Prostate Health
Prostate Articles
Antioxidant levels key for prostate cancer risk
Obesity and prostate health
Tomatoes for prostate health
Green tea and prostate health
Screening tests for prostate
Books
The Three Musketeers
Twenty Years Later
The Vicomte De Bragelonne
|
|
The Three Musketeers 44 at Prostate Health
replied the citizen, giving a still fainter
intonation to his voice.
"But how do you know all this?"
"How do I know it?"
"Yes, how do you know it? No half-confidence, or--you understand!"
"I know it from my wife, monsieur--from my wife herself."
"Who learns it from whom?"
"From Monsieur Laporte. Did I not tell you that she was the
goddaughter of Monsieur Laporte, the confidential man of the
queen? Well, Monsieur Laporte placed her near her Majesty in
order that our poor queen might at least have someone in whom she
could place confidence, abandoned as she is by the king, watched
as she is by the cardinal, betrayed as she is by everybody."
"Ah, ah! It begins to develop itself," said dArtagnan.
"Now, my wife came home four days ago, monsieur. One of her
conditions was that she should come and see me twice a week; for,
as I had the honor to tell you, my wife loves me dearly--my wife,
then, came and confided to me that the queen at that very moment
entertained great fears."
"Truly!"
"Yes. The cardinal, as it appears, pursues he and persecutes her
more than ever. He cannot pardon her the history of the
Saraband. You know the history of the Saraband?"
"PARDIEU! Know it!" replied dArtagnan, who knew nothing about
it, but who wished to appear to know everything that was going
on.
"So that now it is no longer hatred, but vengeance."
"Indeed!"
"And the queen believes--"
"Well, what does the queen believe?"
"She believes that someone has written to the Duke of Buckingham
in her name."
"In the queens name?"
"Yes, to make him come to Paris; and when once come to Paris, to
draw him into some snare."
"The devil! But your wife, monsieur, what has she to do with all
this?"
"Her devotion to the queen is known; and they wish either to
remove her from her mistress, or to intimidate her, in order to
obtain her Majestys secrets, or to seduce her and make use of
her as a spy."
"That is likely," said dArtagnan; "but the man who has abducted
her--do you know him?"
"I have told you that I believe I know him."
"His name?"
"I do not know that; what I do know is that he is a creature of
the cardinal, his evil genius."
"But you have seen him?"
"Yes, my wife pointed him out to me one day."
Has he anything remarkable about him by which one may recognize
him?"
"Oh, certainly; he is a noble of very lofty carriage, black hair,
swarthy complexion, piercing eye, white teeth, and has a scar on
his temple."
"A scar on his temple!" cried dArtagnan; "and with that, white
teeth, a piercing eye, dark complexion, black hair, and haughty
carriage--why, thats my man of Meung."
"He is your man, do you say?"
"Yes, yes; but that has nothing to do with it. No, I am wrong.
On the contrary, that simplifies the matter greatly. If your man
is mine, with one blow I shall obtain two revenges, thats all;
but where to find this man?"
"I know not."
"Have you no information as to his abiding place?"
"None. One day, as I was conveying my wife back to the Louvre,
he was coming out as she was going in, and she showed him to me."
"The devil! The devil!" murmured dArtagnan; "all this is vague
enough. From whom have you learned of the abduction of your
wife?"
"From Monsieur Laporte."
"Did he give you any details?"
"He knew none himself."
"And you have learned nothing from any other quarter?"
"Yes, I have received--"
"What?"
"I fear I am committing a great imprudence."
"You always come back to that; but I must make you see this time
that it is too late to retreat."
"I do not retreat, MORDIEU!" cried the citizen, swearing in order
to rouse his courage. "Besides, by the faith of Bonacieux--"
"You call yourself Bonacieux?" interrupted dArtagnan.
"Yes, that is my name."
"You said, then, by the word of Bonacieux. Pardon me for
interrupting you, but it appears to me that that name is familiar
to me."
"Possibly, monsieur. I am your landlord."
"Ah, ah!" said dArtagnan, half rising and bowing; "you are my
landlord?"
"Yes, monsieur, yes. And as it is three months since you have
been here, and though, distracted as you must be in your
important occupations, you have forgotten to pay me my rent--as,
I say, I have not tormented you a single instant, I thought you
would appreciate my delicacy."
"How can it be otherwise, my dear Bonacieux?" replied dArtagnan;
"trust me,
The Three Musketeers page 43 The Three Musketeers page 45 |
