第13章

Themanwiththelanternopenedthecarriage—door，andsaidtwoorthreewordstotheonewhoactedasdriver，whoimmediatelygotdownfromhisseat，tookupashortmusketwhichhekeptunderhisfeet，andplaceditsmuzzleonhisprisoner\'schest。

"Andfireatonceifhespeaks！"addedaloudthemanwhoalightedfromthecarriage。

"Verygood，"repliedhiscompanion，withoutanotherremark。

Withthisrecommendation，thepersonwhohadaccompaniedthekinginthecarriageascendedtheflightofsteps，atthetopofwhichthegovernorwasawaitinghim。？"Monsieurd\'Herblay！"saidthelatter。

"Hush！"

saidAramis。？"Letusgointoyourroom。"

"Goodheavens！whatbringsyouhereatthishour？"

"A

mistake，mydearMonsieurdeBaisemeaux，"Aramisreplied，quietly。？"Itappearsthatyouwerequiterighttheotherday。"

"Whatabout？"inquiredthegovernor。

"Abouttheorderofrelease，mydearfriend。"

"Tellmewhatyoumean，monsieur—no，monseigneur，"saidthegovernor，almostsuffocatedbysurpriseandterror。

"Itisaverysimpleaffair:youremember，dearM。deBaisemeaux，thatanorderofreleasewassenttoyou。"

"Yes，forMarchiali。"

"Verygood！weboththoughtthatitwasforMarchiali？"

"Certainly;

youwillrecollect，however，thatIwouldnotcreditit，butthatyoucompelledmetobelieveit。"

"Oh！？Baisemeaux，mygoodfellow，whatawordtomakeuseof！—stronglyrecommended，thatwasall。"

"Stronglyrecommended，yes;stronglyrecommendedtogivehimuptoyou;andthatyoucarriedhimoffwithyouinyourcarriage。"

"Well，mydearMonsieurdeBaisemeaux，itwasamistake;itwasdiscoveredattheministry，sothatInowbringyouanorderfromthekingtosetatlibertySeldon，—thatpoorSeldonfellow，youknow。"

"Seldon！

areyousurethistime？"

"Well，readityourself，"addedAramis，handinghimtheorder。

"Why，"

saidBaisemeaux，"thisorderistheverysamethathasalreadypassedthroughmyhands。"

"Indeed？"

"ItistheveryoneIassuredyouIsawtheotherevening。？Parbleu！？Irecognizeitbytheblotofink。"

"I

donotknowwhetheritisthat;butallIknowis，thatIbringitforyou。"

"Butthen，whatabouttheother？"

"Whatother？"

"Marchiali。"

"I

havegothimherewithme。"

"Butthatisnotenoughforme。？Irequireanewordertotakehimbackagain。"

"Don\'ttalksuchnonsense，mydearBaisemeaux;youtalklikeachild！？WhereistheorderyoureceivedrespectingMarchiali？"

Baisemeauxrantohisironchestandtookitout。？Aramisseizedholdofit，coollytoreitinfourpieces，heldthemtothelamp，andburntthem。？"Goodheavens！whatareyoudoing？"exclaimedBaisemeaux，inanextremityofterror。

"Lookatyourpositionquietly，mygoodgovernor，"saidAramis，withimperturbableself—possession，"andyouwillseehowverysimplethewholeaffairis。？YounolongerpossessanyorderjustifyingMarchiali\'srelease。"

"I

amalostman！"

"Farfromit，mygoodfellow，sinceIhavebroughtMarchialibacktoyou，andallaccordinglyisjustthesameasifhehadneverleft。"

"Ah！"

saidthegovernor，completelyovercomebyterror。

"Plainenough，yousee;andyouwillgoandshuthimupimmediately。"

"I

shouldthinkso，indeed。"

"AndyouwillhandoverthisSeldontome，whoseliberationisauthorizedbythisorder。？Doyouunderstand？"

"I

—I—"

