As Athos and Aramis proceeded, and passed differentcompanies on the road, they became aware that they werearriving near the field of battle.

"Ah! my friend!" cried Athos, suddenly, "where have youbrought us? I fancy I perceive around us faces of differentofficers in the royal army; is not that the Duc de Chatillonhimself coming toward us with his brigadiers?"

"Good-day, sirs," said the duke, advancing; "you are puzzledby what you see here, but one word will explain everything.There is now a truce and a conference. The prince, Monsieurde Retz, the Duc de Beaufort, the Duc de Bouillon, aretalking over public affairs. Now one of two things musthappen: either matters will not be arranged, or they will bearranged, in which last case I shall be relieved of mycommand and we shall still meet again."

"Sir," said Aramis, "you speak to the point. Allow me to askyou a question: Where are the plenipotentiaries?"

"At Charenton, in the second house on the right on enteringfrom the direction of Paris."

"And was this conference arranged beforehand?"

"No, gentlemen, it seems to be the result of certainpropositions which Mazarin made last night to theParisians."

Athos and Aramis exchanged smiles; for they well knew whatthose propositions were, to whom they had been made and whohad made them.

"And that house in which the plenipotentiaries are," askedAthos, "belongs to - - "

"To Monsieur de Chanleu, who commands your troops atCharenton. I say your troops, for I presume that yougentlemen are Frondeurs?"

"Yes, almost," said Aramis.

"We are for the king and the princes," added Athos.

"We must understand each other," said the duke. "The king iswith us and his generals are the Duke of Orleans and thePrince de Conde, although I must add 'tis almost impossiblenow to know to which party any one belongs."

"Yes," answered Athos, "but his right place is in our ranks,with the Prince de Conti, De Beaufort, D'Elbeuf, and DeBouillon; but, sir, supposing that the conference is brokenoff - are you going to try to take Charenton?"

"Such are my orders."

"Sir, since you command the cavalry - - "

"Pardon me, I am commander-in-chief."

"So much the better. You must know all your officers - Imean those more distinguished."

"Why, yes, very nearly."

"Will you then kindly tell me if you have in your commandthe Chevalier d'Artagnan, lieutenant in the musketeers?"

"No, sir, he is not with us; he left Paris more than sixweeks ago and is believed to have gone on a mission toEngland."

"I knew that, but I supposed he had returned."

"No, sir; no one has seen him. I can answer positively onthat point, for the musketeers belong to our forces andMonsieur de Cambon, the substitute for Monsieur d'Artagnan,still holds his place."

The two friends looked at each other.

"You see," said Athos.

"It is strange," said Aramis.

"It is absolutely certain that some misfortune has happenedto them on the way."

"If we have no news of them this evening, to-morrow we muststart."

Athos nodded affirmatively, then turning:

"And Monsieur de Bragelonne, a young man fifteen years ofage, attached to the Prince de Conde - has he the honor ofbeing known to you?" diffident in allowing the sarcasticAramis to perceive how strong were his paternal feelings.

"Yes, surely, he came with the prince; a charming young man;he is one of your friends then, monsieur le comte?"

"Yes, sir," answered Athos, agitated; "so much so that Iwish to see him if possible."

"Quite possible, sir; do me the favor to accompany me and Iwill conduct you to headquarters."

"Halloo, there!" cried Aramis, turning around; "what a noisebehind us!"

"A body of cavaliers is coming toward us," said Chatillon.

"I recognize the coadjutor by his Frondist hat."

"And I the Duc de Beaufort by his white plume of ostrichfeathers."

"They are coming, full gallop; the prince is with them - ah! he is leaving them!"

"They are beating the rappel!" cried Chatillon; "we mustdiscover what is going on."

In fact, they saw the soldiers running to their arms; thetrumpets sounded; the drums beat; the Duc de Beaufort drewhis sword. On his side the prince sounded a rappel and allthe officers of the royalist army, mingling momentarily withthe Parisian troops, ran to him.

"Gentlemen," cried Chatillon, "the truce is broken, that isevident; they are going to fight; go, then, into Charenton,for I shall begin in a short time - there's a signal fromthe prince!"

The cornet of a troop had in fact just raised the standardof the prince.

"Farewell, till the next time we meet," cried Chatillon, andhe set off, full gallop.

