"Him，wholeavesmetoperishinadungeon？？No，no。？ForhimIhavenopity！"
"Somuchthebetter。"
"Hemighthavehimselfcometothisprison，havetakenmebythehand，andhavesaid，'Mybrother，Heavencreatedustolove，nottocontendwithoneanother。？Icometoyou。？Abarbarousprejudicehascondemnedyoutopassyourdaysinobscurity，farfrommankind，deprivedofeveryjoy。？Iwillmakeyousitdownbesideme;Iwillbuckleroundyourwaistourfather'ssword。？Willyoutakeadvantageofthisreconciliationtoputdownorrestrainme？？Willyouemploythatswordtospillmyblood？'？'Oh！never，'Iwouldhaverepliedtohim，'Ilookonyouasmypreserver，Iwillrespectyouasmymaster。？YougivemefarmorethanHeavenbestowed;forthroughyouIpossesslibertyandtheprivilegeoflovingandbeinglovedinthisworld。'"
"Andyouwouldhavekeptyourword，monseigneur？"
"Onmylife！？Whilenow—nowthatIhaveguiltyonestopunish—"
"Inwhatmanner，monseigneur？"
"WhatdoyousayastotheresemblancethatHeavenhasgivenmetomybrother？"
"Isaythattherewasinthatlikenessaprovidentialinstructionwhichthekingoughttohaveheeded;Isaythatyourmothercommittedacrimeinrenderingthosedifferentinhappinessandfortunewhomnaturecreatedsostartlinglyalike，ofherownflesh，andIconcludethattheobjectofpunishmentshouldbeonlytorestoretheequilibrium。"
"Bywhichyoumean—"
"ThatifI
restoreyoutoyourplaceonyourbrother'sthrone，heshalltakeyoursinprison。"
"Alas！
there'ssuchinfinityofsufferinginprison，especiallyitwouldbesoforonewhohasdrunksodeeplyofthecupofenjoyment。"
"Yourroyalhighnesswillalwaysbefreetoactasyoumaydesire;andifitseemsgoodtoyou，afterpunishment，youwillhaveitinyourpowertopardon。"
"Good。？Andnow，areyouawareofonething，monsieur？"
"Tellme，myprince。"
"ItisthatIwillhearnothingfurtherfromyoutillIamclearoftheBastile。"
"IwasgoingtosaytoyourhighnessthatIshouldonlyhavethepleasureofseeingyouonceagain。"
"Andwhen？"
"Thedaywhenmyprinceleavesthesegloomywalls。"
"Heavens！
howwillyougivemenoticeofit？"
"Bymyselfcomingtofetchyou。"
"Yourself？"
"Myprince，donotleavethischambersavewithme，orifinmyabsenceyouarecompelledtodoso，rememberthatIamnotconcernedinit。"
"AndsoI
amnottospeakawordofthistoanyonewhatever，savetoyou？"
"Saveonlytome。"？Aramisbowedverylow。？Theprinceofferedhishand。
"Monsieur，"
hesaid，inatonethatissuedfromhisheart，"onewordmore，mylast。？Ifyouhavesoughtmeformydestruction;ifyouareonlyatoolinthehandsofmyenemies;iffromourconference，inwhichyouhavesoundedthedepthsofmymind，anythingworsethancaptivityresult，thatistosay，ifdeathbefallme，stillreceivemyblessing，foryouwillhaveendedmytroublesandgivenmereposefromthetormentingfeverthathaspreyedonmeforeightlong，wearyyears。"
"Monseigneur，waittheresultsereyoujudgeme，"saidAramis。
"Isaythat，insuchacase，Iblessandforgiveyou。？If，ontheotherhand，youarecometorestoremetothatpositioninthesunshineoffortuneandglorytowhichIwasdestinedbyHeaven;ifbyyourmeansIamenabledtoliveinthememoryofman，andconferlusteronmyracebydeedsofvalor，orbysolidbenefitsbestoweduponmypeople;if，frommypresentdepthsofsorrow，aidedbyyourgeneroushand，Iraisemyselftotheveryheightofhonor，thentoyou，whomIthankwithblessings，toyouwillI
offerhalfmypowerandmyglory:thoughyouwouldstillbebutpartlyrecompensed，andyoursharemustalwaysremainincomplete，sinceIcouldnotdividewithyouthehappinessreceivedatyourhands。"
