he was allowed to say, in case of emergencies, was the
proverbial Der Teufel!
Bernouin shut the door and went away. When Porthos heard the
key turn in the lock he began to be alarmed, lest they
should only have exchanged one prison for another.
"Porthos, my friend," said D'Artagnan, "don't distrust
Providence! Let me meditate and consider."
"Meditate and consider as much as you like," replied
Porthos, who was now quite out of humor at seeing things
take this turn.
"We have walked eight paces," whispered D'Artagnan, "and
gone up six steps, so hereabouts is the pavilion called the
pavilion of the orangery. The Comte de la Fere cannot be far
off, only the doors are locked."
"That is a slight difficulty," said Porthos, "and a good
push with the shoulders ---- "
"For God's sake, Porthos my friend, reserve your feats of
strength, or they will not have, when needed the honor they
deserve. Have you not heard that some one is coming here?"
"Yes."
"Well, that some one will open the doors."
"But, my dear fellow, if that some one recognizes us, if
that some one cries out, we are lost; for you don't propose,
I imagine, that I shall kill that man of the church. That
might do if we were dealing with Englishmen or Germans."
"Oh, may God keep me from it, and you, too!" said
D'Artagnan. "The young king would, perhaps, show us some
gratitude; but the queen would never forgive us, and it is
she whom we have to consider. And then, besides, the useless
blood! never! no, never! I have my plan; let me carry it out
and we shall laugh."
"So much the better," said Porthos; "I feel some need of
it."
"Hush!" said D'Artagnan; "the some one is coming."
The sound of a light step was heard in the vestibule. The
hinges of the door creaked and a man appeared in the dress
of a cavalier, wrapped in a brown cloak, with a lantern in
one hand and a large beaver hat pulled down over his eyes.
Porthos effaced himself against the wall, but he could not
render himself invisible; and the man in the cloak said to
him, giving him his lantern:
"Light the lamp which hangs from the ceiling."
Then addressing D'Artagnan:
"You know the watchword?" he said.
"Ja!" replied the Gascon, determined to confine himself to
this specimen of the German tongue.
"Tedesco!" answered the cavalier; "va bene."
And advancing toward the door opposite to that by which he
came in, he opened it and disappeared behind it, shutting it
as he went.
"Now," asked Porthos, "what are we to do?"
"Now we shall make use of your shoulder, friend Porthos, if
this door proves to be locked. Everything in its proper
time, and all comes right to those who know how to wait
patiently. But first barricade the first door well; then we
will follow yonder cavalier."
The two friends set to work and crowded the space before the
door with all the furniture in the room, as not only to make
the passage impassable, but so to block the door that by no
means could it open inward.
"There!" said D'Artagnan, "we can't be overtaken. Come!
forward!"
85
The Oubliettes of Cardinal Mazarin.
At first, on arriving at the door through which Mazarin had
passed, D'Artagnan tried in vain to open it, but on the
powerful shoulder of Porthos being applied to one of the
panels, which gave way, D'Artagnan introduced the point of
his sword between the bolt and the staple of the lock. The
bolt gave way and the door opened.
"As I told you, everything can be attained, Porthos women
and doors, by proceeding with gentleness."
"You're a great moralist, and that's the fact," said
Porthos.
They entered; behind a glass window, by the light of the
cardinal's lantern, which had been placed on the floor in
the midst of the gallery, they saw the orange and
pomegranate trees of the Castle of Rueil, in long lines,
forming one great alley and two smaller side alleys.
"No cardinal!" said D'Artagnan, "but only his lantern; where
the devil, then, is he?"
Exploring, however, one of the side wings of the gallery,
after making a sign to Porthos to explore the other, he saw,
all at once, at his left, a tub containing an orange tree,
which had been pushed out of its place and in its place an
open aperture.
Ten men would have found difficulty in moving that tub, but
by some mechanical contrivance it had turned with the
flagstone on which it rested.
D'Artagnan, as we have said, perceived a hole in that place
and in this hole the steps of a winding staircase.
He called Porthos to look at it.
"Were our object money only," he said, "we should be rich
directly."
"How's that?"
"Don't you understand, Porthos? At the bottom of that
staircase lies, probably, the cardinal's treasury of which
folk tell such wonders, and we should only have to descend,
empty a chest, shut the cardinal up in it, double lock it,
go away, carrying off as much gold as we could, put back
this orange-tree over the place, and no one in the world
would ever ask us where our fortune came from -- not even
the cardinal."
"It would be a happy hit for clowns to make, but as it seems
to be unworthy of two gentlemen ---- " said Porthos.
"So I think; and therefore I said, `Were our object money
only;' but we want something else," replied the Gascon.
At the same moment, whilst D'Artagnan was leaning over the
aperture to listen, a metallic sound, as if some one was
moving a bag of gold, struck on his ear; he started;
instantly afterward a door opened and a light played upon
the staircase.
Mazarin had left his lamp in the gallery to make people
believe that he was walking about, but he had with him a
waxlight, to help him to explore his mysterious strong box.
"Faith," he said, in Italian, as he was reascending the
steps and looking at a bag of reals, "faith, there's enough
to pay five councillors of parliament, and two generals in
Paris. I am a great captain -- that I am! but I make war in
my own way."
The two friends were crouching down, meantime, behind a tub
in the side alley.
Mazarin came within three steps of D'Artagnan and pushed a
spring in the wall; the slab turned and the orange tree
resumed its place.
Then the cardinal put out the waxlight, slipped it into his
pocket, and taking up the lantern: "Now," he said, "for
Monsieur de la Fere."
"Very good," thought D'Artagnan, "'tis our road likewise; we
will go together."
All three set off on their walk, Mazarin taking the middle
alley and the friends the side ones.
