Chapter 12 Chapter Ten Seventeenth Century Mousetrap

The mousetrap was not invented today, but the police were invented when society was formed, and the police invented the mousetrap. Readers may not be familiar with the incision on Jerusalem Street (Note: Jerusalem Street was the location of the French police station at that time.), and although the author has written a book for fifteen years, it is the first time to use this word to refer to this kind of thing. back.Therefore, it is necessary to explain to readers what a mousetrap is. Whenever a felony suspect is arrested in a house of any kind, news of the arrest is immediately sealed, and four or five people are ambushed in the first room of the house, and the door is opened when there is a knock. Let him in, then close the door and catch anyone who comes in.In this way, within two or three days, almost all who frequented the house could be caught.

A mousetrap is such a thing. M. Bonasseur's house was thus turned into a mousetrap, and no matter who came in, he would be arrested and interrogated by the cardinal's men.Of course, since there is a special road leading to the second floor where d'Artagnan lives, people who go to d'Artagnan's house will not have trouble. Besides, only the three musketeers would come to d'Artagnan's house.The three of them went to investigate separately, but found nothing, found nothing.Athos even asked M. de Treville.The venerable musketeer had always been taciturn, but now he took the initiative to ask, the captain couldn't help but secretly marveled.But Monsieur de Treville knew nothing, except that the last time he saw the cardinal, the king, and the queen, the cardinal looked worried, the king was restless, and the queen had red eyes, indicating that she had been sleeping or crying at night. Pass.However, the queen's situation did not surprise him, because since the marriage, insomnia and crying were commonplace for the queen.

Monsieur de Treville enjoined Athos to serve the king, and especially the queen, under all circumstances, and begged him to tell his companions to do the same. As for d'Artagnan, he never left his house, but made his bedroom a post of observation.He stood at the window and could see all the people who came from the trap; he pried open the square tiles on the floor and cut a hole in the floor.In this way, there was only one board between his bedroom and the room below, and he could clearly hear the interrogation in the room below, including all movements of the interrogator and the interrogated.

Before the interrogation, the arrested person was searched carefully, and the interrogation almost always asked the following questions: Did Madame Bonasseur give you something.Tell you to pass it on to her husband or someone else? Has M. Bonasseur handed you something to pass on to her wife or someone else? Did the couple reveal any secrets to you? D'Artagnan listened and thought about it: If they knew something, they wouldn't be interrogating like this.What do they want to know now?Was it to find out if the Duke of Buckingham was in Paris and if he had not or might not have met the Queen?

Thinking of this, d'Artagnan paused. Based on what he had heard, it was not impossible. Now the mouse trap was always open, and dArtagnan's vigilance could not be relaxed for a moment. On the evening of the second day after poor Bonasseur's capture, Athos had just taken leave of d'Arthos and went to M. de Treville's, when the clock struck nine, and Planchet, who had not yet made his bed, began to make it, when the There was a knock at the door, which opened and closed again: someone had thrown himself into a mousetrap. D'Artagnan immediately ran to the place where the bricks were pried open, lay down on the floor and listened.

Immediately there were several screams, followed by groans, and the man's mouth was covered to silence him.The interrogation has not yet taken place. hell!muttered d'Artagnan, as if it were a woman.They were searching her body and she was struggling.They raped her, the bastards! D'Artagnan, who was always cautious, tried his best to refrain from interfering with the scene below. I tell you that I am mistress of the house, gentlemen, I tell you that I am Madame Bonacieur, I tell you that I am the queen's man!cried the unfortunate woman. Madame Bonasseur!dArtagnan said to himself, it seems that I have been lucky, and I have met the person everyone is looking for!

We are waiting for you!said the interrogator. The mouth was covered again, and the voice became more and more indistinct. There was only a burst of tearing, knocking against the walls, and the victim resisted the four men with all her strength as a woman. Please spare me, gentlemen, the voice said feebly, and the rest of it was completely inaudible. They gagged her, and were about to take her away, said D'Artagnan, springing up like a spring, My sword!Well, the sword is with me.Planchet! What's the matter, sir? Come quickly to Athos, Porthos, and Aramis.One of the three of them must have been at home, perhaps all three had gone home.Tell them to come with arms and come running.oh!I remembered that Athos was with M. de Treville.

But where are you going?where are you going sir I jumped out of the window, cried d'Artagnan, to gain time.And you, first re-lay the tiles, sweep the floor, and then go out through the gate and run to where I told you to go. oops!Sir, sir, you will fall to your death.cried Planchet. Shut up, fool!D'Artagnan said, grabbing the edge of the window sill with his hands, and jumped from the second floor.Fortunately, the building is not high, so he was not injured at all. He immediately ran to knock on the door, saying to himself: I'm going to get into this mouse trap too, so that those cats who dare to touch my mouse will suffer!

