登陆注册
15512900000254

第254章 85(1)

The Oubliettes of Cardinal Mazarin.

At first, on arriving at the door through which Mazarin had passed, D'Artagnan tried in vain to open it, but on the powerful shoulder of Porthos being applied to one of the panels, which gave way, D'Artagnan introduced the point of his sword between the bolt and the staple of the lock. The bolt gave way and the door opened.

"As I told you, everything can be attained, Porthos women and doors, by proceeding with gentleness."

"You're a great moralist, and that's the fact," said Porthos.

They entered; behind a glass window, by the light of the cardinal's lantern, which had been placed on the floor in the midst of the gallery, they saw the orange and pomegranate trees of the Castle of Rueil, in long lines, forming one great alley and two smaller side alleys.

"No cardinal!" said D'Artagnan, "but only his lantern; where the devil, then, is he?"

Exploring, however, one of the side wings of the gallery, after making a sign to Porthos to explore the other, he saw, all at once, at his left, a tub containing an orange tree, which had been pushed out of its place and in its place an open aperture.

Ten men would have found difficulty in moving that tub, but by some mechanical contrivance it had turned with the flagstone on which it rested.

D'Artagnan, as we have said, perceived a hole in that place and in this hole the steps of a winding staircase.

He called Porthos to look at it.

"Were our object money only," he said, "we should be rich directly."

"How's that?"

"Don't you understand, Porthos? At the bottom of that staircase lies, probably, the cardinal's treasury of which folk tell such wonders, and we should only have to descend, empty a chest, shut the cardinal up in it, double lock it, go away, carrying off as much gold as we could, put back this orange-tree over the place, and no one in the world would ever ask us where our fortune came from -- not even the cardinal."

"It would be a happy hit for clowns to make, but as it seems to be unworthy of two gentlemen ---- " said Porthos.

"So I think; and therefore I said, `Were our object money only;' but we want something else," replied the Gascon.

At the same moment, whilst D'Artagnan was leaning over the aperture to listen, a metallic sound, as if some one was moving a bag of gold, struck on his ear; he started; instantly afterward a door opened and a light played upon the staircase.

Mazarin had left his lamp in the gallery to make people believe that he was walking about, but he had with him a waxlight, to help him to explore his mysterious strong box.

"Faith," he said, in Italian, as he was reascending the steps and looking at a bag of reals, "faith, there's enough to pay five councillors of parliament, and two generals in Paris. I am a great captain -- that I am! but I make war in my own way."

The two friends were crouching down, meantime, behind a tub in the side alley.

Mazarin came within three steps of D'Artagnan and pushed a spring in the wall; the slab turned and the orange tree resumed its place.

Then the cardinal put out the waxlight, slipped it into his pocket, and taking up the lantern: "Now," he said, "for Monsieur de la Fere."

"Very good," thought D'Artagnan, "'tis our road likewise; we will go together."

All three set off on their walk, Mazarin taking the middle alley and the friends the side ones.

The cardinal reached a second door without perceiving he was being followed; the sand with which the alleys were covered deadened the sound of footsteps.

同类推荐
  • 东西汉演义

    东西汉演义

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 北使纪略

    北使纪略

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 与胡居士皆病寄此诗

    与胡居士皆病寄此诗

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • The Lone Star Ranger

    The Lone Star Ranger

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 比丘尼受戒录

    比丘尼受戒录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 极品桃花运

    极品桃花运

    美人在掌心起舞,世界于指尖颤动。香风丽影的都市,黄祥云傲然崛起!蓦然回首,美人如云,脚下巨富权贵的森森白骨无数!他就是要征服世界,让什么小鬼子小棒子小毛子,甚至忍者教廷吸血鬼之流都跪伏于脚下,让光明黑暗的一切都随他的呼吸而颤抖。。
  • 第十二鬼

    第十二鬼

    11个领地,11个领主,你我井水不犯河水;从第一殿开始的黑影,到十一殿的饕餮,他们不得不联手,合作。光、暗、金、水、火、木、地、风、雷、影、物、幻。却不知第十二的“抽象”。东、东南、南、西南、西、西北、北、东北、中、下、上。却不见这大陆中的“虚空”。城中有大陆,陆中的人,都是傀儡。
  • 混在战国当强盗

    混在战国当强盗

    穿越了为啥还要当强盗?种种田,搞好科技,利用超前的头脑创造财富享受生活才对嘛?可这里是战国,人口的走动除了君王的安排,一般人除了下地不能走出城邑。一个消息要想传入去得十天半月,甚至更长。最大的问题还是,他穿越成了一个没有人身自由的庶民,成了被征调的人夫,没办法,跑吧,跑出去干老本行。战国这个及其崇尚武力的年代,小爷要上抢天,下抢地,中间抢各路诸侯。要这年代繁琐的礼节再困不住我的心。俗话说,盗亦有道。可我觉得强盗更是盗中道,我便用盗教你做人——杨凡
  • 枕雀

    枕雀

    21世纪,世界上闯入了不得了的东西,阴谋、杀戮、血腥……大战一触即发!
  • 爱情十二魔法系玩转火系

    爱情十二魔法系玩转火系

    一所隐逸在森林里的名为12系的魔法高校正式对外招收拥有魔法天分的学生,其中12个系,分别指水系、火系、冰系、清除系、隐系、土系、净化系、情报系、透视系、幻影系、美女系和穿越系。可怜滴轩小洛因为天生就拥有火这一属性的魔法而被她亲爱的爸爸妈妈推进了12系魔法高校……而12系魔法高校首卷的规定:不同系之间不得谈恋爱!不过呢……身为12系系长的帅哥凛伊哲算不算例外呢?嘻嘻,超级贪玩的可爱无敌的轩小洛又怎么会放过这一次女追男的大行动呢,进攻……轩小洛立誓,要以打不死的小强精神追追追!玩玩玩!……
  • 相思谋:妃常难娶

    相思谋:妃常难娶

    某日某王府张灯结彩,婚礼进行时,突然不知从哪冒出来一个小孩,对着新郎道:“爹爹,今天您的大婚之喜,娘亲让我来还一样东西。”说完提着手中的玉佩在新郎面前晃悠。此话一出,一府宾客哗然,然当大家看清这小孩与新郎如一个模子刻出来的面容时,顿时石化。此时某屋顶,一个绝色女子不耐烦的声音响起:“儿子,事情办完了我们走,别在那磨矶,耽误时间。”新郎一看屋顶上的女子,当下怒火攻心,扔下新娘就往女子所在的方向扑去,吼道:“女人,你给本王站住。”一场爱与被爱的追逐正式开始、、、、、、、
  • 被大雪埋葬的我们

    被大雪埋葬的我们

    亲情的决裂,友谊的背叛,以及一段不为世俗所认可的爱情,是坚持还是放弃,当一切被大雪埋葬,你又是否会后悔当初的决定?
  • 杉杉来了之幸福生活

    杉杉来了之幸福生活

    这是杉杉来吃之后杉杉与封腾的生活记叙,两人排除千难万险之后在一起生活的完美见证
  • 星转乾坤

    星转乾坤

    这是我的第一部小说请大家多多支持,当然如果如果有什么不足也请大家多多提建议
  • 我们是开花结果的果

    我们是开花结果的果

    夏铭溪,覃峻峰,黄曦莉,韦馨馨,,。,。,。,。,。。,…………