"Whowasfoolenoughtooccasionthisdelay？"mutteredtheking，betweenhisteeth，asthechiefmagistratewasinthemiddleofalongaddress。
　　"NotI，certainly，"repliedD'Artagnan，"butIbelieveitwasM。
　　Colbert。"
　　Colbert，havingheardhisnamepronounced，said，"WhatwasM。d'Artagnangoodenoughtosay？"
　　"I
　　wasgoodenoughtoremarkthatitwasyouwhostoppedtheking'sprogress，sothathemighttastethevindeBrie。？WasIright？"
　　"Quiteso，monsieur。"
　　"Inthatcase，then，itwasyouwhomthekingcalledsomenameorother。"
　　"Whatname？"
　　"I
　　hardlyknow;butwaitamoment—idiot，Ithinkitwas—no，no，itwasfoolordolt。？Yes;hismajestysaidthatthemanwhohadthoughtofthevindeMelunwassomethingofthesort。"
　　D'Artagnan，afterthisbroadside，quietlycaressedhismustache;M。Colbert'slargeheadseemedtobecomelargerandlargerthanever。？D'Artagnan，seeinghowuglyangermadehim，didnotstophalf—way。？Theoratorstillwentonwithhisspeech，whiletheking'scolorwasvisiblyincreasing。
　　"Mordioux！"saidthemusketeer，coolly，"thekingisgoingtohaveanattackofdeterminationofbloodtothehead。？Wherethedeucedidyougetholdofthatidea，MonsieurColbert？？Youhavenoluck。"
　　"Monsieur，"
　　saidthefinancier，drawinghimselfup，"myzealfortheking'sserviceinspiredmewiththeidea。"
　　"Bah！"
　　"Monsieur，Melunisacity，anexcellentcity，whichpayswell，andwhichitwouldbeimprudenttodisplease。"
　　"There，now！？I，whodonotpretendtobeafinancier，sawonlyoneideainyouridea。"
　　"Whatwasthat，monsieur？"
　　"ThatofcausingalittleannoyancetoM。Fouquet，whoismakinghimselfquitegiddyonhisdonjonsyonder，inwaitingforus。"
　　Thiswasahome—stroke，hardenoughinallconscience。？Colbertwascompletelythrownoutofthesaddlebyit，andretired，thoroughlydiscomfited。？Fortunately，thespeechwasnowatanend;thekingdrankthewinewhichwaspresentedtohim，andtheneveryoneresumedtheprogressthroughthecity。？Thekingbithislipsinanger，fortheeveningwasclosingin，andallhopeofawalkwithLaValli鑢ewasatanend。？Inorderthatthewholeoftheking'shouseholdshouldenterVaux，fourhoursatleastwerenecessary，owingtothedifferentarrangements。？Theking，therefore，whowasboilingwithimpatience，hurriedforwardasmuchaspossible，inordertoreachitbeforenightfall。？But，atthemomenthewassettingoffagain，otherandfreshdifficultiesarose。
　　"IsnotthekinggoingtosleepatMelun？"saidColbert，inalowtoneofvoice，toD'Artagnan。
　　M。
　　Colbertmusthavebeenbadlyinspiredthatday，toaddresshimselfinthatmannertothechiefofthemusketeers;forthelatterguessedthattheking'sintentionwasveryfarfromthatofremainingwherehewas。？D'ArtagnanwouldnotallowhimtoenterVauxexcepthewerewellandstronglyaccompanied;anddesiredthathismajestywouldnotenterexceptwithalltheescort。？Ontheotherhand，hefeltthatthesedelayswouldirritatethatimpatientmonarchbeyondmeasure。？Inwhatwaycouldhepossiblyreconcilethesedifficulties？？D'ArtagnantookupColbert'sremark，anddeterminedtorepeatedittotheking。
　　"Sire，"
　　hesaid，"M。ColberthasbeenaskingmeifyourmajestydoesnotintendtosleepatMelun。"
　　"SleepatMelun！？Whatfor？"exclaimedLouisXIV。？"SleepatMelun！？Who，inHeaven'sname，canhavethoughtofsuchathing，whenM。Fouquetisexpectingusthisevening？"
　　"Itwassimply，"repliedColbert，quickly，"thefearofcausingyourmajestytheleastdelay;for，accordingtoestablishedetiquette，youcannotenteranyplace，withtheexceptionofyourownroyalresidences，untilthesoldiers'quartershavebeenmarkedoutbythequartermaster，andthegarrisonproperlydistributed。"
