第5章

"Bydelicateattentions？bysomehappydevice？byasuccessionofsurprises，likethatofwhichweweretalking？—theenrolmentofourEpicureans。"

"Admirable。"

"Well，then;thisisthesurpriseweintend。？M。Lebrunhereisamanwhodrawsmostexcellently。"

"Yes，"

saidPercerin;"Ihaveseenhispictures，andobservedthathisdresseswerehighlyelaborated。？ThatiswhyI

atonceagreedtomakehimacostume—whethertoagreewiththoseoftheEpicureans，oranoriginalone。"

"Mydearmonsieur，weacceptyouroffer，andshallpresentlyavailourselvesofit;

butjustnow，M。Lebrunisnotinwantofthedressesyouwillmakeforhimself，butofthoseyouaremakingfortheking。"

Percerinmadeaboundbackwards，whichD\'Artagnan—calmestandmostappreciativeofmen，didnotconsideroverdone，somanystrangeandstartlingaspectsworetheproposalwhichAramishadjusthazarded。？"Theking\'sdresses！？Givetheking\'sdressestoanymortalwhatever！？Oh！foronce，monseigneur，yourgraceismad！"criedthepoortailorinextremity。

"Helpmenow，D\'Artagnan，"saidAramis，moreandmorecalmandsmiling。？"Helpmenowtopersuademonsieur，foryouunderstand;doyounot？"

"Eh！

eh！—notexactly，Ideclare。"

"What！

youdonotunderstandthatM。FouquetwishestoaffordthekingthesurpriseoffindinghisportraitonhisarrivalatVaux;andthattheportrait，whichbeastrikingresemblance，oughttobedressedexactlyasthekingwillbeonthedayitisshown？"

"Oh！

yes，yes，"saidthemusketeer，nearlyconvinced，soplausiblewasthisreasoning。？"Yes，mydearAramis，youareright;itisahappyidea。？I

willwageritisoneofyourown，Aramis。"

"Well，Idon\'tknow，"repliedthebishop;"eithermineorM。

Fouquet\'s。"？ThenscanningPercerin，afternoticingD\'Artagnan\'shesitation，"Well，MonsieurPercerin，"heasked，"whatdoyousaytothis？"

"I

say，that—"

"Thatyouare，doubtless，freetorefuse。？I

knowwell—andIbynomeanscountuponcompellingyou，mydearmonsieur。？Iwillsaymore，IevenunderstandallthedelicacyyoufeelintakingupwithM。Fouquet\'sidea;youdreadappearingtoflattertheking。？Anoblespirit，M。

Percerin，anoblespirit！"？Thetailorstammered。？"Itwould，indeed，beaveryprettycomplimenttopaytheyoungprince，"continuedAramis;"butasthesurintendanttoldme，\'ifPercerinrefuse，tellhimthatitwillnotatalllowerhiminmyopinion，andIshallalwaysesteemhim，only—\'"

"\'Only？\'"

repeatedPercerin，rathertroubled。

"\'Only，\'"

continuedAramis，"\'Ishallbecompelledtosaytotheking，\'—youunderstand，mydearMonsieurPercerin，thattheseareM。Fouquet\'swords，—\'I

shallbeconstrainedtosaytotheking，"Sire，Ihadintendedtopresentyourmajestywithyourportrait，butowingtoafeelingofdelicacy，slightlyexaggeratedperhaps，althoughcreditable，M。Percerinopposedtheproject。"\'"

"Opposed！"

criedthetailor，terrifiedattheresponsibilitywhichwouldweighuponhim;

"Itoopposethedesire，thewillofM。Fouquetwhenheisseekingtopleasetheking！？Oh，whatahatefulwordyouhaveuttered，monseigneur。？Oppose！？Oh，\'tisnotIwhosaidit，Heavenhavemercyonme。？Icallthecaptainofthemusketeerstowitnessit！？Isitnottrue，Monsieurd\'Artagnan，thatIhaveopposednothing？"

D\'Artagnanmadeasignindicatingthathewishedtoremainneutral。？Hefeltthattherewasanintrigueatthebottomofit，whethercomedyortragedy;hewasathiswit\'sendatnotbeingabletofathomit，butinthemeanwhilewishedtokeepclear。

