Milady's Favorite Monkey

A while back I heard Nic Brown reading from his novel-in-progress and his characters were discussing THE THREE MUSKETEERS and I thought, "I need to read THE THREE MUSKETEERS," and now I am, in the Richard Pevear translation. Ah! My vaunted suggestibility! How I love to boast and brag of it - two character flaws working together, like the chocolate and peanut butter in a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup of human frailty. I'm over halfway through the novel and so far there have been no owls, but this sentence gave me comfort and satisfaction: "He had turned around to play with Milady's favorite monkey, who had pulled him by the doublet."