"Bydelicateattentions?bysomehappydevice?byasuccessionofsurprises,likethatofwhichweweretalking?—theenrolmentofourEpicureans。"
"Admirable。"
"Well,then;thisisthesurpriseweintend。?M。Lebrunhereisamanwhodrawsmostexcellently。"
"Yes,"
saidPercerin;"Ihaveseenhispictures,andobservedthathisdresseswerehighlyelaborated。?ThatiswhyI
atonceagreedtomakehimacostume—whethertoagreewiththoseoftheEpicureans,oranoriginalone。"
"Mydearmonsieur,weacceptyouroffer,andshallpresentlyavailourselvesofit;
butjustnow,M。Lebrunisnotinwantofthedressesyouwillmakeforhimself,butofthoseyouaremakingfortheking。"
Percerinmadeaboundbackwards,whichD'Artagnan—calmestandmostappreciativeofmen,didnotconsideroverdone,somanystrangeandstartlingaspectsworetheproposalwhichAramishadjusthazarded。?"Theking'sdresses!?Givetheking'sdressestoanymortalwhatever!?Oh!foronce,monseigneur,yourgraceismad!"criedthepoortailorinextremity。
"Helpmenow,D'Artagnan,"saidAramis,moreandmorecalmandsmiling。?"Helpmenowtopersuademonsieur,foryouunderstand;doyounot?"
"Eh!
eh!—notexactly,Ideclare。"
"What!
youdonotunderstandthatM。FouquetwishestoaffordthekingthesurpriseoffindinghisportraitonhisarrivalatVaux;andthattheportrait,whichbeastrikingresemblance,oughttobedressedexactlyasthekingwillbeonthedayitisshown?"
"Oh!
yes,yes,"saidthemusketeer,nearlyconvinced,soplausiblewasthisreasoning。?"Yes,mydearAramis,youareright;itisahappyidea。?I
willwageritisoneofyourown,Aramis。"
"Well,Idon'tknow,"repliedthebishop;"eithermineorM。
Fouquet's。"?ThenscanningPercerin,afternoticingD'Artagnan'shesitation,"Well,MonsieurPercerin,"heasked,"whatdoyousaytothis?"
"I
say,that—"
"Thatyouare,doubtless,freetorefuse。?I
knowwell—andIbynomeanscountuponcompellingyou,mydearmonsieur。?Iwillsaymore,IevenunderstandallthedelicacyyoufeelintakingupwithM。Fouquet'sidea;youdreadappearingtoflattertheking。?Anoblespirit,M。
Percerin,anoblespirit!"?Thetailorstammered。?"Itwould,indeed,beaveryprettycomplimenttopaytheyoungprince,"continuedAramis;"butasthesurintendanttoldme,'ifPercerinrefuse,tellhimthatitwillnotatalllowerhiminmyopinion,andIshallalwaysesteemhim,only—'"
"'Only?'"
repeatedPercerin,rathertroubled。
"'Only,'"
continuedAramis,"'Ishallbecompelledtosaytotheking,'—youunderstand,mydearMonsieurPercerin,thattheseareM。Fouquet'swords,—'I
shallbeconstrainedtosaytotheking,"Sire,Ihadintendedtopresentyourmajestywithyourportrait,butowingtoafeelingofdelicacy,slightlyexaggeratedperhaps,althoughcreditable,M。Percerinopposedtheproject。"'"
"Opposed!"
criedthetailor,terrifiedattheresponsibilitywhichwouldweighuponhim;
"Itoopposethedesire,thewillofM。Fouquetwhenheisseekingtopleasetheking!?Oh,whatahatefulwordyouhaveuttered,monseigneur。?Oppose!?Oh,'tisnotIwhosaidit,Heavenhavemercyonme。?Icallthecaptainofthemusketeerstowitnessit!?Isitnottrue,Monsieurd'Artagnan,thatIhaveopposednothing?"
