chapter xxxvi.in m. colbert's carriage. as gourville had seen, the king'smusketeers were mounting and following their captain. the latter, who did not like to be confinedin his proceedings, left his brigade under the orders of a lieutenant, and set off onpost horses, recommending his men to use all diligence. however rapidly they might travel, theycould not arrive before him. he had time, in passing along the rue despetits-champs, to see something which afforded him plenty of food for thought andconjecture.
he saw m. colbert coming out from his houseto get into his carriage, which was stationed before the door. in this carriage d'artagnan perceived thehoods of two women, and being rather curious, he wished to know the names of theladies hid beneath these hoods. to get a glimpse at them, for they keptthemselves closely covered up, he urged his horse so near the carriage, that he drovehim against the step with such force as to shake everything containing and contained. the terrified women uttered, the one afaint cry, by which d'artagnan recognized a young woman, the other an imprecation, inwhich he recognized the vigor and aplomb
that half a century bestows. the hoods were thrown back: one of thewomen was madame vanel, the other the duchesse de chevreuse. d'artagnan's eyes were quicker than thoseof the ladies; he had seen and known them, whilst they did not recognize him; and asthey laughed at their fright, pressing each other's hands,-- "humph!" said d'artagnan, "the old duchesseis no more inaccessible to friendship than formerly.she paying her court to the mistress of m. colbert!
poor m. fouquet! that presages you nothinggood!" he rode on. m. colbert got into his carriage and thedistinguished trio commenced a sufficiently slow pilgrimage toward the wood ofvincennes. madame de chevreuse set down madame vanelat her husband's house, and, left alone with m. colbert, chatted upon affairswhilst continuing her ride. she had an inexhaustible fund ofconversation, that dear duchesse, and as she always talked for the ill of others,though ever with a view to her own good, her conversation amused her interlocutor,
and did not fail to leave a favorableimpression. she taught colbert, who, poor man! wasignorant of the fact, how great a minister he was, and how fouquet would soon become acipher. she promised to rally around him, when heshould become surintendant, all the old nobility of the kingdom, and questioned himas to the preponderance it would be proper to allow la valliere. she praised him, she blamed him, shebewildered him. she showed him the secret of so manysecrets that, for a moment, colbert thought he was doing business with the devil.
she proved to him that she held in her handthe colbert of to-day, as she had held the fouquet of yesterday; and as he asked hervery simply the reason of her hatred for the surintendant: "why do you yourself hatehim?" said she. "madame, in politics," replied he, "thedifferences of system oft bring about dissentions between men. m. fouquet always appeared to me topractice a system opposed to the true interests of the king."she interrupted him.--"i will say no more to you about m. fouquet. the journey the king is about to take tonantes will give a good account of him.
m. fouquet, for me, is a man gone by--andfor you also." colbert made no reply. "on his return from nantes," continued theduchesse, "the king, who is only anxious for a pretext, will find that the stateshave not behaved well--that they have made too few sacrifices. the states will say that the imposts aretoo heavy, and that the surintendant has ruined them.the king will lay all the blame on m. fouquet, and then--" "and then?" said colbert."oh! he will be disgraced.
is not that your opinion?" colbert darted a glance at the duchesse,which plainly said: "if m. fouquet be only disgraced, you will not be the cause ofit." "your place, m. colbert," the duchessehastened to say, "must be a high place. do you perceive any one between the kingand yourself, after the fall of m. fouquet?" "i do not understand," said he."you will understand. to what does your ambition aspire?""i have none." "it was useless, then, to overthrow thesuperintendent, monsieur colbert.
it was idle.""i had the honor to tell you, madame--" "oh! yes, i know, all about the interest ofthe king--but, if you please, we will speak of your own.""mine! that is to say, the affairs of his majesty." "in short, are you, or are you notendeavoring to ruin m. fouquet? answer without evasion.""madame, i ruin nobody." "i am endeavoring to comprehend, then, whyyou purchased from me the letters of m. mazarin concerning m. fouquet.neither can i conceive why you have laid those letters before the king."
colbert, half stupefied, looked at theduchesse with an air of constraint. "madame," said he, "i can less easilyconceive how you, who received the money, can reproach me on that head--" "that is," said the old duchesse, "becausewe must will that which we wish for, unless we are not able to obtain what we wish.""will!" said colbert, quite confounded by such coarse logic. "you are not able, hein!speak." "i am not able, i allow, to destroy certaininfluences near the king." "that fight in favor of m. fouquet?
what are they?stop, let me help you." "do, madame.""la valliere?" "oh! very little influence; no knowledge ofbusiness, and small means. m. fouquet has paid his court to her.""to defend him would be to accuse herself, would it not?" "i think it would.""there is still another influence, what do you say to that?""is it considerable?" "the queen-mother, perhaps?" "her majesty, the queen-mother, has aweakness for m. fouquet very prejudicial to
her son.""never believe that," said the old duchesse, smiling. "oh!" said colbert, with incredulity, "ihave often experienced it." "formerly?""very recently, madame, at vaux. it was she who prevented the king fromhaving m. fouquet arrested." "people do not forever entertain the sameopinions, my dear monsieur. that which the queen may have wishedrecently, she would not wish, perhaps, to- day.""and why not?" said colbert, astonished. "oh! the reason is of very littleconsequence."
"on the contrary, i think it is of greatconsequence; for, if i were certain of not displeasing her majesty, the queen-mother,my scruples would be all removed." "well! have you never heard talk of acertain secret?" "a secret?""call it what you like. in short, the queen-mother has conceived abitter hatred for all those who have participated, in one fashion or another, inthe discovery of this secret, and m. fouquet i believe is one of these." "then," said colbert, "we may be sure ofthe assent of the queen-mother?" "i have just left her majesty, and sheassures me so."
"so be it, then, madame." "but there is something further; do youhappen to know a man who was the intimate friend of m. fouquet, m. d'herblay, abishop, i believe?" "bishop of vannes." "well! this m. d'herblay, who also knew thesecret, the queen-mother is pursuing with the utmost rancor.""indeed!" "so hotly pursued, that if he were dead,she would not be satisfied with anything less than his head, to satisfy her he wouldnever speak again." "and is that the desire of the queen-mother?"
"an order is given for it.""this monsieur d'herblay shall be sought for, madame." "oh! it is well known where he is."colbert looked at the duchesse. "say where, madame.""he is at belle-ile-en-mer." "at the residence of m. fouquet?" "at the residence of m. fouquet.""he shall be taken." it was now the duchesse's turn to smile."do not fancy the capture so easy," said she; "do not promise it so lightly." "why not, madame?""because m. d'herblay is not one of those
people who can be taken when and where youplease." "he is a rebel, then?" "oh! monsieur colbert, we have passed allour lives in making rebels, and yet you see plainly, that so far from being taken, wetake others." colbert fixed upon the old duchesse one ofthose fierce looks of which no words can convey the expression, accompanied by afirmness not altogether wanting in grandeur. "the times are gone," said he, "in whichsubjects gained duchies by making war against the king of france.if m. d'herblay conspires, he will perish
on the scaffold. that will give, or will not give, pleasureto his enemies,--a matter, by the way, of little importance to us." and this us, a strange word in the mouth ofcolbert, made the duchesse thoughtful for a moment. she caught herself reckoning inwardly withthis man--colbert had regained his superiority in the conversation, and hemeant to keep it. "you ask me, madame," he said, "to havethis m. d'herblay arrested?" "i?--i ask you nothing of the kind!""i thought you did, madame.
but as i have been mistaken, we will leavehim alone; the king has said nothing about him."the duchesse bit her nails. "besides," continued colbert, "what a poorcapture would this bishop be! a bishop game for a king!oh! no, no; i will not even take the slightest notice of him." the hatred of the duchesse now discovereditself. "game for a woman!" said she."is not the queen a woman? if she wishes m. d'herblay arrested, shehas her reasons. besides, is not m. d'herblay the friend ofhim who is doomed to fall?"
"oh! never mind that," said colbert. "this man shall be spared, if he is not theenemy of the king. is that displeasing to you?""i say nothing." "yes--you wish to see him in prison, in thebastile, for instance." "i believe a secret better concealed behindthe walls of the bastile than behind those of belle-isle." "i will speak to the king about it; he willclear up the point." "and whilst waiting for that enlightenment,monsieur l'eveque de vannes will have escaped.
i would do so.""escaped! he! and whither should he escape? europe is ours, in will, if not in fact.""he will always find an asylum, monsieur. it is evident you know nothing of the manyou have to do with. you do not know d'herblay; you do not knowaramis. he was one of those four musketeers who,under the late king, made cardinal de richelieu tremble, and who, during theregency, gave so much trouble to monseigneur mazarin." "but, madame, what can he do, unless he hasa kingdom to back him?" "he has one, monsieur.""a kingdom, he! what, monsieur d'herblay?"
"i repeat to you, monsieur, that if hewants a kingdom, he either has it or will have it." "well, as you are so earnest that thisrebel should not escape, madame, i promise you he shall not escape.""belle-isle is fortified, m. colbert, and fortified by him." "if belle-isle were also defended by him,belle-isle is not impregnable; and if monsieur l'eveque de vannes is shut up inbelle-isle, well, madame, the place shall be besieged, and he will be taken." "you may be very certain, monsieur, thatthe zeal you display in the interest of the
queen-mother will please her majestymightily, and you will be magnificently rewarded; but what shall i tell her of yourprojects respecting this man?" "that when once taken, he shall be shut upin a fortress from which her secret shall never escape." "very well, monsieur colbert, and we maysay, that, dating from this instant, we have formed a solid alliance, that is, youand i, and that i am absolutely at your service." "it is i, madame, who place myself atyours. this chevalier d'herblay is a kind ofspanish spy, is he not?"
"much more." "a secret ambassador?""higher still." "stop--king phillip iii. of spain is abigot. he is, perhaps, the confessor of phillipiii." "you must go higher even than that." "mordieu!" cried colbert, who forgothimself so far as to swear in the presence of this great lady, of this old friend ofthe queen-mother. "he must then be the general of thejesuits." "i believe you have guessed it at last,"replied the duchesse.
