Chapter 30 Chapter 28: The Way Back

D'Artagnan was astonished by the frightful revelation of Athos.However, in that half-covered confession, there are still many things that are unclear.First, it was told by a man who was completely drunk to a man who was half drunk.Although D'Artagnan felt foggy in his head after two or three bottles of Burgundy wine, when he woke up the next morning, he remembered every word of Athos as clearly as if a sentence of those words As soon as the words came out of Athos' lips they were imprinted in his brain.All doubts aroused in him a stronger desire to see things clearly.So he ran to his friend's room, determined to continue last night's conversation.However, he found that Athos had completely calmed down, that is to say, he had once again become the shrewdest and most inscrutable character.

Moreover, after the musketeer shook hands with d'Artagnan, he first revealed his thoughts. I was very drunk yesterday, my dear d'Artagnan, he said, and I am still ill today, with a sticky mouth and a rapid pulse.I bet I must have said a lot of nonsense yesterday. When he said these words, he fixed his eyes on his friend, which made the friend feel a little embarrassed. No, replied d'Artagnan, if I remember well, what you say is all commonplace. Well!What you said is weird!I thought I told you a saddest story. He watched the young man as if to peer into his heart. Seriously, said d'Artagnan, I seem to be more drunk than you, because I don't remember anything.

Athos did not believe this, and continued: Dear friends, you can't fail to notice that everyone has their own drunkenness, sad or happy.As for me, I am sad when I am drunk.When I was a child, my stupid nanny pumped so many sad stories into my head that I love to tell them now when I'm drunk.This is my fault, the main one, I admit; besides this, my wines are good. Athos spoke these words so naturally that D'Artagnan's thoughts were a little shaken. oh!It is true, the young man still wants to know the truth, so he said, it is true, I remember, I remember it as in a dream, we talked about hanging people.

ah!You see clearly, Athos turned pale, but said with a forced smile, I am sure I have often seen hanged people in my nightmares.Yes, yes, said D'Artagnan again, I remember, yes, it was about a woman later. Yes, Athos is almost ashen-faced, that's the story of my fair-haired girl, and I'm always dead drunk when I tell it. Yes, yes, said d'Artagnan, the story of the blonde, tall and pretty, with blue eyes. Yes, she was hanged. Hanged by her husband, a lord you know.While saying this, d'Artagnan fixed his eyes on Athos. Alas, you see how a man's reputation can be affected by a man's involuntary nonsense.And said Athos, shrugging his shoulders, as if pitying himself, I don't want to get drunk any more, d'Artagnan, it's a bad habit.

D'Artagnan was silent. Athos suddenly changed the subject, and said: By the way, thank you for bringing me that horse. How do you like it?asked d'Artagnan. I like it, but it's not a hard horse. You are wrong, I rode ten leagues in less than an hour and a half, and it only looked as if it had circled the Place de Saint-Thubis. Ah, you make me regret it. Regret it? Yes, I lost it. How did you lose? The thing is this: This morning, I woke up at six o'clock, and you were in a deep sleep.I've got nothing to do because I've had too much to drink last night and I'm still groggy.I went down to the lobby and saw one of the two Englishmen yesterday haggling with a horse dealer for a horse because his horse had had a stroke yesterday.I went up to him, and seeing him offer a hundred pistoles for a charred sorrel horse, I said to him: "What a coincidence, sir, I have a horse for sale too."

That is a very fine horse, he said, I saw it yesterday, and your friend's footman led him. Do you think it's worth a hundred pistols? Energy value, would you sell it to me at this price? Not for sale, but I want to bet you on it. You bet against me with it? good. How to gamble? dice. Just gamble.I lost that horse.well!But, continued Athos, I have won back the armor. D'Artagnan's face darkened. Are you unhappy?asked Athos. Yes, frankly I am not happy, replied d'Artagnan, that the horse will one day make us recognized on the battlefield.It is a physical evidence, a memorial.Athos, you are wrong.

