第4章

andhadbeensparedbytheQueenofNavarre，thebeautifulMargot，astheyusedtowriteandsay，too，inthosedays;because，insooth，hewastheonlyonewhocouldmakeforherthosewonderfulriding—habitswhichshesolovedtowear，seeingthattheyweremarvelouslywellsuitedtohidecertainanatomicaldefects，whichtheQueenofNavarreusedverystudiouslytoconceal。？Percerinbeingsaved，made，outofgratitude，somebeautifulblackbodices，veryinexpensivelyindeed，forQueenCatherine，whoendedbybeingpleasedatthepreservationofaHuguenotpeople，onwhomshehadlonglookedwithdetestation。？ButPercerinwasaveryprudentman;andhavinghearditsaidthattherewasnomoredangeroussignforaProtestantthantobesmileduponbyCatherine，andhavingobservedthathersmilesweremorefrequentthanusual，hespeedilyturnedCatholicwithallhisfamily;andhavingthusbecomeirreproachable，attainedtheloftypositionofmastertailortotheCrownofFrance。？UnderHenryIII。，gaykingashewas，thispositionwasagrandastheheightofoneoftheloftiestpeaksoftheCordilleras。？NowPercerinhadbeenaclevermanallhislife，andbywayofkeepinguphisreputationbeyondthegrave，tookverygoodcarenottomakeabaddeathofit，andsocontrivedtodieveryskillfully;andthatattheverymomenthefelthispowersofinventiondeclining。？Heleftasonandadaughter，bothworthyofthenametheywerecalledupontobear;theson，acutterasunerringandexactasthesquarerule;thedaughter，aptatembroidery，andatdesigningornaments。？ThemarriageofHenryIV。andMariedeMedici，andtheexquisitecourt—mourningfortheafore—mentionedqueen，togetherwithafewwordsletfallbyM。deBassompi鑢e，kingofthebeauxoftheperiod，madethefortuneofthesecondgenerationofPercerins。？M。ConcinoConcini，andhiswifeGalliga？

whosubsequentlyshoneattheFrenchcourt，soughttoItalianizethefashion，andintroducedsomeFlorentinetailors;butPercerin，touchedtothequickinhispatriotismandhisself—esteem，entirelydefeatedtheseforeigners，andthatsowellthatConcinowasthefirsttogiveuphiscompatriots，andheldtheFrenchtailorinsuchesteemthathewouldneveremployanyother，andthusworeadoubletofhisontheverydaythatVitryblewouthisbrainswithapistolatthePontduLouvre。

AndsoitwasadoubletissuingfromM。Percerin\'sworkshop，whichtheParisiansrejoicedinhackingintosomanypieceswiththelivinghumanbodyitcontained。？NotwithstandingthefavorConcinoConcinihadshownPercerin，theking，LouisXIII。，hadthegenerositytobearnomalicetohistailor，andtoretainhiminhisservice。？AtthetimethatLouistheJustaffordedthisgreatexampleofequity，Percerinhadbroughtuptwosons，oneofwhommadehisd閎utatthemarriageofAnneofAustria，inventedthatadmirableSpanishcostume，inwhichRichelieudancedasaraband，madethecostumesforthetragedyof"Mirame，"andstitchedontoBuckingham\'smantlethosefamouspearlswhichweredestinedtobescatteredaboutthepavementsoftheLouvre。？AmanbecomeseasilynotablewhohasmadethedressesofaDukeofBuckingham，aM。deCinq—Mars，aMademoiselleNinon，aM。deBeaufort，andaMariondeLorme。？AndthusPercerinthethirdhadattainedthesummitofhisglorywhenhisfatherdied。？ThissamePercerinIII。，old，famousandwealthy，yetfurtherdressedLouisXIV。;andhavingnoson，whichwasagreatcauseofsorrowtohim，seeingthatwithhimselfhisdynastywouldend，hehadbroughtupseveralhopefulpupils。？Hepossessedacarriage，acountryhouse，men—servantsthetallestinParis;andbyspecialauthorityfromLouisXIV。，apackofhounds。？HeworkedforMM。deLyonneandLetellier，underasortofpatronage;butpoliticmanashewas，andversedinstatesecrets，heneversucceededinfittingM。Colbert。？Thisisbeyondexplanation;itisamatterforguessingorforintuition。？Greatgeniusesofeverykindliveonunseen，intangibleideas;theyactwithoutthemselvesknowingwhy。？ThegreatPercerin（for，contrarytotheruleofdynasties，itwas，aboveall，thelastofthePercerinswhodeservedthenameofGreat），thegreatPercerinwasinspiredwhenhecutarobeforthequeen，oracoatfortheking;hecouldmountamantleforMonsieur，theclockofastockingforMadame;but，inspiteofhissupremetalent，hecouldneverhitoffanythingapproachingacreditablefitforM。Colbert。？"Thatman，"heusedoftentosay，"isbeyondmyart;myneedlecanneverdothimdown。"？WeneedscarcelysaythatPercerinwasM。

