should have arrested the attention of all Europe.
In fact, aside from a poor widow and a royal orphan who wept
in the corner of the Louvre, no one appeared to be aware
that Charles I. had ever lived and that he had perished on
the scaffold.
The two friends made an appointment for ten o'clock on the
following day; for though the night was well advanced when
they reached the door of the hotel, Aramis said that he had
certain important visits to make and left Athos to enter
alone.
At ten o'clock the next day they met again. Athos had been
out since six o'clock.
"Well, have you any news?" Athos asked.
"Nothing. No one has seen D'Artagnan and Porthos has, not
appeared. Have you anything?"
"Nothing."
"The devil!" said Aramis.
"In fact," said Athos, "this delay is not natural; they took
the shortest route and should have arrived before we did."
"Add to that D'Artagnan's rapidity in action and that he is
not the man to lose an hour, knowing that we were expecting
him."
"He expected, you will remember, to be here on the fifth."
"And here we are at the ninth. This evening the margin of
possible delay expires."
"What do you think should be done," asked Athos. "if we have
no news of them to-night?"
"Pardieu! we must go and look for them."
"All right," said Athos.
"But Raoul?" said Aramis.
A light cloud passed over the count's face.
"Raoul gives me much uneasiness," he said. "He received
yesterday a message from the Prince de Conde; he went to
meet him at Saint Cloud and has not returned."
"Have you seen Madame de Chevreuse?"
"She was not at home. And you, Aramis, you were going, I
think, to visit Madame de Longueville."
"I did go there."
"Well?"
"She was no longer there, but she had left her new address."
"Where was she?"
"Guess; I give you a thousand chances."
"How should I know where the most beautiful and active of
the Frondists was at midnight? for I presume it was when you
left me that you went to visit her."
"At the Hotel de Ville, my dear fellow."
"What! at the Hotel de Ville? Has she, then, been appointed
provost of merchants?"
"No; but she has become queen of Paris, ad interim, and
since she could not venture at once to establish herself in
the Palais Royal or the Tuileries, she is installed at the
Hotel de Ville, where she is on the point of giving an heir
or an heiress to that dear duke."
"You didn't tell me of that, Aramis."
"Really? It was my forgetfulness then; pardon me."
"Now," asked Athos, "what are we to do with ourselves till
evening? Here we are without occupation, it seems to me."
"You forget, my friend, that we have work cut out for us in
the direction of Charenton; I hope to see Monsieur de
Chatillon, whom I've hated for a long time, there."
"Why have you hated him?"
"Because he is the brother of Coligny."
"Ah, true! he who presumed to be a rival of yours, for which
he was severely punished; that ought to satisfy you."
"'Yes, but it does not; I am rancorous -- the only stigma
that proves me to be a churchman. Do you understand? You
understand that you are in no way obliged to go with me."
"Come, now," said Athos, "you are joking."
"In that case, my dear friend, if you are resolved to
accompany me there is no time to lose; the drum beats; I
observed cannon on the road; I saw the citizens in order of
battle on the Place of the Hotel de Ville; certainly the
fight will be in the direction of Charenton, as the Duc de
Chatillon said."
"I supposed," said Athos, "that last night's conferences
would modify those warlike arrangements."
"No doubt; but they will fight, none the less, if only to
mask the conferences."
"Poor creatures!" said Athos, "who are going to be killed,
in order that Monsieur de Bouillon may have his estate at
Sedan restored to him, that the reversion of the admiralty
may be given to the Duc de Beaufort, and that the coadjutor
may be made a cardinal."
"Come, come, dear Athos, confess that you would not be so
philosophical if your Raoul were to be involved in this
affair."
"Perhaps you speak the truth, Aramis."
"Well, let us go, then, where the fighting is, for that is
the most likely place to meet with D'Artagnan, Porthos, and
possibly even Raoul. Stop, there are a fine body of citizens
passing; quite attractive, by Jupiter! and their captain --
see! he has the true military style."
