Join Host Bree Carlile as she reads the forty-sixth chapter of The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas.

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Welcome to Bite at a Time Books, where we read you your favorite classics one Bite at a Time.

My name is Brie Carlyle and I love to read and wanted to share my passion with listeners like you.

All of the links for our show are in the Show Notes Day.

We will be continuing the Three Musketeers by Alexandra Dumas 46 The Bastian St.

Gervais on arriving at the lodgings of his three friends, D'Artagnan found them assembled in the same Chamber Athos Was Meditating.

Porthos was twisting his mustache.

Aramis was saying his prayers in a charming little book of ours, bound in blue velvet.

Purdue gentleman, said he, I hope what you have to tell me is worth the trouble, or else I warn you, I will not pardon you for making me come here instead of getting a little rest.

After a night spent in talking and dismantling a bastion, why were you not there, gentlemen?

It was warm work.

We were in a place where it was not very cold, replied Porthos, giving his mustache a twist which was peculiar to him.

Hush, said Athos.

Oh, said D'Artagnan, comprehending the slight frown of the musketeer.

It appears there's something fresh aboard, Aramis, said Athos.

You went to breakfast the day before yesterday, at the end of the par.

Palliat, I believe?

Yes.

How did you fare?

For my part, I ate but little.

The day before.

Yesterday was a fish day, and they had nothing but meat.

What?

Said Athos.

No fish at a Seaport, they say, said Aramis, resuming his pious reading, that the Dike which the Cardinal is making drives them all out into the open sea.

But that is not quite what I mean to ask you, Aramis, replied Athos.

I want to know if you were left alone and nobody interrupted you.

Why, I think there were not many intruders.

Yes, Athos, I know what you mean.

We shall do very well at the propelliot.

Let us go to the Palliat then, for here the walls are like sheets of paper.

D'artagnan, who was accustomed to his friend's manner of acting and who perceived immediately by a word a gesture or a sign from him that the circumstances were serious, took Athos's arm and went out without saying anything.

Porthos followed, chatting with Aramis.

On their way they met grammar.

Athos made a sign to come with them, grimad according to custom, obeyed in silence.

The poor lad had nearly come to the path of forgetting how to speak.

They arrived at the drinking room of the Papilliat.

It was 07:00 in the morning, and daylight began to appear.

The three friends ordered breakfast and went into a room in which the hosts said they would not be disturbed.

Unfortunately, the hour was badly chosen for a private conference.

The morning drum had just been beaten.

Everyone shook off the drowsiness of night, and, to dispel the human morning air, came to take a drop at the Inn.

Dragoons, Swiss Guardsmen, Musketeers Light Horsemen succeeded one another with a rapidity which might answer the purpose of the host very well, but agreed badly with the views of the four friends.

Thus they applied very Curtly to the salutations healths and jokes of their companions.

I see how it will be, said Athos.

We shall get into some pretty quarrel or other, and we have no need of one just now.

D'artagnan, tell us what sort of a night you have had, and we will describe ours afterward.

Ah, yes, said a Light Horseman, with a glass of brandy in his hand, which he sipped slowly.

I hear you gentlemen of the guards have been in the trenches tonight, and that you did not get much the best of the Rochelles.

D'artagnan looked at Athos to know if he ought to reply to this intruder, who thus mixed unasked in their conversation.

Well, said Athos.

Don't you hear, Monsieur de Busigne, who does give the honor to ask you a question?

Relate what has passed during the night since these gentlemen desire to know it.

Have you not taken a Bastian?

Said a Swiss, who was drinking rum out of a beer glass.

Yes, Monsieur, said D'Artagnan, bowing.

We have had that honor.

We even have, as you may have heard, introduced a barrel of powder under one of the angles, which in blowing up made a very pretty breach, without reckoning that as the Bastian was not built yesterday, all the rest of the building was badly shaken.

And what bastion is it?

Asked Dragoon, with his Saber run through a goose, which he was taking to be cooked.

