“I will tell you; or, in order to better explain myself, let me relate the affair in my own manner. I will not recommend you to tell a falsehood, for that would be impossible for you to do.”
“Well, what is it?”
“Well, I will lie for both of us; it is so easy to do that, with the nature and habits of a Gascon.”
Athos smiled. The carriage stopped where the one we have just now pointed out had stopped; namely, at the door of the governor’s house.
“It is understood, then?” said d’Artagnan, in a low voice to his friend.
Athos consented by a gesture.
They ascended the staircase. There will be no occasion for surprise at the facility with which they had entered the Bastille, if it be remembered that before passing the first gate- in fact, the most difficult of all- d’Artagnan had announced that he had brought a prisoner of State. At the third gate, on the contrary,- that is to say, when he had once fairly entered the prison,- he merely said to the sentinel, “To M. Baisemeaux”; and they both passed on. In a few minutes they were in the governor’s dining-room; and the first face which attracted d’Artagnan’s observation was that of Aramis, who was seated side by side with Baisemeaux, and awaited the announcement of a good meal, whose odor impregnated the whole apartment. If d’Artagnan pretended surprise, Aramis did not pretend at all; he started when he saw his two friends, and his emotion was very apparent. Athos and d’Artagnan, however, made their salutations; and Baisemeaux, amazed, completely stupefied by the presence of those three guests, began to perform a few evolutions around them.
“Ah, there!” said Aramis, “by what chance-”
“We were just going to ask you,” retorted d’Artagnan.
“Are we going to give ourselves up as prisoners?” cried Aramis, with an affectation of hilarity.
“Ah! ah!” said d’Artagnan; “it is true the walls smell deucedly like a prison. M. de Baisemeaux, you know you invited me to sup with you the other day.”
“I?” cried Baisemeaux.
“Ah! one would say you had fallen from the clouds. You do not recall it?”
Baisemeaux turned pale and then red; looked at Aramis, who looked at him; and finally stammered, “Certainly- I am delighted- but- upon my honor- I have not the slightest- Ah! I have such a wretched memory.”
“Well, I am wrong, I see,” said d’Artagnan, as if he were offended.
“Wrong, how?”
“Wrong to remember, it seems.”
Baisemeaux hurried towards him. “Do not stand on ceremony, my dear captain,” he said. “I have the poorest head in the kingdom. Take me from my pigeons and their pigeon-house, and I am no better than the rawest recruit.”
“At all events, you remember it now,” said d’Artagnan, boldly.
“Yes, yes,” replied the governor, hesitating; “I think I remember.”
“It was when you came to the palace to see me; you told me some story or other about your accounts with M. de Louviere and M. de Tremblay.”
“Oh, yes! perfectly.”
“And about M. d’Herblay’s kindness to you.”
“Ah!” exclaimed Aramis, looking the unhappy governor full in the face; “and yet you just now said you had no memory, M. de Baisemeaux.”
Baisemeaux interrupted the musketeer in the midst of his revelations. “Yes, yes, you’re quite right; it seems to me that I am still there. I beg a thousand pardons. But now, once for all, my dear M. d’Artagnan, be sure that at this present time, as at any other, whether invited or not, you are master here,- you and M. d’Herblay, your friend,” he said, turning towards Aramis; “and this gentleman too,” he added, bowing to Athos.
“Well, I thought it would be sure to turn out so,” replied d’Artagnan. “This is the occasion of my coming: Having nothing to do this evening at the Palais-Royal, I wished to judge for myself what your ordinary style of living was like; and as I was coming along I met Monsieur the Count.” Athos bowed. “The count, who had just left his Majesty, handed me an order which required immediate attention. We were close by here; I wished to call in, even if it were for no other object than that of shaking hands with you and of presenting the count to you, of whom you spoke so highly in the King’s presence that very evening when-“