"What, ho!" said Grimaud.
"What?" asked Athos.
"Planchet, sir."
"Lieutenant yesterday," said Aramis, "captain to-day,
colonel, doubtless, to-morrow; in a fortnight the fellow
will be marshal of France."
"Question him about the fight," said Athos.
Planchet, prouder than ever of his new duties, deigned to
explain to the two gentlemen that he was ordered to take up
his position on the Place Royale with two hundred men,
forming the rear of the army of Paris, and to march on
Charenton when necessary.
"This day will be a warm one," said Planchet, in a warlike
tone.
"No doubt," said Aramis, "but it is far from here to the
enemy."
"Sir, the distance will be diminished," said a subordinate.
Aramis saluted, then turning toward Athos:
"I don't care to camp on the Place Royale with all these
people," he said. "Shall we go forward? We shall see better
what is going on."
"And then Monsieur de Chatillon will not come to the Place
Royale to look for you. Come, then, my friend, we will go
forward."
"Haven't you something to say to Monsieur de Flamarens on
your own account?"
"My friend," said Athos, "I have made a resolution never to
draw my sword save when it is absolutely necessary."
"And how long ago was that?"
"When I last drew my poniard."
"Ah! Good! another souvenir of Monsieur Mordaunt. Well, my
friend, nothing now is lacking except that you should feel
remorse for having killed that fellow."
"Hush!" said Athos, putting a finger on his lips, with the
sad smile peculiar to him; "let us talk no more of Mordaunt
-- it will bring bad luck." And Athos set forward toward
Charenton, followed closely by Aramis.
78
The Battle of Charenton.
As Athos and Aramis proceeded, and passed different
companies on the road, they became aware that they were
arriving near the field of battle.
"Ah! my friend!" cried Athos, suddenly, "where have you
brought us? I fancy I perceive around us faces of different
officers in the royal army; is not that the Duc de Chatillon
himself coming toward us with his brigadiers?"
"Good-day, sirs," said the duke, advancing; "you are puzzled
by what you see here, but one word will explain everything.
There is now a truce and a conference. The prince, Monsieur
de Retz, the Duc de Beaufort, the Duc de Bouillon, are
talking over public affairs. Now one of two things must
happen: either matters will not be arranged, or they will be
arranged, in which last case I shall be relieved of my
command and we shall still meet again."
"Sir," said Aramis, "you speak to the point. Allow me to ask
you a question: Where are the plenipotentiaries?"
"At Charenton, in the second house on the right on entering
from the direction of Paris."
"And was this conference arranged beforehand?"
"No, gentlemen, it seems to be the result of certain
propositions which Mazarin made last night to the
Parisians."
Athos and Aramis exchanged smiles; for they well knew what
those propositions were, to whom they had been made and who
had made them.
"And that house in which the plenipotentiaries are," asked
Athos, "belongs to ---- "
"To Monsieur de Chanleu, who commands your troops at
Charenton. I say your troops, for I presume that you
gentlemen are Frondeurs?"
"Yes, almost," said Aramis.
"We are for the king and the princes," added Athos.
"We must understand each other," said the duke. "The king is
with us and his generals are the Duke of Orleans and the
Prince de Conde, although I must add 'tis almost impossible
now to know to which party any one belongs."
"Yes," answered Athos, "but his right place is in our ranks,
with the Prince de Conti, De Beaufort, D'Elbeuf, and De
Bouillon; but, sir, supposing that the conference is broken
off -- are you going to try to take Charenton?"
"Such are my orders."
"Sir, since you command the cavalry ---- "
"Pardon me, I am commander-in-chief."
"So much the better. You must know all your officers -- I
mean those more distinguished."
"Why, yes, very nearly."
"Will you then kindly tell me if you have in your command
the Chevalier d'Artagnan, lieutenant in the musketeers?"
