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The Vicomte De Bragelonne
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The Vicomte De Bragelonne 309 at Prostate Health
admirable situation yours is captain," hecontinued, after a pause, "captain-lieutenant of themusketeers.""Oh, it is good enough; but I dont see why you should envyme; you, governor of the Bastile, the first castle inFrance.""I am well aware of that," said Baisemeaux, in a sorrowfultone of voice."You say that like a man confessing his sins. I wouldwillingly exchange my profits for yours.""Dont speak of profits to me if you wish to save me thebitterest anguish of mind.""Why do you look first on one side and then on the other, asif you were afraid of being arrested yourself, you whosebusiness it is to arrest others?""I was looking to see whether any one could see or listen tous; it would be safer to confer more in private, if youwould grant me such a favor.""Baisemeaux, you seem to forget we are acquaintances of fiveand thirty years standing. Dont assume such sanctifiedairs; make yourself quite comfortable; I dont eat governorsof the Bastile raw.""Heaven be praised!""Come into the courtyard with me, its a beautiful moonlightnight; we will walk up and down arm in arm under the trees,while you tell me your pitiful tale." He drew the dolefulgovernor into the courtyard, took him by the arm as he hadsaid, and, in his rough, good-humored way, cried: "Out withit, rattle away, Baisemeaux; what have you got to say?""Its a long story.""You prefer your own lamentations, then; my opinion is, itwill be longer than ever. Ill wager you are making fiftythousand francs out of your pigeons in the Bastile.""Would to heaven that were the case, M. dArtagnan.""You surprise me, Baisemeaux; just look at you, acting theanchorite. I should like to show you your face in a glass,and you would see how plump and florid-looking you are, asfat and round as a cheese, with eyes like lighted coals; andif it were not for that ugly wrinkle you try to cultivate onyour forehead, you would hardly look fifty years old, andyou are sixty, if I am not mistaken.""All quite true.""Of course I knew it was true, as true as the fifty thousandfrancs profit you make," at which remark Baisemeaux stampedon the ground."Well, well," said DArtagnan, "I will add up your accountsfor you: you were captain of M. Mazarins guards; and twelvethousand francs a year would in twelve years amount to onehundred and forty thousand francs.""Twelve thousand francs! Are you mad?" cried Baisemeaux;"the old miser gave me no more than six thousand, and theexpenses of the post amounted to six thousand five hundredfrancs. M. Colbert, who deducted the other six thousandfrancs, condescended to allow me to take fifty pistoles as agratification; so that, if it were not for my little estateat Montlezun, which brings me in twelve thousand francs ayear, I could not have met my engagements.""Well, then, how about the fifty thousand francs from theBastile? There, I trust, you are boarded and lodged, and getyour six thousand francs salary besides.""Admitted!""Whether the year be good or bad, there are fifty prisoners,who, on an average, bring you in a thousand francs a yeareach.""I dont deny it.""Well, there is at once an income of fifty thousand francs;you have held the post three years, and must have receivedin that time one hundred and fifty thousand francs.""You forget one circumstance, dear M. dArtagnan.""What is that?""That while you received your appointment as captain fromthe king himself, I received mine as governor from MessieursTremblay and Louviere.""Quite right, and Tremblay was not a man to let you have thepost for nothing.""Nor Louviere either: the result was, that I gaveseventy-five thousand francs to Tremblay as his share.""Very agreeable that! and to Louviere?""The very same.""Money down?""No: that would have been impossible. The king did not wish,or rather M. Mazarin did not wish, to have the appearance ofremoving those two gentlemen, who had sprung from thebarricades; he permitted them therefore, to make certainextravagant conditions for their retirement.""What were those conditions?""Tremble...three years income for the good-will.""The deuce! so that the one hundred and fifty thousandfrancs have passed into their hands.""Precisely so.""And beyond that?""A sum of one hundred and fifty thousand francs, or fifteenthousand pistoles, whichever you please, in three payments.""Exorbitant.""Yes, but that is not all.""What besides?""In default of the fulfillment by me of any one of thoseconditions, those gentlemen enter upon their functionsagain. The
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