CHAPTER SIX

Mister Bonacieux

The King rewarded d'Artagnan with some money before he left. On the way out of the palace, Athos, Porthos and Aramis told him that he should hire a servant and they found him a young man named Planchet from Picardy.

Mister Treville also had a gift for d'Artagnan, a Musketeer uniform that fit him perfectly and a new sword. The next day d'Artagnan entered the Musketeers station and walked around with his friends as if he had been a Musketeer for months already.

For the next few weeks life was calm and happy. The four men became good friends and spent the days practicing their sword skills and the evening talking together.

Then one afternoon d'Artagnan heard a strange knock at his door. He opened the door and saw a short and fat man with a round face and round eyes. "Mister d'Artagnan," the man began. "Everyone in Paris knows that you are a young man of uncommon courage. I have come here to ask for your help."

"My help?" d'Artagnan said, feeling a little bit surprised.

"The problem is with my niece, sir. Her name is Constance and she works in the palace for the Queen; she makes clothing." The little man's face then became quite sad. "Yesterday morning she was attacked by some men and carried off as she was walking home."

"But what kind of man would attack a young woman?" asked d'Artagnan.

"I am not certain who did it, but I believe I know someone who might want to capture her. There is a man who works for Cardinal Richelieu. He knows that Constance is a close friend with the Queen. I think he captured her hoping to discover the King and Queen's secrets. The Cardinal believes that the Queen is helping England and Spain against our country. He has told this to the King and has made him very nervous about his wife. The Queen has had a very hard life because of the Cardinal."

"Sir, how do you know all this about the affairs of the palace?" d'Artagnan asked.

"My niece told me, sir. She has also told me that recently someone has made a plan to trap the Queen. The Queen learned that someone has written a letter using the Queen's name to the Duke of Buckingham in England asking him to come to France. The Duke has great respect for the Queen and will certainly come quickly to Paris. When he does he will be trapped by the Queen's enemies, and then people will believe that the Queen was going to help England against France."

"I still don't understand why someone would capture your niece?"

"They know that the Queen trusts my niece and could use her to learn the Queen's secrets—or even could use her as a spy."

"That may be so," d'Artagnan agreed. "Who do you think captured your niece?"

"I don't know his name. I only know that he is a tall and dark skinned man, with a proud face, black hair and a large scar on one cheek."

"Tall? Dark? A large scar on his cheek? I know that man! He is the man I met in Meung!" d'Artagnan yelled as he quickly jumped to his feet. "If this was the man who captured your niece, then a stab from my sword will give us both our revenge. Where can I find this man?"

"I don't know."

"No ideas!" d'Artagnan cried. "Is that all you know?"

"Yes. Oh, and this morning I received this letter."

He pulled a letter from his pocket and handed it to d'Artagnan.

Only two sentences were written on the letter: "Do not try and find your niece. If you do, we will kill her and you also!"

"This letter was only written to scare you," d'Artagnan said.

"I know, sir. However, I am truly scared. I am not skilled with a sword, and I could be put in prison."

"I understand, Mister ... ?"

"My name is Bonacieux," the man said with a bow.

"I own this building and live in the rooms below you. I have seen you walking around with those three Musketeers, who I know do not like Cardinal Richelieu, so I thought you might be willing to help our poor Queen, my niece, and make trouble for the Cardinal at the same time."

"I certainly would," d'Artagnan said with a smile.

"I thought I could offer you this bag of silver to help with your expenses," Mister Bonacieux said.

"This is quite a large bag!" said d'Artagnan, receiving the silver happily, "You must be a very rich man, Mister Bonacieux?"

"Well, you could say that I am doing quite well, sir. Recently my business has—" He suddenly stopped talking and ran to the window. "Look!" he yelled, his eyes wide with surprise. "Out there in the street—it's the man with the scar!"

D'Artagnan ran to the window also. "It is him!" he cried, recognizing the man of Meung. "This time he will not escape!"

He grasped his sword and ran out of the door. As he jumped down the stairs he met Athos, Porthos and Aramis, who were coming to visit him. "Move!" d'Artagnan yelled as he ran between them.

"What are you doing?" Porthos yelled as he passed.

"It's the man of Meung!" d'Artagnan replied without stopping his run.

D'Artagnan had told them about his fight in Meung, so they understood what he meant. They did not understand why he wanted to find this man so much, so they continued walking up the stairs.

D'Artagnan got down to the street, but, again, he was too late. The man of Meung had disappeared. When d'Artagnan returned home, he found his three friends waiting for him. Mister Bonacieux was gone, but d'Artagnan told the other Musketeers of the little man's trouble.

"A young woman has been attacked and carried off," d'Artagnan finished saying. "This girl is now in prison—perhaps even being hurt—only because she is loyal to the Queen. I must help save her!"

Suddenly they heard the loud sounds of feet rushing up the stairs. The door was opened with a violent sound and Mister Bonacieux ran into the room. His eyes were wild and full of fear. "Help me!" he yelled. "Four of the Cardinal's Guards have come to arrest me—"

The four guards ran into the room after him but, seeing the four Musketeers with swords on their belts, they stopped.

"Come in, gentlemen," d'Artagnan said in a calm voice. "We are all loyal to the King and Cardinal."

"Then you will not stop us in our work?" the leader of the guards asked, looking calmer knowing that he would not have to fight with the famous Musketeers.

"Of course not," replied d'Artagnan.

Mister Bonacieux stared at d'Artagnan with deep anger in his eyes. "You promised that you would help me," he whispered.

