After the most disheartening news of the king's health, areport of his convalescence began to prevail in the camp;and as he was very anxious to be in person at the siege, itwas said that as soon as he could mount a horse he would setforward.

Meantime, Monsieur, who knew that from one day to the otherhe might expect to be removed from his command by the Ducd'Angouleme, by Bassompierre, or by Schomberg, who were alleager for his post, did but little, lost his days inwavering, and did not dare to attempt any great enterpriseto drive the English from the Isle of Re, where they stillbesieged the citadel St. Martin and the fort of La Pree, ason their side the French were besieging La Rochelle.

D'Artagnan, as we have said, had become more tranquil, asalways happens after a post danger, particularly when thedanger seems to have vanished. He only felt one uneasiness,and that was at not hearing any tidings from his friends.

But one morning at the commencement of the month of Novembereverything was explained to him by this letter, dated fromVilleroy:

M. d'Artagnan, MM. Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, after havinghad an entertainment at my house and enjoying themselvesvery much, created such a disturbance that the provost ofthe castle, a rigid man, has ordered them to be confined forsome days; but I accomplish the order they have given me byforwarding to you a dozen bottles of my Anjou wine, withwhich they are much pleased. They are desirous that youshould drink to their health in their favorite wine. I havedone this, and am, monsieur, with great respect,

Your very humble and obedient servant,

Godeau, Purveyor of the Musketeers

"That's all well!" cried D'Artagnan. They think of me intheir pleasures, as I thought of them in my troubles. Well,I will certainly drink to their health with all my heart,but I will not drink alone."

And D'Artagnan went among those Guardsmen with whom he hadformed greater intimacy than with the others, to invite themto enjoy with him this present of delicious Anjou wine whichhad been sent him from Villeroy.

One of the two Guardsmen was engaged that evening, andanother the next, so the meeting was fixed for the day afterthat.

D'Artagnan, on his return, sent the twelve bottles of wineto the refreshment room of the Guards, with strict ordersthat great care should be taken of it; and then, on the dayappointed, as the dinner was fixed for midday D'Artagnansent Planchet at nine in the morning to assist in preparingeverything for the entertainment.

Planchet, very proud of being raised to the dignity oflandlord, thought he would make all ready, like anintelligent man; and with this view called in the assistanceof the lackey of one of his master's guests, named Fourreau,and the false soldier who had tried to kill D'Artagnan andwho, belonging to no corps, had entered into the service ofD'Artagnan, or rather of Planchet, after D'Artagnan hadsaved his life.

The hour of the banquet being come, the two guards arrived,took their places, and the dishes were arranged on thetable. Planchet waited, towel on arm; Fourreau uncorked thebottles; and Brisemont, which was the name of theconvalescent, poured the wine, which was a little shaken byits journey, carefully into decanters. Of this wine, thefirst bottle being a little thick at the bottom, Brisemontpoured the lees into a glass, and D'Artagnan desired him todrink it, for the poor devil had not yet recovered hisstrength.

The guests having eaten the soup, were about to lift thefirst glass of wine to their lips, when all at once thecannon sounded from Fort Louis and Fort Neuf. TheGuardsmen, imagining this to be caused by some unexpectedattack, either of the besieged or the English, sprang totheir swords. D'Artagnan, not less forward than they, didlikewise, and all ran out, in order to repair to theirposts.

But scarcely were they out of the room before they were madeaware of the cause of this noise. Cries of "Live the king!Live the cardinal!" resounded on every side, and the drumswere beaten in all directions.

In short, the king, impatient, as has been said, had come byforced marches, and had that moment arrived with all hishousehold and a reinforcement of ten thousand troops. HisMusketeers proceeded and followed him. D'Artagnan, placedin line with his company, saluted with an expressive gesturehis three friends, whose eyes soon discovered him, and M. deTreville, who detected him at once.

The ceremony of reception over, the four friends were soonin one another's arms.

"Pardieu!" cried D'Artagnan, "you could not have arrived inbetter time; the dinner cannot have had time to get cold!Can it, gentlemen?" added the young man, turning to the twoGuards, whom he introduced to his friends.

"Ah, ah!" said Porthos, "it appears we are feasting!"

"I hope," said Aramis, "there are no women at your dinner."

"Is there any drinkable wine in your tavern?" asked Athos.

