on,
which it broke in; I really thought that, like Samson, I had demolished
the temple. And the number of pictures, the quantity of china, vases of
flowers, carpets, and window-poles, which fell down was really
wonderful."

"Indeed!"

"Without reckoning that, on the other side of the partition, was a small
table laden with porcelain--"

"Which you knocked over?"

"Which I dashed to the other side of the room," said Porthos, laughing.

"Upon my word, it is, as you say, astonishing," replied D'Artagnan,
beginning to laugh also; whereupon Porthos laughed louder than ever.

"I broke," said Porthos, in a voice half-choked from his increasing
mirth, "more than three thousand francs worth of china--oh! oh! oh!"

"Good!" said D'Artagnan.

"I smashed more than four thousand francs worth of glass--oh! oh! oh!"

"Excellent."

"Without counting a luster, which fell on my head and was broken into a
thousand pieces--oh! oh! oh!"

"Upon your head?" said D'Artagnan, holding his sides.

"On the top."

"But your head was broken, I suppose?"

"No, since I tell you, on the contrary, my dear fellow, that it was the
luster which was broken like glass, as it was, indeed."

"Ah! the luster was glass, you say."

"Venetian glass! a perfect curiosity, quite matchless, indeed, and
weighed two hundred pounds."

"And which fell upon your head!"

"Upon my head. Just imagine, a globe of crystal, gilded all over, the
lower part beautifully incrusted, perfumes burning at the top, and jets
from which flame issued when they were lighted."

"I quite understand; but they were not lighted at the time, I suppose?"

"Happily not, or I should have been set on fire."

"And you were only knocked down flat, instead?"

"Not at all."

"How, not at all?"

"Why the luster fell on my skull. It appears that we have upon the top
of our heads an exceedingly thick crust."

"Who told you that, Porthos?"

"The doctor. A sort of dome which would bear Notre-Dame, at Paris."

"Bah!"

"Yes, it seems that our skulls are made in that manner."

"Speak for yourself, my dear fellow, it is your own skull that is made
in that manner, and not the skulls of other people."

"Well, that may be so," said Porthos, conceitedly, "so much, however,
was that the case, in my instance, that no soon did the luster fall upon
the dome which we have at the top of our head, than there was a report
like a cannon, the crystal was broken to pieces, and I fell, cover