bliged to call to his aid all the strength of his facial muscles to
suppress an enormous inclination to laugh.

"Tuesday, learned pleasures."

"Good!" cried D'Artagnan. "What are they? Detail them, my dear
Mousqueton."

"Monseigneur has bought a sphere or globe, which I shall show you; it
fills all the perimeter of the great tower, except a gallery which he
has had built over the sphere: there are little strings and brass wires
to which the sun and moon are hooked. It all turns; and that is very
beautiful. Monseigneur points out to me seas and distant countries. We
don't intend to visit them, but it is very interesting."

"Interesting! yes, that's the word," repeated D'Artagnan. "And
Wednesday?"

"Rustic pleasures, as I have had the honor to tell you, monsieur le
chevalier. We look over monseigneur's sheep and goats; we make the
shepherds dance to pipes and reeds, as is written in a book monseigneur
has in his library, which is called 'Bergeries.' The author died about a
month ago."

"Monsieur Racan, perhaps," said D'Artagnan.

"Yes, that was his name--M. Racan. But that is not all: we angle in
the little canal, after which we dine, crowned with flowers. That is
Wednesday."

"Peste!" said D'Artagnan, "you don't divide your pleasures badly. And
Thursday?--what can be left for poor Thursday?"

"It is not very unfortunate, monsieur," said Mousqueton, smiling.
"Thursday, Olympian pleasures. Ah, monsieur, that is superb! We get
together all monseigneur's young vassals, and we make them throw the
disc, wrestle, and run races. Monseigneur can't run now, no more can I;
but monseigneur throws the disc as nobody else can throw it. And when he
does deal a blow, oh, that proves a misfortune!"

"How so?"

"Yes, monsieur, we were obliged to renounce the cestus. He cracked
heads; he broke jaws--beat in ribs. It was charming sport; but nobody
was willing to play with him."

"Then his wrist----"

"Oh, monsieur, firmer than ever. Monseigneur gets a trifle weaker in his
legs,--he confesses that himself; but his strength has all taken refuge
in his arms, so that----"

"So that he can knock down bullocks, as he used formerly."

"Monsieur, better than that--he beats in walls. Lately, after
having supped with one of our farmers--you know how popular and kind
monseigneur is--after supper as a joke, he struck the wall a blow. The
wall crumbled away beneath his hand, the roof fell in, and three men and
an old woman were stif