Part 42 (1/2)
”Well, madame, in that case, my advice--I know that I am very bold to offer advice to your dootten; if he passes over into France his cause is lost”
”But,” persisted the queen, ”if such be your advice and you have his interest at heart, send hi for him; I have sold even to le ornaht wood this winter to hter and myself”
”Oh, madame,” said Mazarin, ”your n succor follows in the train of a king to replace hier possesses the help and love of his own subjects”
”To the point, sir,” said the queen, ”to the point, and answer land will you send him succor? If he comes to France will you accord him hospitality? What do you intend to do? Speak”
”Mada an effusive frankness of speech, ”I shall convince your majesty, I trust, of my devotion to you and my desire to terminate an affair which you have so er doubt my zeal in your behalf”
The queen bit her lips and moved impatiently on her chair
”Well, what do you propose to do?” she, said at length; ”coo this instant and consult the queen, and ill refer the affair at once to parliament”
”With which you are at war--is it not so? You will charge Broussel to report it Enough, sir, enough I understand you or rather, I a Go to the parliament, for it was frohter of the great, the sublime Henry IV, whom you so much admire, received the only relief this winter which prevented her froer and cold!”
And with these words Henrietta rose inhis hands clasped toward her, exclaimed, ”Ah, madame, madame, how little you knowtoward him who made these hypocritical pretensions, crossed the cabinet, opened the door for herself and passing through the er to pay ho royalty, she went and took the hand of De Winter, who stood apart in isolation Poor queen, already fallen! Though all bowed before her, as etiquette required, she had now but a single arnifies little,” said Mazarin, when he was alone ”It gave racious part to play, but I have said nothing either to the one or to the other Bernouin!”
Bernouin entered
”See if the young man with the black doublet and the short hair, ith me just now, is still in the palace”
Bernouin went out and soon returned with Coes, ”as I was re-conducting the young lass door of the gallery, and gazed intently upon some object, doubtless the picture by Raphael, which is opposite the door He reflected for a second and then descended the stairs I believe I saw hiray horse and leave the palace court But is not your e to the queen?”
”For what purpose?”
”Monsieur de Guitant, my uncle, has just told me that her majesty had received news of the ares had seen rightly, and Mordaunt had really acted as he had related In crossing the gallery parallel to the large glass gallery, he perceived De Winter, aiting until the queen had finished her negotiation
At this sight the young man stopped short, not in adht of soh his body One would have said that he longed to break through the wall of glass which separated hies had seen hat an expression of hatred the eyes of this young man were fixed upon De Winter, he would not have doubted for an instant that the Englishman was his eternal foe
But he stopped, doubtless to reflect; for instead of allowing his first iht to Lord de Winter, to carry him away, he leisurely descended the staircase, left the palace with his head down, mounted his horse, which he reined in at the corner of the Rue Richelieu, and with his eyes fixed on the gate, waited until the queen's carriage had left the court
He had not long to wait, for the queen scarcely remained a quarter of an hour with Mazarin, but this quarter of an hour of expectation appeared a century to him At last the heavy machine, which was called a chariot in those days, caates, and De Winter, still on horseback, bent again to the door to converse with her majesty
The horses started on a trot and took the road to the Louvre, which they entered Before leaving the convent of the Carhter to attend her at the palace, which she had inhabited for a long time and which she had only left because their poverty seeilded chae, and when he had watched it drive beneath the sombre arches he went and stationed himself under a wall over which the shadoas extended, and res of Jean Goujon, like a bas-relievo, representing an equestrian statue
39 How, sometimes, the Unhappy mistake Chance for Providence
Well, madame,” said De Winter, when the queen had dismissed her attendants
”Well, my lord, what I foresaw has come to pass”
”What? does the cardinal refuse to receive the king? France refuse hospitality to an unfortunate prince? Ay, but it is for the first time, madame!”
”I did not say France, my lord; I said the cardinal, and the cardinal is not even a Frenchman”
”But did you see the queen?”
”It is useless,” replied Henrietta, ”the queen will not say yes when the cardinal says no Are you not aware that this Italian directs everything, both indoors and out? And moreover, I should not be surprised had we been forestalled by Cro to me and yet quite firm in his deteritation in the Palais Royal, the passing to and fro of busy people? Can they have received any news, land,been forestalled I set out three days ago, passing h the Puritan army, and I took post horses with my servant Tony; the horses upon which ere , I a”
”You will tell hily, ”that I can do nothing; that I have suffered as ed as I am to eat the bread of exile and to ask hospitality froards his royal person, he o and die by his side”
”Madame, madame,” exclaimed De Winter, ”your majesty abandons yourself to despair; and yet, perhaps, there still remains some hope”
”No friends left, my lord; no other friends left in the orld but yourself! Oh, God!” exclai her eyes to Heaven, ”have You indeed taken back all the generous hearts that once existed in the world?”
”I hope not, htfully; ”I once spoke to you of four men”
”What can be done with four?”
”Four devoted, resolute men can do much, assure yourself, s at one time”
”And where are these four men?”
”Ah, that is what I do not know It is twenty years since I saw theer I have thought of them”
”And these men were your friends?”
”One of theave it to me I know not whether he is still my friend, but since that time I have remained his”
”And these men are in France, my lord?”
”I believe so”
”Tell me their naht be able to aid you in finding thenan”
”Ah, nan is lieutenant of royal guards; but take care, for I fear that this man is entirely devoted to the cardinal”