"ah! then, madame, this man will ruin usall if we do not ruin him; and we must make haste, too.""such was my opinion, monsieur, but i did not dare to give it you." "and it was lucky for us he has attackedthe throne, and not us." "but, mark this well, m. colbert. m. d'herblay is never discouraged; if hehas missed one blow, he will be sure to make another; he will begin again. if he has allowed an opportunity to escapeof making a king for himself, sooner or later, he will make another, of whom, to acertainty, you will not be prime minister."
colbert knitted his brow with a menacingexpression. "i feel assured that a prison will settlethis affair for us, madame, in a manner satisfactory for both." the duchesse smiled again."oh! if you knew," said she, "how many times aramis has got out of prison!""oh!" replied colbert, "we will take care that he shall not get out this time." "but you were not attending to what i saidto you just now. do you remember that aramis was one of thefour invincibles whom richelieu so dreaded? and at that period the four musketeers werenot in possession of that which they have
now--money and experience."colbert bit his lips. "we will renounce the idea of the prison,"said he, in a lower tone: "we will find a little retreat from which the invinciblecannot possibly escape." "that was well spoken, our ally!" repliedthe duchesse. "but it is getting late; had we not betterreturn?" "the more willingly, madame, from my havingmy preparations to make for setting out with the king.""to paris!" cried the duchesse to the coachman. and the carriage returned towards thefaubourg saint antoine, after the
conclusion of the treaty that gave to deaththe last friend of fouquet, the last defender of belle-isle, the former friend of marie michon, the new foe of the oldduchesse. > chapter xxxvii.the two lighters. d'artagnan had set off; fouquet likewisewas gone, and with a rapidity which doubled the tender interest of his friends. the first moments of this journey, orbetter say, this flight, were troubled by a ceaseless dread of every horse and carriageto be seen behind the fugitive.
it was not natural, in fact, if louis xiv.was determined to seize this prey, that he should allow it to escape; the young lionwas already accustomed to the chase, and he had bloodhounds sufficiently clever to betrusted. but insensibly all fears were dispersed;the surintendant, by hard traveling, placed such a distance between himself and hispersecutors, that no one of them could reasonably be expected to overtake him. as to his position, his friends had made itexcellent for him. was he not traveling to join the king atnantes, and what did the rapidity prove but his zeal to obey?
he arrived, fatigued, but reassured, atorleans, where he found, thanks to the care of a courier who had preceded him, ahandsome lighter of eight oars. these lighters, in the shape of gondolas,somewhat wide and heavy, containing a small chamber, covered by the deck, and a chamberin the poop, formed by a tent, then acted as passage-boats from orleans to nantes, by the loire, and this passage, a long one inour days, appeared then more easy and convenient than the high-road, with itspost-hacks and its ill-hung carriages. fouquet went on board this lighter, whichset out immediately. the rowers, knowing they had the honor ofconveying the surintendant of the finances,
pulled with all their strength, and thatmagic word, the finances, promised them a liberal gratification, of which they wishedto prove themselves worthy. the lighter seemed to leap the mimic wavesof the loire. magnificent weather, a sunrise thatempurpled all the landscape, displayed the river in all its limpid serenity. the current and the rowers carried fouquetalong as wings carry a bird, and he arrived before beaugency without the slightestaccident having signalized the voyage. fouquet hoped to be the first to arrive atnantes; there he would see the notables and gain support among the principal members ofthe states; he would make himself a
necessity, a thing very easy for a man of his merit, and would delay the catastrophe,if he did not succeed in avoiding it entirely. "besides," said gourville to him, "atnantes, you will make out, or we will make out, the intentions of your enemies; wewill have horses always ready to convey you to poitou, a bark in which to gain the sea, and when once upon the open sea, belle-isleis your inviolable port. you see, besides, that no one is watchingyou, no one is following." he had scarcely finished when theydiscovered at a distance, behind an elbow
formed by the river, the masts of a hugelighter coming down. the rowers of fouquet's boat uttered a cryof surprise on seeing this galley. "what is the matter?" asked fouquet. "the matter is, monseigneur," replied thepatron of the bark, "that it is a truly remarkable thing--that lighter comes alonglike a hurricane." gourville started, and mounted to the deck,in order to obtain a better view. fouquet did not go up with him, but said togourville, with restrained mistrust: "see what it is, dear friend." the lighter had just passed the elbow.it came on so fast, that behind it might be
plainly seen the white wake illumined withthe fires of the day. "how they go," repeated the skipper, "howthey go! they must be well paid! i did not think," he added, "that oars ofwood could behave better than ours, but yonder oarsmen prove the contrary.""well they may," said one of the rowers, "they are twelve, and we but eight." "twelve rowers!" replied gourville,"twelve! impossible." the number of eight rowers for a lighterhad never been exceeded, even for the king. this honor had been paid to monsieur lesurintendant, more for the sake of haste
than of respect. "what does it mean?" said gourville,endeavoring to distinguish beneath the tent, which was already apparent, travelerswhich the most piercing eye could not yet have succeeded in discovering. "they must be in a hurry, for it is not theking," said the patron. fouquet shuddered."by what sign do you know that it is not the king?" said gourville. "in the first place, because there is nowhite flag with fleurs-de-lis, which the royal lighter always carries."
"and then," said fouquet, "because it isimpossible it should be the king, gourville, as the king was still in parisyesterday." gourville replied to the surintendant by alook which said: "you were there yourself yesterday." "and by what sign do you make out they arein such haste?" added he, for the sake of gaining time. "by this, monsieur," said the patron;"these people must have set out a long while after us, and they have alreadynearly overtaken us." "bah!" said gourville, "who told you thatthey do not come from beaugency or from
moit even?""we have seen no lighter of that shape, except at orleans. it comes from orleans, monsieur, and makesgreat haste." fouquet and gourville exchanged a glance.the captain remarked their uneasiness, and, to mislead him, gourville immediately said: "some friend, who has laid a wager he wouldcatch us; let us win the wager, and not allow him to come up with us." the patron opened his mouth to say that itwas quite impossible, but fouquet said with much hauteur,--"if it is any one who wishesto overtake us, let him come."
"we can try, monseigneur," said the man,timidly. "come, you fellows, put out your strength;row, row!" "no," said fouquet, "on the contrary; stopshort." "monseigneur! what folly!" interruptedgourville, stooping towards his ear. "pull up!" repeated fouquet. the eight oars stopped, and resisting thewater, created a retrograde motion. it stopped. the twelve rowers in the other did not, atfirst, perceive this maneuver, for they continued to urge on their boat sovigorously that it arrived quickly within
musket-shot. fouquet was short-sighted, gourville wasannoyed by the sun, now full in his eyes; the skipper alone, with that habit andclearness which are acquired by a constant struggle with the elements, perceived distinctly the travelers in the neighboringlighter. "i can see them!" cried he; "there aretwo." "i can see nothing," said gourville."you will not be long before you distinguish them; in twenty strokes oftheir oars they will be within ten paces of us."
but what the patron announced was notrealized; the lighter imitated the movement commanded by fouquet, and instead of comingto join its pretended friends, it stopped short in the middle of the river. "i cannot comprehend this," said thecaptain. "nor i," cried gourville. "you who can see so plainly the people inthat lighter," resumed fouquet, "try to describe them to us, before we are too faroff." "i thought i saw two," replied the boatman. "i can only see one now, under the tent.""what sort of man is he?"
"he is a dark man, broad-shouldered, bull-necked." a little cloud at that moment passed acrossthe azure, darkening the sun. gourville, who was still looking, with onehand over his eyes, became able to see what he sought, and all at once, jumping fromthe deck into the chamber where fouquet awaited him: "colbert!" said he, in a voicebroken by emotion. "colbert!" repeated fouquet."too strange! but no, it is impossible!" "i tell you i recognized him, and he, atthe same time, so plainly recognized me, that he is just gone into the chamber onthe poop. perhaps the king has sent him on ourtrack."
"in that case he would join us, instead oflying by. what is he doing there?" "he is watching us, without a doubt.""i do not like uncertainty," said fouquet; "let us go straight up to him.""oh! monseigneur, do not do that, the lighter is full of armed men." "he wishes to arrest me, then, gourville?why does he not come on?" "monseigneur, it is not consistent withyour dignity to go to meet even your ruin." "but to allow them to watch me like amalefactor!" "nothing yet proves that they are watchingyou, monseigneur; be patient!"
"what is to be done, then?" "do not stop; you were only going so fastto appear to obey the king's order with zeal.redouble the speed. he who lives will see!" "that is better.come!" cried fouquet; "since they remain stock-still yonder, let us go on." the captain gave the signal, and fouquet'srowers resumed their task with all the success that could be looked for from menwho had rested. scarcely had the lighter made a hundredfathoms, than the other, that with the
twelve rowers, resumed its rapid course. this position lasted all day, without anyincrease or diminution of distance between the two vessels.towards evening fouquet wished to try the intentions of his persecutor. he ordered his rowers to pull towards theshore, as if to effect a landing. colbert's lighter imitated this maneuver,and steered towards the shore in a slanting direction. by the merest chance, at the spot wherefouquet pretended to wish to land, a stableman, from the chateau of langeais,was following the flowery banks leading
three horses in halters. without doubt the people of the twelve-oared lighter fancied that fouquet was directing his course to these horses readyfor flight, for four or five men, armed with muskets, jumped from the lighter on to the shore, and marched along the banks, asif to gain ground on the horseman. fouquet, satisfied of having forced theenemy to a demonstration, considered his intention evident, and put his boat inmotion again. colbert's people returned likewise totheirs, and the course of the two vessels was resumed with fresh perseverance.
upon seeing this, fouquet felt himselfthreatened closely, and in a prophetic voice--"well, gourville," said he,whisperingly, "what did i say at our last repast, at my house? am i going, or not, to my ruin?""oh! monseigneur!" "these two boats, which follow each otherwith so much emulation, as if we were disputing, m. colbert and i, a prize forswiftness on the loire, do they not aptly represent our fortunes; and do you not believe, gourville, that one of the twowill be wrecked at nantes?" "at least," objected gourville, "there isstill uncertainty; you are about to appear
at the states; you are about to show whatsort of man you are; your eloquence and genius for business are the buckler and sword that will serve to defend you, if notto conquer with. the bretons do not know you; and when theybecome acquainted with you your cause is won! oh! let m. colbert look to it well, for hislighter is as much exposed as yours to being upset. both go quickly, his faster than yours, itis true; we shall see which will be wrecked first."
fouquet, taking gourville's hand--"myfriend," said he, "everything considered, remember the proverb, 'first come, firstserved!' well! m. colbert takes care not to pass me.he is a prudent man is m. colbert." he was right; the two lighters held theircourse as far as nantes, watching each other. when the surintendant landed, gourvillehoped he should be able to seek refuge at once, and have the relays prepared. but, at the landing, the second lighterjoined the first, and colbert, approaching
fouquet, saluted him on the quay with marksof the profoundest respect--marks so significant, so public, that their result was the bringing of the whole populationupon la fosse. fouquet was completely self-possessed; hefelt that in his last moments of greatness he had obligations towards himself. he wished to fall from such a height thathis fall should crush some of his enemies. colbert was there--so much the worse forcolbert. the surintendant, therefore, coming up tohim, replied, with that arrogant semi- closure of the eyes peculiar to him--"what!is that you, m. colbert?"
