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
|
|
Twenty Years Later 289 at Prostate Health
and a voice
called out:
"La Bruyere and Du Barthois! March!"
"It seems that I am named La Bruyere," remarked DArtagnan.
"And I, Du Barthois," added Porthos.
"Where are you?" asked the valet-de-chambre, whose eyes,
dazzled by the light, could not clearly distinguish our
heroes in the gloom.
"Here we are," said the Gascon.
"What say you to that, Monsieur du Vallon?" he added in a
low tone to Porthos.
"If it but lasts, most capital," responded Porthos.
These two newly enlisted soldiers marched gravely after the
valet-de-chambre, who opened the door of the vestibule, then
another which seemed to be that of a waiting-room, and
showing them two stools:
"Your orders are very simple," he said; "dont allow
anybody, except one person, to enter here. Do you hear --
not a single creature! Obey that person implicitly. On your
return you cannot make a mistake. You have only to wait here
till I release you."
DArtagnan was known to this valet-de-chambre, who was no
other than Bernouin, and he had during the last six or eight
months introduced the Gascon a dozen times to the cardinal.
The Gascon, therefore, instead of answering, growled out
"Ja! Ja!" in the most German and the least Gascon accent
possible.
As for Porthos, on whom DArtagnan had impressed the
necessity of absolute silence and who did not even now begin
to comprehend the scheme of his friend, which was to follow
Mazarin in his visit to Athos, he was simply mute. All that
he was allowed to say, in case of emergencies, was the
proverbial Der Teufel!
Bernouin shut the door and went away. When Porthos heard the
key turn in the lock he began to be alarmed, lest they
should only have exchanged one prison for another.
"Porthos, my friend," said DArtagnan, "dont distrust
Providence! Let me meditate and consider."
"Meditate and consider as much as you like," replied
Porthos, who was now quite out of humor at seeing things
take this turn.
"We have walked eight paces," whispered DArtagnan, "and
gone up six steps, so hereabouts is the pavilion called the
pavilion of the orangery. The Comte de la Fere cannot be far
off, only the doors are locked."
"That is a slight difficulty," said Porthos, "and a good
push with the shoulders ---- "
"For Gods sake, Porthos my friend, reserve your feats of
strength, or they will not have, when needed, the honor they
deserve. Have you not heard that some one is coming here?"
"Yes."
"Well, that some one will open the doors."
"But, my dear fellow, if that some one recognizes us, if
that some one cries out, we are lost; for you dont propose,
I imagine, that I shall kill that man of the church. That
might do if we were dealing with Englishmen or Germans."
"Oh, may God keep me from it, and you, too!" said
DArtagnan. "The young king would, perhaps, show us some
gratitude; but the queen would never forgive us, and it is
she whom we have to consider. And then, besides, the useless
blood! never! no, never! I have my plan; let me carry it out
and we shall laugh."
"So much the better," said Porthos; "I feel some need of
it."
"Hush!" said DArtagnan; "the some one is coming."
The sound of a light step was heard in the vestibule. The
hinges of the door creaked and a man appeared in the dress
of a cavalier, wrapped in a brown cloak, with a lantern in
one hand and a large beaver hat pulled down over his eyes.
Porthos effaced himself against the wall, but he could not
render himself invisible; and the man in the cloak said to
him, giving him his lantern:
"Light the lamp which hangs from the ceiling."
Then addressing DArtagnan:
"You know the watchword?" he said.
"Ja!" replied the Gascon, determined to confine himself to
this specimen of the German tongue.
"Tedesco!" answered the cavalier; "va bene."
And advancing toward the door opposite to that by which he
came in, he opened it and disappeared behind it, shutting it
as he went.
"Now," asked Porthos, "what are we to do?"
"Now we shall make use of your shoulder, friend Porthos, if
this door proves to be locked. Everything in its proper
time, and all comes right to those who know how to wait
patiently. But first barricade the first door well; then we
will follow yonder cavalier."
The two friends set to work and crowded the space before the
door with all the furniture in the room, as not only to make
the passage impassable, but so to block the door that by no
means could it open inward.
"There!" said DArtagnan, "we cant be overtaken. Come!
forward!"
85
The
Twenty Years Later page 288 Twenty Years Later page 290 |
