Part 41 (1/2)
”Have you a letter of audience?” asked a porter, advancing to the new arrival
”I have one, but not one from Cardinal Mazarin”
”Enter, and ask for Monsieur Bernouin,” said the porter, opening the door of the third room Whether he only held his usual post or whether it was by accident, Monsieur Bernouin was found standing behind the door and must have heard all that had passed
”You seek me, sir,” said he ”From whom may the letter be you bear to his eminence?”
”Froood as towhich, he resu peculiar at that tilance at the person of the young man and entered the cabinet of the cardinal, to who a letter from Oliver Croenuine Englishray-blue eyes--ray than blue; and for the rest, stiff and proud”
”Let hiive in his letter”
”His e back into the ante-chamber
”His eminence cannot see the letter without the bearer of it,” replied the young man; ”but to convince you that I am really the bearer of a letter, see, here it is; and kindly add,” continued he, ”that I aer, but an envoy extraordinary”
Bernouin re-entered the cabinet, returning in a few seconds ”Enter, sir,” said he
The young man appeared on the threshold of thehis hat, in the other the letter Mazarin rose ”Have you, sir,” asked he, ”a letter accrediting you toman
Mazarin took the letter and read it thus: ”Mr Mordaunt, one of my secretaries, will remit this letter of introduction to His Eminence, the Cardinal Mazarin, in Paris He is also the bearer of a second confidential epistle for his eminence
”Oliver Croiveman drew from his pocket a second letter, presented it to the cardinal, and took his seat The cardinal, however, did not unseal the letter at once, but continued to turn it again and again in his hand; then, in accordance with his usual custo fro fro his eyes upon theer: ”You are very young, Monsieur Mordaunt, for this difficult task of ambassador, in which the oldest diplomatists often fail”
”My lord, I ae; but your e I ah I possess not your wisdo, in my opinion, count double, and I have suffered for twenty years”
”Ah, yes, I understand,” said Mazarin; ”want of fortune, perhaps You are poor, are you not?” Then he added to hiars and ill-bred”
”My lord, I ought to have a fortune of six millions, but it has been taken from me”
”You are not, then, a man of the people?” said Mazarin, astonished
”If I bore my proper title I should be a lord If I bore my name you would have heard one of the land”
”What is your name, then?” asked Mazarin
”My na
Mazarin now understood that Cronito He was silent for an instant, and during that ti man even er was unmoved
”Devil take these Puritans,” said Mazarin aside; ”they are carved froranite” Then he added aloud, ”But you have relations left you?”
”I have one re Three times I presented myself to ask his support and three times he ordered his servants to turn me away”
”Oh,by a display of affected pity to catch the young man in a snare, ”how extre of your birth--you have never seen your mother?”
”Yes, my lord; she came three times, whilst I was a child, to my nurse's house; I remember the last tiood me man, with such peculiar eh every vein
”And who brought you up?” he asked again
”A French nurse, who sent me ahen I was five years old because no one paid her forme the name of a relation of whom she had heard my mother often speak”
”What becah road, a ston took ht me all he knew himself and aided me in my researches after my family”
”And these researches?”
”Were fruitless; chance did everything”
”You discovered what had become of your mother?”
”I learned that she had been assassinated by my relation, aided by four friends, but I was already aware that I had been robbed ofCharles I”
”Oh! I now understand why you are in the service of Cro”
”Yes,man
Mazarin marked with surprise the diabolical expression hich the young man uttered these words Just as, ordinarily, faces are colored by blood, his face seemed dyed by hatred and became livid
”Your history is a terrible one, Mr Mordaunt, and touches me keenly; but happily for you, you serve an all-powerful ht to aid you in your search; we have soinfor it is only necessary to show one end of a track; he is certain to reach the other”
”But this relation you mentioned--do you wish me to speak to him?” said Mazarin, as anxious to make a friend about Cromwell's person
”Thanks, my lord, I will speak to him myself He will treat me better the next ti hilance he bent his head; then, embarrassed how to continue such a conversation, he opened Croradually resulassy appearance and he fell into a profound reverie After reading the first lines of the letter Mazarin gave a side glance at hi the expression of his face as he read Observing his indifference, he shrugged his shoulders, saying: ”Send on your business those who do theirs at the same time! Let us see what this letter contains”
We here present the letter verbatineur le Cardinal Mazarini: ”I have wished,state of affairs in England The two kingdoms are so near that France must be interested in our situation, as we are interested in that of France The English are alainst the tyranny of Charles and his adherents Placed by popular confidence at the head of that nificance and its probable results I am at present in the ainst King Charles I shall gain it, for the hope of the nation and the Spirit of the Lord are withwill have no further resources in England or in Scotland; and if he is not captured or killed, he will endeavor to pass over into France to recruit soldiers and to refurnish himself with arms and money France has already received Queen Henrietta, and, unintentionally, doubtless, has uishable civil war in hter of France and was entitled to the hospitality of France As to King Charles, the questionhilish nation, and thus so essentially harovern will be equivalent to pronounced hostilities”
At this moment Mazarin beca and paused to glance under his eyes at the young ht Mazarin resuneur, that I should be infordo now diverse directions, are very nearly the saland needs tranquillity at ho; France needs tranquillity to establish on solid foundations the throne of her young monarch You need, as much as we do, that interior condition of repose which, thanks to the energy of our government, we are about to attain