Ten Years Later. Dumas Alexandre

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СКАЧАТЬ according to his judgment in an undertaking which is described below. On the day when M. d'Artagnan shall have re-established, by whatever means, his majesty King Charles II. upon the throne of England, he will pay into the hands of M. Planchet the sum of – "

      "The sum of a hundred and fifty thousand livres," said Planchet, innocently, perceiving that D'Artagnan hesitated.

      "Oh, the devil, no!" said D'Artagnan, "the division cannot be made by half; that would not be just."

      "And yet, monsieur; we each lay down half," objected Planchet, timidly.

      "Yes; but listen to this clause, my dear Planchet, and if you do not find it equitable in every respect when it is written, well, we can scratch it out again: – 'Nevertheless, as M. d'Artagnan brings to the association, besides his capital of twenty thousand livres, his time, his idea, his industry and his skin, – things which he appreciates strongly, particularly the last, – M. d'Artagnan will keep, of the three hundred thousand livres two hundred thousand livres for himself, which will make his share two-thirds."

      "Very well," said Planchet.

      "Is it just?" asked D'Artagnan.

      "Perfectly just, monsieur."

      "And you will be contented with a hundred thousand livres?"

      "Peste! I think so. A hundred thousand for twenty thousand!"

      "And in a month, understand."

      "How, in a month?"

      "Yes, I only ask one month."

      "Monsieur," said Planchet, generously, "I give you six weeks."

      "Thank you," replied the musketeer, politely; after which the two partners reperused their deed.

      "That is perfect, monsieur," said Planchet, "and the late M. Coquenard, the first husband of Madame la Baronne du Vallon, could not have done it better."

      "Do you find it so? Let us sign it, then." And both affixed their signatures.

      "In this fashion," said D'Artagnan, "I shall be under obligations to no one."

      "But I shall be under obligations to you," said Planchet.

      "No; for whatever store I set by it, Planchet, I may lose my skin yonder, and you will lose all. A propos – peste! – that makes me think of the principal, an indispensable clause. I shall write it: – 'In the case of M. d'Artagnan dying in this enterprise, liquidation will be considered made, and the Sieur Planchet will give quittance from that moment to the shade of Messire d'Artagnan for the twenty thousand livres paid by him into the hands of the said company.'"

      This last clause made Planchet knit his brows a little, but when he saw the brilliant eye, the muscular hand, the supple and strong back of his associate, he regained his courage, and, without regret, he at once added another stroke to his signature. D'Artagnan did the same. Thus was drawn the first known company contract; perhaps such things have been abused a little since, both in form and principle.

      "Now," said Planchet, pouring out the last glass of Anjou wine for D'Artagnan, – "now go to sleep, my dear master."

      "No," replied D'Artagnan; "for the most difficult part now remains to be done, and I will think over that difficult part."

      "Bah!" said Planchet; "I have such great confidence in you, M. d'Artagnan, that I would not give my hundred thousand livres for ninety thousand livres down."

      "And devil take me if I don't think you are right!" Upon which D'Artagnan took a candle and went up to his bedroom.

      CHAPTER 21. In which D'Artagnan prepares to travel for the Firm of Planchet and Company

      D'Artagnan reflected to such good purpose during the night that his plan was settled by morning. "This is it," said he, sitting up in bed, supporting his elbow on his knee, and his chin in his hand; – "this is it. I shall seek out forty steady, firm men, recruited among people a little compromised, but having habits of discipline. I shall promise them five hundred livres for a month if they return, nothing if they do not return, or half for their kindred. As to food and lodging, that concerns the English, who have cattle in their pastures, bacon in their bacon-racks, fowls in their poultry-yards, and corn in their barns. I will present myself to General Monk with my little body of troops. He will receive me. I shall win his confidence, and take advantage of it, as soon as possible."

      But without going farther, D'Artagnan shook his head and interrupted himself. "No," said he; "I should not dare to relate this to Athos; the way is therefore not honorable. I must use violence," continued he, – "very certainly I must, but without compromising my loyalty. With forty men I will traverse the country as a partisan. But if I fall in with, not forty thousand English, as Planchet said, but purely and simply with four hundred, I shall be beaten. Supposing that among my forty warriors there should be found at least ten stupid ones – ten who will allow themselves to be killed one after the other, from mere folly? No; it is, in fact, impossible to find forty men to be depended upon – they do not exist. I must learn how to be contented with thirty. With ten men less I should have the right of avoiding any armed encounter, on account of the small number of my people; and if the encounter should take place, my chance is better with thirty men than forty. Besides, I should save five thousand francs; that is to say, the eighth of my capital; that is worth the trial. This being so, I should have thirty men. I shall divide them into three bands, – we will spread ourselves about over the country, with an injunction to reunite at a given moment; in this fashion, ten by ten, we should excite no suspicion – we should pass unperceived. Yes, yes, thirty – that is a magic number. There are three tens – three, that divine number! And then, truly, a company of thirty men, when all together, will look rather imposing. Ah! stupid wretch that I am!" continued D'Artagnan, "I want thirty horses. That is ruinous. Where the devil was my head when I forgot the horses? We cannot, however, think of striking such a blow without horses. Well, so be it, that sacrifice must be made; we can get the horses in the country – they are not bad, besides. But I forgot – peste! Three bands – that necessitates three leaders; there is the difficulty. Of the three commanders I have already one – that is myself; – yes, but the two others will of themselves cost almost as much money as all the rest of the troop. No; positively I must have but one lieutenant. In that case, then, I should reduce my troop to twenty men. I know very well that twenty men is but very little; but since with thirty I was determined not to seek to come to blows, I should do so more carefully still with twenty. Twenty – that is a round number; that, besides, reduces the number of the horses by ten, which is a consideration; and then, with a good lieutenant – Mordioux! what things patience and calculation are! Was I not going to embark with forty men, and I have now reduced them to twenty for an equal success? Ten thousand livres saved at one stroke, and more safety; that is well! Now, then, let us see; we have nothing to do but to find this lieutenant – let him be found, then; and after – That is not so easy; he must be brave and good, a second myself. Yes, but a lieutenant must have my secret, and as that secret is worth a million, and I shall only pay my man a thousand livres, fifteen hundred at the most, my man will sell the secret to Monk. Mordioux! no lieutenant. Besides, this man, were he as mute as a disciple of Pythagoras, – this man would be sure to have in the troop some favourite soldier, whom he would make his sergeant, the sergeant would penetrate the secret of the lieutenant, in case the latter should be honest and unwilling to sell it. Then the sergeant, less honest and less ambitious, will give up the whole for fifty thousand livres. Come, come! that is impossible. The lieutenant is impossible. But then I must have no fractions; I cannot divide my troop into two, and act upon two points, at once, without another self, who – But what is the use of acting upon two points, as we have only one man to take? What can be the good of weakening a corps by placing the right СКАЧАТЬ