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The Vicomte De Bragelonne 53 at Prostate Health
servant had not recognized mine,I should have passed by your door as by that of a stranger.""It is but too true," said Athos, replying with his voice tothe first part of the kings speech, and with a bow to thesecond; "it is but too true, indeed, that your majesty hasseen many evil days.""And the worst, alas!" replied Charles, "are perhaps stillto come.""Sire, let us hope.""Count, count," continued Charles, shaking his head, "Ientertained hope till last night, and that of a goodChristian, I swear."Athos looked at the king as if to interrogate him."Oh, the history is soon related," said Charles."Proscribed, despoiled, disdained, I resolved, in spite ofall my repugnance, to tempt fortune one last time. Is it notwritten above, that, for our family, all good fortune andall bad fortune shall eternally come from France? You knowsomething of that, monsieur, -- you, who are one of theFrenchmen whom my unfortunate father found at the foot ofhis scaffold, on the day of his death, after having foundthem at his right hand on the day of battle.""Sire," said Athos modestly, "I was not alone. My companionsand I did, under the circumstances, our duty as gentlemen,and that was all. Your majesty was about to do me the honorto relate ---- ""That is true. I had the protection, -- pardon myhesitation, count, but, for a Stuart, you, who understandeverything, you will comprehend that the word is hard topronounce; -- I had, I say, the protection of my cousin thestadtholder of Holland; but without the intervention, or atleast without the authorization of France, the stadtholderwould not take the initiative. I came, then, to ask thisauthorization of the king of France, who has refused me.""The king has refused you, sire!""Oh, not he; all justice must be rendered to my youngerbrother Louis; but Monsieur de Mazarin ---- "Athos bit his lips."You perhaps think I should have expected this refusal?"said the king, who had noticed the movement."That was, in truth, my thought, sire," replied Athos,respectfully, "I know that Italian of old.""Then I determined to come to the test, and know at once thelast word of my destiny. I told my brother Louis, that, notto compromise either France or Holland, I would temptfortune myself in person, as I had already done, with twohundred gentlemen, if he would give them to me, and amillion, if he would lend it me.""Well, sire?""Well, monsieur, I am suffering at this moment somethingstrange, and that is, the satisfaction of despair. There isin certain souls, -- and I have just discovered that mine isof the number, -- a real satisfaction in the assurance thatall is lost, and the time is come to yield.""Oh, I hope," said Athos, "that your majesty is not come tothat extremity.""To say so, my lord count, to endeavor to revive hope in myheart, you must have ill understood what I have just toldyou. I came to Blois to ask of my brother Louis the alms ofa million, with which I had the hopes of re-establishing myaffairs; and my brother Louis has refused me. You see, then,plainly, that all is lost.""Will your majesty permit me to express a contrary opinion?""How is that, count? Do you think my heart of so low anorder that I do not know how to face my position?""Sire, I have always seen that it was in desperate positionsthat suddenly the great turns of fortune have taken place.""Thank you, count, it is some comfort to meet with a heartlike yours, that is to say, sufficiently trustful in God andin monarchy, never to despair of a royal fortune, howeverlow it may be fallen. Unfortunately, my dear count, yourwords are like those remedies they call `sovereign, andwhich, though able to cure curable wounds or diseases, failagainst death. Thank you for your perseverance in consolingme, count, thanks for your devoted remembrance, but I knowin what I must trust -- nothing will save me now. And see,my friend, I was so convinced, that I was taking the routeof exile with my old Parry; I was returning to devour mypoignant griefs in the little hermitage offered me byHolland. There, believe me, count, all will soon be over,and death will come quickly, it is called so often by thisbody, eaten up by its soul, and by this
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