r him at the same time.

"I am, as I trust you do not doubt, your devoted

"Du Vallon de Bracieux de Pierrefonds."

"Well," said Aramis, "what do you say to that?"

"I say, my dear D'Herblay, that it is almost sacrilege to distrust
Providence when one has such friends, and therefore we will divide the
pistoles from Porthos, as we divided the louis sent by D'Artagnan."

The division being made by the light of Bazin's taper, the two friends
continued their road and a quarter of an hour later they had joined De
Winter at the Porte Saint Denis.

43. In which it is proved that first Impulses are oftentimes the best.

The three gentlemen took the road to Picardy, a road so well known to
them and which recalled to Athos and Aramis some of the most picturesque
adventures of their youth.

"If Mousqueton were with us," observed Athos, on reaching the spot
where they had had a dispute with the paviers, "how he would tremble at
passing this! Do you remember, Aramis, that it was here he received that
famous bullet wound?"

"By my faith, 'twould be excusable in him to tremble," replied Aramis,
"for even I feel a shudder at the recollection; hold, just above that
tree is the little spot where I thought I was killed."

It was soon time for Grimaud to recall the past. Arriving before the
inn at which his master and himself had made such an enormous repast, he
approached Athos and said, showing him the airhole of the cellar:

"Sausages!"

Athos began to laugh, for this juvenile escapade of his appeared to be
as amusing as if some one had related it of another person.

At last, after traveling two days and a night, they arrived at Boulogne
toward the evening, favored by magnificent weather. Boulogne was a
strong position, then almost a deserted town, built entirely on the
heights; what is now called the lower town did not then exist.

"Gentlemen," said De Winter, on reaching the gate of the town, "let us
do here as at Paris--let us separate to avoid suspicion. I know an inn,
little frequented, but of which the host is entirely devoted to me. I
will go there, where I expect to find letters, and you go to the first
tavern in the town, to L'Epee du Grand Henri for instance, refresh
yourselves, and in two hours be upon the jetty; our boat is waiting for
us there."

The matter being thus decided, the two friends found, about two hundred
paces further, the tavern indicated. Their horses were fed, but not
unsaddled;