Les Quarante-cinq. English

by Alexandre Dumas

  CHAPTER LXXIII.

  PAUL-EMILE.

  "Oh! silence, gentlemen," said, the prince, "do not be more content thanI am at my good fortune. I am enchanted not to be dead, you may wellbelieve; and yet, if you had not recognized me, I should not have beenthe first to boast of being alive."

  "What! monseigneur," cried Henri, "you recognized me--you found yourselfamong a troop of Frenchmen, and would have left us to mourn your loss,without undeceiving us?"

  "Gentlemen, besides a number of reasons which made me wish to preservemy incognito, I confess that I should not have been sorry, since I wasbelieved to be dead, to hear what funeral oration would have beenpronounced over me."

  "Monseigneur!"

  "Yes; I am like Alexander of Macedon; I make war like an artist, andhave as much self-love; and I believe I have committed a fault."

  "Monseigneur," said Henri, lowering his eyes, "do not say such things."

  "Why not? The pope only is infallible, and ever since Boniface VIII.that has been disputed."

  "See to what you exposed us, monseigneur, if any of us had given hisopinion on this expedition, and it had been blamed."

  "Well, why not? do you think I have not blamed myself, not for havinggiven battle, but for having lost it."

  "Monseigneur, this goodness frightens me; and will your highness permitme to say that this gayety is not natural. I trust your highness is notsuffering."

  A terrible cloud passed over the prince's face, making it as black asnight.

  "No," said he, "I was never better, thank God, than now, and I am gladto be among you all."

  The officers bowed.

  "How many men have you, Du Bouchage?" asked he.

  "One hundred, monseigneur."

  "Ah! a hundred out of ten thousand; that is like the defeat at Cannes.Gentlemen, they will send a bushel of your rings to Antwerp, but I doubtif the Flemish beauties could wear them, unless they had their fingerspared by their husbands' knives, which, I must say, cut well."

  "Monseigneur," replied Henri, "if our battle was like the battle ofCannes, at least we are more lucky than the Romans, for we havepreserved our Paulus-Emilius!"

  "On my life, gentlemen, the Paulus-Emilius of Antwerp was Joyeuse; anddoubtless, to preserve the resemblance with his heroic model to the end,your brother is dead, is he not, Du Bouchage?"

  Henri felt wounded at this cold question.

  "No, monseigneur, he lives," replied he.

  "Ah! so much the better," said the duke, with his icy smile. "What! ourbrave Joyeuse lives! Where is he, that I may embrace him?"

  "He is not here, monseigneur."

  "Ah! wounded?"

  "No, monseigneur, he is safe and sound."

  "But a fugitive like me, wandering, famished, and ashamed. Alas! theproverb is right--'For glory, the sword; after the sword, blood; afterblood, tears.'"

  "Monseigneur, I am happy to tell your highness that my brother has beenhappy enough to save three thousand men, with whom he occupies a largevillage about seven leagues from here, and I am acting as scout forhim."

  The duke grew pale.

  "Three thousand men! he has saved three thousand men! he is a perfectXenophon, and it is very lucky for me that my brother sent him to me. Itis not the Valois who can take for their motto 'Hilariter.'"

  "Oh! monseigneur," said Henri, sadly, seeing that this gayety hid asomber jealousy.

  "It is true, is it not, Aurilly?" continued the duke; "I return toFrance like Francois after the battle of Pavia; all is lost but honor.Ah! ah!"

  A sad silence received these laughs, more terrible than sobs.

  "Monseigneur," said Henri, "tell me how the tutelary genius of Francesaved your highness."

  "Oh! dear comte, the tutelary genius of France was occupied withsomething else, and I had to save myself."

  "And how, monseigneur?"

  "By my legs."

  No smile welcomed this joke, which the duke would certainly havepunished with death if made by another.

  "Yes, yes," he continued; "how we ran! did we not, my brave Aurilly?"

  "Every one," said Henri, "knows the calm bravery and military genius ofyour highness, and we beg you not to distress us by attributing toyourself faults which you have not. The best general is not invincible,and Hannibal himself was conquered at Zama."

  "Yes, but Hannibal had won the battles of Trebia, Thrasymene, andCannes, while I have only won that of Cateau-Cambresis; it is not enoughto sustain the comparison."

  "But monseigneur jests when he says he ran away."

  "No, I do not. Pardieu! do you see anything to jest about, Du Bouchage?"

  "Could any one have done otherwise?" said Aurilly.

  "Hold your tongue, Aurilly, or ask the shade of St. Aignan what couldhave been done."

  Aurilly hung his head.

