lady, and advises D'Artagnan to leave Paris till the
Cardinal's wrath is a little blown over. D'Artagnan takes his advice;
bethinks him of the three mousquetaires, and sets out to look for
them. He finds Porthos and Aramis where he left them, nearly recovered
from their wounds; and proceeding to Amiens, enters the hotel of the
Golden Lily, and confronts the host--his whip in his right hand, his
left on his sword-hilt, and evidently meaning mischief.

The innkeeper, however, turns out to be more an object of pity than
blame. Previously to the arrival of D'Artagnan and Athos on their way
to England, he had received information from the authorities, that a
party of coiners, disguised as guardsmen, would arrive at his inn, and
that he was to take measures to arrest them. The six men who brought
him these orders disguised themselves as servants and stable-boys, and
remained to assist in the capture. In the skirmish, Athos shot two of
them, wounded a third, cut the host across the face with the flat of
his sword, and retreated fighting to the cellar stairs. Entering the
cellar, he pulled the door to and barricaded it. His assailants left
the house, carrying off their killed and wounded; and when the
innkeeper, recovering a little from his alarm, went to inform the
governor of what had occurred, the latter declared himself totally
ignorant of the whole business, denied that he had given orders to
arrest any coiners, and threatened to hang the unlucky host if he
mixed up his name in the affair.

"'But, Athos!' cried D'Artagnan, losing all patience at the
innkeeper's prolixity,--'Athos, what is become of him?'

"'I was eager to repair my wrongs towards the gentleman,' replied
the innkeeper, 'and hurried to the cellar to set him at liberty.
But on my declaring what I came for, he swore it was only a snare
laid for him, and insisted upon making his conditions before he
came out. I told him very humbly--for I was aware of the scrape
into which I had got myself by my violence towards one of the
King's mousquetaires--that I was ready to submit to them.'

"'In the first place,' said he, 'I must have my servant delivered
to me, fully armed.'

"His order was obeyed, and Monsieur Grimaud was taken down to the
cellar, wounded as he was. His master received him, barricaded
the door again, and bid us go to the devil.

"'But where is he?' cried D'Artagnan. 'Wher