The Three Musketeers (The Modern Library) - Alexandre Dumas [241]
She will make a third attempt upon your life very shortly. She sailed from La Rochelle last night, bound for England.
Pray be on the alert for her, she has vast and terrible plans. If you would be convinced of her wickedness, you have but to read her past history upon her left shoulder.
“Bravo, Aramis, you have the pen of a Secretary of State,” Athos approved. “Should your letter reach Lord Winter, he will be on his guard; should even His Eminence intercept it, we shall not be compromised. However, the lackey we send might easily stop at Châtellerault and pretend he has been to London and back. I suggest we give him only one-half the sum promised, agreeing to pay the other half in exchange for the answer. Have you your diamond, D’Artagnan?”
“I have something more useful,” D’Artagnan replied. “I have its value in cash.”
He tossed a bag on the table. Hearing the gold pieces jingle, Aramis raised his eyes, Porthos started, but Athos remained impassive.
“How much is there in that little bag?”
“Seven thousand livres in louis, each worth twelve francs apiece.”
“Seven thousand livres!” Porthos gasped. “That poor little diamond was worth—”
“Apparently, for here is the money,” Athos replied. “I doubt very much whether our friend D’Artagnan has added any money of his own to the amount.”
“But gentlemen,” D’Artagnan urged briskly, “in all this we are not thinking of the Queen. Let us take some heed of the welfare of her beloved Buckingham. That is the least we owe her.”
“Very true!” Athos agreed. “But that matter concerns Aramis.”
“Well, what do you want me to do?” asked Aramis, blushing.
“It’s quite simple. Just write a second letter to that very clever person in Tours.”
Aramis picked up his pen, reflected a moment and wrote the following lines, which he immediately submitted to the approval of his friends.
“My dear Cousin—” he began.
“Ah! So you are related to this clever person?”
“We are first cousins.”
“Go on then, leave it ‘My dear Cousin!’”
My dear Cousin:
His Eminence the Cardinal whom God preserve for the happiness of France and the confusion of her enemies is on the point of putting an end to the heretical rebellion of La Rochelle. Probably the succor of the English fleet will never even arrive within sight of the city. I will even venture to say that I am certain Lord Buckingham will be prevented by some great event from even setting out.
As you know His Eminence is the most illustrious and determined statesman of times past, of times present and probably of times to come. He could extinguish the sun if the sun stood in his way.
Pray give these happy tidings to your sister, my dear cousin. I dreamed that this accursed Englishman was dead. I cannot remember now whether it was by steel or poison but I can well remember I dreamed of his death. As you know, my dreams never deceive me. How many have failed to come true in the past?
You may be sure, then, of seeing me return soon.
“Excellent!” Athos approved. “You are the king of poets, my dear Aramis; you speak like the Apocalypse and you are as authentic as the Gospel. All you need now is to address the letter.”
“That is soon done!” Aramis folded the letter neatly and elegantly, took up his pen and wrote:
To Mademoiselle Michon
Seamstress
Tours
The three friends glanced at one another and laughed at the ease with which Aramis had foiled their curiosity.
“Now you will understand, gentlemen, that Bazin alone can carry this letter to Tours,” Aramis announced. “My cousin knows nobody and trusts nobody except Bazin; any other person would therefore fail. Besides Bazin is ambitious and learned; Bazin has read history, gentlemen, and he knows that Sixtus the fifth became Pope after having been a swineherd. Well, as he means to enter the Church at the same time as I do, he does not despair of becoming Pope, in his turn, or at least Cardinal. You can understand that a man with such aims will never allow himself to be