The Bastian Saint Gervais, replied D'Artagnan, from behind which the Rochellece annoyed our workmen.

Was that a fair hot?

Yes, moderately so.

We lost five men, and the Rochelleis eight or ten Basin blue, said the Swiss, who, notwithstanding the admirable collection of oaths possessed by the German language, had acquired a habit of swearing in French.

But it is probable, said the Light Horsemen, that they will send pioneers this morning to repair the bastion.

Yes, that's probable, said D'Artagnan.

Gentlemen, said Athos.

A wager.

A wager, cried the Swiss.

What is it?

Said the Light Horseman.

Stop a bit, said the Dragoon, placing his Sabre like a spit upon the two large iron dogs which held the firebrands in the chimney.

Stop a bit.

I am in it, you cursed host, a dripping pan immediately that I may not lose a drop of the fat of this esteemable bird.

You was right, said the Swiss.

Goose grease is cooled with Bastry there, said the Dragoon.

Now for the wager.

We listen, Monsieur Athos.

Yes, the wager, said the Light Horsemen.

Well, Monsieur Deusing, I will bet you, said Athos, that my three companions, Monsieurs Porthos, Ermis, and D'Artagnan and myself, will go in breakfast in the Bastion Saint Gervais, and we will remain there an hour by the watch, whatever the enemy may do to dislodge us.

Porthos and Aramis looked at each other, they began to comprehend.

But, said D'Artagnan, in the air of Athos, you are going to get us all killed without mercy.

We are much more likely to be killed, said Athos, if we do not go.

My faith gentleman, said Porthos, turning round upon his chair and twisting his mustache.

That's a fair bet, I hope.

I take it, said Monsieur debusigni So.

Let us fix the stake.

You are four gentlemen, said Athos, and we are four.

An unlimited dinner for eight.

Will that do?

Capitally, said Monsieur.

Debuting me perfectly, said the Dragoon that shoots me, said the Swiss, the fourth auditor, who during all this conversation had played a mute part, made a sign of the head in proof that he acquiesced in the proposition.

The breakfast for these gentlemen is ready, said the host.

Well, bring it in, said Athos.

The host obeyed.

Athos called grammar, pointed to a large basket which lay in a corner, and made a sign to him to wrap the Vyons up in the napkins.

Grahamad understood that it was to be a breakfast on the grass, took the basket, packed up the Vyons, added the bottles, and then took the basket on his arm.

But where are you going to eat my breakfast?

Ask the host what matter if you are paid for it?

Said Athos, and he threw two Pistoles majestically on the table.

Shall I give you the change, my officer?

Said the host.

No, only add two bottles of champagne, and the difference will be for the napkins.

The host had not quite so good a bargain as he had at first hoped for, but he made amends by slipping in two bottles of Anjou wine instead of two bottles of champagne.

Monsieur Debut, said Athos, will you be so kind as to set your watch with mine, or permit me to regulate mine by yours, would you please, Monsieur?

Said the light Horseman, drawing from his fob a very handsome watch studded with diamonds.

Half past 735 minutes after seven, said Athos, by which you perceive I am five minutes faster than you.

And bowing to all the astonished persons present, the young men took the road to the Bastian St.

Gervais, followed by Grahamud, who carried the basket, ignorant of where he was going, but in the passive obedience which Athos had taught him, not even thinking of asking, as long as they were within the circle of the camp, the four friends did not exchange one word.

Besides, they were followed by the curious, who, hearing of the wager, were anxious to know how they would come out of it.

But when, once they passed the line of circumvalation and found themselves in the open plain, D'Artagnan, who was completely ignorant of what was going forward, thought it was time to demand an explanation.

And now, my dear, Athos said, he knew me the kindness to tell me where we are going.

Why, you see plainly enough, we're going to the bastion.

But what are we going to do there?

You know well that we go to breakfast there.

But why did we not breakfast at the Parliament?

