|
TWENTY YEARS AFTER
By ALEXANDRE DUMAS F EW of us with red blood in our veins ever lose our interest in deeds of chivalric valor and adventure, and Dumas is a master in his delineation of soldiers of fortune-their fatal marksmanship, their matchless wielding of sword and rapier, and their hair-breadth escapes. In Twenty Years After he presents his "three musketeers" somewhat more matured and not as rollicking as when we met them in their early manhood, but just as ready to champion the needy and unfortunate. Louis XIII of France is dead. His son, the king, is but ten years of age. The mighty Richelieu is in his grave. Mazarin is cardinal, and though but a ghost of his illustrious predecessor, he holds almost ab- solute control over the queen - Anne of Austria. The conditions are opportune for a story of personal daring and bloody encounter. Mazarin is an Italian and is universally hated. Paris is leagued against the ministry, and the soldiers of the royal guard are at-tacked and their lieutenant, Cummings, is wounded. Everywhere there are forebodings and cries of "Down with Mazarin." The cardinal disguises himself and inspects the city. He finds the "Frondeurs"-the insurrectionists-in full sway. Somehow he must secure trusty servants or downfall awaits him. D'Artagnan, the lieutenant of the Musketeers, is recommended, together with his three sturdy colleagues. Count de Rochefort is brought from confinement in the Bastile to testify to d'Artagnan's allegiance, and is freed by the mob while being taken back to prison. Mazarin is in despair and he tells the queen that "the whole world conspires to break their bonds," and d'Artagnan is directed to find his three friends and attach them to the royal service. Aramis-Abbe d'Herblay-is an ecclesiastic in love wth Mme. de Longueville. He hates the cardinal and refuses. Porthos-the giant-living in luxury as M. de Valon de Bracieux de Pierrefonds, desires above all else to be a baron. He enlists. Athos - M. de la Fere - reformed from drink and devoted to a young ward - Viscount de Bragelonne-is still, as of old, a noble-minded lover of the people, and will not serve the cardinal. Two for, and two against Mazarin, there-fore, the musketeers make their way to Paris, where there is great excitement because of a prophecy that Duc de Beaufort-the grand-son of Henry IV and the idol of the populace-will escape from the dungeon of Vincennes before Whitsuntide. Beaufort hates Mazarin and uses ingenious means of ridiculing him. Grimaud, a servant of Athos, is set to guard him, and he, with Count de Rochefort, effects his escape; and d'Artagnan and Porthos, seeking to recapture him, have an encounter in which they are taken prisoner by Athos and Aramis, but are set free and the four pledge mutual friendship. Mean-while the preparations for insurrection are intensified and a new ally of the popular cause is found in Abbe Scarron-"the queen's invalid," who is in control of the mendicants of Paris and whose pension has been cut off by Mazarin. Another important character is also introduced at this juncture-a wounded soldier calls for a priest, and he who responds proves to be the Monk Mordaunt, a desperate character whose sole aim is to avenge the death of his mother, in which the "three musketeers" participated. Learning from the man to whom he ministered that he had been the executioner of Milady, Mordaunt stabs him to the heart and then makes his escape. At this time Lord de Winter, uncle of Mordaunt, comes with a letter from Charles I of England to Queen Henrietta, who is an exile in France, telling of the desperate straits in which he is placed by the troops of Oliver Cromwell and directing her to entreat Mazarin to grant him asylum. Henrietta goes to plead with the cardinal, but is preceded by Mordaunt, who is an envoy of Cromwell, bearing from the Puritan leader the message that "to receive King Charles will be equal to flagrant hostilities." The queen's petition is accordingly refused and she is in great despair; but de Winter tells her there are four men who might be able to save her husband. Of the four Athos and Aramis are persuaded to make the venture and they leave for Boulogne secretly, followed and spied upon by Mordaunt, leaving d'Artagnan and Porthos in the service of Mazarin. But affairs grow worse in Paris. The archbishop of the city is ridiculed at court when he warns the queen not to provoke civil war, and, though the cardinal tries to assuage his anger by a gift of gold, he goes forth as a leader of the Frondists and instructs his curates to excite insurrection. Count de Rochefort commands a detachment of soldiers, and Abbe Scarron, the Beggar of St.-Eustache, displays a signal from the tower of St.-Jacques which summons thousands to barricade the streets. Every Frondist wears a straw in his hat. Everywhere there are cries of "Down with Mazarin "-" Long live Broussel." Riot is rampant in all parts of the city and the tumult swells to a revolution. The mob presses forward to the very gates of the royal palace, demaiding the release of Counselor Broussel, who has been imprisoned. "Never!" cries the queen, but the gates are stormed and she' yields, and Broussel is enthusiastically welcomed by the populace. Affairs are now so serious that the queen resolves to leave Paris. D'Artagnan and Porthos effect her escape, and that of Mazarin, and the court is established at St.-Germain; after which the two cavaliers are sent to England with a message from Mazarin to Cromwell. They are ordered to obey an officer who proves to be Mordaunt, of whom Aramis has by letter warned them to beware. They make their way to the royalist camp at Newcastle, where Mordaunt bribes the Scotch Highlanders to desert their king, and when Charles attempts to escape an engagement takes place, during which d'Artagnan and Porthos take two prisoners, who turn out to be their old friends Athos and Aramis. Mordaunt recognizes them and is, by Cromwell, allowed to dispose of them as he will, but they get away before he can seize them. The four musketeers meet and resolve to rescue King Charles. They get the captain of his guard into a game of cards and make the attempt, but Mordaunt appears with soldiers and they flee to London, disguise themselves and attend the trial and execution of the king. They corner Mordaunt in Cromwell's house, but he escapes from them by a secret passage and they plan to get back to France. They engage a vessel to take them across the Channel, but Mordaunt is ahead of them, hiding in the cabin. There are five barrels of powder aboard which he intends to explode after making his escape in the small boat. But his diabolical plan is discovered; the four friends with their servants cut the small boat adrift; the vessel blows up and Mordaunt, trying to drown Athos, is killed. The musketeers reach France and find the Parisians furious. The queen, having been asked to retire, had answered with a threat, and the populace demanded that Mazarin retire at once from court, and in a week from France. Civil war ensues, and at the battle of Charenton Aramis and Athos learn that d'Artagnan and Porthos have been arrested. Athos goes to the queen to secure their re-lease and is himself seized, and all three are imprisoned in the pavilion of the orangery at Rouel; but they overcome the guard and seize Mazarin and bear him away to Porthos's chateau, where they make him sign a treaty with the Frondists, which is afterward con-firmed by the queen. Porthos obtains his baronetcy and d'Ar- tagnan is made captain of the Musketeers. The queen returns to Paris. Aramis leaves for Normandy, accompanied by Mme. de Longueville. Athos retires to his estate at Bragelonne. Porthos goes back to Bracieux. D'Artagnan remains in the royal service, hoping some day to be marechal of France, saying to Madeleine, his hostess : "Give me your apartment on the first floor. Now that I am a captain in the Musketeers I must make an appearance. Nevertheless, still keep my room on the fifth story for me; one never knows what may happen." |