Part 19 (1/2)
The latter, who had already cast a penetrating glance at the newcomer, replied:
”Unless I am mistaken, this young man is--”
”Henri d'Effiat,” said the volunteer, bowing.
”Sire, it is the same whom I had announced to your Majesty, and who was to have been presented to you by me; the second son of the Marechal.”
”Ah!” said Louis, warmly, ”I am glad to see the son of my old friend presented by this bastion. It is a suitable introduction, my boy, for one bearing your name. You will follow us to the camp, where we have much to say to you. But what! you here, Monsieur de Thou? Whom have you come to judge?”
”Sire,” answered Coislin, ”he has condemned to death, without judging, sundry Spaniards, for he was the second to enter the place.”
”I struck no one, Monsieur,” interrupted De Thou reddening; ”it is not my business. Herein I have no merit; I merely accompanied my friend, Monsieur de Cinq-Mars.”
”We approve your modesty as well as your bravery, and we shall not forget this. Cardinal, is there not some presidency vacant?”
Richelieu did not like De Thou. And as the sources of his dislike were always mysterious, it was difficult to guess the cause of this animosity; it revealed itself in a cruel word that escaped him. The motive was a pa.s.sage in the history of the President De Thou--the father of the young man now in question--wherein he stigmatized, in the eyes of posterity, a granduncle of the Cardinal, an apostate monk, sullied with every human vice.
Richelieu, bending to Joseph's ear, whispered:
”You see that man; his father put my name into his history. Well, I will put his into mine.” And, truly enough, he subsequently wrote it in blood. At this moment, to avoid answering the King, he feigned not to have heard his question, and to be wholly intent upon the merit of Cinq-Mars and the desire to see him well placed at court.
”I promised you beforehand to make him a captain in my guards,” said the Prince; ”let him be nominated to-morrow. I would know more of him, and raise him to a higher fortune, if he pleases me. Let us now retire; the sun has set, and we are far from our army. Tell my two good companies to follow us.”
The minister, after repeating the order, omitting the implied praise, placed himself on the King's right hand, and the whole court quitted the bastion, now confided to the care of the Swiss, and returned to the camp.
The two red companies defiled slowly through the breach which they had effected with such prompt.i.tude; their countenances were grave and silent.
Cinq-Mars went up to his friend.
”These are heroes but ill recompensed,” said he; ”not a favor, not a compliment.”
”I, on the other hand,” said the simple De Thou ”I, who came here against my will--receive one. Such are courts, such is life; but above us is the true judge, whom men can not blind.”
”This will not prevent us from meeting death tomorrow, if necessary,”
said the young Olivier, laughing.
CHAPTER XI. THE BLUNDERS
In order to appear before the King, Cinq-Mars had been compelled to mount the charger of one of the light horse, wounded in the affair, having lost his own at the foot of the rampart. As the two companies were marching out, he felt some one touch his shoulder, and, turning round, saw old Grandchamp leading a very beautiful gray horse.
”Will Monsieur le Marquis mount a horse of his own?” said he. ”I have put on the saddle and housings of velvet embroidered in gold that remained in the trench. Alas, when I think that a Spaniard might have taken it, or even a Frenchman! For just now there are so many people who take all they find, as if it were their own; and then, as the proverb says, 'What falls in the ditch is for the soldier.' They might also have taken the four hundred gold crowns that Monsieur le Marquis, be it said without reproach, forgot to take out of the holsters. And the pistols!
Oh, what pistols! I bought them in Germany; and here they are as good as ever, and with their locks perfect. It was quite enough to kill the poor little black horse, that was born in England as sure as I was at Tours in Touraine, without also exposing these valuables to pa.s.s into the hands of the enemy.”
While making this lamentation, the worthy man finished saddling the gray horse. The column was long enough filing out to give him time to pay scrupulous attention to the length of the stirrups and of the bands, all the while continuing his harangue.
”I beg your pardon, Monsieur, for being somewhat slow about this; but I sprained my arm slightly in lifting Monsieur de Thou, who himself raised Monsieur le Marquis during the grand scuffle.”
”How camest thou there at all, stupid?” said Cinq-Mars. ”That is not thy business. I told thee to remain in the camp.”