The Three Musketeers (Translated by Richard Pevear) - Alexandre Dumas [44]
“If my musketeers are guilty, Sire, the guilty ones will be handed over to Your Majesty, who will deal with them as he sees fit. Does Your Majesty require anything else? Speak, I am ready to obey.”
“No, Monsieur, no, and it’s not without reason that they call me Louis the Just. Till tomorrow, then, Monsieur, till tomorrow.”
“God keep Your Majesty till then!”
Little as the king slept, M. de Tréville slept still worse. That same evening he sent notice to his three musketeers and their companion to be at his place at half-past six in the morning. He brought them with him without affirming anything, without promising them anything, and not concealing from them that their favor and even his own depended on a throw of the dice.
Coming to the foot of the back stairs, he had them wait. If the king was still angry with them, they could go away without being seen; if the king consented to receive them, they would only have to be called.
On entering the king’s private antechamber, M. de Tréville found La Chesnaye, who informed him that they had not found M. de La Trémouille the evening before at his hôtel, that he had come back too late to present himself at the Louvre, that he had only just arrived, and that he was even now with the king.
This circumstance pleased M. de Tréville greatly. He was thus certain that no foreign suggestion would slip between M. de La Trémouille’s deposition and himself.
Indeed, ten minutes had barely passed when the door to the study opened and M. de Tréville saw M. de La Trémouille come out. The duke came up to him and said:
“M. de Tréville, His Majesty just sent to summon me in order to learn how things went yesterday morning at my hôtel. I told him the truth, that is to say, that the fault was with my people, and that I was ready to make you my apologies. Since I find you here, kindly receive them, and always hold me as one of your friends.”
“Monsieur le duc,” said M. de Tréville, “I was so fully confident of your loyalty that I wanted no other defender before His Majesty than yourself. I see that I was not mistaken, and I thank you that there is still in France a man of whom one can say without being deceived what I said of you.”
“Very well, very well,” said the king, who had listened to these compliments between the two doors. “Only tell him, Tréville, since he claims to be one of your friends, that I would also like to be one of his, but he neglects me, that it’s three years now since I’ve seen him, and that I never see him except when I send for him. Tell him all that on my behalf, for these are things that a king cannot say himself.”
“Thank you, Sire, thank you,” said the duke, “but Your Majesty is well aware that it is not those—I am by no means saying this of M. de Tréville—it is not those he sees every hour of the day who are most devoted to him.”
“Ah! so you heard what I said! So much the better, Duke, so much the better,” said the king, going to the door. “Ah! it’s you, M. de Tréville! Where are your musketeers? I told you the day before yesterday to bring them to me. Why haven’t you done so?”
“They’re downstairs, Sire, and with your leave La Chesnaye will go and tell them to come up.”
“Yes, yes, let them come at once; it’s nearly eight o’clock, and at nine I expect a visit. Go, M. le duc, and above all come back. This way, Tréville.”
The duke bowed and left. Just as he opened the door, the three musketeers and d’Artagnan, escorted by La Chesnaye, appeared at the head of the stairs.
“Come, my brave lads,” said the king, “come, I must scold you.”
The musketeers approached bowing; d’Artagnan followed behind them.
“What the devil!” the king went on. “Seven of His Eminence’s guards put out of action by you four in two days! It’s too much, gentlemen, too much. At that rate, His Eminence will be forced to replace his company in three weeks, and I to apply the edicts in all their rigor. One now and then is another