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The Three Musketeers
Twenty Years Later
The Vicomte De Bragelonne
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The Three Musketeers 37 at Prostate Health
Hem!" said the king. "I place no
confidence in their hypocritical faces. In particular, there is
one yonder of a Gascon look. Come hither, monsieur."
DArtagnan, who understood that it was to him this compliment was
addressed, approached, assuming a most deprecating air.
"Why you told me he was a young man? This is a boy, Treville, a
mere boy! Do you mean to say that it was he who bestowed that
severe thrust at Jussac?"
"And those two equally fine thrusts at Bernajoux."
"Truly!"
"Without reckoning," said Athos, "that if he had not rescued me
from the hands of Cahusac, I should not now have the honor of
making my very humble reverence to your Majesty."
"Why he is a very devil, this Bearnais! VENTRE-SAINT-GRIS,
Monsieur de Treville, as the king my father would have said. But
at this sort of work, many doublets must be slashed and many
swords broken. Now, Gascons are always poor, are they not?"
"Sire, I can assert that they have hitherto discovered no gold
mines in their mountains; though the Lord owes them this miracle
in recompense for the manner in which they supported the
pretensions of the king your father."
"Which is to say that the Gascons made a king of me, myself,
seeing that I am my fathers son, is it not, Treville? Well,
happily, I dont say nay to it. La Chesnaye, go and see if by
rummaging all my pockets you can find forty pistoles; and if you
can find them, bring them to me. And now let us see, young man,
with your hand upon your conscience, how did all this come to
pass?"
DArtagnan related the adventure of the preceding day in all its
details; how, not having been able to sleep for the joy he felt
in the expectation of seeing his Majesty, he had gone to his
three friends three hours before the hour of audience; how they
had gone together to the tennis court, and how, upon the fear he
had manifested lest he receive a ball in the face, he had been
jeered at by Bernajoux who had nearly paid for his jeer with his
life and M. de la Tremouille, who had nothing to do with the
matter, with the loss of his hotel.
"This is all very well," murmured the king, "yes, this is just
the account the duke gave me of the affair. Poor cardinal!
Seven men in two days, and those of his very best! But thats
quite enough, gentlemen; please to understand, thats enough.
You have taken your revenge for the Rue Ferou, and even exceeded
it; you ought to be satisfied."
"If your Majesty is so," said Treville, "we are."
"Oh, yes; I am," added the king, taking a handful of gold from La
Chesnaye, and putting it into the hand of dArtagnan. "Here,"
said he, "is a proof of my satisfaction."
At this epoch, the ideas of pride which are in fashion in our
days did not prevail. A gentleman received, from hand to hand,
money from the king, and was not the least in the world
humiliated. DArtagnan put his forty pistoles into his pocket
without any scruple--on the contrary, thanking his Majesty
greatly.
"There," said the king, looking at a clock, "there, now, as it is
half past eight, you may retire; for as I told you, I expect
someone at nine. Thanks for your devotedness, gentlemen. I may
continue to rely upon it, may I not?"
"Oh, sire!" cried the four companions, with one voice, "we would
allow ourselves to be cut to pieces in your Majestys service."
"Well, well, but keep whole; that will be better, and you will be
more useful to me. Treville," added the king, in a low voice, as
the others were retiring, "as you have no room in the Musketeers,
and as we have besides decided that a novitiate is necessary
before entering that corps, place this young man in the company
of the Guards of Monsieur Dessessart, your brother-in-law. Ah,
PARDIEU, Treville! I enjoy beforehand the face the cardinal will
make. He will be furious; but I dont care. I am doing what is
right."
The king waved his hand to Treville, who left him and rejoined
the Musketeers, whom he found sharing the forty pistoles with
dArtagnan.
The cardinal, as his Majesty had said, was really furious, so
furious that during eight days he absented himself from the
kings gaming table. This did not
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