"Monseigneur，"
repliedAramis，movedbythepallorandexcitementoftheyoungman，"thenoblenessofyourheartfillsmewithjoyandadmiration。？Itisnotyouwhowillhavetothankme，butratherthenationwhomyouwillrenderhappy，theposteritywhosenameyouwillmakeglorious。？Yes;Ishallindeedhavebestoweduponyoumorethanlife，Ishallhavegivenyouimmortality。"
TheprinceofferedhishandtoAramis，whosankuponhiskneeandkissedit。
"Itisthefirstactofhomagepaidtoourfutureking，"saidhe。？"WhenIseeyouagain，Ishallsay，'Goodday，sire。'"
"Tillthen，"saidtheyoungman，pressinghiswanandwastedfingersoverhisheart，—"tillthen，nomoredreams，nomorestrainonmylife—myheartwouldbreak！？Oh，monsieur，howsmallismyprison—howlowthewindow—hownarrowarethedoors！？Tothinkthatsomuchpride，splendor，andhappiness，shouldbeabletoenterinandtoremainhere！"
"Yourroyalhighnessmakesmeproud，"saidAramis，"sinceyouinferitisIwhobroughtallthis。"？Andherappedimmediatelyonthedoor。？ThejailercametoopenitwithBaisemeaux，who，devouredbyfearanduneasiness，wasbeginning，inspiteofhimself，tolistenatthedoor。？Happily，neitherofthespeakershadforgottentosmotherhisvoice，eveninthemostpassionateoutbreaks。
"Whataconfessor！"saidthegovernor，forcingalaugh;"whowouldbelievethatacompulsoryrecluse，amanasthoughintheveryjawsofdeath，couldhavecommittedcrimessonumerous，andsolongtotellof？"
Aramismadenoreply。？HewaseagertoleavetheBastile，wherethesecretwhichoverwhelmedhimseemedtodoubletheweightofthewalls。？AssoonastheyreachedBaisemeaux'squarters，"Letusproceedtobusiness，mydeargovernor，"saidAramis。
"Alas！"
repliedBaisemeaux。
"Youhavetoaskmeformyreceiptforonehundredandfiftythousandlivres，"saidthebishop。
"Andtopayoverthefirstthirdofthesum，"addedthepoorgovernor，withasigh，takingthreestepstowardshisironstrong—box。
"Hereisthereceipt，"saidAramis。
"Andhereisthemoney，"returnedBaisemeaux，withathreefoldsigh。
"Theorderinstructedmeonlytogiveareceipt;itsaidnothingaboutreceivingthemoney，"rejoinedAramis。？"Adieu，monsieurlegoverneur！"
Andhedeparted，leavingBaisemeauxalmostmorethanstifledwithjoyandsurpriseatthisregalpresentsoliberallybestowedbytheconfessorextraordinarytotheBastile。
ChapterII:
HowMoustonHadBecomeFatterwithoutGivingPorthosNoticeThereof，andoftheTroublesWhichConsequentlyBefellthatWorthyGentleman。
SincethedepartureofAthosforBlois，PorthosandD'Artagnanwereseldomtogether。？Onewasoccupiedwithharassingdutiesfortheking，theotherhadbeenmakingmanypurchasesoffurniturewhichheintendedtoforwardtohisestate，andbyaidofwhichhehopedtoestablishinhisvariousresidencessomethingofthecourtlyluxuryhehadwitnessedinallitsdazzlingbrightnessinhismajesty'ssociety。？D'Artagnan，everfaithful，onemorningduringanintervalofservicethoughtaboutPorthos，andbeinguneasyatnothavingheardanythingofhimforafortnight，directedhisstepstowardshishotel，andpounceduponhimjustashewasgettingup。？Theworthybaronhadapensive—nay，morethanpensive—melancholyair。？Hewassittingonhisbed，onlyhalf—dressed，andwithlegsdanglingovertheedge，contemplatingahostofgarments，whichwiththeirfringes，lace，embroidery，andslashesofill—assortedhues，werestrewedalloverthefloor。？