Les trois mousquetaires. English Read online

  Produced by John P. Roberts III, Roger Labbe, Scott David Gray, SueAsscher, Anita Martin, David Muller and David Widger.

  *THE THREE MUSKETEERS*

  _By_

  *Alexandre Dumas, Pere*

  _First Volume of the d'Artagnan Series_

  CONTENTS

  AUTHOR'S PREFACE 1 THE THREE PRESENTS OF D'ARTAGNAN THE ELDER 2 THE ANTECHAMBER OF M. DE TREVILLE 3 THE AUDIENCE 4 THE SHOULDER OF ATHOS, THE BALDRIC OF PORTHOS AND THE HANDKERCHIEF OF ARAMIS 5 THE KING'S MUSKETEERS AND THE CARDINAL'S GUARDS 6 HIS MAJESTY KING LOUIS XIII 7 THE INTERIOR* OF THE MUSKETEERS 8 CONCERNING A COURT INTRIGUE 9 D'ARTAGNAN SHOWS HIMSELF 10 A MOUSETRAP IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 11 IN WHICH THE PLOT THICKENS 12 GEORGE VILLIERS, DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM 13 MONSIEUR BONACIEUX 14 THE MAN OF MEUNG 15 MEN OF THE ROBE AND MEN OF THE SWORD 16 IN WHICH M. SEGUIER, KEEPER OF THE SEALS, LOOKS MORE THAN ONCE FOR THE BELL 17 BONACIEUX AT HOME 18 LOVER AND HUSBAND 19 PLAN OF CAMPAIGN 20 THE JOURNEY 21 THE COUNTESS DE WINTER 22 THE BALLET OF LA MERLAISON 23 THE RENDEZVOUS 24 THE PAVILION 25 PORTHOS 26 ARAMIS AND HIS THESIS 27 THE WIFE OF ATHOS 28 THE RETURN 29 HUNTING FOR THE EQUIPMENTS 30 D'ARTAGNAN AND THE ENGLISHMAN 31 ENGLISH AND FRENCH 32 A PROCURATOR'S DINNER 33 SOUBRETTE AND MISTRESS 34 IN WHICH THE EQUIPMENT OF ARAMIS AND PORTHOS IS TREATED OF 35 A GASCON A MATCH FOR CUPID 36 DREAM OF VENGEANCE 37 MILADY'S SECRET 38 HOW, WITHOUT INCOMMDING HIMSELF, ATHOS PROCURES HIS EQUIPMENT 39 A VISION 40 A TERRIBLE VISION 41 THE SEIGE OF LA ROCHELLE 42 THE ANJOU WINE 43 THE SIGN OF THE RED DOVECOT 44 THE UTILITY OF STOVEPIPES 45 A CONJUGAL SCENE 46 THE BASTION SAINT-GERVAIS 47 THE COUNCIL OF THE MUSKETEERS 48 A FAMILY AFFAIR 49 FATALITY 50 CHAT BETWEEN BROTHER AND SISTER 51 OFFICER 52 CAPTIVITY: THE FIRST DAY 53 CAPTIVITY: THE SECOND DAY 54 CAPTIVITY: THE THIRD DAY 55 CAPTIVITY: THE FOURTH DAY 56 CAPTIVITY: THE FIFTH DAY 57 MEANS FOR CLASSICAL TRAGEDY 58 ESCAPE 59 WHAT TOOK PLACE AT PORTSMOUTH AUGUST 23, 1628 60 IN FRANCE 61 THE CARMELITE CONVENT AT BETHUNE 62 TWO VARIETIES OF DEMONS 63 THE DROP OF WATER 64 THE MAN IN THE RED CLOAK 65 TRIAL 66 EXECUTION 67 CONCLUSION EPILOGUE

  AUTHOR'S PREFACE

  In which it is proved that, notwithstanding their names' ending in OSand IS, the heroes of the story which we are about to have the honor torelate to our readers have nothing mythological about them.

  A short time ago, while making researches in the Royal Library for myHistory of Louis XIV, I stumbled by chance upon the Memoirs of M.d'Artagnan, printed--as were most of the works of that period, in whichauthors could not tell the truth without the risk of a residence, moreor less long, in the Bastille--at Amsterdam, by Pierre Rouge. The titleattracted me; I took them home with me, with the permission of theguardian, and devoured them.

  It is not my intention here to enter into an analysis of this curiouswork; and I shall satisfy myself with referring such of my readers asappreciate the pictures of the period to its pages. They will thereinfind portraits penciled by the hand of a master; and although thesesquibs may be, for the most part, traced upon the doors of barracks andthe walls of cabarets, they will not find the likenesses of Louis XIII,Anne of Austria, Richelieu, Mazarin, and the courtiers of the period,less faithful than in the history of M. Anquetil.

  But, it is well known, what strikes the capricious mind of the poet isnot always what affects the mass of readers. Now, while admiring, asothers doubtless will admire, the details we have to relate, our mainpreoccupation concerned a matter to which no one before ourselves hadgiven a thought.

  D'Artagnan relates that on his first visit to M. de Treville, captain ofthe king's Musketeers, he met in the antechamber three young men,serving in the illustrious corps into which he was soliciting the honorof being received, bearing the names of Athos, Porthos, and Aramis.

  We must confess these three strange names struck us; and it immediatelyoccurred to us that they were but pseudonyms, under which d'Artagnan haddisguised names perhaps illustrious, or else that the bearers of theseborrowed names had themselves chosen them on the day in which, fromcaprice, discontent, or want of fortune, they had donned the simpleMusketeer's uniform.

  From that moment we had no rest till we could find some trace incontemporary works of these extraordinary names which had so stronglyawakened our curiosity.

  The catalogue alone of the books we read with this object would fill awhole chapter, which, although it might be very instructive, wouldcertainly afford our readers but little amusement. It will suffice,then, to tell them that at the moment at which, discouraged by so manyfruitless investigations, we were about to abandon our search, we atlength found, guided by the counsels of our illustrious friend PaulinParis, a manuscript in folio, endorsed 4772 or 4773, we do not recollectwhich, having for title, "Memoirs of the Comte de la Fere, Touching SomeEvents Which Passed in France Toward the End of the Reign of King LouisXIII and the Commencement of the Reign of King Louis XIV."

  It may be easily imagined how great was our joy when, in turning overthis manuscript, our last hope, we found at the twentieth page the nameof Athos, at the twenty-seventh the name of Porthos, and at thethirty-first the name of Aramis.

  The discovery of a completely unknown manuscript at a period in whichhistorical science is carried to such a high degree appeared almostmiraculous. We hastened, therefore, to obtain permission to print it,with the view of presenting ourselves someday with the pack of others atthe doors of the Academie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres, if weshould not succeed--a very probable thing, by the by--in gainingadmission to the Academie Francaise with our own proper pack. Thispermission, we feel bound to say, was graciously granted; which compelsus here to give a public contradiction to the slanderers who pretendthat we live under a government but moderately indulgent to men ofletters.

  Now, this is the first part of this precious manuscript which we offerto our readers, restoring it to the title which belongs to it, andentering into an engagement that if (of which we have no doubt) thisfirst part should obtain the success it merits, we will publish thesecond immediately.

  In the meanwhile, as the godfather is a second father, we beg the readerto lay to our account, and not to that of the Comte de la Fere, thepleasure or the ENNUI he may experience.

  This being understood, let us proceed with our history.