"Well," said Porthos, seated in the courtyard of the Hotelde la Chevrette, to D'Artagnan, who, with a long andmelancholy face, had returned from the Palais Royal; "did hereceive you ungraciously, my dear friend?"

"I'faith, yes! a brute, that cardinal. What are you eatingthere, Porthos?"

"I am dipping a biscuit in a glass of Spanish wine; do thesame."

"You are right. Gimblou, a glass of wine."

"Well, how has all gone off?"

"Zounds! you know there's only one way of saying things, soI went in and said, `My lord, we were not the strongestparty.'

"`Yes, I know that,' he said, `but give me the particulars.'

"You know, Porthos, I could not give him the particularswithout naming our friends; to name them would be to committhem to ruin, so I merely said they were fifty and we weretwo.

"`There was firing, nevertheless, I heard,' he said; `andyour swords - they saw the light of day, I presume?'

"`That is, the night, my lord,' I answered.

"`Ah!' cried the cardinal, `I thought you were a Gascon, myfriend?'

"`I am a Gascon,' said I, `only when I succeed.' The answerpleased him and he laughed.

"`That will teach me,' he said, `to have my guards providedwith better horses; for if they had been able to keep upwith you and if each one of them had done as much as you andyour friend, you would have kept your word and would havebrought him back to me dead or alive.'"

"Well, there's nothing bad in that, it seems to me," saidPorthos.

"Oh, mon Dieu! no, nothing at all. It was the way in whichhe spoke. It is incredible how these biscuit soak up wine!They are veritable sponges! Gimblou, another bottle."

The bottle was brought with a promptness which showed thedegree of consideration D'Artagnan enjoyed in theestablishment. He continued:

"So I was going away, but he called me back.

"`You have had three horses foundered or killed?' he askedme.

"`Yes, my lord.'

"`How much were they worth?'"

"Why," said Porthos, "that was very good of him, it seems tome."

"`A thousand pistoles,' I said."

"A thousand pistoles!" Porthos exclaimed. "Oh! oh! that is alarge sum. If he knew anything about horses he would disputethe price."

"Faith! he was very much inclined to do so, the contemptiblefellow. He made a great start and looked at me. I alsolooked at him; then he understood, and putting his hand intoa drawer, he took from it a quantity of notes on a bank inLyons."

"For a thousand pistoles?"

"For a thousand pistoles - just that amount, the beggar;not one too many."

"And you have them?"

"They are here."

"Upon my word, I think he acted very generously."

"Generously! to men who had risked their lives for him, andbesides had done him a great service?"

"A great service - what was that?"

"Why, it seems that I crushed for him a parliamentcouncillor."

"What! that little man in black that you upset at the cornerof Saint Jean Cemetery?"

"That's the man, my dear fellow; he was an annoyance to thecardinal. Unfortunately, I didn't crush him flat. It seemsthat he came to himself and that he will continue to be anannoyance."

"See that, now!" said Porthos; "and I turned my horse asidefrom going plump on to him! That will be for another time."

"He owed me for the councillor, the pettifogger!"

"But," said Porthos, "if he was not crushed completely - - "

"Ah! Monsieur de Richelieu would have said, `Five hundredcrowns for the councillor.' Well, let's say no more aboutit. How much were your animals worth, Porthos?"

"Ah, if poor Musqueton were here he could tell you to afraction."

"No matter; you can tell within ten crowns."

"Why, Vulcan and Bayard cost me each about two hundredpistoles, and putting Phoebus at a hundred and fifty, weshould be pretty near the amount."

"There will remain, then, four hundred and fifty pistoles,"said D'Artagnan, contentedly.

"Yes," said Porthos, "but there are the equipments."

"That is very true. Well, how much for the equipments?"

"If we say one hundred pistoles for the three - - "

"Good for the hundred pistoles; there remains, then, threehundred and fifty."

Porthos made a sign of assent.

"We will give the fifty pistoles to the hostess for ourexpenses," said D'Artagnan, "and share the three hundred."

"We will share," said Porthos.

"A paltry piece of business!" murmured D'Artagnan crumplinghis note.

"Pooh!" said Porthos, "it is always that. But tell me - - "

"What?"

"Didn't he speak of me in any way?"

"Ah! yes, indeed!" cried D'Artagnan, who was afraid ofdisheartening his friend by telling him that the cardinalhad not breathed a word about him; "yes, surely, he said- - "

"He said?" resumed Porthos.

"Stop, I want to remember his exact words. He said, `As toyour friend, tell him he may sleep in peace.'"

"Good, very good," said Porthos; "that signified as clear asdaylight that he still intends to make me a baron."

