The king could not overcome his surprise, and lookedsometimes at the smiling face of the musketeer, andsometimes at the dark window which opened into the night.But before he had fixed his ideas, eight of D'Artagnan'smen, for two had remained to take care of the bark, broughtto the house, where Parry received him, that object of anoblong form, which, for the moment inclosed the destinies ofEngland. Before he left Calais, D'Artagnan had had made inthat city a sort of coffin, large and deep enough for a manto turn in it at his ease. The bottom and sides, properlyupholstered, formed a bed sufficiently soft to prevent therolling of the ship turning this kind of cage into arat-trap. The little grating, of which D'Artagnan had spokento the king, like the visor of a helmet, was placed oppositeto the man's face. It was so constructed that, at the leastcry, a sudden pressure would stifle that cry, and, ifnecessary, him who had uttered that cry.

D'Artagnan was so well acquainted with his crew and hisprisoner, that during the whole voyage he had been in dreadof two things: either that the general would prefer death tothis sort of imprisonment, and would smother himself byendeavoring to speak, or that his guards would allowthemselves to be tempted by the offers of the prisoner, andput him, D'Artagnan, into the box instead of Monk.

D'Artagnan, therefore, had passed the two days and the twonights of the voyage close to the coffin, alone with thegeneral, offering him wine and food, which the latter hadrefused, and constantly endeavoring to reassure him upon thedestiny which awaited him at the end of this singularcaptivity. Two pistols on the table and his naked sword madeD'Artagnan easy with regard to indiscretions from without.

When once at Scheveningen he had felt completely reassured.His men greatly dreaded any conflict with the lords of thesoil. He had, besides, interested in his cause him who hadmorally served him as lieutenant, and whom we have seenreply to the name of Menneville. The latter, not being avulgar spirit, had more to risk than the others, because hehad more conscience. He believed in a future in the serviceof D'Artagnan, and consequently would have allowed himselfto be cut to pieces, rather than violate the order given byhis leader. Thus it was that, once landed, it was to himD'Artagnan had confided the care of the chest and thegeneral's breathing. It was he, too, he had ordered to havethe chest brought by the seven men as soon as he should hearthe triple whistle. We have seen that the lieutenant obeyed.The coffer once in the house, D'Artagnan dismissed his menwith a gracious smile, saying, "Messieurs, you have rendereda great service to King Charles II., who in less than sixweeks will be king of England. Your gratification will thenbe doubled. Return to the boat and wait for me." Upon whichthey departed with such shouts of joy as terrified even thedog himself.

D'Artagnan had caused the coffer to be brought as far as theking's ante-chamber. He then, with great care, closed thedoor of this ante-chamber, after which he opened the coffer,and said to the general:

"General, I have a thousand excuses to make to you; mymanner of acting has not been worthy of such a man as you, Iknow very well; but I wished you to take me for the captainof a bark. And then England is a very inconvenient countryfor transports. I hope, therefore, you will take all thatinto consideration. But now, general, you are at liberty toget up and walk." This said, he cut the bonds which fastenedthe arms and hands of the general. The latter got up, andthen sat down with the countenance of a man who expectsdeath. D'Artagnan opened the door of Charles's study, andsaid, "Sire, here is your enemy, M. Monk; I promised myselfto perform this service for your majesty. It is done; noworder as you please. M. Monk," added he, turning towards theprisoner, "you are in the presence of his majesty CharlesII., sovereign lord of Great Britain."

Monk raised towards the prince his coldly stoical look, andreplied: "I know no king of Great Britain; I recognize evenhere no one worthy of bearing the name of gentleman: for itis in the name of King Charles II. that an emissary, whom Itook for an honest man, came and laid an infamous snare forme. I have fallen into that snare; so much the worse for me.Now, you the tempter," said he to the king, "you theexecutor," said he to D'Artagnan; "remember what I am aboutto say to you; you have my body, you may kill it, and Iadvise you to do so, for you shall never have my mind or mywill. And now, ask me not a single word, as from this momentI will not open my mouth even to cry out. I have said."

And he pronounced these words with the savage, invincibleresolution of the most mortified Puritan. D'Artagnan lookedat his prisoner like a man, who knows the value of everyword, and who fixes that value according to the accent withwhich it has been pronounced.

"The fact is," said he, in a whisper to the king, "thegeneral is an obstinate man; he would not take a mouthful ofbread, nor swallow a drop of wine, during the two days ofour voyage. But as from this moment it is your majesty whomust decide his fate, I wash my hands of him."

