The forty pistoles awarded by King Louis XIII eventually run out, plunging the four companions into severe financial distress. To survive, they rotate spending their personal funds, with Athos paying first, followed by Porthos, and finally Aramis, who resources himself by selling his theology books. When these resources are entirely exhausted, M. de TrĂ©ville provides a small advance on their pay, but it offers little relief. In a desperate final attempt to secure funds, Porthos gambles their last few pistoles, only to lose everything along with an additional twenty-five pistoles on credit. Destitution forces the group to scavenge for meals among outside acquaintances. Thanks to the previous generosity of Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, they secure several multi-guest invitations. In contrast, d'Artagnan, a newcomer to Paris, can only offer his friends a meager breakfast with a local priest and one dinner with a guardsman. Feeling deeply humiliated by his inability to reciprocate, d'Artagnan realizes that their fiercely loyal, four-man coalition must actively channel its collective strength toward a greater, world-changing purpose. His reflections are interrupted at four in the afternoon by a gentle knock at the door. Instructing his sleeping valet, Planchet, to open it, d'Artagnan is introduced to a modest, anxious bourgeois visitor who requests a private audience. The man introduces himself as M. Bonacieux, a retired draper and d'Artagnanâs landlord. Bonacieux reveals that his beautiful young wife, a loyal linen-maid to Queen Anne of Austria, was abducted the previous morning. He suspects the kidnapping is deeply rooted in dangerous court politics rather than romance. Through her godfather, M. de La Porte, Madame Bonacieux had learned that Cardinal Richelieu is vindictively persecuting the Queen. The Cardinal has allegedly forged a letter in the Queen's name to lure the English Duke of Buckingham into a trap in Paris, and the perpetrators likely want to interrogate or use Madame Bonacieux to spy on Her Majesty. When Bonacieux describes the high-ranking leader of the abductionâa dark-haired man of noble bearing with a swarthy complexion, piercing eyes, white teeth, and a distinct scar on his templeâd'Artagnan instantly recognizes his hated nemesis, the enigmatic stranger from Meung. Seizing the opportunity for dual vengeance, d'Artagnan listens as Bonacieux shows him a threatening letter warning him to halt his search under penalty of the Bastille. Motivated by three months of unpaid rent, the promise of free future lodging, and a potential gift of fifty pistoles, d'Artagnan commits to the cause. Suddenly, Bonacieux spots a cloaked figure watching the house from across the street. Identifying him as the culprit, d'Artagnan draws his sword and charges downstairs, brushing past Athos and Porthos while shouting that he has found the man from Meung. Fearing the impending violence, Bonacieux swiftly flees the apartment, leaving it completely empty when the two musketeers step inside.