D'Artagnan did not believe Athos to be capable of a
deception, but he sought an excuse for not going to the
rendezvous.
"We must go," said the superb lord of Bracieux, "lest they
should say we were afraid. We who have faced fifty foes on
the high road can well meet two in the Place Royale."
"Yes, yes, but they took part with the princes without
apprising us of it. Athos and Aramis have played a game with
me which alarms me. We discovered yesterday the truth; what
is the use of going to-day to learn something else?"
"You really have some distrust, then?" said Porthos.
"Of Aramis, yes, since he has become an abbe. You can't
imagine, my dear fellow, the sort of man he is. He sees us
on the road which leads him to a bishopric, and perhaps will
not be sorry to get us out of his way."
"Ah, as regards Aramis, that is another thing," said
Porthos, "and it wouldn't surprise me at all."
"Perhaps Monsieur de Beaufort will try, in his turn, to lay
hands on us."
"Nonsense! He had us in his power and he let us go. Besides
we can be on our guard; let us take arms, let Planchet post
himself behind us with his carbine."
"Planchet is a Frondeur," answered D'Artagnan.
"Devil take these civil wars! one can no more now reckon on
one's friends than on one's footmen," said Porthos. "Ah! if
Musqueton were here! there's a fellow who will never desert
me!"
"So long as you are rich! Ah! my friend! 'tis not civil war
that disunites us. It is that we are each of us twenty years
older; it is that the honest emotions of youth have given
place to suggestions of interest, whispers of ambition,
counsels of selfishness. Yes, you are right; let us go,
Porthos, but let us go well armed; were we not to keep the
rendezvous, they would declare we were afraid. Halloo!
Planchet! here! saddle our horses, take your carbine."
"Whom are we going to attack, sir?"
"No one; a mere matter of precaution," answered the Gascon.
"You know, sir, that they wished to murder that good
councillor, Broussel, the father of the people?"
"Really, did they?" said D'Artagnan.
"Yes, but he has been avenged. He was carried home in the
arms of the people. His house has been full ever since. He
has received visits from the coadjutor, from Madame de
Longueville, and the Prince de Conti; Madame de Chevreuse
and Madame de Vendome have left their names at his door. And
now, whenever he wishes ---- "
"Well, whenever he wishes?"
Planchet began to sing:
"Un vent de fronde
S'est leve ce matin;
Je crois qu'il gronde
Contre le Mazarin.
Un vent de fronde
S'est leve ce matin."
"It doesn't surprise me," said D'Artagnan, in a low tone to
Porthos, "that Mazarin would have been much better satisfied
had I crushed the life out of his councillor."
"You understand, then, monsieur," resumed Planchet, "that if
it were for some enterprise like that undertaken against
Monsieur Broussel that you should ask me to take my carbine
---- "
"No, don't be alarmed; but where did you get all these
details?"
"From a good source, sir; I heard it from Friquet."
"From Friquet? I know that name ---- "
"A son of Monsieur de Broussel's servant, and a lad that, I
promise you, in a revolt will not give away his share to the
dogs."
"Is he not a singing boy at Notre Dame?" asked D'Artagnan.
"Yes, that is the very boy; he's patronized by Bazin."
"Ah, yes, I know."
"Of what importance is this little reptile to you?" asked
Porthos.
"Gad!" replied D'Artagnan; "he has already given me good
information and he may do the same again."
Whilst all this was going on, Athos and Aramis were entering
Paris by the Faubourg St. Antoine. They had taken some
refreshment on the road and hastened on, that they might not
fail at the appointed place. Bazin was their only attendant,
for Grimaud had stayed behind to take care of Musqueton. As
they were passing onward, Athos proposed that they should
lay aside their arms and military costume, and assume a
dress more suited to the city.
"Oh, no, dear count!" cried Aramis, "is it not a warlike
encounter that we are going to?"
"What do you mean, Aramis?"
"That the Place Royale is the termination to the main road
to Vendomois, and nothing else."
