88. Shows how with Threat and Pen more is effected than by the Sword.
D'Artagnan knew his part well; he was aware that opportunity has aforelock only for him who will take it and he was not a man to let it goby him without seizing it. He soon arranged a prompt and certain mannerof traveling, by sending relays of horses to Chantilly, so that he mightbe in Paris in five or six hours. But before setting out he reflectedthat for a lad of intelligence and experience he was in a singularpredicament, since he was proceeding toward uncertainty and leavingcertainty behind him.
"In fact," he said, as he was about to mount and start on his dangerousmission, "Athos, for generosity, is a hero of romance; Porthos has anexcellent disposition, but is easily influenced; Aramis has ahieroglyphic countenance, always illegible. What will come out of thosethree elements when I am no longer present to combine them? Thedeliverance of the cardinal, perhaps. Now, the deliverance of thecardinal would be the ruin of our hopes; and our hopes are thus far theonly recompense we have for labors in comparison with which those ofHercules were pygmean."
He went to find Aramis.
"You, my dear Chevalier d'Herblay," he said, "are the Fronde incarnate.Mistrust Athos, therefore, who will not prosecute the affairs of anyone, even his own. Mistrust Porthos, especially, who, to please thecount whom he regards as God on earth, will assist him in contrivingMazarin's escape, if Mazarin has the wit to weep or play the chivalric."
Aramis smiled; his smile was at once cunning and resolute.
"Fear nothing," he said; "I have my conditions to impose. My privateambition tends only to the profit of him who has justice on his side."
"Good!" thought D'Artagnan: "in this direction I am satisfied." Hepressed Aramis's hand and went in search of Porthos.
"Friend," he said, "you have worked so hard with me toward building upour fortune, that, at the moment when we are about to reap the fruits ofour labours, it would be a ridiculous piece of silliness in you to allowyourself to be controlled by Aramis, whose cunning you know--a cunningwhich, we may say between ourselves, is not always without egotism; orby Athos, a noble and disinterested man, but blase, who, desiringnothing further for himself, doesn't sympathize with the desires ofothers. What should you say if either of these two friends proposed toyou to let Mazarin go?"
"Why, I should say that we had too much trouble in taking him to let himoff so easily."
"Bravo, Porthos! and you would be right, my friend; for in losing himyou would lose your barony, which you have in your grasp, to say nothingof the fact that, were he once out of this, Mazarin would have youhanged."
"Do you think so?"
"I am sure of it."
"Then I would kill him rather than let him go."
"And you would act rightly. There is no question, you understand,provided we secure our own interests, of securing those of theFrondeurs; who, besides, don't understand political matters as we oldsoldiers do."
"Never fear, dear friend," said Porthos. "I shall see you through thewindow as you mount your horse; I shall follow you with my eyes as longas you are in sight; then I shall place myself at the cardinal's door--adoor with glass windows. I shall see everything, and at the leastsuspicious sign I shall begin to exterminate."
"Bravo!" thought D'Artagnan; "on this side I think the cardinal will bewell guarded." He pressed the hand of the lord of Pierrefonds and wentin search of Athos.
"My dear Athos," he said, "I am going away. I have only one thing to sayto you. You know Anne of Austria; the captivity of Mazarin aloneguarantees my life; if you let him go I am a dead man."
"I needed nothing less than that consideration, my dear D'Artagnan, topersuade myself to adopt the role of jailer. I give you my word that youwill find the cardinal where you leave him."
"This reassures me more than all the royal signatures," thoughtD'Artagnan. "Now that I have the word of Athos I can set out."
D'Artagnan started alone on his journey, without other escort than hissword, and with a simple passport from Mazarin to secure his admissionto the queen's presence. Six hours after he left Pierrefonds he was atSaint Germain.