ButalreadyPercerin，goadedbytheideathatthekingwastobetoldhestoodinthewayofapleasantsurprise，hadofferedLebrunachair，andproceededtobringfromawardrobefourmagnificentdresses，thefifthbeingstillintheworkmen\'shands;andthesemasterpieceshesuccessivelyfitteduponfourlayfigures，which，importedintoFranceinthetimeofConcini，hadbeengiventoPercerinII。byMarshald\'Onore，afterthediscomfitureoftheItaliantailorsruinedintheircompetition。？Thepaintersettoworktodrawandthentopaintthedresses。？ButAramis，whowascloselywatchingallthephasesofhistoil，suddenlystoppedhim。

"I

thinkyouhavenotquitegotit，mydearLebrun，"hesaid;"yourcolorswilldeceiveyou，andoncanvasweshalllackthatexactresemblancewhichisabsolutelyrequisite。？Timeisnecessaryforattentivelyobservingthefinershades。"

"Quitetrue，"saidPercerin，"buttimeiswanting，andonthathead，youwillagreewithme，monseigneur，Icandonothing。"

"Thentheaffairwillfail，"saidAramis，quietly，"andthatbecauseofawantofprecisioninthecolors。"

NeverthelessLebrunwentoncopyingthematerialsandornamentswiththeclosestfidelity—

aprocesswhichAramiswatchedwithill—concealedimpatience。

"Whatintheworld，now，isthemeaningofthisimbroglio？"themusketeerkeptsayingtohimself。

"Thatwillneverdo，"saidAramis:"M。Lebrun，closeyourbox，androllupyourcanvas。"

"But，monsieur，"criedthevexedpainter，"thelightisabominablehere。"

"Anidea，M。Lebrun，anidea！？Ifwehadapatternofthematerials，forexample，andwithtime，andabetterlight—

"

"Oh，then，"criedLebrun，"Iwouldanswerfortheeffect。"

"Good！"

saidD\'Artagnan，"thisoughttobetheknottypointofthewholething;

theywantapatternofeachofthematerials。？Mordioux！？WillthisPerceringiveinnow？"

Percerin，beatenfromhislastretreat，andduped，moreover，bythefeignedgood—natureofAramis，cutoutfivepatternsandhandedthemtothebishopofVannes。

"I

likethisbetter。？Thatisyouropinion，isitnot？"saidAramistoD\'Artagnan。

"MydearAramis，"saidD\'Artagnan，"myopinionisthatyouarealwaysthesame。"

"And，consequently，alwaysyourfriend，"saidthebishopinacharmingtone。

"Yes，yes，"saidD\'Artagnan，aloud;then，inalowvoice，"IfIamyourdupe，doubleJesuitthatyouare，Iwillnotbeyouraccomplice;andtopreventit，\'tistimeIleftthisplace。—Adieu，Aramis，"headdedaloud，"adieu;IamgoingtorejoinPorthos。"

"Thenwaitforme，"saidAramis，pocketingthepatterns，"forIhavedone，andshallbegladtosayapartingwordtoourdearoldfriend。"

Lebrunpackeduphispaintsandbrushes，Percerinputbackthedressesintothecloset，Aramisputhishandonhispockettoassurehimselfthepatternsweresecure，—andtheyallleftthestudy。

ChapterV:

Where，Probably，Moli鑢eObtainedHisFirstIdeaoftheBourgeoisGentilhomme。

D\'ArtagnanfoundPorthosintheadjoiningchamber;butnolongeranirritatedPorthos，oradisappointedPorthos，butPorthosradiant，blooming，fascinating，andchatteringwithMoli鑢e，whowaslookinguponhimwithaspeciesofidolatry，andasamanwouldwhohadnotonlyneverseenanythinggreater，butnoteveneveranythingsogreat。？AramiswentstraightuptoPorthosandofferedhimhiswhitehand，whichlostitselfinthegiganticclaspofhisoldfriend，—anoperationwhichAramisneverhazardedwithoutacertainuneasiness。？Butthefriendlypressurehavingbeenperformednottoopainfullyforhim，thebishopofVannespassedovertoMoli鑢e。