"What! our friends?"
"Are become our most dangerous enemies, Athos. Let us be on
our guard."
"Oh! my dear D'Herblay!"
"Who can say whether D'Artagnan may not have betrayed us to
the cardinal? who can tell whether Mazarin may not take
advantage of this rendezvous to seize us?"
"What! Aramis, you think that D'Artagnan, that Porthos,
would lend their hands to such an infamy?"
"Among friends, my dear Athos, no, you are right; but among
enemies it would be only a stratagem."
Athos crossed his arms and bowed his noble head.
"What can you expect, Athos? Men are so made; and we are not
always twenty years old. We have cruelly wounded, as you
know, that personal pride by which D'Artagnan is blindly
governed. He has been beaten. Did you not observe his
despair on the journey? As to Porthos, his barony was
perhaps dependent on that affair. Well, he found us on his
road and will not be baron this time. Perhaps that famous
barony will have something to do with our interview this
evening. Let us take our precautions, Athos."
"But suppose they come unarmed? What a disgrace to us."
"Oh, never fear! besides, if they do, we can easily make an
excuse; we came straight off a journey and are insurgents,
too."
"An excuse for us! to meet D'Artagnan with a false excuse!
to have to make a false excuse to Porthos! Oh, Aramis!"
continued Athos, shaking his head mournfully, "upon my soul,
you make me the most miserable of men; you disenchant a
heart not wholly dead to friendship. Go in whatever guise
you choose; for my part, I shall go unarmed."
"No, for I will not allow you to do so. 'Tis not one man,
not Athos only, not the Comte de la Fere whom you will ruin
by this amiable weakness, but a whole party to whom you
belong and who depend upon you."
"Be it so then," replied Athos, sorrowfully.
And they pursued their road in mournful silence.
Scarcely had they reached by the Rue de la Mule the iron
gate of the Place Royale, when they perceived three
cavaliers, D'Artagnan, Porthos, and Planchet, the two former
wrapped up in their military cloaks under which their swords
were hidden, and Planchet, his musket by his side. They were
waiting at the entrance of the Rue Sainte Catharine, and
their horses were fastened to the rings of the arcade.
Athos, therefore, commanded Bazin to fasten up his horse and
that of Aramis in the same manner.
They then advanced two and two, and saluted each other
politely.
"Now where will it be agreeable to you that we hold our
conference?" inquired Aramis, perceiving that people were
stopping to look at them, supposing that they were going to
engage in one of those far-famed duels still extant in the
memory of the Parisians, and especially the inhabitants of
the Place Royale.
"The gate is shut," said Aramis, "but if these gentlemen
like a cool retreat under the trees, and perfect seclusion,
I will get the key from the Hotel de Rohan and we shall be
well suited."
D'Artagnan darted a look into the obscurity of the Place.
Porthos ventured to put his head between the railings, to
try if his glance could penetrate the gloom.
"If you prefer any other place," said Athos, in his
persuasive voice, "choose for yourselves."
"This place, if Monsieur d'Herblay can procure the key, is
the best that we can have," was the answer.
Aramis went off at once, begging Athos not to remain alone
within reach of D'Artagnan and Porthos; a piece of advice
which was received with a contemptuous smile.
Aramis returned soon with a man from the Hotel de Rohan, who
was saying to him:
"You swear, sir, that it is not so?"
"Stop," and Aramis gave him a louis d'or.
"Ah! you will not swear, my master," said the concierge,
shaking his head.
"Well, one can never say what may happen; at present we and
these gentlemen are excellent friends."
"Yes, certainly," added Athos and the other two.
D'Artagnan had heard the conversation and had understood it.
"You see?" he said to Porthos.
"What do I see?"
"That he wouldn't swear."
"Swear what?"
"That man wanted Aramis to swear that we are not going to
the Place Royale to fight."
"And Aramis wouldn't swear?"
"No."
"Attention, then!"
