Forty-five - Everyman's Library Author:Alexandre Dumas Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER II. WHAT TOOK PLACE OUTSIDE THE PORTE ST. ANTOINE. One of the groups was formed of a considerable number of citizens. They surrounded four or five ... more »cavaliers of a martial appearance, whom the closing of the gates annoyed very much, as it seemed, for they cried with all their might, " The gate ! the gate ! " Robert Briquet advanced towards this group and began to cry louder than any of them, " The gate ! the gate !" One of the cavaliers, charmed at this, turned towards him and said, " Is it not shameful, Monsieur, that they should close the gates in open day as though the Spaniards or the English were besieging Paris ?" Robert Briquet looked attentively at the speaker, who seemed to be about forty-five years of age, and the principal personage in the group. " Yes, Monsieur," he replied, " you are right; but may I venture to ask what you think their motive is for these precautions ? " " Pardieu I the fear they have lest some one should eat their Salcede." " Cap de Bious!" said a voice, "a sad meal." Robert Briquet turned towards the speaker, whose voice had a strong Gascon accent, and saw a young man twenty to twenty-five years old, resting his hand on the crupper of the horse of the first speaker. His head was bare; be had probably lost his hat in the confusion. " But, as they say," replied Briquet, "that this Salcede belongs to M. de Guise — " " Bah ! they say that ? " "Then you. do not believe it, Monsieur?" " Certainly not," replied the cavalier ; " doubtless, if he had, the duke would not have let him be taken, or at all events would not have allowed him to be carried from Brussels to Paris bound hand and foot, without even trying to rescue him." " An attempt to rescue him," replied Briquet, " would have been very dangerous, because...« less