He begins to walk again, he exercises his muscular powers by bending down young elm trees, or making the old oaks fly into splinters, as Milo of Crotona used to do; and, as there are no lions in the park, it is not unlikely we shall find him alive.

Porthos is a brave fellow." "Yes, but in the meantime he will get wearied to death." "He never does that." "He will be asking questions ?" "He sees no one." "At all events, he is looking or hoping for something or another ?" "I have inspired in him a hope which we will realize some fine morning, and he subsists on that." "What is it ?" "That of being presented to the king." "Oh! oh! in what character ?" "As the engineer of Belle-Isle, of course." "Is it possible ?" "Quite true." "Shall we not be obliged, then, to send him back to Belle-Isle ?" "Most certainly; I am even thinking of sending him back as soon as possible.

Porthos is very fond of display; he is a man whose weaknesses D'Artagnan, Athos and myself are alone acquainted with; he never commits himself in any way; he is dignity itself; to the officers there, he would seem like a Paladin of the time of the Crusades.

He would make the whole staff drunk, without getting so himself, and every one will regard him as an object of admiration and sympathy; if, therefore, it should happen that we should have any orders requiring to be carried out, Porthos is an incarnation of the order itself, and whatever he chose to do, others would find themselves obliged to submit to." "Send him back then." "That is what I intend to do; but in a few days only, for I must not omit to tell you one thing." "What is it ?" "I begin to suspect D'Artagnan.

He is not at Fontainebleau, as you may have noticed, and D'Artagnan is never absent, or apparently idle, without some object in view.