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+The Project Gutenberg eBook of Captain Fracasse, by Théophile Gautier
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
+most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
+whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
+of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
+www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you
+will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before
+using this eBook.
+
+Title: Captain Fracasse
+
+Author: Théophile Gautier
+
+Translator: Ellen Murray Beam
+
+Release Date: March, 1998 [eBook #1235]
+[Most recently updated: June 17, 2021]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: UTF-8
+
+Produced by: Dianne Bean and David Widger
+
+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CAPTAIN FRACASSE ***
+
+
+
+
+Captain Fracasse
+
+by Théophile Gautier
+
+
+Contents
+
+ CHAPTER I. CASTLE MISERY
+ CHAPTER II THE CHARIOT OF THESPIS
+ CHAPTER III THE BLUE SUN INN
+ CHAPTER IV AN ADVENTURE WITH BRIGANDS
+ CHAPTER V AT THE CHATEAU DE BRUYERES
+ CHAPTER VI A SNOW-STORM AND ITS CONSEQUENCES
+ CHAPTER VII CAPTAIN FRACASSE
+ CHAPTER VIII THE DUKE OF VALLOMBREUSE
+ CHAPTER IX A MELEE AND A DUEL
+ CHAPTER X A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE
+ CHAPTER XI THE PONT-NEUF
+ CHAPTER XII THE CROWNED RADISH
+ CHAPTER XIII A DOUBLE ATTACK
+ CHAPTER XIV LAMPOURDE’S DELICACY
+ CHAPTER XV MALARTIC AT WORK
+ CHAPTER XVI VALLOMBREUSE
+ CHAPTER XVII THE AMETHYST RING
+ CHAPTER XVIII A FAMILY PARTY
+ CHAPTER XIX NETTLES AND COBWEBS
+ CHAPTER XX CHIQUITA’S DECLARATION OF LOVE
+ CHAPTER XXI HYMEN! OH HYMEN!
+ CHAPTER XXII THE CASTLE OF HAPPINESS
+
+
+
+
+CAPTAIN FRACASSE
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+CASTLE MISERY
+
+
+Upon the southern slope of one of those barren hills that rise abruptly
+here and there in the desolate expanse of the Landes, in South-western
+France, stood, in the reign of Louis XIII, a gentleman’s residence,
+such as abound in Gascony, and which the country people dignify by the
+name of château.
+
+Two tall towers, with extinguisher tops, mounted guard at the angles of
+the mansion, and gave it rather a feudal air. The deep grooves upon its
+facade betrayed the former existence of a draw-bridge, rendered
+unnecessary now by the filling up of the moat, while the towers were
+draped for more than half their height with a most luxuriant growth of
+ivy, whose deep, rich green contrasted happily with the ancient gray
+walls.
+
+A traveller, seeing from afar the steep pointed roof and lofty towers
+standing out against the sky, above the furze and heather that crowned
+the hill-top, would have pronounced it a rather imposing château—the
+residence probably of some provincial magnate; but as he drew near
+would have quickly found reason to change his opinion. The road which
+led to it from the highway was entirely overgrown with moss and weeds,
+save a narrow pathway in the centre, though two deep ruts, full of
+water, and inhabited by a numerous family of frogs, bore mute witness
+to the fact that carriages had once passed that way.
+
+The roof, of dark red tiles, was disfigured by many large,
+leprous-looking, yellow patches, while in some places the decayed
+rafters had given way, leaving formidable gaps. The numerous
+weather-cocks that surmounted the towers and chimneys were so rusted
+that they could no longer budge an inch, and pointed persistently in
+various directions. The high dormer windows were partially closed by
+old wooden shutters, warped, split, and in every stage of dilapidation;
+broken stones filled up the loop-holes and openings in the towers; of
+the twelve large windows in the front of the house, eight were boarded
+up; the remaining four had small diamond-shaped panes of thick,
+greenish glass, fitting so loosely in their leaden frames that they
+shook and rattled at every breath of wind; between these windows a
+great deal of the stucco had fallen off, leaving the rough wall exposed
+to view.
+
+Above the grand old entrance door, whose massive stone frame and lintel
+retained traces of rich ornamentation, almost obliterated by time and
+neglect, was sculptured a coat of arms, now so defaced that the most
+accomplished adept in heraldry would not be able to decipher it. Only
+one leaf of the great double door was ever opened now, for not many
+guests were received or entertained at the château in these days of its
+decadence. Swallows had built their nests in every available nook about
+it, and but for a slender thread of smoke rising spirally from a
+chimney at the back of this dismal, half-ruined mansion, the traveller
+would have surely believed it to be uninhabited. This was the only sign
+of life visible about the whole place, like the little cloud upon the
+mirror from the breath of a dying man, which alone gives evidence that
+he still lives.
+
+Upon pushing open the practicable leaf of the great worm-eaten door,
+which yielded reluctantly, and creaked dolefully as it turned upon its
+rusty hinges, the curious visitor entered a sort of portico, more
+ancient than the rest of the building, with fine, large columns of
+bluish granite, and a lofty vaulted roof. At the point of intersection
+of the arches was a stone shield, bearing the same coat of arms that
+was sculptured over the entrance without. This one was in somewhat
+better preservation than the other, and seemed to bear something
+resembling three golden storks (cigognes) on an azure field; though it
+was so much in shadow, and so faded and dingy, that it was impossible
+to make it out clearly. Fastened to the wall, at a convenient height
+from the ground, were great iron extinguishers, blackened by the smoke
+from torches in long by-gone years, and also iron rings, to which the
+guests’ horses were made fast in the olden times, when the castle was
+in its glory. The dust that lay thick upon them now showed that it was
+long since they had been made use of.
+
+From this portico—whence a door on either side opened into the main
+building; one leading into a long suite of apartments on the ground
+floor, and the other into what had probably been a guard-room—the
+explorer passed into an interior court, dismal, damp, and bare. In the
+corners nettles and various rank weeds were growing riotously amid the
+great heaps of rubbish fallen from the crumbling cornice high above,
+and grass had sprung up everywhere in the crevices of the stone
+pavement. Opposite the entrance a flight of dilapidated, shaky steps,
+with a heavy stone balustrade, led down into a neglected garden, which
+was gradually becoming a perfect thicket. Excepting in one small bed,
+where a few cabbages were growing, there was no attempt at cultivation,
+and nature had reasserted her rights everywhere else in this abandoned
+spot, taking, apparently, a fierce delight in effacing all traces of
+man’s labour. The fruit trees threw out irregular branches without fear
+of the pruning knife; the box, intended to form a narrow border to the
+curiously shaped flower-beds and grass-plots, had grown up unchecked
+into huge, bushy shrubs, while a great variety of sturdy weeds had
+usurped the places formerly devoted to choice plants and beautiful,
+fragrant flowers. Brambles, bristling with sharp thorns, which had
+thrown their long, straggling arms across the paths, caught and tried
+to hold back any bold adventurer who attempted to penetrate into the
+mysterious depths of this desolate wilderness. Solitude is averse to
+being surprised in dishabille, and surrounds herself with all sorts of
+defensive obstacles.
+
+However, the courageous explorer who persisted in following the
+ancient, overgrown alley, and was not to be daunted by formidable
+briers that tore his hands and clothing, nor low-hanging, closely
+interlaced branches that struck him smart blows in the face as he
+forced his way through them, would have reached at last a sort of rocky
+niche, fancifully arranged as a grotto. Besides the masses of ivy, iris
+and gladiolus, that had been carefully planted long ago in the
+interstices of the rock, it was draped with a profusion of graceful
+wild vines and feathery ferns, which half-veiled the marble statue,
+representing some mythological divinity, that still stood in this
+lonely retreat. It must have been intended for Flora or Pomona, but now
+there were tufts of repulsive, venomous-looking mushrooms in the
+pretty, graceful, little basket on her arm, instead of the sculptured
+fruit or flowers that should have filled it. Although her nose was
+broken, and her fair body disfigured by many dark stains, and overgrown
+in part with clinging mosses, it could still plainly be seen that she
+had once been very lovely. At her feet was a marble basin, shaped like
+a shell, half full of discoloured, stagnant water; the lion’s head just
+above it, now almost entirely concealed by a thick curtain of leaves,
+no longer poured forth the sparkling stream that used to fall into it
+with a musical murmur. This little grotto, with its fountain and
+statue, bore witness to former wealth; and also to the aesthetic taste
+of some long-dead owner of the domain. The marble goddess was in the
+Florentine style of the Renaissance, and probably the work of one of
+those Italian sculptors who followed in the train of del Rosso or
+Primaticcio, when they came to France at the bidding of that generous
+patron of the arts, Francis I; which time was also, apparently, the
+epoch of the greatest prosperity of this noble family, now so utterly
+fallen into decay.
+
+Behind the grotto rose a high wall, built of stone, crumbling and
+mouldy now, but still bearing some broken remains of trellis-work,
+evidently intended to be covered with creepers that would entirely
+conceal the wall itself with a rich tapestry of verdure. This was the
+limit of the garden; beyond stretched the wide expanse of the sandy,
+barren Landes, flecked here and there with patches of scanty heather,
+and scattered groves of pine trees.
+
+Turning back towards the château it became apparent that this side of
+it was even more neglected and ruinous than the one we have already
+described; the recent poverty-stricken owners having tried to keep up
+appearances as far as possible, and concentrated their efforts upon the
+front of their dilapidated abode. In the stable, where were stalls for
+twenty horses, a miserable, old, white pony stood at an empty manger,
+nibbling disconsolately at a scanty truss of hay, and frequently
+turning his sunken, lack-lustre eyes expectantly towards the door. In
+front of an extensive kennel, where the lord of the manor used to keep
+a whole pack of hounds, a single dog, pathetically thin, lay sleeping
+tranquilly and soundly, apparently so accustomed to the unbroken
+solitude of the place that he had abandoned all habits of watchfulness.
+
+Entering the château the visitor found himself in a broad and lofty
+hall, containing a grand old staircase, with a richly carved, wooden
+balustrade—a good deal broken and defaced now, like everything else in
+this doleful Castle Misery. The walls had been elaborately frescoed,
+representing colossal figures of Hercules supporting brackets upon
+which rested the heavily ornamented cornice. Springing from it
+fantastic vines climbed upward on the arched ceiling, and above them
+the blue sky, faded and dingy, was grotesquely variegated with dark
+spots, caused by the water filtering through from the dilapidated roof.
+Between the oft-repeated figures of Hercules were frescoed niches,
+wherein heads of Roman emperors and other illustrious historical
+characters had been depicted in glowing tints; but all were so vague
+and dim now that they were but the ghosts of pictures, which should be
+described with the shadows of words—ordinary terms are too substantial
+to apply to them. The very echoes in this deserted hall seemed startled
+and amazed as they repeated and multiplied the unwonted sound of
+footsteps.
+
+A door near the head of the first flight of stairs opened into what had
+evidently been the great banqueting hall in the old days when sumptuous
+repasts and numerous guests were not uncommon things in the château. A
+huge beam divided the lofty ceiling into two compartments, which were
+crossed at regular intervals by smaller joists, richly carved, and
+retaining some traces of gilding. The spaces between had been
+originally of a deep blue tint, almost lost now under the thick coating
+of dust and spiders’ webs that no housemaid’s mop ever invaded. Above
+the grand old chimney-piece was a noble stag’s head, with huge,
+spreading antlers, and on the walls hung rows of ancient family
+portraits, so faded and mouldy now that most of the faces had a ghastly
+hue, and at night, by the dim, flickering lamp-light, they looked like
+a company of spectres. Nothing in the world is sadder than a collection
+of old portraits hanging thus, neglected and forgotten, in deserted
+halls—representations, half obliterated themselves, of forms and faces
+long since returned to dust. Yet these painted phantoms were most
+appropriate inhabitants of this desolate abode; real living people
+would have seemed out of place in the death-stricken house.
+
+In the middle of the room stood an immense dining-table of dark,
+polished wood, much worm-eaten, and gradually falling into decay. Two
+tall buffets, elaborately carved and ornamented, stood on opposite
+sides of the room, with only a few odd pieces of Palissy ware,
+representing lizards, crabs, and shell-fish, reposing on shiny green
+leaves, and two or three delicate wine-glasses of quaint patterns
+remaining upon the shelves where gold and silver plate used to glitter
+in rich profusion, as was the mode in France. The handsome old chairs,
+with their high, carved backs and faded velvet cushions, that had been
+so firm and luxurious once, were tottering and insecure; but it
+mattered little, since no one ever came to sit in them now round the
+festive board, and they stood against the wall in prim order, under the
+rows of family portraits.
+
+A smaller room opened out of this one, hung round with faded,
+moth-eaten tapestry. In one corner stood a large bed, with four tall,
+twisted columns and long, ample curtains of rich brocade, which had
+been delicate green and white, but now were of a dingy, yellowish hue,
+and cut completely through from top to bottom in every fold. An ebony
+table, with some pretty gilded ornaments still clinging to it, a mirror
+dim with age, and two large arm-chairs, covered with worn and faded
+embroidery, that had been wrought by the fair fingers of some noble
+dame long since dead and forgotten, completed the furniture of this
+dismal chamber.
+
+In these two rooms were the latticed windows seen in the front of the
+château, and over them still hung long sweeping curtains, so tattered
+and moth-eaten that they were almost falling to pieces. Profound
+silence reigned here, unbroken save by occasional scurrying and
+squeaking of mice behind the wainscot, the gnawing of rats in the wall,
+or the ticking of the death-watch.
+
+From the tapestried chamber a door opened into a long suite of deserted
+rooms, which were lofty and of noble proportions, but devoid of
+furniture, and given up to dust, spiders, and rats. The apartments on
+the floor above them were the home of great numbers of bats, owls, and
+jackdaws, who found ready ingress through the large holes in the roof.
+Every evening they flew forth in flocks, with much flapping of wings,
+and weird, melancholy cries and shrieks, in search of the food not to
+be found in the immediate vicinity of this forlorn mansion.
+
+The apartments on the ground floor contained nothing but a few bundles
+of straw, a heap of corn-cobs, and some antiquated gardening
+implements. In one of them, however, was a rude bed, covered with a
+single, coarse blanket; presumably that of the only domestic remaining
+in the whole establishment.
+
+It was from the kitchen chimney that the little spiral of smoke escaped
+which was seen from without. A few sticks were burning in the wide,
+old-fashioned fireplace, but the flames looked pale under the bright
+light that streamed down upon them through the broad, straight flue.
+The pot that hung from the clumsy iron crane was boiling sleepily, and
+if the curious visitor could have peeped into it he would have seen
+that the little cabbage bed in the garden had contributed of its
+produce to the _pot-au-feu_. An old black cat was sitting as close to
+the fire as he could without singeing his whiskers, and gravely
+watching the simmering pot with longing eyes. His ears had been closely
+cropped, and he had not a vestige of a tail, so that he looked like one
+of those grotesque Japanese chimeras that everybody is familiar with.
+Upon the table, near at hand, a white plate, a tin drinking cup, and a
+china dish, bearing the family arms stamped in blue, were neatly
+arranged, evidently in readiness for somebody’s supper. For a long time
+the cat remained perfectly motionless, intently watching the pot which
+had almost ceased to boil as the fire got low, and the silence
+continued unbroken; but at last a slow, heavy step was heard
+approaching from without, and presently the door opened to admit an old
+man, who looked half peasant, half gentleman’s servant. The black cat
+immediately quitted his place by the fire and went to meet him; rubbing
+himself against the newcomer’s legs, arching his back and purring
+loudly; testifying his joy in every way possible to him.
+
+“Well, well, Beelzebub,” said the old man, bending down and stroking
+him affectionately, “are you really so glad to see me? Yes, I know you
+are, and it pleases me, old fellow, so it does. We are so lonely here,
+my poor young master and I, that even the welcome of a dumb beast is
+not to be despised. They do say that you have no soul, Beelzebub, but
+you certainly do love us, and understand most times what we say to you
+too.” These greetings exchanged, Beelzebub led the way back to the
+fire, and then with beseeching eyes, looking alternately from the face
+of his friend to the _pot-au-feu_, seemed mutely begging for his share
+of its contents. Poor Beelzebub was growing so old that he could no
+longer catch as many rats and mice as his appetite craved, and he was
+evidently very hungry.
+
+Pierre, that was the old servant’s name, threw more wood on the
+smouldering fire, and then sat down on a settle in the chimney corner,
+inviting his companion—who had to wait still for his supper as
+patiently as he might—to take a seat beside him. The firelight shone
+full upon the old man’s honest, weather-beaten face, the few scattered
+locks of snow-white hair escaping from under his dark blue woollen cap,
+his thick, black eyebrows and deep wrinkles. He had the usual
+characteristics of the Basque race; a long face, hooked nose, and dark,
+gipsy-like complexion. He wore a sort of livery, which was so old and
+threadbare that it would be impossible to make out its original colour,
+and his stiff, soldier-like carriage and movements proclaimed that he
+had at some time in his life served in a military capacity. “The young
+master is late to-night,” he muttered to himself, as the daylight
+faded. “What possible pleasure can he find in these long, solitary
+rambles over the dunes? It is true though that it is so dreary here, in
+this lonely, dismal house, that any other place is preferable.”
+
+At this moment a joyous barking was heard without, the old pony in the
+stable stamped and whinnied, and the cat jumped down from his place
+beside Pierre and trotted off towards the door with great alacrity. In
+an instant the latch was lifted, and the old servant rose, taking off
+his woollen cap respectfully, as his master came into the kitchen. He
+was preceded by the poor old dog, trying to jump up on him, but falling
+back every time without being able to reach his face, and Beelzebub
+seemed to welcome them both—showing no evidence of the antipathy
+usually existing between the feline and canine races; on the contrary,
+receiving Miraut with marks of affection which were fully reciprocated.
+
+The Baron de Sigognac, for it was indeed the lord of the manor who now
+entered, was a young man of five or six and twenty; though at first
+sight he seemed much older, because of the deep gravity, even sadness,
+of his demeanour; the feeling of utter powerlessness which poverty
+brings having effectually chased away all the natural piety and
+light-heartedness of youth. Dark circles surrounded his sunken eyes,
+his cheeks were hollow, his mustache drooped in a sorrowful curve over
+his sad mouth. His long black hair was negligently pushed back from his
+pale face, and showed a want of care remarkable in a young man who was
+strikingly handsome, despite his doleful desponding expression. The
+constant pressure of a crushing grief had drawn sorrowful lines in a
+countenance that a little animation would have rendered charming. All
+the elasticity and hopefulness natural to his age seemed to have been
+lost in his useless struggles against an unhappy fate. Though his frame
+was lithe, vigorous, and admirably proportioned, all his movements were
+slow and apathetic, like those of an old man. His gestures were
+entirely devoid of animation, his whole expression inert, and it was
+evidently a matter of perfect indifference to him where he might chance
+to find himself at home, in his dismal château, or abroad in the
+desolate Landes.
+
+He had on an old gray felt hat, much too large for him, with a dingy,
+shabby feather, that drooped as if it felt heartily ashamed of itself,
+and the miserable condition to which it was reduced. A broad collar of
+guipure lace, ragged in many places, was turned down over a
+just-au-corps, which had been cut for a taller and much stouter man
+than the slender, young baron. The sleeves of his doublet were so long
+that they fell over his hands, which were small and shapely, and there
+were large iron spurs on the clumsy, old-fashioned riding-boots he
+wore. These shabby, antiquated clothes had belonged to his father; they
+were made according to the fashion that prevailed during the preceding
+reign; and the poor young nobleman, whose appearance in them was both
+ridiculous and touching, might have been taken for one of his own
+ancestors. Although he tenderly cherished his father’s memory, and
+tears often came into his eyes as he put on these garments that had
+seemed actually a part of him, yet it was not from choice that young de
+Sigognac availed himself of the paternal wardrobe. Unfortunately he had
+no other clothes, save those of his boyhood, long ago outgrown, and so
+he was thankful to have these, distasteful as they could not fail to be
+to him. The peasants, who had been accustomed to hold them in respect
+when worn by their old seignior, did not think it strange or absurd to
+see them on his youthful successor; just as they did not seem to notice
+or be aware of the half-ruined condition of the château. It had come so
+gradually that they were thoroughly used to it, and took it as a matter
+of course. The Baron de Sigognac, though poverty-stricken and forlorn,
+was still in their eyes the noble lord of the manor; the decadence of
+the family did not strike them at all as it would a stranger; and yet
+it was a grotesquely melancholy sight to see the poor young nobleman
+pass by, in his shabby old clothes, on his miserable old pony, and
+followed by his forlorn old dog.
+
+The baron sat down in silence at the table prepared for him, having
+recognised Pierre’s respectful salute by a kindly gesture. The old
+servant immediately busied himself in serving his master’s frugal
+supper; first pouring the hot soup—which was of that kind, popular
+among the poor peasantry of Gascony, called “garbure”—upon some bread
+cut into small pieces in an earthen basin, which he set before the
+baron; then, fetching from the cupboard a dish of bacon, cold, and
+cooked in Gascon fashion, he placed that also upon the table, and had
+nothing else to add to this meagre repast. The baron ate it slowly,
+with an absent air, while Miraut and Beelzebub, one on each side of
+him, received their full share from his kind hand.
+
+The supper finished, he fell into a deep reverie. Miraut had laid his
+head caressingly upon his master’s knee, and looked up into his face
+with loving, intelligent eyes, somewhat dimmed by age, but still
+seeming to understand his thoughts and sympathize with his sadness.
+Beelzebub purred loudly meantime, and occasionally mewed plaintively to
+attract his attention, while Pierre stood in a respectful attitude, cap
+in hand, at a little distance, motionless as a statue, waiting
+patiently until his master’s wandering thoughts should return. By this
+time the darkness had fallen, and the flickering radiance from the few
+sticks blazing in the great fireplace made strange effects of light and
+shade in the spacious old kitchen. It was a sad picture; this last
+scion of a noble race, formerly rich and powerful, left wandering like
+an uneasy ghost in the castle of his ancestors, with but one faithful
+old servant remaining to him of the numerous retinue of the olden
+times; one poor old dog, half starved, and gray with age, where used to
+be a pack of thirty hounds; one miserable, superannuated pony in the
+stable where twenty horses had been wont to stand; and one old cat to
+beg for caresses from his hand.
+
+At last the baron roused himself, and signed to Pierre that he wished
+to retire to his own chamber; whereupon the servant lighted a pine knot
+at the fire, and preceded his master up the stairs, Miraut and
+Beelzebub accompanying them. The smoky, flaring light of the torch made
+the faded figures on the wall seem to waver and move as they passed
+through the hall and up the broad staircase, and gave a strange, weird
+expression to the family portraits that looked down upon this little
+procession as it moved by below them. When they reached the tapestried
+chamber Pierre lighted a little copper lamp, and then bade the baron
+good-night, followed by Miraut as he retraced his steps to the kitchen;
+but Beelzebub, being a privileged character, remained, and curled
+himself up comfortably in one of the old arm-chairs, while his master
+threw himself listlessly into the other, in utter despair at the
+thought of his miserable loneliness, and aimless, hopeless life. If the
+chamber seemed dreary and forlorn by day, it was far more so by night.
+The faded figures in the tapestry had an uncanny look; especially one,
+a hunter, who might have passed for an assassin, just taking aim at his
+victim. The smile on his startlingly red lips, in reality only a
+self-satisfied smirk, was fairly devilish in that light, and his
+ghastly face horribly life-like. The lamp burned dimly in the damp
+heavy air, the wind sighed and moaned along the corridors, and strange,
+frightful sounds came from the deserted chambers close at hand. The
+storm that had long been threatening had come at last, and large, heavy
+rain-drops were driven violently against the window-panes by gusts of
+wind that made them rattle loudly in their leaden frames. Sometimes it
+seemed as if the whole sash would give way before the fiercer blasts,
+as though a giant had set his knee against it, and was striving to
+force an entrance. Now and again, when the wind lulled for a moment
+while it gathered strength for a fresh assault, the horrid shriek of an
+owl would be heard above the dashing of the rain that was falling in
+torrents.
+
+The master of this dismal mansion paid little attention to this
+lugubrious symphony, but Beelzebub was very uneasy, starting up at
+every sound, and peering into the shadowy corners of the room, as if he
+could see there something invisible to human eyes. The baron took up a
+little book that was lying upon the table, glanced at the familiar arms
+stamped upon its tarnished cover, and opening it, began to read in a
+listless, absent way. His eyes followed the smooth rhythm of Ronsard’s
+ardent love-songs and stately sonnets, but his thoughts were wandering
+far afield, and he soon threw the book from him with an impatient
+gesture, and began slowly unfastening his garments, with the air of a
+man who is not sleepy, but only goes to bed because he does not know
+what else to do with himself, and has perhaps a faint hope of
+forgetting his troubles in the embrace of Morpheus, most blessed of all
+the gods. The sand runs so slowly in the hour-glass on a dark, stormy
+night, in a half-ruined castle, ten leagues away from any living soul.
+
+The poor young baron, only surviving representative of an ancient and
+noble house, had much indeed to make him melancholy and despondent. His
+ancestors had worked their own ruin, and that of their descendants, in
+various ways. Some by gambling, some in the army, some by undue
+prodigality in living—in order that they might shine at court—so that
+each generation had left the estate more and more diminished. The
+fiefs, the farms, the land surrounding the château itself, all had been
+sold, one after the other, and the last baron, after desperate efforts
+to retrieve the fallen fortunes of the family—efforts which came too
+late, for it is useless to try to stop the leaks after the vessel has
+gone down—had left his son nothing but this half-ruined château and the
+few acres of barren land immediately around it. The unfortunate child
+had been born and brought up in poverty. His mother had died young,
+broken-hearted at the wretched prospects of her only son; so that he
+could not even remember her sweet caresses and tender, loving care. His
+father had been very stern with him; punishing him severely for the
+most trivial offences; yet he would have been glad now even of his
+sharp rebukes, so terribly lonely had he been for the last four years;
+ever since his father was laid in the family vault. His youthful pride
+would not allow him to associate with the noblesse of the province
+without the accessories suitable to his rank, though he would have been
+received with open arms by them, so his solitude was never invaded.
+Those who knew his circumstances respected as well as pitied the poor,
+proud young baron, while many of the former friends of the family
+believed that it was extinct; which indeed it inevitably would be, with
+this its only remaining scion, if things went on much longer as they
+had been going for many years past.
+
+The baron had not yet removed a single garment when his attention was
+attracted by the strange uneasiness of Beelzebub, who finally jumped
+down from his arm-chair, went straight to one of the windows, and
+raising himself on his hind legs put his fore-paws on the casing and
+stared out into the thick darkness, where it was impossible to
+distinguish anything but the driving rain. A loud howl from Miraut at
+the same moment proclaimed that he too was aroused, and that something
+very unusual must be going on in the vicinity of the château,
+ordinarily as quiet as the grave. Miraut kept up persistently a furious
+barking, and the baron gave up all idea of going to bed. He hastily
+readjusted his dress, so that he might be in readiness for whatever
+should happen, and feeling a little excited at this novel commotion.
+
+“What can be the matter with poor old Miraut? He usually sleeps from
+sunset to sunrise without making a sound, save his snores. Can it be
+that a wolf is prowling about the place?” said the young man to
+himself, as he buckled the belt of his sword round his slender waist. A
+formidable weapon it was, that sword, with long blade, and heavy iron
+scabbard.
+
+At that moment three loud knocks upon the great outer door resounded
+through the house. Who could possibly have strayed here at this hour,
+so far from the travelled roads, and in this tempest that was making
+night horrible without? No such thing had occurred within the baron’s
+recollection. What could it portend?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+THE CHARIOT OF THESPIS
+
+
+The Baron de Sigognac went down the broad staircase without a moment’s
+delay to answer this mysterious summons, protecting with his hand the
+feeble flame of the small lamp he carried from the many draughts that
+threatened to blow it out. The light, shining through his slender
+fingers, gave them a rosy tinge, so that he merited the epithet applied
+by Homer, the immortal bard, to the laughing, beautiful Aurora, even
+though he advanced through the thick darkness with his usual melancholy
+mien, and followed by a black cat, instead of preceding the glorious
+god of day.
+
+Setting down his lamp in a sheltered corner, he proceeded to take down
+the massive bar that secured the door, cautiously opened the
+practicable leaf, and found himself face to face with a man, upon whom
+the light of the lamp shone sufficiently to show rather a grotesque
+figure, standing uncovered in the pelting rain. His head was bald and
+shining, with a few locks of gray hair clustering about the temples. A
+jolly red nose, bulbous in form, a small pair of twinkling, roguish
+eyes, looking out from under bushy, jet-black eyebrows, flabby cheeks,
+over which was spread a network of purplish fibres, full, sensual lips,
+and a scanty, straggling beard, that scarcely covered the short, round
+chin, made up a physiognomy worthy to serve as the model for a Silenus;
+for it was plainly that of a wine-bibber and _bon vivant_. Yet a
+certain expression of good humour and kindness, almost of gentleness,
+redeemed what would otherwise have been a repulsive face. The comical
+little wrinkles gathering about the eyes, and the merry upward turn of
+the comers of the mouth, showed a disposition to smile as he met the
+inquiring gaze of the young baron, but he only bowed repeatedly and
+profoundly, with exaggerated politeness and respect.
+
+This extraordinary pantomime finished, with a grand flourish, the
+burlesque personage, still standing uncovered in the pouring rain,
+anticipated the question upon de Sigognac’s lips, and began at once the
+following address, in an emphatic and declamatory tone:
+
+“I pray you deign to excuse, noble seignior, my having come thus to
+knock at the gates of your castle in person at this untimely hour,
+without sending a page or a courier in advance, to announce my approach
+in a suitable manner. Necessity knows no law, and forces the most
+polished personages to be guilty of gross breaches of etiquette at
+times.”
+
+“What is it you want?” interrupted the baron, in rather a peremptory
+tone, annoyed by the absurd address of this strange old creature, whose
+sanity he began to doubt.
+
+“Hospitality, most noble seignior; hospitality for myself and my
+comrades—princes and princesses, heroes and beauties, men of letters
+and great captains, pretty waiting-maids and honest valets, who travel
+through the provinces from town to town in the chariot of Thespis,
+drawn by oxen, as in the ancient times. This chariot is now hopelessly
+stuck in the mud only a stone’s throw from your castle, my noble lord.”
+
+“If I understand aright what you say,” answered the baron, “you are a
+strolling band of players, and have lost your way. Though my house is
+sadly dilapidated, and I cannot offer you more than mere shelter, you
+are heartily welcome to that, and will be better off within here than
+exposed to the fury of this wild storm.”
+
+The pedant—for such seemed to be his character in the troupe—bowed his
+acknowledgments.
+
+During this colloquy, Pierre, awakened by Miraut’s loud barking, had
+risen and joined his master at the door. As soon as he was informed of
+what had occurred, he lighted a lantern, and with the baron set forth,
+under the guidance of the droll old actor, to find and rescue the
+chariot in distress. When they reached it Leander and Matamore were
+tugging vainly at the wheels, while his majesty, the king, pricked up
+the weary oxen with the point of his dagger. The actresses, wrapped in
+their cloaks and seated in the rude chariot, were in despair, and much
+frightened as well—wet and weary too, poor things. This most welcome
+re-enforcement inspired all with fresh courage, and, guided by Pierre’s
+suggestions, they soon succeeded in getting the unwieldy vehicle out of
+the quagmire and into the road leading to the château, which was
+speedily reached, and the huge equipage safely piloted through the
+grand portico into the interior court. The oxen were at once taken from
+before it and led into the stable, while the actresses followed de
+Sigognac up to the ancient banqueting hall, which was the most
+habitable room in the château. Pierre brought some wood, and soon had a
+bright fire blazing cheerily in the great fireplace. It was needed,
+although but the beginning of September and the weather still warm, to
+dry the dripping garments of the company; and besides, the air was so
+damp and chilly in this long disused apartment that the genial warmth
+and glow of the fire were welcome to all.
+
+Although the strolling comedians were accustomed to find themselves in
+all sorts of odd, strange lodgings in the course of their wanderings,
+they now looked with astonishment at their extraordinary surroundings;
+being careful, however, like well-bred people, not to manifest too
+plainly the surprise they could not help feeling.
+
+“I regret very much that I cannot offer you a supper,” said their young
+host, when all had assembled round the fire, “but my larder is so bare
+that a mouse could not find enough for a meal in it. I live quite alone
+in this house with my faithful old Pierre; never visited by anybody;
+and you can plainly perceive, without my telling you, that plenty does
+not abound here.”
+
+“Never mind that, noble seignior,” answered Blazius, the pedant, “for
+though on the stage we may sit down to mock repasts—pasteboard fowls
+and wooden bottles—we are careful to provide ourselves with more
+substantial and savoury viands in real life. As quartermaster of the
+troupe I always have in reserve a Bayonne ham, a game pasty, or
+something, of that sort, with at least a dozen bottles of good old
+Bordeaux.”
+
+“Bravo, sir pedant,” cried Leander, “do you go forthwith and fetch in
+the provisions; and if his lordship will permit, and deign to join us,
+we will have our little feast here. The ladies will set the table for
+us meanwhile I am sure.”
+
+The baron graciously nodded his assent, being in truth so amazed at the
+whole proceeding that he could not easily have found words just then;
+and he followed with wondering and admiring eyes the graceful movements
+of Serafina and Isabelle, who, quitting their seats by the fire,
+proceeded to arrange upon the worn but snow-white cloth that Pierre had
+spread on the ancient dining-table, the plates and other necessary
+articles that the old servant brought forth from the recesses of the
+carved buffets. The pedant quickly came back, carrying a large basket
+in each hand, and with a triumphant air placed a huge pasty of most
+tempting appearance in the middle of the table. To this he added a
+large smoked tongue, some slices of rosy Bayonne ham, and six bottles
+of wine.
+
+Beelzebub watched these interesting preparations from a distance with
+eager eyes, but was too much afraid of all these strangers to approach
+and claim a share of the good things on the table. The poor beast was
+so accustomed to solitude and quiet, never seeing any one beyond his
+beloved master and Pierre, that he was horribly frightened at the
+sudden irruption of these noisy newcomers.
+
+Finding the feeble light of the baron’s small lamp rather dim, Matamore
+bad gone out to the chariot and brought back two showy candelabra,
+which ordinarily did duty on the stage. They each held several candles,
+which, in addition to the warm radiance from the blazing fire, made
+quite a brilliant illumination in this room, so lately dark, cheerless,
+and deserted. It had become warm and comfortable by this time; its
+family portraits and tarnished splendour looked their best in the
+bright, soft light, which had chased away the dark shadows and given a
+new beauty to everything it fell upon; the whole place was
+metamorphosed; a festive air prevailed, and the ancient banqueting hall
+once more resounded with cheery voices and gay laughter.
+
+The poor young baron, to whom all this had been intensely disagreeable
+at first, became aware of a strange feeling of comfort and pleasure
+stealing over him, to which, after a short struggle, he finally yielded
+himself entirely. Isabelle, Serafina, even the pretty _soubrette_,
+seemed to him, unaccustomed as he was to feminine beauty and grace,
+like goddesses come down from Mount Olympus, rather than mere ordinary
+mortals. They were all very pretty, and well fitted to turn heads far
+more experienced than his. The whole thing was like a delightful dream
+to him; he almost doubted the evidence of his own senses, and every few
+minutes found himself dreading the awakening, and the vanishing of the
+entrancing vision.
+
+When all was ready de Sigognac led Isabelle and Serafina to the table,
+placing one on each side of him, with the pretty _soubrette_ opposite.
+Mme. Léonarde, the duenna of the troupe, sat beside the pedant,
+Leander, Matamore, his majesty the tyrant, and Scapin finding places
+for themselves. The youthful host was now able to study the faces of
+his guests at his ease, as they sat round the table in the full light
+of the candles burning upon it in the two theatrical candelabra. He
+turned his attention to the ladies first, and it perhaps will not be
+out of place to give a little sketch of them here, while the pedant
+attacks the gigantic game pasty.
+
+Serafina, the “leading lady” of the troupe, was a handsome young woman
+of four or five and twenty, who had quite a grand air, and was as
+dignified and graceful withal as any veritable noble dame who shone at
+the court of his most gracious majesty, Louis XIII. She had an oval
+face, slightly aquiline nose, large gray eyes, bright red lips—the
+under one full and pouting, like a ripe cherry—-a very fair complexion,
+with a beautiful colour in her cheeks when she was animated or excited,
+and rich masses of dark brown hair most becomingly arranged. She wore a
+round felt hat, with the wide rim turned up at one side, and trimmed
+with long, floating plumes. A broad lace collar was turned down over
+her dark green velvet dress, which was elaborately braided, and fitted
+closely to a fine, well-developed figure. A long, black silk scarf was
+worn negligently around her shapely shoulders and although both velvet
+and silk were old and dingy, and the feathers in her hat wet and limp,
+they were still very effective, and she looked like a young queen who
+had strayed away from her realm; the freshness and radiant beauty of
+her face more than made up for the shabbiness of her dress, and de
+Sigognac was fairly dazzled by her many charms.
+
+Isabelle was much more youthful than Serafina, as was requisite for her
+role of ingenuous young girl, and far more simply dressed. She had a
+sweet, almost childlike face, beautiful, silky, chestnut hair, with
+golden lights in it, dark, sweeping lashes veiling her large, soft
+eyes, a little rosebud of a mouth, and an air of modesty and purity
+that was evidently natural to her—not assumed. A gray silk gown, simply
+made, showed to advantage her slender, graceful form, which seemed far
+too fragile to endure the hardships inseparable from the wandering life
+she was leading. A high Elizabethan ruff made a most becoming frame for
+her sweet, delicately tinted, young face, and her only ornament was a
+string of pearl beads, clasped round her slender, white neck. Though
+her beauty was less striking at first sight than Serafina’s, it was of
+a higher order: not dazzling like hers, but surpassingly lovely in its
+exquisite purity and freshness, and promising to eclipse the other’s
+more showy charms, when the half-opened bud should have expanded into
+the full-blown flower.
+
+The _soubrette_ was like a beautiful Gipsy, with a clear, dark
+complexion, rich, mantling colour in her velvety cheeks, intensely
+black hair—long, thick, and wavy—great, flashing, brown eyes, and
+rather a large mouth, with ripe, red lips, and dazzling white
+teeth—one’s very beau-ideal of a bewitching, intriguing waiting-maid,
+and one that might be a dangerous rival to any but a surpassingly
+lovely and fascinating mistress. She was one of the beauties that women
+are not apt to admire, but men rave about and run after the world over.
+She wore a fantastic costume of blue and yellow, which was odd,
+piquant, and becoming, and seemed fully conscious of her own charms.
+
+Mme. Léonarde, the “noble mother” of the troupe dressed all in black,
+like a Spanish duenna, was portly of figure, with a heavy, very pale
+face, double chin, and intensely black eyes, that had a crafty,
+slightly malicious expression. She had been upon the stage from her
+early childhood, passing through all the different phases, and was an
+actress of decided talent, often still winning enthusiastic applause at
+the expense of younger and more attractive women, who were inclined to
+think her something of an old sorceress.
+
+So much for the feminine element. The principal roles were all
+represented; and if occasionally a re-enforcement was required, they
+could almost always pick up some provincial actress, or even an
+amateur, at a pinch. The actors were five in number: The pedant,
+already described, who rejoiced in the name of Blazitis; Leander;
+Hérode, the tragic tyrant; Matamore, the bully; and Scapin, the
+intriguing valet.
+
+Leander, the romantic, irresistible, young lover—darling of the
+ladies—was a tall, fine-looking fellow of about thirty, though
+apparently much more youthful, thanks to the assiduous care he bestowed
+on his handsome person. His slightly curly, black hair was worn long,
+so that he might often have occasion to push it back from his forehead,
+with a hand as white and delicate as a woman’s, upon one of whose taper
+fingers sparkled an enormous diamond—a great deal too big to be real.
+He was rather fancifully dressed, and always falling into such
+graceful, languishing attitudes as he thought would be admired by the
+fair sex, whose devoted slave he was. This Adonis never for one moment
+laid aside his role. He punctuated his sentences with sighs, even when
+speaking of the most indifferent matters, and assumed all sorts of
+preposterous airs and graces, to the secret amusement of his
+companions. But he had great success among the ladies, who all
+flattered him and declared he was charming, until they had turned his
+head completely; and it was his firm belief that he was irresistibly
+fascinating.
+
+The tyrant was the most good-natured, easy-going creature imaginable;
+but, strangely enough, gifted by nature with all the external signs of
+ferocity. With his tall, burly frame, very dark skin, immensely thick,
+shaggy eyebrows, black as jet, crinkly, bushy hair of the same hue, and
+long beard, that grew far up on his cheeks, he was a very formidable,
+fierce-looking fellow; and when he spoke, his loud, deep voice made
+everything ring again. He affected great dignity, and filled his role
+to perfection.
+
+Matamore was as different as possible, painfully thin—scarcely more
+than mere skin and bones—a living skeleton with a large hooked nose,
+set in a long, narrow face, a huge mustache turned up at the ends, and
+flashing, black eyes. His excessively tall, lank figure was so
+emaciated that it was like a caricature of a man. The swaggering air
+suitable to his part had become habitual with him, and he walked always
+with immense strides, head well thrown back, and hand on the pommel of
+the huge sword he was never seen without.
+
+As to Scapin, he looked more like a fox than anything else, and had a
+most villainous countenance; yet he was a good enough fellow in
+reality.
+
+The painter has a great advantage over the writer, in that he can so
+present the group on his canvas that one glance suffices to take in the
+whole picture, with the lights and shadows, attitudes, costumes, and
+details of every kind, which are sadly wanting in our description—too
+long, though so imperfect—of the party gathered thus unexpectedly round
+our young baron’s table. The beginning of the repast was very silent,
+until the most urgent demands of hunger had been satisfied. Poor de
+Sigognac, who had never perhaps at any one time had as much to eat as
+he wanted since he was weaned, attacked the tempting viands with an
+appetite and ardour quite new to him; and that too despite his great
+desire to appear interesting and romantic in the eyes of the beautiful
+young women between whom he was seated. The pedant, very much amused at
+the boyish eagerness and enjoyment of his youthful host, quietly heaped
+choice bits upon his plate, and watched their rapid disappearance with
+beaming satisfaction. Beelzebub had at last plucked up courage and
+crept softly under the table to his master, making his presence known
+by a quick tapping with his fore-paws upon the baron’s knees; his
+claims were at once recognised, and he feasted to his heart’s content
+on the savoury morsels quietly thrown down to him. Poor old Miraut, who
+had followed Pierre into the room, was not neglected either, and had
+his full share of the good things that found their way to his master’s
+plate.
+
+By this time there was a good deal of laughing and talking round the
+festive board. The baron, though very timid, and much embarrassed, had
+ventured to enter into conversation with his fair neighbours. The
+pedant and the tyrant were loudly discussing the respective merits of
+tragedy and comedy. Leander, like Narcissus of old, was complacently
+admiring his own charms as reflected in a little pocket mirror he
+always had about him. Strange to say he was not a suitor of either
+Serafina’s or Isabelle’s; fortunately for them he aimed higher, and was
+always hoping that some grand lady, who saw him on the stage, would
+fall violently in love with him, and shower all sorts of favours upon
+him. He was in the habit of boasting that he had had many delightful
+adventures of the kind, which Scapin persistently denied, declaring
+that to his certain knowledge they had never taken place, save in the
+aspiring lover’s own vivid imagination. The exasperating valet,
+malicious as a monkey, took the greatest delight in tormenting poor
+Leander, and never lost an opportunity; so now, seeing him absorbed in
+self-admiration, he immediately attacked him, and soon had made him
+furious. The quarrel grew loud and violent, and Leander was heard
+declaring that he could produce a large chest crammed full of love
+letters, written to him by various high and titled ladies; whereupon
+everybody laughed uproariously, while Serafina said to de Sigognac that
+she for one did not admire their taste, and Isabelle silently looked
+her disgust. The baron meantime was more and more charmed with this
+sweet, dainty young girl, and though he was too shy to address any
+high-flown compliments to her, according to the fashion of the day, his
+eyes spoke eloquently for him. She was not at all displeased at his
+ardent glances, and smiled radiantly and encouragingly upon him,
+thereby unconsciously making poor Matamore, who was secretly enamoured
+of her, desperately unhappy, though he well knew that his passion was
+an utterly hopeless one. A more skilful and audacious lover would have
+pushed his advantage, but our poor young hero had not learned courtly
+manners nor assurance in his isolated château, and, though he lacked
+neither wit nor learning, it must be confessed that at this moment he
+did appear lamentably stupid.
+
+All the bottles having been scrupulously emptied, the pedant turned the
+last one of the half dozen upside down, so that every drop might run
+out; which significant action was noted and understood by Matamore, who
+lost no time in bringing in a fresh supply from the chariot. The baron
+began to feel the wine a little in his head, being entirely
+unaccustomed to it, yet he could not resist drinking once again to the
+health of the ladies. The pedant and the tyrant drank like old topers,
+who can absorb any amount of liquor—be it wine, or something
+stronger—without becoming actually intoxicated. Matamore was very
+abstemious, both in eating and drinking, and could have lived like the
+impoverished Spanish hidalgo, who dines on three olives and sups on an
+air upon his mandoline. There was a reason for his extreme frugality;
+he feared that if he ate and drank like other people he might lose his
+phenomenal thinness, which was of inestimable value to him in a
+professional point of view. If he should be so unfortunate as to gain
+flesh, his attractions would diminish in an inverse ratio, so he
+starved himself almost to death, and was constantly seen anxiously
+examining the buckle of his belt, to make sure that he had not
+increased in girth since his last meal. Voluntary Tantalus, he scarcely
+allowed himself enough to keep life in his attenuated frame, and if he
+had but fasted as carefully from motives of piety he would have been a
+full-fledged saint.
+
+The portly duenna disposed of solids and fluids perseveringly, and in
+formidable quantities, seeming to have an unlimited capacity; but
+Isabelle and Serafina had finished their supper long ago, and were
+yawning wearily behind their pretty, outspread hands, having no fans
+within reach, to conceal these pronounced symptoms of sleepiness.
+
+The baron, becoming aware of this state of things, said to them,
+“Mesdemoiselles, I perceive that you are very weary, and I wish with
+all my heart that I could offer you each a luxurious bed-chamber; but
+my house, like my family, has fallen into decay, and I can only give to
+you and Madame my own room. Fortunately the bed is very large, and you
+must make yourselves as comfortable as you can—for a single night you
+will not mind. As to the gentlemen, I must ask them to remain here with
+me, and try to sleep in the arm-chairs before the fire. I pray you,
+ladies, do not allow yourselves to be startled by the waving of the
+tapestry-which is only due to the strong draughts about the room on a
+stormy night like this—the moaning of the wind in the chimney, or the
+wild scurrying and squeaking of the mice behind the wainscot. I can
+guarantee that no ghosts will disturb you here, though this place does
+look dreary and dismal enough to be haunted.”
+
+“I am not a bit of a coward,” answered Serafina laughingly, “and will
+do my best to reassure this timid little Isabelle. As to our
+duenna,—she is something of a sorceress herself, and if the devil in
+person should make his appearance he would meet his match in her.”
+
+The baron then took a light in his hand and showed the three ladies the
+way into the bed-chamber, which certainly did strike them rather
+unpleasantly at first sight, and looked very eerie in the dim,
+flickering light of the one small lamp.
+
+“What a capital scene it would make for the fifth act of a tragedy,”
+said Serafina, as she looked curiously about her, while poor little
+Isabelle shivered with cold and terror. They all crept into bed without
+undressing, Isabelle begging to lie between Serafina and Mme. Léonarde,
+for she felt nervous and frightened. The other two fell asleep at once,
+but the timid young girl lay long awake, gazing with wide-open,
+straining eyes at the door that led into the shut-up apartments beyond,
+as if she dreaded its opening to admit some unknown horror. But it
+remained fast shut, and though all sorts of mysterious noises made her
+poor little heart flutter painfully, her eyelids closed at last, and
+she forgot her weariness and her fears in profound slumber.
+
+In the other room the pedant slept soundly, with his head on the table,
+and the tyrant opposite to him snored like a giant. Matamore had rolled
+himself up in a cloak and made himself as comfortable as possible under
+the circumstances in a large arm-chair, with his long, thin legs
+extended at full length, and his feet on the fender. Leander slept
+sitting bolt upright, so as not to disarrange his carefully brushed
+hair, and de Sigognac, who had taken possession of a vacant arm-chair,
+was too much agitated and excited by the events of the evening to be
+able to close his eyes. The coming of two beautiful, young women thus
+suddenly into his life—which had been hitherto so isolated, sad and
+dreary, entirely devoid of all the usual pursuits and pleasures of
+youth—could not fail to rouse him from his habitual apathy, and set his
+pulses beating after a new fashion. Incredible as it may seem yet it
+was quite true that our young hero had never had a single love affair.
+He was too proud, as we have already said, to take his rightful place
+among his equals, without any of the appurtenances suitable to his
+rank, and also too proud to associate familiarly with the surrounding
+peasantry, who accorded him as much respect in his poverty as they had
+ever shown to his ancestors in their prosperity. He had no near
+relatives to come to his assistance, and so lived on, neglected and
+forgotten, in his crumbling château, with nothing to look forward to or
+hope for. In the course of his solitary wanderings he had several times
+chanced to encounter the young and beautiful Yolande de Foix, following
+the hounds on her snow-white palfrey, in company with her father and a
+number of the young noblemen of the neighbourhood. This dazzling vision
+of beauty often haunted his dreams, but what possible relations could
+there ever be hoped for between the rich, courted heiress, whose
+suitors were legion, and his own poverty-stricken self? Far from
+seeking to attract her attention, he always got out of her sight as
+quickly as possible, lest his ill-fitting, shabby garments and
+miserable old pony should excite a laugh at his expense; for he was
+very sensitive, this poor young nobleman, and could not have borne the
+least approach to ridicule from the fair object of his secret and
+passionate admiration. He had tried his utmost to stifle the ardent
+emotions that filled his heart whenever his thoughts strayed to the
+beautiful Yolande, realizing how far above his reach she was, and he
+believed that he had succeeded; though there were times even yet when
+it all rushed back upon him with overwhelming force, like a huge tidal
+wave that sweeps everything before it.
+
+The night passed quietly at the château, without other incident than
+the fright of poor Isabelle, when Beelzebub, who had climbed up on the
+bed, as was his frequent custom, established himself comfortably upon
+her bosom; finding it a deliciously soft, warm resting-place, and
+obstinately resisting her frantic efforts to drive him away.
+
+As to de Sigognac, he did not once close his eyes. A vague project was
+gradually shaping itself in his mind, keeping him wakeful and
+perplexed. The advent of these strolling comedians appeared to him like
+a stroke of fate, an ambassador of fortune, to invite him to go out
+into the great world, away from this old feudal ruin, where his youth
+was passing in misery and inaction—to quit this dreary shade, and
+emerge into the light and life of the outer world.
+
+At last the gray light of the dawn came creeping in through the lattice
+windows, speedily followed by the first bright rays from the rising
+sun. The storm was over, and the glorious god of day rose triumphant in
+a perfectly clear sky. It was a strange group that he peeped in upon,
+where the old family portraits seemed looking down with haughty
+contempt upon the slumbering invaders of their dignified solitude. The
+_soubrette_ was the first to awake, starting up as a warm sunbeam shone
+caressingly full upon her face. She sprang to her feet, shook out her
+skirts, as a bird does its plumage, passed the palms of her hands
+lightly over her glossy bands of jet-black hair, and then seeing that
+the baron was quietly observing her, with eyes that showed no trace of
+drowsiness, she smiled radiantly upon him as she made a low and most
+graceful curtsey.
+
+“I am very sorry,” said de Sigognac, as he rose to acknowledge her
+salute, “that the ruinous condition of this château, which verily seems
+better fitted to receive phantoms than real living guests, would not
+permit me to offer you more comfortable accommodations. If I had been
+able to follow my inclinations, I should have lodged you in a luxurious
+chamber, where you could have reposed between fine linen sheets, under
+silken curtains, instead of resting uneasily in that worm-eaten old
+chair.”
+
+“Do not be sorry about anything, my lord, I pray you,” answered the
+_soubrette_ with another brilliant smile; “but for your kindness we
+should have been in far worse plight; forced to pass the night in the
+poor old chariot, stuck fast in the mud; exposed to the cutting wind
+and pelting rain. We should assuredly have found ourselves in wretched
+case this morning. Besides, this château which you speak of so
+disparagingly is magnificence itself in comparison with the miserable
+barns, open to the weather, in which we have sometimes been forced to
+spend the night, trying to sleep as best we might on bundles of straw,
+and making light of our misery to keep our courage up.”
+
+While the baron and the actress were exchanging civilities the pedant’s
+chair, unable to support his weight any longer, suddenly gave way under
+him, and he fell to the floor with a tremendous crash, which startled
+the whole company. In his fall he had mechanically seized hold of the
+table-cloth, and so brought nearly all the things upon it clattering
+down with him. He lay sprawling like a huge turtle in the midst of them
+until the tyrant, after rubbing his eyes and stretching his burly
+limbs, came to the rescue, and held out a helping hand, by aid of which
+the old actor managed with some difficulty to scramble to his feet.
+
+“Such an accident as that could never happen to Matamore,” said Hérode,
+with his resounding laugh; “he might fall into a spider’s web without
+breaking through it.”
+
+“That’s true,” retorted the shadow of a man, in his turn stretching his
+long attenuated limbs and yawning tremendously, “but then, you know,
+not everybody has the advantage of being a second Polyphemus, a
+mountain of flesh and bones, like you, or a big wine-barrel, like our
+friend Blazius there.”
+
+All this commotion had aroused Isabelle, Serafina and the duenna, who
+presently made their appearance. The two younger women, though a little
+pale and weary, yet looked very charming in the bright morning light.
+In de Sigognac’s eyes they appeared radiant, in spite of the shabbiness
+of their finery, which was far more apparent now than on the preceding
+evening. But what signify faded ribbons and dingy gowns when the
+wearers are fresh, young and beautiful? Besides, the baron’s eyes were
+so accustomed to dinginess that they were not capable of detecting such
+slight defects in the toilets of his fair guests, and he gazed with
+delight upon these bewitching creatures, enraptured with their grace
+and beauty. As to the duenna, she was both old and ugly, and had long
+ago accepted the inevitable with commendable resignation.
+
+As the ladies entered by one door, Pierre came in by the other,
+bringing more wood for the fire, and then proceeding to make the
+disordered room as tidy as he could. All the company now gathered round
+the cheerful blaze that was roaring up the chimney and sending out a
+warm glow that was an irresistible attraction in the chill of the early
+morning. Isabelle knelt down and stretched out the rosy palms of her
+pretty little hands as near to the flames as she dared, while Serafina
+stood behind and laid her hands caressingly on her shoulders, like an
+elder sister taking tender care of a younger one. Matamore stood on one
+leg like a huge heron, leaning against the corner of the carved
+chimney-piece, and seemed inclined to fall asleep again, while the
+pedant was vainly searching for a swallow of wine among the empty
+bottles.
+
+The baron meantime had held a hurried private consultation with Pierre
+as to the possibility of procuring a few eggs, or a fowl or two, at the
+nearest hamlet, so that he might give the travellers something to eat
+before their departure, and he bade the old servant be quick about it,
+for the chariot was to make an early start, as they had a long day’s
+journey before them.
+
+“I cannot let you go away fasting, though you will have rather a scanty
+breakfast I fear,” he said to his guests, “but it is better to have a
+poor one than none at all; and there is not an inn within six leagues
+of this where you could be sure of getting anything to eat. I will not
+make further apologies, for the condition of everything in this house
+shows you plainly enough that I am not rich; but as my poverty is
+mainly owing to the great expenditures made by my honoured ancestors in
+many wars for the defence of king and country, I do not need to be
+ashamed of it.”
+
+“No indeed, my lord,” answered Hérode in his deep, bass voice, “and
+many there be in these degenerate days who hold their heads very high
+because of their riches, who would not like to have to confess how they
+came in possession of them.”
+
+“What astonishes me,” interrupted Blazius, “is that such an
+accomplished young gentleman as your lordship seems to be should be
+willing to remain here in this isolated spot, where Fortune cannot
+reach you even if she would. You ought to go to Paris, the great
+capital of the world, the rendezvous of brave and learned men, the El
+Dorado, the promised land, the Paradise of all true Frenchmen. There
+you would be sure to make your way, either in attaching yourself to the
+household of some great nobleman, a friend of your family, or in
+performing some brilliant deed of valour, the opportunity for which
+will not be long to find.”
+
+These words, although rather high-flown, were not devoid of sense, and
+de Sigognac could not help secretly admitting that there was some truth
+in them. He had often, during his long rambles over the desolate
+Landes, thought wishfully of undertaking what the pedant had just
+proposed; but he had not money enough for the journey even, and he did
+not know where to look for more. Though brave and high-spirited, he was
+very sensitive, and feared a smile of derision more than a
+sword-thrust. He was not familiar with the prevailing fashions in
+dress, but he felt that his antiquated costume was ridiculous as well
+as shabby, and sure to be laughed at anywhere but among his own simple
+peasantry. Like most of those who are disheartened and crushed by
+extreme poverty, he only looked at the dark side of things, and made no
+allowance for any possible advantages. Perhaps he might have been
+delicately as well as generously assisted by some of his father’s old
+friends if he would only have let them know of his situation, but his
+pride held him back, and he would have died of starvation rather than
+ask for aid in any form.
+
+“I used to think sometimes of going to Paris,” he answered slowly,
+after some hesitation, “but I have no friends or even acquaintances
+there; and the descendants of those who perhaps knew my ancestors when
+they were rich and powerful, and in favour at court, could scarcely be
+expected to welcome a poverty-stricken Baron de Sigognac, who came
+swooping down from his ruined tower to try and snatch a share of any
+prey that chanced to lie within reach of his talons. And besides—I do
+not know why I should be ashamed to acknowledge it—I have not any of
+the appurtenances suitable to my rank, and could not present myself
+upon a footing worthy of my name. I doubt if I have even money enough
+for the expenses of the journey alone, and that in the humblest
+fashion.”
+
+“But it is not necessary,” Blazius hastened to reply, “that you should
+make a state entry into the capital, like a Roman emperor, in a gilded
+chariot drawn by four white horses abreast. If our humble equipage does
+not appear too unworthy to your lordship, come with us to Paris; we are
+on our way there now. Many a man shines there to-day in brave apparel,
+and enjoys high favour at court, who travelled thither on foot,
+carrying his little bundle over his shoulder, swung on the point of his
+rapier, and his shoes in his hand, for fear of wearing them out on the
+way.”
+
+A slight flush, partly of shame, partly of pleasure, rose to de
+Sigognac’s cheek at this speech. If on the one side his pride revolted
+at the idea of being under an obligation to such a person as the
+pedant, on the other he was touched and gratified by this kind
+proposition so frankly made, and which, moreover, accorded so well with
+his own secret desires. He feared also that if he refused the actor’s
+kindly-meant offer he would wound his feelings, and perhaps miss an
+opportunity that would never be afforded to him again. It is true that
+the idea of a descendant of the noble old house of Sigognac travelling
+in the chariot of a band of strolling players, and making common cause
+with them, was rather shocking at first sight, but surely it would be
+better than to go on any longer leading his miserable, hopeless life in
+this dismal, deserted place. He wavered between those two decisive
+little monosyllables, yes and no, and could by no means reach a
+satisfactory conclusion, when Isabelle, who had been watching the
+colloquy with breathless interest, advanced smilingly to where he was
+standing somewhat apart with Blazius, and addressed the following words
+to him, which speedily put an end to all his uncertainty:
+
+“Our poet, having fallen heir to a fortune, has lately left us, and his
+lordship would perhaps be good enough to take his place. I found
+accidentally, in opening a volume of Ronsard’s poems that lay upon the
+table in his room, a piece of paper with a sonnet written upon it,
+which must be of his composition, and proves him not unaccustomed to
+writing in verse. He could rearrange our parts for us, make the
+necessary alterations and additions in the new plays we undertake, and
+even perhaps write a piece for us now and then. I have now a very
+pretty little Italian comedy by me, which, with some slight
+modifications, would suit us nicely, and has a really charming part for
+me.”
+
+With her last words, accompanied though they were with a smile, she
+gave the baron such a sweet, wistful look that he could no longer
+resist; but the appearance of Pierre at this moment with a large
+omelette created a diversion, and interrupted this interesting
+conversation. They all immediately gathered round the table, and
+attacked the really good breakfast, which the old servant had somehow
+managed to put before them, with great zest. As to de Sigognac, he kept
+them company merely out of politeness, and trifled with what was on his
+plate while the others were eating, having partaken too heartily of the
+supper the night before to be hungry now, and, besides, being so much
+preoccupied with weightier matters that he was not able to pay much
+attention to this.
+
+After the meat was finished, and while the chariot was being made ready
+for a start, Isabelle and Serafina expressed a desire to go into the
+garden, which they looked down upon from the court.
+
+“I am afraid,” said de Sigognac, as he aided them to descend the
+unsteady, slippery stone steps, “that the briers will make sad work
+with your dresses, for thorns abound in my neglected garden, though
+roses do not.”
+
+The young baron said this in the sad, ironical tone he usually adopted
+when alluding to his poverty; but a moment after they suddenly came
+upon two exquisite little wild roses, blooming directly in their path.
+With an exclamation of surprise de Sigognac gathered them, and as he
+offered one to each lady, said, with a smile, “I did not know there was
+anything of this sort here, having never found aught but rank weeds and
+brambles before; it is your gracious presence that has brought forth
+these two blossoms in the midst of ruin and desolation.”
+
+Isabelle put her little rose carefully in the bosom of her dress,
+giving him her thanks mutely by an eloquent glance, which spoke more
+perhaps than she knew, and brought a flush of pleasure to his cheeks.
+They walked on to the statue in its rocky niche at the end of the
+garden, de Sigognac carefully bending back the branches that obstructed
+the way. The young girl looked round with a sort of tender interest at
+this overgrown, neglected spot, so thoroughly in keeping with the
+ruined château that frowned down upon them, and thought pityingly of
+the long, dreary hours that the poor baron must have spent here in
+solitude and despair. Serafina’s face only expressed a cold disdain,
+but slightly masked by politeness. To her mind the ruinous condition of
+things was anything but interesting, and though she dearly loved a
+title she had still greater respect for wealth and magnificence.
+
+“My domain ends here,” said the baron, as they reached the grotto of
+the statue, “though formerly all the surrounding country, as far as the
+eye can reach from the top of that high tower yonder, belonged to my
+ancestors. But barely enough remains now to afford me a shelter until
+the day comes when the last of the de Sigognacs shall be laid to rest
+amid his forefathers in the family vault, thenceforward their sole
+possession.”
+
+“Do you know you are very much out of spirits this morning?” said
+Isabelle in reply, touched by the expression of this sad thought that
+had occurred to her also, and assuming a bright, playful air, in the
+hope that it might help to chase away the heavy shadow that lay upon
+her young host’s brow. “Fortune is blind, they say, but nevertheless
+she does sometimes shower her good gifts upon the worthy and the brave;
+the only thing is that they must put themselves in her way. Come,
+decide to go with us, and perhaps in a few years the Château de
+Sigognac, restored to its ancient splendour, may loom up as proudly as
+of old; think of that, my lord, and take courage to quit it for a time.
+And besides,” she added in a lower tone that only de Sigognac could
+hear, “I cannot bear to go away and leave you here alone in this dreary
+place.”
+
+The soft light that shone in Isabelle’s beautiful eyes as she murmured
+these persuasive words was irresistible to the man who already loved
+her madly; and the idea of following his divinity in a humble disguise,
+as many a noble knight had done of old, reconciled him to what would
+otherwise have seemed too incongruous and humiliating. It could not be
+considered derogatory to any gentleman to accompany his lady-love, be
+she what she might, actress or princess, and to attach himself, for
+love of her bright eyes, to even a band of strolling players. The
+mischievous little boy of the bow had compelled even gods and heroes to
+submit to all sorts of odd tests and means. Jupiter himself took the
+form of a bull to carry off Europa, and swam across the sea with her
+upon his back to the island of Crete. Hercules, dressed as a woman, sat
+spinning meekly at Omphale’s feet. Even Aristotle went upon all fours
+that his mistress might ride on his back. What wonder then that our
+youthful baron thought that nothing could be too difficult or repulsive
+in the service of the lovely being at his side! So he decided at once
+not to let her leave him behind, and begging the comedians to wait a
+few moments while he made his hurried preparations, drew Pierre aside
+and told him in few words of his new project. The faithful old servant,
+although nearly heart-broken at the thought of parting with his beloved
+master, fully realized how greatly it would be to his advantage to quit
+the dreary life that was blighting his youth, and go out into the
+world; and while he felt keenly the incongruity of such fellow
+travellers for a de Sigognac, yet wisely thought that it was better for
+him to go thus than not at all. He quickly filled an old valise with
+the few articles of clothing that formed the baron’s scanty wardrobe,
+and put into a leathern purse the little money he still possessed;
+secretly adding thereto his own small hoard, which he could safely do
+without fear of detection, as he had the care of the family finances,
+as well as everything else about the establishment. The old white pony
+was brought out and saddled, for de Sigognac did not wish to get into
+the chariot until they had gone some distance from home, not caring to
+make his departure public. He would seem thus to be only accompanying
+his guests a little way upon their journey, and Pierre was to follow on
+foot to lead the horse back home.
+
+The oxen, great slow-moving, majestic creatures, were already harnessed
+to the heavy chariot, while their driver, a tall, sturdy peasant lad,
+standing in front of them leaning upon his goad, had unconsciously
+assumed an attitude so graceful that he closely resembled the
+sculptured figures in ancient Greek bas-reliefs. Isabelle and Serafina
+had seated themselves in the front of the chariot, so that they could
+enjoy the fresh, cool air, and see the country as they passed along;
+while the others bestowed themselves inside, where they might indulge
+in a morning nap. At last all were ready; the driver gave the word of
+command, and the oxen stepped slowly forward, setting in motion the
+great unwieldy, lumbering vehicle, which creaked and groaned in
+lamentable fashion, making the vaulted portico ring again as it passed
+through it and out of the château.
+
+In the midst of all this unwonted commotion, Beelzebub and Miraut moved
+restlessly about the court, evidently very much perplexed as to what
+could be the meaning of it. The old dog ran back and forth from his
+master, who always had a caress for him, to Pierre, looking up into
+their faces with questioning, anxious eyes, and Beelzebub finally went
+and held a consultation with his good friend, the old white pony, now
+standing with saddle and bridle on, quietly awaiting his master’s
+pleasure. He bent down his head so that his lips almost touched
+Beelzebub, and really appeared to be whispering something to him; which
+the cat in his turn imparted to Miraut, in that mysterious language of
+animals which Democritus, claimed that he understood, but which we are
+not able to translate. Whatever it might have been that Bayard, the old
+pony, communicated to Beelzebub, one thing is certain, that when at
+last the baron vaulted into his saddle and sallied forth from his
+ancient castle, he was accompanied by both cat and dog. Now, though it
+was no uncommon thing for Miraut to follow him abroad, Beelzebub had
+never been known to attempt such a feat before.
+
+As he rode slowly out through the grand old portico de Sigognac felt
+his heart heavy within him, and when, after going a few paces from the
+château, he turned round for one last look at its crumbling walls, he
+felt an acute grief at bidding them farewell which was an astonishment
+to himself. As his eyes sought and dwelt upon the roof of the little
+chapel where his father and mother lay sleeping side by side, he almost
+reproached himself for wishing to go and leave them, and it required a
+mighty effort to turn away and ride after the chariot, which was some
+distance in advance of him. He had soon overtaken and passed it, when a
+gentle gust of wind brought to him the penetrating, faintly aromatic
+scent of his native heather, still wet from last night’s rain, and also
+the silvery sound of a distant convent bell that was associated with
+his earliest recollections. They both seemed to be reproaching him for
+his desertion of his home, and he involuntarily checked the old pony,
+and made as if he would turn back. Miraut and Beelzebub, seeming to
+understand the movement, looked up at him eagerly, but as he was in the
+very act of turning the horse’s head he met Isabelle’s soft eyes fixed
+on him with such an entreating, wistful look that he flushed and
+trembled under it, and entirely forgetting his ancient château, the
+perfume of the heather, and the quick strokes of the distant bell, that
+still continued ringing, he put spurs to his horse and dashed on in
+advance again. The struggle was over—Isabelle had conquered.
+
+When the highway was reached, de Sigognac again fell behind the
+chariot—which moved more quickly over the smooth, hard road—so that
+Pierre might be able to catch up to him, and rode slowly forward, lost
+in thought; he roused himself, however, in time to take one last look
+at the towers of Sigognac, which were still visible over the tops of
+the pine trees. Bayard came to a full stop as he gazed, and Miraut took
+advantage of the pause to endeavour to climb up and lick his master’s
+face once more; but he was so old and stiff that de Sigognac had to
+lift him up in front of him; holding him there he tenderly caressed the
+faithful companion of many sad, lonely years, even bending down and
+kissing him between the eyes. Meantime the more agile Beelzebub had
+scrambled up on the other side, springing from the ground to the
+baron’s foot, and then climbing up by his leg; he purred loudly as his
+master affectionately stroked his head, looking up in his face as if he
+understood perfectly that this was a leave-taking. We trust that the
+kind reader will not laugh at our poor young hero, when we say that he
+was so deeply touched by these evidences of affection from his humble
+followers that two great tears rolled down his pale cheeks and fell
+upon the heads of his dumb favourites, before he put them gently from
+him and resumed his journey.
+
+Miraut and Beelzebub stood where he had put them down, looking after
+their beloved master until a turn in the road hid him from their sight,
+and then quietly returned to the château together. The rain of the
+previous night had left no traces in the sandy expanse of the Landes,
+save that it had freshened up the heather with its tiny purple bells,
+and the furze bushes with their bright yellow blossoms. The very pine
+trees themselves looked less dark and mournful than usual, and their
+penetrating, resinous odour filled the fresh morning air. Here and
+there a little column of smoke rising from amid a grove of chestnut
+trees betrayed the homestead of some farmer, and scattered over the
+gently rolling plain, that extended as far as the eye could reach,
+great flocks of sheep could be discerned, carefully guarded by shepherd
+and dog; the former mounted on stilts, and looking very odd to those
+unaccustomed to the shepherds of the Landes. On the southern horizon
+the snow-clad tops of the more lofty peaks of the Pyrenees rose boldly
+into the clear sky, with light wreaths of mist still clinging round
+them here and there.
+
+Oxen travel slowly, especially over roads where at times the wheels
+sink deep into the sand, and the sun was high above the horizon before
+they had gone two leagues on their way. The baron, loath to fatigue his
+old servant and poor Bayard, determined to bid adieu to them without
+further delay; so he sprang lightly to the ground, put the bridle into
+Pierre’s trembling hand, and affectionately stroked the old pony’s
+neck, as he never failed to do when he dismounted. It was a painful
+moment. The faithful servant had taken care of his young master from
+his infancy, and he turned very pale as he said in faltering tones,
+“God bless and keep your lordship. How I wish that I could go with
+you.”
+
+“And so do I, my good Pierre, but that is impossible. You must stay and
+take care of the château for me; I could not bear to think of it
+entirely abandoned, or in any other hands than yours, my faithful
+friend! And besides, what would become of Bayard and Miraut and
+Beelzebub, if you too deserted them?”
+
+“You are right, master,” answered Pierre, his eyes filling with tears
+as he bade him farewell before he turned and led Bayard slowly back by
+the road they had come. The old pony whinnied loudly as he left his
+master, and long after he was out of sight could be heard at short
+intervals calling out his adieux.
+
+The poor young baron, left quite alone, stood for a moment with
+downcast eyes, feeling very desolate and sad; then roused himself with
+an effort, and hastened after the chariot. As he walked along beside it
+with a sorrowful, preoccupied air, Isabelle complained of being tired
+of her somewhat cramped position, and said that she would like to get
+down and walk a little way for a change; her real motive being a kind
+wish to endeavour to cheer up poor de Sigognac and make him forget his
+sad thoughts. The shadow that had overspread his countenance passed
+away entirely as he assisted Isabelle to alight, and then offering his
+arm led her on in advance of the lumbering chariot. They had walked
+some distance, and she was just reciting some verses, from one of her
+parts, which she wished to have altered a little, when the sound of a
+horn close at hand startled them, and from a by-path emerged a gay
+party returning from the chase. The beautiful Yolande de Foix came
+first, radiant as Diana, with a brilliant colour in her cheeks and eyes
+that shone like stars. Several long rents in the velvet skirt of her
+riding habit showed that she had been following the hounds through the
+thickets of furze that abound in the Landes, yet she did not look in
+the least fatigued, and as she came forward made her spirited horse
+fret and prance under quick, light strokes of her riding-whip—in whose
+handle shone a magnificent amethyst set in massive gold, and engraved
+with the de Foix arms. Three or four young noblemen, splendidly dressed
+and mounted, were with her, and as she swept proudly past our hero and
+his fair companion-upon whom she cast a glance of haughty disdain—she
+said in clear ringing tones, “Do look at the Baron de Sigognac, dancing
+attendance upon a _Bohémienne_.” And the little company passed on with
+a shout of laughter.
+
+The poor baron was furious, and instinctively grasped the handle of his
+sword with a quick, angry movement; but as quickly released it—for he
+was on foot and those who had insulted him were on horseback, so that
+he could not hope to overtake them; and besides, he could not challenge
+a lady. But the angry flush soon faded from his cheek, and the
+remembrance of his displeasure from his mind, under the gentle
+influence of Isabelle, who put forth all her powers of fascination to
+make her companion forget the affront he had received because of her.
+
+The day passed without any other incident worthy of being recorded, and
+our travellers arrived in good season at the inn where they were to sup
+and sleep.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+THE BLUE SUN INN
+
+
+It was in front of the largest house in a wretched little hamlet that
+the weary oxen drawing the chariot of Thespis stopped of their own
+accord. The wooden sign that creaked distractingly as it swung to and
+fro at every breath of wind bore a large, blue sun, darting its rays,
+after the most approved fashion, to the utmost dimensions of the board
+on which it was painted. Rather an original idea, one would say, to
+have a blue orb of day instead of a golden one—such as adorned so many
+other inns on the great post-road—but originality had had nothing
+whatever to do with it. The wandering painter who produced this
+remarkable work of art happened to have no vestige of any colour but
+blue left upon his palette, and he discoursed so eloquently of the
+superiority of this tint to all others that he succeeded in persuading
+the worthy innkeeper to have an azure sun depicted on his swinging
+sign. And not this one alone had yielded to his specious arguments, for
+he had painted blue lions, blue cocks, blue horses, on various signs in
+the country round, in a manner that would have delighted the
+Chinese—who esteem an artist in proportion to the unnaturalness of his
+designs and colouring.
+
+The few scrawny, unwholesome-looking children feebly playing in the
+muddy, filthy, little street, and the prematurely old, ghastly women
+standing at the open doors of the miserable thatched huts of which the
+hamlet was composed, were but too evidently the wretched victims of a
+severe type of malarial fever that prevails in the Landes. They were
+truly piteous objects, and our travellers were glad to take refuge in
+the inn—though it was anything but inviting—and so get out of sight of
+them.
+
+The landlord, a villainous looking fellow, with an ugly crimson scar
+across his forehead, who rejoiced in the extraordinary name of
+Chirriguirri, received them with many low obeisances, and led the way
+into his house, talking volubly of the excellent accommodations to be
+found therein.
+
+The Baron de Sigognac hesitated ere he crossed the threshold, though
+the comedians had all drawn back respectfully to allow him to precede
+them. His pride revolted at going into such a place in such company,
+but one glance from Isabelle put everything else out of his head, and
+he entered the dirty little inn at her side with an air of joyful
+alacrity. In the happy kingdom of France the fortunate man who escorted
+a pretty woman, no matter where, needed not to fear ridicule or
+contumely, and was sure to be envied.
+
+The large low room into which Maître Chirriguirri ushered the party,
+with much ceremony and many bows, was scarcely so magnificent as he had
+given them reason to expect, but our strolling players had long ago
+learned to take whatever came in their way without grumbling, and they
+seated themselves quietly on the rude wooden settles ranged round a
+rough, stone platform in the centre of the apartment, upon which a few
+sticks of wood were blazing the smoke escaping through an opening in
+the roof above. From an iron bar which crossed this opening a strong
+chain was suspended, and fastened to it was the crane, so that it hung
+at the proper height over the fire—for this was the kitchen as well as
+the reception room. The low ceiling was blackened with the smoke that
+filled the upper part of the room and escaped slowly through the hole
+over the fire, unless a puff of wind drove it back again. A row of
+bright copper _casseroles_ hanging against the wall—like the burnished
+shields along the sides of the ancient triremes, if this comparison be
+not too noble for such a lowly subject—gleamed vaguely in the flashing
+of the red fire-light, and a large, half-empty wine-skin lying on the
+floor in one corner looked like a beheaded body carelessly flung down
+there. Certainly not a cheerful looking place, but, the fire being
+newly replenished burned brightly, and our weary travellers were glad
+to bask in its genial warmth.
+
+At the end of one of the wooden benches a little girl was sitting,
+apparently sound asleep. She was a poor, thin, little creature, with a
+mass of long, tangled, black hair, which hung down over her face and
+almost concealed it, as she sat with her head drooping forward on her
+breast. Her scanty clothing was tattered and dirty, her feet and poor,
+thin, little legs brown and bare, and covered with scratches—some still
+bleeding which bore witness to much running through the thorny furze
+thickets.
+
+Isabelle, who chanced to sit down near her, cast many pitying glances
+upon this forlorn little figure, but took care not to disturb the quiet
+sleep she seemed to be enjoying in her uncomfortable resting-place.
+After a little, when she had turned to speak to Serafina, who sat
+beside her, the child woke with a start, and pushing back the mass of
+dishevelled hair revealed a sad little face, so thin that the cheek
+bones were painfully prominent, and pale to ghastliness. A pair of
+magnificent, dark brown eyes, with heavy sweeping lashes, looked
+preternaturally large in her woe-begone little countenance, and at this
+moment were filled with wondering admiration, mingled with fierce
+covetousness, as she stared at Serafina’s mock jewels—and more
+especially at Isabelle’s row of pearl beads. She seemed fairly dazzled
+by these latter, and gazed at them fixedly in a sort of ecstasy—having
+evidently never seen anything like them before, and probably thinking
+they must be of immense value. Occasionally her eyes wandered to the
+dresses of the two ladies, and at last, unable to restrain her ardent
+curiosity any longer, she put out her little brown hand and softly felt
+of Isabelle’s gown, apparently finding exquisite delight in the mere
+contact of her finger-tips with the smooth, glossy surface of the silk.
+Though her touch was so light Isabelle immediately turned towards the
+child and smiled upon her encouragingly, but the poor little vagabond,
+finding herself detected, in an instant had assumed a stupid, almost
+idiotic look—with an instinctive amount of histrionic art that would
+have done honour to a finished actress. Then dropping her eyelids and
+leaning her shoulders against the hard back of the wooden settle she
+seemed to fall into a deep sleep, with her head bent down upon her
+breast in the old attitude.
+
+Meanwhile Maître Chirriguirri had been talking long and loudly about
+the choice delicacies he could have set before his guests if they had
+only come a day or two earlier, and enumerating all sorts of fine
+dishes—which doubtless had existed only in his own very vivid
+imagination—though he told a high-sounding story about the noblemen and
+grandees who had supped at his house and devoured all these dainties
+only yesterday. When at length the flow of his eloquence was checked by
+a display of ferocity on the part of the tyrant, and he was finally
+brought to the point, he acknowledged that he could only give them some
+of the soup called garbure—with which we have already made acquaintance
+at the Château de Sigognac, some salt codfish, and a dish of bacon;
+with plenty of wine, which according to his account was fit for the
+gods. Our weary travellers were so hungry by this time that they were
+glad of even this frugal fare, and when Mionnette, a gaunt,
+morose-looking creature, the only servant that the inn could boast,
+announced that their supper was ready in an adjoining room, they did
+not wait to be summoned a second time.
+
+They were still at table when a great barking of dogs was heard
+without, together with the noise of horses’ feet, and in a moment three
+loud, impatient knocks upon the outer door resounded through the house.
+Mionnette rushed to open it, whereupon a gentleman entered, followed by
+a number of dogs, who nearly knocked the tall maid-servant over in
+their eagerness to get in, and rushed into the dining-room where our
+friends were assembled, barking, jumping over each other, and licking
+off the plates that had been used and removed to a low side table,
+before their master could stop them. A few sharp cuts with the whip he
+held in his hand distributed promiscuously among them, without
+distinction between the innocent and the guilty ones, quieted this
+uproar as if by magic, and the aggressive hounds, taking refuge under
+the benches ranged along the walls, curled themselves round on the
+floor and went comfortably to sleep, or lay panting, with their red
+tongues hanging out of their mouths and heads reposing on their
+fore-paws—not daring to stir.
+
+The obstreperous dogs thus disposed of, the cavalier advanced into the
+room, with the calm assurance of a man who feels perfectly at his ease;
+his spurs ringing against the stone floor at every step. The landlord
+followed him obsequiously, cap in hand, cringing and bowing in most
+humble fashion—having entirely laid aside his boasting air and
+evidently feeling very ill at ease—this being a personage of whom he
+stood in awe. As the gentleman approached the table he politely saluted
+the company, before turning to give his orders to Maître Chirriguirri,
+who stood silently awaiting them.
+
+The newcomer was a handsome man of about thirty, with curly light hair,
+and a fair complexion, somewhat reddened by exposure to the sun. His
+eyes were blue, and rather prominent, his nose slightly retroussi; his
+small blond mustache was carefully turned up at the ends, and scarcely
+shaded a well-formed but sensual mouth, below which was a small,
+pointed beard—called a royal in those days, an imperial in these. As he
+took off his broad felt hat, richly ornamented with long sweeping
+plumes, and threw it carelessly down on one of the benches, it was seen
+that his smooth, broad forehead was snowy white, and the contrast with
+his sunburnt cheeks was not by any means displeasing. Indeed it was a
+very handsome, attractive face, in which an expression of frank gaiety
+and good humour tempered the air of pride that pervaded it.
+
+The dress of this gay cavalier was extremely rich and elegant; almost
+too much so for the country. But when we say that the marquis—for such
+was his title—had been following the hounds in company with the
+beautiful Yolande de Foix, we feel that his costume, of blue velvet
+elaborately decorated with silver braid, is fully accounted for. He was
+one of the gallants that shone at court in Paris—where he was in the
+habit of spending a large portion of every year—and he prided himself
+on being one of the best dressed noblemen in France.
+
+His order to the obsequious landlord was in few words. “I want some
+broth for my dogs, some oats for my horses, a piece of bread and a
+slice of ham for myself, and something or other for my grooms”—and then
+he advanced smilingly to the table and sat down in a vacant place
+beside the pretty _soubrette_, who, charmed with such a gay, handsome
+seignior, had been pleased to bestow a languishing glance and a
+brilliant smile upon him.
+
+Maître Chirriguirri hastened to fetch what he had demanded, while the
+_soubrette_, with the grace of a Hebe, filled his glass to the brim
+with wine; which he accepted with a smile, and drank off at a single
+draught. For a few minutes he was fully occupied in satisfying his
+hunger—which was veritably that of a hunter—and then looking about him
+at the party assembled round the table, remarked the Baron de Sigognac,
+with whom he had a slight acquaintance, seated beside the fair
+Isabelle—in whose company indeed he had seen him already once before
+that day. The two young people were talking together in low tones, and
+quite absorbed in each other; but the language of their eyes was
+unmistakable, and the marquis smiled to himself as he took note of what
+he supposed to be a very promising intrigue—wherein he did the youthful
+pair great injustice. As a thorough man of the world he was not at all
+surprised at finding de Sigognac with this band of vagabond players,
+from such a motive, and the half-pitying contempt he had formerly felt
+for the shabby, retiring young baron was straightway changed to a
+certain admiration and respect by this evidence of his gallantry. When
+he caught his eye he made a little gesture of recognition and
+approval—to show that he understood and appreciated his position—but
+paid no further attention to him, evidently meaning to respect his
+incognito, and devoted himself to the _soubrette_. She received his
+high-flown compliments with peals of laughter, and paid him back in his
+own coin with considerable wit and much merriment, to the great delight
+of the marquis—who was always delighted to meet with any adventure of
+this sort.
+
+Wishing to pursue this one, which opened so well, he declared loudly
+that he was passionately fond of the theatre, and complained
+pathetically of being deprived altogether of this, his favourite
+amusement, in the country; then addressing himself to the tyrant he
+asked whether the troupe had any pressing engagements that would
+prevent their turning aside a little from the usual route to visit the
+Château de Bruyères and give one of their best plays there—it would be
+an easy matter to rig up a theatre for them in the great hall or the
+orangery.
+
+The tyrant hastened to reply that nothing could be easier, and that the
+troupe, one of the best that had ever travelled through the provinces,
+was entirely at his lordship’s disposition—“from the king to the
+_soubrette_”—he added, with a broad grin.
+
+“That is capital,” said the marquis, “and as to money matters, you can
+arrange them to suit yourself. I should not think of bargaining with
+the votaries of Thalia—a muse so highly favoured by Apollo, and as
+eagerly sought after, and enthusiastically applauded, at the court of
+his most gracious majesty as in town and country everywhere.”
+
+After arranging the necessary preliminaries, the marquis, who had
+meantime surreptitiously squeezed the _soubrette’s_ hand under the
+table, rose, called his dogs together, put on his hat, waved his hand
+to the company in token of adieu, and took his departure amid much
+barking and commotion—going directly home, in order to set on foot his
+preparations to receive the comedians on the morrow at his château.
+
+As it was growing late, and they were to make an early start the next
+morning, our tired travellers lost no time in going to rest; the women
+in a sort of loft, where they had to make themselves as comfortable as
+they could with the bundles of straw that were to serve them for beds,
+whilst the men slept on the benches in the room where they had supped.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+AN ADVENTURE WITH BRIGANDS
+
+
+Let us return now to the little girl we left feigning to sleep soundly
+upon a settle in the kitchen. There was certainly something suspicious
+about the fierce way in which she eyed Isabelle’s pearl necklace, and
+her little bit of clever acting afterwards. As soon as the door had
+closed upon the comedians she slowly opened her large, dark eyes,
+looked sharply round the great, dim kitchen, and when she found that
+nobody was watching her, slipped quietly down from the bench, threw
+back her hair with a quick movement of the head peculiar to her, crept
+softly to the door, which she cautiously unlatched, and escaped into
+the open air without making any more sound than a shadow, then walked
+slowly and listlessly away until she had turned a corner and was out of
+sight of the house, when she set off running as fleetly as a deer
+pursued by the hounds—jumping over the frequent obstacles in her path
+with wonderful agility, never stumbling, and flying along, with her
+black hair streaming out behind her, like some wild creature of the
+desolate pine barrens through which she was skilfully threading her
+way.
+
+She reached at last a little knoll, crowned by a group of pine trees
+crowded closely together, and dashing up the steep bank with
+undiminished speed came to a sudden stop in the very middle of the
+grove. Here she stood still for a moment, peering anxiously about her,
+and then, putting two fingers in her mouth, gave three shrill whistles,
+such as no traveller in those desolate regions can hear without a
+shudder. In an instant what seemed to be a heap of pine twigs stirred,
+and a man emerging from beneath them rose slowly to his feet at a
+little distance from the child.
+
+“Is it you, Chiquita?” he asked. “What news do you bring? You are late.
+I had given over expecting you to-night, and gone to sleep.”
+
+The speaker was a dark, fierce-looking fellow of about five and twenty,
+with a spare, wiry frame, brilliant black eyes, and very white
+teeth—which were long and pointed like the fangs of a young wolf. He
+looked as if he might be a brigand, poacher, smuggler, thief, or
+assassin—all of which he had been indeed by turns. He was dressed like
+a Spanish peasant, and in the red woollen girdle wound several times
+around his waist was stuck a formidable knife, called in Spain a
+_navaja_. The desperadoes who make use of these terrible weapons
+usually display as many red stripes, cut in the steel, upon their long
+pointed blades as they have committed murders, and are esteemed by
+their companions in proportion to the number indicated by this horrible
+record. We do not know exactly how many of these scarlet grooves
+adorned Agostino’s _navaja_, but judging by the savage expression of
+his countenance, and the fierce glitter of his eye, we may safely
+suppose them to have been creditably numerous.
+
+“Well, Chiquita,” said he, laying his hand caressingly on the child’s
+head, “and what did you see at Maître Chirriguirri’s inn?”
+
+“A great chariot full of people came there this afternoon,” she
+answered. “I saw them carry five large chests into the barn, and they
+must have been very heavy, for it took two men to lift them.”
+
+“Hum!” said Agostino, “sometimes travellers put stones into their boxes
+to make them seem very weighty and valuable, and deceive the
+inn-keepers.”
