“I told him,” continued the governor, not perceiving his own thoughtlessness; “I told him that I fed my prisoners too well.” “How many have you?” inquired Aramis, in an indifferent tone of voice. “Sixty.” “Well, that is a tolerably round number.” “In former times, my lord, there were, during certain years, as many as two hundred.” “Still a minimum of sixty is not to be grumbled at.” “Perhaps not; for, to anybody but myself, each prisoner would bring in two hundred and fifty pistoles; for instance, for a prince of the blood I have fifty francs a day.” “Only you have no prince of the blood; at least, I suppose so,” said Aramis, with a slight tremor in his voice. “No, thank heaven!--I mean, no, unfortunately.” “What do you mean by unfortunately?” “Because my appointment would be improved by it. So fifty francs per day for a prince of the blood, thirty-six for a marechal of France--” “But you have as many marechals of France, I suppose, as you have princes of the blood?” “Alas! no more. It is true lieutenant-generals and brigadiers pay twenty-six francs, and I have two of them. After that, come councilors of parliament, who bring me fifteen francs, and I have six of them.” “I did not know,” said Aramis, “that councilors were so productive.” “Yes; but from fifteen francs I sink at once to ten francs; namely, for an ordinary judge, and for an ecclesiastic.” “And you have seven, you say; an excellent affair.” “Nay, a bad one, and for this reason. How can I possibly treat these poor fellows, who are of some good, at all events, otherwise than as a councilor of parliament?” “Yes, you are right; I do not see five francs difference between them.” “You understand; if I have a fine fish, I pay four or five francs for it; if I get a fine fowl, it cost me a franc and a half. I fatten a good deal of poultry, but I have to buy grain, and you cannot imagine the army of rats that infest this place.” “Why not get half a dozen cats to deal with them?” “Cats, indeed; yes, they eat them, but I was obliged to give up the idea because of the way in which they treated my grain. I have been obliged to have some terrier dogs sent me from England to kill the rats. These dogs, unfortunately, have tremendous appetites; they eat as much as a prisoner of the fifth order, without taking into account the rabbits and fowls they kill.” Was Aramis really listening or not? No one could have told; his downcast eyes showed the attentive man, but the restless hand betrayed the man absorbed in thought--Aramis was meditating. “I was saying,” continued Baisemeaux, “that a good-sized fowl costs me a franc and a half, and that a fine fish costs me four or five francs. Three meals are served at the Bastile, and, as the prisoners, having nothing to do, are always eating, a ten-franc man costs me seven francs and a half.” “But did you not say that you treated those at ten francs like those at fifteen?” “Yes, certainly.”