"No, sir, he is not with us; he left Paris more than six
weeks ago and is believed to have gone on a mission to
England."
"I knew that, but I supposed he had returned."
"No, sir; no one has seen him. I can answer positively on
that point, for the musketeers belong to our forces and
Monsieur de Cambon, the substitute for Monsieur d'Artagnan,
still holds his place."
The two friends looked at each other.
"You see," said Athos.
"It is strange," said Aramis.
"It is absolutely certain that some misfortune has happened
to them on the way."
"If we have no news of them this evening, to-morrow we must
start."
Athos nodded affirmatively, then turning:
"And Monsieur de Bragelonne, a young man fifteen years of
age, attached to the Prince de Conde -- has he the honor of
being known to you?" diffident in allowing the sarcastic
Aramis to perceive how strong were his paternal feelings.
"Yes, surely, he came with the prince; a charming young man;
he is one of your friends then, monsieur le comte?"
"Yes, sir," answered Athos, agitated; "so much so that I
wish to see him if possible."
"Quite possible, sir; do me the favor to accompany me and I
will conduct you to headquarters."
"Halloo, there!" cried Aramis, turning around; "what a noise
behind us!"
"A body of cavaliers is coming toward us," said Chatillon.
"I recognize the coadjutor by his Frondist hat."
"And I the Duc de Beaufort by his white plume of ostrich
feathers."
"They are coming, full gallop; the prince is with them --
ah! he is leaving them!"
"They are beating the rappel!" cried Chatillon; "we must
discover what is going on."
In fact, they saw the soldiers running to their arms; the
trumpets sounded; the drums beat; the Duc de Beaufort drew
his sword. On his side the prince sounded a rappel and all
the officers of the royalist army, mingling momentarily with
the Parisian troops, ran to him.
"Gentlemen," cried Chatillon, "the truce is broken, that is
evident; they are going to fight; go, then, into Charenton,
for I shall begin in a short time -- there's a signal from
the prince!"
The cornet of a troop had in fact just raised the standard
of the prince.
"Farewell, till the next time we meet," cried Chatillon, and
he set off, full gallop.
Athos and Aramis turned also and went to salute the
coadjutor and the Duc de Beaufort. As to the Duc de
Bouillon, he had such a fit of gout as obliged him to return
to Paris in a litter; but his place was well filled by the
Duc d'Elbeuf and his four sons, ranged around him like a
staff. Meantime, between Charenton and the royal army was
left a space which looked ready to serve as a last resting
place for the dead.
"Gentlemen," cried the coadjutor, tightening his sash, which
he wore, after the fashion of the ancient military prelates,
over his archiepiscopal simar, "there's the enemy
approaching. Let us save them half of their journey."
And without caring whether he were followed or not he set
off; his regiment, which bore the name of the regiment of
Corinth, from the name of his archbishopric, darted after
him and began the fight. Monsieur de Beaufort sent his
cavalry, toward Etampes and Monsieur de Chanleu, who
defended the place, was ready to resist an assault, or if
the enemy were repulsed, to attempt a sortie.
The battle soon became general and the coadjutor performed
miracles of valor. His proper vocation had always been the
sword and he was delighted whenever he could draw it from
the scabbard, no matter for whom or against whom.
Chanleu, whose fire at one time repulsed the royal regiment,
thought that the moment was come to pursue it; but it was
reformed and led again to the charge by the Duc de Chatillon
in person. This charge was so fierce, so skillfully
conducted, that Chanleu was almost surrounded. He commanded
a retreat, which began, step by step, foot by foot;
unhappily, in an instant he fell, mortally wounded. De
Chatillon saw him fall and announced it in a loud voice to
his men, which raised their spirits and completely
disheartened their enemies, so that every man thought only
of his own safety and tried to gain the trenches, where the
coadjutor was trying to reform his disorganized regiment.
Suddenly a squadron of cavalry galloped up to encounter the
