Chapter 4 Chapter II M. de Treville's Waiting Room

In Gascony his name remained Troyaville; in Paris he finally changed his name to Treville.At the beginning, he did start his career like d'Artagnan, that is to say, he was penniless, but he had the capital of bravery, wit, and good judgment.This capital makes the sons of the poorest Gascons more likely to inherit from their parents than the children of the richest Belicourt or Berri performance.He always showed extraordinary courage when blows came like hailstones, and always had extraordinary luck, which made him climb to the top of the difficult ladder of grace in two steps. . He was a friend of the King, and the King, as everyone knew, had great respect for the family friend of the late King Henry IV.Treville's father had served in Henry IV's war against the Holy League (Note: French Catholic League in the sixteenth century.).Henry IV had no cash. This Béarn man had never had cash in his life, and he always paid his debts with the only thing he didn't need to borrow, namely, wit.Henry IV was short of cash, and after receiving the surrender of Paris, he licensed Treville's father to use a golden lion as his insignia, with the words "loyalty and fearlessness" in the lion's mouth.This kind of gift can be called a great honor, but it is not a benefit.Therefore, when the famous general of King Henry passed away, all he left for his son was a sword and the four-character motto.It was because of these two inheritances and the innocent surname accompanying these two inheritances that Treville stepped into the young prince's mansion, fully demonstrated his swordsmanship, and personally practiced the four-character motto.Louis XIII was a well-known fencer in the country. Because of this performance of Treville, he often said that if a friend wanted to fight a duel and needed an assistant, he would persuade the friend to invite himself first, and the second. Treville, even the first to invite Treville.

Louis XIII did, therefore, have a certain affection for Treville.This kind of friendship naturally has an imperial style and is self-interested, but it is still a kind of friendship after all.In those troubled times, everyone wanted to find someone like Treville as a confidant.However, there are quite a few people who can use the second half of the four-character motto, that is, the word fearless, as their motto; few people can use the first half of the four-character motto, that is, the word loyalty, as their motto.Treville was one of those rare individuals.He is a genius, as clever and faithful as a watchdog, brave and blind, and has a quick hand: his eyes are born to see who the king is dissatisfied with, and his hands are born to strike those who dislike the king. For example, Besmond, Moreway, Porto, and Whatley (Note: These people are assassins in French history or at that time.) That kind of people.In short, until then, all Treville lacked was opportunity.He was always on the lookout, and secretly made up his mind that once the opportunity came, he would not let it go.Therefore, Louis XIII made him captain of the Musketeers.The musketeers were loyal to Louis XIII, or more precisely obeyed blindly, just as the standing custodians had been to Henry III, and the Scottish custodians had been to Louis XIII.

In this regard, the Cardinals are not reconciled to falling behind the Kings.The second or rather first monarch of France, seeing such a formidable elite army in front of and behind the saddle of Louis XIII, also wanted to establish his own guard.So, like Louis XIII, he had his own Musketeers.These two hostile powers were seen, each in the provinces of France, and even abroad, to select for themselves able and famous fencers.In the evening, when Richelieu and Louis XIII played chess, they always boasted about how well-organized and brave the musketeers were, and they often fought red-faced.While the two men expressly forbade duels and public brawls, they secretly incited their musketeers to attack each other, feeling very unhappy when they lost, and very happy when they won.The above cases are recorded in the memoirs of at least one man who personally experienced several such defeats and many such victories.

Treville pinpointed his master's weakness.It was by this tact that he found himself in the constant favor of the king, though the king had not left a reputation for being very faithful to friendship.The king often showed off his Musketeers in front of Cardinal Armand du Plessy with a mocking look. The bishop was so angry that his gray beard stood on end.Treville saw the military life of that era very clearly: when you cannot support yourself by your enemies, you must support yourself by your own countrymen.His Musketeers, therefore, were a lawless force, without any discipline except in his own presence.

The king's or rather Treville's musketeers, disheveled and drunken, appear in taverns, promenades, and public playgrounds, where they shout, blow their beards and stare, and make Peep The swords clanked, and when they met the cardinal's guards, they deliberately bumped into each other for fun, and often drew their swords in the middle of the street to cause trouble.Occasionally some of them were killed, so someone must have wept for him and avenged him; they killed people often, and of course they would never stay in prison for long, and M. de Treville asked for their release.Therefore, these people praised Treville very much, praised him, and bowed their heads and listened to him. Every word he said, and when he heard half a sentence of reproach, he was ready to sacrifice his life to prove his loyalty.