　　D'Artagnanlistenedwiththegreatestattention，bitinghismustachetoconcealhisvexation;andthequeenswerenotlessinterested。？Theywerefatigued，andwouldhavepreferredtogotorestwithoutproceedinganyfarther;moreespecially，inordertopreventthekingwalkingaboutintheeveningwithM。deSaint—Aignanandtheladiesofthecourt，for，ifetiquetterequiredtheprincessestoremainwithintheirownrooms，theladiesofhonor，assoonastheyhadperformedtheservicesrequiredofthem，hadnorestrictionsplaceduponthem，butwereatlibertytowalkaboutastheypleased。？Itwilleasilybeconjecturedthatalltheserivalinterests，gatheringtogetherinvapors，necessarilyproducedclouds，andthatthecloudswerelikelytobefollowedbyatempest。？Thekinghadnomustachetognaw，andthereforekeptbitingthehandleofhiswhipinstead，withill—concealedimpatience。？Howcouldhegetoutofit？？D'Artagnanlookedasagreeableaspossible，andColbertassulkyashecould。？Whowastherehecouldgetinapassionwith？
　　"Wewillconsultthequeen，"saidLouisXIV。，bowingtotheroyalladies。？AndthiskindnessofconsiderationsoftenedMariaTheresa'sheart，who，beingofakindandgenerousdisposition，whenlefttoherownfree—will，replied:
　　"I
　　shallbedelightedtodowhateveryourmajestywishes。"
　　"HowlongwillittakeustogettoVaux？"inquiredAnneofAustria，inslowandmeasuredaccents，placingherhanduponherbosom，wheretheseatofherpainlay。
　　"Anhourforyourmajesty'scarriages，"saidD'Artagnan;"theroadsaretolerablygood。"
　　Thekinglookedathim。？"Andaquarterofanhourfortheking，"hehastenedtoadd。
　　"Weshouldarrivebydaylight？"saidLouisXIV。
　　"Butthebilletingoftheking'smilitaryescort，"objectedColbert，softly，"willmakehismajestylosealltheadvantageofhisspeed，howeverquickhemaybe。"
　　"Doubleassthatyouare！"thoughtD'Artagnan;"ifIhadanyinterestormotiveindemolishingyourcreditwiththeking，Icoulddoitintenminutes。？IfIwereintheking'splace，"headdedaloud，"Ishould，ingoingtoM。Fouquet，leavemyescortbehindme;Ishouldgotohimasafriend;Ishouldenteraccompaniedonlybymycaptainoftheguards;IshouldconsiderthatIwasactingmorenobly，andshouldbeinvestedwithastillmoresacredcharacterbydoingso。"
　　Delightsparkledintheking'seyes。？"Thatisindeedaverysensiblesuggestion。？Wewillgotoseeafriendasfriends;thegentlemenwhoarewiththecarriagescangoslowly:butwewhoaremountedwillrideon。"？Andherodeoff，accompaniedbyallthosewhoweremounted。？Colberthidhisuglyheadbehindhishorse'sneck。
　　"I
　　shallbequits，"saidD'Artagnan，ashegallopedalong，"bygettingalittletalkwithAramisthisevening。？Andthen，M。Fouquetisamanofhonor。？Mordioux！？Ihavesaidso，anditmustbeso。"
　　Andthiswasthewayhow，towardsseveno'clockintheevening，withoutannouncinghisarrivalbythedinoftrumpets，andwithoutevenhisadvancedguard，withoutout—ridersormusketeers，thekingpresentedhimselfbeforethegateofVaux，whereFouquet，whohadbeeninformedofhisroyalguest'sapproach，hadbeenwaitingforthelasthalf—hour，withhisheaduncovered，surroundedbyhishouseholdandhisfriends。
　　ChapterXIII:
　　NectarandAmbrosia。
　　M。
