77

Twenty Years After

by Alexandre Dumas

77, TWENTY YEARS AFTER by Alexandre Dumas
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The three Lieutenants of the Generalissimo.



The night was dark, but still the town resounded with those
noises that disclose a city in a state of siege. Athos and
Aramis did not proceed a hundred steps without being stopped
by sentinels placed before the barricades, who demanded the
watchword; and on their saying that they were going to
Monsieur de Bouillon on a mission of importance a guide was
given them under pretext of conducting them, but in fact as
a spy over their movements.

On arriving at the Hotel de Bouillon they came across a
little troop of three cavaliers, who seemed to know every
possible password; for they walked without either guide or
escort, and on arriving at the barricades had nothing to do
but to speak to those who guarded them, who instantly let
them pass with evident deference, due probably to their high
birth.

On seeing them Athos and Aramis stood still.

"Oh!" cried Aramis, "do you see, count?"

"Yes," said Athos.

"Who do these three cavaliers appear to you to be?"

"What do you think, Aramis?"

"Why, they are our men."

"You are not mistaken; I recognize Monsieur de Flamarens."

"And I, Monsieur de Chatillon."

"As to the cavalier in the brown cloak ---- "

"It is the cardinal."

"In person."

"How the devil do they venture so near the Hotel de
Bouillon?"

Athos smiled, but did not reply. Five minutes afterward they
knocked at the prince's door.

This door was guarded by a sentinel and there was also a
guard placed in the courtyard, ready to obey the orders of
the Prince de Conti's lieutenant.

Monsieur de Bouillon had the gout, but notwithstanding his
illness, which had prevented his mounting on horseback for
the last month ---that is, since Paris had been besieged --
he was ready to receive the Comte de la Fere and the
Chevalier d'Herblay.

He was in bed, but surrounded with all the paraphernalia of
war. Everywhere were swords, pistols, cuirasses, and
arquebuses, and it was plain that as soon as his gout was
better Monsieur de Bouillon would give a pretty tangle to
the enemies of the parliament to unravel. Meanwhile, to his
great regret, as he said, he was obliged to keep his bed.

"Ah, gentlemen," he cried, as the two friends entered, "you
are very happy! you can ride, you can go and come and fight
for the cause of the people. But I, as you see, am nailed to
my bed -- ah! this demon, gout -- this demon, gout!"

"My lord," said Athos, "we are just arrived from England and
our first concern is to inquire after your health."

"Thanks, gentlemen, thanks! As you see, my health is but
indifferent. But you come from England. And King Charles is
well, as I have just heard?"

"He is dead, my lord!" said Aramis.

"Pooh!" said the duke, too much astonished to believe it
true.

"Dead on the scaffold; condemned by parliament."

"Impossible!"

"And executed in our presence."

"What, then, has Monsieur de Flamarens been telling me?"

"Monsieur de Flamarens?"

"Yes, he has just gone out."

Athos smiled. "With two companions?" he said.

"With two companions, yes," replied the duke. Then he added
with a certain uneasiness, "Did you meet them?"

"Why, yes, I think so -- in the street," said Athos; and he
looked smilingly at Aramis, who looked at him with an
expression of surprise.

"The devil take this gout!" cried Monsieur de Bouillon,
evidently ill at ease.

"My lord," said Athos, "we admire your devotion to the cause
you have espoused, in remaining at the head of the army
whilst so ill, in so much pain."

"One must," replied Monsieur de Bouillon, "sacrifice one's
comfort to the public good; but I confess to you I am now
almost exhausted. My spirit is willing, my head is clear,
but this demon, the gout, o'ercrows me. I confess, if the
court would do justice to my claims and give the head of my
house the title of prince, and if my brother De Turenne were
reinstated in his command I would return to my estates and
leave the court and parliament to settle things between
themselves as they might."

"You are perfectly right, my lord."

"You think so? At this very moment the court is making
overtures to me; hitherto I have repulsed them; but since
such men as you assure me that I am wrong in doing so, I've
a good mind to follow your advice and to accept a
proposition made to me by the Duc de Chatillon just now."

"Accept it, my lord, accept it," said Aramis.

"Faith! yes. I am even sorry that this evening I almost
repulsed -- but there will be a conference to-morrow and we
shall see."

The two friends saluted the duke.

