The Three Musketeers (Translated by Richard Pevear) - Alexandre Dumas [158]
“Well, well,” said Athos, exchanging smiles with d’Artagnan and Aramis, “I see you’ve behaved grandly towards the poor lad: that’s a good master for you.”
“In short,” Porthos went on, “with my expenses paid, I’ll be left with a good thirty écus.”
“And I’ve got a dozen pistoles,” said Aramis.
“Well, well,” said Athos, “it seems we’re the Croesuses126 of society. How much have you got left of your hundred pistoles, d’Artagnan?”
“Of my hundred pistoles? First of all, I gave you fifty.”
“You think so?”
“Pardieu!”
“Ah, that’s true, I remember!”
“Then, I paid six to the host.”
“What an animal that host is! Why did you give him six pistoles?”
“You told me to.”
“It’s true that I’m too good. In short, the balance?”
“Twenty-five pistoles,” said d’Artagnan.
“And I,” said Athos, pulling some small change from his pocket, “I…”
“You, nothing.”
“By heaven, or so little it’s not worth adding to the heap. Now, let’s reckon up how much we have in all. Porthos?”
“Thirty écus.”
“Aramis?”
“Ten pistoles.”
“And you, d’Artagnan?”
“Twenty-five.”
“Which makes in all?” asked Athos.
“Four hundred and sixty-five livres!” said d’Artagnan, who could calculate like Archimedes.127
“When we get to Paris, we’ll still have a good four hundred,” said Porthos, “plus the harnesses.”
“But our squadron horses?” said Aramis.
“Well, out of four lackeys’ horses we can make two for masters, which we’ll draw lots for. With the four hundred livres, we can make a half for one of the dismounted, then we can give the scourings of our pockets to d’Artagnan, who has a lucky hand, and who will go and stake them in the first gambling den he comes to, and there you are!”
“Let’s dine,” said Porthos, “it’s getting cold.”
The four friends, more at ease now about their future, did honor to the meal, the leftovers of which went to MM. Mousqueton, Bazin, Planchet, and Grimaud.
On reaching Paris, d’Artagnan found a letter from M. de Tréville informing him that, at his request, the king had just granted him the favor of joining the musketeers.128
As that was d’Artagnan’s only ambition in the world—except, of course, for the desire to find Mme Bonacieux again—he rushed all joyfully to his comrades, whom he had just left half an hour ago, and whom he found extremely sad and preoccupied. They had met in council at Athos’s place, which always indicated a certain gravity in the circumstances.
M. de Tréville had just informed them that, it being His Majesty’s firm intention to open the campaign on the first of May, they must prepare their outfits at once.
The four philosophers gazed dumbfounded at each other: M. de Tréville never joked in matters of discipline.
“And how much do you estimate these outfits will cost?” asked d’Artagnan.
“Oh, there’s no two words about it,” replied Aramis. “We’ve just made our calculations with a Spartan stinginess, and we’ll need fifteen hundred livres each.”
“Four times fifteen is sixty; that makes six thousand livres,” said Athos.
“It seems to me,” said d’Artagnan, “that with a thousand livres each—true, I’m speaking not as a Spartan but as a procureur…”
The word “procureur” woke Porthos up.
“Wait, I’ve got an idea!” he said.
“That’s already something: I haven’t got even the shadow of one,” Athos said coldly, “but as for d’Artagnan, gentlemen, the happiness of being one of us now has driven him mad—a thousand livres! I declare that I need two thousand for myself alone.”
“Four times two is eight,” Aramis then said, “so it’s eight thousand livres that we need for our outfits—of which outfits, it’s true, we already have the saddles.”
“Plus,” said Athos, waiting until d’Artagnan, who was going to thank M. de Tréville, had closed the door, “plus that fine diamond sparkling on our friend’s hand. Devil take it, d’Artagnan is too good a comrade to leave his brothers in a tight spot when he’s wearing a king’s ransom on his middle finger!”
XXIX
THE CHASE AFTER OUTFITS
The most preoccupied of the