| 11 IN WHICH THE PLOT THICKENS His visit to M. de Treville being paid , the pensive d'Artagnan took the longest way homeward . On what was d'Artagnan thinking , that he strayed thus from his path , gazing at the stars of heaven , and sometimes sighing , sometimes smiling ? He was thinking of Mme . Bonacieux . For an apprentice Musketeer the young woman was almost an ideal of love . Pretty , mysterious , initiated in almost all the secrets of the court , which reflected such a charming gravity over her pleasing features , it might be surmised that she was not wholly unmoved ; and this is an irresistible charm to novices in love . Moreover , d'Artagnan had delivered her from the hands of the demons who wished to search and ill treat her ; and this important service had established between them one of those sentiments of gratitude which so easily assume a more tender character . D'Artagnan already fancied himself , so rapid is the flight of our dreams upon the wings of imagination , accosted by a messenger from the young woman , who brought him some billet appointing a meeting , a gold chain , or a diamond . We have observed that young cavaliers received presents from their king without shame . Let us add that in these times of lax morality they had no more delicacy with respect to the mistresses ; and that the latter almost always left them valuable and durable remembrances , as if they essayed to conquer the fragility of their sentiments by the solidity of their gifts . Without a blush , men made their way in the world by the means of women blushing . Such as were only beautiful gave their beauty , whence , without doubt , comes the proverb , " The most beautiful girl in the world can only give what she has . " Such as were rich gave in addition a part of their money ; and a vast number of heroes of that gallant period may be cited who would neither have won their spurs in the first place , nor their battles afterward , without the purse , more or less furnished , which their mistress fastened to the saddle bow . D'Artagnan owned nothing . Provincial diffidence , that slight varnish , the ephemeral flower , that down of the peach , had evaporated to the winds through the little orthodox counsels which the three Musketeers gave their friend . D'Artagnan , following the strange custom of the times , considered himself at Paris as on a campaign , neither more nor less than if he had been in Flanders--Spain yonder , woman here . In each there was an enemy to contend with , and contributions to be levied . But , we must say , at the present moment d'Artagnan was ruled by a feeling much more noble and disinterested . The mercer had said that he was rich ; the young man might easily guess that with so weak a man as M. Bonacieux ; and interest was almost foreign to this commencement of love , which had been the consequence of it . We say ALMOST , for the idea that a young , handsome , kind , and witty woman is at the same time rich takes nothing from the beginning of love , but on the contrary strengthens it . There are in affluence a crowd of aristocratic cares and caprices which are highly becoming to beauty . A fine and white stocking , a silken robe , a lace kerchief , a pretty slipper on the foot , a tasty ribbon on the head do not make an ugly woman pretty , but they make a pretty woman beautiful , without reckoning the hands , which gain by all this ; the hands , among women particularly , to be beautiful must be idle . Then d'Artagnan , as the reader , from whom we have not concealed the state of his fortune , very well knows--d'Artagnan was not a millionaire ; he hoped to become one someday , but the time which in his own mind he fixed upon for this happy change was still far distant . In the meanwhile , how disheartening to see the woman one loves long for those thousands of nothings which constitute a woman 's happiness , and be unable to give her those thousands of nothings . At least , when the woman is rich and the lover is not , that which he cannot offer she offers to herself ; and although it is generally with her husband 's money that she procures herself this indulgence , the gratitude for it seldom reverts to him . Then d'Artagnan , disposed to become the most tender of lovers , was at the same time a very devoted friend , In the midst of his amorous projects for the mercer 's wife , he did not forget his friends . The pretty Mme . Bonacieux was just the woman to walk with in the Plain St. Denis or in the fair of St. Germain , in company with Athos , Porthos , and Aramis , to whom d'Artagnan had often remarked this . Then one could enjoy charming little dinners , where one touches on one side the hand of a friend , and on the other the foot of a mistress . Besides , on pressing occasions , in extreme difficulties , d'Artagnan would become the preserver of his friends . And M. Bonacieux ? whom d'Artagnan had pushed into the hands of the officers , denying him aloud although he