53
How D'Artagnan and Porthos earned by selling Straw, the one
Two Hundred and Nineteen, and the other Two Hundred and
Fifteen Louis d'or.
Mazarin was desirous of setting out instantly for Saint
Germain, but the queen declared that she should wait for the
people whom she had appointed to meet her. However, she
offered the cardinal Laporte's place, which he accepted and
went from one carriage to the other.
It was not without foundation that a report of the king's
intention to leave Paris by night had been circulated. Ten
or twelve persons had been in the secret since six o'clock,
and howsoever great their prudence might be, they could not
issue the necessary orders for the departure without
suspicion being generated. Besides, each individual had one
or two others for whom he was interested; and as there could
be no doubt but that the queen was leaving Paris full of
terrible projects of vengeance, every one had warned parents
and friends of what was about to transpire; so that the news
of the approaching exit ran like a train of lighted
gunpowder along the streets.
The first carriage which arrived after that of the queen was
that of the Prince de Conde, with the princess and dowager
princess. Both these ladies had been awakened in the middle
of the night and did not know what it all was about. The
second contained the Duke and Duchess of Orleans, the tall
young Mademoiselle and the Abbe de la Riviere; and the
third, the Duke de Longueville and the Prince de Conti,
brother and brother-in-law of Conde. They all alighted and
hastened to pay their respects to the king and queen in
their coach. The queen fixed her eyes upon the carriage they
had left, and seeing that it was empty, she said:
"But where is Madame de Longueville?"
"Ah, yes, where is my sister?" asked the prince.
"Madame de Longueville is ill," said the duke, "and she
desired me to excuse her to your majesty."
Anne gave a quick glance to Mazarin, who answered by an
almost imperceptible shake of his head.
"What do you say of this?" asked the queen.
"I say that she is a hostage for the Parisians," answered
the cardinal.
"Why is she not come?" asked the prince in a low voice,
addressing his brother.
"Silence," whispered the duke, "she has her reasons."
"She will ruin us!" returned the prince.
"She will save us," said Conti.
Carriages now arrived in crowds; those of the Marechal de
Villeroy, Guitant, Villequier and Comminges came into the
line. The two musketeers arrived in their turn, holding the
horses of D'Artagnan and Porthos in their hands. These two
instantly mounted, the coachman of the latter replacing
D'Artagnan on the coach-box of the royal coach. Mousqueton
took the place of the coachman, and drove standing, for
reasons known to himself, like Automedon of antiquity.
The queen, though occupied by a thousand details, tried to
catch the Gascon's eye; but he, with his wonted prudence,
had mingled with the crowd.
"Let us be the avant guard," said he to Porthos, "and find
good quarters at Saint Germain; nobody will think of us, and
for my part I am greatly fatigued."
"As for me," replied Porthos, "I am falling asleep, which is
strange, considering we have not had any fighting; truly the
Parisians are idiots."
"Or rather, we are very clever," said D'Artagnan.
"Perhaps."
"And how is your wrist?"
"Better; but do you think that we've got them this time?"
"Got what?"
"You your command, and I my title?"
"I'faith! yes -- I should expect so; besides, if they
forget, I shall take the liberty of reminding them."
"The queen's voice! she is speaking," said Porthos; "I think
she wants to ride on horseback."
"Oh, she would like it, but ---- "
"But what?"
"The cardinal won't allow it. Gentlemen," he said,
addressing the two musketeers, "accompany the royal
carriage, we are going forward to look for lodgings."
D'Artagnan started off for Saint Germain, followed by
Porthos.
"We will go on, gentlemen," said the queen.
And the royal carriage drove on, followed by the other
coaches and about fifty horsemen.
They reached Saint German without any accident; on
descending, the queen found the prince awaiting her,
bare-headed, to offer her his hand.
"What an awakening for the Parisians!" said the queen,
radiant.
"It is war," said the prince.
"Well, then, let it be war! Have we not on our side the
conqueror of Rocroy, of Nordlingen, of Lens?"
The prince bowed low.
It was then three o'clock in the morning. The queen walked
first, every one followed her. About two hundred persons had
accompanied her in her flight.
"Gentlemen," said the queen, laughing, "pray take up your
abode in the chateau; it is large, and there will be no want
of room for you all; but, as we never thought of coming
here, I am informed that there are, in all, only three beds
in the whole establishment, one for the king, one for me
---- "
"And one for the cardinal," muttered the prince.
"Am I -- am I, then, to sleep on the floor?" asked Gaston
d'Orleans, with a forced smile.
"No, my prince," replied Mazarin, "the third bed is intended
for your highness."
"But your eminence?" replied the prince.
"I," answered Mazarin, "I shall not sleep at all; I have
work to do."
Gaston desired that he should be shown into the room wherein
he was to sleep, without in the least concerning himself as
to where his wife and daughter were to repose.
"Well, for my part, I shall go to bed," said D'Artagnan;
"come, Porthos."
