Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 190 — page 20: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

- ant ~~ 5 - ——_ = = << = —_—$== > = —— - = rs = = a - S45 = — 7a ~ =—- = ee - eS ® > ’ -_-—- -=TS > —* = 3 7 a = =~ = = J “The cardinal has taken my hand; I have touched the hand of a great man!’’ exclaimed Bonancieux; **the great man has called mc ‘sis friend.” ** Yes, my friend, yes,”’ said the cardinal, in that peculiar tone which he was sometimes able to as- sume, but which only deceived those who did not know him; and as you have been unjustly suspected, we must make you some amends. Here take this bag of a hundred pistoles, and forgive me.”’ “7 forgive you, my lord!”’ said Bonancieux, hesitat- ing to take the bag, from a fear that this pretended gift was ouly a joke. ‘“ But you were quite at liberty to send me to the torture; you are quite at liberty to hang me—you are my master, and I should not have the smallest word to say against it. Forgive you, my lord! But you cannot mean that!" ‘* Ah! my dear M. Bonancieux, you are very gener- ous; I see it, andI thank you. But you must take this bag, and then you will go away not very discon- tented—will you not?”’ “T will go away perfectly enchanted, my lord!"’ * Adieu, then; or, rather, adieu till our next Tr for I hope that we shall see each other ain.” ‘**As often as my lord may please; lam at your eminence’s command,”’ “It shall be often, depend upon it; for I have found your conversation quite charming.” **Oh, my lord!” ‘Farewell, till ournext meeting.” Bonancieux, at the sign from the cardinal's hand bowed to the very ground, and then backed himself out of the room. When he was in the anteroom, the cardinal heard him, in his enthusiasm, crying out, at the top of his lungs: a live his eminence—long live the great car- dinal!"’ Richelieu listened, with a smile, to this noisy mani- festation of the enthusiastic feeling of Master Bonan- cieux; and when his shouts were lost in the distance: “There,’’ said he, ‘‘isa man who would henceforth die for me!” The cardinal then set himself to examine, with great attention, the map of La Rochelle, which was spread out upon the table, and to mark with a pencil the position of the famous embankment which, eighteen months afterwards, closed the port of the beseiged city. Whilst he was most deeply occupied with these strategic meditations, the door opened, and Roche- fort ots Laem ** Well!” said the cardinal, with vivacity, which roved of what consequence he considered the intel- igence that he expected from the count. ** Well!” said the latter, ‘‘a young woman, between twenty-six and twenty-eight years old, and a man of about thirty-five or forty years of age, have really lodged in the house indicated eA gy eminence; but the woman left last night, and the man this morn- ing.”’ a was they!"’ exclaimed the duke, whose eyes were fixed upon the clock; ** but now,”’ be continued, **ip is too late to followthem. The duchess is at Tours, and the duke at Boulogne. It is in London that they must be overtaken,” i. rybat are your eminence’s commands?” ‘Let not one word be said of what has passed, Let the queen remain in perfect security; let her be ignorant that we know her secret; let her believe that we are hunting after some conspiracy. Send me, Sequier the keeper of the seals.” “And this man’ Whathas your eminence done with him?” - at man?’ demanded the cardinal. “This Bonancieux,”’ “*T have done all that could be done with him. I have made him a spy upon his wife.” The Count de Rochefort bowed low, like a man who felt the great superiority of his master, and withdrew. ; As soon as thé cardinal was again alone, he seated himself cé more, and wrote a letter, which he sealed his private signet, and then rang his bell, The officer entered for the fourth time, **Tell Vitry to come here,”’ said the cardinal, ** and order him to be ready for a journey.” In another moment the man he had sent for was standing before him, booted and spurred, * Vitry,’’ said he, *‘ you must go off at once, with- out an instant’s delay, to London. You must not Stop oné moment on the road, and you will give this letter to my lady. There is an order for two hundred pistoles; go to my treasurer, and get the money. You ren have the same sum if you returnin six days, aving performed my mission properly.” The messenger, without answering one word, bowed; took the letter, and the order for two hundred pigoles, and left the room, These were the contents of the letter: **My LApy, _. “Be present at the first ball where you can meet the Duke of Buckingham. He will have on his doub- twelve diamond studs; get close to him, and cut two, ** As soon as these studs are in your possession, let mae know it.”’ CHAPTER Xv. _ j» CIVLLIANS AND SOLDIERS. _ Ow after these events had happened, as 08 not returned to them, d’Ar an and ormed M. de Treville of his disappear- As for Aramis, he had requested leave of absence for five days, and it was said that he was at Rouen abont some family affairs. M. de Treville was the father of his soldiers. The THE THREE GUARDSMEN. ee humblest individual among them, from the time that he put on the uniform of the company, Was as cer- tain of his assistance and support, as his own brother could have been. He went, therefore, at once to the criminal lieuten- ant. The officer who commanded at La Croix Rouge was sent for, and from various inquiries it was ascer- tained that Athos was at that time lodged at Fort l'Eveque. Athos had been subjected to the same trials as we have seen Bonancieux exposed to. We have witnessed the confrontation of the two prisoners. “ Athos, who till then had said nothing, from fear that d’Artagnan had not had the time he needed, from that moment declared that his name was Athos, and not d'Artagnan. He added that he neither knew M. nor Madame Bonancieux; that he had never spoken either to the one or the other; and that he had gone at about ten at night to pay a visit to his friend, M. d’Artagnan, but until that hour he had been at M. de Treville’s, where he dined. Twenty witnesses, he added, could confirm this fact; and he named many distinguisned gentlemen, among whom was the Duc de la Tremouille. The second commissary was as much surprised as the first, at this simple but firm declaration of the musketeer, on whom he would gladly have taken that revenge which civilians so much love to gain over soldiers; but the names of Treville and dela Tremouille demanded consideration. Athos was, therefore, sent to the cardinal; but his eminence was, unfortunately, at the Louvre with the king. It was just at this time that M. de Treville, having in vain sought Athos from the lieutenant and the governor of Fort | Eveque, came to make an ap- plication to his majesty, to whom he had, as cap- tain of the musketeers, the right of immediate ac- cess upon all occasions. The prejudices of the king against the Gacon are well known—prejudices which were skillfully fos- tered by the cardinal, who, in relation to political intrigues, had much greater fear of women than of men. One of the chief causes of this prejudice was the friendship of the queen for Madame de Chev- reuse, These two women gave his eminence more uneasi- ness than the Spanish war, the rupture with England, and the embarrassment of the finances, all combined. He was convinced that Madame de Chevreuse served the queen, not only in political, but, what was far more vexatious to him, in amorous intrigues as well, At the first word which the cardinal had uttered, that Madame de Chevreuse, who was exiled to Tou and who had been supposed to be in that ee Be come to Paris, and during the five days that she had stayed there had escaped the police—the king be- came furiously enraged. At once capricious and un- faithful to his wife, Louis still wished to be distin- guished as the just and (the chaste. Posterity will with difficulty understand this character, which his- not by reasoning, but by facts. ut when the cardinal added, that not only had Madame de Chevreuse been to Paris, but that the queen had renewed her friendship with her by means of one of those mysterious correspondences which was then called a cabal—when he affirmed that he the cardinal, had all but unravelied the threads of this intrigue—when, at the moment that he was about to detect in the very fact, provided with the fullest proofs, an emissary of the queen, who was in communication with the exile, a musketeer had dared violently to interrupt the course of justice, by falling, sword in hand, upon the honest officers of the law, who had been charged to examine the whole affair with impartiality, in order to lay it before the king—Louis was no longer able to restrain himself. He took a step towards the ~ tana te apartments, with that pale and speechless indignation, which, when it burst out, led that prince to acts of the most unfeél he coal d yet, in all this, the eardinal had not said one word concerning the Duke of Buckingham. It was that moment that M. de Treville entered, pe polite, and with a manner perfectly unobjection- able, Warned of what had taken place by the presence of the cardinal, and by the change in the king’s coun- tenance, M. de Treville felt himself as strong as Sam- son*before the Philistines. The king had already placed his hand vpon the handle of the door; but, at the noise of M. de Trev- ille’s entrance, he turned around. ‘You came in good time, sir,’’ said his majesty; who, when his passions were egges ed excited, never dissembled—“ for I hear fine things of your musketeers.” “And I,” said Treville, coolly, “have fine things to tell you of your civiliins.”’ “Whatis that you say?” said the king, haughtily. ‘*T have the honor to inform your majesty,” said Treville, in the same tone, ‘that a party of lawyers, commissaries, and police agents—people very respec- table in their way, but very inveterate, as it appears, against the military—have presumed to arrest in a house, to drag through the public streets, and to cast into Fort l'Eveque (and all this under an order which they refuse to show me), oneof my musketeers, or rather yours, sir, of-irreproachable conduct, of an almost illustrious reputation, and favorably known to your majesty—M. Athos!” * Athos,” said the king, mechanically; “‘ yes, I cer- tainly do know that man!" ‘“Your majesty May remember,” said M. de Tre- ville, ‘*M. Athos is the musketeer who, in the vexa- tious duel that you heard of, had the misfortune to wound M, de Cahusac severely; by the by, my ee ae eee lord,’’ continued Treville, addressing the cardi- mt M. de Cahusac is entirely recovered, is he no 39 ‘“‘I thank you,’’ said the cardinal, biting his lips with anger. ‘*M. Athos,”’ continued Treville, ‘‘ had gone to visit one of his friends who was from homé, a young Bear- nese, a cadet in his majesty’s guards, in the com- any of Essarts; but scarcely had he settled himself n his friend’s room, and taken up a book while waiting, when a cloud of bailiffs and soldiers, mingled together, laid siege to the house, and broke open sev- eral doors.”’ : ot ine cardinal here made the king a sign which sig- ed: ‘It was on account of the business I have been telling you.”’ ‘*We know all that,” said the king, “for it was all done in our service,”’ ** And was it,”’ asked Treville, ‘‘in your majesty's service, also, that oneof my musketeers, who was perfectly innocent, has been seized, placed between two guards as a malefactor, and marched through the midst of an insolent crowd, although he is a gal- lant man, who has shed his blood for your Majesty ten times, and is yet ready to spill it again?" Bah!” said the king, somewhat shaken; “ and did the thing really happen thus?”’ **M. de Treville does not say,” replied the cardinal. with the greatest indifference, * t this innocent musketeer, this gallant man, had, only one hour be- fore, attacked, sword in hand, four commissaries de)- egated by me to collect information concerning an affair of the greatest importance,” ““I defy your eminence to prove it,” cried Treville, with true Gascen frankness, and true military blunt- ness, *‘for, an hour before, M. Athos, who, 1 can as- sure you, is a man of the highest rank, did me the honor after having dined with me, of conversing in my drawing-room with the Count de Chalons and the Duc de la Tremouille.”’ The king looked at the cardinal. * A deposition declares it,’’ suid the cardinal, in an- swer to the mute interrogation of the king; ‘‘and the individuals who were ill-treated have prepared what have now the honor to present to your majesty.” “Is the affidavit of a civilian of equal value with the word of honor of a soldier?’ demanded Treville, fiercely. ‘*“Come—come, Treville, be silent,’’ said the king. “If his eminence has any suspicions against one of my musketeers," replied Treville, ‘‘the justice of the cardinal is so well known, that 1 should myself demand an por soy fe ‘In the house in which this attack on justice has been made,”’ said the immovable cardinal, “there lodges, I believe, a Bearnese, a friend of the mus- keteer.”’ ot ao eminence probably alludes to M, d'Artag- nan?’ ‘4 allude to a young man whom you de Treville.”’ seme aah or gan oo t, en. your eminence; aga 90," “Do you not suspect this young man of h given bad advice?” ei Ta4% ioe “To M. Athos—to a man nearly double his own age broke in M. de Treville. “No, sir; besides, : d’Artagnan passed the evening at my house!” “Ah!” said the cardinal, “everybody seems to have passed the evening at your house!” ** Does his eminence doubt my word?’ asked Tre- ville, his face flushed with anger. ‘No, God forbid!” said the cardinal; “ but, only, at what hour was he at your house?” “Oh! as to that, I can speak positively to your eminence; for as he entered, I remarked that it was half past nine by the clock, although I had believed it to be later,”’ “And at what hour did he leave your hotel?"’ * At half-past ten—exactly one hour after this event. ee * But, at least, M. Athos was seized in that house, tn the rue des Fossoyeurs!” said the cardinal, who did not for a moment doubt the loyalty of M. de Tre- ville, yet felt that victory was leaving him, ; **Is it ns ogc ed a friend to visit a friend? or or a musketeer of my company, to keep compan witha guard of M. des Essarts?” . are 3 * Yes, when the house where he associates with this: friend is suspected.” “This house is suspected, Treville,” said the king: ““perha you did not know that.” walt eal vate Bog not know it. m suspected, I deny that it was in that part. which M, d’Artagnan inhabits; for I can assure you,. sire, if I may believe what he has said, there does not exist a more devoted servant of your majesty, or a. more profound admirer of the cardinal." “Is it not this d’Artagnan who wounded Jussac in, that unfortunate encounter which took place one day near the convent des Carmes Dechausses?” de- manded the king, looking at the cardinal, who color-. ed with spite. - “And Bernajoux the day after.” ‘Yes, sire, yes: it is the same. Your majesty hag: a good memory.” ‘Come, what shall we decide upon?” said the But although it king. “hat concerns your majesty more than me,” an- swered the a ee i assert his guilt.” * An eny it,” reville, “But his majesty’ bas josges— it — Nery on it,”’ 4 *Ehxac 8o,"’ sa e * u Pe ar iry ing; ‘let us refer the mat they shall ju mr Only,” said Treville, “it is a sad thing, in these: unhappy times in which we live, that the purest life,. the most indisputable virtue, eannot secure a man, ; it is their business to judge, and. from infamy and persecution. The army will be bus. little satisfied, I can answer for it, at being the object: / Eboo! €om