Athos and Aramis turned also and went to salute thecoadjutor and the Duc de Beaufort. As to the Duc deBouillon, he had such a fit of gout as obliged him to returnto Paris in a litter; but his place was well filled by theDuc d'Elbeuf and his four sons, ranged around him like astaff. Meantime, between Charenton and the royal army wasleft a space which looked ready to serve as a last restingplace for the dead.

"Gentlemen," cried the coadjutor, tightening his sash, whichhe wore, after the fashion of the ancient military prelates,over his archiepiscopal simar, "there's the enemyapproaching. Let us save them half of their journey."

And without caring whether he were followed or not he setoff; his regiment, which bore the name of the regiment ofCorinth, from the name of his archbishopric, darted afterhim and began the fight. Monsieur de Beaufort sent hiscavalry, toward Etampes and Monsieur de Chanleu, whodefended the place, was ready to resist an assault, or ifthe enemy were repulsed, to attempt a sortie.

The battle soon became general and the coadjutor performedmiracles of valor. His proper vocation had always been thesword and he was delighted whenever he could draw it fromthe scabbard, no matter for whom or against whom.

Chanleu, whose fire at one time repulsed the royal regiment,thought that the moment was come to pursue it; but it wasreformed and led again to the charge by the Duc de Chatillonin person. This charge was so fierce, so skillfullyconducted, that Chanleu was almost surrounded. He commandeda retreat, which began, step by step, foot by foot;unhappily, in an instant he fell, mortally wounded. DeChatillon saw him fall and announced it in a loud voice tohis men, which raised their spirits and completelydisheartened their enemies, so that every man thought onlyof his own safety and tried to gain the trenches, where thecoadjutor was trying to reform his disorganized regiment.

Suddenly a squadron of cavalry galloped up to encounter theroyal troops, who were entering, pele-mele, theintrenchments with the fugitives. Athos and Aramis chargedat the head of their squadrons; Aramis with sword and pistolin his hands, Athos with his sword in his scabbard, hispistol in his saddle-bags; calm and cool as if on theparade, except that his noble and beautiful countenancebecame sad as he saw slaughtered so many men who weresacrificed on the one side to the obstinacy of royalty andon the other to the personal rancor of the princes. Aramis,on the contrary, struck right and left and was almostdelirious with excitement. His bright eyes kindled, and hismouth, so finely formed, assumed a wicked smile; every blowhe aimed was sure, and his pistol finished the deed - annihilated the wounded wretch who tried to rise again.

On the opposite side two cavaliers, one covered with a giltcuirass, the other wearing simply a buff doublet, from whichfell the sleeves of a vest of blue velvet, charged in front.The cavalier in the gilt cuirass fell upon Aramis and strucka blow that Aramis parried with his wonted skill.

"Ah! 'tis you, Monsieur de Chatillon," cried the chevalier;"welcome to you - I expected you."

"I hope I have not made you wait too long, sir," said theduke; "at all events, here I am."

"Monsieur de Chatillon," cried Aramis, taking from hissaddle-bags a second pistol, "I think if your pistols havebeen discharged you are a dead man."

"Thank God, sir, they are not!"

And the duke, pointing his pistol at Aramis, fired. ButAramis bent his head the instant he saw the duke's fingerpress the trigger and the ball passed without touching him.

"Oh! you've missed me," cried Aramis, "but I swear toHeaven! I will not miss you."

"If I give you time!" cried the duke, spurring on his horseand rushing upon him with his drawn sword.

Aramis awaited him with that terrible smile which waspeculiar to him on such occasions, and Athos, who saw theduke advancing toward Aramis with the rapidity of lightning,was just going to cry out, "Fire! fire, then!" when the shotwas fired. De Chatillon opened his arms and fell back on thecrupper of his horse.

The ball had entered his breast through a notch in thecuirass.

"I am a dead man," he said, and fell from his horse to theground.

"I told you this, I am now grieved I have kept my word. CanI be of any use to you?"

Chatillon made a sign with his hand and Aramis was about todismount when he received a violent shock; 'twas a thrustfrom a sword, but his cuirass turned aside the blow.

He turned around and seized his new antagonist by the wrist,when he started back, exclaiming, "Raoul!"

"Raoul?" cried Athos.

The young man recognized at the same instant the voices ofhis father and the Chevalier d'Herblay; two officers in theParisian forces rushed at that instant on Raoul, but Aramisprotected him with his sword.