Porthos followed the lieutenant with that profound
confidence he ever had in the wisdom of his friend. They
walked from one end of the chateau to the other, Porthos
looking with wondering eyes at D'Artagnan, who was counting
on his fingers.
"Four hundred, at a pistole each, four hundred pistoles."
"Yes," interposed Porthos, "four hundred pistoles; but who
is to make four hundred pistoles?"
"A pistole is not enough," said D'Artagnan, "'tis worth a
louis."
"What is worth a louis?"
"Four hundred, at a louis each, make four hundred louis."
"Four hundred?" said Porthos.
"Yes, there are two hundred of them, and each of them will
need two, which will make four hundred."
"But four hundred what?"
"Listen!" cried D'Artagnan.
But as there were all kinds of people about, who were in a
state of stupefaction at the unexpected arrival of the
court, he whispered in his friend's ear.
"I understand," answered Porthos, "I understand you
perfectly, on my honor; two hundred louis, each of us, would
be making a pretty thing of it; but what will people say?"
"Let them say what they will; besides, how will they know
that we are doing it?"
"But who will distribute these things?" asked Porthos.
"Isn't Mousqueton there?"
"But he wears my livery; my livery will be known," replied
Porthos.
"He can turn his coat inside out."
"You are always in the right, my dear friend," cried
Porthos; "but where the devil do you discover all the
notions you put into practice?"
D'Artagnan smiled. The two friends turned down the first
street they came to. Porthos knocked at the door of a house
to the right, whilst D'Artagnan knocked at the door of a
house to the left.
"Some straw," they said.
"Sir, we don't keep any," was the reply of the people who
opened the doors; "but please ask at the hay dealer's."
"Where is the hay dealer's?"
"At the last large door in the street."
"Are there any other people in Saint Germain who sell
straw?"
"Yes; there's the landlord of the Lamb, and Gros-Louis the
farmer; they both live in the Rue des Ursulines."
"Very well."
D'Artagnan went instantly to the hay dealer and bargained
with him for a hundred and fifty trusses of straw, which he
obtained, at the rate of three pistoles each. He went
afterward to the innkeeper and bought from him two hundred
trusses at the same price. Finally, Farmer Louis sold them
eighty trusses, making in all four hundred and thirty.
There was no more to be had in Saint Germain. This foraging
did not occupy more than half an hour. Mousqueton, duly
instructed, was put at the head of this sudden and new
business. He was cautioned not to let a bit of straw out of
his hands under a louis the truss, and they intrusted to him
straw to the amount of four hundred and thirty louis.
D'Artagnan, taking with him three trusses of straw, returned
to the chateau, where everybody, freezing with cold and more
than half asleep, envied the king, the queen, and the Duke
of Orleans, on their camp beds. The lieutenant's entrance
produced a burst of laughter in the great drawing-room; but
he did not appear to notice that he was the object of
general attention, but began to arrange, with so much
cleverness, nicety and gayety, his straw bed, that the
mouths of all these poor creatures, who could not go to
sleep, began to water.
"Straw!" they all cried out, "straw! where is there any to
be found?"
"I can show you," answered the Gascon.
And he conducted them to Mousqueton, who freely distributed
the trusses at the rate of a louis apiece. It was thought
rather dear, but people wanted to sleep, and who would not
give even two or three louis for a few hours of sound sleep?
D'Artagnan gave up his bed to any one who wanted it, making
it over about a dozen times; and since he was supposed to
have paid, like the others, a louis for his truss of straw,
he pocketed in that way thirty louis in less than half an
hour. At five o'clock in the morning the straw was worth
eighty francs a truss and there was no more to be had.
D'Artagnan had taken the precaution to set apart four
trusses for his own use. He put in his pocket the key of the
room where he had hidden them, and accompanied by Porthos
returned to settle with Mousqueton, who, naively, and like
the worthy steward that he was, handed them four hundred and
thirty louis and kept one hundred for himself.
Mousqueton, who knew nothing of what was going on in the
chateau, wondered that the idea had not occurred to him
sooner. D'Artagnan put the gold in his hat, and in going
back to the chateau settled the reckoning with Porthos, each
of them had cleared two hundred and fifteen louis.
Porthos, however, found that he had no straw left for
himself. He returned to Mousqueton, but the steward had sold
the last wisp. He then repaired to D'Artagnan, who, thanks
to his four trusses of straw, was in the act of making up
and tasting, by anticipation, the luxury of a bed so soft,
so well stuffed at the head, so well covered at the foot,
that it would have excited the envy of the king himself, if
his majesty had not been fast asleep in his own. D'Artagnan
could on no account consent to pull his bed to pieces again
for Porthos, but for a consideration of four louis that the
latter paid him for it, he consented that Porthos should
share his couch with him. He laid his sword at the head, his
pistols by his side, stretched his cloak over his feet,
placed his felt hat on the top of his cloak and extended
himself luxuriously on the straw, which rustled under him.
