"Saint—Aignan，"
continuedtheking，"youwillhaveanyoneshotwhoshallattempttospeakprivatelywithM。Fouquet，duringthejourney。"
"Butmyself，sire，"saidtheduke。
"You，monsieur，youwillonlyspeaktohiminthepresenceofthemusketeers。"？Thedukebowedanddepartedtoexecutehiscommission。
D'Artagnanwasabouttoretirelikewise;butthekingstoppedhim。
"Monsieur，"
saidhe，"youwillgoimmediately，andtakepossessionoftheisleandfiefofBelle—蝜e—en—Mer。"
"Yes，sire。？Alone？"
"Youwilltakeasufficientnumberoftroopstopreventdelay，incasetheplaceshouldbecontumacious。"
A
murmurofcourtlyincredulityrosefromthegroupofcourtiers。？"Thatshallbedone，"saidD'Artagnan。
"I
sawtheplaceinmyinfancy，"resumedtheking，"andIdonotwishtoseeitagain。？Youhaveheardme？？Go，monsieur，anddonotreturnwithoutthekeys。"
ColbertwentuptoD'Artagnan。？"A
commissionwhich，ifyoucarryitoutwell，"saidhe，"willbeworthamar閏hal'sbatontoyou。"
"Whydoyouemploythewords，'ifyoucarryitoutwell'？"
"Becauseitisdifficult。"
"Ah！
inwhatrespect？"
"YouhavefriendsinBelle—Isle，Monsieurd'Artagnan;anditisnotaneasythingformenlikeyoutomarchoverthebodiesoftheirfriendstoobtainsuccess。"
D'Artagnanhunghisheadindeepestthought，whilstColbertreturnedtotheking。？Aquarterofanhourafter，thecaptainreceivedthewrittenorderfromtheking，toblowupthefortressofBelle—Isle，incaseofresistance，withpoweroflifeanddeathoveralltheinhabitantsorrefugees，andaninjunctionnottoallowonetoescape。
"Colbertwasright，"thoughtD'Artagnan;"formethebatonofamar閏halofFrancewillcostthelivesofmytwofriends。？Onlytheyseemtoforgetthatmyfriendsarenotmorestupidthanthebirds，andthattheywillnotwaitforthehandofthefowlertoextendovertheirwings。？Iwillshowthemthathandsoplainly，thattheywillhavequitetimeenoughtoseeit。？PoorPorthos！？PoorAramis！？No;myfortuneshouldshallnotcostyourwingsafeather。"
Havingthusdetermined，D'Artagnanassembledtheroyalarmy，embarkeditatPaimb渦f，andsetsail，withoutthelossofanunnecessaryminute。
ChapterXLII:
Belle—蝜e—en—Mer。
Attheextremityofthemole，againstwhichthefuriousseabeatsattheeveningtide，twomen，holdingeachotherbythearm，wereconversinginananimatedandexpansivetone，withoutthepossibilityofanyotherhumanbeinghearingtheirwords，borneaway，astheywere，onebyone，bythegustsofwind，withthewhitefoamsweptfromthecrestsofthewaves。？Thesunhadjustgonedowninthevastsheetofthecrimsonedocean，likeagiganticcrucible。？Fromtimetotime，oneofthesemen，turningtowardstheeast，castananxious，inquiringlookoverthesea。？Theother，interrogatingthefeaturesofhiscompanion，seemedtoseekforinformationinhislooks。？Then，bothsilent，busiedwithdismalthoughts，theyresumedtheirwalk。？Everyonehasalreadyperceivedthatthesetwomenwereourproscribedheroes，PorthosandAramis，whohadtakenrefugeinBelle—Isle，sincetheruinoftheirhopes，sincethediscomfitureofthecolossalschemesofM。d'Herblay。
"Ifisofnouseyoursayinganythingtothecontrary，mydearAramis，"
repeatedPorthos，inhalingvigorouslythesaltbreezewithwhichhechargedhismassivechest，"Itisofnouse，Aramis。？Thedisappearanceofallthefishing—boatsthatwentouttwodaysagoisnotanordinarycircumstance。？Therehasbeennostormatsea;theweatherhasbeenconstantlycalm，noteventhelightestgale;andevenifwehadhadatempest，allourboatswouldnothavefoundered。？Irepeat，itisstrange。？Thiscompletedisappearanceastonishesme，Itellyou。"
