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D`ARTAGNAN AND THE ENGLISHMAN

 

D`Artagnan followed Milady without being perceived by her.

He saw her get into her carriage, and heard her order the

coachman to drive to St. Germain.

 

It was useless to try to keep pace on foot with a carriage

drawn by two powerful horses. D`Artagnan therefore returned

to the Rue Ferou.

 

In the Rue de Seine he met Planchet, who had stopped before

the house of a pastry cook, and was contemplating with

ecstasy a cake of the most appetizing appearance.

 

He ordered him to go and saddle two horses in M. de

Treville`s stables--one for himself, D`Artagnan, and one for

Planchet--and bring them to Athens`s place. Once for all,

Treville had placed his stable at D`Artagnan`s service.

 

Planchet proceeded toward the Rue du Colombier, and

D`Artagnan toward the Rue Ferou. Athos was at home,

emptying sadly a bottle of the famous Spanish wine he had

brought back with him from his journey into Picardy. He

made a sign for Grimaud to bring a glass for D`Artagnan, and

Grimaud obeyed as usual.

 

D`Artagnan related to Athos all that had passed at the

church between Porthos and the procurator`s wife, and how

their comrade was probably by that time in a fair way to be

equipped.

 

"As for me," replied Athos to this recital, "I am quite at

my ease; it will not be women that will defray the expense

of my outfit."

 

"Handsome, well-bred, noble lord as you are, my dear Athos,

neither princesses nor queens would be secure from your

amorous solicitations."

 

"How young this D`Artagnan is!" said Athos, shrugging his

shoulders; and he made a sign to Grimaud to bring another

bottle.

 

At that moment Planchet put his head modestly in at the

half-open door, and told his master that the horses were

ready.

 

"What horses?" asked Athos.

 

"Two horses that Monsieur de Treville lends me at my

pleasure, and with which I am now going to take a ride to

St. Germain."

 

"Well, and what are you going to do at St. Germain?" then

demanded Athos.

 

Then D`Artagnan described the meeting which he had at the

church, and how he had found that lady who, with the

seigneur in the black cloak and with the scar near his

temple, filled his mind constantly.

 

"That is to say, you are in love with this lady as you were

with Madame Bonacieux," said Athos, shrugging his shoulders

contemptuously, as if he pitied human weakness.

 

"I? not at all!" said D`Artagnan. "I am only curious to

unravel the mystery to which she is attached. I do not know

why, but I imagine that this woman, wholly unknown to me as

she is, and wholly unknown to her as I am, has an influence

over my life."

 

"Well, perhaps you are right," said Athos. "I do not know a

woman that is worth the trouble of being sought for when she



is once lost. Madame Bonacieux is lost; so much the worse

for her if she is found."

 

"No, Athos, no, you are mistaken," said D`Artagnan; "I love

my poor Constance more than ever, and if I knew the place in

which she is, were it at the end of the world, I would go to

free her from the hands of her enemies; but I am ignorant.

All my researches have been useless. What is to be said? I

must divert my attention!"

 

"Amuse yourself with Milady, my dear D`Artagnan; I wish you

may with all my heart, if that will amuse you."

 

"Hear me, Athos," said D`Artagnan. "Instead of shutting

yourself up here as if you were under arrest, get on

horseback and come and take a ride with me to St. Germain."

 

"My dear fellow," said Athos, "I ride horses when I have

any; when I have none, I go afoot."

 

"Well," said D`Artagnan, smiling at the misanthropy of

Athos, which from any other person would have offended him,

"I ride what I can get; I am not so proud as you. So AU

REVOIR, dear Athos."

 

"AU REVOIR," said the Musketeer, making a sign to Grimaud to

uncork the bottle he had just brought.

 

D`Artagnan and Planchet mounted, and took the road to St.

Germain.

 

All along the road, what Athos had said respecting Mme.

Bonacieux recurred to the mind of the young man. Although

D`Artagnan was not of a very sentimental character, the

mercer`s pretty wife had made a real impression upon his

heart. As he said, he was ready to go to the end of the

world to seek her; but the world, being round, has many

ends, so that he did not know which way to turn. Meantime,

he was going to try to find out Milady. Milady had spoken

to the man in the black cloak; therefore she knew him. Now,

in the opinion of D`Artagnan, it was certainly the man in

the black cloak who had carried off Mme. Bonacieux the

second time, as he had carried her off the first.

D`Artagnan then only half-lied, which is lying but little,

when he said that by going in search of Milady he at the

same time went in search of Constance.

 

Thinking of all this, and from time to time giving a touch

of the spur to his horse, D`Artagnan completed his short

journey, and arrived at St. Germain. He had just passed by

the pavilion in which ten years later Louis XIV was born.

