g heartily; "relate your
story and I will applaud it if it is a good one."

"A great prince," said Aramis, "with whom Mazarin sought an alliance,
was invited by him to send him a list of the conditions on which he
would do him the honor to negotiate with him. The prince, who had a
great repugnance to treat with such an ill-bred fellow, made out a list,
against the grain, and sent it. In this list there were three conditions
which displeased Mazarin and he offered the prince ten thousand crowns
to renounce them."

"Ah, ha, ha!" laughed the three friends, "not a bad bargain; and there
was no fear of being taken at his word; what did the prince do then?"

"The prince immediately sent fifty thousand francs to Mazarin, begging
him never to write to him again, and offered twenty thousand francs
more, on condition that he would never speak to him. What did Mazarin
do?"

"Stormed!" suggested Athos.

"Beat the messenger!" cried Porthos.

"Accepted the money!" said D'Artagnan.

"You have guessed it," answered Aramis; and they all laughed so heartily
that the host appeared in order to inquire whether the gentlemen wanted
anything; he thought they were fighting.

At last their hilarity calmed down and:

"Faith!" exclaimed D'Artagnan to the two friends, "you may well wish ill
to Mazarin; for I assure you, on his side he wishes you no good."

"Pooh! really?" asked Athos. "If I thought the fellow knew me by my name
I would be rebaptized, for fear it might be thought I knew him."

"He knows you better by your actions than your name; he is quite aware
that there are two gentlemen who greatly aided the escape of Monsieur de
Beaufort, and he has instigated an active search for them, I can answer
for it."

"By whom?"

"By me; and this morning he sent for me to ask me if I had obtained any
information."

"And what did you reply?"

"That I had none as yet; but that I was to dine to-day with two
gentlemen, who would be able to give me some."

"You told him that?" said Porthos, a broad smile spreading over his
honest face. "Bravo! and you are not afraid of that, Athos?"

"No," replied Athos, "it is not the search of Mazarin that I fear."

"Now," said Aramis, "tell me a little what you do fear."

"Nothing for the present; at least, nothing in good earnest."

"And with regard to the past?" asked Porthos.

"Oh! the past is another thing," said Athos, sighing; "the past and the
future."

"Are you afraid for your young