"NeverthelessIamsuffocated。Fran鏾is。"？Fran鏾isentered。？"Openthewindows，Iprayyou，MasterFran鏾is，"saidAramis。？"Youwillallowhim，dearM。Baisemeaux？"
　　"Youareathomehere，"answeredthegovernor。？Thewindowwasopened。？"Doyounotthink，"saidM。deBaisemeaux，"thatyouwillfindyourselfverylonely，nowM。delaF鑢ehasreturnedtohishouseholdgodsatBlois？？Heisaveryoldfriend，ishenot？"
　　"YouknowitasIdo，Baisemeaux，seeingthatyouwereinthemusketeerswithus。"
　　"Bah！
　　withmyfriendsIreckonneitherbottlesofwinenoryears。"
　　"Andyouareright。？ButIdomorethanloveM。delaF鑢e，dearBaisemeaux;Iveneratehim。"
　　"Well，formypart，though'tissingular，"saidthegovernor，"IpreferM。
　　d'Artagnantohim。？Thereisamanforyou，whodrinkslongandwell！？Thatkindofpeopleallowyouatleasttopenetratetheirthoughts。"
　　"Baisemeaux，makemetipsyto—night;letushaveamerrytimeofitasofold，andifIhaveatroubleatthebottomofmyheart，Ipromiseyou，youshallseeitasyouwouldadiamondatthebottomofyourglass。"
　　"Bravo！"
　　saidBaisemeaux，andhepouredoutagreatglassofwineanddrankitoffatadraught，tremblingwithjoyattheideaofbeing，byhookorbycrook，inthesecretofsomehigharchiepiscopalmisdemeanor。？WhilehewasdrinkinghedidnotseewithwhatattentionAramiswasnotingthesoundsinthegreatcourt。？Acouriercameinabouteighto'clockasFran鏾isbroughtinthefifthbottle，and，althoughthecouriermadeagreatnoise，Baisemeauxheardnothing。
　　"Thedeviltakehim，"saidAramis。
　　"What！
　　who？"askedBaisemeaux。？"I
　　hope'tisneitherthewineyoudranknorhewhoisthecauseofyourdrinkingit。"
　　"No;
　　itisahorse，whoismakingnoiseenoughinthecourtforawholesquadron。"
　　"Pooh！
　　somecourierorother，"repliedthegovernor，redoublinghisattentiontothepassingbottle。？"Yes;andmaythedeviltakehim，andsoquicklythatweshallneverhearhimspeakmore。？Hurrah！hurrah！"
　　"Youforgetme，Baisemeaux！myglassisempty，"saidAramis，liftinghisdazzlingVenetiangoblet。
　　"Uponmyhonor，youdelightme。？Fran鏾is，wine！"？Fran鏾isentered。？"Wine，fellow！andbetter。"
　　"Yes，monsieur，yes;butacourierhasjustarrived。"
　　"Lethimgotothedevil，Isay。"
　　"Yes，monsieur，but—"
　　"Lethimleavehisnewsattheoffice;wewillseetoitto—morrow。？To—morrow，therewillbetimeto—morrow;
　　therewillbedaylight，"saidBaisemeaux，chantingthewords。
　　"Ah，monsieur，"grumbledthesoldierFran鏾is，inspiteofhimself，"monsieur。"
　　"Takecare，"saidAramis，"takecare！"
　　"Ofwhat？dearM。d'Herblay，"saidBaisemeaux，halfintoxicated。
　　"Theletterwhichthecourierbringstothegovernorofafortressissometimesanorder。"
　　"Nearlyalways。"
　　"Donotordersissuefromtheministers？"
　　"Yes，undoubtedly;but—"
　　"Andwhattotheseministersdobutcountersignthesignatureoftheking？"
　　"Perhapsyouareright。？Nevertheless，'tisverytiresomewhenyouaresittingbeforeagoodtable，t阾e—？t阾ewithafriend—Ah！Ibegyourpardon，monsieur;I
　　forgotitisIwhoengageyouatsupper，andthatIspeaktoafuturecardinal。"
　　"Letuspassoverthat，dearBaisemeaux，andreturntooursoldier，toFran鏾is。"
　　"Well，andwhathasFran鏾isdone？"
　　"Hehasdemurred！"
　　"Hewaswrong，then？"
　　"However，hehasdemurred，yousee;'tisbecausethereissomethingextraordinaryinthismatter。？ItisverypossiblethatitwasnotFran鏾iswhowaswrongindemurring，butyou，whoareinthewronginnotlisteningtohim。"
