Ten Years Later

by Alexandre Dumas

  Aramis was generally temperate; but on this occasion, while takingevery care of his constitution, he did ample justice to Baisemeaux'sbreakfast, which, in all respects, was most excellent. The latter, onhis side, was animated with the wildest gayety; the sight of the fivethousand pistoles, which he glanced at from time to time, seemed to openhis heart. Every now and then he looked at Aramis with an expression ofthe deepest gratitude; while the latter, leaning back in his chair, tooka few sips of wine from his glass, with the air of a connoisseur. "Letme never hear any ill words against the fare of the Bastile," said he,half closing his eyes; "happy are the prisoners who can get only half abottle of such Burgundy every day."

  "All those at fifteen francs drink it," said Baisemeaux. "It is very oldVolnay."

  "Does that poor student, Seldon, drink such good wine?"

  "Oh, no!"

  "I thought I heard you say he was boarded at fifteen francs."

  "He! no, indeed; a man who makes districts--distichs, I mean--at fifteenfrancs! No, no! it is his neighbor who is at fifteen francs."

  "Which neighbor?"

  "The other, second Bertaudiere."

  "Excuse me, my dear governor; but you speak a language which requiresquite an apprenticeship to understand."

  "Very true," said the governor. "Allow me to explain: second Bertaudiereis the person who occupies the second floor of the tower of theBertaudiere."

  "So that Bertaudiere is the name of one of the towers of the Bastile?The fact is, I think I recollect hearing that each tower has a name ofits own. Whereabouts is the one you are speaking of?"

  "Look," said Baisemeaux, going to the window. "It is that tower to theleft---the second one."

  "Is the prisoner at fifteen francs there?"

  "Yes."

  "Since when?"

  "Seven or eight years, nearly."

  "What do you mean by nearly? Do you not know the dates more precisely?"

  "It was not in my time, M. d'Herblay."

  "But I should have thought that Louviere or Tremblay would have toldyou."

  "The secrets of the Bastile are never handed over with the keys of thegovernorship."

  "Indeed! Then the cause of his imprisonment is a mystery--a statesecret."

  "Oh no! I do not suppose it is a state secret, but a secret--likeeverything else that happens at the Bastile."

  "But," said Aramis, "why do you speak more freely of Seldon than ofsecond Bertaudiere?"

  "Because, in my opinion, the crime of the man who writes a distich isnot so great as that of the man who resembles----"

  "Yes, yes, I understand you. Still, do not the turnkeys talk with yourprisoners?"

  "Of course."

  "The prisoners, I suppose, tell them they are not guilty?"

  "They are always telling them that; it is a matter of course; the samesong over and over again."

  "But does not the resemblance you were speaking about just now strikethe turnkeys?"

  "My dear M. d'Herblay, it is only for men attached to the court, as youare, to take trouble about such matters."

  "You're right, you're right, my dear M. Baisemeaux. Let me give youanother taste of this Volnay."

  "Not a taste merely, a full glass; fill yours too."

  "Nay, nay! You are a musketeer still, to the very tips of your fingers,while I have become a bishop. A taste for me; a glass for yourself."

  "As you please." And Aramis and the governor nodded to each other, asthey drank their wine. "But," said Aramis, looking with fixed attentionat the ruby-colored wine he had raised to the level of his eyes, as ifhe wished to enjoy it with all his senses at the same moment, "butwhat you might call a resemblance, another would not, perhaps, take anynotice of."

  "Most certainly he would, though, if it were any one who knew the personhe resembles."

  "I really think, dear M. Baisemeaux, that it can be nothing more than aresemblance of your own creation."

  "Upon my honor, it is not so."

  "Stay," continued Aramis, "I have seen many persons very like the onewe are speaking of; but, out of respect, no one ever said anything aboutit."

  "Very likely; because there is resemblance and resemblance. This is astriking one, and, if you were to see him, you would admit it to be so."

  "If I were to see him, indeed," said Aramis, in an indifferent tone;"but in all probability I never shall."

  "Why not?"

  "Because if I were even to put my foot inside one of those horribledungeons, I should fancy I was buried there forever."

  "No, no; the cells are very good places to live in."

  "I really do not, and cannot believe it, and that is a fact."

  "Pray do not speak ill of second Bertaudiere. It is really a good room,very nicely furnished and carpeted. The young fellow has by no meansbeen unhappy there; the best lodging the Bastile affords has been his.There is a chance for you."

  "Nay, nay," said Aramis, coldly; "you will never make me believe thereare any good rooms in the Bastile; and, as for your carpets, they existonly in your imagination. I should find nothing but spiders, rats, andperhaps toads, too."

  "Toads?" cried Baisemeaux.

  "Yes, in the dungeons."

  "Ah! I don't say there are not toads in the dungeons," repliedBaisemeaux. "But--will you be convinced by your own eyes?" he continued,with a sudden impulse.

  "No, certainly not."

  "Not even to satisfy yourself of the resemblance which you deny, as youdo the carpets?"

  "Some spectral-looking person, a mere shadow; an unhappy, dying man."

  "Nothing of the kind--as brisk and vigorous a young fellow as everlived."

  "Melancholy and ill-tempered, then?"

  "Not at all; very gay and lively."

  "Nonsense; you are joking."

  "Will you follow me?" said Baisemeaux.

  "What for?"

  "To go the round of the Bastile."

  "Why?"

  "You will then see for yourself--see with your own eyes."

