\"NeverthelessIamsuffocated。Fran鏾is。\"？Fran鏾isentered。？\"Openthewindows，Iprayyou，MasterFran鏾is，\"saidAramis。？\"Youwillallowhim，dearM。Baisemeaux？\"
\"Youareathomehere，\"answeredthegovernor。？Thewindowwasopened。？\"Doyounotthink，\"saidM。deBaisemeaux，\"thatyouwillfindyourselfverylonely，nowM。delaF鑢ehasreturnedtohishouseholdgodsatBlois？？Heisaveryoldfriend，ishenot？\"
\"YouknowitasIdo，Baisemeaux，seeingthatyouwereinthemusketeerswithus。\"
\"Bah！
withmyfriendsIreckonneitherbottlesofwinenoryears。\"
\"Andyouareright。？ButIdomorethanloveM。delaF鑢e，dearBaisemeaux;Iveneratehim。\"
\"Well，formypart，though\'tissingular，\"saidthegovernor，\"IpreferM。
d\'Artagnantohim。？Thereisamanforyou，whodrinkslongandwell！？Thatkindofpeopleallowyouatleasttopenetratetheirthoughts。\"
\"Baisemeaux，makemetipsyto—night;letushaveamerrytimeofitasofold，andifIhaveatroubleatthebottomofmyheart，Ipromiseyou，youshallseeitasyouwouldadiamondatthebottomofyourglass。\"
\"Bravo！\"
saidBaisemeaux，andhepouredoutagreatglassofwineanddrankitoffatadraught，tremblingwithjoyattheideaofbeing，byhookorbycrook，inthesecretofsomehigharchiepiscopalmisdemeanor。？WhilehewasdrinkinghedidnotseewithwhatattentionAramiswasnotingthesoundsinthegreatcourt。？Acouriercameinabouteighto\'clockasFran鏾isbroughtinthefifthbottle，and，althoughthecouriermadeagreatnoise，Baisemeauxheardnothing。
\"Thedeviltakehim，\"saidAramis。
\"What！
who？\"askedBaisemeaux。？\"I
hope\'tisneitherthewineyoudranknorhewhoisthecauseofyourdrinkingit。\"
\"No;
itisahorse，whoismakingnoiseenoughinthecourtforawholesquadron。\"
\"Pooh！
somecourierorother，\"repliedthegovernor，redoublinghisattentiontothepassingbottle。？\"Yes;andmaythedeviltakehim，andsoquicklythatweshallneverhearhimspeakmore。？Hurrah！hurrah！\"
\"Youforgetme，Baisemeaux！myglassisempty，\"saidAramis，liftinghisdazzlingVenetiangoblet。
\"Uponmyhonor，youdelightme。？Fran鏾is，wine！\"？Fran鏾isentered。？\"Wine，fellow！andbetter。\"
\"Yes，monsieur，yes;butacourierhasjustarrived。\"
\"Lethimgotothedevil，Isay。\"
\"Yes，monsieur，but—\"
\"Lethimleavehisnewsattheoffice;wewillseetoitto—morrow。？To—morrow，therewillbetimeto—morrow;
therewillbedaylight，\"saidBaisemeaux，chantingthewords。
\"Ah，monsieur，\"grumbledthesoldierFran鏾is，inspiteofhimself，\"monsieur。\"
\"Takecare，\"saidAramis，\"takecare！\"
\"Ofwhat？dearM。d\'Herblay，\"saidBaisemeaux，halfintoxicated。
\"Theletterwhichthecourierbringstothegovernorofafortressissometimesanorder。\"
\"Nearlyalways。\"
\"Donotordersissuefromtheministers？\"
\"Yes，undoubtedly;but—\"
\"Andwhattotheseministersdobutcountersignthesignatureoftheking？\"
\"Perhapsyouareright。？Nevertheless，\'tisverytiresomewhenyouaresittingbeforeagoodtable，t阾e—？t阾ewithafriend—Ah！Ibegyourpardon，monsieur;I
forgotitisIwhoengageyouatsupper，andthatIspeaktoafuturecardinal。\"
\"Letuspassoverthat，dearBaisemeaux，andreturntooursoldier，toFran鏾is。\"
\"Well，andwhathasFran鏾isdone？\"
\"Hehasdemurred！\"
\"Hewaswrong，then？\"
\"However，hehasdemurred，yousee;\'tisbecausethereissomethingextraordinaryinthismatter。？ItisverypossiblethatitwasnotFran鏾iswhowaswrongindemurring，butyou，whoareinthewronginnotlisteningtohim。\"