Because we have very important matters to communicate to one another, and it was impossible to talk five minutes in that Inn without being annoyed by all those unfortunate fellows who kept coming in saluting you and addressing you here at least, said Athos, pointing to the bastion, they will not come and disturb us.

It appears to me, said D'Artagnan, with that prudence which allied itself in him so naturally with excessive bravery, that we could have found some retired place on the downs or the seashore where we should have been seen all four conferring together, so that at the end of a quarter of an hour the Cardinal would have been informed by his spies that we were holding a Council.

Yes, said Aramis, Athos is right, and amid adventurer in desert is a desert would not have been amiss, said Porthos, but it behooved us to find it.

There is no desert where a bird cannot pass over one's head, where a fish cannot leap out of the water, where a rabbit cannot come out of its Burrow.

And I believe that bird, fish and rabbit each become a spy of the Cardinal better than pursue our enterprise, from which Besides, we cannot retreat without shame.

We have made a wager, a wager which could not have been foreseen, and of which I defy anyone to define the true cause we are going in order to win it, to remain an hour in the bastion whether we shall be attacked or not.

If we are not, we shall have all the time to talk and nobody will hear us, for I guarantee the walls of the bastion have no ears.

If we are, we will talk of our affairs just the same.

Moreover, in defending ourselves, we shall cover ourselves with glory.

You see that everything is to our advantage.

Yes, said D'Artagnan, but we shall indubitably attract a ball.

Well, my dear, replied Athos, you know well that the balls most to be dreaded are not from the enemy.

But for such an expedition we surely ought to have brought our muskets.

You are stupid, friend, Porthos.

Why should we load ourselves with a useless burden?

I don't find a good musket.

Twelve cartridges and a powder flask very useless in the face of an enemy.

Well, replied Athos, have you not heard what D'Artagnan said?

What did he say?

Demanded Porthos.

D'artagnan said that in the attack of last night, eight or ten Frenchmen were killed and as many rochalis.

What then?

The bodies were not plundered, were they?

It appears the conquerors had something else to do.

Well, we shall find their muskets, their cartridges and their flasks, and instead of four musketoons and twelve balls, we shall have 15 guns and 100 charges to fire.

O Athos, said Aramis.

Truly you are a great man, Porthos, nodded in sign of agreement.

D'artagnan alone did not seem convinced.

Grahamad, no doubt shared the misgivings of the young man for seeing that they continued to advance toward the Bastion, something he had till then doubted.

He pulled his master by the skirt of his coats.

Where are we going?

Ask he by a gesture.

Athos pointed to the Bastion, but said Grammar, in the same silent dialect, we shall leave our skins there.

Athos raised his eyes and his finger toward heaven.

Grammar put his basket on the ground and sat down with a shake of the head.

Athos took a pistol from his belt, looked to see if it was properly primed, cocked it, and placed the muzzle close to Grammar's ear.

Grammar was on his legs again, as if by a spring.

Athos then made him assign to take up his basket and to walk on first.

Grahamad obeyed.

All that Grammar gained by this momentary pantomime was to pass from the rear guard to the Vanguard.

Arrived at the Bastion, the four friends turned round.

More than 300 soldiers of all kinds were assembled at the gate of the camp, and in a separate group might be distinguished Monsieur de Busigne, the Dragoon, the Swiss, and the fourth batter.

Athos took off his hat, placed it on the end of his sword and waved it in the air.

All the spectators returned him his salute, accompanying this courtesy with a loud hurrah which was audible to the fore, after which all four disappeared in the Bastion.

Whither Grammar had preceded them.

Thank you for joining Bite At A Time Books today while we read a bite of one of your favorite classics.

All of the links for our show are in the show notes.

We are part of the Bite At A Time Books Productions Network.

If you ever wondered what inspired your favorite classic novelist to write their stories, what was happening in their lives or the world at the time, check out Bite At A Time Books Behind The Story Tuesdays wherever you listen to podcasts again.