Chapter XXI: In Which d’Artagnan Prepares to Travel

Spoiler Notice: This summary contains full plot details of Chapter 21. If you haven’t read it yet, you may wish to do so first.

Summary

D’Artagnan wakes having worked out his entire scheme overnight. He intends to recruit a small, reliable troop, sail to England, offer his services to General Monck, and then betray that trust at the opportune moment to restore the exiled king. Immediately his conscience checks him: such a dishonorable act would make him unable to face Athos. He revises the plan to a guerrilla operation, but then begins a ruthless, almost comic calculation of troop numbers.

At first he settles on forty men, then quickly reduces to thirty to save money and avoid the inevitability of one in four dying through stupidity. From thirty he drops to twenty, then to ten. Each reduction solves a practical problem: the expense of extra officers, the difficulty of moving undetected, the impossibility of finding forty truly dependable men. Ten men, disguised as drovers or clerks working for “the house of Planchet and Co.,” can slip through the English countryside unnoticed, arousing no suspicion. Even if their goods are confiscated as smuggled merchandise, the loss is minimal. D’Artagnan congratulates himself on saving fifteen thousand livres while improving the expedition’s chances.

Within thirty hours he scours Parisian taverns and recruits ten former guardsmen and adventurers, each chosen separately so they don’t know one another. He relieves their most urgent needs with a small advance of gold, then sends them to a rendezvous in Calais. He takes care not to tell Planchet about the drastic reduction in personnel, lest the grocer lose confidence. Planchet is thrilled to have raised an army and happily hands over twenty thousand livres—ten thousand of his own and ten of d’Artagnan’s. D’Artagnan, ever practical, decides to carry only Planchet’s half; his own money stays in Paris to earn interest. In case of his death, he writes a will leaving five thousand livres each to Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, to be passed to Raoul de Bragelonne, and five thousand to Planchet to compensate him for distributing the legacies. Planchet, moved to tears, refuses his share, but d’Artagnan insists.

D’Artagnan sets out in fine weather, his spirit high. He muses on his own character—a man of contradictions whose fears always drive him to confront danger. He reaches Calais at half past four and heads for the Grand Monarch Inn, expecting to find his ten recruits relaxing there.

Key Events

D’Artagnan, alone, mentally refines his invasion plan, reducing the troop from forty men to ten.
He recruits ten veteran swashbucklers individually in Paris and gives them orders to meet in Calais.
Planchet provides the full investment money, and d’Artagnan arranges to carry only half, leaving the rest to work in Paris.
D’Artagnan writes a will bequeathing his savings to Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and Raoul, with a portion to Planchet.
Planchet is deeply moved by the will but accepts its terms.
D’Artagnan departs for Boulogne and then Calais, reflecting on his nature and his past adventures.

Character Development

d’Artagnan: The chapter is a masterclass in his pragmatic genius. He starts with an impulsive, dishonorable plan but immediately checks himself out of loyalty to Athos. His internal arithmetic reveals a man who weighs every coin, every life, and every risk with cold precision, yet underneath lies a deep sense of friendship and a will to do right. His humor, his appetite for danger, and his self-awareness all shine during the journey north. The will shows the unbreakable bond with his three comrades and his surrogate son Raoul.
Planchet: Planchet remains the devoted former servant turned successful grocer. His excitement at funding a “little army” highlights both his ambition and his naive trust in d’Artagnan. When faced with his master’s will, his instinct is to give up the money out of loyalty; d’Artagnan’s knowing smile shows he predicted and managed that reaction perfectly. Planchet is not a fool—he is the sharpest grocer on the Rue des Lombards—but in this partnership he is the steady, generous financier, not the strategist.

Themes and Symbols

Prudence as strength: The entire monologue is a celebration of calculation. D’Artagnan’s reduction of the troop from forty to ten is not cowardice but the perfection of a plan, turning a likely disaster into a manageable venture.
The geometry of honor: Though d’Artagnan is willing to be duplicitous, he draws a line at a betrayal that would shame him in Athos’s eyes. This line is personal, not absolute, but it’s the only moral compass he obeys.
Friendship and legacy: The will transforms a financial necessity into a profound statement of loyalty. D’Artagnan ensures that even if he fails, his friends will remember him, and Raoul will be provided for. The five thousand livres to Planchet are a pragmatic bribe to guarantee the legacies are honoured.
The grocer-king parallel: Planchet, sitting in his shop like a throne room, finances a war; d’Artagnan compares the pair to Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, but inverts the joke by calling both men geniuses—one with a subtle mind, the other with rare mercantile sense.
Contradictions as virtue: D’Artagnan’s “intellectual spirit of contradiction” turns his vices into virtues. He starts at shadows and then boldly marches into them; he loves company but never bores himself. This duality is the engine of his success.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is the hinge between d’Artagnan’s decision to act and the beginning of the actual adventure. It shows the internal machinery of his mind in a way no battle scene could. By the time he reaches Calais, we understand exactly what he intends, how he plans to do it, and why he is willing to risk everything. The partnership with Planchet is cemented, and the emotional weight of the will reminds us that for all his cynicism, d’Artagnan’s true wealth is his friends. It also sets up the coming chapters: a handful of battered but dangerous men are about to attempt to topple a nation’s politics.

Study Questions and Answers

Why does d’Artagnan reject his first plan of winning General Monck’s trust and then betraying him? He realises that such a dishonorable action would make him unable to tell Athos about it. His loyalty to Athos acts as the one moral limit on his otherwise pragmatic ruthlessness.
What practical advantages does d’Artagnan gain by reducing his troop to ten men? Ten men draw no attention, can pass as drovers or laborers, avoid the need for a lieutenant who might betray the secret, save fifteen thousand livres, and force d’Artagnan to rely on prudence rather than reckless force. The small number makes a successful smuggling-style infiltration possible.
How does the episode of the will deepen our understanding of d’Artagnan and Planchet’s relationship? D’Artagnan anticipates Planchet’s reaction, writing a bequest that manipulates Planchet’s loyalty to ensure his friends get their legacies. Planchet’s tears and his refusal of the money show he is not merely a business partner but a devoted friend. The scene captures the blend of affection, calculation, and mutual respect that defines their unusual partnership.

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