had promised in a whisper to save him . We are compelled to admit to our readers that d'Artagnan thought nothing about him in any way ; or that if he did think of him , it was only to say to himself that he was very well where he was , wherever it might be . Love is the most selfish of all the passions . Let our readers reassure themselves . IF d'Artagnan forgets his host , or appears to forget him , under the pretense of not knowing where he has been carried , we will not forget him , and we know where he is . But for the moment , let us do as did the amorous Gascon ; we will see after the worthy mercer later . D'Artagnan , reflecting on his future amours , addressing himself to the beautiful night , and smiling at the stars , ascended the Rue Cherish-Midi , or Chase-Midi , as it was then called . As he found himself in the quarter in which Aramis lived , he took it into his head to pay his friend a visit in order to explain the motives which had led him to send Planchet with a request that he would come instantly to the mousetrap . Now , if Aramis had been at home when Planchet came to his abode , he had doubtless hastened to the Rue des Fossoyeurs , and finding nobody there but his other two companions perhaps , they would not be able to conceive what all this meant . This mystery required an explanation ; at least , so d'Artagnan declared to himself . He likewise thought this was an opportunity for talking about pretty little Mme . Bonacieux , of whom his head , if not his heart , was already full . We must never look for discretion in first love . First love is accompanied by such excessive joy that unless the joy be allowed to overflow , it will stifle you . Paris for two hours past had been dark , and seemed a desert . Eleven o'clock sounded from all the clocks of the Faubourg St. Germain . It was delightful weather . D'Artagnan was passing along a lane on the spot where the Rue d'Assas is now situated , breathing the balmy emanations which were borne upon the wind from the Rue de Vaugirard , and which arose from the gardens refreshed by the dews of evening and the breeze of night . From a distance resounded , deadened , however , by good shutters , the songs of the tipplers , enjoying themselves in the cabarets scattered along the plain . Arrived at the end of the lane , d'Artagnan turned to the left . The house in which Aramis dwelt was situated between the Rue Cassette and the Rue Servandoni . D'Artagnan had just passed the Rue Cassette , and already perceived the door of his friend 's house , shaded by a mass of sycamores and clematis which formed a vast arch opposite the front of it , when he perceived something like a shadow issuing from the Rue Servandoni . This something was enveloped in a cloak , and d'Artagnan at first believed it was a man ; but by the smallness of the form , the hesitation of the walk , and the indecision of the step , he soon discovered that it was a woman . Further , this woman , as if not certain of the house she was seeking , lifted up her eyes to look around her , stopped , went backward , and then returned again . D'Artagnan was perplexed . " Shall I go and offer her my services ? " thought he . " By her step she must be young ; perhaps she is pretty . Oh , yes ! But a woman who wanders in the streets at this hour only ventures out to meet her lover . If I should disturb a rendezvous , that would not be the best means of commencing an acquaintance . " Meantime the young woman continued to advance , counting the houses and windows . This was neither long nor difficult . There were but three hotels in this part of the street ; and only two windows looking toward the road , one of which was in a pavilion parallel to that which Aramis occupied , the other belonging to Aramis himself . " PARIDIEU ! " said d'Artagnan to himself , to whose mind the niece of the theologian reverted , " PARDIEU , it would be droll if this belated dove should be in search of our friend 's house . But on my soul , it looks so . Ah , my dear Aramis , this time I shall find you out . " And d'Artagnan , making himself as small as he could , concealed himself in the darkest side of the street near a stone bench placed at the back of a niche . The young woman continued to advance ; and in addition to the lightness of her step , which had betrayed her , she emitted a little cough which denoted a sweet voice . D'Artagnan believed this cough to be a signal . Nevertheless , whether the cough had been answered by a similar signal which had fixed the irresolution of the nocturnal seeker , or whether without this aid she saw that she had arrived at the end of her journey , she resolutely drew near to Aramis 's shutter , and tapped , at three equal intervals , with her bent finger . " This is all very fine , dear Aramis , " murmured d'Artagnan . " Ah , Monsieur Hypocrite , I understand how you study theology . " The three blows were scarcely struck , when the inside blind was opened and