Part 29 (1/2)
”The devil take his gilded tongue!” grunan ”A cloith a ould be worth a dozen of him Adieu!”
”Monsieur, I have the honor to present you nan to hiave another look up to the house, turned his horse's head, and set off like ain his ht,--”Well, noonder,” said he, breathing quickly, ”whether Athos was at ho with their arms crossed, would have been at work if the eye of the one on a journey?--that is incomprehensible Bah! it is all devilish mysterious! And then--no--he is not the , patient mind My business is at Melun, in a certain presbytery I aues--four days and a half! Well, it is fine weather, and I am free Never mind the distance!”
And he put his horse into a trot, directing his course towards Paris On the fourth day he alighted at Melun, as he had intended
D'Artagnan was never in the habit of asking any one on the road for any common information For these sorts of details, unless in very serious circumstances, he confided in his perspicacity, which was so seldoreat habit of reading the physiognonan i house, plastered over red brick, with vines cliutters, and a cross, in carved stone, surround-floor of this house ca of young birds when the brood is just hatched under the down
One of these voices was spelling the alphabet distinctly A voice thick, yet pleasant, at the same time scolded the talkers and corrected the faults of the reader D'Artagnan recognized that voice, and as theof the ground-floor was open, he leant down from his horse under the branches and red fibers of the vine and cried, ”Bazin, ood-day to you”
A short, fat ray hairs, cut short, in imitation of a tonsure, and covered with an old black velvet cap, arose as soon as he heard D'Artagnan--we ought not to say arose, but bounded up In fact, Bazin bounded up, carrying with him his little low chair, which the children tried to take aith battlesto recover the body of Patroclus from the hands of the Trojans Bazin did more than bound; he let fall both his alphabet and his ferule ”You!” said he; ”you, Monsieur D'Artagnan?”
”Yes, myself! Where is Aramis--no, M le Chevalier d'Herblay--no, I am still mistaken--Monsieur le Vicaire-General?”
”Ah, neur is at his diocese”
”What did you say?” said D'Artagnan Bazin repeated the sentence
”Ah, ah! but has Aramis a diocese?”
”Yes, monsieur Why not?”
”Is he a bishop, then?”
”Why, where can you come from,” said Bazin, rather irreverently, ”that you don't know that?”
”My dear Bazin, we pagans, we men of the sword, know very hen a man is made a colonel, or maitre-de-camp, or marshal of France; but if he be made a bishop, arch-bishop, or pope--devil take me if the news reaches us before the three quarters of the earth have had the advantage of it!”
”Hush!+ hush!+” said Bazin, opening his eyes: ”do not spoil these poor children, in whoood principles”
In fact, the children had surrounded D'Artagnan, whose horse, long sword, spurs, and martial air they veryvoice; so that, when he uttered his oath, the whole school cried out, ”The devil take hter, shouts, and bounds, which delighted the ue
”There!” said he, ”hold your tongues, you brats! You have coood principles fly away With you, as usual, comes disorder Babel is revived Ah! Good Lord! Ah! the wild little wretches!” And the worthy Bazin distributed right and left blohich increased the cries of his scholars by changing the nature of theer decoy any one here”
”Do you think so?” said D'Artagnan, with a smile which made a shudder creep over the shoulders of Bazin
”He is capable of it,” murmured he
”Where is your neur Rene is bishop of Vannes”
”Who had hihbor”
”What! Monsieur Fouquet?”