He was already enjoying the sweet dream engendered by the
possession of two hundred and nineteen louis, made in a
quarter of an hour, when a voice was heard at the door of
the hall, which made him stir.
"Monsieur d'Artagnan!" it cried.
"Here!" cried Porthos, "here!"
Porthos foresaw that if D'Artagnan was called away he should
remain the sole possessor of the bed. An officer approached.
"I am come to fetch you, Monsieur d'Artagnan."
"From whom?"
"His eminence sent me."
"Tell my lord that I'm going to sleep, and I advise him, as
a friend, to do the same."
"His eminence is not gone to bed and will not go to bed, and
wants you instantly."
"The devil take Mazarin, who does not know when to sleep at
the proper time. What does he want with me? Is it to make me
a captain? In that case I will forgive him."
And the musketeer rose, grumbling, took his sword, hat,
pistols, and cloak, and followed the officer, whilst
Porthos, alone and sole possessor of the bed, endeavored to
follow the good example of falling asleep, which his
predecessor had set him.
"Monsieur d'Artagnan," said the cardinal, on perceiving him,
"I have not forgotten with what zeal you have served me. I
am going to prove to you that I have not."
"Good," thought the Gascon, "this is a promising beginning."
"Monsieur d'Artagnan," he resumed, "do you wish to become a
captain?"
"Yes, my lord."
"And your friend still longs to be made a baron?"
"At this very moment, my lord, he no doubt dreams that he is
one already."
"Then," said Mazarin, taking from his portfolio the letter
which he had already shown D'Artagnan, "take this dispatch
and carry it to England."
D'Artagnan looked at the envelope; there was no address on
it.
"Am I not to know to whom to present it?"
"You will know when you reach London; at London you may tear
off the outer envelope."
"And what are my instructions?"
"To obey in every particular the man to whom this letter is
addressed. You must set out for Boulogne. At the Royal Arms
of England you will find a young gentleman named Mordaunt."
"Yes, my lord; and what am I to do with this young
gentleman?"
"Follow wherever he leads you."
D'Artagnan looked at the cardinal with a stupefied air.
"There are your instructions," said Mazarin; "go!"
"Go! 'tis easy to say so, but that requires money, and I
haven't any."
"Ah!" replied Mazarin, "so you have no money?"
"None, my lord."
"But the diamond I gave you yesterday?"
"I wish to keep it in remembrance of your eminence."
Mazarin sighed.
"'Tis very dear living in England, my lord, especially as
envoy extraordinary."
"Zounds!" replied Mazarin, "the people there are very
sedate, and their habits, since the revolution, simple; but
no matter."
He opened a drawer and took out a purse.
"What do you say to a thousand crowns?"
D'Artagnan pouted out his lower lip in a most extraordinary
manner.
"I reply, my lord, 'tis but little, as certainly I shall not
go alone."
"I suppose not. Monsieur du Vallon, that worthy gentleman,
for, with the exception of yourself, Monsieur d'Artagnan,
there's not a man in France that I esteem and love so much
as him ---- "
"Then, my lord," replied D'Artagnan, pointing to the purse
which Mazarin still held, "if you love and esteem him so
much, you -- understand me?"
"Be it so! on his account I add two hundred crowns."
"Scoundrel!" muttered D'Artagnan. "But on our return," he
said aloud, "may we, that is, my friend and I, depend on
having, he his barony, and I my promotion?"
"On the honor of Mazarin."
"I should like another sort of oath better," said D'Artagnan
to himself; then aloud, "May I not offer my duty to her
majesty the queen?"
"Her majesty is asleep and you must set off directly,"
replied Mazarin; "go, pray, sir ---- "
"One word more, my lord; if there's any fighting where I'm
going, must I fight?"
"You are to obey the commands of the personage to whom I
have addressed the inclosed letter."
"'Tis well," said D'Artagnan, holding out his hand to
receive the money. "I offer my best respects and services to
you, my lord."
D'Artagnan then, returning to the officer, said:
"Sir, have the kindness also to awaken Monsieur du Vallon
and to say 'tis by his eminence's order, and that I shall
await him at the stables."
The officer went off with an eagerness that showed the
Gascon that he had some personal interest in the matter.
Porthos was snoring most musically when some one touched him
on the shoulder.
"I come from the cardinal," said the officer.
"Heigho!" said Porthos, opening his large eyes; "what have
you got to say?"
"That his eminence has ordered you to England and that
Monsieur d'Artagnan is waiting for you in the stables."
Porthos sighed heavily, arose, took his hat, his pistols,
and his cloak, and departed, casting a look of regret upon
the couch where he had hoped to sleep so well.
No sooner had he turned his back than the officer laid
himself down in it, and he had scarcely crossed the
threshold before his successor, in his turn, was snoring
immoderately. It was very natural, he being the only person
in the whole assemblage, except the king, the queen, and the
Duke of Orleans, who slept gratuitously.
