
In this thrilling middle portion of the classic swash‑buckling saga, the inseparable trio of musketeers—Athos, Porthos, and Aramis—find themselves drawn into a tense encounter behind the Luxembourg gardens. An English party of equally skilled gentlemen arrives, each bearing mysterious names that hint at hidden identities. The two groups agree to a duel, and the air crackles as swords flash under the setting sun, revealing the distinct styles of the famed heroes: Athos’s calm precision, Porthos’s bold confidence, and Aramis’s swift, poetic grace.
The combat quickly escalates, showcasing each musketeer’s courage and quick thinking. D’Artagnan, ever the daring newcomer, steps in with a clever defensive maneuver that turns the tide. As the clash reaches its climax, secrets begin to surface—particularly Athos’s concealed past—adding a layer of intrigue to the already fierce rivalry. The scene ends with the musketeers victorious yet left to ponder the true identities of their opponents and the consequences that may follow.
Language
fr
Duration
~11 hours (640K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Claudine Corbasson, Hans Pieterse and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF/Gallica) at http://gallica.bnf.fr)
Release date
2018-10-30
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1802–1870
Best known for The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, this wildly popular French storyteller helped define the adventure novel. His life was dramatic too, shaped by family history that reached from France to Saint-Domingue, now Haiti.
View all books
1813–1888
Best known as Alexandre Dumas’s behind-the-scenes collaborator, he helped shape some of the most famous adventure novels of the 19th century. A historian, dramatist, and novelist in his own right, he spent much of his life balancing literary success with a long fight for proper credit.
View all books