The disappearance of Mazarin was not as yet generally known. Anne ofAustria was informed of it and concealed her uneasiness from every one.In the chamber of D'Artagnan and Porthos the two soldiers had been foundbound and gagged. On recovering the use of their limbs and tongues theycould, of course, tell nothing but what they knew--that they had beenseized, stripped and bound. But as to what had been done by Porthos andD'Artagnan afterward they were as ignorant as all the inhabitants of thechateau.
Bernouin alone knew a little more than the others. Bernouin, seeing thathis master did not return and hearing the stroke of midnight, had madean examination of the orangery. The first door, barricaded withfurniture, had aroused in him certain suspicions, but withoutcommunicating his suspicions to any one he had patiently worked his wayinto the midst of all that confusion. Then he came to the corridor, allthe doors of which he found open; so, too, was the door of Athos'schamber and that of the park. From the latter point it was easy tofollow tracks on the snow. He saw that these tracks tended toward thewall; on the other side he found similar tracks, then footprints ofhorses and then signs of a troop of cavalry which had moved away in thedirection of Enghien. He could no longer cherish any doubt that thecardinal had been carried off by the three prisoners, since theprisoners had disappeared at the same time; and he had hastened to SaintGermain to warn the queen of that disappearance.
Anne had enforced the utmost secrecy and had disclosed the event to noone except the Prince de Conde, who had sent five or six hundredhorsemen into the environs of Saint Germain with orders to bring in anysuspicious person who was going away from Rueil, in whatsoever directionit might be.
Now, since D'Artagnan did not constitute a body of horsemen, since hewas alone, since he was not going away from Rueil and was going to SaintGermain, no one paid any attention to him and his journey was notobstructed in any way.
On entering the courtyard of the old chateau the first person seen byour ambassador was Maitre Bernouin in person, who, standing on thethreshold, awaited news of his vanished master.
At the sight of D'Artagnan, who entered the courtyard on horseback,Bernouin rubbed his eyes and thought he must be mistaken. But D'Artagnanmade a friendly sign to him with his head, dismounted, and throwing hisbridle to a lackey who was passing, he approached the valet-de-chambrewith a smile on his lips.
"Monsieur d'Artagnan!" cried the latter, like a man who has thenightmare and talks in his sleep, "Monsieur d'Artagnan!"
"Himself, Monsieur Bernouin."
"And why have you come here?"
"To bring news of Monsieur de Mazarin--the freshest news there is."
"What has become of him, then?"
"He is as well as you and I."
"Nothing bad has happened to him, then?"
"Absolutely nothing. He felt the need of making a trip in the Ile deFrance, and begged us--the Comte de la Fere and Monsieur du Vallon--toaccompany him. We were too devoted servants to refuse him a request ofthat sort. We set out last evening and here we are."
"Here you are."
"His eminence had something to communicate to her majesty, somethingsecret and private--a mission that could be confided only to a sureman--and so has sent me to Saint Germain. And therefore, my dearMonsieur Bernouin, if you wish to do what will be pleasing to yourmaster, announce to her majesty that I have come, and tell her with whatpurpose."
Whether he spoke seriously or in jest, since it was evident that underexisting circumstances D'Artagnan was the only man who could relieve thequeen's uneasiness, Bernouin went without hesitation to announce to herthis strange embassy; and as he had foreseen, the queen gave orders tointroduce Monsieur d'Artagnan at once.
D'Artagnan approached the sovereign with every mark of profound respect,and having fallen on his knees presented to her the cardinal's letter
It was, however, merely a letter of introduction. The queen read it,re
cognized the writing, and, since there were no details in it of whathad occurred, asked for particulars. D'Artagnan related everything withthat simple and ingenuous air which he knew how to assume on occasions.The queen, as he went on, looked at him with increasing astonishment.She could not comprehend how a man could conceive such an enterprise andstill less how he could have the audacity to disclose it to her whoseinterest and almost duty it was to punish him.
"How, sir!" she cried, as D'Artagnan finished, "you dare to tell me thedetails of your crime--to give me an account of your treason!"
