blue rays of day, in the dark alley of old limes, marked by the still
visible footsteps of the comte who had just died.

CHAPTER CXXXIII.

THE BULLETIN.

The Duc de Beaufort wrote to Athos. The letter destined for the living
only reached the dead. God had changed the address.

"MY DEAR COMTE," wrote the prince in his large, bad
school-boy's hand--"a great misfortune has struck us amid a great
triumph. The king loses one of the bravest of soldiers. I lose a
friend. You lose M. de Bragelonne. He has died gloriously, and so
gloriously that I have not the strength to weep as I could wish.
Receive my sad compliments, my dear comte. Heaven distributes
trials according to the greatness of our hearts. This is an immense
one, but not above your courage. Your good friend,

"LE DUC DE BEAUFORT."

The letter contained a relation written by one of the prince's
secretaries. It was the most touching recital, and the most true, of
that dismal episode which unraveled two existences. D'Artagnan,
accustomed to battle emotions, and with a heart armed against
tenderness, could not help starting on reading the name of Raoul, the
name of that beloved boy who had become, as his father had, a shade.

"In the morning," said the prince's secretary, "monseigneur commanded
the attack. Normandy and Picardy had taken position in the gray rocks
dominated by the heights of the mountain, upon the declivity of which
were raised the bastions of Gigelli.

"The cannon beginning to fire, opened the action; the regiments marched
full of resolution; the pikemen had their pikes elevated, the bearers of
muskets had their weapons ready. The prince followed attentively the
march and movements of the troops, so as to be able to sustain them
with a strong reserve. With monseigneur were the oldest captains and his
aides-de-camp. M. le Vicomte de Bragelonne had received orders not to
leave his highness. In the meantime the enemy's cannon, which at first
had thundered with little success against the masses, had regulated its
fire, and the balls, better directed, had killed several men near the
prince. The regiments formed in column and which were advancing against
the ramparts were rather roughly handled. There was a sort of hesitation
in our troops, who found themselves ill-seconded by the artillery. In
fact, the batteries which had been established the evening b