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The Vicomte De Bragelonne
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The Vicomte De Bragelonne 269 at Prostate Health
The bargebearing the princesses quitted the admirals vessel at thevery moment Buckingham landed. It was followed by anotherboat filled with officers, courtiers, and zealous friends.Great numbers of the inhabitants of Havre, having embarkedin fishing-cobles and boats of every description, set off tomeet the royal barge. The cannon from the forts firedsalutes, which were returned by the flagship and the twoother vessels, and the flashes from the open mouths of thecannon floated in white fumes over the waves, anddisappeared in the clear blue sky.The princess landed at the decorated quay. Bands of gaymusic greeted her arrival, and accompanied her every stepshe took. During the time she was passing through the centerof the town, and treading beneath her delicate feet therichest carpets and the gayest flowers, which had beenstrewn upon the ground, De Guiche and Raoul, escaping fromtheir English friends, hurried through the town and hastenedrapidly towards the place intended for the residence ofMadame."Let us hurry forward," said Raoul to De Guiche, "for if Iread Buckinghams character aright, he will create somedisturbance, when he learns the result of our deliberationsof yesterday.""Never fear," said De Guiche, "De Wardes is there, who isdetermination itself, while Manicamp is the verypersonification of artless gentleness."De Guiche was not, however, the less diligent on thataccount, and five minutes afterwards they were within sightof the Hotel de Ville. The first thing which struck them wasthe number of people assembled in the square. "Excellent,"said De Guiche; "our apartments, I see, are prepared."In fact, in front of the Hotel de Ville, upon the wide openspace before it, eight tents had been raised, surmounted bythe flags of France and England united. The hotel wassurrounded by tents, as by a girdle of variegated colors;ten pages and a dozen mounted troopers, who had been givento the ambassadors, for an escort, mounted guard before thetents. It had a singularly curious effect, almost fairy-likein its appearance. These tents had been constructed duringthe night-time. Fitted up, within and without, with therichest materials that De Guiche had been able to procure inHavre, they completely encircled the Hotel de Ville. Theonly passage which led to the steps of the hotel, and whichwas not inclosed by the silken barricade, was guarded by twotents, resembling two pavilions, the doorways of both ofwhich opened towards the entrance. These two tents weredestined for De Guiche and Raoul; in whose absence they wereintended to be occupied, that of De Guiche by De Wardes, andthat of Raoul by Manicamp. Surrounding these two tents, andthe six others, a hundred officers, gentlemen, and pages,dazzling in their display of silk and gold, thronged likebees buzzing about a hive. Every one of them, their swordsby their sides, was ready to obey the slightest sign eitherof De Guiche or Bragelonne, the leaders of the embassy.At the very moment the two young men appeared at the end ofone of the streets leading to the square, they perceived,crossing the square at full gallop, a young man onhorseback, whose costume was of surprising richness. Hepushed hastily through the crowd of curious lookers-on, and,at the sight of these unexpected erections, uttered a cry ofanger and dismay. It was Buckingham, who had awakened fromhis stupor, in order to adorn himself with a costumeperfectly dazzling from its beauty, and to await the arrivalof the princess and the queen-mother at the Hotel de Ville.At the entrance to the tents, the soldiers barred hispassage, and his further progress was arrested. Buckingham,hopelessly infuriated, raised his whip; but his arm wasseized by a couple of officers. Of the two guardians of thetent, only one was there. De Wardes was in the interior ofthe Hotel de Ville, engaged in attending to the execution ofsome orders given by De Guiche. At the noise made byBuckingham Manicamp, who was indolently reclining upon thecushions at the doorway of one of the tents, rose with hisusual indifference, and, perceiving that the disturbancecontinued, made his appearance from underneath the curtains."What is the matter?" he said, in a gentle tone of voice,"and who is it making this disturbance?"It so happened, that, at the moment he began to speak,silence had just been restored, and, although his voice wasvery soft and gentle in its tone, every one heard hisquestion. Buckingham turned round; and looked at the tall,thin figure, and
The Vicomte De Bragelonne page 268 The Vicomte De Bragelonne page 270 |
