Part 169 (1/2)

”Your pardon?” said Richelieu, surprised

”Yes, ned by who?” And the cardinal pronounced these words with a singular expression of contempt

”No, by your Eminence”

”By neur will doubtless recognize his own handwriting”

And d'Artagnan presented to the cardinal the precious piece of paper which Athos had forced fronan to serve hiuard

His E upon every syllable:

”Dec 3, 1627

”It is by ood of the state that the bearer of this has done what he has done

”RICHELIEU” The cardinal, after having read these two lines, sank into a profound reverie; but he did not return the paper to d'Artagnan

”He isby what sort of punishment he shall cause me to die,”

said the Gascon to hientle Musketeer was in excellent disposition to die heroically

Richelieu still continued thinking, rolling and unrolling the paper in his hands

At length he raised his head, fixed his eagle look upon that loyal, open, and intelligent countenance, read upon that face, furroith tears, all the sufferings its possessor had endured in the course of a month, and reflected for the third or fourth time how much there was in that youth of twenty-one years before hie, and his shrewdness ood master

On the other side, the crienius of Milady hadlike a secret joy at being forever relieved of this dangerous acconan had generously relinquished

”I anan to himself And he bowed profoundly before the cardinal, like a man who says, ”Lord, Thy will be done!”

The cardinal approached the table, and without sitting dorote a few lines upon a parchment of which two-thirds were already filled, and affixed his seal

”That is nan; ”he will spare me the ENNUI of the Bastille, or the tediousness of a trial That's very kind of hi ive you another The na in this conan took the paper hesitatingly and cast his eyes over it; it was a lieutenant's conan fell at the feet of the cardinal

”Monseigneur,” said he, ”my life is yours; henceforth dispose of it But this favor which you bestow upon me I do not merit I have three friends who are more meritorious and nan,” interrupted the cardinal, tapping hi vanquished this rebellious nature ”Do with this coh the naive it”

”I shall never forget it,” replied d'Artagnan ”Your Eminence may be certain of that”