D'Artagnan was astounded by the terrible confidence of Athos; yetmany things appeared very obscure to him in this half revelation.In the first place it had been made by a man quite drunk to onewho was half drunk; and yet, in spite of the incertainty whichthe vapor of three or four bottles of Burgundy carries with it tothe brain, D'Artagnan, when awaking on the following morning, hadall the words of Athos as present to his memory as if they thenfell from his mouth - they had been so impressed upon his mind.All this doubt only gave rise to a more lively desire of arrivingat a certainty, and he went into his friend's chamber with afixed determination of renewing the conversation of the precedingevening; but he found Athos quite himself again - that is to say,the most shrewd and impenetrable of men. Besides which, theMusketeer, after having exchanged a hearty shake of the hand withhim, broached the matter first.

"I was pretty drunk yesterday, D'Artagnan," said he, "I can tellthat by my tongue, which was swollen and hot this morning, and bymy pulse, which was very tremulous. I wager that I uttered athousand extravagances."

While saying this he looked at his friend with an earnestnessthat embarrassed him.

"No," replied D'Artagnan, "if I recollect well what you said, itwas nothing out of the common way."

"Ah, you surprise me. I thought I had told you a most lamentablestory." And he looked at the young man as if he would read thebottom of his heart.

"My faith," said D'Artagnan, "it appears that I was more drunkthan you, since I remember nothing of the kind."

Athos did not trust this reply, and he resumed; "you cannot havefailed to remark, my dear friend, that everyone has hisparticular kind of drunkenness, sad or gay. My drunkenness isalways sad, and when I am thoroughly drunk my mania is to relateall the lugubrious stories which my foolish nurse inculcated intomy brain. That is my failing - a capital failing, I admit; butwith that exception, I am a good drinker."

Athos spoke this in so natural a manner that D'Artagnan wasshaken in his conviction.

"It is that, then," replied the young man, anxious to find outthe truth, "it is that, then, I remember as we remember a dream.We were speaking of hanging."

"Ah, you see how it is," said Athos, becoming still paler, butyet attempting to laugh; "I was sure it was so - the hanging ofpeople is my nightmare."

"Yes, yes," replied D'Artagnan. "I remember now; yes, it wasabout - stop a minute - yes, it was about a woman."

"That's it," replied Athos, becoming almost livid; "that is mygrand story of the fair lady, and when I relate that, I must bevery drunk."

"Yes, that was it," said D'Artagnan, "the story of a tall, fairlady, with blue eyes."

"Yes, who was hanged."

"By her husband, who was a nobleman of your acquaintance,"continued D'Artagnan, looking intently at Athos.

"Well, you see how a man may compromise himself when he does notknow what he says," replied Athos, shrugging his shoulders as ifhe thought himself an object of pity. "I certainly never willget drunk again, D'Artagnan; it is too bad a habit."

D'Artagnan remained silent; and then changing the conversationall at once, Athos said:

"By the by, I thank you for the horse you have brought me."

"Is it to your mind?" asked D'Artagnan.

"Yes; but it is not a horse for hard work."

"you are mistaken; I rode him nearly ten leagues in less than anhour and a half, and he appeared no more distressed than if hehad only made the tour of the Place St. Sulpice."

"Ah, you begin to awaken my regret."

"Regret?"

"Yes; I have parted with him."

"How?"

"Why, here is the simple fact. This morning I awoke at sixo'clock. You were still fast asleep, and I did not know what todo with myself; I was still stupid from our yesterday's debauch.As I came into the public room, I saw one of our Englishmanbargaining with a dealer for a horse, his own having diedyesterday from bleeding. I drew near, and found he was bidding ahundred pistoles for a chestnut nag. 'PARDIEU,' said I, 'my goodgentleman, I have a horse to sell, too.' 'Ay, and a very fineone! I saw him yesterday; your friend's lackey was leading him.''Do you think he is worth a hundred pistoles?' 'Yes! Will yousell him to me for that sum?' 'No; but I will play for him.''What?' 'At dice.' No sooner said than done, and I lost thehorse. Ah, ah! But please to observe I won back the equipage,'cried Athos.

