\"Then，\"
saidthehonestseigneurofBracieux，\"youhaverenderedmeaservice，andIthankyouforit;forifyouhadnotdeceivedme，Imighthavedeceivedmyself。？Inwhat，then，haveyoudeceivedme，tellme？\"
\"InthatIwasservingtheusurperagainstwhomLouisXIV。，atthismoment，isdirectinghisefforts。\"
\"Theusurper！\"saidPorthos，scratchinghishead。？\"Thatis—well，Idonotquiteclearlycomprehend！\"
\"HeisoneofthetwokingswhoarecontendingfrothecrownofFrance。\"
\"Verywell！？ThenyouwereservinghimwhoisnotLouisXIV。？\"
\"Youhavehitthematterinoneword。\"
\"Itfollowsthat—\"
\"Itfollowsthatwearerebels，mypoorfriend。\"
\"Thedevil！thedevil！\"criedPorthos，muchdisappointed。
\"Oh！
but，dearPorthos，becalm，weshallstillfindmeansofgettingoutoftheaffair，trustme。\"
\"Itisnotthatwhichmakesmeuneasy，\"repliedPorthos;\"thatwhichalonetouchesmeisthatuglywordrebels。\"
\"Ah！
but—\"
\"Andso，accordingtothis，theduchythatwaspromisedme—\"
\"Itwastheusurperthatwastogiveittoyou。\"
\"Andthatisnotthesamething，Aramis，\"saidPorthos，majestically。
\"Myfriend，ifithadonlydependeduponme，youshouldhavebecomeaprince。\"
Porthosbegantobitehisnailsinamelancholyway。
\"Thatiswhereyouhavebeenwrong，\"continuedhe，\"indeceivingme;forthatpromisedduchyIreckonedupon。？Oh！？Ireckoneduponitseriously，knowingyoutobeamanofyourword，Aramis。\"
\"PoorPorthos！pardonme，Iimploreyou！\"
\"So，then，\"continuedPorthos，withoutreplyingtothebishop\'sprayer，\"sothen，it？seems，IhavequitefallenoutwithLouisXIV。？\"
\"Oh！？Iwillsettleallthat，mygoodfriend，I
willsettleallthat。？Iwilltakeitonmyselfalone！\"
\"Aramis！\"
\"No，no，Porthos，I
conjureyou，letmeact。？Nofalsegenerosity！？Noinopportunedevotedness！？Youknewnothingofmyprojects。？Youhavedonenothingofyourself。？Withmeitisdifferent。？Ialoneamtheauthorofthisplot。？Istoodinneedofmyinseparablecompanion;
Icalleduponyou，andyoucametomeinremembranceofourancientdevice，\'Allforone，oneforall。\'？MycrimeisthatIwasanegotist。\"
\"Now，thatisawordIlike，\"saidPorthos;\"andseeingthatyouhaveactedentirelyforyourself，itisimpossibleformetoblameyou。？Itisnatural。\"
Anduponthissublimereflection，Porthospressedhisfriend\'shandcordially。
Inpresenceofthisingenuousgreatnessofsoul，Aramisfelthisownlittleness。？Itwasthesecondtimehehadbeencompelledtobendbeforerealsuperiorityofheart，whichismoreimposingthanbrilliancyofmind。？Herepliedbyamuteandenergeticpressuretotheendearmentofhisfriend。
\"Now，\"
saidPorthos，\"thatwehavecometoanexplanation，nowthatIamperfectlyawareofoursituationwithrespecttoLouisXIV。，Ithink，myfriend，itistimetomakemecomprehendthepoliticalintrigueofwhichwearethevictims—forIplainlyseethereisapoliticalintrigueatthebottomofallthis。\"
