Part 22 (1/2)
”Certainly!” said he, ”I a a snare for this aave an address, and eau hi of his words 'To-,'
said he, 'they will pass opposite the bridge of Blois' Mordioux! that is clear enough, and particularly for a lover That is the cause of this embarrassment; that is the cause of this hesitation; that is the cause of this order--'Monsieur the lieutenant of my musketeers, be on horseback to-' Which is as clear as if he had said,--'Monsieur the lieutenant of e of Blois,--do you understand?' Here is a state secret, then, which I, humble as I am, have in et it? Because I have good eyes, as his majesty just now said They say he loves this little Italian doll furiously They say he threw hi her to allow him to marry her They say the queen went so far as to consult the court of Roainst her will, would be valid Oh, if I were but twenty-five! If I had by er have! If I did not despise the whole world most profoundly, I would embroil Mazarin with the queen-mother, France with Spain, and I would make a queen after my own fashi+on But let that pass” And the lieutenant snapped his fingers in disdain
”This miserable Italian--this poor creature--this sordid wretch--who has just refused the king of England a ive me a thousand pistoles for the neould carry hi stupid indeed! The idea of Mazarin giving anything! ha! ha! ha!” and he laughed in a subdued voice
”Well, let us go to sleep--let us go to sleep; and the sooner the better My s to-morrow more clearly than to-day”
And upon this recommendation,with contehbor Five minutes after this he was asleep, with his hands clenched and his lips apart, giving escape, not to his secret, but to a sonorous sound, which rose and spread freely beneath the majestic roof of the ante-chamber
Chapter XIII Mary de Mancini
The sun had scarcely shed its first beams on the majestic trees of the park and the lofty turrets of the castle, when the young king, who had been awake more than two hours, possessed by the sleeplessness of love, opened his shutters hi look into the courts of the sleeping palace He saw that it was the hour agreed upon: the great court clock pointed to a quarter past four He did not disturb his valet de cha soundly at soreat fright, sprang up, thinking he had been deficient in his duty; but the king sent hi him to preserve the most absolute silence He then descended the little staircase, went out at a lateral door, and perceived at the end of the wall aanother horse by the bridle This horsenized in his cloak and slouched hat As to the horse, saddled like that of a rich citizen, it offered nothing remarkable to the most experienced eye Louis took the bridle: the officer held the stirrup without dis, and asked his majesty's orders in a low voice
”Follow
The officer put his horse to the trot, behind that of his e When they reached the other side of the Loire,--
”Monsieur,” said the king, ”you will please to ride on till you see a carriage co; then return and inforive ed to discover?”
”A carriage in which you will see two ladies, and probably their attendants likewise”
”Sire, I should not wish to n by which I e?”
”It will bear, in all probability, the arms of monsieur le cardinal”
”That is sufficient, sire,” replied the officer, fully instructed in the object of his search He put his horse to the trot, and rode sharply on in the direction pointed out by the king But he had scarcely gone five hundred paces when he saw four e, looe calance to assure hies he was in search of; he therefore turned his bridle, and rode back to the king
”Sire,” said he, ”here are the carriages The first, as you said, contains two ladies with their femmes de chambre; the second contains the footmen, provisions, and necessaries”
”That is well,” replied the king in an agitated voice ”Please to go and tell those ladies that a cavalier of the court wishes to pay his respects to theallop ”Mordioux!” said he, as he rode on, ”here is a new and honorable e nobody I ah to make a e, and delivered his ently There were two ladies in the carriage: one of great beauty, although rather thin; the other less favored by nature, but lively, graceful, and uniting in the delicate lines of her brow all the signs of a strong will Her eyes, ani, in particular, spoke more eloquently than all the aallantry It was to her D'Artagnan addressed hih the other was, as we have said, the more handsome of the two
”Madame,” said he, ”I am the lieutenant of the musketeers, and there is on the road a horse his respects to you”
At these words, the effect of which he watched closely, the lady with the black eyes uttered a cry of joy, leant out of the carriage , and seeing the cavalier approaching, held out her arushed from her eyes
The coachman stopped his teae, and the second lady ht curtsey, terminated by the most ironical smile that jealousy ever imparted to the lips of wo the hand of the black-eyed lady in both his And opening the heavy door hie with so round The lieutenant, posted on the other side of the carriage, saw and heard all without being observed
The king offered his arn to the coachman and lackeys to proceed It was nearly six o'clock; the road was fresh and pleasant; tall trees with their foliage still inclosed in the golden down of their buds, let the dew ofbranches, like liquid diaes; the ss having returned only a few days since, described their graceful curves between the heavens and the water; a breeze, laden with the perfu the road, and wrinkled the surface of the waters of the river; all these beauties of the day, all these perfumes of the plants, all these aspirations of the earth towards heaven, intoxicated the two lovers, walking side by side, leaning upon each other, eyes fixed upon eyes, hand clasping hand, and who, lingering as by a common desire, did not dare to speak, they had so 's horse, in wandering this way and that, annoyed Madee of the pretext of securing the horse to draw near the, walked between the two horses he led; he did not lose a single word or gesture of the lovers It was Madean