"to offer you my respects, monseigneur,"said the latter. "were you in that lighter?"--pointing tothe one with twelve rowers. "yes, monseigneur." "of twelve rowers?" said fouquet; "whatluxury, m. colbert. for a moment i thought it was the queen-mother." "monseigneur!"--and colbert blushed. "this is a voyage that will cost those whohave to pay for it dear, monsieur l'intendant!" said fouquet. "but you have, happily, arrived!--you see,however," added he, a moment after, "that
i, who had but eight rowers, arrived beforeyou." and he turned his back towards him, leavinghim uncertain whether the maneuvers of the second lighter had escaped the notice ofthe first. at least he did not give him thesatisfaction of showing that he had been frightened.colbert, so annoyingly attacked, did not give way. "i have not been quick, monseigneur," hereplied, "because i followed your example whenever you stopped." "and why did you do that, monsieurcolbert?" cried fouquet, irritated by the
base audacity; "as you had a superior crewto mine, why did you not either join me or pass me?" "out of respect," said the intendant,bowing to the ground. fouquet got into a carriage which the cityhad sent to him, we know not why or how, and he repaired to la maison de nantes,escorted by a vast crowd of people, who for several days had been agog with expectationof a convocation of the states. scarcely was he installed when gourvillewent out to order horses on the route to poitiers and vannes, and a boat atpaimboef. he performed these various operations withso much mystery, activity, and generosity,
that never was fouquet, then laboring underan attack of fever, more nearly saved, except for the counteraction of that immense disturber of human projects,--chance. a report was spread during the night, thatthe king was coming in great haste on post horses, and would arrive in ten or twelvehours at the latest. the people, while waiting for the king,were greatly rejoiced to see the musketeers, newly arrived, with monsieurd'artagnan, their captain, and quartered in the castle, of which they occupied all theposts, in quality of guard of honor. m. d'artagnan, who was very polite,presented himself, about ten o'clock, at
the lodgings of the surintendant to pay hisrespectful compliments; and although the minister suffered from fever, although he was in such pain as to be bathed in sweat,he would receive m. d'artagnan, who was delighted with that honor, as will be seenby the conversation they had together. chapter xxxviii.friendly advice. fouquet had gone to bed, like a man whoclings to life, and wishes to economize, as much as possible, that slender tissue ofexistence, of which the shocks and frictions of this world so quickly wear outthe tenuity. d'artagnan appeared at the door of thischamber, and was saluted by the
superintendent with a very affable "goodday." "bon jour! monseigneur," replied themusketeer; "how did you get through the journey?""tolerably well, thank you." "and the fever?" "but poorly.i drink, as you perceive. i am scarcely arrived, and i have alreadylevied a contribution of tisane upon nantes." "you should sleep first, monseigneur.""eh! corbleu! my dear monsieur d'artagnan, i should be very glad to sleep.""who hinders you?"
"why, you in the first place." "i?oh, monseigneur!" "no doubt you do.is it at nantes as at paris? do you not come in the king's name?" "for heaven's sake, monseigneur," repliedthe captain, "leave the king alone! the day on which i shall come on the partof the king, for the purpose you mean, take my word for it, i will not leave you longin doubt. you will see me place my hand on my sword,according to the ordonnance, and you will hear my say at once, in ceremonial voice,'monseigneur, in the name of the king, i
arrest you!'" "you promise me that frankness?" said thesuperintendent. "upon my honor!but we have not come to that, believe me." "what makes you think that, m. d'artagnan? for my part, i think quite the contrary.""i have heard speak of nothing of the kind," replied d'artagnan."eh! eh!" said fouquet. "indeed, no. you are an agreeable man, in spite of yourfever. the king should not, cannot help lovingyou, at the bottom of his heart."
fouquet's expression implied doubt. "but m. colbert?" said he; "does m. colbertlove me as much as you say?" "i am not speaking of m. colbert," repliedd'artagnan. "he is an exceptional man. he does not love you; so much is verypossible; but, mordioux! the squirrel can guard himself against the adder with verylittle trouble." "do you know that you are speaking to mequite as a friend?" replied fouquet; "and that, upon my life!i have never met with a man of your intelligence, and heart?"
"you are pleased to say so," repliedd'artagnan. "why did you wait till to-day to pay mesuch a compliment?" "blind that we are!" murmured fouquet. "your voice is getting hoarse," saidd'artagnan; "drink, monseigneur, drink!" and he offered him a cup of tisane, withthe most friendly cordiality; fouquet took it, and thanked him by a gentle smile. "such things only happen to me," said themusketeer. "i have passed ten years under your verybeard, while you were rolling about tons of gold.
you were clearing an annual pension of fourmillions; you never observed me; and you find out there is such a person in theworld, just at the moment you--" "just at the moment i am about to fall,"interrupted fouquet. "that is true, my dear monsieurd'artagnan." "i did not say so." "but you thought so; and that is the samething. well! if i fall, take my word as truth, ishall not pass a single day without saying to myself, as i strike my brow, 'fool!fool!--stupid mortal! you had a monsieur d'artagnan under youreye and hand, and you did not employ him,
you did not enrich him!'""you overwhelm me," said the captain. "i esteem you greatly." "there exists another man, then, who doesnot think as m. colbert thinks," said the surintendant."how this m. colbert looms up in your imagination! he is worse than fever!""oh! i have good cause," said fouquet. "judge for yourself." and he related the details of the course ofthe lighters, and the hypocritical persecution of colbert."is not this a clear sign of my ruin?"
d'artagnan became very serious. "that is true," he said."yes; it has an unsavory odor, as m. de treville used to say."and he fixed on m. fouquet his intelligent and significant look. "am i not clearly designated in that,captain? is not the king bringing me to nantes toget me away from paris, where i have so many creatures, and to possess himself ofbelle-isle?" "where m. d'herblay is," added d'artagnan. fouquet raised his head."as for me, monseigneur," continued
d'artagnan, "i can assure you the king hassaid nothing to me against you." "indeed!" "the king commanded me to set out fornantes, it is true; and to say nothing about it to m. de gesvres.""my friend." "to m. de gesvres, yes, monseigneur,"continued the musketeer, whose eye s did not cease to speak a language differentfrom the language of his lips. "the king, moreover, commanded me to take abrigade of musketeers, which is apparently superfluous, as the country is quitequiet." "a brigade!" said fouquet, raising himselfupon his elbow.
"ninety-six horsemen, yes, monseigneur. the same number as were employed inarresting mm. de chalais, de cinq-mars, and montmorency."fouquet pricked up his ears at these words, pronounced without apparent value. "and what else?" said he."oh! nothing but insignificant orders; such as guarding the castle, guarding everylodging, allowing none of m. de gesvres's guards to occupy a single post." "and as to myself," cried fouquet, "whatorders had you?" "as to you, monseigneur?--not the smallestword."
"monsieur d'artagnan, my safety, my honor,perhaps my life are at stake. you would not deceive me?""i?--to what end? are you threatened? only there really is an order with respectto carriages and boats--" "an order?""yes; but it cannot concern you--a simple measure of police." "what is it, captain?--what is it?""to forbid all horses or boats to leave nantes, without a pass, signed by theking." "great god! but--"
d'artagnan began to laugh."all that is not to be put into execution before the arrival of the king at nantes.so that you see plainly, monseigneur, the order in nowise concerns you." fouquet became thoughtful, and d'artagnanfeigned not to observe his preoccupation. "it is evident, by my thus confiding to youthe orders which have been given to me, that i am friendly towards you, and that iam trying to prove to you that none of them are directed against you." "without doubt!--without doubt!" saidfouquet, still absent. "let us recapitulate," said the captain,his glance beaming with earnestness.
"a special guard about the castle, in whichyour lodging is to be, is it not?" "do you know the castle?""ah! monseigneur, a regular prison! the absence of m. de gesvres, who has thehonor of being one of your friends. the closing of the gates of the city, andof the river without a pass; but, only when the king shall have arrived. please to observe, monsieur fouquet, thatif, instead of speaking to man like you, who are one of the first in the kingdom, iwere speaking to a troubled, uneasy conscience--i should compromise myselfforever. what a fine opportunity for any one whowished to be free!
no police, no guards, no orders; the waterfree, the roads free, monsieur d'artagnan obliged to lend his horses, if required. all this ought to reassure you, monsieurfouquet, for the king would not have left me thus independent, if he had any sinisterdesigns. in truth, monsieur fouquet, ask me whateveryou like, i am at your service; and, in return, if you will consent to do it, do mea service, that of giving my compliments to aramis and porthos, in case you embark for belle-isle, as you have a right to dowithout changing your dress, immediately, in your robe de chambre--just as you are."
saying these words, and with a profoundbow, the musketeer, whose looks had lost none of their intelligent kindness, leftthe apartment. he had not reached the steps of thevestibule, when fouquet, quite beside himself, hung to the bell-rope, andshouted, "my horses!--my lighter!" but nobody answered. the surintendant dressed himself witheverything that came to hand. "gourville!--gourville!" cried he, whileslipping his watch into his pocket. and the bell sounded again, whilst fouquetrepeated, "gourville!--gourville!" gourville at length appeared, breathlessand pale.
"let us be gone! let us be gone!" cried fouquet, as soon ashe saw him. "it is too late!" said the surintendant'spoor friend. "too late!--why?" "listen!"and they heard the sounds of trumpets and drums in front of the castle."what does that mean, gourville?" "it means the king is come, monseigneur." "the king!""the king, who has ridden double stages, who has killed horses, and who is eighthours in advance of all our calculations."
"we are lost!" murmured fouquet. "brave d'artagnan, all is over, thou hasspoken to me too late!" the king, in fact, was entering the city,which soon resounded with the cannon from the ramparts, and from a vessel whichreplied from the lower parts of the river. fouquet's brow darkened; he called hisvalets de chambre and dressed in ceremonial costume. from his window, behind the curtains, hecould see the eagerness of the people, and the movement of a large troop, which hadfollowed the prince. the king was conducted to the castle withgreat pomp, and fouquet saw him dismount
under the portcullis, and say something inthe ear of d'artagnan, who held his stirrup. d'artagnan, when the king had passed underthe arch, directed his steps towards the house fouquet was in; but so slowly, andstopping so frequently to speak to his musketeers, drawn up like a hedge, that it might be said he was counting the seconds,or the steps, before accomplishing his object.fouquet opened the window to speak to him in the court. "ah!" cried d'artagnan, on perceiving him,"are you still there, monseigneur?"
and that word still completed the proof tofouquet of how much information and how many useful counsels were contained in thefirst visit the musketeer had paid him. the surintendant sighed deeply. "good heavens! yes, monsieur," replied he."the arrival of the king has interrupted me in the projects i had formed.""oh, then you know that the king has arrived?" "yes, monsieur, i have seen him; and thistime you come from him--" "to inquire after you, monseigneur; and, ifyour health is not too bad, to beg you to have the kindness to repair to the castle."
