“But, my dear Baisemeaux, since you knew I was bishop of
Vannes, you had no occasion to ask M. Fouquet for my
address.”
“Well, monsieur,” said Baisemeaux, completely at bay, “if I
have acted indiscreetly, I beg your pardon most sincerely.”
“Nonsense,” observed Aramis, calmly: “how can you possibly
have acted indiscreetly?” And while he composed his face,
and continued to smile cheerfully on the governor, he was
considering how Baisemeaux, who was not aware of his
address, knew, however, that Vannes was his residence. “I
shall clear all this up,” he said to himself, and then
speaking aloud, added, — “Well, my dear governor, shall we
now arrange our little accounts?”
“I am at your orders, my lord; but tell me beforehand, my
lord, whether you will do me the honor to breakfast with me
as usual?”
“Very willingly, indeed.”
“Thai’s well,” said Baisemeaux, as he struck the bell before
him three times.
“What does that mean?” inquired Aramis.
“That I have some one to breakfast with me, and that
preparations are to be made accordingly.”
“And you rang thrice. Really, my dear governor, I begin to
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think you are acting ceremoniously with me.”
“No, indeed. Besides, the least I can do is to receive you
in the best way I can.”
“But why so?”
“Because not even a prince could have done what you have
done for me.”
“Nonsense! nonsense!”
“Nay, I assure you —- ”
“Let us speak of other matters,” said Aramis. “Or rather,
tell me how your affairs here are getting on.”
“Not over well.”
“The deuce!”
“M. de Mazarin was not hard enough.”
“Yes, I see; you require a government full of suspicion —
like that of the old cardinal, for instance.”
“Yes; matters went on better under him. The brother of his
`gray eminence’ made his fortune here.”
“Believe me, my dear governor,” said Aramis, drawing closer
to Baisemeaux, “a young king is well worth an old cardinal.
Youth has its suspicions, its fits of anger, its prejudices,
as old age has its hatreds, its precautions, and its fears.
Have you paid your three years’ profits to Louviere and
Tremblay?”
“Most certainly I have.”
“So that you have nothing more to give them than the fifty
thousand francs I have brought with me?”
“Nothing.”
“Have you not saved anything, then?”
“My lord, in giving the fifty thousand francs of my own to
these gentlemen, I assure you that I give them everything I
gain. I told M. d’Artagnan so yesterday evening.”
“Ah!” said Aramis, whose eyes sparkled for a moment, but
became immediately afterwards as unmoved as before; “so you
have seen my old friend D’Artagnan; how was he?”
“Wonderfully well.”
“And what did you say to him, M. de Baisemeaux?”
“I told him,” continued the governor, not perceiving his own
thoughtlessness, “I told him that I fed my prisoners too
well.”
“How many have you?” inquired Aramis, in an indifferent tone
of voice.
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“Sixty.”
“Well, that is a tolerably round number.”
“In former times, my lord, there were, during certain years,
as many as two hundred.”
“Still a minimum of sixty is not to be grumbled at.”
“Perhaps not; for, to anybody but myself, each prisoner
would bring in two hundred and fifty pistoles; for instance,
for a prince of the blood I have fifty francs a day.”
“Only you have no prince of the blood; at least, I suppose
so,” said Aramis, with a slight tremor in his voice.
“No, thank Heaven! — I mean, no, unfortunately.”
“What do you mean by unfortunately?”
“Because my appointment would be improved by it. So, fifty
francs per day for a prince of the blood, thirty-six for a
marechal of France —- ”
“But you have as many marechals of France, I suppose, as you
have princes of the blood?”
“Alas! no more. It is true lieutenant-generals and
brigadiers pay twenty-six francs, and I have two of them.
After that, come councilors of parliament, who bring me
fifteen francs, and I have six of them.”
“I did not know,” said Aramis, “that councilors were so
productive.”
“Yes, but from fifteen francs I sink at once to ten francs;