D'Artagnan ran home immediately, and although it was threeo'clock in the morning and he had some of the worst quarters ofParis to traverse, he met with no misadventure. Everyone knowsthat drunkards and lovers have a protecting deity.

He found the door of his passage open, sprang up the stairs andknocked softly in a manner agreed upon between him and hislackey. Planchet*, whom he had sent home two hours before fromthe Hotel de Ville, telling him to sit up for him, opened thedoor for him.

*The reader may ask, "How came Planchet here?" when he was left"stiff as a rush" in London. In the intervening time Buckinghamperhaps sent him to Paris, as he did the horses.

"Has anyone brought a letter for me?" asked D'Artagnan, eagerly.

"No one has BROUGHT a letter, monsieur," replied Planchet; "butone has come of itself."

"What do you mean, blockhead?"

"I mean to say that when I came in, although I had the key ofyour apartment in my pocket, and that key had never quit me, Ifound a letter on the green table cover in your bedroom."

"And where is that letter?"

"I left it where I found it, monsieur. It is not natural forletters to enter people's houses in this manner. If the windowhad been open or even ajar, I should think nothing of it; but,no - all was hermetically sealed. Beware, monsieur; there iscertainly some magic underneath."

Meanwhile, the young man had darted in to his chamber, and openedthe letter. It was from Mme. Bonacieux, and was expressed inthese terms:

"There are many thanks to be offered to you, and to betransmitted to you. Be this evening about ten o'clock at St.Cloud, in front of the pavilion which stands at the corner of thehouse of M. d'Estrees. - C.B."

While reading this letter, D'Artagnan felt his heart dilated andcompressed by that delicious spasm which tortures and caressesthe hearts of lovers.

It was the first billet he had received; it was the firstrendezvous that had been granted him. His heart, swelled by theintoxication of joy, felt ready to dissolve away at the very gateof that terrestrial paradise called Love!

"Well, monsieur," said Planchet, who had observed his master growread and pale successively, "did I not guess truly? Is it notsome bad affair?"

"You are mistaken, Planchet," replied D'Artagnan; "and as aproof, there is a crown to drink my health."

"I am much obliged to Monsieur for the crown he had given me, andI promise him to follow his instructions exactly; but it is notthe less true that letters which come in this way into shut-uphouses - "

"Fall from heaven, my friend, fall from heaven."

"Then Monsieur is satisfied?" asked Planchet.

"My dear Planchet, I an the happiest of men!"

"And I may profit by Monsieur's happiness, and go to bed?"

"Yes, go."

"May the blessings of heaven fall upon Monsieur! But it is notthe less true that that letter - "

And Planchet retired, shaking his head with an air of doubt,which the liberality of D'Artagnan had not entirely effaced.

Left alone, D'Artagnan read and reread his billet. Then hekissed and rekissed twenty times the lines traced by the hand ofhis beautiful mistress. At length he went to bed, fell asleep,and had golden dreams.

At seven o'clock in the morning he arose and called Planchet, whoat the second summons opened the door, his countenance not yetquite freed from the anxiety of the preceding night.

"Planchet," said D'Artagnan, "I am going out for all day,perhaps. You are, therefore, your own master till seven o'clockin the evening; but at seven o'clock you must hold yourself inreadiness with two horses."

"There!" said Planchet. "We are going again, it appears, to haveour hides pierced in all sorts of ways."

"You will take your musketoon and your pistols."

"There, now! Didn't I say so?" cried Planchet. "I was sure ofit - the cursed letter!"

"Don't be afraid, you idiot; there is nothing in hand but a partyof pleasure."

"Ah, like the charming journey the other day, when it rainedbullets and produced a crop of steel traps!"

"Well, if you are really afraid, Monsieur Planchet," resumedD'Artagnan, "I will go without you. I prefer traveling alone tohaving a companion who entertains the least fear."

"Monsieur does me wrong," said Planchet; "I thought he had seenme at work."

"Yes, but I thought perhaps you had worn out all your courage thefirst time."

"Monsieur shall see that upon occasion I have some left; only Ibeg Monsieur not to be too prodigal of it if he wishes it to lastlong."

"Do you believe you have still a certain amount of it to expendthis evening?"

"I hope so, monsieur."

"Well, then, I count on you."

"At the appointed hour I shall be ready; only I believed thatMonsieur had but one horse in the Guard stables."

"Perhaps there is but one at this moment; but by this eveningthere will be four."

"It appears that our journey was a remounting journey, then?"

"Exactly so," said D'Artagnan; and nodding to Planchet, he wentout.

