The Three Musketeers (The Modern Library) - Alexandre Dumas [185]
“You should have left it to me, Madame, because I know very well what they are. But you wished to save your money and consequently to lend at usury.”
“It was wrong of me, Monsieur Porthos, I know. But I will repair that wrong, on my word of honor.”
“How so?”
“Listen, Monsieur Porthos. This evening Monsieur Coquenard is to visit the Duc de Chaulnes, who has sent for him. It is for a consultation which will last three hours at least. Come, please come. We shall be alone and we can make up our accounts.”
“Bravo! Now you are making sense, my dear.”
“You have forgiven me?”
“We shall see,” said Porthos majestically, and the pair separated saying: “This evening, then?” and “Yes, this evening!”
“A devilish good job!” Porthos mused as he walked away. “Apparently I am getting closer to Maître Coquenard’s strong box at last!”
XXXV
AT NIGHT ALL CATS ARE GRAY
That evening, so impatiently anticipated by Porthos and D’Artagnan, at last arrived. As usual D’Artagnan called on Milady at about nine. He found her in a delightful mood; never had he been so well received. A single glanced sufficed to inform him that his note had been delivered and that it had had its effect.
Kitty entered, bringing two glasses of sherbet on a handsome salver. Her mistress smiled on her most graciously but alas! the poor girl was too depressed even to notice Milady’s condescension.
As D’Artagnan looked from one woman to the other, he was forced to acknowledge to himself that Nature had blundered when fashioning them: to the great lady she had given a base and venal soul and to the maid, the heart of a duchess.
By ten o’clock Milady seemed restless and fidgety for reasons that D’Artagnan understood perfectly well. She kept eying the clock, rising to her feet, and quickly sitting down again. And she smiled at D’Artagnan as if to say: “You are most amiable, to be sure, but you would be enchanting if only you would go home!”
D’Artagnan rose and took his hat, Milady offered him her hand to kiss; as he did so he realized that the pressure of her fingers was inspired not by coquetry but by gratitude at his departure. How desperately she must love de Vardes, he thought.
This time Kitty was not waiting for him either in the antechamber or in the corridor or by the main door; D’Artagnan had to make his way alone to the staircase and to Kitty’s little room. Opening the door, he found her sitting on her bed, her hands over her face, obviously weeping. Though she heard D’Artagnan enter, she did not look up; when he went up to her and took her hands, she burst into sobs.
D’Artagnan had guessed correctly: Milady received the letter, and in a delirium of joy, told her servant everything. Then, to reward Kitty for executing the commission favorably this time, she gave her a purseful of money. Returning to her own room, Kitty had flung the purse in a corner; it now lay on the floor agape, having disgorged a few gold pieces on the carpet. As D’Artagnan caressed her, the unhappy girl looked up at him. He was alarmed at the change in her countenance as she faced him, clasping her hands in a gesture of supplication, without venturing to speak a word.
However selfish D’Artagnan might be, he was touched by this mute sorrow; but he held too tenaciously to his plans and especially to this particular one to change the programme he had mapped out for himself. He therefore gave Kitty no grounds to hope that she could soften him but represented his action as one of pure vengeance.
The realization of this vengeance now seemed considerably simplified by the fact that Milady, doubtless to conceal her blushes from her lover, had ordered Kitty to extinguish all the lights in the apartment and even in her own room. Just before daybreak Monsieur de Vardes was to make his departure through the darkness.
Presently they heard Milady retire to her room. D’Artagnan slipped into the wardrobe and had hardly crouched down in it when Milady’s little silver bell rang. Kitty went to her mistress, closing the door after her, but the partition