And observing our soldier walking in the street, he called out, "Help, comrade." The soldier walked on with the same step toward the man who had called out to him, followed by the crowd.

An idea suddenly occurred to D'Artagnan; it was his first one, and we shall find it was not a bad one either.

During the time the gentleman was relating to the soldier that he had just been seized in a house as a thief, when the truth was he was only there as a lover; and while the soldier was pitying him, and offering him consolation and advice with that gravity which a French soldier has always ready whenever his vanity or his _esprit de corps_ is concerned, D'Artagnan glided behind the soldier, who was closely hemmed in by the crowd, and with a rapid gesture drew the paper out of his belt.

As at this moment the gentleman with the torn clothes was pulling about the soldier to show how the commissary of police had pulled him about, D'Artagnan effected his capture of the letter without the slightest inconvenience.

He stationed himself about ten paces distant, behind the pillar of an adjoining house, and read on the address, "To Monsieur de Valon, at Monsieur Fouquet's, Saint-Mande." "Good!" he said, and then he unsealed without tearing the letter, drew out the paper, which was folded in four, from the inside, and which contained only these words: "DEAR MONSIEUR DE VALON--Will you be good enough to tell Monsieur d'Herblay that _he_ has been to the Bastille, and has been making inquiries.