a light appeared through the panes of the outside shutter . " Ah , ah ! " said the listener , " not through doors , but through windows ! Ah , this visit was expected . We shall see the windows open , and the lady enter by escalade . Very pretty ! " But to the great astonishment of d'Artagnan , the shutter remained closed . Still more , the light which had shone for an instant disappeared , and all was again in obscurity . D'Artagnan thought this could not last long , and continued to look with all his eyes and listen with all his ears . He was right ; at the end of some seconds two sharp taps were heard inside . The young woman in the street replied by a single tap , and the shutter was opened a little way . It may be judged whether d'Artagnan looked or listened with avidity . Unfortunately the light had been removed into another chamber ; but the eyes of the young man were accustomed to the night . Besides , the eyes of the Gascons have , as it is asserted , like those of cats , the faculty of seeing in the dark . D'Artagnan then saw that the young woman took from her pocket a white object , which she unfolded quickly , and which took the form of a handkerchief . She made her interlocutor observe the corner of this unfolded object . This immediately recalled to d'Artagnan 's mind the handkerchief which he had found at the feet of Mme . Bonacieux , which had reminded him of that which he had dragged from under the feet of Aramis . " What the devil could that handkerchief signify ? " Placed where he was , d'Artagnan could not perceive the face of Aramis . We say Aramis , because the young man entertained no doubt that it was his friend who held this dialogue from the interior with the lady of the exterior . Curiosity prevailed over prudence ; and profiting by the preoccupation into which the sight of the handkerchief appeared to have plunged the two personages now on the scene , he stole from his hiding place , and quick as lightning , but stepping with utmost caution , he ran and placed himself close to the angle of the wall , from which his eye could pierce the interior of Aramis 's room . Upon gaining this advantage d'Artagnan was near uttering a cry of surprise ; it was not Aramis who was conversing with the nocturnal visitor , it was a woman ! D'Artagnan , however , could only see enough to recognize the form of her vestments , not enough to distinguish her features . At the same instant the woman inside drew a second handkerchief from her pocket , and exchanged it for that which had just been shown to her . Then some words were spoken by the two women . At length the shutter closed . The woman who was outside the window turned round , and passed within four steps of d'Artagnan , pulling down the hood of her mantle ; but the precaution was too late , d'Artagnan had already recognized Mme . Bonacieux . Mme . Bonacieux ! The suspicion that it was she had crossed the mind of d'Artagnan when she drew the handkerchief from her pocket ; but what probability was there that Mme . Bonacieux , who had sent for M. Laporte in order to be reconducted to the Louvre , should be running about the streets of Paris at half past eleven at night , at the risk of being abducted a second time ? This must be , then , an affair of importance ; and what is the most important affair to a woman of twenty-five ! Love . But was it on her own account , or on account of another , that she exposed herself to such hazards ? This was a question the young man asked himself , whom the demon of jealousy already gnawed , being in heart neither more nor less than an accepted lover . There was a very simple means of satisfying himself whither Mme . Bonacieux was going ; that was to follow her . This method was so simple that d'Artagnan employed it quite naturally and instinctively . But at the sight of the young man , who detached himself from the wall like a statue walking from its niche , and at the noise of the steps which she heard resound behind her , Mme . Bonacieux uttered a little cry and fled . D'Artagnan ran after her . It was not difficult for him to overtake a woman embarrassed with her cloak . He came up with her before she had traversed a third of the street . The unfortunate woman was exhausted , not by fatigue , but by terror , and when d'Artagnan placed his hand upon her shoulder , she sank upon one knee , crying in a choking voice , " Kill me , if you please , you shall know nothing ! " D'Artagnan raised her by passing his arm round her waist ; but as he felt by her weight she was on the point of fainting , he made haste to reassure her by protestations of devotedness . These protestations were nothing for Mme . Bonacieux , for such protestations may be made with the worst intentions in the world ; but the voice was all . Mme . Bonacieux thought she recognized the sound of that voice ; she reopened her eyes , cast a quick glance upon the man who had terrified her so , and at once perceiving it was d'Artagnan , she uttered a cry of joy , " Oh , it is you , it is you ! Thank God , thank God ! " " Yes , it is I , " said d'Artagnan , " it is I , whom God has sent to watch over you . " " Was it with that intention you followed me ? " asked the young woman , with a coquettish smile , whose somewhat bantering character resumed its influence , and with whom all fear had disappeared from the moment in which she recognized a friend in one she had taken for an enemy . " No , " said d'Artagnan ; " no , I confess it . It was chance that threw me in your way ; I saw a woman knocking at the window of one of my friends . " " One of your friends ? " interrupted Mme . Bonacieux . " Without doubt ; Aramis is one of my best friends . " " Aramis ! Who is he ? " " Come , come , you wo n't tell me you do n't know Aramis ? " " This is the first time I ever heard his name pronounced . " " It is the first time , then , that you ever went to that house ? " " Undoubtedly . " " And you did not know that it was inhabited by a young man ? " " No. " " By a Musketeer ? " " No , indeed ! " " It was not he , then , you came to seek ? " " Not the least in the world . Besides , you must have seen that the person to whom I spoke was a woman . " " That is true ; but this woman is a friend of Aramis-- " " I know nothing of that . " " --since she lodges with him . " " That does not concern me . " " But who is she ? " " Oh , that is not my secret . " " My dear Madame Bonacieux , you are charming ; but at the same time you are one of the most mysterious women . " " Do I lose by that ? " " No ; you are , on the contrary , adorable . " " Give me your arm , then . " " Most willingly . And now ? " " Now escort me . " " Where ? " " Where I am going . " " But where are you going ? " " You will see , because you will leave me at the door . " " Shall I wait for you ? " " That will be useless . " " You will return alone , then ? " " Perhaps yes , perhaps no . " " But will the person who shall accompany you afterward be a man or a woman ? " " I do n't know yet . " " But I will know it ! " " How so ? " " I will wait until you come out . " " In that case , adieu . " " Why so ? " " I do not want you . " " But you have claimed-- " " The aid of a gentleman , not the watchfulness of a spy . " " The word is rather hard . " " How are they called who follow others in spite of them ? " " They are indiscreet . " " The word is too mild . " " Well , madame , I perceive I must do as you wish . " " Why did you deprive yourself of the merit of doing so at once ? " " Is there no merit in repentance ? " " And do you really repent ? " " I know nothing about it myself . But what I know is that I promise to do all you wish if you allow me to accompany you where you are going . " " And you will leave me then ? " " Yes . " " Without waiting for my coming out again ? " " Yes . " " Word of honor ? " " By the faith of a gentleman . Take my arm , and let us go . " D'Artagnan offered his arm to Mme . Bonacieux , who willingly took it , half laughing , half trembling , and both gained the top of Rue de la Harpe . Arriving there , the young woman seemed to hesitate , as she had before done in the Rue Vaugirard . She seemed , however , by certain signs , to recognize a door , and approaching that door , " And now , monsieur , " said she , " it is here I have business ; a thousand thanks for your honorable company , which has saved me from all the dangers to which , alone I was exposed . But the moment is come to keep your word ; I have reached my destination . " " And you will have nothing to fear on your return ? " " I shall have nothing to fear but robbers . " " And that is nothing ? " " What could they take from me ? I have not a penny about me . " " You forget that beautiful handkerchief with the coat of arms . " " Which ? " " That which I found at your feet , and replaced in your pocket . " " Hold your tongue , imprudent man ! Do you wish to destroy me ? " " You see very plainly that there is still danger for you , since a single word makes you tremble ; and you confess that if that word were heard you would be ruined . Come , come , madame ! " cried d'Artagnan , seizing her hands , and surveying her with an ardent glance , " come , be more generous . Confide in me . Have you not read in my eyes that there is nothing but devotion and sympathy in my heart ? " " Yes , " replied Mme . Bonacieux ; " therefore , ask my own secrets , and I will reveal them to you ; but those of others--that is quite another thing . " " Very well , " said d'Artagnan , " I shall discover them ; as these secrets may have an influence over your life , these secrets must become mine . " " Beware of what you do ! " cried the young woman , in a manner so serious as to make d'Artagnan start in spite of himself . " Oh , meddle in nothing which concerns me . Do not seek to assist me in that which I am accomplishing . This I ask of you in the name of the interest with which I inspire you , in the name