Twenty Years Later by Dumas, Alexandre. Part two

“Are you sure that no one is aware of the queen’s project?”

Mazarin reflected.

“This affair would give a fine opportunity for a traitor, my

lord; the chance of being attacked would be an excuse for

everything.”

Mazarin shuddered, but he reflected that a man who had the

least intention to betray would not warn first.

“And therefore,” added he, quietly, “I have not confidence

in every one; the proof of which is, that I have fixed upon

you to escort me.”

“Shall you not go with the queen?”

“No,” replied Mazarin.

“Then you will start after the queen?”

Page 349

Dumas, Alexandre – Twenty Years After

“No,” said Mazarin again.

“Ah!” said D’Artagnan, who began to understand.

“Yes,” continued the cardinal. “I have my plan. With the

queen I double her risk; after the queen her departure would

double mine; then, the court once safe, I might be

forgotten. The great are often ungrateful.”

“Very true,” said D’Artagnan, fixing his eyes, in spite of

himself, on the queen’s diamond, which Mazarin wore on his

finger. Mazarin followed the direction of his eyes and

gently turned the hoop of the ring inside.

“I wish,” he said, with his cunning smile, “to prevent them

from being ungrateful to me.”

“It is but Christian charity,” replied D’Artagnan, “not to

lead one’s neighbors into temptation.”

“It is exactly for that reason,” said Mazarin, “that I wish

to start before them.”

D’Artagnan smiled — he was just the man to understand the

astute Italian. Mazarin saw the smile and profited by the

moment.

“You will begin, therefore, by taking me first out of Paris,

will you not, my dear M. d’Artagnan?”

“A difficult commission, my lord,” replied D’Artagnan,

resuming his serious manner.

“But,” said Mazarin, “you did not make so many difficulties

with regard to the king and queen.”

“The king and the queen are my king and queen,” replied the

musketeer, “my life is theirs and I must give it for them.

If they ask it what have I to say?”

“That is true,” murmured Mazarin, in a low tone, “but as thy

life is not mine I suppose I must buy it, must I not?” and

sighing deeply he began to turn the hoop of his ring outside

again. D’Artagnan smiled. These two men met at one point and

that was, cunning; had they been actuated equally by

courage, the one would have done great things for the other.

“But, also,” said Mazarin, “you must understand that if I

ask this service from you it is with the intention of being

grateful.”

“Is it still only an intention, your eminence?” asked

D’Artagnan.

“Stay,” said Mazarin, drawing the ring from his finger, “my

dear D’Artagnan, there is a diamond which belonged to you

formerly, it is but just it should return to you; take it, I

pray.”

D’Artagnan spared Mazarin the trouble of insisting, and

after looking to see if the stone was the same and assuring

himself of the purity of its water, he took it and passed it

on his finger with indescribable pleasure.

Page 350

Dumas, Alexandre – Twenty Years After

“I valued it much,” said Mazarin, giving a last look at it;

“nevertheless, I give it to you with great pleasure.”

“And I, my lord,” said D’Artagnan, “accept it as it is

given. Come, let us speak of your little affairs. You wish

to leave before everybody and at what hour?”

“At ten o’clock.”

“And the queen, at what time is it her wish to start?”

“At midnight.”

“Then it is possible. I can get you out of Paris and leave

you beyond the barriere, and can return for her.”

“Capital; but how will you get me out of Paris?”

“Oh! as to that, you must leave it to me.”

“I give you absolute power, therefore; take as large an

escort as you like.”

D’Artagnan shook his head.

“It seems to me, however,” said Mazarin, “the safest

method.”

“Yes, for you, my lord, but not for the queen; you must

leave it to me and give me the entire direction of the

undertaking.”

“Nevertheless —- ”

“Or find some one else,” continued D’Artagnan, turning his

back.

“Oh!” muttered Mazarin, “I do believe he is going off with

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190

Leave a Reply 0

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *