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The Three Musketeers
Twenty Years Later
The Vicomte De Bragelonne
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Twenty Years Later 10 at Prostate Health
of the
Bastile."
He had scarcely finished this soliloquy before the prisoner
arrived. On seeing him DArtagnan could hardly suppress an
exclamation of surprise. The prisoner got into the carriage
without seeming to recognize the musketeer.
"Gentlemen," thus DArtagnan addressed the four musketeers,
"I am ordered to exercise the greatest possible care in
guarding the prisoner, and since there are no locks to the
carriage, I shall sit beside him. Monsieur de Lillebonne,
lead my horse by the bridle, if you please." As he spoke he
dismounted, gave the bridle of his horse to the musketeer
and placing himself by the side of the prisoner said, in a
voice perfectly composed, "To the Palais Royal, at full
trot."
The carriage drove on and DArtagnan, availing himself of
the darkness in the archway under which they were passing,
threw himself into the arms of the prisoner.
"Rochefort!" he exclaimed; "you! is it you, indeed? I am not
mistaken?"
"DArtagnan!" cried Rochefort.
"Ah! my poor friend!" resumed DArtagnan, "not having seen
you for four or five years I concluded you were dead."
"Ifaith," said Rochefort, "theres no great difference, I
think, between a dead man and one who has been buried alive;
now I have been buried alive, or very nearly so."
"And for what crime are you imprisoned in the Bastile."
"Do you wish me to speak the truth?"
"Yes."
"Well, then, I dont know."
"Have you any suspicion of me, Rochefort?"
"No! on the honor of a gentleman; but I cannot be imprisoned
for the reason alleged; it is impossible."
"What reason?" asked DArtagnan.
"For stealing."
"For stealing! you, Rochefort! you are laughing at me."
"I understand. You mean that this demands explanation, do
you not?"
"I admit it."
"Well, this is what actually took place: One evening after
an orgy in Reinards apartment at the Tuileries with the Duc
dHarcourt, Fontrailles, De Rieux and others, the Duc
dHarcourt proposed that we should go and pull cloaks on the
Pont Neuf; that is, you know, a diversion which the Duc
dOrleans made quite the fashion."
"Were you crazy, Rochefort? at your age!"
"No, I was drunk. And yet, since the amusement seemed to me
rather tame, I proposed to Chevalier de Rieux that we should
be spectators instead of actors, and, in order to see to
advantage, that we should mount the bronze horse. No sooner
said than done. Thanks to the spurs, which served as
stirrups, in a moment we were perched upon the croupe; we
were well placed and saw everything. Four or five cloaks had
already been lifted, with a dexterity without parallel, and
not one of the victims had dared to say a word, when some
fool of a fellow, less patient than the others, took it into
his head to cry out, `Guard! and drew upon us a patrol of
archers. Duc dHarcourt, Fontrailles, and the others
escaped; De Rieux was inclined to do likewise, but I told
him they wouldnt look for us where we were. He wouldnt
listen, put his foot on the spur to get down, the spur
broke, he fell with a broken leg, and, instead of keeping
quiet, took to crying out like a gallows-bird. I then was
ready to dismount, but it was too late; I descended into the
arms of the archers. They conducted me to the Chatelet,
where I slept soundly, being very sure that on the next day
I should go forth free. The next day came and passed, the
day after, a week; I then wrote to the cardinal. The same
day they came for me and took me to the Bastile. That was
five years ago. Do you believe it was because I committed
the sacrilege of mounting en croupe behind Henry IV.?"
"No; you are right, my dear Rochefort, it couldnt be for
that; but you will probably learn the reason soon."
"Ah, indeed! I forgot to ask you -- where are you taking
me?"
"To the cardinal."
"What does he want with me?"
"I do not know. I did not even know that you were the person
I was sent to fetch."
"Impossible -- you -- a favorite of the minister!"
"A favorite! no, indeed!" cried DArtagnan. "Ah, my poor
friend! I am just as poor a Gascon as when I saw you at
Meung, twenty-two years ago, you know; alas!" and he
concluded his speech with a deep sigh.
"Nevertheless, you come as one in authority."
"Because I happened to be in the ante-chamber when the
cardinal called me, by the merest chance. I am still a
lieutenant in the musketeers and have been so these twenty
years."
"Then no misfortune has happened to you?"
"And what misfortune could happen to
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