The three gentlemen took the road to Picardy, a road so wellknown to them and which recalled to Athos and Aramis some ofthe most picturesque adventures of their youth.

"If Musqueton were with us," observed Athos, on reaching thespot where they had had a dispute with the paviers, "how hewould tremble at passing this! Do you remember, Aramis, thatit was here he received that famous bullet wound?"

"By my faith, 'twould be excusable in him to tremble,"replied Aramis, "for even I feel a shudder at therecollection; hold, just above that tree is the little spotwhere I thought I was killed."

It was soon time for Grimaud to recall the past. Arrivingbefore the inn at which his master and himself had made suchan enormous repast, he approached Athos and said, showinghim the airhole of the cellar:

"Sausages!"

Athos began to laugh, for this juvenile escapade of hisappeared to be as amusing as if some one had related it ofanother person.

At last, after traveling two days and a night, they arrivedat Boulogne toward the evening, favored by magnificentweather. Boulogne was a strong position, then almost adeserted town, built entirely on the heights; what is nowcalled the lower town did not then exist.

"Gentlemen," said De Winter, on reaching the gate of thetown, "let us do here as at Paris - let us separate toavoid suspicion. I know an inn, little frequented, but ofwhich the host is entirely devoted to me. I will go there,where I expect to find letters, and you go to the firsttavern in the town, to L'Epee du Grand Henri for instance,refresh yourselves, and in two hours be upon the jetty; ourboat is waiting for us there."

The matter being thus decided, the two friends found, abouttwo hundred paces further, the tavern indicated. Theirhorses were fed, but not unsaddled; the grooms supped, forit was already late, and their two masters, impatient toreturn, appointed a place of meeting with them on the jettyand desired them on no account to exchange a word with anyone. It is needless to say that this caution concernedBlaisois alone - long enough since it had been a uselessone to Grimaud.

Athos and Aramis walked down toward the port. From theirdress, covered with dust, and from a certain easy manner bymeans of which a man accustomed to travel is alwaysrecognizable, the two friends excited the attention of a fewpromenaders. There was more especially one upon whom theirarrival had produced a decided impression. This man, whomthey had noticed from the first for the same reason they hadthemselves been remarked by others, was walking in alistless way up and down the jetty. From the moment heperceived them he did not cease to look at them and seemedto burn with the wish to speak to them.

On reaching the jetty Athos and Aramis stopped to look at alittle boat made fast to a pile and ready rigged as ifwaiting to start.

"That is doubtless our boat," said Athos.

"Yes," replied Aramis, "and the sloop out there making readyto sail must be that which is to take us to our destination;now," continued he, "if only De Winter does not keep uswaiting. It is not at all amusing here; there is not asingle woman passing."

"Hush!" said Athos, "we are overheard."

In truth, the walker, who, during the observations of thetwo friends, had passed and repassed behind them severaltimes, stopped at the name of De Winter; but as his facebetrayed no emotion at mention of this name, it might havebeen by chance he stood so still.

"Gentlemen," said the man, who was young and pale, bowingwith ease and courtesy, "pardon my curiosity, but I see youcome from Paris, or at least that you are strangers atBoulogne."

"We come from Paris, yes," replied Athos, with the samecourtesy; "what is there we can do for you?"

"Sir," said the young man, "will you be so good as to tellme if it be true that Cardinal Mazarin is no longerminister?"

"That is a strange question," said Aramis.

"He is and he is not," replied Athos; "that is to say, he isdismissed by one-half of France, but by intrigues andpromises he makes the other half sustain him; you willperceive that this may last a long time."

"However, sir," said the stranger, "he has neither fled noris in prison?"

"No, sir, not at this moment at least."

"Sirs, accept my thanks for your politeness," said the youngman, retreating.

"What do you think of that interrogator?" asked Aramis.

"I think he is either a dull provincial person or a spy insearch of information."

"And you replied to him with that notion?"

"Nothing warranted me to answer him otherwise; he was politeto me and I was so to him."

"But if he be a spy - - "

"What do you think a spy would be about here? We are notliving in the time of Cardinal Richelieu, who would haveclosed the ports on bare suspicion."

"It matters not; you were wrong to reply to him as you did,"continued Aramis, following with his eyes the young man, nowvanishing behind the cliffs.

"And you," said Athos, "you forget that you committed a verydifferent kind of imprudence in pronouncing Lord de Winter'sname. Did you not see that at that name the young manstopped?"

"More reason, then, when he spoke to you, for sending himabout his business."

"A quarrel?" asked Athos.

"And since when have you become afraid of a quarrel?"

"I am always afraid of a quarrel when I am expected at anyplace and when such a quarrel might possibly prevent myreaching it. Besides, let me own something to you. I amanxious to see that young man nearer."

"And wherefore?"

"Aramis, you will certainly laugh at me, you will say that Iam always repeating the same thing, you will call me themost timorous of visionaries; but to whom do you see aresemblance in that young man?"

"In beauty or on the contrary?" asked Aramis, laughing.

"In ugliness, in so far as a man can resemble a woman."

"Ah! Egad!" cried Aramis, "you set me thinking. No, in truthyou are no visionary, my dear friend, and now I think of it- you - yes, i'faith, you're right - those delicate, yetfirm-set lips, those eyes which seem always at the commandof the intellect and never of the heart! Yes, it is one ofMilady's bastards!"

"You laugh Aramis."

"From habit, that is all. I swear to you, I like no betterthan yourself to meet that viper in my path."

"Ah! here is De Winter coming," said Athos.

"Good! one thing now is only awanting and that is, that ourgrooms should not keep us waiting."

"No," said Athos. "I see them about twenty paces behind mylord. I recognize Grimaud by his long legs and hisdetermined slouch. Tony carries our muskets."

