Part 118 (1/2)
”Never”
”Well, then, take the letters thus, which compose the word, you see: A B; ma foi! here is an R, two E E, then a G” And he assembled the letters with a swiftness and skill which did not escape the eye of D'Artagnan
”Abrege,” said he, as he ended
”Good!” said D'Artagnan; ”here are plenty of letters got together; but how are they kept so?” And he poured out a second glass for the poet M
Jupenet s; then he pulled out--still from his pocket--a little metal ruler, coainst which he put together, and in a line, the characters, holding them under his left thumb
”And what do you call that little nan, ”for, I suppose, all these things have na-stick,” said Jupenet; ”it is by the aid of this stick that the lines are formed”
”Come, then, I was not mistaken in what I said; you have a press in your pocket,” said D'Artagnan, laughing with an air of simplicity so stupid, that the poet was completely his dupe
”No,” replied he; ”but I am too lazy to write, and when I have a verse in my head, I print it iht D'Artagnan to himself, ”this must be cleared up”
And under a pretext, which did not embarrass the musketeer, as fertile in expedients, he left the table, went downstairs, ran to the shed under which stood the poet's little cart, and poked the point of his poniard into the stuff which enveloped one of the packages, which he found full of types, like those which the poet had in his pocket
”Hunan, ”I do not yet knohether M Fouquet wishes to fortify Belle-Isle; but, at all events, here are some spiritual munitions for the castle” Then, enchanted with his rich discovery, he ran upstairs again, and resunan had learnt what he wished to know He, however, remained, none the less, face to face with his partner, to the moment when they heard froo out
The printer was iot ready His carriage aiting at the door The second traveler got into his saddle, in the courtyard, with his lackey
D'Artagnan followed Jupenet to the door; he embarked his cart and horse on board the boat As to the opulent traveler, he did the sanan e to find out his na Only he took such notice of his countenance, that it was ireat inclination to embark with the two travelers, but an interest more powerful than curiosity--that of success--repelled hiain to the hostelry He entered with a sigh, and went to bed directly in order to be ready early in thesleep
Chapter LXVIII D'Artagnan continues his Investigations
At daybreak D'Artagnan saddled Furet, who had fared su the remainder of the oats and hay left by his companions The musketeer sifted all he possibly could out of the host, who he found cunning, mistrustful, and devoted, body and soul, to M
Fouquet In order not to awaken the suspicions of thisa probable purchaser of some salt-mines To have embarked for Belle-Isle at Roche-Bernard, would have been to expose himself still further to comments which had, perhaps, been already made, and would be carried to the castle Moreover, it was singular that this traveler and his lackey should have renan, in spite of all the questions addressed by him to the host, who appeared to know him perfectly well Thethe salt- the sea on his right, and penetrating into that vast and desolate plain which resembles a sea of mud, of which, here and there, a few crests of salt silver the undulations Furet walked ad the foot-wide causehich separate the salt-nan, aware of the consequences of a fall, which would result in a cold bath, allowed hi at, on the horizon, three rocks, that rose up like lance-blades from the bosos of Batz and Le Croisic, exactly rese each other, attracted and suspended his attention If the traveler turned round, the better to make his observations, he saw on the other side an horizon of three other steeples, Guerande, Le Pouliguen, and Saint-Joachim, which, in their circumference, represented a set of skittles, of which he and Furet were but the wandering ball Piriac was the first little port on his right He went thither, with the names of the principal salters on his lips At the es, laden with stone, were leaving it It appeared strange to D'Artagnan, that stones should be leaving a country where none are found He had recourse to all the anan to learn froenan, that the stones very certainly did not come from Piriac or the marshes
”Where do they come from, then?” asked the musketeer
”Monsieur, they co, then?”
”Monsieur, to Belle-Isle”
”Ah! ah!” said D'Artagnan, in the same tone he had assumed to tell the printer that his character interested hi at Belle-Isle, then?”
”Why, yes, monsieur, M Fouquet has the walls of the castle repaired every year”
”It is in ruins, then?”
”It is old”
”Thank you”