"directly, monsieur d'artagnan, directly!" "ah, mordioux!" said the captain, "now theking is come, there is no more walking for anybody--no more free will; the passwordgoverns all now, you as much as me, me as much as you." fouquet heaved a last sigh, climbed withdifficulty into his carriage, so great was his weakness, and went to the castle,escorted by d'artagnan, whose politeness was not less terrifying this time than it had just before been consoling andcheerful. chapter xxxix.how the king, louis xiv., played his little
part. as fouquet was alighting from his carriage,to enter the castle of nantes, a man of mean appearance went up to him with marksof the greatest respect, and gave him a letter. d'artagnan endeavored to prevent this manfrom speaking to fouquet, and pushed him away, but the message had been given to thesurintendant. fouquet opened the letter and read it, andinstantly a vague terror, which d'artagnan did not fail to penetrate, was painted onthe countenance of the first minister. fouquet put the paper into the portfoliowhich he had under his arm, and passed on
towards the king's apartments. d'artagnan, through the small windows madeat every landing of the donjon stairs, saw, as he went up behind fouquet, the man whohad delivered the note, looking round him on the place and making signs to several persons, who disappeared in the adjacentstreets, after having themselves repeated the signals. fouquet was made to wait for a moment onthe terrace of which we have spoken,--a terrace which abutted on the littlecorridor, at the end of which the cabinet of the king was located.
here d'artagnan passed on before thesurintendant, whom, till that time, he had respectfully accompanied, and entered theroyal cabinet. "well?" asked louis xiv., who, onperceiving him, threw on to the table covered with papers a large green cloth."the order is executed, sire." "and fouquet?" "monsieur le surintendant follows me," saidd'artagnan. "in ten minutes let him be introduced,"said the king, dismissing d'artagnan again with a gesture. the latter retired; but had scarcelyreached the corridor at the extremity of
which fouquet was waiting for him, when hewas recalled by the king's bell. "did he not appear astonished?" asked theking. "who, sire?" "fouquet," replied the king, without sayingmonsieur, a peculiarity which confirmed the captain of the musketeers in hissuspicions. "no, sire," replied he. "that's well!"and a second time louis dismissed d'artagnan.fouquet had not quitted the terrace where he had been left by his guide.
he reperused his note, conceived thus:"something is being contrived against you. perhaps they will not dare to carry it outat the castle; it will be on your return home. the house is already surrounded bymusketeers. do not enter.a white horse is in waiting for you behind the esplanade!" fouquet recognized the writing and zeal ofgourville. not being willing that, if any evilhappened to himself, this paper should compromise a faithful friend, thesurintendant was busy tearing it into a
thousand morsels, spread about by the windfrom the balustrade of the terrace. d'artagnan found him watching the snowflakefluttering of the last scraps in space. "monsieur," said he, "the king awaits you." fouquet walked with a deliberate step alongthe little corridor, where mm. de brienne and rose were at work, whilst the duc desaint-aignan, seated on a chair, likewise in the corridor, appeared to be waiting for orders, with feverish impatience, his swordbetween his legs. it appeared strange to fouquet that mm.brienne, rose, and de saint-aignan, in general so attentive and obsequious, shouldscarcely take the least notice, as he, the
surintendant, passed. but how could he expect to find itotherwise among courtiers, he whom the king no longer called anything but fouquet? he raised his head, determined to lookevery one and everything bravely in the face, and entered the king's apartment,where a little bell, which we already know, had already announced him to his majesty. the king, without rising, nodded to him,and with interest: "well! how are you, monsieur fouquet?" said he. "i am in a high fever," replied thesurintendant; "but i am at the king's
service.""that is well; the states assemble to- morrow; have you a speech ready?" fouquet looked at the king withastonishment. "i have not, sire," replied he; "but i willimprovise one. i am too well acquainted with affairs tofeel any embarrassment. i have only one question to ask; will yourmajesty permit me?" "certainly. ask it.""why did not your majesty do his first minister the honor of giving him notice ofthis in paris?"
"you were ill; i was not willing to fatigueyou." "never did a labor--never did anexplanation fatigue me, sire; and since the moment is come for me to demand anexplanation of my king--" "oh, monsieur fouquet! an explanation? an explanation, pray, of what?""of your majesty's intentions with respect to myself."the king blushed. "i have been calumniated," continuedfouquet, warmly, "and i feel called upon to adjure the justice of the king to makeinquiries." "you say all this to me very uselessly,monsieur fouquet; i know what i know."
"your majesty can only know the things thathave been told to you; and i, on my part, have said nothing to you, whilst othershave spoken many, many times--" "what do you wish to say?" said the king,impatient to put an end to this embarrassing conversation. "i will go straight to the facts, sire; andi accuse a certain man of having injured me in your majesty's opinion.""nobody has injured you, monsieur fouquet." "that reply proves to me, sire, that i amright." "monsieur fouquet, i do not like people tobe accused." "not when one is accused?"
"we have already spoken too much about thisaffair." "your majesty will not allow me to justifymyself?" "i repeat that i do not accuse you." fouquet, with a half-bow, made a stepbackward. "it is certain," thought he, "that he hasmade up his mind. he alone who cannot go back can show suchobstinacy. not to see the danger now would be to beblind indeed; not to shun it would be stupid." he resumed aloud, "did your majesty sendfor me on business?"
"no, monsieur fouquet, but for some advicei wish to give you." "i respectfully await it, sire." "rest yourself, monsieur fouquet, do notthrow away your strength; the session of the states will be short, and when mysecretaries shall have closed it, i do not wish business to be talked of in france fora fortnight." "has the king nothing to say to me on thesubject of this assembly of the states?" "no, monsieur fouquet." "not to me, the surintendant of thefinances?" "rest yourself, i beg you; that is all ihave to say to you."
fouquet bit his lips and hung his head. he was evidently busy with some uneasythought. this uneasiness struck the king."are you angry at having to rest yourself, m. fouquet?" said he. "yes, sire, i am not accustomed to takerest." "but you are ill; you must take care ofyourself." "your majesty spoke just now of a speech tobe pronounced to-morrow." his majesty made no reply; this unexpectedstroke embarrassed him. fouquet felt the weight of this hesitation.
he thought he could read danger in the eyesof the young prince, which fear would but precipitate."if i appear frightened, i am lost," thought he. the king, on his part, was only uneasy atthe alarm of fouquet. "has he a suspicion of anything?" murmuredhe. "if his first word is severe," againthought fouquet; "if he becomes angry, or feigns to be angry for the sake of apretext, how shall i extricate myself? let us smooth the declivity a little. gourville was right."
"sire," said he, suddenly, "since thegoodness of the king watches over my health to the point of dispensing with my labor,may i not be allowed to be absent from the council of to-morrow? i could pass the day in bed, and willentreat the king to grant me his physician, that we may endeavor to find a remedyagainst this fearful fever." "so be it, monsieur fouquet, it shall be asyou desire; you shall have a holiday to- morrow, you shall have the physician, andshall be restored to health." "thanks!" said fouquet, bowing. then, opening his game: "shall i not havethe happiness of conducting your majesty to
my residence of belle-isle?"and he looked louis full in the face, to judge of the effect of such a proposal. the king blushed again."do you know," replied he, endeavoring to smile, "that you have just said, 'myresidence of belle-isle'?" "yes, sire." "well! do you not remember," continued theking in the same cheerful tone, "that you gave me belle-isle?""that is true again, sire. only, as you have not taken it, you willdoubtless come with me and take possession of it.""i mean to do so."
"that was, besides, your majesty'sintention as well as mine; and i cannot express to your majesty how happy and proudi have been to see all the king's regiments from paris to help take possession." the king stammered out that he did notbring the musketeers for that alone. "oh, i am convinced of that," said fouquet,warmly; "your majesty knows very well that you have nothing to do but to come alonewith a cane in your hand, to bring to the ground all the fortifications of belle-isle." "peste!" cried the king; "i do not wishthose fine fortifications, which cost so much to build, to fall at all.
no, let them stand against the dutch andenglish. you would not guess what i want to see atbelle-isle, monsieur fouquet; it is the pretty peasants and women of the lands onthe sea-shore, who dance so well, and are so seducing with their scarlet petticoats! i have heard great boast of your prettytenants, monsieur le surintendant; well, let me have a sight of them.""whenever your majesty pleases." "have you any means of transport? it shall be to-morrow, if you like." the surintendant felt this stroke, whichwas not adroit, and replied, "no, sire; i
was ignorant of your majesty's wish; aboveall, i was ignorant of your haste to see belle-isle, and i am prepared withnothing." "you have a boat of your own,nevertheless?" "i have five; but they are all in port, orat paimboeuf; and to join them, or bring them hither, would require at least twenty-four hours. have i any occasion to send a courier? must i do so?""wait a little, put an end to the fever,-- wait till to-morrow.""that is true. who knows but that by to-morrow we may nothave a hundred other ideas?" replied
fouquet, now perfectly convinced and verypale. the king started, and stretched his handout towards his little bell, but fouquet prevented his ringing."sire," said he, "i have an ague--i am trembling with cold. if i remain a moment longer, i shall mostlikely faint. i request your majesty's permission to goand fling myself beneath the bedclothes." "indeed, you are in a shiver; it is painfulto behold! come, monsieur fouquet, begone!i will send to inquire after you." "your majesty overwhelms me with kindness.
in an hour i shall be better.""i will call some one to reconduct you," said the king."as you please, sire; i would gladly take the arm of any one." "monsieur d'artagnan!" cried the king,ringing his little bell. "oh, sire," interrupted fouquet, laughingin such a manner as made the prince feel cold, "would you give me the captain ofyour musketeers to take me to my lodgings? an equivocal honor that, sire! a simple footman, i beg.""and why, m. fouquet? m. d'artagnan conducts me often, andextremely well!"
"yes, but when he conducts you, sire, it isto obey you; whilst me--" "go on!" "if i am obliged to return home supportedby the leader of the musketeers, it would be everywhere said you had had mearrested." "arrested!" replied the king, who becamepaler than fouquet himself,--"arrested! oh!" "and why should they not say so?" continuedfouquet, still laughing; "and i would lay a wager there would be people found wickedenough to laugh at it." this sally disconcerted the monarch.
fouquet was skillful enough, or fortunateenough, to make louis xiv. recoil before the appearance of the deed he meditated. m. d'artagnan, when he appeared, receivedan order to desire a musketeer to accompany the surintendant. "quite unnecessary," said the latter;"sword for sword; i prefer gourville, who is waiting for me below.but that will not prevent me enjoying the society of m. d'artagnan. i am glad he will see belle-isle, he is sogood a judge of fortifications." d'artagnan bowed, without at allcomprehending what was going on.
fouquet bowed again and left the apartment,affecting all the slowness of a man who walks with difficulty.when once out of the castle, "i am saved!" said he. "oh! yes, disloyal king, you shall seebelle-isle, but it shall be when i am no longer there."he disappeared, leaving d'artagnan with the king. "captain," said the king, "you will followm. fouquet at the distance of a hundred paces.""yes, sire." "he is going to his lodgings again.
you will go with him.""yes, sire." "you will arrest him in my name, and willshut him up in a carriage." "in a carriage. well, sire?""in such a fashion that he may not, on the road, either converse with any one or thrownotes to people he may meet." "that will be rather difficult, sire." "not at all.""pardon me, sire, i cannot stifle m. fouquet, and if he asks for liberty tobreathe, i cannot prevent him by closing both the windows and the blinds.
he will throw out at the doors all thecries and notes possible." "the case is provided for, monsieurd'artagnan; a carriage with a trellis will obviate both the difficulties you pointout." "a carriage with an iron trellis!" criedd'artagnan; "but a carriage with an iron trellis is not made in half an hour, andyour majesty commands me to go immediately to m. fouquet's lodgings." "the carriage in question is already made.""ah! that is quite a different thing," said the captain; "if the carriage is readymade, very well, then, we have only to set it in motion."
"it is ready--and the horses harnessed.""ah!" "and the coachman, with the outriders, iswaiting in the lower court of the castle." d'artagnan bowed. "there only remains for me to ask yourmajesty whither i shall conduct m. fouquet.""to the castle of angers, at first." "very well, sire." "afterwards we will see.""yes, sire." "monsieur d'artagnan, one last word: youhave remarked that, for making this capture of m. fouquet, i have not employed myguards, on which account m. de gesvres will
be furious." "your majesty does not employ your guards,"said the captain, a little humiliated, "because you mistrust m. de gesvres, thatis all." "that is to say, monsieur, that i have moreconfidence in you." "i know that very well, sire! and it is ofno use to make so much of it." "it is only for the sake of arriving atthis, monsieur, that if, from this moment, it should happen that by any chancewhatever m. fouquet should escape--such chances have been, monsieur--" "oh! very often, sire; but for others, notfor me."
