Part 51 (1/2)
”That positively cries aloud for vengeance Why, women are the veriest serpents,” said Malicorne
”Compose yourself, my dear Malicorne, compose yourself”
”No, no; let us take the evil in tih yet to tell Raoul of it”
”Blunderer, on the contrary, it is too late,” replied Montalais
”How so?”
”La Valliere's re, reached its destination”
”The king knows it, then? The king was told of it, I suppose?”
”The king heard it”
”Ahi was hidden in the thicket close to the royal oak”
”It follows, then,” said Malicorne, ”that for the future, the plan which the king and Madao as easily as if it were on wheels, and will pass over poor Bragelonne's body”
”Precisely so”
”Well,” said Malicorne, after a moment's reflection, ”do not let us interpose our poor selves between a large oak-tree and a great king, for we should certainly be ground to pieces”
”The very thing I was going to say to you”
”Let us think of ourselves, then”
”My own idea”
”Open your beautiful eyes, then”
”And you your large ears”
”Approach your little mouth for a kiss”
”Here,” said Montalais, who paid the debt i coin
”Now let us consider First, we have M de Guiche, who is in love with Mada; next, the king, who is in love both with Madame and La Valliere; lastly Monsieur, who loves no one but hi all these loves, a noodle would reater reason, therefore, for sensible people like ourselves to do so”
”There you are with your dreaain”
”Nay, rather with realities LetI do not think you have been very badly off hitherto?”
”No”
”Well, the future is guaranteed by the past Only, since all here think of the else, let us do so too”
”Perfectly right”
”But of ourselves only”
”Be it so”
”An offensive and defensive alliance”
”I am ready to swear it”
”Put out your hand, then, and say, 'All for Malicorne'”
”All for Malicorne”
”And I, 'All for Montalais,'” replied Malicorne, stretching out his hand in his turn
”And nohat is to be done?”
”Keep your eyes and ears constantly open; collect every ainst others; never let anything lie about which can be used against ourselves”
”Agreed”
”Decided”
”Sworn to And now the agreeood-bye?'”
”Of course you can now return to your inn”
”To n of the Beau Paon?”
”Montalais, Montalais, you now betray that you were aware ofat Fontainebleau”
”Well; and what does that prove, except that I occupy myself about you more than you deserve?”
”Hum!”