“Urgently necessary.”
Porthos got upon his feet, and began to shake both walls and floors with his steps of a marble statue.
“Hush! hush! for the love of Heaven, my dear Porthos!” said Aramis, “you will wake somebody.”
“Ah! that’s true,” replied Porthos, in a voice of thunder, “I forgot that; but be satisfied, I am on guard.” And so saying, he let fall a belt loaded with his sword and pistols, and a purse, from which the crowns escaped with a vibrating and prolonged noise. This noise made the blood of Aramis boil, whilst it drew from Porthos a formidable burst of laughter. “How droll that is!” said he, in the same voice.
“Not so loud, Porthos, not so loud.”
“True, true!” and he lowered his voice a half-note.
“I was going to say,” continued Porthos, “that it is droll that we are never so slow as when we are in a hurry, and never make so much noise as when we wish to be silent.”
“Yes, that is true, but let us give the proverb the lie, Porthos; let us make haste, and hold our tongue.”
“You see I am doing my best,” said Porthos, putting on his haut de chausses.
“Very well.”