Chapter 41 Chapter Thirty-Nine An Illusion

At four o'clock in the afternoon the four friends were assembled at Athos' house.Their worries about the equipment were gone. At this time, each face had its own mysterious and uneasy expression, because behind the luck in front of everyone's eyes, there was another kind of worry about the future. Suddenly, Planchet came into the room with two letters, on which were written D'Artagnan's Correspondence Office. One letter was a note, beautifully folded into a rectangle, and stamped with a pretty green wax seal of a little white dove with a green branch in its mouth. The other was a large square envelope bearing the awe-inspiring coat of arms of His Excellency the Cardinal.

D'Artagnan's heart beat violently at the sight of the note, for he believed he recognized the handwriting of the writer; though he had only seen it once, the impression remained in his mind. inside. So he took the note first and opened it at once.The letter said: Please go for a walk on the Rue de Chaylot next Wednesday night from 6 to 7 pm, and please watch out for all the gorgeous carriages that pass there; if you value your life and the lives of those who love you, please don't say In a word, don't make any gestures, otherwise it will be thought that you have recognized the person who is desperately looking at you.

The letter was signed without a signature. It is a trap, said Athos; do not go, d'Artagnan. But, said d'Artagnan, I think I know the writer's handwriting very well. The handwriting may have been imitated, and Athos said that there were no pedestrians on Chayue Road between six and seven o'clock in this season, and a walk there was like walking into the Bundy Forest. Then everyone go together!I don't believe in evil, said d'Artagnan!He'll eat all four of us, and four servants, eight horses, and all the weapons. And it's a good opportunity to show what we're equipped with.Portos said.

But if it's written by a woman, said Aramis, and the woman doesn't want to be seen, think it will hurt her, d'Artagnan: it is not good for a gentleman to do it. We were in the back, said Porthos, and he was alone in the front. All right, but there's always a gun shot out of a galloping carriage. It doesn't matter!They can't hit me, said d'Artagnan.At that time, we will surround them together and kill all those people in the carriage.This is also equivalent to losing a few enemies. He was right, said Porthos: to fight, and to have a good trial of our weapons. right!Let us go and have fun, said Aramis, with a mild and lazy air.

Do as you please, said Athos. Gentlemen, said d'Artagnan, it is four-thirty in the afternoon, and we will arrive at the Rue de Chaillot at six, and time is tight enough. Besides, it would be a pity if we started too late, said Porthos, and we should not be seen!We're ready to go, folks. And the second letter, said Athos, you have forgotten; I think the seal is worth opening and reading: as for me, I tell you frankly, my dear d'Artagnan, I am more concerned. Most of them are the little thing you just slipped into your chest. D'Artagnan could not help but feel ashamed. Well, said the young man, gentlemen, let us see what His Excellency the Cardinal wants me to do.

D'Artagnan unpacks the conviction: Monsieur d'Artagnan of Essalien, member of the king's guard, must be present at the cardinal's palace at eight o'clock this evening. Laoudinier hell!Athos said that this invitation was more worrying than that one. I will go to the second when the first one is done, said d'Artagnan, one at seven o'clock and the other at eight; there is time for both. Um!I will not go, said Aramis, a gallant knight cannot fail a lady, but a prudent gentleman may decline a cardinal's invitation, especially when he has reason to believe that it is not a polite reception .

I agree with Aramis, said Porthos. Gentlemen, d'Artagnan explained, I had long ago received the same invitation from the cardinal, which M. Cavoir had conveyed, and I had not taken it to heart at the time; and the next day a catastrophe came!Constance is dead; and now, whatever happens, I must go. If the resolution is made, said Athos, let it go. What if you go to the Bastille and go to prison?asked Aramis. What does that matter!You will rescue me, said d'Artagnan. no doubt!Aramis and Porthos said at the same time; their decisive tone is amazing, in their eyes, going to the Bastille to save someone is like finding something out of a bag, there is no doubt that we will save you; but we will set off the day after tomorrow, so during this period , you had better not risk the Bastille.

Let us be safe, said Athos, and from this evening onwards you must not leave him, each with three musketeers behind him, waiting for him at the gate of the bishop's palace; Open out, then we rushed up together.We hadn't fought the cardinal's guard for so long that Monsieur de Treville probably thought we were all dead. Decisively, Athos, said Aramis, you are a natural general; what do you think of this disposition, gentlemen? Excellent!The young people said in unison. Well, said Porthos, I ran to the inn, and told my brethren to be ready at eight o'clock, and agreed to meet in the square of the cardinal's palace; while you have the servants ready the horses.

