“Were our object money only,” he said, “we should be rich
directly.”
“How’s that?”
“Don’t you understand, Porthos? At the bottom of that
staircase lies, probably, the cardinal’s treasury of which
folk tell such wonders, and we should only have to descend,
empty a chest, shut the cardinal up in it, double lock it,
go away, carrying off as much gold as we could, put back
this orange-tree over the place, and no one in the world
would ever ask us where our fortune came from — not even
the cardinal.”
“It would be a happy hit for clowns to make, but as it seems
to be unworthy of two gentlemen —- ” said Porthos.
“So I think; and therefore I said, `Were our object money
only;’ but we want something else,” replied the Gascon.
At the same moment, whilst D’Artagnan was leaning over the
aperture to listen, a metallic sound, as if some one was
moving a bag of gold, struck on his ear; he started;
instantly afterward a door opened and a light played upon
the staircase.
Mazarin had left his lamp in the gallery to make people
believe that he was walking about, but he had with him a
waxlight, to help him to explore his mysterious strong box.
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Dumas, Alexandre – Twenty Years After
“Faith,” he said, in Italian, as he was reascending the
steps and looking at a bag of reals, “faith, there’s enough
to pay five councillors of parliament, and two generals in
Paris. I am a great captain — that I am! but I make war in
my own way.”
The two friends were crouching down, meantime, behind a tub
in the side alley.
Mazarin came within three steps of D’Artagnan and pushed a
spring in the wall; the slab turned and the orange tree
resumed its place.
Then the cardinal put out the waxlight, slipped it into his
pocket, and taking up the lantern: “Now,” he said, “for
Monsieur de la Fere.”
“Very good,” thought D’Artagnan, “’tis our road likewise; we
will go together.”
All three set off on their walk, Mazarin taking the middle
alley and the friends the side ones.
The cardinal reached a second door without perceiving he was
being followed; the sand with which the alleys were covered
deadened the sound of footsteps.
He then turned to the left, down a corridor which had
escaped the attention of the two friends, but as he opened
the door he paused, as if in thought.
“Ah! Diavolo!” he exclaimed, “I forgot the recommendation of
De Comminges, who advised me to take a guard and place it at
this door, in order not to put myself at the mercy of that
four-headed combination of devils.” And with a movement of
impatience he turned to retrace his steps.
“Do not give yourself the trouble, my lord,” said
D’Artagnan, with his right foot forward, his beaver in his
hand, a smile on his face, “we have followed your eminence
step by step and here we are.”
“Yes — here we are,” said Porthos.
And he made the same friendly salute as D’Artagnan.
Mazarin gazed at each of them with an affrighted stare,
recognized them, and let drop his lantern, uttering a cry of
terror.
D’Artagnan picked it up; by good luck it had not been
extinguished.
“Oh, what imprudence, my lord,” said D’Artagnan; “’tis not
good to be about just here without a light. Your eminence
might knock against something, or fall into a hole.”
“Monsieur d’Artagnan!” muttered Mazarin, unable to recover
from his astonishment.
“Yes, my lord, it is I. I have the honor to present to you
Monsieur du Vallon, that excellent friend of mine, in whom
your eminence had the kindness to interest yourself
formerly.”
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Dumas, Alexandre – Twenty Years After
And D’Artagnan held the lamp before the merry face of
Porthos, who now began to comprehend the affair and be very
proud of the whole undertaking.
“You were going to visit Monsieur de la Fere?” said
D’Artagnan. “Don’t let us disarrange your eminence. Be so
good as to show us the way and we will follow you.
Mazarin was by degrees recovering his senses.
“Have you been long in the orangery?” he asked in a