"Pardon, madame, but I think that either I have expressed myself badlyor your majesty has imperfectly understood me. There is here no questionof crime or treason. Monsieur de Mazarin held us in prison, Monsieur duVallon and myself, because we could not believe that he had sent us toEngland to quietly look on while they cut off the head of Charles I.,brother-in-law of the late king, your husband, the consort of MadameHenrietta, your sister and your guest, and because we did all that wecould do to save the life of the royal martyr. We were then convinced,my friend and I, that there was some error of which we were the victims,and that an explanation was called for between his eminence andourselves. Now, that an explanation may bear fruit, it is necessary thatit should be quietly conducted, far from noise and interruption. We havetherefore taken away monsieur le cardinal to my friend's chateau andthere we have come to an understanding. Well, madame, it proved to be aswe had supposed; there was a mistake. Monsieur de Mazarin had thoughtthat we had rendered service to General Cromwell, instead of KingCharles, which would have been a disgrace, rebounding from us to him,and from him to your majesty--a dishonor which would have tainted theroyalty of your illustrious son. We were able to prove the contrary, andthat proof we are ready to give to your majesty, calling in support ofit the august widow weeping in the Louvre, where your royal munificencehas provided for her a home. That proof satisfied him so completelythat, as a sign of satisfaction, he has sent me, as your majesty maysee, to consider with you what reparation should be made to gentlemenunjustly treated and wrongfully persecuted."
"I listen to you, and I wonder at you, sir," said the queen. "In fact, Ihave rarely seen such excess of impudence."
"Your majesty, on your side," said D'Artagnan, "is as much mistaken asto our intentions as the Cardinal Mazarin has always been."
"You are in error, sir," answered the queen. "I am so little mistakenthat in ten minutes you shall be arrested, and in an hour I shall setoff at the head of my army to release my minister."
"I am sure your majesty will not commit such an act of imprudence,first, because it would be useless and would produce the most disastrousresults. Before he could be possibly set free the cardinal would bedead; and indeed, so convinced is he of this, that he entreated me,should I find your majesty disposed to act in this way, to do all Icould to induce you to change your resolution."
"Well, then, I will content myself with arresting you!"
"Madame, the possibility of my arrest has been foreseen, and should Inot have returned by to-morrow, at a certain hour the next day thecardinal will be brought to Paris and delivered to the parliament."
"It is evident, sir, that your position has kept you out of relation tomen and affairs; otherwise you would know that since we left Parismonsieur le cardinal has returned thither five or six times; that he hasthere met De Beaufort, De Bouillon, the coadjutor and D'Elbeuf and thatnot one of them had any desire to arrest him."
"Your pardon, madame, I know all that. And therefore my friends willconduct monsieur le cardinal neither to De Beaufort, nor to De Bouillon,nor to the coadjutor, nor to D'Elbeuf. These gentlemen wage war onprivate account, and in buying them up, by granting them what theywished, monsieur le cardinal has made a good bargain. He will bedelivered to the parliament, members of which can, of course, be bought,but even Monsieur de Mazarin is not rich enough to buy the whole body."
"I think," returned Anne of Austria, fixing upon him a glance, which inany woman's face would have expressed disdain, but in a queen's, spreadterror to those she looked upon, "nay, I perceive you dare to threatenthe mother of your sovereign."