But I have no horse yet, said d'Artagnan, and I will send to Treville to get one. No, said Aramis, lead one of my horses. How many horses do you have?asked d'Artagnan. three horses.Aramis said with a smile. Honey!Athos said: You are undoubtedly the best poet in France and Navarre. Listen, my dear Aramis, what can you do with three horses, can you?Even I don't understand how you can buy three horses. So, I only bought two.said Aramis. Did the third horse fall from the sky? Of course not, this third horse was brought in this morning by a servant who didn't wear livery and didn't want to tell me who he belonged to, only that he was ordered by his master

Or at the order of his mistress, interrupted d'Artagnan. What's the big deal, Aramis said with a blushing face, I tell you, the servant also confirmed that he led the horse to my stable under the orders of his mistress, but he didn't say which mistress it was Sent. Such things happen to poets only, said Athos solemnly. Well, there is such a good thing, we must do it well, said d'Artagnan, which of the two horses will you ride: the one you bought yourself, or the one given to you? match? Of course I ride the one that was given to me; you know, d'Artagnan, I can't do that kind of thing.

I'm sorry for the horse-giver who has not met yet, d'Artagnan continued. Or, sorry for the mysterious woman who gave the horse, said Athos. Then the one you bought yourself won't come in handy? You can say that. That was your choice? The most well-chosen; you know, a knight's safety depends almost entirely on his horse! Well, you can give it to me at the original price! I was going to give it to you, my dear d'Artagnan, don't worry, it's not worth much, and you'll give it back to me later. how much did you spend Eight hundred livres. Here are forty double pistoles, my dear friend, said d'Artagnan, drawing money from his pocket, which, I know, is what you are paid for writing your poems. Are you rich?said Aramis. Rich, rich, my dear! As he spoke, D'Artagnan jingled the remaining money in his pocket. You send your saddle to the Musketeers and they'll bring your horse with one of ours. great!But it's almost five o'clock, we have to hurry up. A quarter of an hour later, Porthos appeared at the end of the Rue Ferro, on a strong Spanish pony, followed by Mousquedon on a small but strong horse from Auvergne. .Porthos was radiant and handsome. At the same time, Aramis appeared at the other end of Ferro Street on a good English horse; Bazin followed him on a chestnut, gray and white horse, and led a strong German horse in his hand. : That's the mount d'Artagnan will use. The two musketeers met at the gate: Athos and d'Artagnan watched them from the window. hell!Says Aramis, you have such a handsome horse, my dear Porthos. Yes, replied Porthos, the horse should have been brought to me long ago: the husband made a poor joke, and replaced it with another; but the husband has been punished, and I am all content. At this moment, Planchet and Grimaud also came successively, leading their respective masters' horses; d'Artagnan and Athos went down the stairs, and saddled their horses beside their companions, and the four of them jumped together. Let's go.Athos rode a horse from his wife, Aramis from his mistress, Porthos from his attorney's wife, and D'Artagnan a horse from his mistress. He has good luck and is a horse given by the most beautiful lover in the world. The servants followed closely behind. As Portdos expected, the cavalry was extraordinary; and if Mrs. Cocknall had been in the way of Portdos at this time, and could have seen him riding such a powerful Spanish steed, she would not. My heart ached because I bled my husband's silver cabinet. When they arrived at the Louvre, the four friends met Mr. Treville, who had returned from Saint-Germain; the latter blocked the cavalry and praised its equipment. In a short while, more than a hundred spectators gathered around. D'Artagnan told M. de Treville of the letter with the vermilion wax seal and the duke's coat of arms; of course, he did not miss every word of the other letter. M. de Treville applauded d'Artagnan's resolution, and assured him that if he did not show up next day, wherever he might be, he would find him. At this moment, Samaritan struck six o'clock; the four friends took leave of M. de Treville on the grounds of an appointment. The four of them set foot on the Boulevard de Chariot at a gallop; the sun began to sink, and vehicles came and went.Guarded by his friends at a few paces, d'Artagnan watched every movement in the splendid carriage with wide eyes, but caught no glimpse of a familiar face. At last, after waiting another quarter of an hour, it was already twilight, and at last a carriage appeared, galloping from the Avenue Sevres; the first premonition told d'Artagnan that the carriage was locked with the one who was going to be with him. The man on the date, a violent palpitation caused the young man to panic involuntarily.Almost instantly, a woman poked her head out of the car door, pressed her lips with two fingers, as if she was telling her not to make a sound, or blowing a kiss.D'Artagnan gave a soft cry of joy, and the woman, or rather the head that appeared, was Madame Bonacieur, for the passage of the carriage was like a fleeting illusion. Out of an instinctive impulse, D'Artagnan spurred his horses despite what had been written in the letter, and after a few gallops the horse overtook the carriage; At this time, d'Artagnan remembered the enjoinment of the letter: If you cherish your life and the lives of those who love you, please remain still as if you saw nothing. So he reined in his horse and felt anxious, but he was not