Richelieu, as everyone knows, had loved the queen. Was this love a simple politibsp;affair, or was it naturally one of tho profound passions whibsp;Anne of Austria inspired in tho who approached her? That we are not able to say; but at all events, we have en, by the anterior developments of this story, that Bugham had the advantage over him, and in two or three circumstances, particularly that of the diamond studs, had, thanks to the devotedness of the three Musketeers and the ce and duct of d''Artagnan, cruelly mystified him.
It was, then, Richelieu''s objebsp;not only to get rid of an enemy of Franbsp;but to avenge himlf on a rival; but this vengeanbsp;must be grand and striking and worthy in every way of a man who held in his hand, as his on for bat, the forces of a kingdom.
Richelieu knew that in bating England he bated Bugham; that in triumphing over England he triumphed over Bugham--in short, that in humiliating England in the eyes of Europe he humiliated Bugham in the eyes of the queen.
On his side Bugham, in pretending to maintain the honor of England, was moved by is exactly like tho of the cardinal. Bugham also was pursuing a private vengeanbsp;Bugham could not under any preten be admitted into Franbsp;as an ambassador; he wished to e as a queror.
It resulted from this that the real stake in this game, whibsp;two most powerful kingdoms played for the good pleasure of two amorous men, was simply a kind look from Anne of Austria.
The first advantage had been gained by Bugham. Arriving uedly in sight of the Isle of Re with y vesls and nearly twenty thousand men, he had surprid the te de Toiras, who anded for the king in the Isle, and he had, after a bloody flict, effected his landing.
Allow us to obrve in passing that in this fight perished the Baron de tal; that the Baron de tal left a little orphan girl eighteen months old, and that this little girl was afterward Mme. de Sevigne.
The te de Toiras retired into the citadel St. Martin with his garrison, and threw a hundred men into a little fort called the fort of La Pree.
This event had hastened the resolutions of the cardinal; and till the king and he could take the and of the siege of La Rochelle, whibsp;was determined, he had nt Monsieur to direbsp;the first operations, and had ordered all the troops he could dispo of to marbsp;toward the theater of war. It was of this detat, nt as a vanguard, that our friend d''Artagnan formed a part.