Ten Years Later
Page 43
In a large chamber of the Palais Royal, hung with a dark colored velvet,which threw into strong relief the gilded frames of a great numberof magnificent pictures, on the evening of the arrival of the twoFrenchmen, the whole court was assembled before the alcove of M. leCardinal de Mazarin, who gave a card party to the king and queen.
A small screen separated three prepared tables. At one of these tablesthe king and the two queens were seated. Louis XIV., placed opposite tothe young queen, his wife, smiled upon her with an expression of realhappiness. Anne of Austria held the cards against the cardinal, and herdaughter-in-law assisted her in the game, when she was not engaged insmiling at her husband. As for the cardinal, who was lying on his bedwith a weary and careworn face, his cards were held by the Comtesse deSoissons, and he watched them with an incessant look of interest andcupidity.
The cardinal's face had been painted by Bernouin; but the rouge, whichglowed only on his cheeks, threw into stronger contrast the sicklypallor of his countenance and the shining yellow of his brow. His eyesalone acquired a more brilliant luster from this auxiliary, and uponthose sick man's eyes were, from time to time, turned the uneasy looksof the king, the queen, and the courtiers. The fact is, that the twoeyes of the Signor Mazarin were the stars more or less brilliant inwhich the France of the seventeenth century read its destiny everyevening and every morning.
Monseigneur neither won nor lost; he was, therefore neither gay norsad. It was a stagnation in which, full of pity for him, Anne of Austriawould not have willingly left him; but in order to attract the attentionof the sick man by some brilliant stroke, she must have either wonor lost. To win would have been dangerous, because Mazarin would havechanged his indifference into an ugly grimace; to lose would likewisehave been dangerous, because she must have cheated, and the infanta,who watched her game, would, doubtless, have exclaimed against herpartiality for Mazarin. Profiting by this calm, the courtiers werechatting. When not in a bad humor, M. de Mazarin was a very debonnaireprince, and he, who prevented nobody from singing, provided they paid,was not tyrant enough to prevent people from talking, provided they madeup their minds to lose.
They were therefore chatting. At the first table, the king's youngerbrother, Philip, Duc d'Anjou, was admiring his handsome face in theglass of a box. His favorite, the Chevalier de Lorraine, leaning overthe back of the prince's chair, was listening, with secret envy, tothe Comte de Guiche, another of Philip's favorites, who was relating inchoice terms the various vicissitudes of fortune of the royal adventurerCharles II. He told, as so many fabulous events, all the history of hisperigrinations in Scotland, and his terrors when the enemy's party wasso closely on his track, of nights spent in trees, and days spentin hunger and combats. By degrees, the fate of the unfortunate kinginterested his auditors so greatly, that the play languished even at theroyal table, and the young king, with a pensive look and downcast eye,followed, without appearing to give any attention to it, the smallestdetails of this Odyssey, very picturesquely related by the Comte deGuiche.
The Comtesse de Soissons interrupted the narrator: "Confess, count, youare inventing."
"Madame, I am repeating like a parrot all the stories related to me bydifferent Englishmen. To my shame I am compelled to say, I am as exactas a copy."
"Charles II. would have died before he could have endured all that."
Louis XIV. raised his intelligent and proud head. "Madame," said he, ina grave tone, still partaking something of the timid child, "monsieurle cardinal will tell you that during my minority the affairs of Francewere in jeopardy,--and that if I had been older, and obliged to takesword in hand, it would sometimes have been for the evening meal."
"Thanks to God," said the cardinal, who spoke for the first time, "yourmajesty exaggerates, and your supper has always been ready with that ofyour servants."
The king colored.
"Oh!" cried Philip, inconsiderately, from his place, and without ceasingto admire himself,--"I recollect once, at Melun, the supper was laidfor nobody, and that the king ate two-thirds of a slice of bread, andabandoned to me the other third."
The whole assembly, seeing Mazarin smile, began to laugh. Courtiersflatter kings with the remembrance of past distresses, as with the hopesof future good fortune.
