"But who the devil has fortified this paltry little place in this
manner?"

Porthos drew himself up proudly: "Did I not tell you who?"

"No."

"Do you not suspect?"

"No; all I can say is that he is a man who has studied all the systems,
and who appears to me to have stopped at the best."

"Hush!" said Porthos; "consider my modesty, my dear D'Artagnan."

"In truth," replied the musketeer, "can it be you--who--oh!"

"Pray--my dear friend--"

"You who have imagined, traced, and combined between these bastions,
these redans, these curtains, these half-moons; and are preparing that
covered way?"

"I beg you--"

"You who have built that lunette with its retiring angles and its
salient edges?"

"My friend--"

"You who have given that inclination to the openings of your embrasures,
by means of which you so effectively protect the men who serve the
guns?"

"Eh! _mon Dieu!_ yes."

"Oh! Porthos, Porthos! I must bow down before you--I must admire you!
But you have always concealed from us this superb, this incomparable
genius. I hope, my dear friend, you will show me all this in detail."

"Nothing more easy. Here lies my original sketch, my plan."

"Show it me." Porthos led D'Artagnan towards the stone that served him
for a table, and upon which the plan was spread. At the foot of the plan
was written, in the formidable writing of Porthos, writing of which we
have already had occasion to speak:--

"Instead of making use of the square or rectangle, as has been done to
this time, you will suppose your place inclosed in a regular hexagon,
this polygon having the advantage of offering more angles than the
quadrilateral one. Every side of your hexagon, of which you will
determine the length in proportion to the dimensions taken upon the
place, will be divided into two parts, and upon the middle point you
will elevate a perpendicular towards the center of the polygon, which
will equal in length the sixth part of the side. By the extremities of
each side of the polygon, you will trace two diagonals, which will cut
the perpendicular. These will form the precise lines of your defense."

"The devil!" said D'Artagnan, stopping at this point of the
demonstration; "why, this is a complete system, Porthos."

"Entirely," said Porthos. "Continue."

"No; I have read enough of it; but, since it is you, my dear Porthos,
who direct the works, what need have you of setting down your system so
formally in writing?"

"Oh!