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The Three Musketeers
Twenty Years Later
The Vicomte De Bragelonne
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The Vicomte De Bragelonne 629 at Prostate Health
was now at an end; the king drank
the wine which was presented to him, and then every one resumed the
progress through the city. The king bit his lips in anger, for the
evening was closing in, and all hope of a walk with La Valliere was at
an end. In order that the whole of the kings household should enter
Vaux, four hours at least were necessary, owing to the different
arrangements. The king, therefore, who was boiling with impatience,
hurried forward as much as possible, in order to reach it before
nightfall. But, at the moment he was setting off again, other and fresh
difficulties arose.
"Is not the king going to sleep at Melun?" said Colbert, in a low tone
of voice, to DArtagnan.
M. Colbert must have been badly inspired that day, to address himself in
that manner to the chief of the musketeers; for the latter guessed that
the kings intention was very far from that of remaining where he was.
DArtagnan would not allow him to enter Vaux except he were well and
strongly accompanied; and desired that his majesty would not enter
except with all the escort. On the other hand, he felt that these delays
would irritate that impatient character beyond measure. In what way
could he possibly reconcile these two difficulties? DArtagnan took up
Colberts remark, and determined to repeat it to the king.
"Sire," he said, "M. Colbert has been asking me if your majesty does not
intend to sleep at Melun."
"Sleep at Melun! What for?" exclaimed Louis XIV. "Sleep at Melun! Who,
in Heavens name, can have thought of such a thing when M. Fouquet is
expecting us this evening?"
"It was simply," returned Colbert, quickly, "the fear of causing your
majesty any delay; for, according to established etiquette, you cannot
enter any place, with the exception of your own royal residences, until
the soldiers quarters have been marked out by the quartermaster, and
the garrison properly distributed."
DArtagnan listened with the greatest attention, biting his mustache to
conceal his vexation; and the queens listened attentively also. They
were fatigued, and would have liked to have gone to rest without
proceeding any farther; and, especially, in order to prevent the king
walking about in the evening with M. de Saint-Aignan and the ladies of
the court; for, if etiquette required the princesses to remain within
their own rooms, the ladies of honor, as soon as they had performed the
services required of them, had no restrictions placed upon them, but
were at liberty to walk about as they pleased. It will easily be
conjectured that all these rival interests, gathering together in
vapors, must necessarily produce clouds, and that the clouds would be
followed by a tempest. The king had no mustache to gnaw, and therefore
kept biting the handle of his whip instead, with ill-concealed
impatience. How could he get out of it? DArtagnan looked as agreeable
as possible, and Colbert as sulky as he could. Whom was there he could
get in a passion with?
"We will consult the queen," said Louis XIV., bowing to the royal
ladies. And this kindness of consideration, which softened
Maria-Theresas heart, who was of a kind and generous disposition, when
left to her own free will, replied:
"I shall be delighted to do whatever your majesty wishes."
"How long will it take us to get to Vaux?" inquired Anne of Austria, in
slow and measured accents, and placing her hand upon her bosom, where
the seat of her pain lay.
"An hour for your majesties carriages," said DArtagnan; "the roads are
tolerably good."
The king looked at him. "And a quarter of an hour for the king," he
hastened to add.
"We should arrive by daylight?" said Louis XIV.
"But the billetting of the kings military escort," objected Colbert,
softly, "will make his majesty lose all the advantage of his speed,
however quick he may be."
"Double ass that you are!" thought DArtagnan; "if I had any interest or
motive in demolishing your credit, I could do it in ten minutes. If I
were in the kings place," he added, aloud, "I should, in going to M.
Fouquet, leave my escort behind me; I should go to him as a friend; I
should enter accompanied only by my captain of the guards; I should
consider that I was acting more nobly, and should be invested with a
still more sacred character by doing so."
Delight sparkled in the kings eyes. "That is indeed a very good
suggestion. We will go to see a friend as friends; those gentlemen who
are with
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