The Three Musketeers (The Modern Library) - Alexandre Dumas [53]
“So your theologian’s niece sports a carriage, eh?” Porthos interrupted, talkative as usual. “Congratulations on your distinguished acquaintances.”
“I have had occasion to observe to you more than once, Porthos, that you are most indiscreet,” Aramis answered. “That sort of thing does you much harm in the eyes of the ladies.”
“Gentlemen, gentlemen,” cried D’Artagnan, who began to glimpse what the outcome of the story might be. “This matter is serious. Let us not jest. Go ahead, Aramis, carry on.”
“All right, D’Artagnan. Suddenly I saw a gentleman, a tall dark man very much like your man of Meung—”
“Perhaps it was my man!”
“It may well have been,” Aramis agreed. “Anyhow, he advanced towards me, followed at an interval of ten paces by five or six men. ‘Monsieur . . .’ he said courteously to me, and ‘Madame . . .’ to the lady on my arm . . .”
“The doctor’s niece!”
“Porthos, hold your tongue, you’re unbearable!”
“‘. . . Monsieur, Madame, will you be good enough to step into this carriage without offering the slightest resistance or making the least noise?’”
“He took you for Buckingham!” D’Artagnan exploded.
“I rather believe so.”
“But the lady?” Porthos persisted.
“He took her for the Queen,” D’Artagnan said.
“Exactly,” Aramis assented.
“That Gascon is the Devil!” cried Athos. “Nothing escapes him.”
“As a matter of fact,” Porthos opined, “Aramis is about as tall as the dashing Duke and has something of the same build. Still, I should imagine the uniform of a musketeer—”
“I wore an enormous cloak.”
“In July!” Porthos gasped. “Devil take it! Is your doctor of theology afraid somebody might recognize you?”
“I can understand how the spy might have mistaken your person, Aramis, but your face—”
“I wore a large, wide-brimmed hat.”
“Heavens!” Porthos laughed. “What elaborate precautions you take to go to study theology!”
“Gentlemen, gentlemen,” D’Artagnan urged, “let us waste no more time in jesting. Let us rather separate and look for the haberdasher’s wife. She holds the key to the riddle.”
“Do you really think so, D’Artagnan?” Porthos curled his lip contemptuously. “A woman of such humble standing.”
“She is the goddaughter of La Porte, confidential valet to the Queen. Didn’t I tell you that? Besides, on this occasion Her Majesty may deliberately have sought the support of a person of modest station. The heads of those high in rank are very conspicuous and the Cardinal’s eyesight is of the best.”
“The first thing to do,” Porthos counseled, “is to drive a bargain, and a good one, with your haberdasher.”
“That’s useless,” D’Artagnan replied. “I have an idea that if Bonacieux fails to pay us, we shall be paid handsomely by another party.”
Suddenly footsteps resounded on the stairs, the door flew open and the luckless haberdasher rushed in.
“Save me, gentlemen, for the love of Heaven, save me!” he wailed. “There are four men downstairs who came to arrest me. Save me, save me!”
Porthos and Aramis sprang to their feet; D’Artagnan intervened hastily:
“Not so fast, gentlemen!” He motioned to them to sheathe their half-drawn swords. “It is not courage we need now, but prudence—”
“Are we to stand here,” Porthos stormed, “and allow—”
“You will allow D’Artagnan to do as he thinks best,” Athos declared. “He is, as I said before, the brainiest one of our lot. For my part, I am prepared to obey him. Do whatever you wish, D’Artagnan.”
At that moment, the four bailiffs appeared at the door of the antechamber but seeing four musketeers standing there, fully armed, they seemed somewhat hesitant about entering.
“Come in, gentlemen, come in,” D’Artagnan called to them. “This is my apartment and we are all faithful servants of the King and of the Cardinal.”
“So you have no objection to our carrying out our orders, gentlemen?”
“On the contrary, we would assist you if that were necessary.”
“What on earth is D’Artagnan saying?” Porthos muttered.
“You’re a simpleton!” Porthos whispered. “Silence!”
The wretched haberdasher protested in a whisper:
“But you promised me—”
“We can save you only by remaining