AthosandRaoulwanderedforsometimeroundthefencesofthegardenwithoutfindinganyonetointroducethemtothegovernor。？Theyendedbymakingtheirownwayintothegarden。？Itwasatthehottesttimeoftheday。？Eachlivingthingsoughtitsshelterundergrassorstone。？Theheavensspreadtheirfieryveilsasiftostifleallnoises，toenvelopallexistences;therabbitunderthebroom，theflyundertheleaf，sleptasthewavedidbeneaththeheavens。？Athossawnothinglivingbutasoldier，upontheterracebeneaththesecondandthirdcourt，whowascarryingabasketofprovisionsonhishead。？Thismanreturnedalmostimmediatelywithouthisbasket，anddisappearedintheshadeofhissentry—box。？Athossupposedhemusthavebeencarryingdinnertosomeone，and，afterhavingdoneso，returnedtodinehimself。？Allatoncetheyheardsomeonecallout，andraisingtheirheads，perceivedintheframeofthebarsofthewindowsomethingofawhitecolor，likeahandthatwaswavedbackwardsandforwards—somethingshining，likeapolishedweaponstruckbytheraysofthesun。？Andbeforetheywereabletoascertainwhatitwas，aluminoustrain，accompaniedbyahissingsoundintheair，calledtheirattentionfromthedonjontotheground。？Aseconddullnoisewasheardfromtheditch，andRaoulrantopickupasilverplatewhichwasrollingalongthedrysand。？Thehandthathadthrownthisplatemadeasigntothetwogentlemen，andthendisappeared。？AthosandRaoul，approachingeachother，commencedanattentiveexaminationofthedustyplate，andtheydiscovered，incharacterstraceduponthebottomofitwiththepointofaknife，thisinscription:
\"IamthebrotherofthekingofFrance—aprisonerto—day—amadmanto—morrow。？FrenchgentlemenandChristians，praytoGodforthesoulandthereasonofthesonofyouroldrulers。\"
TheplatefellfromthehandsofAthoswhilstRaoulwasendeavoringtomakeoutthemeaningofthesedismalwords。？Atthesamemomenttheyheardacryfromthetopofthedonjon。？QuickaslightningRaoulbentdownhishead，andforceddownthatofhisfatherlikewise。？Amusket—barrelglitteredfromthecrestofthewall。？Awhitesmokefloatedlikeaplumefromthemouthofthemusket，andaballwasflattenedagainstastonewithinsixinchesofthetwogentlemen。
\"Cordieu！\"criedAthos。？\"What，arepeopleassassinatedhere？？Comedown，cowardsasyouare！\"
\"Yes，comedown！\"criedRaoul，furiouslyshakinghisfistatthecastle。
Oneoftheassailants—hewhowasabouttofire—repliedtothesecriesbyanexclamationofsurprise;and，ashiscompanion，whowishedtocontinuetheattack，hadre—seizedhisloadedmusket，hewhohadcriedoutthrewuptheweapon，andtheballflewintotheair。？AthosandRaoul，seeingthemdisappearfromtheplatform，expectedtheywouldcomedowntothem，andwaitedwithafirmdemeanor。？Fiveminuteshadnotelapsed，whenastrokeuponadrumcalledtheeightsoldiersofthegarrisontoarms，andtheyshowedthemselvesontheothersideoftheditchwiththeirmusketsinhand。？Attheheadofthesemenwasanofficer，whomAthosandRaoulrecognizedastheonewhohadfiredthefirstmusket。？Themanorderedthesoldiersto\"makeready。\"
\"Wearegoingtobeshot！\"criedRaoul;\"but，swordinhand，atleast，letusleaptheditch！？Weshallkillatleasttwoofthesescoundrels，whentheirmusketsareempty。\"？And，suitingtheactiontotheword，Raoulwasspringingforward，followedbyAthos，whenawell—knownvoiceresoundedbehindthem，\"Athos！？Raoul！\"
