Page:Ten Years Later.djvu/181

Rh "A distich."

"Yes; that is it."

"Poor fellow; for a distich."

"Do you not know that he made a distich against the Jesuits?"

"That makes no difference; the punishment seems very severe."

"Do not pity him; last year you seemed to interest yourself in him."

"Yes, I did so."

"Well, as your interest is all-powerful here, my lord, I have, treated him since that time as a prisoner at fifteen francs."

"The same as this one, then," said Aramis, who had continued turning over the leaves, and who had stopped at one of the names which followed Martinier.

"Yes, the same as that one."

"Is that Marchiali an Italian?" said Aramis, pointing with his finger to the name which had attracted his attention.

"Hush!" said Baisemeaux.

"Why hush?" said Aramis, involuntarily clinching his white hand.

"I thought I had already spoken to you about that Marchiali?"

"No; it is the first time I ever heard his name pronounced."

"That may be; but I may have spoken to you about him without naming him,"

"Is he an old offender?" asked Aramis, attempting to smile.

"On the contrary, he is quite young."

"Is his crime, then, very heinous?"

"Unpardonable."

"Has he assassinated any one?"

"Bah!"

"An incendiary, then?"

"Bah!"

"Has he slandered any one?"

"No, no! It is he who — " and Baisemeaux approached Aramis' ear, Aiaking a sort of ear-trumpet of his hands, and whispered, "It is he who presumes to resemble the "

"Yes, yes," said Aramis, "I now remember you already spoke about it last year to me; but the crime appeared to me so slight."

"Slight, do you say?"