"True，"
murmuredAramis。？"Youareright，friendPorthos;itistrue，thereissomethingstrangeinit。"
"Andfurther，"addedPorthos，whoseideastheassentofthebishopofVannesseemedtoenlarge;"and，further，doyounotobservethatiftheboatshaveperished，notasingleplankhaswashedashore？"
"I
haveremarkeditaswellasyourself。"
"Anddoyounotthinkitstrangethatthetwoonlyboatswehadleftinthewholeisland，andwhichIsentinsearchoftheothers—"
Aramishereinterruptedhiscompanionbyacry，andbysosuddenamovement，thatPorthosstoppedasifhewerestupefied。？"Whatdoyousay，Porthos？？What！—Youhavesentthetwoboats—"
"Insearchoftheothers！？Yes，tobesureI
have，"repliedPorthos，calmly。
"Unhappyman！？Whathaveyoudone？？Thenweareindeedlost，"criedthebishop。
"Lost！
—whatdidyousay？"exclaimedtheterrifiedPorthos。？"Howlost，Aramis？？Howarewelost？"
Aramisbithislips。？"Nothing！
nothing！？Yourpardon，Imeanttosay—
"
"What？"
"Thatifwewereinclined—ifwetookafancytomakeanexcursionbysea，wecouldnot。"
"Verygood！andwhyshouldthatvexyou？？A
preciouspleasure，mafoi！？Formypart，Idon'tregretitatall。？WhatIregretiscertainlynotthemoreorlessamusementwecanfindatBelle—Isle:whatIregret，Aramis，isPierrefonds;Bracieux;leVallon;beautifulFrance！？Here，wearenotinFrance，mydearfriend;weare—Iknownotwhere。？Oh！？Itellyou，infullsincerityofsoul，andyouraffectionwillexcusemyfrankness，butIdeclaretoyouIamnothappyatBelle—Isle。？No;ingoodtruth，Iamnothappy！"
Aramisbreathedalong，butstifledsigh。？"Dearfriend，"repliedhe:"thatiswhyitissosadathingyouhavesentthetwoboatswehadleftinsearchoftheboatswhichdisappearedtwodaysago。？Ifyouhadnotsentthemaway，wewouldhavedeparted。"
"'Departed！'？Andtheorders，Aramis？"
"Whatorders？"
"Parbleu！？Why，theordersyouhavebeenconstantly，inandoutofseason，repeatingtome—thatweweretoholdBelle—Isleagainsttheusurper。？Youknowverywell！"
"Thatistrue！"murmuredAramisagain。
"Yousee，then，plainly，myfriend，thatwecouldnotdepart;andthatthesendingawayoftheboatsinsearchoftheotherscannotproveprejudicialtousintheveryleast。"
Aramiswassilent;andhisvagueglances，luminousasthatofanalbatross，hoveredforalongtimeoverthesea，interrogatingspace，seekingtopiercetheveryhorizon。
"Withallthat，Aramis，"continuedPorthos，whoadheredtohisidea，andthatthemorecloselyfromthebishophavingapparentlyendorsedit，—"withallthat，yougivemenoexplanationaboutwhatcanhavehappenedtotheseunfortunateboats。？IamassailedbycriesandcomplaintswhicheverwayIgo。？Thechildrencrytoseethedesolationofthewomen，asifIcouldrestoretheabsenthusbandsandfathers。？Whatdoyousuppose，myfriend，andhowoughtItoanswerthem？"
"Thinkallyoulike，mygoodPorthos，andsaynothing。"
ThisreplydidnotsatisfyPorthosatall。？Heturnedawaygrumblingsomethinginill—humor。？Aramisstoppedthevaliantmusketeer。？"Doyouremember，"saidhe，inamelancholytone，kneadingthetwohandsofthegiantbetweenhisownwithaffectionatecordiality，"doyouremember，myfriend，thatinthegloriousdaysofyouth—doyouremember，Porthos，whenwewereallstrongandvaliant—