\"D\'Artagnan！\"
repliedthetwogentlemen。
\"Recoverarms！？Mordioux！\"criedthecaptaintothesoldiers。？\"IwassureIcouldnotbemistaken！\"
\"Whatisthemeaningofthis？\"askedAthos。？\"What！werewetobeshotwithoutwarning？\"
\"ItwasIwhowasgoingtoshootyou，andifthegovernormissedyou，Ishouldnothavemissedyou，mydearfriends。？HowfortunateitisthatIamaccustomedtotakealongaim，insteadoffiringattheinstantIraisemyweapon！？I
thoughtIrecognizedyou。？Ah！mydearfriends，howfortunate！\"？AndD\'Artagnanwipedhisbrow，forhehadrunfast，andemotionwithhimwasnotfeigned。
\"How！\"
saidAthos。？\"Andisthegentlemanwhofiredatusthegovernorofthefortress？\"
\"Inperson。\"
\"Andwhydidhefireatus？？Whathavewedonetohim？\"
\"Pardieu！？Youreceivedwhattheprisonerthrewtoyou？\"
\"Thatistrue。\"
\"Thatplate—theprisonerhaswrittensomethingonit，hashenot？\"
\"Yes。\"
\"Goodheavens！？Iwasafraidhehad。\"
AndD\'Artagnan，withallthemarksofmortaldisquietude，seizedtheplate，toreadtheinscription。？Whenhehadreadit，afearfulpallorspreadacrosshiscountenance。？\"Oh！goodheavens！\"repeatedhe。？\"Silence！—Hereisthegovernor。\"
\"Andwhatwillhedotous？？Isitourfault？\"
\"Itistrue，then？\"saidAthos，inasubduedvoice。？\"Itistrue？\"
\"Silence！？Itellyou—silence！？Ifheonlybelievesyoucanread;ifheonlysuspectsyouhaveunderstood;Iloveyou，mydearfriends，Iwouldwillinglybekilledforyou，but—\"
\"But—\"saidAthosandRaoul。
\"ButIcouldnotsaveyoufromperpetualimprisonmentifIsavedyoufromdeath。？Silence，then！？Silenceagain！\"
Thegovernorcameup，havingcrossedtheditchuponaplankbridge。
\"Well！\"
saidhetoD\'Artagnan，\"whatstopsus？\"
\"YouareSpaniards—youdonotunderstandawordofFrench，\"saidthecaptain，eagerly，tohisfriendsinalowvoice。
\"Well！\"
repliedhe，addressingthegovernor，\"Iwasright;thesegentlemenaretwoSpanishcaptainswithwhomIwasacquaintedatYpres，lastyear;theydon\'tknowawordofFrench。\"
\"Ah！\"
saidthegovernor，sharply。？\"Andyettheyweretryingtoreadtheinscriptionontheplate。\"
D\'Artagnantookitoutofhishands，effacingthecharacterswiththepointofhissword。
\"How！\"
criedthegovernor，\"whatareyoudoing？？Icannotreadthemnow！\"
\"Itisastatesecret，\"repliedD\'Artagnan，bluntly;\"andasyouknowthat，accordingtotheking\'sorders，itisunderthepenaltyofdeathanyoneshouldpenetrateit，Iwill，ifyoulike，allowyoutoreadit，andhaveyoushotimmediatelyafterwards。\"
Duringthisapostrophe—halfserious，halfironical—AthosandRaoulpreservedthecoolest，mostunconcernedsilence。
\"But，isitpossible，\"saidthegovernor，\"thatthesegentlemendonotcomprehendatleastsomewords？\"
\"Supposetheydo！？Iftheydounderstandafewspokenwords，itdoesnotfollowthattheyshouldunderstandwhatiswritten。？TheycannotevenreadSpanish。？AnobleSpaniard，remember，oughtnevertoknowhowtoread。\"
Thegovernorwasobligedtobesatisfiedwiththeseexplanations，buthewasstilltenacious。？\"Invitethesegentlementocometothefortress，\"saidhe。
