\"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。