ouquet, "that no friend could
be more incomparable and invaluable than yourself, my dear Monsieur
d'Herblay; but," he added, laughing, "all this time we are forgetting
our friend De Vallon; what has become of him? During the three days I
have spent at Saint-Mande, I confess I have forgotten him completely."

"I do not forget him, however," returned Aramis. "Porthos is at
Saint-Mande; all his joints are kept well greased, the greatest care is
being taken of him with regard to the food he eats, and to the wines he
drinks; I advise him to take daily airings in the small park, which you
have kept for your own use, and he makes use of it accordingly. He
begins to walk again, he exercises his muscular powers by bending down
young elm trees, or making the old oaks fly into splinters, as Milo of
Crotona used to do; and, as there are no lions in the park, it is not
unlikely we shall find him alive. Porthos is a brave fellow."

"Yes, but in the meantime he will get wearied to death."

"He never does that."

"He will be asking questions?"

"He sees no one."

"At all events, he is looking or hoping for something or another?"

"I have inspired in him a hope which we will realize some fine morning,
and he subsists on that."

"What is it?"

"That of being presented to the king."

"Oh! oh! in what character?"

"As the engineer of Belle-Isle, of course."

"Is it possible?"

"Quite true."

"Shall we not be obliged, then, to send him back to Belle-Isle?"

"Most certainly; I am even thinking of sending him back as soon as
possible. Porthos is very fond of display; he is a man whose weaknesses
D'Artagnan, Athos and myself are alone acquainted with; he never commits
himself in any way; he is dignity itself; to the officers there, he
would seem like a Paladin of the time of the Crusades. He would make the
whole staff drunk, without getting so himself, and every one will regard
him as an object of admiration and sympathy; if, therefore, it should
happen that we should have any orders requiring to be carried out,
Porthos is an incarnation of the order itself, and whatever he chose to
do, others would find themselves obliged to submit to."

"Send him back then."

"That is what I intend to do; but in a few days only, for I must not
omit to tell you one thing."

"What is it?"

"I begin to suspect D'Artagnan. He is not at Fontainebleau, as you may
have noticed, and D'Artagnan is never absent, or apparently idle,
without so