hat he did not move as
they approached, and, very likely, he did not think he was doing any
harm. Nor indeed did Truchen move either, which rather put Planchet out;
but he, too, had been so accustomed to see fashionable folk in his shop,
that he found no difficulty in putting a good countenance on what seemed
disagreeable or rude. Planchet seized Porthos by the arm, and proposed
to go and look at the horses, but Porthos pretended he was tired.
Planchet then suggested that the Baron du Vallon should taste some
noyeau of his own manufacture, which was not to be equaled anywhere; an
offer the baron immediately accepted; and, in this way, Planchet managed
to engage his enemy's attention during the whole of the day, by dint of
sacrificing his cellar, in preference to his _amour propre_. Two hours
afterwards D'Artagnan returned.

"Everything is arranged," he said; "I saw his majesty at the very moment
he was setting off for the chase; the king expects us this evening."

"The king expects _me!_" cried Porthos, drawing himself up. It is a sad
thing to have to confess, but a man's heart is like an ocean billow;
for, from that very moment Porthos ceased to look at Madame Truchen
in that touching manner which had so softened her heart. Planchet
encouraged these ambitious leanings as best as he could. He talked over,
or rather gave exaggerated accounts of all the splendors of the last
reign, its battles, sieges, and grand court ceremonies. He spoke of the
luxurious display which the English made; the prizes the three brave
companions carried off; and how D'Artagnan, who at the beginning had
been the humblest of the four, finished by becoming the leader. He fired
Porthos with a generous feeling of enthusiasm by reminding him of his
early youth now passed away; he boasted as much as he could of the moral
life this great lord had led, and how religiously he respected the ties
of friendship; he was eloquent, and skillful in his choice of subjects.
He tickled Porthos, frightened Truchen, and made D'Artagnan think. At
six o'clock, the musketeer ordered the horses to be brought round, and
told Porthos to get ready. He thanked Planchet for his kind hospitality,
whispered a few words about a post he might succeed in obtaining for
him at court, which immediately raised Planchet in Truchen's estimation,
where the poor grocer--so good, so generous, so devoted--had become much
lowered ever since the appearance and comparison with him of the two