Treville had this powerful force in his hands, first for the benefit of the king and his friends, and secondly for himself and his friends.But none of the many memoirs surviving from that period condemns the captain of the guard, not even his enemies, though he made enemies among men of letters and warriors alike.Indeed, in any of the memoirs, there is no record of accusing the noble chief of the bodyguard of collaborating with his subordinates.He had as much a genius for intrigue as the oldest and most cunning schemer, but he was always a gentleman.Besides, despite being wounded in fencing fights and always worn out by hard drills, he was still the most coquettish whore in the narrow alley, the shrewdest chess player, and the funniest gossiper of his time. .People say that Treville is lucky, just as people talked about Bassumpierre twenty years ago.He is indeed a lucky star.In short, the captain of the Musketeers was respected by some, feared by some, and loved by some.There is no better luck in life than this.

Louis XIV attracted all the little stars of his court under his own radiance.However, his father is an unparalleled sun, leaving his own brilliance to every favorite minister and personal merit to every favorite concubine.Therefore, in Paris, in addition to the two suns of the king and the cardinal, there are more than two hundred extraordinary small stars, of which Treville is one of the most eye-catching. Treville's official residence was in the Rue de la Dovecote.From six o'clock in the morning in summer and eight o'clock in the winter in winter, the courtyard of his mansion is like a camp.Fifty-six musketeers, walking up and down the yard as if in turn, seemed to be a very impressive number, all armed and ready for anything.There are several wide stone steps in the yard, which covers an area so large that according to modern civilization, it is enough to build a whole house.Among these stone steps was one that was constantly being ascended and descended, among them Parisians who came to ask for favors, provincial gentlemen eager to join the Musketeers, and footmen in various uniforms sent by the master to Treville. Mister delivers the letter.On benches arranged in a circle in the waiting room, sit the chosen ones, those who are admitted to be summoned.There was a murmur here from morning to night, while M. de Treville received visitors, heard charges, and issued orders in the adjoining office.He had only to go to the window, and he could review his men and their equipment, as a king on the terrace of the Louvre.

On the day d'Artagnan came to see Treville, there were so many people in the courtyard that it seemed austere to a provincial who had just arrived, even though he was a Gascon, and at that time d'Artagnan His countrymen are known for their fearlessness.As a matter of fact, as soon as one stepped through the thick gates, which were studded with square-headed spikes, one was met by a group of soldiers, who spread out in the courtyard, shouting, arguing, and fighting with each other.If you want to get through this tumbling vortex of people, unless you are an official, a nobleman or a beautiful woman.

It was our young man who passed through this tumultuous and clamoring crowd, his heart pounding, his long sword stuck to his thin leg with one hand, and the brim of his hat with the other, with a slight smile on his face. Lu smiled, just like an embarrassed countryman, trying to maintain a calm appearance.He felt freer to breathe as he got past the few people he was with, but he knew they were looking back at him.For the first time in his life d'Artagnan, who had always thought himself well until this day, felt ridiculous. On the steps, the situation was even worse: on the lowest stone steps, four musketeers were taking turns in a sword-fight, while their eleven or twelve companions waited their turn on the top of the steps.

One of the four seized the upper stone step, holding a drawn sword in his hand, and stopped or tried to stop the other three from running up. The three people below swung their swords flexibly to attack.At first d'Artagnan thought that they were using foil swords for practice, that is, the sword was pointed with a fancy ball, but he soon realized that they were using sharp swords when he noticed that the fighters had cuts. What a guy.Whenever a wound was drawn on someone's body, not only the bystanders, but even the fencers laughed wildly. The person occupying the upper stone steps was so skilled that the three opponents did not dare to attack easily.Everyone gathered around to watch.The conditions of this sword competition stipulated that anyone who was stabbed would be out of the game immediately, and lost the opportunity to meet the captain, and let the person who hit him go.In just five minutes of confrontation, the skins of the other three were cut, one was on the wrist, the other was on the chin, and the third was on the ear. They were all stabbed by the man above, but he didn't hurt a single hair. Because he is very smart.According to the pre-agreed rules, he received preferential treatment and could compete for three more rounds.