D'Artagnanmadeasignindicatingthathewishedtoremainneutral。?Hefeltthattherewasanintrigueatthebottomofit,whethercomedyortragedy;hewasathiswit'sendatnotbeingabletofathomit,butinthemeanwhilewishedtokeepclear。
ButalreadyPercerin,goadedbytheideathatthekingwastobetoldhestoodinthewayofapleasantsurprise,hadofferedLebrunachair,andproceededtobringfromawardrobefourmagnificentdresses,thefifthbeingstillintheworkmen'shands;andthesemasterpieceshesuccessivelyfitteduponfourlayfigures,which,importedintoFranceinthetimeofConcini,hadbeengiventoPercerinII。byMarshald'Onore,afterthediscomfitureoftheItaliantailorsruinedintheircompetition。?Thepaintersettoworktodrawandthentopaintthedresses。?ButAramis,whowascloselywatchingallthephasesofhistoil,suddenlystoppedhim。
"I
thinkyouhavenotquitegotit,mydearLebrun,"hesaid;"yourcolorswilldeceiveyou,andoncanvasweshalllackthatexactresemblancewhichisabsolutelyrequisite。?Timeisnecessaryforattentivelyobservingthefinershades。"
"Quitetrue,"saidPercerin,"buttimeiswanting,andonthathead,youwillagreewithme,monseigneur,Icandonothing。"
"Thentheaffairwillfail,"saidAramis,quietly,"andthatbecauseofawantofprecisioninthecolors。"
NeverthelessLebrunwentoncopyingthematerialsandornamentswiththeclosestfidelity—
aprocesswhichAramiswatchedwithill—concealedimpatience。
"Whatintheworld,now,isthemeaningofthisimbroglio?"themusketeerkeptsayingtohimself。
"Thatwillneverdo,"saidAramis:"M。Lebrun,closeyourbox,androllupyourcanvas。"
"But,monsieur,"criedthevexedpainter,"thelightisabominablehere。"
"Anidea,M。Lebrun,anidea!?Ifwehadapatternofthematerials,forexample,andwithtime,andabetterlight—
"
"Oh,then,"criedLebrun,"Iwouldanswerfortheeffect。"
"Good!"
saidD'Artagnan,"thisoughttobetheknottypointofthewholething;
theywantapatternofeachofthematerials。?Mordioux!?WillthisPerceringiveinnow?"
Percerin,beatenfromhislastretreat,andduped,moreover,bythefeignedgood—natureofAramis,cutoutfivepatternsandhandedthemtothebishopofVannes。
"I
likethisbetter。?Thatisyouropinion,isitnot?"saidAramistoD'Artagnan。
"MydearAramis,"saidD'Artagnan,"myopinionisthatyouarealwaysthesame。"
"And,consequently,alwaysyourfriend,"saidthebishopinacharmingtone。
"Yes,yes,"saidD'Artagnan,aloud;then,inalowvoice,"IfIamyourdupe,doubleJesuitthatyouare,Iwillnotbeyouraccomplice;andtopreventit,'tistimeIleftthisplace。—Adieu,Aramis,"headdedaloud,"adieu;IamgoingtorejoinPorthos。"
"Thenwaitforme,"saidAramis,pocketingthepatterns,"forIhavedone,andshallbegladtosayapartingwordtoourdearoldfriend。"
Lebrunpackeduphispaintsandbrushes,Percerinputbackthedressesintothecloset,Aramisputhishandonhispockettoassurehimselfthepatternsweresecure,—andtheyallleftthestudy。
ChapterV:
Where,Probably,Moli鑢eObtainedHisFirstIdeaoftheBourgeoisGentilhomme。
D'ArtagnanfoundPorthosintheadjoiningchamber;butnolongeranirritatedPorthos,oradisappointedPorthos,butPorthosradiant,blooming,fascinating,andchatteringwithMoli鑢e,whowaslookinguponhimwithaspeciesofidolatry,andasamanwouldwhohadnotonlyneverseenanythinggreater,butnoteveneveranythingsogreat。?AramiswentstraightuptoPorthosandofferedhimhiswhitehand,whichlostitselfinthegiganticclaspofhisoldfriend,—anoperationwhichAramisneverhazardedwithoutacertainuneasiness。?Butthefriendlypressurehavingbeenperformednottoopainfullyforhim,thebishopofVannespassedovertoMoli鑢e。
