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"Will your majesty permit me to tell you the truth?" "Speak, chevalier, speak." "Well, sire, you alarm me greatly. If your majesty undertakes the affair, as you seem inclined to do, I am a lost man; the duke will have me assassinated." The king burst into a fresh roar of laughter, which changed D'Artagnan's alarm into downright terror.
"Yes," laughed the count. "My cousin is to this day known as Porthos. But who took the papers? Not you!" "No, D'Artagnan I mean, Merton took them as far as Belgium, and then Lieutenant West and I carried them to London. D'Artagnan's share was a bad rapier-wound." "D'Artagnan?" cried the countess. "That makes it complete."
I have accumulated in my heart such a mass of despair and rage, that I, too, like yourself, need to revenge myself upon some one. I approve M. d'Artagnan's principles profoundly, but I am not bound to apply them to you. I am an Englishman, and, in my turn, I propose to you what you proposed to others to no purpose. Since you, therefore, are so terribly incensed, take me as a remedy.
"Yes, I insulted M. d'Artagnan," resumed De Wardes, who had observed that this was the only means of stinging Raoul, so as to awaken his anger. "That then," said Buckingham, "is another matter." "Precisely so," said De Wardes, "it is the province of M. d'Artagnan's friends to defend him."
"Confound it," answered Porthos, slightly confused, "we thought that you were being arrested." "While," rejoined Athos, "the matter in question was nothing but my taking a drive in M. d'Artagnan's carriage." "But we followed you from the Bastile," returned Raoul, with a tone of suspicion and reproach. "Where we had been to take supper with our friend M. Baisemeaux.
"For everything," cried d'Artagnan, who knew beforehand that he had not much to risk in engaging himself thus. "Well, now let us talk a little seriously," said Milady, in her turn drawing her armchair nearer to d'Artagnan's chair. "I am all attention, madame," said he.
One doesn't hit the bull's-eye every time; it is something to hit inside the ring. Ho! parbleau! what is the matter with my horse?" "Your horse is falling," said Porthos, reining in his own. In truth, the lieutenant's horse stumbled and fell on his knees; then a rattling in his throat was heard and he lay down to die. He had received in the chest the bullet of D'Artagnan's first adversary.
We must, therefore, watch and play a close game; for," he added with a sigh, "we two are equal, perhaps, to eight others; but we are not equal to the four that you know of." "That is true," said Porthos, echoing D'Artagnan's sigh. "Well, Porthos, follow my examples; walk back and forth till some news of our friends reaches us or till we are visited by a good idea.
He learned also that a bark had been seen far out at sea, and that, like a bird of prey, a royal vessel had pursued, overtaken, and devoured the poor little bird that was flying with such palpitating wings. But there D'Artagnan's certainties ended. The field of supposition was thrown open. Now, what could he conjecture? The vessel had not returned.
But D'Artagnan's suspicions were aroused, and when once that was the case, D'Artagnan could not sleep or remain quiet for a moment. He was among men what the cat is among quadrupeds, the emblem of anxiety and impatience, at the same moment. A restless cat can no more remain the same place than a silk thread wafted idly to and fro with every breath of air.
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