ed terribly under the
repetition of this word COINERs.

"Pardon me, monseigneur, for saying such things, but they form my
excuse. The authorities had terrified me, and you know that an innkeeper
must keep on good terms with the authorities."

"But once again, that gentleman--where is he? What has become of him? Is
he dead? Is he living?"

"Patience, monseigneur, we are coming to it. There happened then that
which you know, and of which your precipitate departure," added the
host, with an acuteness that did not escape d'Artagnan, "appeared to
authorize the issue. That gentleman, your friend, defended himself
desperately. His lackey, who, by an unforeseen piece of ill luck, had
quarreled with the officers, disguised as stable lads--"

"Miserable scoundrel!" cried d'Artagnan, "you were all in the plot,
then! And I really don't know what prevents me from exterminating you
all."

"Alas, monseigneur, we were not in the plot, as you will soon see.
Monsieur your friend (pardon for not calling him by the honorable name
which no doubt he bears, but we do not know that name), Monsieur your
friend, having disabled two men with his pistols, retreated fighting
with his sword, with which he disabled one of my men, and stunned me
with a blow of the flat side of it."

"You villain, will you finish?" cried d'Artagnan, "Athos--what has
become of Athos?"

"While fighting and retreating, as I have told Monseigneur, he found the
door of the cellar stairs behind him, and as the door was open, he took
out the key, and barricaded himself inside. As we were sure of finding
him there, we left him alone."

"Yes," said d'Artagnan, "you did not really wish to kill; you only
wished to imprison him."

"Good God! To imprison him, monseigneur? Why, he imprisoned himself, I
swear to you he did. In the first place he had made rough work of it;
one man was killed on the spot, and two others were severely wounded.
The dead man and the two wounded were carried off by their comrades, and
I have heard nothing of either of them since. As for myself, as soon as
I recovered my senses I went to Monsieur the Governor, to whom I related
all that had passed, and asked, what I should do with my prisoner.
Monsieur the Governor was all astonishment. He told me he knew nothing
about the matter, that the orders I had received did not come from him,
and that if I had the audacity to mention his name as being concerned in
this disturbance he would have me hanged