首页 >出版文学> The Man in the Iron Mask>第37章
  ThefirstofthefriendsofFouquet'stoadvancewasP閘isson。?Hedidnotweep,buthistearswereonlyrestrainedthatthekingmightbetterhearhisvoiceandprayer。?Gourvillebithislipstocheckhistears,outofrespectfortheking。?LaFontaineburiedhisfaceinhishandkerchief,andtheonlysignsoflifehegaveweretheconvulsivemotionsofhisshoulders,raisedbyhissobs。
  Thekingpreservedhisdignity。?Hiscountenancewasimpassible。?HeevenmaintainedthefrownwhichappearedwhenD'Artagnanannouncedhisenemies。?Hemadeagesturewhichsignified,"Speak;"andheremainedstanding,withhiseyesfixedsearchinglyonthesedespondingmen。?P閘issonbowedtotheground,andLaFontainekneltaspeopledoinchurches。?Thisdismalsilence,disturbedonlybysighsandgroans,begantoexciteintheking,notcompassion,butimpatience。
  "MonsieurP閘isson,"saidhe,inasharp,drytone。?"MonsieurGourville,andyou,Monsieur—"andhedidnotnameLaFontaine,"Icannot,withoutsensibledispleasure,seeyoucometopleadforoneofthegreatestcriminalsitisthedutyofjusticetopunish。?Akingdoesnotallowhimselftosoftensaveatthetearsoftheinnocent,theremorseoftheguilty。?IhavenofaitheitherintheremorseofM。
  Fouquetorthetearsofhisfriends,becausetheoneistaintedtotheveryheart,andtheothersoughttodreadoffendingmeinmyownpalace。?Forthesereasons,Ibegyou,MonsieurP閘isson,MonsieurGourville,andyou,Monsieur—,tosaynothingthatwillnotplainlyproclaimtherespectyouhaveformywill。"
  "Sire,"
  repliedP閘isson,tremblingatthesewords,"wearecometosaynothingtoyourmajestythatisnotthemostprofoundexpressionofthemostsincererespectandlovethatareduetoakingfromallhissubjects。?Yourmajesty'sjusticeisredoubtable;everyonemustyieldtothesentencesitpronounces。?Werespectfullybowbeforeit。?Farfromustheideaofcomingtodefendhimwhohashadthemisfortunetooffendyourmajesty。?Hewhohasincurredyourdispleasuremaybeafriendofours,butheisanenemytothestate。?Weabandonhim,butwithtears,totheseverityoftheking。"
  "Besides,"
  interruptedtheking,calmedbythatsupplicatingvoice,andthosepersuasivewords,"myparliamentwilldecide。?Idonotstrikewithoutfirsthavingweighedthecrime;myjusticedoesnotwieldtheswordwithoutemployingfirstapairofscales。"
  "Thereforewehaveeveryconfidenceinthatimpartialityoftheking,andhopetomakeourfeeblevoicesheard,withtheconsentofyourmajesty,whenthehourfordefendinganaccusedfriendstrikes。"
  "Inthatcase,messieurs,whatdoyouaskofme?"saidtheking,withhismostimposingair。
  "Sire,"
  continuedP閘isson,"theaccusedhasawifeandfamily。?Thelittlepropertyhehadwasscarcelysufficienttopayhisdebts,andMadameFouquet,sinceherhusband'scaptivity,isabandonedbyeverybody。?ThehandofyourmajestystrikeslikethehandofGod。?WhentheLordsendsthecurseofleprosyorpestilenceintoafamily,everyonefliesandshunstheabodeoftheleprousorplague—stricken。?Sometimes,butveryrarely,agenerousphysicianaloneventurestoapproachtheill—reputedthreshold,passesitwithcourage,andriskshislifetocombatdeath。?Heisthelastresourceofthedying,thechoseninstrumentofheavenlymercy。?Sire,wesupplicateyou,withclaspedhandsandbendedknees,asadivinityissupplicated!?MadameFouquethasnolongeranyfriends,nolongeranymeansofsupport;sheweepsinherdesertedhome,abandonedbyallthosewhobesiegeditsdoorsinthehourofprosperity;shehasneithercreditnorhopeleft。?Atleast,theunhappywretchuponwhomyourangerfallsreceivesfromyou,howeverculpablehemaybe,hisdailybreadthoughmoistenedbyhistears。?Asmuchafflicted,moredestitutethanherhusband,MadameFouquet—theladywhohadthehonortoreceiveyourmajestyathertable—
  MadameFouquet,thewifeoftheancientsuperintendentofyourmajesty'sfinances,MadameFouquethasnolongerbread。"
  HerethemortalsilencewhichhadchainedthebreathofP閘isson'stwofriendswasbrokenbyanoutburstofsobs;andD'Artagnan,whosechestheavedathearingthishumbleprayer,turnedroundtowardstheangleofthecabinettobitehismustacheandconcealagroan。
  Thekinghadpreservedhiseyedryandhiscountenancesevere;butthebloodhadmountedtohischeeks,andthefirmnessofhislookwasvisiblydiminished。
  "Whatdoyouwish?"saidhe,inanagitatedvoice。
  "Wecomehumblytoaskyourmajesty,"repliedP閘isson,uponwhomemotionwasfastgaining,"topermitus,withoutincurringthedispleasureofyourmajesty,tolendtoMadameFouquettwothousandpistolescollectedamongtheoldfriendsofherhusband,inorderthatthewidowmaynotstandinneedofthenecessariesoflife。"
  Atthewordwidow,pronouncedbyP閘issonwhilstFouquetwasstillalive,thekingturnedverypale;—hispridedisappeared;
  pityrosefromhishearttohislips;hecastasoftenedlookuponthemenwhokneltsobbingathisfeet。
  "Godforbid,"saidhe,"thatIshouldconfoundtheinnocentwiththeguilty。?Theyknowmebutillwhodoubtmymercytowardstheweak。?Istrikenonebutthearrogant。?Do,messieurs,doallthatyourheartscounselyoutoassuagethegriefofMadameFouquet。?Go,messieurs—go!"
  Thethreenowroseinsilencewithdryeyes。?Thetearshadbeenscorchedawaybycontactwiththeirburningcheeksandeyelids。?Theyhadnotthestrengthtoaddresstheirthankstotheking,whohimselfcutshorttheirsolemnreverencesbyentrenchinghimselfsuddenlybehindthefauteuil。
  D'Artagnanremainedalonewiththeking。
  "Well,"
  saidhe,approachingtheyoungprince,whointerrogatedhimwithhislook。?"Well,mymaster!?Ifyouhadnotthedevicewhichbelongstoyoursun,IwouldrecommendyouonewhichM。ConrartmighttranslateintoeclecticLatin,'Calmwiththelowly;stormywiththestrong。'"
  Thekingsmiled,andpassedintothenextapartment,afterhavingsaidtoD'Artagnan,"I
  giveyoutheleaveofabsenceyoumustwanttoputtheaffairsofyourfriend,thelateM。duVallon,inorder。"
  ChapterLV:
  Porthos'sWill。
  AtPierrefondseverythingwasinmourning。?Thecourtsweredeserted—thestablesclosed—theparterresneglected。?Inthebasins,thefountains,formerlysojubilantlyfreshandnoisy,hadstoppedofthemselves。?Alongtheroadsaroundthech鈚eaucameafewgravepersonagesmountedonmulesorcountrynags。?Thesewereruralneighbors,cur閟andbailiffsofadjacentestates。?Allthesepeopleenteredthech鈚eausilently,handedtheirhorsestoamelancholy—lookinggroom,anddirectedtheirsteps,conductedbyahuntsmaninblack,tothegreatdining—room,whereMousquetonreceivedthematthedoor。?Mousquetonhadbecomesothinintwodaysthathisclothesmoveduponhimlikeanill—fittingscabbardinwhichthesword—bladedancesateachmotion。?Hisface,composedofredandwhite,likethatoftheMadonnaofVandyke,wasfurrowedbytwosilverrivuletswhichhaddugtheirbedsinhischeeks,asfullformerlyastheyhadbecomeflabbysincehisgriefbegan。?Ateachfresharrival,Mousquetonfoundfreshtears,anditwaspitifultoseehimpresshisthroatwithhisfathandtokeepfromburstingintosobsandlamentations。?AllthesevisitswereforthepurposeofhearingthereadingofPorthos'swill,announcedforthatday,andatwhichallthecovetousfriendsofthedeadmanwereanxioustobepresent,ashehadleftnorelationsbehindhim。
  Thevisitorstooktheirplacesastheyarrived,andthegreatroomhadjustbeenclosedwhentheclockstrucktwelve,thehourfixedforthereadingoftheimportantdocument。?Porthos'sprocureur—andthatwasnaturallythesuccessorofMasterCoquenard—commencedbyslowlyunfoldingthevastparchmentuponwhichthepowerfulhandofPorthoshadtracedhissovereignwill。?Thesealbroken—thespectaclesputon—thepreliminarycoughhavingsounded—everyoneprickeduphisears。?Mousquetonhadsquattedhimselfinacorner,thebettertoweepandthebettertohear。?Allatoncethefolding—doorsofthegreatroom,whichhadbeenshut,werethrownopenasifbymagic,andawarlikefigureappeareduponthethreshold,resplendentinthefulllightofthesun。?ThiswasD'Artagnan,whohadcomealonetothegate,andfindingnobodytoholdhisstirrup,hadtiedhishorsetotheknockerandannouncedhimself。?Thesplendorofdaylightinvadingtheroom,themurmurofallpresent,and,morethanall,theinstinctofthefaithfuldog,drewMousquetonfromhisreverie;heraisedhishead,recognizedtheoldfriendofhismaster,and,screamingwithgrief,heembracedhisknees,wateringthefloorwithhistears。?D'Artagnanraisedthepoorintendant,embracedhimasifhehadbeenabrother,and,havingnoblysalutedtheassembly,whoallbowedastheywhisperedtoeachotherhisname,hewentandtookhisseatattheextremityofthegreatcarvedoakhall,stillholdingbythehandpoorMousqueton,whowassuffocatingwithexcessofwoe,andsankuponthesteps。?Thentheprocureur,who,liketherest,wasconsiderablyagitated,commenced。
  Porthos,afteraprofessionoffaithofthemostChristiancharacter,askedpardonofhisenemiesforalltheinjurieshemighthavedonethem。?Atthisparagraph,arayofinexpressiblepridebeamedfromtheeyesofD'Artagnan。
  Herecalledtohismindtheoldsoldier;allthoseenemiesofPorthosbroughttoearthbyhisvalianthand;hereckonedupthenumbersofthem,andsaidtohimselfthatPorthoshadactedwisely,nottoenumeratehisenemiesortheinjuriesdonetothem,orthetaskwouldhavebeentoomuchforthereader。?Thencamethefollowingscheduleofhisextensivelands:
  "I
  possessatthispresenttime,bythegraceofGod—
  "1。
  ThedomainofPierrefonds,lands,woods,meadows,waters,andforests,surroundedbygoodwalls。
  "2。
  ThedomainofBracieux,ch鈚eaux,forests,plowedlands,formingthreefarms。
  "3。
  ThelittleestateDuVallon,sonamedbecauseitisinthevalley。"?(BravePorthos!)