of the service you have rendered me and which I never shall forget while I have life . Rather , place faith in what I tell you . Have no more concern about me ; I exist no longer for you , any more than if you had never seen me . " " Must Aramis do as much as I , madame ? " said d'Artagnan , deeply piqued . " This is the second or third time , monsieur , that you have repeated that name , and yet I have told you that I do not know him . " " You do not know the man at whose shutter you have just knocked ? Indeed , madame , you believe me too credulous ! " " Confess that it is for the sake of making me talk that you invent this story and create this personage . " " I invent nothing , madame ; I create nothing . I only speak that exact truth . " " And you say that one of your friends lives in that house ? " " I say so , and I repeat it for the third time ; that house is one inhabited by my friend , and that friend is Aramis . " " All this will be cleared up at a later period , " murmured the young woman ; " no , monsieur , be silent . " " If you could see my heart , " said d'Artagnan , " you would there read so much curiosity that you would pity me and so much love that you would instantly satisfy my curiosity . We have nothing to fear from those who love us . " " You speak very suddenly of love , monsieur , " said the young woman , shaking her head . " That is because love has come suddenly upon me , and for the first time ; and because I am only twenty . " The young woman looked at him furtively . " Listen ; I am already upon the scent , " resumed d'Artagnan . " About three months ago I was near having a duel with Aramis concerning a handkerchief resembling the one you showed to the woman in his house--for a handkerchief marked in the same manner , I am sure . " " Monsieur , " said the young woman , " you weary me very much , I assure you , with your questions . " " But you , madame , prudent as you are , think , if you were to be arrested with that handkerchief , and that handkerchief were to be seized , would you not be compromised ? " " In what way ? The initials are only mine--C . B. , Constance Bonacieux . " " Or Camille de Bois-Tracy . " " Silence , monsieur ! Once again , silence ! Ah , since the dangers I incur on my own account cannot stop you , think of those you may yourself run ! " " Me ? " " Yes ; there is peril of imprisonment , risk of life in knowing me . " " Then I will not leave you . " " Monsieur ! " said the young woman , supplicating him and clasping her hands together , " monsieur , in the name of heaven , by the honor of a soldier , by the courtesy of a gentleman , depart ! There , there midnight sounds ! That is the hour when I am expected . " " Madame , " said the young man , bowing ; " I can refuse nothing asked of me thus . Be content ; I will depart . " " But you will not follow me ; you will not watch me ? " " I will return home instantly . " " Ah , I was quite sure you were a good and brave young man , " said Mme . Bonacieux , holding out her hand to him , and placing the other upon the knocker of a little door almost hidden in the wall . D'Artagnan seized the hand held out to him , and kissed it ardently . " Ah ! I wish I had never seen you ! " cried d'Artagnan , with that ingenuous roughness which women often prefer to the affectations of politeness , because it betrays the depths of the thought and proves that feeling prevails over reason . " Well ! " resumed Mme . Bonacieux , in a voice almost caressing , and pressing the hand of d'Artagnan , who had not relinquished hers , " well : I will not say as much as you do ; what is lost for today may not be lost forever . Who knows , when I shall be at liberty , that I may not satisfy your curiosity ? " " And will you make the same promise to my love ? " cried d'Artagnan , beside himself with joy . " Oh , as to that , I do not engage myself . That depends upon the sentiments with which you may inspire me . " " Then today , madame-- " " Oh , today , I am no further than gratitude . " " Ah ! You are too charming , " said d'Artagnan , sorrowfully ; " and you abuse my love . " " No , I use your generosity , that 's all . But be of good cheer ; with certain people , everything comes round . " " Oh , you render me the happiest of men ! Do not forget this evening--do not forget that promise . " " Be satisfied . In the proper time and place I will remember everything . Now then , go , go , in the name of heaven ! I was expected at sharp midnight , and I am late . " " By five minutes . " " Yes ; but in certain circumstances five minutes are five ages . " " When one loves . " " Well ! And who told you I had no affair with a lover ? " " It is a man , then , who expects you ? " cried d'Artagnan . " A man ! " " The discussion is going to begin again ! " said Mme . Bonacieux , with a half-smile which was not exempt from a tinge of impatience . " No , no ; I go , I depart ! I believe in you , and I would have all the merit of