"It is not to be denied that the crown of France has always remainedfirm upon the heads of its kings," Anne of Austria hastened to say,"and that it has fallen off of that of the king of England; and when bychance that crown oscillated a little,--for there are throne-quakes aswell as earthquakes,--every time, I say, that rebellion threatened it, agood victory restored tranquillity."
"With a few gems added to the crown," said Mazarin.
The Comte de Guiche was silent: the king composed his countenance, andMazarin exchanged looks with Anne of Austria, as if to thank her for herintervention.
"It is of no consequence," said Philip, smoothing his hair; "my cousinCharles is not handsome, but he is very brave, and fought like alandsknecht; and if he continues to fight thus, no doubt he will finishby gaining a battle, like Rocroy----"
"He has no soldiers," interrupted the Chevalier de Lorraine.
"The king of Holland, his ally, will give him some. I would willinglyhave given him some if I had been king of France."
Louis XIV. blushed excessively. Mazarin affected to be more attentive tohis game than ever.
"By this time," resumed the Comte de Guiche, "the fortune of thisunhappy prince is decided. If he has been deceived by Monk, he isruined. Imprisonment, perhaps death, will finish what exile, battles,and privations have commenced."
Mazarin's brow became clouded.
"Is it certain," said Louis XIV. "that his majesty Charles II., hasquitted the Hague?"
"Quite certain, your majesty," replied the young man; "my father hasreceived a letter containing all the details; it is even known that theking has landed at Dover; some fishermen saw him entering the port; therest is still a mystery."
"I should like to know the rest," said Philip, impetuously. "Youknow,--you, my brother."
Louis XIV. colored again. That was the third time within an hour. "Askmy lord cardinal," replied he, in a tone which made Mazarin, Anne ofAustria, and everybody else open their eyes.
"That means, my son," said Anne of Austria, laughing, "that the kingdoes not like affairs of state to be talked of out of the council."
Philip received the reprimand with good grace, and bowed, first smilingat his brother, and then his mother. But Mazarin saw from the corner ofhis eye that a group was about to be formed in the corner of the room,and that the Duc d'Anjou, with the Comte de Guiche, and the Chevalier deLorraine, prevented from talking aloud, might say, in a whisper, whatit was not convenient should be said. He was beginning, then, to dart atthem glances full of mistrust and uneasiness, inviting Anne of Austriato throw perturbation in the midst of the unlawful assembly, when,suddenly, Bernouin, entering from behind the tapestry of the bedroom,whispered in the ear of Mazarin, "Monseigneur, an envoy from hismajesty, the king of England."
Mazarin could not help exhibiting a slight emotion, which was perceivedby the king. To avoid being indiscreet, rather than to appear useless,Louis XIV. rose immediately, and approaching his eminence, wished himgood-night. All the assembly had risen with a great noise of rolling ofchairs and tables being pushed away.
"Let everybody depart by degrees," said Mazarin in a whisper to LouisXIV., "and be so good as to excuse me a few minutes. I am going todispatch an affair about which I wish to converse with your majesty thisvery evening."
"And the queens?" asked Louis XIV.
"And M. le Duc d'Anjou," said his eminence.
At the same time he turned round in his ruelle, the curtains of which,in falling, concealed the bed. The cardinal, nevertheless, did not losesight of the conspirators.
"M. le Comte de Guiche," said he, in a fretful voice, whilst putting on,behind the curtain, his dressing-gown, with the assistance of Bernouin.
"I am here, my lord," said the young man,
as he approached.
"Take my cards, you are lucky. Win a little money for me of thesegentlemen."
"Yes, my lord."
The young man sat down at the table from which the king withdrew to talkwith the two queens. A serious game was commenced between the comteand several rich courtiers. In the meantime Philip was discussing thequestions of dress with the Chevalier de Lorraine, and they had ceasedto hear the rustling of the cardinal's silk robe from behind thecurtain. His eminence had followed Bernouin into the closet adjoiningthe bedroom.
CHAPTER 40. An Affair of State