liberty ---- "
"Why you, my lord, might take it away from us in less than
five minutes afterward; and from my knowledge of you I
believe you will so take it away from us."
"No -- on the faith of a cardinal. You do not believe me?"
"My lord, I never believe cardinals who are not priests."
"Well, on the faith of a minister."
"You are no longer a minister, my lord; you are a prisoner."
"Then, on the honor of a Mazarin, as I am and ever shall be,
I hope," said the cardinal.
"Hem," replied D'Artagnan. "I have heard speak of a Mazarin
who had not much religion when his oaths were in question. I
fear he may have been an ancestor of your eminence."
"Monsieur d'Artagnan, you are a great wit and I am really
sorry to be on bad terms with you."
"My lord, let us come to terms; I ask nothing better."
"Very well," said Mazarin, "if I place you in security, in a
manner evident, palpable ---- "
"Ah! that is another thing," said Porthos.
"Let us see," said Athos.
"Let us see," said D'Artagnan.
"In the first place, do you accept?" asked the cardinal.
"Unfold your plan, my lord, and we will see."
"Take notice that you are shut up -- captured."
"You well know, my lord, that there always remains to us a
last resource."
"What?"
"That of dying together."
Mazarin shuddered.
"Listen," he said; "at the end of yonder corridor is a door,
of which I have the key, it leads into the park. Go, and
take this key with you; you are active, vigorous, and you
have arms. At a hundred steps, on turning to the left, you
will find the wall of the park; get over it, and in three
leaps you will be on the road and free."
"Ah! by Jove, my lord," said D'Artagnan, "you have well
said, but these are only words. Where is the key you speak
of?"
"Here it is."
"Ah, my lord! You will conduct us yourself, then, to that
door?"
"Very willingly, if it be necessary to reassure you,"
answered the minister, and Mazarin, who was delighted to get
off so cheaply, led the way, in high spirits, to the
corridor and opened the door.
It led into the park, as the three fugitives perceived by
the night breeze which rushed into the corridor and blew the
wind into their faces.
"The devil!" exclaimed the Gascon, "'tis a dreadful night,
my lord. We don't know the locality, and shall never find
the wall. Since your eminence has come so far, come a few
steps further; conduct us, my lord, to the wall."
"Be it so," replied the cardinal; and walking in a straight
line he went to the wall, at the foot of which they all four
arrived at the same instant.
"Are you satisfied, gentlemen?" asked Mazarin.
"I think so, indeed; we should be hard to please if we were
not. Deuce take it! three poor gentlemen escorted by a
prince of the church! Ah! apropos, my lord! you remarked
that we were all active, vigorous and armed."
"Yes."
"You are mistaken. Monsieur du Vallon and I are the only two
who are armed. The count is not; and should we meet with one
of your patrol we must defend ourselves."
"'Tis true."
"Where can we find another sword?" asked Porthos.
"My lord," said D'Artagnan, "will lend his, which is of no
use to him, to the Comte de la Fere."
"Willingly," said the cardinal; "I will even ask the count
to keep it for my sake."
"I promise you, my lord, never to part with it," replied
Athos.
"Well, well," cried D'Artagnan, "this reconciliation is
truly touching; have you not tears in your eyes, Porthos?"
"Yes," said Porthos; "but I do not know if it is feeling or
the wind that makes me weep; I think it is the wind."
"Now climb up, Athos, quickly," said D'Artagnan. Athos,
assisted by Porthos, who lifted him up like a feather,
arrived at the top.
"Now, jump down, Athos."
Athos jumped and disappeared on the other side of the wall.
"Are you on the ground?" asked D'Artagnan.
"Yes."
"Without accident?"
"Perfectly safe and sound."
"Porthos, whilst I get up, watch the cardinal. No, I don't
want your help, watch the cardinal."
"I am watching," said Porthos. "Well?"
"You are right; it is more difficult than I thought. Lend me
your back -- but don't let the cardinal go."