Athos did not lose sight of the two speakers. Aramis opened
the gate and faced around in order that D'Artagnan and
Porthos might enter. In passing through the gate, the hilt
of the lieutenant's sword was caught in the grating and he
was obliged to pull off his cloak; in doing so he showed the
butt end of his pistols and a ray of the moon was reflected
on the shining metal.
"Do you see?" whispered Aramis to Athos, touching his
shoulder with one hand and pointing with the other to the
arms which the Gascon wore under his belt.
"Alas! I do!" replied Athos, with a deep sigh.
He entered third, and Aramis, who shut the gate after him,
last. The two serving-men waited without; but as if they
likewise mistrusted each other, they kept their respective
distances.
28
The Place Royale.
They proceeded silently to the centre of the Place, but as
at this very moment the moon had just emerged from behind a
cloud, they thought they might be observed if they remained
on that spot and therefore regained the shade of the
lime-trees.
There were benches here and there; the four gentlemen
stopped near them; at a sign from Athos, Porthos and
D'Artagnan sat down, the two others stood in front of them.
After a few minutes of silent embarrassment, Athos spoke.
"Gentlemen," he said, "our presence here is the best proof
of former friendship; not one of us has failed the others at
this rendezvous; not one has, therefore, to reproach
himself."
"Hear me, count," replied D'Artagnan; "instead of making
compliments to each other, let us explain our conduct to
each other, like men of right and honest hearts."
"I wish for nothing more; have you any cause of complaint
against me or Monsieur d'Herblay? If so, speak out,"
answered Athos.
"I have," replied D'Artagnan. "When I saw you at your
chateau at Bragelonne, I made certain proposals to you which
you perfectly understood; instead of answering me as a
friend, you played with me as a child; the friendship,
therefore, that you boast of was not broken yesterday by the
shock of swords, but by your dissimulation at your castle."
"D'Artagnan!" said Athos, reproachfully.
"You asked for candor and you have it. You ask what I have
against you; I tell you. And I have the same sincerity to
show you, if you wish, Monsieur d'Herblay; I acted in a
similar way to you and you also deceived me."
"Really, monsieur, you say strange things," said Aramis.
"You came seeking me to make to me certain proposals, but
did you make them? No, you sounded me, nothing more. Very
well what did I say to you? that Mazarin was contemptible
and that I wouldn't serve Mazarin. But that is all. Did I
tell you that I wouldn't serve any other? On the contrary, I
gave you to understand, I think, that I adhered to the
princes. We even joked very pleasantly, if I remember
rightly, on the very probable contingency of your being
charged by the cardinal with my arrest. Were you a party
man? There is no doubt of that. Well, why should not we,
too, belong to a party? You had your secret and we had ours;
we didn't exchange them. So much the better; it proves that
we know how to keep our secrets."
"I do not reproach you, monsieur," said D'Artagnan; "'tis
only because Monsieur de la Fere has spoken of friendship
that I question your conduct."
"And what do you find in it that is worthy of blame?" asked
Aramis, haughtily.
The blood mounted instantly to the temples of D'Artagnan,
who arose, and replied:
"I consider it worthy conduct of a pupil of Jesuits."
On seeing D'Artagnan rise, Porthos rose also; these four men
were therefore all standing at the same time, with a
menacing aspect, opposite to each other.
Upon hearing D'Artagnan's reply, Aramis seemed about to draw
his sword, when Athos prevented him.
"D'Artagnan," he said, "you are here to-night, still
infuriated by yesterday's adventure. I believed your heart
noble enough to enable a friendship of twenty years to
overcome an affront of a quarter of an hour. Come, do you
really think you have anything to say against me? Say it
then; if I am in fault I will avow the error."
The grave and harmonious tones of that beloved voice seemed
to have still its ancient influence, whilst that of Aramis,
which had become harsh and tuneless in his moments of
ill-humor, irritated him. He answered therefore:
"I think, monsieur le comte, that you had something to
communicate to me at your chateau of Bragelonne, and that
gentleman" -- he pointed to Aramis -- "had also something to
