," said Porthos.

"Gentlemen," replied d'Artagnan, "I have already received by Monsieur
de Cavois a similar invitation from his Eminence. I neglected it, and on
the morrow a serious misfortune happened to me--Constance disappeared.
Whatever may ensue, I will go."

"If you are determined," said Athos, "do so."

"But the Bastille?" said Aramis.

"Bah! you will get me out if they put me there," said d'Artagnan.

"To be sure we will," replied Aramis and Porthos, with admirable
promptness and decision, as if that were the simplest thing in the
world, "to be sure we will get you out; but meantime, as we are to set
off the day after tomorrow, you would do much better not to risk this
Bastille."

"Let us do better than that," said Athos; "do not let us leave him
during the whole evening. Let each of us wait at a gate of the palace
with three Musketeers behind him; if we see a close carriage, at all
suspicious in appearance, come out, let us fall upon it. It is a long
time since we have had a skirmish with the Guards of Monsieur the
Cardinal; Monsieur de Treville must think us dead."

"To a certainty, Athos," said Aramis, "you were meant to be a general of
the army! What do you think of the plan, gentlemen?"

"Admirable!" replied the young men in chorus.

"Well," said Porthos, "I will run to the hotel, and engage our comrades
to hold themselves in readiness by eight o'clock; the rendezvous, the
Place du Palais-Cardinal. Meantime, you see that the lackeys saddle the
horses."

"I have no horse," said d'Artagnan; "but that is of no consequence, I
can take one of Monsieur de Treville's."

"That is not worth while," said Aramis, "you can have one of mine."

"One of yours! how many have you, then?" asked d'Artagnan.

"Three," replied Aramis, smiling.

"Certes," cried Athos, "you are the best-mounted poet of France or
Navarre."

"Well, my dear Aramis, you don't want three horses? I cannot comprehend
what induced you to buy three!"

"Therefore I only purchased two," said Aramis.

"The third, then, fell from the clouds, I suppose?"

"No, the third was brought to me this very morning by a groom out of
livery, who would not tell me in whose service he was, and who said he
had received orders from his master."

"Or his mistress," interrupted d'Artagnan.

"That makes no difference," said Aramis, coloring; "and who affirmed, as
I said, that he had received orders from his master or mistress to place
the horse in my s