As Athos had foreseen, it was not long before the cardinalcame down. He opened the door of the room in which theMusketeers were, and found Porthos playing an earnest gameof dice with Aramis. He cast a rapid glance around theroom, and perceived that one of his men was missing.

"What has become of Monseigneur Athos?" asked he.

"Monseigneur," replied Porthos, "he has gone as a scout, onaccount of some words of our host, which made him believethe road was not safe."

"And you, what have you done, Monsieur Porthos?"

"I have won five pistoles of Aramis."

"Well; now will you return with me?"

"We are at your Eminence's orders."

"To horse, then, gentlemen; for it is getting late."

The attendant was at the door, holding the cardinal's horseby the bridle. At a short distance a group of two men andthree horses appeared in the shade. These were the two menwho were to conduct Milady to the fort of the Point, andsuperintend her embarkation.

The attendant confirmed to the cardinal what the twoMusketeers had already said with respect to Athos. Thecardinal made an approving gesture, and retraced his routewith the same precautions he had used incoming.

Let us leave him to follow the road to the camp protected byhis esquire and the two Musketeers, and return to Athos.

For a hundred paces he maintained the speed at which hestarted; but when out of sight he turned his horse to theright, made a circuit, and came back within twenty paces ofa high hedge to watch the passage of the little troop.Having recognized the laced hats of his companions and thegolden fringe of the cardinal's cloak, he waited till thehorsemen had turned the angle of the road, and having lostsight of them, he returned at a gallop to the inn, which wasopened to him without hesitation.

The host recognized him.

"My officer," said Athos, "has forgotten to give a piece ofvery important information to the lady, and has sent me backto repair his forgetfulness."

"Go up," said the host; "she is still in her chamber."

Athos availed himself of the permission, ascended the stairswith his lightest step, gained the landing, and through theopen door perceived Milady putting on her hat.

He entered the chamber and closed the door behind him. Atthe noise he made in pushing the bolt, Milady turned round.

Athos was standing before the door, enveloped in his cloak,with his hat pulled down over his eyes. On seeing thisfigure, mute and immovable as a statue, Milady wasfrightened.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" cried she.

"Humph," murmured Athos, "it is certainly she!"

And letting fall his cloak and raising his hat, he advancedtoward Milady.

"Do you know me, madame?" said he.

Milady made one step forward, and then drew back as if shehad seen a serpent.

"So far, well," said Athos, "I perceive you know me."

"The Comte de la Fere!" murmured Milady, becomingexceedingly pale, and drawing back till the wall preventedher from going any farther.

"Yes, Milady," replied Athos; "the Comte de la Fere inperson, who comes expressly from the other world to have thepleasure of paying you a visit. Sit down, madame, and letus talk, as the cardinal said."

Milady, under the influence of inexpressible terror, satdown without uttering a word.

"You certainly are a demon sent upon the earth!" said Athos."Your power is great, I know; but you also know that withthe help of God men have often conquered the most terribledemons. You have once before thrown yourself in my path. Ithought I had crushed you, madame; but either I was deceivedor hell has resuscitated you!"

Milady at these words, which recalled frightfulremembrances, hung down her head with a suppressed groan.

"Yes, hell has resuscitated you," continued Athos. "Hellhas made you rich, hell has given you another name, hell hasalmost made you another face; but it has neither effaced thestains from your soul nor the brand from your body."

Milady arose as if moved by a powerful spring, and her eyesflashed lightning. Athos remained sitting.

"You believed me to be dead, did you not, as I believed youto be? And the name of Athos as well concealed the Comte dela Fere, as the name Milady Clarik concealed Anne de Breuil.Was it not so you were called when your honored brothermarried us? Our position is truly a strange one," continuedAthos, laughing. "We have only lived up to the present timebecause we believed each other dead, and because aremembrance is less oppressive than a living creature,though a remembrance is sometimes devouring."

"But," said Milady, in a hollow, faint voice, "what bringsyou back to me, and what do you want with me?"

"I wish to tell you that though remaining invisible to youreyes, I have not lost sight of you."

"You know what I have done?"

"I can relate to you, day by day, your actions from yourentrance to the service of the cardinal to this evening."

A smile of incredulity passed over the pale lips of Milady.

"Listen! It was you who cut off the two diamond studs fromthe shoulder of the Duke of Buckingham; it was you had theMadame Bonacieux carried off; it was you who, in love withDe Wardes and thinking to pass the night with him, openedthe door to Monsieur d'Artagnan; it was you who, believingthat De Wardes had deceived you, wished to have him killedby his rival; it was you who, when this rival had discoveredyour infamous secret, wished to have him killed in his turnby two assassins, whom you sent in pursuit of him; it wasyou who, finding the balls had missed their mark, sentpoisoned wine with a forged letter, to make your victimbelieve that the wine came from his friends. In short, itwas you who have but now in this chamber, seated in thischair I now fill, made an engagement with Cardinal Richelieuto cause the Duke of Buckingham to be assassinated, inexchange for the promise he has made you to allow you toassassinate D'Artagnan."

