is finger, said to Athos:

"Say this to him in English: 'You are a coward. You have insulted a
defenseless man. You have befouled the face of your king. You must
die.'"

Athos, pale as a ghost, repeated these words to the man, who, seeing
the bodeful preparations that were making, put himself in an attitude of
defense. Aramis, at this movement, drew his sword.

"No," cried D'Artagnan, "no steel. Steel is for gentlemen."

And seizing the butcher by the throat:

"Porthos," said he, "kill this fellow for me with a single blow."

Porthos raised his terrible fist, which whistled through the air like
a sling, and the portentous mass fell with a smothered crash on the
insulter's skull and crushed it. The man fell like an ox beneath the
poleaxe. His companions, horror-struck, could neither move nor cry out.

"Tell them this, Athos," resumed D'Artagnan; "thus shall all die who
forget that a captive man is sacred and that a captive king doubly
represents the Lord."

Athos repeated D'Artagnan's words.

The fellows looked at the body of their companion, swimming in blood,
and then recovering voice and legs together, ran screaming off.

"Justice is done," said Porthos, wiping his forehead.

"And now," said D'Artagnan to Athos, "entertain no further doubts about
me; I undertake all that concerns the king."

64. Whitehall.

The parliament condemned Charles to death, as might have been foreseen.
Political judgments are generally vain formalities, for the same
passions which give rise to the accusation ordain to the condemnation.
Such is the atrocious logic of revolutions.

Although our friends were expecting that condemnation, it filled them
with grief. D'Artagnan, whose mind was never more fertile in resources
than in critical emergencies, swore again that he would try all
conceivable means to prevent the denouement of the bloody tragedy. But
by what means? As yet he could form no definite plan; all must depend on
circumstances. Meanwhile, it was necessary at all hazards, in order
to gain time, to put some obstacle in the way of the execution on the
following day--the day appointed by the judges. The only way of doing
that was to cause the disappearance of the London executioner. The
headsman out of the way, the sentence could not be executed. True, they
could send for the headsman of the nearest town, but at least a
day would be gained, and a day might be sufficient for the rescue.
D'Artagnan took upon hims