D'Artagnan, the King Maker — page 132: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

The Musketeer’s Warrant. 121 _ “My letter ran: ‘My dear chevalier and companion- in-arms ep | “The duke wrote that if “Varech wrote it, but the duke fathered it.’ ‘Then ‘we thave here a great man who does not forget that we served with hhim—if we did not directly serve him—at the siege of La Rochelle. Great men’s memo- ries are improving since my father’s time, for he shed his blood under King Henry IV., and is but a simple country gentleman, with our domain of Artagnan in the hands of the Coquenards.”’ “As you must know the whereabouts of your friend, the Chevalier d’Artagnan, who has left the king’s service since the Peace of Cazal, I pray you to forward the in- closed to him.’ ” D’Artagnan frowned, puzzled. Why this roundabout method when his principal knew how to reach him di- rectly, as far as the Petrel was a fixture? “But you did not know where I was!” said he. “Not I, but Varech did. It ‘was he who said, in a friendly way, ‘If I were you, knowing how the cardinal values straightforwardness, I ‘would go straight to our friend.’ ” “Ha is “So I told my dame that I was ordered abroad on the king’s service.” D’Artagnan burst out a-laughing, to hide a tender feeling. Richelieu wanted to send him reinforcement, and believed that the valiant Porthos would be as wel- come to him as a hundred men. “Well, the inclosed?” asked he, sharply, to disguise that emotion. “Plague on the tailors! They never give me room in my clothing,” growled the other, rummaging his raiment, pockets and lining. “T stifle.” “But, my dear chevalier, your clothes have been soaked.” “But they warranted the Ypres cloth well shrunk.” “The fact is, Biscay water makes everything shrink— a ship is reduced to a faggot of broken wood in no time.” “Oh, I forgot—Madame du Vallon with her own hand sewed it up in my vest! I have it! Alackaday!” be- CORNICE OOOKS (CO iim