\"Wrong？？ItobewrongbeforeFran鏾is？thatseemsratherhard。\"
\"Pardonme，merelyanirregularity。？ButI
thoughtitmydutytomakeanobservationwhichIdeemimportant。\"
\"Oh！
perhapsyouareright，\"stammeredBaisemeaux。？\"Theking\'sorderissacred;butastoordersthatarrivewhenoneisatsupper，Irepeatthatthedevil—\"
\"Ifyouhadsaidasmuchtothegreatcardinal—hem！mydearBaisemeaux，andifhisorderhadanyimportance。\"
\"I
doitthatImaynotdisturbabishop。？Mordioux！amInot，then，excusable？\"
\"Donotforget，Baisemeaux，thatIhavewornthesoldier\'scoat，andIamaccustomedtoobedienceeverywhere。\"
\"Youwish，then—\"
\"I
wishthatyouwoulddoyourduty，myfriend;yes，atleastbeforethissoldier。\"
\"\'Tismathematicallytrue，\"exclaimedBaisemeaux。？Fran鏾isstillwaited:\"Letthemsendthisorderoftheking\'suptome，\"herepeated，recoveringhimself。？Andheaddedinalowtone，\"Doyouknowwhatitis？？Iwilltellyousomethingaboutasinterestingasthis。？\'Bewareoffirenearthepowdermagazine;\'or，\'Lookcloseaftersuchandsuchaone，whoiscleveratescaping，\'？Ah！ifyouonlyknew，monseigneur，howmanytimesIhavebeensuddenlyawakenedfromtheverysweetest，deepestslumber，bymessengersarrivingatfullgalloptotellme，orrather，bringmeaslipofpapercontainingthesewords:\'MonsieurdeBaisemeaux，whatnews？\'？\'TisclearenoughthatthosewhowastetheirtimewritingsuchordershaveneversleptintheBastile。？Theywouldknowbetter;theyhaveneverconsideredthethicknessofmywalls，thevigilanceofmyofficers，thenumberofroundswego。？But，indeed，whatcanyouexpect，monseigneur？？ItistheirbusinesstowriteandtormentmewhenIamatrest，andtotroublemewhenIamhappy，\"addedBaisemeaux，bowingtoAramis。？\"Thenletthemdotheirbusiness。\"
\"Anddoyoudoyours，\"addedthebishop，smiling。
Fran鏾isre—entered;Baisemeauxtookfromhishandstheminister\'sorder。？Heslowlyundidit，andasslowlyreadit。？Aramispretendedtobedrinking，soastobeabletowatchhishostthroughtheglass。？Then，Baisemeaux，havingreadit:\"WhatwasIjustsaying？\"heexclaimed。
\"Whatisit？\"askedthebishop。
\"Anorderofrelease！？There，now;excellentnewsindeedtodisturbus！\"
\"Excellentnewsforhimwhomitconcerns，youwillatleastagree，mydeargovernor！\"
\"Andateighto\'clockintheevening！\"
\"Itischaritable！\"
\"Oh！
charityisallverywell，butitisforthatfellowwhosaysheissowearyandtired，butnotformewhoamamusingmyself，\"saidBaisemeaux，exasperated。
\"Willyoulosebyhim，then？？Andistheprisonerwhoistobesetatlibertyagoodpayer？\"
\"Oh，yes，indeed！amiserable，five—francrat！\"
\"Letmeseeit，\"askedM。d\'Herblay。？\"Itisnoindiscretion？\"
\"Bynomeans;readit。\"
\"Thereis\'Urgent，\'onthepaper;youhaveseenthat，Isuppose？\"
\"Oh，admirable！？\'Urgent！\'—amanwhohasbeentheretenyears！？Itisurgenttosethimfreeto—day，thisveryevening，ateighto\'clock！—urgent！\"？AndBaisemeaux，shrugginghisshoulderswithanairofsupremedisdain，flungtheorderonthetableandbeganeatingagain。