"Madame," replied D'Artagnan, "I threaten simply and solely because I amobliged to do so. Believe me, madame, as true a thing as it is that aheart beats in this bosom--a heart devoted to you--believe that you havebeen the idol of our lives; that we have, as you well know--goodHeaven!--risked our lives twenty times for your majesty. Have you, then,madame, no compassion for your servants who for twenty years havevegetated in obscurity, without betraying in a single sigh the solemnand sacred secrets they have had the honor to share with you? Look atme, madame--at me, whom you accuse of speaking loud and threateningly.What am I? A poor officer, without fortune, without protection, withouta future, unless the eye of my queen, which I have sought so long, restson me for a moment. Look at the Comte de la Fere, a type of nobility, aflower of chivalry. He has taken part against his queen, or rather,against her minister. He has not been unreasonably exacting, it seems tome. Look at Monsieur du Vallon, that faithful soul, that arm of steel,who for twenty years has awaited the word from your lips which will makehim in rank what he is in sentiment and in courage. Consider, in short,your people who love you and who yet are famished, who have no otherwish than to bless you, and who, nevertheless--no, I am wrong, yoursubjects, madame, will never curse you; say one word to them and allwill be ended--peace succeed war, joy tears, and happiness tomisfortune!"
Anne of Austria looked with wonderment on the warlike countenance ofD'Artagnan, which betrayed a singular expression of deep feeling.
"Why did you not say all this before you took action, sir?" she said.
"Because, madame, it was necessary to prove to your majesty one thing ofwhich you doubted---that is, that we still possess amongst us some valorand are worthy of some consideration at your hands."
"And that valor would shrink from no undertaking, according to what Isee."
"It has hesitated at nothing in the past; why, then, should it be lessdaring in the future?"
"Then, in case of my refusal, this valor, should a struggle occur, willeven go the length of carrying me off in the midst of my court, todeliver me into the hands of the Fronde, as you propose to deliver myminister?"
"We have not thought about it yet, madame," answered D'Artagnan, withthat Gascon effrontery which had in him the appearance of naivete; "butif we four had resolved upon it we should do it most certainly."
"I ought," muttered Anne to herself, "by this time to remember thatthese men are giants."
"Alas, madame!" exclaimed D'Artagnan, "this proves to me that not tillto-day has your majesty had a just idea of us."
"Perhaps," said Anne; "but that idea, if at last I have it----"
"Your majesty will do us justice. In doing us justice you will no longertreat us as men of vulgar stamp. You will see in me an ambassador worthyof the high interests he is authorized to discuss with his sovereign."
"Where is the treaty?"
"Here it is."
Anne of Austria cast her eyes upon the treaty that D'Artagnan presentedto her.
"I do not see here," she said, "anything but general conditions; theinterests of the Prince de Conti or of the Ducs de Beaufort, de Bouillonand d'Elbeuf and of the coadjutor, are herein consulted; but with regardto yours?"
"We do ourselves justice, madame, even in assuming the high positionthat we have. We do not think ourselves worthy to stand near such greatnames."
"But you, I presume, have decided to assert your pretensions viva voce?"
"I believe you, madame, to be a great and powerful queen, and that itwill be unworthy of your power and greatness if you do not recompensethe arms which will bring back his eminence to Saint Germain."
"It is my intention so to do; come, let us hear you. Speak."
"He who has negotiated these matters (forgive me if I begin by speakingof myself, but I must claim that importance which has been given to me,not assumed by me) he who has arranged ma
tters for the return of thecardinal, ought, it appears to me, in order that his reward may not beunworthy of your majesty, to be made commandant of the guards--anappointment something like that of captain of the musketeers."
"'Tis the appointment Monsieur de Treville held, you ask of me."
"The place, madame, is vacant, and although 'tis a year since Monsieurde Treville has left it, it has not been filled."
"But it is one of the principal military appointments in the king'shousehold."
"Monsieur de Treville was but a younger son of a simple Gascon family,like me, madame; he occupied that post for twenty years."
"You have an answer ready for everything," replied the queen, and shetook from her bureau a document, which she filled up and signed.
"Undoubtedly, madame," said D'Artagnan, taking the document and bowing,"this is a noble reward; but everything in the world is unstable, andthe man who happened to fall into disgrace with your majesty might losethis office to-morrow."
"What more do you want?" asked the queen, coloring, as she found thatshe had to deal with a mind as subtle as her own.
