“Eh! mon Dieu! yes.”

“Oh! Porthos, Porthos! I must bow down before you — I must admire you! But you have always concealed from us this superb, this incomparable genius. I hope, my dear friend, you will show me all this in detail.”

“Nothing more easy. Here lies my original sketch, my plan.”

“Show it me.” Porthos led D’Artagnan towards the stone that served him for a table, and upon which the plan was spread. At the foot of the plan was written, in the formidable writing of Porthos, writing of which we have already had occasion to speak: —

“Instead of making use of the square or rectangle, as has been done to this time, you will suppose your place