D'Artagnan looked much disconcerted.

"This vexes you?" said Athos.

"Well, I must confess it does," replied D'Artagnan. "That horsewas to have identified us in the day of battle. It was a pledge,a remembrance. Athos, you have done wrong."

"But, my dear friend, put yourself in my place," replied theMusketeer. "I was hipped to death; and still further, upon myhonor, I don't like English horses. If it is only to berecognized, why the saddle will suffice for that; it is quiteremarkable enough. As to the horse, we can easily find someexcuse for its disappearance. Why the devil! A horse is mortal;suppose mine had had the glanders or the farcy?"

D'Artagnan did not smile.

"It vexes me greatly," continued Athos, "that you attach so muchimportance to these animals, for I am not yet at the end of mystory."

"What else have you done."

"After having lost my own horse, nine against ten - see how near - I formed an idea of staking yours."

"Yes; but you stopped at the idea, I hope?"

"No; for I put it in execution that very minute."

"And the consequence?" said D'Artagnan, in great anxiety.

"I threw, and I lost."

"What, my horse?"

"Your horse, seven against eight; a point short - you know theproverb."

"Athos, you are not in your right senses, I swear."

"My dear lad, that was yesterday, when I was telling you sillystories, it was proper to tell me that, and not this morning. Ilost him then, with all his appointments and furniture."

"Really, this is frightful."

"Stop a minute; you don't know all yet. I should make anexcellent gambler if I were not too hot-headed; but I was hot-headed, just as if I had been drinking. Well, I was not hot-headed then - "

"Well, but what else could you play for? You had nothing left?"

'Oh, yes, my friend; there was still that diamond left whichsparkles on your finger, and which I had observed yesterday."

"This diamond!" said D'Artagnan, placing his hand eagerly on hisring.

"And as I am a connoisseur in such things, having had a few of myown once, I estimated it at a thousand pistoles."

"I hope," said D'Artagnan, half dead with fright, "you made nomention of my diamond?"

"On the contrary, my dear friend, this diamond became our onlyresource; with it I might regain our horses and their harnesses,and even money to pay our expenses on the road."

"Athos, you make me tremble!" cried D'Artagnan.

"I mentioned your diamond then to my adversary, who had likewiseremarked it. What the devil, my dear, do you think you can weara star from heaven on your finger, and nobody observe it?Impossible!"

"Go on, go on, my dear fellow!" said D'Artagnan; "for upon myhonor, you will kill me with your indifference."

"We divided, then, this diamond into ten parts of a hundredpistoles each."

"You are laughing at me, and want to try me!" said D'Artagnan,whom anger began to take by the hair, as Minerva takes Achilles,in the ILLIAD.

"No, I do not jest, MORDIEU! I should like to have seen you inmy place! I had been fifteen days without seeing a human face,and had been left to brutalize myself in the company of bottles."

"That was no reason for staking my diamond!" replied D'Artagnan,closing his hand with a nervous spasm.

"Hear the end. Ten parts of a hundred pistoles each, in tenthrows, without revenge; in thirteen throws I had lost all - inthirteen throws. The number thirteen was always fatal to me; itwas on the thirteenth of July that - "

"VENTREBLEU!" cried D'Artagnan, rising from the table, the storyof the present day making him forget that of the preceding one.

"Patience!" said Athos; "I had a plan. The Englishman was anoriginal; I had seen him conversing that morning with Grimaud,and Grimaud had told me that he had made him proposals to enterinto his service. I staked Grimaud, the silent Grimaud, dividedinto ten portions."

"Well, what next?" said D'Artagnan, laughing in spite of himself.

"Grimaud himself, understand; and with the ten parts of Grimaud,which are not worth a ducatoon, I regained the diamond. Tell me,now, if persistence is not a virtue?"

"My faith! But this is droll," cried D'Artagnan, consoled, andholding his sides with laughter.

"You may guess, finding the luck turned, that I again staked thediamond."

"The devil!" said D'Artagnan, becoming angry again.