Monk, erect, pale, and resigned, waited with his eyes fixedand his arms folded. D'Artagnan turned towards him. "Youwill please to understand perfectly," said he, "that yourspeech, otherwise very fine, does not suit anybody, not evenyourself. His majesty wished to speak to you, you refusedhim an interview; why, now that you are face to face, thatyou are here by a force independent of your will, why do youconfine yourself to rigors which I consider useless andabsurd? Speak! what the devil! speak, if only to say `No.'"

Monk did not unclose his lips, Monk did not turn his eyes;Monk stroked his mustache with a thoughtful air, whichannounced that matters were going on badly.

During all this time Charles II. had fallen into a profoundreverie. For the first time he found himself face to facewith Monk; with the man he had so much desired to see; and,with that peculiar glance which God has given to eagles andkings, he had fathomed the abyss of his heart. He beheldMonk, then, resolved positively to die rather than speak,which was not to be wondered at in so considerable a man,the wound in whose mind must at the moment have been cruel.Charles II. formed, on the instant, one of those resolutionsupon which an ordinary man risks his life, a general hisfortune, and a king his kingdom. "Monsieur," said he toMonk, "you are perfectly right upon certain points; I donot, therefore, ask you to answer me, but to listen to me."

There was a moment's silence, during which the king lookedat Monk, who remained impassible.

"You have made me just now a painful reproach, monsieur,"continued the king; "you said that one of my emissaries hadbeen to Newcastle to lay a snare for you, and that,parenthetically, cannot be understood by M. d'Artagnan,here, and to whom, before everything, I owe sincere thanksfor his generous, his heroic devotion."

D'Artagnan bowed with respect; Monk took no notice.

"For M. d'Artagnan - and observe, M. Monk, I do not saythis to excuse myself - for M. d'Artagnan," continued theking, "went to England of his free will, without interest,without orders, without hope, like a true gentleman as heis, to render a service to an unfortunate king, and to addto the illustrious actions of an existence, already so wellfilled, one glorious deed more."

D'Artagnan colored a little, and coughed to keep hiscountenance. Monk did not stir.

"You do not believe what I tell you, M. Monk," continued theking. "I can understand that, - such proofs of devotion areso rare, that their reality may well be put in doubt."

"Monsieur would do wrong not to believe you, sire," criedD'Artagnan: "for that which your majesty has said is theexact truth, and the truth so exact that it seems, in goingto fetch the general, I have done something which setseverything wrong. In truth, if it be so, I am in despair."

"Monsieur d'Artagnan," said the king, pressing the hand ofthe musketeer, "you have obliged me as much as if you hadpromoted the success of my cause, for you have revealed tome an unknown friend, to whom I shall ever be grateful, andwhom I shall always love." And the king pressed his handcordially. "And," continued he, bowing to Monk, "an enemywhom I shall henceforth esteem at his proper value."

The eyes of the Puritan flashed, but only once, and hiscountenance, for an instant, illuminated by that flash,resumed its somber impassibility.

"Then, Monsieur d'Artagnan," continued Charles, "this iswhat was about to happen: M. le Comte de la Fere, whom youknow, I believe, has set out for Newcastle."

"What, Athos!" exclaimed D'Artagnan.

"Yes, that was his nom de guerre, I believe. The Comte de laFere had then set out for Newcastle, and was going, perhaps,to bring the general to hold a conference with me or withthose of my party, when you violently, as it appears,interfered with the negotiation."

"Mordioux!" replied D'Artagnan, "he entered the camp thevery evening in which I succeeded in getting into it with myfishermen - - "

An almost imperceptible frown on the brow of Monk toldD'Artagnan that he had surmised rightly.

"Yes, yes," muttered he; "I thought I knew his person; Ieven fancied I knew his voice. Unlucky wretch that I am! Oh!sire, pardon me! I thought I had so successfully steered mybark."

"There is nothing ill in it, sir," said the king, "exceptthat the general accuses me of having laid a snare for him,which is not the case. No, general, those are not the armswhich I contemplated employing with you as you will soonsee. In the meanwhile, when I give you my word upon thehonor of a gentleman, believe me, sir, believe me! Now,Monsieur d'Artagnan, a word with you, if you please."

"I listen on my knees, sire."

"You are truly at my service, are you not?"

"Your majesty has seen I am, too much so."

"That is well; from a man like you one word suffices. Inaddition to that word you bring actions. General, have thegoodness to follow me. Come with us, M. d'Artagnan."

