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The Three Musketeers
Twenty Years Later
The Vicomte De Bragelonne
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The Three Musketeers 30 at Prostate Health
that
admirable instinct which causes Louis XIII to be named the
Just--"
"You are right, Treville; but they were not alone, your
Musketeers. They had a youth with them?"
"Yes, sire, and one wounded man; so that three of the kings
Musketeers--one of whom was wounded--and a youth not only
maintained their ground against five of the most terrible of the
cardinals Guardsmen, but absolutely brought four of them to
earth."
"Why, this is a victory!" cried the king, all radiant, "a
complete victory!"
"Yes, sire; as complete as that of the Bridge of Ce."
"Four men, one of them wounded, and a youth, say you?"
"One hardly a young man; but who, however, behaved himself so
admirably on this occasion that I will take the liberty of
recommending him to your Majesty."
"How does he call himself?"
"dArtagnan, sire; he is the son of one of my oldest friends--the
son of a man who served under the king your father, of glorious
memory, in the civil war."
"And you say this young man behaved himself well? Tell me how,
Treville--you know how I delight in accounts of war and
fighting."
And Louis XIII twisted his mustache proudly, placing his hand
upon his hip.
"Sire," resumed Treville, "as I told you, Monsieur dArtagnan is
little more than a boy; and as he has not the honor of being a
Musketeer, he was dressed as a citizen. The Guards of the
cardinal, perceiving his youth and that he did not belong to the
corps, invited him to retire before they attacked."
"So you may plainly see, Treville," interrupted the king, "it was
they who attacked?"
"That is true, sire; there can be no more doubt on that head.
They called upon him then to retire; but he answered that he was
a Musketeer at heart, entirely devoted to your Majesty, and that
therefore he would remain with Messieurs the Musketeers."
"Brave young man!" murmured the king.
"Well, he did remain with them; and your Majesty has in him so
firm a champion that it was he who gave Jussac the terrible sword
thrust which has made the cardinal so angry."
"He who wounded Jussac!" cried the king, "he, a boy! Treville,
thats impossible!"
"It is as I have the honor to relate it to your Majesty."
"Jussac, one of the first swordsmen in the kingdom?"
"Well, sire, for once he found his master."
"I will see this young man, Treville--I will see him; and if anything
can be done--well, we will make it our business."
"When will your Majesty deign to receive him?"
"Tomorrow, at midday, Treville."
"Shall I bring him alone?"
"No, bring me all four together. I wish to thank them all at
once. Devoted men are so rare, Treville, by the back staircase.
It is useless to let the cardinal know."
"Yes, sire."
"You understand, Treville--an edict is still an edict, it is
forbidden to fight, after all."
"But this encounter, sire, is quite out of the ordinary
conditions of a duel. It is a brawl; and the proof is that there
were five of the cardinals Guardsmen against my three Musketeers
and Monsieur dArtagnan."
"That is true," said the king; "but never mind, Treville, come
still by the back staircase."
Treville smiled; but as it was indeed something to have prevailed
upon this child to rebel against his master, he saluted the king
respectfully, and with this agreement, took leave of him.
That evening the three Musketeers were informed of the honor
accorded them. As they had long been acquainted with the king,
they were not much excited; but dArtagnan, with his Gascon
imagination, saw in it his future fortune, and passed the night
in golden dreams. By eight oclock in the morning he was at the
apartment of Athos.
DArtagnan found the Musketeer dressed and ready to go out. As
the hour to wait upon the king was not till twelve, he had made a
party with Porthos and Aramis to play a game at tennis in a
tennis court situated near the stables of the Luxembourg. Athos
invited dArtagnan to follow them; and although ignorant of the
game, which he had never played, he accepted, not knowing what to
do with his time from nine oclock in the morning, as it then
scarcely was, till twelve.
The two Musketeers were already there, and were playing together.
Athos, who was very expert in all bodily exercises, passed with
dArtagnan to the opposite side and challenged them; but at the
first effort he made, although he played with his left hand, he
found that his wound was yet too recent
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