\"D\'Artagnan，mygoodPorthos，D\'Artagnaniscoming，andwilldetailittoyouinallitscircumstances;but，excuseme，Iamdeeplygrieved，Iamboweddownwithmentalanguish，andIhaveneedofallmypresenceofmind，allmypowersofreflection，toextricateyoufromthefalsepositioninwhichIhavesoimprudentlyinvolvedyou;butnothingcanbemoreclear，nothingmoreplain，thanyourposition，henceforth。？ThekingLouisXIV。hasnolongernowbutoneenemy:thatenemyismyself，myselfalone。？Ihavemadeyouaprisoner，youhavefollowedme，to—dayIliberateyou，youflybacktoyourprince。？Youcanperceive，Porthos，thereisnotonedifficultyinallthis。\"
\"Doyouthinkso？\"saidPorthos。
\"I
amquitesureofit。\"
\"Thenwhy，\"saidtheadmirablegoodsenseofPorthos，\"thenwhy，ifweareinsuchaneasyposition，why，myfriend，dowepreparecannon，muskets，andenginesofallsorts？？ItseemstomeitwouldbemuchmoresimpletosaytoCaptaind\'Artagnan:\'Mydearfriend，wehavebeenmistaken;thaterroristoberepaired;openthedoortous，letuspassthrough，andwewillsaygood—bye。\'\"
\"Ah！
that！\"saidAramis，shakinghishead。
\"Whydoyousay\'that\'？？Doyounotapproveofmyplan，myfriend？\"
\"I
seeadifficultyinit。\"
\"Whatisit？\"
\"ThehypothesisthatD\'Artagnanmaycomewithorderswhichwillobligeustodefendourselves。\"
\"What！
defendourselvesagainstD\'Artagnan？？Folly！？AgainstthegoodD\'Artagnan！\"
Aramisoncemorerepliedbyshakinghishead。
\"Porthos，\"
atlengthsaidhe，\"ifIhavehadthematcheslightedandthegunspointed，ifIhavehadthesignalofalarmsounded，ifIhavecalledeverymantohispostupontheramparts，thosegoodrampartsofBelle—Islewhichyouhavesowellfortified，itwasnotfornothing。？Waittojudge;orrather，no，donotwait—\"
\"WhatcanIdo？\"
\"IfIknew，myfriend，Iwouldhavetoldyou。\"
\"Butthereisonethingmuchmoresimplethandefendingourselves:—aboat，andawayforFrance—where—\"
\"Mydearfriend，\"saidAramis，smilingwitha？strongshadeofsadness，\"donotletusreasonlikechildren;letusbemenincouncilandinexecution。—But，hark！？Ihearahailforlandingattheport。？Attention，Porthos，seriousattention！\"
\"ItisD\'Artagnan，nodoubt，\"saidPorthos，inavoiceofthunder，approachingtheparapet。
\"Yes，itisI，\"repliedthecaptainofthemusketeers，runninglightlyupthestepsofthemole，andgainingrapidlythelittleesplanadeonwhichhistwofriendswaitedforhim。？Assoonashecametowardsthem，PorthosandAramisobservedanofficerwhofollowedD\'Artagnan，treadingapparentlyinhisverysteps。？Thecaptainstoppeduponthestairsofthemole，whenhalf—wayup。？Hiscompanionsimitatedhim。
\"Makeyourmendrawback，\"criedD\'ArtagnantoPorthosandAramis;\"letthemretireoutofhearing。\"？Thisorder，givenbyPorthos，wasexecutedimmediately。？ThenD\'Artagnan，turningtowardshimwhofollowedhim:
\"Monsieur，\"
saidhe，\"wearenolongeronboardtheking\'sfleet，where，invirtueofyourorder，youspokesoarrogantlytome，justnow。\"
\"Monsieur，\"
repliedtheofficer，\"Ididnotspeakarrogantlytoyou;Isimply，butrigorously，obeyedinstructions。？Iwascommandedtofollowyou。？Ifollowyou。？Iamdirectednottoallowyoutocommunicatewithanyonewithouttakingcognizanceofwhatyoudo;Iamindutybound，accordingly，tooverhearyourconversations。\"
