The king, however, who sought distraction, while traveling as fast as possible—­for he was anxious to be in Paris by the twenty-third—­stopped from time to time to fly the magpie, a pastime for which the taste had been formerly inspired in him by de Luynes, and for which he had always preserved a great predilection.  Out of the twenty Musketeers sixteen, when this took place, rejoiced greatly at this relaxation; but the other four cursed it heartily.  D’Artagnan, in particular, had a perpetual buzzing in his ears, which Porthos explained thus:  “A very great lady has told me that this means that somebody is talking of you somewhere.”

At length the escort passed through Paris on the twenty-third, in the night.  The king thanked M. de Treville, and permitted him to distribute furloughs for four days, on condition that the favored parties should not appear in any public place, under penalty of the Bastille.

The first four furloughs granted, as may be imagined, were to our four friends.  Still further, Athos obtained of M. de Treville six days instead of four, and introduced into these six days two more nights—­for they set out on the twenty-fourth at five o’clock in the evening, and as a further kindness M. de Treville post-dated the leave to the morning of the twenty-fifth.

“Good Lord!” said d’Artagnan, who, as we have often said, never stumbled at anything.  “It appears to me that we are making a great trouble of a very simple thing.  In two days, and by using up two or three horses (that’s nothing; I have plenty of money), I am at Bethune.  I present my letter from the queen to the superior, and I bring back the dear treasure I go to seek—­not into Lorraine, not into Belgium, but to Paris, where she will be much better concealed, particularly while the cardinal is at La Rochelle.  Well, once returned from the country, half by the protection of her cousin, half through what we have personally done for her, we shall obtain from the queen what we desire.  Remain, then, where you are, and do not exhaust yourselves with useless fatigue.  Myself and Planchet are all that such a simple expedition requires.”

To this Athos replied quietly:  “We also have money left—­for I have not yet drunk all my share of the diamond, and Porthos and Aramis have not eaten all theirs.  We can therefore use up four horses as well as one.  But consider, d’Artagnan,” added he, in a tone so solemn that it made the young man shudder, “consider that Bethune is a city where the cardinal has given rendezvous to a woman who, wherever she goes, brings misery with her.  If you had only to deal with four men, d’Artagnan, I would allow you to go alone.  You have to do with that woman!  We four will go; and I hope to God that with our four lackeys we may be in sufficient number.”

“You terrify me, Athos!” cried d’Artagnan.  “My God! what do you fear?”

“Everything!” replied Athos.

D’Artagnan examined the countenances of his companions, which, like that of Athos, wore an impression of deep anxiety; and they continued their route as fast as their horses could carry them, but without adding another word.