下载辰思小说免费APP
"What！？M。d\'Artagnan？"saidFouquet，whohadalreadytakenhisrightarmoutofthesleeveofhisdoublet。
"Atyourservice，"repliedthemusketeer。
"Comein，mydearM。d\'Artagnan。"
"Thankyou。"
"Haveyoucometocriticisethef阾e？？Youareingeniousenoughinyourcriticisms，Iknow。"
"Bynomeans。"
"Arenotyourmenlookedafterproperly？"
"Ineveryway。"
"Youarenotcomfortablylodged，perhaps？"
"Nothingcouldbebetter。"
"Inthatcase，Ihavetothankyouforbeingsoamiablydisposed，andImustnotfailtoexpressmyobligationstoyouforallyourflatteringkindness。"
Thesewordswereasmuchastosay，"MydearD\'Artagnan，praygotobed，sinceyouhaveabedtoliedownon，andletmedothesame。"
D\'Artagnandidnotseemtounderstandit。
"Areyougoingtobedalready？"hesaidtothesuperintendent。
"Yes;
haveyouanythingtosaytome？"
"Nothing，monsieur，nothingatall。？Yousleepinthisroom，then？"
"Yes;
asyousee。"
"Youhavegivenamostcharmingf阾etotheking。"
"Doyouthinkso？"
"Oh！
beautiful！"
"Isthekingpleased？"
"Enchanted。"
"Didhedesireyoutosayasmuchtome？"
"Hewouldnotchoosesounworthyamessenger，monseigneur。"
"Youdonotdoyourselfjustice，Monsieurd\'Artagnan。"
"Isthatyourbed，there？"
"Yes;
butwhydoyouask？？Areyounotsatisfiedwithyourown？"
"MyIspeakfranklytoyou？"
"Mostassuredly。"
"Well，then，Iamnot。"
Fouquetstarted;andthenreplied，"Willyoutakemyroom，Monsieurd\'Artagnan？"
"What！
depriveyouofit，monseigneur？never！"
"WhatamItodo，then？"
"Allowmetoshareyourswithyou。"
Fouquetlookedatthemusketeerfixedly。？"Ah！ah！"hesaid，"youhavejustlefttheking。"
"I
have，monseigneur。"
"Andthekingwishesyoutopassthenightinmyroom？"
"Monseigneur—"
"Verywell，Monsieurd\'Artagnan，verywell。？Youarethemasterhere。"
"I
assureyou，monseigneur，thatIdonotwishtoabuse—"
Fouquetturnedtohisvalet，andsaid，"Leaveus。"？Whenthemanhadleft，hesaidtoD\'Artagnan，"Youhavesomethingtosaytome？"
"I？"
"A
manofyoursuperiorintelligencecannothavecometotalkwithamanlikemyself，atsuchanhourasthepresent，withoutgravemotives。"
"Donotinterrogateme。"
"Onthecontrary。？Whatdoyouwantwithme？"
"Nothingmorethanthepleasureofyoursociety。"
"Comeintothegarden，then，"saidthesuperintendentsuddenly，"orintothepark。"
"No，"
repliedthemusketeer，hastily，"no。"
"Why？"
"Thefreshair—"
"Come，admitatoncethatyouarrestme，"saidthesuperintendenttothecaptain。
"Never！"
saidthelatter。
"Youintendtolookafterme，then？"
"Yes，monseigneur，Ido，uponmyhonor。"
"Uponyourhonor—ah！thatisquiteanotherthing！？SoIamtobearrestedinmyownhouse。"
"Donotsaysuchathing。"
"Onthecontrary，Iwillproclaimitaloud。"
"Ifyoudoso，Ishallbecompelledtorequestyoutobesilent。"
"Verygood！？Violencetowardsme，andinmyownhouse，too。"
"Wedonotseemtounderstandoneanotheratall。？Stayamoment;thereisachess—boardthere;wewillhaveagame，ifyouhavenoobjections。"
"Monsieurd\'Artagnan，Iamindisgrace，then？"
"Notatall;but—"
"I
amprohibited，Isuppose，fromwithdrawingfromyoursight。"
"I
donotunderstandawordyouaresaying，monseigneur;andifyouwishmetowithdraw，tellmeso。"
"MydearMonsieurd\'Artagnan，yourmodeofactionisenoughtodrivememad;Iwasalmostsinkingforwantofsleep，butyouhavecompletelyawakenedme。"
"I
