Spain."

  Aramis did not reply to this remark, except to say, "You see, duchesse,how greatly you were mistaken, since the king of Spain told you that."

  "Yes, my dear Aramis; but there was something else which I have beenthinking of."

  "What is that?"

  "You know, I believe, something about most things, and it occurred to methat you know the Spanish language."

  "Every Frenchman who has been actively engaged in the Fronde knowsSpanish."

  "You have lived in Flanders?"

  "Three years."

  "And have stayed at Madrid?"

  "Fifteen months."

  "You are in a position, then, to become a naturalized Spaniard, when youlike."

  "Really?" said Aramis, with a frankness which deceived the duchesse.

  "Undoubtedly. Two years' residence and an acquaintance with the languageare indispensable. You have upwards of four years--more than double thetime necessary."

  "What are you driving at, duchesse?"

  "At this--I am on good terms with the king of Spain."

  "And I am not on bad terms," thought Aramis to himself.

  "Shall I ask the king," continued the duchesse, "to confer thesuccession to the Franciscan's post upon you?"

  "Oh, duchesse!"

  "You have it already, perhaps?" she said.

  "No, upon my honor."

  "Very well, then, I can render you that service."

  "Why did you not render the same service to M. de Laicques, duchesse? Heis a very talented man, and one you love, besides."

  "Yes, no doubt; but, at all events, putting Laicques aside, will youhave it?"

  "No, I thank you, duchesse."

  She paused. "He is nominated," she thought; and then resumed aloud,"If you refuse me in this manner, it is not very encouraging for me,supposing I should have something to ask of you."

  "Oh! ask, pray, ask."

  "Ask! I cannot do so, if you have not the power to grant what I want."

  "However limited my power and ability, ask all the same."

  "I need a sum of money, to restore Dampierre."

  "Ah!" replied Aramis, coldly--"money? Well, duchesse, how much would yourequire?"

  "Oh! a tolerably round sum."

  "So much the worse--you know I am not rich."

  "No, no; but the order is--and if you had been the general--"

  "You know I am not the general, I think."

  "In that case, you have a friend who must be very wealthy--M. Fouquet."

  "M. Fouquet! He is more than half ruined, madame."

  "So it is said, but I did not believe it."

  "Why, duchesse?"

  "Because I have, or rather Laicques has, certain letters in hispossession from
Cardinal Mazarin, which establish the existence of verystrange accounts."

  "What accounts?"

  "Relative to various sums of money borrowed and disposed of. I cannotvery distinctly remember what they are; but they establish the factthat the superintendent, according to these letters, which are signed byMazarin, had taken thirteen millions of francs from the coffers of thestate. The case is a very serious one."

  Aramis clenched his hands in anxiety and apprehension. "Is it possible,"he said, "that you have such letters as you speak of, and have notcommunicated them to M. Fouquet?"

  "Ah!" replied the duchesse, "I keep such trifling matters as these inreserve. The day may come when they will be of service; and they can bewithdrawn from the safe custody in which they now remain."

  "And that day has arrived?" said Aramis.

  "Yes."

  "And you are going to show those letters to M. Fouquet?"

  "I prefer to talk about them with you, instead."

  "You must be in sad want of money, my poor friend, to think of suchthings as these--you, too, who held M. de Mazarin's prose effusions insuch indifferent esteem."

  "The fact is, I am in want of money."

  "And then," continued Aramis, in cold accents, "it must have been verydistressing to you to be obliged to have recourse to such a means. It iscruel."

  "Oh! if had wished to do harm instead of good," said Madame deChevreuse, "instead of asking the general of the order, or M. Fouquet,for the five hundred thousand francs I require, I--"

  "_Five hundred thousand francs!_"

  "Yes; no more. Do you think it much? I require at least as much as thatto restore Dampierre."

  "Yes, madame."

  "I say, therefore, that instead of asking for this amount, I shouldhave gone to see my old friend the queen-mother; the letters from herhusband, Signor Mazarini, would have served me as an introduction, andI should have begged this mere trifle of her, saying to her, 'I wish,madame, to have the honor of receiving you at Dampierre. Permit me toput Dampierre in a fit state for that purpose.'"

  Aramis did not return a single word. "Well," she said, "what are youthinking about?"

