“Raoul!” cried Porthos, surprised.
“You have been angry with me?” said Raoul, embracing Porthos.
“I? What for?”
“For having forgotten you. But, you see, I have lost my head.”
“Ah, bah!”
“If you only knew, my friend!”
“You have killed him?”
“Whom?”
“De Saint-Aignan.”
“Alas! we are far from De Saint-Aignan.”
“What is the matter, then?”
“The matter is that M. le Comte de la Fere has been arrested.”
Porthos gave a start that would have thrown down a wall. “Arrested!” he cried out; “by whom?”
“By d’Artagnan.”
“It is impossible,” said Porthos.
“It is nevertheless true,” replied Raoul.
Porthos turned towards Grimaud, as if he needed a second confirmation of the intelligence. Grimaud nodded his head. “And where have they taken him?”
“Probably to the Bastille.”
“What makes you think that?”
“As we came along we questioned some persons who saw the carriage pass, and others who saw it enter the Bastille.”
“Oh, oh!” muttered Porthos; and he moved forward two steps.
“What do you intend to do?” inquired Raoul.
“I? Nothing; only, I will not have Athos remain at the Bastille.”
“Do you know,” said Raoul, advancing nearer to Porthos, “that the arrest was made by order of the King?”
Porthos looked at the young man as if to say, “What does that matter to me?” This dumb language seemed so eloquent of meaning to Raoul that he did not ask another question. He mounted his horse again; and Porthos, assisted by Grimaud, did the same.
“Let us arrange our plan of action,” said Raoul.
“Yes,” returned Porthos; “that is the best thing we can do.”
Raoul sighed deeply, and then paused suddenly.
“What is the matter?” asked Porthos; “are you faint?”
“No; powerless. Can we three pretend to go and take the Bastille?”
“Well, if d’Artagnan were only here,” replied Porthos, “I don’t know about that.”
Raoul was struck with admiration at the sight of that confidence, heroic in its simplicity. These were the celebrated men who by three or four attacked armies and assaulted castles, who had terrified death itself, and who survived the wrecks of an age, and were still stronger than the most robust among the young. “Monsieur,” said he to Porthos, “you have just given me an idea; we absolutely must see M. d’Artagnan.”
“Undoubtedly.”
“He ought by this time to have returned home, after having taken my father to the Bastille. Let us go to his house.”
“First inquire at the Bastille,” said Grimaud, who was in the habit of speaking little, but to the purpose.
Accordingly they hastened towards the fortress, when one of those chances which Heaven bestows on men of strong will caused Grimaud suddenly to perceive the carriage which was entering by the great gate of the drawbridge. This was at the moment when d’Artagnan was, as we have seen, returning from his visit to the King. In vain Raoul urged on his horse to overtake the carriage and see whom it contained. The horses had already gained the other side of the great gate, which again closed, while one of the sentries struck the nose of Raoul’s horse with his musket. Raoul turned about, only too happy to find that he had ascertained something respecting the carriage which had contained his father.
“We have him,” said Grimaud.
“If we wait a little, it is certain that he will leave; don’t you think so, my friend?”
“Unless, indeed, d’Artagnan also be a prisoner,” replied Porthos, “in which case everything is lost.”
Raoul returned no answer, for any hypothesis was admissible. He instructed Grimaud to lead the horses to the little Rue Jean-Beausire, so as to give rise to less suspicion, and himself with his piercing gaze watched for the exit either of d’Artagnan or the carriage. It was a fortunate plan; for twenty minutes had not elapsed before the gate reopened and the carriage reappeared. A dazzling of the eyes prevented Raoul from distinguishing what figures occupied the interior. Grimaud averred that he had seen two persons, and that one of them was his master. Porthos kept looking at Raoul and Grimaud by turns, in the hope of understanding their idea.
“It is clear,” said Grimaud, “that if the count is in the carriage, either he is set at liberty or they are taking him to another prison.”