shallneverforgivemyself，Iamsure;andifyouwishtoreconcilemewithmyself，why，gotosleepinyourbedinmypresence;andIshallbedelighted。"
"I
amundersurveillance，Isee。"
"I
willleavetheroomifyousayanysuchthing。"
"Youarebeyondmycomprehension。"
"Goodnight，monseigneur，"saidD\'Artagnan，ashepretendedtowithdraw。
Fouquetranafterhim。？"Iwillnotliedown，"hesaid。？"Seriously，andsinceyourefusetotreatmeasaman，andsinceyoufinessewithme，I
willtryandsetyouatbay，asahunterdoesawildboar。"
"Bah！"
criedD\'Artagnan，pretendingtosmile。
"I
shallordermyhorses，andsetoffforParis，"saidFouquet，soundingthecaptainofthemusketeers。
"Ifthatbethecase，monseigneur，itisverydifficult。"
"Youwillarrestme，then？"
"No，butIshallgoalongwithyou。"
"Thatisquitesufficient，Monsieurd\'Artagnan，"returnedFouquet，coldly。？"Itwasnotfornothingyouacquiredyourreputationasamanofintelligenceandresource;butwithmeallthisisquitesuperfluous。？Letuscometothepoint。？Domeaservice。？Whydoyouarrestme？？WhathaveIdone？"
"Oh！？Iknownothingaboutwhatyoumayhavedone;
butIdonotarrestyou—thisevening，atleast！"
"Thisevening！"saidFouquet，turningpale，"butto—morrow？"
"Itisnotto—morrowjustyet，monseigneur。？Whocaneveranswerforthemorrow？"
"Quick，quick，captain！letmespeaktoM。d\'Herblay。"
"Alas！
thatisquiteimpossible，monseigneur。？Ihavestrictorderstoseethatyouholdnocommunicationwithanyone。"
"WithM。d\'Herblay，captain—withyourfriend！"
"Monseigneur，isM。d\'Herblaytheonlypersonwithwhomyououghttobepreventedholdinganycommunication？"
Fouquetcolored，andthenassuminganairofresignation，hesaid:"Youareright，monsieur;youhavetaughtmealessonIoughtnottohaveevoked。？Afallenmancannotasserthisrighttoanything，evenfromthosewhosefortuneshemayhavemade;forastillstrongerreason，hecannotclaimanythingfromthosetowhomhemayneverhavehadthehappinessofdoingaservice。"
"Monseigneur！"
"Itisperfectlytrue，Monsieurd\'Artagnan;youhavealwaysactedinthemostadmirablemannertowardsme—insuchamanner，indeed，asmostbecomesthemanwhoisdestinedtoarrestme。？You，atleast，haveneveraskedmeanything。"
"Monsieur，"
repliedtheGascon，touchedbyhiseloquentandnobletoneofgrief，"willyou—Iaskitasafavor—pledgemeyourwordasamanofhonorthatyouwillnotleavethisroom？"
"Whatistheuseofit，dearMonsieurd\'Artagnan，sinceyoukeepwatchandwardoverme？？DoyousupposeIshouldcontendagainstthemostvaliantswordinthekingdom？"
"Itisnotthat，atall，monseigneur;butthatIamgoingtolookforM。d\'Herblay，and，consequently，toleaveyoualone。"
Fouquetutteredacryofdelightandsurprise。
"TolookforM。d\'Herblay！toleavemealone！"heexclaimed，claspinghishandstogether。
"WhichisM。d\'Herblay\'sroom？？Theblueroomisitnot？"
"Yes，myfriend，yes。"
"Yourfriend！thankyouforthatword，monseigneur;youconferituponmeto—day，atleast，ifyouhaveneverdonesobefore。"
"Ah！
youhavesavedme。"
"Itwilltakeagoodtenminutestogofromhencetotheblueroom，andtoreturn？"saidD\'Artagnan。
"Nearlyso。"
"AndthentowakeAramis，whosleepsverysoundly，whenheisasleep，Iputthatdownatanotherfiveminutes;makingatotaloffifteenminutes\'absence。？Andnow，monseigneur，givemeyourwordthatyouwillnotinanywayattempttomakeyourescape，andthatwhenIreturnIshallfindyouhereagain。"
