Part 68 (1/2)
”I have had the honor of assuring your e Charles II contains the revelation of his wishes”
”Pooh! you are ridiculous with your obstinacy, Monsieur Athos It is plain you have kept company with the Puritans yonder As to your secret, I know it better than you do; and you have done wrongly, perhaps, in not having shown sohis life, and kept the field for his ideas as bravely as you have for yours You will not co to me? Very well! Co--and before the king--Now, then, one last word: who gave you the Fleece? I re the Garter; but as to the Fleece, I do not know--”
”Recently, e of hisCharles II a brevet of the Fleece in blank; Charles II i up the blank withon the arm of Bernouin, he returned to his ruelle at theannounced The Prince de Conde, the first prince of the blood, the conqueror of Rocroi, Lens, and Nordlingen, was, in fact, entering the apartentle, when the prime minister raised his curtain Athos had ti the hand of the Comte de Guiche, and send him a smile in return for his respectful bow He had time, likewise, to see the radiant countenance of the cardinal, when he perceived before hiold, which the Comte de Guiche had won in a run of luck, after his e aht was of the gold ”What!” cried the old man--”all that--won?”
”Soneur,” replied the Coive up my place to your eive up! you are mad You would lose all you have won Peste!”
”My lord!” said the Prince de Conde, bowing
”Good-evening, monsieur le prince,” said the minister, in a careless tone; ”it is very kind of you to visit an old sick friend”
”A friend!”with stupor this monstrous alliance of words;--”friends! when the parties are Conde and Mazarin!”
Mazarin seehts of the Frondeur, for he smiled upon hi, ”I have the honor of presenting to your majesty, Monsieur le Comte de la Fere, aentle his hand to all who filled the chamber, and who, the Prince de Conde at their head, all disappeared at the siesture Raoul, after a last look cast at the comte, followed M de Conde Philip of Anjou and the queen appeared to be consulting about departing
”A fa theentle Charles II, completely restored to his throne, de, and Madehter of Henry IV Will you re, monsieur le comte?”
Athos remained for a minute stupefied How could the minister possibly know the contents of the letter, which had never been out of his keeping for a single instant? Nevertheless, always , Louis XIV, who took it with a blush A solened in the cardinal's chaold, which Mazarin, with his yellow, dry hand, piled up in a casket, whilst the king was reading
Chapter XLI The Recital
The maliciousness of the cardinal did not leave much for the ambassador to say; nevertheless, the word ”restoration” had struck the king, who, addressing the comte, upon whom his eyes had been fixed since his entrance,--”Monsieur,” said he, ”will you have the kindness to give us soland You come from that country, you are a French upon your person announce you to be a man of merit as well as atowards the queen-mother, ”is an ancient servant of your majesty's, Monsieur le Comte de la Fere”
Anne of Austria was as oblivious as a queen whose life had been led with fine and stormy days She looked at Mazarin, whose evil sreeable; then she solicited from Athos, by another look, an explanation
”Monsieur,” continued the cardinal, ”was a TrevilleMonsieur is well acquainted with England, whither he has es at various periods; he is a subject of the highest merit”
These words made allusion to all the land, that was her hatred of Richelieu and her love for Buckingham; a Treville musketeer, that was the whole Odyssey of the triu woers which had been so near overturning the throne of the young queen These words had much power, for they rendered es, ith very various senti at the sa had not seen, and which the old had believed to be forever effaced
”Speak, monsieur,” said Louis XIV, the first to escape from troubles, suspicions, and remembrances
”Yes, speak,” added Mazarin, to whoainst Anne of Austria had restored energy and gayety
”Sire,” said the coed the whole destiny of Charles II That which men, till that time, had been unable to do, God resolved to acco about in his bed
”King Charles II,” continued Athos, ”left the Hague neither as a fugitive nor a conqueror, but as an absolute king, who, after a distant voyage frodoreat miracle, indeed,” said Mazarin; ”for, if the neas true, King Charles II, who has just returned amidst benedictions, went away a reer and more frivolous, could not repress a smile, which flattered Mazarin as an applause of his pleasantry
”It is plain,” said the king, ”there is a s, monsieur le co about the triuns To what men does Charles II