　　Fouquetheldthestirrupoftheking，who，havingdismounted，bowedmostgraciously，andmoregraciouslystillheldouthishandtohim，whichFouquet，inspiteofaslightresistanceontheking'spart，carriedrespectfullytohislips。？Thekingwishedtowaitinthefirstcourtyardforthearrivalofthecarriages，norhadhelongtowait，fortheroadshadbeenputintoexcellentorderbythesuperintendent，andastonewouldhardlyhavebeenfoundofthesizeofaneggthewholewayfromMeluntoVaux;sothatthecarriages，rollingalongasthoughonacarpet，broughttheladiestoVaux，withoutjoltingorfatigue，byeighto'clock。？TheywerereceivedbyMadameFouquet，andatthemomenttheymadetheirappearance，alightasbrightasdayburstforthfromeveryquarter，trees，vases，andmarblestatues。？Thisspeciesofenchantmentlasteduntiltheirmajestieshadretiredintothepalace。？Allthesewondersandmagicaleffectswhichthechroniclerhasheapedup，orratherembalmed，inhisrecital，attheriskofrivalingthebrain—bornscenesofromancers;thesesplendorswherebynightseemedvanquishedandnaturecorrected，togetherwitheverydelightandluxurycombinedforthesatisfactionofallthesenses，aswellastheimagination，Fouquetdidinrealtruthoffertohissovereigninthatenchantingretreatofwhichnomonarchcouldatthattimeboastofpossessinganequal。？Wedonotintendtodescribethegrandbanquet，atwhichtheroyalguestswerepresent，northeconcerts，northefairy—likeandmorethanmagictransformationsandmetamorphoses;itwillbeenoughforourpurposetodepictthecountenancethekingassumed，which，frombeinggay，soonworeaverygloomy，constrained，andirritatedexpression。？Herememberedhisownresidence，royalthoughitwas，andthemeanandindifferentstyleofluxurythatprevailedthere，whichcomprisedbutlittlemorethanwhatwasmerelyusefulfortheroyalwants，withoutbeinghisownpersonalproperty。？ThelargevasesoftheLouvre，theolderfurnitureandplateofHenryII。，ofFrancisI。，andofLouisXI。，werebuthistoricmonumentsofearlierdays;nothingbutspecimensofart，therelicsofhispredecessors;whilewithFouquet，thevalueofthearticlewasasmuchintheworkmanshipasinthearticleitself。？Fouquetatefromagoldservice，whichartistsinhisownemployhadmodeledandcastforhimalone。？FouquetdrankwinesofwhichthekingofFrancedidnotevenknowthename，anddrankthemoutofgobletseachmorevaluablethantheentireroyalcellar。
　　What，too，wastobesaidoftheapartments，thehangings，thepictures，theservantsandofficers，ofeverydescription，ofhishousehold？？Whatofthemodeofserviceinwhichetiquettewasreplacedbyorder;stiffformalitybypersonal，unrestrainedcomfort;thehappinessandcontentmentoftheguestbecamethesupremelawofallwhoobeyedthehost？？Theperfectswarmofbusilyengagedpersonsmovingaboutnoiselessly;themultitudeofguests，—whowere，however，evenlessnumerousthantheservantswhowaitedonthem，—themyriadofexquisitelyprepareddishes，ofgoldandsilvervases;thefloodsofdazzlinglight，themassesofunknownflowersofwhichthehot—houseshadbeendespoiled，redundantwithluxurianceofunequaledscentandbeauty;theperfectharmonyofthesurroundings，which，indeed，wasnomorethanthepreludeofthepromisedf阾e，charmedallwhowerethere;andtheytestifiedtheiradmirationoverandoveragain，notbyvoiceorgesture，butbydeepsilenceandraptattention，thosetwolanguagesofthecourtierwhichacknowledgethehandofnomasterpowerfulenoughtorestrainthem。
