"Ifwehadknownyouhadaladyupstairs，"repliedAthos，withhiscustomarycoolness，"wewouldhaveaskedpermissiontopayourrespectstoher。"
　　Planchetwassodisconcertedbythislittleextravagance，thatheforcedthepassage，andhimselfopenedthedoortoadmitthecomteandhisson。？Tr點henwasquitedressed:inthecostumeoftheshopkeeper'swife，richyetcoquettish;GermaneyesattackingFrencheyes。？Shelefttheapartmentaftertwocourtesies，andwentdownintotheshop—butnotwithouthavinglistenedatthedoor，toknowwhatPlanchet'sgentlemenvisitorswouldsayofher。？Athossuspectedthat，andthereforeturnedtheconversationaccordingly。？Planchet，onhispart，wasburningtogiveexplanations，whichAthosavoided。？But，ascertaintenacitiesarestrongerthanothers，AthoswasforcedtohearPlanchetrecitehisidylsoffelicity，translatedintoalanguagemorechastethanthatofLongus。？SoPlanchetrelatedhowTr點henhadcharmedtheyearsofhisadvancingage，andbroughtgoodlucktohisbusiness，asRuthdidtoBoaz。
　　"Youwantnothingnow，then，butheirstoyourproperty。"
　　"IfIhadonehewouldhavethreehundredthousandlivres，"saidPlanchet。
　　"Humph！
　　youmusthaveone，then，"saidAthos，phlegmatically，"ifonlytopreventyourlittlefortunebeinglost。"
　　ThiswordlittlefortuneplacedPlanchetinhisrank，likethevoiceofthesergeantwhenPlanchetwasbutapiqueurintheregimentofPiedmont，inwhichRocheforthadplacedhim。？AthosperceivedthatthegrocerwouldmarryTr點hen，and，inspiteoffate，establishafamily。？ThisappearedthemoreevidenttohimwhenhelearnedthattheyoungmantowhomPlanchetwassellingthebusinesswashercousin。？Havingheardallthatwasnecessaryofthehappyprospectsoftheretiringgrocer，"WhatisM。d'Artagnanabout？"saidhe;"heisnotattheLouvre。"
　　"Ah！
　　monsieurlecomte，Monsieurd'Artagnanhasdisappeared。"
　　"Disappeared！"
　　saidAthos，insurprise。
　　"Oh！
　　monsieur，weknowwhatthatmeans。"
　　"ButIdonotknow。"
　　"WheneverM。d'Artagnandisappearsitisalwaysforsomemissionorsomegreataffair。"
　　"Hashesaidanythingtoyouaboutit？"
　　"Never。"
　　"YouwereacquaintedwithhisdepartureforEnglandformerly，wereyounot？"
　　"Onaccountofthespeculation。"saidPlanchet，heedlessly。
　　"Thespeculation！"
　　"I
　　mean—"interruptedPlanchet，quiteconfused。
　　"Well，well;neitheryouraffairsnorthoseofyourmasterareinquestion;theinterestwetakeinhimalonehasinducedmetoapplytoyou。？Sincethecaptainofthemusketeersisnothere，andaswecannotlearnfromyouwherewearelikelytofindM。
　　d'Artagnan，wewilltakeourleaveofyou。？Aurevoir，Planchet，aurevoir。？Letusbegone，Raoul。"
　　"Monsieurlecomte，IwishIwereabletotellyou—"
　　"Oh，notatall;Iamnotthemantoreproachaservantwithdiscretion。"
　　Thisword"servant"struckrudelyontheearsofthedemi—millionnairePlanchet，butnaturalrespectandbonhomieprevailedoverpride。？"Thereisnothingindiscreetintellingyou，monsieurlecomte，M。d'Artagnancameheretheotherday—"
　　"Aha？"
　　"Andremainedseveralhoursconsultingageographicalchart。"
　　"Youareright，then，myfriend;saynomoreaboutit。"