"Well, pardieu! there is yours, my dear friend," repliedD'Artagnan.

"Our wine!" said Athos, astonished.

"Yes, that you sent me."

"We send you wine?"

"You know very well - the wine from the hills of Anjou."

"Yes, I know what brand you are talking about."

"The wine you prefer."

"Well, in the absence of champagne and chambertin, you mustcontent yourselves with that."

"And so, connoisseurs in wine as we are, we have sent yousome Anjou wine?" said Porthos.

"Not exactly, it is the wine that was sent by your order."

"On our account?" said the three Musketeers.

"Did you send this wine, Aramis?" said Athos.

"No; and you, Porthos?"

"No; and you, Athos?"

"No!"

"If it was not you, it was your purveyor," said D'Artagnan.

"Our purveyor!"

"Yes, your purveyor, Godeau - the purveyor of theMusketeers."

"My faith! never mind where it comes from," said Porthos,"let us taste it, and if it is good, let us drink it."

"No," said Athos; "don't let us drink wine which comes froman unknown source."

"You are right, Athos," said D'Artagnan. "Did none of youcharge your purveyor, Godeau, to send me some wine?"

"No! And yet you say he has sent you some as from us?"

"Here is his letter," said D'Artagnan, and he presented thenote to his comrades.

"This is not his writing!" said Athos. "I am acquaintedwith it; before we left Villeroy I settled the accounts ofthe regiment."

"A false letter altogether," said Porthos, "we have not beendisciplined."

"D'Artagnan," said Aramis, in a reproachful tone, "how couldyou believe that we had made a disturbance?"

D'Artagnan grew pale, and a convulsive trembling shook allhis limbs.

"Thou alarmest me!" said Athos, who never used thee and thoubut upon very particular occasions, "what has happened?"

"Look you, my friends!" cried D'Artagnan, "a horriblesuspicion crosses my mind! Can this be another vengeance ofthat woman?"

It was now Athos who turned pale.

D'Artagnan rushed toward the refreshment room, the threeMusketeers and the two Guards following him.

The first object that met the eyes of D'Artagnan on enteringthe room was Brisemont, stretched upon the ground androlling in horrible convulsions.

Planchet and Fourreau, as pale as death, were trying to givehim succor; but it was plain that all assistance wasuseless - all the features of the dying man were distortedwith agony.

"Ah!" cried he, on perceiving D'Artagnan, "ah! this isfrightful! You pretend to pardon me, and you poison me!"

"I!" cried D'Artagnan. "I, wretch? What do you say?"

"I say that it was you who gave me the wine; I say that itwas you who desired me to drink it. I say you wished toavenge yourself on me, and I say that it is horrible!"

"Do not think so, Brisemont," said D'Artagnan; "do not thinkso. I swear to you, I protest - "

"Oh, but God is above! God will punish you! My God, grantthat he may one day suffer what I suffer!"

"Upon the Gospel," said D'Artagnan, throwing himself down bythe dying man, "I swear to you that the wine was poisonedand that I was going to drink of it as you did."

"I do not believe you," cried the soldier, and he expiredamid horrible tortures.

"Frightful! frightful!" murmured Athos, while Porthos brokethe bottles and Aramis gave orders, a little too late, thata confessor should be sent for."

"Oh, my friends," said D'Artagnan, "you come once more tosave my life, not only mine but that of these gentlemen.Gentlemen," continued he, addressing the Guardsmen, "Irequest you will be silent with regard to this adventure.Great personages may have had a hand in what you have seen,and if talked about, the evil would only recoil upon us."

"Ah, monsieur!" stammered Planchet, more dead than alive,"ah, monsieur, what an escape I have had!"

"How, sirrah! you were going to drink my wine?"

"To the health of the king, monsieur; I was going to drink asmall glass of it if Fourreau had not told me I was called."

"Alas!" said Fourreau, whose teeth chattered with terror, "I wanted to get him out of the way that I might drink myself."

"Gentlemen," said D'Artagnan, addressing the Guardsmen, "youmay easily comprehend that such a feast can only be verydull after what has taken place; so accept my excuses, andput off the party till another day, I beg of you."

The two Guardsmen courteously accepted D'Artagnan's excuses,and perceiving that the four friends desired to be alone,retired.