"I
giveit，monsieur，"repliedFouquet，withanexpressionofthewarmestanddeepestgratitude。
D\'Artagnandisappeared。？Fouquetlookedathimashequittedtheroom，waitedwithafeverishimpatienceuntilthedoorwasclosedbehindhim，andassoonasitwasshut，flewtohiskeys，openedtwoorthreesecretdoorsconcealedinvariousarticlesoffurnitureintheroom，lookedvainlyforcertainpapers，whichdoubtlesshehadleftatSaint—Mand？
andwhichheseemedtoregretnothavingfoundinthem;thenhurriedlyseizingholdofletters，contracts，papers，writings，heheapedthemupintoapile，whichheburntintheextremesthasteuponthemarblehearthofthefireplace，noteventakingtimetodrawfromtheinteriorofitthevasesandpotsofflowerswithwhichitwasfilled。？Assoonashehadfinished，likeamanwhohasjustescapedanimminentdanger，andwhosestrengthabandonshimassoonasthedangerispast，hesankdown，completelyovercome，onacouch。？WhenD\'Artagnanreturned，hefoundFouquetinthesameposition;theworthymusketeerhadnottheslightestdoubtthatFouquet，havinggivenhisword，wouldnoteventhinkoffailingtokeepit，buthehadthoughtitmostlikelythatFouquetwouldturnhis（D\'Artagnan\'s）absencetothebestadvantageingettingridofallthepapers，memorandums，andcontracts，whichmightpossiblyrenderhisposition，whichwasevennowseriousenough，moredangerousthanever。？Andso，liftinguphisheadlikeadogwhohasregainedthescent，heperceivedanodorresemblingsmokehehadreliedonfindingintheatmosphere，andhavingfoundit，madeamovementofhisheadintokenofsatisfaction。？AsD\'Artagnanentered，Fouquet，onhisside，raisedhishead，andnotoneofD\'Artagnan\'smovementsescapedhim。？Andthenthelooksofthetwomenmet，andtheybothsawthattheyhadunderstoodeachotherwithoutexchangingasyllable。
"Well！"
askedFouquet，thefirsttospeak，"andM。d\'Herblay？"
"Uponmyword，monseigneur，"repliedD\'Artagnan，"M。d\'Herblaymustbedesperatelyfondofwalkingoutatnight，andcomposingversesbymoonlightintheparkofVaux，withsomeofyourpoets，inallprobability，forheisnotinhisownroom。"
"What！
notinhisownroom？"criedFouquet，whoselasthopethusescapedhim;forunlesshecouldascertaininwhatwaythebishopofVannescouldassisthim，heperfectlywellknewthathecouldexpectassistancefromnootherquarter。
"Or，indeed，"continuedD\'Artagnan，"ifheisinhisownroom，hehasverygoodreasonsfornotanswering。"
"Butsurelyyoudidnotcallhiminsuchamannerthathecouldhaveheardyou？"
"Youcanhardlysuppose，monseigneur，thathavingalreadyexceededmyorders，whichforbademeleavingyouasinglemoment—youcanhardlysuppose，Isay，thatI
shouldhavebeenmadenoughtorousethewholehouseandallowmyselftobeseeninthecorridorofthebishopofVannes，inorderthatM。ColbertmightstatewithpositivecertaintythatIgaveyoutimetoburnyourpapers。"
"Mypapers？"
"Ofcourse;atleastthatiswhatIshouldhavedoneinyourplace。？WhenanyoneopensadoorformeIalwaysavailmyselfofit。"
"Yes，yes，andIthankyou，forIhaveavailedmyselfofit。"
"Andyouhavedoneperfectlyright。？Everymanhashisownpeculiarsecretswithwhichothershavenothingtodo。？ButletusreturntoAramis，monseigneur。"
"Well，then，Itellyou，youcouldnothavecalledloudenough，orAramiswouldhaveheardyou。"