At this moment nine o'clock struck. D'Artagnan started.

"Ah, yes," said Porthos, "there is nine o'clock. We have arendezvous, you remember, at the Place Royale."

"Ah! stop! hold your peace, Porthos, don't remind me of it;'tis that which has made me so cross since yesterday. Ishall not go."

"Why?" asked Porthos.

"Because it is a grievous thing for me to meet again thosetwo men who caused the failure of our enterprise."

"And yet," said Porthos, "neither of them had any advantageover us. I still had a loaded pistol and you were in fullfight, sword in hand."

"Yes," said D'Artagnan; "but what if this rendezvous hadsome hidden purpose?"

"Oh!" said Porthos, "you can't think that, D'Artagnan!"

D'Artagnan did not believe Athos to be capable of adeception, but he sought an excuse for not going to therendezvous.

"We must go," said the superb lord of Bracieux, "lest theyshould say we were afraid. We who have faced fifty foes onthe high road can well meet two in the Place Royale."

"Yes, yes, but they took part with the princes withoutapprising us of it. Athos and Aramis have played a game withme which alarms me. We discovered yesterday the truth; whatis the use of going to-day to learn something else?"

"You really have some distrust, then?" said Porthos.

"Of Aramis, yes, since he has become an abbe. You can'timagine, my dear fellow, the sort of man he is. He sees uson the road which leads him to a bishopric, and perhaps willnot be sorry to get us out of his way."

"Ah, as regards Aramis, that is another thing," saidPorthos, "and it wouldn't surprise me at all."

"Perhaps Monsieur de Beaufort will try, in his turn, to layhands on us."

"Nonsense! He had us in his power and he let us go. Besideswe can be on our guard; let us take arms, let Planchet posthimself behind us with his carbine."

"Planchet is a Frondeur," answered D'Artagnan.

"Devil take these civil wars! one can no more now reckon onone's friends than on one's footmen," said Porthos. "Ah! ifMusqueton were here! there's a fellow who will never desertme!"

"So long as you are rich! Ah! my friend! 'tis not civil warthat disunites us. It is that we are each of us twenty yearsolder; it is that the honest emotions of youth have givenplace to suggestions of interest, whispers of ambition,counsels of selfishness. Yes, you are right; let us go,Porthos, but let us go well armed; were we not to keep therendezvous, they would declare we were afraid. Halloo!Planchet! here! saddle our horses, take your carbine."

"Whom are we going to attack, sir?"

"No one; a mere matter of precaution," answered the Gascon.

"You know, sir, that they wished to murder that goodcouncillor, Broussel, the father of the people?"

"Really, did they?" said D'Artagnan.

"Yes, but he has been avenged. He was carried home in thearms of the people. His house has been full ever since. Hehas received visits from the coadjutor, from Madame deLongueville, and the Prince de Conti; Madame de Chevreuseand Madame de Vendome have left their names at his door. Andnow, whenever he wishes - - "

"Well, whenever he wishes?"

Planchet began to sing:

"Un vent de fronde

S'est leve ce matin;

Je crois qu'il gronde

Contre le Mazarin.

Un vent de fronde

S'est leve ce matin."

"It doesn't surprise me," said D'Artagnan, in a low tone toPorthos, "that Mazarin would have been much better satisfiedhad I crushed the life out of his councillor."

"You understand, then, monsieur," resumed Planchet, "that ifit were for some enterprise like that undertaken againstMonsieur Broussel that you should ask me to take my carbine- - "

"No, don't be alarmed; but where did you get all thesedetails?"

"From a good source, sir; I heard it from Friquet."

"From Friquet? I know that name - - "

"A son of Monsieur de Broussel's servant, and a lad that, Ipromise you, in a revolt will not give away his share to thedogs."

"Is he not a singing boy at Notre Dame?" asked D'Artagnan.

"Yes, that is the very boy; he's patronized by Bazin."

"Ah, yes, I know."

"Of what importance is this little reptile to you?" askedPorthos.

"Gad!" replied D'Artagnan; "he has already given me goodinformation and he may do the same again."

Whilst all this was going on, Athos and Aramis were enteringParis by the Faubourg St. Antoine. They had taken somerefreshment on the road and hastened on, that they might notfail at the appointed place. Bazin was their only attendant,for Grimaud had stayed behind to take care of Musqueton. Asthey were passing onward, Athos proposed that they shouldlay aside their arms and military costume, and assume adress more suited to the city.

"Oh, no, dear count!" cried Aramis, "is it not a warlikeencounter that we are going to?"

"What do you mean, Aramis?"

