When the king, like all the people in the world who are in love, hadlong and attentively watched disappear in the distance the carriagewhich bore away his mistress; when he had turned and turned again ahundred times to the same side and had at length succeeded in somewhatcalming the agitation of his heart and thoughts, he recollected that hewas not alone. The officer still held the horse by the bridle, and hadnot lost all hope of seeing the king recover his resolution. He hadstill the resource of mounting and riding after the carriage; theywould have lost nothing by waiting a little. But the imagination of thelieutenant of the musketeers was too rich and too brilliant; it leftfar behind it that of the king, who took care not to allow himself to becarried away to any such excess. He contented himself with approachingthe officer, and in a doleful voice, "Come," said he, "let us be gone;all is ended. To horse!"
The officer imitated this carriage, this slowness, this sadness, andleisurely mounted his horse. The king pushed on sharply, the lieutenantfollowed him. At the bridge Louis turned around for the last time. Thelieutenant, patient as a god who has eternity behind and before him,still hoped for a return of energy. But it was groundless, nothingappeared. Louis gained the street which led to the castle, and enteredas seven was striking. When the king had returned, and the musketeer,who saw everything, had seen a corner of the tapestry over thecardinal's window lifted up, he breathed a profound sigh, like a manunloosed from the tightest bounds, and said in a low voice:
"Now, then, my officer, I hope that it is over."
The king summoned his gentleman. "Please to understand I shall receivenobody before two o'clock," said he.
"Sire," replied the gentleman, "there is, however, some one who requestsadmittance."
"Who is that?"
"Your lieutenant of musketeers."
"He who accompanied me?"
"Yes, sire."
"Ah," said the king, "let him come in."
The officer entered. The king made a sign, and the gentleman and thevalet retired. Louis followed them with his eyes until they had shut thedoor, and when the tapestries had fallen behind them,--"You remind meby your presence, monsieur, of something I had forgotten to recommend toyou, that is to say, the most absolute discretion."
"Oh! sire, why does your majesty give yourself the trouble of making mesuch a recommendation? It is plain you do not know me."
"Yes, monsieur, that is true. I know that you are discreet; but as I hadprescribed nothing----"
The officer bowed. "Has your majesty nothing else to say to me?"
"No, monsieur; you may retire."
"Shall I obtain permission not to do so till I have spoken to the king,sire?"
"What have you to say to me? Explain yourself, monsieur."
"Sire, a thing without importance to you, but which interests megreatly. Pardon me, then, for speaking of it. Without urgency, withoutnecessity, I never would have done it, and I would have disappeared,mute and insignificant as I always have been."
"How! Disappeared! I do not understand you, monsieur."
"Sire, in a word," said the officer, "I am come to ask for my dischargefrom your majesty's service."
The king made a movement of surprise, but the officer remained asmotionless as a statue.
"Your discharge--yours, monsieur? and for how long a time, I pray?"
"Why, forever, sire."
"What, you are desirous of quitting my service, monsieur?" said Louis,with an expression that revealed something more than surprise.
"Sire, I regret to say that I am."
"Impossible!"
"It is so, however, sire. I am getting old; I have worn harness nowthirty-five years; my poor shoulders are tired; I feel that I must giveplace to the young. I don't belong to this age; I have still one footin the old one; it results that everything is strange in my eyes,everything astonishes and bewilders me. In short, I have the honor toask your majesty for my discharge."
"Monsieur," said the king, looking at the officer, who wore his uniformwith an ease that would have caused envy in a young man, "you arestronger and more vigorous than I am."
"Oh!" replied the officer, with an air of false modesty, "yourmajesty says so because I still have a good eye and a tolerably firmfoot--because I can still ride a horse, and my mustache is black; but,sire, vanity of vanities all that--illusions all that--appearance,smoke, sire! I have still a youthful air, it is true, but I feel old,and within six months I am certain I shall be broken down, gouty,impotent. Therefore, then sire----"
"Monsieur," interrupted the king, "remember your words of yesterday. Yousaid to me in this very place where you now are, that you were endowedwith the best health of any man in France; that fatigue was unknown toyou! that you did not mind spending whole days and nights at your post.Did you tell me that, monsieur, or not? Try and recall, monsieur."