+
+“But,” interrupted the child eagerly, “the three young ladies had
+trimmings of gold on their clothes; and one of them, the prettiest, had
+round her neck a row of round, shining, white things, and oh! they were
+so beautiful!” and she clasped her hands in an ecstasy of admiration,
+her voice trembling with excitement.
+
+“Those must be pearls,” muttered Agostino to himself, “and they will be
+worth having—provided they are real—but then they do make such perfect
+imitations now-a-days, and even rich people are mean enough to wear
+them.”
+
+“My dear Agostino, my good Agostino,” continued Chiquita, in her most
+coaxing tones, and without paying any attention to his mutterings,
+“will you give me the beautiful, shining things if you kill that lady?”
+
+“They would go so well with your rags and tatters!” he answered
+mockingly.
+
+“But I have so often kept watch for you while you slept, and I have run
+so far to tell you when any one was coming, no matter how cold it was,
+nor how my poor, bare feet ached—and I have never once kept you waiting
+for your food, when I used to carry it to you in your hiding places,
+even when I was bad with the fever, or my teeth chattering with the
+chill, and I so weak that I could hardly drag myself along. Oh
+Agostino! do remember what I have done for you, and let me have the
+beautiful, shining things.”
+
+“Yes, you have been both brave and faithful, Chiquita, I admit; but we
+have not got the wonderful necklace yet, you know. Now, tell me, how
+many men were there in the party.”
+
+“Oh! a great many. A big, tall man with a long beard; an old, fat
+man—one that looked like a fox—two thin men, and one that looked like a
+gentleman, though his clothes were very old and shabby.”
+
+“Six men,” said Agostino, who had counted them on his fingers as she
+enumerated them, and his face fell. “Alas! I am the only one left of
+our brave band now; when the others were with me we would not have
+minded double the number. Have they arms, Chiquita?”
+
+“The gentleman has a sword, and so has the tall, thin man—a very long
+one.”
+
+“No pistols or guns?”
+
+“I didn’t see any,” answered Chiquita, “but they might have left them
+in the chariot, you know; only Maître Chirriguirri or Mionnette would
+have been sure to send you word if they had, and they said nothing to
+me about them.”
+
+“Well, we will risk it then, and see what we can do,” said Agostino
+resolutely. “Five large, heavy chests, gold ornaments, a pearl
+necklace! they certainly are worth trying for.”
+
+The brigand and his little companion then went to a secret place in the
+thick pine grove, and set to work industriously, removing a few large
+stones, a quantity of branches, and finally the five or six boards they
+had concealed, disclosing a large hole that looked like a grave. It was
+not very deep, and Agostino, jumping down into it, stooped and lifted
+out what seemed to be a dead body—dressed in its usual every-day
+clothes—which he flung down upon the ground beside the hole. Chiquita,
+who did not appear to be in the least agitated or alarmed by these
+mysterious proceedings, seized the figure by the feet, with the utmost
+_sang-froid_, and dragged it out of Agostino’s way, with a much greater
+degree of strength than could have been expected from such a slight,
+delicate little creature. Agostino continued his work of exhumation
+until five other bodies lay beside the first one—all neatly arranged in
+a row by the little girl, who seemed to actually enjoy her lugubrious
+task. It made a strange picture in the weird light of the nearly full
+moon, half veiled by driving clouds—the open grave, the bodies lying
+side by side under the dark pine trees, and the figures of Agostino and
+Chiquita bending over them. But the tragic aspect of the affair soon
+changed to a comic one; for when Agostino placed the first of the
+bodies in an upright position it became apparent that it was only a
+sort of a scarecrow—a rude figure intended to frighten timid
+traveller—which being skilfully disposed at the edge of the grove,
+partly hidden among the trees, looked at a little distance exactly like
+a brigand—gun and all. Indeed it really was dressed in the garments of
+one of his old comrades, who had paid the penalty of his crimes on the
+gallows. He apostrophized the figure as he arranged it to his liking,
+calling it by name, relating some of the brave deeds of its prototype,
+and bewailing the sad fate that had left him to ply his nefarious trade
+single-handed, with a rude eloquence that was not wanting in pathos.
+Returning to where the others lay, he lifted up one which he reminded
+Chiquita, represented her father—whose valour and skill he eulogized
+warmly—whilst the child devoutly made the sign of the cross as she
+muttered a prayer. This one being put in position, he carried the
+remaining figures, one by one, to the places marked for them, keeping
+up a running commentary upon the ci-devant brigands whose
+representatives they were, and calling them each repeatedly by name, as
+if there were a certain sad satisfaction in addressing them in the old,
+familiar way.
+
+When this queer task was completed, the bandit and his faithful little
+companion, taking advantage of a flood of moonlight as the clouds
+drifted away before the wind, went and stood on the road—not very far
+from their retreat—by which our travellers were to pass, to judge of
+the effect of their group of brigands. It was really very formidable,
+and had often been of great service to the bold originator of the plan;
+for on seeing so numerous a band apparently advancing upon them, most
+travellers took to their heels, leaving the coveted spoils behind them
+for Agostino to gather up at his leisure.
+
+As they slowly returned to the pine grove he said to the child, who was
+clinging to his arm affectionately as she walked beside him, “The first
+stage of their journey to-morrow is a long one, and these people will
+be sure to start in good season, so that they will reach this spot just
+at the right time for us—in the uncertain light of the dawn. In the
+darkness of night our brigands yonder could not be seen, and in broad
+daylight the ruse would be apparent; so we are in luck, Chiquita! But
+now for a nap—we have plenty of time for it, and the creaking of the
+wheels will be sure to wake us.” Accordingly Agostino threw himself
+down upon a little heap of pine branches and heather, Chiquita crept
+close to him, so that the large cloak with which he had covered himself
+might protect her also from the chilly night air, and both were soon
+sound asleep.
+
+It was so early when our travellers were roused from their slumbers and
+told that it was time for them to resume their journey, by the
+treacherous landlord of the Blue Sun Inn, that it seemed to them like
+the middle of the night; to they arranged themselves as comfortably as
+they could in the great, roomy chariot, and despite the loud creaking
+and groaning that accompanied its every movement as it went slowly
+lumbering along, and the shrill cries of the driver to his oxen, they
+were all soon asleep again, excepting de Sigognac, who walked beside
+the chariot, lost in thoughts of Isabelle’s beauty, grace and modesty,
+and adorable goodness, which seemed better suited to a young lady of
+noble birth than a wandering actress. He tormented himself with trying
+to devise some means to induce her to reciprocate the ardent love that
+filled his heart for her, not for an instant suspecting that it was
+already a _fait accompli_, and that the sweet, pure maiden had given
+him, unasked, her gentle, faithful heart. The bashful young baron
+imagined all sorts of romantic and perilous incidents in which he might
+constitute himself her knight and protector, and show such brave and
+tender devotion to her as he had read of in the old books of chivalry;
+and which might lead up to the avowal he was burning to make, yet dared
+not. It never occurred to him that the look in his dark eyes whenever
+they rested on her face, the tone of his voice when he addressed her,
+the deep sighs he vainly sought to stifle, and the tender, eager care
+with which he strove to anticipate her every wish had spoken for him,
+as plainly as any words could do; and that, though he had not dared to
+breathe one syllable of his passionate love to Isabelle, she knew it,
+rejoiced in it, and was proud of it, and that it filled her with a
+delicious, rapturous joy, such as she had never felt before, or even
+dreamed of.
+
+The morning began to break—the narrow band of pale light on the
+horizon, which was growing rapidly brighter and assuming a rosy tinge,
+was reflected here and there in the little pools of water that shone
+like bits of a broken mirror scattered over the ground—distant sounds
+were heard, and columns of smoke rising into the still morning air
+proved that even in this desolate, God-forsaken part of the Landes
+there were human habitations to be found. Stalking along with giant
+strides on the highest part of some rising ground not very far off was
+a grotesque figure, clearly defined against the bright eastern sky,
+which would have been a puzzle to a stranger, but was a familiar sight
+to de Sigognac—a shepherd mounted on his high stilts, such as are to be
+met with everywhere throughout the Landes.
+
+But the young baron was too much absorbed in his own engrossing
+thoughts to take any note of his surroundings as he kept pace with the
+slow-moving chariot, until his eye was caught and his attention fixed
+by a strange little point of light, glittering among the sombre pines
+that formed the dense grove where we left Agostino and Chiquita
+sleeping. He wondered what it could be—certainly not a glow-worm, the
+season for them was past long ago—and he watched it as he advanced
+towards it with a vague feeling of uneasiness. Approaching nearer he
+caught a glimpse of the singular group of figures lurking among the
+trees, and at first feared an ambuscade; but finding that they
+continued perfectly motionless he concluded that he must have been
+mistaken, and that they were only old stumps after all; so he forbore
+to arouse the comedians, as he had for a moment thought of doing.
+
+A few steps farther and suddenly a loud report was heard from the
+grove, a bullet sped through the air, and struck the oxen’s
+yoke—happily without doing any damage, further than causing the usually
+quiet, steady-going beasts to swerve violently to one side—when
+fortunately a considerable heap of sand prevented the chariot’s being
+overturned into the ditch beside the road. The sharp report and violent
+shock startled the sleeping travellers in the chariot, and the younger
+women shrieked wildly in their terror, whilst the duenna, who had met
+with such adventures before, slipped the few gold pieces she had in her
+purse into her shoe. Beside the chariot, from which the actors were
+struggling to extricate themselves, stood Agostino—his cloak wrapped
+around his left arm and the formidable _navaja_ in his right hand-and
+cried in a voice of thunder, “Your money or your lives! Resistance is
+useless! At the first sign of it my band will fire upon you.”
+
+Whilst the bandit was shouting out these terrible words, de Sigognac
+had quietly drawn his sword, and as he finished attacked him furiously.
+Agostino skilfully parried his thrusts, with the cloak on his left arm,
+which so disposed made an excellent shield, and watched his opportunity
+to give a murderous stab with his _navaja_, which indeed he almost
+succeeded in doing; a quick spring to one side alone saved the baron
+from a wound which must have been fatal, as the brigand threw the knife
+at him with tremendous force, and it flew through the air and fell
+ringing upon the ground at a marvellous distance, instead of piercing
+de Sigognac’s heart. His antagonist turned pale, for he was quite
+defenceless, having depended entirely upon his trusty _navaja_, which
+had never failed him before, and he very well knew that his vaunted
+band could not come to his rescue. However, he shouted to them to fire,
+counting upon the sudden terror that command would inspire to deliver
+him from his dilemma; and, indeed, the comedians, expecting a
+broadside, did take refuge behind the chariot, whilst even our brave
+hero involuntarily bent his head a little, to avoid the shower of
+bullets.
+
+Meantime Chiquita, who had breathlessly watched all that passed from
+her hiding place among some furze bushes close at hand, when she saw
+her friend in peril, crept softly forth, glided along on the ground
+like a snake until she reached the knife, lying unnoticed where it had
+fallen, and, seizing it, in one instant had restored it to Agostino,
+She looked like a little fury as she did so, and if her strength had
+been equal to her ferocity she would have been a formidable foe.
+
+Agostino again aimed his _navaja_ at the baron, who was at that moment
+off his guard, and would not perhaps have escaped the deadly weapon a
+second time if it had been hurled at him from that skilful hand, but
+that a grasp of iron fastened upon the desperado’s wrist, just in time
+to defeat his purpose. He strove in vain to extricate his right arm
+from the powerful grip that held it like a vice—struggling violently,
+and writhing with the pain it caused him—but he dared not turn upon
+this new assailant, who was behind him, because de Sigognac would have
+surely scored his back for him; and he was forced to continue parrying
+his thrusts with his left arm, still protected by the ample cloak
+firmly wound around it. He soon discovered that he could not possibly
+free his right hand, and the agony became so great that his fingers
+could no longer keep their grasp of the knife, which fell a second time
+to the ground.
+
+It was the tyrant who had come to de Sigognac’s rescue, and now
+suddenly roared out in his stentorian voice, “What the deuce is nipping
+me? Is it a viper? I felt two sharp fangs meet in the calf of my leg.”
+
+It was Chiquita, who was biting his leg like a dog, in the vain hope of
+making him turn round and loose his hold upon Agostino; but the tyrant
+shook her off with a quick movement, that sent her rolling in the dust
+at some distance, without relinquishing his captive, whilst Matamore
+dashed forward and picked up the _navaja_, which he shut together and
+put into his pocket.
+
+Whilst this scene was enacting the sun had risen, and poured a flood of
+radiance upon the earth in which the sham brigands lost much of their
+life-like effect. “Ha, ha!” laughed the peasant, “it would appear that
+those gentlemen’s guns take a long time to go off; they must be wet
+with dew. But whatever may be the matter with them they are miserable
+cowards, to stand still there at a safe distance and leave their chief
+to do all the fighting by himself.”
+
+“There is a good reason for that,” answered Matamore, as he climbed up
+the steep bank to them, “these are nothing but scarecrows.” And with
+six vigorous kicks he sent the six absurd figures rolling in every
+direction, making the most comical gestures as they fell.
+
+“You may safely alight now, ladies,” said the baron, reassuringly, to
+the trembling actresses, “there’s nothing more to fear; it was only a
+sham battle after all.”
+
+In despair at his overwhelming defeat, Agostino hung his head
+mournfully, and stood like a statue of grief, dreading lest worse still
+should befall him, if the comedians, who were in too great force for
+him to attempt to struggle any longer against them, decided to take him
+on to the next town and deliver him over to the jailor to be locked up,
+as indeed he richly deserved. His faithful little friend, Chiquita,
+stood motionless at his side, as downcast as himself. But the farce of
+the false brigands so tickled the fancy of the players that it seemed
+as if they never would have done laughing over it, and they were
+evidently inclined to deal leniently with the ingenious rascal who had
+devised it. The tyrant, who had loosened, but not quitted, his hold
+upon the bandit, assumed his most tragic air and voice, and said to
+him, “You have frightened these ladies almost to death, you scoundrel,
+and you richly deserve to be strung up for it; but if, as I believe,
+they will consent to pardon you—for they are very kind and good—-I will
+not take you to the lock-up. I confess that I do not care to furnish a
+subject for the gallows. Besides, your stratagem is really very
+ingenious and amusing—a capital farce to play at the expense of
+cowardly travellers—who have doubtless paid you well for the
+entertainment, eh? As an actor, I appreciate the joke, and your
+ingenuity inclines me to be indulgent. You are not simply and brutally
+a robber, and it would certainly be a pity to cut short such a fine
+career.”
+
+“Alas!” answered Agostino mournfully, “no other career is open to me,
+and I am more to be pitied than you suppose. I am the only one left of
+a band formerly as complete as yours; the executioner has deprived me
+of my brave comrades one by one, and now I am obliged to carry on my
+operations entirely alone—dressing up my scarecrows, as your friend
+calls them, and assuming different voices to make believe that I am
+supported by a numerous company. Ah! mine is a sad fate; and then my
+road is such a poor one—so few travellers come this way—and I have not
+the means to purchase a better one. Every good road is owned by a band
+of brigands, you know. I wish that I could get some honest work to do,
+but that is hopeless; who would employ such a looking fellow as I am?
+all in rags and tatters, worse than the poorest beggar. I must surely
+have been born under an unlucky star. And now this attempt has failed,
+from which I hoped to get enough to keep us for two months, and buy a
+decent cloak for poor Chiquita besides; she needs it badly enough, poor
+thing! Yesterday I had nothing to eat, and I had to tighten my belt to
+sustain my empty stomach. Your unexpected resistance has taken the very
+bread out of my mouth; and since you would not let me rob you, at least
+be generous and give me something.”
+
+“To be sure,” said the tyrant, who was greatly amused; “as we have
+prevented your successfully plying your trade we certainly do owe you
+an indemnity. Here, take these two _pistoles_ to drink our healths
+with.”
+
+Isabelle meantime sought in the chariot for a piece of new woollen
+stuff she happened to have with her, which was soft and warm, and gave
+it to Chiquita, who exclaimed, “Oh! but it is the necklace of shining
+white things that I want.”
+
+Kind Isabelle immediately unclasped it, and then fastened it round the
+slender neck of the child, who was so overwhelmed with delight that she
+could not speak. She silently rolled the smooth, white beads between
+her little brown fingers in a sort of mute ecstasy for a few moments,
+then suddenly raising her head and tossing back her thick black hair,
+she fixed her sparkling eyes on Isabelle, and said in a low, earnest
+voice, “Oh! you are very, very good, and I will never, never kill you.”
+Then she ran swiftly back to the pine grove, clambered up the steep
+bank, and sat down to admire and enjoy her treasure. As to Agostino,
+after making his best bow, and thanking the tyrant for his really
+princely munificence, he picked up his prostrate comrades, and carried
+them back to be buried again until their services should be needed on
+some, he hoped, more auspicious occasion.
+
+The driver, who had deserted his oxen and run to hide himself among the
+furze bushes at the beginning of the affray, returned to his post when
+he saw that all danger was over, and the chariot once more started upon
+its way—the worthy duenna having taken her doubloons out of her shoes
+and restored them to her purse, which was then deposited in the depths
+of a mysterious pocket.
+
+“You behaved like a real hero of romance,” Isabelle said in an
+undertone to de Sigognac, “and I feel that under your protection we can
+travel securely; how bravely you attacked that bandit single-handedly
+when you had every reason to believe that he was supported by an armed
+band.”
+
+“You overestimate my little exploit,” the baron replied modestly,
+“there was no danger worth mentioning,” then sinking his voice to a
+whisper, “but to protect you I would meet and conquer giants, put to
+flight a whole host of Saracens, attack and destroy dragons and horrid
+monsters; I would force my way through enchanted forests filled with
+snares and perils, such as we read of, and even descend into hell
+itself, like Æneas of old. In your dear service the most difficult
+feats would be easy; your beautiful eyes inspire me with indomitable
+courage, and your sweet presence, or even the bare thought of you,
+seems to endue me with a super-human strength.”
+
+This was, perhaps, rather exaggerated, but perfectly sincere, and
+Isabelle did not doubt for a moment that de Sigognac would be able to
+accomplish fabulous deeds of prowess in her honour and for her sake;
+and she was not so very far wrong, for he was becoming hourly more
+passionately enamoured of her, and ardent young lovers are capable of
+prodigies of valour, inspired by the fair objects of their adoration.
+
+Serafina, who had overheard some of the baron’s impassioned words,
+could not repress a scornful smile; so many women are apt to find the
+fervid protestations of lovers, when addressed to others than
+themselves, supremely ridiculous, yet they joyfully receive the very
+same protestations, without detecting anything in the least absurd in
+them when whispered into their own ears. For a moment she was tempted
+to try the power of her many charms, which she believed to be
+irresistible, with the young baron, and win him away from Isabelle; but
+this idea was speedily rejected, for Serafina held beauty to be a
+precious gem that should be richly set in gold—the gem was hers, but
+the golden setting was lamentably wanting, and poor de Sigognac could
+not possibly furnish it. So the accomplished coquette decided not to
+interfere with this newly-born love affair, which was “all very well
+for a simple-minded young girl like Isabelle,” she said to herself,
+with a disdainful smile and toss of the head.
+
+Profound silence had fallen upon the party after the late excitement,
+and some of them were even growing sleepy again, when several hours
+later the driver suddenly called out, “There is the Château de
+Bruyères.”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+AT THE CHÂTEAU DE BRUYÈRES
+
+
+The extensive domain of the Marquis de Bruyères was situated just upon
+the edge of the Landes, and consisted mostly of productive,
+highly-cultivated land—the barren sand reaching only to the boundary
+wall of the great park that surrounded the château. An air of
+prosperity pervaded the entire estate, in pleasing contrast with the
+desolate region of country close at hand. Outside the park wall was a
+broad, deep ditch, filled with clear water and spanned by a handsome
+stone bridge, wide enough for two carriages abreast, which led to the
+grand entrance gates. These were of wrought iron, and quite a marvel of
+delicate workmanship and beauty. There was a good deal of gilding about
+them, and the lofty apex bore a marquis’s crown above a shield
+supported by two naked savages, upon which the de Bruyères arms were
+richly emblazoned—it was an entrance worthy of a royal demesne. When
+our party paused before it, in the course of the morning, a servant in
+a rich, showy livery was slowly opening the folding leaves of the
+magnificent gates, so as to admit them into the park. The very oxen
+hesitated ere they took their slow way through it, as if dazzled by so
+much splendour, and ashamed of their own homeliness—the honest brutes
+little suspecting that the wealthy nobleman’s pomp and glitter are
+derived from the industry of the lowly tillers of the soil. It
+certainly would seem as if only fine carriages and prancing horses
+should be permitted to pass through such a portal as this, but the
+chariot of Thespis, no matter how humble, is privileged, and not only
+enters, but is welcome everywhere.
+
+A broad avenue led from the bridge to the château, passing by carefully
+clipped shrubbery, whence marble statues peeped out here and there, and
+a beautiful garden, with flower-beds ingeniously laid out in
+geometrical patterns, and brilliant with well contrasted colours. The
+narrow walks among them were bordered with box, and strewn with fine
+sand of various tints, and several little fountains threw up their
+sparkling jets among the flowers. In the centre of the garden was a
+magnificent fountain, with a large, oblong, marble basin, and a Triton,
+on a high pedestal, pouring water from a shell. A row of yews,
+skilfully trimmed into pyramids, balls, and various fanciful shapes,
+and placed at regular distances on each side of the grand avenue,
+extended from the entrance gates to the château, their sombre hue
+contrasting well with the brighter green of the foliage behind them.
+Everything was in the most perfect order; not a leaf out of place, nor
+a particle of dust to be seen anywhere, as if the gardeners had just
+freshly washed and trimmed every tree, shrub, and plant under their
+care.
+
+All this magnificence astonished and delighted the poor comedians, who
+rarely gained admission to such an abode as this. Serafina, affecting
+indifference, but noting everything carefully from under her lowered
+eye-lashes, promised herself to supplant the _soubrette_ in the
+marquis’s favour, feeling that this great seignior was her own
+legitimate prey, and ought to have devoted himself to her in the first
+place, instead of weakly yielding to the vulgar blandishments of the
+pretty waiting-maid, as he should no longer be permitted to do—if she
+had any power.
+
+Meanwhile the _soubrette_, feeling sure of her conquest, had given
+herself up to castle-building with all the fervour of her ardent
+southern nature. Isabelle, who was not preoccupied by any ambitious
+projects, turned her head now and then to glance and smile tenderly at
+de Sigognac, who was sitting in the chariot behind her and who she knew
+must be feeling acutely the painful contrast between this splendid
+estate and his own desolate, half-ruined château. Her loving heart
+ached for him, and her eyes spoke sweetest sympathy to the poor young
+nobleman, reduced so low a fortune, yet so worthy of a better fate.
+
+The tyrant was deep in thought, trying to decide how, much he might
+venture to demand for the services of his troupe, and mentally
+increasing the amount at every step, as new glories disclosed
+themselves to his wondering eyes. The pedant was looking forward
+impatiently to the copious draughts of generous wine he felt sure of
+enjoying in the splendid château that was now in full view, and
+Leander, striving to smooth his slightly dishevelled locks with a
+dainty little tortoise-shell pocket-comb, was wondering, with a
+fluttering heart, whether a fair _marquise_ dwelt within those walls,
+and would gaze down upon him from one of those windows as he
+alighted—indulging in high hopes of the impression he should make upon
+her susceptible heart.
+
+The Château de Bruyères, which had been entirely rebuilt in the
+preceding reign, was a noble structure, of immense size, three stories
+in height, and enclosing a large interior court. It was built of red
+brick, with elaborate, white stone facings. There were many pretty
+balconies with sculptured stone railings, and large, clear panes of
+glass—an unusual luxury at that epoch—in the numerous lofty windows,
+through which the rich hangings within were visible; and a projecting
+porch, reached by an imposing flight of broad stone steps, in the
+centre of the facade, marked the main entrance. The high, steep roof
+was of slate, in several shades, wrought into a quaint, pretty pattern,
+and the groups of tall chimneys were symmetrically disposed and
+handsomely ornamented. There was a look of gaiety and luxury about this
+really beautiful château which gave the idea of great prosperity, but
+not the slightest approach to vulgar pretension. There was nothing
+meretricious or glaring; everything was substantial and in perfect
+taste, and an indescribably majestic, dignified air, if we may be
+allowed the expression, pervaded the whole establishment, which spoke
+of ancient wealth and nobility under all this modern splendour.
+
+Behind the château, its gardens and terraces, was a veritable forest of
+lofty, venerable trees, forming the magnificent park, which was of
+great extent, and for centuries had been the pride of the Bruyères.
+
+Although our high-minded young hero had never been envious of any one
+in his life, he could not altogether suppress the melancholy sigh with
+which he remembered that in former years the de Sigognacs had stood
+higher than the de Bruyères in the province, and had taken precedence
+of them at court; nor could he help contrasting in his own mind this
+fresh, new château, replete with every beauty and luxury that a
+cultivated taste could devise and plentiful wealth procure, with his
+own desolate, dilapidated mansion—the home of owls and rats—which was
+gradually but surely crumbling into dust, and a keen pang shot through
+his heart at the thought. He recalled the dreary, solitary, hopeless
+life he had led there, and said to himself that the Marquis de Bruyères
+ought to be a very happy man, with so much to make his existence
+delightful. The stopping of the chariot at the foot of the broad stone
+steps in the front of the château aroused him from his reverie; he
+dismissed as quickly as he could the sad thoughts that had engrossed
+him, endeavoured to dismiss also the dark shadow from his brow, and
+jumping lightly to the ground turned and held out his hand to help
+Isabelle to descend, before any one else could offer her that little
+service.
+
+The Marquis de Bruyères, who had seen the chariot advancing slowly up
+the avenue, stood in the porch to receive them. He was superbly
+dressed, and looked very handsome, as both Serafina and the _soubrette_
+secretly remarked. He descended two or three steps as the chariot
+stopped, and welcomed his guests with a friendly wave of the hand—doing
+them as much honour as if they had been of his own rank—which act of
+courtesy, let us hasten to explain, was because of the Baron de
+Sigognac’s presence among them; but for that they would not have been
+brought to the main entrance at all.
+
+At this moment the wily _soubrette_, seeing her opportunity for a bold
+stroke, prepared to alight; and as de Sigognac was fully occupied with
+Isabelle, and nobody else thought of paying any attention to her—for
+she always jumped to the ground as lightly as a bird, disdaining
+assistance—she hesitated for a moment, with an adorable little air of
+timidity, and then raised an appealing glance to the marquis. He could
+not resist it, and, rushing down the steps to her aid, held out both
+hands to her. With wonderful art the clever little actress managed to
+slip and lose her balance, so as to fall into his extended arms,
+clasping him around the neck as she did so.
+
+“Pardon me, my lord,” said she, breathlessly, to the marquis, feigning
+a confusion she was far from really feeling, “I thought I was going to
+fall, and grasped your collar, just as a drowning man clutches at the
+nearest object. A fall is a bad omen, you know, as well as a serious
+matter, for a poor actress.”
+
+“Permit me to look upon this little accident as a favour,” the marquis
+replied, giving her a most significant glance, and lightly pressing her
+yielding form in his arms before he released her.
+
+Serafina had watched this little by-play out of the corner of her eye,
+though her face was apparently turned away from them, and she bit her
+lip till it bled, with vexation; so after all the _soubrette_ had
+succeeded, by an abominably bold action, in compelling the marquis to
+neglect her betters and give his warmest welcome to a low _intrigante_,
+said the “leading lady” to herself, swelling with righteous
+indignation, and abusing the offender roundly in her thoughts—wishing
+that she could do it aloud, and expose her outrageous, unmannerly
+artifice.
+
+“Jean,” said the marquis to a servant in livery who stood near, “have
+this chariot taken into the court, and see that the decorations,
+scenery, etc., are carefully put in some convenient place; have the
+luggage of these ladies and gentlemen carried to the rooms that I
+ordered to be made ready for them, and take care that they have
+everything they want;” then in a lower tone, but very emphatically, “I
+desire that they should be treated with the utmost courtesy and
+respect.”
+
+These orders being given, the marquis gravely ascended the steps,
+followed by the comedians, and having consigned them to his major-domo
+to show them to their respective rooms and make them comfortable, he
+gracefully bowed and left them; darting an admiring glance at the
+_soubrette_ as he did so, which she acknowledged by a radiant smile,
+that Serafina, raging inwardly, pronounced “abominably bold.”
+
+The chariot meantime had made its way into a back court, accompanied by
+the tyrant, the pedant and Scapin, who superintended the unloading of
+the various articles that would be needed—a strange medley, which the
+supercilious servants of the château, in their rich liveries, handled
+with a very lofty air of contempt and condescension, feeling it quite
+beneath their dignity to wait upon a band of strolling players. But
+they dared not rebel, for the marquis had ordered it, and he was a
+severe master, as well as a very generous one.
+
+The major-domo, however, conducted his charges to their appointed
+chambers with as profound an air of respect as if they had been real
+princes and princesses; for the marquis himself had visited the left
+wing of the château, where they were to be lodged, had specified the
+room for each guest, and ordered that they should want for nothing—a
+very unusual proceeding on his part, as he was in the habit of leaving
+all such minor details to his trusty major-domo. A beautiful chamber,
+hung with tapestry which represented the loves of Cupid and Psyche, was
+given to the _soubrette_, the pretty, dainty, blue one to Isabelle, and
+the luxurious red one to Serafina, whilst the more sober brown one was
+assigned to the duenna. The Baron de Sigognac was installed in a
+magnificent apartment, whose panelled walls were covered with richly
+embossed Spanish leather. It was close to Isabelle’s room—a delicate
+attention on the part of the marquis. This superb chamber was always
+reserved for his most honoured guests, and in giving it to our young
+hero he desired to testify that he recognised and appreciated his rank,
+though he religiously respected his incognito.
+
+When de Sigognac was left alone, and at liberty to think over quietly
+the odd situation in which he found himself, he looked at his
+magnificent surroundings with surprise as well as admiration—for he had
+never in his life seen, or even imagined, such splendour and luxury.
+The rich glowing colours of the chimerical flowers and foliage embossed
+on a golden ground of the Spanish leather on the walls, the
+corresponding tints in the frescoed ceiling and the heavy, silken
+hangings at the windows and doors and round the bed, the elaborately
+carved and gilded furniture, the luxurious easy-chairs and sofas, the
+large mirrors with bevelled edges, and the dainty dressing-table,
+lavishly furnished with all the accessories of the toilet, with its
+oval glass draped with lace which was tied back with knots of gay
+ribbon, certainly did make up a charming whole, and the wood fire
+burning brightly in the open fireplace gave a cheerful, cosy air to it
+all.
+
+Our poor young baron blushed painfully as he caught sight of his own
+figure in one of the long mirrors—his shabby, ill-fitting clothes
+looked so sadly out of place amidst all this magnificence—and for the
+first time in his life he felt ashamed of his poverty. Highly
+unphilosophical this, but surely excusable in so young a man as our
+hero. With a natural desire to improve his forlorn appearance if he
+could, he unpacked the scanty supply of clothing that his faithful
+Pierre had put up for him—hoping that he might come across something a
+little less thread-bare than the suit he actually had on his back—but
+the inspection was not satisfactory, and he groaned as he discarded one
+faded, shabby garment after another. The linen was not any better—worn
+so that it was thin everywhere, with numerous darns and patches, and
+many holes, he could not find a single shirt that was whole and in good
+condition. He was so absorbed in this melancholy inspection that he did
+not hear a low knock at the door, nor notice that it was slowly pushed
+open, having been already ajar, to admit the stout person of Blazius,
+who approached him with many bows and flourishes, though entirely
+unobserved. When the pedant reached his side de Sigognac was just
+holding up before him a shirt that had as many openings as the rose
+window of a cathedral, and slowly shaking his head as he gazed at it,
+with an expression of utter discouragement.
+
+“Body of Bacchus!” exclaimed the pedant—his voice, so close at hand,
+startling the astonished baron, who had believed himself alone, and
+safe from intrusion—“that shirt has verily a valiant and triumphant
+air. It looks as if it had been worn by Mars himself in battle, so
+riddled has it been by lances, spears, darts, arrows, and I know not
+what besides. Don’t be ashamed of it, Baron!—these holes are honourable
+to you. Many a shirt of fine linen, ruffled and embroidered, according
+to the latest fashion, disguises the graceless person of some rascally
+parvenu—and usurer as well perhaps—who usurps the place of his betters.
+Several of the great heroes, of immortal fame, had not a shirt to their
+backs—Ulysses, for example, that wise and valiant man, who presented
+himself before the beautiful Princess Nausicaa, with no other covering
+than a bunch of sea-weed—as we are told, in the Odyssey, by the grand
+old bard, Homer.”
+
+“Unfortunately,” de Sigognac replied, “there is no point of
+resemblance, my dear Blazius, between me and the brave King of Ithaca,
+save the lack of linen. _I_ have done no deeds of valour to shed a
+lustre over MY poverty. I have had no chance to make myself famous, and
+I fear that the poets will never celebrate my praises in glowing
+hexameters. But, jesting aside, I must confess that I do feel greatly
+annoyed at being forced to appear in this guise here. The Marquis de
+Bruyères recognised me, though he made no sign, and he may betray my
+secret.”
+
+“It _is_ a pity,” said the pedant in reply, “but there’s a remedy for
+every ill under the sun, save death, according to the old saying, and
+if you will permit me, I think that I can help you out of this awkward
+dilemma. We, poor players, shadows of real men and women, phantoms of
+personages of every degree, from the highest to the lowest, have the
+means necessary for assuming almost any character, you know. As
+‘_costumier_’ of the troupe I am accustomed to make all sorts of
+transformations, and can turn a miserable vagabond into an Alexander,
+or a vulgar wench into a princess. Now, if you are not too proud, I
+will exercise my poor skill in your lordship’s service. Since you have
+been willing to join our company for this journey, do not disdain to
+make use of our resources, such as they are, and put aside these
+ill-fitting garments, which disguise your natural advantages, and make
+you feel ill at ease. Most fortunately I happen to have in reserve a
+handsome suit of black velvet, which has not the least of a theatrical
+air about it, and has never been used; any gentleman could wear it, and
+unless I am much mistaken it will fit you capitally. I have also the
+fine linen shirt, silk stockings, shoes—with broad buckles, and cloak
+to go with it—there is nothing wanting, not even the sword.”
+
+“Oh! as to that,” cried de Sigognac, with a gesture expressive of all
+that pride of birth which no misfortunes could crush, “I have my
+father’s sword.”
+
+“True,” answered Blazius, “and guard it sacredly, my lord! for a sword
+is a faithful friend—defender of its master’s life and honour. _It_
+does not abandon him in times of peril and disaster, like the false
+friends who cling only to prosperity. Our stage swords have neither
+edge nor point, for they are only intended for show; the wounds they
+make disappear suddenly when the curtain falls, without the aid of the
+surgeon with his instruments and lint. That trusty sword of yours you
+can depend upon in any emergency, and I have already seen it doing good
+service in our behalf. But permit me to go and fetch the things I spoke
+of; I am impatient to see the butterfly emerge from the chrysalis.”
+
+Having thus spoken, in the theatrical way that had become habitual with
+him, the worthy pedant quitted the room, and soon reappeared, carrying
+a large package, which he deposited on the table in the centre of the
+chamber.
+
+“If your lordship will accept an old actor as _valet-de-chambre_,” he
+said, rubbing his hands joyfully together, “I will beautify you in no
+time. All the ladies will be sure to fall in love with you, for—with no
+disrespect to the larder at the Château de Sigognac be it said—you have
+fasted so much in your lonely life there that it has made you most
+interestingly slender and pale—just what the dear creatures delight in.
+They would not listen to a word from a stout lover, even if the
+diamonds and pearls of the fairy tale dropped from his lips whenever he
+spoke. That is the sole reason for my want of success with the fair
+sex, and I long ago deserted the shrine of Venus for the worship of
+Bacchus. A big paunch is not amiss among the devotees of that merry
+god, for it bears witness to plentiful libations.”
+
+Thus running on gaily, the worthy pedant strove to amuse the melancholy
+young nobleman, while he deftly performed his duties as valet; and they
+were very quickly completed, for the requirements of the stage
+necessitate great dexterity on the part of the actors to make the
+metamorphoses frequently needed with sufficient promptness and
+rapidity. Charmed with the result of his efforts he led de Sigognac up
+to one of the large mirrors, wherein, upon raising his eyes, he saw a
+figure which, at the first glance, he thought must be that of some
+person who had entered the room without his knowledge, and turned to
+ask who the intruder was—but there was no stranger there, and he
+discovered that it was his own reflection—so changed that he was mute
+with astonishment. A young, handsome, richly-dressed de Sigognac stood
+before him, and a radiant smile parted his lips and lighted up his face
+as he gazed at his own image, which perfected the really marvellous
+transformation. Blazius, standing near, contemplated his work with
+undisguised pride and satisfaction, changing his position several times
+so as to get different views, as a sculptor might who had just put the
+finishing touches to his statue altogether to his liking.
+
+“When you have made your way at court, my lord, and regained the
+position held by your ancestors, as I hope and expect that you will do,
+I shall pray you to give me a refuge for my old age in your household,
+and make me intendant of your lordship’s wardrobe,” said he, with a
+profound bow to the baron.
+
+“I will not forget your request, my good Blazius, even though I fear
+that I shall never be able to comply with it,” de Sigognac answered
+with a melancholy smile. “You, my kind friend, are the first human
+being that has ever asked a favour of me.”
+
+“After our dinner, which we are to have very shortly, we are to consult
+with his lordship, the marquis, as to what play shall be given this
+evening, and learn from him where we are to rig our theatre. You will
+pass for the poet of the troupe; it is by no means an unheard-of thing
+for men of learning and position to join a band of players thus—either
+for the fun of the thing, and in hope of adventures, or for the love of
+a young and beautiful actress. I could tell you of several notable
+instances; and it is thought to be rather to a man’s credit than
+otherwise in fashionable circles. Isabelle is a very good pretext for
+you; she is young, beautiful, clever, modest, and virtuous. In fact
+many an actress who takes like her the role of the ingenuous young girl
+is in reality all that she personates, though a frivolous and
+frequently licentious public will not credit it for a moment.”
+
+Herewith the pedant discreetly retired, having accomplished, to his
+great satisfaction, what he had really feared to propose to the young
+baron, for whom he had conceived a very warm affection.
+
+Meanwhile the elegant Leander, indulging in delightful dreams of the
+possible fair _châtelaine_ who was to fall a victim to his charms, was
+making his careful toilet—arraying himself in his most resplendent
+finery, scrupulously kept for grand occasions—convinced that great good
+fortune awaited him, and determined to carry the noble lady’s heart by
+storm.
+
+As to the actresses, to whom the gallant marquis, with princely
+munificence, had sent several pieces of rich stuffs and silks, it is
+needless to say that they spared no pains to make themselves as
+charming as possible, and obeyed the summons to dinner radiant with
+smiles and in high good humour—excepting indeed the fair Serafina, who
+was inwardly consumed with envy and spite, but careful to conceal it
+from all beholders.
+
+The marquis, who was of an ardent, impatient nature, made his
+appearance in the dining-room before they had quite finished the
+sumptuous repast which had been served to them; he would not allow them
+to rise, but seated himself at the table with them, and when the last
+course had been removed, asked the tyrant to be good enough to give him
+a list of the plays they were in the habit of acting, so that he might
+select one for the evening’s entertainment. But so many were enumerated
+that his lordship found it not easy to make a choice, and expressed his
+desire to have the tyrant’s ideas upon the subject.
+
+“There is one piece we often play,” Hérode said, “which never fails to
+please, and is so full of good-natured fun and nonsense that it keeps
+the audience in a roar of laughter from the beginning to the end.”
+
+“Let us have that one, by all means,” the marquis exclaimed; “and pray
+what is the name of this delightful play?”
+
+“The Rodomontades of Captain Matamore.”
+
+“A capital title, upon my word! and has the _soubrette_ a good part in
+it?” asked his lordship, with a languishing glance at her.
+
+“The most racy, mischievous role imaginable,” said Hérode warmly, “and
+she plays it to perfection—it is her chef d’oeuvre. She is always
+applauded to the echo in it.”
+
+At this high praise from the manager, Zerbine—for such was the
+_soubrette’s_ name—tried her best to get up a becoming blush, but in
+vain. Modesty she had none, and the tint she would fain have called
+into requisition at that moment was not contained in any of her
+numerous rouge-pots. So she cast down her eyes, thereby displaying to
+advantage the length and thickness of her jet-black lashes, and raised
+her hand with a deprecating gesture, which called attention to its
+pretty, taper fingers and rosy nails. The marquis watched he
+admiringly, and she certainly was very charming in her way. He did not
+vouchsafe even a glance to the other two young actresses—refraining
+from testifying any marked admiration for Isabelle because of the prior
+claim of the Baron de Sigognac—though he was secretly very much
+delighted with her sweet, refined style of beauty, and the quiet
+dignity and grace of her deportment. Serafina, who was naturally
+indignant that the marquis had not even asked if there was a part for
+her in the piece to be performed, accused him in her heart of being no
+gentleman, and of having very low, vulgar tastes, but she was the only
+one of the party that felt any dissatisfaction.
+
+Before the marquis left them he said to Hérode, “I have given orders to
+have the orangery cleared so that our theatre can be arranged there;
+they are carrying planks, trestles, benches, hangings, and all other
+needful articles in there now. Will you kindly superintend the workmen,
+who are new to this sort of business? They will obey your orders as
+they would my own.”
+
+Accordingly the tyrant, Blazius and Scapin repaired to the orangery,
+which was at a little distance from the château and admirably
+calculated for the purpose it was now to serve, and where they found
+everything necessary to convert it into a temporary theatre.
+
+Whilst this work is going forward we will make our amiable, indulgent
+readers acquainted with the fair mistress of the château—having
+heretofore forgotten to mention that the Marquis de Bruyères was a
+married man; he thought of it so seldom himself that we may surely be
+pardoned for this omission. As can be readily imagined, from our last
+remark, love had not been the moving cause in this union. Adjoining
+estates, which, united in one, formed a noble domain, and equality of
+rank had been the chief considerations. After a very brief honeymoon,
+during which they had become painfully aware of a total want of
+congeniality, the marquis and _marquise_—like well-bred people, making
+no outcry about their matrimonial failure—had tacitly agreed to live
+amicably under the same roof, but entirely independent of each other—he
+to go his way and she hers, with perfect freedom. They always treated
+each other in public, and indeed whenever they chanced to meet, with
+the greatest courtesy, and might easily have been mistaken by a casual
+observer for an unusually happy and united pair. Mme. la Marquise
+occupied a sumptuous suite of apartments in the château, which her
+husband never thought of entering without first sending to ascertain
+whether it would be convenient for madame to receive him, like a formal
+visitor. But we will avail ourselves of the time-honoured privilege of
+authors, and make our way into the noble _châtelaine’s_ bed-chamber,
+without any form or ceremony—feeling sure of not disturbing its fair
+occupant, since the writer of a romance wears upon his finger the
+wonder-working ring of Gyges, which renders him invisible.
+
+It was a large, lofty room, hung with superb tapestry representing the
+adventures of Apollo, and exhibiting every luxury that wealth could
+procure. Here also a bright wood fire was, burning cheerily, and the
+Marquise de Bruyères sat before her dressing table, with two maids in
+attendance upon her, absorbed in the all-important business of putting
+the finishing touches to her extremely becoming as well as effective
+toilet. Mme. la Marquise was a handsome brunette, whose embonpoint,
+which had succeeded to the slender outline of early youth, had added to
+her beauty; her magnificent black hair, which was one of her ladyship’s
+greatest charms, was dressed in the most elaborate fashion—an intricate
+mass of glossy braids, puffs and curls, forming a lofty structure, and
+ornamented with a large bow of crimson ribbon, while one long curl fell
+upon her fair neck, making it look all the whiter by contrast. Her
+dress of crimson silk, cut very low, displayed to advantage—the plump,
+dimpled shoulders, and her snowy bosom, and from a band of black velvet
+round her throat was suspended a heart-shaped locket, set with superb
+rubies and brilliants. A white satin petticoat covered with priceless
+old lace, over which the crimson silk gown, open in front, was looped
+high upon the hips, and then swept back in a long, ample, richly
+trimmed train, completed the elegant toilet of Mme. la Marquise.
+
+Jeanne, the favourite maid and confidante, held open the box of tiny
+black, “_mouches_”—without which no fashionable lady of that epoch
+considered herself fully equipped—while the _marquise_ placed one, with
+most happy effect, near the corner of her rather pretty mouth, and then
+hesitated some time before she could decide where to put the other,
+which she held ready on the tip of her forefinger. The two maids stood
+motionless, breathlessly watching their mistress, as if fully impressed
+with the importance of this grave question, until at last the little
+black star found a resting-place just above the edge of the crimson
+silk bodice, to the left—indicating, in the accepted hieroglyphics of
+that age of gallantry, that he who aspired to the lips of the fair
+wearer must first win her heart.
