waiting-room, and showing them two stools:

"Your orders are very simple," he said; "don't allow anybody, except
one person, to enter here. Do you hear--not a single creature! Obey that
person implicitly. On your return you cannot make a mistake. You have
only to wait here till I release you."

D'Artagnan was known to this valet-de-chambre, who was no other than
Bernouin, and he had during the last six or eight months introduced the
Gascon a dozen times to the cardinal. The Gascon, therefore, instead of
answering, growled out "Ja! Ja!" in the most German and the least Gascon
accent possible.

As for Porthos, on whom D'Artagnan had impressed the necessity of
absolute silence and who did not even now begin to comprehend the scheme
of his friend, which was to follow Mazarin in his visit to Athos, he was
simply mute. All that he was allowed to say, in case of emergencies, was
the proverbial Der Teufel!

Bernouin shut the door and went away. When Porthos heard the key turn
in the lock he began to be alarmed, lest they should only have exchanged
one prison for another.

"Porthos, my friend," said D'Artagnan, "don't distrust Providence! Let
me meditate and consider."

"Meditate and consider as much as you like," replied Porthos, who was
now quite out of humor at seeing things take this turn.

"We have walked eight paces," whispered D'Artagnan, "and gone up
six steps, so hereabouts is the pavilion called the pavilion of the
orangery. The Comte de la Fere cannot be far off, only the doors are
locked."

"That is a slight difficulty," said Porthos, "and a good push with the
shoulders----"

"For God's sake, Porthos my friend, reserve your feats of strength, or
they will not have, when needed, the honor they deserve. Have you not
heard that some one is coming here?"

"Yes."

"Well, that some one will open the doors."

"But, my dear fellow, if that some one recognizes us, if that some one
cries out, we are lost; for you don't propose, I imagine, that I shall
kill that man of the church. That might do if we were dealing with
Englishmen or Germans."

"Oh, may God keep me from it, and you, too!" said D'Artagnan. "The young
king would, perhaps, show us some gratitude; but the queen would never
forgive us, and it is she whom we have to consider. And then, besides,
the useless blood! never! no, never! I have my plan; let me carry it out
and we shall laugh."

"So much the better," said Porthos; "I feel some need of it."