, and make him listen to reason." And as Manicamp left
the apartment, the king turned round towards the three spectators of
this scene, and said, "Tell me, Monsieur d'Artagnan, how does it happen
that your sight is so imperfect?--you, whose eyes are generally so very
good."

"My sight bad, sire?"

"Certainly."

"It must be the case since your majesty says so; but in what respect,
may I ask?"

"Why, with regard to what occurred in the Bois-Rochin."

"Ah! ah!"

"Certainly. You pretended to have seen the tracks of two horses, to have
detected the footprints of two men; and have described the particulars
of an engagement, which you assert took place. Nothing of the sort
occurred; pure illusion on your part."

"Ah! ah!" said D'Artagnan.

"Exactly the same thing with the galloping to and fro of the horses, and
the other indications of a struggle. It was the struggle of De Guiche
against the wild boar, and absolutely nothing else; only the struggle
was a long and a terrible one, it seems."

"Ah! ah!" continued D'Artagnan.

"And when I think that I almost believed it for a moment--but, then, you
told it with such confidence."

"I admit, sire, that I must have been very short-sighted," said
D'Artagnan, with a readiness of humor which delighted the king.

"You do admit it, then?"

"Admit it, sire, most assuredly I do."

"So now that you see the thing--"

"In quite a different light from that in which I saw it half an hour
ago."

"And to what, then, do you attribute this difference in your opinion?"

"Oh! a very simple thing, sire; half an hour ago I returned from
Bois-Rochin, where I had nothing to light me but a stupid stable
lantern--"

"While now?"

"While now I have all the wax-lights of your cabinet, and more than
that, your majesty's own eyes, which illuminate everything, like the
blazing sun at noonday."

The king began to laugh; and Saint-Aignan broke out into convulsions of
merriment.

"It is precisely like M. Valot," said D'Artagnan, resuming the
conversation where the king had left off; "he has been imagining all
along, that not only was M. de Guiche wounded by a bullet, but still
more, that he extracted it, even, from his chest."

"Upon my word," said Valot, "I assure you--"

"Now, did you not believe that?" continued D'Artagnan.

"Yes," said Valot; "not only did I believe it, but, at this very moment,
I would swear it."

"Well, my dear doctor, you have dreamt it."

"I have dreamt