Twenty Years After Twenty Years After Twenty Years After () is a novel by Alexandre Dumas, first serialized from January to August 1845. A book of "The d'Artagnan Romances", it is a sequel to "The Three Musketeers" and precedes "The Vicomte de Bragelonne" (which includes the sub-plot "Man in the Iron Mask"). The novel follows events in France during the Fronde, during the childhood reign of Louis XIV, and in England near the end of the English Civil War, leading up to the victory of Oliver Cromwell and the execution of King Charles I. Through the words of the main characters, particularly Athos,
After Twenty Years and Jimmy Wells have an agreement to meet after twenty years on a particular spot near a restaurant. While Bob is waiting, a policeman arrives and they begin to talk as Bob boasts of how well he has fared meanwhile. Later, "Jimmy Wells" arrives and as they walk into a lighted area, Bob discovers that this is not the real Jimmy he knew. Characteristic of O. Henry's surprise endings to stories, the story ends with the revelation that the policeman who met Bob earlier was Jimmy Wells, but lacking heart to arrest his own friend who he recognizes to be