"Go, gentlemen," he said; "you must be much fatigued after
your voyage. Poor King Charles! But, after all, he was
somewhat to blame in all that business and we may console
ourselves with the reflection that France has no cause of
reproach in the matter and did all she could to serve him."

"Oh! as to that," said Aramis, "we are witnesses. Mazarin
especially ---- "

"Yes, do you know, I am very glad to hear you give that
testimony; the cardinal has some good in him, and if he were
not a foreigner -- well, he would be more justly estimated.
Oh! the devil take this gout!"

Athos and Aramis took their leave, but even in the
ante-chamber they could still hear the duke's cries; he was
evidently suffering the tortures of the damned.

When they reached the street, Aramis said:

"Well, Athos, what do you think?"

"Of whom?"

"Pardieu! of Monsieur de Bouillon."

"My friend, I think that he is much troubled with gout."

"You noticed that I didn't breathe a word as to the purpose
of our visit?"

"You did well; you would have caused him an access of his
disease. Let us go to Monsieur de Beaufort."

The two friends went to the Hotel de Vendome. It was ten
o'clock when they arrived. The Hotel de Vendome was not less
guarded than the Hotel de Bouillon, and presented as warlike
an appearance. There were sentinels, a guard in the court,
stacks of arms, and horses saddled. Two horsemen going out
as Athos and Aramis entered were obliged to give place to
them.

"Ah! ah! gentlemen," said Aramis, "decidedly it is a night
for meetings. We shall be very unfortunate if, after meeting
so often this evening, we should not succeed in meeting
to-morrow."

"Oh, as to that, sir," replied Chatillon (for it was he who,
with Flamarens, was leaving the Duc de Beaufort), "you may
be assured; for if we meet by night without seeking each
other, much more shall we meet by day when wishing it."

"I hope that is true," said Aramis.

"As for me, I am sure of it," said the duke.

De Flamarens and De Chatillon continued on their way and
Athos and Aramis dismounted.

Hardly had they given the bridles of their horses to their
lackeys and rid themselves of their cloaks when a man
approached them, and after looking at them for an instant by
the doubtful light of the lantern hung in the centre of the
courtyard he uttered an exclamation of joy and ran to
embrace them.

"Comte de la Fere!" the man cried out; "Chevalier d'Herblay!
How does it happen that you are in Paris?"

"Rochefort!" cried the two friends.

"Yes! we arrived four or five days ago from the Vendomois,
as you know, and we are going to give Mazarin something to
do. You are still with us, I presume?"

"More than ever. And the duke?"

"Furious against the cardinal. You know his success -- our
dear duke? He is really king of Paris; he can't go out
without being mobbed by his admirers."

"Ah! so much the better! Can we have the honor of seeing his
highness?"

"I shall be proud to present you," and Rochefort walked on.
Every door was opened to him. Monsieur de Beaufort was at
supper, but he rose quickly on hearing the two friends
announced.

"Ah!" he cried, "by Jove! you're welcome, sirs. You are
coming to sup with me, are you not? Boisgoli, tell Noirmont
that I have two guests. You know Noirmont, do you not? The
successor of Father Marteau who makes the excellent pies you
know of. Boisgoli, let him send one of his best, but not
such a one as he made for La Ramee. Thank God! we don't want
either rope ladders or gag-pears now."

"My lord," said Athos, "do not let us disturb you. We came
merely to inquire after your health and to take your
orders."

"As to my health, since it has stood five years of prison,
with Monsieur de Chavigny to boot, 'tis excellent! As to my
orders, since every one gives his own commands in our party,
I shall end, if this goes on, by giving none at all."

"In short, my lord," said Athos, glancing at Aramis, "your
highness is discontented with your party?"

"Discontented, sir! say my highness is furious! To such a
degree, I assure you, though I would not say so to others,
that if the queen, acknowledging the injuries she has done
me, would recall my mother and give me the reversion of the
admiralty, which belonged to my father and was promised me
at his death, well! it would not be long before I should be
training dogs to say that there were greater traitors in
France than the Cardinal Mazarin!"

At this Athos and Aramis could not help exchanging not only
a look but a smile; and had they not known it for a fact,
this would have told them that De Chatillon and De Flamarens
had been there.