"I won back your harness, then your horse, then my harness, thenmy horse, and then I lost again. In brief, I regained yourharness and then mine. That's where we are. That was a superbthrow, so I left off there."

D'Artagnan breathed as if the whole hostelry had been removedfrom his breast.

"Then the diamond is safe?" said he, timidly.

"Intact, my dear friend; besides the harness of your Bucephalusand mine."

"But what is the use of harnesses without horses?"

"I have an idea about them."

"Athos, you make me shudder."

"Listen to me. You have not played for a long time, D'Artagnan."

"And I have no inclination to play."

"Swear to nothing. You have not played for a long time, I said;you ought, then, to have a good hand."

"Well, what then?"

"Well; the Englishman and his companion are still here. Iremarked that he regretted the horse furniture very much. Youappear to think much of your horse. In your place I would stakethe furniture against the horse."

"But he will not wish for only one harness."

"Stake both, PARDIEU! I am not selfish, as you are."

"You would do so?" said D'Artagnan, undecided, so strongly didthe confidence of Athos begin to prevail, in spite of himself.

"On my honor, in one single throw."

"But having lost the horses, I am particularly anxious topreserve the harnesses."

"Stake your diamond, then."

"This? That's another matter. Never, never!"

"The devil!" said Athos. "I would propose to you to stakePlanchet, but as that has already been done, the Englishman wouldnot, perhaps, be willing."

"Decidedly, my dear Athos," said D'Artagnan, "I should likebetter not to risk anything."

"That's a pity," said Athos, cooly. "The Englishman isoverflowing with pistoles. Good Lord, try one throw! One throwis soon made!"

"And if I lose?"

"You will win."

"But if I lose?"

"Well, you will surrender the harnesses."

"Have with you for one throw!" said D'Artagnan.

Athos went in quest of the Englishman, whom he found in thestable, examining the harnesses with a greedy eye. Theopportunity was good. He proposed the conditions - the twoharnesses, either against one horse or a hundred pistoles. TheEnglishman calculated fast; the two harnesses were worth threehundred pistoles. He consented.

D'Artagnan threw the dice with a trembling hand, and turned upthe number three; his paleness terrified Athos, who, however,consented himself with saying, "That's a sad throw, comrade; youwill have the horses fully equipped, monsieur."

The Englishman, quite triumphant, did not even give himself thetrouble to shake the dice. He threw them on the table withoutlooking at them, so sure was he of victory; D'Artagnan turnedaside to conceal his ill humor.

"Hold, hold, hold!" said Athos, wit his quiet tone; "that throwof the dice is extraordinary. I have not seen such a one fourtimes in my life. Two aces!"

The Englishman looked, and was seized with astonishment.D'Artagnan looked, and was seized with pleasure.

"Yes," continued Athos, "four times only; once at the house ofMonsieur Crequy; another time at my own house in the country, inmy chateau at - when I had a chateau; a third time at Monsieur deTreville's where it surprised us all; and the fourth time at acabaret, where it fell to my lot, and where I lost a hundredlouis and a supper on it."

"Then Monsieur takes his horse back again," said the Englishman.

"Certainly," said D'Artagnan.

"Then there is no revenge?"

"Our conditions said, 'No revenge,' you will please torecollect."

"That is true; the horse shall be restored to your lackey,monsieur."

"A moment," said Athos; "with your permission, monsieur, I wishto speak a word with my friend."

"Say on."

Athos drew D'Artagnan aside.

"Well, Tempter, what more do you want with me?" said D'Artagnan."You want me to throw again, do you not?"

"No, I would wish you to reflect."

"On what?"

"You mean to take your horse?"

"Without doubt."

"You are wrong, then. I would take the hundred pistoles. Youknow you have staked the harnesses against the horse or a hundredpistoles, at your choice."

"Yes."

"Well, then, I repeat, you are wrong. What is the use of onehorse for us two? I could not ride behind. We should look likethe two sons of Anmon, who had lost their brother. You cannotthink of humiliating me by prancing along by my side on thatmagnificent charger. For my part, I should not hesitate amoment; I should take the hundred pistoles. We want money forour return to Paris."

