Part 55 (2/2)
”The king has sent ether, involuntarily exchanging glances, the conversation which had just been interrupted recurring to thelance, but could not understand its h, attributed it to the interest both the young girls took in hih to re Charles II This , seeing ly did 'Monsieur de Bragelonne,' he said to me, 'you will call upon M Fouquet, who has received fro of Great Britain; you will be the bearer of them' I bowed 'Ah!' his h to take any co her brother'”
”Gracious heaven!” ht at the same time
”So quickly! You are desired to set off in such haste!” said Montalais, almost paralyzed by this unforeseen event
”Properly to obey those e respect,” said Raoul, ”it is necessary to obey quickly Within ten minutes after I had received the order, I was ready Madaood enough to dofrom Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente that it was likely you would be in this direction, I came here, and am happy to find you both”
”And both of us very sad, as you see,” said Montalais, going to Louise's assistance, whose countenance was visibly altered
”Suffering?” responded Raoul, pressing Louise's hand with a tender curiosity ”Your hand is like ice”
”It is nothing”
”This coldness does not reach your heart, Louise, does it?” inquired the young man, with a tender smile Louise raised her head hastily, as if the question had been inspired by so of remorse
”Oh! you know,” she said, with an effort, ”that my heart will never be cold towards a friend like yourself, Monsieur de Bragelonne”
”Thank you, Louise I know both your heart and your e of an affection like yours You know, Louise, how devotedly I love you, hat perfect and unreserved confidence I reserveto you with so like the frankness of a child?”
”Speak, Monsieur Raoul,” said Louise, tre”
”I cannot part froht that tortures me; absurd I know it to be, and yet one which rends th of ti utterance, while Montalais turned her head aside
”No; probably I shall not be absent ht” La Valliere pressed her hand upon her heart, which felt as though it were breaking
”It is strange,” pursued Raoul, looking at the young girl with aoff on adventures fraught with danger Then I started joyously enough-hts of happiness in store for me, hopes of which the future was full; and yet I was about to face the Spanish cannon, or the halberds of the Walloons To-day, without the existence of any danger or uneasiness, and by the sunniest path in the world, I alorious reco's favor see to win you, Louise What other favor,confer upon me? Yet, Louise, in very truth I know not hohy, but this happiness and this future seem to vanish before my very eyes like mist-like an idle dream; and I feel here, here at the very bottorief, a dejection I cannot overco a corpse Oh! Louise, too well do I knohy; it is because I have never loved you so truly as now God help me!”
At this last exclamation, which issued as it were from a broken heart, Louise burst into tears, and threw herself into Montalais's arh she was not easily moved, felt the tears rush to her eyes Raoul noted only the tears Louise shed; his look, however, did not penetrate-nay, sought not to penetrate-beyond those tears He bent his knee before her, and tenderly kissed her hand; and it was evident that in that kiss he poured out his whole heart
”Rise, rise,” said Montalais to hi”
Raoul rose, brushed his knee with the back of his hand, sround, and, having pressed Montalais's hand gratefully, he turned round to salute Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente, the sound of whose silken robe was already heard upon the gravel walk ”Has Madairl came within reach of his voice
”Yes, the letter is finished, sealed, and her royal highness is ready to receive you”
Raoul, at this reave himself time to salute Athenais, cast one look at Louise, bowed to Montalais, and withdrew in the direction of the chateau As he withdrew he again turned round, but at last, at the end of the grand walk, it was useless to do so again, as he could no longer see theirls, on their side, had, idely different feelings, watched him disappear
”At last,” said Athenais, the first to interrupt the silence, ”at last we are alone, free to talk of yesterday's great affair, and to co upon the conduct it is advisable for us to pursue Besides, if you will listen toround on all sides, ”I will explain to you, as briefly as possible, in the first place, our own duty, such as I iine it to be, and, if you do not understand a hint, what is Madame's desire on the subject” And Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente pronounced these words in such a tone as to leave no doubt, in her companion's minds, upon the official character hich she was invested
”Madaether
”Her ultimatum,” replied Mademoiselle de Tonnay-Charente, diplomatically
”But,” murmured La Valliere, ”does Madame know, then-”
”Madame knows more about the matter than we said, even,” said Athenais, in a formal, precise ”
”Yes, indeed,” said Montalais, ”and I a in breathless attention”
”Gracious heavens!” , ”shall I ever survive this cruel evening?”
”Oh! do not frighten yourself in thatherself between her two co each of thean The first words were hardly spoke, when they heard a horse galloping away over the stones of the public high-road, outside the gates of the chateau
Chapter LV Happy as a Prince
At the very elonnebeen met by Raoul, De Guiche had met Manicamp, who had met Malicorne Hoas it that Malicorne hadmore simple, for he had awaited his return fronan When they ood fortune, and Manicamp availed himself of the circumstance to ask his friend if he had not a fens still re at the botto any surprise at the question, which he perhaps expected, answered that every pocket which is always being drawn upon without anything ever being put in it, rese the winter, but which gardeners render useless by exhausting during the summer; that his, Malicorne's, pocket certainly was deep, and that there would be a pleasure in drawing on it in times of plenty, but that, unhappily, abuse had produced barrenness To this reht, had replied, ”Quite true!”
”The question, then, is how to fill it?” Malicorne added
”Of course; but in ay?”
”Nothing easier, my dear Monsieur Manicamp”
”So much the better How?”
”A post in Monsieur's household, and the pocket is full again”
”You have the post?”
”That is, I have the pro nominated”
”Well!”
”Yes; but the promise of nomination, without the post itself, is like a purse with no money in it”
”Quite true,” Manicamp replied a second time
”Let us try for the post, then,” the candidate had persisted
”My dear fellow,” sighed Manicahness's household is one of the gravest difficulties of our position”