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第6章

from the memoirs of a minister of france-第6章

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 him come and play with me that afternoon。

〃My lord;〃 he said bluntly; 〃I had rather not。  For if I defeat your excellency; I may defeat also your good intentions。  And if I permit you to win; I shall seem to be an impostor。〃

Somewhat surprised by his forethought; I reassured him on this point; and his game; which proved to be one of remarkable strength and finesse; and fairly on an equality; as it seemed to me; with that of the best French players; persuaded me that at any rate the first part of his tale was true。  Accordingly I made him a present; and; in addition; bade Maignan pay him a small allowance for a while。  For this he showed his gratitude by attaching himself to my household; and as it was the fashion at that time to keep tennis masters of this class; I found it occasionally amusing to pit him against other well…known players。 In the course of a few weeks he gained me great credit; and though I am not so foolish as to attach importance to such trifles; but; on the contrary; think an old soldier who stood fast at Coutras; or even a clerk who has served the King honestlyif such a prodigy there bemore deserving than these professors; still I do not err on the other side; but count him a fool who; because he has solid cause to value himself; disdains the ECLAT which the attachment of such persons gives him in the public eye。

The man went by the name of Diego the Spaniard; and his story; which gradually became known; together with the excellence of his play; made him so much the fashion that more than one tried to detach him from my service。  The King heard of him; and would have played with him; but the sudden death of Madame de Beaufort; which occurred soon afterwards; threw the Court into mourning; and for a while; in pursuing the negotiations for the King's divorce; and in conducting a correspondence of the most delicate character with the Queen; I lost sight of my playerinsomuch; that I scarcely knew whether he still formed part of my suite or not。

My attention was presently recalled to him; however; in a rather remarkable manner。  One morning Don Antonio d'Evora; Secretary to the Spanish Embassy; and a brother of that d'Evora who commanded the Spanish Foot at Paris in '94; called on me at the Arsenal; to which I had just removed; and desired to see me。  I bade them admit him; but as my secretaries were at the time at work with me; I left them and received him in the gardensupposing that he wished to speak to me; about the affair of Saluces; and preferring; like the King my master; to talk of matters of State in the open air。

However; I was mistaken。  Don Antonio said nothing about Savoy; but after the usual preliminaries; which a Spaniard never omits; plunged into a long harangue upon the comity which; now that peace reigned; should exist between the two nations。  For some time I waited patiently to learn what he would be at; but he seemed to be lost in his own eloquence; and at last I took him up。

〃All this is very well; M。 d'Evora;〃 I said。  〃I quite agree with you that the times are changed; that amity is not the same thing as war; and that a grain of sand in the eye is unpleasant;〃 for he had said all of these things。  〃But I fail; being a plain man and no diplomatist; to see what you want me to do。〃

〃It is the smallest matter;〃 he said; waving his hand gracefully。

〃And yet;〃 I retorted; 〃you seem to find a difficulty in coming at it。〃

〃As you do at the grain of sand in the eye;〃 he answered wittily。 〃After all; however; in what you say; M。 de Rosny; there is some truth。  I feel that I am; on delicate ground; but I am sure that you will pardon me。  You have in your suite a certain Diego。〃

〃It may be so;〃 I said; masking my surprise; and affecting indifference。

〃A tennis…player。〃

I shrugged my shoulders。  〃The man is known;〃 I said。

〃A Protestant?〃

〃It is not impossible。〃

〃And a subject of the King; my master。  A man;〃 Don Antonio continued; with increasing stiffness; 〃in fine; M。 de Rosny; who; after committing various offences; murdered his comrade in prison; and; escaping in his clothes; took refuge in this country。〃

I shrugged my shoulders again。

〃I have no knowledge of that;〃 I said coldly。

〃No; or I am sure that you would not harbour the fellow;〃 the secretary answered。  〃Now that you do know it; however; I take it for granted that you will dismiss him?  If you held any but the great place you do hold; M。 de Rosny; it would be different; but all the world see who follow you; and this man's presence stains you; and is an offence to my master。〃

〃Softly; softly; M。 d'Evora;〃 I said; with a little warmth。  〃You go too fast。  Let me tell you first; that; for my honour; I take care of it myself; and; secondly; for your master; I do not allow even my own to meddle with my household。〃

〃But; my lord;〃 he said pompously; 〃the King of Spain〃

〃Is the King of Spain;〃 I answered; cutting him short without much ceremony。  〃But in the Arsenal of Paris; which; for the present; is my house; I am king。  And I brook no usurpers; M。 d'Evora。〃

He assented to that with a constrained smile。

〃Then I can say no more;〃 he answered。  〃I have warned you that the man is a rogue。  If you will still entertain him; I wash my hands of it。  But I fear the consequences; M。 de Rosny; and; frankly; it lessens my opinion of your sagacity。〃

Thereat I bowed in my turn; and after the exchange of some civilities he took his leave。  Considering his application after he was gone; I confess that I found nothing surprising in it; and had it come from a man whom I held in greater respect I might have complied with it in an indirect fashion。  But though it might have led me under some circumstances to discard Diego; naturally; since it confirmed his story in some points; and proved besides that he was not a persona grata at the Spanish Embassy; it did not lead me to value him less。  And as within the week he was so fortunate as to defeat La Varenne's champion in a great match at the Louvre; and won also a match; at M。 de Montpensier's which put fifty crowns into my pocket; I thought less and less of d'Evora's remonstrance; until the king's return put it quite out of my head。  The entanglement with Mademoiselle d'Entragues; which was destined to be the most fatal of all Henry's attachments; was then in the forming; and the king plunged into every kind of amusement with fresh zest。  The very day after his return he matched his marker; a rogue; but an excellent player; against my man; and laid me twenty crowns on the event; the match to be played on the following Saturday after a dinner which M。 de Lude was giving in honour of the lady。

On the Thursday; however; who should come in to me; while I was sitting alone after supper; but Maignan:  who; closing the door and dismissing the page who waited there; told me with a very long face and an air of vast importance that he had discovered something。

〃Something?〃  I said; being inclined at the moment to be merry。 〃What?  A plot to reduce your perquisites; you rascal?〃

〃No; my lord;〃 he answered stoutly。  〃But to tap your excellency's secrets。〃

〃Indeed;〃 I said pleasantly; not believing a word of it。  〃And who is to hang?〃

〃The Spaniard;〃 he answered in a low voice。

That sobered me; by putting the matter in a new light; and I sat a moment looking at him and reviewing Diego's story; which assumed on the instant an aspect so uncommon and almost incredible that I wondered how I had ever allowed it to pass。 But when I proceeded from this to the substance of Maignan's charge I found an IMPASSE in this direction also; and I smiled。 〃So it is Diego; is it?〃  I said。  〃You think that he is a spy?〃

Maignan nodded。

〃Then; tell me;〃 I asked; 〃what opportunity has he of learning more than all the world knows?  He has not been in my apartments since I engaged him。  He has seen none of my papers。  The youngest footboy could tell all he has learned。〃

〃True; my lord;〃 Maignan answered slowly; 〃but〃

〃Well?〃

〃I saw him this evening; talking with a Priest in the Rue Petits Pois; and he calls himself a Protestant。〃

〃Ah!  You are sure that the man was a priest?〃

〃I know him。〃

〃For whom?〃

〃One of the chaplains at the Spanish 

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