Why!My dear friend, said the Musketeer, put yourself in my place, for I am bored to death.Besides, to be honest, I don't like English horses.Well, if it's just for someone to recognize us, then the saddle will suffice; and that saddle is really good.As for the horse, if it is gone, it will be gone, and a reason can always be found to explain it clearly.hell!A horse always dies, so let mine die of melioids or melioids. D'Artagnan remained stern. It does not please me, continued Athos. You seem to value those two horses, and I have not finished what I have done? What else did you do?

I lost my horse, nine to ten, look at the score!So I want to bet on your horse again. Well, I hope you've refrained from thinking that, right? No, I immediately put this idea into practice. ah!Good for you!D'Artagnan cried out anxiously. I made a bet and lost again. lost my horse? Lose your horse, seven to eight, you know the old saying. Athos, you are foolish, I swear to you. Darling, you should have said that to me yesterday when I told you my stupid stories, not this morning.I lost the horse with its full saddle. How annoying! Wait a minute, you don't understand at all, as long as I am not stubborn, I am a very good gambler, but I am stubborn, like drinking, I am stubborn

But, you have nothing left, so what else can you bet on? Yes, yes, friend, we still have that sparkling diamond ring on your finger, which I noticed yesterday. This diamond ring!d'Artagnan cried, and hastily covered the ring with his hand. I am an expert as I have owned several diamond rings myself.I estimate that yours is worth a thousand pistoles. D'Artagnan, half dead with fright, said solemnly: I hope you never mentioned my diamond ring, did you? Quite the contrary, dear friend.This ring, you know, became our only source of wealth: with it I could win back our saddle and two horses, and pay for our travels.

Athos, you make me tremble with anger!cried d'Artagnan. So I mentioned your diamond ring to my opponent, and he noticed it too.And so are you, my dear, with a star on your finger and wanting to be unnoticed!How can this be! Just say the ending, dear, just say the ending!dArtagnan said, to tell the truth, your slowness really kills me! Let us divide your ring into ten parts of a hundred francs each. ah!You want to joke, want to test me?D'Artagnan said that he was so angry that his hair stood on end, just like Achilles was angry by Minerva in "Iliad" (Note: "Iliad" is said to be a poetic history written by Homer. Achilles is the hero who attacked the city of Troy in Greek mythology, and Minerva is the goddess of protection and craftsmanship equivalent to Athena in Roman mythology.).

