belt, a
musquetoon under his feet, his naked sword behind him. The queen
appeared, accompanied by the king, and by his brother, the Duke of
Anjou.

"The Coadjutor's carriage!" exclaimed she, starting back in
astonishment.

"Yes, madam," said D'Artagnan "but be not alarmed. I shall drive you."

The queen uttered a cry of surprise, and stepped into the coach. The
king and his brother followed, and sat down beside her. By her
command, Laporte also entered the vehicle. The mantelets of the
windows were closed, and the horses set off at a gallop along the Rue
Richelieu. On reaching the gate at the extremity of the street, the
chief of the guard advanced at the head of a dozen men, and carrying a
lantern in his hand. D'Artagnan made him a sign.

"Do you recognise the carriage?" said he to the sergeant.

"No," was the reply.

"Look at the arms."

The sergeant put his lantern close to the pannel.

"They are those of M. le Coadjuteur," said he.

"Hush!" said d'Artagnan. "Madam de Guemenee is with him."

The sergeant laughed. "Open the gate," said he; "I know who it is."
Then, approaching the mantelet--"Much pleasure, Monseigneur," said he.

"Hold your tongue!" cried D'Artagnan, "or you will lose me my place."

The gate creaked upon its hinges; D'Artagnan, seeing the gate open,
flogged his horses, and set off at a rapid trot. In five minutes he
had rejoined the cardinal's coach.

"Mousqueton," cried D'Artagnan to M. du Vallon's servant, "open the
door of his majesty's carriage."

"It is he!" exclaimed Porthos, who was waiting for his friend.

"In a coachman's livery!" cried Mazarine.

"And with the Coadjutor's carriage," said the queen.

"_Corpo di Dio_, Monsieur d'Artagnan!" said the cardinal, "you are
worth your weight in gold!"

We cannot attempt to give more than these slight glimpses of the eight
volumes now lying before us, in which the extravagance and
exaggeration of many of the incidents are only redeemed by the
brilliant diction and animated narrative of their clever but
unscrupulous author. It would be too lengthy to give even a sketch of
the chain of incidents that succeeds those above detailed, or to show
how, according to M. Dumas, D'Artagnan and his friends became
instrumental to the conclusion of the treaty by which the hostilities
between Frondeurs and Mazarinists are for the time brought to a close.
The first act of the war of the Fronde is over; Louis XIV., now within
a year of his major