　　"Andthechartisthereasaproof，"addedPlanchet，whowenttofetchfromtheneighboringwall，whereitwassuspendedbyatwist，formingatrianglewiththebarofthewindowtowhichitwasfastened，theplanconsultedbythecaptainonhislastvisittoPlanchet。？Thisplan，whichhebroughttothecomte，wasamapofFrance，uponwhichthepracticedeyeofthatgentlemandiscoveredanitinerary，markedoutwithsmallpins;whereverapinwasmissing，aholedenoteditshavingbeenthere。？Athos，byfollowingwithhiseyethepinsandholes，sawthatD'Artagnanhadtakenthedirectionofthesouth，andgoneasfarastheMediterranean，towardsToulon。？ItwasnearCannesthatthemarksandthepuncturedplacesceased。？TheComtedelaF鑢epuzzledhisbrainsforsometime，todivinewhatthemusketeercouldbegoingtodoatCannes，andwhatmotivecouldhaveledhimtoexaminethebanksoftheVar。？ThereflectionsofAthossuggestednothing。？Hisaccustomedperspicacitywasatfault。？Raoul'sresearcheswerenotmoresuccessfulthanhisfather's。
　　"Nevermind，"saidtheyoungmantothecomte，whosilently，andwithhisfinger，hadmadehimunderstandtherouteofD'Artagnan;"wemustconfessthatthereisaProvidencealwaysoccupiedinconnectingourdestinywiththatofM。
　　d'Artagnan。？ThereheisonthecoastofCannes，andyou，monsieur，will，atleast，conductmeasfarasToulon。？Beassuredthatweshallmeetwithhimmoreeasilyuponourroutethanonthismap。"
　　Then，takingleaveofPlanchet，whowasscoldinghisshopmen，eventhecousinofTr點hen，hissuccessor，thegentlemensetouttopayavisittoM。deBeaufort。？Onleavingthegrocer'sshop，theysawacoach，thefuturedepositoryofthecharmsofMademoiselleTr點henandPlanchet'sbagsofcrowns。
　　"Everyonejourneystowardshappinessbytheroutehechooses，"saidRaoul，inamelancholytone。
　　"RoadtoFontainebleau！"criedPlanchettohiscoachman。
　　ChapterXXX:
　　TheInventoryofM。deBeaufort。
　　TohavetalkedofD'ArtagnanwithPlanchet，tohaveseenPlanchetquitParistoburyhimselfinhiscountryretreat，hadbeenforAthosandhissonlikealastfarewelltothenoiseofthecapital—totheirlifeofformerdays。？What，infact，didthesemenleavebehindthem—oneofwhomhadexhaustedthepastageinglory，andtheother，thepresentageinmisfortune？？Evidentlyneitherofthemhadanythingtoaskofhiscontemporaries。？TheyhadonlytopayavisittoM。deBeaufort，andarrangewithhimtheparticularsofdeparture。？ThedukewaslodgedmagnificentlyinParis。？Hehadoneofthosesuperbestablishmentspertainingtogreatfortunes，thelikeofwhichcertainoldmenrememberedtohaveseeninalltheirgloryinthetimesofwastefulliberalityofHenryIII。'sreign。？Then，really，severalgreatnobleswerericherthantheking。？Theyknewit，usedit，andneverdeprivedthemselvesofthepleasureofhumiliatinghisroyalmajestywhentheyhadanopportunity。？ItwasthisegotisticalaristocracyRichelieuhadconstrainedtocontribute，withitsblood，itspurse，anditsduties，towhatwasfromhistimestyledtheking'sservice。？FromLouisXI。—thatterriblemower—downofthegreat—toRichelieu，howmanyfamilieshadraisedtheirheads！？Howmany，fromRichelieutoLouisXIV。，hadbowedtheirheads，nevertoraisethemagain！？ButM。deBeaufortwasbornaprince，andofabloodwhichisnotsheduponscaffolds，unlessbythedecreeofpeoples，—aprincewhohadkeptupagrandstyleofliving。？Howdidhemaintainhishorses，hispeople，andhistable？？Nobodyknew;himselflessthanothers。？Onlytherewerethenprivilegesforthesonsofkings，towhomnobodyrefusedtobecomeacreditor，whetherfromrespectorthepersuasionthattheywouldsomedaybepaid。
