The Man in the Iron Mask

第3章

"Him,wholeavesmetoperishinadungeon??No,no。?ForhimIhavenopity!"

"Somuchthebetter。"

"Hemighthavehimselfcometothisprison,havetakenmebythehand,andhavesaid,\'Mybrother,Heavencreatedustolove,nottocontendwithoneanother。?Icometoyou。?Abarbarousprejudicehascondemnedyoutopassyourdaysinobscurity,farfrommankind,deprivedofeveryjoy。?Iwillmakeyousitdownbesideme;Iwillbuckleroundyourwaistourfather\'ssword。?Willyoutakeadvantageofthisreconciliationtoputdownorrestrainme??Willyouemploythatswordtospillmyblood?\'?\'Oh!never,\'Iwouldhaverepliedtohim,\'Ilookonyouasmypreserver,Iwillrespectyouasmymaster。?YougivemefarmorethanHeavenbestowed;forthroughyouIpossesslibertyandtheprivilegeoflovingandbeinglovedinthisworld。\'"

"Andyouwouldhavekeptyourword,monseigneur?"

"Onmylife!?Whilenow—nowthatIhaveguiltyonestopunish—"

"Inwhatmanner,monseigneur?"

"WhatdoyousayastotheresemblancethatHeavenhasgivenmetomybrother?"

"Isaythattherewasinthatlikenessaprovidentialinstructionwhichthekingoughttohaveheeded;Isaythatyourmothercommittedacrimeinrenderingthosedifferentinhappinessandfortunewhomnaturecreatedsostartlinglyalike,ofherownflesh,andIconcludethattheobjectofpunishmentshouldbeonlytorestoretheequilibrium。"

"Bywhichyoumean—"

"ThatifI

restoreyoutoyourplaceonyourbrother\'sthrone,heshalltakeyoursinprison。"

"Alas!

there\'ssuchinfinityofsufferinginprison,especiallyitwouldbesoforonewhohasdrunksodeeplyofthecupofenjoyment。"

"Yourroyalhighnesswillalwaysbefreetoactasyoumaydesire;andifitseemsgoodtoyou,afterpunishment,youwillhaveitinyourpowertopardon。"

"Good。?Andnow,areyouawareofonething,monsieur?"

"Tellme,myprince。"

"ItisthatIwillhearnothingfurtherfromyoutillIamclearoftheBastile。"

"IwasgoingtosaytoyourhighnessthatIshouldonlyhavethepleasureofseeingyouonceagain。"

"Andwhen?"

"Thedaywhenmyprinceleavesthesegloomywalls。"

"Heavens!

howwillyougivemenoticeofit?"

"Bymyselfcomingtofetchyou。"

"Yourself?"

"Myprince,donotleavethischambersavewithme,orifinmyabsenceyouarecompelledtodoso,rememberthatIamnotconcernedinit。"

"AndsoI

amnottospeakawordofthistoanyonewhatever,savetoyou?"

"Saveonlytome。"?Aramisbowedverylow。?Theprinceofferedhishand。

"Monsieur,"

hesaid,inatonethatissuedfromhisheart,"onewordmore,mylast。?Ifyouhavesoughtmeformydestruction;ifyouareonlyatoolinthehandsofmyenemies;iffromourconference,inwhichyouhavesoundedthedepthsofmymind,anythingworsethancaptivityresult,thatistosay,ifdeathbefallme,stillreceivemyblessing,foryouwillhaveendedmytroublesandgivenmereposefromthetormentingfeverthathaspreyedonmeforeightlong,wearyyears。"

"Monseigneur,waittheresultsereyoujudgeme,"saidAramis。

"Isaythat,insuchacase,Iblessandforgiveyou。?If,ontheotherhand,youarecometorestoremetothatpositioninthesunshineoffortuneandglorytowhichIwasdestinedbyHeaven;ifbyyourmeansIamenabledtoliveinthememoryofman,andconferlusteronmyracebydeedsofvalor,orbysolidbenefitsbestoweduponmypeople;if,frommypresentdepthsofsorrow,aidedbyyourgeneroushand,Iraisemyselftotheveryheightofhonor,thentoyou,whomIthankwithblessings,toyouwillI

offerhalfmypowerandmyglory:thoughyouwouldstillbebutpartlyrecompensed,andyoursharemustalwaysremainincomplete,sinceIcouldnotdividewithyouthehappinessreceivedatyourhands。"

