plicants for an audience, petitioners,
mousquetaires, and lackeys bearing letters from persons of the first
importance. He sends in his name, and after some delay, is admitted.
Here is M. Dumas' account of the interview.

"Monsieur de Treville was that day in a particularly bad humour;
nevertheless he returned D'Artagnan's profound bow with a polite
inclination of the head, and smiled at the strong Gascon accent in
which the young man uttered his compliments. The sound recalled to
his mind his own youth and his native country, two things of which
the recollection is apt to make most men smile. He then waved his
hand to D'Artagnan, as if requesting him to have a moment's
patience, and approaching the door leading to the anteroom, he
called out in an imperious and angry tone--

"'Athos! Porthos! Aramis!'

"Two mousquetaires, who had already attracted D'Artagnan's
attention, left the groups of which they formed a part, and
entered the audience chamber, of which the door was immediately
closed behind them.

"There was a remarkable contrast in the appearance of these two
guardsmen. One was a man of gigantic stature, loud-voiced, and of
stern and haughty countenance; the other, on the contrary, was of
gentle and _naive_ physiognomy, with smooth rosy cheeks, a soft
expression in his black eye, a delicate mustache on his upper lip,
white hands, and a voice and smile remarkable for their mildness.
The bearing of these two gentlemen upon entering the presence of
their captain, showed a happy mixture of submission and dignity,
which excited the admiration of D'Artagnan, who was already
disposed to look upon the mousquetaires as demigods, and upon
their chief as an Olympic Jupiter, armed with all his thunders.

"Monsieur de Treville took two or three turns up and down the
apartment, silent, and with a contracted brow, passing each time
before Porthos and Aramis, who remained mute and immoveable as if
upon the parade ground. Suddenly he stopped, and measured them
from head to foot with an angry glance.

"'Do you know what the King told me, gentlemen, and that no longer
ago than yesternight? Do you know, I say, what his Majesty told
me?'

"'No,' replied the two guardsmen after a moment's silence. 'No,
sir, we do not know it.'

"'But I hope you will do us the honour to inform us,' sa