n that they were not wounded," said Aramis.

"Where were they taken?" asked Athos.

"Toward the town of Louvres," was the reply.

The two friends having agreed to leave Blaisois and Grimaud at Compiegne
with the horses, resolved to take post horses; and having snatched a
hasty dinner they continued their journey to Louvres. Here they found
only one inn, in which was consumed a liqueur which preserves its
reputation to our time and which is still made in that town.

"Let us alight here," said Athos. "D'Artagnan will not have let slip an
opportunity of drinking a glass of this liqueur, and at the same time
leaving some trace of himself."

They went into the town and asked for two glasses of liqueur, at the
counter--as their friends must have done before them. The counter was
covered with a plate of pewter; upon this plate was written with the
point of a large pin: "Rueil... D.."

"They went to Rueil," cried Aramis.

"Let us go to Rueil," said Athos.

"It is to throw ourselves into the wolf's jaws," said Aramis.

"Had I been as great a friend of Jonah as I am of D'Artagnan I should
have followed him even into the inside of the whale itself; and you
would have done the same, Aramis."

"Certainly--but you make me out better than I am, dear count. Had I been
alone I should scarcely have gone to Rueil without great caution. But
where you go, I go."

They then set off for Rueil. Here the deputies of the parliament had
just arrived, in order to enter upon those famous conferences which were
to last three weeks, and produced eventually that shameful peace, at
the conclusion of which the prince was arrested. Rueil was crowded with
advocates, presidents and councillors, who came from the Parisians, and,
on the side of the court, with officers and guards; it was therefore
easy, in the midst of this confusion, to remain as unobserved as any one
might wish; besides, the conferences implied a truce, and to arrest two
gentlemen, even Frondeurs, at this time, would have been an attack on
the rights of the people.

The two friends mingled with the crowd and fancied that every one was
occupied with the same thought that tormented them. They expected to
hear some mention made of D'Artagnan or of Porthos, but every one was
engrossed by articles and reforms. It was the advice of Athos to go
straight to the minister.

"My friend," said Aramis, "take care; our safety lies in our obscurity.
If we were to make ourselves known we s