He rode up a very quiet street, looking to the right and the

left to see if he could catch any vestige of his beautiful

Englishwoman, when from the ground floor of a pretty house,

which, according to the fashion of the time, had no window

toward the street, he saw a face peep out with which he

thought he was acquainted. This person walked along the

terrace, which was ornamented with flowers. Planchet

recognized him first.

 

"Eh, monsieur!" said he, addressing D`Artagnan, "don`t you

remember that face which is blinking yonder?"

 

"No," said D`Artagnan, "and yet I am certain it is not the

first time I have seen that visage."

 

"PARBLEU, I believe it is not," said Planchet. "Why, it is

poor Lubin, the lackey of the Comte de Wardes--he whom you

took such good care of a month ago at Calais, on the road to

the governor`s country house!"

 

"So it is!" said D`Artagnan; "I know him now. Do you think

he would recollect you?"

 

"My faith, monsieur, he was in such trouble that I doubt if

he can have retained a very clear recollection of me."

 

"Well, go and talk with the boy," said D`Artagnan, "and make

out if you can from his conversation whether his master is

dead."

 

Planchet dismounted and went straight up to Lubin, who did

not at all remember him, and the two lackeys began to chat

with the best understanding possible; while D`Artagnan

turned the two horses into a lane, went round the house, and

came back to watch the conference from behind a hedge of

filberts.

 

At the end of an instant`s observation he heard the noise of

a vehicle, and saw Milady`s carriage stop opposite to him.

He could not be mistaken; Milady was in it. D`Artagnan

leaned upon the neck of his horse, in order that he might

see without being seen.

 

Milady put her charming blond head out at the window, and

gave her orders to her maid.

 

The latter--a pretty girl of about twenty or twenty-two

years, active and lively, the true SOUBRETTE of a great

lady--jumped from the step upon which, according to the

custom of the time, she was seated, and took her way toward

the terrace upon which D`Artagnan had perceived Lubin.

 

D`Artagnan followed the soubrette with his eyes, and saw her

go toward the terrace; but it happened that someone in the

house called Lubin, so that Planchet remained alone, looking

in all directions for the road where D`Artagnan had disappeared.

 

The maid approached Planchet, whom she took for Lubin, and

holding out a little billet to him said, "For your master."

 

"For my master?" replied Planchet, astonished.

 

"Yes, and important. Take it quickly."

 

Thereupon she ran toward the carriage, which had turned

round toward the way it came, jumped upon the step, and the

carriage drove off.

 

Planchet turned and returned the billet. Then, accustomed

to passive obedience, he jumped down from the terrace, ran

toward the lane, and at the end of twenty paces met

D`Artagnan, who, having seen all, was coming to him.

 

"For you, monsieur," said Planchet, presenting the billet to

the young man.

 

"For me?" said D`Artagnan; "are you sure of that?"

 

"PARDIEU, monsieur, I can`t be more sure. The SOUBRETTE said,

`For your master.` I have no other master but you; so-

a pretty little lass, my faith, is that SOUBRETTE!"

 

D`Artagnan opened the letter, and read these words:

 

 

"A person who takes more interest in you than she is willing

to confess wishes to know on what day it will suit you to

walk in the forest? Tomorrow, at the Hotel Field of the

Cloth of Gold, a lackey in black and red will wait for your

reply."

 

 

"Oh!" said D`Artagnan, "this is rather warm; it appears that

Milady and I are anxious about the health of the same

person. Well, Planchet, how is the good Monsieur de Wardes?

He is not dead, then?"

 

"No, monsieur, he is as well as a man can be with four sword

wounds in his body; for you, without question, inflicted

four upon the dear gentleman, and he is still very weak,

having lost almost all his blood. As I said, monsieur,

Lubin did not know me, and told me our adventure from one

end to the other."

 

"Well done, Planchet! you are the king of lackeys. Now jump

onto your horse, and let us overtake the carriage."

 

This did not take long. At the end of five minutes they

perceived the carriage drawn up by the roadside; a cavalier,

richly dressed, was close to the door.

 

The conversation between Milady and the cavalier was so

animated that D`Artagnan stopped on the other side of the

carriage without anyone but the pretty SOUBRETTE perceiving

his presence.

 

The conversation took place in English--a language which

D`Artagnan could not understand; but by the accent the young

man plainly saw that the beautiful Englishwoman was in a

great rage. She terminated it by an action which left no

doubt as to the nature of this conversation; this was a blow

with her fan, applied with such force that the little

feminine weapon flew into a thousand pieces.