Porthos，sadandreflectiveasLaFontaine'share，didnotobserveD'Artagnan'sentrance，whichwas，moreover，screenedatthismomentbyM。Mouston，whosepersonalcorpulency，quiteenoughatanytimetohideonemanfromanother，waseffectuallydoubledbyascarletcoatwhichtheintendantwasholdingupforhismaster'sinspection，bythesleeves，thathemightthebetterseeitallover。？D'ArtagnanstoppedatthethresholdandlookedinatthepensivePorthosandthen，asthesightoftheinnumerablegarmentsstrewingthefloorcausedmightysighstoheavethebosomofthatexcellentgentleman，D'Artagnanthoughtittimetoputanendtothesedismalreflections，andcoughedbywayofannouncinghimself。
"Ah！"
exclaimedPorthos，whosecountenancebrightenedwithjoy;"ah！ah！？HereisD'Artagnan。？Ishallthengetholdofanidea！"
AtthesewordsMouston，doubtingwhatwasgoingonbehindhim，gotoutoftheway，smilingkindlyatthefriendofhismaster，whothusfoundhimselffreedfromthematerialobstaclewhichhadpreventedhisreachingD'Artagnan。？Porthosmadehissturdykneescrackagaininrising，andcrossingtheroomintwostrides，foundhimselffacetofacewithhisfriend，whomhefoldedtohisbreastwithaforceofaffectionthatseemedtoincreasewitheveryday。？"Ah！"herepeated，"youarealwayswelcome，dearfriend;
butjustnowyouaremorewelcomethanever。"
"Butyouseemtohavethemegrimshere！"exclaimedD'Artagnan。
Porthosrepliedbyalookexpressiveofdejection。？"Well，then，tellmeallaboutit，Porthos，myfriend，unlessitisasecret。"
"Inthefirstplace，"returnedPorthos，"youknowIhavenosecretsfromyou。？This，then，iswhatsaddensme。"
"Waitaminute，Porthos;letmefirstgetridofallthislitterofsatinandvelvet！"
"Oh，nevermind，"saidPorthos，contemptuously;"itisalltrash。"
"Trash，Porthos！？Clothattwenty—fivelivresanell！gorgeoussatin！regalvelvet！"
"Thenyouthinktheseclothesare—"
"Splendid，Porthos，splendid！？I'llwagerthatyoualoneinFrancehavesomany;andsupposeyouneverhadanymoremade，andweretolivetobeahundredyearsofage，whichwouldn'tastonishmeintheveryleast，youcouldstillwearanewdressthedayofyourdeath，withoutbeingobligedtoseethenoseofasingletailorfromnowtillthen。"
Porthosshookhishead。
"Come，myfriend，"saidD'Artagnan，"thisunnaturalmelancholyinyoufrightensme。？MydearPorthos，praygetitout，then。？Andthesoonerthebetter。"
"Yes，myfriend，soIwill:if，indeed，itispossible。"
"PerhapsyouhavereceivedbadnewsfromBracieux？"
"No:
theyhavefelledthewood，andithasyieldedathirdmorethantheestimate。"
"Thentherehasbeenafalling—offinthepoolsofPierrefonds？"
"No，myfriend:theyhavebeenfished，andthereisenoughlefttostockallthepoolsintheneighborhood。"
"PerhapsyourestateatVallonhasbeendestroyedbyanearthquake？"
"No，myfriend;onthecontrary，thegroundwasstruckwithlightningahundredpacesfromthech鈚eau，andafountainsprungupinaplaceentirelydestituteofwater。"
"Whatintheworldisthematter，then？"
"Thefactis，Ihavereceivedaninvitationforthef阾eatVaux，"saidPorthos，withalugubriousexpression。
"Well！
doyoucomplainofthat？？Thekinghascausedahundredmortalheart—burningsamongthecourtiersbyrefusinginvitations。？Andso，mydearfriend，youarereallygoingtoVaux？"
"IndeedIam！"
"Youwillseeamagnificentsight。"
"Alas！？Idoubtit，though。"
"EverythingthatisgrandinFrancewillbebroughttogetherthere！"
"Ah！"