"Monseigneur,"

repliedAramis,movedbythepallorandexcitementoftheyoungman,"thenoblenessofyourheartfillsmewithjoyandadmiration。?Itisnotyouwhowillhavetothankme,butratherthenationwhomyouwillrenderhappy,theposteritywhosenameyouwillmakeglorious。?Yes;Ishallindeedhavebestoweduponyoumorethanlife,Ishallhavegivenyouimmortality。"

TheprinceofferedhishandtoAramis,whosankuponhiskneeandkissedit。

"Itisthefirstactofhomagepaidtoourfutureking,"saidhe。?"WhenIseeyouagain,Ishallsay,\'Goodday,sire。\'"

"Tillthen,"saidtheyoungman,pressinghiswanandwastedfingersoverhisheart,—"tillthen,nomoredreams,nomorestrainonmylife—myheartwouldbreak!?Oh,monsieur,howsmallismyprison—howlowthewindow—hownarrowarethedoors!?Tothinkthatsomuchpride,splendor,andhappiness,shouldbeabletoenterinandtoremainhere!"

"Yourroyalhighnessmakesmeproud,"saidAramis,"sinceyouinferitisIwhobroughtallthis。"?Andherappedimmediatelyonthedoor。?ThejailercametoopenitwithBaisemeaux,who,devouredbyfearanduneasiness,wasbeginning,inspiteofhimself,tolistenatthedoor。?Happily,neitherofthespeakershadforgottentosmotherhisvoice,eveninthemostpassionateoutbreaks。

"Whataconfessor!"saidthegovernor,forcingalaugh;"whowouldbelievethatacompulsoryrecluse,amanasthoughintheveryjawsofdeath,couldhavecommittedcrimessonumerous,andsolongtotellof?"

Aramismadenoreply。?HewaseagertoleavetheBastile,wherethesecretwhichoverwhelmedhimseemedtodoubletheweightofthewalls。?AssoonastheyreachedBaisemeaux\'squarters,"Letusproceedtobusiness,mydeargovernor,"saidAramis。

"Alas!"

repliedBaisemeaux。

"Youhavetoaskmeformyreceiptforonehundredandfiftythousandlivres,"saidthebishop。

"Andtopayoverthefirstthirdofthesum,"addedthepoorgovernor,withasigh,takingthreestepstowardshisironstrong—box。

"Hereisthereceipt,"saidAramis。

"Andhereisthemoney,"returnedBaisemeaux,withathreefoldsigh。

"Theorderinstructedmeonlytogiveareceipt;itsaidnothingaboutreceivingthemoney,"rejoinedAramis。?"Adieu,monsieurlegoverneur!"

Andhedeparted,leavingBaisemeauxalmostmorethanstifledwithjoyandsurpriseatthisregalpresentsoliberallybestowedbytheconfessorextraordinarytotheBastile。

ChapterII:

HowMoustonHadBecomeFatterwithoutGivingPorthosNoticeThereof,andoftheTroublesWhichConsequentlyBefellthatWorthyGentleman。

SincethedepartureofAthosforBlois,PorthosandD\'Artagnanwereseldomtogether。?Onewasoccupiedwithharassingdutiesfortheking,theotherhadbeenmakingmanypurchasesoffurniturewhichheintendedtoforwardtohisestate,andbyaidofwhichhehopedtoestablishinhisvariousresidencessomethingofthecourtlyluxuryhehadwitnessedinallitsdazzlingbrightnessinhismajesty\'ssociety。?D\'Artagnan,everfaithful,onemorningduringanintervalofservicethoughtaboutPorthos,andbeinguneasyatnothavingheardanythingofhimforafortnight,directedhisstepstowardshishotel,andpounceduponhimjustashewasgettingup。?Theworthybaronhadapensive—nay,morethanpensive—melancholyair。?Hewassittingonhisbed,onlyhalf—dressed,andwithlegsdanglingovertheedge,contemplatingahostofgarments,whichwiththeirfringes,lace,embroidery,andslashesofill—assortedhues,werestrewedalloverthefloor。?Porthos,sadandreflectiveasLaFontaine\'share,didnotobserveD\'Artagnan\'sentrance,whichwas,moreover,screenedatthismomentbyM。Mouston,whosepersonalcorpulency,quiteenoughatanytimetohideonemanfromanother,waseffectuallydoubledbyascarletcoatwhichtheintendantwasholdingupforhismaster\'sinspection,bythesleeves,thathemightthebetterseeitallover。?D\'ArtagnanstoppedatthethresholdandlookedinatthepensivePorthosandthen,asthesightoftheinnumerablegarmentsstrewingthefloorcausedmightysighstoheavethebosomofthatexcellentgentleman,D\'Artagnanthoughtittimetoputanendtothesedismalreflections,andcoughedbywayofannouncinghimself。