"Youdounderstand，Isee，"saidAramis。？"Verygood。"？Baisemeauxclappedhishandstogether。

"Butwhy，atallevents，afterhavingtakenMarchialiawayfromme，doyoubringhimbackagain？"criedtheunhappygovernor，inaparoxysmofterror，andcompletelydumbfounded。

"Forafriendsuchasyouare，"saidAramis—"forsodevotedaservant，I

havenosecrets;"andheputhismouthclosetoBaisemeaux\'sear，ashesaid，inalowtoneofvoice，"youknowtheresemblancebetweenthatunfortunatefellow，and—"

"Andtheking？—yes！"

"Verygood;thefirstusethatMarchialimadeofhislibertywastopersist—Canyouguesswhat？"

"HowisitlikelyIshouldguess？"

"TopersistinsayingthathewaskingofFrance;todresshimselfupinclotheslikethoseoftheking;andthenpretendtoassumethathewasthekinghimself。"

"Graciousheavens！"

"ThatisthereasonwhyIhavebroughthimbackagain，mydearfriend。？Heismadandletseveryoneseehowmadheis。"

"Whatistobedone，then？"

"Thatisverysimple;letnooneholdanycommunicationwithhim。？Youunderstandthatwhenhispeculiarstyleofmadnesscametotheking\'sears，theking，whohadpitiedhisterribleaffliction，andsawthatallhiskindnesshadbeenrepaidbyblackingratitude，becameperfectlyfurious;sothat，now—andrememberthisverydistinctly，dearMonsieurdeBaisemeaux，foritconcernsyoumostclosely—sothatthereisnow，Irepeat，sentenceofdeathpronouncedagainstallthosewhomayallowhimtocommunicatewithanyoneelsebutmeorthekinghimself。？Youunderstand，Baisemeaux，sentenceofdeath！"

"YouneednotaskmewhetherIunderstand。"

"Andnow，letusgodown，andconductthispoordevilbacktohisdungeonagain，unlessyoupreferheshouldcomeuphere。"

"Whatwouldbethegoodofthat？"

"Itwouldbebetter，perhaps，toenterhisnameintheprison—bookatonce！"

"Ofcourse，certainly;notadoubtofit。"

"Inthatcase，havehimup。"

Baisemeauxorderedthedrumstobebeatenandthebelltoberung，asawarningtoeveryonetoretire，inordertoavoidmeetingaprisoner，aboutwhomitwasdesiredtoobserveacertainmystery。？Then，whenthepassageswerefree，hewenttotaketheprisonerfromthecarriage，atwhosebreastPorthos，faithfultothedirectionswhichhadbeengivenhim，stillkepthismusketleveled。？"Ah！isthatyou，miserablewretch？"criedthegovernor，assoonasheperceivedtheking。？"Verygood，verygood。"？Andimmediately，makingthekinggetoutofthecarriage，heledhim，stillaccompaniedbyPorthos，whohadnottakenoffhismask，andAramis，whoagainresumedhis，upthestairs，tothesecondBertaudi鑢e，andopenedthedooroftheroominwhichPhilippeforsixlongyearshadbemoanedhisexistence。？Thekingenteredthecellwithoutpronouncingasingleword:hefalteredinaslimpandhaggardasarain—strucklily。？Baisemeauxshutthedooruponhim，turnedthekeytwiceinthelock，andthenreturnedtoAramis。？"Itisquitetrue，"

hesaid，inalowtone，"thathebearsastrikingresemblancetotheking;

butlesssothanyousaid。"

"Sothat，"saidAramis，"youwouldnothavebeendeceivedbythesubstitutionoftheonefortheother？"

"Whataquestion！"

"Youareamostvaluablefellow，Baisemeaux，"saidAramis;"andnow，setSeldonfree。"

"Oh，yes。？Iwasgoingtoforgetthat。？Iwillgoandgiveordersatonce。"

"Bah！

to—morrowwillbetimeenough。"

"To—morrow！

—oh，no。？Thisveryminute。"

