# The Gascon and the Italian explained — Twenty Years After

> Chapter companion for Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas.

## What happens

Cardinal Mazarin, seeking to employ d'Artagnan for a secret mission, recalls the musketeer's past service to the queen and offers him money to reunite his old friends Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. D'Artagnan, suspicious of Mazarin's frugality, accepts the commission but is disappointed to find the advance payment is only silver crowns.

## Themes in this chapter

### Class and Ambition

D'Artagnan's desire to make his fortune and Mazarin's manipulation of rank and reward underscore the theme of ambition within a rigid class structure.

### Power and Corruption

Mazarin's secretive dealings and his use of the queen's diamond as a token of trust illustrate the corrupting influence of political power.

## Character check-ins

### D'Artagnan

Awakened by Mazarin, he is offered a secret mission and tasked with reuniting his three former friends. He accepts the commission but is wary of Mazarin's stinginess.

### Mazarin

The cardinal recruits d'Artagnan, using the queen's diamond as proof of trust, and provides a small bag of silver for expenses, revealing his cautious and parsimonious nature.

### Athos

Named by d'Artagnan as the Count de la Fère, formerly known as Athos, one of the three friends to be sought out for the cardinal's service.

### Porthos

Named by d'Artagnan as Monsieur du Vallon, formerly called Porthos, another of the three friends to be recruited.

### Aramis

Named by d'Artagnan as the Chevalier d'Herblay, now Abbé d'Herblay, formerly styled Aramis, the third friend to be located.

### Bernouin

The cardinal's valet, who stands at the door and is called to undress Mazarin after the interview.

## Key lines

> Crown pieces only—silver pieces! I suspected it. Ah! Mazarin! Mazarin! thou hast no confidence in me! so much the worse for thee, for harm may come of it!

D'Artagnan discovers the bag contains only silver coins, not gold, and mutters that Mazarin's lack of trust may lead to trouble.

_Reveals d'Artagnan's disappointment and foreshadows potential conflict with the cardinal._

> For a hundred pistoles I have discovered a secret for which Richelieu would have paid twenty thousand crowns; without reckoning the value of that diamond—which is worth, at least, ten thousand francs.

Mazarin gloats that he obtained valuable information for a pittance, contrasting his thrift with Richelieu's generosity.

_Highlights Mazarin's cunning and miserly character._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/twenty_years_after_se/chapters/v-the-gascon-and-the-italian
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/twenty_years_after_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/twenty_years_after_se/chapters