"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!"