MEN OF THE ROBE AND MEN OF THE SWORD

On the day after these events had taken place, Athos not having

reappeared, M. de Treville was informed by D`Artagnan and Porthos

of the circumstance. As to Aramis, he had asked for leave of

absence for five days, and was gone, it was said, to Rouen on

family business.

M. de Treville was the father of his soldiers. The lowest or the

least known of them, as soon as he assumed the uniform of the

company, was as sure of his aid and support as if he had been his

own brother.

He repaired, then, instantly to the office of the LIEUTENANT-

CRIMINEL. The officer who commanded the post of the

Red Cross was sent for, and by successive inquiries they learned

that Athos was then lodged in the Fort l`Eveque.

Athos had passed through all the examinations we have seen

Bonacieux undergo.

We were present at the scene in which the two captives were

confronted with each other. Athos, who had till that time said

nothing for fear that D`Artagnan, interrupted in his turn, should

not have the time necessary, from this moment declared that his

name was Athos, and not D`Artagnan. He added that he did not

know either M. or Mme. Bonacieux; that he had never spoken to the

one or the other; that he had come, at about ten o`clock in the

evening, to pay a visit to his friend M. d`Artagnan, but that

till that hour he had been at M. de Treville`s, where he had

dined. "Twenty witnesses," added he, "could attest the fact";

and he named several distinguished gentlemen, and among them was

M. le Duc de la Tremouille.

The second commissary was as much bewildered as the first had

been by the simple and firm declaration of the Musketeer, upon

whom he was anxious to take the revenge which men of the robe

like at all times to gain over men of the sword; but the name of

M. de Treville, and that of M. de la Tremouille, commanded a

little reflection.

Athos was then sent to the cardinal; but unfortunately the

cardinal was at the Louvre with the king.

It was precisely at this moment that M. de Treville, on leaving

the residence of the LIEUTENANT-CRIMINEL and the governor of the

Fort l`Eveque without being able to find Athos, arrived at the

palace.

As captain of the Musketeers, M. de Treville had the right of

entry at all times.

It is well known how violent the king`s prejudices were against

the queen, and how carefully these prejudices were kept up by the

cardinal, who in affairs of intrigue mistrusted women infinitely

more than men. One of the grand causes of this prejudice was the

friendship of Anne of Austria for Mme. de Chevreuse. These two

women gave him more uneasiness than the war with Spain, the

quarrel with England, or the embarrassment of the finances. In

his eyes and to his conviction, Mme. de Chevreuse not only served

the queen in her political intrigues, but, what tormented him

still more, in her amorous intrigues.

At the first word the cardinal spoke of Mme. de Chevreuse--who,

though exiled to Tours and believed to be in that city, had come

to Paris, remained there five days, and outwitted the police--the

king flew into a furious passion. Capricious and unfaithful, the

king wished to be called Louis the Just and Louis the Chaste.

Posterity will find a difficulty in understanding this character,

which history explains only by facts and never by reason.

But when the cardinal added that not only Mme. de Chevreuse had

been in Paris, but still further, that the queen had renewed with

her one of those mysterious correspondences which at that time

was named a CABAL; when he affirmed that he, the cardinal, was

about to unravel the most closely twisted thread of this

intrigue; that at the moment of arresting in the very act, with

all the proofs about her, the queen`s emissary to the exiled

duchess, a Musketeer had dared to interrupt the course of justice

violently, by falling sword in hand upon the honest men of the

law, charged with investigating impartially the whole affair in

order to place it before the eyes of the king--Louis XIII could

not contain himself, and he made a step toward the queen`s

apartment with that pale and mute indignation which, when in

broke out, led this prince to the commission of the most pitiless

cruelty. And yet, in all this, the cardinal had not yet said a

word about the Duke of Buckingham.

At this instant M. de Treville entered, cool, polite, and in

irreproachable costume.

Informed of what had passed by the presence of the cardinal and

the alteration in the king`s countenance, M. de Treville felt

himself something like Samson before the Philistines.

Louis XIII had already placed his hand on the knob of the door;

at the noise of M. de Treville`s entrance he turned round. "You

arrive in good time, monsieur," said the king, who, when his

passions were raised to a certain point, could not dissemble; "I

have learned some fine things concerning your Musketeers."

"And I," said Treville, coldly, "I have some pretty things to tell your Majesty concerning these gownsmen."

"What?" said the king, with hauteur.

"I have the honor to inform your Majesty," continued M. de

Treville, in the same tone, "that a party of PROCUREURS,

commissaries, and men of the police--very estimable people, but

very inveterate, as it appears, against the uniform--have taken

upon themselves to arrest in a house, to lead away through the

open street, and throw into the Fort l`Eveque, all upon an order

which they have refused to show me, one of my, or rather your

Musketeers, sire, of irreproachable conduct, of an almost

illustrious reputation, and whom your Majesty knows favorably,

Monsieur Athos."

