On leaving Paris, Athos and Aramis well knew that they wouldbe encountering great danger; but we know that for men likethese there could be no question of danger. Besides, theyfelt that the denouement of this second Odyssey was at handand that there remained but a single effort to make.

Besides, there was no tranquillity in Paris itself.Provisions began to fail, and whenever one of the Prince deConti's generals wished to gain more influence he got up alittle popular tumult, which he put down again, and thus forthe moment gained a superiority over his colleagues.

In one of these risings. the Duc de Beaufort pillaged thehouse and library of Mazarin, in order to give the populace,as he put it, something to gnaw at. Athos and Aramis leftParis after this coup-d'etat, which took place on the veryevening of the day in which the Parisians had been beaten atCharenton.

They quitted Paris, beholding it abandoned to extreme want,bordering on famine; agitated by fear, torn by faction.Parisians and Frondeurs as they were, the two friendsexpected to find the same misery, the same fears, the sameintrigue in the enemy's camp; but what was their surprise,after passing Saint Denis, to hear that at Saint Germainpeople were singing and laughing, and leading generallycheerful lives. The two gentlemen traveled by byways inorder not to encounter the Mazarinists scattered about theIsle of France, and also to escape the Frondeurs, who werein possession of Normandy and who never failed to conductcaptives to the Duc de Longueville, in order that he mightascertain whether they were friends or foes. Having escapedthese dangers, they returned by the main road to Boulogne,at Abbeville, and followed it step by step, examining everytrack.

Nevertheless, they were still in a state of uncertainty.Several inns were visited by them, several innkeepersquestioned, without a single clew being given to guide theirinquiries, when at Montreuil Athos felt upon the table thatsomething rough was touching his delicate fingers. He turnedup the cloth and found these hieroglyphics carved upon thewood with a knife:

"Port .... D'Art .... 2d February."

"This is capital!" said Athos to Aramis, "we were to haveslept here, but we cannot - we must push on." They rodeforward and reached Abbeville. There the great number ofinns puzzled them; they could not go to all; how could theyguess in which those whom they were seeking had stayed?

"Trust me," said Aramis, "do not expect to find anything inAbbeville. If we had only been looking for Porthos, Porthoswould have stationed himself in one of the finest hotels andwe could easily have traced him. But D'Artagnan is devoid ofsuch weaknesses. Porthos would have found it very difficulteven to make him see that he was dying of hunger; he hasgone on his road as inexorable as fate and we must seek himsomewhere else."

They continued their route. It had now become a weary andalmost hopeless task, and had it not been for the threefoldmotives of honor, friendship and gratitude, implanted intheir hearts, our two travelers would have given up many atime their rides over the sand, their interrogatories of thepeasantry and their close inspection of faces.

They proceeded thus to Peronne.

Athos began to despair. His noble nature felt that theirignorance was a sort of reflection upon them. They had notlooked carefully enough for their lost friends. They had notshown sufficient pertinacity in their inquiries. They werewilling and ready to retrace their steps, when, in crossingthe suburb which leads to the gates of the town, upon awhite wall which was at the corner of a street turningaround the rampart, Athos cast his eyes upon a drawing inblack chalk, which represented, with the awkwardness of afirst attempt, two cavaliers riding furiously; one of themcarried a roll of paper on which were written these words:"They are following us."

"Oh!" exclaimed Athos, "here it is, as clear as day; pursuedas he was, D'Artagnan would not have tarried here fiveminutes had he been pressed very closely, which gives ushopes that he may have succeeded in escaping."

Aramis shook his head.

"Had he escaped we should either have seen him or have heardhim spoken of."

"You are right, Aramis, let us travel on."

To describe the impatience and anxiety of these two friendswould be impossible. Uneasiness took possession of thetender, constant heart of Athos, and fearful forecasts werethe torment of the impulsive Aramis. They galloped on fortwo or three hours as furiously as the cavaliers on thewall. All at once, in a narrow pass, they perceived that theroad was partially barricaded by an enormous stone. It hadevidently been rolled across the pass by some arm of giantstrength.

Aramis stopped.

"Oh!" he said, looking at the stone, "this is the work ofeither Hercules or Porthos. Let us get down, count, andexamine this rock."

They both alighted. The stone had been brought with theevident intention of barricading the road, but some onehaving perceived the obstacle had partially turned it aside.

With the assistance of Blaisois and Grimaud the friendssucceeded in turning the stone over. Upon the side next theground were scratched the following words:

"Eight of the light dragoons are pursuing us. If we reachCompiegne we shall stop at the Peacock. It is kept by afriend of ours."

"At last we have something definite," said Athos; "let us goto the Peacock."

"Yes," answered Aramis, "but if we are to get there we mustrest our horses, for they are almost broken-winded."

Aramis was right; they stopped at the first tavern and madeeach horse swallow a double quantity of corn steeped inwine; they gave them three hours' rest and then set offagain. The men themselves were almost dead with fatigue, buthope supported them.

In six hours they reached Compiegne and alighted at thePeacock. The host proved to be a worthy man, as bald as aChinaman. They asked him if some time ago he had notreceived in his house two gentlemen who were pursued bydragoons; without answering he went out and brought in theblade of a rapier.

"Do you know that?" he asked.

Athos merely glanced at it.

"'Tis D'Artagnan's sword," he said.

"Does it belong to the smaller or to the larger of the two?"asked the host.

"To the smaller."

"I see that you are the friends of these gentlemen."

"Well, what has happened to them?"

"They were pursued by eight of the light dragoons, who rodeinto the courtyard before they had time to close the gate."

"Eight!" said Aramis; "it surprises me that two such heroesas Porthos and D'Artagnan should have allowed themselves tobe arrested by eight men."