　　"Wrong？？ItobewrongbeforeFran鏾is？thatseemsratherhard。"
　　"Pardonme，merelyanirregularity。？ButI
　　thoughtitmydutytomakeanobservationwhichIdeemimportant。"
　　"Oh！
　　perhapsyouareright，"stammeredBaisemeaux。？"Theking'sorderissacred;butastoordersthatarrivewhenoneisatsupper，Irepeatthatthedevil—"
　　"Ifyouhadsaidasmuchtothegreatcardinal—hem！mydearBaisemeaux，andifhisorderhadanyimportance。"
　　"I
　　doitthatImaynotdisturbabishop。？Mordioux！amInot，then，excusable？"
　　"Donotforget，Baisemeaux，thatIhavewornthesoldier'scoat，andIamaccustomedtoobedienceeverywhere。"
　　"Youwish，then—"
　　"I
　　wishthatyouwoulddoyourduty，myfriend;yes，atleastbeforethissoldier。"
　　"'Tismathematicallytrue，"exclaimedBaisemeaux。？Fran鏾isstillwaited:"Letthemsendthisorderoftheking'suptome，"herepeated，recoveringhimself。？Andheaddedinalowtone，"Doyouknowwhatitis？？Iwilltellyousomethingaboutasinterestingasthis。？'Bewareoffirenearthepowdermagazine;'or，'Lookcloseaftersuchandsuchaone，whoiscleveratescaping，'？Ah！ifyouonlyknew，monseigneur，howmanytimesIhavebeensuddenlyawakenedfromtheverysweetest，deepestslumber，bymessengersarrivingatfullgalloptotellme，orrather，bringmeaslipofpapercontainingthesewords:'MonsieurdeBaisemeaux，whatnews？'？'TisclearenoughthatthosewhowastetheirtimewritingsuchordershaveneversleptintheBastile。？Theywouldknowbetter;theyhaveneverconsideredthethicknessofmywalls，thevigilanceofmyofficers，thenumberofroundswego。？But，indeed，whatcanyouexpect，monseigneur？？ItistheirbusinesstowriteandtormentmewhenIamatrest，andtotroublemewhenIamhappy，"addedBaisemeaux，bowingtoAramis。？"Thenletthemdotheirbusiness。"
　　"Anddoyoudoyours，"addedthebishop，smiling。
　　Fran鏾isre—entered;Baisemeauxtookfromhishandstheminister'sorder。？Heslowlyundidit，andasslowlyreadit。？Aramispretendedtobedrinking，soastobeabletowatchhishostthroughtheglass。？Then，Baisemeaux，havingreadit:"WhatwasIjustsaying？"heexclaimed。
　　"Whatisit？"askedthebishop。
　　"Anorderofrelease！？There，now;excellentnewsindeedtodisturbus！"
　　"Excellentnewsforhimwhomitconcerns，youwillatleastagree，mydeargovernor！"
　　"Andateighto'clockintheevening！"
　　"Itischaritable！"
　　"Oh！
　　charityisallverywell，butitisforthatfellowwhosaysheissowearyandtired，butnotformewhoamamusingmyself，"saidBaisemeaux，exasperated。
　　"Willyoulosebyhim，then？？Andistheprisonerwhoistobesetatlibertyagoodpayer？"
　　"Oh，yes，indeed！amiserable，five—francrat！"
　　"Letmeseeit，"askedM。d'Herblay。？"Itisnoindiscretion？"
　　"Bynomeans;readit。"
　　"Thereis'Urgent，'onthepaper;youhaveseenthat，Isuppose？"
　　"Oh，admirable！？'Urgent！'—amanwhohasbeentheretenyears！？Itisurgenttosethimfreeto—day，thisveryevening，ateighto'clock！—urgent！"？AndBaisemeaux，shrugginghisshoulderswithanairofsupremedisdain，flungtheorderonthetableandbeganeatingagain。
　　"Theyarefondofthesetricks！"hesaid，withhismouthfull;"theyseizeaman，somefineday，keephimunderlockandkeyfortenyears，andwritetoyou，'Watchthisfellowwell，'or'Keephimverystrictly。'？Andthen，assoonasyouareaccustomedtolookupontheprisonerasadangerousman，allofasudden，withoutrhymeorreasontheywrite—'Sethimatliberty，'andactuallyaddtotheirmissive—