\"Theyarefondofthesetricks！\"hesaid，withhismouthfull;\"theyseizeaman，somefineday，keephimunderlockandkeyfortenyears，andwritetoyou，\'Watchthisfellowwell，\'or\'Keephimverystrictly。\'？Andthen，assoonasyouareaccustomedtolookupontheprisonerasadangerousman，allofasudden，withoutrhymeorreasontheywrite—\'Sethimatliberty，\'andactuallyaddtotheirmissive—
\'urgent。\'？Youwillown，mylord，\'tisenoughtomakeamanatdinnershrughisshoulders！\"
\"Whatdoyouexpect？？Itisforthemtowrite，\"saidAramis，\"foryoutoexecutetheorder。\"
\"Good！
good！executeit！？Oh，patience！？YoumustnotimaginethatIamaslave。\"
\"GraciousHeaven！myverygoodM。Baisemeaux，whoeversaidso？？Yourindependenceiswellknown。\"
\"ThankHeaven！\"
\"Butyourgoodnessofheartisalsoknown。\"
\"Ah！
don\'tspeakofit！\"
\"Andyourobediencetoyoursuperiors。？Onceasoldier，yousee，Baisemeaux，alwaysasoldier。\"
\"AndIshalldirectlyobey;andto—morrowmorning，atdaybreak，theprisonerreferredtoshallbesetfree。\"
\"To—morrow？\"
\"Atdawn。\"
\"Whynotthisevening，seeingthatthelettredecachetbears，bothonthedirectionandinside，\'urgent\'？\"
\"Becausethiseveningweareatsupper，andouraffairsareurgent，too！\"
\"DearBaisemeaux，bootedthoughIbe，Ifeelmyselfapriest，andcharityhashigherclaimsuponmethanhungerandthirst。？Thisunfortunatemanhassufferedlongenough，sinceyouhavejusttoldmethathehasbeenyourprisonerthesetenyears。？Abridgehissuffering。？Hisgoodtimehascome;givehimthebenefitquickly。？GodwillrepayyouinParadisewithyearsoffelicity。\"
\"Youwishit？\"
\"I
entreatyou。\"
\"What！
intheverymiddleofourrepast？\"
\"I
imploreyou;suchanactionisworthtenBenedicites。\"
\"Itshallbeasyoudesire，onlyoursupperwillgetcold。\"
\"Oh！
neverheedthat。\"
BaisemeauxleanedbacktoringforFran鏾is，andbyaverynaturalmotionturnedroundtowardsthedoor。？Theorderhadremainedonthetable;AramisseizedtheopportunitywhenBaisemeauxwasnotlookingtochangethepaperforanother，foldedinthesamemanner，whichhedrewswiftlyfromhispocket。？\"Fran鏾is，\"saidthegovernor，\"letthemajorcomeupherewiththeturnkeysoftheBertaudi鑢e。\"？Fran鏾isbowedandquittedtheroom，leavingthetwocompanionsalone。
ChapterVIII:
TheGeneraloftheOrder。
Therewasnowabriefsilence，duringwhichAramisneverremovedhiseyesfromBaisemeauxforamoment。？Thelatterseemedonlyhalfdecidedtodisturbhimselfthusinthemiddleofsupper，anditwasclearhewastryingtoinventsomepretext，whethergoodorbad，fordelay，atanyratetillafterdessert。？Anditappearedalsothathehadhituponanexcuseatlast。
\"Eh！
butitisimpossible！\"hecried。
\"Howimpossible？\"saidAramis。？\"Givemeaglimpseofthisimpossibility。\"
\"\'Tisimpossibletosetaprisoneratlibertyatsuchanhour。？Wherecanhegoto，amansounacquaintedwithParis？\"
\"Hewillfindaplacewhereverhecan。\"
\"Yousee，now，onemightaswellsetablindmanfree！\"
\"I
haveacarriage，andwilltakehimwhereverhewishes。\"
\"Youhaveananswerforeverything。？Fran鏾is，tellmonsieurlemajortogoandopenthecellofM。Seldon，No。3，Bertaudi鑢e。\"
\"Seldon！\"
exclaimedAramis，verynaturally。？\"YousaidSeldon，Ithink？\"
\"I
saidSeldon，ofcourse。？\'Tisthenameofthemantheysetfree。\"
\"Oh！
youmeantosayMarchiali？\"saidAramis。
\"Marchiali？
oh！yes，indeed。？No，no，Seldon。\"
\"I
thinkyouaremakingamistake，MonsieurBaisemeaux。\"
\"I
havereadtheorder。\"
\"AndIalso。\"