"Well;

goofftoyouraffairs，Iwillgoawaytomine。？Butitisquiteunderstood，isitnot？"

"What\'isquiteunderstood\'？"

"Thatnooneistoentertheprisoner\'scell，expectwithanorderfromtheking;anorderwhichIwillmyselfbring。"

"Quiteso。？Adieu，monseigneur。"

Aramisreturnedtohiscompanion。？"Now，Porthos，mygoodfellow，backagaintoVaux，andasfastaspossible。"

"A

manislightandeasyenough，whenhehasfaithfullyservedhisking;and，inservinghim，savedhiscountry，"saidPorthos。？"Thehorseswillbeaslightasifourtissueswereconstructedofthewindofheaven。？Soletusbeoff。"？Andthecarriage，lightenedofaprisoner，whomightwellbe—asheinfactwas—veryheavyinthesightofAramis，passedacrossthedrawbridgeoftheBastile，whichwasraisedagainimmediatelybehindit。

ChapterXVIII:

A

NightattheBastile。

Pain，anguish，andsufferinginhumanlifearealwaysinproportiontothestrengthwithwhichamanisendowed。？WewillnotpretendtosaythatHeavenalwaysapportionstoaman\'scapabilityofendurancetheanguishwithwhichheafflictshim;forthat，indeed，wouldnotbetrue，sinceHeavenpermitstheexistenceofdeath，whichis，sometimes，theonlyrefugeopentothosewhoaretoocloselypressed—toobitterlyafflicted，asfarasthebodyisconcerned。？Sufferingisinproportiontothestrengthwhichhasbeenaccorded;inotherwords，theweaksuffermore，wherethetrialisthesame，thanthestrong。？Andwhataretheelementaryprinciples，wemayask，thatcomposehumanstrength？？Isitnot—morethananythingelse—exercise，habit，experience？？Weshallnoteventakethetroubletodemonstratethis，foritisanaxiominmorals，asinphysics。？Whentheyoungking，stupefiedandcrushedineverysenseandfeeling，foundhimselfledtoacellintheBastile，hefancieddeathitselfisbutasleep;thatit，too，hasitsdreamsaswell;thatthebedhadbrokenthroughtheflooringofhisroomatVaux;thatdeathhadresultedfromtheoccurrence;andthat，stillcarryingouthisdream，theking，LouisXIV。，nownolongerliving，wasdreamingoneofthosehorrors，impossibletorealizeinlife，whichistermeddethronement，imprisonment，andinsulttowardsasovereignwhoformerlywieldedunlimitedpower。？Tobepresentat—anactualwitness，too—ofthisbitternessofdeath;tofloat，indecisively，inanincomprehensiblemystery，betweenresemblanceandreality;toheareverything，toseeeverything，withoutinterferinginasingledetailofagonizingsuffering，was—sothekingthoughtwithinhimself—atorturefarmoreterrible，sinceitmightlastforever。？"