Porthos lent him his back and D'Artagnan was soon on the
summit of the wall, where he seated himself.
Mazarin pretended to laugh.
"Are you there?" asked Porthos.
"Yes, my friend; and now ---- "
"Now, what?" asked Porthos.
"Now give me the cardinal up here; if he makes any noise
stifle him."
Mazarin wished to call out, but Porthos held him tight and
passed him to D'Artagnan, who seized him by the neck and
made him sit down by him; then in a menacing tone, he said:
"Sir! jump directly down, close to Monsieur de la Fere, or,
on the honor of a gentleman, I'll kill you!"
"Monsieur, monsieur," cried Mazarin, "you are breaking your
word to me!"
"I -- did I promise you anything, my lord?"
Mazarin groaned.
"You are free," he said, "through me; your liberty was my
ransom."
"Agreed; but the ransom of that immense treasure buried
under the gallery, to which one descends on pushing a spring
hidden in the wall, which causes a tub to turn, revealing a
staircase -- must not one speak of that a little, my lord?"
"Diavolo!" cried Mazarin, almost choked, and clasping his
hands; "I am a lost and ruined man!"
But without listening to his protestations of alarm,
D'Artagnan slipped him gently down into the arms of Athos,
who stood immovable at the bottom of the wall.
Porthos next made an effort which shook the solid wall, and
by the aid of his friend's hand gained the summit.
"I didn't understand it all," he said, "but I understand
now; how droll it is!"
"You think so? so much the better; but that it may prove
laughter-worthy even to the end, let us not lose time." And
he jumped off the wall.
Porthos did the same.
"Attend to monsieur le cardinal, gentlemen," said
D'Artagnan; "for myself, I will reconnoitre."
The Gascon then drew his sword and marched as avant guard.
"My lord," he said, "which way do we go? Think well of your
reply, for should your eminence be mistaken, there might
ensue most grave results for all of us."
"Along the wall, sir," said Mazarin, "there will be no
danger of losing yourselves."
The three friends hastened on, but in a short time were
obliged to slacken the pace. The cardinal could not keep up
with them, though with every wish to do so.
Suddenly D'Artagnan touched something warm, which moved.
"Stop! a horse!" he cried; "I have found a horse!"
"And I, likewise," said Athos.
"I, too," said Porthos, who, faithful to the instructions,
still held the cardinal's arm.
"There's luck, my lord! just as you were complaining of
being tired and obliged to walk."
But as he spoke the barrel of a pistol was presented at his
breast and these words were pronounced:
"Touch it not!"
"Grimaud!" he cried; "Grimaud! what art thou about? Why,
thou art posted here by Heaven!"
"No, sir," said the honest servant, "it was Monsieur Aramis
who posted me here to take care of the horses."
"Is Aramis here?"
"Yes, sir; he has been here since yesterday."
"What are you doing?"
"On the watch ---- "
"What! Aramis here?" cried Athos.
"At the lesser gate of the castle; he's posted there."
"Are you a large party?"
"Sixty."
"Let him know."
"This moment, sir."
And believing that no one could execute the commission
better than himself, Grimaud set off at full speed; whilst,
enchanted at being all together again, the friends awaited
his return.
There was no one in the whole group in a bad humor except
Cardinal Mazarin.
87
In which we begin to think that Porthos will be at last a
Baron, and D'Artagnan a Captain.
At the expiration of ten minutes Aramis arrived, accompanied
by Grimaud and eight or ten followers. He was excessively
delighted and threw himself into his friends' arms.
"You are free, my brothers! free without my aid! and I shall
have succeeded in doing nothing for you in spite of all my
efforts."
"Do not be unhappy, dear friend, on that account; if you
have done nothing as yet, you will do something soon,"
replied Athos.
"I had well concerted my plans," pursued Aramis; "the
coadjutor gave me sixty men; twenty guard the walls of the
park, twenty the road from Rueil to Saint Germain, twenty
are dispersed in the woods. Thus I was able, thanks to the
strategic disposition of my forces, to intercept two
couriers from Mazarin to the queen."
