ied her. The fool-the idiot!'

"'Why a fool, since he loved her?' asked D'Artagnan.

"'Patience,' said Athos. 'He conducted her to his castle, and
made her the first lady of the province; and, to do her justice,
she knew perfectly how to support her rank.'

"'Well?' said D'Artagnan.

"'Well! one day she was out hunting with her husband,' continued
Athos, speaking in a low tone and very fast, 'she was overcome by
the heat, and fell from her horse in a swoon; the count sprang to
her assistance, and as her clothes seemed to prevent her
breathing, he cut them open with his dagger, and her shoulder was
uncovered. Guess what she had upon her shoulder, D'Artagnan?'
said Athos with a strange wild laugh.

"'How can I tell?' said D'Artagnan.

"'A _fleur-de-lis_. She was branded!'

"And Athos emptied at a draught the cup that stood before him.

"'Horror!' exclaimed D'Artagnan. 'What do you tell me?'

"'The truth--the angel was a devil--the innocent young girl was a
convict.'

"'And what did the count do?'

"'The count was a powerful nobleman; he had right of pit and
halter upon his lands; he bared the shoulder of the countess,
tied her hands behind her back, and hung her to a tree.'

"'Heavens! Athos! a murder!' cried D'Artagnan.

"'Yes, a murder, nothing more,' said Athos, pale as death. 'But
there is no wine--we are drinking nothing.'

"And Athos seized the last bottle by the neck, put it to his
mouth, and emptied it as though it had been an ordinary glass."

This strange story, that could hardly have proceeded from any but a
French imagination, is nevertheless very effective, far more so in
Monsieur Dumas' terse and pointed diction than in our imperfect
translation. The dame with the fleur-de-lis on her shoulder is not
dead, but on the contrary married again, and proves to be no other
than an emissary of the Cardinal, a certain Lady de Winter, or Milady,
as M. Dumas persists in calling her. She it was who cut the diamonds
off Buckingham's dress, and informed the Cardinal of the same.
Throughout the whole book she plays the part of a sort of
Mephistopheles in petticoats, doing evil for evil's sake; and finally,
when in prison in England, gains over a fanatical young officer named
Felton, who is set to guard her, and working on him by the power of
her charms and an artfully dev