Vingt ans après. English by Alexandre Dumas
39. How, sometimes, the Unhappy mistake Chance for Providence.
Well, madame," said De Winter, when the queen had dismissed herattendants.
"Well, my lord, what I foresaw has come to pass."
"What? does the cardinal refuse to receive the king? France refusehospitality to an unfortunate prince? Ay, but it is for the first time,madame!"
"I did not say France, my lord; I said the cardinal, and the cardinal isnot even a Frenchman."
"But did you see the queen?"
"It is useless," replied Henrietta, "the queen will not say yes when thecardinal says no. Are you not aware that this Italian directseverything, both indoors and out? And moreover, I should not besurprised had we been forestalled by Cromwell. He was embarrassed whilstspeaking to me and yet quite firm in his determination to refuse. Thendid you not observe the agitation in the Palais Royal, the passing toand fro of busy people? Can they have received any news, my lord?"
"Not from England, madame. I made such haste that I am certain of nothaving been forestalled. I set out three days ago, passing miraculouslythrough the Puritan army, and I took post horses with my servant Tony;the horses upon which we were mounted were bought in Paris. Besides, theking, I am certain, awaits your majesty's reply before riskinganything."
"You will tell him, my lord," resumed the queen, despairingly, "that Ican do nothing; that I have suffered as much as himself--more than hehas--obliged as I am to eat the bread of exile and to ask hospitalityfrom false friends who smile at my tears; and as regards his royalperson, he must sacrifice it generously and die like a king. I shall goand die by his side."
"Madame, madame," exclaimed De Winter, "your majesty abandons yourselfto despair; and yet, perhaps, there still remains some hope."
"No friends left, my lord; no other friends left in the wide world butyourself! Oh, God!" exclaimed the poor queen, raising her eyes toHeaven, "have You indeed taken back all the generous hearts that onceexisted in the world?"
"I hope not, madame," replied De Winter, thoughtfully; "I once spoke toyou of four men."
"What can be done with four?"
"Four devoted, resolute men can do much, assure yourself, madame; andthose of whom I speak performed great things at one time."
"And where are these four men?"
"Ah, that is what I do not know. It is twenty years since I saw them,and yet whenever I have seen the king in danger I have thought of them."
"And these men were your friends?"
"One of them held my life in his hands and gave it to me. I know notwhether he is still my friend, but since that time I have remained his."
"And these men are in France, my lord?"
"I believe so."
"Tell me their names; perhaps I may have heard them mentioned and mightbe able to aid you in finding them."
"One of them was called the Chevalier d'Artagnan."
"Ah, my lord, if I mistake not, the Chevalier d'Artagnan is lieutenantof royal guards; but take care, for I fear that this man is entirelydevoted to the cardinal."
"That would be a misfortune," said De Winter, "and I shall begin tothink that we are really doomed."
"But the others," said the queen, who clung to this last hope as ashipwrecked man clings to the hull of his vessel. "The others, my lord!"
"The second--I heard his name by chance; for before fighting us, thesefour gentlemen told us their names; the second was called the Comte dela Fere. As for the two others, I had so much the habit of calling themby nicknames that I have forgotten their real ones."
"Oh, mon Dieu, it is a matter of the greatest urgency to find them out,"said the queen, "since you think these worthy gentlemen might be souseful to the king."
"Oh, yes," said De Winter, "for they are the same men. Listen, madame,and recall your remembrances. Have you never heard that Queen Anne ofAustria was once saved from the greatest danger ever incurred by aqueen?"
"Yes, at the time of her relations with Monsieur de Buckingham; it hadto do in some way with certain studs and diamonds."
"Well, it was that affair, madame; these men are the ones who saved her;and I smile with pity when I reflect that if the names of thosegentlemen are unknown to you it is because the queen has forgotten them,who ought to have made them the first noblemen of the realm."
"Well, then, my lord, they must be found; but what can four men, orrather three men do--for I tell you, you must not count on Monsieurd'Artagnan."
"It will be one valiant sword the less, but there will remain stillthree, without reckoning my own; now four devoted men around the king toprotect him from his enemies, to be at his side in battle, to aid himwith counsel, to escort him in flight, are sufficient, not to make theking a conqueror, but to save him if conquered; and whatever Mazarin maysay, once on the shores of France your royal husband may find as manyretreats and asylums as the seabird finds in a storm."
