The Three Musketeers

Retold By Pauline Francis

Description

Classic novels

Sujets

• Literacy
• Easy Reader
• Classics
• ELT

Informations

• Publié par: Read Zone
• Date de parution: 01 septembre 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781783227389
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

THE THREE MUSKETEERS

Retold by Pauline Francis
ReadZone Books Limited


First published in this edition 2014
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of ReadZone Books Limited.
© copyright in the text Pauline Francis, 2014 © copyright in this edition ReadZone Books Ltd 2014
The right of the Author to be identified as the Author of this work had been asserted by the Author in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Printed in Malta by Melita Press
Every attempt has been made by the Publisher to secure appropriate permissions for material reproduced in this book. If there has been any oversight we will be happy to rectify the situation in future editions or reprints. Written submissions should be made to the Publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data (CIP) is available for this title.
ISBN 978-1-78322-738-9
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THE THREE MUSKETEERS

Chapter One    The Three Musketeers
Chapter Two    A Four-edged Sword
Chapter Three Secret Letters and Journeys
Chapter Four   To England
Chapter Five    A Gruesome Tale
Chapter Six     Milady
Chapter Seven Ambush
Chapter Eight The Plot Thickens
Chapter Nine   A Prisoner
Chapter Ten    Revenge!
Introduction
Alexandre Dumas was born in 1802, in France. His father died when he was only four years old, and he received a poor education.
The Three Musketeers was published as a newspaper serial in 1844. It tells the story of d’Artagnan, a country boy who travels to Paris to seek his fortune and, hopefully, to join the musketeers – the bodyguards of the King of France. He meets three musketeers; Athos, Porthos and Aramis. Together, they foil a dangerous plot against King Louis and his Queen, Anne – and against their own lives.
It is a tale of great adventure and daring, with enormous twists and turns in the plot. Some of the characters and events are true. The story is set in the reign of King Louis XIII of France (1601-43), who allowed Cardinal richelieu to make most of the decisions in running the country. France was a roman Catholic country, and the story also tells of the time when French Protestants (called Huguenots) were holding out against the King’s army in La Rochelle: the siege of La Rochelle. Charles I was on the throne of england. The Duke of Buckingham was very unpopular in england because he supported the Huguenots.
Alexandre Dumas is also well known as the author of The Count of Monte Cristo , which appeared as a newspaper serial during 1844 and 1845.
Dumas built a house called Chateau de Monte Cristo, which he had to sell when he was short of money. In the last years of his life, Dumas travelled widely in Europe. He died in 1870, at the age of 68, in Dieppe in northern France.
CHAPTER ONE
The Three Musketeers
One fine April morning, in 1625, a young man had just arrived in a small town to the south of Paris. He was eighteen years old, tall and thin, and shabbily dressed. He had an honest face with a hooked nose and a jutting jaw. A long sword hung from his shoulder strap. This young man, who had no money to his name, was called d’Artagnan and he was making his way to Paris to seek his fortune.
Unfortunately, a crowd had gathered to make fun of his horse, a slow and yellow-coloured creature. It had been a parting gift from d’Artagnan’s father. His father had also given him this advice: ‘Stand no nonsense from anyone except the King or his Cardinal; show courage, for that is the only way to succeed in life; and if you see a good opportunity, take it.’
In his pocket, d’Artagnan carried a letter of introduction to Monsieur de Treville, the captain of the musketeers – the men who guarded King Louis of France. D’Artagnan wanted one thing more than anything else: to become a musketeer himself.
As d’Artagnan dismounted at the inn, he saw a gentleman standing at a half-open window. He was about forty, pale-faced with a large nose and a well trimmed moustache. He was dressed in purple. D’Artagnan noticed a faint scar on his cheek, which could have been made by a bullet.
‘Don’t laugh at me, sir,’ he told the man.
‘I don’t often laugh, sir,’ the stranger replied. ‘But if I wish to laugh, then I shall.’
D’Artagnan lunged at him with his sword. They fought for some time until d’Artagnan dropped his sword, breaking the blade. The innkeeper hit him over the head, causing him to faint. When the innkeeper searched d’Artagnan’s pockets, he found the letter addressed to Monsieur de Treville and gave it to the stranger.
‘Could de Treville have sent that boy to fight me?’ the man thought. ‘He’s young, I know, but a sword’s a sword, whoever thrusts it.’
As d’Artagnan regained consciousness and prepared to leave the inn, he saw his enemy talking to a woman through a coach window. She was beautiful, fair-haired and pale-skinned, with large blue eyes and rose-red lips. The man handed her a box and called her Milady.
‘Your instructions are in here,’ he said. ‘Do not open it until you reach england. Let the Cardinal know the moment that the Duke of Buckingham leaves for Paris. That is where I am headed now.’
Then he rode off at top speed.
When d’Artagnan rode into Paris a few days later, he sold his horse. With the money, he rented a room and prepared to meet Monsieur de Treville who, according to his father, was the third most important man in France.
De Treville was a courageous and loyal man and a great friend of King Louis. He guarded him well with his loyal band of musketeers. Cardinal richelieu, the King’s advisor, was also determined to have his own bodyguards. There was much quarrelling and rivalry between the two groups of musketeers.
At de Treville’s house, d’Artagnan found about sixty musketeers waiting outside. His heart was thumping hard.
On the staircases, men were playing sword games. He watched and listened and learned.
One of the musketeers attracted attention because of his strange clothes. He wore a sky-blue doublet and his magnificent shoulder belt was trimmed with lace. A long crimson cloak hung from his shoulders. His name was Porthos. His friend, a fellow musketeer called Aramis, was younger. His eyes were dark and dreamy, his face innocent and his skin soft. He said very little, but he was always smiling and bowing.