D'Artagnan, the King Maker — page 246: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

For the King. 231 doom on the most fragrant wild herbs. He nodded at intervals of pulling it to shreds, instead of speaking. “Plainly, are you not better here than sleeping out on the church steps? for I must acknowledge that our publi- cans show much anxiety about the result of the ap- proaching conflict by shutting up their hostels to even their friends r “Probably it is to arrange their wares attractively to the foes iS “The foes will be inside the works as prisoners, then! Do you imagine, because the garrison withdrew, it was to fall back on the Madrid road? My dear sir, the old fort is untenable. The soldiers have been in all the strong points, in house forts of the church, nobility and officials here; they control the town better than cooped up in the citadel. Depend on it, the rebels refrain from intruding on hearing of this fine disposition of the forces. Besides, it leaves a flying column to which my command belongs, to harass the enemy’s advances. I suppose you have seen the Italian old cities?” “T was a prisoner ‘cantoned’ in Sienna once,” returned D’Artagnan, drinking avidly as if a reminiscence of the dungeon fare enhanced the relish. “Well, Sienna is typical. Our nobles’ houses also were constructed for a house-and-house fight. The Moors were not easily driven out after the army had been beaten. Until we had this castle painted and repaired there were marks of Greek fire and bullets over the walls. Don Juan may take the ramparts with his rustics and pirates, but he would be so long occupying the town that reinforcements from Spain would arrive to turn the tables.” “IT am sorry we put you out, as the Don-Juanists seem to intend,” laughed the guest of honor. “Not at all! I owe you so much that I feel ashamed at my slight return so far. You must know that this portion of the unshapely building—for the part to com- plete the plan fell down in a quake, I heard, was the former harem, where the emir installed his favorites. You are my favorites, and I bestow it on you. My father, a tassel in the court cap, rarely inhabited it. When the king became devout, and longed to see an auto-da-fé EoOmMmichbookssco im