"Athos," said the king, mechanically; "yes, certainly I know that

name."

"Let your Majesty remember," said Treville, "that Monsieur Athos

is the Musketeer who, in the annoying duel which you are

acquainted with, had the misfortune to wound Monsieur de Cahusac

so seriously. A PROPOS, monseigneur," continued Treville.

Addressing the cardinal, "Monsieur de Cahusac is quite recovered,

is he not?"

"Thank you," said the cardinal, biting his lips with anger.

"Athos, then, went to pay a visit to one of his friends absent at

the time," continued Treville, "to a young Bearnais, a cadet in

his Majesty`s Guards, the company of Monsieur Dessessart, but

scarcely had he arrived at his friend`s and taken up a book,

while waiting his return, when a mixed crowd of bailiffs and

soldiers came and laid siege to the house, broke open several

doors--"

The cardinal made the king a sign, which signified, "That was on

account of the affair about which I spoke to you."

"We all know that," interrupted the king; "for all that was done

for our service."

"Then," said Treville, "it was also for your Majesty`s service

that one of my Musketeers, who was innocent, has been seized,

that he has been placed between two guards like a malefactor, and

that this gallant man, who has ten times shed his blood in your

Majesty`s service and is ready to shed it again, has been paraded

through the midst of an insolent populace?"

"Bah!" said the king, who began to be shaken, "was it so

managed?"

"Monsieur de Treville," said the cardinal, with the greatest

phlegm, "does not tell your Majesty that this innocent Musketeer,

this gallant man, had only an hour before attacked, sword in

hand, four commissaries of inquiry, who were delegated by myself

to examine into an affair of the highest importance."

"I defy your Eminence to prove it," cried Treville, with his

Gascon freedom and military frankness; "for one hour before,

Monsieur Athos, who, I will confide it to your Majesty, is really

a man of the highest quality, did me the honor after having dined

with me to be conversing in the saloon of my hotel, with the Duc

de la Tremouille and the Comte de Chalus, who happened to be

there."

The king looked at the cardinal.

"A written examination attests it," said the cardinal, replying

aloud to the mute interrogation of his Majesty; "and the ill-

treated people have drawn up the following, which I have the

honor to present to your Majesty."

"And is the written report of the gownsmen to be placed in

comparison with the word of honor of a swordsman?" replied

Treville haughtily.

"Come, come, Treville, hold your tongue," said the king.

"If his Eminence entertains any suspicion against one of my

Musketeers," said Treville, "the justice of Monsieur the Cardinal

is so well known that I demand an inquiry."

"In the house in which the judicial inquiry was made," continued

the impassive cardinal, "there lodges, I believe, a young

Bearnais, a friend of the Musketeer."

"Your Eminence means Monsieur d`Artagnan."

"I mean a young man whom you patronize, Monsieur de Treville."

"Yes, your Eminence, it is the same."

"Do you not suspect this young man of having given bad counsel?"

"To Athos, to a man double his age?" interrupted Treville. "No,

monseigneur. Besides, D`Artagnan passed the evening with me."

"Well," said the cardinal, "everybody seems to have passed the

evening with you."

"Does your Eminence doubt my word?" said Treville, with a brow

flushed with anger.

"No, God forbid," said the cardinal; "only, at what hour was he with you?"

"Oh, as to that I can speak positively, your Eminence; for as he

came in I remarked that it was but half past nine by the clock,

although I had believed it to be later."

"At what hour did he leave your hotel?"

"At half past ten--an hour after the event."

"Well," replied the cardinal, who could not for an instant

suspect the loyalty of Treville, and who felt that the victory

was escaping him, "well, but Athos WAS taken in the house in the

Rue des Fossoyeurs."

"Is one friend forbidden to visit another, or a Musketeer of my

company to fraternize with a Guard of Dessessart`s company?"

"Yes, when the house where he fraternizes is suspected."

"That house is suspected, Treville," said the king; "perhaps you

did not know it?"

"Indeed, sire, I did not. The house may be suspected; but I deny

that it is so in the part of it inhabited my Monsieur d`Artagnan,

for I can affirm, sire, if I can believe what he says, that there

does not exist a more devoted servant of your Majesty, or a more

profound admirer of Monsieur the Cardinal."

"Was it not this D`Artagnan who wounded Jussac one day, in that

unfortunate encounter which took place near the Convent of the

Carmes-Dechausses?" asked the king, looking at the cardinal, who

colored with vexation.

"And the next day, Bernajoux. Yes, sire, yes, it is the same; and

your Majesty has a good memory."

"Come, how shall we decide?" said the king.