"Well,monsieur,"saidhe,"willyoucomewithmetoSaint—Mand?;
"I
willgoanywhereyoulike,monseigneur,"answeredMoli鑢e。
"ToSaint—Mand?;criedPorthos,surprisedatseeingtheproudbishopofVannesfraternizingwithajourneymantailor。?"What,Aramis,areyougoingtotakethisgentlemantoSaint—Mand?;
"Yes,"
saidAramis,smiling,"ourworkispressing。"
"Andbesides,mydearPorthos,"continuedD'Artagnan,"M。Moli鑢eisnotaltogetherwhatheseems。"
"Inwhatway?"askedPorthos。
"Why,thisgentlemanisoneofM。Percerin'schiefclerks,andisexpectedatSaint—Mand?totryonthedresseswhichM。FouquethasorderedfortheEpicureans";
"'Tispreciselyso,"saidMoli鑢e。
"Yes,monsieur。"
"Come,then,mydearM。Moli鑢e,"saidAramis,"thatis,ifyouhavedonewithM。duVallon。"
"Wehavefinished,"repliedPorthos。
"Andyouaresatisfied?"askedD'Artagnan。
"Completelyso,"repliedPorthos。
Moli鑢etookhisleaveofPorthoswithmuchceremony,andgraspedthehandwhichthecaptainofthemusketeersfurtivelyofferedhim。
"Pray,monsieur,"concludedPorthos,mincingly,"aboveall,beexact。"
"Youwillhaveyourdressthedayafterto—morrow,monsieurlebaron,"answeredMoli鑢e。?AndheleftwithAramis。
ThenD'Artagnan,takingPorthos'sarm,"Whathasthistailordoneforyou,mydearPorthos,"heasked,"thatyouaresopleasedwithhim?"
"Whathashedoneforme,myfriend!doneforme!"criedPorthos,enthusiastically。
"Yes,Iaskyou,whathashedoneforyou?"
"Myfriend,hehasdonethatwhichnotailoreveryetaccomplished:hehastakenmymeasurewithouttouchingme!"
"Ah,bah!tellmehowhedidit。"
"First,then,theywent,Idon'tknowwhere,foranumberoflayfigures,ofallheightsandsizes,hopingtherewouldbeonetosuitmine,butthelargest—
thatofthedrum—majoroftheSwissguard—wastwoinchestooshort,andahalffoottoonarrowinthechest。"
"Indeed!"
"ItisexactlyasItellyou,D'Artagnan;butheisagreatman,orattheveryleastagreattailor,isthisM。Moli鑢e。?Hewasnotatallputatfaultbythecircumstance。"
"Whatdidhedo,then?"
"Oh!
itisaverysimplematter。?I'faith,'tisanunheard—ofthingthatpeopleshouldhavebeensostupidasnottohavediscoveredthismethodfromthefirst。?Whatannoyanceandhumiliationtheywouldhavesparedme!"
"Nottomentionofthecostumes,mydearPorthos。"
"Yes,thirtydresses。"
"Well,mydearPorthos,come,tellmeM。Moli鑢e'splan。"
"Moli鑢e??Youcallhimso,doyou??Ishallmakeapointofrecollectinghisname。"
"Yes;
orPoquelin,ifyoupreferthat。"
"No;
IlikeMoli鑢ebest。?WhenIwishtorecollecthisname,Ishallthinkofvoli鑢e[anaviary];andasIhaveoneatPierrefonds—"
"Capital!"returnedD'Artagnan。?"AndM。Moli鑢e'splan?"
"'Tisthis:insteadofpullingmetopieces,asalltheserascalsdo—ofmakingmebendmyback,anddoublemyjoints—allofthemlowanddishonorablepractices—"?D'Artagnanmadeasignofapprobationwithhishead。?"'Monsieur,'hesaidtome,"continuedPorthos,"'agentlemanoughttomeasurehimself。?Domethepleasuretodrawnearthisglass;'andIdrewneartheglass。?ImustownIdidnotexactlyunderstandwhatthisgoodM。Voli鑢ewantedwithme。"
"Moli鑢e!"
"Ah!yes,Moli鑢e—
Moli鑢e。?Andasthefearofbeingmeasuredstillpossessedme,'Takecare,'saidItohim,'whatyouaregoingtodowithme;Iamveryticklish,Iwarnyou。'?Buthe,withhissoftvoice(forheisacourteousfellow,wemustadmit,myfriend),hewithhissoftvoice,'Monsieur,'saidhe,'thatyourdressmayfityouwell,itmustbemadeaccordingtoyourfigure。?Yourfigureisexactlyreflectedinthismirror。?Weshalltakethemeasureofthisreflection。'"
"Infact,"saidD'Artagnan,"yousawyourselfintheglass;butwheredidtheyfindoneinwhichyoucouldseeyourwholefigure?"
"Mygoodfriend,itistheveryglassinwhichthekingisusedtolooktoseehimself。"
"Yes;
butthekingisafootandahalfshorterthanyouare。"
"Ah!
well,Iknownothowthatmaybe;itis,nodoubt,acunningwayofflatteringtheking;butthelooking—glasswastoolargeforme。?'TistruethatitsheightwasmadeupofthreeVenetianplatesofglass,placedoneaboveanother,anditsbreadthofthreesimilarparallelogramsinjuxtaposition。"
"Oh,Porthos!whatexcellentwordsyouhavecommandof。?Whereintheworddidyouacquiresuchavoluminousvocabulary?"
"AtBelle—Isle。?AramisandIhadtousesuchwordsinourstrategicstudiesandcastramentativeexperiments。"
D'Artagnanrecoiled,asthoughthesesquipedaliansyllableshadknockedthebreathoutofhisbody。
"Ah!
verygood。?Letusreturntothelooking—glass,myfriend。"
"Then,thisgoodM。Voli鑢e—"
"Moli鑢e。"
"Yes—Moli鑢e—youareright。?Youwillseenow,mydearfriend,thatIshallrecollecthisnamequitewell。?ThisexcellentM。Moli鑢esettoworktracingoutlinesonthemirror,withapieceofSpanishchalk,followinginallthemakeofmyarmsandmyshoulders,allthewhileexpoundingthismaxim,whichIthoughtadmirable:'Itisadvisablethatadressshouldnotincommodeitswearer。'"
"Inreality,"saidD'Artagnan,"thatisanexcellentmaxim,whichis,unfortunately,seldomcarriedoutinpractice。"
"ThatiswhyIfounditallthemoreastonishing,whenheexpatiateduponit。"
"Ah!
heexpatiated?"
"Parbleu!"
"Letmehearhistheory。"
"'Seeingthat,'hecontinued,'onemay,inawkwardcircumstances,orinatroublesomeposition,haveone'sdoubletonone'sshoulder,andnotdesiretotakeone'sdoubletoff—'"
"True,"saidD'Artagnan。
"'Andso,'continuedM。Voli鑢e—"
"Moli鑢e。"
"Moli鑢e,yes。?'Andso,'wentonM。
Moli鑢e,'youwanttodrawyoursword,monsieur,andyouhaveyourdoubletonyourback。?Whatdoyoudo?'
"'I
takeitoff,'Ianswered。
"'Well,no,'hereplied。
"'Howno?'
"'I
saythatthedressshouldbesowellmade,thatitwillinnowayencumberyou,evenindrawingyoursword。'
"'Ah,ah!'
"'Throwyourselfonguard,'pursuedhe。
"Ididitwithsuchwondrousfirmness,thattwopanesofglassburstoutofthewindow。
"''Tisnothing,nothing,'saidhe。?'Keepyourposition。'
"I
raisedmyleftarmintheair,theforearmgracefullybent,theruffledrooping,andmywristcurved,whilemyrightarm,halfextended,securelycoveredmywristwiththeelbow,andmybreastwiththewrist。"
"Yes,"
saidD'Artagnan,"'tisthetrueguard—theacademicguard。"
"Youhavesaidtheveryword,dearfriend。?Inthemeanwhile,Voli鑢e—"
"Moli鑢e。"
"Hold!?Ishouldcertainly,afterall,prefertocallhim—whatdidyousayhisothernamewas?"
