The Three Musketeers (Translated by Richard Pevear) - Alexandre Dumas [33]
“Pardieu, Monsieur,” said Athos, “there’s a proposition that pleases me—not that I accept it, but it smells of its gentleman a league away. It was thus that valiant knights spoke and acted in the time of Charlemagne, upon whom every cavalier must seek to model himself. Unfortunately, we are no longer in the time of the great emperor. We are in the time of M. le cardinal, and three days from now it will be known, however well the secret is kept, it will be known that we are going to fight, and our combat will be opposed. Ah! but will those meanderers never come?”
“If you’re in a hurry, Monsieur,” d’Artagnan said to Athos with the same simplicity with which, a moment before, he had suggested putting off the duel for three days, “if you’re in a hurry, and you’d prefer to dispatch me at once, please go ahead.”
“There’s another word that pleases me,” said Athos, nodding gracefully to d’Artagnan. “It hardly speaks for a witless man, and certainly speaks for a man of courage. Monsieur, I like men of your temper, and I see that, if we don’t kill each other, I will afterwards take real pleasure in your conversation. Let us wait for these gentlemen, I beg you. I have plenty of time, and it will be more correct. Ah, here’s one of them, I believe.”
Indeed, at the end of the rue de Vaugirard the gigantic Porthos began to appear.
“What!” cried d’Artagnan. “Your first witness is M. Porthos?”
“Yes, do you object?”
“No, not at all.”
“And here is the second.”
D’Artagnan turned to where Athos was pointing and recognized Aramis.
“What!” he cried with still more astonishment than the first time. “Your second witness is M. Aramis?”
“You are doubtless unaware that one of us is never seen without the others, and that we are known among the musketeers and the guards, at court and in town, as Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, or the three inseparables. However, as you come from Dax or Pau…”
“Tarbes,” said d’Artagnan.
“…your ignorance of that detail is permissible,” said Athos.
“By heaven,” said d’Artagnan, “you are well named, gentlemen, and my adventure, if it causes some stir, will prove at least that your union is not based on contrasts.”
Meanwhile, Porthos had come up and greeted Athos with a wave of the hand; then, turning to d’Artagnan, he stopped in utter amazement.
Let us mention in passing that he had changed his baldric and taken off his cloak.
“Aha!” he said, “what’s this?”
“This is the gentleman I am to fight with,” said Athos, indicating d’Artagnan with his hand and greeting him with the same gesture.
“I am to fight with him, too,” said Porthos.
“But not until one o’clock,” said d’Artagnan.
“And I, too, am to fight with the gentleman,” said Aramis, arriving on the scene in his turn.
“But not until two o’clock,” d’Artagnan said with the same calm.
“But what are you fighting about, Athos?”
“By heaven, I don’t quite know, he hurt my shoulder. And you, Porthos?”
“By heaven, I’m fighting because I’m fighting,” Porthos replied, blushing.
Athos, who missed nothing, saw a slight smile pass over the Gascon’s lips.
“We had a discussion about clothes,” said the young man.
“And you, Aramis?” asked Athos.
“Me? I’m fighting for reasons of theology,” replied Aramis, making a sign to d’Artagnan that he begged him to keep the cause of his duel secret.
Athos saw a second smile pass over d’Artagnan’s lips.
“Indeed,” said Athos.
“Yes, a point in St. Augustine on which we disagree,” said the Gascon.
“He’s decidedly a witty man,” murmured Athos.
“And now that you’re all together, gentlemen,” said d’Artagnan, “allow me to make you my apologies.”
At the word “apologies,” a cloud darkened Athos’s brow, a haughty smile flitted over Porthos’s lips, and Aramis responded with a negative gesture.
“You misunderstand me, gentlemen,” said d’Artagnan, raising his head, on which a ray of sunlight played at that moment, gilding its fine and bold features. “I apologize to you in case I cannot pay my debt to all three of you, for M. Athos has the right to kill me first, which takes away much of the value of your claim, M. Porthos,