\"AndIsaw\'Seldon\'inlettersaslargeasthat，\"andBaisemeauxhelduphisfinger。
\"AndIread\'Marchiali\'incharactersaslargeasthis，\"saidAramis，alsoholdinguptwofingers。
\"Totheproof;letusthrowalightonthematter，\"saidBaisemeaux，confidenthewasright。？\"Thereisthepaper，youhaveonlytoreadit。\"
\"I
read\'Marchiali，\'\"returnedAramis，spreadingoutthepaper。？\"Look。\"
Baisemeauxlooked，andhisarmsdroppedsuddenly。？\"Yes，yes，\"hesaid，quiteoverwhelmed;\"yes，Marchiali。？\'TisplainlywrittenMarchiali！？Quitetrue！\"
\"Ah！
—\"
\"How？
themanofwhomwehavetalkedsomuch？？Themanwhomtheyareeverydaytellingmetotakesuchcareof？\"
\"Thereis\'Marchiali，\'\"repeatedtheinflexibleAramis。
\"I
mustownit，monseigneur。？ButI
understandnothingaboutit。\"
\"Youbelieveyoureyes，atanyrate。\"
\"Totellmeveryplainlythereis\'Marchiali。\'\"
\"Andinagoodhandwriting，too。\"
\"\'Tisawonder！？IstillseethisorderandthenameofSeldon，Irishman。？Iseeit。？Ah！？Ievenrecollectthatunderthisnametherewasablotofink。\"
\"No，thereisnoink;no，thereisnoblot。\"
\"Oh！
buttherewas，though;Iknowit，becauseIrubbedmyfinger—thisveryone—
inthepowderthatwasovertheblot。\"
\"Inaword，beithowitmay，dearM。Baisemeaux，\"saidAramis，\"andwhateveryoumayhaveseen，theorderissignedtoreleaseMarchiali，blotornoblot。\"
\"TheorderissignedtoreleaseMarchiali，\"repliedBaisemeaux，mechanically，endeavoringtoregainhiscourage。
\"Andyouaregoingtoreleasethisprisoner。？IfyourheartdictatesyoutodeliverSeldonalso，IdeclaretoyouI
willnotopposeittheleastintheworld。\"？Aramisaccompaniedthisremarkwithasmile，theironyofwhicheffectuallydispelledBaisemeaux\'sconfusionofmind，andrestoredhiscourage。
\"Monseigneur，\"
hesaid，\"thisMarchialiistheverysameprisonerwhomtheotherdayapriestconfessorofourordercametovisitinsoimperiousandsosecretamanner。\"
\"I
don\'tknowthat，monsieur，\"repliedthebishop。
\"\'Tisnosuchlongtimeago，dearMonsieurd\'Herblay。\"
\"Itistrue。？Butwithus，monsieur，itisgoodthatthemanofto—dayshouldnolongerknowwhatthemanofyesterdaydid。\"
\"Inanycase，\"saidBaisemeaux，\"thevisitoftheJesuitconfessormusthavegivenhappinesstothisman。\"
Aramismadenoreply，butrecommencedeatinganddrinking。？AsforBaisemeaux，nolongertouchinganythingthatwasonthetable，heagaintookuptheorderandexaminediteveryway。？Thisinvestigation，underordinarycircumstances，wouldhavemadetheearsoftheimpatientAramisburnwithanger;butthebishopofVannesdidnotbecomeincensedforsolittle，aboveall，whenhehadmurmuredtohimselfthattodosowasdangerous。？\"AreyougoingtoreleaseMarchiali？\"
hesaid。？\"Whatmellow，fragrantanddelicioussherrythisis，mydeargovernor。\"
\"Monseigneur，\"
repliedBaisemeaux，\"IshallreleasetheprisonerMarchialiwhenIhavesummonedthecourierwhobroughttheorder，andaboveall，when，byinterrogatinghim，Ihavesatisfiedmyself。\"
\"Theorderissealed，andthecourierisignorantofthecontents。？Whatdoyouwanttosatisfyyourselfabout？\"
\"Beitso，monseigneur;butIshallsendtotheministry，andM。deLyonnewilleitherconfirmorwithdrawtheorder。\"
\"Whatisthegoodofallthat？\"askedAramis，coldly。
\"Whatgood？\"
\"Yes;
whatisyourobject，Iask？\"