we，andtheothertwo—ifwehadthenhadaninclinationtoreturntoFrance，doyouthinkthissheetofsaltwaterwouldhavestoppedus？"
"Oh！"
saidPorthos;"butsixleagues。"
"Ifyouhadseenmegetastrideofaplank，wouldyouhaveremainedonland，Porthos？"
"No，pardieu！？No，Aramis。？But，nowadays，whatsortofaplankshouldwewant，myfriend！？I，inparticular。"？AndtheSeigneurdeBracieuxcastaprofoundglanceoverhiscolossalrotunditywithaloudlaugh。？"AnddoyoumeanseriouslytosayyouarenottiredofBelle—Islealittle，andthatyouwouldnotpreferthecomfortsofyourdwelling—ofyourepiscopalpalace，atVannes？？Come，confess。"
"No，"
repliedAramis，withoutdaringtolookatPorthos。
"Letusstaywhereweare，then，"saidhisfriend，withasigh，which，inspiteoftheeffortshemadetorestrainit，escapedhisechoingbreast。？"Letusremain！—letusremain！？Andyet，"addedhe，"andyet，ifweseriouslywished，butthatdecidedly—ifwehadafixedidea，onefirmlytaken，toreturntoFrance，andtherewerenotboats—"
"Haveyouremarkedanotherthing，myfriend—thatis，sincethedisappearanceofourbarks，duringthelasttwodays'absenceoffishermen，notasinglesmallboathaslandedontheshoresoftheisle？"
"Yes，certainly！youareright。？I，too，haveremarkedit，andtheobservationwasthemorenaturallymade，for，beforethelasttwofataldays，barksandshallopswereasplentifulasshrimps。"
"I
mustinquire，"saidAramis，suddenly，andwithgreatagitation。？"Andthen，ifwehadaraftconstructed—"
"Buttherearesomecanoes，myfriend;shallIboardone？"
"A
canoe！—acanoe！？Canyouthinkofsuchathing，Porthos？？Acanoetobeupsetin。？No，no，"saidthebishopofVannes;"itisnotourtradetorideuponthewaves。？Wewillwait，wewillwait。"
AndAramiscontinuedwalkingaboutwithincreasedagitation。？Porthos，whogrewtiredoffollowingallthefeverishmovementsofhisfriend—Porthos，whoinhisfaithandcalmnessunderstoodnothingofthesortofexasperationwhichwasbetrayedbyhiscompanion'scontinualconvulsivestarts—Porthosstoppedhim。？"Letussitdownuponthisrock，"
saidhe。？"Placeyourselfthere，closetome，Aramis，andIconjureyou，forthelasttime，toexplaintomeinamannerIcancomprehend—explaintomewhatwearedoinghere。"
"Porthos，"
saidAramis，muchembarrassed。
"I
knowthatthefalsekingwishedtodethronethetrueking。？Thatisafact，thatIunderstand。？Well—"
"Yes？"
saidAramis。
"I
knowthatthefalsekingformedtheprojectofsellingBelle—IsletotheEnglish。？Iunderstandthat，too。"
"Yes？"
"I
knowthatweengineersandcaptainscameandthrewourselvesintoBelle—Isletotakedirectionoftheworks，andthecommandoftencompaniesleviedandpaidbyM。Fouquet，orratherthetencompaniesofhisson—in—law。？Allthatisplain。"
Aramisroseinastateofgreatimpatience。？Hemightbesaidtobealionimportunedbyagnat。？Porthosheldhimbythearm。？"ButwhatIcannotunderstand，what，inspiteofalltheeffortsofmymind，andallmyreflections，Icannotcomprehend，andnevershallcomprehend，is，thatinsteadofsendingustroops，insteadofsendingusreinforcementsofmen，munitions，provisions，theyleaveuswithoutboats，theyleaveBelle—Islewithoutarrivals，withouthelp;itisthatinsteadofestablishingwithusacorrespondence，whetherbysignals，orwrittenorverbalcommunications，allrelationswiththeshoreareintercepted。？Tellme，Aramis，answerme，orrather，beforeansweringme，willyouallowmetotellyouwhatIhavethought？？Willyouhearwhatmyideais，theplanI