Fouquet\'stailor，andthatthesuperintendenthighlyesteemedhim。？M。Percerinwasnearlyeightyyearsold，neverthelessstillfresh，andatthesametimesodry，thecourtiersusedtosay，thathewaspositivelybrittle。？HisrenownandhisfortuneweregreatenoughforM。lePrince，thatkingoffops，totakehisarmwhentalkingoverthefashions;andforthoseleasteagertopaynevertodaretoleavetheiraccountsinarrearwithhim;forMasterPercerinwouldforthefirsttimemakeclothesuponcredit，butthesecondnever，unlesspaidfortheformerorder。

Itiseasytoseeatoncethatatailorofsuchrenown，insteadofrunningaftercustomers，madedifficultiesaboutobliginganyfreshones。？AndsoPercerindeclinedtofitbourgeois，orthosewhohadbutrecentlyobtainedpatentsofnobility。？AstoryusedtocirculatethatevenM。deMazarin，inexchangeforPercerinsupplyinghimwithafullsuitofceremonialvestmentsascardinal，onefinedayslippedlettersofnobilityintohispocket。

ItwastothehouseofthisgrandllamaoftailorsthatD\'ArtagnantookthedespairingPorthos;who，astheyweregoingalong，saidtohisfriend，"Takecare，mygoodD\'Artagnan，nottocompromisethedignityofamansuchasIamwiththearroganceofthisPercerin，whowill，Iexpect，beveryimpertinent;forIgiveyounotice，myfriend，thatifheiswantinginrespectIwillinfalliblychastisehim。"

"Presentedbyme，"repliedD\'Artagnan，"youhavenothingtofear，eventhoughyouwerewhatyouarenot。"

"Ah！

\'tisbecause—"

"What？？HaveyouanythingagainstPercerin，Porthos？"

"I

thinkthatIoncesentMoustontoafellowofthatname。"

"Andthen？"

"Thefellowrefusedtosupplyme。"

"Oh，amisunderstanding，nodoubt，whichitwillbenowexceedinglyeasytosetright。？Moustonmusthavemadeamistake。"

"Perhaps。"

"Hehasconfusedthenames。"

"Possibly。？ThatrascalMoustonnevercanremembernames。"

"I

willtakeitalluponmyself。"

"Verygood。"

"Stopthecarriage，Porthos;hereweare。"

"Here！

howhere？？WeareattheHalles;andyoutoldmethehousewasatthecorneroftheRuedel\'ArbreSec。"

"\'Tistrue，butlook。"

"Well，Idolook，andIsee—"

"What？"

"Pardieu！thatweareattheHalles！"

"Youdonot，Isuppose，wantourhorsestoclamberupontheroofofthecarriageinfrontofus？"

"No。"

"Northecarriageinfrontofustomountontopoftheoneinfrontofit。？Northatthesecondshouldbedrivenovertheroofsofthethirtyorfortyotherswhichhavearrivedbeforeus。"

"No，youareright，indeed。？Whatanumberofpeople！？Andwhataretheyallabout？"

"\'Tisverysimple。？Theyarewaitingtheirturn。"

"Bah！？HavethecomediansoftheH魌eldeBourgogneshiftedtheirquarters？"

"No;

theirturntoobtainanentrancetoM。Percerin\'shouse。"

"Andwearegoingtowaittoo？"

"Oh，weshallshowourselvesprompterandnotsoproud。"

"Whatarewetodo，then？"

"Getdown，passthroughthefootmenandlackeys，andenterthetailor\'shouse，whichIwillanswerforourdoing，ifyougofirst。"

"Comealong，then，"saidPorthos。

Theyaccordinglyalightedandmadetheirwayonfoottowardstheestablishment。？ThecauseoftheconfusionwasthatM。

Percerin\'sdoorswereclosed，whileaservant，standingbeforethem，wasexplainingtotheillustriouscustomersoftheillustrioustailorthatjustthenM。Percerincouldnotreceiveanybody。？Itwasbruitedaboutoutsidestill，ontheauthorityofwhatthegreatlackeyhadtoldsomegreatnoblewhomhefavored，inconfidence，thatM。

Percerinwasengagedonfivecostumesfortheking，andthat，owingtotheurgencyofthecase，hewasmeditatinginhisofficeontheornaments，colors，andcutofthesefivesuits。？Some，contentedwiththisreason，wentawayagain，contentedtorepeatthetaletoothers，butothers，moretenacious，insistedonhavingthedoorsopened，andamongtheselastthreeBlueRibbons，intendedtotakepartsinaballet，whichwouldinevitablyfailunlessthesaidthreehadtheircostumesshapedbytheveryhandofthegreatPercerinhimself。？D\'Artagnan，pushingonPorthos，whoscatteredthegroupsofpeoplerightandleft，succeededingainingthecounter，behindwhichthejourneymantailorsweredoingtheirbesttoanswerqueries。？（WeforgottomentionthatatthedoortheywantedtoputoffPorthosliketherest，butD\'Artagnan，showinghimself，pronouncedmerelythesewords，"Theking\'sorder，"andwasletinwithhisfriend。）？Thepoorfellowshadenoughtodo，anddidtheirbest，toreplytothedemandsofthecustomersintheabsenceoftheirmaster，leavingoffdrawingastitchtoknitasentence;andwhenwoundedpride，ordisappointedexpectation，broughtdownuponthemtoocuttingarebuke，hewhowasattackedmadeadiveanddisappearedunderthecounter。？Thelineofdiscontentedlordsformedatrulyremarkablepicture。？Ourcaptainofmusketeers，amanofsureandrapidobservation，tookitallinataglance;

andhavingrunoverthegroups，hiseyerestedonamaninfrontofhim。？Thisman，seateduponastool，scarcelyshowedhisheadabovethecounterthatshelteredhim。？Hewasaboutfortyyearsofage，withamelancholyaspect，paleface，andsoftluminouseyes。？HewaslookingatD\'Artagnanandtherest，withhischinrestinguponhishand，likeacalmandinquiringamateur。？Onlyonperceiving，anddoubtlessrecognizing，ourcaptain，hepulledhishatdownoverhiseyes。？Itwasthisaction，perhaps，thatattractedD\'Artagnan\'sattention。？Ifso，thegentlemanwhohadpulleddownhishatproducedaneffectentirelydifferentfromwhathehaddesired。？Inotherrespectshiscostumewasplain，andhishairevenlycutenoughforcustomers，whowerenotcloseobservers，totakehimforameretailor\'sapprentice，perchedbehindtheboard，andcarefullystitchingclothorvelvet。？Nevertheless，thismanhelduphisheadtoooftentobeveryproductivelyemployedwithhisfingers。？D\'Artagnanwasnotdeceived，—nothe;andhesawatoncethatifthismanwasworkingatanything，itcertainlywasnotatvelvet。

"Eh！"

saidhe，addressingthisman，"andsoyouhavebecomeatailor\'sboy，MonsieurMoli鑢e！"

