relate scours the highway--I
naturally suppose that my two friends, who did not wish to be
communicative with me, had certain matters of the highest importance
to conceal from me, and so I made as much haste as my leanness and the
absence of gout would allow."

"Did it not occur to you, my dear friend, that you might be rendering
Porthos and myself a very sad service?"

"Yes, I thought it not unlikely; but you and Porthos made me play a very
ridiculous part at Belle-Isle."

"I beg your pardon," said Aramis.

"Excuse me," said D'Artagnan.

"So that," pursued Aramis, "you now know everything?"

"No, indeed."

"You know I was obliged to inform M. Fouquet of what had happened, in
order that he would be able to anticipate what you might have to tell
the king?"

"That is rather obscure."

"Not at all: M. Fouquet has his enemies--you will admit that, I
suppose."

"Certainly."

"And one in particular."

"A dangerous one?"

"A mortal enemy. Well, in order to counteract that man's influence, it
was necessary that M. Fouquet should give the king a proof of his great
devotion to him, and of his readiness to make the greatest sacrifices.
He surprised his majesty by offering him Belle-Isle. If you had been the
first to reach Paris, the surprise would have been destroyed, it would
have looked as if we had yielded to fear."

"I understand."

"That is the whole mystery," said Aramis, satisfied that he had at last
quite convinced the musketeer.

"Only," said the latter, "it would have been more simple to have
taken me aside, and said to me, 'My dear D'Artagnan, we are fortifying
Belle-Isle, and intend to offer it to the king. Tell us frankly, for
whom you are acting. Are you a friend of M. Colbert, or of M. Fouquet?'
Perhaps I should not have answered you, but you would have added,--'Are
you my friend?' I should have said 'Yes.'" Aramis hung down his head.
"In this way," continued D'Artagnan, "you would have paralyzed my
movements, and I should have gone to the king, and said, 'Sire, M.
Fouquet is fortifying Belle-Isle, and exceedingly well, too; but here is
a note, which the governor of Belle-Isle gave me for your majesty;' or,
'M. Fouquet is about to wait upon your majesty to explain his intentions
with regard to it.' I should not have been placed in an absurd position;
you would have enjoyed the surprise so long planned, and we should not
have had any occasion to look askant at each other when we met."

"While