第39章

"Sayingthesewordsandwavinghissword，hehimselfrodetowardstheenemy。？Theregiments，rushinginhissteps，ranintheirturn，utteringcriesasterribleasthoseoftheArabswerewild。

"ThecombatcommencedoverthebodyofM。deBragelonne，andwithsuchinveteracywasitfoughtthatahundredandsixtyArabswereleftuponthefield，bythesideofatleastfiftyofourtroops。？ItwasalieutenantfromNormandywhotookthebodyofthevicomteonhisshouldersandcarrieditbacktothelines。？Theadvantagewas，however，pursued，theregimentstookthereservewiththem，andtheenemy\'spalisadeswereutterlydestroyed。？Atthreeo\'clockthefireoftheArabsceased;thehand—to—handfightlastedtwohours;itwasamassacre。？Atfiveo\'clockwewerevictoriousatallpoints;

theenemyhadabandonedhispositions，andM。leducorderedthewhiteflagtobeplantedonthesummitofthelittlemountain。？ItwasthenwehadtimetothinkofM。deBragelonne，whohadeightlargewoundsinhisbody，throughwhichalmostallhisbloodhadwelledaway。？Still，however，hehadbreathed，whichaffordedinexpressiblejoytomonseigneur，whoinsistedonbeingpresentatthefirstdressingofthewoundsandtheconsultationofthesurgeons。？ThereweretwoamongthemwhodeclaredM。deBragelonnewouldlive。？Monseigneurthrewhisarmsaroundtheirnecks，andpromisedthemathousandlouiseachiftheycouldsavehim。

"Thevicomteheardthesetransportsofjoy，andwhetherhewasindespair，orwhetherhesufferedmuchfromhiswounds，heexpressedbyhiscountenanceacontradiction，whichgaverisetoreflection，particularlyinoneofthesecretarieswhenhehadheardwhatfollows。？ThethirdsurgeonwasthebrotherofSylvaindeSaint—Cosme，themostlearnedofthemall。？Heprobedthewoundsinhisturn，andsaidnothing。？M。deBragelonnefixedhiseyessteadilyupontheskillfulsurgeon，andseemedtointerrogatehiseverymovement。？Thelatter，uponbeingquestionedbymonseigneur，repliedthathesawplainlythreemortalwoundsoutofeight，butsostrongwastheconstitutionofthewounded，sorichwasheinyouth，andsomercifulwasthegoodnessofGod，thatperhapsM。deBragelonnemightrecover，particularlyifhedidnotmoveintheslightestmanner。？Fr鑢eSylvainadded，turningtowardshisassistants，\'Aboveeverything，donotallowhimtomove，evenafinger，oryouwillkillhim;\'andweallleftthetentinverylowspirits。？ThatsecretaryIhavementioned，onleavingthetent，thoughtheperceivedafaintandsadsmileglideoverthelipsofM。deBragelonnewhenthedukesaidtohim，inacheerful，kindvoice，\'Wewillsaveyou，vicomte，wewillsaveyouyet。\'

"Intheevening，whenitwasbelievedthewoundedyouthhadtakensomerepose，oneoftheassistantsenteredhistent，butrushedoutagainimmediately，utteringloudcries。？Weallranupindisorder，M。leducwithus，andtheassistantpointedtothebodyofM。deBragelonneupontheground，atthefootofhisbed，bathedintheremainderofhisblood。？Itappearedthathehadsufferedsomeconvulsion，somedelirium，andthathehadfallen;thatthefallhadacceleratedhisend，accordingtotheprognosisofFr鑢eSylvain。？Weraisedthevicomte;hewascoldanddead。？Heheldalockoffairhairinhisrighthand，andthathandwastightlypresseduponhisheart。"

Thenfollowedthedetailsoftheexpedition，andofthevictoryobtainedovertheArabs。？D\'ArtagnanstoppedattheaccountofthedeathofpoorRaoul。？"Oh！"murmuredhe，"unhappyboy！asuicide！"？Andturninghiseyestowardsthechamberofthech鈚eau，inwhichAthossleptineternalsleep，"Theykepttheirwordswitheachother，"saidhe，inalowvoice;"nowIbelievethemtobehappy;theymustbereunited。"？Andhereturnedthroughtheparterrewithslowandmelancholysteps。？Allthevillage—alltheneighborhood—werefilledwithgrievingneighborsrelatingtoeachotherthedoublecatastrophe，andmakingpreparationsforthefuneral。

ChapterLX:

