him. But it was so placed on the desk that he could not see
to whom it was addressed.
"You come from the queen?" said Mazarin, looking fixedly at
D'Artagnan.
"I! my lord -- who told you that?"
"Nobody, but I know it."
"I regret infinitely to tell you, my lord, that you are
mistaken," replied the Gascon, impudently, firm to the
promise he had just made to Anne of Austria.
"I opened the door of the ante-room myself and I saw you
enter at the end of the corridor."
"Because I was shown up the private stairs."
"How so?"
"I know not; it must have been a mistake."
Mazarin was aware that it was not easy to make D'Artagnan
reveal anything he was desirous of hiding, so he gave up,
for the time, the discovery of the mystery the Gascon was
concealing.
"Let us speak of my affairs," said Mazarin, "since you will
tell me naught of yours. Are you fond of traveling?"
"My life has been passed on the high road."
"Would anything retain you particularly in Paris?"
"Nothing but an order from a superior would retain me in
Paris."
"Very well. Here is a letter, which must be taken to its
address."
"To its address, my lord? But it has none."
In fact, the side of the letter opposite the seal was blank.
"I must tell you," resumed Mazarin, "that it is in a double
envelope."
"I understand; and I am to take off the first one when I
have reached a certain place?"
"Just so, take it and go. You have a friend, Monsieur du
Vallon, whom I like much; let him accompany you."
"The devil!" said D'Artagnan to himself. "He knows that we
overheard his conversation yesterday and he wants to get us
away from Paris."
"Do you hesitate?" asked Mazarin.
"No, my lord, and I will set out at once. There is one thing
only which I must request."
"What is it? Speak."
"That your eminence will go at once to the queen."
"What for?"
"Merely to say these words: `I am going to send Monsieur
d'Artagnan away and I wish him to set out directly.'"
"I told you," said Mazarin, "that you had seen the queen."
"I had the honor of saying to your eminence that there had
been some mistake."
"What is the meaning of that?"
"May I venture to repeat my prayer to your eminence?"
"Very well; I will go. Wait here for me." And looking
attentively around him, to see if he had left any of his
keys in his closets, Mazarin went out. Ten minutes elapsed,
during which D'Artagnan made every effort to read through
the first envelope what was written on the second. But he
did not succeed.
Mazarin returned, pale, and evidently thoughtful. He seated
himself at his desk and D'Artagnan proceeded to examine his
face, as he had just examined the letter he held, but the
envelope which covered his countenance appeared as
impenetrable as that which covered the letter.
"Ah!" thought the Gascon; "he looks displeased. Can it be
with me? He meditates. Is it about sending me to the
Bastile? All very fine, my lord, but at the very first hint
you give of such a thing I will strangle you and become
Frondist. I should be carried home in triumph like Monsieur
Broussel and Athos would proclaim me the French Brutus. It
would be exceedingly droll."
The Gascon, with his vivid imagination, had already seen the
advantage to be derived from his situation. Mazarin gave,
however, no order of the kind, but on the contrary began to
be insinuating.
"You were right," he said, "my dear Monsieur d'Artagnan, and
you cannot set out yet. I beg you to return me that
dispatch."
D'Artagnan obeyed, and Mazarin ascertained that the seal was
intact.
"I shall want you this evening," he said "Return in two
hours."
"My lord," said D'Artagnan, "I have an appointment in two
hours which I cannot miss."
"Do not be uneasy," said Mazarin; "it is the same."
"Good!" thought D'Artagnan; "I fancied it was so."
"Return, then, at five o'clock and bring that worthy
Monsieur du Vallon with you. Only, leave him in the
ante-room, as I wish to speak to you alone."
D'Artagnan bowed, and thought: "Both at the same hour; both
commands alike; both at the Palais Royal. Monsieur de Gondy
would pay a hundred thousand francs for such a secret!"
"You are thoughtful," said Mazarin, uneasily.
"Yes, I was thinking whether we ought to come armed or not."
"Armed to the teeth!" replied Mazarin.
"Very well, my lord; it shall be so."
D'Artagnan saluted, went out and hastened to repeat to his
friend Mazarin's flattering promises, which gave Porthos an
indescribable happiness.
51
The Flight.
When D'Artagnan returned to the Palais Royal at five
o'clock, it presented, in spite of the excitement which
reigned in the town, a spectacle of the greatest rejoicing.
Nor was that surprising. The queen had restored Broussel and
Blancmesnil to the people and had therefore nothing to fear,
since the people had nothing more just then to ask for. The
return, also, of the conqueror of Lens was the pretext for
giving a grand banquet. The princes and princesses were
invited and their carriages had crowded the court since
noon; then after dinner the queen was to have a play in her
apartment. Anne of Austria had never appeared more brilliant
than on that day -- radiant with grace and wit. Mazarin
disappeared as they rose from table. He found D'Artagnan
waiting for him already at his post in the ante-room.
The cardinal advanced to him with a smile and taking him by
the hand led him into his study.
"My dear M. d'Artagnan," said the minister, sitting down, "I
am about to give you the greatest proof of confidence that a
minister can give an officer."
"I hope," said D'Artagnan, bowing, "that you give it, my
lord, without hesitation and with the conviction that I am
worthy of it."
"More worthy than any one in Paris my dear friend; therefore
I apply to you. We are about to leave this evening,"
continued Mazarin. "My dear M. d'Artagnan, the welfare of
the state is deposited in your hands." He paused.
"Explain yourself, my lord, I am listening."
"The queen has resolved to make a little excursion with the
king to Saint Germain."
"Aha!" said D'Artagnan, "that is to say, the queen wishes to
leave Paris."
