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The Vicomte De Bragelonne
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The Vicomte De Bragelonne 73 at Prostate Health
rich nature wasthat of this man! He had all the passions, all the defects,all the weaknesses, and the spirit of contradiction familiarto his understanding changed all these imperfections intocorresponding qualities. DArtagnan, thanks to his everactive imagination, was afraid of a shadow; and ashamed ofbeing afraid, he marched straight up to that shadow, andthen became extravagant in his bravery if the danger provedto be real. Thus everything in him was emotion, andtherefore enjoyment. He loved the society of others, butnever became tired of his own; and more than once, if hecould have been heard when he was alone, he might have beenseen laughing at the jokes he related to himself or thetricks his imagination created just five minutes beforeennui might have been looked for. DArtagnan was not perhapsso gay this time as he would have been with the prospect offinding some good friends at Calais, instead of joining theten scamps there; melancholy, however, did not visit himmore than once a day, and it was about five visits that hereceived from that somber deity before he got sight of thesea at Boulogne, and then these visits were indeed butshort. But when once DArtagnan found himself near the fieldof action, all other feelings but that of confidencedisappeared never to return. From Boulogne he followed thecoast to Calais. Calais was the place of general rendezvous,and at Calais he had named to each of his recruits thehostelry of "Le Grand Monarque," where living was notextravagant, where sailors messed, and where men of thesword, with sheath of leather, be it understood, foundlodging, table, food, and all the comforts of life, forthirty sous per diem. DArtagnan proposed to himself to takethem by surprise in flagrante delicto of wandering life, andto judge by the first appearance if he could count on themas trusty companions.He arrived at Calais at half past four in the afternoon.CHAPTER 22DArtagnan travels for the House of Planchet and CompanyThe hostelry of "Le Grand Monarque" was situated in a littlestreet parallel to the port without looking out upon theport itself. Some lanes cut -- as steps cut the twoparallels of the ladder -- the two great straight lines ofthe port and the street. By these lanes passengers camesuddenly from the port into the street, or from the streeton to the port. DArtagnan, arrived at the port, took one ofthese lanes, and came out in front of the hostelry of "LeGrand Monarque." The moment was well chosen and might remindDArtagnan of his start in life at the hostelry of the"Franc-Meunier" at Meung. Some sailors who had been playingat dice had started a quarrel, and were threatening eachother furiously. The host, hostess, and two lads werewatching with anxiety the circle of these angry gamblers,from the midst of which war seemed ready to break forth,bristling with knives and hatchets. The play, nevertheless,was continued. A stone bench was occupied by two men, whoappeared thence to watch the door; four tables, placed atthe back of the common chamber, were occupied by eight otherindividuals. Neither the men at the door, nor those at thetables, took any part in the play or the quarrel. DArtagnanrecognized his ten men in these cold, indifferentspectators. The quarrel went on increasing. Every passionhas, like the sea, its tide which ascends and descends.Reaching the climax of passion, one sailor overturned thetable and the money which was upon it. The table fell, andthe money rolled about. In an instant all belonging to thehostelry threw themselves upon the stakes, and many a pieceof silver was picked up by people who stole away whilst thesailors were scuffling with each other.The two men on the bench and the eight at the tables,although they seemed perfect strangers to each other, theseten men alone, we say, appeared to have agreed to remainimpassible amidst the cries of fury and the chinking ofmoney. Two only contented themselves with pushing with theirfeet combatants who came under their table. Two others,rather than take part in this disturbance, buried theirhands in their pockets; and another two jumped upon thetable they occupied, as people do to avoid being submergedby overflowing water."Come, come," said DArtagnan to himself, not having lostone of the details we have related, "this is a very fairgathering -- circumspect, calm, accustomed to disturbance,acquainted with blows! Peste!
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