D\'Artagnantrembledwithrage，andPorthosandAramis，whoheardthisdialogue，trembledlikewise，butwithuneasinessandfear。？D\'Artagnan，bitinghismustachewiththatvivacitywhichdenotedinhimexasperation，closelytobefollowedbyanexplosion，approachedtheofficer。
\"Monsieur，\"
saidhe，inalowvoice，somuchthemoreimpressive，that，affectingcalm，itthreatenedtempest—\"monsieur，whenIsentacanoehither，youwishedtoknowwhatIwrotetothedefendersofBelle—Isle。？Youproducedanordertothateffect;and，inmyturn，I
instantlyshowedyouthenoteIhadwritten。？Whentheskipperoftheboatsentbymereturned，whenIreceivedthereplyofthesetwogentlemen\"（andhepointedtoAramisandPorthos），\"youheardeverywordofwhatthemessengersaid。？Allthatwasplainlyinyourorders，allthatwaswellexecuted，verypunctually，wasitnot？\"
\"Yes，monsieur，\"stammeredtheofficer;\"yes，withoutdoubt，but—\"
\"Monsieur，\"
continuedD\'Artagnan，growingwarm—\"monsieur，whenImanifestedtheintentionofquittingmyvesseltocrosstoBelle—Isle，youdemandedtoaccompanyme;Ididnothesitate;Ibroughtyouwithme。？YouarenowatBelle—Isle，areyounot？\"
\"Yes，monsieur;but—\"
\"But—thequestionnolongerisofM。Colbert，whohasgivenyouthatorder，orofwhomsoeverintheworldyouarefollowingtheinstructions;thequestionnowisofamanwhoisacloguponM。d\'Artagnan，andwhoisalonewithM。d\'Artagnanuponstepswhosefeetarebathedbythirtyfeetofsaltwater;abadpositionforthatman，abadposition，monsieur！？Iwarnyou。\"
\"But，monsieur，ifIamarestraintuponyou，\"saidtheofficer，timidly，andalmostfaintly，\"itismydutywhich—\"
\"Monsieur，youhavehadthemisfortune，eitheryouorthosethatsentyou，toinsultme。？Itisdone。？Icannotseekredressfromthosewhoemployyou，—theyareunknowntome，orareattoogreatadistance。？Butyouareundermyhand，andIswearthatifyoumakeonestepbehindmewhenIraisemyfeettogouptothosegentlemen，Isweartoyoubymyname，Iwillcleaveyourheadintwowithmysword，andpitchyouintothewater。？Oh！itwillhappen！itwillhappen！？Ihaveonlybeensixtimesangryinmylife，monsieur，andallfiveprecedingtimesIkilledmyman。\"
Theofficerdidnotstir;hebecamepaleunderthisterriblethreat，butrepliedwithsimplicity，\"Monsieur，youarewronginactingagainstmyorders。\"
PorthosandAramis，muteandtremblingatthetopoftheparapet，criedtothemusketeer，\"GoodD\'Artagnan，takecare！\"
D\'Artagnanmadethemasigntokeepsilence，raisedhisfootwithominouscalmnesstomountthestair，andturnedround，swordinhand，toseeiftheofficerfollowedhim。？Theofficermadeasignofthecrossandsteppedup。？PorthosandAramis，whoknewtheirD\'Artagnan，utteredacry，andrusheddowntopreventtheblowtheythoughttheyalreadyheard。？ButD\'Artagnanpassedhisswordintohislefthand，—
\"Monsieur，\"
saidhetotheofficer，inanagitatedvoice，\"youareabraveman。？YouwillallthebettercomprehendwhatIamgoingtosaytoyounow。\"
\"Speak，Monsieurd\'Artagnan，speak，\"repliedtheofficer。
\"Thesegentlemenwehavejustseen，andagainstwhomyouhaveorders，aremyfriends。\"
\"I
knowtheyare，monsieur。\"
\"YoucanunderstandwhetherornotIoughttoacttowardsthemasyourinstructionsprescribe。\"
\"I
understandyourreserve。\"