"Hush，M。d\'Artagnan！"repliedtheman，softly，"youwillmakethemrecognizeme。"

"Well，andwhatharm？"

"Thefactis，thereisnoharm，but—"

"Youweregoingtosaythereisnogoodindoingiteither，isitnotso？"

"Alas！

no;forIwasoccupiedinexaminingsomeexcellentfigures。"

"Goon—goon，MonsieurMoli鑢e。？Iquiteunderstandtheinterestyoutakeintheplates—Iwillnotdisturbyourstudies。"

"Thankyou。"

"Butononecondition;thatyoutellmewhereM。Percerinreallyis。"

"Oh！

willingly;inhisownroom。？Only—

"

"Onlythatonecan\'tenterit？"

"Unapproachable。"

"Foreverybody？"

"Everybody。？HebroughtmeheresothatImightbeatmyeasetomakemyobservations，andthenhewentaway。"

"Well，mydearMonsieurMoli鑢e，butyouwillgoandtellhimIamhere。"

"I！"

exclaimedMoli鑢e，inthetoneofacourageousdog，fromwhichyousnatchtheboneithaslegitimatelygained;"Idisturbmyself！？Ah！？Monsieurd\'Artagnan，howhardyouareuponme！"

"Ifyoudon\'tgodirectlyandtellM。PercerinthatIamhere，mydearMoli鑢e，"saidD\'Artagnan，inalowtone，"Iwarnyouofonething:

thatIwon\'texhibittoyouthefriendIhavebroughtwithme。"

Moli鑢eindicatedPorthosbyanimperceptiblegesture，"Thisgentleman，isitnot？"

"Yes。"

Moli鑢efixeduponPorthosoneofthoselookswhichpenetratethemindsandheartsofmen。？Thesubjectdoubtlessappearedaverypromisingone，forheimmediatelyroseandledthewayintotheadjoiningchamber。

ChapterIV:

ThePatterns。

Duringallthistimethenoblemobwasslowlyheavingaway，leavingateveryangleofthecountereitheramurmuroramenace，asthewavesleavefoamorscatteredseaweedonthesands，whentheyretirewiththeebbingtide。？InabouttenminutesMoli鑢ereappeared，makinganothersigntoD\'Artagnanfromunderthehangings。？Thelatterhurriedafterhim，withPorthosintherear，andafterthreadingalabyrinthofcorridors，introducedhimtoM。

Percerin\'sroom。？Theoldman，withhissleevesturnedup，wasgatheringupinfoldsapieceofgold—floweredbrocade，soasthebettertoexhibititsluster。？PerceivingD\'Artagnan，heputthesilkaside，andcametomeethim，bynomeansradiantwithjoy，andbynomeanscourteous，but，takeitaltogether，inatolerablycivilmanner。

"Thecaptainoftheking\'smusketeerswillexcuseme，Iamsure，forIamengaged。"

"Eh！

yes，ontheking\'scostumes;Iknowthat，mydearMonsieurPercerin。？Youaremakingthree，theytellme。"

"Five，mydearsir，five。"

"Threeorfive，\'tisallthesametome，mydearmonsieur;andIknowthatyouwillmakethemmostexquisitely。"

"Yes，Iknow。？Oncemadetheywillbethemostbeautifulintheworld，Idonotdenyit;butthattheymaybethemostbeautifulintheword，theymustfirstbemade;andtodothis，captain，Iampressedfortime。"

"Oh，bah！therearetwodaysyet;\'tismuchmorethanyourequire，MonsieurPercerin，"saidD\'Artagnan，inthecoolestpossiblemanner。

Percerinraisedhisheadwiththeairofamanlittleaccustomedtobecontradicted，eveninhiswhims;butD\'Artagnandidnotpaytheleastattentiontotheairswhichtheillustrioustailorbegantoassume。

"MydearM。Percerin，"hecontinued，"Ibringyouacustomer。"