  "I am making certain additions," said Aramis.

  "And M. Fouquet subtractions. I, on the other hand, am trying my hand atthe art of multiplication. What excellent calculators we all three are!How well we might understand one another!"

  "Will you allow me to reflect?" said Aramis.

  "No, for with such an opening between people like ourselves, 'yes' or'no' is the only answer, and that an immediate one."

  "It is a snare," thought the bishop; "it is impossible that Anne ofAustria would listen to such a woman as this."

  "Well?" said the duchesse.

  "Well, madame, I should be very much astonished if M. Fouquet had fivehundred thousand francs at his disposal at the present moment."

  "It is no use speaking of it, then," said the duchesse, "and Dampierremust get restored how best it may."

  "Oh! you are not embarrassed to such an extent as that, I suppose."

  "No; I am never embarrassed."

  "And the queen," continued the bishop, "will certainly do for you whatthe superintendent is unable to do?"

  "Oh! certainly. But tell me, do you think it would be better that Ishould speak, myself, to M. Fouquet about these letters?"

  "Nay, duchesse, you will do precisely whatever you please in thatrespect. M. Fouquet either feels or does not feel himself to be guilty;if he really be so, I know he is proud enough not to confess it; if hebe not so, he will be exceedingly offended at your menace."

  "As usual, you reason like an angel," said the duchesse, as she rosefrom her seat.

  "And so, you are now going to denounce M. Fouquet to the queen," saidAramis.

  "'Denounce!' Oh! what a disagreeable word. I shall not 'denounce' mydear friend; you know matters of policy too well to be ignorant howeasily these affairs are arranged. I shall merely side against M.Fouquet, and nothing more; and, in a war of party against party, aweapon is always a weapon."

  "No doubt."

  "And once on friendly terms again with the queen-mother, I may bedangerous towards some persons."

  "You are at liberty to prove so, duchesse."

  "A liberty of which I shall avail myself."

  "You are not ignorant, I suppose, duchesse, that M. Fouquet is on thebest terms with the king of Spain."

  "I suppose so."

  "If, therefore, you begin a party warfare against M. Fouquet, he willreply in the same way; for he, too, is at perfect liberty to do so, ishe not?"

  "Oh! certainly."

  "And as he is on good terms with Spain, he will make use of thatfriendship as a weapon of attack."

  "You mean, that he is, naturally, on good terms with the general of theorder of the Jesuits, my dear Aramis."

  "That may be the case, duchesse."

  "And that, consequently, the pension I have been receiving from theorder will be stopped."

  "I am greatly afraid it might be."

  "Well; I must contrive to console myself in the best way I can; forafter Richelieu, after the Fronde, after exile, what is there left forMadame de Chevreuse to be afraid of?"

  "The pension, you are aware, is forty-eight thousand francs."

  "Alas! I am quite aware of it."

  "Moreover, in party contests, you know, the friends of one's enemy donot escape."

  "Ah! you mean that poor Laicques will have to suffer."

  "I am afraid it is almost inevitable, duchesse."

  "Oh! he only receives twelve thousand francs pension."

  "Yes, but the king of Spain has some influence left; advised by M.Fouquet, he might get M. Laicques shut up in prison for a little while."

  "I am not very nervous on that point, my dear friend; because, oncereconciled with Anne of Austria, I will undertake that France wouldinsist upon M. Laicques's liberation."

  "True. In that case, you will have something else to apprehend."

  "What can that be?" said the duchesse, pretending to be surprised andterrified.

  "You will learn; indeed, you must know it already, that having once beenan affiliated member of the order, it is not easy to leave it; for thesecrets that any particular member may have acquired are unwholesome,and carry with them the germs of misfortune for whosoever may revealthem."

  The duchesse paused and reflected for a moment, and then said, "That ismore serious: I will think it over."

  And notwithstanding the profound obscurity, Aramis seemed to feel abasilisk glance, like a white-hot iron, escape from his friend's eyes,and plunge into his heart.

  "Let us recapitulate," said Aramis, determined to keep himself onhis guard, and gliding his hand into his breast where he had a daggerconcealed.

  "Exactly, let us recapitulate; short accounts make long friends."

  "The suppression of your pension--"

  "Forty-eight thousand francs, and that of Laicques's twelve, maketogether sixty thousand francs; that is what you mean, I suppose?"