  "But the regulations?"

  "Never mind them. To-day my major has leave of absence; the lieutenantis visiting the post on the bastions; we are sole masters of thesituation."

  "No, no, my dear governor; why, the very idea of the sound of the boltsmakes me shudder. You will only have to forget me in second or fourthBertaudiere, and then----"

  "You are refusing an opportunity that may never present itself again. Doyou know that, to obtain the favor I propose to you gratis, some of theprinces of the blood have offered me as much as fifty thousand francs."

  "Really! he must be worth seeing, then?"

  "Forbidden fruit, my lord, forbidden fruit. You who belong to the churchought to know that."

  "Well, if I had any curiosity, it would be to see the poor author of thedistich."

  "Very well, we will see him, too; but if I were at all curious, it wouldbe about the beautiful carpeted room and its lodger."

  "Furniture is very commonplace; and a face with no expression in itoffers little or no interest."

  "But a boarder at fifteen francs is always interesting."

  "By the by, I forgot to ask you about that. Why fifteen francs for him,and only three francs for poor Seldon?"

  "The distinction made in that instance was a truly noble act, and onewhich displayed the king's goodness of heart to great advantage."

  "The king's, you say."

  "The cardinal's, I mean. 'This unhappy man,' said M. Mazarin, 'isdestined to remain in prison forever.'"

  "Why so?"

  "Why, it seems that his crime is a lasting one, and, consequently, hispunishment ought to be so, too."

  "Lasting?"

  "No doubt of it, unless he is fortunate enough to catch the small-pox,and even that is difficult, for we never get any impure air here."

  "Nothing can be more ingenious than your train of reasoning, my dear M.de Baisemeaux. Do you, however, mean to say that this unfortunate manmust suffer without interruption or termination?"

  "I did not
say he was to suffer, my lord, a fifteen-franc boarder doesnot suffer."

  "He suffers imprisonment, at all events."

  "No doubt; there is no help for that, but this suffering is sweetenedfor him. You must admit that this young fellow was not born to eat allthe good things he does eat; for instance, such things as we have on thetable now; this pasty that has not been touched, these crawfish from theRiver Marne, of which we have hardly taken any, and which are almostas large as lobsters; all these things will at once be taken to secondBertaudiere, with a bottle of that Volnay which you think so excellent.After you have seen it you will believe it, I hope."

  "Yes, my dear governor, certainly; but all this time you are thinkingonly of your very happy fifteen-franc prisoner, and you forget poorSeldon, my protege."

  "Well, out of consideration for you, it shall be a gala day for him; heshall have some biscuits and preserves with this small bottle of port."

  "You are a good-hearted fellow; I have said so already, and I repeat it,my dear Baisemeaux."

  "Well, let us set off, then," said the governor, a little bewildered,partly from the wine he had drunk, and partly from Aramis's praises.

  "Do not forget that I only go to oblige you," said the prelate.

  "Very well; but you will thank me when you get there."

  "Let us go, then."

  "Wait until I have summoned the jailer," said Baisemeaux, as he struckthe bell twice, at which summons a man appeared. "I am going to visitthe towers," said the governor. "No guards, no drums, no noise at all."

  "If I were not to leave my cloak here," said Aramis, pretending tobe alarmed; "I should really think I was going to prison on my ownaccount."

  The jailer preceded the governor, Aramis walking on his right hand; someof the soldiers who happened to be in the courtyard drew themselves upin line, as stiff as posts, as the governor passed along. Baisemeauxled the way down several steps which conducted to a sort of esplanade;thence they arrived at the draw-bridge, where the sentinels on dutyreceived the governor with the proper honors. The governor turned towardAramis, and, speaking in such a tone that the sentinels could not lose aword, he observed,--"I hope you have a good memory, monsieur?"

  "Why?" inquired Aramis.

  "On account of your plans and your measurements, for you know that noone is allowed, not architects even, to enter where the prisoners are,with paper, pens or pencil."

  "Good," said Aramis to himself, "it seems I am an architect, then. Itsounds like one of D'Artagnan's jokes, who perceived in me the engineerof Belle-Isle." Then he added aloud: "Be easy on that score,monsieur; in our profession, a mere glance and a good memory are quitesufficient."

  Baisemeaux did not change countenance, and the soldiers took Aramis forwhat he seemed to be. "Very well; we will first visit la Bertaudiere,"said Baisemeaux, still intending the sentinels to hear him. Then,turning to the jailer, he added: "You will take the opportunity ofcarrying to No. 2 the few dainties I pointed out."

  "Dear M. de Baisemeaux," said Aramis, "you are always forgetting No. 3."

  "So I am," said the governor; and upon that, they began to ascend. Thenumber of bolts, gratings, and locks for this single courtyard wouldhave sufficed for the safety of an entire city. Aramis was neither animaginative nor a sensitive man; he had been somewhat of a poet in hisyouth, but his heart was hard and indifferent, as the heart of every manof fifty-five years of age is, who has been frequently and passionatelyattached to women in his lifetime, or rather who has been passionatelyloved by them. But when he placed his foot upon the worn stone steps,along which so many unhappy wretches had passed, when he felt himselfimpregnated, as it were, with the atmosphere of those gloomy dungeons,moistened with tears, there could be but little doubt he was overcomeby his feelings, for his head was bowed and his eyes became dim, as hefollowed Baisemeaux without a syllable.

  CHAPTER 100. The Second Floor of la Bertaudiere