As soon as the young man picked up the knocking hammer and knocked once, the tearing sound in the room stopped immediately, and there was a sound of footsteps all the way to the door, and the door opened.D'Artagnan rushed into the master Bonacieur's house with his shining sword in his hand.There must have been a spring on the back of the door, and it closed automatically behind his back. Then, the residents and the neighbors who had not moved out of the unlucky building of Bonaciere heard several shouts, punches and kicks, the clash of swords and a long sound of furniture being overturned.After a while, those who were startled by the chaotic noise ran to the window to see what was going on, and saw the door opened again, and the four men in black didn't come out, but looked like Frightened crows flew out of it, leaving the feathers of their wings on the ground and on the corners of the table, the rags torn from their clothes and cloaks.

It should be said that d'Artagnan won the victory without much effort, because only one of the four spies was armed, and he barely parried a few times.The other three tried to knock d'Artagnan down with chairs, stools, and pots, but two or three wounds inflicted on them by the Gasconian's sword scared the hell out of them.They fled in just ten minutes, and the battlefield fell into the hands of d'Artagnan. Those neighbors, with the coolness characteristic of Parisians in times of turmoil, opened the windows, saw the four men in black fleeing, and immediately closed the windows: instinct told them that there was nothing wrong now.

Besides, it's getting late.Then, as now, the inhabitants of the vicinity of the Luxembourg Gardens went to bed early. DArtagnan and Madame Bonacieur were alone in the room.He turned to her: the poor woman was lying on her back in an armchair, half unconscious.D'Artagnan glanced at her quickly. She was a pretty woman in her mid-twenties, with brown hair, blue eyes, a slightly raised nose, white and regular teeth, and rosy skin.However, these are the only features that make her a rich lady.Her hands are white and white, but they are not slender, and her feet do not show that she is a noble woman.Fortunately, D'Artagnan did not pay attention to these details. D'Artagnan was looking at Madame Bonacieur, or, as I said, at her feet, when he saw a linen handkerchief lying on the floor.He picked it up out of habit, and found that there was a pattern of initials on the corner, exactly the same as that on the handkerchief that almost made him and Aramis desperate. Since that time, D'Artagnan had been wary of the handkerchief embroidered with the coat of arms, so without saying anything, he put the handkerchief he picked up into Madame Bonacieur's pocket.At this moment Madame Bonacieur regained consciousness.She opened her eyes, looked around in fear, saw that there was no one in the room, only her and her savior were left, and immediately smiled and stretched out her hands to him.Madame Bonasseur had the most charming smile in the world. ah!Sir, she said, you saved me, please accept my thanks. Madame, said d'Artagnan, I do what any gentleman in my position would do, so you need not thank me at all. Where is it, sir, where is it.I wish to show you that you are not saving an ungrateful woman.But, what did these people want from me just now?I thought they were thieves at first.And why isn't Monsieur Bonacher here? Madame, these people are far more dangerous than thieves, for they are the cardinal's spies.As for your husband, Monsieur Bonacieur, he is not here, because he was arrested yesterday and sent to the Bastille. My husband is in the Bastille!exclaimed Madame Bonacieur, ah!God!What did he do?Poor dear!He is absolutely innocent! There seemed to be a hint of a smile on the young woman's still frightened face. Did he do anything, ma'am?"I think his only crime," said d'Artagnan, was to be both blessed and unlucky to be your husband. oh sir you got it I know you've been kidnapped, ma'am. Kidnapped by whom?Do you know?ah!Please let me know if you know. It was a man of forty to forty-five years old, with black hair, dark complexion, and a scar under his left temple. Yep.But what about his name? ah!name?I don't know. Does my husband know I've been kidnapped? A letter written by the kidnapper himself informed him. Did he have any doubts about the cause of this matter?Madame Bonasseur asked, not without embarrassment. He puts it down to politics, I think. I was skeptical at first, but now I think the same as him.So my lovely Bonasseur never doubted me for a moment ah!Needless to say, madam, he is very proud of your intelligence, and above all of your love. Another almost imperceptible smile flitted across the red lips of the pretty young woman. But, continued d'Artagnan, how did you escape? To take advantage of the opportunity they left me alone.From this morning, I knew that my kidnapping was related to something, so I used the bed sheet and opened the window to escape.I thought my husband was at home, so I ran over. Do you want to ask him to protect you? ah!No, this lovely and poor man, I know he is not capable of protecting me, but he has other uses for us, so I want to inform him. Inform him of what? ah!This matter is not my own secret, and I cannot tell you. Besides, said d'Artagnan, pardon me, Madame, but as a Custodian, I warn you to be cautious.Besides, I don't think this is the place to talk about confidential matters.The ones I kicked out will come back with their thugs.If they see us here, we're done.I did send for my three friends, but who knows if they'll be found at home! Yes, yes, you are right.Madame Bonacieur said frightenedly, let's go, let's run away. So saying, she took d'Artagnan's arm, and hastily dragged him away. But where?said d'Artagnan, where to flee? Get out of this house first. Without even closing the door, the young woman and the young man walked quickly down the Rue des Gravediggers, turned into the Rue des Duchesses, and did not stop until they reached the Place de Saint-Suubis. What should we do now?"Where do you want me to take you?" asked d'Artagnan. To be honest, I really don't