"Poquelin。"
"IprefertocallhimPoquelin。"
"Andhowwillyourememberthisnamebetterthantheother?"
"Youunderstand,hecallshimselfPoquelin,doeshenot?"
"Yes。"
"IfIweretocalltomindMadameCoquenard。"
"Good。"
"AndchangeCocintoPoc,nardintolin;andinsteadofCoquenardIshallhavePoquelin。"
"'Tiswonderful,"criedD'Artagnan,astounded。?"Goon,myfriend,Iamlisteningtoyouwithadmiration。"
"ThisCoquelinsketchedmyarmontheglass。"
"Ibegyourpardon—Poquelin。"
"WhatdidI
say,then?"
"YousaidCoquelin。"
"Ah!
true。?ThisPoquelin,then,sketchedmyarmontheglass;buthetookhistimeoverit;hekeptlookingatmeagooddeal。?Thefactis,thatImusthavebeenlookingparticularlyhandsome。"
"'Doesitwearyyou?'heasked。
"'A
little,'Ireplied,bendingalittleinmyhands,'butIcouldholdoutforanhourorsolonger。'
"'No,no,Iwillnotallowit;thewillingfellowswillmakeitadutytosupportyourarms,asofold,mensupportedthoseoftheprophet。'
"'Verygood,'Ianswered。
"'Thatwillnotbehumiliatingtoyou?'
"'Myfriend,'saidI,'thereis,Ithink,agreatdifferencebetweenbeingsupportedandbeingmeasured。'"
"Thedistinctionisfullofthesoundestsense,"interruptedD'Artagnan。
"Then,"
continuedPorthos,"hemadeasign:twoladsapproached;onesupportedmyleftarm,whiletheother,withinfiniteaddress,supportedmyright。"
"'Another,myman,'criedhe。?Athirdapproached。?'Supportmonsieurbythewaist,'saidhe。?Thegar鏾ncomplied。"
"Sothatyouwereatrest?"askedD'Artagnan。
"Perfectly;
andPocquenarddrewmeontheglass。"
"Poquelin,myfriend。"
"Poquelin—
youareright。?Stay,decidedlyIprefercallinghimVoli鑢e。"
"Yes;andthenitwasover,wasn'tit?"
"DuringthattimeVoli鑢edrewmeasIappearedinthemirror。"
"'Twasdelicateinhim。"
"Imuchliketheplan;itisrespectful,andkeepseveryoneinhisplace。"
"Andthereitended?"
"Withoutasoulhavingtouchedme,myfriend。"
"Exceptthethreegar鏾nswhosupportedyou。"
"Doubtless;
butIhave,Ithink,alreadyexplainedtoyouthedifferencethereisbetweensupportingandmeasuring。"
"'Tistrue,"answeredD'Artagnan;whosaidafterwardstohimself,"I'faith,Igreatlydeceivemyself,orIhavebeenthemeansofagoodwindfalltothatrascalMoli鑢e,andweshallassuredlyseethescenehitofftothelifeinsomecomedyorother。"?Porthossmiled。
"Whatareyoulaughingat?"askedD'Artagnan。
"MustI
confess??Well,Iwaslaughingovermygoodfortune。"
"Oh,thatistrue;Idon'tknowahappiermanthanyou。?Butwhatisthislastpieceofluckthathasbefallenyou?'
"Well,mydearfellow,congratulateme。"
"Idesirenothingbetter。"
"ItseemsthatIamthefirstwhohashadhismeasuretakeninthatmanner。"
"Areyousosureofit?'