Milady was livid.

"You must be Satan!" cried she.

"Perhaps," said Athos; "But at all events listen well tothis. Assassinate the Duke of Buckingham, or cause him tobe assassinated - I care very little about that! I don'tknow him. Besides, he is an Englishman. But do not touchwith the tip of your finger a single hair of D'Artagnan, whois a faithful friend whom I love and defend, or I swear toyou by the head of my father the crime which you shall haveendeavored to commit, or shall have committed, shall be thelast."

"Monsieur d'Artagnan has cruelly insulted me," said Milady,in a hollow tone; "Monsieur d'Artagnan shall die!"

"Indeed! Is it possible to insult you, madame?" said Athos,laughing; "he has insulted you, and he shall die!"

"He shall die!" replied Milady; "she first, and heafterward."

Athos was seized with a kind of vertigo. The sight of thiscreature, who had nothing of the woman about her, recalledawful remembrances. He thought how one day, in a lessdangerous situation than the one in which he was now placed,he had already endeavored to sacrifice her to his honor.His desire for blood returned, burning his brain andpervading his frame like a raging fever; he arose in histurn, reached his hand to his belt, drew forth a pistol, andcocked it.

Milady, pale as a corpse, endeavored to cry out; but herswollen tongue could utter no more than a hoarse sound whichhad nothing human in it and resembled the rattle of a wildbeast. Motionless against the dark tapestry, with her hairin disorder, she appeared like a horrid image of terror.

Athos slowly raised his pistol, stretched out his arm sothat the weapon almost touched Milady's forehead, and then,in a voice the more terrible from having the supremecalmness of a fixed resolution, "Madame," said he, "you willthis instant deliver to me the paper the cardinal signed; orupon my soul, I will blow your brains out."

With another man, Milady might have preserved some doubt;but she knew Athos. Nevertheless, she remained motionless.

"You have one second to decide," said he.

Milady saw by the contraction of his countenance that thetrigger was about to be pulled; she reached her hand quicklyto her bosom, drew out a paper, and held it toward Athos.

"Take it," said she, "and be accursed!"

Athos took the paper, returned the pistol to his belt,approached the lamp to be assured that it was the paper,unfolded it, and read:

Dec. 3, 1627

It is by more order and for the good of the state that thebearer of this has done what he has done.

Richelieu

"And now," said Athos, resuming his cloak and putting on hishat, "now that I have drawn your teeth, viper, bite if youcan."

And he left the chamber without once looking behind him.

At the door he found the two men and the spare horse whichthey held.

"Gentlemen," said he, "Monseigneur's order is, you know, toconduct that woman, without losing time, to the fort of thePoint, and never to leave her till she is on board."

As these words agreed wholly with the order they hadreceived, they bowed their heads in sign of assent.

With regard to Athos, he leaped lightly into the saddle andset out at full gallop; only instead of following the road,he went across the fields, urging his horse to the utmostand stopping occasionally to listen.

In one of those halts he heard the steps of several horseson the road. He had no doubt it was the cardinal and hisescort. He immediately made a new point in advance, rubbedhis horse down with some heath and leaves of trees, andplaced himself across the road, about two hundred paces fromthe camp.

"Who goes there?" cried he, as soon as he perceived thehorsemen.

"That is our brave Musketeer, I think," said the cardinal.

"Yes, monseigneur," said Porthos, "it is he."

"Monsieur Athos," said Richelieu, "receive my thanks for thegood guard you have kept. Gentlemen, we are arrived; takethe gate on the left. The watchword is, 'King and Re.'"

Saying these words, the cardinal saluted the three friendswith an inclination of his head, and took the right hand,followed by his attendant - for that night he himself sleptin the camp.

"Well!" said Porthos and Aramis together, as soon as thecardinal was out of hearing, "well, he signed the paper sherequired!"

"I know it," said Athos, coolly, "since here it is."

And the three friends did not exchange another word tillthey reached their quarters, except to give the watchword tothe sentinels. Only they sent Mousqueton to tell Planchetthat his master was requested, the instant that he left thetrenches, to come to the quarters of the Musketeers.

Milady, as Athos had foreseen, on finding the two men thatawaited her, made no difficulty in following them. She hadhad for an instant an inclination to be reconducted to thecardinal, and relate everything to him; but a revelation onher part would bring about a revelation on the part ofAthos. She might say that Athos had hanged her; but thenAthos would tell that she was branded. She thought it wasbest to preserve silence, to discreetly set off toaccomplish her difficult mission with her usual skill; andthen, all things being accomplished to the satisfaction ofthe cardinal, to come to him and claim her vengeance.

In consequence, after having traveled all night, at seveno'clock she was at the fort of the Point; at eight o'clockshe had embarked; and at nine, the vessel, which withletters of marque from the cardinal was supposed to besailing for Bayonne, raised anchor, and steered its coursetoward England.