　　Asfortheking，hiseyesfilledwithtears;hedarednotlookatthequeen。？AnneofAustria，whosepridewassuperiortothatofanycreaturebreathing，overwhelmedherhostbythecontemptwithwhichshetreatedeverythinghandedtoher。？Theyoungqueen，kind—heartedbynatureandcuriousbydisposition，praisedFouquet，atewithanexceedinglygoodappetite，andaskedthenamesofthestrangefruitsastheywereplaceduponthetable。？Fouquetrepliedthathewasnotawareoftheirnames。？Thefruitscamefromhisownstores;hehadoftencultivatedthemhimself，havinganintimateacquaintancewiththecultivationofexoticfruitsandplants。？Thekingfeltandappreciatedthedelicacyofthereplies，butwasonlythemorehumiliated;hethoughtthequeenalittletoofamiliarinhermanners，andthatAnneofAustriaresembledJunoalittletoomuch，inbeingtooproudandhaughty;hischiefanxiety，however，washimself，thathemightremaincoldanddistantinhisbehavior，borderinglightlythelimitsofsupremedisdainorsimpleadmiration。
　　ButFouquethadforeseenallthis;hewas，infact，oneofthosemenwhoforeseeeverything。？Thekinghadexpresslydeclaredthat，solongasheremainedunderFouquet'sroof，hedidnotwishhisowndifferentrepaststobeservedinaccordancewiththeusualetiquette，andthathewould，consequently，dinewiththerestofsociety;butbythethoughtfulattentionofthesurintendant，theking'sdinnerwasservedupseparately，ifonemaysoexpressit，inthemiddleofthegeneraltable;thedinner，wonderfulineveryrespect，fromthedishesofwhichwascomposed，comprisedeverythingthekinglikedandgenerallypreferredtoanythingelse。？Louishadnoexcuse—he，indeed，whohadthekeenestappetiteinhiskingdom—forsayingthathewasnothungry。？Nay，M。Fouquetdidevenbetterstill;hecertainly，inobediencetotheking'sexpresseddesire，seatedhimselfatthetable，butassoonasthesoupswereserved，hearoseandpersonallywaitedontheking，whileMadameFouquetstoodbehindthequeen—mother'sarmchair。？ThedisdainofJunoandthesulkyfitsoftemperofJupitercouldnotresistthisexcessofkindlyfeelingandpoliteattention。？ThequeenateabiscuitdippedinaglassofSan—Lucarwine;andthekingateofeverything，sayingtoM。Fouquet:"Itisimpossible，monsieurlesurintendant，todinebetteranywhere。"？Whereuponthewholecourtbegan，onallsides，todevourthedishesspreadbeforethemwithsuchenthusiasmthatitlookedasthoughacloudofEgyptianlocustswassettlingdownongreenandgrowingcrops。
　　Assoon，however，ashishungerwasappeased，thekingbecamemoroseandovergloomedagain;themoresoinproportiontothesatisfactionhefanciedhehadpreviouslymanifested，andparticularlyonaccountofthedeferentialmannerwhichhiscourtiershadshowntowardsFouquet。？D'Artagnan，whoateagooddealanddrankbutlittle，withoutallowingittobenoticed，didnotloseasingleopportunity，butmadeagreatnumberofobservationswhichheturnedtogoodprofit。
　　Whenthesupperwasfinished，thekingexpressedawishnottolosethepromenade。？Theparkwasilluminated;
　　themoon，too，asifshehadplacedherselfattheordersofthelordofVaux，silveredthetreesandlakewithherownbrightandquasi—phosphorescentlight。？Theairwasstrangelysoftandbalmy;thedaintilyshell—gravelledwalksthroughthethicklysetavenuesyieldedluxuriouslytothefeet。？Thef阾ewascompleteineveryrespect，fortheking，havingmetLaValli鑢einoneofthewindingpathsofthewood，wasabletopressherhandandsay，"Iloveyou，"withoutanyoneoverhearinghimexceptM。d'Artagnan，whofollowed，andM。Fouquet，whoprecededhim。