"I am much attached to that horse, Athos."

"And there again you are wrong. A horse slips and injures ajoint; a horse stumbles and breaks his knees to the bone; a horseeats out of a manger in which a glandered horse has eaten. Thereis a horse, while on the contrary, the hundred pistoles feedtheir master."

"But how shall we get back?"

"Upon our lackey's horses, PARDIEU. Anybody may see by ourbearing that we are people of condition."

"Pretty figures we shall cut on ponies while Aramis and Porthoscaracole on their steeds."

"Aramis! Porthos!" cried Athos, and laughed aloud.

"What is it?" asked D'Artagnan, who did not at all comprehend thehilarity of his friend.

"Nothing, nothing! Go on!"

"Your advice, then?"

"To take the hundred pistoles, D'Artagnan. With the hundredpistoles we can live well to the end of the month. We haveundergone a great deal of fatigue, remember, and a little restwill do no harm."

"I rest? Oh, no, Athos. Once in Paris, I shall prosecute mysearch for that unfortunate woman!"

"Well, you may be assured that your horse will not be half soserviceable to you for that purpose as good golden louis. Takethe hundred pistoles, my friend; take the hundred pistoles!"

D'Artagnan only required one reason to be satisfied. This lastreason appeared convincing. Besides, he feared that by resistinglonger he should appear selfish in the eyes of Athos. Heacquiesced, therefore, and chose the hundred pistoles, which theEnglishman paid down on the spot.

They then determined to depart. Peace with the landlord, inaddition to Athos's old horse, cost six pistoles. D'Artagnan andAthos took the nags of Planchet and Grimaud, and the two lackeysstarted on foot, carrying the saddles on their heads.

However ill our two friends were mounted, they were soon far inadvance of their servants, and arrived at Creveccoeur. From adistance they perceived Aramis, seated in a melancholy manner athis window, looking out, like Sister Anne, at the dust in thehorizon.

"HOLA, Aramis! What the devil are you doing there?" cried thetwo friends.

"Ah, is that you, D'Artagnan, and you, Athos?" said the youngman. "I was reflecting upon the rapidity with which theblessings of this world leave us. My English horse, which hasjust disappeared amid a cloud of dust, has furnished me with aliving image of the fragility of the things of the earth. Lifeitself may be resolved into three words: ERAT, EST, FUIT."

"Which means - " said D'Artagnan, who began to suspect the truth.

"Which means that I have just been duped-sixty louis for a horsewhich by the manner of his gait can do at least five leagues anhour."

D'Artagnan and Athos laughed aloud.

"My dear D'Artagnan," said Aramis, "don't be too angry with me, Ibeg. Necessity has no law; besides, I am the person punished, asthat rascally horsedealer has robbed me of fifty louis, at least.Ah, you fellows are good managers! You ride on our lackey'shorses, and have your own gallant steeds led along carefully byhand, at short stages."

At the same instant a market cart, which some minutes before hadappeared upon the Amiens road, pulled up at the inn, and Planchetand Grimaud came out of it with the saddles on their heads. Thecart was returning empty to Paris, and the two lackeys hadagreed, for their transport, to slake the wagoner's thirst alongthe route.

"What is this?" said Aramis, on seeing them arrive. "Nothing butsaddles?"

"Now do you understand?" said Athos.

"My friends, that's exactly like me! I retained my harness byinstinct. HOLA, Bazin! Bring my new saddle and carry it alongwith those of these gentlemen."

"And what have you done with your ecclesiastics?" askedD'Artagnan.

"My dear fellow, I invited them to a dinner the next day,"replied Aramis. "They have some capital wine here-please toobserve that in passing. I did my best to make them drunk. Thenthe curate forbade me to quit my uniform, and the Jesuitentreated me to get him made a Musketeer."

"Without a thesis?" cried D'Artagnan, "without a thesis? Idemand the suppression of the thesis."

"Since then," continued Aramis, "I have lived very agreeably. Ihave begun a poem in verses of one syllable. That is ratherdifficult, but the merit in all things consists in thedifficulty. The matter is gallant. I will read you the firstcanto. It has four hundred lines, and lasts a minute."

