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Books
The Three Musketeers
Twenty Years Later
The Vicomte De Bragelonne
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The Three Musketeers 42 at Prostate Health
was not a Musketeer,
performed the duty of one with remarkable punctuality. He went
on guard because he always kept company with whoever of his
friends was on duty. He was well known at the Hotel of the
Musketeers, where everyone considered him a good comrade. M. de
Treville, who had appreciated him at the first glance and who
bore him a real affection, never ceased recommending him to the
king.
On their side, the three Musketeers were much attached to their
young comrade. The friendship which united these four men, and
the need they felt of seeing another three or four times a day,
whether for dueling, business, or pleasure, caused them to be
continually running after one another like shadows; and the
Inseparables were constantly to be met with seeking one another,
from the Luxembourg to the Place St. Sulpice, or from the Rue du
Vieux-Colombier to the Luxembourg.
In the meanwhile the promises of M. de Treville went on
prosperously. One fine morning the king commanded M. de
Chevalier Dessessart to admit dArtagnan as a cadet in his
company of Guards. DArtagnan, with a sigh, donned his uniform,
which he would have exchanged for that of a Musketeer at the
expense of ten years of his existence. But M. de Treville
promised this favor after a novitiate of two years--a novitiate
which might besides be abridged if an opportunity should present
itself for dArtagnan to render the king any signal service, or
to distinguish himself by some brilliant action. Upon this
promise dArtagnan withdrew, and the next day he began service.
Then it became the turn of Athos, Porthos, and Aramis to mount
guard with dArtagnan when he was on duty. The company of M. le
Chevalier Dessessart thus received four instead of one when it
admitted dArtagnan.
8 CONCERNING A COURT INTRIGUE
In the meantime, the forty pistoles of King Louis XIII, like all
other things of this world, after having had a beginning had an
end, and after this end our four companions began to be somewhat
embarrassed. At first, Athos supported the association for a
time with his own means.
Porthos succeeded him; and thanks to one of those disappearances
to which he was accustomed, he was able to provide for the wants
of all for a fortnight. At last it became Aramiss turn, who
performed it with a good grace and who succeeded--as he said, by
selling some theological books--in procuring a few pistoles.
Then, as they had been accustomed to do, they had recourse to M.
de Treville, who made some advances on their pay; but these
advances could not go far with three Musketeers who were already
much in arrears and a Guardsman who as yet had no pay at all.
At length when they found they were likely to be really in want,
they got together, as a last effort, eight or ten pistoles, with
which Porthos went to the gaming table. Unfortunately he was in
a bad vein; he lost all, together with twenty-five pistoles for
which he had given his word.
Then the inconvenience became distress. The hungry friends,
followed by their lackeys, were seen haunting the quays and Guard
rooms, picking up among their friends abroad all the dinners they
could meet with; for according to the advice of Aramis, it was
prudent to sow repasts right and left in prosperity, in order to
reap a few in time of need.
Athos was invited four times, and each time took his friends and
their lackeys with him. Porthos had six occasions, and contrived
in the same manner that his friends should partake of them;
Aramis had eight of them. He was a man, as must have been
already perceived, who made but little noise, and yet was much
sought after.
As to dArtagnan, who as yet knew nobody in the capital, he only
found one chocolate breakfast at the house of a priest of his own
province, and one dinner at the house of a cornet of the Guards.
He took his army to the priests, where they devoured as much
provision as would have lasted him for two months, and to the
cornets, who performed wonders; but as Planchet said, "People do
not eat at once for all time, even when they eat a good deal."
DArtagnan thus felt himself humiliated in having only procured
one meal and a half for his companions--as the breakfast at the
priests could only be counted as half a repast--in return for
the feasts which Athos, Porthos,
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