f stupefied, upon
the three persons before him.

"Now," continued Aramis, taking the same graceful position in his easy
chair that he would have assumed in bed, and complacently examining his
hand, which was as white and plump as that of a woman, and which he
held in the air to cause the blood to descend, "now, as you have heard,
d'Artagnan, Monsieur the Principal is desirous that my thesis should be
dogmatic, while I, for my part, would rather it should be ideal. This is
the reason why Monsieur the Principal has proposed to me the following
subject, which has not yet been treated upon, and in which I perceive
there is matter for magnificent elaboration-'UTRAQUE MANUS IN
BENEDICENDO CLERICIS INFERIORIBUS NECESSARIA EST.'"

D'Artagnan, whose erudition we are well acquainted with, evinced no more
interest on hearing this quotation than he had at that of M. de Treville
in allusion to the gifts he pretended that d'Artagnan had received from
the Duke of Buckingham.

"Which means," resumed Aramis, that he might perfectly understand, "'The
two hands are indispensable for priests of the inferior orders, when
they bestow the benediction.'"

"An admirable subject!" cried the Jesuit.

"Admirable and dogmatic!" repeated the curate, who, about as strong as
d'Artagnan with respect to Latin, carefully watched the Jesuit in order
to keep step with him, and repeated his words like an echo.

As to d'Artagnan, he remained perfectly insensible to the enthusiasm of
the two men in black.

"Yes, admirable! PRORSUS ADMIRABILE!" continued Aramis; "but which
requires a profound study of both the Scriptures and the Fathers. Now, I
have confessed to these learned ecclesiastics, and that in all humility,
that the duties of mounting guard and the service of the king have
caused me to neglect study a little. I should find myself, therefore,
more at my ease, FACILUS NATANS, in a subject of my own choice,
which would be to these hard theological questions what morals are to
metaphysics in philosophy."

D'Artagnan began to be tired, and so did the curate.

"See what an exordium!" cried the Jesuit.

"Exordium," repeated the curate, for the sake of saying something.
"QUEMADMODUM INTER COELORUM IMMENSITATEM."

Aramis cast a glance upon d'Artagnan to see what effect all this
produced, and found his friend gaping enough to split his jaws.

"Let us speak French, my father," said he to the Jesuit; "Monsieur
d'Artagnan will enjoy our conversation