"Alexandre Dumas. Twenty Years After." - читать интересную книгу автора

"You are right," said Du Tremblay. "Halloo, major! tell them to order
Number 25 to come downstairs."
The unhappy wretch who entered the Bastile ceased, as he crossed the
threshold, to be a man-he became a number.
D'Artagnan shuddered at the noise of the keys; he remained on
horseback, feeling no inclination to dismount, and sat looking at the bars,
at the buttressed windows and the immense walls he had hitherto only seen
from the other side of the moat, but by which he had for twenty years been
awe-struck.
A bell resounded.
"I must leave you," said Du Tremblay; "I am sent for to sign the
release of a prisoner. I shall be happy to meet you again, sir."
"May the devil annihilate me if I return thy wish!" murmured
D'Artagnan, smiling as he pronounced the imprecation; "I declare I feel
quite ill after only being five minutes in the courtyard. Go to! go to! I
would rather die on straw than hoard up a thousand a year by being governor
of the Bastile."
He had scarcely finished this soliloquy before the prisoner arrived.
On seeing him D'Artagnan could hardly suppress an exclamation of surprise.
The prisoner got into the carriage without seeming to recognize the
musketeer.
"Gentlemen," thus D'Artagnan addressed the four musketeers, "I am
ordered to exercise the greatest possible care in guarding the prisoner,
and since there are no locks to the carriage, I shall sit beside him.
Monsieur de Lillebonne, lead my horse by the bridle, if you please." As he
spoke he dismounted, gave the bridle of his horse to the musketeer and
placing himself by the side of the prisoner said, in a voice perfectly
composed, "To the Palais Royal, at full trot."
The carriage drove on and D'Artagnan, availing himself of the darkness
in the archway under which they were passing, threw himself into the arms
of the prisoner.
"Rochefort!" he exclaimed; "you! is it you, indeed? I am not mistaken?
"
"D'Artagnan!" cried Rochefort.
"Ah! my poor friend!" resumed D'Artagnan, "not having seen you for
four or five years I concluded you were dead."
"I'faith," said Rochefort, "there's no great difference, I think,
between a dead man and one who has been buried alive; now I have been
buried alive, or very nearly so."
"And for what crime are you imprisoned in the Bastile."
"Do you wish me to speak the truth?"
"Yes."
"Well, then, I don't know."
"Have you any suspicion of me, Rochefort?"
"No! on the honor of a gentleman; but I cannot be imprisoned for the
reason alleged; it is impossible."
"What reason?" asked D'Artagnan.
"For stealing."
"For stealing! you, Rochefort! you are laughing at me."
"I understand. You mean that this demands explanation, do you not?"