"My lord," said Athos, "we are satisfied; we came here only
to express our loyalty and to say that we are at your
lordship's service and his most faithful servants."

"My most faithful friends, gentlemen, my most faithful
friends; you have proved it. And if ever I am reconciled
with the court I shall prove to you, I hope, that I remain
your friend, as well as that of -- what the devil are their
names -- D'Artagnan and Porthos?"

"D'Artagnan and Porthos."

"Ah, yes. You understand, then, Comte de la Fere, you
understand, Chevalier d'Herblay, that I am altogether and
always at your service."

Athos and Aramis bowed and went out.

"My dear Athos," cried Aramis, "I think you consented to
accompany me only to give me a lesson -- God forgive me!"

"Wait a little, Aramis; it will be time for you to perceive
my motive when we have paid our visit to the coadjutor."

"Let us then go to the archiepiscopal palace," said Aramis.

They directed their horses to the city. On arriving at the
cradle from which Paris sprang they found it inundated with
water, and it was again necessary to take a boat. The palace
rose from the bosom of the water, and to see the number of
boats around it one would have fancied one's self not in
Paris, but in Venice. Some of these boats were dark and
mysterious, others noisy and lighted up with torches. The
friends slid in through this congestion of embarkation and
landed in their turn. The palace was surrounded with water,
but a kind of staircase had been fixed to the lower walls;
and the only difference was, that instead of entering by the
doors, people entered by the windows.

Thus did Athos and Aramis make their appearance in the
ante-chamber, where about a dozen noblemen were collected in
waiting.

"Good heavens!" said Aramis to Athos, "does the coadjutor
intend to indulge himself in the pleasure of making us cool
our hearts off in his ante-chamber?"

"My dear friend, we must take people as we find them. The
coadjutor is at this moment one of the seven kings of Paris,
and has a court. Let us send in our names, and if he does
not send us a suitable message we will leave him to his own
affairs or those of France. Let us call one of these
lackeys, with a demi-pistole in the left hand."

"Exactly so," cried Aramis. "Ah! if I'm not mistaken here's
Bazin. Come here, fellow."

Bazin, who was crossing the ante-chamber majestically in his
clerical dress, turned around to see who the impertinent
gentleman was who thus addressed him; but seeing his friends
he went up to them quickly and expressed delight at seeing
them.

"A truce to compliments," said Aramis; "we want to see the
coadjutor, and instantly, as we are in haste."

"Certainly, sir -- it is not such lords as you are who are
allowed to wait in the ante-chamber, only just now he has a
secret conference with Monsieur de Bruy."

"De Bruy!" cried the friends, "'tis then useless our seeing
monsieur the coadjutor this evening," said Aramis, "so we
give it up."

And they hastened to quit the palace, followed by Bazin, who
was lavish of bows and compliments.

"Well," said Athos, when Aramis and he were in the boat
again, "are you beginning to be convinced that we should
have done a bad turn to all these people in arresting
Mazarin?"

"You are wisdom incarnate, Athos," Aramis replied.

What had especially been observed by the two friends was the
little interest taken by the court of France in the terrible
events which had occurred in England, which they thought
should have arrested the attention of all Europe.

In fact, aside from a poor widow and a royal orphan who wept
in the corner of the Louvre, no one appeared to be aware
that Charles I. had ever lived and that he had perished on
the scaffold.

The two friends made an appointment for ten o'clock on the
following day; for though the night was well advanced when
they reached the door of the hotel, Aramis said that he had
certain important visits to make and left Athos to enter
alone.

At ten o'clock the next day they met again. Athos had been
out since six o'clock.

"Well, have you any news?" Athos asked.

"Nothing. No one has seen D'Artagnan and Porthos has, not
appeared. Have you anything?"

"Nothing."

"The devil!" said Aramis.

"In fact," said Athos, "this delay is not natural; they took
the shortest route and should have arrived before we did."

"Add to that D'Artagnan's rapidity in action and that he is
not the man to lose an hour, knowing that we were expecting
him."

"He expected, you will remember, to be here on the fifth."

"And here we are at the ninth. This evening the margin of
possible delay expires."

"What do you think should be done," asked Athos. "if we have
no news of them to-night?"

"Pardieu! we must go and look for them."

"All right," said Athos.

"But Raoul?" said Aramis.

A light cloud passed over the count's face.