\"Verywell;permitme，then，toconversewiththemwithoutawitness。\"
\"Monsieurd\'Artagnan，ifIyieldtoyourrequest，ifIdothatwhichyoubegme，Ibreakmyword;butifIdonotdoit，Idisobligeyou。？Iprefertheonedilemmatotheother。？Conversewithyourfriends，anddonotdespiseme，monsieur，fordoingthisforyoursake，whomI
esteemandhonor;donotdespisemeforcommittingforyou，andyoualone，anunworthyact。\"？D\'Artagnan，muchagitated，threwhisarmroundtheneckoftheyoungman，andthenwentuptohisfriends。？Theofficer，envelopedinhiscloak，satdownonthedamp，weed—coveredsteps。
\"Well！\"
saidD\'Artagnantohisfriends，\"suchismyposition，judgeforyourselves。\"？Allthreeembracedasinthegloriousdaysoftheiryouth。
\"Whatisthemeaningofallthesepreparations？\"saidPorthos。
\"Yououghttohaveasuspicionofwhattheysignify，\"saidD\'Artagnan。
\"Notany，Iassureyou，mydearcaptain;for，infact，Ihavedonenothing，nomorehasAramis，\"theworthybaronhastenedtosay。
D\'Artagnandartedareproachfullookattheprelate，whichpenetratedthathardenedheart。
\"DearPorthos！\"criedthebishopofVannes。
\"Youseewhatisbeingdoneagainstyou，\"saidD\'Artagnan;\"interceptionofallboatscomingtoorgoingfromBelle—Isle。？Yourmeansoftransportseized。？Ifyouhadendeavoredtofly，youwouldhavefallenintothehandsofthecruisersthatplowtheseainalldirections，onthewatchforyou。？Thekingwantsyoutobetaken，andhewilltakeyou。\"？D\'Artagnantoreathisgraymustache。？Aramisgrewsomber，Porthosangry。
\"Myideawasthis，\"continuedD\'Artagnan:\"tomakeyoubothcomeonboard，tokeepyounearme，andrestoreyouyourliberty。？Butnow，whocansay，whenIreturntomyship，Imaynotfindasuperior;thatImaynotfindsecretorderswhichwilltakefrommemycommand，andgiveittoanother，whowilldisposeofmeandyouwithouthopeofhelp？\"
\"WemustremainatBelle—Isle，\"saidAramis，resolutely;\"andIassureyou，formypart，Iwillnotsurrendereasily。\"？Porthossaidnothing。？D\'Artagnanremarkedthesilenceofhisfriend。
\"I
haveanothertrialtomakeofthisofficer，ofthisbravefellowwhoaccompaniesme，andwhosecourageousresistancemakesmeveryhappy;foritdenotesanhonestman，who，thoughanenemy，isathousandtimesbetterthanacomplaisantcoward。？Letustrytolearnfromhimwhathisinstructionsare，andwhathisorderspermitorforbid。\"
\"Letustry，\"saidAramis。
D\'Artagnanwenttotheparapet，leanedovertowardsthestepsofthemole，andcalledtheofficer，whoimmediatelycameup。？\"Monsieur，\"saidD\'Artagnan，afterhavingexchangedthecordialcourtesiesnaturalbetweengentlemenwhoknowandappreciateeachother，\"monsieur，ifIwishedtotakeawaythesegentlemenfromhere，whatwouldyoudo？\"
\"I
shouldnotopposeit，monsieur;buthavingdirectexplicitorderstoputthemunderguard，Ishoulddetainthem。\"
\"Ah！\"
saidD\'Artagnan。
\"That\'sallover，\"saidAramis，gloomily。？Porthosdidnotstir。
\"ButstilltakePorthos，\"saidthebishopofVannes。？\"Hecanprovetotheking，andIwillhelphimdoso，andyoutoo，Monsieurd\'Artagnan，thathehadnothingtodowiththisaffair。\"
\"Hum！\"
saidD\'Artagnan。？\"Willyoucome？？Willyoufollowme，Porthos？？Thekingismerciful。\"
