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第10章

twenty years after(二十年后)-第10章

小说: twenty years after(二十年后) 字数: 每页4000字

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it will be some one else。 Monsieur le Prince is led by the
coadjutor; who is led by Madame de Guemenee。〃
〃Therefore; madame; I ask you to look; not among your
friends of to…day; but among those of other times。〃
〃Among my friends of other times?〃 said the queen。
〃Yes; among your friends of other times; among those who
aided you to contend against the Duc de Richelieu and even
to conquer him。〃
〃What is he aiming at?〃 murmured the queen; looking uneasily
at the cardinal。
〃Yes;〃 continued his eminence; 〃under certain circumstances;
with that strong and shrewd mind your majesty possesses;
aided by your friends; you were able to repel the attacks of
that adversary。〃
〃I!〃 said the queen。 〃I suffered; that is all。〃
〃Yes。〃 said Mazarin; 〃as women suffer in avenging
themselves。 Come; let us come to the point。 Do you know
Monsieur de Rochefort?〃
〃One of my bitterest enemies  the faithful friend of
Cardinal Richelieu。〃
〃I know that; and we sent him to the Bastile;〃 said Mazarin。
〃Is be at liberty?〃 asked the queen。
〃No; still there; but I only speak of him in order that I
may introduce the name of another man。 Do you know Monsieur
d'Artagnan?〃 he added; looking steadfastly at the queen。
Anne of Austria received the blow with a beating heart。
〃Has the Gascon been indiscreet?〃 she murmured to herself;
then said aloud:
〃D'Artagnan! stop an instant; the name seems certainly
familiar。 D'Artagnan! there was a musketeer who was in love
with one of my women。 Poor young creature! she was poisoned
on my account。〃
〃That's all you know of him?〃 asked Mazarin。
The queen looked at him; surprised。
〃You seem; sir;〃 she remarked; 〃to be making me undergo a
course of cross…examination。〃
〃Which you answer according to your fancy;〃 replied Mazarin。
〃Tell me your wishes and I will comply with them。〃
The queen spoke with some impatience。
〃Well; madame;〃 said Mazarin; bowing; 〃I desire that you
give me a share in your friends; as I have shared with you
the little industry and talent that Heaven has given me。 The
circumstances are grave and it will be necessary to act
promptly。〃
〃Still!〃 said the queen。 〃I thought that we were finally
quit of Monsieur de Beaufort。〃
〃Yes; you saw only the torrent that threatened to overturn
everything and you gave no attention to the still water。
There is; however; a proverb current in France relating to
water which is quiet。〃
〃Continue;〃 said the queen。
〃Well; then; madame; not a day passes in which I do not
suffer affronts from your princes and your lordly servants;
all of them automata who do not perceive that I wind up the
spring that makes them move; nor do they see that beneath my
quiet demeanor lies the still scorn of an injured; irritated
man; who has sworn to himself to master them one of these
days。 We have arrested Monsieur de Beaufort; but he is the
least dangerous among them。 There is the Prince de Conde
 〃
〃The hero of Rocroy。 Do you think of him?〃
〃Yes; madame; often and often; but pazienza; as we say in
Italy; next; after Monsieur de Conde; comes the Duke of
Orleans。〃
〃What are you saying? The first prince of the blood; the
king's uncle!〃
〃No! not the first prince of the blood; not the king's
uncle; but the base conspirator; the soul of every cabal;
who pretends to lead the brave people who are weak enough to
believe in the honor of a prince of the blood  not the
prince nearest to the throne; not the king's uncle; I
repeat; but the murderer of Chalais; of Montmorency and of
Cinq…Mars; who is playing now the same game he played long
ago and who thinks that he will win the game because he has
a new adversary  instead of a man who threatened; a man
who smiles。 But he is mistaken; I shall not leave so near
the queen that source of discord with which the deceased
cardinal so often caused the anger of the king to rage above
the boiling point。〃
Anne blushed and buried her face in her hands。
〃What am I to do?〃 she said; bowed down beneath the voice of
her tyrant。
〃Endeavor to remember the names of those faithful servants
who crossed the Channel; in spite of Monsieur de Richelieu;
tracking the roads along which they passed by their blood;
to bring back to your majesty certain jewels given by you to
Buckingham。〃
Anne arose; full of majesty; and as if touched by a spring;
and looking at the cardinal with the haughty dignity which
in the days of her youth had made her so powerful: 〃You are
insulting me!〃 she said。
〃I wish;〃 continued Mazarin; finishing; as it were; the
speech this sudden movement of the queen had cut; 〃I wish;
in fact; that you should now do for your husband what you
formerly did for your lover。〃
〃Again that accusation!〃 cried the queen。 〃I thought that
calumny was stifled or extinct; you have spared me till now;
but since you speak of it; once for all; I tell you  〃
〃Madame; I do not ask you to tell me;〃 said Mazarin;
astounded by this returning courage。
〃I will tell you all;〃 replied Anne。 〃Listen: there were in
truth; at that epoch; four devoted hearts; four loyal
spirits; four faithful swords; who saved more than my life
 my honor  〃
〃Ah! you confess it!〃 exclaimed Mazarin。
〃Is it only the guilty whose honor is at the sport of
others; sir? and cannot women be dishonored by appearances?
Yes; appearances were against me and I was about to suffer
dishonor。 However; I swear I was not guilty; I swear it by
 〃
The queen looked around her for some sacred object by which
she could swear; and taking out of a cupboard hidden in the
tapestry; a small coffer of rosewood set in silver; and
laying it on the altar:
〃I swear;〃 she said; 〃by these sacred relics that Buckingham
was not my lover。〃
〃What relics are those by which you swear?〃 asked Mazarin;
smiling。 〃I am incredulous。〃
The queen untied from around her throat a small golden key
which hung there; and presented it to the cardinal。
〃Open; sir;〃 she said; 〃and look for yourself。〃
Mazarin opened the coffer; a knife; covered with rust; and
two letters; one of which was stained with blood; alone met
his gaze。
〃What are these things?〃 he asked。
〃What are these things?〃 replied Anne; with queen…like
dignity; extending toward the open coffer an arm; despite
the lapse of years; still beautiful。 〃These two letters are
the only ones I ever wrote to him。 This knife is the knife
with which Felton stabbed him。 Read the letters and see if I
have lied or spoken the truth。〃
But Mazarin; notwithstanding this permission; instead of
reading the letters; took the knife which the dying
Buckingham had snatched out of the wound and sent by Laporte
to the queen。 The blade was red; for the blood had become
rust; after a momentary examination during which the queen
became as white as the cloth which covered the altar on
which 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 D'Artagnan 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;
D'Artagnan; 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

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