truth, we poor fellows know nothing at the court, and the
rays of the sun prevent our seeing the large stars, which
are also suns, at a little greater distance from our earth,
-- that is all."

As D'Artagnan delighted, both from pleasure and system, in
making people talk about things which interested him, he
fenced in his best style with Master Bazin, but it was pure
loss of time; beyond the tiresome and hyperbolical praises
of monsieur le surintendant of the finances, Bazin, who, on
his side, was on his guard, afforded nothing but platitudes
to the curiosity of D'Artagnan, so that our musketeer, in a
tolerably bad humor, desired to go to bed as soon as he had
supped. D'Artagnan was introduced by Bazin into a mean
chamber, in which there was a poor bed; but D'Artagnan was
not fastidious in that respect. He had been told that Aramis
had taken away the key of his own private apartment, and as
he knew Aramis was a very particular man, and had generally
many things to conceal in his apartment, he had not been
surprised. He, therefore, although it appeared comparatively
even harder, attacked the bed as bravely as he had done the
fowl; and, as he had as good an inclination to sleep as he
had had to eat, he took scarcely longer time to be snoring
harmoniously than he had employed in picking the last bones
of the bird.

Since he was no longer in the service of any one, D'Artagnan
had promised himself to indulge in sleeping as soundly as he
had formerly slept lightly; but with whatever good faith
D'Artagnan had made himself this promise, and whatever