"Seek, then, my lord, seek these gentlemen; and if they will consent togo with you to England, I will give to each a duchy the day that wereascend the throne, besides as much gold as would pave Whitehall. Seekthem, my lord, and find them, I conjure you."
"I will search for them, madame," said De Winter "and doubtless I shallfind them; but time fails me. Has your majesty forgotten that the kingexpects your reply and awaits it in agony?"
"Then indeed we are lost!" cried the queen, in the fullness of a brokenheart.
At this moment the door opened and the young Henrietta appeared; thenthe queen, with that wonderful strength which is the privilege ofparents, repressed her tears and motioned to De Winter to change thesubject.
But that act of self-control, effective as it was, did not escape theeyes of the young princess. She stopped on the threshold, breathed asigh, and addressing the queen:
"Why, then, do you always weep, mother, when I am away from you?" shesaid.
The queen smiled, but instead of answering:
"See, De Winter," she said, "I have at least gained one thing in beingonly half a queen; and that is that my children call me 'mother' insteadof 'madame.'"
Then turning toward her daughter:
"What do you want, Henrietta?" she demanded.
"My mother," replied the young princess, "a cavalier has just enteredthe Louvre and wishes to present his respects to your majesty; hearrives from the army and has, he says, a letter to remit to you, on thepart of the Marechal de Grammont, I think."
"Ah!" said the queen to De Winter, "he is one of my faithful adherents;but do you not observe, my dear lord, that we are so poorly served thatit is left to my daughter to fill the office of doorkeeper?"
"Madame, have pity on me," exclaimed De Winter; "you wring my heart!"
"And who is this cavalier, Henrietta?" asked the queen.
"I saw him from the window, madame; he is a young man that appearsscarce sixteen years of age, and is called the Viscount de Bragelonne."
The queen, smiling, made a sign with her head; the young princess openedthe door and Raoul appeared on the threshold.
Advancing a few steps toward the queen, he knelt down.
"Madame," said he, "I bear to your majesty a letter from my friend theCount de Guiche, who told me he had the honor of being your servant;this letter contains important news and the expression of his respect."
At the name of the Count de Guiche a blush spread over the cheeks of theyoung princess and the queen glanced at her with some degree ofseverity.
"You told me that the letter was from the Marechal de Grammont,Henrietta!" said the queen.
"I thought so, madame," stammered the young girl.
"It is my fault, madame," said Raoul. "I did announce myself, in truth,as coming on the part of the Marechal de Grammont; but being wounded inthe right arm he was unable to write and therefore the Count de Guicheacted as his secretary."
"There has been fighting, then?" asked the queen, motioning to Raoul torise.
"Yes, madame," said the young man.
At this announcement of a battle having taken place
The queen saw this, and doubtless her maternal heart translated theemotion, for addressing Raoul again:
"And no evil has happened to the young Count de Guiche?" she asked; "fornot only is he our servant, as you say, sir, but more--he is one of ourfriends."
"No, madame," replied Raoul; "on the contrary, he gained great glory andhad the honor of being embraced by his highness, the prince, on thefield of battle."
The young princess clapped her hands; and then, ashamed of having beenbetrayed into such a demonstration of joy, she half turned away and bentover a vase of roses, as if to inhale their odor.
"Let us see," said the queen, "what the count says." And she opened theletter and read:
"Madame,--Being unable to have the honor of writing to you myself, byreason of a wound I have received in my right hand, I have commanded myson, the Count de Guiche, who, with his father, is equally your humbleservant, to write to tell you that we have just gained the battle ofLens, and that this victory cannot fail to give great power to CardinalMazarin and to the queen over the affairs of Europe. If her majesty willhave faith in my counsels she ought to profit by this event to addressat this moment, in favor of her august husband, the court of France. TheVicomte de Bragelonne, who will have the honor of remitting this letterto your majesty, is the friend of my son, who owes to him his life; heis a gentleman in whom your majesty may confide entirely, in case yourmajesty may have some verbal or written order to remit to me.
