Chapter LVIII. King and Noble.
The king endeavored to recover his self-possession as quickly aspossible, in order to meet M. de la Fere with an untroubled countenance.He clearly saw it was not mere chance that had induced the comte'svisit, he had some vague impression of its importance; but he feltthat to a man of Athos's tone of mind, to one of such a high order ofintellect, his first reception ought not to present anything eitherdisagreeable or otherwise than kind and courteous. As soon as the kinghad satisfied himself that, as far as appearances went, he was perfectlycalm again, he gave directions to the ushers to introduce the comte. Afew minutes afterwards Athos, in full court dress, and with his breastcovered with the orders that he alone had the right to wear at the courtof France, presented himself with so grave and solemn an air that theking perceived, at the first glance, that he was not deceived in hisanticipations. Louis advanced a step towards the comte, and, with asmile, held out his hand to him, over which Athos bowed with the air ofthe deepest respect.
"Monsieur le Comte de la Fere," said the king rapidly, "you are soseldom here, that it is a real piece of good fortune to see you."
Athos bowed and replied, "I should wish always to enjoy the happiness ofbeing near your majesty."
The tone, however, in which this reply was conveyed, evidentlysignified, "I should wish to be one of your majesty's advisers, to saveyou the commission of faults." The king felt it so, and determinedin this man's presence to preserve all the advantages which could bederived from his command over himself, as well as from his rank andposition.
"I see you have something to say to me," he said.
"Had it not been so, I should not have presumed to present myself beforeyour majesty."
"Speak quickly, I am anxious to satisfy you," returned the king, seatinghimself.
"I am persuaded," replied Athos, in a somewhat agitated tone of voice,"that your majesty will give me every satisfaction."
"Ah!" said the king, with a certain haughtiness of manner, "you havecome to lodge a complaint here, then?"
"It would be a complaint," returned Athos, "only in the event of yourmajesty--but if you will deign to permit me, sire, I will begin theconversation from the very commencement."
"Do so, I am listening."
"Your majesty will remember that at the period of the Duke ofBuckingham's departure, I had the honor of an interview with you."
"At or about that period, I think I remember you did; only, with regardto the subject of the conversation, I have quite forgotten it."
Athos started, as he replied. "I shall have the honor to remind yourmajesty of it. It was with regard to a formal demand I had addressed toyou respecting a marriage which M. de Bragelonne wished to contract withMademoiselle de la Valliere."
"Ah!" thought the king, "we have come to it now.--I remember," he said,aloud.
"At that period," pursued Athos, "your majesty was so kind and generoustowards M. de Bragelonne and myself, that not a single word whichthen fell from your lips has escaped my memory; and, when I askedyour majesty to accord me Mademoiselle de la Valliere's hand for M. deBragelonne, you refused."
"Quite true," said Louis, dryly.
"Alleging," Athos hastened to say, "that the young lady had no positionin society."
Louis could hardly force himself to listen with an appearance of royalpropriety.
"That," added Athos, "she had but little fortune."
The king threw himself back in his armchair.
"That her extraction was indifferent."
A renewed impatience on the part of the king.
"And little beauty," added Athos, pitilessly.
This last bolt buried itself deep in the king's heart, and made himalmost bound from his seat.
"You have a good memory, monsieur," he said.
"I invariably have, on occasions when I have had the distinguished honorof an interview with your majesty," retorted the comte, without being inthe least disconcerted.
"Very good: it is admitted that I said all that."
"And I thanked your majesty for your remarks at the time, because theytestified an interest in M. de Bragelonne which did him much honor."
"And you may possibly remember," said the king, very deliberately, "thatyou had the greatest repugnance for this marriage."
"Quite true, sire."
"And that you solicited my permission, much against your owninclination?"
"Yes, sire."
"And finally, I remember, for I have a memory nearly as good as yourown; I remember, I say, that you observed at the time: 'I do not believethat Mademoiselle de la Valliere loves M. de Bragelonne.' Is that true?"
The blow told well, but Athos did not draw back. "Sire," he said, "Ihave already begged your majesty's forgiveness; but there are certainparticulars in that conversation which are only intelligible from the_denouement_."
"Well, what is the _denouement_, monsieur?"
"This: that your majesty then said, 'that you would defer the marriageout of regard for M. de Bragelonne's own interests.'"