TheLastCantoofthePoem。

Onthemorrow，allthenoblesseoftheprovinces，oftheenvirons，andwherevermessengershadcarriedthenews，mighthavebeenseenarrivingindetachments。？D\'Artagnanhadshuthimselfup，withoutbeingwillingtospeaktoanybody。？Twosuchheavydeathsfallinguponthecaptain，socloselyafterthedeathofPorthos，foralongtimeoppressedthatspiritwhichhadhithertobeensoindefatigableandinvulnerable。？ExceptGrimaud，whoenteredhischamberonce，themusketeersawneitherservantsnorguests。？Hesupposed，fromthenoisesinthehouse，andthecontinualcomingandgoing，thatpreparationswerebeingmadeforthefuneralofthecomte。？Hewrotetothekingtoaskforanextensionofhisleaveofabsence。？Grimaud，aswehavesaid，hadenteredD\'Artagnan\'sapartment，hadseatedhimselfuponajoint—stoolnearthedoor，likeamanwhomeditatesprofoundly;then，rising，hemadeasigntoD\'Artagnantofollowhim。？Thelatterobeyedinsilence。？Grimauddescendedtothecomte\'sbed—chamber，showedthecaptainwithhisfingertheplaceoftheemptybed，andraisedhiseyeseloquentlytowardsHeaven。

"Yes，"

repliedD\'Artagnan，"yes，goodGrimaud—nowwiththesonhelovedsomuch！"

Grimaudleftthechamber，andledthewaytothehall，where，accordingtothecustomoftheprovince，thebodywaslaidout，previouslytobeingputawayforever。？D\'Artagnanwasstruckatseeingtwoopencoffinsinthehall。？InreplytothemuteinvitationofGrimaud，heapproached，andsawinoneofthemAthos，stillhandsomeindeath，and，intheother，Raoulwithhiseyesclosed，hischeekspearlyasthoseofthePallsofVirgil，withasmileonhisvioletlips。？Heshudderedatseeingthefatherandson，thosetwodepartedsouls，representedonearthbytwosilent，melancholybodies，incapableoftouchingeachother，howeverclosetheymightbe。

"Raoulhere！"murmuredhe。？"Oh！？Grimaud，whydidyounottellmethis？"

Grimaudshookhishead，andmadenoreply;buttakingD\'Artagnanbythehand，heledhimtothecoffin，andshowedhim，underthethinwinding—sheet，theblackwoundsbywhichlifehadescaped。？Thecaptainturnedawayhiseyes，and，judgingitwasuselesstoquestionGrimaud，whowouldnotanswer，herecollectedthatM。deBeaufort\'ssecretaryhadwrittenmorethanhe，D\'Artagnan，hadhadthecouragetoread。？TakinguptherecitaloftheaffairwhichhadcostRaoulhislife，hefoundthesewords，whichendedtheconcludingparagraphoftheletter:

"Monseigneurleduchasorderedthatthebodyofmonsieurlevicomteshouldbeembalmed，afterthemannerpracticedbytheArabswhentheywishtheirdeadtobecarriedtotheirnativeland;andmonsieurleduchasappointedrelays，sothatthesameconfidentialservantwhobroughtuptheyoungmanmighttakebackhisremainstoM。leComtedelaF鑢e。"

"Andso，"thoughtD\'Artagnan，"Ishallfollowthyfuneral，mydearboy—

I，alreadyold—I，whoamofnovalueonearth—andIshallscatterdustuponthatbrowIkissedbuttwomonthssince。？Godhaswilledittobeso。？Thouhastwilledittobeso，thyself。？I

havenolongertherighteventoweep。？Thouhastchosendeath;itseemedtotheeapreferablegifttolife。"

Atlengtharrivedthemomentwhenthechillremainsofthesetwogentlemenweretobegivenbacktomotherearth。？Therewassuchanaffluenceofmilitaryandotherpeoplethatuptotheplaceofthesepulture，whichwasalittlechapelontheplain，theroadfromthecitywasfilledwithhorsemenandpedestriansinmourning。？Athoshadchosenforhisresting—placethelittleinclosureofachapelerectedbyhimselfneartheboundaryofhisestates。？Hehadhadthestones，cutin1550，broughtfromanoldGothicmanor—houseinBerry，whichhadshelteredhisearlyyouth。？Thechapel，thusrebuilt，transported，waspleasingtotheeyebeneathitsleafycurtainsofpoplarsandsycamores。？ItwasministeredineverySunday，bythecur？oftheneighboringbourg，towhomAthospaidanallowanceoftwohundredfrancsforthisservice;andallthevassalsofhisdomain，withtheirfamilies，camethithertohearmass，withouthavinganyoccasiontogotothecity。

Behindthechapelextended，surroundedbytwohighhedgesofhazel，elderandwhitethorn，andadeepditch，thelittleinclosure—uncultivated，thoughgayinitssterility;becausethemossestheregrewthick，wildheliotropeandravenellestheremingledperfumes，whilefrombeneathanancientchestnutissuedacrystalspring，aprisonerinitsmarblecistern，andonthethymeallaroundalightedthousandsofbeesfromtheneighboringplants，whilstchaffinchesandredthroatssangcheerfullyamongtheflower—spangledhedges。？Itwastothisplaceth

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