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The Vicomte De Bragelonne
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The Vicomte De Bragelonne 319 at Prostate Health
donot often see Rhine carp or Channel sturgeon.""But do not the five-franc gentlemen sometimes leave somescraps?""Oh! my lord, do not believe I am so stingy as that; Idelight the heart of some poor little tradesman or clerk bysending him a wing of a red partridge, a slice of venison,or a slice of a truffled pasty, dishes which he never tastedexcept in his dreams; these are the leavings of thetwenty-four franc prisoners; and as he eats and drinks, atdessert he cries `Long live the King, and blesses theBastile; with a couple of bottles of champagne, which costme five sous, I made him tipsy every Sunday. That class ofpeople call down blessings upon me, and are sorry to leavethe prison. Do you know that I have remarked, and it does meinfinite honor, that certain prisoners, who have been set atliberty, have, almost immediately afterwards, got imprisonedagain? Why should this be the case, unless it be to enjoythe pleasures of my kitchen? It is really the fact."Aramis smiled with an expression of incredulity."You smile," said Baisemeaux."I do," returned Aramis."I tell you that we have names which have been inscribed onour books thrice in the space of two years.""I must see it before I believe it," said Aramis."Well, I can show it to you, although it is prohibited tocommunicate the registers to strangers; and if you reallywish to see it with your own eyes ---- ""I should be delighted, I confess.""Very well," said Baisemeaux, and he took out of a cupboarda large register. Aramis followed him most anxiously withhis eyes, and Baisemeaux returned, placed the register uponthe table, and turned over the leaves for a minute, andstayed at the letter M."Look here," said he, "Martinier, January, 1659; Martinier,June, 1660; Martinier, March, 1661. Mazarinades, etc.; youunderstand it was only a pretext; people were not sent tothe Bastile for jokes against M. Mazarin; the fellowdenounced himself in order to get imprisoned here.""And what was his object?""None other than to return to my kitchen at three francs aday,.""Three francs -- poor devil!""The poet, my lord, belongs to the lowest scale, the samestyle of board as the small tradesman and bailiffs clerk;but I repeat, it is to those people only that I give theselittle surprises."Aramis mechanically turned over the leaves of the register,continuing to read the names, but without appearing to takeany interest in the names he read."In 1661, you perceive," said Baisemeaux, "eighty entries;and in 1659, eighty also.""Ah!" said Aramis. "Seldon; I seem to know that name. Was itnot you who spoke to me about a certain young man?""Yes, a poor devil of a student, who made -- What do youcall that where two Latin verses rhyme together?""A distich.""Yes; that is it.""Poor fellow; for a distich.""Do you know that he made this distich against the Jesuits?""That makes no difference; the punishment seems verysevere.""Do not pity him; last year you seemed to interest yourselfin him.""Yes, I did so.""Well, as your interest is all-powerful here, my lord, Ihave treated him since that time as a prisoner at fifteenfrancs.""The same as this one, then," said Aramis, who had continuedturning over the leaves, and who had stopped at one of thenames which followed Martinier."Yes, the same as that one.""Is that Marchiali an Italian?" said Aramis, pointing withhis finger to the name which had attracted his attention."Hush!" said Baisemeaux."Why hush?" said Aramis, involuntarily clenching his whitehand."I thought I had already spoken to you about thatMarchiali.""No, it is the first time I ever heard his name pronounced.""That may be, but perhaps I have spoken to you about himwithout naming him.""Is he an old offender?" asked Aramis, attempting to smile."On the contrary, he is quite young.""Is his crime, then, very heinous?""Unpardonable.""Has he assassinated any one?""Bah!""An incendiary, then?""Bah!""Has he slandered any one?""No, no! It is he who -- " and Baisemeaux approachedAramiss ear, making a sort of ear-trumpet of his hands, andwhispered: "It is he who presumes to resemble the ---- ""Yes, yes." said Aramis, "I now remember you already spokeabout it last year to me; but the crime appeared to me soslight."Slight, do you say?""Or rather, so involuntary.""My lord, it is not involuntarily that such a resemblance isdetected.""Well, the fact is, I had forgotten it. But, my dear host,"said Aramis, closing the register, "if
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