No, I'm not kidding, hell!I wish you were like me too!I haven't looked at people's faces for half a month, and I drank bottles of wine all day long, making me dizzy. That's no reason to gamble with my diamond ring, is it?said d'Artagnan, clenching his fists nervously. Please listen to the ending: there are ten shares in total, one hundred pistols each, after ten tosses, and additional money will be added if you want to turn over the book.It took me thirteen tosses and I lost it completely.Thirteen times!The number thirteen has never been unlucky for me.It was July 13th brute!D'Artagnan rose from the table and cursed.The events of the day made him forget the events of the night before. Take it easy, said Athos, for I had a plan in mind.That Brit is a queer man, and I saw him talking to Grimmer this morning.Grimmer told me that the Englishman tried to hire him as a valet.So I bet Grimmer on him, and divided the taciturn Grimmer into ten. ah!put all one's eggs in one basket!D'Artagnan laughed involuntarily. Bet on Grimmer, understand!Dividing Grimer into ten parts is not worth a silver ducat (note: the currency used in many countries in ancient Europe. It is divided into gold ducato and silver ducato, and a silver ducato is equivalent to half a gold ducato Cato.), I used him to win back the diamond ring.Now you say that stubbornness is not a virtue. This is so funny!D'Artagnan breathed a sigh of relief, and laughed so hard that he couldn't straighten up. You must understand that I thought I was lucky, and immediately bet again on the diamond ring. ah!hell.DArtagnan's face was clouded again. I won your saddle back, I won your horse back, then I won my saddle and my horse back, and then I lost.In the end I won back your saddle and mine.This is the result so far.I think this result is very good, so I quit and no longer gamble. D'Artagnan felt as if the whole inn was pressing against his chest just now, and now he finally moved away and exhaled deeply. Is the diamond ring mine in the end?he asked timidly. Untouched, dear friend!Add your horse's saddle and mine. But what would a saddle be for a horse without one? Well, I have an idea. Athos, you chill me. Listen, you haven't played for a long time, haven't you, d'Artagnan? I don't want to gamble at all. Don't say dead words.I said that you haven't gambled for a long time, and your luck may be very good. Well, so what? Well, the Englishman and his companion are still there.I noticed that they were very sorry for the two saddles.As for you, it seems that you are very reluctant to part with your horse.I'd bet my saddle on my horse if I were you. They won't just have one saddle, however. Then take two pairs to gamble, it goes without saying!I'm not as selfish as you are. Do you think this will work?asked d'Artagnan hesitantly, for Athos's confidence had unconsciously affected him. There is no joke, the two mates gamble together. However, having lost my horse, I was very keen to keep both saddles. Then gamble with your diamond ring. ah!This is another story.Absolutely not, absolutely not. hell!Athos said, I would very much like to advise you to bet on Planchet, but the Englishman may not want to do it, having already bet on the footman. Nor will I, dear Athos, said d'Artagnan; I will risk nothing. pity.said Athos grimly, the Englishman has plenty of money.well!For God's sake, you just try once, one roll of the dice and you're done. What if I lose? You will win. But what if you lose? Then, you give them two sets of saddles. Well, just toss once.said d'Artagnan. Athos went to the Englishman, and found him in the stable, scrutinizing the saddle with greedy eyes.The timing is perfect.Athos set his own terms: two saddles were worth a horse or a hundred pistoles, whichever he chose.The British figured it out in a second: two pairs of saddles were worth three hundred pistoles.He immediately agreed. DArtagnan threw the dice with trembling hands, and scored three.His pallor startled Athos.Athos simply said: Not a good toss, man.Sir, you have not only two horses, but also saddles. Satisfied, the Englishman, thinking that victory was within his grasp, took the dice and threw them on the table without shaking or looking at them; and d'Artagnan turned his head away quickly, so that no one could see his distraught look. . Look, look, look!Athos said calmly, "The dice are thrown very strangely. I have only seen them four times in my life: two." The Englishman was stunned; dArtagnan smiled.Yes, said Athos again, only four times: once at M. Clerche's; once at my house, in my old castle in the country, which I owned at that time; and the third time at Treville. Monsieur, we were all taken aback that time; and finally, the fourth time, in a tavern, I threw a hundred louis and a supper for it. In this way, Mr. won back his horse.said the British. nature.said