\"ThatIwillwillinglydo。？Iwasabouttoproposeittoyou。\"？Thefactis，thecaptainhadquiteanotheridea，andwouldhavewishedhisfriendsahundredleaguesoff。？Buthewasobligedtomakethebestofit。？HeaddressedthetwogentlemeninSpanish，givingthemapoliteinvitation，whichtheyaccepted。？Theyallturnedtowardstheentranceofthefort，and，theincidentbeingatanend，theeightsoldiersreturnedtotheirdelightfulleisure，foramomentdisturbedbythisunexpectedadventure。
ChapterXXXII:
CaptiveandJailers。
Whentheyhadenteredthefort，andwhilstthegovernorwasmakingsomepreparationsforthereceptionofhisguests，\"Come，\"saidAthos，\"letushaveawordofexplanationwhilstwearealone。\"
\"Itissimplythis，\"repliedthemusketeer。？\"Ihaveconductedhitheraprisoner，whothekingcommandsshallnotbeseen。？Youcamehere，hehasthrownsomethingtoyouthroughthelatticeofhiswindow;Iwasatdinnerwiththegovernor，Isawtheobjectthrown，andIsawRaoulpickitup。？Itdoesnottakelongtounderstandthis。？Iunderstoodit，andIthoughtyouinintelligencewithmyprisoner。？Andthen—\"
\"Andthen—youcommandedustobeshot。\"
\"Mafoi！？Iadmitit;but，ifIwasthefirsttoseizeamusket，fortunately，I
wasthelasttotakeaimatyou。\"
\"Ifyouhadkilledme，D\'Artagnan，IshouldhavehadthegoodfortunetodiefortheroyalhouseofFrance，anditwouldbeanhonortodiebyyourhand—you，itsnoblestandmostloyaldefender。\"
\"Whatthedevil，Athos，doyoumeanbytheroyalhouse？\"stammeredD\'Artagnan。？\"Youdon\'tmeanthatyou，awell—informedandsensibleman，canplaceanyfaithinthenonsensewrittenbyanidiot？\"
\"I
dobelieveinit。\"
\"Withsomuchthemorereason，mydearchevalier，fromyourhavingorderstokillallthosewhodobelieveinit，\"saidRaoul。
\"Thatisbecause，\"repliedthecaptainofthemusketeers—\"becauseeverycalumny，howeverabsurditmaybe，hasthealmostcertainchanceofbecomingpopular。\"
\"No，D\'Artagnan，\"repliedAthos，promptly;\"butbecausethekingisnotwillingthatthesecretofhisfamilyshouldtranspireamongthepeople，andcoverwithshametheexecutionersofthesonofLouisXIII。\"
\"Donottalkinsuchachildishmanner，Athos，orIshallbegintothinkyouhavelostyoursenses。？Besides，explaintomehowitispossibleLouisXIII。shouldhaveasonintheIsleofSainte—Marguerite。\"
\"A
sonwhomyouhavebroughthithermasked，inafishing—boat，\"saidAthos。？\"Whynot？\"
D\'Artagnanwasbroughttoapause。
\"Oh！\"
saidhe;\"whencedoyouknowthatafishing—boat—？\"
\"BroughtyoutoSainte—Marguerite\'swiththecarriagecontainingtheprisoner—withaprisonerwhomyoustyledmonseigneur。？Oh！？Iamacquaintedwithallthat，\"resumedthecomte。？D\'Artagnanbithismustache。
\"Ifitweretrue，\"saidhe，\"thatIhadbroughthitherinaboatandwithacarriageamaskedprisoner，nothingprovesthatthisprisonermustbeaprince—aprinceofthehouseofFrance。\"
\"AskAramissuchriddles，\"repliedAthos，coolly。
\"Aramis，\"
criedthemusketeer，quiteatastand。？\"HaveyouseenAramis？\"
\"AfterhisdiscomfitureatVaux，yes;IhaveseenAramis，afugitive，pursued，bewildered，ruined;andAramishastoldmeenoughtomakemebelieveinthecomplaintsthisunfortunateyoungprincecutuponthebottomoftheplate。\"
