Sunday, August 5, 2012

Chapter 29: Hunting for The Equipments


Summary
     I like the title of this chapter – ‘the equipments’ indeed! All the Musketeers have different plans for what to do in order to get money for ‘the equipments.’ Athos refuses to even try to get money, saying that he will wait for money to come to him. Good lord, he really has gone mad. Worse, he plans to get into a duel and die for the king if money fails to come to him within the fortnight allotted. Uh oh, suicidal thoughts? Athos needs professional help, I’m serious. Aramis is just sad, and does not know what to do. He writes poetry a bit. I’m not quite sure how that’s a plan, but we’ll let him be for now. Porthos decides to get money from his mistress. Will it work this time?

     Porthos goes to church one day, dressed finely by Mousqueton, and makes sure his mistress is watching him. D’Artagnan follows him, because that’s what d’Artagnan does. I understand d’Artagnan spying on enemies or strangers, but spying on his close friends is very rude behavior! Porthos does not notice his creepy friend and instead proceeds to make his mistress jealous by paying attention to a pretty young lady. The mistress, by the way, is described “rather yellow and rather dry.” Good catch, Porthos.  D’Artagnan, watching, can barely contain his excitement when he realizes that the woman Porthos is flirting with is none other than Milady! Porthos, of course, has no idea who Milady is, and once he has succeeded in making his mistress, Madame Coquenard, jealous, he leaves church with her to have a little chat. After dramatic jealousy and Porthos acting fake-offended a bunch, Madame Coquenard agrees to make it up to Porthos. She hints that when her ancient husband dies, she will get his money, and then she invites him over for dinner the following day. Porthos is hopeful that he will get a large share of Coquenard money. Wow, they both suck.

Reaction
     I have no clue what d’Artagnan is doing in church, but it helps propel the plot forward when he spots Milady! Porthos interacting with his mistress is not very pleasant to read about. Both Porthos and his mistress seem avaricious, Porthos is awful to pretend to love her, and the mistress is irritatingly oblivious to the fact that Porthos is using her. Ugh all around. As for Athos’s ‘plan,’ I hardly know what to say. Does he think money will come walking to him or something? As a side note, Milady is even more distasteful in my eyes since she is the only person in this novel who is described as having an actual slave.

     My favorite line was about the servants sharing their masters’ financial-based sorrow: “Mousqueton collected a store of crusts; Bazin, who had always been inclined to devotion, never quit the churches; Planchet watched the flight of flies; and Grimaud, whom the general distress could not induce to break the silence imposed by his master, heaved sighs enough to soften the stones.” They are adorable. 

1 comment:

glutenfreecupcakes said...

Awww, the servants really are adorable. If only their masters (employers?) were less awful.
I never thought I would be so glad that Milady is back!! I'm excited for the plot to get moving again!!

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