"and why not with you?""because i, sire, have, for an instant, wished to save m. fouquet." the king started. "because," continued the captain, "i hadthen a right to do so, having guessed your majesty's plan, without you having spokento me of it, and that i took an interest in m. fouquet. now, was i not at liberty to show myinterest in this man?" "in truth, monsieur, you do not reassure mewith regard to your services." "if i had saved him then, i should havebeen perfectly innocent; i will say more, i
should have done well, for m. fouquet isnot a bad man. but he was not willing; his destinyprevailed; he let the hour of liberty slip by.so much the worse! now i have orders, i will obey thoseorders, and m. fouquet you may consider as a man arrested.he is at the castle of angers, this very m. fouquet." "oh! you have not got him yet, captain.""that concerns me; every one to his trade, sire; only, once more, reflect!do you seriously give me orders to arrest m. fouquet, sire?"
"yes, a thousand times, yes!""in writing, sire, then." "here is the order."d'artagnan read it, bowed to the king, and left the room. from the height of the terrace he perceivedgourville, who went by with a joyous air towards the lodgings of m. fouquet. chapter xl:the white horse and the black. "that is rather surprising," saidd'artagnan; "gourville running about the streets so gayly, when he is almost certainthat m. fouquet is in danger; when it is almost equally certain that it was
gourville who warned m. fouquet just now bythe note which was torn into a thousand pieces upon the terrace, and given to thewinds by monsieur le surintendant. gourville is rubbing his hands; that isbecause he has done something clever. whence comes m. gourville?gourville is coming from the rue aux herbes. whither does the rue aux herbes lead?" and d'artagnan followed, along the tops ofthe houses of nantes, dominated by the castle, the line traced by the streets, ashe would have done upon a topographical plan; only, instead of the dead, flat
paper, the living chart rose in relief withthe cries, the movements, and the shadows of men and things. beyond the inclosure of the city, the greatverdant plains stretched out, bordering the loire, and appeared to run towards the pinkhorizon, which was cut by the azure of the waters and the dark green of the marshes. immediately outside the gates of nantes twowhite roads were seen diverging like separate fingers of a gigantic hand. d'artagnan, who had taken in all thepanorama at a glance by crossing the terrace, was led by the line of the rue auxherbes to the mouth of one of those roads
which took its rise under the gates ofnantes. one step more, and he was about to descendthe stairs, take his trellised carriage, and go towards the lodgings of m. fouquet. but chance decreed, at the moment ofplunging into the staircase, that he was attracted by a moving point then gainingground upon that road. "what is that?" said the musketeer tohimself; "a horse galloping,--a runaway horse, no doubt.what a rate he is going at!" the moving point became detached from theroad, and entered into the fields. "a white horse," continued the captain, whohad just observed the color thrown
luminously against the dark ground, "and heis mounted; it must be some boy whose horse is thirsty and has run away with him." these reflections, rapid as lightning,simultaneous with visual perception, d'artagnan had already forgotten when hedescended the first steps of the staircase. some morsels of paper were spread over thestairs, and shone out white against the dirty stones. "eh! eh!" said the captain to himself,"here are some of the fragments of the note torn by m. fouquet. poor man! he has given his secret to thewind; the wind will have no more to do with
it, and brings it back to the king. decidedly, fouquet, you play withmisfortune! the game is not a fair one,-- fortune is against you. the star of louis xiv. obscures yours; theadder is stronger and more cunning than the squirrel."d'artagnan picked up one of these morsels of paper as he descended. "gourville's pretty little hand!" cried he,whilst examining one of the fragments of the note; "i was not mistaken."and he read the word "horse." "stop!" said he; and he examined another,upon which there was not a letter traced.
upon a third he read the word "white;""white horse," repeated he, like a child that is spelling. "ah, mordioux!" cried the suspiciousspirit, "a white horse!" and, like that grain of powder which,burning, dilates into ten thousand times its volume, d'artagnan, enlightened byideas and suspicions, rapidly reascended the stairs towards the terrace. the white horse was still galloping in thedirection of the loire, at the extremity of which, melting into the vapors of thewater, a little sail appeared, wave- balanced like a water-butterfly.
"oh!" cried the musketeer, "only a man whowants to fly would go at that pace across plowed lands; there is but one fouquet, afinancier, to ride thus in open day upon a white horse; there is no one but the lord of belle-isle who would make his escapetowards the sea, while there are such thick forests on land, and there is but oned'artagnan in the world to catch m. fouquet, who has half an hour's start, and who will have gained his boat within anhour." this being said, the musketeer gave ordersthat the carriage with the iron trellis should be taken immediately to a thicketsituated just outside the city.
he selected his best horse, jumped upon hisback, galloped along the rue aux herbes, taking, not the road fouquet had taken, butthe bank itself of the loire, certain that he should gain ten minutes upon the total distance, and, at the intersection of thetwo lines, come up with the fugitive, who could have no suspicion of being pursued inthat direction. in the rapidity of the pursuit, and withthe impatience of the avenger, animating himself as in war, d'artagnan, so mild, sokind towards fouquet, was surprised to find himself become ferocious--almostsanguinary. for a long time he galloped withoutcatching sight of the white horse.
his rage assumed fury, he doubted himself,--he suspected that fouquet had buried himself in some subterranean road, or thathe had changed the white horse for one of those famous black ones, as swift as the wind, which d'artagnan, at saint-mande, hadso frequently admired and envied for their vigor and their fleetness. at such moments, when the wind cut his eyesso as to make the tears spring from them, when the saddle had become burning hot,when the galled and spurred horse reared with pain, and threw behind him a shower of dust and stones, d'artagnan, raisinghimself in his stirrups, and seeing nothing
on the waters, nothing beneath the trees,looked up into the air like a madman. he was losing his senses. in the paroxysms of eagerness he dreamt ofaerial ways,--the discovery of following century; he called to his mind daedalus andthe vast wings that had saved him from the prisons of crete. a hoarse sigh broke from his lips, as herepeated, devoured by the fear of ridicule, "i! i! duped by a gourville! i! they will say that i am growing old,--they will say i have received a million to allow fouquet to escape!"
and he again dug his spurs into the sidesof his horse: he had ridden astonishingly fast. suddenly, at the extremity of some openpasture-ground, behind the hedges, he saw a white form which showed itself,disappeared, and at last remained distinctly visible against the risingground. d'artagnan's heart leaped with joy. he wiped the streaming sweat from his brow,relaxed the tension of his knees,--by which the horse breathed more freely,--and,gathering up his reins, moderated the speed of the vigorous animal, his activeaccomplice on this man-hunt.
he had then time to study the direction ofthe road, and his position with regard to fouquet. the superintendent had completely windedhis horse by crossing the soft ground. he felt the necessity of gaining a firmerfooting, and turned towards the road by the shortest secant line. d'artagnan, on his part, had nothing to dobut to ride straight on, concealed by the sloping shore; so that he would cut hisquarry off the road when he came up with him. then the real race would begin,--then thestruggle would be in earnest.
d'artagnan gave his horse good breathing-time. he observed that the superintendent hadrelaxed into a trot, which was to say, he, too, was favoring his horse. but both of them were too much pressed fortime to allow them to continue long at that pace.the white horse sprang off like an arrow the moment his feet touched firm ground. d'artagnan dropped his head, and his blackhorse broke into a gallop. both followed the same route; the quadrupleechoes of this new race-course were confounded.
fouquet had not yet perceived d'artagnan.but on issuing from the slope, a single echo struck the air; it was that of thesteps of d'artagnan's horse, which rolled along like thunder. fouquet turned round, and saw behind him,within a hundred paces, his enemy bent over the neck of his horse. there could be no doubt--the shiningbaldrick, the red cassock--it was a musketeer. fouquet slackened his hand likewise, andthe white horse placed twenty feet more between his adversary and himself.
"oh, but," thought d'artagnan, becomingvery anxious, "that is not a common horse m. fouquet is upon--let us see!" and he attentively examined with hisinfallible eye the shape and capabilities of the courser. round full quarters--a thin long tail--large hocks--thin legs, as dry as bars of steel--hoofs hard as marble.he spurred his own, but the distance between the two remained the same. d'artagnan listened attentively; not abreath of the horse reached him, and yet he seemed to cut the air.the black horse, on the contrary, began to
puff like any blacksmith's bellows. "i must overtake him, if i kill my horse,"thought the musketeer; and he began to saw the mouth of the poor animal, whilst heburied the rowels of his merciless spurs into his sides. the maddened horse gained twenty toises,and came up within pistol-shot of fouquet. "courage!" said the musketeer to himself,"courage! the white horse will perhaps grow weaker, and if the horse does not fall, themaster must pull up at last." but horse and rider remained uprighttogether, gaining ground by difficult degrees.
d'artagnan uttered a wild cry, which madefouquet turn round, and added speed to the white horse."a famous horse! a mad rider!" growled the captain. "hola! mordioux!monsieur fouquet! stop! in the king's name!"fouquet made no reply. "do you hear me?" shouted d'artagnan, whosehorse had just stumbled. "pardieu!" replied fouquet, laconically;and rode on faster. d'artagnan was nearly mad; the blood rushedboiling to his temples and his eyes. "in the king's name!" cried he again,"stop, or i will bring you down with a
pistol-shot!" "do!" replied fouquet, without relaxing hisspeed. d'artagnan seized a pistol and cocked it,hoping that the double click of the spring would stop his enemy. "you have pistols likewise," said he, "turnand defend yourself." fouquet did turn round at the noise, andlooking d'artagnan full in the face, opened, with his right hand, the part ofhis dress which concealed his body, but he did not even touch his holsters. there were not more than twenty pacesbetween the two.
"mordioux!" said d'artagnan, "i will notassassinate you; if you will not fire upon me, surrender! what is a prison?" "i would rather die!" replied fouquet; "ishall suffer less." d'artagnan, drunk with despair, hurled hispistol to the ground. "i will take you alive!" said he; and by aprodigy of skill which this incomparable horseman alone was capable, he threw hishorse forward to within ten paces of the white horse; already his hand was stretchedout to seize his prey. "kill me! kill me!" cried fouquet, "'twouldbe more humane!" "no! alive--alive!" murmured the captain.
at this moment his horse made a false stepfor the second time, and fouquet's again took the lead. it was an unheard-of spectacle, this racebetween two horses which now only kept alive by the will of their riders.it might be said that d'artagnan rode, carrying his horse along between his knees. to the furious gallop had succeeded thefast trot, and that had sunk to what might be scarcely called a trot at all.but the chase appeared equally warm in the two fatigued athletoe. d'artagnan, quite in despair, seized hissecond pistol, and cocked it.
