with a kind of loft--the space between the floor
of the king's room and the ceiling of the one below it. Their plan was
to pass through the hole they were making into this loft and cut out
from below a piece of the flooring of the king's room, so as to form a
kind of trap-door.

Through this the king was to escape the next night, and, hidden by the
black covering of the scaffold, was to change his dress for that of a
workman, slip out with his deliverers, pass the sentinels, who would
suspect nothing, and so reach the skiff that was waiting for him at
Greenwich.

Day gilded the tops of the houses. The aperture was finished and Athos
passed through it, carrying the clothes destined for the king wrapped
in black cloth, and the tools with which he was to open a communication
with the king's room. He had only two hours' work to do to open
communication with the king and, according to the calculations of
the four friends, they had the entire day before them, since, the
executioner being absent, another must be sent for to Bristol.

D'Artagnan returned to change his workman's clothes for his
chestnut-colored suit, and Porthos to put on his red doublet. As for
Aramis, he went off to the bishop's palace to see if he could possibly
pass in with Juxon to the king's presence. All three agreed to meet at
noon in Whitehall Place to see how things went on.

Before leaving the scaffold Aramis had approached the opening where
Athos was concealed to tell him that he was about to make an attempt to
gain another interview with the king.

"Adieu, then, and be of good courage," said Athos. "Report to the king
the condition of affairs. Say to him that when he is alone it will help
us if he will knock on the floor, for then I can continue my work in
safety. Try, Aramis, to keep near the king. Speak loud, very loud, for
they will be listening at the door. If there is a sentinel within the
apartment, kill him without hesitation. If there are two, let Parry kill
one and you the other. If there are three, let yourself be slain, but
save the king."

"Be easy," said Aramis; "I will take two poniards and give one to Parry.
Is that all?"

"Yes, go; but urge the king strongly not to stand on false generosity.
While you are fighting if there is a fight, he must flee. The trap once
replaced over his head, you being on the trap, dead or alive, they will
need at least ten minutes to find the hole by which he has escaped. In
those ten minutes we s