\"I
wanttimeforreflection，\"saidPorthos。
\"Youwillremainhere，then？\"
\"Untilfreshorders，\"saidAramis，withvivacity。
\"Untilwehaveanidea，\"resumedD\'Artagnan;\"andInowbelievethatwillnotbelong，forIhaveonealready。\"
\"Letussayadieu，then，\"saidAramis;\"butintruth，mygoodPorthos，yououghttogo。\"
\"No，\"
saidthelatter，laconically。
\"Asyouplease，\"repliedAramis，alittlewoundedinhissusceptibilitiesatthemorosetoneofhiscompanion。？\"OnlyIamreassuredbythepromiseofanideafromD\'Artagnan，anideaIfancyIhavedivined。\"
\"Letussee，\"saidthemusketeer，placinghisearnearAramis\'smouth。？Thelatterspokeseveralwordsrapidly，towhichD\'Artagnanreplied，\"Thatisit，precisely。\"
\"Infallible！\"
criedAramis。
\"Duringthefirstemotionthisresolutionwillcause，takecareofyourself，Aramis。\"
\"Oh！
don\'tbeafraid。\"
\"Now，monsieur，\"saidD\'Artagnantotheofficer，\"thanks，athousandthanks！？Youhavemadeyourselfthreefriendsforlife。\"
\"Yes，\"
addedAramis。？Porthosalonesaidnothing，butmerelybowed。
D\'Artagnan，havingtenderlyembracedhistwooldfriends，leftBelle—IslewiththeinseparablecompanionwithwhomM。Colberthadsaddledhim。？Thus，withtheexceptionoftheexplanationwithwhichtheworthyPorthoshadbeenwillingtobesatisfied，nothinghadchangedinappearanceinthefateofoneortheother，\"Only，\"saidAramis，\"thereisD\'Artagnan\'sidea。\"
D\'Artagnandidnotreturnonboardwithoutprofoundlyanalyzingtheideahehaddiscovered。？Now，weknowthatwhateverD\'Artagnandidexamine，accordingtocustom，daylightwascertaintoilluminate。？Astotheofficer，nowgrownmuteagain，hehadfulltimeformeditation。？Therefore，onputtinghisfootonboardhisvessel，mooredwithincannon—shotoftheisland，thecaptainofthemusketeershadalreadygottogetherallhismeans，offensiveanddefensive。
Heimmediatelyassembledhiscouncil，whichconsistedoftheofficersservingunderhisorders。？Thesewereeightinnumber;achiefofthemaritimeforces;amajordirectingtheartillery;anengineer，theofficerweareacquaintedwith，andfourlieutenants。？Havingassembledthem，D\'Artagnanarose，tookofhishat，andaddressedthemthus:
\"Gentlemen，IhavebeentoreconnoiterBelle—蝜e—en—Mer，andIhavefoundinitagoodandsolidgarrison;moreover，preparationsaremadeforadefensethatmayprovetroublesome。？Ithereforeintendtosendfortwooftheprincipalofficersoftheplace，thatwemayconversewiththem。？Havingseparatedthemfromtheirtroopsandcannon，weshallbebetterabletodealwiththem;particularlybyreasoningwiththem。？Isnotthisyouropinion，gentlemen？\"
Themajorofartilleryrose。
\"Monsieur，\"
saidhe，withrespect，butfirmness，\"Ihaveheardyousaythattheplaceispreparingtomakeatroublesomedefense。？Theplaceisthen，asyouknow，determinedonrebellion？\"
D\'Artagnanwasvisiblyputoutbythisreply;buthewasnotthemantoallowhimselftobesubduedbyatrifle，andresumed:
\"Monsieur，\"
saidhe，\"yourreplyisjust。？ButyouareignorantthatBelle—IsleisafiefofM。Fouquet\'s，andthatformermonarchsgavetherighttotheseigneursofBelle—Isletoarmtheirpeople。\"？Themajormadeamovement。？\"Oh！donotinterruptme，\"
