e."

"Have I not," replied D'Artagnan, with his Gascon laugh, "have I not
done much for his majesty, without any one suspecting it?"

"Yes, yes, but the king is well aware of it my friend," cried Athos.

"He is aware of it!" said the musketeer bitterly. "By my faith! I did
not suspect so, and I was even a moment ago trying to forget it myself."

"But he, my friend, will not forget it, I will answer for him."

"You tell me that to console me a little, Athos."

"For what?"

"Mordioux! for all the expense I incurred. I have ruined myself, my
friend, ruined myself for the restoration of this young prince who has
just passed, cantering on his isabelle colored horse."

"The king does not know you have ruined yourself, my friend, but he
knows he owes you much."

"And say, Athos, does that advance me in any respect? for, to do you
justice, you have labored nobly. But I--I, who in appearance marred
your combinations, it was I who really made them succeed. Follow my
calculations; closely, you might not have, by persuasions or mildness
convinced General Monk, whilst I so roughly treated this dear general,
that I furnished your prince with an opportunity of showing himself
generous: this generosity was inspired in him by the fact of my
fortunate mistake, and Charles is paid by the restoration which Monk has
brought about."

"All that, my dear friend, is strikingly true," replied Athos.

"Well, strikingly true as it may be, it is not less true, my friend,
that I shall return--greatly beloved by M. Monk, who calls me
dear captain all day long, although I am neither dear to him nor a
captain;--and much appreciated by the king, who has already forgotten my
name;--it is not less true, I say, that I shall return to my beautiful
country, cursed by the soldiers I had raised with the hopes of large
pay, cursed by the brave Planchet, of whom I borrowed a part of his
fortune."

"How is that? What the devil had Planchet to do in all this?"

"Ah, yes, my friend, but this king, so spruce, so smiling, so adored,
M. Monk fancies he has recalled him, you fancy you have supported him,
I fancy I have brought him back, the people fancy they have reconquered
him, he himself fancies he has negotiated his restoration; and yet
nothing of all this is true, for Charles II., king of England, Scotland,
and Ireland, has been replaced upon the throne by a French grocer,
who lives in the Rue des Lombards, and is named Planchet. And such is
grande