　　Thedreamynightofmagicalenchantmentsstolesmoothlyon。？Thekinghavingrequestedtobeshowntohisroom，therewasimmediatelyamovementineverydirection。？Thequeenspassedtotheirownapartments，accompaniedbythemmusicoftheorbosandlutes;thekingfoundhismusketeersawaitinghimonthegrandflightofsteps，forM。FouquethadbroughtthemonfromMelunandhadinvitedthemtosupper。？D'Artagnan'ssuspicionsatoncedisappeared。？Hewasweary，hehadsuppedwell，andwished，foronceinhislife，thoroughlytoenjoyaf阾egivenbyamanwhowasineverysenseofthewordaking。？"M。Fouquet，"hesaid，"isthemanforme。"
　　ThekingwasconductedwiththegreatestceremonytothechamberofMorpheus，ofwhichweowesomecursorydescriptiontoourreaders。？Itwasthehandsomestandlargestinthepalace。？LebrunhadpaintedonthevaultedceilingthehappyaswellastheunhappydreamswhichMorpheusinflictsonkingsaswellasonothermen。？Everythingthatsleepgivesbirthtothatislovely，itsfairyscenes，itsflowersandnectar，thewildvoluptuousnessorprofoundreposeofthesenses，hadthepainterelaboratedonhisfrescoes。？Itwasacompositionassoftandpleasinginonepartasdarkandgloomyandterribleinanother。？Thepoisonedchalice，theglitteringdaggersuspendedovertheheadofthesleeper;wizardsandphantomswithterrificmasks，thosehalf—dimshadowsmorealarmingthantheapproachoffireorthesomberfaceofmidnight，these，andsuchasthese，hehadmadethecompanionsofhismorepleasingpictures。？Nosoonerhadthekingenteredhisroomthanacoldshiverseemedtopassthroughhim，andonFouquetaskinghimthecauseofit，thekingreplied，aspaleasdeath:
　　"I
　　amsleepy，thatisall。"
　　"Doesyourmajestywishforyourattendantsatonce？"
　　"No;
　　Ihavetotalkwithafewpersonsfirst，"saidtheking。？"WillyouhavethegoodnesstotellM。
　　ColbertIwishtoseehim。"
　　Fouquetbowedandlefttheroom。
　　ChapterXIV:
　　A
　　Gascon，andaGasconandaHalf。
　　D'Artagnanhaddeterminedtolosenotime，andinfactheneverwasinthehabitofdoingso。？AfterhavinginquiredforAramis，hehadlookedforhimineverydirectionuntilhehadsucceededinfindinghim。？Besides，nosoonerhadthekingenteredVaux，thanAramishadretiredtohisownroom，meditating，doubtless，somenewpieceofgallantattentionforhismajesty'samusement。？D'Artagnandesiredtheservantstoannouncehim，andfoundonthesecondstory（inabeautifulroomcalledtheBlueChamber，onaccountofthecolorofitshangings）thebishopofVannesincompanywithPorthosandseveralofthemodernEpicureans。？Aramiscameforwardtoembracehisfriend，andofferedhimthebestseat。？Asitwasafterawhilegenerallyremarkedamongthosepresentthatthemusketeerwasreserved，andwishedforanopportunityforconversingsecretlywithAramis，theEpicureanstooktheirleave。？Porthos，however，didnotstir;fortrueitisthat，havingdinedexceedinglywell，hewasfastasleepinhisarmchair;andthefreedomofconversationthereforewasnotinterruptedbyathirdperson。？Porthoshadadeep，harmonioussnore，andpeoplemighttalkinthemidstofitsloudbasswithoutfearofdisturbinghim。？D'Artagnanfeltthathewascalledupontoopentheconversation。
　　"Well，andsowehavecometoVaux，"hesaid。
　　"Why，yes，D'Artagnan。？Andhowdoyouliketheplace？"
　　"Verymuch，andIlikeM。Fouquet，also。"
　　"Ishenotacharminghost？"
　　"Noonecouldbemoreso。"
　　"I
　　amtoldthatthekingbeganbyshowinggreatdistanceofmannertowardsM。
　　Fouquet，butthathismajestygrewmuchmorecordialafterwards。"
　　"Youdidnotnoticeit，then，sinceyousayyouhavebeentoldso？"
