He hoped that Porthos would rise and that this movement would distract his devouring ideas.
"What do you want, my man ?" asked Porthos, affably.
"I should like to pass you, monsieur, if it is not troubling you too much." "Very well," said Porthos, "it does not trouble me in the least." At the same moment he took hold of the young fellow by the waistband, lifted him off the ground, and placed him very gently on the other side, smiling all the while with the same affable expression.

As soon as Porthos had placed him on the ground, the lad's legs so shook under him that he fell back upon some sacks of corks.

But noticing the giant's gentleness of manner, he ventured again, and said: "Ah, monsieur! pray be careful." "What about ?" inquired Porthos.
"You are positively putting a fiery furnace into your body." "How is that, my good fellow ?" "All those things are very heating to the system!" "Which ?" "Raisins, nuts, and almonds." "Yes; but if raisins, nuts, and almonds are heating--" "There is no doubt at all of it, monsieur." "Honey is very cooling," said Porthos, stretching out his hand toward a small barrel of honey which was open, and he plunged the scoop with which the wants of the customers were supplied into it, and swallowed a good half-pound at one gulp.
"I must trouble you for some water now, my man," said Porthos.
"In a pail, monsieur ?" asked the lad, simply.
"No, in a water-bottle; that will be quite enough;" and raising the bottle to his mouth, as a trumpeter does his trumpet, he emptied the bottle at a single draught.
Planchet was agitated in every fibre of propriety and self-esteem.
However, a worthy representative of the hospitality which prevailed in early days, he feigned to be talking very earnestly with D'Artagnan, and incessantly repeated:--"Ah! monsieur, what a happiness! what an honor!" "What time shall we have supper, Planchet ?" inquired Porthos, "I feel hungry." The foreman clasped his hands together.

The two others got under the counters, fearing Porthos might have a taste for human flesh.
"We shall only take a sort of snack here," said D'Artagnan; "and when we get to Planchet's country-seat, we will have supper." "Ah, ah! so we are going to your country-house, Planchet," said Porthos; "so much the better." "You overwhelm me, monsieur le baron." The "monsieur le baron" had a great effect upon the men, who detected a personage of the highest quality in an appetite of that kind.

This title, too, reassured them.