+
+After a last lingering look in the mirror Mme. la Marquise rose and
+walked slowly towards the fire, but suddenly, remembering that there
+was yet one adornment wanting, turned back, and took from a beautiful
+casket standing open on the toilet-table, a large, thick watch—called
+in those days a Nuremberg egg—which was curiously enamelled in a
+variety of bright colours, and set with brilliants. It hung from a
+short, broad chain of rich workmanship, which she hooked into her
+girdle, near another chain of the same description, from which depended
+a small hand-mirror in a pretty gold frame.
+
+“Madame is looking her loveliest to-day,” said Jeanne in flattering
+tones; “her hair is dressed to perfection, and her gown fits like a
+glove.”
+
+“Do you really think so?” asked her mistress languidly, and with
+affected indifference. “It seems to me, on the contrary, that I am
+positively hideous. My eyes are sunken, and this colour makes me look
+immensely stout. I have half a mind to exchange this dress for a black
+one now. What do you think, Jeanne? Black makes people look slender,
+they say.”
+
+“If madame insists upon it I can quickly make the exchange; but it
+would be a sad pity not to wear such an elegant and becoming costume as
+madame has on now.”
+
+“Well, let it be then; but it will be all your fault, Jeanne, if I fail
+to receive as much admiration as usual this evening. Do you know
+whether the marquis has invited many people to come and see this play?”
+
+“Yes, madame, several messengers have been sent off on horseback in
+different directions, and there will be sure to be a large
+gathering—they will come from all the châteaux within driving
+distance—for such an occasion as this is rare, here in the depths of
+the country.”
+
+“You are right,” said Mme. la Marquise, with a deep sigh, which was
+almost a groan; “we are buried alive in this dreary place. And what
+about these players?—have you seen them, Jeanne?—are there any handsome
+young actors among them?”
+
+“I have only had a glimpse of them, madame, and such people are so
+painted and fixed up, they say, that it is hard to tell what they
+really do look like; but there was one slender young man, with long,
+black curls and a very good figure, who had quite a grand air.”
+
+“That must be the lover, Jeanne, for it is always the best looking
+young actor in the troupe who takes that part. It would be ridiculous,
+you know, to have a stout old codger, or a very ugly man, or even an
+awkward one, making declarations of love, and going down on their
+knees, and all that sort of thing—it would not do at all, Jeanne!”
+
+“No, madame, it would not be very nice,” said the maid with a merry
+laugh, adding shrewdly, “and although it seems to make very little
+difference what husbands may be like, lovers should always be
+everything that is charming.”
+
+“I confess that I have a weakness for those stage gallants,” Mme. la
+Marquise said with a little sigh, “they are so handsome, and so
+devoted—they always use such beautiful language, and make such graceful
+gestures—they are really irresistible. I cannot help feeling vexed when
+their impassioned appeals are received coldly, and they are driven to
+despair, as so often happens in plays; I would like to call them to me
+and try to console them, the bewitching creatures!”
+
+“That is because madame has such a kind heart that she can’t bear to
+see any one suffer without trying to help and comfort them,” said the
+specious Jeanne. “Now I am of quite a different mind—nothing I would
+like better than to flout a sentimental suitor; fine words would not
+gain any favour with me—I should distrust them.”
+
+“Oh! you don’t understand the matter, Jeanne! You have not read as many
+romances, or seen as many plays as I have. Did you say that young actor
+was very handsome?”
+
+“Mme. la Marquise can judge for herself,” answered the maid, who had
+gone to the window, “for he is just crossing the court this blessed
+minute, on his way to the orangery, where they are rigging up their
+theatre.”
+
+Mme. la Marquise hastened to the window, and there was Leander in full
+view, walking along slowly, apparently lost in thought, and wearing a
+tender, sad expression, which he considered especially effective and
+interesting—as we have said, he never for a moment forgot his role. As
+he drew near he looked up, as by a sudden inspiration, to the very
+window where the _marquise_ stood watching him, and instantly taking
+off his hat with a grand flourish, so that its long feather swept the
+ground, made a very low obeisance, such as courtiers make to a queen;
+then drew himself up proudly to his full height, and darting an ardent
+glance of admiration and homage at the beautiful unknown, put on his
+broad felt hat again and went composedly on his way. It was admirably
+well done; a genuine cavalier, familiar with all the gallant usages in
+vogue at court, could not have acquitted himself better. Flattered by
+this mark of respect for her rank and admiration of her beauty, so
+gracefully tendered, Mme. la Marquise could not help acknowledging it
+by a slight bend of the head, and a little half suppressed smile. These
+favourable signs did not escape Leander, who, with his usual
+self-conceit, took a most exaggerated view of their import. He did not
+for a moment doubt that the fair mistress of the château—for he took it
+for granted it was she—had fallen violently in love with him, then and
+there; he felt sure that he had read it in her eyes and her smile. His
+heart beat tumultuously; he trembled with excitement; at last it had
+come! the dream of his life was to be accomplished; he, the poor,
+strolling player, had won the heart of a great lady; his fortune was
+made! He got through the rehearsal to which he had been summoned as
+best he might, and the instant it was over hastened back to his own
+room, to indite an impassioned appeal to his new divinity, and devise
+some means to insure its reaching her that same evening.
+
+As everything was in readiness the play was to begin as soon as the
+invited guests had all assembled. The orangery had been transformed
+into a charming little theatre, and was brilliantly lighted by many
+clusters of wax candles. Behind the spectators the orange trees had
+been arranged in rows, rising one above the other, and filled the air
+with their delicious fragrance. In the front row of seats, which was
+composed of luxurious arm-chairs, were to be seen the beautiful Yolande
+de Foix, the Duchesse de Montalban, the Baronne d’Hagémeau, the
+Marquise de Bruyres, and many other titled dames, resplendent in
+gorgeous array, and vying with each other in magnificence and beauty.
+Rich velvets, brilliant satins, cloth of silver and gold, misty laces,
+gay ribbons, white feathers, tiaras of diamonds, strings of pearls,
+superb jewels, glittering in delicate shell-like ears, on white necks
+and rounded arms, were in profusion, and the scene would have graced
+the court itself. If the surpassingly lovely Yolande de Foix had not
+been present, several radiant mortal goddesses in the exceptionally
+brilliant assemblage might have made it difficult for a Paris to decide
+between their rival claims to the golden apple; but her beauty eclipsed
+them all, though it was rather that of the haughty Diana than the
+smiling Venus. Men raved about her, declared her irresistible,
+worshipped at her shrine, but never dared aspire to her love; one
+scornful glance from her cold blue eyes effectually extinguished any
+nascent hope, and the cruel beauty punished presumption as
+relentlessly, and won and flung away hearts with as much nonchalance,
+as ever did her immortal prototype, the fair goddess of the chase.
+
+How was this exquisite creature dressed? It would require more
+_sang-froid_ than we are possessed of to venture upon a description of
+her perfect toilet; her raiment floated about her graceful form like a
+luminous cloud, in which one could think only of herself; we believe,
+however, that there were clusters of pearls nestling amid the bright
+curls that made an aureola—a veritable golden glory—about her beautiful
+head.
+
+Behind these fair ladies sat or stood the nobles and gentlemen who had
+the honour of being their fathers, husbands, and brothers. Some were
+leaning forward to whisper soft nothings and dainty compliments into
+willing ears, others lounging and fanning themselves lazily with their
+broad felt hats, and others still standing in the background looking
+admiringly at the pretty group before them. The hum of conversation
+filled the air, and a slight impatience was just beginning to manifest
+itself among the waiting audience, when the traditional three knocks
+were heard, and all suddenly subsided into silence.
+
+The curtain rose slowly and revealed a very pretty scene representing a
+public square where several streets met, surrounded by picturesque
+houses with small latticed windows, overhanging gables, high peaked
+roofs, and smoke curling upwards from the slender chimneys against the
+blue sky.
+
+One of these houses had a practicable door and window, whilst two of
+those in the side scenes enjoyed equal advantages, and one of them was
+furnished with a balcony. A few trees were scattered about in front of
+the houses, and, though the painting was not of the highest order of
+scenic art, the general effect was very good, and won a round of
+applause from the aristocratic audience. The piece opens with a quarrel
+between the testy old _bourgeois_, Pandolphe, and his daughter,
+Isabelle, who, being in love with a handsome young suitor, obstinately
+refuses to obey her father’s commands and marry a certain Captain
+Matamore, with whom he is perfectly infatuated. She is ably supported
+in her resistance by her pretty maid, Zerbine, who is well paid by
+Leander, the favoured lover, to espouse his cause. To all the curses
+and abuse that Pandolphe showers upon her, she answers gaily with the
+most exasperating and amusing impertinences, advising him to marry this
+fine captain himself if he is so fond of him; as for her part she will
+never suffer her dear, beautiful mistress to become the wife of that
+horrid old codger, that abominable bully, that detestable scarecrow!
+Whereupon Pandolphe, furiously angry, orders her into the house, so
+that he may speak to his daughter alone; and when she refuses to obey,
+and defies him to make her, he takes her by the shoulders and attempts
+to force her to go, but she, bending forward with admirable elasticity,
+from the waist only, at each vigorous effort of his, stands her ground
+and does not budge one inch from her place, breaking into peals of
+laughter at every fresh attempt, and accompanying it all with an
+irresistibly saucy, comical by-play, that wins her round after round of
+enthusiastic applause—whilst the Marquis de Bruyères, enchanted with
+her spirited acting, congratulates himself anew upon the happy chance
+that threw this charming creature in his way.
+
+Another character now enters upon the scene, looking cautiously about
+him at every step, as if he feared an unpleasant surprise. This is
+Leander, the horror of fathers, husbands, and guardians, the delight of
+wives, daughters, and wards—in one word, the lover—the very beau-ideal
+of a lover; young, handsome, ardent, ready for anything, winning over
+strict old duennas, bribing pert waiting-maids, climbing up
+rope-ladders, overcoming every obstacle to reach the fair mistress of
+his affections, and kneeling at her feet to pour out burning
+protestations of love and devotion, that no mortal woman could ever
+resist. Suddenly perceiving that Pandolphe is here, where he only
+expected to find Isabelle, Leander stops and throws himself into an
+attitude, which he has frequently practised before the mirror, and
+which, he flatters himself, shows his handsome person to great
+advantage; standing with his weight thrown upon the left leg, the right
+one advanced and slightly bent at the knee; one hand on the hilt of his
+sword, the other stroking his chin, so as to make the big diamond on
+his finger flash in the light, and a slight smile playing about his
+lips. He really did look very handsome as he stood there, and was
+greatly admired by all the ladies—even the haughty Yolande herself not
+disdaining to smile upon him approvingly. Profiting by the opportunity
+that this pause gave him, Leander fixed his eyes upon the Marquise de
+Bruyères, with such a look of passionate entreaty and admiration that
+she blushed crimson in spite of herself under his ardent gaze; then he
+turned reluctantly towards Isabelle, with an absent, indifferent air,
+which he intended should indicate to the fair object of his aspirations
+the difference between real and simulated passion.
+
+When Pandolphe becomes aware of the presence of Leander he is more
+furious than ever, and hustles his daughter and her maid into the house
+as quickly as possible, not, however, without Zerbine’s finding means
+to take from Leander a note for Isabelle, which she slips into the
+pocket of her coquettish little apron. The young man, left alone with
+the irate father, assures him in the most respectful manner that his
+intentions are honourable; that he asks the hand of his fair daughter
+in marriage; that he is of gentle birth, has an ample fortune, and is
+in high favour at court; that nothing could ever induce him to give up
+Isabelle; he is ready to risk everything to win her, for he loves her
+better than his life—delicious words, which the young girl listens to
+with rapture from her balcony, whence she makes little signs of
+approval and encouragement to her lover, quite unknown to the stern
+father, whose back is turned to her, and who believes her safely locked
+up in the house. Despite the mellifluous eloquence of the ardent young
+suitor Pandolphe remains obstinate and unmoved, and swears, by all the
+gods that either he will have Captain Matamore for his son-in-law, or
+his refractory daughter shall be shut up in a convent and forced to
+become a nun. Off he bustles in hot haste to find a notary and have the
+contract of marriage drawn without further delay.
+
+As soon as he is out of sight Leander tries to persuade Isabelle—who is
+still in her balcony, her father having carried off the key of the
+street door in his pocket—to consent to fly from such persecution, and
+accompany him to the cell of a certain holy hermit whom he knows, and
+who is always willing and ready to marry runaway couples like
+themselves, whose loves are thwarted by tyrannical parents. But the
+young girl answers modestly, yet firmly, that, although she wishes
+nothing so earnestly as to be permitted to bestow her hand upon her
+faithful Leander, who already has her heart, she cannot disobey her
+father, for that she, like all dutiful daughters, is in duty bound to
+respect and submit to the commands of the author of her being; but she
+promises never to marry the detested Captain Matamore—she will go into
+the convent rather than listen to him for a moment. Unable to shake her
+decision Leander then retires to devise plans, with the aid of his
+clever valet, to overcome the formidable obstacles in his way—more than
+ever determined not to give up the fair Isabelle, and promising her to
+return in the evening and report progress.
+
+Isabelle retires from her balcony and closes her window, and a moment
+after Captain Matamore strides fiercely upon the stage—his appearance
+is greeted with peals of laughter—his tall, attenuated figure is
+encased in an absurd costume, in which the bright red and yellow
+stripes of his tunic meet in points in front and behind, whilst they
+run spirally round his long, thin arms and legs, producing the most
+preposterously comical effect imaginable; a stiffly-starched ruff,
+immensely broad, encircles his neck, upon which his head seems to be
+set, like that of John the Baptist on the charger; a large felt hat,
+turned up at one side, and ornamented with a huge tuft of red and
+yellow feathers, is stuck jauntily on his head, and a short cloak of
+the same colour, fastened round his neck and thrown back from his
+shoulders, floats behind him. He wears an enormous sword, whose heavily
+weighted hilt keeps the point always raised and standing out
+prominently behind him, whilst from it dangles a clever imitation of a
+spider’s web—a convincing proof of how much he is in the habit of
+making use of this formidable weapon. Closely followed by his valet,
+Scapin, who is in imminent danger of having an eye put out by the end
+of his master’s big sword, he marches several times around the stage,
+taking preternaturally long strides, rolling his eyes about fiercely,
+twisting the long ends of his huge mustache, and indulging in a variety
+of ridiculous gestures indicative of exaggerated rage and fury, which
+are irresistibly funny—all the more so because there is nothing
+whatever to provoke this display of ferocity. Finally he stops in front
+of the footlights, strikes an attitude, and delivers himself thus: “For
+to-day, Scapin, I am willing to let my man-killer here have a little
+rest, so that there may be an opportunity to get all its recent victims
+decently buried, in the cemeteries I contribute so largely towards
+filling. When a man has performed such feats of courage and carnage as
+I have—killing my hundreds single-handed, while my dastardly comrades
+trembled with fear, or turned and fled from the foe—to say nothing of
+my daily affairs of honour, now that the wars are over—he may assuredly
+indulge himself occasionally in milder amusements. Besides, the whole
+civilized world, having now been subjugated by my good sword, no longer
+offers any resistance to my indomitable arm, and Atropos, the eldest of
+the dread Parcae sisters, has sent word to me that the fatal scissors,
+with which she cuts the threads of human lives, have become so dulled
+by the great amount of work my trusty blade has given her to do with
+them, that she has been obliged to send them to Vulcan to be sharpened,
+and she begs for a short respite. So you see, Scapin, I must put force
+upon myself and restrain my natural ardour—refrain for a time from
+wars, massacres, sacking of cities, stand-up fights with giants,
+killing of monsters and dragons, like Theseus and Hercules of glorious
+memory, and all the other little pastimes which usually occupy my good
+sword and me. I will take my ease now for a brief period, and Death may
+enjoy a short rest too. But to whom did my worthy prototype, Mars, the
+great god of war, devote _his_ leisure hours? in whose sweet society
+did _he_ find delight? Ask Venus, the immortal goddess of love and
+beauty, who had the good taste to prefer a warlike man to all others,
+and lent a willing ear to the suit of my valiant predecessor. So I,
+following his illustrious example, condescend to turn my attention for
+the moment to the tender sex, and pay my court to the fair Isabelle,
+the young and beautiful object of my ardent love. Being aware that
+Cupid, with all his assurance, would not dare to aim one of his
+golden-tipped arrows at such an all-conquering hero as my unworthy
+self, I have given him a little encouragement; and, in order that the
+shaft may penetrate to the generous lion’s heart that beats in this
+broad breast, I have laid aside the world-famed coat of mail—made of
+the rings given to me by goddesses, empresses, queens, infantas,
+princesses, and great ladies of every degree, my illustrious admirers
+the world over—which is proof against all weapons, and has so often
+saved my life in my maddest deeds of daring.”
+
+“All of which signifies,” interrupts the valet, who had listened to
+this high-blown tirade with ill-concealed impatience, “as far as my
+feeble intellect can comprehend such magnificent eloquence, that your
+most redoubtable lordship has fallen in love with some young girl
+hereabouts, like any ordinary mortal.”
+
+“Really, Scapin,” says Matamore, with good-humoured condescension, “you
+have hit the nail upon the head—you are not so stupid after all, for a
+valet. Yes, I have fallen in love, but do not imagine for a moment that
+my courage will suffer diminution on that account. It was all very well
+for Samson to allow his hair to be cut off, and for Alcides to handle
+the distaff at the bidding of his mistress; but Delilah would not have
+dared to touch one hair of my head, and Omphale should have pulled off
+my boots for me—at the least sign of revolt I would have given her
+worse to do: cleaning the skin of the Nemaean lion, for instance, when
+I brought it home all fresh and bleeding, just as I had torn it from
+the quivering carcass. The thought that has lately occurred to me, that
+I have subjugated only half of the human race, is humiliating. Women,
+by reason of their weakness, escape me; I cannot treat them as I do my
+masculine opponents—cut their throats, run them through the body, or
+hew off their arms and legs; I must lay siege to their hearts, and
+conquer them in that way. It is true that I have stormed and taken a
+greater number of such fair citadels than there are drops of water in
+the ocean, or stars in the sky—why, I sleep on a mattress stuffed with
+thousands of beautiful curls and tresses of every shade, light and
+dark, golden and jet-black, which are among my most treasured trophies.
+Juno herself has made overtures to me, but I turned a deaf ear to her
+blandishments, finding her charms rather too ripe for my taste; I
+prefer the first flush of youthful beauty; it is a pure and innocent
+maiden that I would honour with my notice now, but she repulses me—that
+I should live to say it!—she dares to repulse me. I cannot permit such
+an impertinence on her part, and the fair Isabelle must humbly sue to
+me for pardon, and herself bringing the golden keys of the citadel of
+her heart, upon a salver of silver, offer them to me upon her bended
+knees, with streaming eyes and dishevelled tresses, begging for grace
+and favour in my sight. Go now, and summon the fortress to
+surrender—this house contains the rebellious fair.”
+
+But doors and windows remain inexorably closed, and no notice is taken
+of the valet’s thundering knocks and mocking summons to surrender;
+secure in the strength of their bolts and bars, the garrison, which
+consists of Isabelle and her maid, vouchsafes no reply. Matamore,
+becoming more enraged at each vain attempt to gain a response from his
+fair enemy, stamps about the stage, roaring out his defiance,
+threatening to sack and burn the place, pouring out volleys of
+remarkable oaths, and lashing himself into such a fury that he actually
+foams at the mouth. When his valet at length, after many vain efforts,
+is able to gain a hearing, and tells him of his formidable rival,
+Leander, and how he has already won the lady’s heart, all his rage is
+turned against that fortunate suitor, of whom he vows that he will make
+mince-meat as soon as he can lay hands on him. At this very moment
+Leander himself returns, and Scapin points him out to his master as he
+approaches, adding that he will keep a sharp look-out for the police
+while Matamore is giving him his quietus. But the cowardly braggadocio
+would fain withdraw, now that the enemy is actually in sight, and is
+only restrained from flight by his servant, who pushes him forward
+directly in Leander’s path.
+
+Seeing that escape is impossible, Matamore settles his hat firmly on
+his head, twists the long ends of his mustache, puts his hand on the
+hilt of his big sword, and advances threateningly towards Leander—but
+it is pure bravado, for his teeth are chattering with fear, and his
+long, thin legs waver and tremble under him visibly, like reeds shaken
+by the wind. Only one hope remains to him—that of intimidating Leander
+by loud threats and ferocious gestures, if, by a happy chance, he be a
+fellow of his own kidney. So in a terrible voice he addresses him thus:
+“Sir, do you know that I am the great Captain Matamore of the
+celebrated house of Cuerno de Cornazan, and allied to the no less
+illustrious family of Escobombardon de la Papirontonda? I am a
+descendant, on my mother’s side, of the famous Antacus, the ancient
+hero and giant.”
+
+“Well, you may be a descendant of the man in the moon for all that I
+care,” answers Leander, with a disdainful shrug of the shoulders; “what
+the devil have I to do with such absurd stuff and nonsense?”
+
+“Blood and bones! thunder and Mars! You see, sir, you shall see, and
+that very quickly, what you have to do with it, unless you take
+yourself off in the twinkling of an eye. I will give you one minute’s
+grace, for your extreme youth touches me, so take to your heels and fly
+while there is yet time. Observe me well! I am the terror of the whole
+world—my path is marked with graves—my own shadow scarcely dares to
+follow me into the perils I delight in. If I enter a besieged city, it
+is by the breach—when I quit it I pass under a triumphal arch; if I
+cross a river, it is one of blood, and the bridge is made of the bodies
+of my adversaries. I can toss a knight and his horse, both, weighted
+with armour, high into the air. I can snap elephants’ bones, as you
+would pipe-stems. When great Mars himself chances to meet me on the
+battle-field he turns and flees, dreading the weight of my arm. My
+prowess is so well known, and the terror I inspire so great, that no
+one dares to meet me face to face, and I never see anything but the
+backs of my retreating foes.”
+
+“Is it so? well, you shall meet _me_ face to face. Take _that_, and see
+how you like it!” says Leander laughing merrily, and giving him a
+sounding slap on one cheek which almost knocks the poor devil over, and
+is instantly followed by an equally hearty one on the other, to restore
+his equilibrium.
+
+During this scene Isabelle and Zerbine come out upon the balcony. The
+mischievous _soubrette_ goes into convulsions of laughter, whilst her
+mistress nods encouragingly to Leander. Meantime Pandolphe, accompanied
+by the notary, turns the corner of one of the streets and enters the
+square just in time to see Leander’s extraordinary exploit, whereat he
+is horrified and amazed. The valiant captain bellows like a bull,
+shrieks out the most frightful threats and curses, vowing all sorts of
+vengeance, and making prodigious efforts to draw his big sword, so that
+he may forthwith set about cutting up his unmannerly assailant into
+mince-meat. He tugs and strains until he is red in the face, but his
+“man-killer” cannot be induced to quit the scabbard and Leander,
+growing impatient, follows up his first attack with a vigorous, well
+directed kick, which sends the unlucky bully flying to the other side
+of the stage, where he falls all in a heap and rolls in the dust. The
+handsome, young gallant then bows gracefully to Isabelle and retires
+from the scene.
+
+Captain Matamore meanwhile lies sprawling on the ground, making
+ludicrous and ineffectual efforts to regain his feet. Pandolphe and
+Scapin go to his assistance, and when they have hauled him up, and he
+has made sure that Leander is no longer present, he roars out in a
+voice of thunder: “Scapin, quick, hoop me with iron bands or I shall
+burst! I am in such a rage! I shall explode like a bomb! and you,
+treacherous blade, do _you_ play me false at such a moment? Is it thus
+you reward me for having always tried to slake your insatiable thirst
+with the blood of the bravest and noblest? I don’t know why I have not
+already broken you into a thousand pieces, as you so richly
+deserve—false, ungrateful weapon that you are! But stay—was it to teach
+me that it is unworthy of the true warrior to desert his post?—or
+forget his sterner duties in the soft delights of love?—was it for that
+you refused to leap from your scabbard as of old? It is true, alas!
+that thus far this week I have not defeated a single army—I have killed
+neither ogre nor dragon—I have not furnished his usual rations to
+Death—and in consequence my trusty blade has rusted in the
+scabbard—that I should live to say it! rusted!—and I have been forced
+to submit to insults, and even blows, before the very eyes of my
+mistress. What a lesson! Henceforth I shall make it a rule to kill at
+least three men every morning before I break my fast, so as to be sure
+that my good sword plays freely—keep me in mind, Scapin, do you hear?”
+
+“Perhaps Leander will return before long,” says the valet; “suppose we
+all help you to draw your ‘_trusty blade_,’ so that you may be ready
+for him.”
+
+Matamore, accordingly, plants himself firmly, holding the scabbard in
+both hands, Scapin seizes the handle of the sword, Pandolphe clasps him
+firmly round the waist, the notary tries to do as much by Pandolphe’s
+stout person, and they all pull and pull. For some time the rusty old
+sword resists all their efforts, but at last yields suddenly, and the
+three fall in a confused heap on the ground, with legs and arms waving
+wildly in the air, while Matamore tumbles the other way, still clinging
+to the now empty scabbard. Picking himself up as quickly as possible he
+seizes his big sword, which has dropped from the valet’s hand, and
+waving it triumphantly says with stern emphasis, “Now Leander’s fate is
+sealed! There is but one way for him to escape certain death. He must
+emigrate to some distant planet. If he be sufficiently fool-hardy to
+remain on this globe I will find him, no matter in what distant land he
+strives to hide himself, and transfix him with this good sword—unless
+indeed he be first turned to stone by the terrible Medusa-like power of
+my eye.”
+
+In spite of all that he has witnessed, the obstinate old father still
+feels unbounded faith in Matamore’s valour, and persists in his
+lamentable intention to bestow the hand of his fair daughter upon this
+magnificent hero. Poor Isabelle bursts into tears, and declares that
+she prefers the convent to such a fate. Zerbine loudly swears that this
+marriage shall never take place, and tries to console her weeping
+mistress. Matamore attributes this rather discouraging demonstration on
+the part of Isabelle to an excess of maidenly modesty, not doubting her
+_penchant_ for himself, though he acknowledges that he has not yet
+properly paid his court, nor shown himself in all his glory to her—this
+last from prudential motives, fearing lest she might be dangerously
+dazzled and overwhelmed if he should burst upon her too suddenly in the
+full splendour of his heroic character, remembering, and taking warning
+by, the sad and terrible fate that befell Semele, when Jupiter,
+reluctantly yielding to her wishes, appeared before her with all the
+insignia of his majesty.
+
+Isabelle and her maid withdrew from the balcony, without taking any
+further notice of the valiant Matamore; but he, undaunted, wishing to
+play the lover after the most approved fashion, plants himself
+resolutely under her window and sends Scapin to fetch a guitar; upon
+which he thrums awkwardly for a while, and then accompanies it with his
+voice, in an attempt at a Spanish love song, which sounds much like the
+nocturnal caterwauling of a disconsolate tabby than anything else we
+can compare it to. A dash of cold water, mischievously thrown down on
+him by Zerbine under pretext of watering the plants in the balcony,
+does not extinguish his musical ardour. “A gentle shower from the sweet
+eyes of my Isabelle, moved to tears by this plaintive melody,” says he,
+“for it is universally conceded that I excel in music as in arms, and
+wield the lyre as skilfully as the sword.”
+
+Unfortunately for him, Leander suddenly reappears, and highly indignant
+that this miserable rascal should presume to serenade _his_ mistress,
+snatches the guitar from his hands and begins whacking him over the
+head with it, so furiously that it is quickly broken through, and
+slipping over the unhappy serenader’s head remains fixed round his
+neck, so that he is completely at the mercy of his assailant. Holding
+fast to the handle of the guitar, Leander hauls him about the stage,
+banging him against the side-scenes, dragging him forward to the
+footlights—making the most absurd scene imaginable—and finally, letting
+go of him suddenly, sends him sprawling on the ground. Fancy the
+ridiculous appearance of the unfortunate bully, who looked as if he had
+put his head through a frying-pan!
+
+But his miseries are not yet at an end. Leander’s valet had been
+arranging a clever little plot to prevent the fulfilment of the
+proposed marriage between Isabelle and Captain Matamore. At his
+instigation, a certain Doralice, very pretty and coquettish, makes her
+appearance, accompanied by a fierce-looking brother—represented by
+Hérode—carrying two immensely long rapiers under his arm, and evidently
+“spoiling for a fight.” The young lady complains that she has been
+shamefully jilted by Captain Matamore, who has deserted her for
+Isabelle, the daughter of a certain Pandolphe, and demands instant
+reparation for this outrage, adding that her brother is ready to exact
+it at the point of the sword, or avenge the insult by taking the life
+of the heartless villain who has trifled with her youthful affections.
+
+“Make haste to give this rascal his quietus,” says Pandolphe to his
+future son-in-law; “it will be only child’s play for you, who have
+fearlessly encountered, single-handed, a whole army of Saracens.”
+
+Very reluctantly, and after many most absurd grimaces, Matamore crosses
+swords with Doralice’s ferocious brother, but he trembles so that the
+latter, with one quick movement, sends his weapon flying out of his
+hand, and chastises him with the flat of his sword until he roars for
+mercy.
+
+To cap the climax, Mme. Léonarde comes upon the scene, mopping her
+streaming eyes with an enormous pocket-handkerchief, sighing and
+sobbing, and bewailing herself. She goes straight to Pandolphe and
+shows him a written promise of marriage, over Matamore’s signature,
+cleverly counterfeited; whereupon the poor wretch, convicted of such
+abominable and complicated perfidy, is assailed with a new shower of
+blows and curses, and finally condemned, by the unanimous vote of all
+present, to marry old Mme. Léonarde—who has made herself as hideous as
+possible—as a fitting punishment for all his deviltries, rodomontades,
+and cowardice. Pandolphe, thoroughly disgusted with Matamore at last,
+makes no further objections to Leander’s suit, and the curtain falls as
+he gives his consent to the marriage of the two young lovers.
+
+This _bouffonnade_, being played with great spirit, was
+enthusiastically applauded. The gentlemen were charmed with the
+mischievous, coquettish _soubrette_, who was fairly radiant with beauty
+that evening; the ladies were greatly pleased with Isabelle’s
+refinement and modesty; whilst Matamore received the well merited
+encomiums of all. It would have been impossible to find, even in the
+great Parisian theatres, an actor better fitted for the part he had
+played so admirably. Leander was much admired by all the younger
+ladies, but the gentlemen agreed, without a dissenting voice, that he
+was a horridly conceited coxcomb. Wherever he appeared indeed this was
+the universal verdict, with which he was perfectly content—caring far
+more for his handsome person, and the effect it produced upon the fair
+sex, than for his art; though, to do him justice, he was a very good
+actor. Serafina’s beauty did not fail to find admirers, and more than
+one young gentleman swore by his mustache that she was an adorable
+creature—quite regardless of the displeasure of the fair ladies within
+hearing.
+
+During the play, de Sigognac, hidden in the _coulisses_, had enjoyed
+intensely Isabelle’s charming rendering of her part, though he was more
+than a little jealous of the favour she apparently bestowed upon
+Leander—and especially at the tender tone of her voice whenever she
+spoke to him—not being yet accustomed to the feigned love-making on the
+stage, which often covers profound antipathies and real enmity. When
+the play was over, he complimented the young actress with a
+constrained, embarrassed air, which she could not help remarking, and
+perfectly understood.
+
+“You play that part admirably, Isabelle! so well that one might almost
+think there was some truth in it.”
+
+“Is it not my duty to do so?” she asked smilingly, secretly pleased at
+his displeasure; “did not the manager engage me for that?”
+
+“Doubtless,” de Sigognac replied, “but you seemed to be _really_ in
+love with that conceited fellow, who never thinks of anything but his
+own good looks, and how to display them to the best advantage.”
+
+“But the role required it. You surely would not have had me play it as
+if he disgusted me! besides, did I not preserve throughout the quiet
+demeanour of a well-bred, respectable girl? If I failed in that you
+must tell me how and where, so that I may endeavour to correct it in
+future.”
+
+“Oh no! you appeared from the beginning to the end like a modest,
+retiring, young lady—no, there is no fault to be found with you in that
+respect; your acting was inimitable—so graceful, lady-like, and
+easy—but withal so true to nature that it was almost too real.”
+
+“My dear baron, they are putting out the lights; everybody has gone but
+ourselves, and we shall be left in the dark if we don’t make haste. Be
+good enough to throw this cloak around my shoulders and accompany me to
+the château.”
+
+De Sigognac acquitted himself of this novel duty with less awkwardness
+than might have been expected, though his hands trembled a little, and
+he felt an almost irresistible desire to take her into his arms as he
+wrapped the mantle round her slender form; but he restrained himself,
+and respectfully offering his arm led her out of the orangery, which by
+this time was entirely deserted. It was, as we have said, at a little
+distance from the château, and on the level of the park, lower than the
+mansion, which stood on a high terrace, with a handsome stone
+balustrade at the edge, supporting at regular intervals large vases
+filled with blooming plants, in the pretty Italian fashion. A broad,
+easy flight of stone steps led up to the terrace, affording in their
+ascent a most imposing view of the château, which loomed up grandly
+against the evening sky. Many of the windows on this side were lighted,
+whilst the others glistened brightly as the silvery moon-beams struck
+upon them—as did also the dewdrops on the shrubbery and the
+grass-plots—as if a shower of diamonds had fallen on this favoured
+spot. Looking towards the park, the long vistas cut through the wood,
+losing themselves in the hazy blue of the distance, called to mind
+Breughel’s famous picture of Paradise, or else disclosed the far-away
+gleam of a marble statue, or the spray of a misty fountain sparkling in
+the moonlight.
+
+Isabelle and de Sigognac slowly ascended the broad steps, pausing
+frequently to turn and look back at this enchanting scene, and charmed
+with the beauty of the night walked for a little while to and fro upon
+the terrace before retiring to their rooms. As they were in full sight
+of the windows, and it was not yet very late, the modest young girl
+felt that there could be no impropriety in this little indulgence; and
+besides, the baron’s extreme timidity was very reassuring to her, and
+she knew that he would not presume upon the favour accorded to him. He
+had not made a formal avowal of his love to her, but she was as well
+aware of it as if he had, and also of his profound respect for her,
+which sentiment is indeed always an accompaniment of a worthy passion.
+She knew herself beloved—the knowledge was very sweet to her—and she
+felt herself safe from all fear of offence in the company of this
+honourable gentleman and true lover. With the delicious embarrassment
+of nascent, unavowed love, this young couple wandering by moonlight in
+a lonely garden, side by side, arm in arm, only exchanged the most
+insignificant, commonplace remarks; but if no undercurrent was betrayed
+by actual words, the trembling, voices, long pauses, stifled sighs, and
+low, confidential tones told of strong emotions beneath this quiet
+surface.
+
+The chamber assigned to the beautiful Yolande de Foix, near that of
+Mme. la Marquise, was on this side of the château, overlooking the
+park, and after she had dismissed her maid, she went to the window to
+look out once more upon the exceeding beauty of the night, and caught
+sight of de Sigognac and Isabelle, pacing slowly back and forth on the
+terrace below, without any other company than their own shadows.
+Assuredly the disdainful Yolande, haughty as a goddess, could never
+have felt anything but scorn for our poor young baron, past whom she
+had sometimes flashed in a whirlwind of light and noise in the chase,
+and whom she had so recently cruelly insulted; but still it displeased
+her to see him devoting himself thus to a beautiful young girl, to whom
+he was undoubtedly making love at that very moment. She had regarded
+him as her own humble vassal—for she had not failed to read the
+passionate admiration in his eyes whenever they met her own—and could
+not brook his shaking off his allegiance thus; her slaves ought to live
+and die in her service, even though their fidelity were never rewarded
+by a single smile. She watched them, with a frowning brow, until they
+disappeared, and then sought her couch in anything but a tranquil mood,
+haunted by the lover-like pair that had so roused her wrath, and still
+kept her long awake.
+
+De Sigognac escorted Isabelle to the door of her chamber, where he bade
+her good-night, and as he turned away towards his own, saw, at the end
+of the corridor, a mysterious looking individual closely wrapped in a
+large cloak, with one end thrown over the shoulder in Spanish fashion,
+and so drawn up round his face that only the eyes were visible; a
+slouch hat concealed his forehead, so that he was completely disguised,
+yet he drew back hurriedly into a dark corner when de Sigognac turned
+towards him, as if to avoid his notice. The baron knew that the
+comedians had all gone to their rooms already, and besides, it could
+not be one of them, for the tyrant was much larger and taller, the
+pedant a great deal stouter, Leander more slender, Matamore much
+thinner, and Scapin of quite a different make. Not wishing to appear
+curious, or to annoy the unknown in any way, de Sigognac hastened to
+enter his own room—not however without having observed that the door of
+the tapestry-hung chamber stood ajar. When he had closed his, he heard
+stealthy footsteps approaching, and presently a bolt shot home softly,
+then profound silence.
+
+About an hour later, Leander opened his door as quietly as possible,
+looked carefully to see if the corridor was empty, and then, stepping
+as lightly and cautiously as a gipsy performing the famous egg-dance,
+traversed its whole length, reached the staircase, which he descended
+as noiselessly as the phantoms in a haunted castle, and passed out into
+the moonlight; he crept along in the shadow of the wall and of some
+thick shrubbery, went down the steps into the park, and made his way to
+a sort of bower, where stood a charming statue of the mischievous
+little god of love, with his finger on his lip—an appropriate presiding
+genius of a secret rendezvous, as this evidently must be. Here he
+stopped and waited, anxiously watching the path by which he had come,
+and listening intently to catch the first sound of approaching
+footsteps.
+
+We have already related how Leander, encouraged by the smile with which
+Mme. la Marquise acknowledged his salutation, and convinced that she
+was smitten with his beauty and grace, had made bold to address a
+letter to her, which he bribed Jeanne to place secretly upon her
+mistress’s toilet-table, where she would be sure to see it. This letter
+we copy here at length, so as to give an idea of the style of
+composition employed by Leander in addressing the great ladies of whose
+favours he boasted so loudly.
+
+“Madame, or rather fair goddess of beauty, do not blame anything but
+your own incomparable charms for this intrusion upon you. I am forced
+by their radiance to emerge from the deep shadow in which I should
+remain shrouded, and approach their dazzling brilliancy—just as the
+dolphins are attracted from the depths of ocean, by the brightness of
+the fisherman’s lanterns, though they are, alas! to find destruction
+there, and perish by the sharp harpoons hurled pitilessly at them with
+unerring aim. I know but too well that the waves will be reddened by my
+blood; but as I cannot live without your favour, I do not fear to meet
+death thus. It may be strangely audacious, on my part to pretend to the
+privileges of gods and demi-gods—to die by your fair hand—but I dare to
+aspire to it; being already in despair, nothing worse can come to me,
+and I would rather incur your wrath than your scorn, or your disdain.
+In order to direct the fatal blow aright, the executioner must look
+upon his victim, and I shall have, in yielding up my life under your
+fair, cruel hand, the supreme delight of being for one blissful moment
+the object of your regard. Yes, I love you, madame! I adore you! And if
+it be a crime, I cannot repent of it. God suffers himself to be adored;
+the stars receive the admiration of the humblest shepherd; it is the
+fate of all such lofty perfection as yours to, be beloved, adored, only
+by inferior beings, since it has not its equal upon earth, nor scarcely
+indeed in heaven. I, alas! am but a poor, wandering actor, yet were I a
+haughty duke or prince, my head would not be on a level with your
+beauteous feet, and there would be, all the same, between your heavenly
+height and my kneeling adoration, as great a distance as from the
+soaring summit of the loftiest Alp to the yawning abyss far, far below.
+You must always stoop to reach a heart that adores you. I dare to say,
+madame, that mine is as proud as it is tender, and she who would deign
+not to repulse it, would find in it the most ardent love, the most
+perfect delicacy, the most absolute respect, and unbounded devotion.
+Besides, if such divine happiness be accorded me, your indulgence would
+not have to stoop so low as you might fancy. Though reduced by an
+adverse destiny and the jealous hatred of one of the great ones of the
+earth, who must be nameless, to the dire necessity of hiding myself
+under this disguise, I am not what I seem. I do not need to blush for
+my birth—rather I may glory in it. If I dared to betray the secrecy
+imposed upon me, for reasons of state, I could prove to you that most
+illustrious blood runs in my veins. Whoever may love me, noble though
+she be, will not degrade herself. But I have already said too much—my
+lips are sealed. I shall never be other than the humblest, most devoted
+of your slaves; even though, by one of those strange coincidences that
+happen sometimes in real life, I should come to be recognised by all
+the world as a king’s son. If in your great goodness you will
+condescend to show me, fair goddess of beauty, by the slightest sign,
+that my boldness has not angered you, I shall die happy, consumed by
+the burning brightness of your eyes upon the funeral pyre of my love.”
+
+How would Mme. la Marquise have received this ardent epistle? which had
+perhaps done him good service already more than once. Would she have
+looked favourably upon her humble suitor?—who can tell?—for the
+feminine heart is past comprehension. Unfortunately the letter did not
+reach her. Being entirely taken up with great ladies, Leander
+overlooked their waiting-maids, and did not trouble himself to show
+them any attentions or gallantries—wherein he made a sad mistake—for if
+the _pistoles_ he gave to Jeanne, with his precious epistle, had been
+supplemented by a few kisses and compliments, she would have taken far
+more pains to execute his commission. As she held the letter carelessly
+in her hand, the marquis chanced to pass by, and asked her idly what
+she had got there.
+
+“Oh! nothing much,” she answered scornfully, “only a note from Mr.
+Leander to Mme. la Marquise.”
+
+“From Leander? that jackanapes who plays the lover in the Rodomontades
+of Captain Matamore? What in the world can _he_ have to say to Mme. la
+Marquise? Doubtless he asks for a gratuity!”
+
+“I don’t think so,” said the spiteful waiting-maid; “when he gave me
+this letter he sighed, and rolled up his eyes like a love-sick swain.”
+
+“Give me the letter,” said the marquis, “_I_ will answer it—and don’t
+say anything about it to your mistress. Such chaps are apt to be
+impertinent—they are spoiled by admiration, and sometimes presume upon
+it.”
+
+The marquis, who dearly loved a joke, amused himself by answering
+Leander’s extraordinary epistle with one in much the same style—written
+in a delicate, lady-like hand upon perfumed paper, and sealed with a
+fanciful device—altogether a production well calculated to deceive the
+poor devil, and confirm him in his ridiculous fancies. Accordingly,
+when he regained his bed-chamber after the play was over, he found upon
+his dressing-table a note addressed to himself. He hastened to open it,
+trembling from head to foot with excitement and delight, and read as
+follows: “It is true, as you say so eloquently—too eloquently for my
+peace of mind—that goddesses can only love mortals. At eleven o’clock,
+when all the world is sunk in slumber, and no prying human eyes open to
+gaze upon her, Diana will quit her place in the skies above and descend
+to earth, to visit the gentle shepherd, Endymion—not upon Mount Latmus,
+but in the park—at the foot of the statue of silent love. The handsome
+shepherd must be sure to have fallen asleep ere Diana appears, so as
+not to shock the modesty of the immortal goddess—who will come without
+her cortege of nymphs, wrapped in a cloud and devoid of her silvery
+radiance.”
+
+We will leave to the reader’s imagination the delirious joy that filled
+to overflowing the foolish heart of the susceptible Leander, who was
+fooled to the top of his bent, when he read this precious note, which
+exceeded his wildest hopes. He immediately began his preparations to
+play the part of Endymion—poured a whole bottle of perfume upon his
+hair and hands, chewed a flower of mace to make his breath sweet,
+twisted his glossy curls daintily round his white fingers—though not a
+hair was awry—and then waited impatiently for the moment when he should
+set forth to seek the rendezvous at the foot of the statue of silent
+love—where we left him anxiously awaiting the arrival of his goddess.
+He shivered nervously from excitement, and the penetrating chilliness
+of the damp night air, as he stood motionless at the appointed spot. He
+trembled at the falling of a leaf—the crackling of the gravel under his
+feet whenever he moved them sounded so loud in his ears that he felt
+sure it would be heard at the château. The mysterious darkness of the
+wood filled him with awe, and the great, black trees seemed like
+terrible genii, threatening him. The poor wretch was not exactly
+frightened, but not very far from it. Mme. la Marquise was tardy—Diana
+was leaving her faithful Endymion too long cooling his heels in the
+heavy night dew. At last he thought he heard heavy footsteps
+approaching,—but they could not be those of his goddess—he must be
+mistaken—goddesses glide so lightly over the sward that not even a
+blade of grass is crushed beneath their feet—and, indeed, all was
+silent again.
