u learn all that?" asked D'Artagnan, who began
to fear that the investigation of Aramis had extended further than he
wished.

"Dear D'Artagnan," said the prelate, "my friendship resembles, in a
degree, the solicitude of that night watch whom we have in the little
tower of the mole, at the extremity of the quay. That brave man, every
night, lights a lantern to direct the barks that come from sea. He is
concealed in his sentry-box, and the fishermen do not see him; but he
follows them with interest; he divines them; he calls them; he attracts
them into the way to the port. I resemble this watcher; from time to
time some news reaches me, and recalls to my remembrance all those I
loved. Then I follow the friends of old days over the stormy ocean of
the world, I, a poor watcher, to whom God has kindly given the shelter
of a sentry-box."

"Well, what did I do when I came from England?"

"Ah! there," replied Aramis, "you get beyond my depth. I know nothing of
you since your return. D'Artagnan, my eyes are dim. I regretted you did
not think of me. I wept over your forgetfulness. I was wrong. I see you
again, and it is a festival, a great festival, I assure you, solemnly!
How is Athos?"

"Very well, thank you."

"And our young pupil, Raoul?"

"He seems to have inherited the skill of his father, Athos, and the
strength of his tutor, Porthos."

"And on what occasion have you been able to judge of that?"

"Eh! _mon Dieu!_ on the eve of my departure from Paris."

"Indeed! tell me all about it!"

"Yes; there was an execution at the Greve, and in consequence of that
execution, a riot. We happened, by accident, to be in the riot; and in
this riot we were obliged to have recourse to our swords. And he did
wonders."

"Bah! what did he do?"

"Why, in the first place, he threw a man out of the window, as he would
have flung a sack full of flock."

"Come, that's pretty well," said Porthos.

"Then he drew, and cut and thrust away, as we fellows used to do in the
good old times."

"And what was the cause of this riot?" said Porthos.

D'Artagnan remarked upon the face of Aramis a complete indifference to
this question of Porthos. "Why," said he, fixing his eyes upon Aramis,
"on account of the two farmers of the revenue, friends of M. Fouquet,
whom the king forced to disgorge their plunder, and then hanged them."

A scarcely perceptible contraction of the prelate's brow showed that he
had heard D'Artagnan's reply. "Oh, oh