continuedD\'Artagnan。？\"YouaregoingtotellmethatthatrighttoarmthemselvesagainsttheEnglishwasnotarighttoarmthemselvesagainsttheirking。？ButitisnotM。Fouquet，Isuppose，whoholdsBelle—Isleatthismoment，sinceIarrestedM。Fouquetthedaybeforeyesterday。？NowtheinhabitantsanddefendersofBelle—Isleknownothingofthisarrest。？Youwouldannounceittotheminvain。？Itisathingsounheard—ofandextraordinary，sounexpected，thattheywouldnotbelieveyou。？ABretonserveshismaster，andnothismasters;heserveshismastertillhehasseenhimdead。？NowtheBretons，asfarasI
know，havenotseenthebodyofM。Fouquet。？Itisnot，then，surprisingtheyholdoutagainstthatwhichisneitherM。Fouquetnorhissignature。\"
Themajorbowedintokenofassent。
\"Thatiswhy，\"continuedD\'Artagnan，\"Iproposetocausetwooftheprincipalofficersofthegarrisontocomeonboardmyvessel。？Theywillseeyou，gentlemen;theywillseetheforceswehaveatourdisposal;theywillconsequentlyknowtowhattheyhavetotrust，andthefatethatattendsthem，incaseofrebellion。？Wewillaffirmtothem，uponourhonor，thatM。Fouquetisaprisoner，andthatallresistancecanonlybeprejudicialtothem。？Wewilltellthemthatatthefirstcannonfired，therewillbenofurtherhopeofmercyfromtheking。？Then，orsoatleastItrust，theywillresistnolonger。？Theywillyieldupwithoutfighting，andweshallhaveaplacegivenuptousinafriendlywaywhichitmightcostprodigiouseffortstosubdue。\"
TheofficerwhohadfollowedD\'ArtagnantoBelle—Islewaspreparingtospeak，butD\'Artagnaninterruptedhim。
\"Yes，Iknowwhatyouaregoingtotellme，monsieur;Iknowthatthereisanorderoftheking\'stopreventallsecretcommunicationswiththedefendersofBelle—Isle，andthatisexactlywhyIdonotoffertocommunicateexceptinpresenceofmystaff。\"
AndD\'Artagnanmadeaninclinationoftheheadtohisofficers，whoknewhimwellenoughtoattachacertainvaluetothecondescension。
Theofficerslookedateachotherasiftoreadeachother\'sopinionsintheireyes，withtheintentionofevidentlyacting，shouldtheyagree，accordingtothedesireofD\'Artagnan。？AndalreadythelattersawwithjoythattheresultoftheirconsentwouldbesendingabarktoPorthosandAramis，whentheking\'sofficerdrewfromapocketafoldedpaper，whichheplacedinthehandsofD\'Artagnan。
Thispaperboreuponitssuperscriptionthenumber1。
\"What，more！\"murmuredthesurprisedcaptain。
\"Read，monsieur，\"saidtheofficer，withacourtesythatwasnotfreefromsadness。
D\'Artagnan，fullofmistrust，unfoldedthepaper，andreadthesewords:\"ProhibitiontoM。d\'Artagnantoassembleanycouncilwhatever，ortodeliberateinanywaybeforeBelle—Islebesurrenderedandtheprisonersshot。？Signed—LOUIS。\"
D\'Artagnanrepressedthequiverofimpatiencethatranthroughhiswholebody，andwithagracioussmile:
\"Thatiswell，monsieur，\"saidhe;\"theking\'sordersshallbecompliedwith。\"
ChapterXLIV:
ResultoftheIdeasoftheKing，andtheIdeasofD\'Artagnan。
Theblowwasdirect。？Itwassevere，mortal。？D\'Artagnan，furiousathavingbeenanticipatedbyanideaoftheking\'s，didnotdespair，however，evenyet;