The officer sighed. "Sire," said he, "old age is boastful; and it ispardonable for old men to praise themselves when others no longer do it.It is very possible I said that; but the fact is, sire, I am very muchfatigued, and request permission to retire."
"Monsieur," said the king, advancing towards the officer with a gesturefull of majesty, "you are not assigning me the true reason. You wish toquit my service, it may be true, but you disguise from me the motive ofyour retreat."
"Sire, believe that----"
"I believe what I see, monsieur; I see a vigorous, energetic man, fullof presence of mind, the best soldier in France, perhaps; and thispersonage cannot persuade me the least in the world that you stand inneed of rest."
"Ah! sire," said the lieutenant, with bitterness, "what praise! Indeed,your majesty confounds me! Energetic, vigorous, brave, intelligent, thebest soldier in the army! But, sire, your majesty exaggerates my smallportion of merit to such a point, that however good an opinion I mayhave of myself, I do not recognize myself; in truth I do not. If Iwere vain enough to believe only half of your majesty's words, I shouldconsider myself a valuable, indispensable man. I should say that aservant possessed of such brilliant qualities was a treasure beyondall price. Now, sire, I have been all my life--I feel bound to sayit--except at the present time, appreciated, in my opinion, much belowmy value. I therefore repeat, your majesty exaggerates."
The king knitted his brow, for he saw a bitter raillery beneath thewords of the officer. "Come, monsieur," said he, "let us meet thequestion frankly. Are you dissatisfied with my service, say? Noevasions; speak boldly, frankly--I command you to do so."
The officer, who had been twisting his hat about in his hands, with anembarrassed air, for several minutes, raised his head at these words."Oh! sire," said he, "that puts me a little more at my ease. To aquestion put so frankly, I will reply frankly. To tell the truth isa good thing, as much from the pleasure one feels in relieving one'sheart, as on account of the rarity of the fact. I will speak the truth,then, to my king, at the same time imploring him to excuse the franknessof an old soldier."
Louis looked at his officer with anxiety, which he manifested bythe agitation of his gesture. "Well, then speak," said he, "for I amimpatient to hear the truths you have to tell me."
The officer threw his hat upon a table, and his countenance, always sointelligent and martial, assumed, all at once, a strange character ofgrandeur and solemnity. "Sire," said he, "I quit the king's servicebecause I am dissatisfied. The valet, in these times, can approach hismaster as respectfully as I do, can give him an account of his labor,bring back his tools, return the funds that have been intrusted to him,and say, 'Master, my day's work is done. Pay me, if you please, and letus part.'"
"Monsieur! monsieur!" exclaimed the king, crimson with rage.
"Ah! sire," replied the officer, bending his knee for a moment, "neverwas servant more respectful than I am before your majesty; only youcommanded me to tell the truth. Now I have begun to tell it, it mustcome out, even if you command me to hold my tongue."
There was so much resolution expressed in the deep-sunk muscles of theofficer's countenance, that Louis XIV. had no occas
ion to tell him tocontinue; he continued, therefore, whilst the king looked at him with acuriosity mingled with admiration.
"Sire, I have, as I have said, now served the house of Francethirty-five years; few people have worn out so many swords in thatservice as I have, and the swords I speak of were good swords, too,sire. I was a boy, ignorant of everything except courage, when the kingyour father guessed that there was a man in me. I was a man, sire, whenthe Cardinal de Richelieu, who was a judge of manhood, discovered anenemy in me. Sire, the history of that enmity between the ant and thelion may be read from the first to the last line, in the secret archivesof your family. If ever you feel an inclination to know it, do so, sire;the history is worth the trouble--it is I who tell you so. You willthere read that the lion, fatigued, harassed, out of breath, at lengthcried for quarter, and the justice must be rendered him to say thathe gave as much as he required. Oh! those were glorious times, sire,strewed over with battles like one of Tasso's or Ariosto's epics. Thewonders of those times, to which the people of ours would refuse belief,were every-day occurrences. For five years together, I was a hero everyday; at least, so I was told by persons of judgment; and that is along period for heroism, trust me, sire, a period of five years.Nevertheless, I have faith in what these people told me, for they weregood judges. They were named M. de Richelieu, M. de Buckingham, M. deBeaufort, M. de Retz, a mighty genius himself in street warfare,--inshort, the king, Louis XIII., and even the queen, your noble mother, whoone day condescended to say, 'Thank you.' I don't know what service Ihad had the good fortune to render her. Pardon me, sire, for speakingso boldly; but what I relate to you, as I have already had the honor totell your majesty, is history."
