Though Mordaunt had been so completely taken by surprise andhad mounted the stairs in such utter confusion, when onceseated he recovered himself, as it were, and prepared toseize any possible opportunity of escape. His eye wanderedto a long stout sword on his flank and he instinctivelyslipped it around within reach of his right hand.

D'Artagnan was waiting for a reply to his remark and saidnothing. Aramis muttered to himself, "We shall hear nothingbut the usual commonplace things."

Porthos sucked his mustache, muttering, "A good deal ofceremony to-night about crushing an adder." Athos shrunkinto his corner, pale and motionless as a bas-relief.

The silence, however, could not last forever. So D'Artagnanbegan:

"Sir," he said, with desperate politeness, "it seems to methat you change your costume almost as rapidly as I haveseen the Italian mummers do, whom the Cardinal Mazarinbrought over from Bergamo and whom he doubtless took you tosee during your travels in France."

Mordaunt did not reply.

"Just now," D'Artagnan continued, "you were disguised - Imean to say, attired - as a murderer, and now - - "

"And now I look very much like a man who is going to bemurdered."

"Oh! sir," said D'Artagnan, "how can you talk like that whenyou are in the company of gentlemen and have such anexcellent sword at your side?"

"No sword is excellent enough to be of use against fourswords and daggers."

"Well, that is scarcely the question. I had the honor ofasking you why you altered your costume. The mask and beardbecame you very well, and as to the axe, I do not think itwould be out of keeping even at this moment. Why, then, haveyou laid it aside?"

"Because, remembering the scene at Armentieres, I thought Ishould find four axes for one, as I was to meet fourexecutioners."

"Sir," replied D'Artagnan, in the calmest manner possible,"you are very young; I shall therefore overlook yourfrivolous remarks. What took place at Armentieres has noconnection whatever with the present occasion. We couldscarcely have requested your mother to take a sword andfight us."

"Aha! It is a duel, then?" cried Mordaunt, as if disposed toreply at once to the provocation.

Porthos rose, always ready for this kind of adventure.

"Pardon me," said D'Artagnan. "Do not let us do things in ahurry. We will arrange the matter rather better. Confess,Monsieur Mordaunt, that you are anxious to kill some of us."

"All," replied Mordaunt.

"Then, my dear sir; I am convinced that these gentlemenreturn your kind wishes and will be delighted to kill youalso. Of course they will do so as honorable gentlemen, andthe best proof I can furnish is this - - "

So saying, he threw his hat on the ground, pushed back hischair to the wall and bowed to Mordaunt with true Frenchgrace.

"At your service, sir," he continued. "My sword is shorterthan yours, it's true, but, bah! I think the arm will makeup for the sword."

"Halt!" cried Porthos coming forward. "I begin, and withoutany rhetoric."

"Allow me, Porthos," said Aramis.

Athos did not move. He might have been taken for a statue.Even his breathing seemed to be arrested.

"Gentlemen," said D'Artagnan, "you shall have your turn.Monsieur Mordaunt dislikes you sufficiently not to refuseyou afterward. You can see it in his eye. So pray keep yourplaces, like Athos, whose calmness is entirely laudable.Besides, we will have no words about it. I have particularbusiness to settle with this gentleman and I shall and willbegin."

Porthos and Aramis drew back, disappointed, and drawing hissword D'Artagnan turned to his adversary:

"Sir, I am waiting for you."

"And for my part, gentlemen, I admire you. You are disputingwhich shall fight me first, but you do not consult me who ammost concerned in the matter. I hate you all, but notequally. I hope to kill all four of you, but I am morelikely to kill the first than the second, the second thanthe third, and the third than the last. I claim, then, theright to choose my opponent. If you refuse this right youmay kill me, but I shall not fight."

"It is but fair," said Porthos and Aramis, hoping he wouldchoose one of them.

Athos and D'Artagnan said nothing, but their silence seemedto imply consent.