It wasn't that the man above was unfriendly to the other three, it was just that he wanted everyone to admire his skill.This pastime surprised our young wanderers.In his province, people's heads are prone to fever, and near-duel scenes are commonplace.However, the fearlessness of these four jokers is rare, even in Gascony.He thought he was in the famous giant country, that is, Gulliver (Note: Gulliver is the protagonist in the satirical novel "Gulliver's Travels" written by the British writer Swift in the sixteenth century.) He once traveled and was scared to death of that country.However, D'Artagnan could not stop here, he had to climb the steps and enter the waiting room. There was no sword-fighting on the top of the stone steps, and all was talking about women, and in the anterooms were talking about court.D'Artagnan blushed as he passed the top of the stone steps, and trembled in the anteroom.He is a man with a very active and absurd imagination.In Gascony, this imagination made young maids, and even some young housewives, tremble at the sight of him.However, the anecdotes about the love scene and the romances that he heard now are not only related to the most famous big men, but also told vividly and undisguisedly, so they are extremely exciting. Even in his sleep, he can't imagine half of them, especially those romances , I can't even imagine a quarter of it.On the top of the steps his admiration of simple manners was wounded; in the anteroom his admiration of the cardinal was mocked.In the antechamber d'Artagnan was horrified to hear loud criticism of the cardinal's policy of trembling Europe, as well as of his private life, for many nobles of great rank and power had tried to delve into these matters. And was punished.The cardinal, a great man, revered by father d'Artagnan, was now the object of ridicule by the musketeers of Treville.They laughed at his bowed legs and hunchback, some sang his mistress Madame Aegion and his niece Madame Combare to the tune of "Christmas Carol", while others attacked his attendants and guards with one voice.D'Artagnan heard all this, and thought it was all sensationalism, and it could never be true. However, when the whole room was full of people mocking the cardinal, when someone mentioned the name of the king by accident, everyone immediately fell silent, as if their mouths were blocked by a cork, and all of them showed With a hesitant expression, he looked around, as if worried that the words would pass through the wall and reach Treville's ears.But for a moment, someone used a pun to lead the conversation to His Excellency Cardinal, so everyone talked loudly and unscrupulously, exposing what he had done. These people are sure to be put in the Bastille and hanged alive.No doubt, thought d'Artagnan with horror, that I would end up in the same fate as they did, for I would be considered an accomplice not only to what they said, but to what they said.What would my father, who had repeatedly enjoined me to respect the cardinal, know that I was in the company of these heretics? Therefore, it goes without saying that d'Artagnan dared not take part in the conversation, but watched and listened to all directions, and concentrated his attention vigilantly on all sides, not missing a word.Although he believed that his father's instructions were correct, his interest and instinct made him not only do not want to criticize the unheard of things that happened here, but secretly admired them. He was a total stranger to this group of followers of M. de Treville, and it was the first time he had appeared in this place, so someone came up to him at this time and asked him why he had come.D'Artagnan hurriedly reported his name humbly, emphasizing that he was a fellow villager of Mr. Treville, and asked the attendant who came to inquire to ask Mr. Treville to meet him.The attendant promised to go in and report immediately. After the surprise when he first entered, D'Artagnan was now able to observe the clothes and appearance of these people calmly. Among the last active ones sat a tall musketeer.This person's arrogant demeanor and strange clothes attracted everyone's attention.He didn't wear the jacket as a team uniform. In an era when less freedom was more important than independence, team uniforms were not mandatory, but he wore a sky blue knee-length tights, which were a little faded and frayed, It wears a gorgeous shoulder strap embroidered with gold silk, which is as dazzling as the sparkling water waves in the sun; on the shoulders is a long crimson velvet cape, only the dazzling shoulder strap and the lower end are exposed in the front. long sword. The musketeer had just been laid off, and kept complaining about the cold, coughing deliberately from time to time.He told those around him that it was for this reason that he wore the cloak.He held his head up as he spoke, and curled his moustache in a majestic manner, and all those who listened to him admired his embroidered shoulder strap with great interest, and D'Artagnan was the most admired. What do you guys want to teach me?The musketeer said it was fashion.I also know that this stuff doesn't mean much, but it's in fashion right now.Besides, with the inherited money in hand, there must be something to buy. ha!Porthos!One of the people present cried out, don't try to convince us that this shoulder strap was generously left to you by your lordship.It must have been given to you by that veiled lady.The one I met with you at the Porte Saint-Honoré one Sunday. No, replied the Musketeer named Porthos, on my honor as a gentleman, I have bought this shoulder strap myself, and with my own money. Yes, said the other musketeer, as I bought this new purse with the money my mistress put in my old purse. I am not lying, said Porthos, for proof, I paid twelve pistoles for the shoulder strap. Doubts remained, but doubled appreciation aroused. Isn't it, Aramis?asked Porthos, turning to the other musketeer. The musketeer named Aramis was in stark