　　'urgent。'？Youwillown，mylord，'tisenoughtomakeamanatdinnershrughisshoulders！"
　　"Whatdoyouexpect？？Itisforthemtowrite，"saidAramis，"foryoutoexecutetheorder。"
　　"Good！
　　good！executeit！？Oh，patience！？YoumustnotimaginethatIamaslave。"
　　"GraciousHeaven！myverygoodM。Baisemeaux，whoeversaidso？？Yourindependenceiswellknown。"
　　"ThankHeaven！"
　　"Butyourgoodnessofheartisalsoknown。"
　　"Ah！
　　don'tspeakofit！"
　　"Andyourobediencetoyoursuperiors。？Onceasoldier，yousee，Baisemeaux，alwaysasoldier。"
　　"AndIshalldirectlyobey;andto—morrowmorning，atdaybreak，theprisonerreferredtoshallbesetfree。"
　　"To—morrow？"
　　"Atdawn。"
　　"Whynotthisevening，seeingthatthelettredecachetbears，bothonthedirectionandinside，'urgent'？"
　　"Becausethiseveningweareatsupper，andouraffairsareurgent，too！"
　　"DearBaisemeaux，bootedthoughIbe，Ifeelmyselfapriest，andcharityhashigherclaimsuponmethanhungerandthirst。？Thisunfortunatemanhassufferedlongenough，sinceyouhavejusttoldmethathehasbeenyourprisonerthesetenyears。？Abridgehissuffering。？Hisgoodtimehascome;givehimthebenefitquickly。？GodwillrepayyouinParadisewithyearsoffelicity。"
　　"Youwishit？"
　　"I
　　entreatyou。"
　　"What！
　　intheverymiddleofourrepast？"
　　"I
　　imploreyou;suchanactionisworthtenBenedicites。"
　　"Itshallbeasyoudesire，onlyoursupperwillgetcold。"
　　"Oh！
　　neverheedthat。"
　　BaisemeauxleanedbacktoringforFran鏾is，andbyaverynaturalmotionturnedroundtowardsthedoor。？Theorderhadremainedonthetable;AramisseizedtheopportunitywhenBaisemeauxwasnotlookingtochangethepaperforanother，foldedinthesamemanner，whichhedrewswiftlyfromhispocket。？"Fran鏾is，"saidthegovernor，"letthemajorcomeupherewiththeturnkeysoftheBertaudi鑢e。"？Fran鏾isbowedandquittedtheroom，leavingthetwocompanionsalone。
　　ChapterVIII:
　　TheGeneraloftheOrder。
　　Therewasnowabriefsilence，duringwhichAramisneverremovedhiseyesfromBaisemeauxforamoment。？Thelatterseemedonlyhalfdecidedtodisturbhimselfthusinthemiddleofsupper，anditwasclearhewastryingtoinventsomepretext，whethergoodorbad，fordelay，atanyratetillafterdessert。？Anditappearedalsothathehadhituponanexcuseatlast。
　　"Eh！
　　butitisimpossible！"hecried。
　　"Howimpossible？"saidAramis。？"Givemeaglimpseofthisimpossibility。"
　　"'Tisimpossibletosetaprisoneratlibertyatsuchanhour。？Wherecanhegoto，amansounacquaintedwithParis？"
　　"Hewillfindaplacewhereverhecan。"
　　"Yousee，now，onemightaswellsetablindmanfree！"
　　"I
　　haveacarriage，andwilltakehimwhereverhewishes。"
　　"Youhaveananswerforeverything。？Fran鏾is，tellmonsieurlemajortogoandopenthecellofM。Seldon，No。3，Bertaudi鑢e。"
　　"Seldon！"
　　exclaimedAramis，verynaturally。？"YousaidSeldon，Ithink？"
　　"I
　　saidSeldon，ofcourse。？'Tisthenameofthemantheysetfree。"
　　"Oh！
　　youmeantosayMarchiali？"saidAramis。
　　"Marchiali？
　　oh！yes，indeed。？No，no，Seldon。"
　　"I
　　thinkyouaremakingamistake，MonsieurBaisemeaux。"
　　"I
　　havereadtheorder。"
　　"AndIalso。"