worried for himself, but for the poor woman. Obviously, the appointment she made for him was a huge risk. The carriage continued on, heading toward Paris like lightning, until it disappeared without a trace. D'Artagnan stayed where he was, not knowing what to do.If it was Madame Bonasseur, if she returned to Paris, why this brief interview?Why just exchange this fleeting glance?Why send this uncatchable blown kiss?On the contrary, if it is not her, it is also very possible, because the setting sun makes it easy to admit that if it is not her, could it be that someone knows that he loves her, so they use this woman as a bait to start attacking him? The three companions approached him.All three of them distinctly saw a woman's head sticking out of the carriage door, but no one except Athos knew Madame Bonacieur.And Athos thought it was she.But instead of d'Artagnan's attention to that handsome face, he thought he saw another head, that of a man sitting at the far end of the carriage. If so, said d'Artagnan, they might transfer her from one prison to another.But what on earth were they trying to do to that poor woman?How can I meet her? Remember, friend, said Athos gravely, that only the dead are untouched on earth, and you know something about that as well as I do, don't you?So, if your mistress is alive, if it was she you just saw, you will see her someday.Maybe, my God, go on!perhaps earlier than your wish, added Athos, in that characteristic cynical tone of his. The clock struck seven, and the carriage arrived some twenty minutes late for its appointed appointment.D'Artagnan's friend reminded him that there was another visit to be made, and told him that there was still time to repent. Yet d'Artagnan was both obstinate and curious.He had already made up his mind that he had to go to the bishop's mansion, and he wanted to know what the bishop wanted to say to him.So it would be delusional to change his resolve. They reached the Rue Saint-Honoré; at the Place des Bishops they found the twelve musketeers who had been summoned, and who, walking about, awaited the arrival of their companions.Only then did they explain to the twelve Musketeers what had happened. D'Artagnan's reputation was well established in the king's respectable musketeers, and the musketeers knew that he would one day occupy a place in the musketeers, so they had long regarded him as a brother.For these reasons, every one readily accepts the commission he entrusts; and moreover, nine times out of ten it is a mischief played on Monsieur Cardinal and his subordinates, for such an errand these proud chamberlains are always in awe of. It's as soon as you say it. Athos divided the twelve musketeers into three groups. He commanded one group, Aramis commanded the second group, and Porthos commanded the third group. Then, each group went to ambush opposite the exit of the gate. On this side, D'Artagnan entered the gate with a manly man alone. Although the young man felt that he had a strong backing, he was still trembling with fear as he climbed the wide staircase step by step.The behavior between him and Milady seemed to be suspected of some kind of betrayal, so he couldn't help but have doubts about the political relationship between that woman and the cardinal; and d'Artagnan knew that if His Excellency the Cardinal was cruel to his enemies, he would be very tender to his friends. If it is possible for Walder to tell the cardinal the whole thing, if it is possible for him to recognize me, then I must regard myself almost as a condemned man, d'Artagnan said and shook his head.But why had he waited until today?It was all too simple, and Milady charged me with the false misery which made her worthy of incomparable concern, and this latest charge was all the more intolerable. Fortunately, he continued, my best friends are downstairs, and they will never stand by and let me be caught without a fight.But M. de Treville's musketeers could not fight alone against the cardinal, who had all the troops of France, before whom the queen had no power and the king lost his will.D'Artagnan, my friend, you are courageous and resourceful, but women will ruin you! It was in this state of sad conclusion that he entered the hall.He handed the letter to the watchman again, and the watchman led him into the waiting room, and then walked into the mansion. In this waiting room, there were five or six cardinal's guards. Since they all knew d'Artagnan and knew that he had stabbed Jussac, they all looked at him with strange smiles. This smile seemed to d'Artagnan an ominous omen; but our Gascon was not easily intimidated, or because of his native haughtiness, even if he had any similar fears in his heart, He didn't easily let people see what was happening in his soul. He stood proudly in front of the guards, with one hand on his hip, waiting to be received with majesty. The watchman came in, and beckoned d'Artagnan to follow.It seemed to the young man that the guards were whispering among themselves as they watched him walk away. He went down a corridor, through a hall, and into a library, when he saw a man sitting at a desk writing in front of him. The attendant came out quietly.D'Artagnan thought at first that he was dealing with a certain judge who was reviewing the case file, but he found that the man at the desk was writing, or rather, he was correcting a few lines of poems of various lengths while writing Bend your fingers to calculate the meter.Only then did he realize that in front of him was a great poet.A moment later, the poet closed the manuscript, on the cover of which was written: The Milam Tragedy in Five Acts, and looked up. D'Artagnan recognized that this was the cardinal.