D\'Artagnan\'sheadsunkonhisbreastinsomeconfusion。？\"Thisistheway，\"saidhe，\"inwhichGodturnstonothingthatwhichmencallwisdom！？A
finesecretmustthatbeofwhichtwelveorfifteenpersonsholdthetatteredfragments！？Athos，cursedbethechancewhichhasbroughtyoufacetofacewithmeinthisaffair！fornow—\"
\"Well，\"
saidAthos，withhiscustomarymildseverity，\"isyoursecretlostbecauseIknowit？？Consultyourmemory，myfriend。？HaveInotbornesecretsheavierthanthis？\"
\"Youhaveneverborneonesodangerous，\"repliedD\'Artagnan，inatoneofsadness。？\"Ihavesomethinglikeasinisterideathatallwhoareconcernedwiththissecretwilldie，anddieunhappily。\"
\"ThewillofGodbedone！\"saidAthos，\"buthereisyourgovernor。\"
D\'Artagnanandhisfriendsimmediatelyresumedtheirparts。？Thegovernor，suspiciousandhard，behavedtowardsD\'Artagnanwithapolitenessalmostamountingtoobsequiousness。？Withrespecttothetravelers，hecontentedhimselfwithofferinggoodcheer，andnevertakinghiseyefromthem。？AthosandRaoulobservedthatheoftentriedtoembarrassthembysuddenattacks，ortocatchthemofftheirguard;butneithertheonenortheothergavehimtheleastadvantage。？WhatD\'Artagnanhadsaidwasprobable，ifthegovernordidnotbelieveittobequitetrue。？Theyrosefromthetabletoreposeawhile。
\"Whatisthisman\'sname？？Idon\'tlikethelooksofhim，\"saidAthostoD\'ArtagnaninSpanish。
\"DeSaint—Mars，\"repliedthecaptain。
\"Heis，then，Isuppose，theprince\'sjailer？\"
\"Eh！
howcanItell？？ImaybekeptatSainte—Margueriteforever。\"
\"Oh！
no，notyou！\"
\"Myfriend，Iaminthesituationofamanwhofindsatreasureinthemidstofadesert。？Hewouldliketocarryitaway，buthecannot;hewouldliketoleaveit，buthedaresnot。？Thekingwillnotdaretorecallme，fornooneelsewouldservehimasfaithfullyasIdo;heregretsnothavingmenearhim，frombeingawarethatnoonewouldbeofsomuchservicenearhispersonasmyself。？ButitwillhappenasitmaypleaseGod。\"
\"But，\"
observedRaoul，\"yournotbeingcertainprovesthatyoursituationhereisprovisional，andyouwillreturntoParis？\"
\"Askthesegentlemen，\"interruptedthegovernor，\"whatwastheirpurposeincomingtoSaint—Marguerite？\"
\"TheycamefromlearningtherewasaconventofBenedictinesatSainte—Honnoratwhichisconsideredcurious;andfrombeingtoldtherewasexcellentshootingintheisland。\"
\"Thatisquiteattheirservice，aswellasyours，\"repliedSaint—Mars。
D\'Artagnanpolitelythankedhim。
\"Whenwilltheydepart？\"addedthegovernor。
\"To—morrow，\"
repliedD\'Artagnan。
M。
deSaint—Marswenttomakehisrounds，andleftD\'ArtagnanalonewiththepretendedSpaniards。
\"Oh！\"
exclaimedthemusketeer，\"hereisalifeandasocietythatsuitsmeverylittle。？Icommandthisman，andheboresme，mordioux！？Come，letushaveashotortwoattherabbits;thewalkwillbebeautiful，andnotfatiguing。？Thewholeislandisbutaleagueandahalfinlength，withthebreadthofaleague;arealpark。？Letustrytoamuseourselves。\"
\"Asyouplease，D\'Artagnan;notforthesakeofamusingourselves，buttogainanopportunityfortalkingfreely。\"
D\'Artagnanmadeasigntoasoldier，whobroughtthegentlemensomeguns，andthenreturnedtothefort。
