ith a sigh.

Porthos smiled. It may be remembered that he had the saddle which came
from Buckingham. These three hundred livres he reckoned upon putting
snugly into his pocket.

"Then," continued he, "there is a horse for my lackey, and my valise. As
to my arms, it is useless to trouble you about them; I have them."

"A horse for your lackey?" resumed the procurator's wife, hesitatingly;
"but that is doing things in lordly style, my friend."

"Ah, madame!" said Porthos, haughtily; "do you take me for a beggar?"

"No; I only thought that a pretty mule makes sometimes as good an
appearance as a horse, and it seemed to me that by getting a pretty mule
for Mousqueton--"

"Well, agreed for a pretty mule," said Porthos; "you are right, I have
seen very great Spanish nobles whose whole suite were mounted on mules.
But then you understand, Madame Coquenard, a mule with feathers and
bells."

"Be satisfied," said the procurator's wife.

"There remains the valise," added Porthos.

"Oh, don't let that disturb you," cried Mme. Coquenard. "My husband
has five or six valises; you shall choose the best. There is one in
particular which he prefers in his journeys, large enough to hold all
the world."

"Your valise is then empty?" asked Porthos, with simplicity.

"Certainly it is empty," replied the procurator's wife, in real
innocence.

"Ah, but the valise I want," cried Porthos, "is a well-filled one, my
dear."

Madame uttered fresh sighs. Moliere had not written his scene in
"L'Avare" then. Mme. Coquenard was in the dilemma of Harpagan.

Finally, the rest of the equipment was successively debated in the same
manner; and the result of the sitting was that the procurator's wife
should give eight hundred livres in money, and should furnish the
horse and the mule which should have the honor of carrying Porthos and
Mousqueton to glory.

These conditions being agreed to, Porthos took leave of Mme. Coquenard.
The latter wished to detain him by darting certain tender glances;
but Porthos urged the commands of duty, and the procurator's wife was
obliged to give place to the king.

The Musketeer returned home hungry and in bad humor.

33 SOUBRETTE AND MISTRESS

Meantime, as we have said, despite the cries of his conscience and
the wise counsels of Athos, d'Artagnan became hourly more in love with
Milady. Thus he never failed to pay his diurnal court to her; and the
self-satisfied Gascon was convinced that sooner or