him; till now I have watched over his education and I have
made him, I hope, an accomplished gentleman; but I am now
obliged to return to the dangerous and wandering life of
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party faction. To-morrow I plunge into an adventurous affair
in which I may be killed. Then it will devolve on you to
push him on in that world where he is called on to occupy a
place.”
“Rest assured,” cried the duchess, “I shall do what I can. I
have but little influence now, but all that I have shall
most assuredly be his. As to his title and fortune —- ”
“As to that, madame, I have made over to him the estate of
Bragelonne, my inheritance, which will give him ten thousand
francs a year and the title of vicomte.”
“Upon my soul, monsieur,” said the duchess, “you are a true
nobleman! But I am eager to see our young vicomte. Where is
he?”
“There, in the salon. I will have him come in, if you really
wish it.”
Athos moved toward the door; the duchess held him back.
“Is he handsome?” she asked.
Athos smiled.
“He resembles his mother.”
So he opened the door and beckoned the young man in.
The duchess could not restrain a cry of joy on seeing so
handsome a young cavalier, so far surpassing all that her
maternal pride had been able to conceive.
“Vicomte, come here,” said Athos; “the duchess permits you
to kiss her hand.”
The youth approached with his charming smile and his head
bare, and kneeling down, kissed the hand of the Duchess de
Chevreuse.
“Sir,” he said, turning to Athos, “was it not in compassion
to my timidity that you told me that this lady was the
Duchess de Chevreuse, and is she not the queen?”
“No, vicomte,” said Madame de Chevreuse, taking his hand and
making him sit near her, while she looked at him with eyes
sparkling with pleasure; “no, unhappily, I am not the queen.
If I were I should do for you at once the most that you
deserve. But let us see; whatever I may be,” she added,
hardly restraining herself from kissing that pure brow, “let
us see what profession you wish to follow.”
Athos, standing, looked at them both with indescribable
pleasure.
“Madame,” answered the youth in his sweet voice, “it seems
to me that there is only one career for a gentleman — that
of the army. I have been brought up by monsieur le comte
with the intention, I believe, of making me a soldier; and
he gave me reason to hope that at Paris he would present me
to some one who would recommend me to the favor of the
prince.”
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Dumas, Alexandre – Twenty Years After
“Yes, I understand it well. Personally, I am on bad terms
with him, on account of the quarrels between Madame de
Montbazon, my mother-in-law, and Madame de Longueville. But
the Prince de Marsillac! Yes, indeed, that’s the right
thing. The Prince de Marsillac — my old friend — will
recommend our young friend to Madame de Longueville, who
will give him a letter to her brother, the prince, who loves
her too tenderly not to do what she wishes immediately.”
“Well, that will do charmingly,” said the count; “but may I
beg that the greatest haste may be made, for I have reasons
for wishing the vicomte not to sleep longer than to-morrow
night in Paris!”
“Do you wish it known that you are interested about him,
monsieur le comte?”
“Better for him in future that he should be supposed never
to have seen me.”
“Oh, sir!” cried Raoul.
“You know, Bragelonne,” said Athos, “I never speak without
reflection.”
“Well, comte, I am going instantly,” interrupted the
duchess, “to send for the Prince de Marsillac, who is
happily, in Paris just now. What are you going to do this
evening?”
“We intend to visit the Abbe Scarron, for whom I have a
letter of introduction and at whose house I expect to meet
some of my friends.”
“‘Tis well; I will go there also, for a few minutes,” said