haveconceived？"
Thebishopraisedhishead。？"Well！？Aramis，"
continuedPorthos，"Ihavedreamed，IhaveimaginedthataneventhastakenplaceinFrance。？IdreamtofM。
Fouquetallthenight，oflifelessfish，ofbrokeneggs，ofchambersbadlyfurnished，meanlykept。？Villainousdreams，mydearD'Herblay;veryunlucky，suchdreams！"
"Porthos，whatisthatyonder？"interruptedAramis，risingsuddenly，andpointingouttohisfriendablackspotupontheempurpledlineofthewater。
"A
bark！"saidPorthos;"yes，itisabark！？Ah！weshallhavesomenewsatlast。"
"Therearetwo！"criedthebishop，ondiscoveringanothermast;"two！three！
four！"
"Five！"
saidPorthos，inhisturn。？"Six！
seven！？Ah！monDieu！monDieu！itisafleet！"
"Ourboatsreturning，probably，"saidAramis，veryuneasily，inspiteoftheassuranceheaffected。
"Theyareverylargeforfishing—boats，"observedPorthos，"anddoyounotremark，myfriend，thattheycomefromtheLoire？"
"TheycomefromtheLoire—yes—"
"Andlook！everybodyhereseesthemaswellasourselves;look，womenandchildrenarebeginningtocrowdthejetty。"
Anoldfishermanpassed。？"Arethoseourbarks，yonder？"askedAramis。
Theoldmanlookedsteadilyintotheeyeofthehorizon。
"No，monseigneur，"repliedhe，"theyarelighterboars，boatsintheking'sservice。"
"Boatsintheroyalservice？"repliedAramis，starting。？"Howdoyouknowthat？"saidhe。
"Bytheflag。"
"But，"
saidPorthos，"theboatisscarcelyvisible;howthedevil，myfriend，canyoudistinguishtheflag？"
"I
seethereisone，"repliedtheoldman;"ourboats，tradelighters，donotcarryany。？Thatsortofcraftisgenerallyusedfortransportoftroops。"
"Ah！"
groanedAramis。
"Vivat！"criedPorthos，"theyaresendingusreinforcements，don'tyouthinktheyare，Aramis？"
"Probably。"
"UnlessitistheEnglishcoming。"
"BytheLoire？？Thatwouldhaveanevillook，Porthos;fortheymusthavecomethroughParis！"
"Youareright;theyarereinforcements，decidedly，orprovisions。"
Aramisleanedhisheaduponhishands，andmadenoreply。？Then，allatonce，—"Porthos，"saidhe，"havethealarmsounded。"
"Thealarm！doyouimaginesuchathing？"
"Yes，andletthecannoniersmounttheirbatteries，theartillerymenbeattheirpieces，andbeparticularlywatchfulofthecoastbatteries。"
Porthosopenedhiseyestotheirwidestextent。？Helookedattentivelyathisfriend，toconvincehimselfhewasinhispropersenses。
"Iwilldoit，mydearPorthos，"
continuedAramis，inhisblandesttone;"Iwillgoandhavetheseordersexecutedmyself，ifyoudonotgo，myfriend。"
"Well！？Iwill—instantly！"saidPorthos，whowenttoexecutetheorders，castingallthewhilelooksbehindhim，toseeifthebishopofVanneswerenotdeceived;andif，onrecoveringmorerationalideas，hewouldnotrecallhim。？Thealarmwassounded，trumpetsbrayed，drumsrolled;thegreatbronzebellswunginhorrorfromitsloftybelfry。？Thedikesandmoleswerequicklyfilledwiththecuriousandsoldiers;matchessparkledinthehandsoftheartillerymen，placedbehindthelargecannonbeddedintheirstonecarriages。？Wheneverymanwasathispost，whenallthepreparationsfordefenseweremade:
"Permitme，Aramis，totrytocomprehend，"whisperedPorthos，timidly，inAramis'sear。