"Well, then," said Mordaunt, "I choose for my adversary theman who, not thinking himself worthy to be called Comte dela Fere, calls himself Athos."

Athos sprang up, but after an instant of motionless silencehe said, to the astonishment of his friends, "MonsieurMordaunt, a duel between us is impossible. Submit thishonour to somebody else." And he sat down.

"Ah!" said Mordaunt, with a sneer, "there's one who isafraid."

"Zounds!" exclaimed D'Artagnan, bounding toward him, "whosays that Athos is afraid?"

"Let him have his say, D'Artagnan," said Athos, with a smileof sadness and contempt.

"Is it your decision, Athos?" resumed the Gascon.

"Irrevocably."

"You hear, sir," said D'Artagnan, turning to Mordaunt. "TheComte de la Fere will not do you the honor of fighting withyou. Choose one of us to replace the Comte de la Fere."

"As long as I don't fight with him it is the same to me withwhom I fight. Put your names into a hat and draw lots."

"A good idea," said D'Artagnan.

"At least that will conciliate us all," said Aramis.

"I should never have thought of that," said Porthos, "andyet it is very simple."

"Come, Aramis," said D'Artagnan, "write this for us in thoseneat little characters in which you wrote to Marie Michonthat the mother of this gentleman intended to assassinatethe Duke of Buckingham."

Mordaunt sustained this new attack without wincing. He stoodwith his arms folded, apparently as calm as any man could bein such circumstances. If he had not courage he had what isvery like it, namely, pride.

Aramis went to Cromwell's desk, tore off three bits of paperof equal size, wrote on the first his own name and on theothers those of his two companions, and presented them opento Mordaunt, who by a movement of his head indicated that heleft the matter entirely to Aramis. He then rolled themseparately and put them in a hat, which he handed toMordaunt.

Mordaunt put his hand into the hat, took out one of thethree papers and disdainfully dropped it on the tablewithout reading it.

"Ah! serpent," muttered D'Artagnan, "I would give my chanceof a captaincy in the mousquetaires for that to be my name."

Aramis opened the paper, and in a voice trembling with hateand vengeance read "D'Artagnan."

The Gascon uttered a cry of joy and turning to Mordaunt:

"I hope, sir," said he, "you have no objection to make."

"None, whatever," replied the other, drawing his sword andresting the point on his boot.

The moment that D'Artagnan saw that his wish wasaccomplished and his man would not escape him, he recoveredhis usual tranquillity. He turned up his cuffs neatly andrubbed the sole of his right boot on the floor, but did notfail, however, to remark that Mordaunt was looking about himin a singular manner.

"Are you ready, sir?" he said at last.

"I was waiting for you, sir," said Mordaunt, raising hishead and casting at his opponent a look it would beimpossible to describe.

"Well, then," said the Gascon, "take care of yourself, for Iam not a bad hand at the rapier."

"Nor I either."

"So much the better; that sets my mind at rest. Defendyourself."

"One minute," said the young man. "Give me your word,gentlemen, that you will not attack me otherwise than oneafter the other."

"Is it to have the pleasure of insulting us that you saythat, my little viper?"

"No, but to set my mind at rest, as you observed just now."

"It is for something else than that, I imagine," mutteredD'Artagnan, shaking his head doubtfully.

"On the honor of gentlemen," said Aramis and Porthos.

"In that case, gentlemen, have the kindness to retire intothe corners, so as to give us ample room. We shall requireit."

"Yes, gentlemen," said D'Artagnan, "we must not leave thisperson the slightest pretext for behaving badly, which, withall due respect, I fancy he is anxious still to do."

This new attack made no impression on Mordaunt. The spacewas cleared, the two lamps placed on Cromwell's desk, inorder that the combatants might have as much light aspossible; and the swords crossed.

D'Artagnan was too good a swordsman to trifle with hisopponent. He made a rapid and brilliant feint which Mordauntparried.

"Aha!" he cried with a smile of satisfaction.