\"Andnow，\"saidthemusketeer，\"answermethequestionputtoyoubythatblack—lookingSaint—Mars:whatdidyoucometodoattheLerinIsles？\"
\"Tobidyoufarewell。\"
\"Bidmefarewell！？Whatdoyoumeanbythat？？IsRaoulgoinganywhere？\"
\"Yes。\"
\"ThenIwilllayawageritiswithM。deBeaufort。\"
\"WithM。deBeaufortitis，mydearfriend。？Youalwaysguesscorrectly。\"
\"Fromhabit。\"
Whilstthetwofriendswerecommencingtheirconversation，Raoul，withhisheadhangingdownandhisheartoppressed，seatedhimselfonamossyrock，hisgunacrosshisknees，lookingatthesea—lookingattheheavens，andlisteningtothevoiceofhissoul;heallowedthesportsmentoattainaconsiderabledistancefromhim。？D\'Artagnanremarkedhisabsence。
\"Hehasnotrecoveredtheblow？\"saidhetoAthos。
\"Heisstrucktodeath。\"
\"Oh！
yourfearsexaggerate，Ihope。？Raoulisofatemperednature。？Aroundallheartsasnobleashis，thereisasecondenvelopethatformsacuirass。？Thefirstbleeds，thesecondresists。\"
\"No，\"
repliedAthos，\"Raoulwilldieofit。\"
\"Mordioux！\"saidD\'Artagnan，inamelancholytone。？Andhedidnotaddawordtothisexclamation。？Then，aminuteafter，\"Whydoyoulethimgo？\"
\"Becauseheinsistsongoing。\"
\"Andwhydoyounotgowithhim？\"
\"BecauseIcouldnotbeartoseehimdie。\"
D\'Artagnanlookedhisfriendearnestlyintheface。？\"Youknowonething，\"continuedthecomte，leaninguponthearmofthecaptain;\"youknowthatinthecourseofmylifeIhavebeenafraidofbutfewthings。？Well！？Ihaveanincessantgnawing，insurmountablefearthatanhourwillcomeinwhichIshallholdthedeadbodyofthatboyinmyarms。\"
\"Oh！\"
murmuredD\'Artagnan;\"oh！\"
\"Hewilldie，Iknow，Ihaveaperfectconvictionofthat;butIwouldnotseehimdie。\"
\"Howisthis，Athos？youcomeandplaceyourselfinthepresenceofthebravestman，yousayyouhaveeverseen，ofyourownD\'Artagnan，ofthatmanwithoutanequal，asyouformerlycalledhim，andyoucomeandtellhim，withyourarmsfolded，thatyouareafraidofwitnessingthedeathofyourson，youwhohaveseenallthatcanbeseeninthisworld！？Whyhaveyouthisfear，Athos？？Manuponthisearthmustexpecteverything，andoughttofaceeverything。\"
\"Listentome，myfriend。？Afterhavingwornmyselfoutuponthisearthofwhichyouspeak，Ihavepreservedbuttworeligions:thatoflife，friendship，mydutyasafather—thatofeternity，love，andrespectforGod。？Now，IhavewithinmetherevelationthatifGodshoulddecreethatmyfriendormysonshouldrenderuphislastsighinmypresence—oh！no，Icannoteventellyou，D\'Artagnan！\"
\"Speak，speak，tellme！\"
\"I
amstrongagainsteverything，exceptagainstthedeathofthoseIlove。？Forthatonlythereisnoremedy。？Hewhodies，gains;hewhoseesothersdie，loses。？No，thisisit—toknowthatI
shouldnomoremeetonearthhimwhomInowbeholdwithjoy;toknowthattherewouldnowherebea？D\'Artagnananymore，nowhereagainbeaRaoul，oh！？Iamold，lookyou，Ihavenolongercourage;IprayGodtosparemeinmyweakness;butifhestruckmesoplainlyandinthatfashion，Ishouldcursehim。？AChristiangentlemanoughtnottocursehisGod，D\'Artagnan;itisenoughtooncehavecursedaking！\"
\"Humph！\"
sighedD\'Artagnan，alittleconfusedbythisviolenttempestofgrief。