　　AthosandRaoulfoundthemansionofthedukeinasmuchconfusionasthatofPlanchet。？Theduke，likewise，wasmakinghisinventory;thatistosay，hewasdistributingtohisfriendseverythingofvaluehehadinhishouse。？Owingnearlytwomillions—anenormousamountinthosedays—M。deBeauforthadcalculatedthathecouldnotsetoutforAfricawithoutagoodroundsum，and，inordertofindthatsum，hewasdistributingtohisoldcreditorsplate，arms，jewels，andfurniture，whichwasmoremagnificentinsellingit，andbroughthimbackdouble。？Infact，howcouldamantowhomtenthousandlivreswereowing，refusetocarryawayapresentworthsixthousand，enhancedinestimationfromhavingbelongedtoadescendantofHenryIV。？？Andhow，afterhavingcarriedawaythatpresent，couldherefusetenthousandlivresmoretothisgenerousnoble？？This，then，waswhathadhappened。？Thedukehadnolongeradwelling—house—thathadbecomeuselesstoanadmiralwhoseplaceofresidenceishisship;hehadnolongerneedofsuperfluousarms，whenhewasplacedamidsthiscannons;nomorejewels，whichtheseamightrobhimof;buthehadthreeorfourhundredthousandcrownsfreshinhiscoffers。？Andthroughoutthehousetherewasajoyousmovementofpeoplewhobelievedtheywereplunderingmonseigneur。？Theprincehad，inasupremedegree，theartofmakinghappythecreditorsmosttobepitied。？Everydistressedman，everyemptypurse，foundinhimpatienceandsympathyforhisposition。？Tosomehesaid，"IwishIhadwhatyouhave;Iwouldgiveityou。"？Andtoothers，"Ihavebutthissilverewer;itisworthatleastfivehundredlivres，—takeit。"？Theeffectofwhichwas—sotrulyiscourtesyacurrentpayment—thattheprinceconstantlyfoundmeanstorenewhiscreditors。？Thistimeheusednoceremony;itmightbecalledageneralpillage。？Hegaveupeverything。？TheOrientalfableofthepoorArabwhocarriedawayfromthepillageofpalaceakettleatthebottomofwhichwasconcealedabagofgold，andwhomeverybodyallowedtopasswithoutjealousy，—thisfablehadbecomeatruthintheprince'smansion。？Manycontractorspaidthemselvesupontheofficesoftheduke。？Thus，theprovisiondepartment，whoplunderedtheclothes—pressesandtheharness—rooms，attachedverylittlevaluetothingswhichtailorsandsaddlerssetgreatstoreby。？Anxioustocarryhometotheirwivespresentsgiventhembymonseigneur，manywereseenboundingjoyouslyalong，undertheweightofearthenjarsandbottles，gloriouslystampedwiththearmsoftheprince。？M。deBeaufortfinishedbygivingawayhishorsesandthehayfromhislofts。？Hemademorethanthirtyhappywithkitchenutensils;andthirtymorewiththecontentsofhiscellar。？Stillfurther;allthesepeoplewentawaywiththeconvictionthatM。deBeaufortonlyactedinthismannertoprepareforanewfortuneconcealedbeneaththeArabs'tents。？Theyrepeatedtoeachother，whilepillaginghishotel，thathewassenttoGigellibythekingtoreconstructhislostfortunes;thatthetreasuresofAfricawouldbeequallydividedbetweentheadmiralandthekingofFrance;thatthesetreasuresconsistedinminesofdiamonds，orotherfabulousstones;thegoldandsilverminesofMountAtlasdidnotevenobtainthehonorofbeingnamed。？Inadditiontotheminestobeworked—whichcouldnotbebeguntillafterthecampaign—
　　therewouldbethebootymadebythearmy。？M。deBeaufortwouldlayhishandsonalltherichespirateshadrobbedChristendomofsincethebattleofLepanto。？Thenumberofmillionsfromthesesourcesdefiedcalculation。？Why，then，shouldhe，whowasgoinginquestofsuchtreasure，setanystorebythepoorutensilsofhispastlife？？Andreciprocally，whyshouldtheysparethepropertyofhimwhospareditsolittlehimself？
