THE MAN IK THE IRON MASK. 421 tioned by monseigneur, replied that he saw plainly three mortal wounds out of eight, but so strong was the constitu- tion of the wounded, so rich was he in youth, and so merci- ful was the goodness of God, that perhaps Monsieur de Bragelonne might recover, particularly if he did not move in the slightest manner. Frere Sylvain added, turning toward his assistants, ^Above everything, do not allow him to move even a finger, or you will kill him;' and we all left the tent in very low spirits. That secretary I have mentioned, on leaving the tent, thought he perceived a faint and sad smile glide over the lips of Monsieur de Bragelonne when the duke said to him, in a cheerful, kind voice, *We shall save you, vicomte, we shall save you!'
- In the evening, when it was believed the wounded young
man had taken some repose, one of the assistants entered his tent, but rushed immediately out again, uttering loud cries. We all ran up in disorder, Monsieur le Due with us, and the assistant pointed to the body of Monsieur de Brage- lonne upon the ground, at the foot of his bed, bathed in the remainder of his blood. It appeared that he had had some convulsion, some febrile movement, and that he had fallen, that the fall had accelerated his end, according to the prognostic of Frere Sylvain. We raised the vicomte; he was cold and dead. He held a lock of fair hair in his right hand, and that hand was pressed tightly upon his heart." Then followed the details of the expedition, and of the victory obtained over the Arabs. D'Artagnan stopped at the account of the death of poor Raoul.
- '0h!" murmured he, '^unhappy boy! a suicide!"
And turning his eyes toward the chamber of the chdteau, in which Athos slept in eternal sleep: '*They kept their words with each other," said he, in a low voice; **now I believe them to be happy; they must be reunited." And he returned through the parterre with slow and melancholy steps. All the village — all the neighborhood — were filled with grieving neighbors relating to each other the double catastrophe, and making preparations for the
funeral.