"Well，monsieur，"saidhe，"willyoucomewithmetoSaint—Mand？;

"I

willgoanywhereyoulike，monseigneur，"answeredMoli鑢e。

"ToSaint—Mand？;criedPorthos，surprisedatseeingtheproudbishopofVannesfraternizingwithajourneymantailor。？"What，Aramis，areyougoingtotakethisgentlemantoSaint—Mand？;

"Yes，"

saidAramis，smiling，"ourworkispressing。"

"Andbesides，mydearPorthos，"continuedD\'Artagnan，"M。Moli鑢eisnotaltogetherwhatheseems。"

"Inwhatway？"askedPorthos。

"Why，thisgentlemanisoneofM。Percerin\'schiefclerks，andisexpectedatSaint—Mand？totryonthedresseswhichM。FouquethasorderedfortheEpicureans";

"\'Tispreciselyso，"saidMoli鑢e。

"Yes，monsieur。"

"Come，then，mydearM。Moli鑢e，"saidAramis，"thatis，ifyouhavedonewithM。duVallon。"

"Wehavefinished，"repliedPorthos。

"Andyouaresatisfied？"askedD\'Artagnan。

"Completelyso，"repliedPorthos。

Moli鑢etookhisleaveofPorthoswithmuchceremony，andgraspedthehandwhichthecaptainofthemusketeersfurtivelyofferedhim。

"Pray，monsieur，"concludedPorthos，mincingly，"aboveall，beexact。"

"Youwillhaveyourdressthedayafterto—morrow，monsieurlebaron，"answeredMoli鑢e。？AndheleftwithAramis。

ThenD\'Artagnan，takingPorthos\'sarm，"Whathasthistailordoneforyou，mydearPorthos，"heasked，"thatyouaresopleasedwithhim？"

"Whathashedoneforme，myfriend！doneforme！"criedPorthos，enthusiastically。

"Yes，Iaskyou，whathashedoneforyou？"

"Myfriend，hehasdonethatwhichnotailoreveryetaccomplished:hehastakenmymeasurewithouttouchingme！"

"Ah，bah！tellmehowhedidit。"

"First，then，theywent，Idon\'tknowwhere，foranumberoflayfigures，ofallheightsandsizes，hopingtherewouldbeonetosuitmine，butthelargest—

thatofthedrum—majoroftheSwissguard—wastwoinchestooshort，andahalffoottoonarrowinthechest。"

"Indeed！"

"ItisexactlyasItellyou，D\'Artagnan;butheisagreatman，orattheveryleastagreattailor，isthisM。Moli鑢e。？Hewasnotatallputatfaultbythecircumstance。"

"Whatdidhedo，then？"

"Oh！

itisaverysimplematter。？I\'faith，\'tisanunheard—ofthingthatpeopleshouldhavebeensostupidasnottohavediscoveredthismethodfromthefirst。？Whatannoyanceandhumiliationtheywouldhavesparedme！"

"Nottomentionofthecostumes，mydearPorthos。"

"Yes，thirtydresses。"

"Well，mydearPorthos，come，tellmeM。Moli鑢e\'splan。"

"Moli鑢e？？Youcallhimso，doyou？？Ishallmakeapointofrecollectinghisname。"

"Yes;

orPoquelin，ifyoupreferthat。"

"No;

IlikeMoli鑢ebest。？WhenIwishtorecollecthisname，Ishallthinkofvoli鑢e[anaviary];andasIhaveoneatPierrefonds—"

"Capital！"returnedD\'Artagnan。？"AndM。Moli鑢e\'splan？"

"\'Tisthis:insteadofpullingmetopieces，asalltheserascalsdo—ofmakingmebendmyback，anddoublemyjoints—allofthemlowanddishonorablepractices—"？D\'Artagnanmadeasignofapprobationwithhishead。？"\'Monsieur，\'hesaidtome，"continuedPorthos，"\'agentlemanoughttomeasurehimself。？Domethepleasuretodrawnearthisglass;\'andIdrewneartheglass。？ImustownIdidnotexactlyunderstandwhatthisgoodM。Voli鑢ewantedwithme。"

"Moli鑢e！"