"Ah！

ah！"exclaimedPercerin，crossly。

"M。leBaronduVallondeBracieuxdePierrefonds，"continuedD\'Artagnan。？Percerinattemptedabow，whichfoundnofavorintheeyesoftheterriblePorthos，who，fromhisfirstentryintotheroom，hadbeenregardingthetailoraskance。

"A

verygoodfriendofmine，"concludedD\'Artagnan。

"I

willattendtomonsieur，"saidPercerin，"butlater。"

"Later？

butwhen？"

"WhenIhavetime。"

"Youhavealreadytoldmyvaletasmuch，"brokeinPorthos，discontentedly。

"Verylikely，"saidPercerin;"Iamnearlyalwayspushedfortime。"

"Myfriend，"returnedPorthos，sententiously，"thereisalwaystimetobefoundwhenonechoosestoseekit。"

Percerinturnedcrimson;anominoussignindeedinoldmenblanchedbyage。

"Monsieurisquiteatlibertytoconferhiscustomelsewhere。"

"Come，come，Percerin，"interposedD\'Artagnan，"youarenotinagoodtemperto—day。？Well，Iwillsayonemorewordtoyou，whichwillbringyouonyourknees;monsieurisnotonlyafriendofmine，butmore，afriendofM。Fouquet\'s。"

"Ah！

ah！"exclaimedthetailor，"thatisanotherthing。"？ThenturningtoPorthos，"Monsieurlebaronisattachedtothesuperintendent？"heinquired。

"I

amattachedtomyself，"shoutedPorthos，attheverymomentthatthetapestrywasraisedtointroduceanewspeakerinthedialogue。？Moli鑢ewasallobservation，D\'Artagnanlaughed，Porthosswore。

"MydearPercerin，"saidD\'Artagnan，"youwillmakeadressforthebaron。？\'TisIwhoaskyou。"

"ToyouIwillnotsaynay，captain。"

"Butthatisnotall;youwillmakeitforhimatonce。"

"\'Tisimpossiblewithineightdays。"

"That，then，isasmuchastorefuse，becausethedressiswantedforthef阾eatVaux。"

"I

repeatthatitisimpossible，"returnedtheobstinateoldman。

"Bynomeans，dearMonsieurPercerin，aboveallifIaskyou，"saidamildvoiceatthedoor，asilveryvoicewhichmadeD\'Artagnanprickuphisears。？ItwasthevoiceofAramis。

"Monsieurd\'Herblay！"criedthetailor。

"Aramis，"murmuredD\'Artagnan。

"Ah！

ourbishop！"saidPorthos。

"Goodmorning，D\'Artagnan;goodmorning，Porthos;good—morning，mydearfriends，"saidAramis。？"Come，come，M。Percerin，makethebaron\'sdress;andIwillanswerforityouwillgratifyM。Fouquet。"？Andheaccompaniedthewordswithasign，whichseemedtosay，"Agree，anddismissthem。"

ItappearedthatAramishadoverMasterPercerinaninfluencesuperioreventoD\'Artagnan\'s，forthetailorbowedinassent，andturningrounduponPorthos，said，"Goandgetmeasuredontheotherside。"

Porthoscoloredinaformidablemanner。？D\'Artagnansawthestormcoming，andaddressingMoli鑢e，saidtohim，inanundertone，"Youseebeforeyou，mydearmonsieur，amanwhoconsidershimselfdisgraced，ifyoumeasurethefleshandbonesthatHeavenhasgivenhim;studythistypeforme，MasterAristophanes，andprofitbyit。"

Moli鑢ehadnoneedofencouragement，andhisgazedweltlongandkeenlyontheBaronPorthos。？"Monsieur，"hesaid，"ifyouwillcomewithme，Iwillmakethemtakeyourmeasurewithouttouchingyou。"

"Oh！"

saidPorthos，"howdoyoumakethatout，myfriend？"

"I

saythattheyshallapplyneitherlinenorruletotheseamsofyourdress。？Itisanewmethodwehaveinventedformeasuringpeopleofquality，whoaretoosensitivetoallowlow—bornfellowstotouchthem。？Weknowsomesusceptiblepersonswhowillnotputupwithbeingmeasured，aprocesswhich，asIthink，woundsthenaturaldignityofaman;andifperchancemonsieurshouldbeoneofthese—"

