yet have happy days! My love, my blood, my life! all, all,
all, are thine, my adored mistress!"

And he kissed the letter with passion, without even vouchsafing a look
at the gold which sparkled on the table.

Bazin scratched at the door, and as Aramis had no longer any reason to
exclude him, he bade him come in.

Bazin was stupefied at the sight of the gold, and forgot that he came
to announce d'Artagnan, who, curious to know who the mendicant could be,
came to Aramis on leaving Athos.

Now, as d'Artagnan used no ceremony with Aramis, seeing that Bazin
forgot to announce him, he announced himself.

"The devil! my dear Aramis," said d'Artagnan, "if these are the prunes
that are sent to you from Tours, I beg you will make my compliments to
the gardener who gathers them."

"You are mistaken, friend d'Artagnan," said Aramis, always on his guard;
"this is from my publisher, who has just sent me the price of that poem
in one-syllable verse which I began yonder."

"Ah, indeed," said d'Artagnan. "Well, your publisher is very generous,
my dear Aramis, that's all I can say."

"How, monsieur?" cried Bazin, "a poem sell so dear as that! It is
incredible! Oh, monsieur, you can write as much as you like; you may
become equal to Monsieur de Voiture and Monsieur de Benserade. I like
that. A poet is as good as an abbe. Ah! Monsieur Aramis, become a poet,
I beg of you."

"Bazin, my friend," said Aramis, "I believe you meddle with my
conversation."

Bazin perceived he was wrong; he bowed and went out.

"Ah!" said d'Artagnan with a smile, "you sell your productions at their
weight in gold. You are very fortunate, my friend; but take care or you
will lose that letter which is peeping from your doublet, and which also
comes, no doubt, from your publisher."

Aramis blushed to the eyes, crammed in the letter, and re-buttoned his
doublet.

"My dear d'Artagnan," said he, "if you please, we will join our friends;
as I am rich, we will today begin to dine together again, expecting that
you will be rich in your turn."

"My faith!" said d'Artagnan, with great pleasure. "It is long since we
have had a good dinner; and I, for my part, have a somewhat hazardous
expedition for this evening, and shall not be sorry, I confess, to
fortify myself with a few glasses of good old Burgundy."

"Agreed, as to the old Burgundy; I have no objection to that," said
Aramis, from whom the letter and the gold had removed, as by magic, his
ideas of