"Ah！yes，Moli鑢e—

Moli鑢e。？Andasthefearofbeingmeasuredstillpossessedme，\'Takecare，\'saidItohim，\'whatyouaregoingtodowithme;Iamveryticklish，Iwarnyou。\'？Buthe，withhissoftvoice（forheisacourteousfellow，wemustadmit，myfriend），hewithhissoftvoice，\'Monsieur，\'saidhe，\'thatyourdressmayfityouwell，itmustbemadeaccordingtoyourfigure。？Yourfigureisexactlyreflectedinthismirror。？Weshalltakethemeasureofthisreflection。\'"

"Infact，"saidD\'Artagnan，"yousawyourselfintheglass;butwheredidtheyfindoneinwhichyoucouldseeyourwholefigure？"

"Mygoodfriend，itistheveryglassinwhichthekingisusedtolooktoseehimself。"

"Yes;

butthekingisafootandahalfshorterthanyouare。"

"Ah！

well，Iknownothowthatmaybe;itis，nodoubt，acunningwayofflatteringtheking;butthelooking—glasswastoolargeforme。？\'TistruethatitsheightwasmadeupofthreeVenetianplatesofglass，placedoneaboveanother，anditsbreadthofthreesimilarparallelogramsinjuxtaposition。"

"Oh，Porthos！whatexcellentwordsyouhavecommandof。？Whereintheworddidyouacquiresuchavoluminousvocabulary？"

"AtBelle—Isle。？AramisandIhadtousesuchwordsinourstrategicstudiesandcastramentativeexperiments。"

D\'Artagnanrecoiled，asthoughthesesquipedaliansyllableshadknockedthebreathoutofhisbody。

"Ah！

verygood。？Letusreturntothelooking—glass，myfriend。"

"Then，thisgoodM。Voli鑢e—"

"Moli鑢e。"

"Yes—Moli鑢e—youareright。？Youwillseenow，mydearfriend，thatIshallrecollecthisnamequitewell。？ThisexcellentM。Moli鑢esettoworktracingoutlinesonthemirror，withapieceofSpanishchalk，followinginallthemakeofmyarmsandmyshoulders，allthewhileexpoundingthismaxim，whichIthoughtadmirable:\'Itisadvisablethatadressshouldnotincommodeitswearer。\'"

"Inreality，"saidD\'Artagnan，"thatisanexcellentmaxim，whichis，unfortunately，seldomcarriedoutinpractice。"

"ThatiswhyIfounditallthemoreastonishing，whenheexpatiateduponit。"

"Ah！

heexpatiated？"

"Parbleu！"

"Letmehearhistheory。"

"\'Seeingthat，\'hecontinued，\'onemay，inawkwardcircumstances，orinatroublesomeposition，haveone\'sdoubletonone\'sshoulder，andnotdesiretotakeone\'sdoubletoff—\'"

"True，"saidD\'Artagnan。

"\'Andso，\'continuedM。Voli鑢e—"

"Moli鑢e。"

"Moli鑢e，yes。？\'Andso，\'wentonM。

Moli鑢e，\'youwanttodrawyoursword，monsieur，andyouhaveyourdoubletonyourback。？Whatdoyoudo？\'

"\'I

takeitoff，\'Ianswered。

"\'Well，no，\'hereplied。

"\'Howno？\'

"\'I

saythatthedressshouldbesowellmade，thatitwillinnowayencumberyou，evenindrawingyoursword。\'

"\'Ah，ah！\'

"\'Throwyourselfonguard，\'pursuedhe。

"Ididitwithsuchwondrousfirmness，thattwopanesofglassburstoutofthewindow。

"\'\'Tisnothing，nothing，\'saidhe。？\'Keepyourposition。\'

"I

raisedmyleftarmintheair，theforearmgracefullybent，theruffledrooping，andmywristcurved，whilemyrightarm，halfextended，securelycoveredmywristwiththeelbow，andmybreastwiththewrist。"

"Yes，"

saidD\'Artagnan，"\'tisthetrueguard—theacademicguard。"

"Youhavesaidtheveryword，dearfriend。？Inthemeanwhile，Voli鑢e—"

"Moli鑢e。"

"Hold！？Ishouldcertainly，afterall，prefertocallhim—whatdidyousayhisothernamewas？"

