. By your society, I mean, my dear Baisemeaux, the
society of which you are a member."

Baisemeaux looked fixedly at Aramis, and then, as if the idea which had
flashed across his mind were impossible, "Oh," he said, "I have very
little society at present. If I must own it to you, dear M. d'Herblay,
the fact is, to stay at the Bastile appears, for the most part,
distressing and distasteful to persons of the gay world. As for the
ladies, it is never without a certain dread, which costs me infinite
trouble to allay, that they succeed in reaching my quarters. And,
indeed, how should they avoid trembling a little, poor things, when
they see those gloomy dungeons, and reflect that they are inhabited
by prisoners who--" And in proportion as the eyes of Baisemeaux
concentrated their gaze on the face of Aramis, the worthy governor's
tongue faltered more and more until it ended by stopping altogether.

"No, you don't understand me, my dear M. Baisemeaux; you don't
understand me. I do not at all mean to speak of society in general, but
of a particular society--of _the_ society, in a word--to which you are
affiliated."

Baisemeaux nearly dropped the glass of muscat which he was in the act of
raising to his lips. "Affiliated," cried he, "affiliated!"

"Yes, affiliated, undoubtedly," repeated Aramis, with the greatest
self-possession. "Are you not a member of a secret society, my dear M.
Baisemeaux?"

"Secret?"

"Secret or mysterious."

"Oh, M. d'Herblay!"

"Consider, now, don't deny it."

"But believe me."

"I believe what I know."

"I swear to you."

"Listen to me, my dear M. Baisemeaux; I say yes, you say no; one of us
two necessarily says what is true, and the other, it inevitably follows,
what is false."

"Well, and then?"

"Well, we shall come to an understanding presently."

"Let us see," said Baisemeaux; "let us see."

"Now drink your glass of muscat, dear Monsieur de Baisemeaux," said
Aramis. "What the devil! you look quite scared."

"No, no; not the least in the world; oh, no."

"Drink then." Baisemeaux drank, but he swallowed the wrong way.

"Well," resumed Aramis, "if, I say, you are not a member of a secret
or mysterious society, which you like to call it--the epithet is of no
consequence--if, I say, you are not a member of a society similar to
that I wish to designate, well, then, you will not understand a word of
what I am going to say. That is all."

"Oh! be sure beforehand that I shall not