D'Artagnan. So can't it be copied again? We have already made a decision in the conditions: the original cannot be reversed.Do you remember? good.Return the horse to your valet, sir. Wait a moment, said Athos, allow me, sir, to speak to my friend. please. Athos drew d'Artagnan aside. Well, said d'Artagnan, what do you want from me?You seductress, you want me to bet again, don't you? No, I want you to think about it. What are you thinking about? You're going to get that horse back, aren't you? certainly. you are wrong.I'd rather have a hundred pistoles.You know, you're betting two saddles on the horse or a hundred pistoles, it's your choice. good. I want a hundred pistoles. But, I love that horse. So I say it again: you are wrong.What's the use of two of us and a horse?I can't ride on the back, so we are not like the two sons of the Emmanuel family who lost two brothers , It narrates the story that Raynaud had a quarrel with Charlemagne’s nephew because of playing chess, stabbed him to death, and the four brothers rode his steed to fight against Charlemagne.) Is it?And you, you can't ride beside me on such a beautiful horse, and make me lose face.If it were me, I would not hesitate for a moment to go and get a hundred pistoles at once.We need money to go back to Paris. I want that horse, Athos. You're wrong, my friend, a horse slips, stumbles, bruises its wrists, it grazes in a manger that may have been eaten by melitonous horses, so instead of getting a horse, It is better to say that a hundred pistoles are lost for nothing; and a horse needs to be fed by the master, but a hundred pistoles can make the master eat and drink. But how do we go back? Riding the horses of the servants, needless to say!From our appearance, people can always see that we are people of status. It would be nice if we rode on little ponies, and Aramis and Porthos galloped beside us on big horses! Aramis!Porthos!Athos cried out and laughed. What's the matter?asked d'Artagnan, bewildered at his friend's smile. All right, all right, let's get on with it.said Athos. Well, your opinion is A hundred pistols, d'Artagnan.With a hundred pistoles, we can eat well and drink hot until the end of the month.We are all tired enough, we should take a rest if you see it. Take a break!ah!No, Athos, as soon as I get back to Paris, I'll set out to find that poor woman. Well, but do you think your horse is as useful as the great Louis d'Or for this job?Take a hundred pistoles, my friend, go and take a hundred pistoles. As long as what the other party said was reasonable, d'Artagnan had nothing to object to.He felt that the reason just now was very good.Besides, to continue in this way, he feared that he would appear selfish in the eyes of Athos.He accepted Athos's advice and chose a hundred pistols.The British counted him on the spot. So I just thought about leaving.An agreement was reached with the shopkeeper: besides the old horse of Athos, he would be given six pistols.D'Artagnan and Athos rode respectively the horses of Planchet and Grimaud; the two footmen walked, with saddles on their heads. Although the two friends rode two poor horses, they overtook the two followers in a while and reached the town of Heartbreak.From a long distance, they saw Aramis leaning on the window melancholy, gazing at the horizon like sister Anna. Hello!Aramis!cried the two friends, what the hell are you doing standing there? ah!It is you, d'Artagnan!It is you, Athos!Aramis said, I am wondering how the good things in this world can be lost so quickly.My English horse is gone, having just disappeared in the flying dust.This is a living example, which made me feel deeply that the world is impermanent, and life itself can be summarized in three words: Erat, est, fuit (Note: These three words are the three tenses of the copula in Latin, that is, respectively For: the past is, the present is, and the future will be.). What exactly do you mean?asked d'Artagnan, doubts recurring in his mind. I mean to say that I have just made a fool's sale of a horse which, from the way it runs, can run five leagues an hour, for only sixty louis. D'Artagnan and Athos laughed. My dear d'Artagnan, said Aramis, do not complain too much of me.It is really imperative.Besides, I was the first to be punished, because that shameless horse dealer had cheated me of at least fifty louis.ah!You two really know how to figure it out!You ride on the servant's horses, and let them lead your two handsome horses and follow slowly, a short distance each day. Just as he was talking, a covered van that appeared faintly on the Amiens Avenue stopped in front of him, and Grimaud and Planchet got out of the vehicle with saddles on their heads.It was a van returning empty to Paris, and two servants asked the owner to pick them up, and offered him drinks along the way as a reward. How