Part 89 (2/2)
”Sir,” said Aramis, ”you speak to the point Allow me to ask you a question: Where are the plenipotentiaries?”
”At Charenton, in the second house on the right on entering from the direction of Paris”
”And was this conference arranged beforehand?”
”No, gentlemen, it seems to be the result of certain propositions which Mazarin ht to the Parisians”
Athos and Araed smiles; for they well knehat those propositions were, to whom they had been made and who had made them
”And that house in which the plenipotentiaries are,” asked Athos, ”belongs to----”
”To Monsieur de Chanleu, who commands your troops at Charenton I say your troops, for I presuentlemen are Frondeurs?”
”Yes, al and the princes,” added Athos
”Weis with us and his generals are the Duke of Orleans and the Prince de Conde, although I must add 'tis als”
”Yes,” answered Athos, ”but his right place is in our ranks, with the Prince de Conti, De Beaufort, D'Elbeuf, and De Bouillon; but, sir, supposing that the conference is broken off--are you going to try to take Charenton?”
”Such are my orders”
”Sir, since you command the cavalry----”
”Pardon me, I am commander-in-chief”
”So much the better You uished”
”Why, yes, very nearly”
”Will you then kindly tell nan, lieutenant in the musketeers?”
”No, sir, he is not with us; he left Paris one on a land”
”I knew that, but I supposed he had returned”
”No, sir; no one has seen him I can answer positively on that point, for theto our forces and Monsieur de Canan, still holds his place”
The two friends looked at each other
”You see,” said Athos
”It is strange,” said Aramis
”It is absolutely certain that some misfortune has happened to the, to-morroe : ”And Monsieur de Bragelonne, a young e, attached to the Prince de Conde--has he the honor of being known to you?” diffident in allowing the sarcastic Aras
”Yes, surely, he ca man; he is one of your friends then, itated; ”so much so that I wish to see him if possible”
”Quite possible, sir; do me the favor to accompany me and I will conduct you to headquarters”
”Halloo, there!” cried Ara around; ”what a noise behind us!”
”A body of cavaliers is conize the coadjutor by his Frondist hat”
”And I the Duc de Beaufort by his white pluallop; the prince is with the the rappel!” cried Chatillon; ”weon”
In fact, they saw the soldiers running to their arms; the trumpets sounded; the drums beat; the Duc de Beaufort drew his sword On his side the prince sounded a rappel and all the officers of the royalist ar momentarily with the Parisian troops, ran to him
”Gentlemen,” cried Chatillon, ”the truce is broken, that is evident; they are going to fight; go, then, into Charenton, for I shall begin in a short tinal from the prince!”
The cornet of a troop had in fact just raised the standard of the prince
”Farewell, till the next tiallop
Athos and Aramis turned also and went to salute the coadjutor and the Duc de Beaufort As to the Duc de Bouillon, he had such a fit of gout as obliged him to return to Paris in a litter; but his place ell filled by the Duc d'Elbeuf and his four sons, ranged around him like a staff Meantime, between Charenton and the royal army was left a space which looked ready to serve as a last resting place for the dead
”Gentle his sash, which he wore, after the fashi+on of the ancient military prelates, over his archiepiscopal si Let us save the whether he were followed or not he set off; his regiiment of Corinth, froan the fight Monsieur de Beaufort sent his cavalry, toward Etampes and Monsieur de Chanleu, who defended the place, was ready to resist an assault, or if the enemy were repulsed, to atteeneral and the coadjutor performed miracles of valor His proper vocation had always been the sword and he was delighted whenever he could draw it froainst whom
Chanleu, whose fire at one tiht that the ain to the charge by the Duc de Chatillon in person This charge was so fierce, so skillfully conducted, that Chanleu was alan, step by step, foot by foot; unhappily, in an instant he fell, mortally wounded De Chatillon saw him fall and announced it in a loud voice to his men, which raised their spirits and coht only of his own safety and tried to gain the trenches, where the coadjutor was trying to reforialloped up to encounter the royal troops, ere entering, pele-itives Athos and Araed at the head of their squadrons; Aramis with sword and pistol in his hands, Athos with his sword in his scabbard, his pistol in his saddle-bags; calm and cool as if on the parade, except that his noble and beautiful countenance becahtered so many men ere sacrificed on the one side to the obstinacy of royalty and on the other to the personal rancor of the princes Araht and left and was alht eyes kindled, and his mouth, so finely formed, assumed a wicked smile; every blow he aimed was sure, and his pistol finished the deed--annihilated the wounded wretch who tried to rise again
On the opposite side two cavaliers, one covered with a gilt cuirass, the other wearing simply a buff doublet, froed in front The cavalier in the gilt cuirass fell upon Aramis and struck a blow that Aramis parried with his wonted skill
”Ah! 'tis you, Monsieur de Chatillon,” cried the chevalier; ”welcome to you--I expected you”
”I hope I have not , sir,” said the duke; ”at all events, here I a fros a second pistol, ”I think if your pistols have been discharged you are a dead man”
”Thank God, sir, they are not!”