Isthiswhatistermedeternity—hell？"hemurmured，atthemomentthedoorwascloseduponhim，whichwerememberBaisemeauxhadshutwithhisownhands。？Hedidnotevenlookroundhim;andintheroom，leaningwithhisbackagainstthewall，heallowedhimselftobecarriedawaybytheterriblesuppositionthathewasalreadydead，asheclosedhiseyes，inordertoavoidlookinguponsomethingevenworsestill。？"HowcanIhavedied？"hesaidtohimself，sickwithterror。？"Thebedmighthavebeenletdownbysomeartificialmeans？？Butno！？Idonotremembertohavefeltabruise，noranyshockeither。？Wouldtheynotratherhavepoisonedmeatmymeals，orwiththefumesofwax，astheydidmyancestress，Jeanned\'Albret？"？Suddenly，thechillofthedungeonsseemedtofalllikeawetcloakuponLouis\'sshoulders。？"Ihaveseen，"hesaid，"myfatherlyingdeaduponhisfuneralcouch，inhisregalrobes。？Thatpaleface，socalmandworn;thosehands，oncesoskillful，lyingnervelessbyhisside;thoselimbsstiffenedbytheicygraspofdeath;nothingtherebetokenedasleepthatwasdisturbedbydreams。？Andyet，hownumerouswerethedreamswhichHeavenmighthavesentthatroyalcorpse—himwhomsomanyothershadpreceded，hurriedawaybyhimintoeternaldeath！？No，thatkingwasstilltheking:hewasenthronedstilluponthatfuneralcouch，asuponavelvetarmchair;hehadnotabdicatedonetitleofhismajesty。？God，whohadnotpunishedhim，cannot，willnotpunishme，whohavedonenothing。"？Astrangesoundattractedtheyoungman\'sattention。？Helookedroundhim，andsawonthemantel—shelf，justbelowanenormouscrucifix，coarselypaintedinfrescoonthewall，aratofenormoussizeengagedinnibblingapieceofdrybread，butfixingallthetime，anintelligentandinquiringlookuponthenewoccupantofthecell。？Thekingcouldnotresistasuddenimpulseoffearanddisgust:hemovedbacktowardsthedoor，utteringaloudcry;andasifhebutneededthiscry，whichescapedfromhisbreastalmostunconsciously，torecognizehimself，Louisknewthathewasaliveandinfullpossessionofhisnaturalsenses。？"Aprisoner！"hecried。？"I—I，aprisoner！"？Helookedroundhimforabelltosummonsomeonetohim。？"TherearenobellsintheBastile，"hesaid，"anditisintheBastileIamimprisoned。？InwhatwaycanIhavebeenmadeaprisoner？？ItmusthavebeenowingtoaconspiracyofM。Fouquet。？IhavebeendrawntoVaux，astoasnare。？M。Fouquetcannotbeactingaloneinthisaffair。？Hisagent—ThatvoicethatIbutjustnowheardwasM。d\'Herblay\'s;Irecognizedit。？Colbertwasright，then。？ButwhatisFouquet\'sobject？？Toreigninmyplaceandstead？—