  "4。
  FiftyfarmsinTouraine,amountingtofivehundredacres。
  "5。
  ThreemillsupontheCher,bringinginsixhundredlivreseach。
  "6。
  Threefish—poolsinBerry,producingtwohundredlivresayear。
  "Astomypersonalormovableproperty,socalledbecauseitcanbemoved,asissowellexplainedbymylearnedfriendthebishopofVannes—"?(D'Artagnanshudderedatthedismalremembranceattachedtothatname)—theprocureurcontinuedimperturbably—
  "theyconsist—"
  "1。
  IngoodswhichIcannotdetailhereforwantofroom,andwhichfurnishallmych鈚eauxorhouses,butofwhichthelistisdrawnupbymyintendant。"
  EveryoneturnedhiseyestowardsMousqueton,whowasstilllostingrief。
  "2。
  Intwentyhorsesforsaddleanddraught,whichIhaveparticularlyatmych鈚eauofPierrefonds,andwhicharecalled—Bayard,Roland,Charlemagne,P閜in,Dunois,LaHire,Ogier,Samson,Milo,Nimrod,Urganda,Armida,Flastrade,Dalilah,Rebecca,Yolande,Finette,Grisette,Lisette,andMusette。
  "3。
  Insixtydogs,formingsixpacks,dividedasfollows:thefirst,forthestag;
  thesecond,forthewolf;thethird,forthewildboar;thefourth,forthehare;andthetwoothers,forsettersandprotection。
  "4。
  Inarmsforwarandthechasecontainedinmygalleryofarms。
  "5。
  MywinesofAnjou,selectedforAthos,wholikedthemformerly;mywinesofBurgundy,Champagne,Bordeaux,andSpain,stockingeightcellarsandtwelvevaults,inmyvarioushouses。
  "6。
  Mypicturesandstatues,whicharesaidtobeofgreatvalue,andwhicharesufficientlynumeroustofatiguethesight。
  "7。
  Mylibrary,consistingofsixthousandvolumes,quitenew,andhaveneverbeenopened。
  "8。
  Mysilverplate,whichisperhapsalittleworn,butwhichoughttoweighfromathousandtotwelvehundredpounds,forIhadgreattroubleinliftingthecofferthatcontaineditandcouldnotcarryitmorethansixtimesroundmychamber。
  "9。
  Alltheseobjects,inadditiontothetableandhouselinen,aredividedintheresidencesIlikedthebest。"
  Herethereaderstoppedtotakebreath。?Everyonesighed,coughed,andredoubledhisattention。?Theprocureurresumed:
  "I
  havelivedwithouthavinganychildren,anditisprobableInevershallhaveany,whichtomeisacuttinggrief。?AndyetIammistaken,forIhaveason,incommonwithmyotherfriends;thatis,M。RaoulAugusteJulesdeBragelonne,thetruesonofM。leComtedelaF鑢e。
  "ThisyoungnoblemanappearstomeextremelyworthytosucceedthevaliantgentlemanofwhomIamthefriendandveryhumbleservant。"
  Hereasharpsoundinterruptedthereader。?ItwasD'Artagnan'ssword,which,slippingfromhisbaldric,hadfallenonthesonorousflooring。?Everyoneturnedhiseyesthatway,andsawthatalargetearhadrolledfromthethicklidofD'Artagnan,half—waydowntohisaquilinenose,theluminousedgeofwhichshonelikealittlecrescentmoon。
  "Thisiswhy,"continuedtheprocureur,"Ihaveleftallmyproperty,movable,orimmovable,comprisedintheaboveenumerations,toM。leVicomteRaoulAugusteJulesdeBragelonne,sonofM。leComtedelaF鑢e,toconsolehimforthegriefheseemstosuffer,andenablehimtoaddmorelustertohisalreadygloriousname。"
  A
  vaguemurmurranthroughtheauditory。?Theprocureurcontinued,secondedbytheflashingeyeofD'Artagnan,which,glancingovertheassembly,quicklyrestoredtheinterruptedsilence:
  "OnconditionthatM。leVicomtedeBragelonnedogivetoM。leChevalierd'Artagnan,captainoftheking'smusketeers,whateverthesaidChevalierd'Artagnanmaydemandofmyproperty。?OnconditionthatM。leVicomtedeBragelonnedopayagoodpensiontoM。leChevalierd'Herblay,myfriend,ifheshouldneeditinexile。?IleavetomyintendantMousquetonallofmyclothes,ofcity,war,orchase,tothenumberofforty—sevensuits,intheassurancethathewillwearthemtilltheyarewornout,fortheloveofandinremembranceofhismaster。?Moreover,I
  bequeathtoM。leVicomtedeBragelonnemyoldservantandfaithfulfriendMousqueton,alreadynamed,providingthatthesaidvicomteshallsoactthatMousquetonshalldeclare,whendying,hehasneverceasedtobehappy。"
  Onhearingthesewords,Mousquetonbowed,paleandtrembling;hisshouldersshookconvulsively;hiscountenance,compressedbyafrightfulgrief,appearedfrombetweenhisicyhands,andthespectatorssawhimstaggerandhesitate,asif,thoughwishingtoleavethehall,hedidnotknowtheway。
  "Mousqueton,mygoodfriend,"saidD'Artagnan,"goandmakeyourpreparations。?IwilltakeyouwithmetoAthos'shouse,whitherIshallgoonleavingPierrefonds。"
  Mousquetonmadenoreply。?Hescarcelybreathed,asifeverythinginthathallwouldfromthattimebeforeign。?Heopenedthedoor,andslowlydisappeared。
  Theprocureurfinishedhisreading,afterwhichthegreaterpartofthosewhohadcometohearthelastwillofPorthosdispersedbydegrees,manydisappointed,butallpenetratedwithrespect。?AsforD'Artagnan,thusleftalone,afterhavingreceivedtheformalcomplimentsoftheprocureur,hewaslostinadmirationofthewisdomofthetestator,whohadsojudiciouslybestowedhiswealthuponthemostnecessitousandthemostworthy,withadelicacythatneithernoblemannorcourtiercouldhavedisplayedmorekindly。?WhenPorthosenjoinedRaouldeBragelonnetogiveD'Artagnanallthathewouldask,heknewwell,ourworthyPorthos,thatD'Artagnanwouldaskortakenothing;andincasehediddemandanything,nonebuthimselfcouldsaywhat。?PorthosleftapensiontoAramis,who,ifheshouldbeinclinedtoasktoomuch,wascheckedbytheexampleofD'Artagnan;andthatwordexile,thrownoutbythetestator,withoutapparentintention,wasitnotthemildest,mostexquisitecriticismuponthatconductofAramiswhichhadbroughtaboutthedeathofPorthos??ButtherewasnomentionofAthosinthetestamentofthedead。?Couldthelatterforamomentsupposethatthesonwouldnotofferthebestparttothefather??TheroughmindofPorthoshadfathomedallthesecauses,seizedalltheseshadesmoreclearlythanlaw,betterthancustom,withmoreproprietythantaste。
  "Porthoshadindeedaheart,"saidD'Artagnantohimselfwithasigh。?Ashemadethisreflection,hefanciedhehardagroanintheroomabovehim;andhethoughtimmediatelyofpoorMousqueton,whomhefeltitwasapleasingdutytodivertfromhisgrief。?Forthispurposeheleftthehallhastilytoseektheworthyintendant,ashehadnotreturned。?Heascendedthestaircaseleadingtothefirststory,andperceived,inPorthos'sownchamber,aheapofclothesofallcolorsandmaterials,uponwhichMousquetonhadlaidhimselfdownafterheapingthemallonthefloortogether。?Itwasthelegacyofthefaithfulfriend。?Thoseclothesweretrulyhisown;theyhadbeengiventohim;thehandofMousquetonwasstretchedovertheserelics,whichhewaskissingwithhislips,withallhisface,andcoveredwithhisbody。?D'Artagnanapproachedtoconsolethepoorfellow。
  "MyGod!"saidhe,"hedoesnotstir—hehasfainted!"