  "Precisely; and I was trying to find out what would be your equivalentfor that."

  "Five hundred thousand francs, which I shall get from the queen."

  "Or, which you will _not_ get."

  "I know a means of procuring them," said the duchesse, thoughtlessly.

  This remark made the chevalier prick up his ears; and from the momenthis adversary had committed this error, his mind was so thoroughly onits guard, that he seemed every moment to gain the advantage more andmore; and she, consequently, to lose it. "I will admit, for argument'ssake, that you obtain the money," he resumed; "you will lose twice asmuch, having a hundred thousand francs' pension to receive instead ofsixty thousand, and that for a period of ten years."

  "Not so, for I shall only be subjected to this reduction of my incomeduring the period of M. Fouquet's remaining in power, a period which Iestimate at two months."

  "Ah!" said Aramis.

  "I am frank, you see."

  "I thank you
for it, duchesse; but you would be wrong to suppose thatafter M. Fouquet's disgrace the order would resume the payment of yourpension."

  "I know a means of making the order pay, as I know a means of forcingthe queen-mother to concede what I require."

  "In that case, duchesse, we are all obliged to strike our flags to you.The victory is yours, and the triumph also. Be clement, I entreat you."

  "But is it possible," resumed the duchesse, without taking notice of theirony, "that you really draw back from a miserable sum of five hundredthousand francs, when it is a question of sparing you--I mean yourfriend--I beg your pardon, I ought rather to say your protector--thedisagreeable consequences which a party contest produces?"

  "Duchesse, I tell you why; supposing the five hundred thousand francswere to be given you, M. Laicques will require his share, which will beanother five hundred thousand francs, I presume? and then, after M. deLaicques's and your own portions have been arranged, the portions whichyour children, your poor pensioners, and various other persons willrequire, will start up as fresh claims, and these letters, howevercompromising they may be in their nature, are not worth from threeto four millions. Can you have forgotten the queen of France'sdiamonds?--they were surely worth more than these bits of waste papersigned by Mazarin, and yet their recovery did not cost a fourth part ofwhat you ask for yourself."

  "Yes, that is true; but the merchant values his goods at his own price,and it is for the purchaser to buy or refuse."

  "Stay a moment, duchesse; would you like me to tell you why I will notbuy your letters?"

  "Pray tell me."

  "Because the letters you claim to be Mazarin's are false."

  "What an absurdity."

  "I have no doubt of it, for it would, to say the least, be verysingular, that after you had quarreled with the queen through M.Mazarin's means, you should have kept up any intimate acquaintance withthe latter; it would look as if you had been acting as a spy; and uponmy word, I do not like to make use of the word."

  "Oh! pray do."

  "You great complacence would seem suspicions, at all events."

  "That is quite true; but the contents of the letters are even more so."

  "I pledge you my word, duchesse, that you will not be able to make useof it with the queen."

  "Oh! yes, indeed; I can make use of everything with the queen."

  "Very good," thought Aramis. "Croak on, old owl--hiss, beldame-viper."

  But the duchesse had said enough, and advanced a few steps towards thedoor. Aramis, however, had reserved one exposure which she did _not_expect.

  He rang the bell, candles immediately appeared in the adjoining room,and the bishop found himself completely encircled by lights, which shoneupon the worn, haggard face of the duchesse, revealing every featurebut too clearly. Aramis fixed a long ironical look upon her pale, thin,withered cheeks--her dim, dull eyes--and upon her lips, which she keptcarefully closed over her discolored scanty teeth. He, however,had thrown himself into a graceful attitude, with his haughty andintelligent head thrown back; he smiled so as to reveal teeth stillbrilliant and dazzling. The antiquated coquette understood the trickthat had been played her. She was standing immediately before a largemirror, in which her decrepitude, so carefully concealed, was only mademore manifest. And, thereupon, without even saluting Aramis, who bowedwith the ease and grace of the musketeer of early days, she hurriedaway with trembling steps, which her very precipitation only the moreimpeded. Aramis sprang across the room, like a zephyr, to lead her tothe door. Madame de Chevreuse made a sign to her servant, who resumedhis musket, and she left the house where such tender friends had notbeen able to understand each other only because they had understood eachother too well.