\"Letmespeaktohim，Athos。？Whoknows？\"
\"Try，ifyouplease，butIamconvincedyouwillnotsucceed。\"
\"I
willnotattempttoconsolehim。？Iwillservehim。\"
\"Youwill？\"
\"Doubtless，Iwill。？Doyouthinkthiswouldbethefirsttimeawomanhadrepentedofaninfidelity？？Iwillgotohim，Itellyou。\"
Athosshookhishead，andcontinuedhiswalkalone，D\'Artagnan，cuttingacrossthebrambles，rejoinedRaoulandheldouthishandtohim。？\"Well，Raoul！？Youhavesomethingtosaytome？\"
\"I
haveakindnesstoaskofyou，\"repliedBragelonne。
\"Askit，then。\"
\"YouwillsomedayreturntoFrance？\"
\"Ihopeso。\"
\"OughtItowritetoMademoiselledelaValli鑢e？\"
\"No，youmustnot。\"
\"ButIhavemanythingstosaytoher。\"
\"Goandsaythemtoher，then。\"
\"Never！\"
\"Pray，whatvirtuedoyouattributetoaletter，whichyourspeechmightnotpossess？\"
\"Perhapsyouareright。\"
\"Shelovestheking，\"saidD\'Artagnan，bluntly;\"andsheisanhonestgirl。\"？Raoulstarted。？\"Andyou，youwhomsheabandons，she，perhaps，lovesbetterthanshedoestheking，butafteranotherfashion。\"
\"D\'Artagnan，doyoubelieveshelovestheking？\"
\"Toidolatry。？Herheartisinaccessibletoanyotherfeeling。？Youmightcontinuetolivenearher，andwouldbeherbestfriend。\"
\"Ah！\"
exclaimedRaoul，withapassionateburstofrepugnanceatsuchahideoushope。
\"Willyoudoso？\"
\"Itwouldbebase。\"
\"Thatisaveryabsurdword，whichwouldleadmetothinkslightlyofyourunderstanding。？Pleasetounderstand，Raoul，thatitisneverbasetodothatwhichisimposeduponusbyasuperiorforce。？Ifyourheartsaystoyou，\'Gothere，ordie，\'whygo，Raoul。？Wasshebaseorbrave，shewhomyouloved，inpreferringthekingtoyou，thekingwhomherheartcommandedherimperiouslytoprefertoyou？？No，shewasthebravestofwomen。？Do，then，asshehasdone。？Obligeyourself。？DoyouknowonethingofwhichIamsure，Raoul？\"
\"Whatisthat？\"
\"Why，thatbyseeinghercloselywiththeeyesofajealousman—\"
\"Well？\"
\"Well！
youwouldceasetoloveher。\"
\"ThenIamdecided，mydearD\'Artagnan。\"
\"Tosetofftoseeheragain？\"
\"No;tosetoffthatImayneverseeheragain。？Iwishtoloveherforever。\"
\"Ha！？Imustconfess，\"repliedthemusketeer，\"thatisaconclusionwhichIwasfarfromexpecting。\"
\"ThisiswhatIwish，myfriend。？Youwillseeheragain，andyouwillgiveheraletterwhich，ifyouthinkproper，willexplaintoher，astoyourself，whatispassinginmyheart。？Readit;Idrewituplastnight。？SomethingtoldmeIshouldseeyouto—day。\"？Heheldtheletterout，andD\'Artagnanread:
\"MADEMOISELLE，—Youarenotwronginmyeyesinnotlovingme。？Youhaveonlybeenguiltyofonefaulttowardsme，thatofhavingleftmetobelieveyoulovedme。？Thiserrorwillcostmemylife。？Ipardonyou，butIcannotpardonmyself。？Itissaidthathappyloversaredeaftothesorrowsofrejectedlovers。？Itwillnotbesowithyou，whodidnotloveme，savewithanxiety。？IamsurethatifIhadpersistedinendeavoringtochangethatfriendshipintolove，youwouldhaveyieldedoutofafearofbringingaboutmydeath，orlesseningtheesteemIhadforyou。？Itismuchmoredelightfultometodie，knowingthatyouarefreeandsatisfied。？Howmuch，then，willyouloveme，whenyouwillnolongerfeareithermypresenceorreproaches？？