"Corb渦f！？IbelieveIamtoo！"

"Well，thatisacapitalandmostconsolatorycoincidence，andyoushallhavethebenefitofourinvention。"

"Buthowintheworldcanitbedone？"askedPorthos，delighted。

"Monsieur，"

saidMoli鑢e，bowing，"ifyouwilldeigntofollowme，youwillsee。"

Aramisobservedthisscenewithallhiseyes。？PerhapshefanciedfromD\'Artagnan\'slivelinessthathewouldleavewithPorthos，soasnottolosetheconclusionofascenewellbegun。？But，clear—sightedashewas，Aramisdeceivedhimself。？PorthosandMoli鑢elefttogether:D\'ArtagnanremainedwithPercerin。？Why？？Fromcuriosity，doubtless;probablytoenjoyalittlelongerthesocietyofhisgoodfriendAramis。？AsMoli鑢eandPorthosdisappeared，D\'ArtagnandrewnearthebishopofVannes，aproceedingwhichappearedparticularlytodisconcerthim。

"A

dressforyou，also，isitnot，myfriend？"

Aramissmiled。？"No，"saidhe。

"YouwillgotoVaux，however？"

"I

shallgo，butwithoutanewdress。？Youforget，dearD\'Artagnan，thatapoorbishopofVannesisnotrichenoughtohavenewdressesforeveryf阾e。"

"Bah！"

saidthemusketeer，laughing，"anddowewritenomorepoemsnow，either？"

"Oh！？D\'Artagnan，"exclaimedAramis，"I

havelongagogivenupallsuchtomfoolery。"

"True，"

repeatedD\'Artagnan，onlyhalfconvinced。？AsforPercerin，hewasoncemoreabsorbedincontemplationofthebrocades。

"Don\'tyouperceive，"saidAramis，smiling，"thatwearegreatlyboringthisgoodgentleman，mydearD\'Artagnan？"

"Ah！

ah！"murmuredthemusketeer，aside;"thatis，Iamboringyou，myfriend。"？Thenaloud，"Well，then，letusleave;Ihavenofurtherbusinesshere，andifyouareasdisengagedasI，Aramis—"

"No，notI—Iwished—"

"Ah！

youhadsomethingparticulartosaytoM。Percerin？？Whydidyounottellmesoatonce？"

"Somethingparticular，certainly，"repeatedAramis，"butnotforyou，D\'Artagnan。？But，atthesametime，I

hopeyouwillbelievethatIcanneverhaveanythingsoparticulartosaythatafriendlikeyoumaynothearit。"

"Oh，no，no！？Iamgoing，"saidD\'Artagnan，impartingtohisvoiceanevidenttoneofcuriosity;forAramis\'sannoyance，welldissembledasitwas，hadnotawhitescapedhim;andheknewthat，inthatimpenetrablemind，everything，eventhemostapparentlytrivial，wasdesignedtosomeend;anunknownone，butanendthat，fromtheknowledgehehadofhisfriend\'scharacter，themusketeerfeltmustbeimportant。

Onhispart，AramissawthatD\'Artagnanwasnotwithoutsuspicion，andpressedhim。？"Stay，byallmeans，"hesaid，"thisiswhatitis。"？Thenturningtowardsthetailor，"MydearPercerin，"saidhe，—"Iamevenveryhappythatyouarehere，D\'Artagnan。"

"Oh，indeed，"exclaimedtheGascon，forthethirdtime，evenlessdeceivedthistimethanbefore。

Percerinnevermoved。？Aramisrousedhimviolently，bysnatchingfromhishandsthestuffuponwhichhewasengaged。？"MydearPercerin，"

saidhe，"Ihave，nearhand，M。Lebrun，oneofM。Fouquet\'spainters。"

"Ah，verygood，"thoughtD\'Artagnan;"butwhyLebrun？"