criedPorthos，tearingoutalockofhairinhisdespair。
"Eh！
goodheavens，areyouill？"criedD'Artagnan。
"I
amasfirmasthePont—Neuf！？Itisn'tthat。"
"Butwhatisit，then？"
"'TisthatIhavenoclothes！"
D'Artagnanstoodpetrified。？"Noclothes！？Porthos，noclothes！"hecried，"whenIseeatleastfiftysuitsonthefloor。"
"Fifty，truly;butnotonewhichfitsme！"
"What？
notonethatfitsyou？？Butareyounotmeasured，then，whenyougiveanorder？"
"Tobesureheis，"answeredMouston;"butunfortunatelyIhavegottenstouter！"
"What！youstouter！"？"SomuchsothatIamnowbiggerthanthebaron。？Wouldyoubelieveit，monsieur？"
"Parbleu！itseemstomethatisquiteevident。"
"Doyousee，stupid？"saidPorthos，"thatisquiteevident！"
"Bestill，mydearPorthos，"resumedD'Artagnan，becomingslightlyimpatient，"Idon'tunderstandwhyyourclothesshouldnotfityou，becauseMoustonhasgrownstouter。"
"I
amgoingtoexplainit，"saidPorthos。？"YourememberhavingrelatedtomethestoryoftheRomangeneralAntony，whohadalwayssevenwildboarskeptroasting，eachcookeduptoadifferentpoint;sothathemightbeabletohavehisdinneratanytimeofthedayhechosetoaskforit。？Well，then，Iresolved，asatanytimeImightbeinvitedtocourttospendaweek，I
resolvedtohavealwayssevensuitsreadyfortheoccasion。"
"Capitallyreasoned，Porthos—onlyamanmusthaveafortunelikeyourstogratifysuchwhims。？Withoutcountingthetimelostinbeingmeasured，thefashionsarealwayschanging。"
"Thatisexactlythepoint，"saidPorthos，"inregardtowhichIflatteredmyselfIhadhitonaveryingeniousdevice。"
"Tellmewhatitis;forIdon'tdoubtyourgenius。"
"YourememberwhatMoustononcewas，then？"
"Yes;
whenheusedtocallhimselfMousqueton。"
"Andyouremember，too，theperiodwhenhebegantogrowfatter？"
"No，notexactly。？Ibegyourpardon，mygoodMouston。"
"Oh！
youarenotinfault，monsieur，"saidMouston，graciously。？"YouwereinParis，andasforus，wewereatPierrefonds。"
"Well，well，mydearPorthos;therewasatimewhenMoustonbegantogrowfat。？Isthatwhatyouwishedtosay？"
"Yes，myfriend;andIgreatlyrejoiceovertheperiod。"
"Indeed，Ibelieveyoudo，"exclaimedD'Artagnan。
"Youunderstand，"continuedPorthos，"whataworldoftroubleitsparedforme。"
"No，Idon't—byanymeans。"
"Lookhere，myfriend。？Inthefirstplace，asyouhavesaid，tobemeasuredisalossoftime，eventhoughitoccuronlyonceafortnight。？Andthen，onemaybetravelling;andthenyouwishtohavesevensuitsalwayswithyou。？Inshort，Ihaveahorroroflettinganyonetakemymeasure。？Confoundit！eitheroneisanoblemanornot。？Tobescrutinizedandscannedbyafellowwhocompletelyanalyzesyou，byinchandline—'tisdegrading！？Here，theyfindyoutoohollow;there，tooprominent。？Theyrecognizeyourstrongandweakpoints。？See，now，whenweleavethemeasurer'shands，wearelikethosestrongholdswhoseanglesanddifferentthicknesseshavebeenascertainedbyaspy。"
"Intruth，mydearPorthos，youpossessideasentirelyoriginal。"
"Ah！
youseewhenamanisanengineer—"
"AndhasfortifiedBelle—Isle—'tisnatural，myfriend。"
"Well，Ihadanidea，whichwoulddoubtlesshaveprovedagoodone，butforMouston'scarelessness。"
D'ArtagnanglancedatMouston，whorepliedbyaslightmovementofhisbody，asiftosay，"YouwillseewhetherIamatalltoblameinallthis。"
"I
congratulatedmyself，then，"resumedPorthos，"atseeingMoustongetfat;andIdidallIcould，bymeansofsubstantialfeeding，tomakehimstout—alwaysinthehopethathewouldcometoequalmyselfingirth，andcouldthenbemeasuredinmystead。"