"My faith, my dear Aramis," said D'Artagnan, who detested versesalmost as much as he did Latin, "add to the merit of thedifficulty that of the brevity, and you are sure that your poemwill at least have two merits."

"You will see," continued Aramis, "that it breathesirreproachable passion. And so, my friends, we return to Paris?Bravo! I am ready. We are going to rejoin that good fellow,Porthos. So much the better. You can't think how I have missedhim, the great simpleton. To see him so self-satisfiedreconciles me with myself. He would not sell his horse; not fora kingdom! I think I can see him now, mounted upon his superbanimal and seated in his handsome saddle. I am sure he will looklike the Great Mogul!"

They made a halt for an hour to refresh their horses. Aramisdischarged his bill, placed Bazin in the cart with his comrades,and they set forward to join Porthos.

They found him up, less pale than when D'Artagnan left him afterhis first visit, and seated at a table on which, though he wasalone, was spread enough for four persons. This dinner consistedof meats nicely dressed, choice wines, and superb fruit.

"Ah, PARDIEU!" said he, rising, "you come in the nick of time,gentlemen. I was just beginning the soup, and you will dine withme."

"Oh, oh!" said D'Artagnan, "Mousqueton has not caught thesebottles with his lasso. Besides, here is a piquant FRICANDEAUand a fillet of beef."

"I am recruiting myself," said Porthos, "I am recruiting myself.Nothing weakens a man more than these devilish strains. Did youever suffer from a strain, Athos?"

"Never! Though I remember, in our affair of the Rue Ferou, Ireceived a sword wound which at the end of fifteen or eighteendays produced the same effect."

"But this dinner was not intended for you alone, Porthos?" saidAramis.

"No," said Porthos, "I expected some gentlemen of theneighborhood, who have just sent me word they could not come.You will take their places and I shall not lose by the exchange.HOLA, Mousqueton, seats, and order double the bottles!"

"Do you know what we are eating here?" said Athos, at the end often minutes.

"PARDIEU!" replied D'Artagnan, "for my part, I am eating vealgarnished with shrimps and vegetables."

"And I some lamb chops," said Porthos.

"And I a plain chicken," said Aramis.

"You are all mistaken, gentlemen," answered Athos, gravely; "youare eating horse."

"Eating what?" said D'Artagnan.

"Horse!" said Aramis, with a grimace of disgust.

Porthos alone made no reply.

"Yes, horse. Are we not eating a horse, Porthos? And perhapshis saddle, therewith."

"No, gentlemen, I have kept the harness," said Porthos.

"My faith," said Aramis, "we are all alike. One would think wehad tipped the wink."

"What could I do?" said Porthos. "This horse made my visitorsashamed of theirs, and I don't like to humiliate people."

"Then your duchess is still at the waters?" asked D'Artagnan.

"Still," replied Porthos. "And, my faith, the governor of theprovince - one of the gentlemen I expected today - seemed to havesuch a wish for him, that I gave him to him."

"Gave him?" cried D'Artagnan.

"My God, yes, GAVE, that is the word," said Porthos; "for theanimal was worth at least a hundred and fifty louis, and thestingy fellow would only give me eighty."

"Without the saddle?" said Aramis.

"Yes, without the saddle."

"You will observe, gentlemen," said Athos, "that Porthos has madethe best bargain of any of us."

And then commenced a roar of laughter in which they all joined,to the astonishment of poor Porthos; but when he was informed ofthe cause of their hilarity, he shared it vociferously accordingto his custom.

"There is one comfort, we are all in cash," said D'Artagnan.

"Well, for my part," said Athos, "I found Aramis's Spanish wineso good that I sent on a hamper of sixty bottles of it in thewagon with the lackeys. That has weakened my purse."

"And I," said Aramis, "imagined that I had given almost my lastsou to the church of Montdidier and the Jesuits of Amiens, withwhom I had made engagements which I ought to have kept. I haveordered Masses for myself, and for you, gentlemen, which will besaid, gentlemen, for which I have not the least doubt you will bemarvelously benefited."

