purchase a whole belt, had
gratified his vanity with half a one, and wore his cloak to conceal
the deficiency. The young Gascon finds himself with a second duel on
his hands, and sets himself down as a dead man. Meantime his robber
has disappeared, and as D'Artagnan is proceeding in the direction of
his lodging, he encounters Aramis, standing in the middle of the
street with some other gentlemen. Furious with himself for the follies
he has been committing, D'Artagnan has made a resolution to be all
things to all men, at least for the hour or two that he still has to
live; and observing that Aramis has dropped a handkerchief, and placed
his foot upon it, he hastens to drag it from under his boot, and
present it to him with a most gracious bow and smile. A coronet and
cipher on the embroidered cambric attract notice, and draw down a
shower of raillery upon the head of the mousquetaire, who, in order to
shield the honour of a lady, is compelled to deny that the
handkerchief is his. His companions walk away, and Aramis reproaches
D'Artagnan with his officiousness. The Gascon blood gets up, good
resolutions are forgotten, and a third rendezvous is the result.

M. Dumas is never more at home than in the description of duels.
Himself an excellent swordsman, he luxuriates and excels in the
description of points and parries, cartes and tierces, and of the
vigorous estocades which his heroes administer to each other. One of
the good chapters of the book--and there are many such--is the one in
which D'Artagnan encounters the three redoubtable champions whom he
has so heedlessly provoked. We will endeavour, by abridgement, to lay
it before our readers.

"D'Artagnan knew nobody at Paris, and betook himself, therefore,
to his first rendezvous without seconds, intending to content
himself with those whom his adversary should bring. Moreover, his
firm intention was to make all reasonable apologies to Athos,
fearing that there would result from this duel the usual
consequence of an encounter between a young and vigorous man and
a wounded and feeble one--if the former is conquered, his
antagonist's triumph is doubled; and if he conquers, he is
accused of taking an advantage, or of being brave at small risk.
Besides this, either we have been unsuccessful in the exposition
of our young adventurer's character, or the reader will have
already perceived that D'Artagnan was no ordi