Part 6 (1/2)
”Well, then, all is settled; you are to set off,” said the cardinal
”Yes, my lord”
”Apropos, what are the names of your friends?”
”The Count de la Fere, formerly styled Athos; Monsieur du Vallon, e used to call Porthos; the Chevalier d'Herblay, now the Abbe d'Herblay, e styled Araer sons,” he said, ”who enlisted in the ned na swords but light purses Was that it?”
”If, God willing, these swords should be devoted to the service of your enan, ”I shall venture to express a wish, which is, that in its turn the purse of your eht and theirs heavy--for with these three men your eminence may rouse all Europe if you like”
”These Gascons,” said the cardinal, laughing, ”almost beat the Italians in effrontery”
”At all events,” answered D'Artagnan, with a smile almost as crafty as the cardinal's, ”they beat them when they draw their swords”
He then withdrew, and as he passed into the courtyard he stopped near a la of money
”Crown pieces only--silver pieces! I suspected it Ah! Mazarin! Mazarin! thou hast no confidence in me! so much the worse for thee, for har his hands in great satisfaction
”A hundred pistoles! a hundred pistoles! for a hundred pistoles I have discovered a secret for which Richelieu would have paid twenty thousand croithout reckoning the value of that dia, which he had kept, instead of restoring to D'Artagnan--”which is worth, at least, ten thousand francs”
He returned to his roo in a casket filled with brilliants of every sort, for the cardinal was a connoisseur in precious stones, he called to Bernouin to undress hih it was now near h Paris
In the nan took his way toward the Rue Tiquetonne, where he lived at the Hotel de la Chevrette
We will explain in a feords how D'Artagnan had been led to choose that place of residence
6 D'Artagnan in his Fortieth Year
Years have elapsed, many events have happened, alas! since, in our ronan at No 12 Rue des Fossoyeurs D'Artagnan had not failed in his career, but circu as he was surrounded by his friends he retained his youth and the poetry of his character He was one of those fine, ingenuous natures which assimilate themselves easily to the dispositions of others Athos ireatness of soul, Porthos his enthusiasnan continued his intimacy with these three men he would have become a superior character Athos was the first to leave hiht retire to a little property he had inherited near Blois; Porthos, the second, to marry an attorney's wife; and lastly, Aramis, the third, to take orders and beconan felt lonely and powerless, without courage to pursue a career in which he could only distinguish himself on condition that each of his three coifts each had received fro his conan felt cohtful remembrance of Madae, perishable indeed; for like all other recollections in this world, these iarrison life is fatal even to the nan, always in the caarrison, becae one would express it) a typical trooper His early refinereater than ever; but it was now applied to the little, instead of to the great things of life--to the martial condition of the soldier--coenial hostess These inan found to his own taste in the Rue Tiquetonne at the sign of the Roe
Fronan took quarters in that hotel, theFleularly interested in hies, much obstructed by an inconvenient husband to who a sword through his body, that husband had disappeared one finecertain choice lots of wine, carrying aith hiht to be dead; his wife, especially, who cherished the pleasing idea that she was a , stoutly maintained that death had taken him Therefore, after the connection had continued three years, carefully fostered by D'Artagnan, who found his bed and hiscredit to the other, thea wife and proposed to D'Artagnan that he should amy, my dear! Come now, you don't really wish it?”
”But he is dead; I aht coht; if he comes back you will kill hi! another way of getting hanged”
”So you refuse my request?”
”To be sure I do--furiously!”
The pretty landlady was desolate She would have taken D'Artagnan not only as her husband, but as her God, he was so handso toward the fourth year caned to it and riefs, tears without end and solemn promises to remain faithful--all of course on the part of the hostess D'Artagnan was too grand to pro; he purposed only to do all that he could to increase the glory of his nae; he exposed hi at the head of his coh the chest which laid hi from his horse and had not been seen to rise; every one, therefore, believed hiive promotion One believes readily what he wishes to believe Now in the areneral-in-chief, to the soldiers who desire the death of the corporals, all desire sonan was not a man to let hih the heat of the day unconscious on the battle-field, the cool freshness of the night brought hie, knocked at the door of the finest house and was received as the wounded are always and everywhere received in France He was petted, tended, cured; and one fine , in better health than ever before, he set out for France Once in France he turned his course toward Paris, and reaching Paris went straight to Rue Tiquetonne
But D'Artagnan found in his chamber the personal equip the wall
”He has returned,” said he ”So much the worse, and so nan was still thinking of the husband He made inquiries and discovered that the servants were new and that the nan
”With monsieur”
”Monsieur has returned, then?”
”Of course,” naively replied the servant
”If I had any o away; but I have none Ithe conjugal designs of this inopportune apparition”
He had just coue--which proves that inis ue--when the servant- at the door, suddenly cried out: ”Ah! see! here is nan looked out and at the corner of Rue Mont to the arnificent air which pleasantly reminded him of his old friend Porthos
”Is that rown a good deal, it see a conspicuous place
The hostess, as she entered, saw D'Artagnan and uttered a little cry, whereupon D'Artagnan, judging that he had been recognized, rose, ran to her and embraced her tenderly The Swiss, with an air of stupefaction, looked at the hostess, who turned pale
”Ah, it is you, reat distress
”Is nan, not in the slightest degree e for her reply he threw hireat coldness
”Who is that asps
”Who is that Swiss?” asked D'Artagnan
”Monsieur is going to asps