The Three Musketeers (Translated by Richard Pevear) - Alexandre Dumas [31]
“Monsieur, you will excuse me, I hope.”
“Ah! Monsieur,” Aramis interrupted, “allow me to observe to you that in this circumstance you have by no means acted as befits a gallant man.”
“What, Monsieur!” cried d’Artagnan. “Do you suppose…”
“I suppose, Monsieur, that you are not a fool, and that you know very well, though you come from Gascony, that one does not step on pocket handkerchiefs without a reason. Devil take it! Paris isn’t paved with cambric.”
“Monsieur, you are wrong in trying to humiliate me,” said d’Artagnan, whose quarrelsome nature was beginning to speak louder than his peaceable resolutions. “I’m from Gascony, it’s true, and since you know that, I needn’t tell you that Gascons are not very forbearing; so that, when they’ve excused themselves once, even for some stupidity, they are convinced that they’ve already done half more than they ought.”
“Monsieur, what I said to you,” replied Aramis, “was not said in order to pick a quarrel with you. Thank God, I’m not a swordslinger, and being only an interim musketeer, I never fight unless I’m forced to, and always with great reluctance; but this time the matter is serious, for a lady has been compromised by you.”
“By us, that is,” cried d’Artagnan.
“Why did you have the tactlessness to give me back the handkerchief?”
“Why did you have the tactlessness to drop it?”
“I said, and I repeat, Monsieur, that this handkerchief did not come from my pocket.”
“Well, then, you’ve lied twice, Monsieur, for I myself saw it fall!”
“Ah! so you take it in that tone, Monsieur le Gascon! Well, then, I’ll teach you how to live.”
“And I will send you back to your mass, Monsieur l’Abbé! Draw, if you please, here and now.”
“No, if you please, my fine friend; no, not here, at least. Don’t you see that we’re in front of the hôtel d’Aiguillon, which is full of the cardinal’s creatures? Who will tell me that it wasn’t His Eminence who charged you to fetch my head? Now, I’m ridiculously attached to my head, seeing that it seems to go rather well with my shoulders. I’ll kill you, rest assured, but kill you quite calmly, in a closed and covered place, where you won’t be able to boast of your death to anyone.”
“I gladly accept, but don’t be too sure of it, and take your handkerchief, whether it belongs to you or not; you may have occasion to use it.”
“Monsieur is a Gascon?” asked Aramis.
“Yes. Monsieur is not putting off the meeting out of prudence?”
“Prudence, Monsieur, is a rather useless virtue for musketeers, I know, but indispensable to men of the Church, and as I am a musketeer only provisionally, I intend to remain prudent. At two o’clock I shall have the honor of awaiting you at the hôtel of M. de Tréville. There I shall point out the suitable places to you.”
The two young men bowed to each other, then Aramis went off up the street that leads to the Luxembourg, while d’Artagnan, seeing that time was passing, took the road to the Carmes-Deschaux, saying to himself:
“Decidedly, I won’t survive; but if I’m killed, at least I’ll be killed by a musketeer.”
V
THE KING’S MUSKETEERS AND THE CARDINAL’S GUARDS
D’Artagnan knew no one in Paris. So he went to meet Athos without bringing a second, resolved to content himself with those chosen by his adversary. Besides, it was his definite intention to make the brave musketeer all suitable apologies, but without weakness, fearing that the result of the duel would be what is always the most regrettable result in an affair of this kind, when a young and vigorous man fights against a wounded and weakened adversary: vanquished, he doubles the triumph of his antagonist; victorious, he is accused of treachery and easy audacity.
Moreover, either we have poorly introduced the character of our adventure seeker, or our reader must already have noticed that he was by no means an ordinary man. And so, while repeating to himself that his death was inevitable, he was not at all resigned to dying meekly, as another man less courageous