my devotion , even if that devotion were stupidity . Adieu , madame , adieu ! " And as if he only felt strength to detach himself by a violent effort from the hand he held , he sprang away , running , while Mme . Bonacieux knocked , as at the shutter , three light and regular taps . When he had gained the angle of the street , he turned . The door had been opened , and shut again ; the mercer 's pretty wife had disappeared . D'Artagnan pursued his way . He had given his word not to watch Mme . Bonacieux , and if his life had depended upon the spot to which she was going or upon the person who should accompany her , d'Artagnan would have returned home , since he had so promised . Five minutes later he was in the Rue des Fossoyeurs . " Poor Athos ! " said he ; " he will never guess what all this means . He will have fallen asleep waiting for me , or else he will have returned home , where he will have learned that a woman had been there . A woman with Athos ! After all , " continued d'Artagnan , " there was certainly one with Aramis . All this is very strange ; and I am curious to know how it will end . " " Badly , monsieur , badly ! " replied a voice which the young man recognized as that of Planchet ; for , soliloquizing aloud , as very preoccupied people do , he had entered the alley , at the end of which were the stairs which led to his chamber . " How badly ? What do you mean by that , you idiot ? " asked d'Artagnan . " What has happened ? " " All sorts of misfortunes . " " What ? " " In the first place , Monsieur Athos is arrested . " " Arrested ! Athos arrested ! What for ? " " He was found in your lodging ; they took him for you . " " And by whom was he arrested ? " " By Guards brought by the men in black whom you put to flight . " " Why did he not tell them his name ? Why did he not tell them he knew nothing about this affair ? " " He took care not to do so , monsieur ; on the contrary , he came up to me and said , 'It is your master that needs his liberty at this moment and not I , since he knows everything and I know nothing . They will believe he is arrested , and that will give him time ; in three days I will tell them who I am , and they cannot fail to let me go . ' " " Bravo , Athos ! Noble heart ! " murmured d'Artagnan . " I know him well there ! And what did the officers do ? " " Four conveyed him away , I do n't know where--to the Bastille or Fort l'Eveque . Two remained with the men in black , who rummaged every place and took all the papers . The last two mounted guard at the door during this examination ; then , when all was over , they went away , leaving the house empty and exposed . " " And Porthos and Aramis ? " " I could not find them ; they did not come . " " But they may come any moment , for you left word that I awaited them ? " " Yes , monsieur . " " Well , do n't budge , then ; if they come , tell them what has happened . Let them wait for me at the Pomme-de-Pin . Here it would be dangerous ; the house may be watched . I will run to Monsieur de Treville to tell them all this , and will meet them there . " " Very well , monsieur , " said Planchet . " But you will remain ; you are not afraid ? " said d'Artagnan , coming back to recommend courage to his lackey . " Be easy , monsieur , " said Planchet ; " you do not know me yet . I am brave when I set about it . It is all in beginning . Besides , I am a Picard . " " Then it is understood , " said d'Artagnan ; " you would rather be killed than desert your post ? " " Yes , monsieur ; and there is nothing I would not do to prove to Monsieur that I am attached to him . " " Good ! " said d'Artagnan to himself . " It appears that the method I have adopted with this boy is decidedly the best . I shall use it again upon occasion . " And with all the swiftness of his legs , already a little fatigued however , with the perambulations of the day , d'Artagnan directed his course toward M. de Treville 's . M. de Treville was not at his hotel . His company was on guard at the Louvre ; he was at the Louvre with his company . It was necessary to reach M. de Treville ; it was important that he should be informed of what was passing . D'Artagnan resolved to try and enter the Louvre . His costume of Guardsman in the company of M. Dessessart ought to be his passport . He therefore went down the Rue des Petits Augustins , and came up to the quay , in order to take the New Bridge . He had at first an idea of crossing by the ferry ; but on gaining the riverside , he had mechanically put his hand into his pocket , and perceived that he had not wherewithal to pay his passage . As he gained the top of the Rue Guenegaud , he saw two persons coming out of the Rue Dauphine whose appearance very much struck him . Of the two persons who composed this group , one was a man and the other a woman . The woman had the outline of Mme . Bonacieux ; the man resembled Aramis so much as to be mistaken for him . Besides , the woman wore that black mantle