The cardinal reached a second door without perceiving he was
being followed; the sand with which the alleys were covered
deadened the sound of footsteps.
He then turned to the left, down a corridor which had
escaped the attention of the two friends, but as he opened
the door he paused, as if in thought.
"Ah! Diavolo!" he exclaimed, "I forgot the recommendation of
De Comminges, who advised me to take a guard and place it at
this door, in order not to put myself at the mercy of that
four-headed combination of devils." And with a movement of
impatience he turned to retrace his steps.
"Do not give yourself the trouble, my lord," said
D'Artagnan, with his right foot forward, his beaver in his
hand, a smile on his face, "we have followed your eminence
step by step and here we are."
"Yes -- here we are," said Porthos.
And he made the same friendly salute as D'Artagnan.
Mazarin gazed at each of them with an affrighted stare,
recognized them, and let drop his lantern, uttering a cry of
terror.
D'Artagnan picked it up; by good luck it had not been
extinguished.
"Oh, what imprudence, my lord," said D'Artagnan; "'tis not
good to be about just here without a light. Your eminence
might knock against something, or fall into a hole."
"Monsieur d'Artagnan!" muttered Mazarin, unable to recover
from his astonishment.
"Yes, my lord, it is I. I have the honor to present to you
Monsieur du Vallon, that excellent friend of mine, in whom
your eminence had the kindness to interest yourself
formerly."
And D'Artagnan held the lamp before the merry face of
Porthos, who now began to comprehend the affair and be very
proud of the whole undertaking.
"You were going to visit Monsieur de la Fere?" said
D'Artagnan. "Don't let us disarrange your eminence. Be so
good as to show us the way and we will follow you.
Mazarin was by degrees recovering his senses.
"Have you been long in the orangery?" he asked in a
trembling voice, remembering the visits he had been paying
to his treasury.
Porthos opened his mouth to reply; D'Artagnan made him a
sign, and his mouth, remaining silent, gradually closed.
"This moment come, my lord," said D'Artagnan.
Mazarin breathed again. His fears were now no longer for his
hoard, but for himself. A sort of smile played on his lips.
"Come," he said, "you have me in a snare, gentlemen. I
confess myself conquered. You wish to ask for liberty, and
-- I give it you."
"Oh, my lord!" answered D'Artagnan, "you are too good; as to
our liberty, we have that; we want to ask something else of
you."
"You have your liberty?" repeated Mazarin, in terror.
"Certainly; and on the other hand, my lord, you have lost
it, and now, in accordance with the law of war, sir, you
must buy it back again."
Mazarin felt a shiver run through him -- a chill even to his
heart's core. His piercing look was fixed in vain on the
satirical face of the Gascon and the unchanging countenance
of Porthos. Both were in shadow and the Sybil of Cuma
herself could not have read them.
"To purchase back my liberty?" said the cardinal.
"Yes, my lord."
"And how much will that cost me, Monsieur d'Artagnan?"
"Zounds, my lord, I don't know yet. We must ask the Comte de
la Fere the question. Will your eminence deign to open the
door which leads to the count's room, and in ten minutes all
will be settled."
Mazarin started.
"My lord," said D'Artagnan, "your eminence sees that we wish
to act with all formality and due respect; but I must warn
you that we have no time to lose; open the door then, my
lord, and be so good as to remember, once for all, that on
the slightest attempt to escape or the faintest cry for
help, our position being very critical indeed, you must not
be angry with us if we go to extremities."
"Be assured," answered Mazarin, "that I shall attempt
nothing; I give you my word of honor."
D'Artagnan made a sign to Porthos to redouble his
watchfulness; then turning to Mazarin:
"Now, my lord, let us enter, if you please."
86
Conferences.
Mazarin turned the lock of a double door, on the threshold
of which they found Athos ready to receive his illustrious
guests according to the notice Comminges had given him.
On perceiving Mazarin he bowed.
"Your eminence," he said, "might have dispensed with your
attendants; the honor bestowed on me is too great for me to
be unmindful of it."
"And so, my dear count," said D'Artagnan, "his eminence
didn't actually insist on our attending him; it is Du Vallon
and I who have insisted, and even in a manner somewhat
impolite, perhaps, so great was our longing to see you."
At that voice, that mocking tone, and that familiar gesture,
accenting voice and tone, Athos made a bound of surprise.
"D'Artagnan! Porthos!" he exclaimed.
"My very self, dear friend."
"Me, also!" repeated Porthos.
"What means this?" asked the count.
"It means," replied Mazarin, trying to smile and biting his
lips in the attempt, "that our parts are changed, and that
instead of these gentlemen being my prisoners I am theirs;
but, gentlemen, I warn you, unless you kill me, your victory
will be of very short duration; people will come to the
rescue."
"Ah! my lord!" cried the Gascon, "don't threaten! 'tis a bad
example. We are so good and gentle to your eminence. Come,
let us put aside all rancor and talk pleasantly."
"There's nothing I wish more," replied Mazarin. "But don't
think yourselves in a better position than you are. In
ensnaring me you have fallen into the trap yourselves. How
are you to get away from here? remember the soldiers and
sentinels who guard these doors. Now, I am going to show you
how sincere I am."
"Good," thought D'Artagnan; "we must look about us; he's
going to play us a trick."
"I offered you your liberty," continued the minister; "will
you take it? Before an hour has passed you will be
discovered, arrested, obliged to kill me, which would be a
crime unworthy of loyal gentlemen like you."
"He is right," thought Athos.
And, like every other reflection passing in a mind that
entertained none but noble thoughts, this feeling was
expressed in his eyes.
"And therefore," said D'Artagnan, to clip the hope which
Athos's tacit adhesion had imparted to Mazarin, "we shall
not proceed to that violence save in the last extremity."
"If on the contrary," resumed Mazarin, "you accept your
