ue les Lombards, at the sign of the Pilon d'Or, it has
been agreed as follows:--A company, with a capital of forty thousand
livres, and formed for the purpose of carrying out an idea conceived by
M. d'Artagnan, and the said Planchet approving of it in all points,
will place twenty thousand livres in the hands of M. d'Artagnan. He
will require neither repayment nor interest before the return of M.
d'Artagnan from a journey he is about to take into England. On his part,
M. d'Artagnan undertakes to find twenty thousand livres, which he will
join to the twenty thousand already laid down by the Sieur Planchet.
He will employ the said sum of forty thousand livres according to his
judgment in an undertaking which is described below. On the day when
M. d'Artagnan shall have re-established, by whatever means, his majesty
King Charles II. upon the throne of England, he will pay into the hands
of M. Planchet the sum of----"

"The sum of a hundred and fifty thousand livres," said Planchet,
innocently, perceiving that D'Artagnan hesitated.

"Oh, the devil, no!" said D'Artagnan, "the division cannot be made by
half; that would not be just."

"And yet, monsieur; we each lay down half," objected Planchet, timidly.

"Yes; but listen to this clause, my dear Planchet, and if you do not
find it equitable in every respect when it is written, well, we can
scratch it out again:--'Nevertheless, as M. d'Artagnan brings to the
association, besides his capital of twenty thousand livres, his time,
his idea, his industry and his skin,--things which he appreciates
strongly, particularly the last,--M. d'Artagnan will keep, of the three
hundred thousand livres two hundred thousand livres for himself, which
will make his share two-thirds."

"Very well," said Planchet.

"Is it just?" asked D'Artagnan.

"Perfectly just, monsieur."

"And you will be contented with a hundred thousand livres?"

"Peste! I think so. A hundred thousand for twenty thousand!"

"And in a month, understand."

"How, in a month?"

"Yes, I only ask one month."

"Monsieur," said Planchet, generously, "I give you six weeks."

"Thank you," replied the musketeer, politely; after which the two
partners reperused their deed.

"That is perfect, monsieur," said Planchet, "and the late M. Coquenard,
the first husband of Madame la Baronne du Vallon, could not have done it
better."

"Do you find it so? Let us sign it, then." And both affixed their
signatures.

"In this fa