Part 74 (1/2)
”Did parlialish
”Yes, my lord, the pure parliament”
”What do you mean by 'the pure parliament'? Are there, then, two parlianan interrupted, ”as I don't understand English and we all understand Spanish, have the kindness to speak to us in that language, which, since it is your own, youwhen you have the chance”
”Ah! excellent!” said Aramis
As to Porthos, all his attention was concentrated on the allure, then?” said the host in Spanish
”I asked,” said Athos, in the sae, ”if there are two parliaments, a pure and an impure?”
”Why, how extraordinary!” said Porthos, slowly raising his head and looking at his friends with an air of astonishlish, then! I understand what you say!”
”That is because we are talking Spanish, my dear friend,” said Athos
”Oh, the devil!” said Porthos, ”I ae more”
”When I speak of the pure parliae has weeded”
”Ah! really,” said D'Artagnan, ”these people are very ingenious When I go back to France I est some such convenient course to Cardinal Mazarin and the coadjutor One of them eed the parliament in the name of the court, and the other in the name of the people; and then there won't be any parliae?” asked Arao to work to weed the parliae,” replied the Spaniard, ”is a retired wagoner, a man ofhis team, namely, that where there happened to be a stone on the road, it was much easier to remove the stone than try and make the wheel pass over it Now, of two hundred and fifty-one members who composed the parliament, there were one hundred and ninety-one ere in the way and on He took them up, just as he formerly used to take up the stones from the road, and threw thenan ”Very!”
”And all these one hundred and ninety-one were Royalists?” asked Athos
”Without doubt, senor; and you understand that they would have saved the king”
”To be sure,” said Porthos, with majestic common sense; ”they were in the majority”
”And you think,” said Aramis, ”he will consent to appear before such a tribunal?”
”He will be forced to do so,” snan, ”do you begin to believe that it's a ruined cause, and that ith your Harrisons, Joyces, Bridges and Cro will be delivered at the tribunal,” said Athos; ”the very silence of his supporters indicates that they are at work”
D'Artagnan shrugged his shoulders
”But,” said Ara, it can only be to exile or inan whistled a little air of incredulity
”We shall see,” said Athos, ”for we shall go to the sittings, I presu to wait,” said the landlord; ”they begin to-morrow”
”So, then, they drew up the indict was taken?”
”Of course,” said D'Artagnan; ”they began the day he was sold”
”And you know,” said Aramis, ”that it was our friend Mordaunt who ain, at least the overtures”
”And you know,” added D'Artagnan, ”that whenever I catch him I will kill him, this Mordaunt”
”And I, too,” exclai unaniood citizens like us Let us take a turn around the town and i”
”Yes,” said Porthos, ”'twill be at least a little change fro Charles I was haled by a strong guard before the high court which was to judge hi to the doors of the house The throng was terrific, and it was not till afterthat our friends reached their destination When they did so they found the three lower rows of benches already occupied; but being anxious not to be too conspicuous, all, with the exception of Porthos, who had a fancy to display his red doublet, were quite satisfied with their places, the ht them to the centre of their row, so that they were exactly opposite the arm-chair prepared for the royal prisoner
Toward eleven o'clock the king entered the hall, surrounded by guards, but wearing his head covered, and with a calm expression turned to every side with a look of complete assurance, as if he were there to preside at an assembly of submissive subjects, rather than to es, proud of having a ht they had arrogated to the that it was customary for the accused to uncover his head
Charles, without replying a single word, turned his head in another direction and pulled his felt hat over it Then when the officer was gone he sat down in the arm-chair opposite the president and struck his boots with a little cane which he carried in his hand Parry, who acco at Athos, whose face betrayed all those e itation in one so cold and calhtened him
”I hope,” he whispered to hiet killed for your folly in this den”
”Set your nan, ”it is clear that they are afraid of so reinforced They had only halberds before, now they have muskets The halberds were for the audience in the rear; the muskets are for us”
”Thirty, forty, fifty, sixty-fivethe reinforceet the officer”
D'Artagnan grew pale with rage He recognized Mordaunt, ith bare sasand opposite the benches
”Do you think they have recognized us?” said D'Artagnan ”In that case I should beat a retreat I don't care to be shot in a box”
”No,” said Ara Mon Dieu! how he stares at hi! Does he hate his majesty as much as he does us?”
”Pardi,” answered Athos ”we only carried off hishas spoiled him of his name and property”
”True,” said Ara”
”Stuart,” Bradshaas saying, ”listen to the roll call of your judges and address to the court any observations youturned his head away, as if these words had not been intended for him Bradshaaited, and as there was no reply there was a moment of silence