his conversation;
this was a blow with her fan, applied with such force that the little
feminine weapon flew into a thousand pieces.

The cavalier laughed aloud, which appeared to exasperate Milady still
more.

D'Artagnan thought this was the moment to interfere. He approached the
other door, and taking off his hat respectfully, said, "Madame, will you
permit me to offer you my services? It appears to me that this cavalier
has made you very angry. Speak one word, madame, and I take upon myself
to punish him for his want of courtesy."

At the first word Milady turned, looking at the young man with
astonishment; and when he had finished, she said in very good French,
"Monsieur, I should with great confidence place myself under your
protection if the person with whom I quarrel were not my brother."

"Ah, excuse me, then," said d'Artagnan. "You must be aware that I was
ignorant of that, madame."

"What is that stupid fellow troubling himself about?" cried the cavalier
whom Milady had designated as her brother, stooping down to the height
of the coach window. "Why does not he go about his business?"

"Stupid fellow yourself!" said d'Artagnan, stooping in his turn on
the neck of his horse, and answering on his side through the carriage
window. "I do not go on because it pleases me to stop here."

The cavalier addressed some words in English to his sister.

"I speak to you in French," said d'Artagnan; "be kind enough, then, to
reply to me in the same language. You are Madame's brother, I learn--be
it so; but fortunately you are not mine."

It might be thought that Milady, timid as women are in general, would
have interposed in this commencement of mutual provocations in order to
prevent the quarrel from going too far; but on the contrary, she threw
herself back in her carriage, and called out coolly to the coachman, "Go
on--home!"

The pretty SOUBRETTE cast an anxious glance at d'Artagnan, whose good
looks seemed to have made an impression on her.

The carriage went on, and left the two men facing each other; no
material obstacle separated them.

The cavalier made a movement as if to follow the carriage; but
d'Artagnan, whose anger, already excited, was much increased by
recognizing in him the Englishman of Amiens who had won his horse and
had been very near winning his diamond of Athos, caught at his bridle
and stopped him.

"Well, monsieur," said he, "you appear to be more stupid than I am, for
you forget th