Impossible。？Yetwhoknows！"

thoughttheking，relapsingintogloomagain。？"Perhapsmybrother，theDucd\'Orl閍ns，isdoingthatwhichmyunclewishedtododuringthewholeofhislifeagainstmyfather。？Butthequeen？—Mymother，too？？AndLaValli鑢e？？Oh！？LaValli鑢e，shewillhavebeenabandonedtoMadame。？Dear，deargirl！？Yes，itis—itmustbeso。？Theyhaveshutherupastheyhaveme。？Weareseparatedforever！"？Andatthisideaofseparationthepoorloverburstintoafloodoftearsandsobsandgroans。

"Thereisagovernorinthisplace，"thekingcontinued，inafuryofpassion;

"Iwillspeaktohim，Iwillsummonhimtome。"

Hecalled—novoicerepliedtohis。？Heseizedholdofhischair，andhurleditagainstthemassiveoakendoor。？Thewoodresoundedagainstthedoor，andawakenedmanyamournfulechointheprofounddepthsofthestaircase;butfromahumancreature，none。

ThiswasafreshproofforthekingoftheslightregardinwhichhewasheldattheBastile。？Therefore，whenhisfirstfitofangerhadpassedaway，havingremarkedabarredwindowthroughwhichtherepassedastreamoflight，lozenge—shaped，whichmustbe，heknew，thebrightorbofapproachingday，Louisbegantocallout，atfirstgentlyenough，thenlouderandlouderstill;butnoonereplied。？Twentyotherattemptswhichhemade，oneafteranother，obtainednootherorbettersuccess。？Hisbloodbegantoboilwithinhim，andmounttohishead。？Hisnaturewassuch，that，accustomedtocommand，hetrembledattheideaofdisobedience。？Theprisonerbrokethechair，whichwastooheavyforhimtolift，andmadeuseofitasabatteringramtostrikeagainstthedoor。？Hestrucksoloudly，andsorepeatedly，thattheperspirationsoonbegantopourdownhisface。？Thesoundbecametremendousandcontinuous;certainstifled，smotheredcriesrepliedindifferentdirections。？Thissoundproducedastrangeeffectupontheking。？Hepausedtolisten;itwasthevoiceoftheprisoners，formerlyhisvictims，nowhiscompanions。？Thevoicesascendedlikevaporsthroughthethickceilingsandthemassivewalls，androseinaccusationsagainsttheauthorofthisnoise，asdoubtlesstheirsighsandtearsaccused，inwhisperedtones，theauthoroftheircaptivity。？Afterhavingdeprivedsomanypeopleoftheirliberty，thekingcameamongthemtorobthemoftheirrest。？Thisideaalmostdrovehimmad;itredoubledhisstrength，orratherhiswell，bentuponobtainingsomeinformation，oraconclusiontotheaffair。？Withaportionofthebrokenchairherecommencedthenoise。？Attheendofanhour，Louisheardsomethinginthecorridor，behindthedoorofhiscell，andaviolentblow，whichwasreturneduponthedooritself，madehimceasehisown。

"Areyoumad？"saidarude，brutalvoice。？"Whatisthematterwithyouthismorning？"

"Thismorning！"thoughttheking;buthesaidaloud，politely，"Monsieur，areyouthegovernoroftheBastile？"

"Mygoodfellow，yourheadisoutofsorts，"repliedthevoice;"butthatisnoreasonwhyyoushouldmakesuchaterribledisturbance。？Bequiet;mordioux！"

"Areyouthegovernor？"thekinginquiredagain。

Heheardadooronthecorridorclose;thejailerhadjustleft，notcondescendingtoreplyasingleword。？Whenthekinghadassuredhimselfofhisdeparture，hisfuryknewnolongeranybounds。？Asagileasatiger，heleapedfromthetabletothewindow，andstrucktheironbarswithallhismight。？Hebrokeapaneofglass，thepiecesofwhichfellclankingintothecourtyardbelow。？Heshoutedwithincreasinghoarseness，"Thegovernor，thegovernor！"？Thisexcesslastedfullyanhour，duringwhichtimehewasinaburningfever。？Withhishairindisorderandmattedonhisforehead，hisdresstornandcoveredwithdustandplaster，hislineninshreds，thekingneverresteduntilhisstrengthwasutterlyexhausted，anditwasnotuntilthenthatheclearlyunderstoodthepitilessthicknessofthewalls，theimpenetrablenatureofthecement，invincibletoeveryinfluencebutthatoftime，andthathepossessednootherweaponbutdespair。？Heleanedhisforeheadagainstthedoor，andletthefeverishthrobbingsofhisheartcalmbydegrees;ithadseemedasifonesingleadditionalpulsationwouldhavemadeitburst。

"A

momentwillcomewhenthefoodwhichisgiventotheprisonerswillbebroughttome。？Ishallthenseesomeone，I

shallspeaktohim，andgetananswer。"

AndthekingtriedtorememberatwhathourthefirstrepastoftheprisonerswasservedattheBastile;hewasignorantevenofthisdetail。？Thefeelingofremorseatthisremembrancesmotehimlikethethrustofadagger，thatheshouldhavelivedforfiveandtwentyyearsaking，andintheenjoymentofeveryhappiness，withouthavingbestowedamoment\'sthoughtonthemiseryofthosewhohadbeenunjustlydeprivedoftheirliberty。？Thekingblushedforveryshame。？HefeltthatHeaven，inpermittingthisfearfulhumiliation，didnomorethanrendertothemanthesametortureashadbeeninflictedbythatmanuponsomanyothers。？Nothingcouldbemoreefficaciousforreawakeninghismindtoreligiousinfluencesthantheprostrationofhisheartandmindandsoulbeneaththefeelingofsuchacutewretchedness。？ButLouisdarednotevenkneelinprayertoGodtoentreathimtoterminatehisbittertrial。

