d D'Artagnan gnaw the corners of his mustache; he
had seen his master get into the carriage; he had narrowly examined both
their countenances, and he had known them both for a sufficiently long
period to read and understand, through the mask of their impassibility,
that something serious was the matter. As soon as Athos had gone, he
began to reflect; he then, and then only, remembered the strange manner
in which Athos had taken leave of him, the embarrassment--imperceptible
as it would have been to any but himself--of the master whose ideas
were, to him, so clear and defined, and the expression of whose wishes
was so precise. He knew that Athos had taken nothing with him but the
clothes he had on him at the time; and yet he seemed to fancy that Athos
had not left for an hour merely; or even for a day. A long absence was
signified by the manner in which he pronounced the word "Adieu."
All these circumstances recurred to his mind, with feelings of deep
affection for Athos, with that horror of isolation and solitude which
invariably besets the minds of those who love; and all these combined
rendered poor Grimaud very melancholy, and particularly uneasy. Without
being able to account to himself for what he did since his master's
departure, he wandered about the room, seeking, as it were, for some
traces of him, like a faithful dog, who is not exactly uneasy about his
absent master, but at least is restless. Only as, in addition to the
instinct of the animal, Grimaud subjoined the reasoning faculties of the
man, Grimaud therefore felt uneasy and restless too. Not having found
any indication which could serve as a guide, and having neither seen
nor discovered anything which could satisfy his doubts, Grimaud began
to wonder what could possibly have happened. Besides, imagination is
the resource, or rather the plague of gentle and affectionate hearts. In
fact, never does a feeling heart represent its absent friend to itself
as being happy or cheerful. Never does the dove that wings its flight in
search of adventures inspire anything but terror at home.

Grimaud soon passed from uneasiness to terror; he carefully went over,
in his own mind, everything that had taken place: D'Artagnan's letter
to Athos, the letter which had seemed to distress Athos so much after
he had read it; then Raoul's visit to Athos, which resulted in Athos
desiring him (Grimaud) to get his various orders and his court dress
ready to put on; then his intervi