Prostate Health
Prostate Articles
Antioxidant levels key for prostate cancer risk
Obesity and prostate health
Tomatoes for prostate health
Green tea and prostate health
Screening tests for prostate
Books
The Three Musketeers
Twenty Years Later
The Vicomte De Bragelonne
|
|
Twenty Years Later 19 at Prostate Health
she was leaning, he put it back into the coffer with
an involuntary shudder.
"It is well, madame, I believe your oath."
"No, no, read," exclaimed the queen, indignantly; "read, I
command you, for I am resolved that everything shall be
finished to-night and never will I recur to this subject
again. Do you think," she said, with a ghastly smile, "that
I shall be inclined to reopen this coffer to answer any
future accusations?"
Mazarin, overcome by this determination, read the two
letters. In one the queen asked for the ornaments back
again. This letter had been conveyed by DArtagnan and had
arrived in time. The other was that which Laporte had placed
in the hands of the Duke of Buckingham, warning him that he
was about to be assassinated; that communication had arrived
too late.
"It is well, madame," said Mazarin; "nothing can gainsay
such testimony."
"Sir," replied the queen, closing the coffer and leaning her
hand upon it, "if there is anything to be said, it is that I
have always been ungrateful to the brave men who saved me --
that I have given nothing to that gallant officer,
DArtagnan, you were speaking of just now, but my hand to
kiss and this diamond."
As she spoke she extended her beautiful hand to the cardinal
and showed him a superb diamond which sparkled on her
finger.
"It appears," she resumed, "that he sold it ---he sold it in
order to save me another time -- to be able to send a
messenger to the duke to warn him of his danger -- he sold
it to Monsieur des Essarts, on whose finger I remarked it. I
bought it from him, but it belongs to DArtagnan. Give it
back to him, sir, and since you have such a man in your
service, make him useful."
"Thank you, madame," said Mazarin. "I will profit by the
advice."
"And now," added the queen, her voice broken by her emotion,
"have you any other question to ask me?"
"Nothing," -- the cardinal spoke in his most conciliatory
manner -- "except to beg of you to forgive my unworthy
suspicions. I love you so tenderly that I cannot help being
jealous, even of the past."
A smile, which was indefinable, passed over the lips of the
queen.
"Since you have no further interrogations to make, leave me,
I beseech you," she said. "I wish, after such a scene, to be
alone."
Mazarin bent low before her.
"I will retire, madame. Do you permit me to return?"
"Yes, to-morrow."
The cardinal took the queens hand and pressed it with an
air of gallantry to his lips.
Scarcely had he left her when the queen went into her sons
room, and inquired from Laporte if the king was in bed.
Laporte pointed to the child, who was asleep.
Anne ascended the steps side of the bed and softly kissed
the placid forehead of her son; then she retired as silently
as she had come, merely saying to Laporte:
"Try, my dear Laporte, to make the king more courteous to
Monsieur le Cardinal, to whom both he and I are under such
important obligations."
5
The Gascon and the Italian.
Meanwhile the cardinal returned to his own room; and after
asking Bernouin, who stood at the door, whether anything had
occurred during his absence, and being answered in the
negative, he desired that he might be left alone.
When he was alone he opened the door of the corridor and
then that of the ante-chamber. There DArtagnan was asleep
upon a bench.
The cardinal went up to him and touched his shoulder.
DArtagnan started, awakened himself, and as he awoke, stood
up exactly like a soldier under arms.
"Here I am," said he. "Who calls me?"
"I," said Mazarin, with his most smiling expression.
"I ask pardon of your eminence," said DArtagnan, "but I was
so fatigued ---- "
"Dont ask my pardon, monsieur," said Mazarin, "for you
fatigued yourself in my service."
DArtagnan admired Mazarins gracious manner. "Ah," said he,
between his teeth, "is there truth in the proverb that
fortune comes while one sleeps?"
"Follow me, monsieur," said Mazarin.
"Come, come," murmured DArtagnan, "Rochefort has kept his
promise, but where in the devil is he?" And he searched the
cabinet even to the smallest recesses, but there was no sign
of Rochefort.
"Monsieur dArtagnan," said the cardinal, sitting down on a
fauteuil, "you have always seemed to me to be a brave and
honorable man."
"Possibly," thought DArtagnan, "but he has taken a long
time to let me know his thoughts;" nevertheless, he bowed to
the very ground in gratitude for Mazarins compliment.
"Well," continued Mazarin, "the time has come to put to use
your talents
Twenty Years Later page 18 Twenty Years Later page 20 |