"We can only help save you and your niece if we are free ourselves." D'Artagnan whispered back. "Do not worry, I will do what I promised." Then d'Artagnan said loudly to the guards: "I have no reason to protect this man. I met him for the first time today when he came to collect the rent. He wants too much money for this small room and I shall be happy to see him in prison!"

The four guards all laughed with d'Artagnan. They grasped Mister Bonacieux and pulled him out of the room.

"Why didn't you defend him?" Porthos cried, "How could you let a man who has asked for our help to be arrested? Aramis, do you agree with d'Artagnan?"

"Yes, I definitely do," Aramis replied and Porthos looked shocked.

"Listen, friends," said d'Artagnan, without explaining his actions to Porthos, "All for one, and one for all—this is what we always say, is it not?"

Soon after the guards had arrested Mister Bonacieux, they moved into his rooms below d'Artagnan's. They made his rooms into a trap. Each time someone would knock on the door, the guards would open it and then close and lock it behind them. All the people who came to see Mister Bonacieux were kept prisoner until they had told the guards everything that they knew about Bonacieux and his niece. Luckily d'Artagnan could still come in and out since his room had a separate door and hall.

For the next few days d'Artagnan did not leave his room. He watched out of his window to see what visitors came and left. He also pulled out a piece of wood from his floor so that he could listen to the conversations between Cardinal's Guards and their prisoners below.

Three days after the guards had arrested Bonacieux, d'Artagnan heard a loud knocking at the street door. The door was quickly opened and shut again. Someone was caught.

D'Artagnan ran over to his hole in the floor and listened. He could hear the sounds of people struggling; then a woman's voice cried out: "This is my uncle's home. I am Constance Bonacieux and I work in the palace for the Queen!"

D'Artagnan jumped to his feet when he heard this. He called to his servant Planchet. "Run quickly," he said. "Go and find Athos, Porthos and Aramis. Tell them to come here as quickly as possible. I am going to go down to Mister Bonacieux's house below. I will be caught in the trap, but I will make the guards regret it."

A minute later d'Artagnan knocked at the street door. The door was opened and d'Artagnan ran in with his sword in hand into the room.

One of the guards reached for his sword, but d'Artagnan stabbed him through the shoulder before he could pull it out. The two other soldiers jumped at d'Artagnan with chairs, but d'Artagnan wounded both of them with his sword and all three guards ran out the door.

D'Artagnan found Constance Bonacieux lying in a chair, breathing hard. She opened her eyes as d'Artagnan walked toward her. She was a very beautiful young woman. She had dark hair, blue eyes, and a small and perfect nose. She smiled at him.

"I have seen you before around the city; you are Mister d'Artagnan the Musketeer," she said. "You have bravely saved me—how can I thank you?"

D'Artagnan bowed deeply. "Madam," he said, "I do not need any thanks."

"What has happened to my uncle?" she asked in a worried voice.

"I'm sorry to tell you that he has been put in prison," d'Artagnan answered.

"But why? Has he done anything wrong?"

"He is your uncle, Madam Bonacieux. That is why."

"Oh, I see, you must know about—"

"Yes, I know that you were captured by a tall man with a scar on his face. But I don't know how you escaped."

"I was put in a room on the third floor of a building not very far from the palace. I waited until after dark today and climbed down from the window using the sheets on my bed. I didn't know where to go, so I ran here to find my uncle."

"What can we do now?" asked d'Artagnan, "Those men will certainly go and get help. If they come back and find us here, we will certainly be killed. Where can I take you?"

"I don't know, Mister d'Artagnan," Constance said sadly, "I don't know anybody who I can trust. I wanted to ask my uncle to go to the palace and find Mister Laporte, who is a loyal helper of the Queen. I need to see him, because I must know what has happened to the Queen since I was captured. I am afraid to go and see the Queen until I am sure that it is safe. But now I have no friends to send."

"You may trust me, Madam," d'Artagnan said with excitement.

"You are truly a brave man—and I believe that I can trust you," said Constance. "Please go to the palace and ask for Mister Germain. When he asks you what you want, you must answer 'Travels and Stories'. Then he will ask you what you want again; tell him that you need to see Mister Laporte." She then paused and looked worried. "Where can you bring him to meet me?"

"I'll take you now to my friend's room, another Musketeer named Athos," said d'Artagnan. "He will be happy to hide you."

They left the house and moved quickly and quietly through the streets of Paris. Finally they arrived at Athos' house. Just a few minutes later d'Artagnan arrived at the palace. He told Mister Laporte where Constance was hiding, and Laporte ran there as quickly as possible.

D'Artagnan left the palace and walked along the river, thinking of Constance Bonacieux and how beautiful she was.

Suddenly he remembered that he had sent Planchet to get his friends and that he should explain to them why he did so. He turned around and began walking towards Aramis' home.

Just before he arrived at the house, he saw a woman walking quickly ahead of him, wearing a long cloak. The woman stopped in front of Aramis' house and knocked on the window three times. A moment later someone inside knocked two times. Then the woman replied by knocking three times again, and the window opened.

D'Artagnan watched the woman take out a handkerchief from her pocket and show it to the person in the house. He then heard the sound of low voices. D'Artagnan was surprised to see that it was not Aramis inside, but a woman. After a minute the window closed. The woman wearing the long cloak turned around and passed d'Artagnan. She was looking down to hide her face, but d'Artagnan could see that she was Constance Bonacieux.

(end of section)