  ButD'Artagnanwasmistaken。?Mousquetonwasdead!?Dead,likethedogwho,havinglosthismaster,crawlsbacktodieuponhiscloak。
  ChapterLVI:
  TheOldAgeofAthos。
  Whiletheseaffairswereseparatingforeverthefourmusketeers,formerlyboundtogetherinamannerthatseemedindissoluble,Athos,leftaloneafterthedepartureofRaoul,begantopayhistributetothatforetasteofdeathwhichiscalledtheabsenceofthosewelove。?BackinhishouseatBlois,nolongerhavingevenGrimaudtoreceiveapoorsmileashepassedthroughtheparterre,Athosdailyfeltthedeclineofvigorofanaturewhichforsolongatimehadseemedimpregnable。?Age,whichhadbeenkeptbackbythepresenceofthebelovedobject,arrivedwiththatcort鑗eofpainsandinconveniences,whichgrowsbygeometricalaccretion。?Athoshadnolongerhissontoinducehimtowalkfirmly,withheaderect,asagoodexample;hehadnolonger,inthosebrillianteyesoftheyoungman,anever—ardentfocusatwhichtokindleanewthefireofhislooks。?Andthen,mustitbesaid,thatnature,exquisiteintendernessandreserve,nolongerfindinganythingtounderstanditsfeelings,gaveitselfuptogriefwithallthewarmthofcommonnatureswhentheyyieldtojoy。?TheComtedelaF鑢e,whohadremainedayoungmantohissixty—secondyear;thewarriorwhohadpreservedhisstrengthinspiteoffatigue;hisfreshnessofmindinspiteofmisfortune,hismildserenityofsoulandbodyinspiteofMilady,inspiteofMazarin,inspiteofLaValli鑢e;Athoshadbecomeanoldmaninaweek,fromthemomentatwhichhelostthecomfortofhislateryouth。?Stillhandsome,thoughbent,noble,butsad,hesought,sincehissolitude,thedeepergladeswheresunshinescarcelypenetrated。?Hediscontinuedallthemightyexerciseshehadenjoyedthroughlife,whenRaoulwasnolongerwithhim。?Theservants,accustomedtoseehimstirringwiththedawnatallseasons,wereastonishedtohearseveno'clockstrikebeforetheirmasterquittedhisbed。?Athosremainedinbedwithabookunderhispillow—buthedidnotsleep,neitherdidheread。?Remaininginbedthathemightnolongerhavetocarryhisbody,heallowedhissoulandspirittowanderfromtheirenvelopeandreturntohisson,ortoGod。
  Transcriber'snote:Insomeeditions,"inspiteofMilady"reads"inspiteofmalady。"
  —JB
  Hispeopleweresometimesterrifiedtoseehim,forhourstogether,absorbedinsilentreverie,muteandinsensible;henolongerheardthetimidstepoftheservantwhocametothedoorofhischambertowatchthesleepingorwakingofhismaster。?Itoftenoccurredthatheforgotthedayhadhalfpassedaway,thatthehoursforthetwofirstmealsweregoneby。?Thenhewasawakened。?Herose,descendedtohisshadywalk,thencameoutalittleintothesun,asthoughtopartakeofitswarmthforaminuteinmemoryofhisabsentchild。?Andthenthedismalmonotonouswalkrecommenced,until,exhausted,heregainedthechamberandhisbed,hisdomicilebychoice。?Forseveraldaysthecomtedidnotspeakasingleword。?Herefusedtoreceivethevisitsthatwerepaidhim,andduringthenighthewasseentorelighthislampandpasslonghoursinwriting,orexaminingparchments。
