Twenty Years After Chapter 9 Summary

Summary

D’Artagnan follows Aramis’s directions and ascends into the Jesuit convent by a rope ladder; Aramis greets him in the guise of the Abbé d’Herblay. The apartment is richly furnished and filled with trophies and portraits, contradicting the austere image of a cleric. Bazin, Aramis’s servant, supplies a plentiful supper; the two old friends eat and trade banter, recalling past exploits and noting the changes age has brought. Aramis explains his ecclesiastical position, income, and daily life—selling sermons, keeping a refined household, fencing, and cultivating feminine elegance—while D’Artagnan probes his motives and temperament.

Their conversation turns to politics: D’Artagnan tries to recruit Aramis for a conspiratorial effort against Mazarin, laying out the fragile alliances among princes, the queen, and ministers. Aramis reveals skeptical, nuanced opinions about Mazarin and the state of parties, wavering between ambition and the comforts of his present life. Each man weighs loyalty to the king, the influence of powerful nobles, and the potential for civil strife. Ultimately Aramis declines to commit: he professes the neutrality of a priest and prefers to remain unpledged. After parting, D’Artagnan conceals himself in a hedge near the convent and watches; he surprises Aramis leaving in the company of a woman disguised as a cavalier and recognizes her by moonlight as the Duchess de Longueville, revealing Aramis’s deeper entanglements than his words suggested.

Key events

1. D’Artagnan climbs into Aramis’s apartment via ladder and is surprised by its luxury.
2. Bazin serves a lavish supper; Aramis and D’Artagnan reminisce and mock vows and age.
3. Aramis admits he sells sermons, fences regularly, and earns money despite clerical status.
4. D’Artagnan proposes political action against Mazarin and offers to recruit Aramis.
5. Aramis debates the risks and refuses to commit, claiming he is neutral as a priest.
6. After leaving, D’Artagnan hides and sees Aramis walking with a disguised woman, revealed as the Duchess de Longueville.

Analysis

This chapter deepens Aramis’s duplicity and complexity: outwardly the Abbé d’Herblay, he maintains the habits and vices of a soldier and courtier. The contrast between clerical vows and sumptuous domesticity foregrounds one of the novel’s recurring tensions—appearance versus reality and the porous boundary between sacred roles and secular ambition. Aramis’s casual description of selling sermons, fencing, and cultivating connections exposes the commercialization of religion and the adaptability of personal identity. The dinner scene also strengthens the old comradeship among protagonists while signaling changed priorities: D’Artagnan seeks action and loyalty; Aramis prefers ambivalence and opportunism.

The political discussion functions as exposition and suspense: readers learn contemporary alignments, the fragility of Mazarin’s power, and the princes’ potential roles, without definitive decisions. D’Artagnan’s attempt to enlist Aramis tests their friendship and reveals character differences—D’Artagnan’s bluntness and need for commitment versus Aramis’s cunning moderation. Narrative technique mixes intimate dialogue, ironic description, and a covert observation episode that culminates in a revealing tableau: Aramis’s nocturnal meeting with the Duchess of Longueville foreshadows hidden alliances and personal entanglements that complicate any straightforward political alignment. The moonlit recognition scene also evokes classic romantic intrigue and signals that Aramis’s neutrality may be only professed, not actual.

Important quotes

“Never was there an apartment at the same time more warlike and more elegant.”

NarratorDescribes the surprising luxury and martial decor of Aramis’s convent apartment, revealing his double life.

“I sell them to those of my cloth who wish to become great orators.”

AramisAramis admits he makes money by composing and selling sermons, exposing the commercialization of his clerical role.

Characters in Chapter 9

• Aramis
• D’Artagnan
• Bazin
• Planchet
• Madame de Longueville
• Duke of Beaufort
• Cardinal Mazarin
• Queen Anne of Austria
• Monsieur de Gondy
• Monsieur de Marsillac
• Porthos