"Ah!"

exclaimedPorthos,whosecountenancebrightenedwithjoy;"ah!ah!?HereisD\'Artagnan。?Ishallthengetholdofanidea!"

AtthesewordsMouston,doubtingwhatwasgoingonbehindhim,gotoutoftheway,smilingkindlyatthefriendofhismaster,whothusfoundhimselffreedfromthematerialobstaclewhichhadpreventedhisreachingD\'Artagnan。?Porthosmadehissturdykneescrackagaininrising,andcrossingtheroomintwostrides,foundhimselffacetofacewithhisfriend,whomhefoldedtohisbreastwithaforceofaffectionthatseemedtoincreasewitheveryday。?"Ah!"herepeated,"youarealwayswelcome,dearfriend;

butjustnowyouaremorewelcomethanever。"

"Butyouseemtohavethemegrimshere!"exclaimedD\'Artagnan。

Porthosrepliedbyalookexpressiveofdejection。?"Well,then,tellmeallaboutit,Porthos,myfriend,unlessitisasecret。"

"Inthefirstplace,"returnedPorthos,"youknowIhavenosecretsfromyou。?This,then,iswhatsaddensme。"

"Waitaminute,Porthos;letmefirstgetridofallthislitterofsatinandvelvet!"

"Oh,nevermind,"saidPorthos,contemptuously;"itisalltrash。"

"Trash,Porthos!?Clothattwenty—fivelivresanell!gorgeoussatin!regalvelvet!"

"Thenyouthinktheseclothesare—"

"Splendid,Porthos,splendid!?I\'llwagerthatyoualoneinFrancehavesomany;andsupposeyouneverhadanymoremade,andweretolivetobeahundredyearsofage,whichwouldn\'tastonishmeintheveryleast,youcouldstillwearanewdressthedayofyourdeath,withoutbeingobligedtoseethenoseofasingletailorfromnowtillthen。"

Porthosshookhishead。

"Come,myfriend,"saidD\'Artagnan,"thisunnaturalmelancholyinyoufrightensme。?MydearPorthos,praygetitout,then。?Andthesoonerthebetter。"

"Yes,myfriend,soIwill:if,indeed,itispossible。"

"PerhapsyouhavereceivedbadnewsfromBracieux?"

"No:

theyhavefelledthewood,andithasyieldedathirdmorethantheestimate。"

"Thentherehasbeenafalling—offinthepoolsofPierrefonds?"

"No,myfriend:theyhavebeenfished,andthereisenoughlefttostockallthepoolsintheneighborhood。"

"PerhapsyourestateatVallonhasbeendestroyedbyanearthquake?"

"No,myfriend;onthecontrary,thegroundwasstruckwithlightningahundredpacesfromthech鈚eau,andafountainsprungupinaplaceentirelydestituteofwater。"

"Whatintheworldisthematter,then?"

"Thefactis,Ihavereceivedaninvitationforthef阾eatVaux,"saidPorthos,withalugubriousexpression。

"Well!

doyoucomplainofthat??Thekinghascausedahundredmortalheart—burningsamongthecourtiersbyrefusinginvitations。?Andso,mydearfriend,youarereallygoingtoVaux?"

"IndeedIam!"

"Youwillseeamagnificentsight。"

"Alas!?Idoubtit,though。"

"EverythingthatisgrandinFrancewillbebroughttogetherthere!"

"Ah!"

criedPorthos,tearingoutalockofhairinhisdespair。

"Eh!

goodheavens,areyouill?"criedD\'Artagnan。

"I

amasfirmasthePont—Neuf!?Itisn\'tthat。"

"Butwhatisit,then?"

