The Clio messenger., 1921-11-24


TO convey a letter from Charles 1 OF
England to Queen Henrietta, who Is
an exile In France, telling of the des-
perate straits In which he Is placed by
the troops OF Oliver Cromwell and d.
recting her to entreat Mazarln to grant
him asylum. Henrietta goes to plead
with the cardinal, but Is preceded by
Mordaunt, who Is an envoy of Crom-
well, bearing from the Puritan leader
the message that ito receive King
Charles will be equal to fragrant hostil-
tiles"
The queens petition is accordingly
refused, and she is In great despair !;
but De Winter tells her there are four
men who might be able to save her
husband. OF the four Athos and Ara
mis- are persuaded to make the ven-
ture, and they leave for Boulogne Sc
cretly, followed and spied upon by
MOrdaunt, leaving D'Artagnan and
Porthos in the service of Mazarin.
But affairs grow worse in Paris
The archbishop of the city is ridiculed
at court when he warns the queen not
to provoke civil war, and though the
cardinal tries to assuage his anger
by a gift of gold, he goes forth as a
leader of the Frondists and instructs
his curateS to excite insurrection.
Count de RochefOrt commands de-
tachment of soldiers, and Able Scar
ron, the Beggar of st. Eustache, dis
plays signal from the tower of st.
Jacques which summons thousands to
barricade the streets.
Every Frondist wears straw in his
hat. Everywhere there are cries of
"Down with Mazarin"-'Iong live
Broussel." Riot is rampant In all
parts of the city and the tumult
swells to a revolution. The mob
presses forward to the very gates of
the royal palace. demanding the re-
lease of Counsellor Broussel. who has
been imprisoned. "Never!" cries the
queen, but the gates are stormed and
she yields, and Broussel is enthusi-
astically welcomed by the populace.
Affairs are now so serious that the
IL
agnan and Porthos effect her escape
and that Of Mazarin, and the court Is
established at st. Germain; after
which the two cavaliers are sent to
England with a message from Mazarin
to Cromwell. They are ordered to obey
an officer who proves to be Mordaunt,
Of whom Aramis has by letter warned
them to beware. They make their way
to the royalist camp at Newcastle,
where Mordaunt bribes the Scotch
Highlanders to desert their king, and
when Charles attempts to escape. an
engagement takes place, during which
D'Artagnan and Porthos take two
prisoners, who turn out to be their
old friends Athos and Aramis. Nor
daunt recognizes them and is, by Crom-
well, allowed to dispose OF them as he
will, but they get away before he can
seize them.
The four musketeers meet and re-
solve to rescue King Charles. They
get the captain Of his guard into a
game of cards and make the attempt,
but Mordaunt appears with soldiers
and they flee to London, disguise them
selves, and attend the trial and exc
cution of the king. They corner Nor
daunt In Cromwell's house, but he es-
capes from them by a secret passage,
and they plan to get back to France.
They engage a vessel to take them
across the channel. but Mordaunt is
ahead Of them. hiding in the cabin.
There are five barrels of powder
aboard which he intends to explode
after making his escape In a small
boat. But his diabolical plan is dis
covered, and the four friends with
their servants cut the small boat
adrift; the vessel blows up and Nor
daunt, trying to drown Athos, is
killed.
The musketeers reach France and
find the Parisians furious. The queen,
having been asked to retire, had an
swered with a threat, and the popu
lace demanded that Mazarin retire at
once from court, and in a week from
France. Civil war ensues, and at the
battle Of Charenton Aramis and Athos
learn that D'Artagnan and Porthos
have been arrested. Athos goes to the
queen to secure their release and is
himself seized and all three are i'm
prisoned In the pavilion Of the or
angery at Rouel; but they overcome
the guard and seize Mazarin and bear
him away to Porthos chateau, where
they make him sign a treaty with the
Frondists, which is afterwards con-
flrmed by the queen.
Porthos obtains his barony and
D'Artagnan is made captain Of the
musketeers. The queen returns to
Paris. Aramis leaves for Normandy,
accompanied by Madame de Tongue
Vile. Athos retlres to his estate at
Bragelonne, Porthos goes back to
Bracieux.
D'Artagnan remains In the royal
service hoping some day to be mare
chal of France, saying to Madeleine,
his hostess: "Give me your apart
ment on the first floor, now that I
L. II