contrast to the musketeer who asked the question.Aramis is a young man of only twenty-two or three years old. He has a sweet face, which looks quite innocent, with black eyes and gentle eyes. His rosy cheeks are covered with downy hair, resembling an autumn peach, and he has a thin mustache on his upper lip. It presents a horizontal straight line, and the hands seem afraid to hang down, as if afraid of varicose veins, pinch the earlobe from time to time to make it always look tender red and transparent.He doesn't talk much at ordinary times, and he is always slow. He greets people when he sees him, and he smiles silently, showing a mouthful of neat and white teeth. He pays great attention to maintaining his teeth just like other parts of his body. Hearing his friend call his name, he nodded affirmatively. The nod seemed to clear doubts about the strap.Everyone continues to appreciate, but no longer discuss.Everyone's thoughts turned extremely quickly, and then they turned to another topic. What do you think of the situation told by the attendants of Chalet (Note: Louis XIII's favorite, tried to murder Richelieu at the instigation of his mistress and was executed.)?asked the other musketeer.He is not asking someone, but everyone. What did he say about the situation?Porthos asked in a conceited tone. He said he had seen Rochefort in Brussels, who would die for the Cardinal, dressed as a Franciscan friar.It was by this guise that the damned Rochefort played with Reiger like a fool. Like playing real fools.Porthos said, but is this reliable? I heard from Aramis.replied the musketeer. real? well!Porthos, you know this very well.Aramis said, I told you myself yesterday, and there is no need to talk about it. No more talking!snort!This is only your personal opinion.Porthos said, there is no need to talk anymore!hell!Your judgment is also too fast.how!The cardinal actually sent someone to spy on a gentleman, ordered a traitor, a robber, a guy who should be hanged, to steal his letters, and then with the help of the traitor, he used those letters to chop off Charais' head , the absurd excuse is that Xia Lai is trying to murder the king, and trying to get the queen to marry the king's eldest brother!No one knows the details of this injustice.You told us about it yesterday, and we were all satisfied.But today, when everyone was still stunned by this news, you said that there is no need to mention it anymore! Well, let's continue talking, since you are willing to talk.Aramis said patiently. This Rochefort, cried Porthos, if I were poor Chalet's squire, I should make him suffer a little. And you, the Red Duke will make you suffer for a long time.said Aramis. ha!Red Duke!Wonderful, wonderful!Red Duke!Porthos clapped his hands and nodded his approval. The title of Red Duke is really charming.Take it easy honey, I'm going to make it a household name.This Aramis is so humorous!It's a pity, my dear, that you have not been able to continue in your profession, or you would have been a pleasing priest long ago. Well!Just a momentary delay.Aramis said, You know, Porthos, it is for this that I continue to study theology. He'll be a priest just as he said.Porthos turned to them and said that sooner or later he would become a priest. It won't be too late.said Aramis. He was only waiting for one thing to make him decide to put on the robe again.That priestly robe has been hanging on the back of his military uniform.A musketeer interjected. What are you waiting for?another asked. Waiting for the queen to give birth to an heir to inherit the throne of France. Don't joke about such things, gentlemen.By God's grace, said Porthos, the queen was of age to bear an heir. I hear Mr. Buckingham is in France at the moment.Aramis said with a sly smile.This superficially ordinary sentence has a bit of a scandalous taste after he smiles like this. Aramis, friend, you are wrong.Porthos interrupted him and said, you like humor, and the result is often that your words go off the rails.If Monsieur de Treville hears, you'll be fine. Will you teach me, Porthos?Aramis said loudly.There seemed to be a flash of lightning in his gentle eyes. My dear, you can either be a musketeer or a priest, you can only choose one of the two, not both.Porthos said, Come on, Athos said to you the other day: You eat all the food in the trough.ah!I beg you not to get angry, that won't help.You know very well that you, I, and Athos have agreed three chapters long ago.You were often at Madame Aegion's, and courted her; you were often at Madame de Boistracy's, cousin of Madame Chevreuse's.Everyone knows that you have a knack for winning the favor of a lady.ha!Don't have to admit you're lucky.No one inquires about your secrets, everyone knows that you have always been strict with your mouth.However, since you have this virtue, then damn it, would you please treat Her Majesty the same way?Kings and cardinals, talk about what you like.The queen is holy, and to talk about her, one should talk about the good. Porthos, I remind you that you are like Narcissus reflection in the water, and then withered and died, a flower grew where he died, named daffodil.) as pretentious.Aramis replied, You know I hate preaching, unless the preacher is Athos.As for you, my dear, you have a beautiful shoulder strap, and you have no right to criticize me.Priest, if it fits me, I shall be; for now I am a musketeer.As a musketeer, I can say what I like, and now I say to you that you have driven me to the limit! Aramis! Porthos! Why!Two gentlemen!Two gentlemen!There was a sound of dissuasion all around. M. de Treville invited M. d'Artagnan.The servant who opened the door of the office just now interrupted the noise in the waiting room with a shout. The door remained open.After hearing this notice, no one made a sound.In the general silence, the young Gascon passed through part of the anteroom into the musketeer's office, congratulating himself on his escape in time to avoid seeing the end of this inexplicable quarrel.