which d'Artagnan could still see outlined on the shutter of the Rue de Vaugirard and on the door of the Rue de la Harpe ; still further , the man wore the uniform of a Musketeer . The woman 's hood was pulled down , and the man held a handkerchief to his face . Both , as this double precaution indicated , had an interest in not being recognized . They took the bridge . That was d'Artagnan 's road , as he was going to the Louvre . D'Artagnan followed them . He had not gone twenty steps before he became convinced that the woman was really Mme . Bonacieux and that the man was Aramis . He felt at that instant all the suspicions of jealousy agitating his heart . He felt himself doubly betrayed , by his friend and by her whom he already loved like a mistress . Mme . Bonacieux had declared to him , by all the gods , that she did not know Aramis ; and a quarter of an hour after having made this assertion , he found her hanging on the arm of Aramis . D'Artagnan did not reflect that he had only known the mercer 's pretty wife for three hours ; that she owed him nothing but a little gratitude for having delivered her from the men in black , who wished to carry her off , and that she had promised him nothing . He considered himself an outraged , betrayed , and ridiculed lover . Blood and anger mounted to his face ; he was resolved to unravel the mystery . The young man and young woman perceived they were watched , and redoubled their speed . D'Artagnan determined upon his course . He passed them , then returned so as to meet them exactly before the Samaritaine . Which was illuminated by a lamp which threw its light over all that part of the bridge . D'Artagnan stopped before them , and they stopped before him . " What do you want , monsieur ? " demanded the Musketeer , recoiling a step , and with a foreign accent , which proved to d'Artagnan that he was deceived in one of his conjectures . " It is not Aramis ! " cried he . " No , monsieur , it is not Aramis ; and by your exclamation I perceive you have mistaken me for another , and pardon you . " " You pardon me ? " cried d'Artagnan . " Yes , " replied the stranger . " Allow me , then , to pass on , since it is not with me you have anything to do . " " You are right , monsieur , it is not with you that I have anything to do ; it is with Madame . " " With Madame ! You do not know her , " replied the stranger . " You are deceived , monsieur ; I know her very well . " " Ah , " said Mme . Bonacieux ; in a tone of reproach , " ah , monsieur , I had your promise as a soldier and your word as a gentleman . I hoped to be able to rely upon that . " " And I , madame ! " said d'Artagnan , embarrassed ; " you promised me-- " " Take my arm , madame , " said the stranger , " and let us continue our way . " D'Artagnan , however , stupefied , cast down , annihilated by all that happened , stood , with crossed arms , before the Musketeer and Mme . Bonacieux . The Musketeer advanced two steps , and pushed d'Artagnan aside with his hand . D'Artagnan made a spring backward and drew his sword . At the same time , and with the rapidity of lightning , the stranger drew his . " In the name of heaven , my Lord ! " cried Mme . Bonacieux , throwing herself between the combatants and seizing the swords with her hands . " My Lord ! " cried d'Artagnan , enlightened by a sudden idea , " my Lord ! Pardon me , monsieur , but you are not-- " " My Lord the Duke of Buckingham , " said Mme . Bonacieux , in an undertone ; " and now you may ruin us all . " " My Lord , Madame , I ask a hundred pardons ! But I love her , my Lord , and was jealous . You know what it is to love , my Lord . Pardon me , and then tell me how I can risk my life to serve your Grace ? " " You are a brave young man , " said Buckingham , holding out his hand to d'Artagnan , who pressed it respectfully . " You offer me your services ; with the same frankness I accept them . Follow us at a distance of twenty paces , as far as the Louvre , and if anyone watches us , slay him ! " D'Artagnan placed his naked sword under his arm , allowed the duke and Mme . Bonacieux to take twenty steps ahead , and then followed them , ready to execute the instructions of the noble and elegant minister of Charles I. Fortunately , he had no opportunity to give the duke this proof of his devotion , and the young woman and the handsome Musketeer entered the Louvre by the wicket of the Echelle without any interference . As for d'Artagnan , he immediately repaired to the cabaret of the Pomme-de-Pin , where he found Porthos and Aramis awaiting him . Without giving them any explanation of the alarm and inconvenience he had caused them , he told them that he had terminated the affair alone in which he had for a moment believed he should need their assistance . Meanwhile , carried away as we are by our narrative , we must leave our three friends to themselves , and follow the Duke of Buckingham and his guide through the labyrinths of the Louvre . |