"\'TisthatIhavenoclothes!"

D\'Artagnanstoodpetrified。?"Noclothes!?Porthos,noclothes!"hecried,"whenIseeatleastfiftysuitsonthefloor。"

"Fifty,truly;butnotonewhichfitsme!"

"What?

notonethatfitsyou??Butareyounotmeasured,then,whenyougiveanorder?"

"Tobesureheis,"answeredMouston;"butunfortunatelyIhavegottenstouter!"

"What!youstouter!"?"SomuchsothatIamnowbiggerthanthebaron。?Wouldyoubelieveit,monsieur?"

"Parbleu!itseemstomethatisquiteevident。"

"Doyousee,stupid?"saidPorthos,"thatisquiteevident!"

"Bestill,mydearPorthos,"resumedD\'Artagnan,becomingslightlyimpatient,"Idon\'tunderstandwhyyourclothesshouldnotfityou,becauseMoustonhasgrownstouter。"

"I

amgoingtoexplainit,"saidPorthos。?"YourememberhavingrelatedtomethestoryoftheRomangeneralAntony,whohadalwayssevenwildboarskeptroasting,eachcookeduptoadifferentpoint;sothathemightbeabletohavehisdinneratanytimeofthedayhechosetoaskforit。?Well,then,Iresolved,asatanytimeImightbeinvitedtocourttospendaweek,I

resolvedtohavealwayssevensuitsreadyfortheoccasion。"

"Capitallyreasoned,Porthos—onlyamanmusthaveafortunelikeyourstogratifysuchwhims。?Withoutcountingthetimelostinbeingmeasured,thefashionsarealwayschanging。"

"Thatisexactlythepoint,"saidPorthos,"inregardtowhichIflatteredmyselfIhadhitonaveryingeniousdevice。"

"Tellmewhatitis;forIdon\'tdoubtyourgenius。"

"YourememberwhatMoustononcewas,then?"

"Yes;

whenheusedtocallhimselfMousqueton。"

"Andyouremember,too,theperiodwhenhebegantogrowfatter?"

"No,notexactly。?Ibegyourpardon,mygoodMouston。"

"Oh!

youarenotinfault,monsieur,"saidMouston,graciously。?"YouwereinParis,andasforus,wewereatPierrefonds。"

"Well,well,mydearPorthos;therewasatimewhenMoustonbegantogrowfat。?Isthatwhatyouwishedtosay?"

"Yes,myfriend;andIgreatlyrejoiceovertheperiod。"

"Indeed,Ibelieveyoudo,"exclaimedD\'Artagnan。

"Youunderstand,"continuedPorthos,"whataworldoftroubleitsparedforme。"

"No,Idon\'t—byanymeans。"

"Lookhere,myfriend。?Inthefirstplace,asyouhavesaid,tobemeasuredisalossoftime,eventhoughitoccuronlyonceafortnight。?Andthen,onemaybetravelling;andthenyouwishtohavesevensuitsalwayswithyou。?Inshort,Ihaveahorroroflettinganyonetakemymeasure。?Confoundit!eitheroneisanoblemanornot。?Tobescrutinizedandscannedbyafellowwhocompletelyanalyzesyou,byinchandline—\'tisdegrading!?Here,theyfindyoutoohollow;there,tooprominent。?Theyrecognizeyourstrongandweakpoints。?See,now,whenweleavethemeasurer\'shands,wearelikethosestrongholdswhoseanglesanddifferentthicknesseshavebeenascertainedbyaspy。"

"Intruth,mydearPorthos,youpossessideasentirelyoriginal。"

"Ah!

youseewhenamanisanengineer—"

"AndhasfortifiedBelle—Isle—\'tisnatural,myfriend。"

"Well,Ihadanidea,whichwoulddoubtlesshaveprovedagoodone,butforMouston\'scarelessness。"

D\'ArtagnanglancedatMouston,whorepliedbyaslightmovementofhisbody,asiftosay,"YouwillseewhetherIamatalltoblameinallthis。"

"I

congratulatedmyself,then,"resumedPorthos,"atseeingMoustongetfat;andIdidallIcould,bymeansofsubstantialfeeding,tomakehimstout—alwaysinthehopethathewouldcometoequalmyselfingirth,andcouldthenbemeasuredinmystead。"