"That concerns your Majesty more than me," said the cardinal. "I

should affirm the culpability."

"And I deny it," said Treville. "But his Majesty has judges, and

these judges will decide."

"That is best," said the king. "Send the case before the judges;

it is their business to judge, and they shall judge."

"Only," replied Treville, "it is a sad thing that in the

unfortunate times in which we live, the purest life, the most

incontestable virtue, cannot exempt a man from infamy and

persecution. The army, I will answer for it, will be but little

pleased at being exposed to rigorous treatment on account of

police affairs."

The expression was imprudent; but M. de Treville launched it with

knowledge of his cause. He was desirous of an explosion, because

in that case the mine throws forth fire, and fire enlightens.

"Police affairs!" cried the king, taking up Treville`s words,

"police affairs! And what do you know about them, Monsieur?

Meddle with your Musketeers, and do not annoy me in this way. It

appears, according to your account, that if by mischance a

Musketeer is arrested, France is in danger. What a noise about a

Musketeer! I would arrest ten of them, VENTREBLEU, a hundred,

even, all the company, and I would not allow a whisper."

"From the moment they are suspected by your Majesty," said

Treville, "the Musketeers are guilty; therefore, you see me

prepared to surrender my sword--for after having accused my

soldiers, there can be no doubt that Monsieur the Cardinal will

end by accusing me. It is best to constitute myself at once a

prisoner with Athos, who is already arrested, and with

D`Artagnan, who most probably will be."

"Gascon-headed man, will you have done?" said the king.

"Sire," replied Treville, without lowering his voice in the

least, "either order my Musketeer to be restored to me, or let

him be tried."

"He shall be tried," said the cardinal.

"Well, so much the better; for in that case I shall demand of his

Majesty permission to plead for him."

The king feared an outbreak.

"If his Eminence," said he, "did not have personal motives--"

The cardinal saw what the king was about to say and interrupted

him:

"Pardon me," said he; "but the instant your Majesty considers me

a prejudiced judge, I withdraw."

"Come," said the king, "will you swear, by my father, that Athos

was at your residence during the event and that he took no part

in it?"

"By your glorious father, and by yourself, whom I love and

venerate above all the world, I swear it."

"Be so kind as to reflect, sire," said the cardinal. "If we

release the prisoner thus, we shall never know the truth."

"Athos may always be found," replied Treville, "ready to answer,

when it shall please the gownsmen to interrogate him. He will

not desert, Monsieur the Cardinal, be assured of that; I will

answer for him."

"No, he will not desert," said the king; "he can always be found,

as Treville says. Besides," added he, lowering his voice and

looking with a suppliant air at the cardinal, "let us give them

apparent security; that is policy."

This policy of Louis XIII made Richelieu smile.

"Order it as you please, sire; you possess the right of pardon."

"The right of pardoning only applies to the guilty," said

Treville, who was determined to have the last word, "and my

Musketeer is innocent. It is not mercy, then, that you are about

to accord, sire, it is justice."

"And he is in the Fort l`Eveque?" said the king.

"Yes, sire, in solitary confinement, in a dungeon, like the

lowest criminal."

"The devil!" murmured the king; "what must be done?"

"Sign an order for his release, and all will be said," replied

the cardinal. "I believe with your Majesty that Monsieur de

Treville`s guarantee is more than sufficient."

Treville bowed very respectfully, with a joy that was not unmixed

with fear; he would have preferred an obstinate resistance on the

part of the cardinal to this sudden yielding.

The king signed the order for release, and Treville carried it

away without delay. As he was about to leave the presence, the

cardinal have him a friendly smile, and said, "A perfect harmony

reigns, sire, between the leaders and the soldiers of your

Musketeers, which must be profitable for the service and

honorable to all."

"He will play me some dog`s trick or other, and that

immediately," said Treville. "One has never the last word with

such a man. But let us be quick--the king may change his mind in

an hour; and at all events it is more difficult to replace a man

in the Fort l`Eveque or the Bastille who has got out, than to

keep a prisoner there who is in."

M. de Treville made his entrance triumphantly into the Fort

l`Eveque, whence he delivered the Musketeer, whose peaceful

indifference had not for a moment abandoned him.

The first time he saw D`Artagnan, "You have come off well," said

he to him; "there is your Jussac thrust paid for. There still

remains that of Bernajoux, but you must not be too confident."

As to the rest, M. de Treville had good reason to mistrust the

cardinal and to think that all was not over, for scarcely had the

captain of the Musketeers closed the door after him, than his

Eminence said to the king, "Now that we are at length by

ourselves, we will, if your Majesty pleases, converse seriously.

Sire, Buckingham has been in Paris five days, and only left this

morning."

Date: 2015-01-29; view: 741