"That the Place Royale is the termination to the main roadto Vendomois, and nothing else."

"What! our friends?"

"Are become our most dangerous enemies, Athos. Let us be onour guard."

"Oh! my dear D'Herblay!"

"Who can say whether D'Artagnan may not have betrayed us tothe cardinal? who can tell whether Mazarin may not takeadvantage of this rendezvous to seize us?"

"What! Aramis, you think that D'Artagnan, that Porthos,would lend their hands to such an infamy?"

"Among friends, my dear Athos, no, you are right; but amongenemies it would be only a stratagem."

Athos crossed his arms and bowed his noble head.

"What can you expect, Athos? Men are so made; and we are notalways twenty years old. We have cruelly wounded, as youknow, that personal pride by which D'Artagnan is blindlygoverned. He has been beaten. Did you not observe hisdespair on the journey? As to Porthos, his barony wasperhaps dependent on that affair. Well, he found us on hisroad and will not be baron this time. Perhaps that famousbarony will have something to do with our interview thisevening. Let us take our precautions, Athos."

"But suppose they come unarmed? What a disgrace to us."

"Oh, never fear! besides, if they do, we can easily make anexcuse; we came straight off a journey and are insurgents,too."

"An excuse for us! to meet D'Artagnan with a false excuse!to have to make a false excuse to Porthos! Oh, Aramis!"continued Athos, shaking his head mournfully, "upon my soul,you make me the most miserable of men; you disenchant aheart not wholly dead to friendship. Go in whatever guiseyou choose; for my part, I shall go unarmed."

"No, for I will not allow you to do so. 'Tis not one man,not Athos only, not the Comte de la Fere whom you will ruinby this amiable weakness, but a whole party to whom youbelong and who depend upon you."

"Be it so then," replied Athos, sorrowfully.

And they pursued their road in mournful silence.

Scarcely had they reached by the Rue de la Mule the irongate of the Place Royale, when they perceived threecavaliers, D'Artagnan, Porthos, and Planchet, the two formerwrapped up in their military cloaks under which their swordswere hidden, and Planchet, his musket by his side. They werewaiting at the entrance of the Rue Sainte Catharine, andtheir horses were fastened to the rings of the arcade.Athos, therefore, commanded Bazin to fasten up his horse andthat of Aramis in the same manner.

They then advanced two and two, and saluted each otherpolitely.

"Now where will it be agreeable to you that we hold ourconference?" inquired Aramis, perceiving that people werestopping to look at them, supposing that they were going toengage in one of those far-famed duels still extant in thememory of the Parisians, and especially the inhabitants ofthe Place Royale.

"The gate is shut," said Aramis, "but if these gentlemenlike a cool retreat under the trees, and perfect seclusion,I will get the key from the Hotel de Rohan and we shall bewell suited."

D'Artagnan darted a look into the obscurity of the Place.Porthos ventured to put his head between the railings, totry if his glance could penetrate the gloom.

"If you prefer any other place," said Athos, in hispersuasive voice, "choose for yourselves."

"This place, if Monsieur d'Herblay can procure the key, isthe best that we can have," was the answer.

Aramis went off at once, begging Athos not to remain alonewithin reach of D'Artagnan and Porthos; a piece of advicewhich was received with a contemptuous smile.

Aramis returned soon with a man from the Hotel de Rohan, whowas saying to him:

"You swear, sir, that it is not so?"

"Stop," and Aramis gave him a louis d'or.

"Ah! you will not swear, my master," said the concierge,shaking his head.

"Well, one can never say what may happen; at present we andthese gentlemen are excellent friends."

"Yes, certainly," added Athos and the other two.

D'Artagnan had heard the conversation and had understood it.

"You see?" he said to Porthos.

"What do I see?"

"That he wouldn't swear."

"Swear what?"

"That man wanted Aramis to swear that we are not going tothe Place Royale to fight."

"And Aramis wouldn't swear?"

"No."

"Attention, then!"

Athos did not lose sight of the two speakers. Aramis openedthe gate and faced around in order that D'Artagnan andPorthos might enter. In passing through the gate, the hiltof the lieutenant's sword was caught in the grating and hewas obliged to pull off his cloak; in doing so he showed thebutt end of his pistols and a ray of the moon was reflectedon the shining metal.

"Do you see?" whispered Aramis to Athos, touching hisshoulder with one hand and pointing with the other to thearms which the Gascon wore under his belt.

"Alas! I do!" replied Athos, with a deep sigh.

He entered third, and Aramis, who shut the gate after him,last. The two serving-men waited without; but as if theylikewise mistrusted each other, they kept their respectivedistances.