  AthoswroteoneoftheseletterstoVannes,anothertoFontainebleau;theyremainedwithoutanswers。?Weknowwhy:AramishadquittedFrance,andD'ArtagnanwastravelingfromNantestoParis,fromParistoPierrefonds。?Hisvaletdechambreobservedthatheshortenedhiswalkeverydaybyseveralturns。?Thegreatalleyoflimessoonbecametoolongforfeetthatusedtotraverseitformerlyahundredtimesaday。?Thecomtewalkedfeeblyasfarasthemiddletrees,seatedhimselfuponamossybankthatslopedtowardsasidewalk,andtherewaitedthereturnofhisstrength,orratherthereturnofnight。?Veryshortlyahundredstepsexhaustedhim。?AtlengthAthosrefusedtoriseatall;hedeclinedallnourishment,andhisterrifiedpeople,althoughhedidnotcomplain,althoughheworeasmileuponhislips,althoughhecontinuedtospeakwithhissweetvoice—hispeoplewenttoBloisinsearchoftheancientphysicianofthelateMonsieur,andbroughthimtotheComtedelaF鑢einsuchafashionthathecouldseethecomtewithoutbeinghimselfseen。?Forthispurpose,theyplacedhiminaclosetadjoiningthechamberofthepatient,andimploredhimnottoshowhimself,forfearofdispleasingtheirmaster,whohadnotaskedforaphysician。?Thedoctorobeyed。?Athoswasasortofmodelforthegentlemenofthecountry;theBlaisoisboastedofpossessingthissacredrelicofFrenchglory。?Athoswasagreatseigneurcomparedwithsuchnoblesasthekingimprovisedbytouchingwithhisartificialsceptertheparched—uptrunksoftheheraldictreesoftheprovince。
  PeoplerespectedAthos,wesay,andtheylovedhim。?Thephysiciancouldnotbeartoseehispeopleweep,toseeflockroundhimthepoorofthecanton,towhomAthoshadsooftengivenlifeandconsolationbyhiskindwordsandhischarities。?Heexamined,therefore,fromthedepthsofhishiding—place,thenatureofthatmysteriousmaladywhichbentandagedmoremortallyeverydayamanbutlatelysofulloflifeandadesiretolive。?HeremarkeduponthecheeksofAthosthehectichueoffever,whichfeedsuponitself;slowfever,pitiless,borninafoldoftheheart,shelteringitselfbehindthatrampart,growingfromthesufferingitengenders,atoncecauseandeffectofaperiloussituation。?Thecomtespoketonobody;hedidnoteventalktohimself。?Histhoughtfearednoise;itapproachedtothatdegreeofover—excitementwhichbordersuponecstasy。?Manthusabsorbed,thoughhedoesnotyetbelongtoGod,alreadyappertainsnolongertotheearth。?Thedoctorremainedforseveralhoursstudyingthispainfulstruggleofthewillagainstsuperiorpower;hewasterrifiedatseeingthoseeyesalwaysfixed,everdirectedonsomeinvisibleobject;wasterrifiedatthemonotonousbeatingofthatheartfromwhichneverasigharosetovarythemelancholystate;foroftenpainbecomesthehopeofthephysician。?Halfadaypassedawaythus。?Thedoctorformedhisresolutionlikeabraveman;heissuedsuddenlyfromhisplaceofretreat,andwentstraightuptoAthos,whobeheldhimwithoutevincingmoresurprisethanifhehadunderstoodnothingoftheapparition。
  "Monsieurlecomte,Icraveyourpardon,"saidthedoctor,cominguptothepatientwithopenarms;"butIhaveareproachtomakeyou—youshallhearme。"?AndheseatedhimselfbythepillowofAthos,whohadgreattroubleinrousinghimselffromhispreoccupation。
  "Whatisthematter,doctor?"askedthecomte,afterasilence。
  "Thematteris,youareill,monsieur,andhavehadnoadvice。"
  "I!
  ill!"saidAthos,smiling。
  "Fever,consumption,weakness,decay,monsieurlecomte!"
  "Weakness!"
  repliedAthos;"isitpossible??I
  donotgetup。"
  "Come,come!monsieurlecomte,nosubterfuges;youareagoodChristian?"
  "I
  hopeso,"saidAthos。
  "Isityourwishtokillyourself?"
  "Never,doctor。"
  "Well!
  monsieur,youareinafairwayofdoingso。?Thustoremainissuicide。?Getwell!monsieurlecomte,getwell!"
