wn, in the dark alley of old limes, marked
by the still visible footsteps of the comte who had just died.

Chapter LIX. The Bulletin.

The Duc de Beaufort wrote to Athos. The letter destined for the living
only reached the dead. God had changed the address.

"MY DEAR COMTE," wrote the prince, in his large, school-boy's hand,--"a
great misfortune has struck us amidst a great triumph. The king
loses one of the bravest of soldiers. I lose a friend. You lose M. de
Bragelonne. He has died gloriously, so gloriously that I have not the
strength to weep as I could wish. Receive my sad compliments, my dear
comte. Heaven distributes trials according to the greatness of our
hearts. This is an immense one, but not above your courage. Your good
friend,

"LE DUC DE BEAUFORT."

The letter contained a relation written by one of the prince's
secretaries. It was the most touching recital, and the most true,
of that dismal episode which unraveled two existences. D'Artagnan,
accustomed to battle emotions, and with a heart armed against
tenderness, could not help starting on reading the name of Raoul, the
name of that beloved boy who had become a shade now--like his father.

"In the morning," said the prince's secretary, "monseigneur commanded
the attack. Normandy and Picardy had taken positions in the rocks
dominated by the heights of the mountain, upon the declivity of which
were raised the bastions of Gigelli.

"The cannon opened the action; the regiments marched full of resolution;
the pikemen with pikes elevated, the musket-bearers with their weapons
ready. The prince followed attentively the march and movements of the
troops, so as to be able to sustain them with a strong reserve. With
monseigneur were the oldest captains and his aides-de-camp. M. le
Vicomte de Bragelonne had received orders not to leave his highness. In
the meantime the enemy's cannon, which at first thundered with little
success against the masses, began to regulate their fire, and the balls,
better directed, killed several men near the prince. The regiments
formed in column, and, advancing against the ramparts, were rather
roughly handled. There was a sort of hesitation in our troops, who found
themselves ill-seconded by the artillery. In fact, the batteries which
had been established the evening before had but a weak and uncertain
aim, on account of their position. The upward direction of the aim
lessened the justness of the shots as well as their ra