M. Bonacieux was at his door. D'Artagnan's intention was to goout without speaking to the worthy mercer; but the latter made sopolite and friendly a salutation that his tenant felt obliged,not only to stop, but to enter into conversation with him.

Besides, how is it possible to avoid a little condescensiontoward a husband whose pretty wife has appointed a meeting withyou that same evening at St. Cloud, opposite D'Estrees'spavilion? D'Artagnan approached him with the most amiable air hecould assume.

The conversation naturally fell upon the incarceration of thepoor man. M. Bonacieux, who was ignorant that D'Artagnan hadoverheard his conversation with the stranger of Meung, related tohis young tenant the persecutions of that monster, M. deLaffemas, whom he never ceased to designate, during his account,by the title of the "cardinal's executioner," and expatiated atgreat length upon the Bastille, the bolts, the wickets, thedungeons, the gratings, the instruments of torture.

D'Artagnan listened to him with exemplary complaisance, and whenhe had finished said, "And Madame Bonacieux, do you know whocarried her off? - For I do not forget that I owe to thatunpleasant circumstance the good fortune of having made youracquaintance."

"Ah!" said Bonacieux, "they took good care not to tell me that;and my wife, on her part, has sworn to me by all that's sacredthat she does not know. But you," continued M. Bonacieux, in atine of perfect good fellowship, "what has become of you allthese days? I have not seen you nor your friends, and I don'tthink you could gather all that dust that I saw Planchet brushoff your boots yesterday from the pavement of Paris."

"You are right, my dear Monsieur Bonacieux, my friends and I havebeen on a little journey."

"Far from here?"

"Oh, Lord, no! About forty leagues only. We went to takeMonsieur Athos to the waters of Forges, where my friends stillremain."

"And you have returned, have you not?" replied M. Bonacieux,giving to his countenance a most sly air. "A handsome youngfellow like you does not obtain long leaves of absence from hismistress; and we were impatiently waited for at Paris, were wenot?"

"My faith!" said the young man, laughing, "I confess it, and somuch more the readily, my dear Bonacieux, as I see there is noconcealing anything from you. Yes, I was expected, and veryimpatiently, I acknowledge."

A slight shade passed over the brow of Bonacieux, but so slightthat D'Artagnan did not perceive it.

"And we are going to be recompensed for our diligence?" continuedthe mercer, with a trifling alteration in his voice - so trifling,indeed, that D'Artagnan did not perceive it any more than he hadthe momentary shade which, an instant before, had darkened thecountenance of the worthy man.

"Ah, may you be a true prophet!" said D'Artagnan, laughing.

"No; what I say," replied Bonacieux, "is only that I may knowwhether I am delaying you."

"Why that question, my dear host?" asked D'Artagnan. "Do youintend to sit up for me?"

"No; but since my arrest and the robbery that was committed in myhouse, I am alarmed every time I hear a door open, particularlyin the night. What the deuce can you expect? I am noswordsman."

"Well, don't be alarmed if I return at one, two or three o'clockin the morning; indeed, do not be alarmed if I do not come atall."

This time Bonacieux became so pale that D'Artagnan could not helpperceiving it, and asked him what was the matter.

"Nothing," replied Bonacieux, "nothing. Since my misfortunes Ihave been subject to faintnesses, which seize me all at once, andI have just felt a cold shiver. Pay no attention to it; you havenothing to occupy yourself with but being happy."

"Then I have full occupation, for I am so."

"Not yet; wait a little! This evening, you said."

"Well, this evening will come, thank God! And perhaps you lookfor it with as much impatience as I do; perhaps this eveningMadame Bonacieux will visit the conjugal domicile."

"Madame Bonacieux is not at liberty this evening," replied thehusband, seriously; "she is detained at the Louvre this eveningby her duties."

"So much the worse for you, my dear host, so much the worse!When I am happy, I wish all the world to be so; but it appearsthat is not possible."

The young man departed, laughing at the joke, which he thought healone could comprehend.

"Amuse yourself well!" replied Bonacieux, in a sepulchral tone.

But D'Artagnan was too far off to hear him; and if he had heardhim in the disposition of mind he then enjoyed, he certainlywould not have remarked it.

He took his way toward the hotel of M. de Treville; his visit ofthe day before, it is to be remembered, had been very short andvery little explicative.

He found Treville in a joyful mood. He had thought the king andqueen charming at the ball. It is true the cardinal had beenparticularly ill-tempered. He had retired at one o'clock underthe pretense of being indisposed. As to their Majesties, theydid not return to the Louvre till six o'clock in the morning.

