beautiful!”
The duchess shook her head.
“Does Monsieur de Bragelonne remain in Paris?” she inquired.
“What think you of it?” inquired Athos.
“Leave him with me,” replied the duchess.
“No, madame; if you have forgotten the history of Oedipus,
I, at least, remember it.”
“Really, sir, you are delightful, and I should like to spend
a month at Bragelonne.”
“Are you not afraid of making people envious of me,
duchess?” replied Athos.
“No, I shall go incognito, count, under the name of Marie
Michon.”
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Dumas, Alexandre – Twenty Years After
“You are adorable, madame.”
“But do not keep Raoul with you.”
“Why not?”
“Because he is in love.”
“He! he is quite a child!”
“And ’tis a child he loves.”
Athos became thoughtful.
“You are right, duchess. This singular passion for a child
of seven may some day make him very unhappy. There is to be
war in Flanders. He shall go thither.”
“And at his return you will send him to me. I will arm him
against love.”
“Alas, madame!” exclaimed Athos, “to-day love is like war —
the breastplate is becoming useless.”
Raoul entered at this moment; he came to announce that the
solemn entrance of the king, queen, and her ministers was to
take place on the ensuing day.
The next day, in fact, at daybreak, the court made
preparations to quit Saint Germain.
Meanwhile, the queen every hour had been sending for
D’Artagnan.
“I hear,” she said, “that Paris is not quiet. I am afraid
for the king’s safety; place yourself close to the coach
door on the right.”
“Reassure yourself, madame, I will answer for the king’s
safety.”
As he left the queen’s presence Bernouin summoned him to the
cardinal.
“Sir,” said Mazarin to him “an emeute is spoken of in Paris.
I shall be on the king’s left and as I am the chief person
threatened, remain at the coach door to the left.”
“Your eminence may be perfectly easy,” replied D’Artagnan;
“they will not touch a hair of your head.”
“Deuce take it!” he thought to himself, “how can I take care
of both? Ah! plague on’t, I will guard the king and Porthos
shall guard the cardinal.”
This arrangement pleased every one. The queen had confidence
in the courage of D’Artagnan, which she knew, and the
cardinal in the strength of Porthos, which he had
experienced.
The royal procession set out for Paris. Guitant and
Comminges, at the head of the guards, marched first; then
came the royal carriage, with D’Artagnan on one side,
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Dumas, Alexandre – Twenty Years After
Porthos on the other; then the musketeers, for two and
twenty years staunch friends of D’Artagnan. During twenty he
had been lieutenant, their captain since the night before.
The cortege proceeded to Notre Dame, where a Te Deum was
chanted. All Paris were in the streets. The Swiss were drawn
up along the road, but as the road was long, they were
placed at six or eight feet distant from each other and one
deep only. This force was therefore wholly insufficient, and
from time to time the line was broken through by the people
and was formed again with difficulty. Whenever this
occurred, although it proceeded only from goodwill and a
desire to see the king and queen, Anne looked at D’Artagnan
anxiously.
Mazarin, who had dispensed a thousand louis to make the
people cry “Long live Mazarin,” and who had accordingly no
confidence in acclamations bought at twenty pistoles each,
kept one eye on Porthos; but that gigantic body-guard
replied to the look with his great bass voice, “Be tranquil,
my lord,” and Mazarin became more and more composed.
At the Palais Royal, the crowd, which had flowed in from the
adjacent street was still greater; like an impetuous mob, a
wave of human beings came to meet the carriage and rolled
tumultuously into the Rue Saint Honore.
When the procession reached the palace, loud cries of “Long
live their majesties!” resounded. Mazarin leaned out of the
window. One or two shouts of “Long live the cardinal”
saluted his shadow; but instantly hisses and yells stifled
them remorselessly. Mazarin turned pale and shrank back in
the coach.
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