Twenty Years After · Chapter
XLII: Another Queen in Want of Help explained
Athos and Aramis prepare to depart on a secret mission, exchanging letters and funds with d'Artagnan and Porthos.
What happens
Athos and Aramis prepare to depart on a secret mission, exchanging letters and funds with d'Artagnan and Porthos. They meet Lord de Winter and visit the impoverished Queen Henrietta of England at the Louvre, where she seeks their aid.
Themes in this chapter
Friendship and Loyalty
D'Artagnan sends half his purse to Athos and Aramis, and Athos writes to d'Artagnan expressing enduring affection and trust.
Poverty and Suffering
Queen Henrietta's impoverished court at the Louvre is described with bare walls, broken windows, and no servants.
Characters to notice
- Athos
Prepares for departure, writes to d'Artagnan, and visits Queen Henrietta.
- Aramis
Joins Athos in the journey, receives letters from Porthos and d'Artagnan, and visits the queen.
- D'Artagnan
Sends money and a letter to Athos and Aramis, expressing affection and support.
- Porthos
Sends a purse and letter to Aramis via Bazin.
- Lord de Winter
Meets Athos and Aramis to escort them to Queen Henrietta.
- Queen Henrietta
Receives Athos, Aramis, and Lord de Winter at the Louvre in her impoverished state.
Key passages
“My dear Count — When one travels, and especially for three months, one never has a superfluity of money. Now, recalling former times of mutual distress, I send you half my purse; it is money to obtain which I made Mazarin sweat.”
D'Artagnan writes to Athos that travelers always need money, so he sends half his purse, which he got by making Mazarin pay.
D'Artagnan's letter to Athos offering financial help.
“Large rooms, completely stripped of furniture, bare walls upon which, here and there, shone the old gold moldings which had resisted time and neglect, windows with broken panes (impossible to close), no carpets, neither guards nor servants: this is what first met the eyes of Athos.”
The rooms at the Louvre were nearly empty, with only a few gold moldings left, broken windows, and no servants or guards.
Description of Queen Henrietta's impoverished palace.