CHAPTER TEN

Making a Plan

"Madam Bonacieux," said d'Artagnan, coming in through the door which Constance opened, "I must say that your uncle is a bad man of low honor."

"Did you hear our conversation?" asked Constance.

"Yes—every word."

"But how?"

"By a secret method" he answered, "but that is not important."

"And what did you learn by what we said?"

"That the Queen needs a clever, brave, loyal man to take a letter to London for her. You may decide if I am clever, madam, but I can promise that I am brave and loyal—to both the Queen and to you."

"If you guessed all of this from our conversation then you are indeed a clever man," said Constance worried, "but I fear my uncle has also guessed the same, he must have gone to tell Cardinal Richelieu of the Queen's plan. I trust you d'Artagnan. Let me tell you the whole story."

Constance then told d'Artagnan the terrible story of the Queen's diamond sash. When she finished, d'Artagnan stood up tall and said, "If I am captured while trying to deliver the letter," he said, "I will die before I speak one word of what you have told me. I must go to London at once."

"Then take this," said Constance holding out the Queen's ring, "It was the Queen's, and you can sell it for money to travel to England."

She opened a box and took out the bag of gold that her uncle had shown her just a half-hour before. "You should take this money also," she said.

"The Cardinal's gold?" said d'Artagnan, laughing. "It will be funny to save the Queen using the Cardinal's money—"

"Quiet!" interrupted Constance, moving to the window, "I hear someone talking in the street. It is my uncle's voice!"

"Quickly!" d'Artagnan cried, grasping her hand, "He must not see us."

They quickly moved to the back door, locked it, and, walked up the stairs as silent as shadows.

When they were safe in d'Artagnan's room, they went over to the window and looked out through a small space in the curtains. They could see her uncle talking with a tall man wearing a long cloak.

A moment later the tall man turned around and they could see his face. D'Artagnan quickly jumped to his feet, pulled out his sword, and ran towards the door.

The man in the cloak was the man of Meung!

"What are you doing?" cried Constance.

"I have promised to kill that man!" answered d'Artagnan.

"D'Artagnan, wait! Your life now belongs to the Queen," she whispered with great strength in her voice. "In the Queen's name I order you not to put yourself into any danger. Listen! They are talking about me."

D'Artagnan put back his sword and slowly moved back to the window. Bonacieux had opened his door and went inside. He returned a moment later and told the man wearing the cloak that his niece had left.

"Do you think," said the man, "that your niece knew your reason for going out?"

"I tricked her," said Bonacieux happily, "She could not have known."

"Is the young Musketeer at home?"

"No—I have not heard any sound coming from his room in many days."

"Let's go into your house—nobody can see us there."

"Oh no!" said Constance. "We will not be able to hear them any more."

"Yes we will, madam," d'Artagnan said. "We will be able to hear them quite well."

He raised a piece of wood floor in the center of the room, sat down on his knees and whispered to Constance to join him. When she sat down, she could hear voices from her uncle's house below.

"So you believe that your niece has gone back to the palace, without speaking to anyone but you?" said the stranger.

"I am quite sure of it."

"It is important that she has not spoken to anyone, you understand?"

"Then the news I told you is useful?"

"Yes, quite valuable, my friend Mister Bonacieux, the Cardinal is very pleased with you. Now, tell me—did your niece say any names?"

"No. She only said that she needed me to go to London to help a very famous person."

"You were foolish not to pretend that you were willing to help her. If you had then we would now have the letter, which might tell us some very important information."

"There is still time," said Bonacieux. "I will go find my niece and tell her that I have thought more about the matter and am willing to help. As soon as she gives me the letter, I will bring it to the Cardinal."

"Good, go quickly! I will go prepare all our soldiers so that they can guard the roads going to the coast. It is possible that your niece has already found someone to take the letter to England."

The stranger then left.

"My uncle is now one of our enemies!" whispered Constance angrily.

A terrible scream came from below. Mister Bonacieux had discovered that his bag of gold was gone and was crying, "Thieves! Thieves!" A minute later, he ran out of the house.

"We must go at once," said Constance, "Be brave, my friend, and be careful! Remember that you now serve the Queen."

"I serve the Queen and you also," said d'Artagnan, "I will work for her loyally and try to win her praise, but shall I also work loyally for you and win your love?"

Constance stood up and left the room, her only answer was a beautiful smile on her face.

A few minutes later, d'Artagnan also left the room and went to see a gold-maker who he knew. He sold the Queen's ring for two thousand gold pieces. He then went to see Mister Treville and he told him everything.

"I hope," d'Artagnan finished saying, "that you can give me time away from Musketeer service so that I may go to London immediately."

"Of course you may go." Mister Treville began, "But if you go alone, you will be killed before you reach the coast. For this adventure four good friends must go together so that one may arrive safely. Aramis, Athos and Porthos shall join you—and you should also take your servants if they know how to use swords and guns."

The young Musketeer's face filled with excitement. "Thank you, sir!" he cried.

D'Artagnan went quickly to Athos' house, where he found his three friends talking together.

"Friends," said d'Artagnan. "We must go to London."

"London?" cried Porthos, "What must we do there?"

"I can not tell you, gentlemen, but you must trust me. Mister Treville has let us go and we serve the Queen."

"To get to London," Porthos said unhappily. "We will need money, and I have none."

D'Artagnan threw two bags of gold on the table. "I have money, friends," he said. "There is far more in that bag than we shall need. We will all share it. But I fear that we will not all arrive in London—it is very likely that some of us will be killed on the way. The Cardinal will use all his power to stop us from reaching the coast. I must tell you now that this is going to be an extremely dangerous journey."

"Could we possibly want anything more than to fight the Cardinal?" said Athos, "d'Artagnan, I will follow you."

"I shall also," said Aramis.

"You are my friend," said Porthos, "I will join."

"When must we go?" asked Athos.

"At once," answered d'Artagnan. "Our plan is simple. We will take our servants, for they are all good, strong men and will help us in a fight. I will carry the Queen's letter here in my pocket. If I am killed, one of you must take the letter and go on. If he is killed also, then another man must carry it, and so on. If only one of us arrives in London, it will be enough to help the Queen. Friends, is it agreed?"

"It is agreed!" shouted the Three Musketeers.

(end of section)