- Since the four have been searching for a means to equip themselves, they haven’t been spending much time together. They’ve been meeting only about once a week.
- When they meet this week, Porthos looks tranquil, D’Artagnan looks hopeful, Aramis looks uneasy, and Athos looks careless.
- Mousqueton interrupts their meeting and asks Porthos to come check the equipment.
- Soon after, Bazin arrives for Aramis, saying that a beggar is at Aramis’s house asking to see him. Aramis is reluctant until he learns the beggar is from Tours. (Remember that the woman Aramis loves is also from Tours!)
- Athos and D’Artagnan are left alone. Athos kids D’Artagnan about his method of rescuing Madame Bonacieux.
- The narrator then turns our attention to Aramis, who finds the beggar waiting. The beggar asks to be shown a certain handkerchief. Aramis produces it, and in turn, the beggar gives him a letter and one hundred and fifty Spanish double pistoles. The letter is from Aramis’s mistress, who asks Aramis to take the money and tells him that the beggar is really a Spanish count in disguise.
- Aramis is overcome with joy and kisses the letter over and over again.
- D’Artagnan shows up at the door; Aramis tells him that the money is from a publisher who has bought one of his poems.
- The two friends go over to Athos’s for dinner.
- Afterwards, they find Porthos with a mule and a horse. The horse is none other than the ridiculous yellow horse that D’Artagnan used to ride into Paris.
- Mousqueton believes that a trick is being played on them by the husband of the lawyer.
- He and Porthos return the animals.
- Madame Coquenard is confused, but Porthos soon visits and explains that the animals are not suitable. The Musketeer says he will find more generous friends, and the woman’s jealousy is inflamed. She promises that the two of them can talk about money later that evening.