Chapter 39: A Vision

Summary

     At four o’clock, all the friends are hanging out at Athos’s apartment. I thought that they knew Athos’s house was watched and would meet somewhere else? Well, hopefully Milady does not spring an ambush on them. Suddenly, Planchet brings two letters for d’Artagnan. Worryingly, one is from the cardinal. The other is from a person who has familiar handwriting. He rips that one open eagerly. It tells him to meet her (the mysterious letter-sender claims to be a woman) at seven o’clock on the road to Chaillot. D’Artagnan seems to think it is Madame Bonacieux. His friends warn him that it is probably a trap, but d’Artagnan says that the risk is worth it, and the others agree to help him fight if it is an ambush. The other letter is even more disquieting. The cardinal asks to meet d’Artagnan at eight o’clock that evening. All his friends again advise him not to go, but d’Artagnan remembers that the last time he disobeyed the cardinal, Madame Bonacieux was kidnapped. Consequently, he resolves to make that appointment also and again have his friends ready to intervene if needed.

     Aramis provides a horse for d’Artagnan. He says a friend sent him horses (basically the duchesse continues to supply him). Porthos has also received a good quality horse from the contrite Madame Coquenard. Then, all the friends set off. They stop by M. de Treville’s on the way, and update him on the cardinal letter situation. He says that if they get into trouble, he will endeavor to assist. Then, they bid him goodbye and leave for the road to Chaillot. After a long time galloping fruitlessly, a carriage speeds by, and d’Artagnan sees a woman inside who resembles Madame Bonacieux. As the carriage flies by, she puts two fingers to her lips, as if to blow a kiss, but makes no other sign and speaks no words. As per the note’s instructions, d’Artagnan, with an effort, stops himself from following the carriage, which is going to Paris, and instead stops to discuss the event with his friends. All of them clearly saw a woman in the carriage putting her hand to her mouth. Athos is the only other friend that actually knows Madame Bonacieux, and he also thinks that the lady looked like her. He also thinks that he saw a man’s head in the carriage. D’Artagnan speculates that she is being transferred from one prison to another.

     Then, the Fearsome Four go back to Paris themselves, to make d’Artagnan’s appointment with the cardinal. They decide to get extra reinforcements. They get twelve other Musketeers to wait outside in case d’Artagnan is kidnapped. D’Artagnan is highly uneasy about his meeting, but he composes himself, and allows himself to be conducted into a private room. There, a man sits, writing what d’Artagnan thinks is poetry. The man then looks up, and d’Artagnan realizes that he is the cardinal.

Reaction

     The cardinal summoning d’Artagnan is exciting and suspenseful. Plot again! The rest is all very odd. Assuming that the lady was Madame Bonacieux, poor lady – she really shouldn’t have taken all that trouble for him. She has no idea how emotionally disloyal he has been. Also, if d’Artagnan goes back to searching for her and claiming he loves her as if the last few chapters never happened, I will be outraged. It’s bad enough that d’Artagnan got another clue without trying. The clue just came to him, like Athos’s money.

     My favorite line was d’Artagnan talking to himself as he walks to the cardinal’s office, because he is just so misguided: “d'Artagnan, my friend, you are brave, you are prudent, you have excellent qualities; but the women will ruin you!” Ahem. Well. The women will ruin you? More like you will ruin the women and also ruin yourself in the process.