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The messenger bowed, took the letter and the order, and retired without a word.

The letter read:

Milady

You are instructed to go to the first ball or public ceremony that His Grace the Duke of Buckingham may attend. He will wear on his doublet twelve diamond studs; you will approach him and cut off two of them.

You are to inform me as soon as you have these studs in your possession.

XV

MEN OF LAW AND MEN OF THE SWORD

Next day Athos being still absent, D’Artagnan and Porthos reported his disappearance to Monsieur de Tréville. As for Aramis, he had obtained a leave of absence for four days; it was believed he had gone to Rouen on family affairs.

Now Monsieur de Tréville was father and friend to his soldiers, the humblest and most obscure of them, in musketeer uniform, was as certain of his help and support as he could be of a brother’s.

Accordingly Monsieur de Tréville repaired instantly to the bureau of the Lieutenant Provost, the highest police magistrate; the officer in command of the Croix Rouge district was summoned and some time later reported that Athos was in custody at the Fort L’Evêque prison. He had gone through the same questionings and investigations as Bonacieux had gone through and had been brought face to face with the haberdasher. He had refused to speak up because he wished to allow D’Artagnan the time necessary to carry out his plans. This interval assured, Athos boldly declared his own name, expressing some surprise that his identity had been confounded with that of D’Artagnan. He added that he knew neither Monsieur nor Madame Bonacieux . . . that he had never spoken to either . . . that he was involved in these idle proceedings only because he had called on his friend Monsieur d’Artagnan at ten o’clock . . . that he had previously dined at Monsieur de Tréville’s until shortly before ten . . . and that several gentlemen of rank, including the Duc de La Trémouille, could testify to that effect. . . .

Now men of the long robe are at all times eager to be revenged upon men of the long sword; but the firm and direct statement Athos presented took the magistrate somewhat aback and the names of Monsieur de Tréville and the Duc de La Trémouille were indeed impressive.

Athos was then sent to the Cardinal but unfortunately the Cardinal was closeted with the King at the Louvre. At precisely that time, Monsieur de Tréville, having left first the Lieutenant Provost, then the Governor of the Fort l’Evêque prison, arrived to call upon the King. As Captain of Musketeers, Monsieur de Tréville had privileges of access to the royal presence at all times.

It was common gossip that the King was violently prejudiced against the Queen. The Cardinal, who in matters of intrigue, was infinitely more wary of women than of men, made a point of encouraging his master’s prejudices. Among these, one of the chief irritants was the friendship Anne of Austria entertained for Madame de Chevreuse. Between them these two women occasioned His Majesty more anxiety than the wars with Spain, the quarrel with England and the troublous state of his country’s finances. He was firmly convinced that Madame de Chevreuse served the Queen not only in her political activity but—more torturous still!—in her amorous intrigues.

The mere mention of Madame de Chevreuse’s name infuriated the King. Had she not been exiled to Tours, was she not supposed to be in that city? How then dared she come to Paris and stay there five days as if there were no police in the capital? And here was the Cardinal reporting these facts quite blandly. The King flew into a towering rage.

Capricious and unfaithful as he was, His Majesty nevertheless prided himself on the epithets of Louis the Just and Louis the Chaste, a crochet which history will find it difficult to explain to posterity save by deeds and facts that fly in the face of logic.

For the King it was offensive enough to learn that Madame de Chevreuse had come to Paris. But he was angry beyond belief when he heard that the Queen had renewed