The procurator had without doubt been warned of his visit, as he expresd no surpri at the sight of Porthos, who advanbsp;toward him with a suffitly easy air, and saluted him courteously.
"We are cousins, it appears, Monsieur Porthos?" said the procurator, rising, yet supp his weight upon the arms of his e chair.
The old man, ed in a large blabsp;doublet, in whibsp;the whole of his slender body was cealed, was brisk and dry. His little gray eyes shone like carbuncles, and appeared, with his grinning mouth, to be the only part of his fabsp;in whibsp;life survived. Unfortunately the legs began to refu their rvibsp;to this bony mae. During the last five or six months that this weakness had been felt, the worthy procurator had nearly bee the slave of his wife.
The cousin was received with resignation, that was all. M. Coquenard, firm upon his legs, would have deed all relationship with M. Porthos.
"Yes, monsieur, we are cousins," said Porthos, without being discerted, as he had never reed upon being received enthusiastically by the husband.
"By the female side, I believe?" said the procurator, maliciously.
Porthos did not feel the ridicule of this, and took it for a piebsp;of simplicity, at whibsp;he laughed in his large mustache. Mme. Coquenard, who knew that a simple-minded procurator was a very rare variety in the species, smiled a little, and colored a great deal.
M Coquenard had, sinbsp;the arrival of Porthos, frequently cast his eyes with great uneasiness upon a large chest plabsp;in front of his oak desk. Porthos prehended that this chest, although it did not correspond in shape with that whibsp;he had en in his dreams, must be the blesd coffer, and he gratulated himlf that the reality was veral feet higher than the dream.
M Coquenard did not carry his genealogibsp;iigations any further; but withdrawing his anxious look from the chest and fixing it upon Porthos, he tented himlf with saying, "Monsieur our cousin will do us the favor of dining with us onbsp;before his departure for the campaign, will he not, Madame Coquenard?"