Page:Ten Years Later.djvu/85

Rh upon himself one of those looks, which were thrown carelessly around, or bestowed elsewhere, to produce from the animal he rode its greatest display of strength, speed, temper, and address; in vain did he, by exciting his horse almost to madness, spur him, at the risk of dashing himself in pieces against the trees or of rolling in the ditches, over the gates and barriers which they passed, or down the steep declivities of the hills. Madame, whose attention had been aroused by the noise, turned her head for a moment to observe the cause of it, and then, slightly smiling, again turned round to her faithful guardians, Raoul and De (xuiche, who were quietly riding at her carriage doors. Buckingham felt himself a prey to all the tortures of jealousy; an unknown, unheard-of anguish glided into his veins and laid siege to his heart; and then, as if to show that he knew the folly of his conduct, and that he wished to correct, by the humblest submission, his flights of absurdity, he mastered his horse, and compelled him, reeking with sweat and flecked with foam, to champ his bit close beside the carriage, amid the crowd of courtiers. Occasionally he obtained a word from madame as a recompense, and yet this word seemed almost a reproach to him.

"That is well, my lord," she said; "now you are reasonable."

Or, from Raoul:

"Your grace is killing your horse."

Buckingham listened patiently to Raoul's remarks, for he instinctively felt, without having had any proof that such was the case, that Raoul checked the display of De Guiche's feelings, and that, had it not been for Raoul, some mad act or proceeding, either of the count or of Buckingham himself, would have brought about an open rupture or a disturbance, and perhaps even exile itself. From the moment of that excited conversation which the two young men had had in front of the tents at Havre, when Raoul had made the duke perceive the impropriety of his conduct, Buckingham had felt himself attracted toward Raoul almost in spite of himself. He often entered into conversation with him, and it was nearly always to talk to him either of his father or of D'Artagnan, their mutual friend, in whose praise Buckingham was nearly as enthusiastic as Raoul. Raoul endeavored, as much as possible, to make the conversation turn upon this subject in De Wardes' presence, who had, during the whole journey, been exceedingly annoyed at the superior position taken by Bragelonne, and especially