"The eight men would doubtless have failed had they not beenassisted by twenty soldiers of the regiment of Italians inthe king's service, who are in garrison in this town so thatyour friends were overpowered by numbers."

"Arrested, were they?" inquired Athos; "is it known why?"

"No, sir, they were carried off instantly, and had not eventime to tell me why; but as soon as they were gone I foundthis broken sword-blade, as I was helping to raise two deadmen and five or six wounded ones."

"'Tis still a consolation that they were not wounded," saidAramis.

"Where were they taken?" asked Athos.

"Toward the town of Louvres," was the reply.

The two friends having agreed to leave Blaisois and Grimaudat Compiegne with the horses, resolved to take post horses;and having snatched a hasty dinner they continued theirjourney to Louvres. Here they found only one inn, in whichwas consumed a liqueur which preserves its reputation to ourtime and which is still made in that town.

"Let us alight here," said Athos. "D'Artagnan will not havelet slip an opportunity of drinking a glass of this liqueur,and at the same time leaving some trace of himself."

They went into the town and asked for two glasses ofliqueur, at the counter - as their friends must have donebefore them. The counter was covered with a plate of pewter;upon this plate was written with the point of a large pin:"Rueil . . . D . ."

"They went to Rueil," cried Aramis.

"Let us go to Rueil," said Athos.

"It is to throw ourselves into the wolf's jaws," saidAramis.

"Had I been as great a friend of Jonah as I am of D'ArtagnanI should have followed him even into the inside of the whaleitself; and you would have done the same, Aramis."

"Certainly - but you make me out better than I am, dearcount. Had I been alone I should scarcely have gone to Rueilwithout great caution. But where you go, I go."

They then set off for Rueil. Here the deputies of theparliament had just arrived, in order to enter upon thosefamous conferences which were to last three weeks, andproduced eventually that shameful peace, at the conclusionof which the prince was arrested. Rueil was crowded withadvocates, presidents and councillors, who came from theParisians, and, on the side of the court, with officers andguards; it was therefore easy, in the midst of thisconfusion, to remain as unobserved as any one might wish;besides, the conferences implied a truce, and to arrest twogentlemen, even Frondeurs, at this time, would have been anattack on the rights of the people.

The two friends mingled with the crowd and fancied thatevery one was occupied with the same thought that tormentedthem. They expected to hear some mention made of D'Artagnanor of Porthos, but every one was engrossed by articles andreforms. It was the advice of Athos to go straight to theminister.

"My friend," said Aramis, "take care; our safety lies in ourobscurity. If we were to make ourselves known we should besent to rejoin our friends in some deep ditch, from whichthe devil himself could not take us out. Let us try not tofind them out by accident, but from our notions. Arrested atCompiegne, they have been carried to Rueil; at Rueil theyhave been questioned by the cardinal, who has either keptthem near him or sent them to Saint Germain. As to theBastile, they are not there, though the Bastile isespecially for the Frondeurs. They are not dead, for thedeath of D'Artagnan would make a sensation. As for Porthos,I believe him to be eternal, like God, although lesspatient. Do not let us despond, but wait at Rueil, for myconviction is that they are at Rueil. But what ails you? Youare pale."

"It is this," answered Athos, with a trembling voice.

"I remember that at the Castle of Rueil the CardinalRichelieu had some horrible `oubliettes' constructed."

"Oh! never fear," said Aramis. "Richelieu was a gentleman,our equal in birth, our superior in position. He could, likethe king, touch the greatest of us on the head, and touchingthem make such heads shake on their shoulders. But Mazarinis a low-born rogue, who can at the most take us by thecollar, like an archer. Be calm - for I am sure thatD'Artagnan and Porthos are at Rueil, alive and well."

"But," resumed Athos, "I recur to my first proposal. I knowno better means than to act with candor. I shall seek, notMazarin, but the queen, and say to her, `Madame, restore tous your two servants and our two friends.'"

Aramis shook his head.

"'Tis a last resource, but let us not employ it till it isimperatively called for; let us rather persevere in ourresearches."

They continued their inquiries and at last met with a lightdragoon who had formed one of the guard which had escortedD'Artagnan to Rueil.

Athos, however, perpetually recurred to his proposedinterview with the queen.

"In order to see the queen," said Aramis, "we must first seethe cardinal; and when we have seen the cardinal - rememberwhat I tell you, Athos - we shall be reunited to ourfriends, but not in the way you wish. Now, that way ofjoining them is not very attractive to me, I confess. Let usact in freedom, that we may act well and quickly."

"I shall go," he said, "to the queen."

"Well, then," answered Aramis, "pray tell me a day or twobeforehand, that I may take that opportunity of going toParis."

"To whom?"

"Zounds! how do I know? perhaps to Madame de Longueville.She is all-powerful yonder; she will help me. But send meword should you be arrested, for then I will returndirectly."

"Why do you not take your chance and be arrested with me?"

"No, I thank you."

"Should we, by being arrested, be all four together again,we should not, I am not sure, be twenty-four hours in prisonwithout getting free."

"My friend, since I killed Chatillon, adored of the ladiesof Saint Germain, I am too great a celebrity not to fear aprison doubly. The queen is likely to follow Mazarin'scounsels and to have me tried."

"Do you think she loves this Italian so much as they say shedoes?"

"Did she not love an Englishman?"

"My friend, she is a woman."

"No, no, you are deceived - she is a queen."

"Dear friend, I shall sacrifice myself and go and see Anneof Austria."

"Adieu, Athos, I am going to raise an army."

"For what purpose?"

"To come back and besiege Rueil."

"Where shall we meet again?"

"At the foot of the cardinal's gallows."

The two friends departed - Aramis to return to Paris, Athosto take measures preparatory to an interview with the queen.