know how to answer you.Madame Bonacieur said, I wanted to ask my husband to inform Mr. Laporte, so that Mr. Laporte could tell us exactly what happened to the Louvre in the past three days, and whether it was not dangerous for me to go there. Oh, said d'Artagnan, I can inform M. Laporte. It is true, but there is only one trouble: the people in the Louvre know M. Bonnacer and let him in, but no one knows you, and you will be turned away. Well!D'Artagnan said, at a certain small gate of the Louvre, there is always a porter who is loyal to you, as long as you say a code word Madame Bonasseur fixed her eyes on the young man. If I tell you a code word, she said, can you forget it as soon as you use it? On my honor and the fidelity of a gentleman!said d'Artagnan with convincing sincerity. Well, I believe you, you look like a decent young man.Besides, your loyalty may finally get you to the sky. I don't want to swear, d'Artagnan said, as long as I can serve the king and make the queen happy, I will do my best and do it seriously.Please treat me like a friend. But where did you let me stay during this time? Is there a man at whose house you can stay and wait for M. Laporte to come and fetch you? No, I don't want to entrust myself to anyone. Wait a moment, said d'Artagnan, we are at the gate of Athos.Yes, just do it. Who is Athos? a friend of mine. What if he saw me at home? He is not at home. I will take the key with you after I send you to his apartment. He's back? He will not come back.Besides, I will tell him that I brought back a woman who is now in his house. But you know, it would seriously damage my reputation. what is the relationship!Here again no one knows you.Besides, in our current situation, we can't take care of so much decency! Then go to your friend's house.where does he live Ferro Street, two steps away from here. let's go. The two walked forward again.As d'Artagnan had expected, Athos was not at home.The porter, as usual, regarded him as a dear friend of the family, and gave him the key.He took the key, went up the stairs, and led Madame Bonacieur into the little apartment we have already described. You are in your own home.Wait a moment, said d'Artagnan, and bar the door from the inside, and do not open it to anyone, unless you hear three such knocks. Listen!He knocked three times, two in succession, quite loudly; the other after a pause, softer. Well, said Madame Bonacieur, now it is my turn to tell you. At your command. Go to the small entrance on the Rue Ladder, near the Louvre, and look for Germain. ok, then what? He will ask you what is your business, and you will answer him with these two geographic terms: Tours and Brussels.He'll be at your beck and call right away. What do I order him? Tell him to go to Monsieur Laporte, the queen's valet. Where did he find Mr. Laporte? You just ask Laporte to come to me. good.However, where will I go in the future, and how can I meet you again? You really want to see me again? certainly. Well then, let me arrange this matter, don't worry. I believe your words. Just believe it. D'Artagnan bid farewell to Madame Bonacieur, and at the same time gazed at this petite and lovely woman with the most affectionate eyes.As he descended the stairs, he heard the door behind him close and double locked.He walked quickly, and in a short while he arrived at the Louvre. When he entered the small door on the Rue Ladder, the clock was striking ten o'clock.All the changes we have just described happened within half an hour. Everything went as Madame Bonacieur had said beforehand.Germain bowed hastily when he heard the code word; ten minutes later Laporte came to the porter's little room, and D'Artagnan introduced the matter in a few words and told him where Madame Bonacieur was. .Laporte asked twice to get the correct address, then ran away, and turned back after walking less than ten steps. Young man, he said to d'Artagnan, I have a word of advice. What's up? What just happened may get you into some trouble. You believe so? Yes.Do you have a friend whose clock runs slowly? how? Go and see him, so that he can prove that you were at his house at nine-thirty.In jurisprudence, this is called an alibi. D'Artagnan felt that this advice was prudent, and he flew to the residence of M. de Treville.However, instead of going to the drawing room with the others, he asked to go to M. de Treville's office.D'Artagnan was a frequent visitor to the residence, and his request was granted without difficulty.Someone went in to inform Treville that his young countryman had requested a private audience, and that he had something important to report to him.Five minutes later, M. de Treville asked d'Artagnan if he could do anything, and what was the business of his presence at this late hour. Please forgive me, sir!D'Artagnan had just taken advantage of his solitude to turn back the clock three quarters of an hour, when he said that it is only twenty-five past nine, and I think I am not too late. Nine twenty-five!M. de Treville exclaimed, looking up at the clock, how is this possible! Look at the clock, Monsieur, said d'Artagnan, the clock is infallible. Yes, said Treville, I thought it was a little later.Well, what's your business? D'Artagnan then told a long story about the queen, his fears for her majesty, and the rumored plans of the cardinal against Buckingham.He spoke all this with such ease and poise that M. de Treville could not help believing it, especially since, as we have said, Treville himself had noticed a new development in the relationship between the cardinal, the king and the queen. trend. At ten o'clock, d'Artagnan took leave of M. de Treville.Treville thanked him for his information, bade him always remember to serve the King and Queen, and retired to the drawing-room.But d'Artagnan, at the foot of the steps, suddenly remembered that he had forgotten his cane, and hastened upstairs to Treville's office, where he set the clock right with his fingers, so that next day no one would notice any movement. over the clock.Now he is relieved that someone can prove his alibi.So he descended the steps, and in a moment he was in the street.