Courtiers, being every instant more numerous, succeeded one another, day and night, in the little hou of the bridge of La Pierre, in whibsp;the cardinal had established his residence.
There were monks who wore the frobsp;with subsp;an ill grabsp;that it was easy to perceive they belonged to the churbsp;militant; women a little invenienbsp;by their e as pages and who large trours could not entirely ceal their rounded forms; and peasants with blaed hands but with fine limbs, sav of the man of quality a league off.
There were also less agreeable visits--for two or three times reports were spread that the cardinal had nearly been assassinated.
It is true that the enemies of the cardinal said that it was he himlf who t the bungling assassins to work, in order to have, if wanted, the right of using reprisals; but we must not believe everything ministers say, nor everything their enemies say.
The attempts did not prevent the cardinal, to whom his most ie detractors have never denied personal bravery, from making noal excursions, sometimes to unicate to the Dubsp;d''Angouleme important orders, sometimes to fer with the king, and sometimes to have an interview with a mesnger whom he did not wish to e at home.
On their part the Musketeers, who had not mubsp;to do with the siege, were not under very stribsp;orders and led a joyous life. This was the more easy for our three panions in particular; for being friends of M. de Treville, they obtained from him special permission to be abnt after the closing of the camp.