"HoweversoftlyanyonemaycallAramis，monseigneur，Aramisalwayshearswhenhehasaninterestinhearing。？IrepeatwhatI
saidbefore—Aramiswasnotinhisownroom，orAramishadcertainreasonsfornotrecognizingmyvoice，ofwhichIamignorant，andofwhichyoumaybeevenignorantyourself，notwithstandingyourliege—manisHisGreatnesstheLordBishopofVannes。"
Fouquetdrewadeepsigh，rosefromhisseat，tookthreeorfourturnsinhisroom，andfinishedbyseatinghimself，withanexpressionofextremedejection，uponhismagnificentbedwithvelvethangings，andcostliestlace。？D\'ArtagnanlookedatFouquetwithfeelingsofthedeepestandsincerestpity。
"I
haveseenagoodmanymenarrestedinmylife，"saidthemusketeer，sadly;
"IhaveseenbothM。deCinq—MarsandM。deChalaisarrested，thoughIwasveryyoungthen。？IhaveseenM。deCond？arrestedwiththeprinces;IhaveseenM。deRetzarrested;IhaveseenM。Brousselarrested。？Stayamoment，monseigneur，itisdisagreeabletohavetosay，buttheveryoneofallthosewhomyoumostresembleatthismomentwasthatpoorfellowBroussel。？Youwereveryneardoingashedid，puttingyourdinnernapkininyourportfolio，andwipingyourmouthwithyourpapers。？Mordioux！？MonseigneurFouquet，amanlikeyououghtnottobedejectedinthismanner。？Supposeyourfriendssawyou？"
"Monsieurd\'Artagnan，"returnedthesurintendant，withasmilefullofgentleness，"youdonotunderstandme;itispreciselybecausemyfriendsarenotlookingon，thatIamasyouseemenow。？Idonotlive，existeven，isolatedfromothers;Iamnothingwhenlefttomyself。？UnderstandthatthroughoutmywholelifeIhavepassedeverymomentofmytimeinmakingfriends，whomI
hopedtorendermystayandsupport。？Intimesofprosperity，allthesecheerful，happyvoices—renderedsothroughandbymymeans—formedinmyhonoraconcertofpraiseandkindlyactions。？Intheleastdisfavor，thesehumblervoicesaccompaniedinharmoniousaccentsthemurmurofmyownheart。？IsolationIhaveneveryetknown。？Poverty（aphantomIhavesometimesbeheld，cladinrags，awaitingmeattheendofmyjourneythroughlife）—povertyhasbeenthespecterwithwhichmanyofmyownfriendshavetrifledforyearspast，whichtheypoetizeandcaress，andwhichhasattractedmetowardsthem。？Poverty！？Iacceptit，acknowledgeit，receiveit，asadisinheritedsister;forpovertyisneithersolitude，norexile，norimprisonment。？IsitlikelyIshalleverbepoor，withsuchfriendsasP閘isson，asLaFontaine，asMoli鑢e？withsuchamistressas—Oh！
ifyouknewhowutterlylonelyanddesolateIfeelatthismoment，andhowyou，whoseparatemefromallIlove，seemtoresembletheimageofsolitude，ofannihilation—deathitself。"
"ButIhavealreadytoldyou，MonsieurFouquet，"repliedD\'Artagnan，movedtothedepthsofhissoul，"thatyouarewoefullyexaggerating。？Thekinglikesyou。"
"No，no，"saidFouquet，shakinghishead。
"M。Colberthatesyou。"
"M。
Colbert！？Whatdoesthatmattertome？"
"Hewillruinyou。"
"Ah！？Idefyhimtodothat，forIamruinedalready。"
