“Great God!” said Madame Bonacieux, placing her hand upon her bosom, “my heart beats so I cannot walk.”
“Courage, courage! remember that in a quarter of an hour you will be safe; and think that what you are about to do is for his sake.”
“Yes, yes, everything for him. You have restored my courage by a single word; go, I will rejoin you.”
Milady ran up to her apartment quickly; she there found Rochefort’s lackey, and gave him his instructions.
He was to wait at the gate; if by chance the musketeers should appear, the carriage was to set off as fast as possible, pass around the convent, and go and wait for Milady at a little village which was situated at the other side of the wood. In this case Milady would cross the garden and gain the village on foot. As we have already said, Milady was admirably acquainted with this part of France.
If the musketeers did not appear, things were to go on as had been agreed; Madame Bonacieux was to get into the carriage as if to bid her adieu, and she was to take away Madame Bonacieux.
Madame Bonacieux came in; and to remove all suspicion, if she had any, Milady repeated to the lackey, before her, the latter part of her instructions.
Milady asked some questions about the carriage. It was a chaise drawn by three horses, driven by a postillion; Rochefort’s lackey would precede it, as courier.
Milady was wrong in fearing that Madame Bonacieux would have any suspicion. The poor young woman was too pure to suppose that any female could be guilty of such perfidy; besides, the name of the Comtesse de Winter, which she had heard the abbess pronounce, was wholly