Night.
Concord returned to its place amidst the tents.English and French rivaled each other in their devotion and courteous attention to the illustrious travelers.The English forwarded to the French baskets of flowers, of which they had made a plentiful provision to greet the arrival of the young princess; the French in return invited the English to a supper, which was to be given the next day.
Congratulations were poured in upon the princess everywhere during her journey.From the respect paid her on all sides, she seemed like a queen; and from the adoration with which she was treated by two or three, she appeared an object of worship.The queen-mother gave the French the most affectionate reception.France was her native country, and she had suffered too much unhappiness in England for England to have made her forget France.She taught her daughter, then, by her own affection for it, that love for a country where they had both been hospitably received, and where a brilliant future opened before them.After the public entry was over, and the spectators in the streets had partially dispersed, and the sound of the music and cheering of the crowd could be heard only in the distance; when the night had closed in, wrapping with its star-covered mantle the sea, the harbor, the town, and surrounding country, De Guiche, still excited by the great events of the day, returned to his tent, and seated himself upon one of the stools with so profound an expression of distress that Bragelonne kept his eyes fixed on him, until he heard him sigh, and then he approached him.The count had thrown himself back on his seat, leaning his shoulders against the partition of the tent, and remained thus, his face buried in his hands, with heaving chest and restless limbs.
"You are suffering?" asked Raoul.
"Cruelly."
"Bodily, I suppose?"
"Yes; bodily."
"This has indeed been a harassing day," continued the young man, his eyes fixed upon his friend.
"Yes; a night's rest will probably restore me.""Shall I leave you?"
"No; I wish to talk to you."
"You shall not speak to me, Guiche, until you have first answered my questions.""Proceed then."
"You will be frank with me?"
"I always am."
"Can you imagine why Buckingham has been so violent?""I suspect."
"Because he is in love with Madame, is it not?""One could almost swear to it, to observe him.""You are mistaken; there is nothing of the kind.""It is you who are mistaken, Raoul; I have read his distress in his eyes, in his every gesture and action the whole day.""You are a poet, my dear count, and find subject for your muse everywhere.""I can perceive love clearly enough."
"Where it does not exist?"
"Nay, where it does exist."
"Do you not think you are deceiving yourself, Guiche?""I am convinced of what I say," said the count.
"Now, inform me count," said Raoul, fixing a penetrating look upon him, "what has happened to render you so clear-sighted?"Guiche hesitated for a moment, and then answered, "Self-love, I suppose.""Self-love is a pedantic word, Guiche."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that, generally, you are less out of spirits than seems to be the case this evening.""I am fatigued."
"Listen to me, Guiche; we have been campaigners together; we have been on horseback for eighteen hours at a time, and our horses dying from exhaustion, or hunger, have fallen beneath us, and yet we have laughed at our mishaps.Believe me, it is not fatigue that saddens you to-night.""It is annoyance, then."
"What annoyance?"
"That of this evening."
"The mad conduct of the Duke of Buckingham, do you mean?""Of course; is it not vexatious for us, the representatives of our sovereign master, to witness the devotion of an Englishman to our future mistress, the second lady in point of rank in the kingdom?""Yes, you are right; but I do not think any danger is to be apprehended from Buckingham.""No; still he is intrusive.Did he not, on his arrival here, almost succeed in creating a disturbance between the English and ourselves; and, had it not been for you, for your admirable prudence, for your singular decision of character, swords would have been drawn in the very streets of the town.""You observe, however, that he has changed his tactics.""Yes, certainly; but this is the very thing that amazes me so much.You spoke to him in a low tone of voice, what did you say to him? You think he loves her; you admit that such a passion does not give way readily.He does not love her, then!" De Guiche pronounced the latter with so marked an expression that Raoul raised his head.The noble character of the young man's countenance expressed a displeasure which could easily be read.
"What I said to him, count," replied Raoul, "I will repeat to you.Listen to me.I said, `You are regarding with wistful feelings, and most injurious desire, the sister of your prince, -- her to whom you are not affianced, who is not, who can never be anything to you; you are outraging those who, like ourselves, have come to seek a young lady to escort her to her husband.'""You spoke to him in that manner?" asked Guiche coloring.