"A hundred thousand francs for this poor captain of musketeers, to bepaid whenever his services shall no longer be acceptable to yourmajesty."
Anne hesitated.
"To think of the Parisians," soliloquized D'Artagnan, "offering only theother day, by an edict of the parliament, six hundred thousand francs toany man soever who would deliver up the cardinal to them, dead oralive--if alive, in order to hang him; if dead, to deny him the rites ofChristian burial!"
"Come," said Anne, "'tis reasonable, since you only ask from a queen thesixth of what the parliament has proposed;" and she signed an order fora hundred thousand francs.
"Now, then," she said, "what next?"
"Madame, my friend Du Vallon is rich and has therefore nothing in theway of fortune to desire; but I think I remember that there was aquestion between him and Monsieur Mazarin as to making his estate abarony. Nay, it must have been a promise."
"A country clown," said Anne of Austria, "people will laugh."
"Let them," answered D'Artagnan. "But I am sure of one thing--that thosewho laugh at him in his presence will never laugh a second time."
"Here goes the barony." said the queen; she signed a patent.
"Now there remains the chevalier, or the Abbe d'Herblay, as your majestypleases."
"Does he wish to be a bishop?"
"No, madame, something easier to grant."
"What?"
"It is that the king should deign to stand godfather to the son ofMadame de Longueville."
The queen smiled.
"Monsieur de Longueville is of royal blood, madame," said D'Artagnan.
"Yes," said the queen; "but his son?"
"His son, madame, must be, since the husband of the son's mother is."
"And your friend has nothing more to ask for Madame de Longueville?"
"No, madame, for I presume that the king, standing godfather to him,could do no less than present him with five hundred thousand francs,giving his father, also, the government of Normandy."
"As to the government of Normandy," replied the queen, "I think I canpromise; but with regard to the present, the cardinal is always tellingme there is no more money in the royal coffers."
"We shall search for some, madame, and I think we can find a little, andif your majesty approves, we will seek for some together."
"What next?"
"What next, madame?"
"Yes."
"That is all."
"Haven't you, then, a fourth companion?"
"Yes, madame, the Comte de la Fere."
"What does he ask?"
"Nothing."
"There is in the world, then, one man who, having the power to ask,asks--nothing!"
"There is the Comte de la Fere, madame. The Comte de la Fere is not aman."
"What is he, then?"
"The Comte de la Fere is a demi-god."
"Has he not a son, a young man, a relative, a nephew, of whom Commingesspoke to me as being a brave boy, and who, with Monsieur de Chatillon,brought the standards from Lens?"
"He has, as your majesty has said, a ward, who is called the Vicomte deBragelonne."
"If that young man should be appointed to a regiment what would hisguardian say?"
"Perhaps he would accept."
"Perhaps?"
"Yes, if your majesty herself should beg him to accept."
"He must be indeed a strange man. Well, we will reflect and perhaps wewill beg him. Are you satisfied, sir?"
"There is one thing the queen has not signed--her assent to the treaty."
"Of what use to-day? I will sign it to-morrow."
"I can assure her majesty that if she does not sign to-day she will nothave time to sign to-morrow. Consent, then, I beg you, madame, to writeat the bottom of this schedule, which has been drawn up by Mazarin, asyou see:
"'I consent to ratify the treaty proposed by the Parisians.'"
Anne was caught, she could not draw back--she signed; but scarcely hadshe done so when pride burst forth and she began to weep.
D'Artagnan started on seeing these tears. Since that period of historyqueens have shed tears, like other women.
The Gascon shook his head, these tears from royalty melted his heart.
"Madame," he said, kneeling, "look upon the unhappy man at your feet. Hebegs you to believe that at a gesture of your majesty everything will bepossible to him. He has faith in himself; he has faith in his friends;he wishes also to have faith in his queen. And in proof that he fearsnothing, that he counts on nothing, he will restore Monsieur de Mazarinto your majesty without conditions. Behold, madame! here are the augustsignatures of your majesty's hand; if you think you are right in givingthem to me, you shall do so, but from this very moment you are free fromany obligation to keep them."
