"I will tell you all," replied Anne. "Listen: there were in
truth, at that epoch, four devoted hearts, four loyal
spirits, four faithful swords, who saved more than my life
-- my honor ---- "
"Ah! you confess it!" exclaimed Mazarin.
"Is it only the guilty whose honor is at the sport of
others, sir? and cannot women be dishonored by appearances?
Yes, appearances were against me and I was about to suffer
dishonor. However, I swear I was not guilty, I swear it by
---- "
The queen looked around her for some sacred object by which
she could swear, and taking out of a cupboard hidden in the
tapestry, a small coffer of rosewood set in silver, and
laying it on the altar:
"I swear," she said, "by these sacred relics that Buckingham
was not my lover."
"What relics are those by which you swear?" asked Mazarin,
smiling. "I am incredulous."
The queen untied from around her throat a small golden key
which hung there, and presented it to the cardinal.
"Open, sir," she said, "and look for yourself."
Mazarin opened the coffer; a knife, covered with rust, and
two letters, one of which was stained with blood, alone met
his gaze.
"What are these things?" he asked.
"What are these things?" replied Anne, with queen-like
dignity, extending toward the open coffer an arm, despite
the lapse of years, still beautiful. "These two letters are
the only ones I ever wrote to him. This knife is the knife
with which Felton stabbed him. Read the letters and see if I
have lied or spoken the truth."
But Mazarin, notwithstanding this permission, instead of
reading the letters, took the knife which the dying
Buckingham had snatched out of the wound and sent by Laporte
to the queen. The blade was red, for the blood had become
rust; after a momentary examination during which the queen
became as white as the cloth which covered the altar on
which she was leaning, he put it back into the coffer with
an involuntary shudder.
"It is well, madame, I believe your oath."
"No, no, read," exclaimed the queen, indignantly; "read, I
command you, for I am resolved that everything shall be
finished to-night and never will I recur to this subject
again. Do you think," she said, with a ghastly smile, "that
I shall be inclined to reopen this coffer to answer any
future accusations?"
Mazarin, overcome by this determination, read the two
letters. In one the queen asked for the ornaments back
again. This letter had been conveyed by D'Artagnan and had
arrived in time. The other was that which Laporte had placed
in the hands of the Duke of Buckingham, warning him that he
was about to be assassinated; that communication had arrived
too late.
"It is well, madame," said Mazarin; "nothing can gainsay
such testimony."
"Sir," replied the queen, closing the coffer and leaning her
hand upon it, "if there is anything to be said, it is that I
have always been ungrateful to the brave men who saved me --
that I have given nothing to that gallant officer,
D'Artagnan, you were speaking of just now, but my hand to
kiss and this diamond."
As she spoke she extended her beautiful hand to the cardinal
and showed him a superb diamond which sparkled on her
finger.
"It appears," she resumed, "that he sold it ---he sold it in
order to save me another time -- to be able to send a
messenger to the duke to warn him of his danger -- he sold
it to Monsieur des Essarts, on whose finger I remarked it. I
bought it from him, but it belongs to D'Artagnan. Give it
back to him, sir, and since you have such a man in your
service, make him useful."
"Thank you, madame," said Mazarin. "I will profit by the
advice."
"And now," added the queen, her voice broken by her emotion,
"have you any other question to ask me?"
"Nothing," -- the cardinal spoke in his most conciliatory
manner -- "except to beg of you to forgive my unworthy
suspicions. I love you so tenderly that I cannot help being
jealous, even of the past."
A smile, which was indefinable, passed over the lips of the
queen.
"Since you have no further interrogations to make, leave me,
I beseech you," she said. "I wish, after such a scene, to be
alone."
Mazarin bent low before her.
"I will retire, madame. Do you permit me to return?"
"Yes, to-morrow."
The cardinal took the queen's hand and pressed it with an
air of gallantry to his lips.
Scarcely had he left her when the queen went into her son's
room, and inquired from Laporte if the king was in bed.
Laporte pointed to the child, who was asleep.
Anne ascended the steps side of the bed and softly kissed
the placid forehead of her son; then she retired as silently
as she had come, merely saying to Laporte:
"Try, my dear Laporte, to make the king more courteous to
Monsieur le Cardinal, to whom both he and I are under such
important obligations."
5
The Gascon and the Italian.
Meanwhile the cardinal returned to his own room; and after
asking Bernouin, who stood at the door, whether anything had
occurred during his absence, and being answered in the
negative, he desired that he might be left alone.
When he was alone he opened the door of the corridor and
then that of the ante-chamber. There D'Artagnan was asleep
upon a bench.
The cardinal went up to him and touched his shoulder.
D'Artagnan started, awakened himself, and as he awoke, stood
up exactly like a soldier under arms.
"Here I am," said he. "Who calls me?"
"I," said Mazarin, with his most smiling expression.
"I ask pardon of your eminence," said D'Artagnan, "but I was
so fatigued ---- "
"Don't ask my pardon, monsieur," said Mazarin, "for you
fatigued yourself in my service."
D'Artagnan admired Mazarin's gracious manner. "Ah," said he,
between his teeth, "is there truth in the proverb that
fortune comes while one sleeps?"
"Follow me, monsieur," said Mazarin.
"Come, come," murmured D'Artagnan, "Rochefort has kept his
promise, but where in the devil is he?" And he searched the
cabinet even to the smallest recesses, but there was no sign
of Rochefort.
"Monsieur d'Artagnan," said the cardinal, sitting down on a
fauteuil, "you have always seemed to me to be a brave and
honorable man."
"Possibly," thought D'Artagnan, "but he has taken a long
time to let me know his thoughts;" nevertheless, he bowed to
the very ground in gratitude for Mazarin's compliment.
"Well," continued Mazarin, "the time has come to put to use
your talents and your valor."
There was a sudden gleam of joy in the officer's eyes, which
vanished immediately, for he knew nothing of Mazarin's
purpose.
"Order, my lord," he said; "I am ready to obey your
eminence."
"Monsieur d'Artagnan," continued the cardinal, "you
performed sundry superb exploits in the last reign."
"Your eminence is too good to remember such trifles in my
favor. It is true I fought with tolerable success."
"I don't speak of your warlike exploits, monsieur," said
Mazarin; "although they gained you much reputation, they
were surpassed by others."
D'Artagnan pretended astonishment.
"Well, you do not reply?" resumed Mazarin.
"I am waiting, my lord, till you tell me of what exploits
you speak."
"I speak of the adventure -- Eh, you know well what I mean."
"Alas, no, my lord!" replied D'Artagnan, surprised.
"You are discreet -- so much the better. I speak of that
adventure in behalf of the queen, of the ornaments, of the
journey you made with three of your friends."
"Aha!" thought the Gascon; "is this a snare or not? Let me
be on my guard."
And he assumed a look of stupidity which Mendori or
Bellerose, two of the first actors of the day, might have
envied.
"Bravo!" cried Mazarin; "they told me that you were the man
I wanted. Come, let us see what you will do for me."
"Everything that your eminence may please to command me,"
was the reply.
"You will do for me what you have done for the queen?"
"Certainly," D'Artagnan said to himself, "he wishes to make
me speak out. He's not more cunning than De Richelieu was!
Devil take him!" Then he said aloud:
"The queen, my lord? I don't comprehend."
"You don't comprehend that I want you and your three friends
to be of use to me?"
"Which of my friends, my lord?"
"Your three friends -- the friends of former days."
"Of former days, my lord! In former days I had not only
three friends, I had thirty; at two-and-twenty one calls
every man one's friend."
"Well, sir," returned Mazarin, "prudence is a fine thing,
but to-day you might regret having been too prudent."
"My lord, Pythagoras made his disciples keep silence for
five years that they might learn to hold their tongues."
"But you have been silent for twenty years, sir. Speak, now
the queen herself releases you from your promise."
"The queen!" said D'Artagnan, with an astonishment which
this time was not pretended.
"Yes, the queen! And as a proof of what I say she commanded
me to show you this diamond, which she thinks you know."
And so saying, Mazarin extended his hand to the officer, who
sighed as he recognized the ring so gracefully given to him
by the queen on the night of the ball at the Hotel de Ville
and which she had repurchased from Monsieur des Essarts.
"'Tis true. I remember well that diamond, which belonged to
the queen."
"You see, then, that I speak to you in the queen's name.
Answer me without acting as if you were on the stage; your
interests are concerned in your so doing."
"Faith, my lord, it is very necessary for me to make my
fortune, your eminence has so long forgotten me."
"We need only a week to amend all that. Come, you are
accounted for, you are here, but where are your friends?"
"I do not know, my lord. We have parted company this long
time; all three have left the service."
"Where can you find them, then?"
"Wherever they are, that's my business."
"Well, now, what are your conditions, if I employ you?"
"Money, my lord, as much money as what you wish me to
undertake will require. I remember too well how sometimes we
were stopped for want of money, and but for that diamond,
which I was obliged to sell, we should have remained on the
road."
"The devil he does! Money! and a large sum!" said Mazarin.
"Pray, are you aware that the king has no money in his
treasury?"
"Do then as I did, my lord. Sell the crown diamonds. Trust
me, don't let us try to do things cheaply. Great
undertakings come poorly off with paltry means."
"Well," returned Mazarin, "we will satisfy you."
"Richelieu," thought D'Artagnan, "would have given me five
hundred pistoles in advance."
"You will then be at my service?" asked Mazarin.
"Yes, if my friends agree."
"But if they refuse can I count on you?"
"I have never accomplished anything alone," said D'Artagnan,
shaking his head.
"Go, then, and find them."
"What shall I say to them by way of inducement to serve your
eminence?"
"You know them better than I. Adapt your promises to their
respective characters."
"What shall I promise?"
"That if they serve me as well as they served the queen my
gratitude shall be magnificent."
"But what are we to do?"
"Make your mind easy; when the time for action comes you
shall be put in full possession of what I require from you;
wait till that time arrives and find out your friends."
"My lord, perhaps they are not in Paris. It is even probable
that I shall have to make a journey. I am only a lieutenant
of musketeers, very poor, and journeys cost money.
"My intention," said Mazarin, "is not that you go with a
great following; my plans require secrecy, and would be
jeopardized by a too extravagant equipment."
"Still, my lord, I can't travel on my pay, for it is now
three months behind; and I can't travel on my savings, for
in my twenty-two years of service I have accumulated nothing
but debts."
Mazarin remained some moments in deep thought, as if he were
fighting with himself; then, going to a large cupboard
closed with a triple lock, he took from it a bag of silver,
and weighing it twice in his hands before he gave it to
D'Artagnan:
"Take this," he said with a sigh, "'tis merely for your
journey."
"If these are Spanish doubloons, or even gold crowns,"
thought D'Artagnan, "we shall yet be able to do business
together." He saluted the cardinal and plunged the bag into
the depths of an immense pocket.
"Well, then, all is settled; you are to set off," said the
cardinal.
"Yes, my lord."
"Apropos, what are the names of your friends?"
"The Count de la Fere, formerly styled Athos; Monsieur du
Vallon, whom we used to call Porthos; the Chevalier
d'Herblay, now the Abbe d'Herblay, whom we styled Aramis
---- "
The cardinal smiled.