The king remained silent. "M. de Bragelonne is now so exceedinglyunhappy that he cannot any longer defer asking your majesty for asolution of the matter."
The king turned pale; Athos looked at him with fixed attention.
"And what," said the king, with considerable hesitation, "does M. deBragelonne request?"
"Precisely the very thing that I came to ask your majesty for at my lastaudience, namely, your majesty's consent to his marriage."
The king remained perfectly silent. "The questions which referred tothe different obstacles in the way are all now quite removed for us,"continued Athos. "Mademoiselle de la Valliere, without fortune, birth,or beauty, is not the less on that account the only good match in theworld for M. de Bragelonne, since he loves this young girl."
The king pressed his hands impatiently together. "Does your majestyhesitate?" inquired the comte, without losing a particle of either hisfirmness of his politeness.
"I do not hesitate--I refuse," replied the king.
Athos paused a moment, as if to collect himself: "I have had the honor,"he said, in a mild tone, "to observe to your majesty that no obstaclenow interferes with M. de Bragelonne's affections, and that hisdetermination seems unalterable."
"There is my will--and that is an obstacle, I should imagine!"
"That is the most serious of all," Athos replied quickly.
"Ah!"
"And may we, therefore, be permitted to ask your majesty, with thegreatest humility, your reason for this refusal?"
"The reason!--A question to me!" exclaimed the king.
"A demand, sire!"
The king, leaning with both his hands upon the table, said, in a deeptone of concentrated passion: "You have lost all recollection of what isusual at court. At court, please to remember, no one ventures to put aquestion to the king."
"Very true, sire; but if men do not question, they conjecture."
"Conjecture! What may that mean, monsieur?"
"Very frequently, sire, conjecture with regard to a particular subjectimplies a want of frankness on the part of the king--"
"Monsieur!"
"And a want of confidence on the part of the subject," pursued Athos,intrepidly.
"You forget yourself," said the king, hurried away by anger in spite ofall his self-control.
"Sire, I am obliged to seek elsewhere for what I thought I should findin your majesty. Instead of obtaining a reply from you, I am compelledto make one for myself."
The king rose. "Monsieur le comte," he said, "I have now given you allthe time I had at my disposal." This was a dismissal.
"Sire," replied the comte, "I have not yet had time to tell your majestywhat I came with the express object of saying, and I so rarely see yourmajesty that I ought to avail myself of the opportunity."
"Just now you spoke rudely of conjectures; you are now becomingoffensive, monsieur."
"Oh, sire! offend your majesty! I?--never! All my life through I have
maintained that kings are above all other men, not only from their rankand power, but from their nobleness of heart and their true dignityof mind. I never can bring myself to believe that my sovereign, he whopassed his word to me, did so with a mental reservation."
"What do you mean? what mental reservation do you allude to?"
"I will explain my meaning," said Athos, coldly. "If, in refusingMademoiselle de la Valliere to Monsieur de Bragelonne, your majestyhad some other object in view than the happiness and fortune of thevicomte--"
"You perceive, monsieur, that you are offending me."
"If, in requiring the vicomte to delay his marriage, your majesty's onlyobject was to remove the gentleman to whom Mademoiselle de la Vallierewas engaged--"
"Monsieur! monsieur!"
"I have heard it said so in every direction, sire. Your majesty'saffection for Mademoiselle de la Valliere is spoken of on all sides."
The king tore his gloves, which he had been biting for some time. "Woeto those," he cried, "who interfere in my affairs. I have made upmy mind to take a particular course, and I will break through everyobstacle in my way."
"What obstacle?" said Athos.
The king stopped short, like a horse which, having taken the bit betweenhis teeth and run away, finds it has slipped it back again, and thathis career is checked. "I love Mademoiselle de la Valliere," he saidsuddenly, with mingled nobleness of feeling and passion.
"But," interrupted Athos, "that does not preclude your majesty fromallowing M. de Bragelonne to marry Mademoiselle de la Valliere. Thesacrifice is worthy of so great a monarch; it is fully merited by M. deBragelonne, who has already rendered great service to your majesty,and who may well be regarded as a brave and worthy man. Your majesty,therefore, in renouncing the affection you entertain, offers a proof atonce of generosity, gratitude, and good policy."
"Mademoiselle de la Valliere does not love M. de Bragelonne," said theking, hoarsely.
"Does your majesty know that to be the case?" remarked Athos, with asearching look.
"I do know it."