The king bit his lips, and threw himself violently on a chair.
"I appear importunate to your majesty," said the lieutenant. "Eh! sire,that is the fate of truth; she is a stern companion; she bristles allover with steel; she wounds those whom she attacks, and sometimes himwho speaks her."
"No, monsieur," replied the king; "I bade you speak--speak then."
"After the service of the king and the cardinal came the service of theregency, sire; I fought pretty well in the Fronde--much less, though,than the first time. The men began to diminish in stature. I have,nevertheless, led your majesty's musketeers on some perilous occasions,which stand upon the orders of the day of the company. Mine was abeautiful luck at that time. I was the favorite of M. de Mazarin.Lieutenant here! lieutenant there! lieutenant to the right! lieutenantto the left! There was not a buffet dealt in France, of which yourhumble servant did not have the dealing; but soon France was not enough.The cardinal sent me to England on Cromwell's account; another gentlemanwho was not over gentle, I assure you, sire. I had the honor of knowinghim, and I was well able to appreciate him. A great deal was promisedme on account of that mission. So, as I did much more than I had beenbidden to do, I was generously paid, for I was at length appointedcaptain of the musketeers, that is to say, the most envied position incourt, which takes precedence over the marshals of France, and justly,for who says captain of the musketeers says the flower of chivalry andking of the brave."
"Captain, monsieur!" interrupted the king, "you make a mistake.Lieutenant, you mean."
"Not at all, sire--I make no mistake; your majesty may rely upon me inthat respect. Monsieur le cardinal gave me the commission himself."
"Well!"
"But M. de Mazarin, as you know better than anybody, does not oftengive, and sometimes takes back what he has given; he took it back againas soon as peace was made and he was no longer in want of me. CertainlyI was not worthy to replace M. de Treville, of illustrious memory; butthey had promised me, and they had given me; they ought to have stoppedthere."
"Is that what dissatisfies you, monsieur? Well I shall make inquiries. Ilove justice; and your claim, though made in military fashion, does notdisplease me."
"Oh, sire!" said the officer, "your majesty has ill understood me; I nolonger claim anything now."
"Excess of delicacy, monsieur; but I will keep my eye upon your affairs,and later----"
"Oh, sire! what a word!--later! Thirty years have I lived upon thatpromising word, which has been pronounced by so many great personages,and which your mouth has, in its turn, just pronounced. Later--that ishow I have received a score of wounds, and how I have reached fifty-fouryears of age without ever having had a louis in my purse, and withoutever having met with a protector on my way,--I who have protected somany people! So I change my formula, sire; and when any one says to me'Later,' I reply 'Now.' It is rest that I solicit, sire. That may beeasily granted me. That will cost nobody anything."
"I did not look for this language, monsieur, particularly from a manwho has always lived among the great. You forget you are speaking to theking, to a gentleman who is, I suppose, of as good a house as yourself;and when I say later, I mean a certainty."
"I do not at all doubt it, sire, but this is the end of the terribletruth I had to tell you. If I were to see upon that table a marshal'sstick, the sword of constable, the crown of Poland, instead of later, Iswear to you, sire, that I should still say Now! Oh, excuse me, sire! Iam from the country of your grandfather, Henry IV. I do not speak often;but when I do speak, I speak all."
"The future of my reign has little temptation for you, monsieur, itappears," said Louis, haughtily.
