Now let us pass the orangery to the hunting lodge. At theextremity of the courtyard, where, close to a portico formedof Ionic columns, were the dog kennels, rose an oblongbuilding, the pavilion of the orangery, a half circle,inclosing the court of honor. It was in this pavilion, onthe ground floor, that D'Artagnan and Porthos were confined,suffering interminable hours of imprisonment in a mannersuitable to each different temperament.

D'Artagnan was pacing to and fro like a caged tiger; withdilated eyes, growling as he paced along by the bars of awindow looking upon the yard of servant's offices.

Porthos was ruminating over an excellent dinner he had justdemolished.

The one seemed to be deprived of reason, yet he wasmeditating. The other seemed to meditate, yet he was morethan half asleep. But his sleep was a nightmare, which mightbe guessed by the incoherent manner in which he sometimessnored and sometimes snorted.

"Look," said D'Artagnan, "day is declining. It must benearly four o'clock. We have been in this place nearlyeighty-three hours."

"Hem!" muttered Porthos, with a kind of pretense ofanswering.

"Did you hear, eternal sleeper?" cried D'Artagnan, irritatedthat any one could doze during the day, when he had thegreatest difficulty in sleeping during the night.

"What?" said Porthos.

"I say we have been here eighty-three hours."

"'Tis your fault," answered Porthos.

"How, my fault?"

"Yes, I offered you escape."

"By pulling out a bar and pushing down a door?"

"Certainly."

"Porthos, men like us can't go out from here purely andsimply."

"Faith!" said Porthos, "as for me, I could go out with thatpurity and that simplicity which it seems to me you despisetoo much."

D'Artagnan shrugged his shoulders.

"And besides," he said, "going out of this chamber isn'tall."

"Dear friend," said Porthos, "you appear to be in a somewhatbetter humor to-day than you were yesterday. Explain to mewhy going out of this chamber isn't everything."

"Because, having neither arms nor password, we shouldn'ttake fifty steps in the court without knocking against asentinel."

Very well," said Porthos, "we will kill the sentinel and weshall have his arms."

"Yes, but before we can kill him - and he will be hard tokill, that Swiss - he will shriek out and the whole picketwill come, and we shall be taken like foxes, we, who arelions, and thrown into some dungeon, where we shall not evenhave the consolation of seeing this frightful gray sky ofRueil, which no more resembles the sky of Tarbes than themoon is like the sun. Lack-a-day! if we only had some one toinstruct us about the physical and moral topography of thiscastle. Ah! when one thinks that for twenty years, duringwhich time I did not know what to do with myself, it neveroccurred to me to come to study Rueil."

"What difference does that make?" said Porthos. "We shall goout all the same."

"Do you know, my dear fellow, why master pastrycooks neverwork with their hands?"

"No," said Porthos, "but I should be glad to be informed."

"It is because in the presence of their pupils they fearthat some of their tarts or creams may turn out badlycooked."

"What then?"

"Why, then they would be laughed at, and a master pastrycookmust never be laughed at."

"And what have master pastrycooks to do with us?"

"We ought, in our adventures, never to be defeated or giveany one a chance to laugh at us. In England, lately, wefailed, we were beaten, and that is a blemish on ourreputation."

"By whom, then, were we beaten?" asked Porthos.

"By Mordaunt."

"Yes, but we have drowned Monsieur Mordaunt."

"That is true, and that will redeem us a little in the eyesof posterity, if posterity ever looks at us. But listen,Porthos: though Monsieur Mordaunt was a man not to bedespised, Mazarin is not less strong than he, and we shallnot easily succeed in drowning him. We must, therefore,watch and play a close game; for," he added with a sigh, "wetwo are equal, perhaps, to eight others; but we are notequal to the four that you know of."

"That is true," said Porthos, echoing D'Artagnan's sigh.

"Well, Porthos, follow my examples; walk back and forth tillsome news of our friends reaches us or till we are visitedby a good idea. But don't sleep as you do all the time;nothing dulls the intellect like sleep. As to what may liebefore us, it is perhaps less serious than we at firstthought. I don't believe that Monsieur de Mazarin thinks ofcutting off our heads, for heads are not taken off withoutprevious trial; a trial would make a noise, and a noisewould get the attention of our friends, who would check theoperations of Monsieur de Mazarin."

"How well you reason!" said Porthos, admiringly.

"Well, yes, pretty well," replied D'Artagnan; "and besides,you see, if they put us on trial, if they cut off our heads,they must meanwhile either keep us here or transfer uselsewhere."

"Yes, that is inevitable," said Porthos.

"Well, it is impossible but that Master Aramis, thatkeen-scented bloodhound, and Athos, that wise and prudentnobleman, will discover our retreat. Then, believe me, itwill be time to act."

"Yes, we will wait. We can wait the more contentedly, thatit is not absolutely bad here, but for one thing, at least."

"What is that?"

"Did you observe, D'Artagnan, that three days running theyhave brought us braised mutton?"