"Now," said Treville, lowering his voice, and looking into everycorner of the apartment to see if they were alone, "now let ustalk about yourself, my young friend; for it is evident that yourhappy return has something to do with the joy of the king, thetriumph of the queen, and the humiliation of his Eminence. Youmust look out for yourself."

"What have I to fear," replied D'Artagnan, "as long as I shallhave the luck to enjoy the favor of their Majesties?"

"Everything, believe me. The cardinal is not the man to forget amystification until he has settled account with the mystifier;and the mystifier appears to me to have the air of being acertain young Gascon of my acquaintance."

"Do you believe that the cardinal is as well posted as yourself,and knows that I have been to London?"

"The devil! You have been to London! Was it from London youbrought that beautiful diamond that glitters on your finger?Beware, my dear D'Artagnan! A present from an enemy is not agood thing. Are there not some Latin verses upon that subject?Stop!"

"Yes, doubtless," replied D'Artagnan, who had never been able tocram the first rudiments of that language into his head, and whohad by his ignorance driven his master to despair, "yes,doubtless there is one."

"There certainly is one," said M. de Treville, who had a tinctureof literature, "and Monsieur de Benserade was quoting it to methe other day. Stop a minute - ah, this is it: 'Timeo Danaos etdona ferentes,' which means, 'Beware of the enemy who makes youpresents."

"This diamond does not come from an enemy, monsieur," repliedD'Artagnan, "it comes from the queen."

"From the queen! Oh, oh!" said M. de Treville. "Why, it isindeed a true royal jewel, which is worth a thousand pistoles ifit is worth a denier. By whom did the queen send you thisjewel?"

"She gave it to me herself."

"Where?"

"In the room adjoining the chamber in which she changed hertoilet."

"How?"

"Giving me her hand to kiss."

"You have kissed the queen's hand?" said M. de Treville, lookingearnestly at D'Artagnan.

"Her Majesty did me the honor to grant me that favor."

"And that in the presence of witnesses! Imprudent, thriceimprudent!"

"No, monsieur, be satisfied; nobody saw her," replied D'Artagnan,and he related to M. de Treville how the affair came to pass.

"Oh, the women, the women!" cried the old soldier. "I know themby their romantic imagination. Everything that savors of mysterycharms them. So you have seen the arm, that was all. You wouldmeet the queen, and she would not know who you are?"

"No; but thanks to this diamond," replied the young man.

"Listen," said M. de Treville; "shall I give you counsel, goodcounsel, the counsel of a friend?"

"You will do me honor, monsieur," said D'Artagnan.

"Well, then, off to the nearest goldsmith's, and sell thatdiamond for the highest price you can get from him. However muchof a Jew he may be, he will give you at least eight hundredpistoles. Pistoles have no name, young man, and that ring has aterrible one, which may betray him who wears it."

"Sell this ring, a ring which comes from my sovereign? Never!"said D'Artagnan.

"Then, at least turn the gem inside, you silly fellow; foreverybody must be aware that a cadet from Gascony does not findsuch stones in his mother's jewel case."

"You think, then, I have something to dread?" asked D'Artagnan.

"I mean to say, young man, that he who sleeps over a mine thematch of which is already lighted, may consider himself in safetyin comparison with you."

"The devil!" said D'Artagnan, whom the positive tone of M. deTreville began to disquiet, "the devil! What must I do?"

"Above all things be always on your guard. The cardinal has atenacious memory and a long arm; you may depend upon it, he willrepay you by some ill turn."

"But of what sort?"

"Eh! How can I tell? Has he not all the tricks of a demon athis command? The least that can be expected is that you will bearrested."

"What! Will they dare to arrest a man in his Majesty's service?"

"PARDIEU! They did not scruple much in the case of Athos. Atall events, young man, rely upon one who has been thirty years atcourt. Do not lull yourself in security, or you will be lost;but, on the contrary - and it is I who say it - see enemies in alldirections. If anyone seeks a quarrel with you, shun it, were itwith a child of ten years old. If you are attacked by day or bynight, fight, but retreat, without shame; if you cross a bridge,feel every plank of it with your foot, lest one should give waybeneath you; if you pass before a house which is being built,look up, for fear a stone should fall upon your head; if you stayout late, be always followed by your lackey, and let your lackeybe armed - if, by the by, you can be sure of your lackey.Mistrust everybody, your friend, your brother, your mistress - your mistress above all."

D'Artagnan blushed.

"My mistress above all," repeated he, mechanically; "and why herrather than another?"

"Because a mistress is one of the cardinal's favorite means; hehas not one that is more expeditious. A woman will sell you forten pistoles, witness Delilah. You are acquainted with theScriptures?"