"Then we set sail to-night?" asked Aramis, glancing towardthe west, where the sun had left a single golden cloud,which, dipping into the ocean, appeared by degrees to beextinguished.

"Probably," said Athos.

"Diable!" resumed Aramis, "I have little fancy for the seaby day, still less at night; the sounds of wind and wave,the frightful movements of the vessel; I confess I preferthe convent of Noisy."

Athos smiled sadly, for it was evident that he was thinkingof other things as he listened to his friend and movedtoward De Winter.

"What ails our friend?" said Aramis, "he resembles one ofDante's damned, whose neck Apollyon has dislocated and whoare ever looking at their heels. What the devil makes himglower thus behind him?"

When De Winter perceived them, in his turn he advancedtoward them with surprising rapidity.

"What is the matter, my lord?" said Athos, "and what putsyou out of breath thus?"

"Nothing," replied De Winter; "nothing; and yet in passingthe heights it seemed to me - - " and he again turnedround.

Athos glanced at Aramis.

"But let us go," continued De Winter; "let us be off; theboat must be waiting for us and there is our sloop at anchor- do you see it there? I wish I were on board already," andhe looked back again.

"He has seen him," said Athos, in a low tone, to Aramis.

They had reached the ladder which led to the boat. De Wintermade the grooms who carried the arms and the porters withthe luggage descend first and was about to follow them.

At this moment Athos perceived a man walking on the seashoreparallel to the jetty, and hastening his steps, as if toreach the other side of the port, scarcely twenty steps fromthe place of embarking. He fancied in the darkness that herecognized the young man who had questioned him. Athos nowdescended the ladder in his turn, without losing sight ofthe young man. The latter, to make a short cut, had appearedon a sluice.

"He certainly bodes us no good," said Athos; "but let usembark; once out at sea, let him come."

And Athos sprang into the boat, which was immediately pushedoff and which soon sped seawards under the efforts of fourstalwart rowers.

But the young man had begun to follow, or rather to advancebefore the boat. She was obliged to pass between the pointof the jetty, surmounted by a beacon just lighted, and arock which jutted out. They saw him in the distance climbingthe rock in order to look down upon the boat as it passed.

"Ay, but," said Aramis, "that young fellow is decidedly aspy."

"Which is the young man?" asked De Winter, turning around.

"He who followed us and spoke to us awaits us there;behold!"

De Winter turned and followed the direction of Aramis'sfinger. The beacon bathed with light the little straitthrough which they were about to pass and the rock where theyoung man stood with bare head and crossed arms.

"It is he!" exclaimed De Winter, seizing the arm of Athos;"it is he! I thought I recognized him and I was notmistaken."

"Whom do you mean?" asked Aramis.

"Milady's son," replied Athos.

"The monk!" exclaimed Grimaud.

The young man heard these words and bent so forward over therock that one might have supposed he was about toprecipitate himself from it.

"Yes, it is I, my uncle - I, the son of Milady - I, themonk - I, the secretary and friend of Cromwell - I knowyou now, both you and your companions."

In that boat sat three men, unquestionably brave, whosecourage no man would have dared dispute; nevertheless, atthat voice, that accent and those gestures, they felt achill access of terror cramp their veins. As for Grimaud,his hair stood on end and drops of sweat ran down his brow.

"Ah!" exclaimed Aramis, "that is the nephew, the monk, andthe son of Milady, as he says himself."

"Alas, yes," murmured De Winter.

"Then wait," said Aramis; and with the terrible coolnesswhich on important occasions he showed, he took one of themuskets from Tony, shouldered and aimed it at the young man,who stood, like the accusing angel, upon the rock.

"Fire!" cried Grimaud, unconsciously.

Athos threw himself on the muzzle of the gun and arrestedthe shot which was about to be fired.

"The devil take you," said Aramis. "I had him so well at thepoint of my gun I should have sent a ball into his breast."

"It is enough to have killed the mother," said Athos,hoarsely.

"The mother was a wretch, who struck at us all and at thosedear to us."

"Yes, but the son has done us no harm."

Grimaud, who had risen to watch the effect of the shot, fellback hopeless, wringing his hands.

The young man burst into a laugh.

"Ah, it is certainly you!" he cried. "I know you even betternow."

His mocking laugh and threatening words passed over theirheads, carried by the breeze, until lost in the depths ofthe horizon. Aramis shuddered.

"Be calm," exclaimed Athos, "for Heaven's sake! have weceased to be men?"

"No," said Aramis, "but that fellow is a fiend; and ask theuncle whether I was wrong to rid him of his dear nephew."

De Winter only replied by a groan.

"It was all up with him," continued Aramis; "ah I much fearthat with all your wisdom such mercy yet will prove supernalfolly."

Athos took Lord de Winter's hand and tried to turn theconversation.

"When shall we land in England?" he asked; but De Winterseemed not to hear his words and made no reply.

"Hold, Athos," said Aramis, "perhaps there is yet time. Seeif he is still in the same place."

Athos turned around with an effort; the sight of the youngman was evidently painful to him, and there he still was, infact, on the rock, the beacon shedding around him, as itwere, a doubtful aureole.

"Decidedly, Aramis," said Athos, "I think I was wrong not tolet you fire."

"Hold your tongue," replied Aramis; "you would make me weep,if such a thing were possible."

At this moment they were hailed by a voice from the sloopand a few seconds later men, servants and baggage wereaboard. The captain was only waiting for his passengers;hardly had they put foot on deck ere her head was turnedtowards Hastings, where they were to disembark. At thisinstant the three friends turned, in spite of themselves, alast look on the rock, upon the menacing figure whichpursued them and now stood out with a distinctness still.Then a voice reached them once more, sending this threat:"To our next meeting, sirs, in England."