　　"No;
　　Iwasengagedwiththegentlemenwhohavejustlefttheroomaboutthetheatricalperformancesandthetournamentswhicharetotakeplaceto—morrow。"
　　"Ah，indeed！youarethecomptroller—generalofthef阾eshere，then？"
　　"YouknowIamafriendofallkindsofamusementwheretheexerciseoftheimaginationiscalledintoactivity;Ihavealwaysbeenapoetinonewayoranother。"
　　"Yes，Iremembertheversesyouusedtowrite，theywerecharming。"
　　"I
　　haveforgottenthem，butIamdelightedtoreadtheversesofothers，whenthoseothersareknownbythenamesofMoli鑢e，P閘isson，LaFontaine，etc。"
　　"Doyouknowwhatideaoccurredtomethisevening，Aramis？"
　　"No;
　　tellmewhatitwas，forIshouldneverbeabletoguessit，youhavesomany。"
　　"Well，theideaoccurredtome，thatthetruekingofFranceisnotLouisXIV。"
　　"What！"saidAramis，involuntarily，lookingthemusketeerfullintheeyes。
　　"No，itisMonsieurFouquet。"
　　Aramisbreathedagain，andsmiled。？"Ah！
　　youarelikealltherest，jealous，"hesaid。？"IwouldwagerthatitwasM。Colbertwhoturnedthatprettyphrase。"？D'Artagnan，inordertothrowAramisoffhisguard，relatedColbert'smisadventureswithregardtothevindeMelun。
　　"Hecomesofameanrace，doesColbert，"saidAramis。
　　"Quitetrue。"
　　"WhenIthink，too，"addedthebishop，"thatthatfellowwillbeyourministerwithinfourmonths，andthatyouwillservehimasblindlyasyoudidRichelieuorMazarin—"
　　"AndasyouserveM。Fouquet，"saidD'Artagnan。
　　"Withthisdifference，though，thatM。FouquetisnotM。Colbert。"
　　"True，true，"saidD'Artagnan，ashepretendedtobecomesadandfullofreflection;andthen，amomentafter，headded，"WhydoyoutellmethatM。Colbertwillbeministerinfourmonths？"
　　"BecauseM。Fouquetwillhaveceasedtobeso，"repliedAramis。
　　"Hewillberuined，youmean？"saidD'Artagnan。
　　"Completelyso。"
　　"Whydoeshegivethesef阾es，then？"
　　saidthemusketeer，inatonesofullofthoughtfulconsideration，andsowellassumed，thatthebishopwasforthemomentdeceivedbyit。？"Whydidyounotdissuadehimfromit？"
　　Thelatterpartofthephrasewasjustalittletoomuch，andAramis'sformersuspicionswereagainaroused。？"Itisdonewiththeobjectofhumoringtheking。"
　　"Byruininghimself？"
　　"Yes，byruininghimselffortheking。"
　　"A
　　mosteccentric，onemightsay，sinistercalculation，that。"
　　"Necessity，necessity，myfriend。"
　　"I
　　don'tseethat，dearAramis。"
　　"Doyounot？？HaveyounotremarkedM。
　　Colbert'sdailyincreasingantagonism，andthatheisdoinghisutmosttodrivethekingtogetridofthesuperintendent？"
　　"Onemustbeblindnottoseeit。"
　　"AndthatacabalisalreadyarmedagainstM。Fouquet？"
　　"Thatiswellknown。"
　　"Whatlikelihoodistherethatthekingwouldjoinapartyformedagainstamanwhowillhavespenteverythinghehadtopleasehim？"
　　"True，true，"saidD'Artagnan，slowly，hardlyconvinced，yetcurioustobroachanotherphaseoftheconversation。？"Therearefollies，andfollies，"heresumed，"andIdonotlikethoseyouarecommitting。"
　　"Whatdoyoualludeto？"
　　"Asforthebanquet，theball，theconcert，thetheatricals，thetournaments，thecascades，thefireworks，theilluminations，andthepresents—thesearewellandgood，Igrant;butwhywerenottheseexpensessufficient？？Whywasitnecessarytohavenewliveriesandcostumesforyourwholehousehold？"
　　"Youarequiteright。？ItoldM。Fouquetthatmyself;hereplied，thatifhewererichenoughhewouldofferthekinganewlyerectedch鈚eau，fromthevanesatthehousestotheverysub—cellars;