Mazarin listened intently.
"But," said D'Artagnan, "I trust that you honorably sent
them back to monsieur le cardinal!"
"Ah, yes!" said Aramis, "toward him I should be very likely
to practice such delicacy of sentiment! In one of the
despatches the cardinal declares to the queen that the
treasury is empty and that her majesty has no more money. In
the other he announces that he is about to transport his
prisoners to Melun, since Rueil seemed to him not
sufficiently secure. You can understand, dear friend, with
what hope I was inspired by that last letter. I placed
myself in ambuscade with my sixty men; I encircled the
castle; the riding horses I entrusted to Grimaud and I
awaited your coming out, which I did not expect till
to-morrow, and I didn't hope to free you without a skirmish.
You are free to-night, without fighting; so much the better!
How did you manage to escape that scoundrel Mazarin? You
must have much reason to complain of him."
"Not very much," said D'Artagnan.
"Really!"
"I might even say that we have some reason to praise him."
"Impossible!"
"Yes, really; it is owing to him that we are free."
"Owing to him?"
"Yes, he had us conducted into the orangery by Monsieur
Bernouin, his valet-de-chambre, and from there we followed
him to visit the Comte de la Fere. Then he offered us our
liberty and we accepted it. He even went so far as to show
us the way out; he led us to the park wall, which we climbed
over without accident, and then we fell in with Grimaud."
"Well!" exclaimed Aramis, "this will reconcile me to him;
but I wish he were here that I might tell him that I did not
believe him capable of so noble an act."
"My lord," said D'Artagnan, no longer able to contain
himself, "allow me to introduce to you the Chevalier
d'Herblay, who wishes -- as you may have heard -- to offer
his congratulations to your eminence."
And he retired, discovering Mazarin, who was in great
confusion, to the astonished gaze of Aramis.
"Ho! ho!" exclaimed the latter, "the cardinal! a glorious
prize! Halloo! halloo! friends! to horse! to horse!"
Several horsemen ran quickly to him.
"Zounds!" cried Aramis, "I may have done some good; so, my
lord, deign to receive my most respectful homage! I will lay
a wager that 'twas that Saint Christopher, Porthos, who
performed this feat! Apropos! I forgot ---- " and he gave
some orders in a low voice to one of the horsemen.
"I think it will be wise to set off," said D'Artagnan.
"Yes; but I am expecting some one, a friend of Athos."
"A friend!" exclaimed the count.
"And here he comes, by Jupiter! galloping through the
bushes."
"The count! the count!" cried a young voice that made Athos
start.
"Raoul! Raoul!" he ejaculated.
For one moment the young man forgot his habitual respect --
he threw himself on his father's neck.
"Look, my lord cardinal," said Aramis, "would it not have
been a pity to have separated men who love each other as we
love? Gentlemen," he continued, addressing the cavaliers,
who became more and more numerous every instant; "gentlemen,
encircle his eminence, that you may show him the greater
honor. He will, indeed give us the favor of his company; you
will, I hope, be grateful for it; Porthos, do not lose sight
of his eminence."
Aramis then joined Athos and D'Artagnan, who were consulting
together.
"Come," said D'Artagnan, after a conference of five minutes'
duration, "let us begin our journey."
"Where are we to go?" asked Porthos.
"To your house, dear Porthos, at Pierrefonds; your fine
chateau is worthy of affording its princely hospitality to
his eminence; it is, likewise, well situated -- neither too
near Paris, nor too far from it; we can establish a
communication between it and the capital with great
facility. Come, my lord, you shall be treated like a prince,
as you are."
"A fallen prince!" exclaimed Mazarin, piteously.
"The chances of war," said Athos, "are many, but be assured
we shall take no improper advantage of them."
"No, but we shall make use of them," said D'Artagnan.