"And I," said Porthos, "do you think my strain cost me nothing? - without reckoning Mousqueton's wound, for which I had to have thesurgeon twice a day, and who charged me double on account of thatfoolish Mousqueton having allowed himself a ball in a part whichpeople generally only show to an apothecary; so I advised him totry never to get wounded there any more."

"Ay, ay!" said Athos, exchanging a smile with D'Artagnan andAramis, "it is very clear you acted nobly with regard to the poorlad; that is like a good master."

"In short," said Porthos, "when all my expenses are paid, I shallhave, at most, thirty crowns left."

"And I about ten pistoles," said Aramis.

"Well, then it appears that we are the Croesuses of the society.How much have you left of your hundred pistoles, D'Artagnan.?"

"Of my hundred pistoles? Why, in the first place I gave youfifty."

"You think so?"

"PARDIEU!"

"Ah, that is true. I recollect."

"Then I paid the host six."

"What a brute of a host! Why did you give him six pistoles?"

"You told me to give them to him."

"It is true; I am too good-natured. In brief, how much remains?"

"Twenty-five pistoles," said D'Artagnan.

"And I," said Athos, taking some small change from his pocket,I - "

"You? Nothing!"

"My faith! So little that it is not worth reckoning with thegeneral stock."

"Now, then, let us calculate how much we posses in all."

"Porthos?"

"Thirty crowns."

"Aramis?"

"Ten pistoles."

"And you, D'Artagnan?"

"Twenty-five."

"That makes in all?" said Athos.

"Four hundred and seventy-five livres," said D'Artagnan, whoreckoned like Archimedes.

"On our arrival in Paris, we shall still have four hundred,besides the harnesses," said Porthos.

"But our troop horses?" said Aramis.

"Well, of the four horses of our lackeys we will make two for themasters, for which we will draw lots. With the four hundredlivres we will make the half of one for one of the unmounted, andthen we will give the turnings out of our pockets to D'Artagnan,who has a steady hand, and will go and play in the first gaminghouse we come to. There!"

"Let us dine, then," said Porthos; "it is getting cold."

The friends, at ease with regard to the future, did honor to therepast, the remains of which were abandoned to Mousqueton, Bazin,Planchet, and Grimaud.

On arriving in Paris, D'Artagnan found a letter from M. deTreville, which informed him that, at his request, the king hadpromised that he should enter the company of the Musketeers.

As this was the height of D'Artagnan's worldly ambition - apart,be it well understood, from his desire of finding Mme.Bonacieux - he ran, full of joy, to seek his comrades, whom he hadleft only half an hour before, but whom he found very sad anddeeply preoccupied. They were assembled in council at theresidence of Athos, which always indicated an event of somegravity. M. de Treville had intimated to them his Majesty'sfixed intention to open the campaign on the first of May, andthey must immediately prepare their outfits.

The four philosophers looked at one another in a state ofbewilderment. M. de Treville never jested in matters relating todiscipline.

"And what do you reckon your outfit will cost?" said D'Artagnan.

"Oh, we can scarcely say. We have made our calculations withSpartan economy, and we each require fifteen hundred livres."

"Four times fifteen makes sixty - six thousand livres," saidAthos.

"It seems to me," said D'Artagnan, "with a thousand livres each - I do not speak as a Spartan, but as a procurator - "

This word PROCURATOR roused Porthos. "Stop," said he, "I have anidea."

"Well, that's something, for I have not the shadow of one," saidAthos cooly; "but as to D'Artagnan, gentlemen, the idea ofbelonging to OURS has driven him out of his senses. A thousandlivres! For my part, I declare I want two thousand."

"Four times two makes eight," then said Aramis; "it is eightthousand that we want to complete our outfits, toward which, itis true, we have already the saddles."

"Besides," said Athos, waiting till D'Artagnan, who went to thankMonsieur de Treville, had shut the door, "besides, there is thatbeautiful ring which beams from the finger of our friend. Whatthe devil! D'Artagnan is too good a comrade to leave hisbrothers in embarrassment while he wears the ransom of a king onhis finger."