Part 27 (1/2)
”Your majesty has a mother, a sister, and brothers; your ht, therefore, to ask a long life of God, instead of i Hiitive, but you have right on your side; you ought to aspire to coers, business, and not to rest in heavens”
”Count,” said Charles II, with a s who reconquered his kingdoe of Parry, and with three hundred crohich that servant carried in his purse?”
”No, sire; but I have heard--and that dom with a firm will, perseverance, some friends, and a million skillfully employed”
”But you cannot have understood me The million I asked of my brother Louis was refused rant me a few minutes, and listen attentively to what remains for me to say to you?”
Charles II looked earnestly at Athos ”Willingly, monsieur,” said he
”Then I will show yourhis steps towards the house He then conducted the king to his study, and begged him to be seated ”Sire,” said he, ”your land, a dom”
”To atte if I should not succeed”
”Well, then, sire, let your oodness to listen to what I have to say” Charles ht up to the door, the bolts of which he drew, after looking to see if anybody was near, and then returned ”Sire,” said he, ”your majesty has kindly remembered that I lent assistance to the very noble and very unfortunate Charles I, when his executioners conducted him from St James's to Whitehall”
”Yes, certainly I do remember it, and always shall remember it”
”Sire, it is a dismal history to be heard by a son who no doubt has had it related to hiht to repeat it to yourone detail”
”Speak on,your father ascended the scaffold, or rather when he passed from his cha was prepared for his escape The executioner was got out of the way; a hole contrived under the floor of his apartment; I myself was beneath the funeral vault, which I heard all at once creak beneath his feet”
”Parry has related to me all these terrible details, monsieur”
Athos bowed and resu he had not related to you, sire, for what follows passed between God, your father, and myself; and never has the revelation of it been made even to my dearest friends
'Go a little further off,' said the august prisoner to the executioner; 'it is but for an instant, and I know that I belong to you; but renal I wish to offer up my prayers in freedo very pale, ”but you, count, who know so many details of this melancholy event,--details which, as you said just now, have never been revealed to any one,--do you know the name of that infernal executioner, of that base wretch who concealed his face that hewith ihtly pale ”His name?” said he, ”yes, I know it, but cannot tell it”
”And what is becoland knows his destiny?”
”He is dead”
”But he did not die in his bed; he did not die a calood?”
”He died a violent death, in a terrible night, rendered so by the passions of er, sank to the depths of the ocean God pardon histhat the count was unwilling to say , as I have said, spoken thus to the masked executioner, added,--'Observe, you will not strike till I shall stretch out --REMEMBER!'”
”I are,” said Charles, in an agitated voice, ”that that was the last word pronounced by my unfortunate father But why and for whoentleman placed beneath his scaffold”
”For you, then, monsieur?”
”Yes, sire; and every one of the words which he spoke to h the planks of the scaffold covered with a black cloth, still sounds inknelt down on one knee: 'Comte de la Fere,' said he, 'are you there?' 'Yes, sire,' replied I Then the king stooped towards the boards”