\"Theobjectofneverdeceivingoneself，monseigneur;norbeingwantingintherespectwhichasubalternowestohissuperiorofficers，norinfringingthedutiesofaserviceonehasacceptedofone\'sownfreewill。\"
\"Verygood;youhavejustspokensoeloquently，thatIcannotbutadmireyou。？Itistruethatasubalternowesrespecttohissuperiors;heisguiltywhenhedeceiveshimself，andheshouldbepunishedifheinfringedeitherthedutiesorlawsofhisoffice。\"
Baisemeauxlookedatthebishopwithastonishment。
\"Itfollows，\"pursuedAramis，\"thatyouaregoingtoaskadvice，toputyourconscienceateaseinthematter？\"
\"Yes，monseigneur。\"
\"Andifasuperiorofficergivesyouorders，youwillobey？\"
\"Neverdoubtit，monseigneur。\"
\"Youknowtheking\'ssignaturewell，M。deBaisemeaux？\"
\"Yes，monseigneur。\"
\"Isitnotonthisorderofrelease？\"
\"Itistrue，butitmay—\"
\"Beforged，youmean？\"
\"Thatisevident，monseigneur。\"
\"Youareright。？AndthatofM。deLyonne？\"
\"I
seeitplainenoughontheorder;butforthesamereasonthattheking\'ssignaturemayhavebeenforged，soalso，andwithevengreaterprobability，mayM。deLyonne\'s。\"
\"Yourlogichasthestrideofagiant，M。deBaisemeaux，\"saidAramis;\"andyourreasoningisirresistible。？Butonwhatspecialgroundsdoyoubaseyourideathatthesesignaturesarefalse？\"
\"Onthis:theabsenceofcounter—signatures。？Nothingcheckshismajesty\'ssignature;andM。deLyonneisnottheretotellmehehassigned。\"
\"Well，MonsieurdeBaisemeaux，\"saidAramis，bendinganeagleglanceonthegovernor，\"Iadoptsofranklyyourdoubts，andyourmodeofclearingthemup，thatIwilltakeapen，ifyouwillgivemeone。\"
Baisemeauxgavehimapen。
\"Andasheetofwhitepaper，\"addedAramis。
Baisemeauxhandedhimsomepaper。
\"Now，I—I，also—I，herepresent—incontestably，I—amgoingtowriteanordertowhichIamcertainyouwillgivecredence，incredulousasyouare！\"
Baisemeauxturnedpaleatthisicyassuranceofmanner。？Itseemedtohimthatthevoiceofthebishop\'s，butjustnowsoplayfulandgay，hadbecomefunerealandsad;thatthewaxlightschangedintothetapersofamortuarychapel，theveryglassesofwineintochalicesofblood。
Aramistookapenandwrote。？Baisemeaux，interror，readoverhisshoulder。
\"A。
M。D。G。，\"wrotethebishop;andhedrewacrossunderthesefourletters，whichsignifyadmajoremDeigloriam，\"tothegreatergloryofGod;\"andthushecontinued:\"ItisourpleasurethattheorderbroughttoM。deBaisemeauxdeMontlezun，governor，fortheking，ofthecastleoftheBastile，beheldbyhimgoodandeffectual，andbeimmediatelycarriedintooperation。
\"（Signed）
D\'HERBLAY
\"GeneraloftheOrder，bythegraceofGod。\"
Baisemeauxwassoprofoundlyastonished，thathisfeaturesremainedcontracted，hislipsparted，andhiseyesfixed。？Hedidnotmoveaninch，norarticulateasound。？Nothingcouldbeheardinthatlargechamberbutthewing—whisperofalittlemoth，whichwasflutteringtoitsdeathaboutthecandles。？Aramis，withoutevendeigningtolookatthemanwhomhehadreducedtosomiserableacondition，drewfromhispocketasmallcaseofblackwax;hesealedtheletter，andstampeditwithasealsuspendedathisbreast，beneathhisdoublet，andwhentheoperationwasconcluded，presented—stillinsilence—themissivetoM。deBaisemeaux。？Thelatter，whosehandstrembledinamannertoexcitepity，turnedadullandmeaninglessgazeupontheletter。？Alastgleamoffeelingplayedoverhisfeatures，andhefell，asifthunder—struck，onachair。
\"Come，come，\"saidAramis，afteralongsilence，duringwhichthegovernoroftheBastilehadslowlyrecoveredhissenses，\"donotleadmetobelieve，dearBaisemeaux，thatthepresenceofthegeneraloftheorderisasterribleasHis，andthatmendiemerelyfromhavingseenHim。？Takecourage，rouseyourself;givemeyourhand—obey。\"
Baisemeaux，reassured，ifnotsatisfied，obeyed，kissedAramis\'shand，androse。？\"Immediately？\"hemurmured。
\"Oh，thereisnopressinghaste，myhost;takeyourplaceagain，anddothehonorsoverthisbeautifuldessert。\"
\"Monseigneur，Ishallneverrecoversuchashockasthis;Iwhohavelaughed，whohavejestedwithyou！？Iwhohavedaredtotreatyouonafootingofequality！\"
\"Saynothingaboutit，oldcomrade，\"repliedthebishop，whoperceivedhowstrainedthecordwasandhowdangerousitwouldhavebeentobreakit;
\"saynothingaboutit。？Letuseachliveinourownway;toyou，myprotectionandmyfriendship;tome，yourobedience。？Havingexactlyfulfilledthesetworequirements，letuslivehappily。\"
Baisemeauxreflected;heperceived，ataglance，theconsequenceofthiswithdrawalofaprisonerbymeansofaforgedorder;and，puttinginthescaletheguaranteeofferedhimbytheofficialorderofthegeneral，didnotconsideritofanyvalue。
Aramisdivinedthis。？\"MydearBaisemeaux，\"saidhe，\"youareasimpleton。？LosethishabitofreflectionwhenIgivemyselfthetroubletothinkforyou。\"
Andatanothergesturehemade，Baisemeauxbowedagain。？\"HowshallIsetaboutit？\"hesaid。
\"Whatistheprocessforreleasingaprisoner？\"
\"I
havetheregulations。\"
\"Well，then，followtheregulations，myfriend。\"
\"I
gowithmymajortotheprisoner\'sroom，andconducthim，ifheisapersonageofimportance。\"
\"ButthisMarchialiisnotanimportantpersonage，\"saidAramiscarelessly。
\"I
don\'tknow，\"answeredthegovernor，asifhewouldhavesaid，\"Itisforyoutoinstructme。\"
\"Thenifyoudon\'tknowit，Iamright;soacttowardsMarchialiasyouacttowardsoneofobscurestation。\"
\"Good;
theregulationssoprovide。？Theyaretotheeffectthattheturnkey，oroneofthelowerofficials，shallbringtheprisonerbeforethegovernor，intheoffice。\"
\"Well，\'tisverywise，that;andthen？\"
\"Thenwereturntotheprisonerthevaluablesheworeatthetimeofhisimprisonment，hisclothesandpapers，iftheminister\'sordershavenototherwisedictated。\"
\"Whatwastheminister\'sorderastothisMarchiali？\"
\"Nothing;
fortheunhappymanarrivedherewithoutjewels，withoutpapers，andalmostwithoutclothes。\"
\"Seehowsimple，then，allis。？Indeed，Baisemeaux，youmakeamountainofeverything。？Remainhere，andmakethembringtheprisonertothegovernor\'shouse。\"
Baisemeauxobeyed。？Hesummonedhislieutenant，andgavehimanorder，whichthelatterpassedon，withoutdisturbinghimselfaboutit，tothenextwhomitconcerned。
Halfanhourafterwardstheyheardagateshutinthecourt;itwasthedoortothedungeon，whichhadjustrenderedupitspreytothefreeair。？Aramisblewoutallthecandleswhichlightedtheroombutone，whichheleftburningbehindthedoor。？Thisflickeringglarepreventedthesightfromrestingsteadilyonanyobject。？Itmultipliedtenfoldthechangingformsandshadowsoftheplace，byitswaveringuncertainty。？Stepsdrewnear。