Atthissingularconfessionofthesuperintendent，D\'Artagnancasthisglanceallroundtheroom;andalthoughhedidnotopenhislips，Fouquetunderstoodhimsothoroughly，thatheadded:"Whatcanbedonewithsuchwealthofsubstanceassurroundsus，whenamancannolongercultivatehistasteforthemagnificent？？Doyouknowwhatgoodthegreaterpartofthewealthandthepossessionswhichwerichenjoy，conferuponus？merelytodisgustus，bytheirverysplendoreven，witheverythingwhichdoesnotequalit！？Vaux！youwillsay，andthewondersofVaux！？Whatofit？？Whatbootthesewonders？？IfIamruined，howshallIfillwithwatertheurnswhichmyNaiadsbearintheirarms，orforcetheairintothelungsofmyTritons？？Toberichenough，Monsieurd\'Artagnan，amanmustbetoorich。"
D\'Artagnanshookhishead。
"Oh！？Iknowverywellwhatyouthink，"
repliedFouquet，quickly。？"IfVauxwereyours，youwouldsellit，andwouldpurchaseanestateinthecountry;anestatewhichshouldhavewoods，orchards，andlandattached，sothattheestateshouldbemadetosupportitsmaster。？Withfortymillionsyoumight—"
"Tenmillions，"interruptedD\'Artagnan。
"Notamillion，mydearcaptain。？NooneinFranceisrichenoughtogivetwomillionsforVaux，andtocontinuetomaintainitasIhavedone;noonecoulddoit，noonewouldknowhow。"
"Well，"
saidD\'Artagnan，"inanycase，amillionisnotabjectmisery。"
"Itisnotfarfromit，mydearmonsieur。？Butyoudonotunderstandme。？No;IwillnotsellmyresidenceatVaux;Iwillgiveittoyou，ifyoulike;"andFouquetaccompaniedthesewordswithamovementoftheshoulderstowhichitwouldbeimpossibletodojustice。
"Giveittotheking;youwillmakeabetterbargain。"
"Thekingdoesnotrequiremetogiveittohim，"saidFouquet;"hewilltakeitawayfrommewiththemostabsoluteeaseandgrace，ifitpleaseshimtodoso;andthatistheveryreasonIshouldprefertoseeitperish。？Doyouknow，Monsieurd\'Artagnan，thatifthekingdidnothappentobeundermyroof，Iwouldtakethiscandle，gostraighttothedome，andsetfiretoacoupleofhugechestsoffuseesandfireworkswhichareinreservethere，andwouldreducemypalacetoashes。"
"Bah！"
saidthemusketeer，negligently。？"Atallevents，youwouldnotbeabletoburnthegardens，andthatisthefinestfeatureoftheplace。"
"Andyet，"resumedFouquet，thoughtfully，"whatwasIsaying？？Greatheavens！burnVaux！destroymypalace！？ButVauxisnotmine;thesewonderfulcreationsare，itistrue，theproperty，asfarassenseofenjoymentgoes，ofthemanwhohaspaidforthem;butasfarasdurationisconcerned，theybelongtothosewhocreatedthem。？VauxbelongstoLebrun，toLen魌re，toP閘isson，toLevau，toLaFontaine，toMoli鑢e;Vauxbelongstoposterity，infact。？Yousee，Monsieurd\'Artagnan，thatmyveryhousehasceasedtobemyown。"
"Thatisallwellandgood，"saidD\'Artagnan;"theideaisagreeableenough，andIrecognizeM。Fouquethimselfinit。？Thatidea，indeed，makesmeforgetthatpoorfellowBrousselaltogether;andInowfailtorecognizeinyouthewhiningcomplaintsofthatoldFrondeur。？Ifyouareruined，monsieur，lookattheaffairmanfully，foryoutoo，mordioux！belongtoposterity，andhavenorighttolessenyourselfinanyway。？Stayamoment;lookatme，Iwhoseemtoexerciseinsomedegreeakindofsuperiorityoveryou，becauseI
amarrestingyou;fate，whichdistributestheirdifferentpartstothecomediansofthisworld，accordedmealessagreeableandlessadvantageousparttofillthanyourshasbeen。？Iamoneofthosewhothinkthatthepartswhichkingsandpowerfulnoblesarecalledupontoactareinfinitelyofmoreworththanthepartsofbeggarsorlackeys。？Itisfarbetteronthestage—onthestage，Imean，ofanothertheaterthanthetheaterofthisworld—itisfarbettertowearafinecoatandtotalkafinelanguage，thantowalktheboardsshodwithapairofoldshoes，ortogetone\'sbackbonegentlypolishedbyaheartydressingwithastick。？Inoneword，youhavebeenaprodigalwithmoney，youhaveorderedandbeenobeyed—