"at your horse! not at you!" cried he tofouquet. and he fired. the animal was hit in the quarters--he madea furious bound, and plunged forward. at that moment d'artagnan's horse felldead. "i am dishonored!" thought the musketeer;"i am a miserable wretch! for pity's sake, m. fouquet, throw me one of your pistols,that i may blow out my brains!" but fouquet rode away. "for mercy's sake! for mercy's sake!" criedd'artagnan; "that which you will not do at this moment, i myself will do within anhour, but here, upon this road, i should
die bravely; i should die esteemed; do methat service, m. fouquet!" m. fouquet made no reply, but continued totrot on. d'artagnan began to run after his enemy. successively he threw away his hat, hiscoat, which embarrassed him, and then the sheath of his sword, which got between hislegs as he was running. the sword in his hand itself became tooheavy, and he threw it after the sheath. the white horse began to rattle in itsthroat; d'artagnan gained upon him. from a trot the exhausted animal sunk to astaggering walk--the foam from his mouth was mixed with blood.
d'artagnan made a desperate effort, sprangtowards fouquet, and seized him by the leg, saying in a broken, breathless voice, "iarrest you in the king's name! blow my brains out, if you like; we have both doneour duty." fouquet hurled far from him, into theriver, the two pistols d'artagnan might have seized, and dismounting from hishorse--"i am your prisoner, monsieur," said he; "will you take my arm, for i see youare ready to faint?" "thanks!" murmured d'artagnan, who, infact, felt the earth sliding from under his feet, and the light of day turning toblackness around him; then he rolled upon the sand, without breath or strength.
fouquet hastened to the brink of the river,dipped some water in his hat, with which he bathed the temples of the musketeer, andintroduced a few drop between his lips. d'artagnan raised himself with difficulty,and looked about him with a wandering eye. he beheld fouquet on his knees, with hiswet hat in his hand, smiling upon him with ineffable sweetness. "you are not off, then?" cried he."oh, monsieur! the true king of royalty, in heart, in soul, is not louis of the louvre,or philippe of sainte-marguerite; it is you, proscribed, condemned!" "i, who this day am ruined by a singleerror, m. d'artagnan."
"what, in the name of heaven, is that?""i should have had you for a friend! but how shall we return to nantes? we are a great way from it.""that is true," said d'artagnan, gloomily. "the white horse will recover, perhaps; heis a good horse! mount, monsieur d'artagnan; i will walktill you have rested a little." "poor beast! and wounded, too?" said themusketeer. "he will go, i tell you; i know him; but wecan do better still, let us both get up, and ride slowly.""we can try," said the captain. but they had scarcely charged the animalwith this double load, when he began to
stagger, and then with a great effortwalked a few minutes, then staggered again, and sank down dead by the side of the black horse, which he had just managed to come upto. "we will go on foot--destiny wills it so--the walk will be pleasant," said fouquet, passing his arm through that of d'artagnan. "mordioux!" cried the latter, with a fixedeye, a contracted brow, and a swelling heart--"what a disgraceful day!" they walked slowly the four leagues whichseparated them from the little wood behind which the carriage and escort were inwaiting.
when fouquet perceived that sinistermachine, he said to d'artagnan, who cast down his eyes, ashamed of louis xiv.,"there is an idea that did not emanate from a brave man, captain d'artagnan; it is notyours. what are these gratings for?" said he."to prevent your throwing letters out." "ingenious!" "but you can speak, if you cannot write,"said d'artagnan. "can i speak to you?""why, certainly, if you wish to do so." fouquet reflected for a moment, thenlooking the captain full in the face, "one single word," said he; "will you rememberit?"
"i will not forget it." "will you speak it to whom i wish?""i will." "saint-mande," articulated fouquet, in alow voice. "well! and for whom?" "for madame de belliere or pelisson.""it shall be done." the carriage rolled through nantes, andtook the route to angers. chapter xli.in which the squirrel falls,--the adder flies. it was two o'clock in the afternoon.the king, full of impatience, went to his
cabinet on the terrace, and kept openingthe door of the corridor, to see what his secretaries were doing. m. colbert, seated in the same place m. desaint-aignan had so long occupied in the morning, was chatting in a low voice withm. de brienne. the king opened the door suddenly, andaddressed them. "what is it you are saying?""we were speaking of the first sitting of the states," said m. de brienne, rising. "very well," replied the king, and returnedto his room. five minutes after, the summons of the bellrecalled rose, whose hour it was.
"have you finished your copies?" asked theking. "not yet, sire.""see if m. d'artagnan has returned." "not yet, sire." "it is very strange," murmured the king."call m. colbert." colbert entered; he had been expecting thisall the morning. "monsieur colbert," said the king, verysharply; "you must ascertain what has become of m. d'artagnan." colbert in his calm voice replied, "wheredoes your majesty desire him to be sought for?"
"eh! monsieur! do you not know on what ihave sent him?" replied louis, acrimoniously."your majesty did not inform me." "monsieur, there are things that must beguessed; and you, above all, are apt to guess them.""i might have been able to imagine, sire; but i do not presume to be positive." colbert had not finished these words when arougher voice than that of the king interrupted the interesting conversationthus begun between the monarch and his clerk. "d'artagnan!" cried the king, with evidentjoy.
d'artagnan, pale and in evidently badhumor, cried to the king, as he entered, "sire, is it your majesty who has givenorders to my musketeers?" "what orders?" said the king. "about m. fouquet's house?""none!" replied louis. "ha!" said d'artagnan, biting his mustache;"i was not mistaken, then; it was monsieur here;" and he pointed to colbert. "what orders?let me know," said the king. "orders to turn the house topsy-turvy, tobeat m. fouquet's servants, to force the drawers, to give over a peaceful house topillage!
mordioux! these are savage orders!" "monsieur!" said colbert, turning pale. "monsieur," interrupted d'artagnan, "theking alone, understand,--the king alone has a right to command my musketeers; but, asto you, i forbid you to do it, and i tell you so before his majesty; gentlemen who carry swords do not sling pens behind theirears." "d'artagnan!d'artagnan!" murmured the king. "it is humiliating," continued themusketeer; "my soldiers are disgraced. i do not command reitres, thank you, norclerks of the intendant, mordioux!"
"well! but what is all this about?" saidthe king with authority. "about this, sire; monsieur--monsieur, whocould not guess your majesty's orders, and consequently could not know i was gone toarrest m. fouquet; monsieur, who has caused the iron cage to be constructed for his patron of yesterday--has sent m. deroncherolles to the lodgings of m. fouquet, and, under the pretense of securing thesurintendant's papers, they have taken away the furniture. my musketeers have been posted round thehouse all the morning; such were my orders. why did any one presume to order them toenter?
why, by forcing them to assist in thispillage, have they been made accomplices in it?mordioux! we serve the king, we do; but we do not serve m. colbert!" "monsieur d'artagnan," said the king,sternly, "take care; it is not in my presence that such explanations, and madein such a tone, should take place." "i have acted for the good of the king,"said colbert, in a faltering voice. "it is hard to be so treated by one of yourmajesty's officers, and that without redress, on account of the respect i owethe king." "the respect you owe the king," criedd'artagnan, his eyes flashing fire,
"consists, in the first place, in makinghis authority respected, and his person beloved. every agent of a power without controlrepresents that power, and when people curse the hand which strikes them, it isthe royal hand that god reproaches, do you hear? must a soldier, hardened by forty years ofwounds and blood, give you this lesson, monsieur?must mercy be on my side, and ferocity on yours? you have caused the innocent to bearrested, bound, and imprisoned!"
"accomplices, perhaps, of m. fouquet," saidcolbert. "who told you m. fouquet had accomplices,or even that he was guilty? the king alone knows that; his justice isnot blind! when he says, 'arrest and imprison' suchand such a man, he is obeyed. do not talk to me, then, any more of therespect you owe the king, and be careful of your words, that they may not chance toconvey the slightest menace; for the king will not allow those to be threatened who do him service by others who do himdisservice; and if in case i should have, which god forbid! a master so ungrateful, iwould make myself respected."
thus saying, d'artagnan took his stationhaughtily in the king's cabinet, his eyes flashing, his hand on his sword, his lipstrembling, affecting much more anger than he really felt. colbert, humiliated and devoured with rage,bowed to the king as if to ask his permission to leave the room.the king, thwarted alike in pride and in curiosity, knew not which part to take. d'artagnan saw him hesitate. to remain longer would have been a mistake:it was necessary to score a triumph over colbert, and the only method was to touchthe king so near the quick, that his
majesty would have no other means of extrication but choosing between the twoantagonists. d'artagnan bowed as colbert had done; butthe king, who, in preference to everything else, was anxious to have all the exactdetails of the arrest of the surintendant of the finances from him who had made him tremble for a moment,--the king, perceivingthat the ill-humor of d'artagnan would put off for half an hour at least the detailshe was burning to be acquainted with,-- louis, we say, forgot colbert, who had nothing new to tell him, and recalled hiscaptain of the musketeers.
"in the first place," said he, "let me seethe result of your commission, monsieur; you may rest yourself hereafter." d'artagnan, who was just passing throughthe doorway, stopped at the voice of the king, retraced his steps, and colbert wasforced to leave the closet. his countenance assumed almost a purplehue, his black and threatening eyes shone with a dark fire beneath their thick brows;he stepped out, bowed before the king, half drew himself up in passing d'artagnan, andwent away with death in his heart. d'artagnan, on being left alone with theking, softened immediately, and composing his countenance: "sire," said he, "you area young king.
it is by the dawn that people judge whetherthe day will be fine or dull. how, sire, will the people, whom the handof god has placed under your law, argue of your reign, if between them and you, youallow angry and violent ministers to interpose their mischief? but let us speak of myself, sire, let usleave a discussion that may appear idle, and perhaps inconvenient to you.let us speak of myself. i have arrested m. fouquet." "you took plenty of time about it," saidthe king, sharply. d'artagnan looked at the king."i perceive that i have expressed myself
badly. i announced to your majesty that i hadarrested monsieur fouquet." "you did; and what then?""well! i ought to have told your majesty that m.fouquet had arrested me; that would have been more just.i re-establish the truth, then; i have been arrested by m. fouquet." it was now the turn of louis xiv. to besurprised. his majesty was astonished in his turn. d'artagnan, with his quick glance,appreciated what was passing in the heart
of his master.he did not allow him time to put any questions. he related, with that poetry, thatpicturesqueness, which perhaps he alone possessed at that period, the escape offouquet, the pursuit, the furious race, and, lastly, the inimitable generosity of the surintendant, who might have fled tentimes over, who might have killed the adversary in the pursuit, but who hadpreferred imprisonment, perhaps worse, to the humiliation of one who wished to robhim of his liberty. in proportion as the tale advanced, theking became agitated, devouring the
narrator's words, and drumming with hisfinger-nails upon the table. "it results from all this, sire, in myeyes, at least, that the man who conducts himself thus is a gallant man, and cannotbe an enemy to the king. that is my opinion, and i repeat it to yourmajesty. i know what the king will say to me, and ibow to it,--reasons of state. so be it! to my ears that sounds highly respectable.but i am a soldier, and i have received my orders, my orders are executed--veryunwillingly on my part, it is true, but they are executed.
i say no more.""where is m. fouquet at this moment?" asked louis, after a short silence. "m. fouquet, sire," replied d'artagnan, "isin the iron cage that m. colbert had prepared for him, and is galloping as fastas four strong horses can drag him, towards angers." "why did you leave him on the road?""because your majesty did not tell me to go to angers. the proof, the best proof of what iadvance, is that the king desired me to be sought for but this minute.and then i had another reason."