 

The cavalier laughed aloud, which appeared to exasperate

Milady still more.

 

D`Artagnan thought this was the moment to interfere. He

approached the other door, and taking off his hat

respectfully, said, "Madame, will you permit me to offer you

my services? It appears to me that this cavalier has made

you very angry. Speak one word, madame, and I take upon

myself to punish him for his want of courtesy."

 

At the first word Milady turned, looking at the young man

with astonishment; and when he had finished, she said in

very good French, "Monsieur, I should with great confidence

place myself under your protection if the person with whom I

quarrel were not my brother."

 

"Ah, excuse me, then," said D`Artagnan. "You must be aware

that I was ignorant of that, madame."

 

"What is that stupid fellow troubling himself about?" cried

the cavalier whom Milady had designated as her brother,

stooping down to the height of the coach window. "Why does

not he go about his business?"

 

"Stupid fellow yourself!" said D`Artagnan, stooping in his

turn on the neck of his horse, and answering on his side

through the carriage window. "I do not go on because it

pleases me to stop here."

 

The cavalier addressed some words in English to his sister.

 

"I speak to you in French," said D`Artagnan; "be kind

enough, then, to reply to me in the same language. You are

Madame`s brother, I learn--be it so; but fortunately you are

not mine."

 

It might be thought that Milady, timid as women are in

general, would have interposed in this commencement of

mutual provocations in order to prevent the quarrel from

going too far; but on the contrary, she threw herself back

in her carriage, and called out coolly to the coachman,

"Go on--home!"

 

The pretty SOUBRETTE cast an anxious glance at D`Artagnan,

whose good looks seemed to have made an impression on her.

 

The carriage went on, and left the two men facing each

other; no material obstacle separated them.

 

The cavalier made a movement as if to follow the carriage;

but D`Artagnan, whose anger, already excited, was much

increased by recognizing in him the Englishman of Amiens who

had won his horse and had been very near winning his diamond

of Athos, caught at his bridle and stopped him.

 

"Well, monsieur," said he, "you appear to be more stupid

than I am, for you forget there is a little quarrel to

arrange between us two."

 

"Ah," said the Englishman, "is it you, my master? It seems

you must always be playing some game or other."

 

"Yes; and that reminds me that I have a revenge to take. We

will see, my dear monsieur, if you can handle a sword as

skillfully as you can a dice box."

 

"You see plainly that I have no sword," said the Englishman.

"Do you wish to play the braggart with an unarmed man?"

 

"I hope you have a sword at home; but at all events, I have

two, and if you like, I will throw with you for one of

them."

 

"Needless," said the Englishman; "I am well furnished with

such playthings."

 

"Very well, my worthy gentleman," replied D`Artagnan, "pick

out the longest, and come and show it to me this evening."

 

"Where, if you please?"

 

"Behind the Luxembourg; that`s a charming spot for such

amusements as the one I propose to you."

 

"That will do; I will be there."

 

"Your hour?"

 

"Six o`clock."

 

"A PROPOS, you have probably one or two friends?"

 

"I have three, who would be honored by joining in the sport

with me."

 

"Three? Marvelous! That falls out oddly! Three is just my

number!"

 

"Now, then, who are you?" asked the Englishman.

 

"I am Monsieur D`Artagnan, a Gascon gentleman, serving in

the king`s Musketeers. And you?"

 

"I am Lord de Winter, Baron Sheffield."

 

"Well, then, I am your servant, Monsieur Baron," said

D`Artagnan, "though you have names rather difficult to

recollect." And touching his horse with the spur, he

cantered back to Paris. As he was accustomed to do in all

cases of any consequence, D`Artagnan went straight to the

residence of Athos.

 

He found Athos reclining upon a large sofa, where he was

waiting, as he said, for his outfit to come and find him.

He related to Athos all that had passed, except the letter

to M. de Wardes.

 

Athos was delighted to find he was going to fight an

Englishman. We might say that was his dream.

 

They immediately sent their lackeys for Porthos and Aramis,

and on their arrival made them acquainted with the

situation.

 

Porthos drew his sword from the scabbard, and made passes at

the wall, springing back from time to time, and making

contortions like a dancer.

 

Aramis, who was constantly at work at his poem, shut himself

up in Athos`s closet, and begged not to be disturbed before

the moment of drawing swords.

 

Athos, by signs, desired Grimaud to bring another bottle of

wine.

 

D`Artagnan employed himself in arranging a little plan, of

which we shall hereafter see the execution, and which

promised him some agreeable adventure, as might be seen by

the smiles which from time to time passed over his

countenance, whose thoughtfulness they animated.

 

 


Date: 2015-01-29; view: 622


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