The Three Musketeers (Translated by Richard Pevear) - Alexandre Dumas [163]
It was useless to try to follow on foot a vehicle borne along at a trot by two vigorous horses. D’Artagnan went back to the rue Férou.
In the rue de Seine he ran into Planchet, who had stopped in front of a pastry shop and seemed to be in ecstasy before a brioche of the most appetizing shape.
He ordered him to go and saddle two horses in M. de Tréville’s stables, one for d’Artagnan, the other for himself, Planchet, and to join him at Athos’s—M. de Tréville having placed his stables once and for all at d’Artagnan’s service.
Planchet headed off towards the rue du Vieux-Colombier and d’Artagnan towards the rue Férou. Athos was at home, sadly emptying one of the bottles of that famous Spanish wine he had brought back from his journey to Picardy. He made a sign to Grimaud to bring a glass for d’Artagnan, and Grimaud obeyed as usual.
D’Artagnan then told Athos all that had gone on in church between Porthos and the procureuse, and how their comrade was probably, at that moment, in the process of outfitting himself.
“As for me,” Athos responded to this whole story, “I’m quite at ease; it won’t be women who pay the cost of my harness.”
“And yet a handsome, polished, grand lord like you, my dear Athos, should leave no princess or queen safe from your amorous darts.”
“How young this d’Artagnan is!” said Athos, shrugging his shoulders.
And he made a sign to Grimaud to bring a second bottle.
At that moment, Planchet modestly stuck his head through the half-open door and announced to his master that the two horses were there.
“What horses?” asked Athos.
“Two that M. de Tréville is lending me for outings, and on which I am going to take a turn through Saint-Germain.”
“And what are you going to do in Saint-Germain?” Athos asked further.
Then d’Artagnan told him about his encounter in church, and how he had found that woman who, along with the gentleman with the black cloak and the scar on his temple, had been his eternal preoccupation.
“That is to say, you’re in love with her, as you were with Mme Bonacieux,” said Athos, scornfully shrugging his shoulders, as if he felt pity for human weakness.
“Not at all!” cried d’Artagnan. “I’m merely curious to clarify the mystery that surrounds her. I don’t know why, but I fancy that this woman, unknown as she is to me and as I am to her, has some effect on my life.”
“In fact, you’re right,” said Athos. “I don’t know any woman who is worth the trouble of looking for once she’s lost. Mme Bonacieux is lost, too bad for her! Let her find herself!”
“No, Athos, no, you’re mistaken,” said d’Artagnan. “I love my poor Constance more than ever, and if I knew where she was, even if it were at the ends of the earth, I’d set out to take her from her enemies’ hands. But I don’t know; all my inquiries have been useless. What do you want, a man needs some distraction.”
“Distract yourself with Milady, then, my dear d’Artagnan. I wish it with all my heart, if it will amuse you.”
“Listen, Athos,” said d’Artagnan, “instead of keeping yourself locked up here as if you were under arrest, get on a horse and come for an outing with me to Saint-Germain.”
“My dear,” replied Athos, “I ride my horses when I have them, otherwise I go on foot.”
“Well, as for me,” replied d’Artagnan, smiling at Athos’s misanthropy, which in another man would certainly have offended him, “I’m less proud than you, I ride whatever I can find. And so, good-bye, my dear Athos.”
“Good-bye,” said the musketeer, making a sign to Grimaud to uncork the bottle he had just brought.
D’Artagnan and Planchet got into the saddle and took the road to Saint-Germain.
All along the way, what Athos had said to the young man about Mme Bonacieux kept coming to his mind. Though d’Artagnan was not of a very sentimental character, the mercer’s pretty wife had made a real impression on his heart. As he said, he was willing to go to the ends of the earth in search of her. But the earth has many ends, being round, so that he did not know which way to turn.
In the meantime, he was going to try to find out who and what this Milady was. Milady had spoken