"Heavenisright，"hesaid;"Heavenactswisely。？ItwouldbecowardlytopraytoHeavenforthatwhichIhavesooftenrefusedmyownfellow—creatures。"

Hehadreachedthisstageofhisreflections，thatis，ofhisagonyofmind，whenasimilarnoisewasagainheardbehindhisdoor，followedthistimebythesoundofthekeyinthelock，andoftheboltsbeingwithdrawnfromtheirstaples。？Thekingboundedforwardtobenearertothepersonwhowasabouttoenter，but，suddenlyreflectingthatitwasamovementunworthyofasovereign，hepaused，assumedanobleandcalmexpression，whichforhimwaseasyenough，andwaitedwithhisbackturnedtowardsthewindow，inorder，tosomeextent，toconcealhisagitationfromtheeyesofthepersonwhowasabouttoenter。？Itwasonlyajailerwithabasketofprovisions。？Thekinglookedatthemanwithrestlessanxiety，andwaiteduntilhespoke。

"Ah！"

saidthelatter，"youhavebrokenyourchair。？Isaidyouhaddoneso！？Why，youhavegonequitemad。"

"Monsieur，"

saidtheking，"becarefulwhatyousay;itwillbeaveryseriousaffairforyou。"

Thejailerplacedthebasketonthetable，andlookedathisprisonersteadily。？"Whatdoyousay？"

hesaid。

"Desirethegovernortocometome，"addedtheking，inaccentsfullofcalmanddignity。

"Come，myboy，"saidtheturnkey，"youhavealwaysbeenveryquietandreasonable，butyouaregettingvicious，itseems，andIwishyoutoknowitintime。？Youhavebrokenyourchair，andmadeagreatdisturbance;thatisanoffensepunishablebyimprisonmentinoneofthelowerdungeons。？Promisemenottobeginoveragain，andIwillnotsayawordaboutittothegovernor。"

"I

wishtoseethegovernor，"repliedtheking，stillgoverninghispassions。

"Hewillsendyouofftooneofthedungeons，Itellyou;sotakecare。"

"I

insistuponit，doyouhear？"

"Ah！

ah！youreyesarebecomingwildagain。？Verygood！？Ishalltakeawayyourknife。"

Andthejailerdidwhathesaid，quittedtheprisoner，andclosedthedoor，leavingthekingmoreastounded，morewretched，moreisolatedthanever。？Itwasuseless，thoughhetriedit，tomakethesamenoiseagainonhisdoor，andequallyuselessthathethrewtheplatesanddishesoutofthewindow;notasinglesoundwasheardinrecognition。？Twohoursafterwardshecouldnotberecognizedasaking，agentleman，aman，ahumanbeing;hemightratherbecalledamadman，tearingthedoorwithhisnails，tryingtotearuptheflooringofhiscell，andutteringsuchwildandfearfulcriesthattheoldBastileseemedtotrembletoitsveryfoundationsforhavingrevoltedagainstitsmaster。？Asforthegovernor，thejailerdidnoteventhinkofdisturbinghim;theturnkeysandthesentinelshadreportedtheoccurrencetohim，butwhatwasthegoodofit？？Werenotthesemadmencommonenoughinsuchaprison？andwerenotthewallsstillstronger？？M。deBaisemeaux，thoroughlyimpressedwithwhatAramishadtoldhim，andinperfectconformitywiththeking\'sorder，hopedonlythatonethingmighthappen;namely，thatthemadmanMarchialimightbemadenoughtohanghimselftothecanopyofhisbed，ortooneofthebarsofthewindow。？Infact，theprisonerwasanythingbutaprofitableinvestmentforM。Baisemeaux，andbecamemoreannoyingthanagreeabletohim。？ThesecomplicationsofSeldonandMarchiali—thecomplicationsfirstofsettingatlibertyandthenimprisoningagain，thecomplicationsarisingfromthestronglikenessinquestion—hadatlastfoundaveryproperd閚ouement。？BaisemeauxeventhoughthehadremarkedthatD\'Herblayhimselfwasnotaltogetherdissatisfiedwiththeresult。