　　"AndIsaw'Seldon'inlettersaslargeasthat，"andBaisemeauxhelduphisfinger。
　　"AndIread'Marchiali'incharactersaslargeasthis，"saidAramis，alsoholdinguptwofingers。
　　"Totheproof;letusthrowalightonthematter，"saidBaisemeaux，confidenthewasright。？"Thereisthepaper，youhaveonlytoreadit。"
　　"I
　　read'Marchiali，'"returnedAramis，spreadingoutthepaper。？"Look。"
　　Baisemeauxlooked，andhisarmsdroppedsuddenly。？"Yes，yes，"hesaid，quiteoverwhelmed;"yes，Marchiali。？'TisplainlywrittenMarchiali！？Quitetrue！"
　　"Ah！
　　—"
　　"How？
　　themanofwhomwehavetalkedsomuch？？Themanwhomtheyareeverydaytellingmetotakesuchcareof？"
　　"Thereis'Marchiali，'"repeatedtheinflexibleAramis。
　　"I
　　mustownit，monseigneur。？ButI
　　understandnothingaboutit。"
　　"Youbelieveyoureyes，atanyrate。"
　　"Totellmeveryplainlythereis'Marchiali。'"
　　"Andinagoodhandwriting，too。"
　　"'Tisawonder！？IstillseethisorderandthenameofSeldon，Irishman。？Iseeit。？Ah！？Ievenrecollectthatunderthisnametherewasablotofink。"
　　"No，thereisnoink;no，thereisnoblot。"
　　"Oh！
　　buttherewas，though;Iknowit，becauseIrubbedmyfinger—thisveryone—
　　inthepowderthatwasovertheblot。"
　　"Inaword，beithowitmay，dearM。Baisemeaux，"saidAramis，"andwhateveryoumayhaveseen，theorderissignedtoreleaseMarchiali，blotornoblot。"
　　"TheorderissignedtoreleaseMarchiali，"repliedBaisemeaux，mechanically，endeavoringtoregainhiscourage。
　　"Andyouaregoingtoreleasethisprisoner。？IfyourheartdictatesyoutodeliverSeldonalso，IdeclaretoyouI
　　willnotopposeittheleastintheworld。"？Aramisaccompaniedthisremarkwithasmile，theironyofwhicheffectuallydispelledBaisemeaux'sconfusionofmind，andrestoredhiscourage。
　　"Monseigneur，"
　　hesaid，"thisMarchialiistheverysameprisonerwhomtheotherdayapriestconfessorofourordercametovisitinsoimperiousandsosecretamanner。"
　　"I
　　don'tknowthat，monsieur，"repliedthebishop。
　　"'Tisnosuchlongtimeago，dearMonsieurd'Herblay。"
　　"Itistrue。？Butwithus，monsieur，itisgoodthatthemanofto—dayshouldnolongerknowwhatthemanofyesterdaydid。"
　　"Inanycase，"saidBaisemeaux，"thevisitoftheJesuitconfessormusthavegivenhappinesstothisman。"
　　Aramismadenoreply，butrecommencedeatinganddrinking。？AsforBaisemeaux，nolongertouchinganythingthatwasonthetable，heagaintookuptheorderandexaminediteveryway。？Thisinvestigation，underordinarycircumstances，wouldhavemadetheearsoftheimpatientAramisburnwithanger;butthebishopofVannesdidnotbecomeincensedforsolittle，aboveall，whenhehadmurmuredtohimselfthattodosowasdangerous。？"AreyougoingtoreleaseMarchiali？"
　　hesaid。？"Whatmellow，fragrantanddelicioussherrythisis，mydeargovernor。"
　　"Monseigneur，"
　　repliedBaisemeaux，"IshallreleasetheprisonerMarchialiwhenIhavesummonedthecourierwhobroughttheorder，andaboveall，when，byinterrogatinghim，Ihavesatisfiedmyself。"
　　"Theorderissealed，andthecourierisignorantofthecontents。？Whatdoyouwanttosatisfyyourselfabout？"
　　"Beitso，monseigneur;butIshallsendtotheministry，andM。deLyonnewilleitherconfirmorwithdrawtheorder。"
　　"Whatisthegoodofallthat？"askedAramis，coldly。
　　"Whatgood？"
　　"Yes;
　　whatisyourobject，Iask？"