havebeensteepedtothelipsinenjoyment;whileIhavedraggedmytetherafterme，havebeencommandedandhaveobeyed，andhavedrudgedmylifeaway。？Well，althoughImayseemofsuchtriflingimportancebesideyou，monseigneur，Idodeclaretoyou，thattherecollectionofwhatIhavedoneservesmeasaspur，andpreventsmefrombowingmyoldheadtoosoon。？Ishallremainuntotheveryendatrooper;andwhenmyturncomes，Ishallfallperfectlystraight，allinaheap，stillalive，afterhavingselectedmyplacebeforehand。？DoasIdo，MonsieurFouquet，youwillnotfindyourselftheworseforit;afallhappensonlyonceinalifetimetomenlikeyourself，andthechiefthingis，totakeitgracefullywhenthechancepresentsitself。？ThereisaLatinproverb—thewordshaveescapedme，butIrememberthesenseofitverywell，forIhavethoughtoveritmorethanonce—whichsays，\'Theendcrownsthework！\'"
Fouquetrosefromhisseat，passedhisarmroundD\'Artagnan\'sneck，andclaspedhiminacloseembrace，whilstwiththeotherhandhepressedhishand。？"Anexcellenthomily，"hesaid，afteramoment\'spause。
"A
soldier\'s，monseigneur。"
"Youhavearegardforme，intellingmeallthat。"
"Perhaps。"
Fouquetresumedhispensiveattitudeoncemore，andthen，amomentafter，hesaid:
"WherecanM。d\'Herblaybe？？Idarenotaskyoutosendforhim。"
"Youwouldnotaskme，becauseIwouldnotdoit，MonsieurFouquet。？Peoplewouldlearnit，andAramis，whoisnotmixedupwiththeaffair，mightpossiblybecompromisedandincludedinyourdisgrace。"
"Iwillwaitheretilldaylight，"saidFouquet。
"Yes;thatisbest。"
"Whatshallwedowhendaylightcomes？"
"Iknownothingatallaboutit，monseigneur。"
"Monsieurd\'Artagnan，willyoudomeafavor？"
"Mostwillingly。"
"Youguardme，Iremain;youareactinginthefulldischargeofyourduty，Isuppose？"
"Certainly。"
"Verygood，then;remainasclosetomeasmyshadowifyoulike;andIinfinitelyprefersuchashadowtoanyoneelse。"
D\'Artagnanbowedtothecompliment。
"But，forgetthatyouareMonsieurd\'Artagnan，captainofthemusketeers;forgetthatIamMonsieurFouquet，surintendantofthefinances;andletustalkaboutmyaffairs。"
"Thatisratheradelicatesubject。"
"Indeed？"
"Yes;
but，foryoursake，MonsieurFouquet，Iwilldowhatmayalmostberegardedasanimpossibility。"
"Thankyou。？Whatdidthekingsaytoyou？"
"Nothing。"
"Ah！isthatthewayyoutalk？"
"Thedeuce！"
"Whatdoyouthinkofmysituation？"
"Idonotknow。"
"However，unlessyouhavesomeillfeelingagainstme—"
"Yourpositionisadifficultone。"
"Inwhatrespect？"
"Becauseyouareunderyourownroof。"
"Howeverdifficultitmaybe，Iunderstanditverywell。"
"Doyousupposethat，withanyoneelsebutyourself，Ishouldhaveshownsomuchfrankness？"
"What！somuchfrankness，doyousay？you，whorefusetotellmetheslightestthing？"
"Atallevents，then，somuchceremonyandconsideration。"
"Ah！？Ihavenothingtosayinthatrespect。"
"Onemoment，monseigneur:letmetellyouhowIshouldhavebehavedtowardsanyonebutyourself。？ItmightbethatI