is this going?Seeing this, Aramis asked, only two saddles? Do you understand now?Athos said. Friends, you are exactly like me.I also left the saddle out of instinct.Hello!Bazin, bring my new saddle next to those of these gentlemen. And the two priests, how did you end up with them?asked d'Artagnan. I'll take them to supper next day, my dears, said Aramis, and by the way, there's plenty of good wine here, and I'll try to get them drunk.So the parish priest forbade me to take off my musketeer uniform, and the Jesuit president begged me to take him in as a musketeer. No need to do a thesis!cried d'Artagnan, no more papers!I request the dissertation to be cancelled! After that, Aramis went on, I lived happily, and began to compose a poem of one syllable per line.It is quite difficult, but it is in the difficulty that the value of everything lies.The content of the poem is about love. I will recite the first stanza to you sometime. There are 400 lines in total, and it takes one minute to recite. In truth, my dear Aramis, said d'Artagnan, who hated poetry almost as much as Latin, add to the value of difficulty the value of brevity.You should at least be sure that your poem has two values. And, added Aramis, you will see that the poem is filled with true passion.Ah, by the way, friends, are you returning to Paris?Great, I'm ready.We're about to see good Porthos, and nothing could be better.You don't believe I miss that big fool?He wouldn't sell his horses, not even for a kingdom.How I longed to see him on that horse and that saddle.I can be sure that he is like a big man of the Mughals (Note: Muslims in India, especially the Mongols who conquered India in the early sixteenth century and their descendants.). Everyone rested for an hour to let the horses catch their breath.Aramis paid the bill and let Bazin and his two companions get into the cart.So they set off on the road to Porthos. They saw that Porthos was no longer lying in bed, and his face was not so pale as dArtagnan had seen him for the first time.He sat at a table where, though he was alone, there was supper for four, with artfully tied meat, fine wine, and delicious fruit. Ouch!great!He stood up as he said, what a coincidence you have arrived, I just started drinking soup, you come and have dinner with me. aha!Such a good wine, said d'Artagnan, look, and this veal cutlet with lard, and this sirloin, did not Mousquedon bring it back with a noose. I'm recovering, Porthos said, I'm recovering.The ill-fated sprain damaged the constitution more than anything else.Have you sprained yourself, Athos? there has never been.I just remember that in that fight in the Rue de Ferrou, I got a sword, and after a fortnight or eighteen days I felt exactly the same as you do now. This supper is not for you alone, is it, dear Porthos?asked Aramis. No, replied Porthos, I was expecting some of the gentry in the neighborhood to come to supper, but they informed me that they would not be coming.Now you can replace them, I have nothing to lose by changing people.Hello!Muskon, bring some more chairs and ask someone to double the amount of wine! Do you know what we are eating now?asked Athos after ten minutes. you still need to ask!D'Artagnan replied, I ate veal stew with leaves and juice. I had the lamb tenderloin.Portos said. I had the chicken breast.said Aramis. You are all mistaken, gentlemen, said Athos, you eat horsemeat. You are talking nonsense!said d'Artagnan. horsemeat!Aramis said with a disgusted grimace. Only Porthos said nothing. Yes, horse meat.Don't we, Porthos, don't we eat horsemeat?Maybe even the horse clothes! No, gentlemen, I have left the saddle.Portos said. In truth, we are with each other, said Aramis, as if by appointment. What can I do, said Porthos, that horse will make my guests look shabby, and I don't want to embarrass them. Besides, your Duchess hasn't come back from the hot springs, has she?said d'Artagnan. is always there.And, replied Porthos, and, to tell the truth, the governor of the province, the gentleman whom I was expecting to come to supper to-day, seemed to want the horse very much, and I gave it to him. Gave it to him!cried d'Artagnan. Ah, my God!Yes, it was given to him, that's all I can say, said Porthos, because the horse must have been worth a hundred and fifty louis, but the miser gave only eighty louis. Without a saddle?asked Aramis. Yes, without saddle. You see, gentlemen, said Athos, that among us Porthos has the best deal. Then there was a lot of shouting and laughing, which made poor Porthos wonder.After everyone explained the reason to him, he also yelled and laughed with everyone.It was just his habit. In this way, how many of us have money?said d'Artagnan. I don't, said Athos. I thought the Spanish wine in Aramis was good, so I bought about sixty bottles and put them in the cars of the