　　"Theobjectofneverdeceivingoneself，monseigneur;norbeingwantingintherespectwhichasubalternowestohissuperiorofficers，norinfringingthedutiesofaserviceonehasacceptedofone'sownfreewill。"
　　"Verygood;youhavejustspokensoeloquently，thatIcannotbutadmireyou。？Itistruethatasubalternowesrespecttohissuperiors;heisguiltywhenhedeceiveshimself，andheshouldbepunishedifheinfringedeitherthedutiesorlawsofhisoffice。"
　　Baisemeauxlookedatthebishopwithastonishment。
　　"Itfollows，"pursuedAramis，"thatyouaregoingtoaskadvice，toputyourconscienceateaseinthematter？"
　　"Yes，monseigneur。"
　　"Andifasuperiorofficergivesyouorders，youwillobey？"
　　"Neverdoubtit，monseigneur。"
　　"Youknowtheking'ssignaturewell，M。deBaisemeaux？"
　　"Yes，monseigneur。"
　　"Isitnotonthisorderofrelease？"
　　"Itistrue，butitmay—"
　　"Beforged，youmean？"
　　"Thatisevident，monseigneur。"
　　"Youareright。？AndthatofM。deLyonne？"
　　"I
　　seeitplainenoughontheorder;butforthesamereasonthattheking'ssignaturemayhavebeenforged，soalso，andwithevengreaterprobability，mayM。deLyonne's。"
　　"Yourlogichasthestrideofagiant，M。deBaisemeaux，"saidAramis;"andyourreasoningisirresistible。？Butonwhatspecialgroundsdoyoubaseyourideathatthesesignaturesarefalse？"
　　"Onthis:theabsenceofcounter—signatures。？Nothingcheckshismajesty'ssignature;andM。deLyonneisnottheretotellmehehassigned。"
　　"Well，MonsieurdeBaisemeaux，"saidAramis，bendinganeagleglanceonthegovernor，"Iadoptsofranklyyourdoubts，andyourmodeofclearingthemup，thatIwilltakeapen，ifyouwillgivemeone。"
　　Baisemeauxgavehimapen。
　　"Andasheetofwhitepaper，"addedAramis。
　　Baisemeauxhandedhimsomepaper。
　　"Now，I—I，also—I，herepresent—incontestably，I—amgoingtowriteanordertowhichIamcertainyouwillgivecredence，incredulousasyouare！"
　　Baisemeauxturnedpaleatthisicyassuranceofmanner。？Itseemedtohimthatthevoiceofthebishop's，butjustnowsoplayfulandgay，hadbecomefunerealandsad;thatthewaxlightschangedintothetapersofamortuarychapel，theveryglassesofwineintochalicesofblood。
　　Aramistookapenandwrote。？Baisemeaux，interror，readoverhisshoulder。
　　"A。
　　M。D。G。，"wrotethebishop;andhedrewacrossunderthesefourletters，whichsignifyadmajoremDeigloriam，"tothegreatergloryofGod;"andthushecontinued:"ItisourpleasurethattheorderbroughttoM。deBaisemeauxdeMontlezun，governor，fortheking，ofthecastleoftheBastile，beheldbyhimgoodandeffectual，andbeimmediatelycarriedintooperation。
　　"（Signed）
　　D'HERBLAY
　　"GeneraloftheOrder，bythegraceofGod。"
　　Baisemeauxwassoprofoundlyastonished，thathisfeaturesremainedcontracted，hislipsparted，andhiseyesfixed。？Hedidnotmoveaninch，norarticulateasound。？Nothingcouldbeheardinthatlargechamberbutthewing—whisperofalittlemoth，whichwasflutteringtoitsdeathaboutthecandles。？Aramis，withoutevendeigningtolookatthemanwhomhehadreducedtosomiserableacondition，drewfromhispocketasmallcaseofblackwax;hesealedtheletter，andstampeditwithasealsuspendedathisbreast，beneathhisdoublet，andwhentheoperationwasconcluded，presented—stillinsilence—themissivetoM。deBaisemeaux。？Thelatter，whosehandstrembledinamannertoexcitepity，turnedadullandmeaninglessgazeupontheletter。？Alastgleamoffeelingplayedoverhisfeatures，andhefell，asifthunder—struck，onachair。