+
+“Unless Mme. la Marquise comes quickly, I fear she will find only a
+half-frozen lover, instead of an ardent, impatient one,” murmured
+Leander with chattering teeth; and even as the words escaped him four
+dark shadows advanced noiselessly from behind upon the expectant
+gallant. Two of these shadows, which were the substantial bodies of
+stout rascals in the service of the Marquis de Bruyères, seized him
+suddenly by the arms, which they held pinioned closely to his sides,
+while the other two proceeded to rain blows alternately upon his
+back—keeping perfect time as their strokes fell thick and fast. Too
+proud to run the risk of making his woes public by an outcry, their
+astonished victim took his punishment bravely—without making a sound.
+Mutius Scaevola did not bear himself more heroically while his right
+hand lay among the burning coals upon the altar in the presence of
+Porsenna, than did Leander under his severe chastisement. When it was
+finished the two men let go of their prisoner, all four saluted him
+gravely, and retired as noiselessly as they had come, without a single
+word being spoken.
+
+What a terrible fall was this! that famous one of Icarus himself,
+tumbling down headlong from the near neighbourhood of the sun, was not
+a greater. Battered, bruised, sore and aching all over, poor Leander,
+crestfallen and forlorn, limping painfully, and suppressing his groans
+with Spartan resolution, crept slowly back to his own room; but so
+overweening was his self-conceit that he never even suspected that a
+trick had been played upon him. He said to himself that without doubt
+Mme. la Marquise had been watched and followed by her jealous husband,
+who had overtaken her before she reached the rendezvous in the park,
+carried her back to the château by main strength, and forced her, with
+a poniard at her throat, to confess all. He pictured her to himself on
+her knees, with streaming eyes, disordered dress and dishevelled hair,
+imploring her stern lord and master to be merciful—to have pity upon
+her and forgive her this once—vowing by all she held sacred never to be
+faithless to him again, even in thought. Suffering and miserable as he
+was after his tremendous thrashing, he yet pitied and grieved over the
+poor lady who had put herself in such peril for his sake, never
+dreaming that she was in blissful ignorance of the whole affair, and at
+that very moment sleeping peacefully in her luxurious bed. As the poor
+fellow crept cautiously and painfully along the corridor leading to his
+room and to those of the other members of the troupe he had the
+misfortune to be detected by Scapin, who, evidently on the watch for
+him, was peeping out of his own half-open door, grinning, grimacing,
+and gesticulating significantly, as he noted the other’s limping gait
+and drooping figure.
+
+In vain did Leander strive to straighten himself up and assume a gay,
+careless air; his malicious tormentor was not in the least taken in by
+it.
+
+The next morning the comedians prepared to resume their journey; no
+longer, however, in the slow-moving, groaning ox-cart, which they were
+glad, indeed, to exchange for the more roomy, commodious vehicle that
+the tyrant had been able to hire for them—thanks to the marquis’s
+liberality—in which they could bestow themselves and their belongings
+comfortably, and to which was harnessed four stout draught horses.
+
+Leander and Zerbine were both rather late in rising, and the last to
+make their appearance—the former with a doleful countenance, despite
+his best efforts to conceal his sufferings under a cheerful exterior,
+the latter beaming with satisfaction, and with smiles for everybody.
+She was decidedly inclined to be munificent towards her companions, and
+bestow upon them some of the rich spoils that had fallen plentifully to
+her share—taking quite a new position among them—even the duenna
+treating her with a certain obsequious, wheedling consideration, which
+she had been far from ever showing her before. Scapin, whose keen
+observation nothing ever escaped, noticed that her box had suddenly
+doubled in weight, by some magic or other, and drew his own conclusions
+therefrom. Zerbine was a universal favourite, and no one begrudged her
+her good fortune, save Serafina, who bit her lip till it bled, and
+murmured indignantly, “Shameless creature!” but the _soubrette_
+pretended not to hear it, content for the moment with the signal
+humiliation of the arch-coquette.
+
+At last the new Thespian chariot was ready for a start, and our
+travellers bade adieu to the hospitable château, where they had been so
+honourably received and so generously treated, and which they all,
+excepting poor Leander, quitted with regret. The tyrant dwelt upon the
+bountiful supply of _pistoles_ he had received; the pedant upon the
+capital wines of which he had drunk his fill; Matamore upon the
+enthusiastic applause that had been lavished upon him by that
+aristocratic audience; Zerbine upon the pieces of rich silk, the golden
+necklaces and other like treasures with which her chest was replete—no
+wonder that it was heavy—while de Sigognac and Isabelle, thinking only
+of each other, and happy in being together, did not even turn their
+heads for one last glimpse of the handsome Château de Bruyere.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+A SNOW-STORM AND ITS CONSEQUENCES
+
+
+As may be readily supposed, the comedians were well satisfied with the
+kind treatment they had received during their brief sojourn at the
+Château de Bruyères; such a piece of good fortune did not often fall to
+their lot, and they rejoiced in it exceedingly. The tyrant had
+distributed among them each one’s share of the marquis’s liberal
+remuneration for their services, and it was wonderfully pleasant to
+them to have broad pieces in the purses usually so scantily supplied,
+and not infrequently quite empty. Zerbine, who was evidently rejoicing
+over some secret source of satisfaction, accepted good-naturedly all
+the taunts and jokes of her companions upon the irresistible power of
+her charms. She was triumphant, and could afford to be laughed
+at—indeed, joined heartily in the general merriment at her own
+expense—while Serafina sulked openly, with “envy, hatred, and malice”
+filling her heart. Poor Leander, still smarting from his severe
+beating, sore and aching, unable to find an easy position, and
+suffering agonies from the jolting of the chariot, found it hard work
+to join in the prevailing gaiety.
+
+When he thought no one was looking at him, he would furtively rub his
+poor, bruised shoulders and arms with the palm of his hand, which
+stealthy manœuvre might very readily have passed unobserved by the rest
+of the company, but did not escape the wily valet, who was always on
+the lookout for a chance to torment Leander; his monstrous self-conceit
+being intensely exasperating to him. A harder jolt than usual having
+made the unfortunate gallant groan aloud, Scapin immediately opened his
+attack, feigning to feel the liveliest commiseration for him.
+
+“My poor Leander, what is the matter with you this morning? You moan
+and sigh as if you were in great agony! Are you really suffering so
+acutely? You seem to be all battered and bruised, like the Knight of
+the Sorrowful Countenance, after he had capered stark naked, for a love
+penance, among the rocks in the Sierra Morena, in humble imitation of
+his favourite hero, Amadis de Gaul. You look as if you had not slept at
+all last night, and had been lying upon hard sticks, rods, or clubs,
+instead of in a soft, downy bed, such as were given to the rest of us
+in the fine château yonder. Tell us, I pray you, did not Morpheus once
+visit you all the night through?”
+
+“Morpheus may have remained shut up in his cavern, but Cupid is a
+wanderer by night, who does not need a lantern to find the way to those
+fortunate individuals he favours with a visit,” Leander replied, hoping
+to divert attention from the tell-tale bruises, that he had fancied
+were successfully concealed.
+
+“I am only a humble valet, and have had no experience in affairs of
+gallantry. I never paid court to a fine lady in my life; but still, I
+do know this much, that the mischievous little god, Cupid, according to
+all the poets, aims his arrows at the hearts of those he wishes to
+wound, instead of using his bow upon their backs.”
+
+“What in the world do you mean?” Leander interrupted quickly, growing
+seriously uneasy at the turn the conversation was taking.
+
+“Oh! nothing; only that I see, in spite of all your efforts to hide it
+with that handkerchief knotted so carefully round your neck, that you
+have there on the back of it a long, black mark, which to-morrow will
+be indigo, the day after green, and then yellow, until it fades away
+altogether, like any other bruise—a black mark that looks devilishly
+like the authentic flourish which accompanies the signature of a good,
+stout club on a calf’s skin—or on vellum, if that term pleases you
+better.”
+
+“Ah! my good Scapin, you do not understand such matters,” Leander
+replied, a scarlet flush mounting to the very roots of his hair, and at
+his wits’ ends to know how to silence his tormentor; “doubtless some
+dead and gone beauty, who loved me passionately during her lifetime,
+has come back and kissed me there while I was sleeping; as is well
+known, the contact of the lips of the dead leave strange, dark marks,
+like bruises, on human flesh, which the recipient of the mysterious
+caress is astonished to find upon awaking.”
+
+“Your defunct beauty visited you and bestowed her mysterious caress
+very apropos,” remarked Scapin, incredulously; “but I would be willing
+to take my oath that yonder vigorous kiss had been imprinted upon your
+lily-white neck by the stinging contact of a stout club.”
+
+“Unmannerly jester and scoffer that you are! is nothing sacred to you?”
+broke in Leander, with some show of heat.
+
+“You push my modesty too far. I endeavoured delicately to put off upon
+a dead beauty what I should have ascribed to a living one. Ignorant and
+unsophisticated though you claim to be, have you never heard of kisses
+so ardent that such traces of them are left?—where pearly teeth have
+closed upon the soft flesh, and made their mark on the white skin?”
+
+“Memorem dente notam,” interrupted the pedant, charmed to have a chance
+to quote Horace.
+
+“This explanation appears to me very judicious,” Scapin said; then,
+with a low bow to the pedant, “and is sustained by unquestionable if
+incomprehensible authority; but the mark is so long that this nocturnal
+beauty of yours, dead or alive, must have had in her lovely mouth that
+famous tooth which the three Gorgon sisters owned among them, and
+passed about from one to the other.”
+
+This sally was followed by a roar of laughter, and Leander, beside
+himself with rage, half rose, to throw himself upon Scopin, and
+chastise him then and there for his insufferable impertinence; but he
+was so stiff and sore from his own beating, and the pain in his back,
+which was striped like a zebra’s, was so excruciating, that he sank
+back into his place with a suppressed groan, and concluded to postpone
+his revenge to some more convenient season. Hérode and Blazius, who
+were accustomed to settle such little disputes, insisted upon their
+making up their differences, and a sort of reconciliation took
+place-Scapin promising never to allude to the subject again, but
+managing to give poor Leander one or two more digs that made him wince
+even as he did so.
+
+During this absurd altercation the chariot had been making steady
+progress, and soon arrived at an open space where another great
+post-road crossed the one they were following, at right angles. A large
+wooden crucifix, much the worse for long exposure to the weather, had
+been erected upon a grassy mound at the intersection of the two
+highways. A group, consisting of two men and three mules, stood at its
+foot, apparently awaiting some one’s arrival. As they approached, one
+of the mules, as if weary of standing still, impatiently shook its
+head, which was gaily decorated with bright, many-coloured tufts and
+tassels, and set all the little silver bells about it ringing sharply.
+Although a pair of leather blinkers, decked with gay embroidery,
+effectually prevented its seeing to the right or to the left, it
+evidently was aware of the approach of the chariot before the men’s
+senses had given them any intimation of it.
+
+“The Colonelle shakes her ear-trumpets and shows her teeth,” said one
+of them; “they cannot be far off now.”
+
+In effect, after a very few minutes the chariot was seen approaching,
+and presently rolled into the open space. Zerbine, who sat in front,
+glanced composedly at the little group of men and mules standing there,
+without betraying any surprise at seeing them.
+
+“By Jove! those are fine beasts yonder,” exclaimed the tyrant,
+“splendid Spanish mules, especially that foremost one; they can easily
+do their fifteen or twenty leagues a day, I’ll venture, and if we were
+mounted on the like we should soon find ourselves in Paris. But what
+the devil are they doing in this lonely place? it must be a relay,
+waiting for some rich seignior travelling this way.”
+
+“No,” said the duenna, “that foremost mule is intended for a lady—don’t
+you see the cushions and housings?”
+
+“In that case,” he replied, “there must be an abduction in the wind;
+those two equerries, in gray liveries, certainly have a very
+mysterious, knowing sort of an air.”
+
+“Perhaps you are right,” said Zerbine, demurely, with a significant
+little smile and shrug.
+
+“Can it be possible that the lady is among us?” asked Scapin; “one of
+the men is coming this way by himself, as if he desired to parley
+before resorting to violence.”
+
+“Oh! there’ll be no need,” said Serafina, casting a scornful glance at
+the _soubrette_, who returned it with interest.
+
+“There are bold creatures that go of their own accord, without waiting
+to be carried off.”
+
+“And there are others who are NOT carried off, that would like to be,”
+retorted the _soubrette_, “but the desire is not sufficient; a few
+charms are needed too.”
+
+At this point the equerry who had advanced to meet the chariot made a
+sign to them to stop, and, cap in hand, politely asked if Mlle. Zerbine
+was among them. The _soubrette_ herself answered this inquiry in the
+affirmative, and sprang to the ground as lightly as a bird.
+
+“Mademoiselle, I am at your disposal,” said the equerry to her, in a
+respectful and gallant tone. Zerbine shook out her skirts, adjusted her
+wraps, and then, turning towards the comedians, delivered this little
+harangue: “My dear comrades, I pray you pardon me for quitting you in
+this unceremonious manner. There are times when Opportunity offers
+itself suddenly for our acceptance, and we must seize it without delay,
+or lose it altogether; he would be a fool who let it slip through his
+fingers, for once relinquished it returns not again. The face of
+Fortune, which until now has always frowned upon me, at last vouchsafes
+me a smile, and I am delighted to enjoy its brightness, even though it
+may prove to be only fleeting. In my humble role of _soubrette_, I
+could not aspire to, or expect to receive, the admiration of rich lords
+and gentlemen—that is for my betters; and now that a happy chance has
+thrown such an unhoped-for piece of good luck in my way, you will not
+blame me, I am confident, for gladly accepting it. Let me take my
+belongings then—which are packed in the chariot with the others—and
+receive my adieux. I shall be sure to rejoin you some day, sooner or
+later, at Paris, for I am a born actress; the theatre was my first
+love, and I have never long been faithless to it.”
+
+The two men accordingly, aided by the comedians, took Zerbine’s boxes
+out of the chariot, and adjusted them carefully on the pack-mule. The
+_soubrette_ made a sweeping curtsey to her friends in the chariot, and
+threw a kiss to Isabelle from her finger tips, then, aided by one of
+the equerries, sprang to her place behind him, on the back of the
+Colonelle, as lightly and gracefully as if she had been taught the art
+of mounting in an equestrian academy, nodded a last farewell, and
+striking the mule sharply with the high heel of her pretty little shoe,
+set off at a round pace.
+
+“Good-bye, and good luck to you, Zerbine,” cried the comedians
+heartily, one and all; save only Serafina, who was more furiously angry
+with her than ever.
+
+“This is an unfortunate thing for us,” said the tyrant regretfully, “a
+serious loss. I wish with all my heart that we could have kept that
+capital little actress with us; we shall not easily find any one to
+replace her, even in Paris; she is really incomparable in her own
+role—but she was not in any way bound to stay with us a moment longer
+than she chose. We shall have to substitute a duenna, or a chaperon,
+for the _soubrette_ in our pieces for the present; it will be less
+pleasing of course, but still Mme. Léonarde here is a host in herself,
+and we shall manage to get on very nicely, I dare say.”
+
+The chariot started on its way again as he spoke, at rather a better
+pace than the lumbering old ox-cart. They were travelling through a
+part of the country now which was a great contrast to the desolate
+Landes. To the Baron de Sigognac, who had never been beyond their
+desolate expanse before, it was a revelation, and he could not
+sufficiently admire the richness and beauty of this region. The
+productive, red soil was highly cultivated—not an inch of ground
+neglected—comfortable, often handsome, stone houses scattered along
+their route at frequent intervals, and surrounded by large, luxuriant
+gardens, spoke of a well-to-do population. On each side of the broad,
+smooth road was a row of fine trees, whose falling leaves lay piled
+upon the ground in yellow heaps, or whirled in the wind before de
+Sigognac and Isabelle, as they walked along beneath their spreading
+branches, finding the exercise a welcome relief after sitting for a
+long time in the chariot in rather a cramped position. One day as they
+were walking thus side by side, de Sigognac said to his fair companion,
+“I wish you would tell me, Isabelle, how it has happened that you, with
+all the characteristics of a lady of lofty lineage in the innate
+modesty and dignity of your manners, the refinement and purity of your
+language, the incomparable grace of your carriage, the elevation of
+your sentiments upon all subjects, to say nothing of the delicate,
+aristocratic type of your beauty—should have become a member of a
+wandering band of players like this—good, honest people no doubt, but
+not of the same rank or race as yourself.”
+
+“Don’t fancy that I am a princess in disguise, or a great lady reduced
+to earn my living in this way,” she replied, with an adorable smile,
+“merely because of some good qualities you think you have discovered in
+me. The history of my life is a very simple, uneventful one, but since
+you show such kind interest in me I will gladly relate it to you. So
+far from being brought down to the station I occupy by some grievous
+catastrophe or romantic combination of adverse circumstances, I was
+born to the profession of an actress—the chariot of Thespis was, so to
+say, my birthplace. My mother, who was a very beautiful woman and
+finished actress, played the part of tragic princess. She did not
+confine her role to the theatre, but exacted as much deference and
+respect from those around her when off the stage, as she received upon
+it, until she came to consider herself a veritable princess. She had
+all the majesty and grace of one, and was greatly admired and courted,
+but never would suffer any of the gallants, who flutter about pretty
+actresses like moths around a candle, to approach her—holding herself
+entirely above them, and keeping her good name unsullied through
+everything. An account of this unusual conduct on the part of a
+beautiful young actress chanced to reach the ears of a certain rich and
+powerful prince, who was very much struck and interested by it, and
+immediately sought an introduction to my mother. As his actual rank and
+position equalled hers of imaginary princess, she received his
+attentions with evident pleasure. He was young, handsome, eloquent, and
+very much in love with her—what wonder then that she yielded at last to
+his impassioned entreaties, and gave herself to him, though, because of
+his high station, he could not do as his heart dictated, and make her
+his wife. They were very happy in each other’s love, and after I was
+born my young father was devoted to me.”
+
+“Ah!” interrupted de Sigognac, eagerly, “that explains it all; princely
+blood does flow in your veins. I knew it—was sure of it!”
+
+“Their happiness continued,” resumed Isabelle, “until reasons of state
+made it necessary for him to tear himself away from her, to go on a
+diplomatic mission to one of the great capitals of Europe; and ere his
+return to France an illustrious marriage had been arranged for him by
+his family, with the sanction of royalty, which he found it impossible
+to evade. In these cruel circumstances he endeavoured to do everything
+in his power to soften the pain of this rupture to my poor
+mother—himself almost broken-hearted at being forced to leave her—and
+made every possible arrangement for her comfort and well-being;
+settling a generous income on her, and providing lavishly for my
+maintenance and education. But she would accept nothing from him—she
+could not receive his money without his love—‘all or nothing’ was her
+motto; and taking me with her she fled from him, successfully
+concealing her place of refuge. She soon after joined a band of players
+travelling through the provinces, and resumed her old role; but her
+heart was broken, and she gradually faded away, dying at last when I
+was only about seven years old. Even then I used to appear upon the
+stage in parts suitable to my age. I was a precocious little thing in
+many ways. My mother’s death caused me a grief far more acute than most
+children, even a good deal older than I was then, are capable of
+feeling. How well I remember being punished because I refused to act
+the part of one of Medea’s children, the day after she died. But my
+grief was not very long-lived—I was but a child after all, and the
+actors and actresses of the troupe were so good to me, always petting
+me, and devising all sorts of ways to please and divert me—theatrical
+people are proverbially kind to comrades in distress, you know. The
+pedant, who belonged to our company, and looked just as old and
+wrinkled then as he does now, took the greatest interest in me,
+constituted himself my master, and taught me thoroughly and
+indefatigably all the secrets of the histrionic art—taking unwearied
+pains with me. I could not have had a better teacher; perhaps you do
+not know that he has a great reputation, even in Paris. You will wonder
+that a man of his fame and attainments should be found in a strolling
+company of players like this, but his unfortunate habits of
+intemperance have been the cause of all his troubles. He was professor
+of elocution in one of the celebrated colleges, holding an enviable and
+lucrative position, but lost it because of his inveterate
+irregularities. He is his own worst enemy, poor Blazius! In the midst
+of all the confusion and serious disadvantages of a vagabond life, I
+have always been able to hold myself somewhat apart, and remain pure
+and innocent. My companions, who have known me from babyhood, look upon
+me as a sister or daughter, and treat me with invariable affection and
+respect; and as for the men of the outside world who haunt the
+_coulisses_, and seem to think that an actress is public property, off
+the stage as well as upon it, I have thus far managed to keep them at a
+distance—continuing in real life my role of modest, ingenuous, young
+girl, without hypocrisy or false pretensions.”
+
+Thus, as they strolled along together, and could talk confidentially
+without fear of listeners, Isabelle related the story of her life to de
+Sigognac, who was a most attentive and delighted listener, and ever
+more and more charmed with his fair divinity.
+
+“And the name of the prince,” said he, after a short pause, “do you
+remember it?”
+
+“I fear that it might be dangerous to my peace to disclose it,” she
+replied; “but it is indelibly engraven upon my memory.”
+
+“Are there any proofs remaining to you of his connection with your
+mother?”
+
+“I have in my possession a seal-ring bearing his coat of arms” Isabelle
+answered; “it is the only jewel of all he had lavished upon her that my
+mother kept, and that entirely on account of the associations connected
+with it, not for its intrinsic value, which is small. If you would like
+to see it I will be very glad to show it to you some day.”
+
+It would be too tedious to follow our travellers step by step on their
+long journey, so we will skip over a few days—which passed quietly,
+without any incidents worth recording—and rejoin them as they were
+drawing near to the ancient town of Poitiers. In the meantime their
+receipts had not been large, and hard times had come to the wandering
+comedians. The money received from the Marquis de Bruyères had all been
+spent, as well as the modest sum in de Sigognac’s purse-who had
+contributed all that he possessed to the common fund, in spite of the
+protestations of his comrades in distress. The chariot was drawn now by
+a single horse-instead of the four with which they had set off so
+triumphantly from the Château de Bruyères—and such a horse! a
+miserable, old, broken-down hack, whose ribs were so prominent that he
+looked as if he lived upon barrel-hoops instead of oats and hay; his
+lack-lustre eyes, drooping head, halting gait, and panting breath
+combined to make him a most pitiable object, and he plodded on at a
+snail’s pace, looking as if he might drop down dead on the road at any
+moment. Only the three women were in the chariot—the men all walking,
+so as to relieve their poor, jaded beast as much as possible. The
+weather was bitterly cold, and they wrapped their cloaks about them and
+strode on in silence, absorbed in their own melancholy thoughts.
+
+Poor de Sigognac, well-nigh discouraged, asked himself despondingly
+whether it would not have been better for him to have remained in the
+dilapidated home of his fathers, even at the risk of starving to death
+there in silence and seclusion, than run the risk of such hardships in
+company with these Bohemians. His thoughts flew back to his good old
+Pierre, to Bayard, Miraut, and Beelzebub, the faithful companions of
+his solitude; his heart was heavy within him, and at the sudden
+remembrance of his dear old friends and followers his throat contracted
+spasmodically, and he almost sobbed aloud; but he looked back at
+Isabelle, wrapped in her cloak and sitting serenely in the front of the
+chariot, and took fresh courage, feeling glad that he could be near her
+in this dark hour, to do all that mortal man, struggling against such
+odds, could compass for her comfort and protection. She responded to
+his appealing glance with a sweet smile, that quickened his pulses and
+sent a thrill of joy through every nerve. She did not seem at all
+disheartened or cast down by the greatness of their misery. Her heart
+was satisfied and happy; why should she be crushed by mere physical
+suffering and discomforts? She was very brave, although apparently so
+delicate and fragile, and inspired de Sigognac, who could have fallen
+down and worshipped her as he gazed up into her beautiful eyes, with
+some of her own undaunted courage.
+
+The great, barren plain they were slowly traversing, with a few dreary
+skeletons of misshapen old trees scattered here and there, and not a
+dwelling in sight, was not calculated to dissipate the melancholy of
+the party. Save one or two aged peasants trudging listlessly along,
+bending under the weight of the fagots they carried on their backs,
+they had not seen a human being all day long. The spiteful magpies,
+that seemed to be the only inhabitants of this dreary waste, danced
+about in front of them, chattering and almost laughing at them, as if
+rejoicing in and making fun of their miseries. A searching north wind,
+that penetrated to the very marrow in their bones, was blowing, and the
+few white flakes that flew before it now and then were the
+_avant-couriers_ of the steady fall of snow that began as nightfall
+approached.
+
+“It would appear,” said the pedant, who was walking behind the chariot
+trying to find shelter from the icy wind, “that the celestial housewife
+up above has been plucking her geese, and is shaking the feathers out
+of her apron down upon us. She might a great deal better send us the
+geese themselves. I for one would be glad enough to eat 114 them,
+without being very particular as to whether they were done to a turn,
+and without sauce or seasoning either.”
+
+“Yes, so would I, even without salt,” added the tyrant, “for my stomach
+is empty. I could welcome now an omelette such as they gave us this
+morning, and swallow it without winking, though the eggs were so far
+gone that the little chicks were almost ready to peep.”
+
+By this time de Sigognac also had taken refuge behind the
+chariot—Isabelle having been driven from her seat in front to a place
+in the interior by the increasing violence of the storm-and Blazius
+said to him, “This is a trying time, my lord, and I regret very much
+that you should have to share our bad fortune; but I trust it will be
+only of brief duration, and although we do get on but slowly, still
+every step brings us nearer to Paris.”
+
+“I was not brought up in the lap of luxury,” de Sigognac answered, “and
+I am not a man to be frightened by a few snowflakes and a biting wind;
+but it is for these poor, suffering women that I am troubled; they are
+exposed to such severe hardships—cold, privations, fatigue—and we
+cannot adequately shelter and protect them, do what we will.”
+
+“But you must remember that they are accustomed to roughing it, my dear
+baron, and what would be simply unendurable to many of their sex, who
+have never been subjected to such tests, they meet bravely, and make
+light of, in a really remarkable manner.”
+
+The storm grew worse and worse; the snow, driven with great force by
+the wind, penetrated into the chariot where Isabelle, Serafina, and
+Mme. Léonarde had taken refuge among the luggage, in spite of all that
+could be done to keep it out, and had soon covered their wraps with a
+coating of white. The poor horse was scarcely able to make any headway
+at all against the wind and snow; his feet slipped at every step, and
+he panted painfully. Hérode went to his head, and took hold of the
+bridle with his strong hand to lead him and try to help him along,
+while the pedant, de Sigognac, and Scapin put their shoulders to the
+wheels at every inequality in the road and whenever he paused or
+stumbled badly, and Leander cracked the whip loudly to encourage the
+poor beast; it would have been downright cruelty to strike him. As to
+Matamore, he had lingered behind, and they were expecting every moment
+to see his tall, spare figure emerge from the gloom with rapid strides
+and rejoin them. Finally the storm became so violent that it was
+impossible to face it any longer; and though it was so important that
+they should reach the next village before the daylight was all gone,
+they were forced to halt, and turn the chariot, with its back to the
+wind. The poor old horse, utterly exhausted by this last effort,
+slipped and fell, and without making any attempt to rise lay panting on
+the ground. Our unhappy travellers found themselves in a sad
+predicament indeed—wet, cold, tired and hungry, all in the superlative
+degree—blinded by the driving snow, and lost, without any means of
+getting on save their own powers of locomotion, in the midst of a great
+desert—for the white covering which now lay upon everything had
+obliterated almost all traces of the road; they did not know which way
+to turn, or what to do. For the moment they all took refuge in the
+chariot, until the greatest violence of the tempest should be over,
+huddled close together for warmth, and striving not to lose heart
+entirely. Presently the wind quieted down all of a sudden, as if it had
+expended its fury and wanted to rest; but the snow continued to fall
+industriously, though noiselessly, and as far as the eye could reach
+through the gathering darkness the surface of the earth was white, as
+if it had been wrapped in a winding sheet.
+
+“What in the world has become of Matamore?” cried Blazius suddenly;
+“has the wind carried him off to the moon I wonder?”
+
+“Yes; where can he be?” said the tyrant, in an anxious tone; “I can’t
+see him anywhere—I thought he was among us; perhaps he is lying asleep
+among the stage properties at the back of the chariot; I have known him
+curl himself down there for a nap before now. Holloa! Matamore! where
+are you? wake up and answer us!” But no Matamore responded, and there
+was no movement under the great heap of scenery, and decorations of all
+sorts, stowed away there.
+
+“Holloa! Matamore!” roared Hérode again, in his loudest tones, which
+might have waked the seven sleepers in their cavern, and roused their
+dog too.
+
+“We have not seen him here in the chariot at all today,” said one of
+the actresses; “we thought he was walking with the others.”
+
+“The deuce!” exclaimed Blazius, “this is very strange. I hope no
+accident has happened to the poor fellow.”
+
+“Undoubtedly he has taken shelter in the worst of the storm on the lee
+side of the trunk of a tree somewhere,” said de Sigognac, “and will
+soon come up with us.”
+
+After a short discussion, it was decided to wait where they were a few
+minutes longer, and then if he did not make his appearance go in search
+of him. They anxiously watched the way by which they had come, but no
+human form appeared on the great expanse of white, and the darkness was
+falling rapidly upon the earth, as it does after the short days of
+December. The distant howling of a dog now came to their ears, to add
+to the lugubrious effect of their surroundings, but they were all so
+troubled at the strange absence of their comrade that their own
+individual miseries were for the moment forgotten. The doleful howling,
+so far away at first, gradually became louder, until at last a large,
+black dog came in sight, and sitting down upon the snow, still a long
+distance from them, raised his head so that his muzzle pointed upward
+to the sky and howled, as if in the greatest distress.
+
+“I’m afraid something terrible has happened to our poor Matamore,”
+cried the tyrant, and his voice trembled a little; “that dog howls as
+if for a death.”
+
+At this speech the two young women turned even paler than they had been
+before, if that were possible, and made the sign of the cross devoutly,
+while Isabelle murmured a prayer.
+
+“We must go in search of him without a moment’s delay,” said Blazius,
+“and take the lantern with us; it will as a guiding star to him if he
+has wandered off from the road, as is very probable, with everything
+covered with snow like this.”
+
+They accordingly lighted their horn lantern, and set off with all
+possible speed—the tyrant, Blazius, and de Sigognac—whilst Scapin and
+Leander remained with the three women in the chariot. The dog,
+meantime, kept up his dismal howling without a moment’s intermission as
+the three men hastened towards him. The darkness and the newfallen
+snow, which had completely obliterated all traces of footsteps, made
+the task of looking for the missing actor a very difficult one, and
+after walking nearly a mile without seeing a sign of him, they began to
+fear that their search would prove fruitless. They kept calling,
+“Matamore! Matamore!” but there was no reply, nothing to be heard but
+the howling of the large black dog, at intervals now, or the scream of
+an owl, disturbed by the light of the lantern. At last de Sigognac,
+with his penetrating vision, thought he could make out a recumbent
+figure at the foot of a tree, a little way off from the road, and they
+all pressed forward to the spot he indicated.
+
+It was indeed poor Matamore, sitting on the ground, with his back
+against the tree, and his long legs, stretched out in front of him,
+quite buried under the snow; he did not stir at the approach of his
+comrades, or answer their joyful shout of recognition, and when
+Blazius, alarmed at this strange apathy, hastened forward and threw the
+light of the lantern upon his face, he had nearly let it fall from
+fright at what it revealed. Poor Matamore was dead, stiff and stark,
+with wide-open, sunken eyes staring out vaguely into the darkness, and
+his ghastly face wearing that pinched, indescribable expression which
+the mortal puts on when the spirit that dwelt within has fled. The
+three who had found him thus were inexpressibly shocked, and stood for
+a moment speechless and motionless, in the presence of death. The
+tyrant was the first to recover himself, and hoping that some sign of
+life might yet remain he stooped and took the cold hand into his, and
+essayed to find a pulse at the wrist—in vain! it was still and icy.
+Unwilling yet to admit that the vital spark was extinct, he asked
+Blazius for his gourd, which he always carried with him, and
+endeavoured to pour a few drops of wine into his mouth—in vain! the
+teeth were tightly locked together, and the wine trickled from between
+his pale lips, and dropped slowly down upon his breast.
+
+“Leave him in peace! do not disturb these poor remains!” said de
+Sigognac in trembling tones; “don’t you see that he is dead?” “Alas!
+you are right,” Blazius added, “he is dead; dead as Cheops in the great
+pyramid. Poor fellow! he must have been confused by the blinding snow,
+and unable to make his way against that terrible wind, turned aside and
+sat down under this tree, to wait until its violence should be spent;
+but he had not flesh enough on his bones to keep them warm, and must
+have been quickly frozen through and through. He has starved himself
+more than ever lately, in hopes of producing a sensation at Paris, and
+he was thinner than any greyhound before. Poor Matamore! thou art out
+of the way of all trouble now; no more blows, and kicks, and curses for
+thee, my friend, whether on or off the stage, and thou wilt be laughed
+at no more forever.”
+
+“What shall we do about his body?” interrupted the more practical
+tyrant. “We cannot leave it here for dogs, and wolves, and birds of
+prey to devour—though indeed I almost doubt whether they would touch
+it, there is so little flesh upon his bones.”
+
+“No, certainly, we cannot leave him here,” Blazius replied; “he was a
+good and loyal comrade; he deserves better of us than that; we will not
+abandon him, poor Matamore! He is not heavy; you take his head and I
+will take his feet, and we will carry him to the chariot. To-morrow
+morning we will bury him as decently as we can in some quiet, retired
+spot, where he will not be likely to be disturbed. Unfortunately we
+cannot do better for him than that, for we, poor actors, are excluded
+by our hard-hearted and very unjust step-mother, the church, from her
+cemeteries; she denies us the security and comfort of being laid to
+rest for our last long sleep in consecrated ground. After having
+devoted our lives to the amusement of the human race—the highest as
+well as the more lowly among them, and faithful sons and daughters of
+holy church too—we must be thrown into the next ditch when the end
+comes, like dead dogs and horses. Now, Hérode, are you ready? and will
+you, my lord, lead the way with the lantern?”
+
+The mournful little procession moved slowly forward; the howling dog
+was quiet at last, as if his duty was done, and a deathlike stillness
+prevailed around them. It was well that there were no passers-by at
+that hour; it would have been a strange sight, almost a frightful one,
+for any such, for they might well have supposed that a hideous crime
+had been committed; the two men bearing the dead body away at night,
+lighted by the third with his lantern, which threw their shadows, long,
+black and misshapen, upon the startling whiteness of the snow, as they
+advanced with measured tread. Those who had remained with the chariot
+saw from afar the glimmer of de Sigognac’s lantern, and wondered why
+they walked so slowly, not perceiving at that distance their sad
+burden. Scapin and Leander hastened forward to meet them, and as soon
+as they got near enough to see them distinctly the former shouted to
+them—“Well, what is the matter? why are you carrying Matamore like
+that? is he ill, or has he hurt himself?”
+
+“He is not ill,” answered Blazius, quietly, as they met, “and nothing
+can ever hurt him again—he is cured forever of the strange malady we
+call life, which always ends in death.”
+
+“Is he really dead?” Scapin asked, with a sob he did not even try to
+suppress, as he bent to look at the face of the poor comic actor, for
+he had a tender heart under his rough exterior, and had cherished a
+very sincere affection for poor Matamore.
+
+“Very dead indeed, for he is frozen as well,” Blazius replied, in a
+voice that belied the levity of his words.
+
+“He has lived! as they always say at the end of a tragedy,” said
+Hérode; “but relieve us, please, it is your turn now; we have carried
+the poor fellow a long way, and it is well for us that he is no
+heavier.”
+
+Scapin took Hérode’s place, reverently and tenderly, while Leander
+relieved the pedant—though this office was little to his taste—and they
+resumed their march, soon reaching the chariot. In spite of the cold
+and snow, Isabelle and Serafina sprang to the ground to meet them, but
+the duenna did not leave her seat—with age had come apathy, and
+selfishness had never been wanting. When they saw poor Matamore stiff
+and motionless, and were told that he was dead, the two young women
+were greatly shocked and moved, and Isabelle, bursting into tears,
+raised her pure eyes to heaven and breathed a fervent prayer for the
+departed soul.
+
+And now came the question, what was to be done? The village for which
+they were bound was still a league away; but they could not stay where
+they were all night, and they decided to go on, even if they had to
+abandon the chariot and walk—anything would be better than freezing to
+death like poor Matamore. But after all, things were not at such a
+desperate pass as they supposed; the long rest, and a good feed of oats
+that Scapin had been thoughtful enough to give their tired horse, had
+so revived the poor old beast that he seemed to be ready and willing to
+go forward again—so their most serious difficulty was removed.
+Matamore’s body was laid in the chariot, and carefully covered with a
+large piece of white linen they fortunately happened to have among
+their heterogeneous belongings, the women resumed their seats, not
+without a slight shudder as they thought of their ghastly companion,
+and the men walked—Scapin going in front with the lantern, and Hérode
+leading the horse. They could not make very rapid progress, but at the
+end of two hours perceived—oh, welcome sight!—the first straggling
+houses of the village where they were to spend the night. At the noise
+of the approaching vehicle the dogs began to bark furiously, and more
+than one nightcapped head appeared at the windows as they passed along
+through the deserted street—so the pedant was able to ask the way to
+the inn, which proved to be at the other end of the hamlet—and the
+worn-out old horse had to make one more effort; but he seemed to feel
+that the stable, where he should find shelter, rest and food, was
+before him, and pushed on with astonishing alacrity.
+
+They found it at last—the inn—with its bunch of holly for a sign. It
+looked a forlorn place, for travellers did not usually stop over night
+in this small, unimportant village; but the comedians were not in a
+mood to be fastidious, and would have been thankful for even a more
+unpromising house of entertainment than this one. It was all shut up
+for the night, with not a sign of life to be seen, so the tyrant
+applied himself diligently to pounding on the door with his big fists,
+until the sound of footsteps within, descending the stairs, showed that
+he had succeeded in rousing somebody. A ray of light shone through the
+cracks in the rickety old door, then it was cautiously opened just a
+little, and an aged, withered crone, striving to protect the flame of
+her flaring candle from the wind with one skinny hand, and to hold the
+rags of her most extraordinary undress together with the other, peered
+out at them curiously. She was evidently just as she had turned out of
+her bed, and a more revolting, witch-like old hag it would be hard to
+find; but she bade the belated travellers enter, with a horrible
+grimace that was intended for a smile, throwing the door wide open, and
+telling them they were welcome to her house as she led the way into the
+kitchen. She kindled the smouldering embers on the hearth into a blaze,
+threw on some fresh wood, and then withdrew to mount to her chamber and
+make herself a little more presentable—having first roused a stout
+peasant lad, who served as hostler, and sent him to take the chariot
+into the court, where he was heard directly unharnessing the weary
+horse and leading him into the stable.
+
+“We cannot leave poor Matamore’s body in the chariot all night, like a
+dead deer brought home from the chase,” said Blazius; “the dogs out
+there in the court might find it out. Besides, he had been baptized,
+and his remains ought to be watched with and cared for, like any other
+good Christian’s.”
+
+So they brought in the sad burden tenderly, laid it on the long table,
+and covered it again carefully with the white linen cloth. When the old
+woman returned, and saw this strange and terrible sight, she was
+frightened almost to death, and, throwing herself on her knees, began
+begging volubly for mercy—evidently taking the troupe of comedians for
+a band of assassins, and the dead man for their unfortunate victim. It
+was with the greatest difficulty that Isabelle finally succeeded in
+calming and reassuring the poor, distracted, old creature, who was
+beside herself with terror, and made her listen to the story of poor
+Matamore’s death. When, at last, she fully understood the true state of
+the case, she went and fetched more candles, which she lighted and
+disposed symmetrically about the dead body, and kindly offered to sit
+up and watch it with Mme. Léonarde—also to do all that was necessary
+and usual for it—adding that she was always sent for in the village
+when there was a death, to perform those last, sad offices. All this
+being satisfactorily arranged—whereat they were greatly relieved—the
+weary travellers were conducted into another room, and food was placed
+before them; but the sad scenes just enacted had taken away their
+appetites, though it was many long hours since they had eaten. And be
+it here recorded that Blazius, for the first time in his life, forgot
+to drink his wine, though it was excellent, and left his glass half
+full. He could not have given a more convincing proof of the depth and
+sincerity of his grief.
+
+Isabelle and Serafina spent the night in an adjoining chamber, sharing
+the one small bed it contained, and the men lay down upon bundles of
+straw that the stable-boy brought in for them. None of them slept
+much—being haunted by disturbing dreams inspired by the sad and trying
+events of the previous day—and all were up and stirring at an early
+hour, for poor Matamore’s burial was to be attended to. For want of
+something more appropriate the aged hostess and Mme. Léonarde had
+enveloped the body in an old piece of thick canvass—still bearing
+traces of the foliage and garlands of flowers originally painted in
+bright colours upon it—in which they had sewed it securely, so that it
+looked not unlike an Egyptian mummy. A board resting on two cross
+pieces of wood served as a bier, and, the body being placed upon it,
+was carried by Hérode, Blazius, Scapin and Leander. A large, black
+velvet cloak, adorned with spangles, which was used upon the stage by
+sovereign pontiffs or venerable necromancers, did duty as a pall—not
+inappropriately surely. The little cortege left the inn by a small door
+in the rear that opened upon a deserted common, so as to avoid passing
+through the street and rousing the curiosity of the villagers, and set
+off towards a retired spot, indicated by the friendly old woman, where
+no one would be likely to witness or interfere with their proceedings.
+The early morning was gray and cold, the sky leaden—no one had ventured
+abroad yet save a few peasants searching for dead wood and sticks, who
+looked with suspicious eyes upon the strange little procession making
+its way slowly through the untrodden snow, but did not attempt to
+approach or molest it. They reached at last the lonely spot where they
+were to leave the mortal remains of poor Matamore, and the stable-boy,
+who had accompanied them carrying a spade, set to work to dig the
+grave. Several carcasses of animals lay scattered about close at hand,
+partly hidden by the snow—among them two or three skeletons of horses,
+picked clean by birds of prey; their long heads, at the end of the
+slender vertebral columns, peering out horribly at them, and their
+ribs, like the sticks of an open fan stripped of its covering,
+appearing above the smooth white surface, bearing each one its little
+load of snow. The comedians observed these ghastly surroundings with a
+shudder, as they laid their burden gently down upon the ground, and
+gathered round the grave which the boy was industriously digging. He
+made but slow progress, however, and the tyrant, taking the spade from
+him, went to work with a will, and had soon finished the sad task. Just
+at the last a volley of stones suddenly startled the little group, who,
+intent upon the mournful business in hand, had not noticed the stealthy
+approach of a considerable number of peasants.
+
+These last had been hastily summoned by their friends who had first
+perceived the mysterious little funeral procession, without priest,
+crucifix, or lighted tapers, and taken it for granted that there must
+be something uncanny about it.
+
+They were about to follow up the shower of stones by a charge upon the
+group assembled round the open grave, when de Sigognac, outraged at
+this brutal assault, whipped out his sword, and rushed upon them
+impetuously, striking some with the flat of the blade, and threatening
+others with the point; while the tyrant, who had leaped out of the
+grave at the first alarm, seized one of the cross pieces of the
+improvised bier, and followed the baron into the thick of the crowd,
+raining blows right and left among their cowardly assailants; who,
+though they far outnumbered the little band of comedians, fled before
+the vigorous attack of de Sigognac and Hérode, cursing and swearing,
+and shouting out violent threats as they withdrew. Poor Matamore’s
+humble obsequies were completed without further hindrance. When the
+first spadeful of earth fell upon his body the pedant, with great tears
+slowly rolling down his cheeks, bent reverently over the grave and
+sighed out, “Alas! poor Matamore!” little thinking that he was, using
+the very words of Hamlet, prince of Denmark, when he apostrophized the
+skull of Yorick, an ancient king’s jester, in the famous tragedy of one
+Shakespeare—a poet of great renown in England, and protégé of Queen
+Elizabeth.
+
+The grave was filled up in silence, and the tyrant—after having
+trampled down the snow for some distance around it, so that its exact
+whereabouts might not be easy to find in case the angry peasants should
+come back to disturb it—said as they turned away, “Now let us get out
+of this place as fast as we can; we have nothing more to do here, and
+the sooner we quit it the better. Those brutes that attacked us may
+return with reinforcements—indeed I think it more than likely that they
+will—in which case your sword, my dear baron, and my stick might not be
+enough to scatter them again. We don’t want to kill any of them, and
+have the cries of widows and orphans resounding in our ears; and
+besides, it might be awkward for us if we were obliged to do it in
+self-defence, and then were hauled up before the local justice of peace
+to answer for it.”