servants, which cost me a lot. As for me, said Aramis, imagine that I have given all my money to the Church of Mondidier and the Jesuits of Amiens, without a dime left; I can't do it, both for myself and for you, gentlemen.This is what everyone says, and I have no doubt that it will be of great benefit to us. And me, said Porthos, do you think my sprain cost nothing?I haven't counted Musquedon's wounds yet.I had to call in the surgeon twice a day to treat him, and the surgeon wanted me to pay double the fee, on the pretext that the place where that fool Musket got shot was usually only for pharmacists, So I told Muskdon not to get hurt in that place in the future. Well, well, said Athos, exchanging a glance with d'Artagnan and Aramis, you are very kind to the poor boy, and a good master indeed. All in all, said Porthos, I had thirty crowns left over what I had spent. I have about ten pistols left.said Aramis. Come, come, said Athos, it seems that we are all rich in society.D'Artagnan, how much of your hundred pistoles are left? My hundred pistoles?First I gave you fifty. Really? certainly! oh!It's true, I remembered. Afterwards, I paid the shopkeeper six pistols. What a brute that shopkeeper is!Why did you give him six pistols? You told me to give it to him. Seriously, I'm such a kind-hearted person, how much is left in simple terms? Twenty-five pistols.replied d'Artagnan. Me, Athos took some coins from his pocket, I You, nothing left. Really, it's so pitifully small that it's not worth taking it out to make up the numbers. Now count how many we have: Porthos? Thirty crowns. Aramis? Ten pistols. dArtagnan and you? twenty five. How much does it all add up to?said Athos. Four hundred and seventy-five livres!D'Artagnan calculated like Archimedes (Note: Ancient Greek mathematician.) As fast. When we got back to Paris, we had four hundred livres left, said Porthos, plus four saddles. However, our group does not ride horses anymore?asked Aramis. yes.Take out two of the four horses of the attendants for the master to ride.The four of us drew lots to decide who would ride the two horses; the four hundred livres were divided in half, and the two who did not ride had half.Then we handed d'Artagnan the change we had left in our pockets.He was lucky, so he was asked to gamble whenever he saw a gambling place on the road.This is the plan I have considered. Eat, said Porthos, it's cold. The four friends stopped worrying about the future and started eating and drinking.What they had left was given to Muskon, Bazin, Planchet, and Grimaud. Returning to Paris, D'Artagnan found a letter from M. de Treville, informing him that the King had just granted him the right to join the Musketeers at his request. In this world, D'Artagnan's greatest ambition, besides finding Madame Bonasseur, is to join the Musketeers.So he ran happily to find the three friends who left half an hour ago, only to find that they were all sad and worried.The fact that they were meeting at Athos' house for counsel showed that the situation was serious. It turned out that Monsieur de Treville had just informed them that His Majesty the King had decided to go to war on the first of May, and they must immediately prepare their equipment. The four optimistic men looked at each other in dismay. It was a matter of military discipline, and Mr. Treville would never joke. How much do you think the gear will cost?asked d'Artagnan. well!There is nothing to say, Aramis said, we just calculated carefully and searched and searched, and each of us got fifteen hundred livres at least. Four times fifteen equals sixty, or six thousand livres.said Athos. I think one thousand per person is enough.To tell the truth, said d'Artagnan, I do not think like a Spartan but like an attorney. (Note: The Spartans are known for their hard work, which is borrowed here. In French, the word procureur means both an agent ad litem and a priest who manages money. D’Artagnan obviously has the second meaning, but When Porthos answered the words below, he thought that his mistress was the wife of an agent ad litem, so it is translated here as an ad litem agent.) The word attorney ad litem reminded Porthos. Voila, I have an idea!He said. This is already a bit of a clue, I don't even have a shadow yet.As for d'Arthos, gentlemen, said Athos grimly, he is ecstatic to be ours: a thousand livres!To be honest, I only need 2,000 yuan for myself. Two four makes eight, said Aramis, which means that we need eight thousand livres for our equipment.Of course, we already have the saddle in it. And, said Athos, waiting for D'Artagnan to close the door behind him, and to thank M. de Treville, and that beautiful diamond ring that shone on our friend's finger.Hey!D'Artagnan was a good companion, and with a priceless ring on his middle finger, he would never embarrass his brothers.