"what is that?" "whilst i was with him, poor m. fouquetwould never attempt to escape." "well!" cried the king, astonished. "your majesty ought to understand, and doesunderstand, certainly, that my warmest wish is to know that m. fouquet is at liberty. i have given him one of my brigadiers, themost stupid i could find among my musketeers, in order that the prisonermight have a chance of escaping." "are you mad, monsieur d'artagnan?" criedthe king, crossing his arms on his breast. "do people utter such enormities, even whenthey have the misfortune to think them?"
"ah! sire, you cannot expect that i shouldbe an enemy to m. fouquet, after what he has just done for you and me. no, no; if you desire that he should remainunder your lock and bolt, never give him in charge to me; however closely wired mightbe the cage, the bird would, in the end, take wing." "i am surprised," said the king, in hissternest tone, "you did not follow the fortunes of the man m. fouquet wished toplace upon my throne. you had in him all you want--affection,gratitude. in my service, monsieur, you will only finda master."
"if m. fouquet had not gone to seek you inthe bastile, sire," replied d'artagnan, with a deeply impressive manner, "onesingle man would have gone there, and i should have been that man--you know thatright well, sire." the king was brought to a pause. before that speech of his captain of themusketeers, so frankly spoken and so true, the king had nothing to offer. on hearing d'artagnan, louis remembered thed'artagnan of former times; him who, at the palais royal, held himself concealed behindthe curtains of his bed, when the people of paris, led by cardinal de retz, came to
assure themselves of the presence of theking; the d'artagnan whom he saluted with his hand at the door of his carriage, whenrepairing to notre dame on his return to paris; the soldier who had quitted his service at blois; the lieutenant he hadrecalled to be beside his person when the death of mazarin restored his power; theman he had always found loyal, courageous, devoted. louis advanced towards the door and calledcolbert. colbert had not left the corridor where thesecretaries were at work. he reappeared.
"colbert, did you make a perquisition onthe house of m. fouquet?" "yes, sire.""what has it produced?" "m. de roncherolles, who was sent with yourmajesty's musketeers, has remitted me some papers," replied colbert."i will look at them. give me your hand." "my hand, sire!""yes, that i may place it in that of m. d'artagnan. in fact, m. d'artagnan," added he, with asmile, turning towards the soldier, who, at sight of the clerk, had resumed his haughtyattitude, "you do not know this man; make
his acquaintance." and he pointed to colbert."he has been made but a moderately valuable servant in subaltern positions, but he willbe a great man if i raise him to the foremost rank." "sire!" stammered colbert, confused withpleasure and fear. "i always understood why," murmuredd'artagnan in the king's ear; "he was jealous." "precisely, and his jealousy confined hiswings." "he will henceforward be a winged-serpent,"grumbled the musketeer, with a remnant of
hatred against his recent adversary. but colbert, approaching him, offered tohis eyes a physiognomy so different from that which he had been accustomed to seehim wear; he appeared so good, so mild, so easy; his eyes took the expression of an intelligence so noble, that d'artagnan, aconnoisseur in physiognomies, was moved, and almost changed in his convictions.colbert pressed his hand. "that which the king has just told you,monsieur, proves how well his majesty is acquainted with men. the inveterate opposition i have displayed,up to this day, against abuses and not
against men, proves that i had it in viewto prepare for my king a glorious reign, for my country a great blessing. i have many ideas, m. d'artagnan. you will see them expand in the sun ofpublic peace; and if i have not the good fortune to conquer the friendship of honestmen, i am at least certain, monsieur, that i shall obtain their esteem. for their admiration, monsieur, i wouldgive my life." this change, this sudden elevation, thismute approbation of the king, gave the musketeer matter for profound reflection.
he bowed civilly to colbert, who did nottake his eyes off him. the king, when he saw they were reconciled,dismissed them. they left the room together. as soon as they were out of the cabinet,the new minister, stopping the captain, said: "is it possible, m. d'artagnan, that withsuch an eye as yours, you did not, at the first glance, at the first impression,discover what sort of man i am?" "monsieur colbert," replied the musketeer,"a ray of the sun in our eyes prevents us from seeing the most vivid flame.
the man in power radiates, you know; andsince you are there, why should you continue to persecute him who had justfallen into disgrace, and fallen from such a height?" "i, monsieur!" said colbert; "oh, monsieur!i would never persecute him. i wished to administer the finances and toadminister them alone, because i am ambitious, and, above all, because i havethe most entire confidence in my own merit; because i know that all the gold of this country will ebb and flow beneath my eyes,and i love to look at the king's gold; because, if i live thirty years, in thirtyyears not a denir of it will remain in my
hands; because, with that gold, i will build granaries, castles, cities, andharbors; because i will create a marine, i will equip navies that shall waft the nameof france to the most distant people; because i will create libraries and academies; because i will make france thefirst country in the world, and the wealthiest. these are the motives for my animosityagainst m. fouquet, who prevented my acting. and then, when i shall be great and strong,when france is great and strong, in my
turn, then, will i cry, 'mercy'!""mercy, did you say? then ask his liberty of the king. the king is only crushing him on youraccount." colbert again raised his head. "monsieur," said he, "you know that is notso, and that the king has his own personal animosity against m. fouquet; it is not forme to teach you that." "but the king will grow tired; he willforget." "the king never forgets, m. d'artagnan.hark! the king calls. he is going to issue an order.
i have not influenced him, have i?listen." the king, in fact, was calling hissecretaries. "monsieur d'artagnan," said he. "i am here, sire.""give twenty of your musketeers to m. de saint-aignan, to form a guard for m.fouquet." d'artagnan and colbert exchanged looks. "and from angers," continued the king,"they will conduct the prisoner to the bastile, in paris.""you were right," said the captain to the minister.
"saint-aignan," continued the king, "youwill have any one shot who shall attempt to speak privately with m. fouquet, during thejourney." "but myself, sire," said the duke. "you, monsieur, you will only speak to himin the presence of the musketeers." the duke bowed and departed to execute hiscommission. d'artagnan was about to retire likewise;but the king stopped him. "monsieur," said he, "you will goimmediately, and take possession of the isle and fief of belle-ile-en-mer." "yes, sire.alone?"
"you will take a sufficient number oftroops to prevent delay, in case the place should be contumacious." a murmur of courtly incredulity rose fromthe group of courtiers. "that shall be done," said d'artagnan. "i saw the place in my infancy," resumedthe king, "and i do not wish to see it again.you have heard me? go, monsieur, and do not return without thekeys." colbert went up to d'artagnan. "a commission which, if you carry it outwell," said he, "will be worth a marechal's
baton to you.""why do you employ the words, 'if you carry it out well'?" "because it is difficult.""ah! in what respect?" "you have friends in belle-isle, monsieurd'artagnan; and it is not an easy thing for men like you to march over the bodies oftheir friends to obtain success." d'artagnan hung his head in deepestthought, whilst colbert returned to the a quarter of an hour after, the captainreceived the written order from the king, to blow up the fortress of belle-isle, incase of resistance, with power of life and death over all the inhabitants or refugees,
and an injunction not to allow one toescape. "colbert was right," thought d'artagnan;"for me the baton of a marechal of france will cost the lives of my two friends. only they seem to forget that my friendsare not more stupid than the birds, and that they will not wait for the hand of thefowler to extend over their wings. i will show them that hand so plainly, thatthey will have quite time enough to see it. poor porthos!poor aramis! no; my fortune should shall not cost yourwings a feather." having thus determined, d'artagnanassembled the royal army, embarked it at
paimboeuf, and set sail, without the lossof an unnecessary minute. chapter xlii.belle-ile-en-mer. at the extremity of the mole, against whichthe furious sea beats at the evening tide, two men, holding each other by the arm,were conversing in an animated and expansive tone, without the possibility of any other human being hearing their words,borne away, as they were, one by one, by the gusts of wind, with the white foamswept from the crests of the waves. the sun had just gone down in the vastsheet of the crimsoned ocean, like a gigantic crucible.
from time to time, one of these men,turning towards the east, cast an anxious, inquiring look over the sea. the other, interrogating the features ofhis companion, seemed to seek for information in his looks.then, both silent, busied with dismal thoughts, they resumed their walk. every one has already perceived that thesetwo men were our proscribed heroes, porthos and aramis, who had taken refuge in belle-isle, since the ruin of their hopes, since the discomfiture of the colossal schemes ofm. d'herblay. "if is of no use your saying anything tothe contrary, my dear aramis," repeated
porthos, inhaling vigorously the saltbreeze with which he charged his massive chest, "it is of no use, aramis. the disappearance of all the fishing-boatsthat went out two days ago is not an ordinary circumstance. there has been no storm at sea; the weatherhas been constantly calm, not even the lightest gale; and even if we had had atempest, all our boats would not have foundered. i repeat, it is strange.this complete disappearance astonishes me, i tell you.""true," murmured aramis.
"you are right, friend porthos; it is true,there is something strange in it." "and further," added porthos, whose ideasthe assent of the bishop of vannes seemed to enlarge; "and, further, do you notobserve that if the boats have perished, not a single plank has washed ashore?" "i have remarked it as well as yourself.""and do you not think it strange that the two only boats we had left in the wholeisland, and which i sent in search of the others--" aramis here interrupted his companion by acry, and by so sudden a movement, that porthos stopped as if he were stupefied."what do you say, porthos?
what!--you have sent the two boats--" "in search of the others!yes, to be sure i have," replied porthos, calmly."unhappy man! what have you done? then we are indeed lost," cried the bishop."lost!--what did you say?" exclaimed the terrified porthos."how lost, aramis? how are we lost?" aramis bit his lips."nothing! nothing! your pardon, i meant to say--""what?"
"that if we were inclined--if we took afancy to make an excursion by sea, we could not.""very good! and why should that vex you? a precious pleasure, ma foi! for my part, i don't regret it at all.what i regret is certainly not the more or less amusement we can find at belle-isle:what i regret, aramis, is pierrefonds; bracieux; le vallon; beautiful france! here, we are not in france, my dear friend;we are--i know not where. oh! i tell you, in full sincerity of soul,and your affection will excuse my frankness, but i declare to you i am nothappy at belle-isle.
no; in good truth, i am not happy!" aramis breathed a long, but stifled sigh."dear friend," replied he: "that is why it is so sad a thing you have sent the twoboats we had left in search of the boats which disappeared two days ago. if you had not sent them away, we wouldhave departed." "'departed!'and the orders, aramis?" "what orders?" "parbleu!why, the orders you have been constantly, in and out of season, repeating to me--thatwe were to hold belle-isle against the
usurper. you know very well!""that is true!" murmured aramis again. "you see, then, plainly, my friend, that wecould not depart; and that the sending away of the boats in search of the others cannotprove prejudicial to us in the very least." aramis was silent; and his vague glances,luminous as that of an albatross, hovered for a long time over the sea, interrogatingspace, seeking to pierce the very horizon. "with all that, aramis," continued porthos,who adhered to his idea, and that the more closely from the bishop having apparentlyendorsed it,--"with all that, you give me no explanation about what can have happenedto these unfortunate boats.
