Ten Years Later by Dumas, Alexandre. Part one

his wand; he even carried his kindness so far as to place

the halbert which stood against the wall in the hands of the

man stupid with sleep, after which the soldier, without

explanation, escorted the viande of Monsieur to the

refectory, preceded by a page and the two maitres d’hotel.

Wherever the viande passed, the soldiers ported arms.

Mademoiselle de Montalais and her companion had watched from

their window the details of this ceremony, to which, by the

bye, they must have been pretty well accustomed. But they

did not look so much from curiosity as to be assured they

should not be disturbed. So guards, scullions, maitres

d’hotel, and pages having passed, they resumed their places

at the table; and the sun, which, through the window-frame,

had for an instant fallen upon those two charming

countenances, now only shed its light upon the gilliflowers,

primroses, and rosetree.

“Bah!” said Mademoiselle de Montalais, taking her place

again; “Madame will breakfast very well without me!”

“Oh! Montalais, you will be punished!” replied the other

girl, sitting down quietly in hers.

“Punished, indeed! — that is to say, deprived of a ride!

That is just the way in which I wish to be punished. To go

out in the grand coach, perched upon a doorstep; to turn to

the left, twist round to the right, over roads full of ruts,

where we cannot exceed a league in two hours; and then to

come back straight towards the wing of the castle in which

is the window of Mary de Medici, so that Madame never fails

to say: `Could one believe it possible that Mary de Medici

should have escaped from that window — forty-seven feet

high? The mother of two princes and three princesses!’ If

you call that relaxation, Louise, all I ask is to be

punished every day; particularly when my punishment is to

remain with you and write such interesting letters as we

write!”

“Montalais! Montalais! there are duties to be performed.”

“You talk of them very much at your ease, dear child! —

you, who are left quite free amidst this tedious court. You

are the only person that reaps the advantages of them

without incurring the trouble, — you, who are really more

one of Madame’s maids of honor than I am, because Madame

makes her affection for your father-in-law glance off upon

you; so that you enter this dull house as the birds fly into

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Dumas, Alexandre – Ten Years Later

yonder court, inhaling the air, pecking the flowers, picking

up the grain, without having the least service to perform,

or the least annoyance to undergo. And you talk to me of

duties to be performed! In sooth, my pretty idler, what are

your own proper duties, unless to write to the handsome

Raoul? And even that you don’t do; so that it looks to me as

if you likewise were rather negligent of your duties!”

Louise assumed a serious air, leant her chin upon her hand,

and, in a tone full of candid remonstrance, “And do you

reproach me with my good fortune?” said she. “Can you have

the heart to do it? You have a future; you belong to the

court; the king, if he should marry, will require Monsieur

to be near his person; you will see splendid fetes; you will

see the king, who they say is so handsome, so agreeable!”

“Ay, and still more, I shall see Raoul, who attends upon M.

le Prince,” added Montalais, maliciously.

“Poor Raoul!” sighed Louise.

“Now is the time to write to him, my pretty dear! Come,

begin again, with that famous `Monsieur Raoul’ which figures

at the top of the poor torn sheet.”

She then held the pen toward her, and with a charming smile

encouraged her hand, which quickly traced the words she

named.

“What next?” asked the younger of the two girls.

“Why, now write what you think, Louise,” replied Montalais.

“Are you quite sure I think of anything?”

“You think of somebody, and that amounts to the same thing,

or rather even more.”

“Do you think so, Montalais?”

“Louise, Louise, your blue eyes are as deep as the sea I saw