"Mydearfriend，youwillcomprehendbuttoosoon，"murmuredM。d'Herblay，inreplytothisquestionofhislieutenant。
"Thefleetwhichiscomingyonder，withsailsunfurled，straighttowardstheportofBelle—Isle，isaroyalfleet，isitnot？"
"ButastherearetwokingsinFrance，Porthos，towhichofthesetwokingsdoesthisfleetbelong？"
"Oh！
youopenmyeyes，"repliedthegiant，stunnedbytheinsinuation。
AndPorthos，whoseeyesthisreplyofhisfriend'shadatlastopened，orratherthickenedthebandagewhichcoveredhissight，wentwithhisbestspeedtothebatteriestooverlookhispeople，andexhorteveryonetodohisduty。？Inthemeantime，Aramis，withhiseyefixedonthehorizon，sawtheshipscontinuallydrawingnearer。？Thepeopleandthesoldiers，perchedonthesummitsoftherocks，coulddistinguishthemasts，thenthelowersails，andatlastthehullsofthelighters，bearingatthemastheadtheroyalflagofFrance。？Itwasnightwhenoneofthesevessels，whichhadcreatedsuchasensationamongtheinhabitantsofBelle—Isle，droppedanchorwithincannonshotoftheplace。？Itwassoonseen，notwithstandingthedarkness，thatsomesortofagitationreignedonboardthevessel，fromthesideofwhichaskiffwaslowered，ofwhichthethreerowers，bendingtotheiroars，tookthedirectionoftheport，andinafewinstantsstrucklandatthefootofthefort。？Thecommanderjumpedashore。？Hehadaletterinhishand，whichhewavedintheair，andseemedtowishtocommunicatewithsomebody。？Thismanwassoonrecognizedbyseveralsoldiersasoneofthepilotsoftheisland。？HewasthecaptainofoneofthetwobarksretainedbyAramis，butwhichPorthos，inhisanxietywithregardtothefateofthefishermenwhohaddisappeared，hadsentinsearchofthemissingboats。？HeaskedtobeconductedtoM。d'Herblay。？Twosoldiers，atasignalfromasergeant，marchedhimbetweenthem，andescortedhim。？Aramiswasuponthequay。？TheenvoypresentedhimselfbeforethebishopofVannes。？Thedarknesswasalmostabsolute，notwithstandingtheflambeauxborneatasmalldistancebythesoldierswhowerefollowingAramisinhisrounds。
"Well，Jonathan，fromwhomdoyoucome？"
"Monseigneur，fromthosewhocapturedme。"
"Whocapturedyou？"
"Youknow，monseigneur，wesetoutinsearchofourcomrades？"
"Yes;
andafterwards？"
"Well！
monseigneur，withinashortleaguewewerecapturedbyachassemar閑belongingtotheking。"
"Ah！"
saidAramis。
"Ofwhichking？"criedPorthos。
Jonathanstarted。
"Speak！"
continuedthebishop。
"Wewerecaptured，monseigneur，andjoinedtothosewhohadbeentakenyesterdaymorning。"
"Whatwasthecauseofthemaniaforcapturingyouall？"saidPorthos。
"Monsieur，topreventusfromtellingyou，"repliedJonathan。
Porthoswasagainatalosstocomprehend。？"Andtheyhavereleasedyouto—day？"askedhe。
"ThatImighttellyoutheyhavecapturedus，monsieur。"
"Troubleupontrouble，"thoughthonestPorthos。
DuringthistimeAramiswasreflecting。
"Humph！"
saidhe，"thenIsupposeitisaroyalfleetblockadingthecoasts？"
"Yes，monseigneur。"
"Whocommandsit？"
"Thecaptainoftheking'smusketeers。"
"D'Artagnan？"
"D'Artagnan！"
exclaimedPorthos。
"I
believethatisthename。"
"Anddidhegiveyouthisletter？"
"Yes，monseigneur。"
"Bringthetorchesnearer。"
"Itishiswriting，"saidPorthos。
Aramiseagerlyreadthefollowinglines:
"OrderofthekingtotakeBelle—Isle;ortoputthegarrisontothesword，iftheyresist;ordertomakeprisonersofallthemenofthegarrison;signed，D'ARTAGNAN，who，thedaybeforeyesterday，arrestedM。Fouquet，forthepurposeofhisbeingsenttotheBastile。"
Aramisturnedpale，andcrushedthepaperinhishands。
"Whatisit？"askedPorthos。
"Nothing，myfriend，nothing。"
"Tellme，Jonathan？"
"Monseigneur？"
"DidyouspeaktoM。d'Artagnan？"
"Yes，monseigneur。"
"Whatdidhesaytoyou？"
"Thatforamplerinformation，hewouldspeakwithmonseigneur。"
"Where？"
"Onboardhisownvessel。"
"Onboardhisvessel！"andPorthosrepeated，"Onboardhisvessel！"
"M。
lemousquetaire，"continuedJonathan，"toldmetotakeyoubothonboardmycanoe，andbringyoutohim。"
"Letusgoatonce，"exclaimedPorthos。？"DearD'Artagnan！"
ButAramisstoppedhim。？"Areyoumad？"criedhe。？"Whoknowsthatitisnotasnare？"
"Oftheotherking's？"saidPorthos，mysteriously。
"A
snare，infact！？That'swhatitis，myfriend。"
"Verypossibly;whatistobedone，then？？IfD'Artagnansendsforus—"
"WhoassuresyouthatD'Artagnansendsforus？"
"Well，but—buthiswriting—"
"Writingiseasilycounterfeited。？Thislookscounterfeited—unsteady—"
"Youarealwaysright;but，inthemeantime，weknownothing。"
Aramiswassilent。
"Itistrue，"saidthegoodPorthos，"wedonotwanttoknowanything。"
"WhatshallIdo？"askedJonathan。
"Youwillreturnonboardthiscaptain'svessel。"
"Yes，monseigneur。"
"Andwilltellhimthatwebeghewillhimselfcomeintotheisland。"
"Ah！？Icomprehend！"saidPorthos。
"Yes，monseigneur，"repliedJonathan;"butifthecaptainshouldrefusetocometoBelle—Isle？"
"Ifherefuses，aswehavecannon，wewillmakeuseofthem。"
"What！
againstD'Artagnan？"
"IfitisD'Artagnan，Porthos，hewillcome。？Go，Jonathan，go！"
"Mafoi！？Inolongercomprehendanything，"murmuredPorthos。
"I
willmakeyoucomprehenditall，mydearfriend;thetimeforithascome;sitdownuponthisgun—carriage，openyourears，andlistenwelltome。"
"Oh！pardieu！？Iwilllisten，nofearofthat。"
"MayIdepart，monseigneur？"criedJonathan。
"Yes，begone，andbringbackananswer。？Allowthecanoetopass，youmenthere！"？Andthecanoepushedofftoregainthefleet。
AramistookPorthosbythehand，andcommencedhisexplanations。
ChapterXLIII:
ExplanationsbyAramis。
"WhatIhavetosaytoyou，friendPorthos，willprobablysurpriseyou，butitmayproveinstructive。"
"I
liketobesurprised，"saidPorthos，inakindlytone;"donotspareme，therefore，Ibeg。？Iamhardenedagainstemotions;don'tfear，speakout。"
"Itisdifficult，Porthos—difficult;for，intruth，Iwarnyouasecondtime，I
haveverystrangethings，veryextraordinarythings，totellyou。"
"Oh！
youspeaksowell，myfriend，thatIcouldlistentoyoufordaystogether。？Speak，then，Ibeg—and—
stop，Ihaveanidea:Iwill，tomakeyourtaskmoreeasy，Iwill，toassistyouintellingmesuchthings，questionyou。"
"I
shallbepleasedatyourdoingso。"
"Whatarewegoingtofightfor，Aramis？"
"Ifyouaskmemanysuchquestionsasthat—ifyouwouldrendermytasktheeasierbyinterruptingmyrevelationsthus，Porthos，youwillnothelpmeatall。？Sofar，onthecontrary，thatistheveryGordianknot。？But，myfriend，withamanlikeyou，good，generous，anddevoted，theconfessionmustbebravelymade。？Ihavedeceivedyou，myworthyfriend。"
"Youhavedeceivedme！"
"GoodHeavens！yes。"
"Wasitformygood，Aramis？"
"I
thoughtso，Porthos;Ithoughtsosincerely，myfriend。"