Twenty Years Later by Dumas, Alexandre. Part one

of his niece the Duchess of Longueville; the other was a

convent of Jesuits and was the property — a by no means

unusual circumstance — of these worthy fathers.

At four o’clock D’Artagnan recommenced his journey. He

proceeded slowly and in deep reverie. Planchet also was lost

in thought, but the subject of their reflections was not the

same.

One word which their landlady had pronounced had given a

particular turn to D’Artagnan’s deliberations; this was the

name of Madame de Longueville.

That name was indeed one to inspire imagination and produce

thought. Madame de Longueville was one of the highest ladies

in the realm; she was also one of the greatest beauties at

court. She had formerly been suspected of an intimacy of too

tender a nature with Coligny, who, for her sake, had been

killed in a duel, in the Place Royale, by the Duc de Guise.

She was now connected by bonds of a political nature with

the Prince de Marsillac, the eldest son of the old Duc de

Rochefoucauld, whom she was trying to inspire with an enmity

toward the Duc de Conde, her brother-in-law, whom she now

hated mortally.

D’Artagnan thought of all these matters. He remembered how

at the Louvre he had often seen, as she passed by him in the

full radiance of her dazzling charms, the beautiful Madame

de Longueville. He thought of Aramis, who, without

possessing any greater advantages than himself, had formerly

been the lover of Madame de Chevreuse, who had been to a

former court what Madame de Longueville was in that day; and

he wondered how it was that there should be in the world

people who succeed in every wish, some in ambition, others

in love, whilst others, either from chance, or from

ill-luck, or from some natural defect or impediment, remain

half-way upon the road toward fulfilment of their hopes and

expectations.

He was confessing to himself that he belonged to the latter

unhappy class, when Planchet approached and said:

“I will lay a wager, your honor, that you and I are thinking

of the same thing.”

“I doubt it, Planchet,” replied D’Artagnan, “but what are

you thinking of?”

“I am thinking, sir, of those desperate looking men who were

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Dumas, Alexandre – Twenty Years After

drinking in the inn where we rested.”

“Always cautious, Planchet.”

“‘Tis instinct, your honor.”

“Well, what does your instinct tell you now?”

“Sir, my instinct told me that those people were assembled

there for some bad purpose; and I was reflecting on what my

instinct had told me, in the darkest corner of the stable,

when a man wrapped in a cloak and followed by two other men,

came in.”

“Ah ah!” said D’Artagnan, Planchet’s recital agreeing with

his own observations. “Well?”

“One of these two men said, `He must certainly be at Noisy,

or be coming there this evening, for I have seen his

servant.’

“`Art thou sure? ‘ said the man in the cloak.

“`Yes, my prince.'”

“My prince!” interrupted D’Artagnan.

“Yes, `my prince;’ but listen. `If he is here’ — this is

what the other man said — `let’s see decidedly what to do

with him.’

“`What to do with him?’ answered the prince.

“`Yes, he’s not a man to allow himself to be taken anyhow;

he’ll defend himself.’

“`Well, we must try to take him alive. Have you cords to

bind him with and a gag to stop his mouth?’

“`We have.’

“`Remember that he will most likely be disguised as a

horseman.’

“`Yes, yes, my lord; don’t be uneasy.’

“`Besides, I shall be there.’

“`You will assure us that justice —- ‘

“`Yes, yes! I answer for all that,’ the prince said.

“`Well, then, we’ll do our best.’ Having said that, they

went out of the stable.”

“Well, what matters all that to us?” said D’Artagnan. “This

is one of those attempts that happen every day.”

“Are you sure that we are not its objects?”

“We? Why?”

“Just remember what they said. `I have seen his servant,’

said one, and that applies very well to me.”

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Dumas, Alexandre – Twenty Years After

“Well?”

“`He must certainly be at Noisy, or be coming there this

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