　　completelynewinsideandout;andthat，assoonasthekinghadleft，hewouldburnthewholebuildinganditscontents，inorderthatitmightnotbemadeuseofbyanyoneelse。"
　　"HowcompletelySpanish！"
　　"I
　　toldhimso，andhethenaddedthis:'Whoeveradvisesmetospareexpense，I
　　shalllookuponasmyenemy。'"
　　"Itispositivemadness;andthatportrait，too！"
　　"Whatportrait？"saidAramis。
　　"Thatoftheking，andthesurpriseaswell。"
　　"Whatsurprise？"
　　"Thesurpriseyouseemtohaveinview，andonaccountofwhichyoutooksomespecimensaway，whenImetyouatPercerin's。"？D'Artagnanpaused。？Theshaftwasdischarged，andallhehadtodowastowaitandwatchitseffect。
　　"Thatismerelyanactofgracefulattention，"repliedAramis。
　　D'Artagnanwentuptohisfriend，tookholdofbothhishands，andlookinghimfullintheeyes，said，"Aramis，doyoustillcareformeaverylittle？"
　　"Whataquestiontoask！"
　　"Verygood。？Onefavor，then。？Whydidyoutakesomepatternsoftheking'scostumesatPercerin's？"
　　"ComewithmeandaskpoorLebrun，whohasbeenworkinguponthemforthelasttwodaysandnights。"
　　"Aramis，thatmaybetruthforeverybodyelse，butforme—"
　　"Uponmyword，D'Artagnan，youastonishme。"
　　"Bealittleconsiderate。？Tellmetheexacttruth;youwouldnotlikeanythingdisagreeabletohappentome，wouldyou？"
　　"Mydearfriend，youarebecomingquiteincomprehensible。？Whatsuspicioncanyouhavepossiblygotholdof？"
　　"Doyoubelieveinmyinstinctivefeelings？？Formerlyyouusedtohavefaithinthem。？Well，then，aninstincttellsmethatyouhavesomeconcealedprojectonfoot。"
　　"I
　　—aproject？"
　　"I
　　amconvincedofit。"
　　"Whatnonsense！"
　　"I
　　amnotonlysureofit，butIwouldevenswearit。"
　　"Indeed，D'Artagnan，youcausemethegreatestpain。？Isitlikely，ifIhaveanyprojectinhandthatIoughttokeepsecretfromyou，Ishouldtellyouaboutit？？IfIhadonethatIcouldandoughttohaverevealed，shouldInothavelongagodivulgedit？"
　　"No，Aramis，no。？Therearecertainprojectswhichareneverrevealeduntilthefavorableopportunityarrives。"
　　"Inthatcase，mydearfellow，"returnedthebishop，laughing，"theonlythingnowis，thatthe'opportunity'hasnotyetarrived。"
　　D'Artagnanshookhisheadwithasorrowfulexpression。？"Oh，friendship，friendship！"hesaid，"whatanidlewordyouare！？Hereisamanwho，ifIwerebuttoaskit，wouldsufferhimselftobecutinpiecesformysake。"
　　"Youareright，"saidAramis，nobly。
　　"Andthisman，whowouldshedeverydropofbloodinhisveinsforme，willnotopenupbeforemetheleastcornerinhisheart。？Friendship，Irepeat，isnothingbutanunsubstantialshadow—alure，likeeverythingelseinthisbright，dazzlingworld。"
　　"Itisnotthusyoushouldspeakofourfriendship，"repliedthebishop，inafirm，assuredvoice;"foroursisnotofthesamenatureasthoseofwhichyouhavebeenspeaking。"
　　"Lookatus，Aramis;threeoutoftheold'four。'？Youaredeceivingme;Isuspectyou;andPorthosisfastasleep。？Anadmirabletriooffriends，don'tyouthinkso？？Whatanaffectingrelicoftheformerdearoldtimes！"
　　"I
　　canonlytellyouonething，D'Artagnan，andIswearitontheBible:IloveyoujustasIusedtodo。？IfIeversuspectyou，itisonaccountofothers，andnotonaccountofeitherofus。？IneverythingImaydo，andshouldhappentosucceedin，youwillfindyourfourth。？Willyoupromisemethesamefavor？"
　　"IfIamnotmistaken，Aramis，yourwords—atthemomentyoupronouncethem—arefullofgenerousfeeling。"