"Since a very short time, then; for doubtless, had your majesty known itwhen I first preferred my request, you would have taken the trouble toinform me of it."
"Since a very short time, it is true, monsieur."
Athos remained silent for a moment, and then resumed: "In that case, Ido not understand why your majesty should have sent M. de Bragelonneto London. That exile, and most properly so, too, is a matter ofastonishment to every one who regards your majesty's honor with sincereaffection."
"Who presumes to impugn my honor, Monsieur de la Fere?"
"The king's honor, sire, is made up of the honor of his whole nobility.Whenever the king offends one of his gentlemen, that is, whenever hedeprives him of the smallest particle of his honor, it is from him, fromthe king himself, that that portion of honor is stolen."
"Monsieur de la Fere!" said the king, haughtily.
"Sire, you sent M. de Bragelonne to London either before you wereMademoiselle de la Valliere's lover, or since you have become so."
The king, irritated beyond measure, especially because he felt that hewas being mastered, endeavored to dismiss Athos by a gesture.
"Sire," replied the comte, "I will tell you all; I will not leave yourpresence until I have been satisfied by your majesty or by myself;satisfied if you prove to me that you are right,--satisfied if I proveto you that you are wrong. Nay, sire, you can but listen to me. I amold now, and I am attached to everything that is really great and reallypowerful in your kingdom. I am of those who have shed their blood foryour father and for yourself, without ever having asked a single favoreither from yourself or from your father. I have never inflicted theslightest wrong or injury on any one in this world, and even kings arestill my debtors. You can but listen to me, I repeat. I have come to askyou for an account of the honor of one of your servants whom you havedeceived by a falsehood, or betrayed by want of heart of judgment. Iknow that these words irritate your majesty, but the facts themselvesare killing us. I know that you are endeavoring to find somemeans whereby to chastise me for my frankness; but I know also thechastisement I will implore God to inflict upon you when I relate to Himyour perjury and my son's unhappiness."
The king during these remarks was walking hurriedly to and fro, his handthrust into the breast of his coat, his head haughtily raised, his eyesblazing with wrath. "Monsieur," he cried, suddenly, "if I acted towardsyou as a king, you would be already punished; but I am only a man, andI have the right to love in this world every one who loves me,--ahappiness which is so rarely found."
"You cannot pretend to such a right as a man any more than as a king,sire; or if you intend to exercise that right in a loyal manner, youshould have told M. de Bragelonne so, and not have exiled him."
"It is too great a condescension, monsieur, to discuss these things withyou," interrupted Louis XIV., with that majesty of air and manner healone seemed able to give his look and his voice.
"I was hoping that you would reply to me," said the comte.
"You shall know my reply, monsieur."
"You already know my thoughts on the subject," was the Comte de laFere's answer.
"You have forgotten you are speaking to the king, monsieur. It is acrime."
"You have forgotten you are destroying the lives of two men, sire. It isa mortal sin."
"Leave the room!"
"Not until I have said this: 'Son of Louis XIII., you begin your reignbadly, for you begin it by abduction and disloyalty! My race--myselftoo--are now freed from all that affection and respect towards you,which I made my son swear to observe in the vaults of Saint-Denis, inthe presence of the relics of your noble forefathers. You are now becomeour enemy, sire, and henceforth we have nothing to do save with Heavenalone, our sole master. Be warned, be warned, sire.'"
"What! do you threaten?"
"Oh, no," said Athos, sadly, "I have as little bravado as fear in mysoul. The God of whom I spoke to you is now listening to me; He knowsthat for the safety and honor of your crown I would even yet shed everydrop of blood twenty years of civil and foreign warfare have left inmy veins. I can well say, then, that I threaten the king as little as Ithreaten the man; but I tell you, sire, you lose two servants; for youhave destroyed faith in the heart of the father, and love in the heartof the son; the one ceases to believe in the royal word, the other nolonger believes in the loyalty of the man, or the purity of woman: theone is dead to every feeling of respect, the other to obedience. Adieu!"
Thus saying, Athos broke his sword across his knee, slowly placed thetwo pieces upon the floor, and saluting the king, who was almost chokingfrom rage and shame, he quitted the cabinet. Louis, who sat near thetable, completely overwhelmed, was several minutes before he couldcollect himself; but he suddenly rose and rang the bell violently. "TellM. d'Artagnan to come here," he said to the terrified ushers.