"Forgetfulness, forgetfulness everywhere!" cried the officer, with anoble air; "the master has forgotten the servant, so that the servant isreduced to forget his master. I live in unfortunate times, sire. I seeyouth full of discouragement and fear, I see it timid and despoiled,when it ought to be rich and powerful. I yesterday evening, for example,open the door to a king of England, whose father, humble as I am, Iwas near saving, if God had not been against me--God, who inspired Hiselect, Cromwell! I open, I said, the door, that is to say, the palace ofone brother to another brother, and I see--stop, sire, that is a loadon my heart!--I see the minister of that king drive away the proscribedprince, and humiliate his master by condemning to want another king, hisequal. Then I see my prince, who is young, handsome, and brave, whohas courage in his heart, and lightning in his eye,--I see him tremblebefore a priest, who laughs at him behind the curtain of his alcove,where he digests all the gold of France, which he afterwards stuffsinto secret coffers. Yes--I understand your looks, sire. I am bold tomadness; but what is to be said? I am an old man, and I tell you here,sire, to you, my king, things which I would cram down the throat of anyone who should dare to pronounce them before me. You have commanded meto pour out the bottom of my heart before you, sire, and I cast at thefeet of your majesty the pent-up indignation of thirty years, as I wouldpour out all my blood, if your majesty commanded me to do so."
The king, without speaking a word, wiped the drops of cold and abundantperspiration which trickled from his temples. The moment of silencewhich followed this vehement outbreak represented for him who hadspoken, and for him who had listened, ages of suffering.
"Monsieur," said the king at length, "you spoke the word forgetfulness.I have heard nothing but that word; I will reply, then, to it alone.Others have perhaps been able to forget, but I have not, and the proofis, that I remember that one day of riot, that one day when the furiouspeople, raging and roaring as the sea, invaded the royal palace; thatone day when I feigned sleep in my bed, one man alone, naked sword inhand, concealed behind my curtain, watched over my life, ready to riskhis own for me, as he had before risked it twenty times for the lives ofmy family. Was not the gentleman, whose name I then demanded, called M.d'Artagnan? say, monsieur."
"Your majesty has a good memory," replied the officer, coldly.
"You see, then," continued the king, "if I have such remembrances of mychildhood, what an amount I may gather in the age of reason."
"Your majesty has been richly endowed by God," said the officer, in thesame tone.
"Come, Monsieur d'Artagnan," continued Louis, with feverish agitation,"ought you not to be as patient as I am? Ought you not to do as I
do?Come!"
"And what do you do, sire?"
"I wait."
"Your majesty may do so, because you are young; but I, sire, have nottime to wait; old age is at my door, and death is behind it, lookinginto the very depths of my house. Your majesty is beginning life, itsfuture is full of hope and fortune; but I, sire, I am on the other sideof the horizon, and we are so far from each other, that I should neverhave time to wait till your majesty came up to me."
Louis made another turn in his apartment, still wiping the moisture fromhis brow, in a manner that would have terrified his physicians, if hisphysicians had witnessed the state his majesty was in.
"It is very well, monsieur," said Louis XIV., in a sharp voice; "you aredesirous of having your discharge, and you shall have it. You offer meyour resignation of the rank of lieutenant of the musketeers?"
"I deposit it humbly at your majesty's feet, sire."
"That is sufficient. I will order your pension."
"I shall have a thousand obligations to your majesty."
"Monsieur," said the king, with a violent effort, "I think you arelosing a good master."
"And I am sure of it, sire."
"Shall you ever find such another?"
"Oh, sire! I know that your majesty is alone in the world; thereforewill I never again take service with any king upon earth, and will neveragain have other master than myself."
"You say so?"
"I swear so, your majesty."
"I shall remember that word, monsieur."
D'Artagnan bowed.
"And you know I have a good memory," said the king.
"Yes, sire, and yet I should desire that that memory should failyour majesty in this instance, in order that you might forget all themiseries I have been forced to spread before your eyes. Your majesty isso much above the poor and the mean that I hope----"
"My majesty, monsieur, will act like the sun, which looks upon all,great and small, rich and poor, giving luster to some, warmth to others,and life to all. Adieu Monsieur d'Artagnan--adieu: you are free."
And the king, with a hoarse sob, which was lost in his throat, passedquickly into the next room. D'Artagnan took up his hat from the tableupon which he had thrown it, and went out.
CHAPTER 15. The Proscribed
D'Artagnan had not reached the bottom of the staircase, when the kingcalled his gentleman. "I have a commission to give you, monsieur," saidhe.
"I am at your majesty's commands."
"Wait, then." And the young king began to write the following letter,which cost him more than one sigh, although, at the same time, somethinglike a feeling of triumph glittered in his eyes: