The Three Musketeers trilogy - Dumas. The main characters, “The Three Musketeers”: character descriptions Queen’s diamond pendants
Plot
The story told by Dumas focuses on the adventures of d'Artagnan and his friends between the years 1628 and 1628.
A young, poor Gascon nobleman Charles d'Artagnan(which means “from Artagnan”) left home in April 1625 and went to Paris, hoping for a place in the musketeer regiment. On the road, in Menge (fr. Meung-sur-Loire), he got into a fight with Count Rochefort, a close associate of Cardinal Richelieu, and he stole his letter of recommendation. According to the existing rules, the captain of the royal musketeers, de Treville, could not give d’Artagnan a place in his regiment until he had demonstrated his valor or had not served in another branch of the army for two years, and sent him to the Desessart guards regiment.
Due to a series of accidents, on the same day, d’Artagnan insulted three experienced musketeers, one after another - Athos, Porthos and Aramis - and received challenges from all three to a duel. But the duel was interrupted by the appearance of the cardinal's guards, who wanted to arrest the four for violating the decree banning duels. D'Artagnan and the Three Musketeers defeated a superior enemy and became friends. Cardinal Richelieu complained to the king about the antics of the musketeers, who scolded de Treville, but was secretly proud that such people served him.
D'Artagnan hired a servant named Planchet and stayed with the haberdasher Bonacieux and his wife Constance, with whom he soon fell in love. Constance was at court in the service of Queen Anne of Austria. The Queen gave the English minister Lord Buckingham, who was hopelessly in love with her, a dozen of her diamond pendants. The cardinal decided to compromise the queen: he persuaded King Louis XIII to throw a ball and invite Anna to appear at it wearing pendants. Meanwhile, the cardinal's agent, Milady, stole two pendants from Buckingham. At Constance's request, d'Artagnan and the Three Musketeers went to London to save the queen's honor. On the way, three musketeers were disabled by traps set by the cardinal; one d’Artagnan, having fought on the way to England with the cardinal’s envoy, Comte de Wardes, reached Buckingham and received pendants from him. The queen appeared at the ball wearing pendants, the cardinal was put to shame.
One day, noticing an unrestrained conversation between a lovely girl and an Englishman, D’Artagnan challenges the latter to a duel. In a duel, the musketeers defeated the British; Lord Winter, whom d'Artagnan spared, introduced him to a girl who turned out to be the widow of the lord's late older brother, Lady Clarik. D'Artagnan was inflamed with passion for her, but from her maid Kate he learned that Milady loved Comte de Wardes. By replacing the letters, d’Artagnan arouses in Milady hatred of de Ward, who allegedly rejected her. She decides to end de Wardes' life with the hands of d'Artagnan and spends the night with him. The shocked d'Artagnan notices a brand on her shoulder and remembers the story about Athos' wife.
The king began a siege of the rebellious fortress of La Rochelle, a Huguenot stronghold. The Three Musketeers and D'Artagnan, who has now also become a musketeer, show miracles of daring and heroism in the war. The Cardinal conceived the murder of Buckingham and for this purpose sent Milady to London. In this femme fatale, Athos recognized his ex-wife, Countess de La Fère, now a famous seductress and poisoner. The musketeers warned Lord Winter of the danger, so Milady was arrested as soon as she set foot on English soil. But then Milady managed to seduce Captain Felton, a pupil and subordinate of Lord Winter, so that he released her and stabbed Buckingham.
Milady returned to France and hid in the Carmelite monastery. As it turned out, d’Artagnan’s beloved, Constance, was hiding in the same monastery. Milady gained her confidence and tried to kidnap her. When four musketeers approached the monastery, Milady had to poison her, cherishing even greater revenge in her soul. The girl died in d'Artagnan's arms. The musketeers decided to put an end to the villainess. They tracked her down, captured her and sentenced her to death themselves. The executioner of Lille, whose brother’s life was also destroyed by my lady, carried out the sentence.
The musketeers expected severe punishment for their actions. But Richelieu, who secretly feared his companion, appreciated d’Artagnan’s potential and, as a sign of reconciliation, gave him a patent for the rank of lieutenant of musketeers. Immediately after the end of the campaign, Porthos married a rich widow, and Aramis became an abbot. Athos served under d'Artagnan for another 2 years and retired, receiving an inheritance.
History of creation
"The Three Musketeers" was originally published chapter by chapter in the newspaper Le Siècle from March to July. This is a traditional novel with a continuation, a feuilleton novel: the chapter ends at the most interesting point, so that the reader looks forward to the continuation. Thus, the reader's perception of the book at that time was different from today, when the book is read in its entirety at once:
For us, Constance died, my lady's head was cut off, Porthos married the prosecutor, Aramis cut his hair, Athos left the service and went to the province. Let's imagine what the first readers of The Three Musketeers thought when Athos pointed a gun at his ex-wife and... And we need to wait for the next feuilleton. How many of Monsieur and Madame longed for murder, and how many for the reconciliation of the spouses? And how many were dissatisfied with the fact that Athos only took away the open sheet from his wife? Vera Kamsha |
Since Dumas was paid line by line in the newspaper, he invented Grimaud - Athos's servant, who spoke exclusively in monosyllables. Thus, a line containing one word “yes” or “no” was paid in the same way as one full of thoughts. By the time Twenty Years Later was written, the publishers had decided to pay Dumas by the word, and Grimaud immediately became a little more talkative.
Initially, d’Artagnan’s name was in the manuscript - Nathaniel. The publishers didn’t like it and it was crossed out.
Dumas, who constantly used the work of literary blacks, worked on The Three Musketeers together with Auguste Macquet (1813-1886). The same author helped him when creating “The Count of Monte Cristo”, “Black Tulip”, “The Queen’s Necklace”. Macke later sued and demanded that the 18 novels he co-wrote with Dumas be recognized as his own works. But the court recognized that his work was nothing more than preparatory.
Literary sources
In the preface to the book, Dumas wrote that the novel was based on certain memoirs found in the French National Library. It later turned out that this source of inspiration was “Memoirs of Monsieur d’Artagnan, Lieutenant-Commander of the First Company of the Royal Musketeers” ( Mémoires de Monsieur d'Artagnan, capitaine lieutenant de la première compagnie des Mousquetaires du Roi). True, the book was not written by d’Artagnan, but by a writer named Gacien de Courtille de Sandra ( Courtilz de Sandraz), who published it in Cologne () 27 years after the death of the musketeer. Dumas took this book from the Marseille Municipal Library... and forgot to return it, as evidenced by numerous letters of complaints addressed to the library and left unanswered.
History with pendants: La Rochefoucauld's "Memoirs" (1662, complete edition 1817) mentions how Countess Lucy Carlyle (daughter of Earl Henry of Northumberland) cut off the Duke of Buckingham's diamond pendants at a ball. Roederer's "Political and Gallant Intrigues of the French Court" was also used. Kidnapping of Constance taken from the Memoirs of Monsieur de La Porte, valet to Anne of Austria.
The “Memoirs” that Dumas talks about in the preface, as if he simply published them in the form of a book, were, according to him, written by the Comte de la Fere. That is, if we speak in the language of literary scholars, it is Athos who is the narrator in The Three Musketeers.
Prototypes of the main characters
The image of d'Artagnan was created by Dumas based on a real person:
- Charles de Batz-Castelmore, Count d'Artagnan(fr. Charles de Batz de Castelmore, comte d"Artagnan, 1613-1673) - Gascon and musketeer, who also died during the siege of Maastricht, like book hero. But he did not live in the era of Richelieu, but under Mazarin (he was not 18 years old, but only 13), was not a marshal and bore the title of count, while the character is less noble, although he became a marshal. The real d'Artagnan became a musketeer in, was a trusted man of Mazarin during the Fronde, participated in the arrest of Fouquet, and died in the Battle of Maastricht in 1673.
Aramis (illustration)
The pseudonyms of the three musketeers were formed by Dumas from the names of real-life personalities.
Interestingly, the narrative begins in April 1625; the siege of La Rochelle took place in 1627. During this period, the real d'Artagnan was less than 12 years old, and Porthos was 10. To introduce these events into the narrative, Dumas “aged” his characters.
Duke of Richelieu at the siege of La Rochelle
Characters
Main characters
- D'Artagnan(Mr. D'Artagnan son)
- Athos(Count de La Fère)
- Porthos(Baron du Vallon)
- Aramis(Chevalier d'Herblay)
Real historical figures
- King Louis the Just
- Queen Anne of Austria
- La Porte
- King Charles I
Fictional characters
- Milady. She is Anna de Bayle, she is Lady Clarik, she is Baroness Sheffield, she is Charlotte Buckson, she is Countess de La Fère, she is Countess Winter. The cardinal's spy.
- Count Rochefort. Devoted advisor to the cardinal. Probably has a real historical prototype (See Notes below).
- Constance Bonacieux. The wife of the haberdasher Bonacieux and the mistress of d'Artagnan. Milady was poisoned in the Carmelite monastery. (In the book, the name “Constance” is rarely called; her name became more often mentioned in film adaptations (in particular, in the Soviet one of 1978)).
- Planchet. Servant of d'Artagnan.
- Grimaud. Servant of Athos.
- Bazin. Servant of Aramis.
- Blunderbuss. Porthos' lackey.
- Katie. The girl seduced by d'Artagnan. Milady's maid.
- Mr. Bonacieux. Constance Bonacieux's husband, a tradesman.
Film adaptations
Many films have been made based on the book.
Sequels
The popularity of the novel led to the appearance of many literary works dedicated to his heroes.
- Georg Born. "Anne of Austria, or the Queen's Three Musketeers" (1872).
- Paul Mahalen (pseudonym of Emile Blondet). “Son of Porthos” (1883, under the name A. Dumas).
- Paul Mahalen. “Aramis’s Daughter” (1890, under the name A. Dumas).
- Paul Mahalen. "D'Artagnan" (1896).
- Evgeny Yevtushenko. "The End of the Musketeers" (1988).
- Roger Nimier. “D’Artagnan in Love, or Fifteen Years Later” (Russian translation 1993).
- Nikolai Kharin. "The Three Musketeers Again" (1993).
- Edouard Glissant. “Memoirs of Messire d’Artagnan” (Russian translation 1995).
- Alexander Bushkov. "D'Artagnan - Cardinal's Guard" (2002).
- Daniel Kluger. "The Musketeer" (2007).
Notes
Links
- Dumas. The Three Musketeers - text of the novel in Russian and French
- "Around the World": France. Paris of the Three Musketeers, France. In the footsteps of the three musketeers
- Nechaev S. Three d’Artagnan: Historical prototypes of the heroes of the novels “The Three Musketeers”, “Twenty Years Later” and “Viscount de Bragelonne” - M.: Astrel: ACT CORPUS, 2009. - 411 p.
Three Musketeers | |||||
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Authors | Alexandre Dumas the father Gautier de Courtille de Sandra | ||||
Novels | Three Musketeers (1844) Twenty Years Later (1845) The Vicomte de Bragelonne, or Ten Years After (1847) | ||||
Characters | d'Artagnan Athos Porthos Aramis Count Rochefort Constance Bonacieux Milady Queen Anne of Austria King Louis XIII Cardinal Richelieu King Louis XIV Cardinal Mazarin Duke of Buckingham John Felton Captain De Treville Mordaunt Viscount Raoul de Bragelonne Louise Lavaliere De Tonnay-Charentes Planchet Grimaud Blunderbuss (Mouston) Bazin | ||||
Film adaptations |
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Great
Grade 5 out of 5 stars from neonila54 27.01.2020 20:50
Grade 1 out of 5 stars from levchenko-kylik 21.11.2018 23:01
I dare to assure you that there is no less tragedy there than romance, and the latter is exactly as much as required.
Grade 5 out of 5 stars from Name off 27.11.2017 18:38
A book for all times, but less romance would be better
Grade 5 out of 5 stars from Anonymous 02.11.2017 13:23
A book for real horsemen
Grade 5 out of 5 stars from Man 04.10.2017 23:38
I didn’t understand some of the word names, but it’s ok
Grade 4 out of 5 stars from Arina 08/24/2017 08:57
A very interesting and captivating story!
Grade 5 out of 5 stars from Reader 08/16/2017 12:15
An absolute masterpiece! Adventures, intrigue and sparkling humor. Classics of the genre
Grade 5 out of 5 stars from NataGradiva 07.08.2017 22:08
THE BEST book I've ever read!
And the film is a masterpiece! and the book is a masterpiece!
Grade 5 out of 5 stars from Guest 02/06/2017 15:33
And the eloquence of Athos!
Grade 5 out of 5 stars from Guest 02/06/2017 15:31
I read a wonderful book 2 times a year... And I’m starting 3 times! What struck me most was the nobility of Athos and the dexterity of Dartagnan.
Marta_kar 02/06/2017 15:28
I dare to assure you that the book is not only for adolescence, if you like, it is much more universal than one might imagine.
Grade 5 out of 5 stars from Guest 08/06/2016 12:16
A wonderful book, just for adolescence, children need to be told about friendship, loyalty, honor, love, and also that in life there is a place for betrayal, deceit, intrigue, and so on.
Grade 5 out of 5 stars from Natalia 20.07.2016 20:40
It would be interesting to know from fellow hamster "which books would not be adjusted by the author (any author) to suit the development of the plot convenient for him (the author)??! Incorrect criticism of the work(s) of Master Dumas. This is firstly... Secondly , it doesn’t feel like the author has a competent opinion about what the character of time actually is, and therefore the characterization of Mr. hamster” and the plot of the book as “not burdened by the character of time in the slightest degree” looks the least amateurish..👎And in In conclusion, I would like to add that the concept of the Middle Ages does not include only knights in horned helmets ☝, but includes the history of Europe up to a) the emergence of a new type of production economic activity- capitalist relations (the Great English bourgeois revolution) and b) the formation of qualitatively new state relations (the creation of diplomacy in the modern sense of the word, etc.), pushing the old (Catholic) world into the background (following the results of the Thirty Years' War) ... Which in total indicates the end of the Middle Ages around c. 1650 (narrative time 1625-28). That's it, guy.👏
Grade 5 out of 5 stars from Guest 05/17/2016 19:11
“once again I consider it necessary to remind” - in my (once again, personal opinion) Dumas’s books do not create any “psychological-social atmosphere”. They are superficial and tailored to the development of an adventure plot that is convenient for the author, not burdened by the “character of that time” in the slightest degree. I also remind you that the times of the 3 Musketeers have nothing to do with the Middle Ages at all (just in case). And as an adventure novel - yes, it reads excellently - dynamics, eventfulness, everything is fully present.
Thank you for the discussion, I in no way claim to be the “ultimate truth”, I’m just expressing my personal opinion. But this will be the last comment - it’s already too much.
Grade 4 out of 5 stars from hamster 17.05.2016 16:49
I consider it necessary to remind once again that a work of art, even historical topic It is not at all necessary to present this very story; the advantage of such works is the conveyance of the character of the time in question, not to mention the merits of the plot itself. This is a story presented for the sake of the plot, but conveying the real world of a medieval person, his relationships, etc., which no one has ever done in a similar topic. It is better to distort real circumstances, but create rich characters through whom to recreate the real psychosocial situation of that time, without fear of seeming boring rather than trying to follow the letter of the story and create a schematic plot that is not filled with its own atmosphere. IN work of art main role play, the sharpness and fullness of the plot, its complexity, dynamics (to be honest, in such indicators the novel surpasses Crime and Punishment, Don Quixote, Gargantua and Pantagruel and many others), the psychological accuracy of the characters (unprecedented in genre), a system of dialogues (in this indicator *The Musketeers* are superior to many works of a so-called serious nature - Hugo, Dickens, Turgenev and many others), and not historical accuracy (often controversial and ambiguous). It’s too bold to light, and even more so to equate with pulp literature, even such greats as Scott, Boussenaard, Mine Reed. Strangely enough, the author is reproached for exactly what he should have been praised for - for creating an original interpretation of historical events, filled with his own atmosphere, living with his own. world, and where you will not find a single inconsistency, not a single contradiction in the plot created by the author.
Grade 5 out of 5 stars from Guest 05/17/2016 15:19
Thanks for the rationale - another point of view has always been interesting. Although I still continue to consider Dumas as light “reading” that has nothing to do with history other than mentioning names and “pulling the ears” of some events. Dumas’s novels have practically nothing to do with historical reality; the logic of the development of historical events is “turned inside out” in a way that is convenient for the plot, with a complete disregard for the fact that the causes or consequences (in different ways) of certain events (not only in the 3 Musketeers, but also in other novels) actually (if you read historical sources, and not Dumas) occurred or developed “exactly the opposite.”
Again, this is a personal point of view. I fully admit that others really see something more real in Dumas’ novels - why not.
Grade 4 out of 5 stars from hamster 17.05.2016 09:58
And yes, the explanation made to the book by Mr. name off on March 28 of this year, I think is fair, this is what it means to read carefully, and not treat this work of art as a simple reading. My deepest bow.🍻
Grade 5 out of 5 stars from Guest 05/16/2016 19:42
And no one claims that the work of Mr. Dumas is historical annals, this is serious psychological work artistically designed on this historical theme. And it is serious because it combines a complex arrangement of material (polyplot lines, plot within a plot) with a fundamental study of the psychological portraits of the characters down to the smallest detail, including secondary characters, which is not just a descriptive element of the characters (when the author simply confronts the reader with the fact that endowing certain abilities to their heroes by default), and on specific plot material, confirming certain qualities of the heroes (in action, so to speak), including both thoughtful dialogues and action. The author very accurately conveys the atmosphere of the 17th century, the psychology of the heroes of this particular time, reflected in their behavior, dialogue, etiquette, while the work remains purely adventure with a rapidly developing plot, unprecedented in 1844, and even in our time, given the number of events taking place events for a fraction of time. In addition, we should not forget that the book “The Three Musketeers” reflects the struggle of the old feudal immunity for the right to control one’s own destiny as an individual with the emerging new state relations (bureaucracy, the goal justifies society, etc.), relations where the voice of an honest person (according to de Treville) ALREADY means nothing, its place was taken by a piece of paper signed by a high-ranking official, i.e. The book reflects the struggle of the individual against state absolutism (that is, the system), which in turn echoed the time of the author, the time the book was written, the time when the Great French Revolution thundered, when for French society, the revolutionary ideals of individual freedom and the fight against absolutism were topical.☝ 📖
Grade 5 out of 5 stars from Guest 05/16/2016 19:19
Well, Dumas’s books cannot in any way be called serious historical narratives; they can well be considered as light entertaining “reading”, since they suffer from inaccuracies, and in fact are adventure novels with a slight touch of “historicity”. If the opinion is “no, this is serious,” then the arguments go to the studio.
Grade 4 out of 5 stars from hamster 16.05.2016 13:27
Light entertaining reading can be modern bestsellers, or books like Boussenard, Mine Read, etc. , but not "The Three Musketeers".
Grade 5 out of 5 stars from Guest 05/16/2016 13:08
Light entertaining reading. I read it as a child, and even re-read it.
Grade 4 out of 5 stars from martyn.anna 15.05.2016 20:17
The best film adaptation, in my opinion, is the original from 1921, unlike others, this film more or less conveys the atmosphere of the 17th century, duelists, for example, fight desperately with swords without trying to kick each other, a thing unworthy for a nobleman of medieval France, well and of course the acting.
Grade 5 out of 5 stars from name off 03/28/2016 17:06
In the chapter “The Mousetrap in the 17th Century” in the 11th paragraph the following is written: “In the evening, the day after the arrest of the unfortunate Bonacieux...”, although it would be more correct to say “In the evening, on the same day, after the arrest of the unfortunate Bonacieux...”, because in the first case, there is confusion in the further plot, for example. It is impossible to explain how the confrontation between Athos and the notorious Bonacieux took place in the Bastille the next morning after the arrest of the grocer, because Athos should be arrested only in the evening of the day when the confrontation took place. And, conversely, everything converges if we assume the second case. In addition, this adjustment explains the sequence of actions after Madame Bonacieux's escape from arrest by Rochefort (about 5 p.m.), arrival home and second arrest (about 9 p.m.), followed by the intervention of D'Artagnan and the arrest of Athos within one day (more precisely, one evening), while the expression “In the evening, the next day...) does not explain where Madame Bonacieux was after the first arrest for such a long time, i.e. from the evening of the previous day (5 o'clock) until the evening next day(about 9 hours).
Such a gross mistake was made either by the author or, most likely, by the translators, i.e. which has become a textbook.
Grade 5 out of 5 stars from name off 03/28/2016 16:49
The book in the Russian translation has a number of errors in b. h rude!
Grade 5 out of 5 stars from name off 03/28/2016 16:07
The book in Russian translation has a number of errors, including: rude!
Grade 5 out of 5 stars from name off 03/28/2016 16:05
One of my favorite books! This book is a masterpiece!
Grade 5 out of 5 stars from kroleatina-999 28.02.2016 21:13
Boring...
Grade 3 out of 5 stars from rafaafar 01/31/2016 17:34
This book and film are also for a certain age.
Grade 5 out of 5 stars from trikotagservis 25.01.2016 11:02
Well, I don’t know..... but in general, how long will it take to read this book....
Grade 4 out of 5 stars from lady gaga 01/23/2016 17:31
I love the musketeers.
Grade 5 out of 5 stars from modus_2005 06.01.2016 02:16
I read the book for the first time when I was 12 years old, I think. Until that moment, I had read “The Count of Monte Cristo” by Dumas, and somehow it left no impression. And The Three Musketeers, gathering dust on the shelf, was an eyesore. I gave up, read a couple of pages, then a couple of chapters, then a couple of dozen chapters... so, in about three days, the whole book was left behind, and with it the amazing adventures of this brave four. At that time, I didn’t even know that there was a sequel, but I would have liked to stay with my favorite characters longer. I didn’t have the Internet before.But then I grew up and decided to re-read the first book, and then the other four. To plunge into this world again, only to focus your attention not on this quartet, but on everything that Dumas emphasized, namely, also on the political theme (oh, how I hate politics). It turned out to be much more difficult than in childhood.
At first glance, the series of books is full of “water” - all five books are plump in themselves, it seems that Dumas watered each one so generously; and yet, “The Three Musketeers” definitely has its own unique flavor, it grabs you and doesn’t let go. And once you enter this world, you don’t want to go back.
To tell the truth, I consider “Twenty Years Later” to be the most interesting part - the main characters are already wise men with a head on their shoulders (sort of), that youthful blood no longer boils in them, forcing them to do the craziest things. And the book gives a good lesson in world history - the times of the English Revolution, which ended with the execution of King Charles I.
And if in the first book D'Artagnan was the center of the universe and caused nothing but irritation (for me), then in the second book you gain respect for him. He acted very nobly, did not give a damn about Mazarin's order and applied all his strength to help the king Karl escapes execution.
Our old Soviet film deserves special praise. I don’t know, maybe Dumas in some incomprehensible way collaborated with directors straight from the other world, but the way they selected the actors and how skillfully they conveyed the characters of all the characters is simply amazing! Looking at them, you understand that this is exactly what D'Artagnan and the trinity, Richelieu, Anne of Austria, Buckingham should have looked like... Bravo
P.S. I'm writing in case someone stumbles upon the book "Son of Porthos". I read it then a year after reading “The Three Musketeers” - actually, how could it be otherwise? - and was left terribly disappointed. So you need to be able to ruin the image of Aramis. Then I still had no idea that the author of this work was not Alexandre Dumas at all, as for some reason it was written on the cover, and I fell into depression. I decided that I didn’t want to hear anything more about the musketeers. But, God had mercy - Dumas did not write anything like that and did not intend to further. My soul is calm, but I don’t advise others to read it.
(48 pages)
The book is adapted for smartphones and tablets!
Book text:
Three little boys lived in France - Mickey, Donald and Goofy. They dreamed of sword fights, horse riding and adventure. The friends strived to grow up bold, courageous and strong, because more than anything else they wanted to become musketeers.
But before becoming heroes, they had to understand in practice what the famous motto of the musketeers means:
"One for all and all for one!".
Years passed. Mickey, Donald and Goofy remained best friends, but their dream of becoming Musketeers still did not come true. To get at least a little closer to her, they got jobs as cleaners at the musketeers' headquarters.
One morning, water began to drip from the water supply in their room. Donald tried to tighten the nut, but at that moment something rattled in the pipe, scaring him to death. The poor guy fell down the stairs, but as he fell, he tore out the entire pipe. Water rushed into the room. And Musketeer Captain Pete, who was washing himself upstairs, looked in bewilderment at the shower that had stopped working.
Struggling with the pipe and water pouring in all directions, the trio did not notice how Pete entered the room. And then Goofy accidentally doused the angry captain with water.
“We want to become real musketeers and learn teamwork,” Mickey tried to justify himself.
-Ha! - Captain Pete laughed mercilessly.
- You missed something.
He pointed to Donald:
-First of all, he is a coward!
Then he turned to Goofy:
- Secondly, you are a fool! As for you, he said to Mickey, you are too small.
He would never have promoted three friends to become musketeers.
Captain Pete hatched a vile plan: he wanted to seize power in the country and become the king of France. In this treacherous business he was helped by the devoted lieutenant Clarabelle and the Gavs brothers he hired. Dishonest Pete was going to kidnap Princess Minnie and replace her with her younger brother Gavs.
And he had to announce that Pete was worthy to become the new king!
“He loves - he doesn’t love, he spits - he kisses,” sighed Princess Minnie, tearing off the daisy petals one by one.
The court lady named Daisy just shook her head.
- If you want love, buy a dog!
Do you think the perfect man will ever walk through that door?
And even if it were, how would you know it was him?
- Oh, believe me, Daisy. I recognize him at first sight!
Lost in dreams of her ideal man, Princess Minnie sat down on the steps leading to the rose garden. Dreaming, she did not notice the impending danger. The Gavs brothers were going to drop a huge iron safe on her.
- Time to drink tea! - Daisy called the princess at the moment when the safe was flying down. Hearing the invitation, Minnie stood up and took a step forward. And behind her, a heavy safe had already collapsed
- I said “steal”, not “fall”, idiots! - Captain Pete was indignant after Clarabelle told him about the failure of the Gavs brothers.
- I have a plan, and this plan is to kidnap the princess, and not kill her, stupid people!
“Throw these clowns into the pit,” he ordered Clarabelle.
- Just not in the hole! - the Gavs brothers pleaded.
But Clarabelle's heart knew no mercy.
A minute later the phone rang. Clarabelle answered the phone and her face immediately changed.
Stuttering, she squeezed out:
- Oh, Princess Minnie!
- I NEED BODYGUARDS! - Princess Minnie demanded.
- Bodyguards?! - Captain Pete was feignedly surprised.
He understood that the bodyguards could break his insidious plan. But Princess Minnie insisted:
-I need musketeers-bodyguards!
And we need it RIGHT NOW!
Driven into a dead end, Captain Pete remembered the three unlucky cleaners.
-Princess, you are very lucky! “I have the right people for you,” he smiled contentedly.
Mickey tried to cheer up his upset friends:
-I'm sure we can become musketeers!
At that moment, Captain Pete suddenly entered their room.
-Congratulations! You passed the test!
You guys are the real musketeers!
Mickey, Donald and Goofy looked at each other in surprise. Then they started jumping for joy, and Mickey joyfully shouted the Musketeers' motto:
-One for all!
-And all for one! - Goofy answered solemnly.
- Your Royal Majesty, allow me to introduce you to those who will ensure your peace and safety. These are your musketeers! - Captain Pete said in a deep voice with feigned respect.
But Minnie didn't listen to him. She liked Mickey so much that she couldn't take her eyes off him. The young musketeer felt the same.
- Knife! - Goofy suddenly shouted. He saw Daisy about to cut up some cheese. The three musketeers immediately grabbed her.
Frightened Minnie screamed:
- Release her immediately! This is my court lady!
The Musketeers were very upset because of their terrible mistake. And Captain Pete just chuckled as he headed to his secret lair. He was sure that the three newly minted musketeers would not be able to protect the princess from his evil thoughts.
- Isn’t it great to be a musketeer?! - Mickey said to Donald admiringly while the princess's carriage slowly rolled along the country road.
- Not that word! - Donald answered him.
The Musketeers escorted Princess Minnie and Daisy back to the palace. While chatting, they did not notice the Gavs brothers, hiding in a tree near the road.
-Robbers! - Mickey shouted as the Gavs brothers jumped onto the carriage. The frightened Donald immediately dived inside to Minnie and Daisy, but they pushed him back out.
-Go and fight, coward! - Minnie commanded, but Donald was too scared. He simply jumped off the carriage.
Goofy fought the Gavs brothers.
He drew his sword from its scabbard and fought as best he could. But alone he had no chance. Following Donald, he flew into the mud to the side of the road. The brave Mickey stood in the way of the three robbers.
- To battle! - he shouted. But in a split second his uniform was cut into strips, and he himself was thrown from the carriage.
-Princess! - Mickey shouted, seeing the carriage disappear from sight.
“It’s no use...” Donald sighed.
- We must not give up! Captain Pete believes in us! - Mickey shouted.
- You think? - asked Goofy.
- Certainly! He made us musketeers, right? We must save the princess or give our lives for her.
Mickey, Donald and Goofy found the royal carriage near an old abandoned tower.
- Pull! - Mickey shouted to Donald, and together they tried to open the heavy tower door.
“Let me try,” said Goofy and resolutely walked towards the entrance.
“No, Goofy, wait,” Mickey tried to stop him.
She and Donald realized that the door needed to be pushed, not pulled. But it was too late, Goofy had already burst inside.
Faster than lightning, Goofy flew up the stairs.
He took such a run that he simply could not stop. Along the way, he knocked over several old armor, which fell with a terrible roar into the river flowing below. Having reached the top of the tower, Goofy came across the Gavs brothers.
At first Goofy wanted to slow down, but then a good idea came to his mind. Crashing into the Gavs brothers at full speed, Goofy pushed them out the window.
And with this he saved Princess Minnie and Daisy. They were stunned by the sudden appearance of the savior. It seems that the Three Musketeers truly became heroes.
Everything was calm in the palace. But Captain Pete and his henchmen were already preparing a new blow.
While guarding the princess's bedroom, Goofy heard the creaking of the door opening and saw a large shadow on the wall. The frightened musketeer soon calmed down, as he realized that it was...
...there was Mickey's shadow.
- Musketeer Goofy, I need your help! - Goofy heard Mickey's voice.
He seemed a little strange to him, but like a real musketeer, Goofy could not leave his friend in trouble and ran through the palace. It soon became clear that it was Clarabelle who tricked him into leaving his post.
- Hold on, scoundrels! - Donald pulled out his sword when he met the Gavs brothers. For the first time in his life, he tried to be brave, but his brothers just laughed. As soon as they pulled out their weapons, all of Donald's courage immediately disappeared.
And he instantly hid in old armor. As the brothers passed by, Donald heard them talking about Captain Pete's plan.
This is how he learned about the kidnapping of the princess and that Pete wanted to kill the musketeers.
“Something strange is going on here,” Mickey said to himself, finding that his friends had abandoned their post. Walking around the palace, he found Donald, hidden in armor and trembling with fear. Donald told Mickey about Captain Pete's evil plan.
- But he promoted us to musketeers?! - Mickey muttered in bewilderment.
- He deceived us, Mickey, he deceived us!
- Whether he lied or not, we are still wearing the uniform of musketeers. We must not run from danger! - Mickey said decisively.
- Right! Then no form, every man for himself! - Donald answered, tearing off his musketeer robes.
“I’m very sorry,” he said to his friend and ran out of the palace.
Left alone, Mickey wandered down the corridor.
Suddenly Captain Pete appeared in front of him.
- Wow! No way one of my heroic musketeers?! - he laughed hoarsely.
Pete's words made Mickey furious. He'd had enough. He said loudly and boldly:
- Captain Pete, by the authority given to me by the title of musketeer, I arrest you.
But Captain Pete laughed in his face and knocked Mickey out with one blow.
Captain Pete then took Mickey to the Mont-Saint-Michel prison and chained him to the wall in a dark and damp cell.
“Well, Mickey, it looks like this is the end,” grinned a pleased Captain Pete.
- My friends will save me! - Mickey answered, not for a moment doubting the loyalty of his musketeers.
- Yes of course! The drake abandoned you, didn't he?
And Goofy is about to go down!
Captain Pete's words silenced Mickey.
Hearing the sound of the tide, Pete laughed. Water in the cell began to rise through a pipe in the wall. Soon it will fill the entire space. If Mickey can't get out, he's a dead man.
- Well, it's high tide time. “I have to go,” Pete said.
This evening he was going to go to the Opera House and couldn't wait.
- Well, that’s all, handsome, it’s time to say goodbye!
Clarabelle honestly tried to fulfill her duty as a lieutenant serving under Captain Pete. But Goofy secretly fell in love with her. And throughout all this time he not only sang serenades, but even tried to dance tango with her. When Pete left, Clarabelle, conquered by the musketeer, could not help herself and freed Goofy from the chains. And then... the bridge railings collapsed into the water.
- Your friend Mickey is in big trouble. “He’s in Mont Saint-Michel,” Clarabelle managed to shout as she and Goofy flew down. They then landed directly on Donald's boat as it passed below them. BANG! The boat broke in half and began to sink.
“We have to save our friend,” Goofy said to Donald as they swam to the shore.
- No! - Donald answered cowardly. - Pete will kill us!
- What then is our motto: “One for all, and all for one”? Have you forgotten? - Goofy roared.
And in Mont Saint-Michel, Mickey tried his best to free himself from the chains, but they did not give in.
His hopes faded as the waters rose. When it almost reached Mickey's nose, Goofy burst into the cell and began to pull the chain. Donald was with him. He found the strength to come to the aid of his friend. Together, the musketeers were able to break the chain and get out of the flooded chamber.
“You’re back,” Mickey smiled tiredly.
“Of course they came back,” Donald answered.
- We would never leave you. We are friends! - added Goofy.
“And now we must save the princess,” Donald said decisively.
- Guys, are you sure that we should do this? - Mickey hesitated.
- We are not real musketeers.
But Goofy nodded:
- Of course, Donald is cowardly, I am far from a genius, and you are not tall enough. But if we stick together, we can do anything!
- You're right, friend! We need to save the princess! - Mickey agreed, and they went to the Opera House together.
-Where are my bodyguards? - Princess Minnie asked when she arrived at the opera.
“Today I will be your bodyguard,” said Captain Pete, leaning out from behind a long curtain. He grabbed the princess and Daisy. Then he stuffed them into a large bag and threw it to the Gavs brothers.
“You know what to do,” he said and retired to his box. Pete could not even imagine that Mickey, Donald and Goofy would appear here and block the way for the Gavs brothers.
The smallest of the brothers, dressed as a princess, went on stage and announced that Pete should become the new king.
But before anyone could say anything, everyone heard the sound of a fight. The two Gavs brothers rushed onto the stage, pursued by Mickey, Donald and Goofy. The swords rang, cutting through the air with a whistle. All three musketeers fought against the brothers.
From his position, Captain Pete had a clear view of the events unfolding. He noticed that the princess was about to get out of the bag, and hastened to stop her. But Mickey was waiting for him on the stage, who had already freed the princess and Daisy.
- Well, Mickey, it's over! You are left alone! - Captain Pete laughed, pressing Mickey to the edge of the stage. But then Mickey’s friends returned and dealt with the Gavs brothers. They rushed to his aid. The three of them easily defeated the captain and prevented his insidious plan to seize the throne.
The next day, a solemn ceremony of initiating Mickey, Donald and Goofy into musketeers took place on the palace square. Taking the sword in her hands, Minnie ordered them to kneel and solemnly said:
- In gratitude for saving France, I elevate Mickey, Donald and Goofy to the rank of royal musketeers.
The three friends did not believe what was happening. Their dream has finally come true! They overcame their shortcomings and turned into brave, smart and strong musketeers. Filled with joy, they jumped to their feet and shouted loudly: “One for all, and all for one!”
Part one
I. Three gifts from d’Artagnan the father
On the first Monday of April 1625, the town of Myong was in such turmoil as Rochelle was during the siege by the Huguenots. Many citizens, at the sight of women running towards the Grand Street and children shouting at the thresholds of the doors, hurried to put on their armor and, armed with guns and reeds, headed to the Frank-Meunier Hotel, in front of which a noisy and curious crowd was crowded, growing every minute.
In those days, such panics were frequent, and rarely a day passed without one or another city not including in its archives some incident of this kind: nobles fought among themselves, the king waged war with the cardinal, the Spaniards waged war with the king . In addition to these wars, carried out secretly or openly, thieves, beggars, Huguenots, wolves and lackeys waged war on everyone. Citizens always armed themselves against thieves, wolves, lackeys, often against nobles and Huguenots, sometimes against the king, but never against the Spaniards.
Given this state of affairs, it is natural that on the aforementioned Monday in April 1625, citizens, hearing the noise and not seeing either the red or yellow banner, or the livery of the Duke of Richelieu, rushed in the direction where the Frank-Meunier hotel was located.
Arriving there, everyone could find out the reason for this excitement.
A quarter of an hour before, through the Bozhansi outpost, a young man on a dun horse rode into Myong. Let us describe the appearance of his horse. Imagine Don Quixote, 18 years old, unarmed, without chain mail and without armor, in a woolen camisole, whom Blue colour took on an indefinite shade of greenish and blue. The face is long and dark, with prominent cheekbones, a sign of deceit; jaw muscles, extremely developed, are an undoubted sign of a Gascon even without a beret, and our young man was wearing a beret decorated with a feather; eyes are large and intelligent; the nose is crooked, but thin and beautiful; growth is too large for a youth and too short for an adult; an unaccustomed eye would have mistaken him for the traveling son of a Farmer, were it not for the long sword, suspended on a leather baldric, striking its owner on the calves when he walked, and on the bristly hair of his horse when he rode.
This young man’s horse was so remarkable that it attracted everyone’s attention: it was a Bearnian horse, 12 or 14 years old, yellow wool, without a tail and with gray hairs on its legs; as she walked, she lowered her head below her knees, making the use of the abdominal belt useless; but she still did eight miles a day.
Unfortunately, the strange color of her coat and her unattractive gait hid her good qualities to such an extent that in those days when everyone was an expert on horses, her appearance in Myong made an unpleasant impression, which also affected the rider.
This impression was all the more painful for d’Artagnan (that was the name of the new Don Quixote) because he himself understood this, although he was a good rider; but such a horse made him funny, about which he sighed deeply when accepting this gift from his father. He knew that such an animal cost at least 20 livres; Moreover, the words that accompanied the gift were invaluable: “My son,” said the Gascon nobleman in that pure, common Béarn dialect, from which Henry IV could never get out of the habit, “my son, this horse was born in your father’s house, thirteen years ago , and was in it during all this time - this alone should make you love her. Never sell her, let her die peacefully in her old age; and if you are with her on a campaign, then take care of her like an old servant. At court, continued Father D'Artagnan, “if you ever deserve to be there—an honor to which, however, your ancient nobility entitles you—maintain your noble name with dignity, as it was supported by our ancestors in continuation of more than five hundred years. Do not endure anything from anyone except the cardinal and the king. Remember that at present the nobleman makes his way only by courage. A coward often loses on his own an opportunity that represents happiness to him. You are young and should be brave for two reasons: firstly, because you are a Gascon, and secondly, because you are my son. Don't be afraid of dangers and look for adventures. I taught you how to wield a sword; your leg is strong as iron, your hand is like steel, fight at every opportunity; fight all the more, because duels are prohibited, from which it follows that double courage is needed to fight. I can give you, my son, only 15 crowns, my horse and the advice that you listened to. The mother will add to this a recipe for a balm she received from a gypsy woman, which contains the wonderful property of healing any wound except those of the heart. Make the most of everything and live happily ever after. It remains for me to add one more thing: to present you as an example not of me - because I was never at the Court and participated only in the war for religion as a volunteer - but of de Treville, who was once my neighbor: he, while still a child, had the honor play with King Louis XIII, God bless him! Sometimes their games took the form of battles, and in these battles the king did not always have the upper hand. The defeats he suffered aroused in him respect and friendship for de Treville. Subsequently, de Treville fought with others during his first trip to Paris five times, from the death of the late king until the young man came of age, not counting wars and sieges, seven times, and from the time of this coming of age until now, perhaps a hundred times, despite decrees, orders and arrests, he, the captain of the musketeers, that is, the head of the Caesars' legion, whom the king values very much and whom the cardinal fears, and as we know, there are not many such things that he is afraid of. In addition, de Treville receives ten thousand crowns a year; therefore, he lives like a nobleman. He started out just like you; come to him with this letter and imitate him in everything to achieve what he has achieved.”
After which D’Artagnan the father put his own sword on his son, kissed him tenderly on both cheeks and gave him his blessing.
Leaving his father's room, the young man went to his mother, who was waiting for him with the famous recipe, which, judging by the advice received from his father, was destined to be used quite often. Here the farewells were longer and more tender than with his father, not because d'Artagnan did not love his son, his only descendant, but d'Artagnan was a man and considered it unworthy of a man to indulge in the movement of the heart, while Madame d'Artagnan was a woman and a mother at that.
She cried profusely, and let us say in praise of D'Artagnan's son that despite all his efforts to remain firm, as a future musketeer should, nature prevailed - he could not restrain himself from tears.
That same day the young man set off on his journey, equipped with three gifts from his father, which consisted, as we have already said, of fifteen crowns, a horse and a letter to de Treville; Of course, the advice given did not count.
With such parting words, d’Artagnan became a morally and physically faithful snapshot of the hero Cervantes, with whom we so successfully compared him when, as part of a historian’s duty, we had to draw his portrait. Don Quixote took windmills for giants, and rams for troops; d'Artagnan took every smile for an insult and every glance for a challenge. From this it happened that his fists were constantly clenched from Tarbes to Myong, and that in both places he put his hand on the hilt of his sword ten times a day; however, neither the fist nor the sword were ever used. Not because the sight of the unfortunate yellow horse did not arouse smiles on the faces of those passing by; but as a long sword clanked above the horse, and a pair of fierce eyes sparkled above this sword, those passing by restrained their gaiety, or, if gaiety prevailed over prudence, they tried to laugh at least with only one side of their faces, like ancient masks. So, d'Artagnan remained majestic, and his irritability was not affected until the unfortunate city of Myong.
But there, when he dismounted from his horse at the Franck-Meunier gate and no one came out to take the horse from him, d'Artagnan noticed at the half-open window of the lower floor a nobleman, tall and arrogant in appearance, although with a slightly frowning face, talking with two persons, who seemed to listen to him with respect. D'Artagnan, out of habit, assumed that he was the subject of the conversation and began to listen. This time he was only half wrong: it was not about him, but about his horse. It seemed that the nobleman calculated all her qualities to his listeners and, like a storyteller, inspired respect in his listeners; they laughed every minute. But a half-smile was enough to awaken the young man’s irritability; It is clear what impression this noisy gaiety made on him.
D'Artagnan began to examine the appearance of the impudent scoffer with a proud look. He was a man of about 40 or 45 years old, with black, penetrating eyes, pale, with a sharply outlined nose and a beautifully trimmed black mustache; he was wearing a camisole and purple trousers, which, although new, seemed wrinkled, as if they had been in a suitcase for a long time.
D'Artagnan made all these remarks with the quickness of the most keen observer, and, probably, with an instinctive presentiment that this stranger would have a great influence on his future.
But just as d'Artagnan was examining the nobleman in the purple doublet, the latter made one of the most learned and thoughtful remarks about the dignity of his Bearn horse, both his listeners burst into laughter, and even he himself, contrary to usual, smiled slightly . At the same time, d’Artagnan no longer doubted that he had been insulted. Convinced of the offense, he pulled his beret down over his eyes and, imitating the courtly manners he had noticed in Gascony among traveling nobles, approached, placing one hand on the hilt of his sword, the other on his thigh. Unfortunately, as he approached, his anger blinded him more and more, and instead of the dignified and arrogant speech he had prepared for the challenge, he spoke only a rude personality, accompanied by a frantic movement.
“Hey, why are you hiding behind the shutter?” he exclaimed. “Tell me why you’re laughing, and we’ll laugh together.”
The nobleman slowly turned his eyes from the horse to the rider, as if he did not immediately understand that these strange reproaches applied to him; when there remained no doubt about it, his eyebrows frowned slightly, and, after quite a long silence, he answered d’Artagnan with indescribable irony and impudence.
“I’m not talking to you, dear sir.”
“But I’m talking to you,” exclaimed the young man, irritated to the extreme by this mixture of impudence and good manners, decency and contempt.
The stranger looked at him again with a slight smile, moved away from the window, slowly walked out of the hotel and stood two steps from d’Artagnan, opposite his horse.
His calm posture and mocking appearance doubled the gaiety of his interlocutors remaining at the window. D'Artagnan, seeing him near him, drew his sword one foot from its scabbard.
“This horse is dun, or, better to say, it was like that in its youth,” continued the stranger, turning to his listeners who were at the window, and apparently not noticing d’Artagnan’s irritation, “this color is known in botany, but before still rarely seen between horses.
“He who does not dare laugh at the rider laughs at the horse,” said de Treville’s imitator furiously.
“I don’t laugh often,” the stranger objected, “you can judge that by the expression of my face; but I want to retain the right to laugh whenever I please.
“And I,” said d’Artagnan, “don’t want people to laugh when I don’t like it.”
- Indeed? continued the stranger very calmly. - That's absolutely fair. And turning on his heel, he intended to return to the hotel, through the large gate, at which d’Artagnan saw a saddled horse.
But d’Artagnan’s character is not such that he could let go of the man who boldly ridiculed him. He completely took the sword out of its sheath and ran after him, shouting:
- Turn back, turn back, mister mocker, otherwise I will kill you from behind.
- Kill me! said the stranger, turning on his heel and looking at the young man with surprise and contempt. - What’s wrong with you, my dear, you’ve gone crazy!
He barely had time to finish when d’Artagnan directed such a blow at him with the tip of his sword that his joke would probably have been the last if he had not managed to quickly jump back. The stranger, seeing then that things were going seriously, took out his sword, bowed to his opponent and stood up importantly in a defensive position. But at the same time, two of his servants, accompanied by the innkeeper, attacked d’Artagnan with sticks, shovels and tongs. This produced a quick and complete revolution in the struggle.
While d'Artagnan turned back to repel the hail of blows, his opponent calmly put in his sword and, with his usual dispassion, actor became a spectator, but grumbling to himself.
- Damn the Gascons! Put him on his orange horse and let him go!
“But first I’ll kill you, coward!” D'Artagnan shouted, repelling as best he could the blows raining down on him, and not retreating a single step from his three enemies.
- He’s still bragging! muttered the nobleman. – These Gascons are incorrigible. Continue if he absolutely wants it. When he gets tired, he’ll say enough is enough.
But the stranger did not know what kind of stubborn man he was dealing with: d’Artagnan was not the kind of person to ask for mercy. The fight continued for a few more seconds; Finally, d’Artagnan, exhausted, let go of the sword, which had been broken in two by a blow from a stick. At the same time, another blow to the forehead knocked him down, bloodied and almost unconscious.
At that very moment people came running to the scene of the spectacle from all sides. The owner, fearing trouble, carried the wounded man, with the help of his servants, to the kitchen, where help was given to him.
As for the nobleman, he returned to his former place at the window and looked impatiently at the crowd, whose presence seemed unpleasant to him.
- Well, how is the health of this madman? he said, turning around at the sound of the door opening, and addressing the owner, who had come to inquire about his health.
“Your Excellency, are you injured?” asked the owner.
- No, completely unharmed, dear master. I ask you, in what condition is the young man?
“He’s better,” the owner answered, “he’s fainted.”
- Indeed? said the nobleman.
- But before he fainted, he, gathering his last strength, called you and challenged you to fight.
“This funny man must be the devil himself,” said the stranger.
“Oh no, Your Excellency, he doesn’t look like the devil,” said the owner with a contemptuous grimace: “We searched him while he fainted; he had only one shirt in his bundle, and only 12 ecus in his purse, and despite this, losing consciousness, he said that if this had happened in Paris, you would have to repent right away, whereas you will repent here, but only later.
“In that case, it must be some prince of the blood in disguise,” the stranger said coolly.
“I’m telling you this, sir, so that you can be careful,” said the owner.
“He didn’t call anyone by name in his anger?”
“Oh yes, he hit his pocket and said: we’ll see what my offended patron de Treville has to say about this.”
- De Treville? said the stranger, becoming more attentive. “Did he hit his pocket while talking about de Treville?” Listen, master, while this young man was fainting, you probably examined his pocket. What was in it?
- A letter addressed to de Treville, captain of the musketeers.
- Indeed?
- Exactly so, Your Excellency.
The owner, not gifted with great insight, did not notice the expression his words gave to the face of the stranger, who walked away from the window and frowned with concern.
“Damn it,” he muttered through his teeth, “has de Treville really sent me this Gascon?” He is very young. But a blow from a sword, no matter who it comes from, is still a blow, and a child is less feared than someone else; Sometimes the weakest obstacle is enough to prevent an important undertaking.
And the stranger went deep into thought for a few minutes.
“Listen, master, spare me from this madman: in my conscience, I cannot kill him, but meanwhile,” he added with an expression of cold threat, “he is bothering me.” Where is he?
In my wife's room, on the first floor, they are bandaging him.
- Are his clothes and his bag with him? Did he not take off his doublet?
- On the contrary, all these things are in the kitchen. But since this crazy guy is bothering you...
- Without a doubt. He makes a scandal in your hotel, and this cannot please decent people. Go upstairs, settle my score and warn my man.
- How! is the gentleman leaving already?
- Of course, when I already ordered my horse to be saddled. Has my order not been fulfilled?
- Oh yes, Your Excellency, perhaps you saw your horse at the large gate, prepared for departure.
- Okay, then do what I told you.
- “Hm... the owner thought, is he really afraid of this boy.”
But the stranger's imperious gaze stopped him. He bowed low and left.
“This funny man doesn’t need to see my lady,” the stranger continued: “She should arrive soon, and even then she’s already late.” It's better to go meet her. If only I could find out the contents of this letter to de Treville!
And the stranger, muttering to himself, went to the kitchen. Meanwhile, the owner, having no doubt that the presence of the young man prevented the stranger from remaining in the hotel, returned to his wife’s room and found d’Artagnan already regaining his senses.
Trying to convince him that he could get him into trouble for quarreling with a nobleman - in the owner’s opinion, the stranger was certainly a nobleman - he persuaded him, despite his weakness, to get up and continue on his way. D'Artagnan, who had barely come to his senses, without a doublet, with his head bandaged, stood up and, forced by the owner, began to go downstairs. But, arriving in the kitchen, he first of all saw his opponent, calmly talking at the foot of a heavy carriage drawn by two large Norman horses.
His interlocutor, whose head was visible through the frame of the carriage doors, was a woman of about twenty or twenty-two.
We have already talked about d’Artagnan’s ability to quickly grasp appearance: he noticed at first glance that the woman was young and beautiful. Her beauty struck him all the more because it was a beauty of a kind that was unknown in the southern countries where d’Artagnan had lived until then. This woman was pale blonde, with long curly hair falling on her shoulders, with large blue, languid eyes, pink lips and hands white as marble. She behaved with a stranger very lively conversation.
- Therefore, the cardinal orders me... said the lady.
- Return immediately to England and warn him if the Duke left London.
– What other assignments? asked the beautiful traveler.
- They are contained in this box, which you will not open until on the other side of the English Channel.
- Very good. What will you do?
- I'm returning to Paris.
– And will you leave this impudent boy unpunished? asked the lady.
The stranger wanted to answer, but the minute he opened his mouth, d’Artagnan, who had heard their conversation, appeared at the door.
“This insolent boy punishes others,” he cried, “and this time I hope that the one he should punish will not escape him.”
- Won't he escape? the stranger objected, frowning.
- No, I believe that you will not dare to run away in the presence of a woman.
“Think,” said my lady, seeing that the nobleman raised his hand to his sword, “think that the slightest delay can ruin everything.”
“You’re right,” said the nobleman: “go, and I’ll go.”
And, bowing to the lady, he jumped on his horse; while the coachman of the carriage whipped the horses with all his might. Both interlocutors set off at a gallop, in opposite directions.
- And money? shouted the owner, whose respect for the traveler turned into deep contempt when he saw that he was leaving without paying.
“Pay,” shouted the galloping traveler to his footman, who, throwing two or three silver coins at the owner’s feet, rode after the master.
- Coward! scoundrel! false nobleman! cried d'Artagnan, rushing after the footman.
But the wounded man was still too weak to endure such a shock. He had barely taken ten steps when he felt a ringing in his ears; His eyes darkened, and he fell in the middle of the street, still shouting:
- Coward! coward! coward!
“He really is a coward,” muttered the owner, approaching d’Artagnan and trying to make peace with the poor boy with this flattery.
“Yes, a big coward,” said d’Artagnan. - But she, how beautiful she is!
- Who is she? asked the owner.
“Milady,” d’Artagnan whispered, and lost consciousness for the second time.
“It doesn’t matter,” said the owner: “I’m losing two, but I have this one left, which I’ll probably be able to detain for at least a few days.” Still, I will win eleven crowns.
We already know that the amount in d’Artagnan’s wallet consisted of exactly eleven crowns.
The owner expected eleven days of illness, one crown per day; but he calculated without knowing his traveler. The next day, d’Artagnan got up at five o’clock in the morning, went down to the kitchen himself, and asked, in addition to some other drugs, the list of which has not reached us; wine, oil, rosemary, and according to his mother’s recipe he made a balm, smeared it on his numerous wounds, renewed the bandages himself and did not want any doctor.
Thanks, no doubt, to the power of the gypsy balm and, perhaps, to the doctor’s prevention, d’Artagnan was on his feet by evening and almost healthy the next day.
But when he wanted to pay for rosemary, butter and wine - his only expense, because he followed the strictest diet - and for the food of his yellow horse, which, on the contrary, according to the innkeeper, ate three times more than could be expected from the her height, d'Artagnan found in his pocket only a crumpled velvet wallet and 11 crowns in it, but the letter to de Treville had disappeared.
The young man very patiently began to look for the letters, turning out his pockets twenty times, rummaging in his bag and wallet; when he became convinced that there was no letter, he fell into a fit of rage for the third time, which almost forced him to resort to drug use again. aromatic oil and wine, because when he began to get excited and threatened to break everything in the establishment if his letters were not found, the owner armed himself with a hunting knife, his wife with a broom, and the servants with the same sticks that they had served the day before.
Unfortunately, one circumstance prevented the young man’s threats from being carried out, namely, that his sword was broken in two during the first fight, which he completely forgot about. Therefore, when d’Artagnan wanted to draw his sword, it turned out that he was armed with one piece of it, eight or ten inches long, which was carefully sheathed by the innkeeper. He skillfully rolled the rest of the blade to make a lance needle.
This probably would not have stopped the passionate young man if the owner had not judged that the traveler’s demand was completely fair.
“Really,” he said, lowering the knife, “where is this letter?”
- Yes, where is the letter? D'Artagnan shouted. “I warn you that this is a letter to de Treville, it must be found; if it is not found, he will force it to be found.
This threat completely frightened the owner. After the king and the cardinal, the name of de Treville was most often repeated by the military and even by citizens. True, there was also a friend of the cardinal, Father Joseph, but the horror inspired by the gray-haired monk, as they called him, was so great that they never spoke about him out loud. Therefore, throwing the knife, the owner ordered his wife to put the weapon down and, with fear, began to look for the lost letter.
“Was there anything precious in this letter?” asked the owner after a fruitless search.
“Of course,” said the Gascon, who hoped to pave the way to the court with this letter: “it contained my happiness.”
– Spanish funds? asked the owner anxiously.
“The funds of His Majesty’s own treasury,” answered d’Artagnan.
- Damn it! said the owner in despair.
“But all the same,” continued d’Artagnan with national self-confidence: “money means nothing, this letter meant everything to me.” I would rather lose a thousand pistoles than this letter.
He would have risked no more if he had said twenty thousand; but some youthful modesty held him back.
A ray of light suddenly illuminated the mind of the owner, who was sending himself to hell, finding nothing.
“The letter is not lost,” he said.
- A! said d'Artagnan.
- No, they took it from you.
- They took him, but who?
- Yesterday's nobleman. He went into the kitchen, where your doublet lay, and was there alone. I bet he stole the letter.
- You think so? answered d'Artagnan, not quite believing it; he knew that the letter was important only to him personally, and did not find a reason that could prompt its abduction; none of the servants and travelers present would gain anything by acquiring it.
“So you say,” said d’Artagnan, “that you suspect this impudent nobleman?”
“I’m sure of this,” the owner continued: “when I told him that de Treville is your patron, and that you even have a letter to this famous nobleman, it seemed to bother him very much; he asked me where this letter was, and immediately went down to the kitchen, where your doublet was.
“In that case, he is a thief,” answered d’Artagnan: “I will complain to de Treville, and de Treville to the king.” Then he importantly took three crowns out of his pocket, gave them to the owner, who accompanied him with his hat in his hand to the gate, mounted his yellow horse, and, without any incident, rode to the St. Anthony Gate in Paris, where he sold the horse for three crowns. This price was still quite significant, judging by the way d’Artagnan pushed his horse during the last transition. The dealer who bought it for the aforementioned nine livres said young man that only the original color of the horse prompted him to give this exorbitant price.
So, d'Artagnan entered Paris on foot, with a bundle under his arm, and walked until he found a room commensurate in price with his meager means. This room was in an attic, in the Rue du Grave Diggers, near Luxembourg.
D'Artagnan immediately paid the deposit and settled in his new apartment; He spent the rest of the day trimming his doublet and trousers with braiding, which his mother had ripped from D’Artagnan’s father’s almost new doublet and given to him in secret. Then he went to the iron row to order a blade for the sword; From there he went to the Louvre, asked the first musketeer he met there where de Treville's hotel was located and, learning that it was next door to the room he rented, in Old Dovecote Street, he considered this circumstance a good omen.
After all this, satisfied with his behavior in Myong, without reproaches of conscience in the past, trusting in the present and with hope for the future, he lay down and fell asleep in a heroic sleep.
He slept in the peaceful sleep of a provincial until nine o'clock, got up and went to the famous de Treville, the third person in the kingdom, according to his father.
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