Part 52 (1/2)

”For a short time,” said D'Artagnan, ”or for a long time, who knows? But with 2,500 livres, and the 2,500 you have already received, you are paid according to our agreement. We are quits, then, my friend.”

”But the boat?”

”Do not trouble yourself about that.”

”Our things are on board the felucca.”

”Go and seek them, and then set off immediately.”

”Yes, captain.”

D'Artagnan returned to Monk, saying,--”Monsieur, I await your orders, for I understand we are to go together, unless my company be disagreeable to you.”

”On the contrary, monsieur,” said Monk.

”Come, gentlemen, on board,” cried Keyser's son.

Charles bowed to the general with grace and dignity, saying,--”You will pardon me this unfortunate accident, and the violence to which you have been subjected, when you are convinced that I was not the cause of them.”

Monk bowed profoundly without replying. On his side, Charles affected not to say a word to D'Artagnan in private, but aloud,--”Once more, thanks, monsieur le chevalier,” said he, ”thanks for your services. They will be repaid you by the Lord G.o.d, who, I hope, reserves trials and troubles for me alone.”

Monk followed Keyser and his son embarked with them. D'Artagnan came after, muttering to himself,--”Poor Planchet! poor Planchet! I am very much afraid we have made a bad speculation.”

Chapter x.x.x. The Shares of Planchet and Company rise again to Par.

During the pa.s.sage, Monk only spoke to D'Artagnan in cases of urgent necessity. Thus, when the Frenchman hesitated to come and take his meals, poor meals, composed of salt fish, biscuit, and Hollands gin, Monk called him, saying,--”To table, monsieur, to table!”

This was all. D'Artagnan, from being himself on all great occasions, extremely concise, did not draw from the general's conciseness a favorable augury of the result of his mission. Now, as D'Artagnan had plenty of time for reflection, he battered his brains during this time in endeavoring to find out how Athos had seen King Charles, how he had conspired his departure with him, and lastly, how he had entered Monk's camp; and the poor lieutenant of musketeers plucked a hair from his mustache every time that he reflected that the horseman who accompanied Monk on the night of the famous abduction must have been Athos.

At length, after a pa.s.sage of two nights and two days, the patron Keyser touched at the point where Monk, who had given all the orders during the voyage, had commanded they should land. It was exactly at the mouth of the little river, near where Athos had chosen his abode.

Daylight was waning, a splendid sun, like a red steel buckler, was plunging the lower extremity of its disc beneath the blue line of the sea. The felucca was making fair way up the river, tolerably wide in that part, but Monk, in his impatience, desired to be landed, and Keyser's boat set him and D'Artagnan upon the muddy bank, amidst the reeds. D'Artagnan, resigned to obedience, followed Monk exactly as a chained bear follows his master; but the position humiliated him not a little, and he grumbled to himself that the service of kings was a bitter one, and that the best of them was good for nothing. Monk walked with long and hasty strides; it might be thought that he did not yet feel certain of having reached English land. They had already begun to perceive distinctly a few of the cottages of the sailors and fishermen spread over the little quay of this humble port, when, all at once, D'Artagnan cried out,--”G.o.d pardon me, there is a house on fire!”

Monk raised his eyes, and perceived there was, in fact, a house which the flames were beginning to devour. It had begun at a little shed belonging to the house, the roof of which had caught. The fresh evening breeze agitated the fire. The two travelers quickened their steps, hearing loud cries, and seeing, as they drew nearer, soldiers with their glittering arms pointed towards the house on fire. It was doubtless this menacing occupation which had made them neglect to signal the felucca.

Monk stopped short for an instant, and, for the first time, formulated his thoughts into words. ”Eh! but,” said he, ”perhaps they are not my soldiers but Lambert's.”

These words contained at once a sorrow, and apprehension, and a reproach perfectly intelligible to D'Artagnan. In fact, during the general's absence, Lambert might have given battle, conquered, and dispersed the parliament's army, and taken with his own the place of Monk's army, deprived of its strongest support. At this doubt, which pa.s.sed from the mind of Monk to his own, D'Artagnan reasoned in this manner:--”One of two things is going to happen; either Monk has spoken correctly, and there are no longer any but Lambertists in the country--that is to say, enemies, who would receive me wonderfully well, since it is to me they owe their victory; or nothing is changed, and Monk, transported with joy at finding his camp still in the same place, will not prove too severe in his settlement with me.” Whilst thinking thus, the two travelers advanced, and began to mingle with a little knot of sailors, who looked on with sorrow at the burning house, but did not dare to say anything on account of the threats of the soldiers. Monk addressed one of these sailors:--”What is going on here?” asked he.

”Sir,” replied the man, not recognizing Monk as an officer, under the thick cloak which enveloped him, ”that house was inhabited by a foreign gentleman, and this foreigner became suspected by the soldiers. They wanted to get into his house under pretense of taking him to the camp; but he, without being frightened by their number, threatened death to the first who should cross the threshold of his door; and as there was one who did venture, the Frenchman stretched him on the earth with a pistol-shot.”

”Ah! he is a Frenchman, is he?” said D'Artagnan, rubbing his hands.

”Good!”

”How good?” replied the fisherman.

”No, I don't mean that.--What then--my tongue slipped.”

”What then, sir?--why, the other men became as enraged as so many lions: they fired more than a hundred shots at the house; but the Frenchman was sheltered by the wall, and every time they tried to enter by the door they met with a shot from his lackey, whose aim is deadly, d'ye see?