Part 52 (2/2)
”Retained-and by whom?”
”By yourself, I presume”
”By s here?”
”By no means,” said Manicamp
At this moment the landlord appeared on the threshold of the door
”I want a rooe one, monsieur?”
”No”
”Then I have no rooed a roos?”
”Anything you please”
”By letter?” inquired the landlord
Malicorne nodded affirmatively to Manicamp
”Of course by letter,” said Manicamp ”Did you not receive a letter from me?”
”What was the date of the letter?” inquired the host, in whom Manicamp's hesitation had aroused some suspicion
Manicamp rubbed his ear, and looked up at Malicorne's ; but Malicorne had left hisand was co down the stairs to his friend's assistance At the very sae Spanish cloak, appeared at the porch, near enough to hear the conversation
”I ask you as the date of the letter you wrote tothe question
”Last Wednesday was the date,” said the er, in a soft and polished tone of voice, touching the landlord on the shoulder
Manicamp drew back, and it was now Malicorne's turn, who appeared on the threshold, to scratch his ear The landlord saluted the new arrival as a uest
”Monsieur,” he said to him, with civility, ”your apartment is ready for you, and the stables too, only-” He looked round him and inquired, ”Your horses?”
”My horses may or may not arrive That, however, matters but little to you, provided you are paid for what has been engaged” The landlord bowed lower still
”You have,” continued the unknown traveler, ”kept for me in addition, the small roo to hide hi the last week,” said the landlord, pointing to Malicorne, as trying tohis cloak round hilance at Malicorne, and said, ”This gentleman is no friend of mine”
The landlord started violently
”I aentleman,” continued the traveler
”What!” exclaientleman's friend, then?”
”What does it matter whether I a the stranger's remark in a very majestic manner
”It an to perceive that one person had been taken for another, ”that I beg you, ed beforehand, and by some one else instead of you”
”Still,” said Malicorne, ”this gentleman cannot require at the same time a rooentleman will take the room, I will take the apartment: if he prefers the apartment, I will be satisfied with the rooly distressed, monsieur,” said the traveler in his soft voice, ”but I need both the room and the apartment”
”At least, tell me for whom?” inquired Malicorne
”The apartment I require for myself”
”Very well; but the roo towards a sort of procession which was approaching
Malicorne looked in the direction indicated, and observed borne upon a litter, the arrival of the Franciscan, whose installation in his apartment he had, with a few details of his own, related to Montalais, and whom he had so uselessly endeavored to convert to huer, and of the sick Franciscan, was Malicorne's expulsion, without any consideration for his feelings, from the inn, by the landlord and the peasants who had carried the Franciscan The details have already been given of what followed this expulsion; of Manicareater cleverness than Malicorne had shown, had succeeded in obtaining news of De Guiche, of the subsequent conversation of Montalais with Malicorne, and, finally, of the billets hich the Conan had furnished Manicamp and Malicorne It remains for us to inform our readers as the traveler in the cloak-the principal tenant of the double apartment, of which Malicorne had only occupied a portion-and the Franciscan, quite as ether with that of the stranger, unfortunately upset the two friends' plans
Chapter LII A Jesuit of the Eleventh Year
In the first place, in order not to weary the reader's patience, ill hasten to answer the first question The traveler with the cloak held over his face was Aramis, who, after he had left Fouquet, and taken from a portmanteau, which his servant had opened, a cavalier's complete costume, quitted the chateau, and went to the hotel of the Beau Paon, where, by letters, seven or eight days previously, he had, as the landlord had stated, directed a room and an apartment to be retained for him Immediately after Malicorne and Manicamp had been turned out, Aramis approached the Franciscan, and asked him whether he would prefer the apartment or the room The Franciscan inquired where they were both situated He was told that the room was on the first, and the apartment on the second floor
”The room, then,” he said
Arareat sub with respect he withdrew into the apartly carried at once into the room Now, is it not extraordinary that this respect should be shown by a prelate of the Church for a si to a iven up, without a request for it even, a roo? How, too, can one explain the unexpected arrival of Aramis at the hotel-he who had entered the chateau with M Fouquet, and could have remained at the chateau with M Fouquet if he had liked? The Franciscan supported his reh it was evident he suffered very ainst the wall or the railing of the staircase, he experienced a terrible shock throughout his frame And finally, when he had arrived in the room, he said to those who carried him: ”Help me to place myself in that arround, and lifting the sick ently as possible, carried him to the chair he had indicated, which was situated at the head of the bed ”Now,” he added, with a esture and tone, ”desire the landlord to come”
They obeyed, and five minutes afterwards the landlord appeared at the door
”Be kind enough,” said the Franciscan to him, ”to send these excellent felloay; they are vassals of the Vicomte de Melun They found me when I had fainted on the road overco of whether they would be paid for their trouble, they wished to carry me to their own home But I knohat cost to themselves is the hospitality which the poor extend to a sick monk, and I preferred this hotel, where, moreover, I was expected”
The landlord looked at the Franciscan in an of the cross in a peculiara sin on his left shoulder ”Yes, indeed,” he said, ”we did expect you, but we hoped that you would arrive in a better state of health” And as the peasants were looking at the innkeeper, usually so supercilious, and sa respectful he had become in the presence of a poor monk, the Franciscan drew froold which he held out
”My friends,” said he, ”here is so to repay you for the care you have taken of me So make yourselves perfectly easy, and do not be afraid of leaving , and for which I a; only, as the attention you have shown me deserves to be rewarded, take these two louis and depart in peace”
The peasants did not dare to take them; the landlord took the two louis out of the monk's hand and placed them in that of one of the peasants, all four of ithdrew, opening their eyes wider than ever The door was then closed; and, while the innkeeper stood respectfully near it, the Franciscan collected himself for a moment He then passed across his sallow face a hand which seeitated fingers across his beard His large eyes, hollowed by sickness and inquietude, seeue distance a mournful and fixed idea