  "Ah! you do not know the history of St. Aignan. I will tell it to you.Imagine, then, that when the battle was declared to be lost, heassembled 500 horse, and, instead of flying like the rest, came to meand said. 'We must attack them, monseigneur.' 'What! attack?' said I;'they are 100 to one.' 'Were they 1,000 to one, I would attack them,'replied he, with a hideous grimace. 'Attack if you please,' said I; 'Ido not.' 'Give me your horse, and take mine,' said he: 'mine isfresh--yours is not; and as I do not mean to fly, any horse is good forme.' And then he took my white horse and gave me his black one, saying,'Prince, that horse will go twenty leagues in four hours if you like.'Then, turning to his men, he cried, 'Come, gentlemen, follow me--allthose who will not turn their backs;' and he rode toward the enemy witha second grimace, more frightful than the first. He thought he shouldhave met men, but he met water instead, and St. Aignan and his paladinswere lost. Had he listened to me, instead of performing that act ofuseless foolhardiness, we should have had him at this table, and hewould not have been making, as he probably now is, a grimace stilluglier than the first."

  A thrill of horror ran through the assembly.

  "This wretch has no heart," thought Henri. "Oh! why does his misfortuneand his birth protect him from the words I long to say to him?"

  "Gentlemen," said Aurilly, in a low voice--for he felt the effect thesewords had produced--"you see how monseigneur is affected; do not heedwhat he says, for since his misfortune I think he has really moments ofdelirium."

  "And so," continued the duke, emptying his glass, "that is how St.Aignan is dead and I alive. However, in dying he did me a last service,for it was believed, as he rode my horse, that it was me, and thisbelief spread not only among the French, but among the Flemings, whoconsequently ceased their pursuit; but reassure yourselves, gentlemen,we shall have our revenge, and I am mentally organizing the mostformidable army that ever existed."

  "Meanwhile, monseigneur," said Henri, "will your highness take thecommand of my men? It is not fit that I should continue to do so whenyou are here."

  "So be it; and, first, I order every one to sup, particularly you, DuBouchage--you have eaten nothing."

  "Monseigneur, I am not hungry."

  "In that case return to visit the posts. Tell the chiefs that I live,but beg them not to rejoice too openly until we gain a better citadel,or rejoin the army of our invincible Joyeuse, for I confess I do notwish to be taken now, after having escaped from fire and water."

  "Monseigneur, you shall be strictly obeyed, and no one shall knowexcepting ourselves that we have the honor of your company among us."

  "And these gentlemen will keep the secret?" said the duke, lookinground.

  All bowed, and Du Bouchage went out.

  It only required an hour for this fugitive, this conquered runaway, tobecome again proud, careless, and imperious. To command 100 men or100,000 men, was still to command.

  While Du Bouchage executed his orders with the best grace he could,Francois asked questions. He was astonished that a man of the rank of DuBouchage had consented to take the command of this handful of men, andof such a perilous expedition. The duke was always suspicious, andasked, therefore, and learned that
the admiral had only yielded to hisbrother's earnest request. It was the ensign who gave thisinformation--he who had been superseded in his command by Henri himself,as Henri had been by the duke.

  The prince fancied he detected a slight irritation in this man's mindagainst Du Bouchage; therefore he continued to interrogate him.

  "But," said he, "what was the comte's reason for soliciting so earnestlysuch a poor command?"

  "First, zeal for the service, no doubt."

  "First!--what else?"

  "Ah! monseigneur, I do not know."

  "You deceive me--you do know."

  "Monseigneur, I can give only, even to your highness, public reasons."

  "You see," said the duke, turning to the others, "I was quite right tohide myself, gentlemen, since there are in my army secrets from which Iam excluded."

  "Ah! monseigneur," said the ensign, "you misunderstand me; there are nosecrets but those which concern M. du Bouchage. Might it not be, forexample, that, while serving the general interests, he might have wishedto render a service to some friend or relation by escorting him?"

  "Who here is a friend or relation of the comte? Tell me, that, I mayembrace him."

  "Monseigneur," said Aurilly, mixing in the conversation, "I havediscovered a part of the secret. This relation whom M. du Bouchagewished to escort is--a lady."

  "Ah! ah! why did they not tell me so frankly. That dear Henri--it isquite natural. Let us shut our eyes to the relation, and speak of her nomore."

  "You had better not, monseigneur, for there seems a great mystery."

  "How so?"

  "Yes, the lady, like the celebrated Bradamante, about whom I have sooften sung to your highness, disguises herself in the dress of a man."

  "Oh! monseigneur," cried the ensign, "M. du Bouchage seems to me to havea great respect for this lady, and probably would be very angry at anyindiscretion.'"

  "Doubtless, monsieur; we will be mute as sepulchers--as mute as poor St.Aignan; only, if we see the lady, we will try not to make grimaces ather. Where is this lady, Aurilly?"--"Upstairs."

  "Upstairs! what, in this house?"

  "Yes, monseigneur; but hush! here is M. du Bouchage."

  "Hush!" said the prince, laughing.