Youwillloveme，because，howevercharminganewlovemayappeartoyou，Godhasnotmademeinanythinginferiortohimyouhavechosen，andbecausemydevotedness，mysacrifice，andmypainfulendwillassureme，inyoureyes，acertainsuperiorityoverhim。？Ihaveallowedtoescape，inthecandidcredulityofmyheart，thetreasureIpossessed。？Manypeopletellmethatyoulovedmeenoughtoleadmetohopeyouwouldhavelovedmemuch。？Thatideatakesfrommymindallbitterness，andleadsmeonlytoblamemyself。？Youwillacceptthislastfarewell，andyouwillblessmeforhavingtakenrefugeintheinviolableasylumwherehatredisextinguished，andwhereallloveenduresforever。？Adieu，mademoiselle。？Ifyourhappinesscouldbepurchasedbythelastdropofmyblood，Iwouldshedthatdrop。？Iwillinglymakethesacrificeofittomymisery！
\"RAOUL，VICOTMEDEBRAGELONNE。\"
\"Theletterreadsverywell，\"saidthecaptain。？\"Ihaveonlyonefaulttofindwithit。\"
\"Tellmewhatthatis！\"saidRaoul。
\"Why，itisthatittellseverything，exceptthethingwhichexhales，likeamortalpoisonfromyoureyesandfromyourheart;exceptthesenselesslovewhichstillconsumesyou。\"？Raoulgrewpaler，butremainedsilent。
\"Whydidyounotwritesimplythesewords:
\"\'MADEMOISELLE，—Insteadofcursingyou，IloveyouandIdie。\'\"
\"Thatistrue，\"exclaimedRaoul，withasinisterkindofjoy。
Andtearingtheletterhehadjusttakenback，hewrotethefollowingwordsuponaleafofhistablets:
\"ToprocurethehappinessofoncemoretellingyouIloveyou，Icommitthebasenessofwritingtoyou;andtopunishmyselfforthatbaseness，Idie。\"？Andhesignedit。
\"Youwillgiveherthesetablets，captain，willyounot？\"
\"When？\"askedthelatter。
\"Ontheday，\"saidBragelonne，pointingtothelastsentence，\"onthedaywhenyoucanplaceadateunderthesewords。\"？AndhesprangawayquicklytojoinAthos，whowasreturningwithslowsteps。
Astheyre—enteredthefort，thesearosewiththatrapid，gustyvehemencewhichcharacterizestheMediterranean;theill—humoroftheelementbecameatempest。？Somethingshapeless，andtossedaboutviolentlybythewaves，appearedjustoffthecoast。
\"Whatisthat？\"saidAthos，—\"awreckedboat？\"
\"No，itisnotaboat，\"saidD\'Artagnan。
\"Pardonme，\"saidRaoul，\"thereisabarkgainingtheportrapidly。\"
\"Yes，thereisabarkinthecreek，whichisprudentlyseekingshelterhere;butthatwhichAthospointstointhesandisnotaboatatall—ithasrunaground。\"
\"Yes，yes，Iseeit。\"
\"Itisthecarriage，whichIthrewintotheseaafterlandingtheprisoner。\"
\"Well！\"saidAthos，\"ifyoutakemyadvice，D\'Artagnan，youwillburnthatcarriage，inorderthatnovestigeofitmayremain，withoutwhichthefishermenofAntibes，whohavebelievedtheyhadtodowiththedevil，willendeavortoprovethatyourprisonerwasbutaman。\"
\"Youradviceisgood，Athos，andIwillthisnighthaveitcarriedout，orrather，I
willcarryitoutmyself;butletusgoin，fortherainfallsheavily，andthelightningisterrific。\"
AstheywerepassingovertherampartstoagalleryofwhichD\'Artagnanhadthekey，theysawM。deSaint—Marsdirectinghisstepstowardsthechamberinhabitedbytheprisoner。？UponasignfromD\'Artagnan，theyconcealedthemselvesinanangleofthestaircase。
\"Whatisit？\"saidAthos。