"A woman's caprice -- you understand."
"Yes, I understand perfectly," said D'Artagnan.
"It was for this she summoned you this morning and that she
told you to return at five o'clock."
"Was it worth while to wish me to swear this morning that I
would mention the appointment to no one?" muttered
D'Artagnan. "Oh, women! women! whether queens or not, they
are always the same."
"Do you disapprove of this journey, my dear M. d'Artagnan?"
asked Mazarin, anxiously.
"I, my lord?" said D'Artagnan; "why should I?"
"Because you shrug your shoulders."
"It is a way I have of speaking to myself. I neither approve
nor disapprove, my lord; I merely await your commands."
"Good; it is you, accordingly, that I have pitched upon to
conduct the king and the queen to Saint Germain."
"Liar!" thought D'Artagnan.
"You see, therefore," continued the cardinal, perceiving
D'Artagnan's composure, "that, as I have told you, the
welfare of the state is placed in your hands."
"Yes, my lord, and I feel the whole responsibility of such a
charge."
"You accept, however?"
"I always accept."
"Do you think the thing possible?"
"Everything is possible."
"Shall you be attacked on the road?"
"Probably."
"And what will you do in that case?"
"I shall pass through those who attack me."
"And suppose you cannot pass through them?"
"So much the worse for them; I shall pass over them."
"And you will place the king and queen in safety also, at
Saint Germain?"
"Yes."
"On your life?"
"On my life."
"You are a hero, my friend," said Mazarin, gazing at the
musketeer with admiration.
D'Artagnan smiled.
"And I?" asked Mazarin, after a moment's silence.
"How? and you, my lord?"
"If I wish to leave?"
"That would be much more difficult."
"Why so?"
"Your eminence might be recognized."
"Even under this disguise?" asked Mazarin, raising a cloak
which covered an arm-chair, upon which lay a complete dress
for an officer, of pearl-gray and red, entirely embroidered
with silver.
"If your eminence is disguised it will be almost easy."
"Ah!" said Mazarin, breathing more freely.
"But it will be necessary for your eminence to do what the
other day you declared you should have done in our place --
cry, `Down with Mazarin!'"
"I will: `Down with Mazarin'"
"In French, in good French, my lord, take care of your
accent; they killed six thousand Angevins in Sicily because
they pronounced Italian badly. Take care that the French do
not take their revenge on you for the Sicilian vespers."
"I will do my best."
"The streets are full of armed men," continued D'Artagnan.
"Are you sure that no one is aware of the queen's project?"
Mazarin reflected.
"This affair would give a fine opportunity for a traitor, my
lord; the chance of being attacked would be an excuse for
everything."
Mazarin shuddered, but he reflected that a man who had the
least intention to betray would not warn first.
"And therefore," added he, quietly, "I have not confidence
in every one; the proof of which is, that I have fixed upon
you to escort me."
"Shall you not go with the queen?"
"No," replied Mazarin.
"Then you will start after the queen?"
"No," said Mazarin again.
"Ah!" said D'Artagnan, who began to understand.
"Yes," continued the cardinal. "I have my plan. With the
queen I double her risk; after the queen her departure would
double mine; then, the court once safe, I might be
forgotten. The great are often ungrateful."
"Very true," said D'Artagnan, fixing his eyes, in spite of
himself, on the queen's diamond, which Mazarin wore on his
finger. Mazarin followed the direction of his eyes and
gently turned the hoop of the ring inside.
"I wish," he said, with his cunning smile, "to prevent them
from being ungrateful to me."
"It is but Christian charity," replied D'Artagnan, "not to
lead one's neighbors into temptation."
"It is exactly for that reason," said Mazarin, "that I wish
to start before them."
D'Artagnan smiled -- he was just the man to understand the
astute Italian. Mazarin saw the smile and profited by the
moment.
"You will begin, therefore, by taking me first out of Paris,
will you not, my dear M. d'Artagnan?"
"A difficult commission, my lord," replied D'Artagnan,
resuming his serious manner.
"But," said Mazarin, "you did not make so many difficulties
with regard to the king and queen."
"The king and the queen are my king and queen," replied the
musketeer, "my life is theirs and I must give it for them.
If they ask it what have I to say?"
"That is true," murmured Mazarin, in a low tone, "but as thy
life is not mine I suppose I must buy it, must I not?" and
sighing deeply he began to turn the hoop of his ring outside
again. D'Artagnan smiled. These two men met at one point and
that was, cunning; had they been actuated equally by
courage, the one would have done great things for the other.
"But, also," said Mazarin, "you must understand that if I
ask this service from you it is with the intention of being
grateful."
"Is it still only an intention, your eminence?" asked
D'Artagnan.
"Stay," said Mazarin, drawing the ring from his finger, "my
dear D'Artagnan, there is a diamond which belonged to you
formerly, it is but just it should return to you; take it, I
pray."
D'Artagnan spared Mazarin the trouble of insisting, and
after looking to see if the stone was the same and assuring
himself of the purity of its water, he took it and passed it
on his finger with indescribable pleasure.
"I valued it much," said Mazarin, giving a last look at it;
"nevertheless, I give it to you with great pleasure."
"And I, my lord," said D'Artagnan, "accept it as it is
given. Come, let us speak of your little affairs. You wish
to leave before everybody and at what hour?"
"At ten o'clock."
"And the queen, at what time is it her wish to start?"
"At midnight."
"Then it is possible. I can get you out of Paris and leave
you beyond the barriere, and can return for her."
"Capital; but how will you get me out of Paris?"
"Oh! as to that, you must leave it to me."
"I give you absolute power, therefore; take as large an
escort as you like."
D'Artagnan shook his head.