And without losing a minute, thinking he saw an opening, hethrust his right in and forced Mordaunt to parry a counteren quarte so fine that the point of the weapon might haveturned within a wedding ring.

This time it was Mordaunt who smiled.

"Ah, sir," said D'Artagnan, "you have a wicked smile. Itmust have been the devil who taught it you, was it not?"

Mordaunt replied by trying his opponent's weapon with anamount of strength which the Gascon was astonished to findin a form apparently so feeble; but thanks to a parry noless clever than that which Mordaunt had just achieved, hesucceeded in meeting his sword, which slid along his ownwithout touching his chest.

Mordaunt rapidly sprang back a step.

"Ah! you lose ground, you are turning? Well, as you please,I even gain something by it, for I no longer see that wickedsmile of yours. You have no idea what a false look you have,particularly when you are afraid. Look at my eyes and youwill see what no looking-glass has ever shown you - a frankand honorable countenance."

To this flow of words, not perhaps in the best taste, butcharacteristic of D'Artagnan, whose principal object was todivert his opponent's attention, Mordaunt did not reply, butcontinuing to turn around he succeeded in changing placeswith D'Artagnan.

He smiled more and more sarcastically and his smile began tomake the Gascon anxious.

"Come, come," cried D'Artagnan, "we must finish with this,"and in his turn he pressed Mordaunt hard, who continued tolose ground, but evidently on purpose and without lettinghis sword leave the line for a moment. However, as they werefighting in a room and had not space to go on like thatforever, Mordaunt's foot at last touched the wall, againstwhich he rested his left hand.

"Ah, this time you cannot lose ground, my fine friend!"exclaimed D'Artagnan. "Gentlemen, did you ever see ascorpion pinned to a wall? No. Well, then, you shall see itnow."

In a second D'Artagnan had made three terrible thrusts atMordaunt, all of which touched, but only pricked him. Thethree friends looked on, panting and astonished. At lastD'Artagnan, having got up too close, stepped back to preparea fourth thrust, but the moment when, after a fine, quickfeint, he was attacking as sharply as lightning, the wallseemed to give way, Mordaunt disappeared through theopening, and D'Artagnan's blade, caught between the panels,shivered like a sword of glass. D'Artagnan sprang back; thewall had closed again.

Mordaunt, in fact, while defending himself, had manoeuvredso as to reach the secret door by which Cromwell had left,had felt for the knob with his left hand, pressed it anddisappeared.

The Gascon uttered a furious imprecation, which was answeredby a wild laugh on the other side of the iron panel.

"Help me, gentlemen," cried D'Artagnan, "we must break inthis door."

"It is the devil in person!" said Aramis, hastening forward.

"He escapes us," growled Porthos, pushing his huge shoulderagainst the hinges, but in vain. "'Sblood! he escapes us."

"So much the better," muttered Athos.

"I thought as much," said D'Artagnan, wasting his strengthin useless efforts. "Zounds, I thought as much when thewretch kept moving around the room. I thought he was up tosomething."

"It's a misfortune, to which his friend, the devil, treatsus," said Aramis.

"It's a piece of good fortune sent from Heaven," said Athos,evidently much relieved.

"Really!" said D'Artagnan, abandoning the attempt to burstopen the panel after several ineffectual attempts, "Athos, Icannot imagine how you can talk to us in that way. Youcannot understand the position we are in. In this kind ofgame, not to kill is to let one's self be killed. This foxof a fellow will be sending us a hundred iron-sided beastswho will pick us off like sparrows in this place. Come,come, we must be off. If we stay here five minutes morethere's an end of us."

"Yes, you are right."

"But where shall we go?" asked Porthos.

"To the hotel, to be sure, to get our baggage and horses;and from there, if it please God, to France, where, atleast, I understand the architecture of the houses."

So, suiting the action to the word, D'Artagnan thrust theremnant of his sword into its scabbard, picked up his hatand ran down the stairs, followed by the others.