And D'Artagnan, full of splendid pride and manly intrepidity, placed inAnne's hands, in a bundle, the papers that he had one by one won fromher with so much difficulty.
There are moments--for if everything is not good, everything in thisworld is not bad--in which the most rigid and the coldest soul issoftened by the tears of strong emotion, heart-arraigning sentiment: oneof these momentary impulses actuated Anne. D'Artagnan, when he gave wayto his own feelings--which were in accordance with those of thequeen--had accomplished more than the most astute diplomacy could haveattempted. He was therefore instantly recompensed, either for hisaddress or for his sensibility, whichever it might be termed.
"You were right, sir," said Anne. "I misunderstood you. There are theacts signed; I deliver them to you without compulsion. Go and bring meback the cardinal as soon as possible."
"Madame," faltered D'Artagnan, "'tis twenty years ago--I have a goodmemory--since I had the honor behind a piece of tapestry in the Hotel deVille, of kissing one of those lovely hands."
"There is the other," replied the queen; "and that the left hand shouldnot be less liberal than the right," she drew from her finger a diamondsimilar to the one formerly given to him, "take and keep this ring inremembrance of me.
"Madame," said D'Artagnan, rising, "I have only one thing more to wish,which is, that the next thing you ask from me, shall be--my life."
And with this conclusion--a way peculiar to himself--he rose and leftthe room.
"I never rightly understood those men," said the queen, as she watchedhim retiring from her presence; "and it is now too late, for in a yearthe king will be of age."
In twenty-four hours D'Artagnan and Porthos conducted Mazarin to thequeen; and the one received his commission, the other his patent ofnobility.
On the same day the Treaty of Paris was signed, and it was everywhereannounced that the cardinal had shut himself up for three days in orderto draw it up with the greatest care.
Here is what each of the parties concerned gained by that treaty:
Monsieur de Conti received Damvilliers, and having made his proofs asgeneral, he succeeded in re
maining a soldier, instead of being madecardinal. Moreover, something had been said of a marriage with Mazarin'sniece. The idea was welcomed by the prince, to whom it was of littleimportance whom he married, so long as he married some one.
The Duc de Beaufort made his entrance at court, receiving amplereparation for the wrongs he had suffered, and all the honor due to hisrank. Full pardon was accorded to those who had aided in his escape. Hereceived also the office of admiral, which had been held by his father,the Duc de Vendome and an indemnity for his houses and castles,demolished by the Parliament of Bretagne.
The Duc de Bouillon received domains of a value equal to that of hisprincipality of Sedan, and the title of prince, granted to him and tothose belonging to his house.
The Duc de Longueville gained the government of Pont-de-l'Arche, fivehundred thousand francs for his wife and the honor of seeing her sonheld at the baptismal font by the young king and Henrietta of England.
Aramis stipulated that Bazin should officiate at that ceremony and thatPlanchet should furnish the christening sugar plums.
The Duc d'Elbeuf obtained payment of certain sums due to his wife, onehundred thousand francs for his eldest son and twenty-five thousand foreach of the three others.
The coadjutor alone obtained nothing. They promised, indeed, tonegotiate with the pope for a cardinal's hat for him; but he knew howlittle reliance should be placed on such promises, made by the queen andMazarin. Quite contrary to the lot of Monsieur de Conti, unable to becardinal, he was obliged to remain a soldier.
And therefore, when all Paris was rejoicing in the expected return ofthe king, appointed for the next day, Gondy alone, in the midst of thegeneral happiness, was dissatisfied; he sent for the two men whom he waswont to summon when in especially bad humor. Those two men were theCount de Rochefort and the mendicant of Saint Eustache. They came withtheir usual promptness, and the coadjutor spent with them a part of thenight.
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