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The Three Musketeers
Twenty Years Later
The Vicomte De Bragelonne
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The Three Musketeers 35 at Prostate Health
complaints
were but a preface--a sort of excitation to encourage himself--
and that he had now come to his point at last.
"And in what have I been so unfortunate as to displease your
Majesty?" asked M. de Treville, feigning the most profound
astonishment.
"Is it thus you perform your charge, monsieur?" continued the
king, without directly replying to de Trevilles question. "Is
it for this I name you captain of my Musketeers, that they should
assassinate a man, disturb a whole quarter, and endeavor to set
fire to Paris, without your saying a word? But yet," continued
the king, "undoubtedly my haste accuses you wrongfully; without
doubt the rioters are in prison, and you come to tell me justice
is done."
"Sire," replied M. de Treville, calmly, "on the contrary, I come
to demand it of you."
"And against whom?" cried the king.
"Against calumniators," said M. de Treville.
"Ah! This is something new," replied the king. "Will you tell
me that your three damned Musketeers, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis,
and your youngster from Bearn, have not fallen, like so many
furies, upon poor Bernajoux, and have not maltreated him in such
a fashion that probably by this time he is dead? Will you tell
me that they did not lay siege to the hotel of the Duc de la
Tremouille, and that they did not endeavor to burn it?--which
would not, perhaps, have been a great misfortune in time of war,
seeing that it is nothing but a nest of Huguenots, but which is,
in time of peace, a frightful example. Tell me, now, can you
deny all this?"
"And who told you this fine story, sire?" asked Treville,
quietly.
"Who has told me this fine story, monsieur? Who should it be but
he who watches while I sleep, who labors while I amuse myself,
who conducts everything at home and abroad--in France as in
Europe?"
"Your Majesty probably refers to God," said M. de Treville; "for
I know no one except God who can be so far above your Majesty."
"No, monsieur; I speak of the prop of the state, of my only
servant, of my only friend--of the cardinal."
"His Eminence is not his holiness, sire."
"What do you mean by that, monsieur?"
"That it is only the Pope who is infallible, and that this
infallibility does not extend to cardinals."
"You mean to say that he deceives me; you mean to say that he
betrays me? You accuse him, then? Come, speak; avow freely that
you accuse him!"
"No, sire, but I say that he deceives himself. I say that he is
ill-informed. I say that he has hastily accused your Majestys
Musketeers, toward whom he is unjust, and that he has not
obtained his information from good sources."
"The accusation comes from Monsieur de la Tremouille, from the
duke himself. What do you say to that?"
"I might answer, sire, that he is too deeply interested in the
question to be a very impartial witness; but so far from that,
sire, I know the duke to be a royal gentleman, and I refer the
matter to him--but upon one condition, sire."
"What?"
"It is that your Majesty will make him come here, will
interrogate him yourself, TETE-A-TETE, without witnesses, and
that I shall see your Majesty as soon as you have seen the duke."
"What, then! You will bind yourself," cried the king, "by what
Monsieur de la Tremouille shall say?"
"Yes, sire."
"You will accept his judgment?"
"Undoubtedly."
"Any you will submit to the reparation he may require?"
"Certainly."
"La Chesnaye," said the king. "La Chesnaye!"
Louis XIIIs confidential valet, who never left the door, entered
in reply to the call.
"La Chesnaye," said the king, "let someone go instantly and find
Monsieur de la Tremouille; I wish to speak with him this
evening."
"Your Majesty gives me your word that you will not see anyone
between Monsieur de la Tremouille and myself?"
"Nobody, by the faith of a gentleman."
"Tomorrow, then, sire?"
"Tomorrow, monsieur."
"At what oclock, please your Majesty?"
"At any hour you will."
"But in coming too early I should be afraid of awakening your
Majesty."
"Awaken me! Do you think I ever sleep, then? I sleep no longer,
monsieur. I sometimes dream, thats all. Come, then, as early
as you like--at seven oclock; but beware, if you and your
Musketeers are guilty."
"If my Musketeers are guilty, sire, the guilty shall be placed in
your Majestys hands, who will dispose of them at your good
pleasure. Does your Majesty require anything further? Speak, I
am ready to obey."
"No,
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