"Ah!"criedD\'Artagnan。?"Isee—thatsparedyoubothtimeandhumiliation。"

"Considermyjoywhen,afterayearandahalf\'sjudiciousfeeding—forIusedtofeedhimupmyself—thefellow—"

"Oh!?Ilentagoodhandmyself,monsieur,"saidMouston,humbly。

"That\'strue。?Considermyjoywhen,onemorning,IperceivedMoustonwasobligedtosqueezein,asIoncedidmyself,togetthroughthelittlesecretdoorthatthosefoolsofarchitectshadmadeinthechamberofthelateMadameduVallon,inthech鈚eauofPierrefonds。?And,bytheway,aboutthatdoor,myfriend,Ishouldliketoaskyou,whoknoweverything,whythesewretchesofarchitects,whooughttohavethecompassesrunintothem,justtoremindthem,cametomakedoorwaysthroughwhichnobodybutthinpeoplecanpass?"

"Oh,thosedoors,"answeredD\'Artagnan,"weremeantforgallants,andtheyhavegenerallyslightandslenderfigures。"

"MadameduVallonhadnogallant!"answeredPorthos,majestically。

"Perfectlytrue,myfriend,"resumedD\'Artagnan;"butthearchitectswereprobablymakingtheircalculationsonabasisoftheprobabilityofyourmarryingagain。"

"Ah!

thatispossible,"saidPorthos。?"AndnowIhavereceivedanexplanationofhowitisthatdoorwaysaremadetoonarrow,letusreturntothesubjectofMouston\'sfatness。?Butseehowthetwothingsapplytoeachother。?Ihavealwaysnoticedthatpeople\'sideasrunparallel。?Andso,observethisphenomenon,D\'Artagnan。?I

wastalkingtoyouofMouston,whoisfat,anditledusontoMadameduVallon—"

"Whowasthin?"

"Hum!?Isitnotmarvelous?"

"Mydearfriend,asavantofmyacquaintance,M。Costar,hasmadethesameobservationasyouhave,andhecallstheprocessbysomeGreeknamewhichIforget。"

"What!

myremarkisnotthenoriginal?"criedPorthos,astounded。?"IthoughtIwasthediscoverer。"

"Myfriend,thefactwasknownbeforeAristotle\'sdays—thatistosay,nearlytwothousandyearsago。"

"Well,well,\'tisnolesstrue,"saidPorthos,delightedattheideaofhavingjumpedtoaconclusionsocloselyinagreementwiththegreatestsagesofantiquity。

"Wonderfully—butsupposewereturntoMouston。?Itseemstome,wehavelefthimfatteningunderourveryeyes。"

"Yes,monsieur,"saidMouston。

"Well,"

saidPorthos,"Moustonfattenedsowell,thathegratifiedallmyhopes,byreachingmystandard;afactofwhichIwaswellabletoconvincemyself,byseeingtherascal,oneday,inawaistcoatofmine,whichhehadturnedintoacoat—awaistcoat,themereembroideryofwhichwasworthahundredpistoles。"

"\'Twasonlytotryiton,monsieur,"saidMouston。

"FromthatmomentIdeterminedtoputMoustonincommunicationwithmytailors,andtohavehimmeasuredinsteadofmyself。"

"A

capitalidea,Porthos;butMoustonisafootandahalfshorterthanyou。"

"Exactly!?Theymeasuredhimdowntotheground,andtheendoftheskirtcamejustbelowmyknee。"

"Whatamarvelousmanyouare,Porthos!?Suchathingcouldhappenonlytoyou。"

"Ah!

yes;payyourcompliments;youhaveamplegroundstogoupon。?Itwasexactlyatthattime—thatistosay,nearlytwoyearsandahalfago—thatIsetoutforBelle—Isle,instructingMouston(soasalwaystohave,ineveryevent,apatternofeveryfashion)tohaveacoatmadeforhimselfeverymonth。"

"AnddidMoustonneglectcomplyingwithyourinstructions??Ah!thatwasanythingbutright,Mouston。"

"No,monsieur,quitethecontrary;quitethecontrary!"

"No,heneverforgottohavehiscoatsmade;butheforgottoinformmethathehadgotstouter!"