　　Suchwasthepositionofaffairs。？Athos，withhispiercingpracticedglance，sawwhatwasgoingonatonce。？HefoundtheadmiralofFrancealittleexalted，forhewasrisingfromatableoffiftycovers，atwhichtheguestshaddrunklonganddeeplytotheprosperityoftheexpedition;attheconclusionofwhichrepast，theremains，withthedessert，hadbeengiventotheservants，andtheemptydishesandplatestothecurious。？Theprincewasintoxicatedwithhisruinandhispopularityatoneandthesametime。？Hehaddrunkhisoldwinetothehealthofhiswineofthefuture。？WhenhesawAthosandRaoul:
　　"Thereismyaide—de—campbeingbroughttome！"hecried。？"Comehither，comte;comehither，vicomte。"
　　Athostriedtofindapassagethroughtheheapsoflinenandplate。
　　"Ah！
　　stepover，stepover！"saidtheduke，offeringafullglasstoAthos。？Thelatterdrankit;Raoulscarcelymoistenedhislips。
　　"Hereisyourcommission，"saidtheprincetoRaoul。？"Ihadpreparedit，reckoninguponyou。？YouwillgobeforemeasfarasAntibes。"
　　"Yes，monseigneur。"
　　"Hereistheorder。"？AndDeBeaufortgaveRaoultheorder。？"Doyouknowanythingofthesea？"
　　"Yes，monseigneur;IhavetraveledwithM。lePrince。"
　　"Thatiswell。？Allthesebargesandlightersmustbeinattendancetoformanescortandcarrymyprovisions。？Thearmymustbepreparedtoembarkinafortnightattheverylatest。"
　　"Thatshallbedone，monseigneur。"
　　"Thepresentordergivesyoutherighttovisitandsearchalltheislesalongthecoast;youwilltheremaketheenrolmentsandleviesyoumaywantforme。"
　　"Yes，monsieurleduc。"
　　"Andyouareanactiveman，andwillworkfreely，youwillspendmuchmoney。"
　　"I
　　hopenot，monseigneur。"
　　"ButIamsureyouwill。？Myintendanthaspreparedtheordersofathousandlivres，drawnuponthecitiesofthesouth;hewillgiveyouahundredofthem。？Now，dearvicomte，begone。"
　　Athosinterruptedtheprince。？"Keepyourmoney，monseigneur;waristobewagedamongtheArabswithgoldaswellaslead。"
　　"I
　　wishtotrythecontrary，"repliedtheduke;"andthenyouareacquaintedwithmyideasupontheexpedition—plentyofnoise，plentyoffire，and，ifsoitmustbe，Ishalldisappearinthesmoke。"？Havingspokenthus，M。deBeaufortbegantolaugh;buthismirthwasnotreciprocatedbyAthosandRaoul。？Heperceivedthisatonce。？"Ah，"saidhe，withthecourteousegotismofhisrankandage，"youaresuchpeopleasamanshouldnotseeafterdinner;youarecold，stiff，anddrywhenIamallfire，suppleness，andwine。？No，deviltakeme！？Ishouldalwaysseeyoufasting，vicomte，andyou，comte，ifyouwearsuchafaceasthat，youshallseemenomore。"
　　Hesaidthis，pressingthehandofAthos，whorepliedwithasmile，"Monseigneur，donottalksograndlybecauseyouhappentohaveplentyofmoney。？Ipredictthatwithinamonthyouwillbedry，stiff，andcold，inpresenceofyourstrong—box，andthatthen，havingRaoulatyourelbow，fasting，youwillbesurprisedtoseehimgay，animated，andgenerous，becausehewillhavesomenewcrownstoofferyou。"
　　"Godgrantitmaybeso！"criedthedelightedduke。？"Comte，staywithme！"
　　"No，IshallgowithRaoul;themissionwithwhichyouchargehimisatroublesomeanddifficultone。？Aloneitwouldbetoomuchforhimtoexecute。？Youdonotobserve，monseigneur，youhavegivenhimcommandofthefirstorder。"
　　"Bah！"
　　"Andinyournavalarrangements，too。"
　　"Thatmaybetrue。？Butonefindsthatsuchfineyoungfellowsasyoursongenerallydoallthatisrequiredofthem。"
