reville, coldly, "I have some pretty things to tell your
Majesty concerning these gownsmen."

"What?" said the king, with hauteur.

"I have the honor to inform your Majesty," continued M. de Treville, in
the same tone, "that a party of PROCUREURS, commissaries, and men of
the police--very estimable people, but very inveterate, as it appears,
against the uniform--have taken upon themselves to arrest in a house, to
lead away through the open street, and throw into the Fort l'Eveque, all
upon an order which they have refused to show me, one of my, or
rather your Musketeers, sire, of irreproachable conduct, of an almost
illustrious reputation, and whom your Majesty knows favorably, Monsieur
Athos."

"Athos," said the king, mechanically; "yes, certainly I know that name."

"Let your Majesty remember," said Treville, "that Monsieur Athos is the
Musketeer who, in the annoying duel which you are acquainted with, had
the misfortune to wound Monsieur de Cahusac so seriously. A PROPOS,
monseigneur," continued Treville. Addressing the cardinal, "Monsieur de
Cahusac is quite recovered, is he not?"

"Thank you," said the cardinal, biting his lips with anger.

"Athos, then, went to pay a visit to one of his friends absent at
the time," continued Treville, "to a young Bearnais, a cadet in his
Majesty's Guards, the company of Monsieur Dessessart, but scarcely
had he arrived at his friend's and taken up a book, while waiting his
return, when a mixed crowd of bailiffs and soldiers came and laid siege
to the house, broke open several doors--"

The cardinal made the king a sign, which signified, "That was on account
of the affair about which I spoke to you."

"We all know that," interrupted the king; "for all that was done for our
service."

"Then," said Treville, "it was also for your Majesty's service that one
of my Musketeers, who was innocent, has been seized, that he has been
placed between two guards like a malefactor, and that this gallant man,
who has ten times shed his blood in your Majesty's service and is ready
to shed it again, has been paraded through the midst of an insolent
populace?"

"Bah!" said the king, who began to be shaken, "was it so managed?"

"Monsieur de Treville," said the cardinal, with the greatest phlegm,
"does not tell your Majesty that this innocent Musketeer, this gallant
man, had only an hour before attacked, sword in hand, four commissaries
of inquiry, who were delegated by myself to examine i