"Nearlyso。?CertainsignsofintelligencewhichpassedbetweenVoli鑢eandtheothergar鏾nsshowedmethefact。"
"Well,myfriend,thatdoesnotsurprisemefromMoli鑢e,"saidD'Artagnan。
"Voli鑢e,myfriend。"
"Oh,no,no,indeed!?IamverywillingtoleaveyoutogoonsayingVoli鑢e;but,asforme,IshallcontinuedtosayMoli鑢e。?Well,this,Iwassaying,doesnotsurpriseme,comingfromMoli鑢e,whoisaveryingeniousfellow,andinspiredyouwiththisgrandidea。"
"Itwillbeofgreatusetohimbyandby,Iamsure。"
"Won'titbeofusetohim,indeed??Ibelieveyou,itwill,andthatinthehighestdegree;—foryouseemyfriendMoli鑢eisofallknowntailorsthemanwhobestclothesourbarons,comtes,andmarquises—accordingtotheirmeasure。"
Onthisobservation,neithertheapplicationnordepthofwhichweshalldiscuss,D'ArtagnanandPorthosquittedM。dePercerin'shouseandrejoinedtheircarriages,whereinwewillleavethem,inordertolookafterMoli鑢eandAramisatSaint—Mand?
ChapterVI:
TheBee—Hive,theBees,andtheHoney。
ThebishopofVannes,muchannoyedathavingmetD'ArtagnanatM。Percerin's,returnedtoSaint—Mand?innoverygoodhumor。?Moli鑢e,ontheotherhand,quitedelightedathavingmadesuchacapitalroughsketch,andatknowingwheretofindhisoriginalagain,wheneverheshoulddesiretoconverthissketchintoapicture,Moli鑢earrivedinthemerriestofmoods。?AllthefirststoryoftheleftwingwasoccupiedbythemostcelebratedEpicureansinParis,andthoseonthefreestfootinginthehouse—everyoneinhiscompartment,likethebeesintheircells,employedinproducingthehoneyintendedforthatroyalcakewhichM。FouquetproposedtoofferhismajestyLouisXIV。duringthef阾eatVaux。?P閘isson,hisheadleaningonhishand,wasengagedindrawingouttheplanoftheprologuetothe"F鈉heux,"acomedyinthreeacts,whichwastobeputonthestagebyPoquelindeMoli鑢e,asD'Artagnancalledhim,orCoquelindeVoli鑢e,asPorthosstyledhim。?Loret,withallthecharminginnocenceofagazetteer,—thegazetteersofallageshavealwaysbeensoartless!—Loretwascomposinganaccountofthef阾esatVaux,beforethosef阾eshadtakenplace。?LaFontainesaunteredaboutfromonetotheother,aperipatetic,absent—minded,boring,unbearabledreamer,whokeptbuzzingandhummingateverybody'selbowathousandpoeticabstractions。?HesooftendisturbedP閘isson,thatthelatter,raisinghishead,crosslysaid,"Atleast,LaFontaine,supplymewitharhyme,sinceyouhavetherunofthegardensatParnassus。"
"Whatrhymedoyouwant?"askedtheFablerasMadamedeS関ign?usedtocallhim。
"I
wantarhymetolumi鑢e。"
"Orni鑢e,"
answeredLaFontaine。
"Ah,but,mygoodfriend,onecannottalkofwheel—rutswhencelebratingthedelightsofVaux,"saidLoret。
"Besides,itdoesn'trhyme,"answeredP閘isson。
"What!
doesn'trhyme!"criedLaFontaine,insurprise。
"Yes;
youhaveanabominablehabit,myfriend,—ahabitwhichwilleverpreventyourbecomingapoetofthefirstorder。?Yourhymeinaslovenlymanner。"
"Oh,oh,youthinkso,doyou,P閘isson?"
"Yes,Ido,indeed。?Rememberthatarhymeisnevergoodsolongasonecanfindabetter。"
"ThenIwillneverwriteanythingagainsaveinprose,"saidLaFontaine,whohadtakenupP閘isson'sreproachinearnest。?"Ah!?IoftensuspectedI
wasnothingbutarascallypoet!?Yes,'tistheverytruth。"
"Donotsayso;yourremarkistoosweeping,andthereismuchthatisgoodinyour'Fables。'"
"Andtobegin,"continuedLaFontaine,followinguphisidea,"IwillgoandburnahundredversesIhavejustmade。"
"Whereareyourverses?"
"Inmyhead。"
"Well,iftheyareinyourheadyoucannotburnthem。"
"True,"
saidLaFontaine;"butifIdonotburnthem—"
"Well,whatwillhappenifyoudonotburnthem?"
"Theywillremaininmymind,andIshallneverforgetthem!"