Tremblay leaves;" meaning that at the death of the cardinal
Du Tremblay would certainly lose his place at the Bastile and De
Bassompierre regain his at court.

His prediction was nearly fulfilled, but in a very different way from
that which De Bassompierre supposed; for after the death of Richelieu
everything went on, contrary to expectation, in the same way as before;
and Bassompierre had little chance of leaving his prison.

Monsieur du Tremblay received D'Artagnan with extreme politeness and
invited him to sit down with him to supper, of which he was himself
about to partake.

"I should be delighted to do so," was the reply; "but if I am not
mistaken, the words 'In haste,' are written on the envelope of the
letter which I brought."

"You are right," said Du Tremblay. "Halloo, major! tell them to order
Number 25 to come downstairs."

The unhappy wretch who entered the Bastile ceased, as he crossed the
threshold, to be a man--he became a number.

D'Artagnan shuddered at the noise of the keys; he remained on horseback,
feeling no inclination to dismount, and sat looking at the bars, at the
buttressed windows and the immense walls he had hitherto only seen from
the other side of the moat, but by which he had for twenty years been
awe-struck.

A bell resounded.

"I must leave you," said Du Tremblay; "I am sent for to sign the release
of a prisoner. I shall be happy to meet you again, sir."

"May the devil annihilate me if I return thy wish!" murmured D'Artagnan,
smiling as he pronounced the imprecation; "I declare I feel quite ill
after only being five minutes in the courtyard. Go to! go to! I would
rather die on straw than hoard up a thousand a year by being governor of
the Bastile."

He had scarcely finished this soliloquy before the prisoner arrived. On
seeing him D'Artagnan could hardly suppress an exclamation of surprise.
The prisoner got into the carriage without seeming to recognize the
musketeer.

"Gentlemen," thus D'Artagnan addressed the four musketeers, "I am
ordered to exercise the greatest possible care in guarding the prisoner,
and since there are no locks to the carriage, I shall sit beside him.
Monsieur de Lillebonne, lead my horse by the bridle, if you please." As
he spoke he dismounted, gave the bridle of his horse to the musketeer
and placing himself by the side of the prisoner said, in a voice
perfectly composed, "To the Palais Royal, at full trot."

The carriage drove on and D'Artagna