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Rh LOUISE DE LA VALLIERB. 27 "Never." "Never." back, never to be allowed to see your friends, that is called being sequestrated." "But why should Aramis sequestrate me?" inquired Forth OS. "Come," said D'Artagnan, "be frank, Porthos." "As gold." "It was Aramis who drew the plan of the fortifications at Belle-Isle, was it not?" Porthos colored as he said, "Yes; but that was all he did." "Exactly, and my own opinion is that it was no very great affair after all." "That is mine, too." "Very good; I am delighted we are of the same opinion." "He never even came to Belle-Isle," said Porthos. "There now, you see." "It was I who went to Vannes, as you may have seen." "Say, rather, as I did see. Well, that is precisely the state of my case, my dear Porthos. Aramis, who only drew the plans, wishes to pass himself off as the engineer, while you, who, stone by stone, built the wall, the citadel, and the bastions, he wishes to reduce to the rank of a mere builder." "By builder, you mean mason, perhaps?" "Mason; the very word." "Plasterer, in fact?" ^'Precisely." "A laborer?" "Exactly." "Oh! oh! my dear Aramis, you seem to think you are only twenty-five years of age still." "Yes, and that is not all, for he believes you are fifty." "I should have amazingly liked to have seen him at work." "Yes, indeed." "A fellow who has got the gout?" "Yes." "Who has lost three of his teeth?" "Pour." "While I — look at mine." And Porthos, opening his large mouth very wide, displayed two rows of teeth rather less white than snow, but as even, hard, and sound as ivory. "You can hardly believe, Porthos," said D'Artagnan,
 * Are your friends allowed to come and see you?"
 * 'Very well, then; never to go out, never to ride on horse-