AramislookedatD\'Artagnan，whoseemedtobeoccupiedwithanengravingofMarkAntony。？"AndyouwishthatI

shouldmakehimadress，similartothoseoftheEpicureans？"answeredPercerin。？Andwhilesayingthis，inanabsentmanner，theworthytailorendeavoredtorecapturehispieceofbrocade。

"AnEpicurean\'sdress？"askedD\'Artagnan，inatoneofinquiry。

"I

see，"saidAramis，withamostengagingsmile，"itiswrittenthatourdearD\'Artagnanshallknowalloursecretsthisevening。？Yes，friend，youhavesurelyheardspeakofM。Fouquet\'sEpicureans，haveyounot？"

"Undoubtedly。？Isitnotakindofpoeticalsociety，ofwhichLaFontaine，Loret，P閘isson，andMoli鑢earemembers，andwhichholdsitssittingsatSaint—Mand？;

"Exactlyso。？Well，wearegoingtoputourpoetsinuniform，andenrolltheminaregimentfortheking。"

"Oh，verywell，Iunderstand;asurpriseM。Fouquetisgettingupfortheking。？Beatease;ifthatisthesecretaboutM。

Lebrun，Iwillnotmentionit。"

"Alwaysagreeable，myfriend。？No，MonsieurLebrunhasnothingtodowiththispartofit;thesecretwhichconcernshimisfarmoreimportantthantheother。"

"Then，ifitissoimportantasallthat，Iprefernottoknowit，"saidD\'Artagnan，makingashowofdeparture。

"Comein，M。Lebrun，comein，"saidAramis，openingaside—doorwithhisrighthand，andholdingbackD\'Artagnanwithhisleft。

"I\'faith，Itoo，amquiteinthedark，"quothPercerin。

Aramistookan"opportunity，"asissaidintheatricalmatters。

"MydearM。dePercerin，"Aramiscontinued，"youaremakingfivedressesfortheking，areyounot？？Oneinbrocade;oneinhunting—cloth;oneinvelvet;oneinsatin;andoneinFlorentinestuffs。"

"Yes;

buthow—doyouknowallthat，monseigneur？"saidPercerin，astounded。

"Itisallverysimple，mydearmonsieur;therewillbeahunt，abanquet，concert，promenadeandreception;thesefivekindsofdressarerequiredbyetiquette。"

"Youknoweverything，monseigneur！"

"Andathingortwoinaddition，"mutteredD\'Artagnan。

"But，"

criedthetailor，intriumph，"whatyoudonotknow，monseigneur—princeofthechurchthoughyouare—whatnobodywillknow—whatonlytheking，MademoiselledelaValli鑢e，andmyselfdoknow，isthecolorofthematerialsandnatureoftheornaments，andthecut，theensemble，thefinishofitall！"

"Well，"

saidAramis，"thatispreciselywhatIhavecometoaskyou，dearPercerin。"

"Ah，bah！"exclaimedthetailor，terrified，thoughAramishadpronouncedthesewordsinhissoftestandmosthoneyedtones。？Therequestappeared，onreflection，soexaggerated，soridiculous，somonstroustoM。Percerinthatfirsthelaughedtohimself，thenaloud，andfinishedwithashout。？D\'Artagnanfollowedhisexample，notbecausehefoundthematterso"veryfunny，"butinordernottoallowAramistocool。

"Attheoutset，Iappeartobehazardinganabsurdquestion，doInot？"saidAramis。？"ButD\'Artagnan，whoisincarnatewisdomitself，willtellyouthatIcouldnotdootherwisethanaskyouthis。"

"Letussee，"saidtheattentivemusketeer;perceivingwithhiswonderfulinstinctthattheyhadonlybeenskirmishingtillnow，andthatthehourofbattlewasapproaching。

"Letussee，"saidPercerin，incredulously。

"Why，now，"continuedAramis，"doesM。Fouquetgivethekingaf阾e？—Isitnottopleasehim？"

"Assuredly，"

saidPercerin。？D\'Artagnannoddedassent。