The Three Musketeers (Translated by Richard Pevear) - Alexandre Dumas [216]
“Your name?” His Eminence asked for the third time.
“Athos,” said the musketeer.
The cardinal made a sign to his equerry, who approached.
“These three musketeers will follow us,” he said in a low voice. “I do not want it known that I have left camp, and, by having them follow us, we will be sure that they will not tell anyone.”
“We are gentlemen, Monseigneur,” said Athos. “Ask us for our word and do not trouble yourself further. Thank God, we know how to keep a secret.”
The cardinal fixed his piercing eyes on this bold interlocutor.
“You have a sharp ear, M. Athos,” said the cardinal, “but now listen to this: it is not out of mistrust that I ask you to follow me; it is for my own safety. No doubt your companions are MM. Porthos and Aramis?”
“Yes, Your Eminence,” said Athos, while the two musketeers who had remained behind approached, hat in hand.
“I know you, gentlemen,” said the cardinal, “I know you: I know that you are not exactly my friends, and I am sorry for that, but I know that you are brave and loyal gentlemen, and that you can be trusted. M. Athos, do me the honor, then, of accompanying me, you and your two friends, and then I shall have an escort that His Majesty would envy, if we should meet him.”
The three musketeers bowed all the way to their horses’ necks.
“Well, on my honor,” said Athos, “Your Eminence is right to bring us with him! We have met some frightful faces on the road, and we have even had a quarrel with four of those faces at the Red Dovecote.”
“A quarrel? Over what, gentlemen?” asked the cardinal. “I dislike quarrelers, you know!”
“That is precisely why I have the honor of informing Your Eminence of what has just happened; for you might learn of it from others than us, and, on false report, believe that we are at fault.”
“And what was the outcome of this quarrel?” asked the cardinal, frowning.
“Why, my friend Aramis, here, received a slight wound in the arm, which will not hinder him, as Your Eminence may see, from mounting the assault tomorrow, if Your Eminence orders the escalade.”
“But you are not men to let yourselves be wounded like that,” said the cardinal. “Come, be frank, gentlemen; you certainly gave a few in return. Confess yourselves: you know I have the right to give absolution.”
“As for me, Monseigneur,” said Athos, “I didn’t even draw my sword. I took the one I was dealing with by the waist and threw him out the window. It seems that in the fall,” Athos continued somewhat hesitantly, “he broke his thigh.”
“Aha!” said the cardinal. “And you, M. Porthos?”
“As for me, Monseigneur, knowing that dueling is forbidden, I picked up a bench and gave one of those brigands a blow with it, which I think broke his shoulder.”
“Very well,” said the cardinal. “And you, M. Aramis?”
“As for me, Monseigneur, since I am of a very gentle nature, and besides, as Monseigneur may not know, am on the point of entering holy orders, I was trying to get my comrades away, when one of those scoundrels treacherously stabbed me in the left arm. Then I lost patience. I drew my sword in turn, and as he came back to the charge, I believe I felt that, in throwing himself upon me, he ran himself through. All I know for certain is that he fell, and it seemed to me that he was carried out with his two companions.”
“Devil take it, gentlemen,” said the cardinal, “three men put out of action in a tavern brawl! You don’t go about things lightly. And what was the quarrel about?”
“The scoundrels were drunk,” said Athos, “and knowing that a woman had arrived at the tavern that evening, they wanted to force her door.”
“To force her door?” said the cardinal. “To do what?”
“To do her violence, no doubt,” said Athos. “I had the honor of telling Your Eminence that the scoundrels were drunk.”
“And was this woman young and pretty?” asked the cardinal with a certain uneasiness.
“We did not see her, Monseigneur,” said Athos.
“You did not see her—ah, very good!” the cardinal picked up sharply. “You did well to defend a woman’s honor, and, as I am going to the inn of the Red Dovecote myself, I shall