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Updated: June 27, 2025
And the gruff old captain passed on down the stairs. The Chevalier stared after him in bewilderment. Spain? . . . Weary of life? What had happened? "Monsieur du Cévennes?" cried a thin voice at his elbow. The Chevalier turned and beheld Bernouin, the cardinal's valet. "Ah!" said the Chevalier. Here was a man to explain the captain's riddle.
On your return you cannot make a mistake. You have only to wait here till I release you." D'Artagnan was known to this valet-de-chambre, who was no other than Bernouin, and he had during the last six or eight months introduced the Gascon a dozen times to the cardinal. The Gascon, therefore, instead of answering, growled out "Ja! Ja!" in the most German and the least Gascon accent possible.
"This letter for my lord cardinal," said he. The gentleman took it. At Mazarin's door he found Bernouin waiting with anxiety. "Well?" asked the minister's valet de chambre. "Monsieur," said the gentleman, "here is a letter for his eminence." "A letter! Ah! we expected one after the little journey of the morning." "Oh! you know, then, that his majesty "
"That is written." "Upon Lyons " The cardinal appeared to hesitate. "Upon Lyons," repeated Bernouin. "Three millions nine hundred thousand livres." "Well, monseigneur?" "Upon Bordeaux seven millions." "Seven?" repeated Bernouin. "Yes," said the cardinal, pettishly, "seven." Then, recollecting himself, "You understand, Bernouin," added he, "that all this money is to be spent?"
Whether he only held his usual post or whether it was by accident, Monsieur Bernouin was found standing behind the door and must have heard all that had passed. "You seek me, sir," said he. "From whom may the letter be you bear to his eminence?" "From General Oliver Cromwell," said the new comer.
It was at this moment D'Artagnan entered the courtyard of the palace, in the coadjutor's carriage, and a few seconds later the carriages of the ladies-in-waiting drove out and the gates were shut after them. A few minutes after twelve o'clock Bernouin knocked at the queen's bedroom door, having come by the cardinal's secret corridor. Anne of Austria opened the door to him herself.
"Bernouin!" cried the cardinal again, without appearing to remark the humiliation of the young prince. "Come here, Bernouin, and tell me the figures I gave you just now." "Cardinal, cardinal! did you not hear me?" said Louis, turning pale with anger. "Do not be angry, sire; I deal openly with the affairs of your majesty. Every one in France knows that; my books are as open as day.
"Bernouin!" cried the cardinal again, without appearing to remark the humiliation of the young prince. "Come here, Bernouin, and tell me the figures I gave you just now." "Cardinal, cardinal! did you not hear me?" said Louis, turning pale with anger. "Do not be angry, sire; I deal openly with the affairs of your majesty. Every one in France knows that; my books are as open as day.
What he read was this: "Monsieur le Comte's private papers are missing, taken by his assailant, who entered the hôtel for that purpose. Be careful." The note was unsigned. At this moment Bernouin approached Mazarin and whispered something in his ear. "Impossible!" cried the cardinal. "It is true, nevertheless," replied the valet. "He is in the anteroom." "The fellow is a fool!
On recovering the use of their limbs and tongues they could, of course, tell nothing but what they knew that they had been seized, stripped and bound. But as to what had been done by Porthos and D'Artagnan afterward they were as ignorant as all the inhabitants of the chateau. Bernouin alone knew a little more than the others.
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