eakness.

"I? not at all!" said d'Artagnan. "I am only curious to unravel the
mystery to which she is attached. I do not know why, but I imagine that
this woman, wholly unknown to me as she is, and wholly unknown to her as
I am, has an influence over my life."

"Well, perhaps you are right," said Athos. "I do not know a woman that
is worth the trouble of being sought for when she is once lost. Madame
Bonacieux is lost; so much the worse for her if she is found."

"No, Athos, no, you are mistaken," said d'Artagnan; "I love my poor
Constance more than ever, and if I knew the place in which she is, were
it at the end of the world, I would go to free her from the hands of her
enemies; but I am ignorant. All my researches have been useless. What is
to be said? I must divert my attention!"

"Amuse yourself with Milady, my dear d'Artagnan; I wish you may with all
my heart, if that will amuse you."

"Hear me, Athos," said d'Artagnan. "Instead of shutting yourself up here
as if you were under arrest, get on horseback and come and take a ride
with me to St. Germain."

"My dear fellow," said Athos, "I ride horses when I have any; when I
have none, I go afoot."

"Well," said d'Artagnan, smiling at the misanthropy of Athos, which from
any other person would have offended him, "I ride what I can get; I am
not so proud as you. So AU REVOIR, dear Athos."

"AU REVOIR," said the Musketeer, making a sign to Grimaud to uncork the
bottle he had just brought.

D'Artagnan and Planchet mounted, and took the road to St. Germain.

All along the road, what Athos had said respecting Mme. Bonacieux
recurred to the mind of the young man. Although d'Artagnan was not of
a very sentimental character, the mercer's pretty wife had made a real
impression upon his heart. As he said, he was ready to go to the end
of the world to seek her; but the world, being round, has many ends, so
that he did not know which way to turn. Meantime, he was going to try
to find out Milady. Milady had spoken to the man in the black cloak;
therefore she knew him. Now, in the opinion of d'Artagnan, it was
certainly the man in the black cloak who had carried off Mme. Bonacieux
the second time, as he had carried her off the first. d'Artagnan then
only half-lied, which is lying but little, when he said that by going in
search of Milady he at the same time went in search of Constance.

Thinking of all this, and from time to time giving a touch of the spur
to his horse,