+
+There was so much good sense in this advice that it was unanimously
+agreed to follow it, and in less than an hour, after having settled
+their account at the inn, they, were once more upon the road.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+CAPTAIN FRACASSE
+
+
+The comedians pushed forward at first as rapidly as the strength of
+their horse—resuscitated by a night’s rest in a comfortable stable, and
+a generous feed of oats—would allow; it being important to put a good
+distance between themselves and the infuriated peasants who had been
+repulsed by de Sigognac and the tyrant. They plodded on for more than
+two leagues in profound silence, for poor Matamore’s sad fate weighed
+heavily upon their hearts, and each one thought, with a shudder, that
+the day might come when he too would die, and be buried secretly and in
+haste, in some lonely and neglected spot by the roadside, wherever they
+chanced to be, and there abandoned by his comrades.
+
+At last Blazius, whose tongue was scarcely ever at rest, save when he
+slept, could restrain it no longer, and began to expatiate upon the
+mournful theme of which all were thinking, embellishing his discourse
+with many apt quotations, apothegms and maxims, of which in his role of
+pedant he had an ample store laid up in his memory. The tyrant listened
+in silence, but with such a scowling, preoccupied air that Blazius
+finally observed it, and broke off his eloquent disquisition abruptly
+to inquire what he was cogitating so intently.
+
+“I am thinking about Milo, the celebrated Crotonian,” he replied, “who
+killed a bullock with one blow of his fist, and devoured it in a single
+day. I always have admired that exploit particularly, and I feel as if
+I could do as much myself to-day.”
+
+“But as bad luck will have it,” said Scapin, putting in his oar, “the
+bullock is wanting.”
+
+“Yes,” rejoined the tyrant, “I, alas! have only the fist and the
+stomach. Oh! thrice happy the ostrich, that, at a pinch, makes a meal
+of pebbles, bits of broken glass, shoe-buttons, knife-handles,
+belt-buckles, or any such-like delicacies that come in its way, which
+the poor, weak, human stomach cannot digest at all. At this moment I
+feel capable of swallowing whole that great mass of scenery and
+decorations in the chariot yonder. I feel as if I had as big a chasm in
+me as the grave I dug this morning for poor Matamore, and as if I never
+could get enough to fill it. The ancients were wise old fellows; they
+knew what they were about when they instituted the feasts that always
+followed their funerals, with abundance of meats and all sorts of good
+things to eat, washed down with copious draughts of wine, to the honour
+of the dead and the great good of the living. Ah! if we only had the
+wherewithal now to follow their illustrious example, and accomplish
+worthily that philosophical rite, so admirably calculated to stay the
+tears of mourners and raise their drooping spirits.”
+
+“In other words,” said Blazius, “you are hankering after something to
+eat. Polyphemus, ogre, Gargantua, monster that you are! you disgust
+me.”
+
+“And you,” retorted the tyrant, “I know that you are hankering after
+something to drink. Silenus, hogshead, wine-bottle, sponge that you
+are! you excite my pity.”
+
+“How delightful it would be for us all if you both could have your
+wish,” interposed Scapin, in a conciliatory tone.
+
+“Look, yonder by the roadside is a little grove, capitally situated for
+a halting-place. We might stop there for a little, ransack the chariot
+to find whatever fragments may yet remain in it of our last stock of
+provisions, and gathering them all up take our breakfast, such as it
+may be, comfortably sheltered from this cold north wind on the lee side
+of the thicket there. The short halt will give the poor old horse a
+chance to rest, and we meantime, while we are breakfasting, can discuss
+at our leisure some expedients for supplying our immediate needs, and
+also talk over our future plans and prospects—which latter, it seems to
+me, look devilishly dark and discouraging.”
+
+“Your words are golden, friend Scapin,” the pedant said, “let us by all
+means gather up the crumbs that are left of former plenty, though they
+will be but few and musty, I fear. There are still, however, two or
+three bottles of wine remaining—the last of a goodly store—enough for
+us each to have a glass. What a pity that the soil hereabouts is not of
+that peculiar kind of clay upon which certain tribes of American
+savages are said to subsist, when they have been unlucky in their
+hunting and fishing, and have nothing better to eat.”
+
+They accordingly turned the chariot off from the road into the edge of
+the thicket, unharnessed the horse, and left him free to forage for
+himself; whereupon he began to nibble, with great apparent relish, at
+the scattered spears of grass peeping up here and there through the
+snow. A large rug was brought from the chariot and spread upon the
+ground in a sheltered spot, upon which the comedians seated themselves,
+in Turkish fashion, in a circle, while Blazius distributed among them
+the sorry rations he had managed to scrape together; laughing and
+jesting about them in such an amusing manner that all were fain to join
+in his merriment, and general good humour prevailed. The Baron de
+Sigognac, who had long, indeed always, been accustomed to extreme
+frugality, in fact almost starvation, and found it easier to bear such
+trials with equanimity than his companions, could not help admiring the
+wonderful way in which the pedant made the best of a really desperate
+situation, and found something to laugh at and make merry over where
+most people would have grumbled and groaned, and bewailed their hard
+lot, in a manner to make themselves, and all their companions in
+misery, doubly unhappy. But his attention was quickly absorbed in his
+anxiety about Isabelle, who was deathly pale, and shivering until her
+teeth chattered, though she did her utmost to conceal her suffering
+condition, and to laugh with the rest. Her wraps were sadly
+insufficient to protect her properly from such extreme cold as they
+were exposed to then, and de Sigognac, who was sitting beside her,
+insisted upon sharing his cloak with her—though she protested against
+his depriving himself of so much of it—and beneath its friendly shelter
+gently drew her slender, shrinking form close to himself, so as to
+impart some of his own vital warmth to her. She could feel the
+quickened beating of his heart as he held her respectfully, yet firmly
+and tenderly, embraced, and he was soon rewarded for his loving care by
+seeing the colour return to her pale lips, the happy light to her sweet
+eyes, and even a faint flush appear on her delicate cheeks.
+
+While they were eating—or rather making believe to eat their
+make-believe breakfast—a singular noise was heard near by, to which at
+first they paid no particular attention, thinking it was the wind
+whistling through the matted branches of the thicket, if they thought
+of it at all; but presently it grew louder, and they could not imagine
+what it proceeded from. It was a sort of hissing sound, at once shrill
+and hoarse, quite impossible to describe accurately.
+
+As it grew louder and louder, and seemed to be approaching them, the
+women manifested some alarm.
+
+“Oh!” shrieked Serafina “I hope it’s not a snake; I shall die if it is;
+I am so terrified by the horrid, crawling creatures.”
+
+“But it can’t possibly be a snake,” said Leander, reassuringly; “in
+such cold weather as this the snakes are all torpid and lying in their
+holes underground, stiffer than so many sticks.”
+
+“Leander is right,” added the pedant, “this cannot be a snake; and
+besides, snakes never make such a sound as that at any time. It must
+proceed from some wild creature of the wood that our invasion has
+disturbed; perhaps we may be lucky enough to capture it and find it
+edible; that would be a piece of good fortune, indeed, quite like a
+fairy-tale.”
+
+Meantime Scapin was listening attentively to the strange,
+incomprehensible sound, and watching keenly that part of the thicket
+from which it seemed to come. Presently a movement of the underbrush
+became noticeable, and just as he motioned to the company to keep
+perfectly quiet a magnificent big gander emerged from the bushes,
+stretching out his long neck, hissing with all his might, and waddling
+along with a sort of stupid majesty that was most diverting—closely
+followed by two geese, his good, simple-minded, confiding wives, in
+humble attendance upon their infuriated lord and master.
+
+“Don’t stir, any of you,” said Scapin, under his breath, and I will
+endeavour to capture this splendid prize”—with which the clever scamp
+crept softly round behind his companions, who were still seated in a
+circle on the rug, so lightly that he made not the slightest sound; and
+while the gander—who with his two followers had stopped short at sight
+of the intruders—was intently examining them, with some curiosity
+mingled with his angry defiance, and apparently wondering in his stupid
+way how these mysterious figures came to be in that usually deserted
+spot, Scapin succeeded, by making a wide detour, in getting behind the
+three geese unseen, and noiselessly advancing upon them, with one
+rapid, dexterous movement, threw his large heavy cloak over the coveted
+prize. In another instant he had the struggling gander, still enveloped
+in the cloak, in his arms, and, by compressing his neck tightly,
+quickly put an end to his resistance—and his existence at the same
+time; while his two wives, or rather widows, rushed back into the thick
+underbrush to avoid a like fate, making a great cackling and ado over
+the terrible catastrophe that had befallen their quondam lord and
+master.
+
+“Bravo, Scapin! that was a clever trick indeed,” cried Hérode; “it
+throws those you are so often applauded for on the stage quite into the
+shade—a masterpiece of strategy, friend Scapin!—for, as is well known,
+geese are by nature very vigilant, and never caught off their guard—of
+which history gives us a notable instance, in the watchfulness of the
+sacred geese of the Capitol, whose loud cackling in the dead of night
+at the stealthy approach of the Gauls woke the sleeping soldiers to a
+sense of their danger just in time to save Rome. This splendid big
+fellow here saves us—after another fashion it is true, but one which is
+no less providential.”
+
+The goose was plucked and prepared for the spit by Mme. Léonarde, while
+Blazius, the tyrant, and Leander busied themselves in gathering
+together a goodly quantity of dead wood and twigs, and laying them
+ready to light in a tolerably dry spot. Scapin, with his large
+clasp-knife, cut a straight, strong stick, stripped off the bark for a
+spit, and found two stout forked branches, which he stuck firmly into
+the ground on each side of the fire so that they would meet over it. A
+handful of dry straw from the chariot served as kindling, and they
+quickly had a bright blaze, over which the goose was suspended, and
+being duly turned and tended by Scapin, in a surprisingly short space
+of time began to assume a beautiful light brown hue, and send out such
+a savoury delicious odour that the tyrant sprang up and strode away
+from its immediate vicinity, declaring that if he remained near it the
+temptation to seize and swallow it, spit and all, would surely be too
+strong for him. Blazius had fetched from the chariot a huge tin platter
+that usually figured in theatrical feasts, upon which the goose, done
+to a turn, was finally placed with all due ceremony, and a second
+breakfast was partaken of, which was by no means a fallacious,
+chimerical repast like the first. The pedant, who was an accomplished
+carver, officiated in that capacity on this auspicious occasion;
+begging the company, as he did so, to be kind enough to excuse the
+unavoidable absence, which he deeply regretted, of the slices of
+Seville oranges that should have formed a part of the dish—being an
+obligatory accessory of roast goose—and they with charming courtesy
+smilingly expressed their willingness to overlook for this once such a
+culinary solecism.
+
+“Now,” said Hérode, when nothing remained of the goose but its
+well-picked bones, “we must try to decide upon what is best to be done.
+Only three or four _pistoles_ are left in the exchequer, and my office
+as treasurer bids fair to become a sinecure. We have been so
+unfortunate as to lose two valuable members of the troupe, Zerbine and
+poor Matamore, rendering many of our best plays impossible for us, and
+at any rate we cannot give dramatic representations that would bring in
+much money here in the fields, where our audience would be mainly
+composed of crows, jackdaws, and magpies—who could scarcely be expected
+to pay us very liberally for our entertainment. With that poor,
+miserable, old horse there, slowly dying between the shafts of our
+chariot, hardly able to drag one foot after another, we cannot
+reasonably expect to reach Poitiers in less than two days—if we do
+then—and our situation is an unpleasantly tragic one, for we run the
+risk of being frozen or starved to death by the wayside; fat geese,
+already roasted, do not emerge from every thicket you know.”
+
+“You state the case very clearly,” the pedant said as he paused, “and
+make the evil very apparent, but you don’t say a word about the
+remedy.”
+
+“My idea is,” rejoined Hérode, “to stop at the first village we come to
+and give an entertainment. All work in the fields is at a standstill
+now, and the peasants are idle in consequence; they will be only too
+delighted at the prospect of a little amusement. Somebody will let us
+have his barn for our theatre, and Scapin shall go round the town
+beating the drum, and announcing our programme, adding this important
+clause, that all those who cannot pay for their places in money may do
+so in provisions. A fowl, a ham, or a jug of wine, will secure a seat
+in the first row; a pair of pigeons, a dozen eggs, or a loaf of bread,
+in the second, and so on down. Peasants are proverbially stingy with
+their money, but will be liberal enough with their provisions; and
+though our purse will not be replenished, our larder will, which is
+equally important, since our very lives depend upon it. After that we
+can push on to Poitiers, and I know an inn-keeper there who will give
+us credit until we have had time to fill our purse again, and get our
+finances in good order.”
+
+“But what piece can we play, in case we find our village?” asked
+Scapin. “Our _repertoire_ is sadly reduced, you know. Tragedies, and
+even the better class of comedies, would be all Greek to the stupid
+rustics, utterly ignorant as they are of history or fable, and scarcely
+even understanding the French language. The only thing to give them
+would be a roaring farce, with plenty of funny by-play, resounding
+blows, kicks and cuffs, ridiculous tumbles, and absurdities within
+their limited comprehension. The Rodomontades of Captain Matamore would
+be the very thing; but that is out of our power now that poor Matamore
+is dead.”
+
+When Scapin paused, de Sigognac made a sign with his hand that he
+wished to speak, and all the company turned respectfully towards him to
+listen to what he had to say. A little flush spread itself over his
+pale countenance, and it was only after a brief but sharp struggle with
+himself that he opened his tightly compressed lips, and addressed his
+expectant audience, as follows: “Although I do not possess poor
+Matamore’s talent, I can almost rival him in thinness, and _I_ will
+take his role, and do the best I can with it. I am your comrade, and I
+want to do my part in this strait we find ourselves in. I should be
+ashamed to share your prosperity, as I have done, and not aid you, so
+far as lies in my power, in your adversity, and this is the only way in
+which I can assist you. There is no one in the whole world to care what
+may become of the de Sigognacs; my house is crumbling into dust over
+the tombs of my ancestors; oblivion covers my once glorious name, and
+the arms of my family are almost entirely obliterated above the
+deserted entrance to the Château de Sigognac. Perhaps I may yet see the
+three golden storks shine out brilliantly upon my shield, and life,
+prosperity, and happiness return to the desolate abode where my sad,
+hopeless youth was spent. But in the meantime, since to you I owe my
+escape from that dreary seclusion, I beg you to accept me freely as
+your comrade, and my poor services as such; to you I am no longer de
+Sigognac.”
+
+Isabelle had laid her hand on his arm at his first sentence, as soon as
+she comprehended what he meant to say, to try to stop him, and here she
+made another effort to interrupt; but for once he would not heed her,
+and continued, “I renounce my title of baron for the present; I fold it
+up and put it away at the bottom of my portmanteau, like a garment that
+is laid aside. Do not make use of it again, I pray you; we will see
+whether under a new name I may not succeed in escaping from the ill
+fortune that has thus far pursued me as the Baron de Sigognac.
+Henceforth then I take poor Matamore’s place, and my name is Captain
+Fracasse.”
+
+“Bravo! _vive_ Captain Fracasse!” cried they all, with enthusiasm, “may
+applause greet and follow him wherever he goes.”
+
+This sudden move on de Sigognac’s part, at which the comedians were
+greatly astonished, as well as deeply touched, was not so
+unpremeditated as it seemed; he had been thinking about it for some
+time. He blushed at the idea of being a mere parasite, living upon the
+bounty of these honest players—who shared all they had with him so
+generously, and without ever making him feel, for a moment, that he was
+under any obligation to them, but—rather that he was conferring an
+honour upon them—he deemed it less unworthy a gentleman to appear upon
+the stage and do his part towards filling the common purse than to be
+their pensioner in idleness; and after all, there was no disgrace in
+becoming an actor. The idea of quitting them and going back to Sigognac
+had indeed presented itself to his mind, but he had instantly repulsed
+it as base and cowardly—it is not in the hour of danger and disaster
+that the true soldier retires from the ranks. Besides, if he had wished
+to go ever so much, his love for Isabelle would have kept him near her;
+and then, though he was not given to day-dreams, he yet fancied that
+wonderful adventures, sudden changes, and strokes of good fortune might
+possibly be awaiting him in the mysterious future, into which he fain
+would peer, and he would inevitably lose the chance of them all if he
+returned to his ruinous château.
+
+Everything being thus satisfactorily arranged, the old horse was
+harnessed up again, and the chariot moved slowly forward on its way.
+Their good meal had revived everybody’s drooping spirits, and they all,
+excepting the duenna and Serafina, who never walked if they could
+possibly help it, trudged cheerily along, laughing and talking as they
+went.
+
+Isabelle had taken de Sigognac’s offered arm, and leaned on it proudly,
+glancing furtively up into his face, whenever he was looking away from
+her, with eyes full of tenderness and loving admiration, never
+suspecting, in her modesty, that it was for love of her that he had
+decided to turn actor—a thing so revolting, as she knew, to his pride
+as a gentleman. He was a hero in her eyes, and though she wished to
+reproach him for his hasty action, which she would have prevented if
+she could, she had not the heart to find fault with him for his noble
+devotion to the common cause after all. Yet she would have done
+anything, suffered everything herself, to have saved him this
+humiliation; hers being one of those true, loyal hearts that forget
+themselves in their love, and think only of the interests and happiness
+of the being beloved. She walked on beside him until her strength was
+exhausted, and then returned to her place in the chariot, giving him a
+look so eloquent of love and admiration, as he carefully drew her wraps
+about her, that his heart bounded with joy, and he felt that no
+sacrifice could be too great which was made for her sweet sake.
+
+In every direction around them, as far as the eye could reach, the
+snow-covered country was utterly devoid of town, village, or hamlet;
+not a sign of life was anywhere to be seen.
+
+“A sorry prospect for our fine plan,” said the pedant, after a
+searching examination of their surroundings, “and I very much fear that
+the plentiful store of provisions Hérode promised us will not be
+forthcoming. I cannot see the smoke of a single chimney, strain my eyes
+as I will, nor the weather-cock on any village spire.”
+
+“Have a little patience, Blazius!” the tyrant replied. “Where people
+live too much crowded together the air becomes vitiated, you know, and
+it is very salubrious to have the villages situated a good distance
+apart.”
+
+“What a healthy part of the country this must be then the inhabitants
+need not to fear epidemics—for to begin with there are no inhabitants.
+At this rate our Captain Fracasse will not have a chance very soon to
+make his debut.”
+
+By this time it was nearly dark, the sky was overcast with heavy leaden
+clouds, and only a faint lurid glow on the horizon in the west showed
+where the sun had gone down. An icy wind, blowing full in their faces,
+and the hard, frozen surface of the snow, made their progress both
+difficult and painful. The poor old horse slipped at every step, though
+Scapin was carefully leading him, and staggered along like a drunken
+man, striking first against one shaft and then against the other,
+growing perceptibly weaker at every turn of the wheels behind him. Now
+and again he shook his head slowly up and down, and cast appealing
+glances at those around him, as his trembling legs seemed about to give
+way under him. His hour had come—the poor, old horse! and he was dying
+in harness like a brave beast, as he was. At last he could no more, and
+falling heavily to the ground gave one feeble kick as he stretched
+himself out on his side, and yielded up the ghost. Frightened by the
+sudden shock, the women shrieked loudly, and the men, running to their
+assistance, helped them to clamber out of the chariot. Mme. Léonarde
+and Serafina were none the worse for the fright, but Isabelle had
+fainted quite away, and de Sigognac, lifting her light weight easily,
+carried her in his arms to the bank at the side of the road, followed
+by the duenna, while Scapin bent down over the prostrate horse and
+carefully examined his ears.
+
+“He is stone dead,” said he in despairing tones; “his ears are cold,
+and there is no pulsation in the auricular artery.”
+
+“Then I suppose we shall have to harness ourselves to the chariot in
+his place,” broke in Leander dolefully, almost weeping. “Oh! cursed be
+the mad folly that led me to choose an actor’s career.”
+
+“Is this a time to groan and bewail yourself?” roared the tyrant
+savagely, entirely out of patience with Leander’s everlasting
+jeremiads; “for heaven’s sake pluck up a little courage, and be a man!
+And now to consider what is to be done; but first let us see how our
+good little Isabelle is getting on; is she still unconscious? No; she
+opens her eyes, and there is the colour coming back to her lips; she
+will do now, thanks to the baron and Mme. Léonarde. We must divide
+ourselves into two bands; one will stay with the women and the chariot,
+the other will scour the country in search of aid. We cannot think of
+remaining here all night, for we should be frozen stiff long before
+morning. Come, Captain Fracasse, Leander, and Scapin, you three being
+the youngest, and also the fleetest of foot, off with you. Run like
+greyhounds, and bring us succour as speedily as may be. Blazius and I
+will meantime do duty as guardians of the chariot and its contents.”
+
+The three men designated signified their readiness to obey the tyrant,
+and set off across country, though not feeling at all sanguine as to
+the results of their search, for the night was intensely dark; but that
+very darkness had its advantages, and came to their aid in an
+unexpected manner, for though it effectually concealed all surrounding
+objects, it made visible a tiny point of light shining at the foot of a
+little hill some distance from the road.
+
+“Behold,” cried the pedant, “our guiding star! as welcome to us weary
+travellers, lost in the desert, as the polar star to the distressed
+mariner ‘in periculo maris.’ That blessed star yonder, whose rays shine
+far out into the darkness, is a light burning in some warm, comfortable
+room, which forms—Heaven be praised!—part of the habitation of human
+and civilized beings—not Laestrygon savages. Without doubt there is a
+bright fire blazing on the hearth in that cosy room, and over it hangs
+a famous big pot, from which issue puffs of a delicious odour—oh,
+delightful thought!—round which my imagination holds high revel, and in
+fancy I wash down with generous wine the savoury morsels from that
+glorious _pot-au-feu_.”
+
+“You rave, my good Blazius,” said the tyrant, “the frost must have
+gotten into your brain—that makes men mad, they say, or silly. Yet
+there is some method in your madness, some truth in your ravings, for
+yonder light must indicate an inhabited dwelling. This renders a change
+in the plans for our campaign advisable. We will all go forward
+together towards the promised refuge, and leave the chariot where it
+is; no robbers will be abroad on such a night as this to interfere with
+its contents. We will take our few valuables—they are not so numerous
+or weighty but that we can carry them with us; for once it is an
+advantage that our possessions are few. To-morrow morning we will come
+back to fetch the chariot: now, forward, march!—and it is time, for I
+am nearly frozen to death.”
+
+The comedians accordingly started across the fields, towards the
+friendly light that promised them so much—Isabelle supported by de
+Sigognac, Serafina by Leander, and the duenna dragged along by Scapin;
+while Blazius and the tyrant formed the advance guard. It was not easy
+work; sometimes plunging into deep snow, more than knee high, as they
+came upon a ditch, hidden completely under the treacherously smooth
+white surface, or stumbling, and even falling more than once, over some
+unseen obstacle; but at length they came up to what seemed to be a
+large, low building, probably a farm-house, surrounded by stone walls,
+with a big gate for carts to enter. In the expanse of dark wall before
+them shone the light which had guided their steps, and upon approaching
+they found that it proceeded from a small window, whose shutters—most
+fortunately for them, poor, lost wanderers—had not yet been closed. The
+dogs within the enclosure, perceiving the approach of strangers, began
+to bark loudly and rush about the yard; they could hear them jumping up
+at the walls in vain efforts to get at the intruders. Presently the
+sound of a man’s voice and footsteps mingled with their barking, and in
+a moment the whole establishment seemed to be on the alert.
+
+“Stay here, all of you,” said the pedant, halting at a little distance
+from the gate, “and let me go forward alone to knock for admission. Our
+numbers might alarm the good people of the farm, and lead them to fancy
+us a band of robbers, with designs upon their rustic Penates; as I am
+old, and inoffensive looking, they will not be afraid of me.”
+
+This advice was approved by all, and Blazius, going forward by himself,
+knocked gently at the great gate, which was first opened cautiously
+just a very little, then flung impetuously back; and then the
+comedians, from their outpost in the snow, saw a most extraordinary and
+inexplicable scene enacted before their astonished eyes. The pedant and
+the farmer who had opened the gate, after gazing at each other a moment
+intently, by the light of the lantern which the latter held up to see
+what manner of man his nocturnal visitor might be, and after exchanging
+rapidly a few words, that the others could not hear, accompanied by
+wild gesticulations, rushed into each other’s arms, and began pounding
+each other heartily upon the back—mutually bestowing resounding
+accolades—as is the manner upon the stage of expressing joy at meeting
+a dear friend. Emboldened by this cordial reception, which yet was a
+mystery to them, the rest of the troupe ventured to approach, though
+slowly and timidly.
+
+“Halloa! all of you there,” cried the pedant suddenly, in a joyful
+voice, “come on without fear, you will be made welcome by a friend and
+a brother, a world-famed member of our profession, the darling of
+Thespis, the favourite of Thalia, no less a personage than the
+celebrated Bellombre—you all know his glorious record. Blessed is the
+happy chance that has directed our steps hither, to the philosophic
+retreat where this histrionic hero reposes tranquilly upon his
+laurels.”
+
+“Come in, I pray you, ladies and gentlemen,” said Bellombre, advancing
+to meet them, with a graceful courtesy which proved that the ci-devant
+actor had not put aside his elegant, courtly manners when he donned his
+peasant dress.
+
+“Come in quickly out of this biting wind; my dwelling is rude and
+homely, but you will be better off within it than here in the open
+air.”
+
+They needed no urging, and joyfully accepting his kind invitation
+followed their host into the house, charmed with this unhoped-for good
+fortune. Blazius and Bellombre were old acquaintances, and had formerly
+been members Of the same troupe; as their respective roles did not
+clash there was no rivalry between them, and they had become fast
+friends—being fellow worshippers at the shrine of the merry god of
+wine. Bellombre had retired from the stage some years before, when at
+his father’s death he inherited this farm and a small fortune. The
+parts that he excelled in required a certain degree of youth, and he
+was not sorry to withdraw before wrinkles and whitening locks should
+make it necessary for him to abandon his favourite roles. In the world
+he was believed to be dead, but his splendid acting was often quoted by
+his former admirers—who were wont to declare that there had been
+nothing to equal it seen on the stage since he had made his last bow to
+the public.
+
+The room into which he led his guests was very spacious, and served
+both as kitchen and sitting-room—there was also a large curtained bed
+standing in an alcove at the end farthest from the fire, as was not
+unusual in ancient farm-houses. The blaze from the four or five immense
+logs of wood heaped up on the huge andirons was roaring up the broad
+chimney flue, and filling the room with a bright, ruddy glow—a most
+welcome sight to the poor half-frozen travellers, who gathered around
+it and luxuriated in its genial warmth. The large apartment was plainly
+and substantially furnished, just as any well-to-do farmer’s house
+might be, but near one of the windows stood a round table heaped up
+with books, some of them lying open as if but just put down, which
+showed that the owner of the establishment had not lost his taste for
+literary pursuits, but devoted to them his long winter evenings.
+
+The cordiality of their welcome and the deliciously warm atmosphere in
+which they found themselves had combined to raise the spirits of the
+comedians—colour returned to pale faces, light to heavy eyes, and
+smiles to anxious lips—their gaiety was in proportion to the misery and
+peril from which they had just happily escaped, their hardships were
+all forgotten, and they gave themselves up entirely to the enjoyment of
+the hour. Their host had called up his servants, who bustled about,
+setting the table and making other preparations for supper, to the
+undisguised delight of Blazius, who said triumphantly to the tyrant,
+“You see now, Hérode, and must acknowledge, that my predictions,
+inspired by the little glimmer of light we saw from afar, are
+completely verified—they have all come literally true. Fragrant puffs
+are issuing even now from the mammoth _pot-au-feu_ there over the fire,
+and we shall presently wash down its savoury contents with draughts of
+generous wine, which I see already awaiting us on the table yonder. It
+is warm and bright and cosy in this room, and we appreciate and enjoy
+it all doubly, after the darkness and the cold and the danger from
+which we have escaped into the grateful shelter of this hospitable
+roof; and to crown the whole, our host is the grand, illustrious,
+incomparable Bellombre—flower and cream of all comedians, past, present
+and future, and best of good fellows.”
+
+“Our happiness would be complete if only poor Matamore were here,” said
+Isabelle with a sigh.
+
+“Pray what has happened to him?” asked Bellombre, who knew him by
+reputation.
+
+The tyrant told him the tragic story of the snow-storm, and its fatal
+consequences. “But for this thrice-blessed meeting with my old and
+faithful friend here,” Blazius added, “the same fate would probably
+have overtaken us ere morning—we should all have been found, frozen
+stiff and stark, by the next party of travellers on the post road.”
+
+“That would have been a pity indeed,” Bellombre rejoined, and glancing
+admiringly at Isabelle and Serafina, added gallantly, “but surely these
+young goddesses would have melted the snow, and thawed the ice, with
+the fire I see shining in their sparkling eyes.”
+
+“You attribute too much power to our eyes,” Serafina made answer; “they
+could not even have made any impression upon a heart, in the thick,
+impenetrable darkness that enveloped us; the tears that the icy cold
+forced from them would have extinguished the flames of the most ardent
+love.”
+
+While they sat at supper, Blazius told their host of the sad condition
+of their affairs, at which he seemed no way surprised.
+
+“There are always plenty of ups and downs in a theatrical career,” he
+said—“the wheel of Fortune turns very fast in that profession; but if
+misfortunes come suddenly, so also does prosperity follow quickly in
+their train. Don’t be discouraged!—things are brightening with you now.
+Tomorrow morning I will send one of my stout farm-horses to bring your
+chariot on here, and we will rig up a theatre in my big barn; there is
+a large town not far from this which will send us plenty of spectators.
+If the entertainment does not fetch as good a sum as I think it will, I
+have a little fund of _pistoles_ lying idle here that will be entirely
+at your service, for, by Apollo! I would not leave my good Blazius and
+his friends in distress so long as I had a copper in my purse.”
+
+“I see that you are always the same warm-hearted, openhanded Bellombre
+as of old,” cried the pedant, grasping the other’s outstretched hand
+warmly; “you have not grown rusty and hard in consequence of your
+bucolic occupations.”
+
+“No,” Bellombre replied, with a smile; “I do not let my brain lie
+fallow while I cultivate my fields. I make a point of reading over
+frequently the good old authors, seated comfortably by the fire with my
+feet on the fender, and I read also such new works as I am able to
+procure, from time to time, here in the depths of the country. I often
+go carefully over my own old parts, and I see plainly what a
+self-satisfied fool I was in the old days, when I was applauded to the
+echo every time I appeared upon the stage, simply because I happened to
+be blessed with a sonorous voice, a graceful carriage, and a fine leg;
+the doting stupidity of the public, with which I chanced to be a
+favourite, was the true cause of my success.”
+
+“Only the great Bellombre himself would ever be suffered to say such
+things as these of that most illustrious ornament of our profession,”
+said the tyrant, courteously.
+
+“Art is long, but life is short,” continued the ci-devant actor, “and I
+should have arrived at a certain degree of proficiency at last perhaps,
+but—I was beginning to grow stout; and I would not allow myself to
+cling to the stage until two footmen should have to come and help me up
+from my rheumatic old knees every time I had a declaration of love to
+make, so I gladly seized the opportunity afforded me by my little
+inheritance, and retired in the height of my glory.”
+
+“And you were wise, Bellombre,” said Blazius, “though your retreat was
+premature; you might have given ten years more to the theatre, and then
+have retired full early.”
+
+In effect he was still a very handsome, vigorous man, about whom no
+signs of age were apparent, save an occasional thread of silver amid
+the rich masses of dark hair that fell upon his shoulders.
+
+The younger men, as well as the three actresses, were glad to retire to
+rest early; but Blazius and the tyrant, with their host, sat up
+drinking the latter’s capital wine until far into the night. At length
+they, too, succumbed to their fatigue; and while they are sleeping we
+will return to the abandoned chariot to see what was going on there. In
+the gray light of the early morning it could be perceived that the poor
+old horse still lay just as he had fallen; several crows were flitting
+about, not yet venturing to attack the miserable carcass, peering at it
+suspiciously from a respectful distance, as if they feared some hidden
+snare. At last one, bolder than its fellows, alighted upon the poor
+beast’s head, and was just bending over that coveted dainty, the
+eye—which was open and staring—when a heavy step, coming over the snow,
+startled him. With a croak of disappointment he quitted his post of
+vantage, rose heavily in the air, and flapped slowly off to a
+neighbouring tree, followed by his companions, cawing and scolding
+hoarsely. The figure of a man appeared, coming along the road at a
+brisk pace, and carrying a large bundle in his arms, enveloped in his
+cloak. This he put down upon the ground when he came up with the
+chariot, standing directly in his way, and it proved to be a little
+girl about twelve years old; a child with large, dark, liquid eyes that
+had a feverish light in them—eyes exactly like Chiquita’s. There was a
+string of pearl beads round the slender neck, and an extraordinary
+combination of rags and tatters, held together in some mysterious way,
+hung about the thin, fragile little figure. It was indeed Chiquita
+herself, and with her, Agostino—the ingenious rascal, whose laughable
+exploit with his scarecrow brigands has been already recorded—who,
+tired of following a profession that yielded no profits, had set out on
+foot for Paris—where all men of talent could find employment they
+said—marching by night, and lying hidden by day, like all other beasts
+of prey. The poor child, overcome with fatigue and benumbed by the
+cold, had given out entirely that night, in spite of her valiant
+efforts to keep up with Agostino, and he had at last picked her up in
+his arms and carried her for a while—she was but a light burden—hoping
+to find some sort of shelter soon.
+
+“What can be the meaning of this?” he said to Chiquita. “Usually we
+stop the vehicles, but here we are stopped by one in our turn; we must
+look out lest it be full of travellers, ready to demand our money or
+our lives.”
+
+“There’s nobody in it,” Chiquita replied, having peeped in under the
+cover.
+
+“Perhaps there may be something worth having inside there,” Agostino
+said; “we will look and see,” and he proceeded to light the little dark
+lantern he always had with him, for the daylight was not yet strong
+enough to penetrate into the dusky interior of the chariot. Chiquita,
+who was greatly excited by the hope of booty, jumped in, and rapidly
+searched it, carefully directing the light of the lantern upon the
+packages and confused mass of theatrical articles stowed away in the
+back part of it, but finding nothing of value anywhere.
+
+“Search thoroughly, my good little Chiquita!” said the brigand, as he
+kept watch outside, “be sure that you don’t overlook anything.”
+
+“There is nothing here, absolutely nothing that is worth the trouble of
+carrying away. Oh, yes! here is a bag, with something that sounds like
+money in ft.”
+
+“Give it to me,” cried Agostino eagerly, snatching it from her, and
+making a rapid examination of its contents; but he threw it down
+angrily upon the ground, exclaiming, “the devil take it! I thought we
+had found a treasure at last, but instead of good money there’s nothing
+but a lot of pieces of gilded lead and such-like in it. But we’ll get
+one thing out of this anyhow—a good rest inside here for you, sheltered
+from the wind and cold. Your poor little feet are bleeding, and they
+must be nearly frozen. Curl yourself down there on those cushions, and
+I will cover you with this bit of painted canvas. Now go to sleep, and
+I will watch while you have a nap; it is too early yet for honest folks
+to be abroad, and we shall not be disturbed.” In a few minutes poor
+little Chiquita was sound asleep.
+
+Agostino sat on the front seat of the chariot, with his _navaja_ open
+and lying beside him, watching the road and the fields all about, with
+the keen, practised eye of a man of his lawless profession. All was
+still. No sound or movement any where, save among the crows. In spite
+of his iron will and constitution he began to feel an insidious
+drowsiness creeping over him, which he did not find it easy to shake
+off; several times his eyelids closed, and he lifted them resolutely,
+only to have them fall again in another instant. In fact he was just
+dropping into a doze, when he felt, as in a dream, a hot breath on his
+face, and suddenly waked to see two gleaming eyeballs close to his.
+With a movement more rapid than thought itself, he seized the wolf by
+the throat with his left hand, and picking up his _navaja_ with the
+other, plunged it up to the hilt into the animal’s breast. It must have
+gone through the heart, for he dropped down dead in the road, without a
+struggle.
+
+Although he had gained the victory so easily over his fierce assailant,
+Agostino concluded that this was not a good place for them to tarry in,
+and called to Chiquita, who jumped up instantly, wide awake, and
+manifested no alarm at sight of the dead wolf lying beside the chariot.
+
+“We had better move on,” said he, “that carcass of the horse there
+draws the wolves; they are often mad with hunger in the winter time you
+know, and especially when there is snow on the ground. I could easily
+kill a pretty good number of them, but they might come down upon us by
+scores, and if I should happen to fall asleep again it would not be
+pleasant to wake up and find myself in the stomach of one of those
+confounded brutes. When I was disposed of they would make only a
+mouthful of you, little one! So come along, we must scamper off as fast
+as ever we can. That fellow there was only the advance guard, the
+others will not be far behind him—this carcass will keep them busy for
+a while, and give us time to get the start of them. You can walk now,
+Chiquita, can’t you?”
+
+“Yes, indeed,” she replied cheerily, “that little nap has done me so
+much good. Poor Agostino! you shall not have to carry me again, like a
+great clumsy parcel. And Agostino,” she added with a fierce energy,
+“when my feet refuse to walk or run in your service you must just cut
+my throat with your big knife there, and throw me into the next ditch.
+I will thank you for it, Agostino, for I could not bear to have your
+precious life in danger for the sake of poor, miserable little me.”
+Thereupon this strange pair, both very fleet of foot, set off running,
+side by side, the brigand holding Chiquita by the hand, so as to give
+her all the aid and support he could, and they quickly passed out of
+sight. No sooner had they departed than the crows came swooping down
+from their perch in the nearest tree, and fell to fiercely upon their
+horrible feast, in which they were almost directly joined by several
+ravenous wolves—and they made such good use of their time, that in a
+few hours nothing remained of the poor old horse but his bones, his
+tail, and his shoes. When somewhat later the tyrant arrived,
+accompanied by one of Bellombre’s farm-hands, leading the horse that
+was to take the chariot back with them, he was naturally astonished to
+find only the skeleton, with the harness and trappings, still intact,
+about it, for neither birds nor beasts had interfered with them, and
+his surprise was increased when he discovered the half-devoured carcass
+of the wolf lying under the chariot wheels. There also, scattered on
+the road, were the sham _louis-d’or_ that did duty upon the stage when
+largesses were to be distributed; and upon the snow were the traces,
+clearly defined, of the footsteps of a man, approaching the chariot
+from the way it had come, and of those of the same man, and also of a
+child, going on beyond it.
+
+“It would appear,” said Hérode to himself, “that the chariot of Thespis
+has received visitors, since we abandoned it, of more than one sort,
+and for my part I am very thankful to have missed them all. Oh, happy
+accident! that, when it happened, seemed to us so great a misfortune,
+yet is proven now to have been a blessing in disguise. And you, my poor
+old horse, you could not have done us a greater service than to die
+just when and where you did. Thanks to you we have escaped the
+wolves—two-legged ones, which are perhaps the most to be dreaded of
+all, as well as the ravenous brethren of this worthy lying here. What a
+dainty feast the sweet, tender flesh of those plump little pullets,
+Isabelle and Serafina, would have been for them, to say nothing of the
+tougher stuff the rest of us are made of. What a bountiful meal we
+should have furnished them—the murderous brutes!” While the tyrant was
+indulging in this soliloquy Bellombre’s servant had detached the
+chariot from the skeleton of the poor old horse, and had harnessed to
+it, with considerable difficulty, the animal he had been leading, which
+was terrified at sight of the bleeding, mutilated carcass of the wolf
+lying on the snow, and the ghastly skeleton of its predecessor. Arrived
+at the farm, the chariot was safely stowed away under a shed, and upon
+examination it was found that nothing was missing. Indeed, something
+had been left there, for a small clasp-knife was picked up in it, which
+had fallen out of Chiquita’s pocket, and excited a great deal of
+curiosity and conjecture. It was of Spanish make, and bore upon its
+sharp, pointed blade, a sinister inscription in that language, to this
+effect—
+
+“When this viper bites you, make sure
+That you must die—for there is no cure.”
+
+
+No one could imagine how it had come there, and the tyrant was
+especially anxious to clear up the mystery that puzzled them all.
+Isabelle, who was a little inclined to be superstitious, and attach
+importance to omens, signs of evil, and such-like, felt troubled about
+it. She spoke Spanish perfectly, and understood the full force and
+significance of the strange inscription upon the wicked-looking blade
+of the tiny weapon.
+
+Meantime, Scapin, dressed in his freshest and most gaudy costume, had
+marched into the neighbouring town, carrying his drum; he stationed
+himself in the large, public square, and made such good play with his
+drum-sticks that he soon had a curious crowd around him, to whom he
+made an eloquent address, setting forth in glowing terms the great
+attractions offered by “the illustrious comedians of Hérode’s
+celebrated troupe,” who, “for this night only,” would delight the
+public by the representation of that screaming farce, the Rodomontades
+of Captain Fracasse; to be followed by a “bewitching Moorish dance,”
+performed by the “incomparable Mlle. Serafina.” After enlarging
+brilliantly upon this theme, he added, that as they were “more desirous
+of glory than profit,” they would be willing to accept provisions of
+all kinds, instead of coin of the realm, in payment of places, from
+those who had not the money to spare, and asked them to let all their
+friends know. This closing announcement made a great sensation among
+his attentive listeners, and he marched back to the farm, confident
+that they would have a goodly number of spectators. There he found the
+stage already erected in the barn, and a rehearsal in progress, which
+was necessary on de Sigognac’s account.
+
+Bellombre was instructing him in various minor details as the play went
+on, and for a novice he did wonderfully well—acting with much spirit
+and grace, showing decided talent, and remarkable aptitude. But it was
+very evident that he was greatly annoyed by some portions of the piece,
+and an angry flush mounted to the roots of his hair at the whacks and
+cuffs so liberally bestowed upon the doughty captain.
+
+His comrades spared him as much as possible—feeling that it must be
+intensely repugnant to him—but he grew furious in spite of all his
+efforts to control his temper, and at each fresh attack upon him his
+flashing eyes and knitted brows betrayed the fierce rage he was in;
+then, suddenly remembering that his role required a very different
+expression of countenance, he would pull himself up, and endeavour to
+imitate that which Matamore had been wont to assume in this character.
+Bellombre, who was watching him critically, stopped him a moment, to
+say: “You make a great mistake in attempting to suppress your natural
+emotions; you should take care not to do it, for they produce a capital
+effect, and you can create a new type of stage bully; when you have
+gotten accustomed to this sort of thing, and no longer feel this
+burning indignation, you must feign it. Strike out in a path of your
+own, and you will be sure to attain success—far more so than if you
+attempt to follow in another’s footsteps. Fracasse, as you represent
+him, loves and admires courage, and would fain be able to manifest
+it—he is angry with himself for being such an arrant coward. When free
+from danger, he dreams of nothing but heroic exploits and superhuman
+enterprises; but when any actual peril threatens him, his too vivid
+imagination conjures up such terrible visions of bleeding wounds and
+violent death that his heart fails him. Yet his pride revolts at the
+idea of being beaten; for a moment he is filled with rage, but his
+courage all disappears with the first blows he receives, and he finally
+shows himself to be the poltroon that he himself despises. This method
+it appears to me is far superior to the absurd grimaces, trembling
+legs, and exaggerated gestures, by which indifferent actors endeavour
+to excite the laughter of their audience—but meantime lose sight
+entirely of their art.”
+
+The baron gratefully accepted the veteran actor’s advice, and played
+his part after the fashion indicated by him with so much spirit that
+all present applauded his acting enthusiastically, and prophesied its
+success. The performances were to begin at an early hour, and as the
+time approached, de Sigognac put on poor Matamore’s costume, to which
+he had fallen heir, and which Mme. Léonarde had taken in hand and
+cleverly altered for him, so that he could get into it. He had a sharp
+struggle with his pride as be donned this absurd dress, and made
+himself ready for his debut as an actor, but resolutely repressed all
+rising regrets, and determined faithfully to do his best in the new
+role he had undertaken.
+
+A large audience had gathered in the big barn, which was brilliantly
+lighted, and the representation began before a full house. At the end
+farthest from the stage, and behind the spectators, were some cattle in
+their stalls, that stared at the unwonted scene with an expression of
+stupid wonder in their great, soft eyes—the eyes that Homer, the grand
+old Greek poet, deemed worthy to supply an epithet for the beauteous
+orbs of majestic Juno herself—and in the midst of one of the most
+exciting parts of the play, a calf among them was moved to express its
+emotions by an unearthly groan, which did not in the least disconcert
+the audience, but had nearly been too much for the gravity of the
+actors upon the stage.
