now, with the naked eye."

"No; there was neither a glass nor a mirror in the house," answered the
young man.

Aramis looked round him. "Nor is there anything of the kind here,
either," he said; "they have again taken the same precaution."

"To what end?"

"You will know directly. Now, you have told me that you were instructed
in mathematics, astronomy, fencing, and riding; but you have not said a
word about history."

"My tutor sometimes related to me the principal deeds of the king, St.
Louis, King Francis I., and King Henry IV."

"Is that all?"

"Very nearly."

"This also was done by design, then; just as they deprived you of
mirrors, which reflect the present, so they left you in ignorance of
history, which reflects the past. Since your imprisonment, books have
been forbidden you; so that you are unacquainted with a number of facts,
by means of which you would be able to reconstruct the shattered mansion
of your recollections and your hopes."

"It is true," said the young man.