"Poquelin。"

"IprefertocallhimPoquelin。"

"Andhowwillyourememberthisnamebetterthantheother？"

"Youunderstand，hecallshimselfPoquelin，doeshenot？"

"Yes。"

"IfIweretocalltomindMadameCoquenard。"

"Good。"

"AndchangeCocintoPoc，nardintolin;andinsteadofCoquenardIshallhavePoquelin。"

"\'Tiswonderful，"criedD\'Artagnan，astounded。？"Goon，myfriend，Iamlisteningtoyouwithadmiration。"

"ThisCoquelinsketchedmyarmontheglass。"

"Ibegyourpardon—Poquelin。"

"WhatdidI

say，then？"

"YousaidCoquelin。"

"Ah！

true。？ThisPoquelin，then，sketchedmyarmontheglass;buthetookhistimeoverit;hekeptlookingatmeagooddeal。？Thefactis，thatImusthavebeenlookingparticularlyhandsome。"

"\'Doesitwearyyou？\'heasked。

"\'A

little，\'Ireplied，bendingalittleinmyhands，\'butIcouldholdoutforanhourorsolonger。\'

"\'No，no，Iwillnotallowit;thewillingfellowswillmakeitadutytosupportyourarms，asofold，mensupportedthoseoftheprophet。\'

"\'Verygood，\'Ianswered。

"\'Thatwillnotbehumiliatingtoyou？\'

"\'Myfriend，\'saidI，\'thereis，Ithink，agreatdifferencebetweenbeingsupportedandbeingmeasured。\'"

"Thedistinctionisfullofthesoundestsense，"interruptedD\'Artagnan。

"Then，"

continuedPorthos，"hemadeasign:twoladsapproached;onesupportedmyleftarm，whiletheother，withinfiniteaddress，supportedmyright。"

"\'Another，myman，\'criedhe。？Athirdapproached。？\'Supportmonsieurbythewaist，\'saidhe。？Thegar鏾ncomplied。"

"Sothatyouwereatrest？"askedD\'Artagnan。

"Perfectly;

andPocquenarddrewmeontheglass。"

"Poquelin，myfriend。"

"Poquelin—

youareright。？Stay，decidedlyIprefercallinghimVoli鑢e。"

"Yes;andthenitwasover，wasn\'tit？"

"DuringthattimeVoli鑢edrewmeasIappearedinthemirror。"

"\'Twasdelicateinhim。"

"Imuchliketheplan;itisrespectful，andkeepseveryoneinhisplace。"

"Andthereitended？"

"Withoutasoulhavingtouchedme，myfriend。"

"Exceptthethreegar鏾nswhosupportedyou。"

"Doubtless;

butIhave，Ithink，alreadyexplainedtoyouthedifferencethereisbetweensupportingandmeasuring。"

"\'Tistrue，"answeredD\'Artagnan;whosaidafterwardstohimself，"I\'faith，Igreatlydeceivemyself，orIhavebeenthemeansofagoodwindfalltothatrascalMoli鑢e，andweshallassuredlyseethescenehitofftothelifeinsomecomedyorother。"？Porthossmiled。

"Whatareyoulaughingat？"askedD\'Artagnan。

"MustI

confess？？Well，Iwaslaughingovermygoodfortune。"

"Oh，thatistrue;Idon\'tknowahappiermanthanyou。？Butwhatisthislastpieceofluckthathasbefallenyou？\'

"Well，mydearfellow，congratulateme。"

"Idesirenothingbetter。"

"ItseemsthatIamthefirstwhohashadhismeasuretakeninthatmanner。"

"Areyousosureofit？\'

"Nearlyso。？CertainsignsofintelligencewhichpassedbetweenVoli鑢eandtheothergar鏾nsshowedmethefact。"

"Well，myfriend，thatdoesnotsurprisemefromMoli鑢e，"saidD\'Artagnan。

"Voli鑢e，myfriend。"

"Oh，no，no，indeed！？IamverywillingtoleaveyoutogoonsayingVoli鑢e;but，asforme，IshallcontinuedtosayMoli鑢e。？Well，this，Iwassaying，doesnotsurpriseme，comingfromMoli鑢e，whoisaveryingeniousfellow，andinspiredyouwiththisgrandidea。"

