Part 69 (1/2)
”What do you say to this, Du Vallon?”
”I,” said Porthos, ”I anan's opinion; this is a 'beastly' country, this England”
”You are quite decided, then, to leave it?” asked Athos of D'Artagnan
”Egad! I don't see what is to keep ed between Athos and Ara
”How, go then?” exclaio, you mean?”
”No, my friend,” said Athos, ”you nan, quite bewildered at this unexpected announcement
”Bah!” said Porthos, ”why separate, since we are all together?”
”Because you can and ought to return to France; your mission is accomplished, but ours is not”
”Yourin astonishentle but decided voice, ”we ca Charles; we have but ill defended hi?” said D'Artagnan, looking at Aramis as he had looked at Athos
Aran with his head
D'Artagnan's countenance took an expression of the deepest coan to think he had to do withseriously, Athos!” said he; ”the king is surrounded by an ar him to London This army is commanded by a butcher, or the son of a butcher--it matters little--Colonel Harrison His majesty, I can assure you, will be tried on his arrival in London; I have heard enough from the lips of Oliver Croed between Athos and Aramis
”And when the trial is ended there will be no delay in putting the sentence into execution,” continued D'Artagnan
”And to what penalty do you think the king will be condereatly fear; they have gone too far for hi left to the, and that is to kill him Have you never heard what Oliver Croeon at Vincennes where Monsieur de Vendome was imprisoned?”
”What did he say?” asked Porthos
”'Princes must be knocked on the head'”
”I remember it,” said Athos
”And you fancy he will not put his ?”
”On the contrary, I am certain he will do so But then that is all the ust head so threatened”
”Athos, you are becoently replied, ”but De Winter sought us out in France and introduced us, Monsieur d'Herblay and myself, to Madame Henrietta Her majesty did us the honor to ask our aid for her husband We engaged our word; our word included everything It was our strength, our intelligence, our life, in short, that we promised It remains now for us to keep our word Is that your opinion, D'Herblay?”
”Yes,” said Aramis, ”we have promised”
”Then,” continued Athos, ”we have another reason; it is this--listen: In France at thisten years old, who doesn't yet knohat he wants; we have a queen blinded by a belated passion; we have a reat farold he can by the exercise of Italian cunning and invention; we have princes who set up a personal and egotistic opposition, ill draw froold or soranted as bribes I have served them without enthusiasm--God knows that I estih in ed in a different affair I have encountered h place, a royal misfortune, a Europeanthe king it will be good; if we die for hirand”
”So you know beforehand you nan
”We fear so, and our only regret is to die so far fron land, an ene, I speak English like an Englishe Ah! if we had you, nan, with you, Porthos--all four reunited for the first tiland, but the three kingdoether!”
”And did you pronan, petulantly, ”to storm the Tower of London, to kill a hundred thousand soldiers, to fight victoriously against the wishes of the nation and the aerate your duty In Heaven's name, my dear Athos, do not make a useless sacrifice When I see you ; when you speak, I seem to have to do with a madman Come, Porthos, join me; say frankly, what do you think of this business?”
”Nothing good,” replied Porthos
”Conan, who, irritated that instead of listening to hihts, ”you have never found yourself the worse for my advice Well, then, believe me, Athos, your mission is ended, and ended nobly; return to France with us”
”Friend,” said Athos, ”our resolution is irrevocable”
”Then you have sonan struck his hand together in anger andreasons that he could discover; but to all these reasons Athos contented hi with a cal his head
”Very well,” cried D'Artagnan, at last, furious, ”very well, since you wish it, let us leave our bones in this beggarly land, where it is always cold, where fine weather is a fog, fog is rain, and rain a deluge; where the sun represents the moon and the moon a cream cheese; in truth, whether we die here or elsewhere ood fellow,” said Athos, ”it is but dying rather sooner”
”Pooh! a little sooner or a little later, it isn't worth quarreling over”
”If I a,” remarked Porthos, sententiously, ”it is that it has not already happened”
”Oh, it will happen, you reed, and if Porthos makes no objection----”
”I,” said Porthos, ”I will do whatever you please; and besides, I think what the Coood”
”But your future career, D'Artagnan--your ambition, Porthos?”
”Our future, our anan, with feverish volubility ”Need we think of that since we are to save the king? The king saved--we shall asseether--ill head the Puritans--reconquer England; we shall re-enter London--place him securely on his throne----”
”And he will make us dukes and peers,” said Porthos, whose eyes sparkled with joy at this inan
”Oh!” said Porthos
”Well, that has happened, friend Porthos It seems to me that we once rendered Anne of Austria a service notto perforotten us for twenty years”
”Well, in spite of that, D'Artagnan,” said Athos, ”you are not sorry that you were useful to her?”
”No, indeed,” said D'Artagnan; ”I admit even that in my darkest moments I find consolation in that reh princes often are ungrateful, God never is”
”Athos,” said D'Artagnan, ”I believe that were you to fall in with the devil, you would conduct yourself so well that you would take hi his hand to D'Artagnan
”'Tis settled,” replied D'Artagnan ”I find England a char country, and I stay--but on one condition only”