de Mazarin was not hard enough." "Yes, I see; you require a government full of suspicion--like that of the old cardinal, for instance." "Yes; matters went on better under him.

The brother of his 'gray eminence' made his fortune here." "Believe me, my dear governor," said Aramis, drawing closer to Baisemeaux, "a young king is well worth an old cardinal.

Youth has its suspicions, its fits of anger, its prejudices, as old age has its hatreds, its precautions, and its fears.

Have you paid your three years' profits to Louvidre and Tremblay ?" "Most certainly I have." "So that you have nothing more to give them than the fifty thousand francs I have brought with me ?" "Nothing." "Have you not saved anything, then ?" "My lord, in giving the fifty thousand francs of my own to these gentlemen, I assure you that I gave them everything I gain.

I told M.
d'Artagnan so yesterday evening." "Ah!" said Aramis, whose eyes sparkled for a moment, but became immediately afterwards as unmoved as before; "so you have been to see my old friend D'Artagnan; how was he ?" "Wonderfully well." "And what did you say to him, M.de Baisemeaux ?" "I told him," continued the governor, not perceiving his own thoughtlessness; "I told him that I fed my prisoners too well." "How many have you ?" inquired Aramis, in an indifferent tone of voice.
"Sixty." "Well, that is a tolerably round number." "In former times, my lord, there were, during certain years, as many as two hundred." "Still a minimum of sixty is not to be grumbled at." "Perhaps not; for, to anybody but myself, each prisoner would bring in two hundred and fifty pistoles; for instance, for a prince of the blood I have fifty francs a day." "Only you have no prince of the blood; at least, I suppose so," said Aramis, with a slight tremor in his voice.
"No, thank heaven!--I mean, no, unfortunately." "What do you mean by unfortunately ?" "Because my appointment would be improved by it.