"I have the honor to be, with respect, etc.,
"Marechal de Grammont."
At the moment mention occurred of his having rendered a service to thecount, Raoul could not help turning his glance toward the youngprincess, and then he saw in her eyes an expression of infinitegratitude to the young man; he no longer doubted that the daughter ofKing Charles I. loved his friend.
"The battle of Lens gained!" said the queen; "they are lucky hereindeed; they can gain battles! Yes, the Marechal de Grammont is right;this will change the aspect of French affairs, but I much fear it willdo nothing for English, even if it does not harm them. This is recentnews, sir," continued she, "and I thank you for having made such hasteto bring it to me; without this letter I should not have heard tillto-morrow, perhaps after to-morrow--the last of all Paris."
"Madame," said Raoul, "the Louvre is but the second palace this news hasreached; it is as yet unknown to all, and I had sworn to the Count deGuiche to remit this letter to your majesty before even I should embracemy guardian."
"Your guardian! is he, too, a Bragelonne?" asked Lord de Winter. "I onceknew a Bragelonne--is he still alive?"
"No, sir, he is dead; and I believe it is from him my guardian, whosenear relation he was, inherited the estate from which I take my name."
"And your guardian, sir," asked the queen, who could not help feelingsome interest in the handsome young man before her, "what is his name?"
"The Comte de la Fere, madame," replied the young man, bowing.
De Winter made a gesture of surprise and the queen turned to him with astart of joy.
"The Comte de la Fere!" she cried. "Have you not mentioned that name tome?"
As for De Winter he could scarcely believe that he had heard aright."The Comte de la Fere!" he cried in his turn. "Oh, sir, reply, I entreatyou--is not the Comte de la Fere a noble whom I remember, handsome andbrave, a musketeer under Louis XIII., who must be now about forty-sevenor forty-eight years of age?"
"Yes, sir, you are right in every particular!"
"And who served under an assumed name?"
"Under the name of Athos. Latterly I heard his friend, Monsieurd'Artagnan, give him that name."
"That is it, madame, that is the same. God be praised! And he is inParis?" continued he, addressing Raoul; then turning to the queen: "Wemay still hope. Providence has declared for us, since I have found thisbrave man again in so miraculous a manner. And, sir, where does hereside, pray?"
"The Comte de la Fere lodges in the Rue Guenegaud, Hotel du Grand RoiCharlemagne."
"Thanks, sir. Inform this dear friend that he may remain within, that Ishall go and see him immediately."
"Sir, I obey with pleasure, if her majesty will permit me to depart."
"Go, Monsieur de Bragelonne," said the queen, "and rest assured of ouraffection."
Raoul bent respectfully before the two princesses, and bowing to DeWinter, departed.
The queen and De Winter continued to converse for some time in lowvoices, in order that the young princess should not overhear them; butthe precaution was needless: she was in deep converse with her ownthoughts.
Then, when De Winter rose to take leave:
"Listen, my lord," said the queen; "I have preserved this diamond crosswhich came from my mother, and this order of St. Michael which came frommy husband. They are worth about fifty thousand pounds. I had sworn todie of hunger rather than part with these precious pledges; but now thatthis ornament may be useful to him or his defenders, everything must besacrificed. Take them, and if you need money for your expedition, sellthem fearlessly, my lord. But should you find the means of retainingthem, remember, my lord, that I shall esteem you as having rendered thegreatest service that a gentleman can render to a queen; and in the dayof my prosperity he who brings me this order and this cross shall beblessed by me and my children."
"Madame," replied De Winter, "your majesty will be served by a mandevoted to you. I hasten to deposit these two objects in a safe place,nor should I accept them if the resources of our ancient fortune wereleft to us, but our estates are confiscated, our ready money isexhausted, and we are reduced to turn to service everything we possess.In an hour hence I shall be with the Comte de la Fere, and to-morrowyour majesty shall have a definite reply."
The queen tendered her hand to Lord de Winter, who, kissing itrespectfully, went out and traversed alone and unconducted those large,dark and deserted apartments, brushing away tears which, blase as he wasby fifty years spent as a courtier, he could not withhold at thespectacle of royal distress so dignified, yet so intense.