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The Man in the Iron Mask, a novel by Alexandre Dumas |
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CHAPTER XXXVI - In M Colbert's Carriage |
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_ As Gourville had seen, the king's musketeers were mounting and following their captain. The latter, who did not like to be confined in his proceedings, left his brigade under the orders of a lieutenant, and set off on post horses, recommending his men to use all diligence. However rapidly they might travel, they could not arrive before him. He had time, in passing along the Rue des Petits-Champs, to see something which afforded him plenty of food for thought and conjecture. He saw M. Colbert coming out from his house to get into his carriage, which was stationed before the door. In this carriage D'Artagnan perceived the hoods of two women, and being rather curious, he wished to know the names of the ladies hid beneath these hoods. To get a glimpse at them, for they kept themselves closely covered up, he urged his horse so near the carriage, that he drove him against the step with such force as to shake everything containing and contained. The terrified women uttered, the one a faint cry, by which D'Artagnan recognized a young woman, the other an imprecation, in which he recognized the vigor and _aplomb_ that half a century bestows. The hoods were thrown back: one of the women was Madame Vanel, the other the Duchesse de Chevreuse. D'Artagnan's eyes were quicker than those of the ladies; he had seen and known them, whilst they did not recognize him; and as they laughed at their fright, pressing each other's hands, - "Humph!" said D'Artagnan, "the old duchesse is no more inaccessible to He rode on. M. Colbert got into his carriage and the distinguished trio She taught Colbert, who, poor man! was ignorant of the fact, how great a "Madame, in politics," replied he, "the differences of system oft bring She interrupted him. - "I will say no more to you about M. Fouquet. The Colbert made no reply. "On his return from Nantes," continued the "And then?" said Colbert. "Oh! he will be disgraced. Is not that your opinion?" Colbert darted a glance at the duchesse, which plainly said: "If M. "Your place, M. Colbert," the duchesse hastened to say, "must be a high "I do not understand," said he. "You _will_ understand. To what does your ambition aspire?" "I have none." "It was useless, then, to overthrow the superintendent, Monsieur "I had the honor to tell you, madame - " "Oh! yes, I know, all about the interest of the king - but, if you "Mine! that is to say, the affairs of his majesty." "In short, are you, or are you not endeavoring to ruin M. Fouquet? "Madame, I ruin nobody." "I am endeavoring to comprehend, then, why you purchased from me the Colbert, half stupefied, looked at the duchesse with an air of constraint. "Madame," said he, "I can less easily conceive how you, who received the "That is," said the old duchesse, "because we must will that which we "_Will!_" said Colbert, quite confounded by such coarse logic. "You are not able, _hein!_ Speak." "I am not able, I allow, to destroy certain influences near the king." "That fight in favor of M. Fouquet? What are they? Stop, let me help "Do, madame." "La Valliere?" "Oh! very little influence; no knowledge of business, and small means. "To defend him would be to accuse herself, would it not?" "I think it would." "There is still another influence, what do you say to that?" "Is it considerable?" "The queen-mother, perhaps?" "Her majesty, the queen-mother, has a weakness for M. Fouquet very "Never believe that," said the old duchesse, smiling. "Oh!" said Colbert, with incredulity, "I have often experienced it." "Formerly?" "Very recently, madame, at Vaux. It was she who prevented the king from "People do not forever entertain the same opinions, my dear monsieur. "And why not?" said Colbert, astonished. "Oh! the reason is of very little consequence." "On the contrary, I think it is of great consequence; for, if I were "Well! have you never heard talk of a certain secret?" "A secret?" "Call it what you like. In short, the queen-mother has conceived a "Then," said Colbert, "we may be sure of the assent of the queen-mother?" "I have just left her majesty, and she assures me so." "So be it, then, madame." "But there is something further; do you happen to know a man who was the "Bishop of Vannes." "Well! this M. d'Herblay, who also knew the secret, the queen-mother is "Indeed!" "So hotly pursued, that if he were dead, she would not be satisfied with "And is that the desire of the queen-mother?" "An order is given for it." "This Monsieur d'Herblay shall be sought for, madame." "Oh! it is well known where he is." Colbert looked at the duchesse. "Say where, madame." "He is at Belle-Ile-en-Mer." "At the residence of M. Fouquet?" "At the residence of M. Fouquet." "He shall be taken." It was now the duchesse's turn to smile. "Do not fancy the capture so "Why not, madame?" "Because M. d'Herblay is not one of those people who can be taken when "He is a rebel, then?" "Oh! Monsieur Colbert, we have passed all our lives in making rebels, Colbert fixed upon the old duchesse one of those fierce looks of which no And this _us_, a strange word in the mouth of Colbert, made the duchesse "You ask me, madame," he said, "to have this M. d'Herblay arrested?" "I? - I ask you nothing of the kind!" "I thought you did, madame. But as I have been mistaken, we will leave The duchesse bit her nails. "Besides," continued Colbert, "what a poor capture would this bishop be! The hatred of the duchesse now discovered itself. "Game for a woman!" said she. "Is not the queen a woman? If she wishes "Oh! never mind that," said Colbert. "This man shall be spared, if he is "I say nothing." "Yes - you wish to see him in prison, in the Bastile, for instance." "I believe a secret better concealed behind the walls of the Bastile than "I will speak to the king about it; he will clear up the point." "And whilst waiting for that enlightenment, Monsieur l'Eveque de Vannes "Escaped! he! and whither should he escape? Europe is ours, in will, if "He will always find an asylum, monsieur. It is evident you know nothing "But, madame, what can he do, unless he has a kingdom to back him?" "He has one, monsieur." "A kingdom, he! what, Monsieur d'Herblay?" "I repeat to you, monsieur, that if he wants a kingdom, he either has it "Well, as you are so earnest that this rebel should not escape, madame, I "Belle-Isle is fortified, M. Colbert, and fortified by him." "If Belle-Isle were also defended by him, Belle-Isle is not impregnable; "You may be very certain, monsieur, that the zeal you display in the "That when once taken, he shall be shut up in a fortress from which her "Very well, Monsieur Colbert, and we may say, that, dating from this "It is I, madame, who place myself at yours. This Chevalier d'Herblay is "Much more." "A secret ambassador?" "Higher still." "Stop - King Phillip III. of Spain is a bigot. He is, perhaps, the "You must go higher even than that." "_Mordieu!_" cried Colbert, who forgot himself so far as to swear in the "I believe you have guessed it at last," replied the duchesse. "Ah! then, madame, this man will ruin us all if we do not ruin him; and "Such was my opinion, monsieur, but I did not dare to give it you." "And it was lucky for us he has attacked the throne, and not us." "But, mark this well, M. Colbert. M. d'Herblay is never discouraged; if Colbert knitted his brow with a menacing expression. "I feel assured The duchesse smiled again. "Oh! if you knew," said she, "how many times Aramis has got out of "Oh!" replied Colbert, "we will take care that he shall not get out "But you were not attending to what I said to you just now. Do you Colbert bit his lips. "We will renounce the idea of the prison," said he, in a lower tone: "we "That was well spoken, our ally!" replied the duchesse. "But it is "The more willingly, madame, from my having my preparations to make for "To Paris!" cried the duchesse to the coachman. And the carriage returned towards the Faubourg Saint Antoine, after the |