taken Marchiali away from me, do
you bring him back again?" cried the unhappy governor, in a paroxysm of
terror, and completely dumbfounded.

"For a friend such as you are," said Aramis--"for so devoted a servant,
I have no secrets;" and he put his mouth close to Baisemeaux's ear, as
he said, in a low tone of voice, "you know the resemblance between that
unfortunate fellow, and--"

"And the king?--yes!"

"Very good; the first use that Marchiali made of his liberty was to
persist--Can you guess what?"

"How is it likely I should guess?"

"To persist in saying that he was king of France; to dress himself up in
clothes like those of the king; and then pretend to assume that he was
the king himself."

"Gracious heavens!"

"That is the reason why I have brought him back again, my dear friend.
He is mad and lets every one see how mad he is."

"What is to be done, then?"

"That is very simple; let no one hold any communication with him. You
understand that when his peculiar style of madness came to the king's
ears, the king, who had pitied his terrible affliction, and saw that
all his kindness had been repaid by black ingratitude, became perfectly
furious; so that, now--and remember this very distinctly, dear Monsieur
de Baisemeaux, for it concerns you most closely--so that there is now, I
repeat, sentence of death pronounced against all those who may allow
him to communicate with any one else but me or the king himself. You
understand, Baisemeaux, sentence of death!"

"You need not ask me whether I understand."

"And now, let us go down, and conduct this poor devil back to his
dungeon again, unless you prefer he should come up here."

"What would be the good of that?"

"It would be better, perhaps, to enter his name in the prison-book at
once!"

"Of course, certainly; not a doubt of it."

"In that case, have him up."

Baisemeaux ordered the drums to be beaten and the bell to be rung, as
a warning to every one to retire, in order to avoid meeting a prisoner,
about whom it was desired to observe a certain mystery. Then, when the
passages were free, he went to take the prisoner from the carriage, at
whose breast Porthos, faithful to the directions which had been given
him, still kept his musket leveled. "Ah! is that you, miserable wretch?"
cried the governor, as soon as he perceived the king. "Very good, very
good." And immediately, making the king get out of the carriage, he led
him, still accompanied by P