"Ah！"criedD'Artagnan。？"Isee—thatsparedyoubothtimeandhumiliation。"
"Considermyjoywhen，afterayearandahalf'sjudiciousfeeding—forIusedtofeedhimupmyself—thefellow—"
"Oh！？Ilentagoodhandmyself，monsieur，"saidMouston，humbly。
"That'strue。？Considermyjoywhen，onemorning，IperceivedMoustonwasobligedtosqueezein，asIoncedidmyself，togetthroughthelittlesecretdoorthatthosefoolsofarchitectshadmadeinthechamberofthelateMadameduVallon，inthech鈚eauofPierrefonds。？And，bytheway，aboutthatdoor，myfriend，Ishouldliketoaskyou，whoknoweverything，whythesewretchesofarchitects，whooughttohavethecompassesrunintothem，justtoremindthem，cametomakedoorwaysthroughwhichnobodybutthinpeoplecanpass？"
"Oh，thosedoors，"answeredD'Artagnan，"weremeantforgallants，andtheyhavegenerallyslightandslenderfigures。"
"MadameduVallonhadnogallant！"answeredPorthos，majestically。
"Perfectlytrue，myfriend，"resumedD'Artagnan;"butthearchitectswereprobablymakingtheircalculationsonabasisoftheprobabilityofyourmarryingagain。"
"Ah！
thatispossible，"saidPorthos。？"AndnowIhavereceivedanexplanationofhowitisthatdoorwaysaremadetoonarrow，letusreturntothesubjectofMouston'sfatness。？Butseehowthetwothingsapplytoeachother。？Ihavealwaysnoticedthatpeople'sideasrunparallel。？Andso，observethisphenomenon，D'Artagnan。？I
wastalkingtoyouofMouston，whoisfat，anditledusontoMadameduVallon—"
"Whowasthin？"
"Hum！？Isitnotmarvelous？"
"Mydearfriend，asavantofmyacquaintance，M。Costar，hasmadethesameobservationasyouhave，andhecallstheprocessbysomeGreeknamewhichIforget。"
"What！
myremarkisnotthenoriginal？"criedPorthos，astounded。？"IthoughtIwasthediscoverer。"
"Myfriend，thefactwasknownbeforeAristotle'sdays—thatistosay，nearlytwothousandyearsago。"
"Well，well，'tisnolesstrue，"saidPorthos，delightedattheideaofhavingjumpedtoaconclusionsocloselyinagreementwiththegreatestsagesofantiquity。
"Wonderfully—butsupposewereturntoMouston。？Itseemstome，wehavelefthimfatteningunderourveryeyes。"
"Yes，monsieur，"saidMouston。
"Well，"
saidPorthos，"Moustonfattenedsowell，thathegratifiedallmyhopes，byreachingmystandard;afactofwhichIwaswellabletoconvincemyself，byseeingtherascal，oneday，inawaistcoatofmine，whichhehadturnedintoacoat—awaistcoat，themereembroideryofwhichwasworthahundredpistoles。"
"'Twasonlytotryiton，monsieur，"saidMouston。
"FromthatmomentIdeterminedtoputMoustonincommunicationwithmytailors，andtohavehimmeasuredinsteadofmyself。"
"A
capitalidea，Porthos;butMoustonisafootandahalfshorterthanyou。"
"Exactly！？Theymeasuredhimdowntotheground，andtheendoftheskirtcamejustbelowmyknee。"
"Whatamarvelousmanyouare，Porthos！？Suchathingcouldhappenonlytoyou。"
"Ah！
yes;payyourcompliments;youhaveamplegroundstogoupon。？Itwasexactlyatthattime—thatistosay，nearlytwoyearsandahalfago—thatIsetoutforBelle—Isle，instructingMouston（soasalwaystohave，ineveryevent，apatternofeveryfashion）tohaveacoatmadeforhimselfeverymonth。"
"AnddidMoustonneglectcomplyingwithyourinstructions？？Ah！thatwasanythingbutright，Mouston。"
"No，monsieur，quitethecontrary;quitethecontrary！"
"No，heneverforgottohavehiscoatsmade;butheforgottoinformmethathehadgotstouter！"
