r time as we pleased. If we are so fortunate as to have
some particular duty to perform for your Eminence, we are ready to obey
you. Your Eminence may perceive," continued Athos, knitting his brow,
for this sort of investigation began to annoy him, "that we have not
come out without our arms."

And he showed the cardinal, with his finger, the four muskets piled near
the drum, on which were the cards and dice.

"Your Eminence may believe," added d'Artagnan, "that we would have come
to meet you, if we could have supposed it was Monseigneur coming toward
us with so few attendants."

The cardinal bit his mustache, and even his lips a little.

"Do you know what you look like, all together, as you are armed and
guarded by your lackeys?" said the cardinal. "You look like four
conspirators."

"Oh, as to that, Monseigneur, it is true," said Athos; "we do conspire,
as your Eminence might have seen the other morning. Only we conspire
against the Rochellais."

"Ah, you gentlemen of policy!" replied the cardinal, knitting his brow
in his turn, "the secret of many unknown things might perhaps be found
in your brains, if we could read them as you read that letter which you
concealed as soon as you saw me coming."

The color mounted to the face of Athos, and he made a step toward his
Eminence.

"One might think you really suspected us, monseigneur, and we were
undergoing a real interrogatory. If it be so, we trust your Eminence
will deign to explain yourself, and we should then at least be
acquainted with our real position."

"And if it were an interrogatory!" replied the cardinal. "Others besides
you have undergone such, Monsieur Athos, and have replied thereto."

"Thus I have told your Eminence that you had but to question us, and we
are ready to reply."

"What was that letter you were about to read, Monsieur Aramis, and which
you so promptly concealed?"

"A woman's letter, monseigneur."

"Ah, yes, I see," said the cardinal; "we must be discreet with this sort
of letters; but nevertheless, we may show them to a confessor, and you
know I have taken orders."

"Monseigneur," said Athos, with a calmness the more terrible because he
risked his head in making this reply, "the letter is a woman's letter,
but it is neither signed Marion de Lorme, nor Madame d'Aiguillon."

The cardinal became as pale as death; lightning darted from his eyes. He
turned round as if to give an order to Cahusac and Houdiniere. Athos saw
the mo