How D'Artagnan and Porthos earned by selling Straw, the one Two Hundred and Nineteen, and the other Two Hundred and Fifteen Louis d'or.
Mazarin was desirous of setting out instantly for Saint Germain, but the queen declared that she should wait for the people whom she had appointed to meet her. However, she offered the cardinal Laporte's place, which he accepted and went from one carriage to the other.
It was not without foundation that a report of the king's intention to leave Paris by night had been circulated. Ten or twelve persons had been in the secret since six o'clock, and howsoever great their prudence might be, they could not issue the necessary orders for the departure without suspicion being generated. Besides, each individual had one or two others for whom he was interested; and as there could be no doubt but that the queen was leaving Paris full of terrible projects of vengeance, every one had warned parents and friends of what was about to transpire; so that the news of the approaching exit ran like a train of lighted gunpowder along the streets.
The first carriage which arrived after that of the queen was that of the Prince de Conde, with the princess and dowager princess. Both these ladies had been awakened in the middle of the night and did not know what it all was about. The second contained the Duke and Duchess of Orleans, the tall young Mademoiselle and the Abbe de la Riviere; and the third, the Duke de Longueville and the Prince de Conti, brother and brother-in-law of Conde. They all alighted and hastened to pay their respects to the king and queen in their coach. The queen fixed her eyes upon the carriage they had left, and seeing that it was empty, she said:
"But where is Madame de Longueville?"
"Ah, yes, where is my sister?" asked the prince.
"Madame de Longueville is ill," said the duke, "and she desired me to excuse her to your majesty."
Anne gave a quick glance to Mazarin, who answered by an almost imperceptible shake of his head.
"What do you say of this?" asked the queen.
"I say that she is a hostage for the Parisians," answered the cardinal.
"Why is she not come?" asked the prince in a low voice, addressing his brother.
"Silence," whispered the duke, "she has her reasons."
"She will ruin us!" returned the prince.
"She will save us," said Conti.
Carriages now arrived in crowds; those of the Marechal de Villeroy, Guitant, Villequier and Comminges came into the line. The two musketeers arrived in their turn, holding the horses of D'Artagnan and Porthos in their hands. These two instantly mounted, the coachman of the latter replacing D'Artagnan on the coach-box of the royal coach. Musqueton took the place of the coachman, and drove standing, for reasons known to himself, like Automedon of antiquity.
The queen, though occupied by a thousand details, tried to catch the Gascon's eye; but he, with his wonted prudence, had mingled with the crowd.
"Let us be the avant guard," said he to Porthos, "and find good quarters at Saint Germain; nobody will think of us, and for my part I am greatly fatigued."
"As for me," replied Porthos, "I am falling asleep, which is strange, considering we have not had any fighting; truly the Parisians are idiots."
"Or rather, we are very clever," said D'Artagnan.
"Perhaps."
"And how is your wrist?"
"Better; but do you think that we've got them this time?"
"Got what?"
"You your command, and I my title?"
"I'faith! yes -- I should expect so; besides, if they forget, I shall take the liberty of reminding them."
"The queen's voice! she is speaking," said Porthos; "I think she wants to ride on horseback."
"Oh, she would like it, but ---- "
"But what?"
"The cardinal won't allow it. Gentlemen," he said, addressing the two musketeers, "accompany the royal carriage, we are going forward to look for lodgings."
D'Artagnan started off for Saint Germain, followed by Porthos.
"We will go on, gentlemen," said the queen.
And the royal carriage drove on, followed by the other coaches and about fifty horsemen.
They reached Saint German without any accident; on descending, the queen found the prince awaiting her, bare-headed, to offer her his hand.
"What an awakening for the Parisians!" said the queen, radiant.
"It is war," said the prince.
"Well, then, let it be war! Have we not on our side the conqueror of Rocroy, of Nordlingen, of Lens?"
The prince bowed low.
It was then three o'clock in the morning. The queen walked first, every one followed her. About two hundred persons had accompanied her in her flight.
"Gentlemen," said the queen, laughing, "pray take up your abode in the chateau; it is large, and there will be no want of room for you all; but, as we never thought of coming here, I am informed that there are, in all, only three beds in the whole establishment, one for the king, one for me ---- "
"And one for the cardinal," muttered the prince.
"Am I -- am I, then, to sleep on the floor?" asked Gaston d'Orleans, with a forced smile.
"No, my prince," replied Mazarin, "the third bed is intended for your highness."
"But your eminence?" replied the prince.
"I," answered Mazarin, "I shall not sleep at all; I have work to do."
Gaston desired that he should be shown into the room wherein he was to sleep, without in the least concerning himself as to where his wife and daughter were to repose.
"Well, for my part, I shall go to bed," said D'Artagnan;
"come, Porthos."
Porthos followed the lieutenant with that profound confidence he ever had in the wisdom of his friend. They walked from one end of the chateau to the other, Porthos looking with wondering eyes at D'Artagnan, who was counting on his fingers.
"Four hundred, at a pistole each, four hundred pistoles."
"Yes," interposed Porthos, "four hundred pistoles; but who is to make four hundred pistoles?"
"A pistole is not enough," said D'Artagnan, "'tis worth a louis."
"What is worth a louis?"
"Four hundred, at a louis each, make four hundred louis."
"Four hundred?" said Porthos.