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The prince kindly appointed me no other: which was so much in accord with my wish." "Is the king well?" "Perfectly." "And monsieur le prince also?" "As usual, monsieur." The comte forgot to inquire after Mazarin; that was an old habit. "Well, Raoul, since you are entirely mine, I will give up my whole day to you. Embrace me again, again! You are at home, vicomte! Ah, there is our old Grimaud!
Grimaud no doubt shared the misgivings of the young man, for seeing that they continued to advance toward the bastion something he had till then doubted he pulled his master by the skirt of his coat. "Where are we going?" asked he, by a gesture. Athos pointed to the bastion. "But," said Grimaud, in the same silent dialect, "we shall leave our skins there."
At half-past six La Ramée dismissed the guards, the duke sat down at the table, and signed to his jailer to take a chair opposite to him. Grimaud served the soup, and stationed himself behind La Ramée. The most perfect enjoyment was depicted on the countenance of the latter, as he commenced the repast from which he had been anticipating so much pleasure. The duke looked at him with a smile.
So, after a thousand questions which met with only a word in reply, La Ramee, fascinated by this sobriety in speech, rubbed his hands and engaged Grimaud. "My orders?" asked Grimaud. "They are these; never to leave the prisoner alone; to keep away from him every pointed or cutting instrument, and to prevent his conversing any length of time with the keepers." "Those are all?" asked Grimaud.
At dawn twelve leagues had been passed without drawing rein; half the escort were exhausted and several horses fell down. "Horses, nowadays, are not what they were formerly," observed Porthos; "everything degenerates." "I have sent Grimaud to Dammartin," said Aramis. "He is to bring us five fresh horses one for his eminence, four for us.
Back in his house at Blois, no longer having even Grimaud to receive a poor smile as he passed through the parterre, Athos daily felt the decline of vigor of a nature which for so long a time had seemed impregnable. Age, which had been kept back by the presence of the beloved object, arrived with that cortege of pains and inconveniences, which grows by geometrical accretion.
It is needless to say that this caution concerned Blaisois alone long enough since it had been a useless one to Grimaud. Athos and Aramis walked down toward the port. From their dress, covered with dust, and from a certain easy manner by means of which a man accustomed to travel is always recognizable, the two friends excited the attention of a few promenaders.
At this point Grimaud stopped and was preparing to make a hole with his gimlet, when he found a spigot; he therefore placed his tankard under it and turned the spout; something, whatever it was the cask contained, fell silently into the tankard.
Grimaud, as we have seen, had accompanied his master to Paris; and, as we have said, he was present when Athos went out; he had observed D'Artagnan gnaw the corners of his mustache; he had seen his master get into the carriage; he had narrowly examined both their countenances, and he had known them both for a sufficiently long period to read and understand, through the mask of their impassibility, that something serious was the matter.
Mousqueton opened his great round eyes to the utmost, astonished to find in Blaisois qualities for which he did not give him credit. "'Tis true," he said; "but where can I get a chisel to take the planks out, a gimlet to pierce the cask?" "Trousers," said Grimaud, still squaring his accounts. "Ah, yes!" said Mousqueton.
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