  "Ofwhat??Findthediseasefirst。?Formypart,Ineverknewmyselfbetter;
  neverdidtheskyappearmorebluetome;neverdidItakemorecareofmyflowers。"
  "Youhaveahiddengrief。"
  "Concealed!—notatall;theabsenceofmyson,doctor;thatismymalady,andIdonotconcealit。"
  "Monsieurlecomte,yoursonlives,heisstrong,hehasallthefuturebeforehim—thefutureofmenofmerit,ofhisrace;liveforhim—"
  "ButIdolive,doctor;oh!besatisfiedofthat,"addedhe,withamelancholysmile;"foraslongasRaoullives,itwillbeplainlyknown,foraslongashelives,Ishalllive。"
  "Whatdoyousay?"
  "A
  verysimplething。?Atthismoment,doctor,Ileavelifesuspendedwithinme。?Aforgetful,dissipated,indifferentlifewouldbebeyondmystrength,nowIhavenolongerRaoulwithme。?Youdonotaskthelamptoburnwhenthematchhasnotillumedtheflame;donotaskmetoliveamidstnoiseandmerriment。?Ivegetate,Ipreparemyself,Iwait。?Look,doctor;rememberthosesoldierswehavesooftenseentogetherattheports,wheretheywerewaitingtoembark;lyingdown,indifferent,halfononeelement,halfontheother;theywereneitherattheplacewheretheseawasgoingtocarrythem,norattheplacetheearthwasgoingtolosethem;baggageprepared,mindsonthestretch,armsstacked—theywaited。?Irepeatit,thewordistheonewhichpaintsmypresentlife。?Lyingdownlikethesoldiers,myearonthestretchforthereportthatmayreachme,Iwishtobereadytosetoutatthefirstsummons。?Whowillmakemethatsummons?lifeordeath??GodorRaoul??Mybaggageispacked,mysoulisprepared,Iawaitthesignal—Iwait,doctor,I
  wait!"
  Thedoctorknewthetemperofthatmind;heappreciatedthestrengthofthatbody;
  hereflectedforthemoment,toldhimselfthatwordswereuseless,remediesabsurd,andleftthech鈚eau,exhortingAthos'sservantsnottoquithimforamoment。
  Thedoctorbeinggone,Athosevincedneitherangernorvexationathavingbeendisturbed。?Hedidnotevendesirethatalllettersthatcameshouldbebroughttohimdirectly。?Heknewverywellthateverydistractionwhichshouldarisewouldbeajoy,ahope,whichhisservantswouldhavepaidwiththeirbloodtoprocurehim。?Sleephadbecomerare。?Byintensethinking,Athosforgothimself,forafewhoursatmost,inareveriemostprofound,moreobscurethanotherpeoplewouldhavecalledadream。?Themomentaryreposewhichthisforgetfulnessthusgavethebody,stillfurtherfatiguedthesoul,forAthoslivedadoublelifeduringthesewanderingsofhisunderstanding。?Onenight,hedreamtthatRaoulwasdressinghimselfinatent,togouponanexpeditioncommandedbyM。deBeaufortinperson。?Theyoungmanwassad;heclaspedhiscuirassslowly,andslowlyhegirdedonhissword。
  "Whatisthematter?"askedhisfather,tenderly。
  "WhatafflictsmeisthedeathofPorthos,eversodearafriend,"repliedRaoul。?"Isufferherethegriefyousoonwillfeelathome。"
  AndthevisiondisappearedwiththeslumberofAthos。?Atdaybreakoneofhisservantsenteredhismaster'sapartment,andgavehimaletterwhichcamefromSpain。
  "ThewritingofAramis,"thoughtthecomte;andheread。
  "Porthosisdead!"criedhe,afterthefirstlines。?"Oh!?Raoul,Raoul!
  thanks!thoukeepestthypromise,thouwarnestme!"
  AndAthos,seizedwithamortalsweat,faintedinhisbed,withoutanyothercausethanweakness。