"My prisoner!" he cried.

Athos took his son's horse by the bridle and led him forthout of the melee.

At this crisis of the battle, the prince, who had beenseconding De Chatillon in the second line, appeared in themidst of the fight; his eagle eye made him known and hisblows proclaimed the hero.

On seeing him, the regiment of Corinth, which the coadjutorhad not been able to reorganize in spite of all his efforts,threw itself into the midst of the Parisian forces, put theminto confusion and re-entered Charenton flying. Thecoadjutor, dragged along with his fugitive forces, passednear the group formed by Athos, Raoul and Aramis. Aramiscould not in his jealousy avoid being pleased at thecoadjutor's misfortune, and was about to utter some bon motmore witty than correct, when Athos stopped him.

"On, on!" he cried, "this is no moment for compliments; orrather, back, for the battle seems to be lost by theFrondeurs."

"It is a matter of indifference to me," said Aramis; "I camehere only to meet De Chatillon; I have met him, I amcontented; 'tis something to have met De Chatillon in aduel!"

"And besides, we have a prisoner," said Athos, pointing toRaoul.

The three cavaliers continued their road on full gallop.

"What were you doing in the battle, my friend?" inquiredAthos of the youth; "'twas not your right place, I think, asyou were not equipped for an engagement!"

"I had no intention of fighting to-day, sir; I was charged,indeed, with a mission to the cardinal and had set out forRueil, when, seeing Monsieur de Chatillon charge, aninvincible desire possessed me to charge at his side. It wasthen that he told me two cavaliers of the Parisian army wereseeking me and named the Comte de la Fere."

"What! you knew we were there and yet wished to kill yourfriend the chevalier?"

"I did not recognize the chevalier in armor, sir!" saidRaoul, blushing; "though I might have known him by his skilland coolness in danger."

"Thank you for the compliment, my young friend," repliedAramis, "we can see from whom you learned courtesy. Then youwere going to Rueil?"

"Yes! I have a despatch from the prince to his eminence."

"You must still deliver it," said Athos.

"No false generosity, count! the fate of our friends, to saynothing of our own, is perhaps in that very despatch."

"This young man must not, however, fail in his duty," saidAthos.

"In the first place, count, this youth is our prisoner; youseem to forget that. What I propose to do is fair in war;the vanquished must not be dainty in the choice of means.Give me the despatch, Raoul."

The young man hesitated and looked at Athos as if seeking toread in his eyes a rule of conduct.

"Give him the despatch, Raoul! you are the chevalier'sprisoner."

Raoul gave it up reluctantly; Aramis instantly seized andread it.

"You," he said, "you, who are so trusting, read and reflectthat there is something in this letter important for us tosee."

Athos took the letter, frowning, but an idea that he shouldfind something in this letter about D'Artagnan conquered hisunwillingness to read it.

"My lord, I shall send this evening to your eminence inorder to reinforce the troop of Monsieur de Comminges, theten men you demand. They are good soldiers, fit to confrontthe two violent adversaries whose address and resolutionyour eminence is fearful of."

"Oh!" cried Athos.

"Well," said Aramis, "what think you about these two enemieswhom it requires, besides Comminges's troop, ten goodsoldiers to confront; are they not as like as two drops ofwater to D'Artagnan and Porthos?"

"We'll search Paris all day long," said Athos, "and if wehave no news this evening we will return to the road toPicardy; and I feel no doubt that, thanks to D'Artagnan'sready invention, we shall then find some clew which willsolve our doubts."

"Yes, let us search Paris and especially inquire of Planchetif he has yet heard from his former master."

"That poor Planchet! You speak of him very much at yourease, Aramis; he has probably been killed. All thosefighting citizens went out to battle and they have beenmassacred."

It was, then, with a sentiment of uneasiness whetherPlanchet, who alone could give them information, was aliveor dead, that the friends returned to the Place Royale; totheir great surprise they found the citizens still encampedthere, drinking and bantering each other, although,doubtless, mourned by their families, who thought they wereat Charenton in the thickest of the fighting.

Athos and Aramis again questioned Planchet, but he had seennothing of D'Artagnan; they wished to take Planchet withthem, but he could not leave his troop, who at five o'clockreturned home, saying that they were returning from thebattle, whereas they had never lost sight of the bronzeequestrian statue of Louis XIII.