Part 9 (1/2)
”Just remember what they said 'I have seen his servant,' said one, and that applies very well to me”
”Well?”
”'He ,' said the other; and that applies very well to you”
”What else?”
”Then the prince said: 'Take notice that in all probability he will be disguised as a cavalier;' which seems to me to leave no room for doubt, since you are dressed as a cavalier and not as an officer of musketeers Now then, what do you say to that?”
”Alas! , ”we are unfortunately no longer in those times in which princes would care to assassinate ood old days; never fear--these people owe us no grudge”
”Is your honor sure?”
”I can answer for it they do not”
”Well, on't speak of it any nan's suite with that sublime confidence he had always had in his master, which even fifteen years of separation had not destroyed
They had traveled onward about half a nan
”Stop, sir, look yonder,” he whispered; ”don't you see in the darkness so pass by, like shadows? I fancy I hear horses' feet”
”I wet; yet I fancy, as thou sayest, that I see so of a horse struck his ear, coh darkness and space
”There are men somewhere about, but that's of no consequence to us,” said D'Artagnan; ”let us ride onward”
At about half-past eight o'clock they reached the first houses in Noisy; every one was in bed and not a light was to be seen in the village The obscurity was broken only now and then by the still darker lines of the roofs of houses Here and there a dog barked behind a door or an affrighted cat fled precipitately froe behind a pile of faggots, from which retreat her eyes would shi+ne like peridores These were the only living creatures that seee
Toward thethe principal open space, rose a dark mass, separated from the rest of the world by two lanes and overshadowed in the front by enor
”This,” he said to Planchet, ”must be the archbishop's chateau, the abode of the fair Madaueville; but the convent, where is that?”
”The convent, your honor, is at the other end of the village; I knoell”
”Well, then, Planchet, gallop up to it whilst I tighten ht in any of the Jesuits' s”
In about five minutes Planchet returned
”Sir,” he said, ”there is oneof the convent lighted up”
”Henan, ”I should knock here and should be sure of a good supper If I were a ood supper there, too; whereas, 'tis very possible that between the castle and the convent we shall sleep on hard beds, dying with hunger and thirst”
”Yes,” added Planchet, ”like the famous ass of Buridan Shall I knock?”
”Hush!+” replied D'Artagnan; ”the light no longer burns in yonder ”
”Do you hear nothing?” whispered Planchet
”What is that noise?”
There came a sound like a ind, at the same time two troops of horsemen, each composed of ten men, sallied forth from each of the lanes which enconan and Planchet
”Heyday!” cried D'Artagnan, drawing his sword and taking refuge behind his horse; ”are you not mistaken? is it really for us that you mean your attack?”
”Here he is! we have hinan with naked swords
”Don't let him escape!” said a loud voice
”No, ht it was now tientlemen!” he called out in his Gascon accent, ”what do you want? what do you demand?”
”That thou shalt soon know,” shouted a chorus of horsemen
”Stop, stop!” cried he whom they had addressed as ”entleet into a passion at random at Noisy? Take care, for I warn you that the first th of --I rip him up”
The chieftain of the party drew near
”What are you doing here?” he asked in a lofty tone, as that of one accusto here?” replied D'Artagnan
”Be civil, or I shall beat you; for although one may not choose to proclaim oneself, one insists on respect suitable to one's rank”
”You don't choose to discover yourself, because you are the leader of an aard toquietly with my own servant, I have not the sah! enough! what is your name?”
”I shall tell you my name in order that you may knohere to find me, my lord, or my prince, as it may suit you best to be called,” said our Gascon, who did not choose to seenan?”
”Lieutenant in the king's nan?”
”I am”
”Then you came here to defend hi”