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The Three Musketeers
Twenty Years Later
The Vicomte De Bragelonne
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The Three Musketeers 53 at Prostate Health
and set off at a run. Hardly, however, had
he taken ten steps before he returned.
"Young man," said he to dArtagnan, "a suggestion."
"What?"
"You may get into trouble by what has taken place."
"You believe so?"
"Yes. Have you any friend whose clock is too slow?"
"Well?"
"Go and call upon him, in order that he may give evidence of your
having been with him at half past nine. In a court of justice
that is called an alibi."
DArtagnan found his advice prudent. He took to his heels, and
was soon at M. de Trevilles; but instead of going into the
saloon with the rest of the crowd, he asked to be introduced to
M. de Trevilles office. As dArtagnan so constantly frequented
the hotel, no difficulty was made in complying with his request,
and a servant went to inform M. de Treville that his young
compatriot, having something important to communicate, solicited a
private audience. Five minutes after, M. de Treville was asking
dArtagnan what he could do to serve him, and what caused his
visit at so late an hour.
"Pardon me, monsieur," said dArtagnan, who had profited by the
moment he had been left alone to put back M. de Trevilles clock
three-quarters of an hour, "but I thought, as it was yet only
twenty-five minutes past nine, it was not too late to wait upon
you."
"Twenty-five minutes past nine!" cried M. de Treville, looking at
the clock; "why, thats impossible!"
"Look, rather, monsieur," said dArtagnan, "the clock shows it."
"Thats true," said M. de Treville; "I believed it later. But
what can I do for you?"
Then dArtagnan told M. de Treville a long history about the
queen. He expressed to him the fears he entertained with respect
to her Majesty; he related to him what he had heard of the
projects of the cardinal with regard to Buckingham, and all with
a tranquillity and candor of which M. de Treville was the more
the dupe, from having himself, as we have said, observed
something fresh between the cardinal, the king, and the queen.
As ten oclock was striking, dArtagnan left M. de Treville, who
thanked him for his information, recommended him to have the
service of the king and queen always at heart, and returned to
the saloon; but at the foot of the stairs, dArtagnan remembered
he had forgotten his cane. He consequently sprang up again,
re-entered the office, with a turn of his finger set the clock
right again, that it might not be perceived the next day that it
had been put wrong, and certain from that time that he had a
witness to prove his alibi, he ran downstairs and soon found
himself in the street.
11 IN WHICH THE PLOT THICKENS
His visit to M. de Treville being paid, the pensive dArtagnan
took the longest way homeward.
On what was dArtagnan thinking, that he strayed thus from his
path, gazing at the stars of heaven, and sometimes sighing,
sometimes smiling?
He was thinking of Mme. Bonacieux. For an apprentice Musketeer
the young woman was almost an ideal of love. Pretty, mysterious,
initiated in almost all the secrets of the court, which reflected
such a charming gravity over her pleasing features, it might be
surmised that she was not wholly unmoved; and this is an
irresistible charm to novices in love. Moreover, dArtagnan had
delivered her from the hands of the demons who wished to search
and ill treat her; and this important service had established
between them one of those sentiments of gratitude which so easily
assume a more tender character.
DArtagnan already fancied himself, so rapid is the flight of our
dreams upon the wings of imagination, accosted by a messenger
from the young woman, who brought him some billet appointing a
meeting, a gold chain, or a diamond. We have observed that young
cavaliers received presents from their king without shame. Let
us add that in these times of lax morality they had no more
delicacy with respect to the mistresses; and that the latter
almost always left them valuable and durable remembrances, as if
they essayed to conquer the fragility of their sentiments by the
solidity of their gifts.
Without a blush, men made their way in the world by the means of
women blushing. Such as were only beautiful gave their beauty,
whence, without doubt, comes the proverb, "The most beautiful
girl in the world can only give what she has." Such as were rich
gave in addition a part of their money;
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