　　"Come，come，"saidAramis，afteralongsilence，duringwhichthegovernoroftheBastilehadslowlyrecoveredhissenses，"donotleadmetobelieve，dearBaisemeaux，thatthepresenceofthegeneraloftheorderisasterribleasHis，andthatmendiemerelyfromhavingseenHim。？Takecourage，rouseyourself;givemeyourhand—obey。"
　　Baisemeaux，reassured，ifnotsatisfied，obeyed，kissedAramis'shand，androse。？"Immediately？"hemurmured。
　　"Oh，thereisnopressinghaste，myhost;takeyourplaceagain，anddothehonorsoverthisbeautifuldessert。"
　　"Monseigneur，Ishallneverrecoversuchashockasthis;Iwhohavelaughed，whohavejestedwithyou！？Iwhohavedaredtotreatyouonafootingofequality！"
　　"Saynothingaboutit，oldcomrade，"repliedthebishop，whoperceivedhowstrainedthecordwasandhowdangerousitwouldhavebeentobreakit;
　　"saynothingaboutit。？Letuseachliveinourownway;toyou，myprotectionandmyfriendship;tome，yourobedience。？Havingexactlyfulfilledthesetworequirements，letuslivehappily。"
　　Baisemeauxreflected;heperceived，ataglance，theconsequenceofthiswithdrawalofaprisonerbymeansofaforgedorder;and，puttinginthescaletheguaranteeofferedhimbytheofficialorderofthegeneral，didnotconsideritofanyvalue。
　　Aramisdivinedthis。？"MydearBaisemeaux，"saidhe，"youareasimpleton。？LosethishabitofreflectionwhenIgivemyselfthetroubletothinkforyou。"
　　Andatanothergesturehemade，Baisemeauxbowedagain。？"HowshallIsetaboutit？"hesaid。
　　"Whatistheprocessforreleasingaprisoner？"
　　"I
　　havetheregulations。"
　　"Well，then，followtheregulations，myfriend。"
　　"I
　　gowithmymajortotheprisoner'sroom，andconducthim，ifheisapersonageofimportance。"
　　"ButthisMarchialiisnotanimportantpersonage，"saidAramiscarelessly。
　　"I
　　don'tknow，"answeredthegovernor，asifhewouldhavesaid，"Itisforyoutoinstructme。"
　　"Thenifyoudon'tknowit，Iamright;soacttowardsMarchialiasyouacttowardsoneofobscurestation。"
　　"Good;
　　theregulationssoprovide。？Theyaretotheeffectthattheturnkey，oroneofthelowerofficials，shallbringtheprisonerbeforethegovernor，intheoffice。"
　　"Well，'tisverywise，that;andthen？"
　　"Thenwereturntotheprisonerthevaluablesheworeatthetimeofhisimprisonment，hisclothesandpapers，iftheminister'sordershavenototherwisedictated。"
　　"Whatwastheminister'sorderastothisMarchiali？"
　　"Nothing;
　　fortheunhappymanarrivedherewithoutjewels，withoutpapers，andalmostwithoutclothes。"
　　"Seehowsimple，then，allis。？Indeed，Baisemeaux，youmakeamountainofeverything。？Remainhere，andmakethembringtheprisonertothegovernor'shouse。"
　　Baisemeauxobeyed。？Hesummonedhislieutenant，andgavehimanorder，whichthelatterpassedon，withoutdisturbinghimselfaboutit，tothenextwhomitconcerned。
　　Halfanhourafterwardstheyheardagateshutinthecourt;itwasthedoortothedungeon，whichhadjustrenderedupitspreytothefreeair。？Aramisblewoutallthecandleswhichlightedtheroombutone，whichheleftburningbehindthedoor。？Thisflickeringglarepreventedthesightfromrestingsteadilyonanyobject。？Itmultipliedtenfoldthechangingformsandshadowsoftheplace，byitswaveringuncertainty。？Stepsdrewnear。