　　"Monseigneur，Ibelieveyouwillfindnowheresomuchzealandintelligence，somuchrealbravery，asinRaoul;butifhefailedtoarrangeyourembarkation，youwouldonlymeetthefatethatyoudeserve。"
　　"Humph！youarescoldingme，then。"
　　"Monseigneur，toprovisionafleet，toassembleaflotilla，toenrollyourmaritimeforce，wouldtakeanadmiralayear。？Raoulisacavalryofficer，andyouallowhimafortnight！"
　　"Itellyouhewilldoit。"
　　"Hemay;
　　butIwillgoandhelphim。"
　　"Tobesureyouwill;Ireckoneduponyou，andstillfurtherbelievethatwhenweareonceatToulonyouwillnotlethimdepartalone。"
　　"Oh！"
　　saidAthos，shakinghishead。
　　"Patience！
　　patience！"
　　"Monseigneur，permitustotakeourleave。"
　　"Begone，then，andmaymygoodluckattendyou。"
　　"Adieu！
　　monseigneur;andmayyourowngoodluckattendyoulikewise。"
　　"Hereisanexpeditionadmirablycommenced！"saidAthostohisson。？"Noprovisions—nostoreflotilla！？Whatcanbedone，thus？"
　　"Humph！"
　　murmuredRaoul;"ifallaregoingtodoasIam，provisionswillnotbewanted。"
　　"Monsieur，"
　　repliedAthos，sternly，"donotbeunjustandsenselessinyouregotism，oryourgrief，whicheveryoupleasetocallit。？Ifyousetoutforthiswarsolelywiththeintentionofgettingkilledtherein，youstandinneedofnobody，anditwasscarcelyworthwhiletorecommendyoutoM。deBeaufort。？Butwhenyouhavebeenintroducedtotheprimecommandant—whenyouhaveacceptedtheresponsibilityofapostinhisarmy，thequestionisnolongeraboutyou，butaboutallthosepoorsoldiers，who，aswellasyou，haveheartsandbodies，whowillweepfortheircountryandendureallthenecessitiesoftheircondition。？Remember，Raoul，thatofficersareministersasusefultotheworldaspriests，andthattheyoughttohavemorecharity。"
　　"Monsieur，Iknowitandhavepracticedit;Iwouldhavecontinuedtodosostill，but—
　　"
　　"Youforgetalsothatyouareofacountrythatisproudofitsmilitaryglory;goanddieifyoulike，butdonotdiewithouthonorandwithoutadvantagetoFrance。？Cheerup，Raoul！donotletmywordsgrieveyou;Iloveyou，andwishtoseeyouperfect。"
　　"Iloveyourreproaches，monsieur，"saidtheyoungman，mildly;"theyalonemaycureme，becausetheyprovetomethatsomeonelovesmestill。"
　　"Andnow，Raoul，letusbeoff;theweatherissofine，theheavenssoclear，thoseheavenswhichwealwaysfindaboveourheads，whichyouwillseemoreclearstillatGigelli，andwhichwillspeaktoyouofmethere，astheyspeaktomehereofGod。"
　　Thetwogentlemen，afterhavingagreedonthispoint，talkedoverthewildfreaksoftheduke，convincedthatFrancewouldbeservedinaveryincompletemanner，asregardedbothspiritandpractice，intheensuingexpedition;andhavingsummeduptheducalpolicyundertheonewordvanity，theysetforward，inobediencerathertotheirwillthandestiny。？Thesacrificewashalfaccomplished。
　　ChapterXXXI:
　　TheSilverDish。
　　Thejourneypassedoffprettywell。？AthosandhissontraversedFranceattherateoffifteenleaguesperday;sometimesmore，sometimesless，accordingtotheintensityofRaoul'sgrief。？IttookthemafortnighttoreachToulon，andtheylostalltracesofD'ArtagnanatAntibes。？Theywereforcedtobelievethatthecaptainofthemusketeerswasdesirousofpreservinganincognitoonhisroute，forAthosderivedfromhisinquiriesanassurancethatsuchacavalierashedescribedhadexchangedhishorseforawell—closedcarriageonquittingAvignon。？RaoulwasmuchaffectedatnotmeetingwithD'Artagnan。？Hisaffectionateheartlongedtotakeafarewellandreceivedconsolationfromthatheartofsteel。？