reflection
that it is from fear of me, and not affection that he acts thus. Well,
I shall endeavor that affection may follow." Then, after an instant's
deeper reflection,--"Bah!" said he, "to what purpose? He is an
Englishman." And he in his turn went out, a little confused after the
combat.

"So," said he, "I am a land-owner! But how the devil am I to share
the cottage with Planchet? Unless I give him the land, and I take the
chateau, or that he takes the house and I--nonsense! M. Monk will never
allow me to share a house he has inhabited, with a grocer. He is too
proud for that. Besides, why should I say anything about it to him? It
was not with the money of the company I have acquired that property, it
was with my mother-wit alone; it is all mine, then. So, now I will go
and find Athos." And he directed his steps towards the dwelling of the
Comte de la Fere

CHAPTER 37. How D'Artagnan regulated the "Assets" of the Company before
he established its "Liabilities"

"Decidedly," said D'Artagnan to himself, "I have struck a good vein.
That star which shines once in the life of every man, which shone for
Job and Iris, the most unfortunate of the Jews and the poorest of the
Greeks, is come at last to shine on me. I will commit no folly, I will
take advantage of it; it comes quite late enough to find me reasonable."

He supped that evening, in very good humor, with his friend Athos;
he said nothing to him about the expected donation, but he could not
forbear questioning his friend, while eating, about country produce,
sowing, and planting. Athos replied complacently, as he always did. His
idea was that D'Artagnan wished to become a land-owner, only he could
not help regretting, more than once, the absence of the lively humor
and amusing sallies of the cheerful companion of former days. In fact,
D'Artagnan was so absorbed, that, with his knife, he took advantage of
the grease left at the bottom of his plate, to trace ciphers and make
additions of surprising rotundity.

The order, or rather license, for their embarkation, arrived at Athos's
lodgings that evening. While this paper was remitted to the comte,
another messenger brought to D'Artagnan a little bundle of parchments,
adorned with all the seals employed in setting off property deeds in
England. Athos surprised him turning over the leaves of these different
acts which establish the transmission of property. The prudent
Monk--others would say the generou