happenedtoarriveatyourdoorjustasyourguestsoryourfriendshadleftyou—or，iftheyhadnotgoneyet，Ishouldwaituntiltheywereleaving，andshouldthencatchthemoneaftertheother，likerabbits;Ishouldlockthemupquietlyenough，Ishouldstealsoftlyalongthecarpetofyourcorridor，andwithonehanduponyou，beforeyoususpectedtheslightestthingamiss，I
shouldkeepyousafelyuntilmymaster\'sbreakfastinthemorning。？Inthisway，Ishouldjustthesamehaveavoidedallpublicity，alldisturbance，allopposition;buttherewouldalsohavebeennowarningforM。Fouquet，noconsiderationforhisfeelings，noneofthosedelicateconcessionswhichareshownbypersonswhoareessentiallycourteousintheirnatures，wheneverthedecisivemomentmayarrive。？Areyousatisfiedwiththeplan？"
"Itmakesmeshudder。"
"I
thoughtyouwouldnotlikeit。？Itwouldhavebeenverydisagreeabletohavemademyappearanceto—morrow，withoutanypreparation，andtohaveaskedyoutodeliverupyoursword。"
"Oh！
monsieur，Ishouldhavediedofshameandanger。"
"Yourgratitudeistooeloquentlyexpressed。？Ihavenotdoneenoughtodeserveit，Iassureyou。"
"Mostcertainly，monsieur，youwillnevergetmetobelievethat。"
"Well，then，monseigneur，ifyouaresatisfiedwithwhatIhavedone，andhavesomewhatrecoveredfromtheshockwhichIpreparedyouforasmuchasI
possiblycould，letusallowthefewhoursthatremaintopassawayundisturbed。？Youareharassed，andshouldarrangeyourthoughts;Ibegyou，therefore，gotosleep，orpretendtogotosleep，eitheronyourbed，orinyourbed;Iwillsleepinthisarmchair;
andwhenIfallasleep，myrestissosoundthatacannonwouldnotwakeme。"
Fouquetsmiled。？"Iexpect，however，"
continuedthemusketeer，"thecaseofadoorbeingopened，whetherasecretdoor，oranyother;orthecaseofanyonegoingoutof，orcominginto，theroom—foranythinglikethatmyearisasquickandsensitiveastheearofamouse。？Creakingnoisesmakemestart。？Itarises，Isuppose，fromanaturalantipathytoanythingofthekind。？Moveaboutasmuchasyoulike;walkupanddowninanypartoftheroom，write，efface，destroy，burn，—nothinglikethatwillpreventmefromgoingtosleeporevenpreventmefromsnoring，butdonottoucheitherthekeyorthehandleofthedoor，forIshouldstartupinamoment，andthatwouldshakemynervesandmakemeill。"
"Monsieurd\'Artagnan，"saidFouquet，"youarecertainlythemostwittyandthemostcourteousmanIevermetwith;andyouwillleavemeonlyoneregret，thatofhavingmadeyouracquaintancesolate。"
D\'Artagnandrewadeepsigh，whichseemedtosay，"Alas！youhaveperhapsmadeittoosoon。"？Hethensettledhimselfinhisarmchair，whileFouquet，halflyingonhisbedandleaningonhisarm，wasmeditatingonhismisadventures。？Inthisway，bothofthem，leavingthecandlesburning，awaitedthefirstdawnoftheday;andwhenFouquethappenedtosightooloudly，D\'Artagnanonlysnoredthelouder。？Notasinglevisit，notevenfromAramis，disturbedtheirquietude:notasoundevenwasheardthroughoutthewholevastpalace。？Outside，however，theguardsofhonoronduty，andthepatrolofmusketeers，pacedupanddown;andthesoundoftheirfeetcouldbeheardonthegravelwalks。？Itseemedtoactasanadditionalsoporificforthesleepers，whilethemurmuringofthewindthroughthetrees，andtheunceasingmusicofthefountainswhosewaterstumbledinthebasin，stillwentonuninterruptedly，withoutbeingdisturbedattheslightnoisesanditemsoflittlemomentthatconstitutethelifeanddeathofhumannature。