AthosknewfromexperiencethatD'Artagnanbecameimpenetrablewhenengagedinanyseriousaffair，whetheronhisownaccountorontheserviceoftheking。？Heevenfearedtooffendhisfriend，orthwarthimbytoopressinginquiries。？AndyetwhenRaoulcommencedhislaborofclassingtheflotilla，andgottogetherthechalandsandlighterstosendthemtoToulon，oneofthefishermentoldthecomtethathisboathadbeenlaiduptorefitsinceatriphehadmadeonaccountofagentlemanwhowasingreathastetoembark。？Athos，believingthatthismanwastellingafalsehoodinordertobeleftatlibertytofish，andsogainmoremoneywhenallhiscompanionsweregone，insisteduponhavingthedetails。？Thefishermaninformedhimthatsixdayspreviously，amanhadcomeinthenighttohirehisboat，forthepurposeofvisitingtheislandofSt。Honnorat。？Thepricewasagreedupon，butthegentlemanhadarrivedwithanimmensecarriagecase，whichheinsisteduponembarking，inspiteofthemanydifficultiesthatopposedtheoperation。？Thefishermanwishedtoretract。？Hehadeventhreatened，buthisthreatshadprocuredhimnothingbutashowerofblowsfromthegentleman'scane，whichfelluponhisshoulderssharpandlong。？Swearingandgrumbling，hehadrecoursetothesyndicofhisbrotherhoodatAntibes，whoadministerjusticeamongthemselvesandprotecteachother;butthegentlemanhadexhibitedacertainpaper，atsightofwhichthesyndic，bowingtotheveryground，enjoinedobediencefromthefisherman，andabusedhimforhavingbeenrefractory。？Theythendepartedwiththefreight。
　　"Butallthisdoesnottellus，"saidAthos，"howyouinjuredyourboat。"
　　"Thisistheway。？IwassteeringtowardsSt。
　　Honnoratasthegentlemandesiredme;buthechangedhismind，andpretendedthatIcouldnotpasstothesouthoftheabbey。"
　　"Andwhynot？"
　　"Because，monsieur，thereisinfrontofthesquaretoweroftheBenedictines，towardsthesouthernpoint，thebankoftheMoines。"
　　"A
　　rock？"askedAthos。
　　"Levelwiththewater，butbelowwater;adangerouspassage，yetoneIhaveclearedathousandtimes;thegentlemanrequiredmetolandhimatSainte—Marguerite's。"
　　"Well？"
　　"Well，monsieur！"criedthefisherman，withhisProven鏰laccent，"amanisasailor，orheisnot;heknowshiscourse，orheisnothingbutafresh—waterlubber。？Iwasobstinate，andwishedtotrythechannel。？Thegentlemantookmebythecollar，andtoldmequietlyhewouldstrangleme。？Mymatearmedhimselfwithahatchet，andsodidI。？Wehadtheaffrontofthenightbeforetopayhimoutfor。？Butthegentlemandrewhissword，anduseditinsuchanastonishinglyrapidmanner，thatweneitherofuscouldgetnearhim。？Iwasabouttohurlmyhatchetathishead，andIhadarighttodoso，hadn'tI，monsieur？
　　forasailoraboardismaster，asacitizenisinhischamber;Iwasgoing，then，inself—defense，tocutthegentlemanintwo，when，allatonce—believemeornot，monsieur—thegreatcarriagecaseopenedofitself，Idon'tknowhow，andtherecameoutofitasortofaphantom，hisheadcoveredwithablackhelmetandablackmask，somethingterribletolookupon，whichcametowardsmethreateningwithitsfist。"
　　"Andthatwas—"saidAthos。
　　"Thatwasthedevil，monsieur;forthegentleman，withgreatglee，criedout，onseeinghim:'Ah！thankyou，monseigneur！'"
　　"A
　　moststrangestory！"murmuredthecomte，lookingatRaoul。
　　"Andwhatdidyoudo？"askedthelatterofthefisherman。