+
+Captain Fracasse won much applause, and indeed acted his part
+admirably, being under no constraint; for he did not need to fear the
+criticism of this rustic audience as he would have done that of a more
+cultivated and experienced one; and, too, he felt sure that there could
+be nobody among the spectators that knew him, or anything about him.
+The other actors were also vigorously clapped by the toil-hardened
+hands of these lowly tillers of the soil—whose applause throughout was
+bestowed, Bellombre declared, judiciously and intelligently. Serafina
+executed her Moorish dance with a degree of agility and voluptuous
+grace that would have done honour to a professional ballet-dancer, or
+to a Spanish gipsy, and literally brought down the house.
+
+But while de Sigognac was thus employed, far from his ancient château,
+the portraits of his ancestors that hung upon its walls were frowning
+darkly at the degeneracy of this last scion of their noble race, and a
+sigh, almost a groan, that issued from their faded lips, echoed
+dismally through the deserted house. In the kitchen, Pierre, with
+Miraut and Beelzebub on either side of him—all three looking melancholy
+and forlorn—sat thinking of his absent lord, and said aloud, “Oh, where
+is my poor, dear master now?” a big tear rolling down his withered
+cheek as he stooped to caress his dumb companions.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+THE DUKE OF VALLOMBREUSE
+
+
+The next morning Bellombre drew Blazius aside, and untying the strings
+of a long leathern purse emptied out of it into the palm of his hand a
+hundred _pistoles_, which he piled up neatly on the table by which they
+were standing; to the great admiration of the pedant, who thought to
+himself that his friend was a lucky fellow to be in possession of so
+large a sum—absolute wealth in his eyes. But what was his surprise when
+Bellombre swept them all up and put them into his own hands.
+
+“You must have understood,” he said, “that I did not bring out this
+money in order to torment you in like manner with Tantalus, and I want
+you to take it, without any scruples, as freely as it is given—or
+loaned, if you are too proud to accept a gift from an old friend. These
+pieces were made to circulate—they are round, you see—and by this time
+they must be tired of lying tied up in my old purse there. I have no
+use for them; there’s nothing to spend them on here; the farm produces
+everything that is needed in my household, so I shall not miss them,
+and it is much better in every way that they should be in your hands.”
+
+Not finding any adequate reply to make to this astonishing speech,
+Blazius put the money into his pocket, and, after first administering
+to his friend a cordial accolade, grasped and wrung his hand with
+grateful fervour, while an inconvenient tear, that he had tried in vain
+to wink away, ran down his jolly red nose. As Bellombre had said the
+night before, affairs were brightening with the troupe; good fortune
+had come at last, and the hard times they had met and struggled against
+so bravely and uncomplainingly were among the things of the past. The
+receipts of the previous evening—for there had been some money taken
+in, as well as plentiful stores of edibles—added to Bellombre’s
+_pistoles_, made a good round sum, and the chariot of Thespis, so
+deplorably bare of late, was now amply provisioned. Not to do things by
+halves, their generous host lent to the comedians two stout farm
+horses, with a man to drive them into Poitiers, and bring them back
+home again. They had on their gala-day harness, and from their
+gaudily-painted, high-peaked collars hung strings of tiny bells, that
+jingled cheerily at every firm, regular step of the great, gentle
+creatures. So our travellers set out in high feather, and their entry
+into Poitiers, though not so magnificent as Alexander’s into Babylon,
+was still in very fine style indeed. As they threaded their way through
+the narrow, tortuous streets of that ancient town, the noise of their
+horses’ iron shoes ringing out against the rough stone pavement, and
+the clatter of their wheels drew many inmates of the houses they passed
+to the windows, and a little crowd collected around them as they stood
+waiting for admission before the great entrance door of the _Armes de
+France;_ the driver, meanwhile, cracking his whip till it sounded like
+a volley of musketry, to which the horses responded by shaking their
+heads, and making all the little bells about them jingle sharply and
+merrily. There was a wonderful difference between this and their
+arrival at the last inn they had stopped at—the night of the
+snow-storm—and the landlord, hearing such welcome sounds without, ran
+himself to admit his guests, and opened the two leaves of the great
+door, so that the chariot could pass into the interior court. This
+hotel was the finest in Poitiers, where all the rich and noble
+travellers were in the habit of alighting, and there was an air of
+gaiety and prosperity about it very pleasing to our comedians, in
+contrast with all the comfortless, miserable lodgings they had been
+obliged to put up with for a long time past. The landlord, whose
+double, or rather triple chin testified to bountiful fare, and the
+ruddy tints of his face to the excellence of his wines, seemed to be
+the incarnation of good humour.
+
+He was so plump, so fresh, so rosy and so smiling, that it was a
+pleasure only to look at him. When he saw the tyrant, he fairly bubbled
+over with delight. A troupe of comedians always attracted people to his
+house, and brought him in a great deal of money; for the young men of
+leisure of the town sought their company, and were constantly drinking
+wine with the actors, and giving dainty little suppers, and treats of
+various kinds, to the actresses.
+
+“You are heartily welcome, Seignior Hérode! What happy chance brings
+you this way?” said the landlord, smilingly. “It is a long time since
+we have had the pleasure of seeing you at the _Armes de France_.”
+
+“So it is, Maître Bilot,” the tyrant answered; “but we cannot be giving
+our poor little performances always in the same place, you see; the
+spectators would become so familiar with all our tricks that they could
+do them themselves, so we are forced to absent ourselves for a while.
+And how are things going on here, now? Have you many of the nobility
+and gentry in town at present?”
+
+“A great many, Seignior Hérode, for the hunting is over, so they have
+come in from the châteaux. But they don’t know what to do with
+themselves, for it is so dull and quiet here. People can’t be eating
+and drinking all the time, and they are dying for want of a little
+amusement. You will have full houses.”
+
+“Well,” rejoined the tyrant, “then please give us seven or eight good
+rooms, have three or four fat capons put down to roast, bring up, from
+that famous cellar of yours, a dozen of the capital wine I used to
+drink here—you know which I mean—and spread abroad the news of the
+arrival of Hérode’s celebrated troupe at the _Armes de France_, with a
+new and extensive _repertoire_, to give a few representations in
+Poitiers.”
+
+While this conversation was going on the rest of the comedians had
+alighted, and were already being conducted to their respective rooms by
+several servants. The one given to Isabelle was a little apart from the
+others—those in their immediate vicinity being occupied—which was not
+displeasing to the modest young girl, who was often greatly annoyed and
+embarrassed by the promiscuous, free-and-easy way of getting on,
+inseparable from such a Bohemian life. She always accepted the
+inevitable with a good grace, and never complained of the vexation she
+felt at being obliged to share her bed-chamber with Serafina or the
+duenna, or perhaps both; but it was a luxury she had scarcely dared to
+hope for to have her room entirely to herself, and moreover
+sufficiently distant from her companions to insure her a good deal of
+privacy.
+
+In a marvellously short space of time the whole town had become
+acquainted with the news of the arrival of the comedians, and the young
+men of wealth and fashion began flocking to the hotel, to drink a
+bottle of Maître Bilot’s wine, and question him about the beauty and
+charms of the actresses; curling up the points of their mustaches as
+they did so with such an absurdly conceited, insolent air of imaginary
+triumph, that the worthy landlord could not help laughing in his sleeve
+at them as he gave his discreet, mysterious answers, accompanied by
+significant gestures calculated to turn the silly heads of these
+dandified young calves, and make them wild with curiosity and
+impatience.
+
+Isabelle, when left alone, had first unpacked a portion of her
+clothing, and arranged it neatly on the shelves of the wardrobe in her
+room, and then proceeded to indulge in the luxury of a bath and
+complete change of linen. She took down her long, fine, silky hair,
+combed it carefully, and arranged it tastefully, with a pale blue
+ribbon entwined artistically in it; which delicate tint was very
+becoming to her, with her fair, diaphanous complexion, and lovely
+flush, like a rose-leaf, on her cheek. When she had put on the silvery
+gray dress, with its pretty blue trimmings, which completed her simple
+toilet, she smiled at her own charming reflection in the glass, and
+thought of a pair of dark, speaking eyes that she knew would find her
+fair, and pleasant to look upon. As she turned away from the mirror a
+sunbeam streamed in through her window, and she could not resist the
+temptation to open the casement and put her pretty head out, to see
+what view there might be from it. She looked down into a narrow,
+deserted alley, with the wall of the hotel on one side and that of the
+garden opposite on the other, so high that it reached above the tops of
+the trees within. From her window she could look down into this garden,
+and see, quite at the other end of it, the large mansion it belonged
+to, whose lofty, blackened walls testified to its antiquity. Two
+gentlemen were walking slowly, arm in arm, along one of the broad paths
+leading towards the house, engrossed in conversation; both were young
+and handsome, but they were scarcely of equal rank, judging by the
+marked deference paid by one, the elder, to the other.
+
+We will call this friendly pair Orestes and Pylades for the present,
+until we ascertain their real names. The former was about one or two
+and twenty, and remarkably handsome and _distingué_—strikingly so—with
+a very white skin, intensely black hair and eyes, a tall, slender,
+lithe figure, shown to advantage by the rich costume of tan-coloured
+velvet he wore; and well-formed feet, with high, arched insteps, small
+and delicate enough for a woman’s—that more than one woman had envied
+him—encased in dainty, perfectly fitting boots, made of white Russia
+leather. From the careless ease of his manners, and the haughty grace
+of his carriage, one would readily divine that he was a great noble;
+one of the favoured few of the earth, who are sure of being well
+received everywhere, and courted and flattered by everybody. Pylades,
+though a good-looking fellow enough, with auburn hair and mustache, was
+not nearly so handsome or striking, either in face or figure, as his
+companion. They were talking of women; Orestes declaring himself a
+woman-hater from that time forward, because of what he was pleased to
+call the persecutions of his latest mistress, of whom he was thoroughly
+tired—no new thing with him—but who would not submit to be thrown
+aside, like a cast-off glove, without making a struggle to regain the
+favour of her ci-devant admirer. He was anathematizing the vanity,
+treachery, and deceitfulness of all women, without exception, from the
+duchess down to the dairy-maid, and declaring that he should renounce
+their society altogether for the future, when they reached the end of
+the walk, at the house, and turned about to pace its length again.
+
+As they did so he chanced to glance upward, and perceived Isabelle at
+her window. He nudged his companion, to direct his attention to her, as
+he said, “Just look up at that window! Do you see the delicious,
+adorable creature there? She seems a goddess, rather than a mere mortal
+woman—Aurora, looking forth from her chamber in the East—with her
+golden brown hair, her heavenly countenance, and her sweet, soft eyes.
+Only observe the exquisite grace of her attitude—leaning slightly
+forward on one elbow, so as to bring into fine relief the shapely
+curves of her beautiful form. I would be willing to swear that hers is
+a lovely character—different from the rest of her sex. She is one by
+herself—a peerless creature—a very pearl of womanhood—a being fit for
+Paradise. Her face tells me that she is modest, pure, amiable, and
+refined. Her manners must be charming, her conversation fresh,
+sparkling, and elevating.”
+
+“The deuce!” exclaimed Pylades, laughingly, “what good eyes you must
+have to make out all that at such a distance! Now I see merely a woman
+at a window, who is rather pretty, to tell the honest truth, but not
+likely to possess half the perfections you so lavishly bestow upon her.
+Take care, or you will be in love with her directly.”
+
+“Oh! I’m that now, over head and ears. I must find out forthwith who
+she is, and what; but one thing is certain, mine she must be, though it
+cost me the half, nay, the whole of my fortune to win her, and there be
+a hundred rivals to overcome and slay ere I can carry her off from them
+in triumph.”
+
+“Come, come, don’t get so excited,” said Pylades, “you will throw
+yourself into a fever; but what has become of the contempt and hatred
+for the fair sex you were declaring so vehemently just now? The first
+pretty face has routed it all.”
+
+“But when I talked like that I did not know that this lovely angel
+existed upon earth, and what I said was an odious, outrageous
+blasphemy—a monstrous, abominable heresy—for which I pray that Venus,
+fair goddess of love and beauty, will graciously forgive me.”
+
+“Oh, yes! she’ll forgive you fast enough, never fear, for she is always
+very indulgent to such hot-headed lovers as you are.”
+
+“I am going to open the campaign,” said Orestes, “and declare war
+courteously on my beautiful enemy.”
+
+With these words he stopped short, fixed his bold eyes on Isabelle’s
+face, took off his hat, in a gallant and respectful way, so that its
+long plume swept the ground, and wafted a kiss on the tips of his
+fingers towards the new object of his ardent admiration. The young
+actress, who saw this demonstration with much annoyance, assumed a
+cold, composed manner, as if to show this insolent fellow that he had
+made a mistake, drew back from the window, closed it, and let fall the
+curtain; all done calmly and deliberately, and with the frigid dignity
+with which she was wont to rebuke such overtures.
+
+“There,” exclaimed Pylades, “your Aurora is hidden behind a cloud; not
+very promising, that, for the rest of the day.”
+
+“I don’t agree with you; I regard it, on the contrary, as a favourable
+augury that my little beauty has retired. Don’t you know that when the
+soldier hides himself behind the battlements of the tower, it signifies
+that the besieger’s arrow has hit him? I tell you she has mine now,
+sticking in under her left wing; that kiss will force her to think of
+me all night, if only to be vexed with me, and tax me with effrontery—a
+fault which is never displeasing to ladies, I find, though they do
+sometimes make a great outcry about it, for the sake of appearances.
+There is something between me and the fair unknown now; a very slight,
+almost imperceptible thread it may seem at present, but I will so
+manage as to make from it a rope, by which I shall climb up into her
+window.”
+
+“I must admit,” rejoined Pylades respectfully, “that you certainly are
+wonderfully well versed in all the stratagems and ruses of
+love-making.”
+
+“I rather pique myself upon my accomplishments in that line, I will
+confess,” Orestes said, laughingly; “but come, let’s go in now; the
+little beauty was startled, and will not show herself at the window
+again just yet. This evening I shall begin operations in earnest.” And
+the two friends turned about and strolled slowly back towards the
+house, which they presently entered, and disappeared from sight.
+
+There was a large tennis-court not far from the hotel, which was
+wonderfully well suited to make a theatre of; so our comedians hired
+it, took immediate possession, set carpenters and painters to work,
+furbished up their own rather dilapidated scenery and decorations, and
+soon had a charming little theatre, in which all the numbered seats and
+boxes were eagerly snapped up, directly they were offered to “the
+nobility and gentry of Poitiers,” who secured them for all the
+representations to be given by the troupe, so that success was insured.
+The dressing-room of the tennis players had to serve as green-room, and
+dressing-room as well for the comedians, large folding screens being
+disposed round the toilet tables of the actresses, so as to shut them
+off as much as possible from the gentlemen visitors always lounging
+there. Not a very agreeable arrangement for the former, but the best
+that could be done, and highly approved by the latter, of course.
+
+“What a pity it is,” said the tyrant to Blazius, as they were arranging
+what pieces they could play, seated at a window looking into the
+interior court of the _Armes de France_, “what a great pity it is that
+Zerbine is not with us here. She is almost worth her weight in gold,
+that little minx; a real treasure, so full of fun and deviltry that
+nobody can resist her acting; she would make any piece go off well—a
+pearl of _soubrette_s is Zerbine.”
+
+“Yes, she is a rare one,” Blazius replied, with a deep sigh, “and I
+regret more and more every day our having lost her. The devil fly away
+with that naughty marquis who must needs go and rob us of our paragon
+of waiting-maids.”
+
+Just at this point they were interrupted by the noise of an arrival,
+and leaning out of the window saw three fine mules, richly caparisoned
+in the gay Spanish fashion, entering the court, with a great jingling
+of bells and clattering of hoofs. On the first one was mounted a lackey
+in gray livery, and well armed, who led by a long strap a second mule
+heavily laden with baggage, and on the third was a young woman, wrapped
+in a large cloak trimmed with fur, and with her hat, a gray felt with a
+scarlet feather, drawn down over her eyes, so as to conceal her face
+from the two interested spectators at the window above.
+
+“I say, Hérode,” exclaimed the pedant, “doesn’t all this remind you of
+something? It seems to me this is not the first time we have heard the
+jingling of those bells, eh?”
+
+“By Saint Alipantin!” cried the tyrant, joyfully, “these are the very
+mules that carried Zerbine off so mysteriously. Speak of a wolf—”
+
+“And you will hear the rustling of his wings,” interrupted Blazius,
+with a peal of laughter. “Oh! thrice happy day!—day to be marked with
+white!—for this is really Mlle. Zerbine in person. Look, she jumps down
+from her mule with that bewitching little air peculiar to herself, and
+throws her cloak to that obsequious lackey with a nonchalance worthy of
+a princess; there, she has taken off her hat, and shakes out her raven
+tresses as a bird does its feathers; it delights my old eyes to see her
+again. Come, let’s go down and welcome her.”
+
+So Blazius and his companions hastened down to the court, and met
+Zerbine just as she turned to enter the house.
+
+The impetuous girl rushed at the pedant, threw her arms around his
+neck, and kissed him heartily, crying, “I must kiss your dear, jolly,
+ugly old face, just the same as though it were young and handsome, for
+I am so glad, so very glad to see it again. Now don’t you be jealous,
+Hérode, and scowl as if you were just going to order the slaughter of
+the innocents; wait a minute! I’m going to kiss you, too; I only began
+with my dear old Blazius here because he’s the ugliest.”
+
+And Zerbine loyally fulfilled her promise. Then giving a hand to each
+of her companions, went up-stairs between them to the room Maître Bilot
+had ordered to be made ready for her. The moment she entered it she
+threw herself down into an arm-chair standing near the door, and began
+to draw long deep breaths, like a person who has just gotten rid of a
+heavy load.
+
+“You cannot imagine,” she said after a little, “how glad I am to get
+back to you again, though you needn’t go and imagine that I am in love
+with your old phizes because of that; I’m not in love with anybody,
+Heaven be praised! I’m so joyful because I’ve gotten back into my own
+element once more. Everything is badly off out of its own element, you
+know. The water will not do for birds, nor the air for fishes. I am an
+actress by nature, and the atmosphere of the theatre is my native air;
+in it alone do I breathe freely; even its unpleasant odours are sweet
+to my nostrils. Real, everyday life seems very dull and flat. I must
+have imaginary love affairs to manage for other people, and take part
+in the whirl of romantic adventures to be found only on the stage, to
+keep me alive and happy. So I’ve come back to claim my old place again.
+I hope you haven’t found any one else to fill it; though of course I
+know that you couldn’t get anybody to really replace me. If you had I
+should scratch her eyes out, that I promise you, for I am a real little
+devil when my rights are encroached upon, though you might not think
+it.”
+
+“There’s no need for you to show your prowess in that way,” said the
+tyrant, “for we have not had any one to take your role, and we’re
+delighted, overjoyed, to have you back again. If you had had some of
+the magic compound Apuleius tells us of, and had thereby changed
+yourself into a bird, to come and listen to what Blazius and I were
+saying a little while ago, you would have heard nothing but good of
+yourself—a rare thing that for listeners—and you would have heard some
+very enthusiastic praise besides.”
+
+“That’s charming!” the _soubrette_ exclaimed. “I see that you two are
+just the same good old souls as ever, and that you have missed your
+little Zerbine.”
+
+Several servants now came in, carrying trunks, boxes, portmanteaus,
+packages, no end of baggage, which Zerbine counted over and found
+correct; and when they had gone she opened two or three of the larger
+chests with the keys she had on a small silver ring. They were filled
+with all sorts of handsome things—silks and velvets, laces and
+jewels—and among the rest a long purse, crammed as full as it could
+hold of gold pieces, which Zerbine poured out in a heap on the table;
+seeming to take a childish delight in looking at and playing with her
+golden treasure, while laughing and chattering merrily all the time.
+
+“Serafina would burst with rage and envy if she should see all this
+money,” said she gaily, “so we will keep it out of her sight. I only
+show it to you to prove that I didn’t need to return to my profession,
+but was actuated by a pure love of my art. As to you, my good old
+friends, if your finances happen to be not just as you could wish, put
+your paws into this and help yourselves; take just as much as ever they
+will hold.”
+
+The two actors thanked her heartily for her generous offer, but assured
+her that they were very well off, and in need of no assistance.
+
+“Ah well!” said Zerbine, “it will be for another time then. I shall put
+it away in my strong box, and keep it for you, like a faithful
+treasurer.”
+
+“But surely you haven’t abandoned the poor marquis,” said Blazius,
+rather reproachfully. “Of course I know there was no question of his
+giving you up; you are not one of that sort. The role of Ariadne would
+not suit you at all; you are a Circe. Yet he is a splendid young
+nobleman-handsome, wealthy, amiable, and not wanting in wit.”
+
+“Oh! I haven’t given him up; very far from it,” Zerbine replied, with a
+saucy smile. “I shall guard him carefully, as the most precious gem in
+my casket. Though I have quitted him for the moment, he will shortly
+follow me.”
+
+“Fugax sequax, sequax fugax,” the pedant rejoined; “these four Latin
+words, which have a cabalistic sound, not unlike the croaking of
+certain batrachians, and might have been borrowed, one would say, from
+the ‘Comedy of the Frogs,’ by one Aristophanes, an Athenian poet,
+contain the very pith and marrow of all theories of love and
+lovemaking; they would make a capital rule to regulate everybody’s
+conduct—of the virile as well as of the fair sex.”
+
+“And what under the sun do your fine Latin words mean, you pompous old
+pedant?” asked Zerbine. “You have neglected to translate them, entirely
+forgetting that not everybody has been professor in a college, and
+knight of the ferule, like yourself.”
+
+“Their meaning,” he replied, “may be expressed in this little couplet:
+
+‘If you fly from men, they’ll be sure to pursue,
+But if you follow them, they will fly from you.”
+
+
+“Ha! ha!” laughed Zerbine, “that’s a verse that ought to be set to
+music.” And she began singing it to a merry tune at the top of her
+voice; a voice so clear and ringing that it was a pleasure to hear it.
+She accompanied her song with such an amusing and effective pantomime,
+representing flight and pursuit, that it was a pity she had not had a
+larger audience to enjoy it. After this outburst of merriment she
+quieted down a little, and gave her companions a brief, history of her
+adventures since she had parted from them, declaring that the marquis
+had invariably treated her with the courtesy and generosity of a
+prince. But in spite of it all she had longed for her old wandering
+life with the troupe, the excitement of acting, and the rounds of
+applause she never failed to win; and at last she confessed to the
+marquis that she was pining for her role of _soubrette_.
+
+“‘Very well,’ he said to me, ‘you can take your mules and your
+belongings and go in pursuit of the troupe, and I will shortly follow
+in pursuit of you. I have some matters to look after in Paris, that
+have been neglected of late, and I have been too long absent from the
+court. You will permit me to applaud you I suppose, and truth to tell I
+shall be very glad to enjoy your bewitching acting again.’ So I told
+him I would look for him among the audience every evening till he made
+his appearance, and, after the most tender leave-taking, I jumped on my
+mule and caught you up here at the _Armes de France_, as you know.”
+
+“But,” said Hérode, “suppose your marquis should not turn up at all!
+you would be regularly sold.”
+
+This idea struck Zerbine as being so utterly absurd that she threw
+herself back and laughed until she had to hold her sides, and was
+fairly breathless. “The marquis not come!” she cried, when she could
+speak, “you had better engage rooms for him right away—not come! Why my
+fear was that he would overtake me on the road; you will see him very
+soon, I can guarantee. Ah! you abominable old bear! you doubt the power
+of my charms, do you? You’re decidedly growing stupid, Hérode, as you
+grow old; you used to be rather clever than otherwise.”
+
+At this moment appeared Leander and Scapin, who had heard of Zerbine’s
+arrival from the servants, and came to pay their respects, soon
+followed by old Mme. Léonarde, who greeted the _soubrette_ with as much
+obsequiousness as if she had-been a princess. Isabelle came also to
+welcome her, to the great delight of Zerbine, who was devotedly fond of
+her, and always trying to do something to please her. She now insisted
+upon presenting her with a piece of rich silk, which Isabelle accepted
+very reluctantly, and only when she found that the warm-hearted
+_soubrette_ would be really wounded if she refused her first gift.
+Serafina had shut herself up in her own room, and was the only one that
+failed to come and bid Zerbine welcome. She could neither forget nor
+forgive the inexplicable preference of the Marquis de Bruyères for her
+humble rival, and she called the _soubrette_ all sorts of hard names in
+her wrath and indignation; but nobody paid any attention to her bad
+humour, and she was left to sulk in solitude.
+
+When Zerbine asked why Matamore had not come to speak to her with the
+rest, they told her the sad story of his death, and also that the Baron
+de Sigognac now filled his role, under the name of Captain Fracasse.
+
+“It will be a great honour for me to act with a gentleman whose
+ancestors figured honourably in the crusades,” said she, “and I only
+hope that my profound respect for him will not overwhelm me, and spoil
+my acting; fortunately I have become pretty well accustomed to the
+society of people of rank lately.”
+
+A moment later de Sigognac knocked at the door, and came in to greet
+Zerbine, and courteously express his pleasure at her return. She rose
+as he approached, and making a very low curtsey, said, “This is for the
+Baron de Sigognac; and this is for my comrade, Captain Fracasse;”
+kissing him on both cheeks—which unexpected and unprecedented
+proceeding put poor de Sigognac completely out of countenance; partly
+because he was not used to such little theatrical liberties, but more,
+because he was ashamed to have such a thing happen in the presence of
+his pure and peerless Isabelle.
+
+And now we will return to Orestes and Pylades, who, after their
+eventful promenade in the garden, were cosily dining together. The
+former, that is to say the young Duke of Vallombreuse, had scarcely
+eaten any dinner, and had even neglected his glass of wine, so
+preoccupied was he with thoughts of his lovely unknown. The Chevalier
+de Vidalinc, his friend and confidant, tried in vain to draw him into
+conversation; he replied only by monosyllables, or not at all, to the
+other’s brilliant sallies. When the dessert had been put upon the
+table, and the servants had retired and left them alone, the chevalier
+said to the duke: “I am entirely at your service in this new affair, of
+course, ready to help you bag your bird in any way you please; shall I
+go and send out the beaters to drive it towards your nets?”
+
+“No, indeed, you will do nothing of the kind; I shall go myself, for
+there is nothing I enjoy so much as the pursuit of game, of whatever
+sort it may be. I would follow a deer, or a pheasant, to the ends of
+the earth but what I would have it; how much more a divine creature
+like this. It is only after I have captured the flying prize that I
+lose all interest in it; so do not, I pray you, propose to deprive me
+of the delights of the chase; the more difficult it is the better I
+like it, the more fascinating I find it. The most annoying thing is
+that women are always so willing to be caught; if I could only find an
+obdurate, cruel fair one, who would fly from me in earnest, how I
+should adore her! but, alas! such an anomaly does not exist on this
+terraqueous globe.”
+
+“If I were not so well acquainted with your innumerable triumphs, I
+should be obliged to tax you with conceit,” said Vidalinc, “but as it
+is I must admit that you are justified in what you say. But perhaps
+your wish may be gratified this time, for the young beauty certainly
+did seem to be very modest and retiring, as well as positively cold and
+forbidding in her manner of receiving your little act of gallantry.”
+
+“We will see about that, and without any delay. Maître Bilot is always
+ready and glad to tell all he knows whenever he can secure a good
+listener, and he is sharp enough to find out very quickly pretty much
+all that’s worth knowing about his guests in the hotel. Come, we’ll go
+and drink a bottle of his best Madeira; I will draw him out, and get
+all the information he can give us about this fair inmate of his
+house.”
+
+A few minutes later the two young gentlemen entered the _Armes de
+France_, and asked for Maître Bilot. The worthy landlord came forward
+at once, and himself conducted them into a cosy, well-lighted room on
+the ground floor, where a bright fire was burning cheerily; he took the
+old, dusty bottle, with cobwebs clinging about it, from the waiter’s
+hands, drew the cork very carefully, and then poured the amber wine, as
+clear as a topaz, into the delicate Venetian glasses held out for it by
+the duke and his companion, with a hand as steady as if it had been of
+bronze. In taking upon himself this office Maître Bilot affected an
+almost religious solemnity, as though he were a priest of Bacchus,
+officiating at his altar, and about to celebrate the mysterious rites
+of the ancient worshippers of that merry god; nothing was wanting but
+the crown of vine leaves. He seemed to think that this ceremoniousness
+was a sort of testimony to the superior quality of the wine from his
+well-stocked cellar, which needed no recommendation, for it was really
+very good, worthy of even a royal table, and of wide-spread fame.
+
+Maître Bilot, having finished his little performance, was about to
+withdraw, when a significant glance from the duke made him pause
+respectfully on the threshold.
+
+“Maître Bilot,” said he, “fetch a glass for yourself from the buffet
+there, and come and drink a bumper of this capital wine to my health.”
+
+This command, for such it was in reality, was instantly obeyed, and
+after emptying his glass at a single draught, the well-pleased landlord
+stood, with one hand resting on the table and his eyes fixed on the
+duke, waiting to see, what was wanted of him.
+
+“Have you many strangers in your house now?” asked Vallombreuse, “and
+who and what are they?” Bilot was about to reply, but the young duke
+interrupted him, and continued, “But what’s the use of beating about
+the bush with such a wily old miscreant as you are, Maître Bilot? Who
+is the lady that has the room with a window, the third one from the
+corner, looking into my garden? Answer to the point, and you shall have
+a gold piece for every syllable.”
+
+“Under those conditions,” said Bilot, with a broad grin, “one must be
+very virtuous indeed to make use of the laconic style so highly
+esteemed by the ancients. However, as I am devoted to your lordship, I
+will answer in a single word—Isabelle.”
+
+“Isabelle! a charming and romantic name. But do not confine yourself to
+such Lacedaemonian brevity, Maître Bilot; be prolix! and relate to me,
+minutely, everything that you know about the lovely Isabelle.”
+
+“I am proud and happy to obey your lordship’s commands,” the worthy
+landlord answered, with a low bow; “my cellar, my kitchen, my tongue
+and myself are all at your lordship’s disposition. Isabelle is an
+actress, belonging to the celebrated troupe of Seignior Hérode,
+stopping at present at the _Armes de France_.”
+
+“An actress!” exclaimed the young duke, with an air of disappointment.
+“I should have taken her for a lady of rank, from her quiet, dignified
+mien, or at least a well-bred _bourgeoise_, rather than a member of a
+band of strolling players.”
+
+“Yes, your lordship is right; any one might think so, for her manners
+and appearance are very lady-like, and she has an untarnished
+reputation, despite the difficulties of her position. No one
+understands better how to keep all the gallants that hover about her at
+a respectful distance; she treats these would-be suitors for her favour
+with a cold, reserved, yet perfect politeness that there is no getting
+over.”
+
+“What you say pleases me,” interrupted Vallombreuse, “for there is
+nothing I so thoroughly despise as a fortress that is ready to
+capitulate before the first assault has been made.”
+
+“It would need more than one to conquer this fair citadel, my lord,
+though you are a bold and successful captain, not used to encountering
+any serious resistance, and sweeping everything before you; and,
+moreover, it is guarded by the vigilant sentinel of a pure and devoted
+love.”
+
+“Oh ho! she has a lover then, this modest Isabelle!” cried the young
+duke, in a tone at once triumphant and annoyed, for though on the one
+side he had no faith in the steadfast virtue of any woman, on the other
+he was vexed to learn that he had a successful rival.
+
+“I said love, not lover,” continued the landlord with respectful
+persistency, “which is by no means the same thing. Your lordship is too
+well versed in such matters not to appreciate the difference. A woman
+that has one lover may have two, as the old song says; but a woman who
+loves, with a pure love, and has that love returned in every sense, it
+is impossible, or at least very difficult, to win away from it. She
+possesses already everything that you, my lord, or any one, could offer
+for her acceptance.”
+
+“You talk as if you had been studying the subject of love
+diligently—and Petrarch’s sonnets as well; but notwithstanding all
+that, Maître Bilot, I don’t believe you thoroughly understand anything
+outside of your own wines and sauces, which, I am bound to admit, are
+always excellent. And pray, who is the favoured object of this Platonic
+attachment?”
+
+“One of the members of the troupe,” Bilot replied, “and it is not to be
+wondered at, for he’s a handsome young fellow, and very different from
+the rest of them; far superior, more like a gentleman than an actor;
+and I shrewdly suspect he is one,” added the landlord, with a knowing
+look.
+
+“Well, now you must be happy!” said the Chevalier de Vidalinc to his
+friend. “Here are unexpected obstacles in plenty, and a perfect
+none-such of a prize. A virtuous actress is a rare phenomenon, not to
+be found every day in the week. You are in luck!”
+
+“Are you sure,” continued the young duke, still addressing the
+landlord, and without paying any attention to the last remark, “that
+this chaste Isabelle does not accord any privileges secretly to that
+conceited young jackanapes? I despise the fellow thoroughly, and detest
+him as well.”
+
+“Your lordship does not know her,” answered Maître Bilot, “or I should
+not need to declare, as I do, that she is as spotless as the ermine.
+She would rather die than suffer a stain upon her purity. It is
+impossible to see much of her without perceiving that; it shines out in
+everything that she says and does.”
+
+Hereupon a long discussion followed as to the best manner of conducting
+the attack upon this fair citadel, which the young nobleman became more
+and more determined to conquer, as new difficulties were suggested. The
+worthy landlord, who was a shrewd fellow and had made a just estimate
+of Isabelle’s character, finished by advising his noble interlocutor to
+turn his attention to Serafina, “who was very charming, and not less
+beautiful than Isabelle, and who would be greatly pleased and flattered
+by his lordship’s notice.” This, because he felt sure that the duke
+would not succeed with Isabelle, in spite of his exalted rank, handsome
+person, and immense wealth, and he wished to spare him an inevitable
+disappointment.
+
+“It is Isabelle that I admire, and will have,” said Vallombreuse, in a
+dry tone that put an end to the discussion. “Isabelle, and no other,
+Maître Bilot.”
+
+Then plunging his hand into his pocket, he drew forth a goodly number
+of gold pieces, and throwing them down carelessly on the table, said,
+“Pay yourself for the bottle of wine out of this, and keep the
+balance.”
+
+The landlord gathered up the _louis_ with a deprecating air, and
+dropped them one by one into his purse. The two gentlemen rose, without
+another word, put on their broad, plumed hats, threw their cloaks on
+their shoulders, and quitted the hotel. Vallombreuse took several turns
+up and down the narrow alley between the _Armes de France_ and his own
+garden wall, looking up searchingly at Isabelle’s window every time he
+passed under it; but it was all for naught. Isabelle, now on her guard,
+did not approach the window again; the curtain was drawn closely over
+it, and not a sign visible from without that the room was occupied.
+Tired at last of this dull work, the duke slowly withdrew to his own
+mansion, feeling highly indignant that this inappreciative little
+actress should presume to slight the attentions of a great and powerful
+noble like himself; but he found some comfort in the thought that when
+she came to see and know him she could not long hold out against his
+numerous attractions. As to his rival—if the fellow ventured to
+interfere with him too much, he would quietly suppress him, by means of
+certain stout ruffians—professional cut-throats—he had in his employ,
+to do all that sort of work for him; his own dignity not allowing him
+to come into personal contact with such cattle as actors. Though
+Vallombreuse had not seen anything of Isabelle at her window, he
+himself had been closely watched, by jealous eyes, from a neighbouring
+casement that commanded the same view. They belonged to de Sigognac,
+who was greatly annoyed and incensed by the manœuvres of this
+mysterious personage under Isabelle’s window. A dozen times he was on
+the point of rushing down, sword in hand, to attack and drive away the
+impertinent unknown; but he controlled himself by a strong effort; for
+there was after all nothing in the mere fact of a man’s promenading
+back and forth in a deserted alley to justify him in such an onslaught,
+and he would only bring down ridicule on himself; besides, the name of
+Isabelle might be dragged in—sweet Isabelle, who was all unconscious of
+the ardent glances directed at her window from below, as well as of the
+burning indignation, because of them, of her own true lover close at
+hand. But he promised himself to keep a watchful eye for the future
+upon this young gallant, and studied his features carefully, every time
+his face was raised towards Isabelle’s window, so that he should be
+sure to recognise him when he saw him again.
+
+Hérode had selected for their first representation in Poitiers a new
+play, which all the comedians were very much occupied in learning and
+rehearsing, to be followed by the Rodomontades of Captain Fracasse, in
+which de Sigognac was to make his real debut before a real public
+having only acted as yet to an audience of calves, horned cattle, and
+peasants in Bellombre’s barn. He was studying diligently under the
+direction of Blazius, who was more devoted to him than ever, and who
+had proposed something which was a most welcome suggestion to the
+sensitive young baron. This was for him to wear what is called a
+half-mask, which covers only the forehead and nose, but if arranged
+with skill alters entirely the wearer’s appearance—so that his nearest
+friend would not recognise him—without interfering materially with his
+comfort. This idea de Sigognac hailed with delight, for it insured his
+preserving his incognito; the light pasteboard screen seemed to him
+like the closed visor of a helmet, behind which he need not shrink from
+facing the enemy—that is to stay the gazing crowd on the other side of
+the foot-lights. With it he would take merely the part of the unknown,
+concealed intelligence that directs the movements of the marionette,
+and the voice that makes it speak; only he should be within it, instead
+of behind the scenes pulling the strings—his dignity would have nothing
+to suffer in playing the game in that manner, and for this relief from
+a dreaded ordeal he was unspeakably thankful. Blazius, who never could
+take too much pains in the service of his dear baron, himself modelled
+and fashioned the little mask, very deftly, so as to make his stage
+physiognomy as unlike his real, every-day countenance as possible. A
+prominent nose, very red at the point, bushy, high-arched eyebrows, and
+an immensely heavy mustache drooping over his mouth, completely
+disguised the well-cut, regular features of the handsome young
+nobleman, and although in reality it only concealed the forehead and
+nose, yet it transfigured the whole face.
+
+There was to be a dress rehearsal the evening before the first
+representation, so that they might judge of the general effect in their
+improvised theatre, and test its capabilities; and as the actresses
+could not very well go through the streets in full costume, they were
+to finish their toilets in the green-room, while the actor themselves
+ready for the stage in the small dressing-closets set aside for that
+purpose. All the gentlemen in Poitiers, young and old, were wild to
+penetrate into this temple, or rather sacristy, of Thalia, where the
+priestesses of that widely worshipped muse adorned themselves to
+celebrate her mysterious rites, and a great number of them had
+succeeded in gaining admittance. They crowded round the actresses,
+offering advice as to the placing of a flower or a jewel, handing the
+powder-box or the rouge-pot, presenting the little hand-mirror, taking
+upon themselves all such small offices with the greatest
+“_empressement_,” and vying with each other in their gallant attendance
+upon the fair objects of their admiration; the younger and more timid
+among them holding a little aloof and sitting on the large chests
+scattered about, swinging their feet and twisting their mustaches,
+while they watched the proceedings of their bolder companions with
+envious eyes. Each actress had her own circle of admiring cavaliers
+about her, paying her high-flown compliments in the exaggerated
+language of the day, and doing their best to make themselves agreeable
+in every way they could think of. Zerbine laughed at them all, and made
+fun of them unmercifully, turning everything they said into ridicule;
+yet so coquettishly that they thought her bewitching, in spite of her
+sharp tongue, which was like a two-edged sword. Serafina, whose vanity
+was overweening, delighted in the fulsome homage paid to her charms,
+and smiled encouragingly upon her throng of admirers, but Isabelle, who
+was intensely annoyed at the whole thing, did not pay the slightest
+attention to them, nor even once raise her eyes to look at them; being
+apparently absorbed in the duties of her toilet, which she accomplished
+as quietly and modestly as possible—having left only the finishing
+touches to be given in that public place.
+
+The Duke of Vallombreuse was careful, of course, not to miss this
+excellent opportunity, of which he had been informed by Maître Bilot,
+to see Isabelle again, and entering the green-room in good season,
+followed by his friend Vidalinc, marched straight up to her
+toilet-table. He was enchanted to find that, on this close inspection,
+she was even more beautiful than he had supposed, and in his
+enthusiastic delight at this discovery could scarcely refrain from
+seizing her in his arms and declaring his passion there and then; only
+the presence of the crowd of lookers-on saved Isabelle from what would
+have been a most trying and painful scene.
+
+The young duke was superbly dressed. He had spared no pains, for he
+wanted to dazzle Isabelle, and he certainly did look splendidly
+handsome. He wore a magnificent costume of rich white satin, slashed
+and trimmed with crimson, with many knots of ribbon about it fastened
+with diamond clasps, with broad ruffles of exquisitely fine lace at
+throat and wrists, with a wide belt of cloth of silver supporting his
+sword, and with perfumed gloves on the hands that held his white felt
+hat, with its long crimson feather. His wavy black hair fell around the
+perfect oval of his face, enhancing its smooth whiteness; a delicate
+mustache shaded, not concealed, his full red lips; his splendid, great
+black eyes flashed through their thick, silky fringes, and his neck,
+white and round as a marble column, rose from amid its surrounding of
+soft, priceless lace, proudly supporting his haughty, handsome head.
+Yet with all this perfection of outline and colouring, his appearance
+was not entirely pleasing; a repelling haughtiness shone out through
+the perfectly modelled features, and it was but too evident that the
+joys and sorrows of his fellow mortals would awaken no sympathy in the
+owner of that surpassingly handsome face and form. He believed that he
+was not made of common clay like other men, but was a being of a higher
+order, who condescended to mingle with his inferiors—a piece of fine
+porcelain amid homely vessels of coarser earthenware.
+
+Vallombreuse stationed himself silently close beside the mirror on
+Isabelle’s dressing-table, leaning one elbow on its frame all the other
+gallants respectfully making way for him—just where she could not
+possibly help seeing him whenever she looked in the glass; a skilful
+manœuvre, which would surely have succeeded with any other than this
+modest young girl. He wished to produce an impression, before
+addressing a word to her, by his personal beauty, his lordly mien, and
+his magnificence of apparel. Isabelle, who had instantly recognised the
+audacious gallant of the garden, and who was displeased by the
+imperious ardour of his gaze, redoubled her reserve of manner, and did
+not lift her eyes to the mirror in front of her at all; she did not
+even seem to be aware that one of the handsomest young noblemen in all
+France was standing there before her, trying to win a glance from her
+lovely eyes—but then, she was a singular girl, this sweet Isabelle! At
+length, exasperated by her utter indifference, Vallombreuse suddenly
+took the initiative, and said to her, “Mademoiselle, you take the part
+of Sylvia in this new play, do you not?”
+
+“Yes, sir,” Isabelle answered curtly, without looking at him—not able
+to evade this direct question.
+
+“Then never will a part have been so admirably played,” continued the
+duke. “If it is poor your acting will make it excellent, if it is fine
+you will make it peerless. Ah! happy indeed the poet whose verses are
+intrusted to those lovely lips of yours.”
+
+These vague compliments were only such as admiring gallants were in the
+habit of lavishing upon pretty actresses, and Isabelle could not with
+any show of reason resent it openly, but she acknowledged it only by a
+very slight bend of the head, and still without looking up. At this
+moment de Sigognac entered the green-room; he was masked and in full
+costume, just buckling around his waist the belt of the big sword he
+had inherited from Matamore, with the cobweb dangling from the
+scabbard. He also marched straight up to Isabelle, and was received
+with a radiant smile.
+
+“You are capitally gotten up,” she said to him in a low, tone, so low
+that he had to bend down nearer her to hear, “and I am sure that no
+fierce Spanish captain ever had a more superbly arrogant air than you.”
+
+The Duke of Vallombreuse drew himself up to his full height, and looked
+this unwelcome new-comer over from head to foot, with an air of the
+coolest, most haughty disdain. “This must be the contemptible scoundrel
+they say she’s in love with,” he said to himself, swelling with
+indignation and spite—filled with amazement too—for he could not
+conceive of a woman’s hesitating for an instant between the magnificent
+young Duke of Vallombreuse and this ridiculous play-actor. After the
+first rapid glance he made as if he did not perceive de Sigognac at
+all, no more than if he had been a piece of furniture standing there;
+for him Captain Fracasse was not a _man_, but a _thing_, and he
+continued to gaze fixedly at poor Isabelle—his eyes fairly blazing with
+passion—exactly as though no one was near. She, confused at last, and
+alarmed, blushed painfully, in spite of all her efforts to appear calm
+and unmoved, and hastened to finish what little remained to be done, so
+that she might make her escape, for she could see de Sigognac’s hand
+close spasmodically on the handle of his sword, and, realizing how he
+must be feeling, feared an outbreak on his part. With trembling fingers
+she adjusted a little black “_mouche_” near the corner of her pretty
+mouth, and pushed back her chair preparatory to rising from it—having a
+legitimate cause for haste, as the tyrant had already more than once
+roared out from the stage door, “Mesdemoiselles, are you ready?”
