“As I broke my sword in the King’s presence, and threw the pieces at his feet, I presume that will dispense with the necessity of delivering it over to you.”
“You are quite right; and besides that, what the devil do you suppose I could do with your sword?”
“Am I to walk behind or before you?” inquired Athos, laughing.
“You will walk arm-in-arm with me,” replied d’Artagnan, as he took the count’s arm to descend the staircase; and in this manner they arrived at the landing. Grimaud, whom they had met in the anteroom, looked at them, as they went out together in this manner, with some little uneasiness; his experience of affairs was quite sufficient to give him good reason to suspect that there was something wrong.
“Ah! is that you, Grimaud?” said Athos, kindly. “We are going-”
“To take a turn in my carriage,” interrupted d’Artagnan, with a friendly nod of the head.
Grimaud thanked d’Artagnan by a grimace, which was evidently intended for a smile, and accompanied the two friends to the door. Athos entered first into the carriage; d’Artagnan followed him, without saying a word to the coachman. The departure had taken place so quietly that it excited no disturbance or attention even in the neighborhood. When the carriage had reached the quays, “You are taking me to the Bastille, I perceive,” said Athos.
“I?” said d’Artagnan. “I take you wherever you may choose to go; nowhere else, I can assure you.”
“What do you mean?” said the count, surprised.
“Pardieu!” said d’Artagnan, “you quite understand that I undertook the mission with no other object in view than that of carrying it out exactly as you liked. You did not think that I would have you thrown into prison like that, brutally, without reflection. If I had not anticipated that, I should have let the captain of the Guards undertake it.”
“And so-” said Athos.
“And so, I repeat, we will go wherever you may choose.”
“My dear friend,” said Athos, embracing d’Artagnan, “how like you that is!”
“Well, it seems simple enough to me. The coachman will take you to the barrier of the Cours-la-Reine; you will find a horse there which I have ordered to be kept ready for you; with that horse you will be able to do three posts without stopping; and I, on my side, will take care not to return to the King, to tell him that you have gone away, until it will be impossible to overtake you. In the mean time you will have reached Havre, and from Havre you will go to England, where you will find the charming residence which my friend M. Monk gave me,- to say nothing of the hospitality which King Charles will not fail to show you. Well, what do you think of this project?”
“Take me to the Bastille,” said Athos, smiling.
“You are an obstinate-headed fellow, dear Athos,” returned d’Artagnan; “reflect for a few moments.”
“Upon what?”
“That you are no longer twenty years of age. Believe me,- I speak according to my own knowledge and experience,- a prison is certain death for men of our time of life. No, no; I will never allow you to languish in prison. Why, the very thought of it turns my head.”
“Dear d’Artagnan,” Athos replied, “happily God made me as strong in body as in mind; and rely upon it, I shall be strong up to my last breath.”
“But this is not force; it is folly.”
“No, d’Artagnan, it is the highest order of reasoning. Do not suppose that I should in the slightest degree in the world discuss the question with you, whether you would not be ruined in endeavoring to save me. I should have done precisely as you have arranged, if flight had seemed proper to me; I should therefore have accepted from you what without any doubt you would have accepted from me. No! I know you too well even to breathe a word upon the subject.”
“Ah, if you would only let me do it,” said d’Artagnan, “how I would send the King running after you!”
“He is the King, dear friend.”
“Oh, that is all the same to me; and King though he be, I would plainly tell him, ‘Sire! imprison, exile, kill every one in France and Europe; order me to arrest, and even poniard whom you like,- even were it Monsieur, your own brother; but do not touch one of the four musketeers, or, if so, mordioux!'”