"Andthen，really，"saidBaisemeauxtohisnextincommand，"anordinaryprisonerisalreadyunhappyenoughinbeingaprisoner;hesuffersquiteenough，indeed，toinduceonetohope，charitablyenough，thathisdeathmaynotbefardistant。？Withstillgreaterreason，accordingly，whentheprisonerhasgonemad，andmightbiteandmakeaterribledisturbanceintheBastile;why，insuchacase，itisnotsimplyanactofmerecharitytowishhimdead;itwouldbealmostagoodandevencommendableaction，quietlytohavehimputoutofhismisery。"

Andthegood—naturedgovernorthereuponsatdowntohislatebreakfast。

ChapterXIX:

TheShadowofM。Fouquet。

D\'Artagnan，stillconfusedandoppressedbytheconversationhehadjusthadwiththeking，couldnotresistaskinghimselfifhewerereallyinpossessionofhissenses，ifhewerereallyandtrulyatVaux;ifhe，D\'Artagnan，werereallythecaptainofthemusketeers，andM。Fouquettheownerofthech鈚eauinwhichLouisXIV。

wasatthatmomentpartakingofhishospitality。？Thesereflectionswerenotthoseofadrunkenman，althougheverythingwasinprodigalprofusionatVaux，andthesurintendant\'swineshadmetwithadistinguishedreceptionatthef阾e。？TheGascon，however，wasamanofcalmself—possession;andnosoonerdidhetouchhisbrightsteelblade，thanheknewhowtoadoptmorallythecold，keenweaponashisguideofaction。

"Well，"

hesaid，ashequittedtheroyalapartment，"Iseemnowtobemixeduphistoricallywiththedestiniesofthekingandoftheminister;itwillbewritten，thatM。d\'Artagnan，ayoungersonofaGasconfamily，placedhishandontheshoulderofM。NicolasFouquet，thesurintendantofthefinancesofFrance。？Mydescendants，ifIhaveany，willflatterthemselveswiththedistinctionwhichthisarrestwillconfer，justasthemembersoftheDeLuynesfamilyhavedonewithregardtotheestatesofthepoorMar閏hald\'Ancre。？Butthethingis，howbesttoexecutetheking\'sdirectionsinapropermanner。？AnymanwouldknowhowtosaytoM。Fouquet，\'Yoursword，monsieur。\'？ButitisnoteveryonewhowouldbeabletotakecareofM。Fouquetwithoutothersknowinganythingaboutit。？HowamItomanage，then，sothatM。lesurintendantpassfromtheheightoffavortothedirestdisgrace;thatVauxbeturnedintoadungeonforhim;thatafterhavingbeensteepedtohislips，asitwere，inalltheperfumesandincenseofAhasuerus，heistransferredtothegallowsofHaman;inotherwords，ofEnguerranddeMarigny？"？Andatthisreflection，D\'Artagnan\'sbrowbecamecloudedwithperplexity。？Themusketeerhadcertainscruplesonthematter，itmustbeadmitted。？Todeliveruptodeath（fornotadoubtexistedthatLouishatedFouquetmortally）themanwhohadjustshownhimselfsodelightfulandcharmingahostineveryway，wasarealinsulttoone\'sconscience。？"Italmostseems，"saidD\'Artagnantohimself，"thatifIamnotapoor，mean，miserablefellow，IshouldletM。Fouquetknowtheopinionthekinghasabouthim。？Yet，ifIbetraymymaster\'ssecret，Ishallbeafalse—hearted，treacherousknave，atraitor，too，acrimeprovidedforandpunishablebymilitarylaws—somuchso，indeed，thattwentytimes，informerdayswhenwarswererife，Ihaveseenmanyamiserablefellowstrunguptoatreefordoing，inbutasmalldegree，whatmyscruplescounselmetoundertakeuponagreatscalenow。？No，Ithinkthatamanoftruereadinessofwitoughttogetoutofthisdifficultywithmoreskillthanthat。？Andnow，letusadmitthatIdopossessalittlereadinessofinvention;