　　"Youmustknow，monsieur，thattwopoormen，suchasweare，couldbenomatchfortwogentlemen;butwhenoneofthemturnedouttobethedevil，wehadnoearthlychance！？MycompanionandIdidnotstoptoconsultoneanother;wemadebutonejumpintothesea，forwewerewithinsevenoreighthundredfeetoftheshore。"
　　"Well，andthen？"
　　"Why，andthen，monseigneur，astherewasalittlewindfromthesouthwest，theboatdriftedintothesandsofSainte—Marguerite's。"
　　"Oh！
　　—butthetravelers？"
　　"Bah！youneednotbeuneasyaboutthem！？Itwasprettyplainthatonewasthedevil，andprotectedtheother;forwhenwerecoveredtheboat，aftershegotafloatagain，insteadoffindingthesetwocreaturesinjuredbytheshock，wefoundnothing，noteventhecarriageorthecase。"
　　"Verystrange！verystrange！"repeatedthecomte。？"Butafterthat，whatdidyoudo，myfriend？"
　　"I
　　mademycomplainttothegovernorofSainte—Marguerite's，whobroughtmyfingerundermynosebytellingmeifIplaguedhimwithsuchsillystorieshewouldhavemeflogged。"
　　"What！
　　didthegovernorhimselfsayso？"
　　"Yes，monsieur;andyetmyboatwasinjured，seriouslyinjured，fortheprowisleftuponthepointofSainte—Marguerite's，andthecarpenterasksahundredandtwentylivrestorepairit。"
　　"Verywell，"repliedRaoul;"youwillbeexemptedfromtheservice。？Go。"
　　"WewillgotoSainte—Marguerite's，shallwe？"saidthecomtetoBragelonne，asthemanwalkedaway。
　　"Yes，monsieur，forthereissomethingtobeclearedup;thatmandoesnotseemtometohavetoldthetruth。"
　　"Nortomeeither，Raoul。？Thestoryofthemaskedmanandthecarriagehavingdisappeared，maybetoldtoconcealsomeviolencethesefellowshavecommittedupontheirpassengersintheopensea，topunishhimforhispersistenceinembarking。"
　　"I
　　formedthesamesuspicion;thecarriagewasmorelikelytocontainpropertythanaman。"
　　"Weshallseetothat，Raoul。？ThegentlemanverymuchresemblesD'Artagnan;Irecognizehismethodsofproceeding。？Alas！wearenolongertheyounginvinciblesofformerdays。？WhoknowswhetherthehatchetortheironbarofthismiserablecoasterhasnotsucceededindoingthatwhichthebestbladesofEurope，balls，andbulletshavenotbeenabletodoinfortyyears？"
　　ThatsamedaytheysetoutforSainte—Marguerite's，onboardachasse—mar閑comefromToulonunderorders。？Theimpressiontheyexperiencedonlandingwasasingularlypleasingone。？Theislandseemedloadedwithflowersandfruits。？Initscultivatedpartitservedasagardenforthegovernor。？Orange，pomegranate，andfigtreesbentbeneaththeweightoftheirgoldenorpurplefruits。？Allroundthisgarden，intheuncultivatedparts，redpartridgesranaboutinconveysamongthebramblesandtuftsofjunipers，andateverystepofthecomteandRaoulaterrifiedrabbitquittedhisthymeandheathtoscuttleawaytotheburrow。？Infact，thisfortunateislewasuninhabited。？Flat，offeringnothingbutatinybayfortheconvenienceofembarkation，andundertheprotectionofthegovernor，whowentshareswiththem，smugglersmadeuseofitasaprovisionalentrep魌，attheexpenseofnotkillingthegameordevastatingthegarden。？Withthiscompromise，thegovernorwasinasituationtobesatisfiedwithagarrisonofeightmentoguardhisfortress，inwhichtwelvecannonsaccumulatedcoatsofmoldygreen。？Thegovernorwasasortofhappyfarmer，harvestingwines，figs，oil，andoranges，preservinghiscitronsandc閐ratesinthesunofhiscasemates。？Thefortress，encircledbyadeepditch，itsonlyguardian，aroselikethreeheadsuponturretsconnectedwitheachotherbyterracescoveredwithmoss。