"No; but if it occurs a fourth time I shall complain of it,so never mind."

"And then I feel the loss of my house, 'tis a long timesince I visited my castles."

"Forget them for a time; we shall return to them, unlessMazarin razes them to the ground."

"Do you think that likely?"

"No, the other cardinal would have done so, but this one istoo mean a fellow to risk it."

"You reconcile me, D'Artagnan."

"Well, then, assume a cheerful manner, as I do; we must jokewith the guards, we must gain the good-will of the soldiers,since we can't corrupt them. Try, Porthos, to please themmore than you are wont to do when they are under ourwindows. Thus far you have done nothing but show them yourfist; and the more respectable your fist is, Porthos, theless attractive it is. Ah, I would give much to have fivehundred louis, only."

"So would I," said Porthos, unwilling to be behindD'Artagnan in generosity; "I would give as much as a hundredpistoles."

The two prisoners were at this point of their conversationwhen Comminges entered, preceded by a sergeant and two men,who brought supper in a basket with two handles, filled withbasins and plates.

"What!" exclaimed Porthos, "mutton again?"

"My dear Monsieur de Comminges," said D'Artagnan, "you willfind that my friend, Monsieur du Vallon, will go to the mostfatal lengths if Cardinal Mazarin continues to provide uswith this sort of meat; mutton every day."

"I declare," said Porthos, "I shall eat nothing if they donot take it away."

"Remove the mutton," cried Comminges; "I wish Monsieur duVallon to sup well, more especially as I have news to givehim that will improve his appetite."

"Is Mazarin dead?" asked Porthos.

"No; I am sorry to tell you he is perfectly well."

"So much the worse," said Porthos.

"What is that news?" asked D'Artagnan. "News in prison is afruit so rare that I trust, Monsieur de Comminges, you willexcuse my impatience - the more eager since you have givenus to understand that the news is good."

"Should you be glad to hear that the Comte de la Fere iswell?" asked De Comminges.

D'Artagnan's penetrating gray eyes were opened to theutmost.

"Glad!" he cried; "I should be more than glad! Happy - beyond measure!"

"Well, I am desired by him to give you his compliments andto say that he is in good health."

D'Artagnan almost leaped with joy. A quick glance conveyedhis thought to Porthos: "If Athos knows where we are, if heopens communication with us, before long Athos will act."

Porthos was not very quick to understand the language ofglances, but now since the name of Athos had suggested tohim the same idea, he understood.

"Do you say," asked the Gascon, timidly, "that the Comte dela Fere has commissioned you to give his compliments toMonsieur du Vallon and myself?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then you have seen him?"

"Certainly I have."

"Where? if I may ask without indiscretion."

"Near here," replied De Comminges, smiling; "so near that ifthe windows which look on the orangery were not stopped upyou could see him from where you are."

"He is wandering about the environs of the castle," thoughtD'Artagnan. Then he said aloud:

"You met him, I dare say, in the park - hunting, perhaps?"

"No; nearer, nearer still. Look, behind this wall," said DeComminges, knocking against the wall.

"Behind this wall? What is there, then, behind this wall? Iwas brought here by night, so devil take me if I know whereI am."

"Well," said Comminges, "suppose one thing."

"I will suppose anything you please."

"Suppose there were a window in this wall."

"Well?"

"From that window you would see Monsieur de la Fere at his."

"The count, then, is in the chateau?"

"Yes."

"For what reason?"

"The same as yourself."

"Athos - a prisoner?"

"You know well," replied De Comminges, "that there are noprisoners at Rueil, because there is no prison."

"Don't let us play upon words, sir. Athos has beenarrested."

"Yesterday, at Saint Germain, as he came out from thepresence of the queen."

The arms of D'Artagnan fell powerless by his side. One mighthave supposed him thunderstruck; a paleness ran like a cloudover his dark skin, but disappeared immediately.

"A prisoner?" he reiterated.

"A prisoner," repeated Porthos, quite dejected.

Suddenly D'Artagnan looked up and in his eyes there was agleam which scarcely even Porthos observed; but it died awayand he appeared more sorrowful than before.

"Come, come," said Comminges, who, since D'Artagnan, on theday of Broussel's arrest, had saved him from the hands ofthe Parisians, had entertained a real affection for him,"don't be unhappy; I never thought of bringing you bad news.Laugh at the chance which has brought your friend near toyou and Monsieur du Vallon, instead of being in the depthsof despair about it."

But D'Artagnan was still in a desponding mood.

"And how did he look?" asked Porthos, who, perceiving thatD'Artagnan had allowed the conversation to drop, profited byit to put in a word or two.

"Very well, indeed, sir," replied Comminges; "at first, likeyou, he seemed distressed; but when he heard that thecardinal was going to pay him a visit this very evening - - "

"Ah!" cried D'Artagnan, "the cardinal is about to visit theComte de la Fere?"

"Yes; and the count desired me to tell you that he shouldtake advantage of this visit to plead for you and forhimself."