"Itwillbeofgreatusetohimbyandby，Iamsure。"

"Won\'titbeofusetohim，indeed？？Ibelieveyou，itwill，andthatinthehighestdegree;—foryouseemyfriendMoli鑢eisofallknowntailorsthemanwhobestclothesourbarons，comtes，andmarquises—accordingtotheirmeasure。"

Onthisobservation，neithertheapplicationnordepthofwhichweshalldiscuss，D\'ArtagnanandPorthosquittedM。dePercerin\'shouseandrejoinedtheircarriages，whereinwewillleavethem，inordertolookafterMoli鑢eandAramisatSaint—Mand？

ChapterVI:

TheBee—Hive，theBees，andtheHoney。

ThebishopofVannes，muchannoyedathavingmetD\'ArtagnanatM。Percerin\'s，returnedtoSaint—Mand？innoverygoodhumor。？Moli鑢e，ontheotherhand，quitedelightedathavingmadesuchacapitalroughsketch，andatknowingwheretofindhisoriginalagain，wheneverheshoulddesiretoconverthissketchintoapicture，Moli鑢earrivedinthemerriestofmoods。？AllthefirststoryoftheleftwingwasoccupiedbythemostcelebratedEpicureansinParis，andthoseonthefreestfootinginthehouse—everyoneinhiscompartment，likethebeesintheircells，employedinproducingthehoneyintendedforthatroyalcakewhichM。FouquetproposedtoofferhismajestyLouisXIV。duringthef阾eatVaux。？P閘isson，hisheadleaningonhishand，wasengagedindrawingouttheplanoftheprologuetothe"F鈉heux，"acomedyinthreeacts，whichwastobeputonthestagebyPoquelindeMoli鑢e，asD\'Artagnancalledhim，orCoquelindeVoli鑢e，asPorthosstyledhim。？Loret，withallthecharminginnocenceofagazetteer，—thegazetteersofallageshavealwaysbeensoartless！—Loretwascomposinganaccountofthef阾esatVaux，beforethosef阾eshadtakenplace。？LaFontainesaunteredaboutfromonetotheother，aperipatetic，absent—minded，boring，unbearabledreamer，whokeptbuzzingandhummingateverybody\'selbowathousandpoeticabstractions。？HesooftendisturbedP閘isson，thatthelatter，raisinghishead，crosslysaid，"Atleast，LaFontaine，supplymewitharhyme，sinceyouhavetherunofthegardensatParnassus。"

"Whatrhymedoyouwant？"askedtheFablerasMadamedeS関ign？usedtocallhim。

"I

wantarhymetolumi鑢e。"

"Orni鑢e，"

answeredLaFontaine。

"Ah，but，mygoodfriend，onecannottalkofwheel—rutswhencelebratingthedelightsofVaux，"saidLoret。

"Besides，itdoesn\'trhyme，"answeredP閘isson。

"What！

doesn\'trhyme！"criedLaFontaine，insurprise。

"Yes;

youhaveanabominablehabit，myfriend，—ahabitwhichwilleverpreventyourbecomingapoetofthefirstorder。？Yourhymeinaslovenlymanner。"

"Oh，oh，youthinkso，doyou，P閘isson？"

"Yes，Ido，indeed。？Rememberthatarhymeisnevergoodsolongasonecanfindabetter。"

"ThenIwillneverwriteanythingagainsaveinprose，"saidLaFontaine，whohadtakenupP閘isson\'sreproachinearnest。？"Ah！？IoftensuspectedI

wasnothingbutarascallypoet！？Yes，\'tistheverytruth。"

"Donotsayso;yourremarkistoosweeping，andthereismuchthatisgoodinyour\'Fables。\'"

"Andtobegin，"continuedLaFontaine，followinguphisidea，"IwillgoandburnahundredversesIhavejustmade。"

"Whereareyourverses？"

"Inmyhead。"

"Well，iftheyareinyourheadyoucannotburnthem。"

"True，"

saidLaFontaine;"butifIdonotburnthem—"

"Well，whatwillhappenifyoudonotburnthem？"

"Theywillremaininmymind，andIshallneverforgetthem！"