itisnotatallcertain，though，for，afterhavingforfortyyearsabsorbedsolargeaquantity，Ishallbeluckyifthereweretobeapistole\'s—worthleft。"？D\'Artagnanburiedhisheadinhishands，toreathismustacheinsheervexation，andadded，"WhatcanbethereasonofM。Fouquet\'sdisgrace？？Thereseemtobethreegoodones:thefirst，becauseM。Colbertdoesn\'tlikehim;thesecond，becausehewishedtofallinlovewithMademoiselledelaValli鑢e;andlastly，becausethekinglikesM。ColbertandlovesMademoiselledelaValli鑢e。？Oh！heislost！？ButshallIputmyfootonhisneck，I，ofallmen，whenheisfallingapreytotheintriguesofapackofwomenandclerks？？Forshame！？Ifhebedangerous，Iwilllayhimlowenough;if，however，hebeonlypersecuted，Iwilllookon。？Ihavecometosuchadecisivedetermination，thatneitherkingnorlivingmanshallchangemymind。？IfAthoswerehere，hewoulddoasIhavedone。？Therefore，insteadofgoing，incoldblood，uptoM。Fouquet，andarrestinghimoff—handandshuttinghimupaltogether，Iwilltryandconductmyselflikeamanwhounderstandswhatgoodmannersare。？Peoplewilltalkaboutit，ofcourse;buttheyshalltalkwellofit，Iamdetermined。"？AndD\'Artagnan，drawingbyagesturepeculiartohimselfhisshoulder—beltoverhisshoulder，wentstraightofftoM。Fouquet，who，afterhehadtakenleaveofhisguests，waspreparingtoretireforthenightandtosleeptranquillyafterthetriumphsoftheday。？Theairwasstillperfumed，orinfected，whicheverwayitmaybeconsidered，withtheodorsofthetorchesandthefireworks。？Thewax—lightsweredyingawayintheirsockets，theflowersfellunfastenedfromthegarlands，thegroupsofdancersandcourtierswereseparatinginthesalons。？Surroundedbyhisfriends，whocomplimentedhimandreceivedhisflatteringremarksinreturn，thesurintendanthalf—closedhisweariedeyes。？Helongedforrestandquiet;hesankuponthebedoflaurelswhichhadbeenheapedupforhimforsomanydayspast;itmightalmosthavebeensaidthatheseemedbowedbeneaththeweightofthenewdebtswhichhehadincurredforthepurposeofgivingthegreatestpossiblehonortothisf阾e。？Fouquethadjustretiredtohisroom，stillsmiling，butmorethanhalf—asleep。？Hecouldlistentonothingmore，hecouldhardlykeephiseyesopen;hisbedseemedtopossessafascinatingandirresistibleattractionforhim。？ThegodMorpheus，thepresidingdeityofthedomepaintedbyLebrun，hadextendedhisinfluenceovertheadjoiningrooms，andshowereddownhismostsleep—inducingpoppiesuponthemasterofthehouse。？Fouquet，almostentirelyalone，wasbeingassistedbyhisvaletdechambretoundress，whenM。d\'Artagnanappearedattheentranceoftheroom。？D\'Artagnanhadneverbeenabletosucceedinmakinghimselfcommonatthecourt;andnotwithstandinghewasseeneverywhereandonalloccasions，heneverfailedtoproduceaneffectwhereverandwheneverhemadehisappearance。？Suchisthehappyprivilegeofcertainnatures，whichinthatrespectresembleeitherthunderorlightning;everyonerecognizesthem;buttheirappearanceneverfailstoarousesurpriseandastonishment，andwhenevertheyoccur，theimpressionisalwaysleftthatthelastwasthemostconspicuousormostimportant。