Twenty Years Later by Dumas, Alexandre. Part two

Dumas, Alexandre – Twenty Years After

lordship’s service and his most faithful servants.”

“My most faithful friends, gentlemen, my most faithful

friends; you have proved it. And if ever I am reconciled

with the court I shall prove to you, I hope, that I remain

your friend, as well as that of — what the devil are their

names — D’Artagnan and Porthos?”

“D’Artagnan and Porthos.”

“Ah, yes. You understand, then, Comte de la Fere, you

understand, Chevalier d’Herblay, that I am altogether and

always at your service.”

Athos and Aramis bowed and went out.

“My dear Athos,” cried Aramis, “I think you consented to

accompany me only to give me a lesson — God forgive me!”

“Wait a little, Aramis; it will be time for you to perceive

my motive when we have paid our visit to the coadjutor.”

“Let us then go to the archiepiscopal palace,” said Aramis.

They directed their horses to the city. On arriving at the

cradle from which Paris sprang they found it inundated with

water, and it was again necessary to take a boat. The palace

rose from the bosom of the water, and to see the number of

boats around it one would have fancied one’s self not in

Paris, but in Venice. Some of these boats were dark and

mysterious, others noisy and lighted up with torches. The

friends slid in through this congestion of embarkation and

landed in their turn. The palace was surrounded with water,

but a kind of staircase had been fixed to the lower walls;

and the only difference was, that instead of entering by the

doors, people entered by the windows.

Thus did Athos and Aramis make their appearance in the

ante-chamber, where about a dozen noblemen were collected in

waiting.

“Good heavens!” said Aramis to Athos, “does the coadjutor

intend to indulge himself in the pleasure of making us cool

our hearts off in his ante-chamber?”

“My dear friend, we must take people as we find them. The

coadjutor is at this moment one of the seven kings of Paris,

and has a court. Let us send in our names, and if he does

not send us a suitable message we will leave him to his own

affairs or those of France. Let us call one of these

lackeys, with a demi-pistole in the left hand.”

“Exactly so,” cried Aramis. “Ah! if I’m not mistaken here’s

Bazin. Come here, fellow.”

Bazin, who was crossing the ante-chamber majestically in his

clerical dress, turned around to see who the impertinent

gentleman was who thus addressed him; but seeing his friends

he went up to them quickly and expressed delight at seeing

them.

“A truce to compliments,” said Aramis; “we want to see the

coadjutor, and instantly, as we are in haste.”

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Dumas, Alexandre – Twenty Years After

“Certainly, sir — it is not such lords as you are who are

allowed to wait in the ante-chamber, only just now he has a

secret conference with Monsieur de Bruy.”

“De Bruy!” cried the friends, “’tis then useless our seeing

monsieur the coadjutor this evening,” said Aramis, “so we

give it up.”

And they hastened to quit the palace, followed by Bazin, who

was lavish of bows and compliments.

“Well,” said Athos, when Aramis and he were in the boat

again, “are you beginning to be convinced that we should

have done a bad turn to all these people in arresting

Mazarin?”

“You are wisdom incarnate, Athos,” Aramis replied.

What had especially been observed by the two friends was the

little interest taken by the court of France in the terrible

events which had occurred in England, which they thought

should have arrested the attention of all Europe.

In fact, aside from a poor widow and a royal orphan who wept

in the corner of the Louvre, no one appeared to be aware

that Charles I. had ever lived and that he had perished on

the scaffold.

The two friends made an appointment for ten o’clock on the

following day; for though the night was well advanced when

they reached the door of the hotel, Aramis said that he had

certain important visits to make and left Athos to enter

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