Twenty Years Later by Dumas, Alexandre. Part two

Deuce take ’em, what a popular commotion!” continued the

giant, in his quiet manner; “but I knocked down more than

twenty with the hilt of Balizarde. A draught of wine,

D’Artagnan.”

“Oh, I’ll aswer for you,” said the Gascon, filling Porthos’s

glass to the brim; “but when you have drunk, give me your

opinion.”

“Upon what?” asked Porthos.

“Look here,” resumed D’Artagnan; “here is Monsieur de

Bragelonne, who determined at all risks to aid the arrest of

Broussel and whom I had great difficulty to prevent

defending Monsieur de Comminges.”

“The devil!” said Porthos; “and his guardian, what would he

have said to that?”

“Do you hear?” interrupted D’Artagnan; “become a Frondist,

my friend, belong to the Fronde, and remember that I fill

the count’s place in everything;” and he jingled his money.

“Will you come?” said he to Porthos.

“Where?” asked Porthos, filling a second glass of wine.

“To present our respects to the cardinal.”

Porthos swallowed the second glass with the same grace with

which he had imbibed the first, took his beaver and followed

D’Artagnan. As for Raoul, he remained bewildered with what

he had seen, having been forbidden by D’Artagnan to leave

the room until the tumult was over.

45

The Beggar of St. Eustache.

D’Artagnan had calculated that in not going at once to the

Palais Royal he would give Comminges time to arrive before

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Dumas, Alexandre – Twenty Years After

him, and consequently to make the cardinal acquainted with

the eminent services which he, D’Artagnan, and his friend

had rendered to the queen’s party in the morning.

They were indeed admirably received by Mazarin, who paid

them numerous compliments, and announced that they were more

than half on their way to obtain what they desired, namely,

D’Artagnan his captaincy, Porthos his barony.

D’Artagnan would have preferred money in hand to all that

fine talk, for he knew well that to Mazarin it was easy to

promise and hard to perform. But, though he held the

cardinal’s promises as of little worth, he affected to be

completely satisfied, for he was unwilling to discourage

Porthos.

Whilst the two friends were with the cardinal, the queen

sent for him. Mazarin, thinking that it would be the means

of increasing the zeal of his two defenders if he procured

them personal thanks from the queen, motioned them to follow

him. D’Artagnan and Porthos pointed to their dusty and torn

dresses, but the cardinal shook his head.

“Those costumes,” he said, “are of more worth than most of

those which you will see on the backs of the queen’s

courtiers; they are costumes of battle.”

D’Artagnan and Porthos obeyed. The court of Anne of Austria

was full of gayety and animation; for, after having gained a

victory over the Spaniard, it had just gained another over

the people. Broussel had been conducted out of Paris without

further resistance, and was at this time in the prison of

Saint Germain; while Blancmesnil, who was arrested at the

same time, but whose arrest had been made without difficulty

or noise, was safe in the Castle of Vincennes.

Comminges was near the queen, who was questioning him upon

the details of his expedition, and every one was listening

to his account, when D’Artagnan and Porthos were perceived

at the door, behind the cardinal.

“Ah, madame,” said Comminges, hastening to D’Artagnan, “here

is one who can tell you better than myself, for he was my

protector. Without him I should probably at this moment be a

dead fish in the nets at Saint Cloud, for it was a question

of nothing less than throwing me into the river. Speak,

D’Artagnan, speak.”

D’Artagnan had been a hundred times in the same room with

the queen since he had become lieutenant of the musketeers,

but her majesty had never once spoken to him.

“Well, sir,” at last said Anne of Austria, “you are silent,

after rendering such a service?”

“Madame,” replied D’Artagnan, “I have nought to say, save

that my life is ever at your majesty’s service, and that I

shall only be happy the day I lose it for you.

“I know that, sir; I have known that,” said the queen, “a

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