andreflectingupontheideahehadbroughtbackfromBelle—Isle，heelicitedtherefromnovelmeansofsafetyforhisfriends。
\"Gentlemen，\"
saidhe，suddenly，\"sincethekinghaschargedsomeotherthanmyselfwithhissecretorders，itmustbebecauseInolongerpossesshisconfidence，andI
shouldreallybeunworthyofitifIhadthecouragetoholdacommandsubjecttosomanyinjurioussuspicions。？ThereforeIwillgoimmediatelyandcarrymyresignationtotheking。？Itenderitbeforeyouall，enjoiningyoualltofallbackwithmeuponthecoastofFrance，insuchawayasnottocompromisethesafetyoftheforceshismajestyhasconfidedtome。？Forthispurpose，returnalltoyourposts;withinanhour，weshallhavetheebbofthetide。？Toyourposts，gentlemen！？Isuppose，\"addedhe，onseeingthatallpreparedtoobeyhim，exceptthesurveillantofficer，\"youhavenoorderstoobject，thistime？\"
AndD\'Artagnanalmosttriumphedwhilespeakingthesewords。？Thisplanwouldprovethesafetyofhisfriends。？Theblockadeonceraised，theymightembarkimmediately，andsetsailforEnglandorSpain，withoutfearofbeingmolested。？Whilsttheyweremakingtheirescape，D\'Artagnanwouldreturntotheking;wouldjustifyhisreturnbytheindignationwhichthemistrustofColberthadraisedinhim;hewouldbesentbackwithfullpowers，andhewouldtakeBelle—Isle;thatistosay，thecage，afterthebirdshadflown。？Buttothisplantheofficeropposedafurtherorderoftheking\'s。？Itwasthusconceived:
\"FromthemomentM。d\'Artagnanshallhavemanifestedthedesireofgivinginhisresignation，heshallnolongerbereckonedleaderoftheexpedition，andeveryofficerplacedunderhisordersshallbeheldtonolongerobeyhim。？Moreover，thesaidMonsieurd\'Artagnan，havinglostthatqualityofleaderofthearmysentagainstBelle—Isle，shallsetoutimmediatelyforFrance，accompaniedbytheofficerwhowillhaveremittedthemessagetohim，andwhowillconsiderhimaprisonerforwhomheisanswerable。\"
Braveandcarelessashewas，D\'Artagnanturnedpale。？Everythinghadbeencalculatedwithadepthofprecognitionwhich，forthefirsttimeinthirtyyears，recalledtohimthesolidforesightandinflexiblelogicofthegreatcardinal。？Heleanedhisheadonhishand，thoughtful，scarcelybreathing。？\"IfIweretoputthisorderinmypocket，\"thoughthe，\"whowouldknowit，whatwouldpreventmydoingit？？Beforethekinghadhadtimetobeinformed，Ishouldhavesavedthosepoorfellowsyonder。？Letusexercisesomesmallaudacity！？Myheadisnotoneofthosetheexecutionerstrikesofffordisobedience。？Wewilldisobey！\"？Butatthemomenthewasabouttoadoptthisplan，hesawtheofficersaroundhimreadingsimilarorders，whichthepassiveagentofthethoughtsofthatinfernalColberthaddistributedtothem。？Thiscontingencyofhisdisobediencehadbeenforeseen—asalltheresthadbeen。
\"Monsieur，\"
saidtheofficer，cominguptohim，\"Iawaityourgoodpleasuretodepart。\"
\"I
amready，monsieur，\"repliedD\'Artagnan，grindinghisteeth。
TheofficerimmediatelyorderedacanoetoreceiveM。d\'Artagnanandhimself。？Atsightofthishebecamealmostdistraughtwithrage。