at Penmarch
may be raised to the rank of my Pylades? No, this fellow is too ragged,
and seems to eat too much; but as one must not be too capricious in
prison, let us make use of the hour--I will recount my adventure to
Mademoiselle de Launay, and she will put it into verse for the Chevalier
Dumesnil."

Gaston was now alone with the prisoner, who yawned and turned in his
bed.

"Ugh! how cold it is in this cursed Bastille," said he, rubbing his
nose.

"That voice, that gesture--it is he!" said Gaston, and he approached the
bed.

"What," cried the prisoner, sitting up in bed, and looking at Gaston,
"you here, M. de Chanlay?"

"Captain la Jonquiere," cried Gaston.

"Myself--that is to say, I am the person you name; but my name is
changed."

"To what?"----"First Tresor."

"What?"

"First Tresor. It is a custom in the Bastille for the prisoner to take
the name of his room--that saves the turnkey the trouble of remembering
names; however, if the Bastille be full, and two or three prisoners in
the same room, they take two numbers; for example: I am first Tresor, if
you were put here you would be first Tresor number two; another would be
first Tresor number three--the jailers have a kind of Latin literature
for this."

"Yes, I understand," said Gaston, watching La Jonquiere intently; "then
you are a prisoner?"

"Parbleu, you see for yourself; I presume we are neither of us here for
pleasure."

"Then we are discovered."

"I am afraid so."

"Thanks to you."

"How to me?" cried La Jonquiere, feigning surprise. "No jokes, I beg."

"You have made revelations, traitor!"

"I! come, come, young man, you are mad; you ought not to be in the
Bastille, but in the Petites Maisons."

"Do not deny it, M. d'Argenson told me!"

"D'Argenson; pardieu, the authority is good; and do you know what he
told me?"

"No."

"That you had denounced me."

"Monsieur!"

"Well; what then? Are we to cut each other's throats because the police
has followed out its trade and lied?"

"But how could he discover?"

"I ask the same of you. But one thing is certain; if I had told
anything, I should not be here. You have not seen much of me, but you
ought to know that I should not be fool enough to give information
gratis; revelations are bought and sold, monsieur, and I know that
Dubois pays high for them."

"Perhaps you are right," said Gaston; "but at least let us bless the
chance which brings us together."

"Certainly."