"Ah! our dear count!" said D'Artagnan.

"A fine thing, indeed!" grunted Porthos. "A great favor!Zounds! Monsieur the Comte de la Fere, whose family isallied to the Montmorency and the Rohan, is easily the equalof Monsieur de Mazarin."

"No matter," said D'Artagnan, in his most wheedling tone."On reflection, my dear Du Vallon, it is a great honor forthe Comte de la Fere, and gives good reason to hope. Infact, it seems to me so great an honor for a prisoner that Ithink Monsieur de Comminges must be mistaken."

"What? I am mistaken?"

"Monsieur de Mazarin will not come to visit the Comte de laFere, but the Comte de la Fere will be sent for to visithim."

"No, no, no," said Comminges, who made a point of having thefacts appear exactly as they were, "I clearly understoodwhat the cardinal said to me. He will come and visit theComte de la Fere."

D'Artagnan tried to gather from the expression of his eyeswhether Porthos understood the importance of that visit, butPorthos did not even look toward him.

"It is, then, the cardinal's custom to walk in hisorangery?" asked D'Artagnan.

"Every evening he shuts himself in there. That, it seems, iswhere he meditates on state affairs."

"In that case," said D'Artagnan, "I begin to believe thatMonsieur de la Fere will receive the visit of his eminence;he will, of course, have an escort."

"Yes - two soldiers."

"And will he talk thus of affairs in presence of twostrangers?"

"The soldiers are Swiss, who understand only German.Besides, according to all probability they will wait at thedoor."

D'Artagnan made a violent effort over himself to keep hisface from being too expressive.

"Let the cardinal take care of going alone to visit theComte de la Fere," said D'Artagnan; "for the count must befurious."

Comminges began to laugh. "Oh, oh! why, really, one wouldsay that you four were anthropaphagi! The count is anaffable man; besides, be is unarmed; at the first word fromhis eminence the two soldiers about him would run to hisassistance."

"Two soldiers," said D'Artagnan, seeming to remembersomething, "two soldiers, yes; that, then, is why I hear twomen called every evening and see them walking sometimes forhalf an hour, under my window."

"That is it; they are waiting for the cardinal, or ratherfor Bernouin, who comes to call them when the cardinal goesout."

"Fine-looking men, upon my word!" said D'Artagnan.

"They belong to the regiment that was at Lens, which theprince assigned to the cardinal."

"Ah, monsieur," said D'Artagnan, as if to sum up in a wordall that conversation, "if only his eminence would relentand grant to Monsieur de la Fere our liberty."

"I wish it with all my heart," said Comminges.

"Then, if he should forget that visit, you would find noinconvenience in reminding him of it?"

"Not at all."

"Ah, that gives me more confidence."

This skillful turn of the conversation would have seemed asublime manoeuvre to any one who could have read theGascon's soul.

"Now," said D'Artagnan, "I've one last favor to ask of you,Monsieur de Comminges."

"At your service, sir."

"You will see the count again?"

"To-morrow morning."

"Will you remember us to him and ask him to solicit for methe same favor that he will have obtained?"

"You want the cardinal to come here?"

"No; I know my place and am not so presumptuous. Let hiseminence do me the honor to give me a hearing; that is all Iwant."

"Oh!" muttered Porthos, shaking his head, "never should Ihave thought this of him! How misfortune humbles a man!"

"I promise you it shall be done," answered De Comminges.

"Tell the count that I am well; that you found me sad, butresigned."

"I am pleased, sir, to hear that."

"And the same, also, for Monsieur du Vallon - - "

"Not for me ," cried Porthos; "I am not by any meansresigned."

"But you will be resigned, my friend."

"Never!"

"He will become so, monsieur; I know him better than heknows himself. Be silent, dear Du Vallon, and resignyourself."

"Adieu, gentlemen," said De Comminges; "sleep well!"

"We will try."

De Comminges went away, D'Artagnan remaining apparently inthe same attitude of humble resignation; but scarcely had hedeparted when he turned and clasped Porthos in his arms withan expression not to be doubted.

"Oh!" cried Porthos; "what's the matter now? Have you gonemad, my dear friend?"

"What is the matter?" returned D'Artagnan; "we are saved!"

"I don't see that at all," answered Porthos. "I think we areall taken prisoners, except Aramis, and that our chances ofgetting out are lessened since one more of us is caught inMazarin's mousetrap."

"Which is far too strong for two of us, but not strongenough for three of us," returned D'Artagnan.

"I don't understand," said Porthos.

"Never mind; let's sit down to table and take something tostrengthen us for the night."

"What are we to do, then, to-night?"

"To travel - perhaps."

"But - - "

"Sit down, dear friend, to table. When one is eating, ideasflow easily. After supper, when they are perfected, I willcommunicate my plans to you."

So Porthos sat down to table without another word and atewith an appetite that did honor to the confidence that wasever inspired in him by D'Artagnan's inventive imagination.