ce, promised him much satisfaction, and, in the next, gave him the
hope of finding at the same time a good bed and good supper. The master,
having got the carriage ready, ordered one of his men to drive the
strangers to La Fere. Porthos took his seat by the side of Aramis,
whispering in his ear, "I understand."

"Aha!" said Aramis, "and what do you understand, my friend?"

"We are going, on the part of the king, to make some great proposal to
Athos."

"Pooh!" said Aramis.

"You need tell me nothing about it," added the worthy Porthos,
endeavoring to reseat himself so as to avoid the jolting, "you need tell
me nothing, I shall guess."

"Well! do, my friend; guess away."

They arrived at Athos's dwelling about nine o'clock in the evening,
favored by a splendid moon. This cheerful light rejoiced Porthos beyond
expression; but Aramis appeared annoyed by it in an equal degree. He
could not help showing something of this to Porthos, who replied--"Ay!
ay! I guess how it is! the mission is a secret one."

These were his last words in the carriage. The driver interrupted him by
saying, "Gentlemen, we have arrived."

Porthos and his companion alighted before the gate of the little
chateau, where we are about to meet again our old acquaintances Athos
and Bragelonne, the latter of whom had disappeared since the discovery
of the infidelity of La Valliere. If there be one saying truer than
another, it is this: great griefs contain within themselves the germ
of consolation. This painful wound, inflicted upon Raoul, had drawn
him nearer to his father again; and God knows how sweet were the
consolations which flowed from the eloquent mouth and generous heart of
Athos. The wound was not cicatrized, but Athos, by dint of conversing
with his son and mixing a little more of his life with that of the young
man, had brought him to understand that this pang of a first infidelity
is necessary to every human existence; and that no one has loved without
encountering it. Raoul listened, again and again, but never understood.
Nothing replaces in the deeply afflicted heart the remembrance and
thought of the beloved object. Raoul then replied to the reasoning of
his father:

"Monsieur, all that you tell me is true; I believe that no one has
suffered in the affections of the heart so much as you have; but you
are a man too great by reason of intelligence, and too severely tried by
adverse fortune not to allow for the weakness of the soldier