Athos pressed the young man’s hand, and exclaimed, “Well, then!  Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and D’Artagnan, forward!”

The nine combatants rushed upon each other with fury, and the battle ended in the utter discomfiture of the cardinal’s guards, one of whom was slain and three badly wounded.  The musketeers returned walking arm in arm.  D’Artagnan marched between Athos and Porthos, his heart full of delight.

“If I am not yet a musketeer,” said he to his new friends, “at least, I have entered upon my apprenticeship, haven’t I?”

II.—­The Queen’s Diamonds

The king, always jealous of Richelieu’s guards, was extremely pleased when he heard from M. de Treville of the fight that had taken place.  He gave D’Artagnan a handful of gold, and promised him a place in the ranks of the musketeers at the first vacancy; in the meantime he was to join a company of royal guards.  From this time the life of the four young men became common, for D’Artagnan fell quite easily into the habits of his three friends.

Athos, who was scarcely thirty years old, was of great personal beauty and intelligence of mind.  He never spoke of women, he never laughed, rarely smiled, and his reserved and silent habits seemed to make him a much older man.

Porthos was exactly the opposite of Athos.  He not only talked much, but he talked loudly, not caring whether anyone listened to him.  He would talk about anything except the sciences, alleging that from childhood dated his inveterate hatred of learning.  The physical strength of Porthos was enormous, and with all the vanity of a child he was a thoroughly loyal and brave man.

As for Aramis, he always gave out that he intended to take orders in the Church, and was merely a musketeer for the time being.  Aramis revelled in intrigues and mysteries.

What the real names of his comrades were D’Artagnan had no idea.  That the names they bore had been assumed was all he knew.

The motto of the four was “all for one, one for all.”  D’Artagnan had already earned the dislike of Cardinal Richelieu by his part in the fight with the cardinal’s guards; it was not long before his daring gave greater cause for offence.

The king suspected his wife, Anne of Austria, of being in love with the Duke of Buckingham, and the cardinal suspected the queen of intriguing with Buckingham against France.  Now, a secret interview had taken place at the palace between Buckingham and the queen, and the cardinal, who employed spies everywhere, found out this as he found out everything, and determined to destroy the queen’s reputation, for there was deadly enmity between Anne of Austria and Richelieu.

Buckingham had received from the queen a set of diamond studs—­a present from the king—­as a keepsake; so the cardinal despatched a certain lady, a woman of rare beauty, known as “Milady,” to England, to get hold of two of these studs.