Chapter XXXVIII: In Which We See that the French Grocer Was Already Well Established in the 17th Century

Spoiler Notice: This page summarizes and analyzes Chapter 38 of Between Two Kings. It reveals plot details that appear late in the novel.

Summary

D’Artagnan and Athos ride from Boulogne to Paris, each lost in his own thoughts about the future. Upon reaching the city, Athos announces he is heading to his rented house on Rue Saint‑Honoré, while d’Artagnan plans to visit his business partner Planchet at the Golden Pestle. Athos warmly extends an open invitation for d’Artagnan to live with him at Blois or La Fère, tempting him with hunting, boating, and the repose of a retired soldier. D’Artagnan, though newly wealthy, feels awkward in his “cloak of riches” and needs time to adjust to fortune. Athos offers sage advice: a man who gains wealth late risks becoming either a miser or a spendthrift; d’Artagnan rejects both extremes.

They part, and d’Artagnan arrives at Planchet’s shop just as the grocery is closing. Keen to tease his old friend, he enters looking crestfallen and speaks in mournful tones. Believing their entire investment of twenty thousand livres is lost, Planchet turns pale, then rallies to offer d’Artagnan a partnership in the grocery and a share of whatever almonds and prunes remain. Unable to sustain the joke any longer, d’Artagnan breaks into laughter and directs Planchet’s attention to the street, where a packhorse carries paniers stuffed with coin‑laden sacks. Servants haul the bags upstairs. When Planchet sees the glittering mountain of silver and gold, he faints from shock and joy. D’Artagnan revives him with a glass of wine, then cheerfully declares that one hundred thousand livres belongs to Planchet as his partnership share.

Key Events

Paris arrival and parting – Athos and d’Artagnan reach Paris after four days. Athos goes to his lodging; d’Artagnan heads to the Golden Pestle.
Athos’s invitation – Athos invites d’Artagnan to enjoy a retired life at La Fère, Blois, or a property near Cheverny, praising the hunting and landscape.
Wealth advice – Athos warns that a late‑come fortune must be managed carefully to avoid miserliness or ruinous spending. D’Artagnan, still uncomfortable with his new wealth, admits he needs time to adapt.
The prank at Planchet’s shop – D’Artagnan arrives looking defeated and implies the expedition’s money is gone, terrifying Planchet.
Planchet’s loyalty – Believing they are ruined, Planchet offers to make d’Artagnan a grocer‑partner and share the last of the shop’s provisions.
Revelation of the fortune – D’Artagnan reveals the packhorse laden with money sacks. Planchet faints at the sight of the piled gold and silver.
Counting the windfall – D’Artagnan revives Planchet with wine and tells him to count out his share of one hundred thousand livres.

Character Development

D’Artagnan demonstrates a playful side rarely on display in earlier adventures. His impulse to “string Planchet along” shows both affection and a soldier’s sense of dark humor. More importantly, his conversation with Athos reveals a maturing self‑awareness: he recognizes that sudden wealth chafes like an un‑broken‑in cloak and that he must learn to wear it without becoming a caricature.
Athos appears as the steady, philosophic older soldier. He encourages d’Artagnan to seek a life of quiet dignity after soldiering, offering concrete pastoral pleasures. His advice on wealth—that one must neither hoard nor squander—reflects the balanced temperament that has defined him throughout the series.
Planchet evolves from a sharp business partner into a man of genuine heart. His immediate assumption that the money is lost does not lead to recrimination but to a loyal, almost tender offer to share his trade and his last scraps of food. His fainting spell upon seeing the coins is both comic and deeply human, underscoring the fragile boundary between hope and despair that a small shopkeeper walks.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

The burden and disguise of wealth – D’Artagnan’s “richly embroidered cloak” that itches figures fortune as a garment that must be worn in gradually. The metaphor suggests that identity, once tied to soldierly poverty, cannot instantly accommodate opulence.
Playful testing of loyalty – D’Artagnan’s morbid charade tests Planchet’s fidelity and reveals the grocer’s unconditional support. The chapter frames trust as something that must survive the temptation of despair just as it survives the temptation of greed.
The grocer as a 17th‑century merchant – Even in the midst of high adventure, Ellsworth grounds the story in everyday commerce. Planchet consults a calendar, draws a line through the day, and closes shop shutters; his world exists apart from musketeer heroics, yet it proves just as vital.
Comic catharsis – Planchet’s faint and revival with wine transform a potentially tense payout scene into a moment of physical release. Gold and silver become not just capital but objects that overwhelm the senses, almost supernatural in their effect.

Why This Chapter Matters

Structurally, this chapter closes the financial subplot launched when d’Artagnan took Planchet as an investor. By delivering the profits with theatrical flair, it rewards the grocer’s faith and anchors the story in a world where business partnerships matter as much as swordplay. Thematically, it deepens the friendship between d’Artagnan and Planchet, proving that loyalty runs both ways. Athos’s brief but weighty counsel also plants the seed of a quieter life, hinting that the age of reckless adventure may be drawing to a close. The humor of Planchet’s collapse lightens the tale just before the narrative moves toward more serious political entanglements, giving the reader a moment of pure, character‑driven comedy.

Study Questions and Answers

Why does Athos advise d’Artagnan to avoid becoming a miser or a spendthrift, and how does d’Artagnan respond?
Athos believes that wealth acquired late in life tempts a person to change—either by hoarding out of fear or by wasting money until poverty returns. Both extremes strip away one’s original character. D’Artagnan agrees with the danger: he has already lived poor and has no desire to return, yet debt terrifies him and patience is not his strength. He therefore hopes to find a middle way, though he admits the new “cloak” of riches still itches.
What role does Planchet’s offer to share his grocery business play in the chapter?
When Planchet believes the money is lost, he immediately offers d’Artagnan a partnership in the shop and a share of whatever food remains. The offer shows that Planchet values their bond far above profit. It also elevates the grocer from comic foil to moral anchor, proving that the “Golden Pestle” is a place where loyalty and dignity survive even when finances do not.
How does the chapter use physical comedy to highlight the impact of sudden wealth?
Planchet’s faint—and his revival by a splash of wine—turns the revelation of gold into a slapstick scene. The image of a respectable grocer sprawled on a heap of coins dramatises how wealth can overwhelm ordinary senses. The author wryly notes that “bathing in silver and gold” was already rare, making the moment both a joke and a commentary on the almost religious awe that money can inspire.