When the young Guardsman and the three Musketeers werewithout witnesses, they looked at one another with an airwhich plainly expressed that each of them perceived thegravity of their situation.

"In the first place," said Athos, "let us leave thischamber; the dead are not agreeable company, particularlywhen they have died a violent death."

"Planchet," said D'Artagnan, "I commit the corpse of thispoor devil to your care. Let him be interred in holyground. He committed a crime, it is true; but he repentedof it."

And the four friends quit the room, leaving to Planchet andFourreau the duty of paying mortuary honors to Brisemont.

The host gave them another chamber, and served them withfresh eggs and some water, which Athos went himself to drawat the fountain. In a few words, Porthos and Aramis wereposted as to the situation.

"Well," said D'Artagnan to Athos, "you see, my dear friend,that this is war to the death."

Athos shook his head.

"Yes, yes," replied he, "I perceive that plainly; but do youreally believe it is she?"

"I am sure of it."

"Nevertheless, I confess I still doubt."

"But the fleur-de-lis on her shoulder?"

"She is some Englishwoman who has committed a crime inFrance, and has been branded in consequence."

"Athos, she is your wife, I tell you," repeated D'Artagnan;"only reflect how much the two descriptions resemble eachother."

"Yes; but I should think the other must be dead, I hangedher so effectually."

It was D'Artagnan who now shook his head in his turn.

"But in either case, what is to be done?" said the youngman.

"The fact is, one cannot remain thus, with a sword hangingeternally over his head," said Athos. "We must extricateourselves from this position."

"But how?"

"Listen! You must try to see her, and have an explanationwith her. Say to her: 'Peace or war! My word as agentleman never to say anything of you, never to do anythingagainst you; on your side, a solemn oath to remain neutralwith respect to me. If not, I will apply to the chancellor,I will apply to the king, I will apply to the hangman, Iwill move the courts against you, I will denounce you asbranded, I will bring you to trial; and if you areacquitted, well, by the faith of a gentleman, I will killyou at the corner of some wall, as I would a mad dog.'"

"I like the means well enough," said D'Artagnan, "but whereand how to meet with her?"

"Time, dear friend, time brings round opportunity;opportunity is the martingale of man. The more we haveventured the more we gain, when we know how to wait."

"Yes; but to wait surrounded by assassins and poisoners."

"Bah!" said Athos. "God has preserved us hitherto, God willpreserve us still."

"Yes, we. Besides, we are men; and everything considered,it is our lot to risk our lives; but she," asked he, in anundertone.

"What she?" asked Athos.

"Constance."

"Madame Bonacieux! Ah, that's true!" said Athos. "My poorfriend, I had forgotten you were in love."

"Well, but," said Aramis, "have you not learned by theletter you found on the wretched corpse that she is in aconvent? One may be very comfortable in a convent; and assoon as the siege of La Rochelle is terminated, I promiseyou on my part - "

"Good," cried Athos, "good! Yes, my dear Aramis, we allknow that your views have a religious tendency."

"I am only temporarily a Musketeer," said Aramis, humbly.

"It is some time since we heard from his mistress," saidAthos, in a low voice. "But take no notice; we know allabout that."

"Well," said Porthos, "it appears to me that the means arevery simple."

"What?" asked D'Artagnan.

"You say she is in a convent?" replied Porthos.

"Yes."

"Very well. As soon as the siege is over, we'll carry heroff from that convent."

"But we must first learn what convent she is in."

"That's true," said Porthos.

"But I think I have it," said Athos. "Don't you say, dearD'Artagnan, that it is the queen who has made choice of theconvent for her?"

"I believe so, at least."

"In that case Porthos will assist us."

"And how so, if you please?"

"Why, by your marchioness, your duchess, your princess. Shemust have a long arm."

"Hush!" said Porthos, placing a finger on his lips. "Ibelieve her to be a cardinalist; she must know nothing ofthe matter."

"Then," said Aramis, "I take upon myself to obtainintelligence of her."

"You, Aramis?" cried the three friends. "You! And how?"

"By the queen's almoner, to whom I am very intimatelyallied," said Aramis, coloring.

And on this assurance, the four friends, who had finishedtheir modest repast, separated, with the promise of meetingagain that evening. D'Artagnan returned to less importantaffairs, and the three Musketeers repaired to the king'squarters, where they had to prepare their lodging.