i am assailed by cries and complaintswhichever way i go. the children cry to see the desolation ofthe women, as if i could restore the absent husbands and fathers.what do you suppose, my friend, and how ought i to answer them?" "think all you like, my good porthos, andsay nothing." this reply did not satisfy porthos at all.he turned away grumbling something in ill- humor. aramis stopped the valiant musketeer. "do you remember," said he, in a melancholytone, kneading the two hands of the giant
between his own with affectionatecordiality, "do you remember, my friend, that in the glorious days of youth--do you remember, porthos, when we were all strongand valiant--we, and the other two--if we had then had an inclination to return tofrance, do you think this sheet of salt water would have stopped us?" "oh!" said porthos; "but six leagues.""if you had seen me get astride of a plank, would you have remained on land, porthos?""no, pardieu! no, aramis. but, nowadays, what sort of a plank shouldwe want, my friend!
i, in particular." and the seigneur de bracieux cast aprofound glance over his colossal rotundity with a loud laugh. "and do you mean seriously to say you arenot tired of belle-isle a little, and that you would not prefer the comforts of yourdwelling--of your episcopal palace, at vannes? come, confess.""no," replied aramis, without daring to look at porthos. "let us stay where we are, then," said hisfriend, with a sigh, which, in spite of the
efforts he made to restrain it, escaped hisechoing breast. "let us remain!--let us remain! and yet," added he, "and yet, if weseriously wished, but that decidedly--if we had a fixed idea, one firmly taken, toreturn to france, and there were not boats- -" "have you remarked another thing, myfriend--that is, since the disappearance of our barks, during the last two days'absence of fishermen, not a single small boat has landed on the shores of the isle?" "yes, certainly! you are right.i, too, have remarked it, and the
observation was the more naturally made,for, before the last two fatal days, barks and shallops were as plentiful as shrimps." "i must inquire," said aramis, suddenly,and with great agitation. "and then, if we had a raft constructed--""but there are some canoes, my friend; shall i board one?" "a canoe!--a canoe!can you think of such a thing, porthos? a canoe to be upset in.no, no," said the bishop of vannes; "it is not our trade to ride upon the waves. we will wait, we will wait."and aramis continued walking about with
increased agitation. porthos, who grew tired of following allthe feverish movements of his friend-- porthos, who in his faith and calmnessunderstood nothing of the sort of exasperation which was betrayed by his companion's continual convulsive starts--porthos stopped him. "let us sit down upon this rock," said he. "place yourself there, close to me, aramis,and i conjure you, for the last time, to explain to me in a manner i can comprehend--explain to me what we are doing here." "porthos," said aramis, much embarrassed.
"i know that the false king wished todethrone the true king. that is a fact, that i understand.well--" "yes?" said aramis. "i know that the false king formed theproject of selling belle-isle to the english.i understand that, too." "yes?" "i know that we engineers and captains cameand threw ourselves into belle-isle to take direction of the works, and the command often companies levied and paid by m. fouquet, or rather the ten companies of hisson-in-law.
all that is plain."aramis rose in a state of great impatience. he might be said to be a lion importuned bya gnat. porthos held him by the arm. "but what i cannot understand, what, inspite of all the efforts of my mind, and all my reflections, i cannot comprehend,and never shall comprehend, is, that instead of sending us troops, instead of sending us reinforcements of men,munitions, provisions, they leave us without boats, they leave belle-islewithout arrivals, without help; it is that instead of establishing with us a
correspondence, whether by signals, orwritten or verbal communications, all relations with the shore are intercepted. tell me, aramis, answer me, or rather,before answering me, will you allow me to tell you what i have thought?will you hear what my idea is, the plan i have conceived?" the bishop raised his head."well! aramis," continued porthos, "i havedreamed, i have imagined that an event has taken place in france. i dreamt of m. fouquet all the night, oflifeless fish, of broken eggs, of chambers
badly furnished, meanly kept.villainous dreams, my dear d'herblay; very unlucky, such dreams!" "porthos, what is that yonder?" interruptedaramis, rising suddenly, and pointing out to his friend a black spot upon theempurpled line of the water. "a bark!" said porthos; "yes, it is a bark! ah! we shall have some news at last.""there are two!" cried the bishop, on discovering another mast; "two! three!four!" "five!" said porthos, in his turn. "six! seven!ah! mon dieu! mon dieu! it is a fleet!"
"our boats returning, probably," saidaramis, very uneasily, in spite of the assurance he affected. "they are very large for fishing-boats,"observed porthos, "and do you not remark, my friend, that they come from the loire?""they come from the loire--yes--" "and look! everybody here sees them as wellas ourselves; look, women and children are beginning to crowd the jetty."an old fisherman passed. "are those our barks, yonder?" askedaramis. the old man looked steadily into the eye ofthe horizon. "no, monseigneur," replied he, "they arelighter boars, boats in the king's
service.""boats in the royal service?" replied aramis, starting. "how do you know that?" said he."by the flag." "but," said porthos, "the boat is scarcelyvisible; how the devil, my friend, can you distinguish the flag?" "i see there is one," replied the old man;"our boats, trade lighters, do not carry any.that sort of craft is generally used for transport of troops." "ah!" groaned aramis."vivat!" cried porthos, "they are sending
us reinforcements, don't you think theyare, aramis?" "probably." "unless it is the english coming.""by the loire? that would have an evil look, porthos; forthey must have come through paris!" "you are right; they are reinforcements,decidedly, or provisions." aramis leaned his head upon his hands, andmade no reply. then, all at once,--"porthos," said he,"have the alarm sounded." "the alarm! do you imagine such a thing?" "yes, and let the cannoniers mount theirbatteries, the artillerymen be at their
pieces, and be particularly watchful of thecoast batteries." porthos opened his eyes to their widestextent. he looked attentively at his friend, toconvince himself he was in his proper senses. "i will do it, my dear porthos," continuedaramis, in his blandest tone; "i will go and have these orders executed myself, ifyou do not go, my friend." "well! i will--instantly!" said porthos, who wentto execute the orders, casting all the while looks behind him, to see if thebishop of vannes were not deceived; and if,
on recovering more rational ideas, he wouldnot recall him. the alarm was sounded, trumpets brayed,drums rolled; the great bronze bell swung in horror from its lofty belfry. the dikes and moles were quickly filledwith the curious and soldiers; matches sparkled in the hands of the artillerymen,placed behind the large cannon bedded in their stone carriages. when every man was at his post, when allthe preparations for defense were made: "permit me, aramis, to try to comprehend,"whispered porthos, timidly, in aramis's ear.
"my dear friend, you will comprehend buttoo soon," murmured m. d'herblay, in reply to this question of his lieutenant. "the fleet which is coming yonder, withsails unfurled, straight towards the port of belle-isle, is a royal fleet, is itnot?" "but as there are two kings in france,porthos, to which of these two kings does this fleet belong?""oh! you open my eyes," replied the giant, stunned by the insinuation. and porthos, whose eyes this reply of hisfriend's had at last opened, or rather thickened the bandage which covered hissight, went with his best speed to the
batteries to overlook his people, andexhort every one to do his duty. in the meantime, aramis, with his eye fixedon the horizon, saw the ships continually drawing nearer. the people and the soldiers, perched on thesummits of the rocks, could distinguish the masts, then the lower sails, and at lastthe hulls of the lighters, bearing at the masthead the royal flag of france. it was night when one of these vessels,which had created such a sensation among the inhabitants of belle-isle, droppedanchor within cannon shot of the place. it was soon seen, notwithstanding thedarkness, that some sort of agitation
reigned on board the vessel, from the sideof which a skiff was lowered, of which the three rowers, bending to their oars, took the direction of the port, and in a fewinstants struck land at the foot of the fort.the commander jumped ashore. he had a letter in his hand, which he wavedin the air, and seemed to wish to communicate with somebody. this man was soon recognized by severalsoldiers as one of the pilots of the island. he was the captain of one of the two barksretained by aramis, but which porthos, in
his anxiety with regard to the fate of thefishermen who had disappeared, had sent in search of the missing boats. he asked to be conducted to m. d'herblay.two soldiers, at a signal from a sergeant, marched him between them, and escorted him.aramis was upon the quay. the envoy presented himself before thebishop of vannes. the darkness was almost absolute,notwithstanding the flambeaux borne at a small distance by the soldiers who werefollowing aramis in his rounds. "well, jonathan, from whom do you come?" "monseigneur, from those who captured me.""who captured you?"
"you know, monseigneur, we set out insearch of our comrades?" "yes; and afterwards?" "well! monseigneur, within a short leaguewe were captured by a chasse maree belonging to the king.""ah!" said aramis. "of which king?" cried porthos. jonathan started."speak!" continued the bishop. "we were captured, monseigneur, and joinedto those who had been taken yesterday morning." "what was the cause of the mania forcapturing you all?" said porthos.
"monsieur, to prevent us from telling you,"replied jonathan. porthos was again at a loss to comprehend. "and they have released you to-day?" askedhe. "that i might tell you they have capturedus, monsieur." "trouble upon trouble," thought honestporthos. during this time aramis was reflecting."humph!" said he, "then i suppose it is a royal fleet blockading the coasts?" "yes, monseigneur.""who commands it?" "the captain of the king's musketeers.""d'artagnan?"
"d'artagnan!" exclaimed porthos. "i believe that is the name.""and did he give you this letter?" "yes, monseigneur.""bring the torches nearer." "it is his writing," said porthos. aramis eagerly read the following lines: "order of the king to take belle-isle; orto put the garrison to the sword, if they resist; order to make prisoners of all themen of the garrison; signed, d'artagnan, who, the day before yesterday, arrested m. fouquet, for the purpose of his being sentto the bastile."
aramis turned pale, and crushed the paperin his hands. "what is it?" asked porthos. "nothing, my friend, nothing.""tell me, jonathan?" "monseigneur?""did you speak to m. d'artagnan?" "what did he say to you?""that for ampler information, he would speak with monseigneur.""where?" "on board his own vessel." "on board his vessel!" and porthosrepeated, "on board his vessel!" "m. le mousquetaire," continued jonathan,"told me to take you both on board my
canoe, and bring you to him." "let us go at once," exclaimed porthos."dear d'artagnan!" but aramis stopped him."are you mad?" cried he. "who knows that it is not a snare?" "of the other king's?" said porthos,mysteriously. "a snare, in fact!that's what it is, my friend." "very possibly; what is to be done, then? if d'artagnan sends for us--""who assures you that d'artagnan sends for us?""well, but--but his writing--"
"writing is easily counterfeited. this looks counterfeited--unsteady--""you are always right; but, in the meantime, we know nothing."aramis was silent. "it is true," said the good porthos, "we donot want to know anything." "what shall i do?" asked jonathan."you will return on board this captain's vessel." "yes, monseigneur.""and will tell him that we beg he will himself come into the island.""ah! i comprehend!" said porthos. "yes, monseigneur," replied jonathan; "butif the captain should refuse to come to
belle-isle?""if he refuses, as we have cannon, we will make use of them." "what! against d'artagnan?""if it is d'artagnan, porthos, he will come.go, jonathan, go!" "ma foi! i no longer comprehend anything," murmuredporthos. "i will make you comprehend it all, my dearfriend; the time for it has come; sit down upon this gun-carriage, open your ears, andlisten well to me." "oh! pardieu!
i will listen, no fear of that.""may i depart, monseigneur?" cried jonathan."yes, begone, and bring back an answer. allow the canoe to pass, you men there!" and the canoe pushed off to regain thefleet. aramis took porthos by the hand, andcommenced his explanations.