Cinq Mars -- Volume 5

given to admit no one, and to excuse him to the refugees for allowing them to depart

he lofty chimneypiece, awaited with a serious and sorrowful air the termination of this silence. At

perhaps slay, a man, and to bring then, a foreign army into France; I am, then, to see you an assassin and a tra

his explanation. I desired it, and sought it. You shall see my entire soul. I had at first another thought, a bett

ven as he spoke, as if he

ve conducted the whole enterprise without you; to show you only the finished work. I wished to keep you beyond the circle of my danger; but shall I confess my weakness? I f

life? By what fault have I deserved to survive you, if you die? You have had the strength of mind to hoodwink me for two whole years; you have never shown me aught of yo

ou supposed me to enjoy; I made you happy in that dream, and I am only guilty in that I am now about to destroy it, and to show myself as I was and am. Listen: I shall not detain you long; the story of an impassioned heart is ever simple. Once b

is to be Que

isten: for her I became a courtier; for her I have almost r

ching your triumph! when I have wep

me; if you suppose that I have not pierced to the bottom of my destiny! I struggle against it, bu

is the use of intellect in

all fall. I can not now recede. When a man is confronted with such an enemy as Richelieu, he must overcome him or

hat confidence have you in those to whom you thus aban

. That happiness I must tear from the hands of Fortune, or die on that scaffold. At this instant I experience the joy of having broken down all doubt. What! blush you not at having thought me ambitious from a base egoism, like this Cardinal-ambitious from a puerile desire for a power which is never satisfied? I am ambitious, but it is because I love. Yes, I love; in that word all is comprised. But I accuse you unjustly. You have embellished my secr

shook

not understand you; your reasoning

e it though a world faced me. Hitherto, all has gone well; but an invisible barrier arrests me. This barrier must be broken; it is Richelieu. But now in your presence I undertook to do this; but perhaps I was too hasty. I now think I was so. Let him rej

He turned pale and red twice; and the veins of his for

haps has not felt all I have done for her, can not yet be mine. She is mine before God, yet I am estranged from her; nay, I must hear daily discussed before me which of the thrones of Europe will best suit her, in conversations wherein I may not even raise my voice to give an opinion, and in which they scorn as mate for her

al happiness you wou

ry blood. When I was first on my way to him, I encountered in my journey his greatest crime. He is the genius of evil for the unhappy King! I will exorcise him. I might have

you rely, then

. If his will can but o

last calculation on wh

t of you

mpetuously. "No, no! If he abandons me, I

unsellor. "What, a war! a civi

-Mars, coldly; "but have I as

your misfortunes, far less your death. Still, let me influence you not to strike France. Oh, my friend! my only friend! I implore you on my knees, let us not thus be parricides; let us not assassinat

erve his affected coldness, threw himself into his arms, as he ra

y religion and science-why love me? What has my friendship given you but anxiety and pain? Must it now heap dangers on you? Separate yourself from me; we are no longer of the same nature. You see courts have cor

ke; that if you yield to Spain our fortifications, she will never return them to us; that your name will be a byword with posterit

toward the bus

r friend also), swear never

with dogged tenacity answered,

f they force me to

in inexpressible anguish. At last he advanced solemnly toward the bust of his father, and o

demned to death by the Parliament of Rouen, for not havin

hand, and contemplating the image of the Presid

it death; but can I do otherwise? I will not denounce this traitor, beca

Cinq-Mars, and again ta

cting thus; but expect

f you sign

is friend must suffer in casting him off. Checking, however, the tears which

been linked to mine, I should not have dared to dispose of my life. I should have hesitated to sacrifice it in case