them as you do. It was that which
made me ask you, just now. What are you doing here, baron?"

"I am studying topography, chevalier."

"You are studying topography?"

"Yes; but you--what are you doing in that common dress?"

D'Artagnan perceived he had committed a fault in giving expression to
his astonishment. Porthos had taken advantage of it, to retort with a
question. "Why," said he, "you know I am a bourgeois, in fact; my
dress, then, has nothing astonishing in it, since it conforms with my
condition."

"Nonsense! you are a musketeer."

"You are wrong, my friend; I have given in my resignation."

"Bah!"

"Oh, _mon Dieu!_ yes."

"And you have abandoned the service?"

"I have quitted it."

"You have abandoned the king?"

"Quite."

Porthos raised his arms towards heaven, like a man who has heard
extraordinary news. "Well, that _does_ confound me," said he.

"It is nevertheless true."

"And what led you to form such a resolution."

"The king displeased me. Mazarin had disgusted me for a long time, as
you know; so I threw my cassock to the nettles."

"But Mazarin is dead."

"I know that well enough, _parbleu!_ Only, at the period of his death,
my resignation had been given in and accepted two months. Then, feeling
myself free, I set off for Pierrefonds, to see my friend Porthos. I
had heard talk of the happy division you had made of your time, and I
wished, for a fortnight, to divide mine after your fashion."

"My friend, you know that it is not for a fortnight my house is open to
you; it is for a year--for ten years--for life."

"Thank you, Porthos."

"Ah! but perhaps you want money--do you?" said Porthos, making something
like fifty louis chink in his pocket. "In that case, you know--"

"No, thank you; I am not in want of anything. I placed my savings with
Planchet, who pays me the interest of them."

"Your savings?"

"Yes, to be sure," said D'Artagnan: "why should I not put by my savings,
as well as another, Porthos?"

"Oh, there is no reason why; on the contrary, I always suspected
you--that is to say, Aramis always suspected you to have savings. For
my own part, d'ye see, I take no concern about the management of my
household; but I presume the savings of a musketeer must be small."

"No doubt, relative to yourself, Porthos, who are a millionaire; but you
shall judge. I had laid by twenty-five thousand livres."

"That's pretty well," said Porthos, with an affable air.

"And,"