Chapter 1

Chapter I:
In which D'Artagnan finishes by at Length placing his Hand upon his
Captain's Commission.

The reader guesses beforehand whom the usher preceded in announcing the
courier from Bretagne. This messenger was easily recognized. It was
D'Artagnan, his clothes dusty, his face inflamed, his hair dripping with
sweat, his legs stiff; he lifted his feet painfully at every step, on
which resounded the clink of his blood-stained spurs. He perceived in
the doorway he was passing through, the superintendent coming out.
Fouquet bowed with a smile to him who, an hour before, was bringing him
ruin and death. D'Artagnan found in his goodness of heart, and in his
inexhaustible vigor of body, enough presence of mind to remember the kind
reception of this man; he bowed then, also, much more from benevolence
and compassion, than from respect. He felt upon his lips the word which
had so many times been repeated to the Duc de Guise: "Fly." But to
pronounce that word would have been to betray his cause; to speak that
word in the cabinet of the king, and before an usher, would have been to
ruin himself gratuitously, and could save nobody. D'Artagnan then,
contented himself with bowing to Fouquet and entered. At this moment the
king floated between the joy the last words of Fouquet had given him, and
his pleasure at the return of D'Artagnan. Without being a courtier,
D'Artagnan had a glance as sure and as rapid as if he had been one. He
read, on his entrance, devouring humiliation on the countenance of
Colbert. He even heard the king say these words to him: -

"Ah! Monsieur Colbert; you have then nine hundred thousand livres at the
intendance?" Colbert, suffocated, bowed but made no reply. All this
scene entered into the mind of D'Artagnan, by the eyes and ears, at once.

The first word of Louis to his musketeer, as if he wished it to contrast
with what he was saying at the moment, was a kind "good day." His second
was to send away Colbert. The latter left the king's cabinet, pallid and
tottering, whilst D'Artagnan twisted up the ends of his mustache.

"I love to see one of my servants in this disorder," said the king,
admiring the martial stains upon the clothes of his envoy.

"I thought, sire, my presence at the Louvre was sufficiently urgent to
excuse my presenting myself thus before you."

"You bring me great news, then, monsieur?"

"Sire, the thing is this, in two words: Belle-Isle is fortified,
admirably fortified; Belle-Isle has a double _enceinte_, a citadel, two
detached forts; its ports contain three corsairs; and the side batteries
only await their cannon."

"I know all that, monsieur," replied the king.

"What! your majesty knows all that?" replied the musketeer,