D'Artagnan thought of the appointment Mme. Bonacieux had madewith him for that very evening; but we are bound to say, to thecredit of our hero, that the bad opinion entertained by M. deTreville of women in general, did not inspire him with the leastsuspicion of his pretty hostess.

"But, A PROPOS," resumed M. de Treville, "what has become of yourthree companions?"

"I was about to ask you if you had heard any news of them?"

"None, monsieur."

"Well, I left them on my road - Porthos at Chantilly, with a duelon his hands; Aramis at Crevecoeur, with a ball in his shoulder;and Athos at Amiens, detained by an accusation of coining."

"See there, now!" said M. de Treville; "and how the devil did youescape?"

"By a miracle, monsieur, I must acknowledge, with a sword thrustin my breast, and by nailing the Comte de Wardes on the byroad toCalais, like a butterfly on a tapestry."

"There again! De Wardes, one of the cardinal's men, a cousin ofRochefort! Stop, my friend, I have an idea."

"Speak, monsieur."

"In your place, I would do one thing."

"What?"

"While his Eminence was seeking for me in Paris, I would take,without sound of drum or trumpet, the road to Picardy, and wouldgo and make some inquiries concerning my three companions. Whatthe devil! They merit richly that piece of attention on yourpart."

"The advice is good, monsieur, and tomorrow I will set out."

"Tomorrow! Any why not this evening?"

"This evening, monsieur, I am detained in Paris by indispensablebusiness."

"Ah, young man, young man, some flirtation or other. Take care,I repeat to you, take care. It is woman who has ruined us, stillruins us, and will ruin us, as long as the world stands. Take myadvice and set out this evening."

"Impossible, monsieur."

"You have given your word, then?"

"Yes, monsieur."

"Ah, that's quite another thing; but promise me, if you shouldnot be killed tonight, that you will go tomorrow."

"I promise it."

"Do you need money?"

"I have still fifty pistoles. That, I think, is as much as Ishall want."

"But your companions?"

"I don't think they can be in need of any. We left Paris, eachwith seventy-five pistoles in his pocket."

"Shall I see you again before your departure?"

"I think not, monsieur, unless something new should happen."

"Well, a pleasant journey."

"Thanks, monsieur."

D'Artagnan left M. de Treville, touched more than ever by hispaternal solicitude for his Musketeers.

He called successively at the abodes of Athos, Porthos, andAramis. Neither of them had returned. Their lackeys likewisewere absent, and nothing had been heard of either the one or theother. He would have inquired after them of their mistresses,but he was neither acquainted with Porthos's nor Aramis's, and asto Athos, he had none.

As he passed the Hotel des Gardes, he took a glance in to thestables. Three of the four horses had already arrived.Planchet, all astonishment, was busy grooming them, and hadalready finished two.

"Ah, monsieur," said Planchet, on perceiving D'Artagnan, "howglad I am to see you."

"Why so, Planchet?" asked the young man.

"Do you place confidence in our landlord - Monsieur Bonacieux?"

"I? Not the least in the world."

"Oh, you do quite right, monsieur."

"But why this question?"

"Because, while you were talking with him, I watched you withoutlistening to you; and, monsieur, his countenance changed colortwo or three times!"

"Bah!"

"Preoccupied as Monsieur was with the letter he had received, hedid not observe that; but I, whom the strange fashion in whichthat letter came into the house had placed on my guard - I did notlose a movement of his features."

"And you found it?"

"Traitorous, monsieur."

"Indeed!"

"Still more; as soon as Monsieur had left and disappeared roundthe corner of the street, Monsieur Bonacieux took his hat, shuthis door, and set off at a quick pace in an opposite direction."

"It seems you are right, Planchet; all this appears to be alittle mysterious; and be assured that we will not pay him ourrent until the matter shall be categorically explained to us."

"Monsieur jests, but Monsieur will see."

"What would you have, Planchet? What must come is written."

"Monsieur does not then renounce his excursion for this evening?"

"Quite the contrary, Planchet; the more ill will I have towardMonsieur Bonacieux, the more punctual I shall be in keeping theappointment made by that letter which makes you so uneasy."

"Then that is Monsieur's determination?"

"Undeniably, my friend. At nine o'clock, then, be ready here atthe hotel, I will come and take you."

Planchet seeing there was no longer any hope of making his masterrenounce his project, heaved a profound sigh and set to work togroom the third horse.

As to D'Artagnan, being at bottom a prudent youth, instead ofreturning him he went and dined with the Gascon priest, who, atthe time of the distress of the four friends, had given them abreakfast of chocolate.