"Raoul gives me much uneasiness," he said. "He received
yesterday a message from the Prince de Conde; he went to
meet him at Saint Cloud and has not returned."

"Have you seen Madame de Chevreuse?"

"She was not at home. And you, Aramis, you were going, I
think, to visit Madame de Longueville."

"I did go there."

"Well?"

"She was no longer there, but she had left her new address."

"Where was she?"

"Guess; I give you a thousand chances."

"How should I know where the most beautiful and active of
the Frondists was at midnight? for I presume it was when you
left me that you went to visit her."

"At the Hotel de Ville, my dear fellow."

"What! at the Hotel de Ville? Has she, then, been appointed
provost of merchants?"

"No; but she has become queen of Paris, ad interim, and
since she could not venture at once to establish herself in
the Palais Royal or the Tuileries, she is installed at the
Hotel de Ville, where she is on the point of giving an heir
or an heiress to that dear duke."

"You didn't tell me of that, Aramis."

"Really? It was my forgetfulness then; pardon me."

"Now," asked Athos, "what are we to do with ourselves till
evening? Here we are without occupation, it seems to me."

"You forget, my friend, that we have work cut out for us in
the direction of Charenton; I hope to see Monsieur de
Chatillon, whom I've hated for a long time, there."

"Why have you hated him?"

"Because he is the brother of Coligny."

"Ah, true! he who presumed to be a rival of yours, for which
he was severely punished; that ought to satisfy you."

"'Yes, but it does not; I am rancorous -- the only stigma
that proves me to be a churchman. Do you understand? You
understand that you are in no way obliged to go with me."

"Come, now," said Athos, "you are joking."

"In that case, my dear friend, if you are resolved to
accompany me there is no time to lose; the drum beats; I
observed cannon on the road; I saw the citizens in order of
battle on the Place of the Hotel de Ville; certainly the
fight will be in the direction of Charenton, as the Duc de
Chatillon said."

"I supposed," said Athos, "that last night's conferences
would modify those warlike arrangements."

"No doubt; but they will fight, none the less, if only to
mask the conferences."

"Poor creatures!" said Athos, "who are going to be killed,
in order that Monsieur de Bouillon may have his estate at
Sedan restored to him, that the reversion of the admiralty
may be given to the Duc de Beaufort, and that the coadjutor
may be made a cardinal."

"Come, come, dear Athos, confess that you would not be so
philosophical if your Raoul were to be involved in this
affair."

"Perhaps you speak the truth, Aramis."

"Well, let us go, then, where the fighting is, for that is
the most likely place to meet with D'Artagnan, Porthos, and
possibly even Raoul. Stop, there are a fine body of citizens
passing; quite attractive, by Jupiter! and their captain --
see! he has the true military style."

"What, ho!" said Grimaud.

"What?" asked Athos.

"Planchet, sir."

"Lieutenant yesterday," said Aramis, "captain to-day,
colonel, doubtless, to-morrow; in a fortnight the fellow
will be marshal of France."

"Question him about the fight," said Athos.

Planchet, prouder than ever of his new duties, deigned to
explain to the two gentlemen that he was ordered to take up
his position on the Place Royale with two hundred men,
forming the rear of the army of Paris, and to march on
Charenton when necessary.

"This day will be a warm one," said Planchet, in a warlike
tone.

"No doubt," said Aramis, "but it is far from here to the
enemy."

"Sir, the distance will be diminished," said a subordinate.

Aramis saluted, then turning toward Athos:

"I don't care to camp on the Place Royale with all these
people," he said. "Shall we go forward? We shall see better
what is going on."

"And then Monsieur de Chatillon will not come to the Place
Royale to look for you. Come, then, my friend, we will go
forward."

"Haven't you something to say to Monsieur de Flamarens on
your own account?"

"My friend," said Athos, "I have made a resolution never to
draw my sword save when it is absolutely necessary."

"And how long ago was that?"

"When I last drew my poniard."

"Ah! Good! another souvenir of Monsieur Mordaunt. Well, my
friend, nothing now is lacking except that you should feel
remorse for having killed that fellow."

"Hush!" said Athos, putting a finger on his lips, with the
sad smile peculiar to him; "let us talk no more of Mordaunt
-- it will bring bad luck." And Athos set forward toward
Charenton, followed closely by Aramis.