"Butitwasnotmyfault，monsieur！yourtailornevertoldme。"
"Andthistosuchanextent，monsieur，"continuedPorthos，"thatthefellowintwoyearshasgainedeighteeninchesingirth，andsomylastdozencoatsarealltoolarge，fromafoottoafootandahalf。"
"Buttherest;thosewhichweremadewhenyouwereofthesamesize？"
"Theyarenolongerthefashion，mydearfriend。？WereItoputthemon，IshouldlooklikeafresharrivalfromSiam;andasthoughIhadbeentwoyearsawayfromcourt。"
"I
understandyourdifficulty。？Youhavehowmanynewsuits？nine？thirty—six？andyetnotonetowear。？Well，youmusthaveathirty—seventhmade，andgivethethirty—sixtoMouston。"
"Ah！
monsieur！"saidMouston，withagratifiedair。？"Thetruthis，thatmonsieurhasalwaysbeenverygeneroustome。"
"DoyoumeantoinsinuatethatIhadn'tthatidea，orthatIwasdeterredbytheexpense？？Butitwantsonlytwodaystothef阾e;Ireceivedtheinvitationyesterday;madeMoustonposthitherwithmywardrobe，andonlythismorningdiscoveredmymisfortune;andfromnowtillthedayafterto—morrow，thereisn'tasinglefashionabletailorwhowillundertaketomakemeasuit。"
"Thatistosay，onecoveredalloverwithgold，isn'tit？"
"I
wishitso！undoubtedly，allover。"
"Oh，weshallmanageit。？Youwon'tleaveforthreedays。？TheinvitationsareforWednesday，andthisisonlySundaymorning。"
"'Tistrue;butAramishasstronglyadvisedmetobeatVauxtwenty—fourhoursbeforehand。"
"How，Aramis？"
"Yes，itwasAramiswhobroughtmetheinvitation。"
"Ah！
tobesure，Isee。？YouareinvitedonthepartofM。Fouquet？"
"Bynomeans！bytheking，dearfriend。？Theletterbearsthefollowingaslargeaslife:'M。leBaronduVallonisinformedthatthekinghascondescendedtoplacehimontheinvitationlist—'"
"Verygood;butyouleavewithM。Fouquet？"
"AndwhenIthink，"criedPorthos，stampingonthefloor，"whenIthinkI
shallhavenoclothes，Iamreadytoburstwithrage！？Ishouldliketostranglesomebodyorsmashsomething！"
"Neitherstrangleanybodynorsmashanything，Porthos;Iwillmanageitall;putononeofyourthirty—sixsuits，andcomewithmetoatailor。"
"Pooh！
myagenthasseenthemallthismorning。"
"EvenM。Percerin？"
"WhoisM。Percerin？"
"Oh！
onlytheking'stailor！"
"Oh，ah，yes，"saidPorthos，whowishedtoappeartoknowtheking'stailor，butnowheardhisnamementionedforthefirsttime;"toM。Percerin's，byJove！？Iwasafraidhewouldbetoobusy。"
"Doubtlesshewillbe;butbeatease，Porthos;hewilldoformewhathewouldn'tdoforanother。？Onlyyoumustallowyourselftobemeasured！"
"Ah！"
saidPorthos，withasigh，"'tisvexatious，butwhatwouldyouhavemedo？"
"Do？？Asothersdo;asthekingdoes。"
"What！
dotheymeasuretheking，too？doesheputupwithit？"
"Thekingisabeau，mygoodfriend，andsoareyou，too，whateveryoumaysayaboutit。"
Porthossmiledtriumphantly。？"Letusgototheking'stailor，"hesaid;"andsincehemeasurestheking，I
think，bymyfaith，Imaydoworsethanallowhimtomeasureme！"
ChapterIII:
WhoMessireJeanPercerinWas。
Theking'stailor，MessireJeanPercerin，occupiedaratherlargehouseintheRueSt。Honor？neartheRuedel'ArbreSec。？Hewasamanofgreattasteinelegantstuffs，embroideries，andvelvets，beinghereditarytailortotheking。？TheprefermentofhishousereachedasfarbackasthetimeofCharlesIX。;fromwhosereigndated，asweknow，fancyinbraverydifficultenoughtogratify。？ThePercerinofthatperiodwasaHuguenot，likeAmbrosePar？