D'Artagnan, considerably surprised, prepared to obey.Charles II. went out, Monk followed him, D'Artagnan followedMonk. Charles took the path by which D'Artagnan had come tohis abode; the fresh sea breezes soon caressed the faces ofthe three nocturnal travelers, and, at fifty paces from thelittle gate which Charles opened, they found themselves uponthe down in the face of the ocean, which, having ceased torise, reposed upon the shore like a wearied monster. CharlesII. walked pensively along, his head hanging down and hishand beneath his cloak. Monk followed him, with crossed armsand an uneasy look. D'Artagnan came last, with his hand onthe hilt of his sword.

"Where is the boat in which you came, gentlemen?" saidCharles to the musketeer.

"Yonder, sire, I have seven men and an officer waiting me inthat little bark which is lighted by a fire."

"Yes, I see; the boat is drawn upon the sand, but youcertainly did not come from Newcastle in that frail bark?"

"No, sire; I freighted a felucca, at my own expense, whichis at anchor within cannon-shot of the downs. It was in thatfelucca we made the voyage."

"Sir," said the king to Monk, "you are free."

However firm of his will, Monk could not suppress anexclamation. The king added an affirmative motion of hishead, and continued: "We shall waken a fisherman of thevillage, who will put his boat to sea immediately, and willtake you back to any place you may command him. M.d'Artagnan here will escort your honor. I place M.d'Artagnan under the safeguard of your loyalty, M. Monk."

Monk allowed a murmur of surprise to escape him, andD'Artagnan a profound sigh. The king, without appearing tonotice either, knocked against the deal trellis whichinclosed the cabin of the principal fisherman inhabiting thedown.

"Hey! Keyser!" cried he, "awake!"

"Who calls me?" asked the fisherman.

"I, Charles the king."

"Ah, my lord!" cried Keyser, rising ready dressed from thesail in which he slept, as people sleep in a hammock. "Whatcan I do to serve you?"

"Captain Keyser," said Charles, "you must set sailimmediately. Here is a traveler who wishes to freight yourbark, and will pay you well; serve him well." And the kingdrew back a few steps to allow Monk to speak to thefisherman.

"I wish to cross over into England," said Monk, who spokeDutch enough to make himself understood.

"This minute," said the patron, "this very minute, if youwish it."

"But will that be long?" said Monk.

"Not half an hour, your honor. My eldest son is at thismoment preparing the boat, as we were going out fishing atthree o'clock in the morning."

"Well, is all arranged?" asked the king, drawing near.

"All but the price," said the fisherman; "yes, sire."

"That is my affair," said Charles, "the gentleman is myfriend."

Monk started and looked at Charles on hearing this word.

"Very well, my lord," replied Keyser. And at that momentthey heard Keyser's eldest son, signaling from the shorewith the blast of a bull's horn.

"Now, gentlemen," said the king, "depart."

"Sire," said D'Artagnan, "will it please your majesty togrant me a few minutes? I have engaged men, and I am goingwithout them; I must give them notice."

"Whistle to them," said Charles, smiling.

D'Artagnan, accordingly, whistled, whilst the patron Keyserreplied to his son; and four men, led by Menneville,attended the first summons.

"Here is some money in account," said D'Artagnan, puttinginto their hands a purse containing two thousand fivehundred livres in gold. "Go and wait for me at Calais, youknow where." And D'Artagnan heaved a profound sigh, as helet the purse fall into the hands of Menneville.

"What, are you leaving us?" cried the men.

"For a short time," said D'Artagnan, "or for a long time,who knows? But with 2,500 livres, and the 2,500 you havealready received, you are paid according to our agreement.We are quits, then, my friend."

"But the boat?"

"Do not trouble yourself about that."

"Our things are on board the felucca."

"Go and seek them, and then set off immediately."

"Yes, captain."

D'Artagnan returned to Monk, saying, - "Monsieur, I awaityour orders, for I understand we are to go together, unlessmy company be disagreeable to you."

"On the contrary, monsieur," said Monk.

"Come, gentlemen, on board," cried Keyser's son.

Charles bowed to the general with grace and dignity, saying,- "You will pardon me this unfortunate accident, and theviolence to which you have been subjected, when you areconvinced that I was not the cause of them."

Monk bowed profoundly without replying. On his side, Charlesaffected not to say a word to D'Artagnan in private, butaloud, - "Once more, thanks, monsieur le chevalier," saidhe, "thanks for your services. They will be repaid you bythe Lord God, who, I hope, reserves trials and troubles forme alone."

Monk followed Keyser, and his son embarked with them.D'Artagnan came after, muttering to himself, - "PoorPlanchet! poor Planchet! I am very much afraid we have madea bad speculation."