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The Three Musketeers
Twenty Years Later
The Vicomte De Bragelonne
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The Three Musketeers 21 at Prostate Health
rolled himself up in the velvet by a
movement of rotation explained by the persistency of Porthos.
DArtagnan, hearing the Musketeer swear, wished to escape from
the cloak, which blinded him, and sought to find his way from
under the folds of it. He was particularly anxious to avoid
marring the freshness of the magnificent baldric we are
acquainted with; but on timidly opening his eyes, he found
himself with his nose fixed between the two shoulders of
Porthos--that is to say, exactly upon the baldric.
Alas, like most things in this world which have nothing in their
favor but appearances, the baldric was glittering with gold in
the front, but was nothing but simple buff behind. Vainglorious
as he was, Porthos could not afford to have a baldric wholly of
gold, but had at least half. One could comprehend the necessity
of the cold and the urgency of the cloak.
"Bless me!" cried Porthos, making strong efforts to disembarrass
himself of dArtagnan, who was wriggling about his back; "you
must be mad to run against people in this manner."
"Excuse me," said dArtagnan, reappearing under the shoulder of
the giant, "but I am in such haste--I was running after someone
and--"
"And do you always forget your eyes when you run?" asked Porthos.
"No," replied dArtagnan, piqued, "and thanks to my eyes, I can
see what other people cannot see."
Whether Porthos understood him or did not understand him, giving
way to his anger, "Monsieur," said he, "you stand a chance of
getting chastised if you rub Musketeers in this fashion."
"Chastised, Monsieur!" said dArtagnan, "the expression is
strong."
"It is one that becomes a man accustomed to look his enemies in
the face."
"Ah, PARDIEU! I know full well that you dont turn your back to
yours."
And the young man, delighted with his joke, went away laughing
loudly.
Porthos foamed with rage, and made a movement to rush after
dArtagnan.
"Presently, presently," cried the latter, "when you havent your
cloak on."
"At one oclock, then, behind the Luxembourg."
"Very well, at one oclock, then," replied dArtagnan, turning
the angle of the street.
But neither in the street he had passed through, nor in the one
which his eager glance pervaded, could he see anyone; however
slowly the stranger had walked, he was gone on his way, or
perhaps had entered some house. DArtagnan inquired of everyone
he met with, went down to the ferry, came up again by the Rue de
Seine, and the Red Cross; but nothing, absolutely nothing! This
chase was, however, advantageous to him in one sense, for in
proportion as the perspiration broke from his forehead, his heart
began to cool.
He began to reflect upon the events that had passed; they were
numerous and inauspicious. It was scarcely eleven oclock in the
morning, and yet this morning had already brought him into
disgrace with M. de Treville, who could not fail to think the
manner in which dArtagnan had left him a little cavalier.
Besides this, he had drawn upon himself two good duels with two
men, each capable of killing three dArtagnans--with two
Musketeers, in short, with two of those beings whom he esteemed
so greatly that he placed them in his mind and heart above all
other men.
The outlook was sad. Sure of being killed by Athos, it may
easily be understood that the young man was not very uneasy about
Porthos. As hope, however, is the last thing extinguished in the
heart of man, he finished by hoping that he might survive, even
though with terrible wounds, in both these duels; and in case of
surviving, he made the following reprehensions upon his own
conduct:
"What a madcap I was, and what a stupid fellow I am! That brave
and unfortunate Athos was wounded on that very shoulder against
which I must run head foremost, like a ram. The only thing that
astonishes me is that he did not strike me dead at once. He had
good cause to do so; the pain I gave him must have been
atrocious. As to Porthos--oh, as to Porthos, faith, thats a
droll affair!"
And in spite of himself, the young man began to laugh aloud,
looking round carefully, however, to see that his solitary laugh,
without a cause in the eyes of passers-by, offended no one.
"As to Porthos, that is certainly droll; but I am not the less a
giddy fool. Are people to be run against without warning? No!
And have I any right to go and peep under their cloaks to see
what
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