"Butitwasnotmyfault,monsieur!yourtailornevertoldme。"

"Andthistosuchanextent,monsieur,"continuedPorthos,"thatthefellowintwoyearshasgainedeighteeninchesingirth,andsomylastdozencoatsarealltoolarge,fromafoottoafootandahalf。"

"Buttherest;thosewhichweremadewhenyouwereofthesamesize?"

"Theyarenolongerthefashion,mydearfriend。?WereItoputthemon,IshouldlooklikeafresharrivalfromSiam;andasthoughIhadbeentwoyearsawayfromcourt。"

"I

understandyourdifficulty。?Youhavehowmanynewsuits?nine?thirty—six?andyetnotonetowear。?Well,youmusthaveathirty—seventhmade,andgivethethirty—sixtoMouston。"

"Ah!

monsieur!"saidMouston,withagratifiedair。?"Thetruthis,thatmonsieurhasalwaysbeenverygeneroustome。"

"DoyoumeantoinsinuatethatIhadn\'tthatidea,orthatIwasdeterredbytheexpense??Butitwantsonlytwodaystothef阾e;Ireceivedtheinvitationyesterday;madeMoustonposthitherwithmywardrobe,andonlythismorningdiscoveredmymisfortune;andfromnowtillthedayafterto—morrow,thereisn\'tasinglefashionabletailorwhowillundertaketomakemeasuit。"

"Thatistosay,onecoveredalloverwithgold,isn\'tit?"

"I

wishitso!undoubtedly,allover。"

"Oh,weshallmanageit。?Youwon\'tleaveforthreedays。?TheinvitationsareforWednesday,andthisisonlySundaymorning。"

"\'Tistrue;butAramishasstronglyadvisedmetobeatVauxtwenty—fourhoursbeforehand。"

"How,Aramis?"

"Yes,itwasAramiswhobroughtmetheinvitation。"

"Ah!

tobesure,Isee。?YouareinvitedonthepartofM。Fouquet?"

"Bynomeans!bytheking,dearfriend。?Theletterbearsthefollowingaslargeaslife:\'M。leBaronduVallonisinformedthatthekinghascondescendedtoplacehimontheinvitationlist—\'"

"Verygood;butyouleavewithM。Fouquet?"

"AndwhenIthink,"criedPorthos,stampingonthefloor,"whenIthinkI

shallhavenoclothes,Iamreadytoburstwithrage!?Ishouldliketostranglesomebodyorsmashsomething!"

"Neitherstrangleanybodynorsmashanything,Porthos;Iwillmanageitall;putononeofyourthirty—sixsuits,andcomewithmetoatailor。"

"Pooh!

myagenthasseenthemallthismorning。"

"EvenM。Percerin?"

"WhoisM。Percerin?"

"Oh!

onlytheking\'stailor!"

"Oh,ah,yes,"saidPorthos,whowishedtoappeartoknowtheking\'stailor,butnowheardhisnamementionedforthefirsttime;"toM。Percerin\'s,byJove!?Iwasafraidhewouldbetoobusy。"

"Doubtlesshewillbe;butbeatease,Porthos;hewilldoformewhathewouldn\'tdoforanother。?Onlyyoumustallowyourselftobemeasured!"

"Ah!"

saidPorthos,withasigh,"\'tisvexatious,butwhatwouldyouhavemedo?"

"Do??Asothersdo;asthekingdoes。"

"What!

dotheymeasuretheking,too?doesheputupwithit?"

"Thekingisabeau,mygoodfriend,andsoareyou,too,whateveryoumaysayaboutit。"

Porthossmiledtriumphantly。?"Letusgototheking\'stailor,"hesaid;"andsincehemeasurestheking,I

think,bymyfaith,Imaydoworsethanallowhimtomeasureme!"

ChapterIII:

WhoMessireJeanPercerinWas。

Theking\'stailor,MessireJeanPercerin,occupiedaratherlargehouseintheRueSt。Honor?neartheRuedel\'ArbreSec。?Hewasamanofgreattasteinelegantstuffs,embroideries,andvelvets,beinghereditarytailortotheking。?TheprefermentofhishousereachedasfarbackasthetimeofCharlesIX。;fromwhosereigndated,asweknow,fancyinbraverydifficultenoughtogratify。?ThePercerinofthatperiodwasaHuguenot,likeAmbrosePar?

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