+
+“Permit me, mademoiselle,” said the duke starting forward, “you have
+forgotten to put on an ‘_assassine_,’” and touching the tip of his
+forefinger to his lips he plunged it into the box of patches standing
+open on the dressing-table, and brought one out on it. “Permit me to
+put it on for you—here, just above your snowy bosom; it will enhance
+its exquisite whiteness.”
+
+The action followed so quickly upon the words that Isabelle, terrified
+at this cruel effrontery, had scarcely time to start to one side, and
+so escape his profane touch; but the duke was not one to be easily
+balked in anything he particularly desired to do, and pressing nearer
+he again extended his hand towards Isabelle’s white neck, and had
+almost succeeded in accomplishing his object, when his arm was seized
+from behind, and held firmly in a grasp of iron.
+
+Furiously angry, he turned his head to see who had dared to lay hands
+upon his sacred person, and perceived that it was the odious Captain
+Fracasse.
+
+“My lord duke,” said he calmly, still holding his wrist firmly,
+“Mademoiselle is in need of no assistance from you, or any one else, in
+this matter.” Then his grasp relaxed and he let go of the duke’s arm.
+
+Vallombreuse, who looked positively hideous at that moment, his face
+pale to ghastliness and disfigured by the rage he felt, grasped the
+hilt of his sword with the hand released by de Sigognac, and drew it
+partly out of its scabbard, as if he meant to attack him, his eyes
+flashing fire and every feature working in its frenzy—the baron
+meanwhile standing perfectly motionless, quietly awaiting the onset.
+
+But ere he had touched him the duke stopped short; a sudden thought had
+extinguished his blazing fury like a douche of cold water; his
+self-control returned, his face resumed its wonted expression, the
+colour came to his lips, and his eyes showed the most icy disdain, the
+most supreme contempt that it could be possible for one human being to
+manifest for another. He had remembered just in time that he must not
+so greatly demean himself as to cross swords with a person of no birth,
+and an actor besides; all his pride revolted at the bare idea of such a
+thing. An insult coming from a creature so low in the social scale
+could not reach him. Does a gentleman declare war upon the mud that
+bespatters him? However, it was not in his character to leave an
+offence unpunished, no matter whence it proceeded, and stepping nearer
+to de Sigognac he said, “You impertinent scoundrel, I will have every
+bone in your body broken for you with cudgels, by my lackeys.”
+
+“You’d better take care what you do, my lord,” answered the baron, in
+the most tranquil tone and with the most careless air imaginable,
+“you’d much better take care what you do! My bones are not so easily
+broken, but cudgels may be. I do not put up with blows anywhere but on
+the stage.”
+
+“However insolent you may choose to be, you graceless rascal, you
+cannot provoke me to do you so much honour as to attack you myself;
+that is too high an ambition for such as you to realize,” said
+Vallombreuse, scornfully.
+
+“We will see about that, my lord duke,” de Sigognac replied; “it may
+happen that I, having less pride than yourself, will fight you, and
+conquer you, with my own hands.”
+
+“I do not dispute with a masker,” said the duke shortly, taking
+Vidalinc’s arm as if to depart.
+
+“I will show you my face, duke, at a more fitting time and place,” de
+Sigognac continued composedly, “and I think it will be still more
+distasteful to you than my false nose. But enough for the present. I
+hear the bell that summons me, and if I wait any longer here with you I
+shall miss my entry at the proper moment.”
+
+He turned on his heel and leisurely walked off, with admirable
+nonchalance, leaving the haughty duke very much disconcerted, and at a
+disadvantage, as indeed de Sigognac had cleverly managed that he should
+be throughout the brief interview.
+
+The comedians were charmed with his courage and coolness, but, knowing
+his real rank, were not so much astonished as the other spectators of
+this extraordinary scene, who were both shocked and amazed at such
+temerity.
+
+Isabelle was so terrified and excited by this fierce altercation that a
+deathly pallor had overspread her troubled face, and Zerbine, who had
+flown to her assistance, had to fetch some of her own rouge and bestow
+it plentifully upon the colourless lips and cheeks before she could
+obey the tyrant’s impatient call, again resounding through the
+green-room.
+
+When she tried to rise her trembling knees had nearly given way under
+her, and but for the _soubrette’s_ kind support she must have fallen to
+the floor. To have been the cause, though innocently, of a quarrel like
+this was a terrible blow to poor Isabelle sweet, pure, modest child
+that she was—for she knew that it is a dreadful thing for any woman to
+have her name mixed up in such an affair, and shrank from the publicity
+that could not fail to be given to it; besides, she loved de Sigognac
+with fervour and devotion, though she had never acknowledged it to him,
+and the thought of the danger to which he was exposed, of a secret
+attack by the duke’s hired ruffians, or even of a duel with his
+lordship himself, drove her well-nigh frantic with grief and terror.
+
+In spite of this untoward incident, the rehearsal went on, and very
+smoothly; the theatre was found to be all that they could desire, and
+everybody acted with much spirit. Even poor, trembling Isabelle did
+herself credit, though her heart was heavy within her; but for de
+Sigognac’s dear sake, whose anxious glances she strove to meet with a
+reassuring smile, she succeeded in controlling her emotion, and felt
+inspired to do her very best. As to Captain Fracasse, excited by the
+quarrel, he acted superbly. Zerbine surpassed herself. Shouts of
+laughter and storms of clapping followed her animated words and
+gestures. From one corner, near the orchestra, came such vigorous
+bursts of applause, leading all the rest and lasting longer than any,
+that at last Zerbine’s attention was attracted and her curiosity
+excited.
+
+Approaching the foot-lights, in such a way as to make it appear part of
+her usual by-play, she peered over them and caught sight of her
+marquis, beaming with smiles and flushed from his violent efforts in
+her behalf.
+
+“The marquis is here,” she managed to whisper to Blazius, who was
+playing Pandolphe; “just look at him! how delighted he is, and how he
+applauds me—till he is actually red in the face, the dear man! So he
+admires my acting, does he? Well, he shall have a spicy specimen of it,
+then.”
+
+Zerbine kept her word, and, from that on to the end of the piece,
+played with redoubled spirit. She was never so sparkling, so
+bewitchingly coquettish, so charmingly mischievous before, and the
+delighted marquis was more fascinated than ever. The new play, entitled
+“Lygdamon et Lydias,” and written by a certain Georges de Scudéry (a
+gentleman who, after having served with honour in the French Guards,
+quitted the sword for the pen, which he wielded with equal success),
+was next rehearsed, and highly approved by all—without a single
+dissenting voice. Leander, who played the leading part of Lygdamon, was
+really admirable in it, and entertained high hopes of the effect he
+should produce upon the fair ladies of Poitiers and its environs.
+
+But we will leave our comedians now, and follow the Duke of
+Vallombreuse and his devoted friend Vidalinc.
+
+Quite beside himself with rage, the young duke, after the scene in the
+green-room in which he had played so unsatisfactory a part to himself,
+returned to his own home and there raved to Vidalinc about his revenge,
+threatening the insolent captain with all manner of punishments, and
+going on like a madman. His friend tried in vain to soothe him.
+
+He rushed wildly around the room, wringing his hands, kicking the
+furniture about right and left, upsetting tables and arm-chairs, and
+finally, seizing a large Japanese vase, very curious and costly, threw
+it violently on the floor, where it broke into a thousand pieces.
+
+“Oh!” he shrieked, “if I could only smash that abominable blackguard
+like this vase, trample him under foot as I do this debris, and then
+have the remains of him swept up and thrown out into the dust-heap,
+where he belongs. A miserable scoundrel, that dares to interpose
+between me, the Duke of Vallombreuse, and the object of my desires! If
+he were only a gentleman I would fight him, on foot or on horseback,
+with swords, daggers, pistols, anything in the shape of a weapon, until
+I had him down, with my foot on his breast, and could spit into the
+face of his corpse.”
+
+“Perhaps he is one,” said Vidalinc; “his audacious defiance looks like
+it. You remember what Maître Bilot told you about Isabelle’s favoured
+lover? This must be the one, judging by his jealousy of you, and the
+agitation of the girl.”
+
+“Do you really mean what you say?” cried Vallombreuse, contemptuously.
+“What! a man of birth and condition mingle voluntarily and on terms of
+equality with these low buffoons of actors, paint his nose red, and
+strut about the stage, receiving cuffs and kicks from everybody? Oh no,
+Vidalinc, the thing is impossible.”
+
+“But just remember,” persisted the chevalier, “that mighty Jove himself
+resorted to the expedient of adopting the shapes of various beasts, as
+well as birds, in his terrestrial love affairs, which was surely much
+more derogatory to the majesty of the king of the gods than to play in
+a comedy is to the dignity of a gentleman.”
+
+“Never mind,” said the duke, as he rang a small hand bell sharply; “be
+he what he may, I intend first to have the scamp well punished in his
+character of play-actor; even though I should be obliged to chastise
+the gentleman afterward, if there prove to be one hidden behind that
+ridiculous mask—which idea I cannot credit.”
+
+“If there be one! There’s no doubt of it, I tell you,” rejoined his
+friend, with an air of conviction. “The more I think of it, the more
+positive I am of it. Why, his eyes shone like stars under his
+overhanging false eye-brows, and in spite of his absurd pasteboard nose
+he had a grand, majestic air about him that was very imposing, and
+would be utterly impossible to a low-born man.”
+
+“Well, so much the better,” said Vallombreuse; “for if you are right, I
+can make his punishment twofold.”
+
+Meantime a servant, in rich livery, had entered, and after bowing low
+stood as motionless as a statue, with one hand on the knob of the door,
+awaiting his master’s orders; which were presently given, as follows:
+“Go and call up Basque, Azolan, Mérindol, and Labriche, if they have
+gone to bed; tell them to arm themselves with stout cudgels and go down
+to the tennis-court, find a dark corner near by and wait there, until
+the players come out, for a certain Captain Fracasse. They are to fall
+upon him and beat him until they leave him for dead upon the pavement,
+but to be careful not to kill him outright—it might be thought that I
+was afraid of him if they did, you know,” in an aside to Vidalinc.
+
+“I will be responsible for the consequences; and with every blow they
+are to cry, ‘This is from the Duke of Vallombreuse,’ so that he may
+understand plainly what it means.”
+
+This order, though of so savage and fierce a nature, did not seem to
+surprise the lackey, who, as he retired, assured his lordship, with an
+unmoved countenance and another low bow, that his commands should be
+immediately obeyed.
+
+“I am sorry,” said Vidalinc, after the servant had closed the door
+behind him, “that you mean to treat this man so roughly, for after all
+he showed a spirit superior to his position, and becoming a gentleman.
+Suppose you let me go and pick a quarrel with him, and kill him for you
+in a duel. All blood is red when it is shed, the lowly as well as the
+lofty, though they do pretend that the blood of the nobles is blue. I
+come of a good and ancient family, if not so high in rank as yours, and
+I have no fear of belittling myself in this affair. Only say the word,
+and I will go this instant, for this histrionic captain is, it seems to
+me, more worthy of the sword of a gentleman than the cudgels of your
+hired ruffians.”
+
+“I thank you heartily for this offer,” answered the duke, “which proves
+your faithful devotion to me and my interests, but I cannot accept it.
+That low scoundrel has dared to lay hands upon me, and he must expiate
+his crime in the most ignominious way. Should he prove to be a
+gentleman, he will be able to find redress. I never fail to respond, as
+you know, when there is question of settling a matter by the sword.”
+
+“As you please, my lord duke,” said Vidalinc, stretching out his legs
+lazily and putting his feet on the fender, with the air of a man who
+can do no more, but must stand aside and let things take their own
+course. “By the way, do you know that that Serafina is charming? I paid
+her several compliments, which were very graciously received; and more
+than that, she has promised to allow me to call upon her, and appointed
+the time. She is a very amiable as well as beautiful young woman.
+Maître Bilot was perfectly correct in his statements to us.”
+
+After which the two gentlemen awaited, in almost unbroken silence, the
+return of the _four_ ruffians who had gone forth to chastise de
+Sigognac.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+A MÊLÉE AND A DUEL
+
+
+The rehearsal was over, and the comedians were preparing to return to
+their hotel; de Sigognac, expecting some sort of an assault on his way
+through the deserted streets, did not lay aside Matamore’s big sword
+with the rest of his costume. It was an excellent Spanish blade, very
+long, and with a large basket hilt, which made a perfect protection for
+the hand—altogether a weapon which, wielded by a brave man, was by no
+means to be despised, and which could give, as well as parry, good hard
+thrusts. Though scarcely able to inflict a mortal wound, as the point
+and edge had been blunted, according to the usual custom of theatrical
+sword owners, it would be, however, all that was requisite to defend
+its wearer against the cudgels of the ruffians that the Duke of
+Vallombreuse had despatched to administer his promised punishment.
+Hérode, who also anticipated an attack upon de Sigognac, and was not
+one to desert a friend when danger threatened, took the precaution to
+arm himself with the big heavy club that was used to give the
+signal—three loud raps—for the rising of the curtain, which made a very
+formidable weapon, and would do good service in his strong hands.
+
+“Captain,” said he to the baron as they quitted the tennis-court, “we
+will let the women go on a little way in advance of us, under the
+escort of Blazius and Leander, one of whom is too old, the other too
+cowardly, to be of any service to us in case of need. And we don’t want
+to have their fair charges terrified, and deafening us with their
+shrieks. Scapin shall accompany us, for he knows a clever trick or two
+for tripping a man up, that I have seen him perform admirably in
+several wrestling bouts. He will lay one or two of our assailants flat
+on their backs for us before they can turn round. In any event here is
+my good club, to supplement your good sword.”
+
+“Thanks, my brave friend Hérode,” answered de Sigognac, “your kind
+offer is not one to be refused; but let us take our precautions not to
+be surprised, though we are in force. We will march along in single
+file, through the very middle of the street, so that these rogues,
+lurking in dark corners, will have to emerge from their hiding places
+to come out to us, and we shall be able to see them before they can
+strike us. I will draw my sword, you brandish your club, and Scapin
+must cut a pigeon wing, so as to make sure that his legs are supple and
+in good working order. Now, forward march!”
+
+He put himself at the head of the little column, and advanced
+cautiously into the narrow street that led from the tennis-court to the
+hotel of the _Armes de France_, which was very crooked, badly paved,
+devoid of lamps, and capitally well calculated for an ambuscade. The
+overhanging gable-ends on either side of the way made the darkness in
+the street below them still more dense—a most favourable circumstance
+for the ruffians lying in wait there. Not a single ray of light
+streamed forth from the shut-up house whose inmates were presumably all
+sleeping soundly in their comfortable beds, and there was no moon that
+night. Basque, Azolan, Labriche and Mérindol had been waiting more than
+half an hour for Captain Fracasse in this street, which they knew he
+was obliged to pass through in returning to his hotel. They had
+disposed themselves in pairs on opposite sides of the way, so that when
+he was between them their clubs could all play upon him together, like
+the hammers of the Cyclops on their great anvil. The passing of the
+group of women, escorted by Blazius and Leander, none of whom perceived
+them, had warned them of the approach of their victim, and they stood
+awaiting his appearance, firmly grasping their cudgels in readiness to
+pounce upon him; little dreaming of the reception in store for them—for
+ordinarily, indeed one may say invariably, the poets, actors,
+_bourgeois_, and such-like, whom the nobles condescended to have
+cudgeled by their hired ruffians, employed expressly for that purpose,
+took their chastisement meekly, and without attempting to make any
+resistance. Despite the extreme darkness of the night, the baron, with
+his penetrating eyes, made out the forms of the four villains lying in
+wait for him, at some distance, and before he came up with them stopped
+and made as if he meant to turn back—which ruse deceived them
+completely—and fearing that their prey was about to escape them, they
+rushed impetuously forth from their hiding places towards him. Azolan
+was the first, closely followed by the others, and all crying at the
+tops of their voices, “Kill! Kill! this for Captain Fracasse, from the
+Duke of Vallombreuse.” Meantime de Sigognac had wound his large cloak
+several times round his left arm for a shield, and receiving upon it
+the first blow from Azolan’s cudgel, returned it with such a violent
+lunge, full in his antagonist’s breast, that the miserable fellow went
+over backward, with great force, right into the gutter running down the
+middle of the street, with his head in the mud and his heels in the
+air. If the point of the sword had not been blunted, it would
+infallibly have gone through his body, and come out between his
+shoulder-blades, leaving a dead man, instead of only a stunned one, on
+the ground. Basque, in spite of his comrade’s disaster, advanced to the
+charge bravely, but a furious blow on his head, with the flat of the
+blade, sent him down like a shot, and made him see scores of stars,
+though there was not one visible in the sky that night. The tyrant’s
+club encountering Mérindol’s cudgel broke it short off, and the latter
+finding himself disarmed, took to his heels; not however without
+receiving a tremendous blow on the shoulder before he could get out of
+Hérode’s reach. Scapin, for his part, had seized Labriche suddenly
+round the waist from behind, pinning down his arms so that he could not
+use his club at all, and raising him from the ground quickly, with one
+dexterous movement tripped him up, and sent him rolling on the pavement
+ten paces off, so violently that he was knocked senseless—the back of
+his neck coming in contact with a projecting stone—and lay apparently
+lifeless where he fell.
+
+So the way was cleared, and the victory in this fierce encounter was
+honourably gained by our hero and his two companions over the four
+sturdy ruffians, who had never been defeated before. They were in a
+sorry plight—Azolan and Basque creeping stealthily away, on their hands
+and knees, trying under cover of the darkness to put themselves beyond
+the reach of further danger; Labriche lying motionless, like a drunken
+man, across the gutter, and Mérindol, less badly hurt, flying towards
+home as fast as his legs could carry him. As he drew near the house,
+however, he slackened his pace, for he dreaded the duke’s anger more
+than Hérode’s club, and almost forgot, for the moment, the terrible
+agony from his dislocated shoulder, from which the arm hung down
+helpless and inert. Scarcely had he entered the outer door ere he was
+summoned to the presence of the duke, who was all impatient to learn
+the details of the tremendous thrashing that, he took it for granted,
+they had given to Captain Fracasse. When Mérindol was ushered in,
+frightened and embarrassed, trembling in every limb, not knowing what
+to say or do, and suffering fearfully from his injured shoulder, he
+paused at the threshold, and stood speechless and motionless, waiting
+breathlessly for a word or gesture of encouragement from the duke, who
+glared at him in silence.
+
+“Well,” at length said the Chevalier de Vidalinc to the discomfited
+Mérindol, seeing that Vallombreuse only stared at him savagely and did
+not seem inclined to speak, “what news do you bring us? Bad, I am sure,
+for you have by no means a triumphant air—very much the reverse,
+indeed, I should say.”
+
+“My lord, the duke, of course cannot doubt our zeal in striving to
+execute his orders, to the best of our ability,” said Mérindol,
+cringingly, “but this time we have had very bad luck.”
+
+“What do you mean by that?” asked the duke sharply, with an angry frown
+and flashing eyes, before which the stout ruffian quailed. “There were
+four of you! do you mean to tell me that, among you, you could not
+succeed in thrashing this miserable play-actor?”
+
+“That miserable play-actor, my lord,” Mérindol replied, plucking up a
+little courage, “far exceeds in vigour and bravery the great Hercules
+they tell us of. He fell upon us with such fury that in one instant he
+had knocked Azolan and Basque down into the gutter. They fell under his
+blows like pasteboard puppets—yet they are both strong men, and used to
+hard knocks. Labriche was tripped up and cleverly thrown by another
+actor, and fell with such force that he was completely stunned; the
+back of his head has found out that the stones of Poitiers pavements
+are harder than it is, poor fellow! As for me, my thick club was broken
+short off by an immense stick in the hands of that giant they call
+Hérode, and my shoulder so badly hurt that I sha’n’t have the use of my
+arm here for a fortnight.”
+
+“You are no better than so many calves, you pitiful, cowardly knaves!”
+cried the Duke of Vallombreuse, in a perfect frenzy of rage. “Why, any
+old woman could put you to rout with her distaff, and not half try. I
+made a horrid mistake when I rescued you from the galleys and the
+gallows, and took you into my service, believing that you were brave
+rascals, and not afraid of anything or anybody on the face of the
+globe. And now, answer me this: When you found that clubs would not do,
+why didn’t you whip out your swords and have at him?”
+
+“My lord had given us orders for a beating, not an assassination, and
+we would not have dared to go beyond his commands.”
+
+“Behold,” cried Vidalinc, laughing contemptuously, “behold a faithful,
+exact and conscientious scoundrel whose obedience does not deviate so
+much as a hair’s breadth from his lord’s commands. How delightful and
+refreshing to find such purity and fidelity, combined with such rare
+courage, in the character of a professional cut-throat! But now,
+Vallombreuse, what do you think of all this? This chase of yours opens
+well, and romantically, in a manner that must be immensely pleasing to
+you, since you find the pursuit agreeable in proportion to its
+difficulty, and the obstacles in the way constitute its greatest charms
+for you. I ought to congratulate you, it seems to me. This Isabelle,
+for an actress, is not easy of access; she dwells in a fortress,
+without drawbridge or other means of entrance, and guarded, as we read
+of in the history of ancient chivalry, by dragons breathing out flames
+of fire and smoke. But here comes our routed army.”
+
+Azolan, Basque, and Labriche, who had recovered from his swoon, now
+presented themselves reluctantly at the door, and stood extending their
+hands supplicatingly towards their master. They were a
+miserable-looking set of wretches enough—very pale, fairly livid
+indeed, haggard, dirty and blood-stained; for although they had only
+contused wounds, the force of the blows had set the blood flowing from
+their noses, and great red stains disfigured their hideous
+countenances.
+
+“Get to your kennel, ye hounds!” cried the duke, in a terrible voice,
+being moved only to anger by the sight of this forlorn group of
+supplicants. “I’m sure I don’t know why I have not ordered you all
+soundly thrashed for your imbecility and cowardice. I shall send you my
+surgeon to examine your wounds, and see whether the thumps you make
+such a babyish outcry about really were as violent and overpowering as
+you represent. If they were not, I will have you skinned alive, every
+mother’s son of you, like the eels at Melun; and now, begone! out of my
+sight, quick, you vile _canaille!_” The discomfited ruffians turned and
+fled, thankful to make their escape, and forgetful for the moment of
+their painful wounds and bruises; such abject terror did the young
+duke’s anger inspire in the breasts of those hardened villains. When
+the poor devils had disappeared, Vallombreuse threw himself down on a
+heap of cushions, piled up on a low, broad divan beside the fire, and
+fell into a revery that Vidalinc was careful not to break in upon. They
+evidently were not pleasant thoughts that occupied him; dark,
+tempestuous ones rather, judging by the expression of his handsome
+face, as he lay back idly among the soft pillows, looking very
+picturesque in the rich showy costume he still wore. He did not remain
+there long. Only a short time had elapsed when he suddenly started up,
+with a smothered imprecation, and bidding his friend an abrupt
+good-night, retired to his own chamber, without touching the dainty
+little supper that had just been brought in. Vidalinc sat down and
+enjoyed it by himself, with perfect good humour, thinking meanwhile of
+Serafina’s remarkable beauty and amiability, with which he was highly
+charmed, and not neglecting to drink her health in the duke’s choice
+wine ere he quitted the table, and, following his example, retired to
+his own room, where he slept soundly, dreaming of Serafina, until
+morning; while Vallombreuse, less fortunate, and still haunted by
+disturbing thoughts, tossed restlessly, and turned from side to side,
+courting sleep in vain, under the rich silken hangings drawn round his
+luxurious bed.
+
+When de Sigognac, the tyrant and Scapin reached the _Armes de France_,
+after having overcome the serious obstacles in their way, they found
+the others in a terrible state of alarm about them. In the stillness of
+the night they had distinctly heard the loud cries of the duke’s
+ruffians, and the noise of the fierce combat, and feared that their
+poor friends were being murdered. Isabelle, nearly frantic in her
+terror lest her lover should be overpowered and slain, tried to rush
+back to him, never remembering that she would be more of a hindrance
+than a help; but at the first step she had again almost fainted away,
+and would have fallen upon the rough pavement but for Blazius and
+Zerbine, who, each taking an arm, supported her between them the rest
+of the way to the hotel When they reached it at last, she refused to go
+to her own room, but waited with the others at the outer door for news
+of their comrades, fearing the worst, yet prayerfully striving to hope
+for the best. At sight of de Sigognac—who, alarmed at her extreme
+pallor, hastened anxiously to her side—she impetuously raised her arms
+to heaven, as a low cry of thanksgiving escaped her lips, and letting
+them fall around his neck, for one moment hid her streaming eyes
+against his shoulder; but quickly regaining her self-control, she
+withdrew herself gently from the detaining arm that had fondly
+encircled her slender, yielding form, and stepping back from him a
+little, resumed with a strong effort her usual reserve and quiet
+dignity.
+
+“And you are not wounded or hurt?” she asked, in her sweetest tones,
+her face glowing with happiness as she caught his reassuring gesture;
+he could not speak yet for emotion. The clasp of her arms round his
+neck had been like a glimpse of heaven to him a moment of divine
+ecstasy. “Ah! if he could only snatch her to his breast and hold her
+there forever,” he was thinking, “close to the heart that beat for her
+alone,” as she continued: “If the slightest harm had befallen you,
+because of me, I should have died of grief. But, oh! how imprudent you
+were, to defy that handsome, wicked duke, who has the assurance and the
+pride of Lucifer himself, for the sake of a poor, insignificant girl
+like me. You were not reasonable, de Sigognac! Now that you are a
+comedian, like the rest of us, you must learn to put up with certain
+impertinences and annoyances, without attempting to resent them.”
+
+“I never will,” said de Sigognac, finding his voice at last, “I swear
+it, I never will permit an affront to be offered to the adorable
+Isabelle in my presence even when I have on my player’s mask.”
+
+“Well spoken, captain,” cried Hérode, “well spoken, and bravely. I
+would not like to be the man to incur your wrath. By the powers above!
+what a fierce reception you gave those rascals yonder. It was lucky for
+them that poor Matamore’s sword had no edge. If it had been sharp and
+pointed, you would have cleft them from head to heels, clean in two, as
+the ancient knight-errants did the Saracens, and wicked enchanters.”
+
+“Your club did as much execution as my sword, Hérode, and your
+conscience need not reproach you, for they were not innocents that you
+slaughtered this time.”
+
+“No, indeed!” the tyrant rejoined, with a mighty laugh, “the flower of
+the galleys these—the cream of gallows-birds.”
+
+“Such jobs would scarcely be undertaken by any other class of fellows
+you know,” de Sigognac said; “but we must not neglect to make Scapin’s
+valiant deeds known, and praise them as they deserve. He fought and
+conquered without the aid of any other arms than those that nature gave
+him.”
+
+Scapin, who was a natural buffoon, acknowledged this encomium with a
+very low obeisance—his eyes cast down, his hand on his heart—and with
+such an irresistibly comical affectation of modesty and embarrassment
+that they all burst into a hearty laugh, which did them much good after
+the intense excitement and alarm.
+
+After this, as it was late, the comedians bade each other good-night,
+and retired to their respective rooms; excepting de Sigognac, who
+remained for a while in the court, walking slowly back and forth,
+cogitating deeply. The actor was avenged, but the gentleman was not.
+Must he then throw aside the mask that concealed his identity, proclaim
+his real name, make a commotion, and run the risk of drawing down upon
+his comrades the anger of a powerful nobleman? Prudence said no, but
+honour said yes. The baron could not resist its imperious voice, and
+the moment that he decided to obey it he directed his steps towards
+Zerbine’s room.
+
+He knocked gently at the door, which was opened cautiously, a very
+little way at first, by a servant, who instantly admitted the
+unexpected guest when he saw who it was.
+
+The large room was brilliantly lighted, with many rose-coloured wax
+candles in two handsome candelabra on a table covered with fine damask,
+on which smoked a dainty supper. Game and various other delicacies were
+there, most temptingly served. One crystal decanter, with sprigs of
+gold scattered over its shining surface, was filled with wine rivalling
+the ruby in depth and brilliancy of hue, while that in the other was
+clear and yellow as a topaz. Only two places had been laid on this
+festive board, and opposite Zerbine sat the Marquis de Bruyères, of
+whom de Sigognac was in search. The _soubrette_ welcomed him warmly,
+with a graceful mingling of the actress’s familiarity with her comrade
+with her respect for the gentleman.
+
+“It is very charming of you to come and join us here, in our cosy
+little nest,” said the marquis to de Sigognac, with much cordiality,
+“and we are right glad to welcome you. Jacques, lay a place for this
+gentleman—you will sup with us?”
+
+“I will accept your kind invitation,” de Sigognac replied; “but not for
+the sake of the supper. I do not wish to interfere with your enjoyment,
+and nothing is so disagreeable for those at table as a looker-on who is
+not eating with them.”
+
+The baron accordingly sat down in the arm-chair rolled up for him by
+the servant, beside Zerbine and opposite the marquis, who helped him to
+some of the partridge he had been carving, and filled his wine-glass
+for him; all without asking any questions as to what brought him there,
+or even hinting at it. But he felt sure that it must be something of
+importance that had caused the usually reserved and retiring young
+nobleman to take such a step as this.
+
+“Do you like this red wine best or the other?” asked the marquis. “As
+for me, I drink some of both, so that there may be no jealous feeling
+between them.”
+
+“I prefer the red wine, thank you,” de Sigognac said, with a smile,
+“and will add a little water to it. I am very temperate by nature and
+habit, and mingle a certain devotion to the nymphs with my worship at
+the shrine of Bacchus, as the ancients had it. But it was not for
+feasting and drinking that I was guilty of the indiscretion of
+intruding upon you at this unseemly hour. Marquis, I have come to ask
+of you a service that one gentleman never refuses to another. Mlle.
+Zerbine has probably related to you something of what took place in the
+green-room this evening. The Duke of Vallombreuse made an attempt to
+lay hands upon Isabelle, under pretext of placing an _mouche_ for her,
+and was guilty of an insolent, outrageous, and brutal action, unworthy
+of a gentleman, which was not justified by any coquetry or advances on
+the part of that young girl, who is as pure as she is modest and for
+whom I feel the highest respect and esteem.”
+
+“And she deserves it,” said Zerbine heartily, “every word you say of
+her, as I, who know her thoroughly, can testify. I could not say
+anything but good of her, even if I would.”
+
+“I seized the duke’s arm, and stopped him before he had succeeded in
+what he meant to do,” continued de Sigognac, after a grateful glance at
+the _soubrette;_ “he was furiously angry, and assailed me with threats
+and invectives, to which I replied with a mocking _sang-froid_, from
+behind my stage mask. He declared he would have me thrashed by his
+lackeys, and in effect, as I was coming back to this house, a little
+while ago, four ruffians fell upon me in the dark, narrow street. A
+couple of blows with the flat of my sword did for two of the rascals,
+while Hérode and Scapin put the other two hors-de-combat in fine style.
+Although the duke imagined that only a poor actor was concerned, yet as
+there is also a gentleman in that actor’s skin, such an outrage cannot
+be committed with impunity. _You_ know me, marquis, though up to the
+present moment you have kindly and delicately respected my incognito,
+for which I thank you. You know who and what my ancestors were, and can
+certify that the family of de Sigognac has been noble for more than a
+thousand years, and that not one who has borne the name has ever had a
+blot on his scutcheon.”
+
+“Baron de Sigognac,” said the marquis, addressing him for the first
+time by his own name, “I will bear witness, upon my honour, before
+whomsoever you may choose to name, to the antiquity and nobility of
+your family. Palamède de Sigognac distinguished himself by wonderful
+deeds of valour in the first crusade, to which he led a hundred lances,
+equipped, and transported thither, at his own expense. That was at an
+epoch when the ancestors of some of the proudest nobles of France
+to-day were not even squires. He and Hugues de Bruyères, my own
+ancestor, were warm friends, and slept in the same tent as brothers in
+arms.”
+
+At these glorious reminiscences de Sigognac raised his head proudly,
+and held it high; he felt the pure blood of his ancestors throbbing in
+his veins, and his heart beat tumultuously. Zerbine, who was watching
+him, was surprised at the strange inward beauty—if the expression may
+be allowed—that seemed to shine through the young baron’s ordinarily
+sad countenance, and illuminate it. “These nobles,” she said to
+herself, “are certainly a race by themselves; they look as if they had
+sprung from the side of Jupiter, not been born into the world like
+ordinary mortals. At the least word their pride is up in arms, and
+transforms them, as it does the Baron de Sigognac now. If he should
+make love to me, with eyes like those, I simply could not resist him; I
+should have to throw over my marquis. Why, he fairly glows with
+heroism; he is god-like.”
+
+Meantime de Sigognac, in blissful ignorance of this ardent admiration,
+which would have been so distasteful to him, was saying to the marquis,
+“Such being your opinion of my family, you will not, I fancy, object to
+carry a challenge from me to the Duke of Vallombreuse.”
+
+“Assuredly I will do it for you,” answered the marquis, in a grave,
+measured way, widely different from his habitual good-natured, easy
+carelessness of manner and speech; “and, moreover, I offer my own
+services as your second. To-morrow morning I will present myself at the
+duke’s house in your behalf; there is one thing to be said in his
+favour—that although he may be, in fact is, very insolent, he is no
+coward, and he will no longer intrench himself behind his dignity when
+he is made acquainted with your real rank. But enough of this subject
+for the present; I will see you to-morrow morning in good season, and
+we will not weary poor Zerbine any longer with our man’s talk of
+affairs of honour. I can plainly see that she is doing her best to
+suppress a yawn, and we would a great deal rather that a smile should
+part her pretty red lips, and disclose to us the rows of pearls within.
+Come, Zerbine, fill the Baron de Sigognac’s glass, and let us be merry
+again.”
+
+The _soubrette_ obeyed, and with as much grace and dexterity as if she
+had been Hebe in person; everything that she attempted to do she did
+well, this clever little actress.
+
+The conversation became animated, and did not touch upon any other
+grave subject, but was mainly about Zerbine’s own acting—the marquis
+overwhelming her with compliments upon it, in which de Sigognac could
+truthfully and sincerely join him, for the _soubrette_ had really shown
+incomparable spirit, grace, and talent. They also talked of the
+productions of M. de Scudéry—who was one of the most brilliant writers
+of the day—which the marquis declared that he considered perfect, but
+slightly soporific; adding that he, for his part, decidedly preferred
+the Rodomontades of Captain Fracasse to Lygdamon et Lydias—he was a
+gentleman of taste, the marquis!
+
+As soon as he could do so without an actual breach of politeness, de
+Sigognac took his leave, and retiring to his own chamber locked himself
+in; then took an ancient sword out of the woollen case in which he kept
+it to preserve it from rust—his father’s sword—which he had brought
+with him from home, as a faithful friend and ally. He drew it slowly
+out of the scabbard, kissing the hilt with fervent affection and
+respect as he did so, for to him it was sacred. It was a handsome
+weapon, richly, but not too profusely, ornamented—a sword for service,
+not for show; its blade of bluish steel, upon which a few delicate
+lines of gold were traced, bore the well-known mark of one of the most
+celebrated armourers of Toledo. The young baron examined the edge
+critically, drawing his fingers lightly over it, and then, resting the
+point against the door, bent it nearly double to test its elasticity.
+The noble blade stood the trial right valiantly, and there was no fear
+of its betraying its master in the hour of need. Delighted to have it
+in his hand again, and excited by the thought of what was in store for
+it and himself, de Sigognac began to fence vigorously against the wall,
+and to practise the various thrusts and passes that his faithful old
+Pierre, who was a famous swordsman, had taught him at Castle Misery.
+They had been in the habit of spending hours every day in these
+lessons, glad of some active occupation, and the exercise had developed
+the young baron’s frame, strengthened his muscles, and greatly
+augmented his natural suppleness and agility. He was passionately fond
+of and had thoroughly studied the noble art of fencing, and, while he
+believed himself to be still only a scholar, had long been a master in
+it—a proficient, such as is rarely to be found, even in the great
+cities. A better instructor than old Pierre he could not have had—not
+in Paris itself—and buried though he had been in the depths of the
+country, entirely isolated, and deprived of all the usual advantages
+enjoyed by young men of his rank, he yet had become, though perfectly
+unconscious of it, a match for the most celebrated swordsmen in
+France—that is to say, in the world—able to measure blades with the
+best of them. He may not have had all the elegant finish, and the many
+little airs and graces affected by the young sprigs of nobility and
+polished men of fashion in their sword-play, but skilful indeed must be
+the blade that could penetrate within the narrow circle of flashing
+steel in which he intrenched himself. Finding, after a long combat with
+an imaginary foe, that his hand had not lost its cunning, and satisfied
+at length both with himself and with his sword, which he placed near
+his bedside, de Sigognac was soon sleeping soundly, and as quietly as
+if he had never even dreamed of sending a challenge to that lofty and
+puissant nobleman, the Duke of Vallombreuse.
+
+Isabelle meanwhile could not close her eyes, because of her anxiety
+about the young baron. She knew that he would not allow the matter to
+rest where it was, and she dreaded inexpressibly the consequences of a
+quarrel with the duke; but the idea of endeavouring to prevent a duel
+never even occurred to her. In those days affairs of honour were
+regarded as sacred things, that women did not dream of interfering
+with, or rendering more trying to their near and dear ones by tears and
+lamentations, in anticipation of the danger to be incurred by them.
+
+At nine o’clock the next morning, the Marquis de Bruyères was astir,
+and went to look up de Sigognac, whom he found in his own room, in
+order to regulate with him the conditions of the duel. The baron asked
+him to take with him, in case of incredulity, or refusal of his
+challenge, on the duke’s part, the old deeds and ancient parchments, to
+which large seals were suspended, the commissions of various sorts with
+royal signatures in faded ink, the genealogical tree of the de
+Sigognacs, and in fact all his credentials, which he had brought away
+from the château with him as his most precious treasures; for they were
+indisputable witnesses to the nobility and antiquity of his house.
+These valuable documents, with their strange old Gothic characters,
+scarcely decipherable save by experts, were carefully wrapped up in a
+piece of faded crimson silk, which looked as if it might have been part
+of the very banner borne by Palamède de Sigognac at the head of his
+hundred followers in the first crusade.
+
+“I do not believe,” said the marquis, “that these credentials will be
+necessary; my word should be sufficient; it has never yet been doubted.
+However, as it is possible that this hot-headed young duke may persist
+in recognising only Captain Fracasse in your person, I will let my
+servant accompany me and carry them for me to his house, in case I
+should deem it best to produce them.”
+
+“You must do whatever you think proper and right,” de Sigognac
+answered; “I have implicit confidence in your judgment, and leave my
+honour in your hands, without a condition or reservation.”
+
+“It will be safe with me, I do solemnly assure you,” said the Marquis
+de Bruyères earnestly, “and we will have satisfaction yet from this
+proud young nobleman, whose excessive insolence and outrageously
+imperious ways are more than a little offensive to me, as well as to
+many others. He is no better than the rest of us, whose blood is as
+ancient and noble as his own, nor does his ducal coronet entitle him to
+the superiority he arrogates to himself so disagreeably. But we won’t
+talk any more about it—we must act now. Words are feminine, but actions
+are masculine, and offended honour can only be appeased with blood, as
+the old saying has it.”
+
+Whereupon the marquis called his servant, consigned the precious
+packet, with an admonition, to his care, and followed by him set off on
+his mission of defiance. The duke, who had passed a restless, wakeful
+night, and only fallen asleep towards morning, was not yet up when the
+Marquis de Bruyères, upon reaching his house, told the servant who
+admitted him to announce him immediately to his master. The valet was
+aghast at the enormity of this demand, which was expressed in rather a
+peremptory tone. What! disturb the duke! before he had called for him!
+it would be as much as his life was worth to do it; he would as soon
+venture unarmed into the cage of a furious lion, or the den of a royal
+tiger. The duke was always more or less surly and ill-tempered on first
+waking in the morning, even when he had gone to bed in a good humour,
+as his servants knew to their cost.
+
+“Your lordship had much better wait a little while, or call again later
+in the day,” said the valet persuasively, in answer to the marquis. “My
+lord, the duke, has not summoned me yet, and I would not dare—”
+
+“Go this instant to your master and announce the Marquis de Bruyères,”
+interrupted that gentleman, in loud, angry tones, “or I will force the
+door and admit myself to his presence. I _must_ speak to him, and that
+at once, on important business, in which your master’s honour is
+involved.”
+
+“Ah! that makes a difference,” said the servant, promptly, “why didn’t
+your lordship mention it in the first place? I will go and tell my
+lord, the duke, forthwith; he went to bed in such a furious,
+blood-thirsty mood last night that I am sure he will be enchanted at
+the prospect of a duel this morning—delighted to have a pretext for
+fighting.”
+
+And the man went off with a resolute air, after respectfully begging
+the marquis to be good enough to wait a few minutes. At the noise he
+made in opening the door of his master’s bedroom, though he endeavoured
+to do it as softly as possible, Vallombreuse, who was only dozing,
+started up in bed, broad awake, and looked round fiercely for something
+to throw at his head.
+
+“What the devil do you mean by this?” he cried savagely. “Haven’t I
+ordered you never to come in here until I called for you? You shall
+have a hundred lashes for this, you scoundrel, I promise you; and you
+needn’t whine and beg for mercy either, for you’ll get none from me.
+I’d like to know how I am to go to sleep again now?”
+
+“My lord may have his faithful servant lashed to death, if it so please
+his lordship,” answered the valet, with abject respect, “but though I
+have dared to transgress my lord’s orders, it is not without a good
+reason. His lordship, the Marquis de Bruyères, is below, asking to
+speak with my lord, the duke, on important business, relating to an
+affair of honour, and I know that my lord never denies himself to any
+gentleman on such occasions, but always receives visits of that sort,
+at any time of day or night.”
+
+“The Marquis de Bruyères!” said the duke, surprised, “have I any
+quarrel with him? I don’t recollect a difference between us ever; and
+besides, it’s an age since I’ve seen him. Perhaps he imagines that I
+want to steal his dear Zerbine’s heart away from him; lovers are always
+fancying that everybody else is enamoured of their own particular
+favourites. Here, Picard, give me my dressing-gown, and draw those
+curtains round the bed, so as to hide its disorder; make haste about
+it, do you hear? we must not keep the worthy marquis waiting another
+minute.”
+
+Picard bustled about, and brought to his master a magnificent
+dressing-gown-made, after the Venetian fashion, of rich stuff, with
+arabesques of black velvet on a gold ground—which he slipped on, and
+tied round the waist with a superb cord and tassels; then, seating
+himself in an easychair, told Picard to admit his early visitor.
+
+“Good morning, my dear marquis,” said the young duke smilingly, half
+rising to salute his guest as he entered. “I am very glad to see you,
+whatever your errand may be. Picard, a chair for his lordship! Excuse
+me, I pray you, for receiving you so unceremoniously here in my
+bedroom, which is still in disorder, and do not look upon it as a lack
+of civility, but rather as a mark of my regard for you. Picard said
+that you wished to see me immediately.”
+
+“I must beg you to pardon _me_, my dear duke,” the marquis hastened to
+reply, “for insisting so strenuously upon disturbing your repose, and
+cutting short perhaps some delicious dream; but I am charged to see you
+upon a mission, which, among gentlemen, will not brook delay.”
+
+“You excite my curiosity to the highest degree,” said Vallombreuse,
+“and I cannot even imagine what this urgent business may be about.”
+
+“I suppose it is not unlikely, my lord,” rejoined the marquis, “that
+you have forgotten certain occurrences that took place last evening.
+Such trifling matters are not apt to make a very deep impression, so
+with your permission I will recall them to your mind. In the so-called
+green-room, down at the tennis-court, you deigned to honour with your
+particular notice a young person, Isabelle by name, and with a
+playfulness that I, for my part, do not consider criminal, you
+endeavoured to place an _assassine_ for her, just above her white
+bosom, complimenting her upon its fairness as you did so. This
+proceeding, which I do not criticise, greatly shocked and incensed a
+certain actor standing by, called Captain Fracasse, who rushed forward
+and seized your arm.”
+
+“Marquis, you are the most faithful and conscientious of
+historiographers,” interrupted Vallombreuse. “That is all true, every
+word of it, and to finish the narrative I will add that I promised the
+rascal, who was as insolent as a noble, a sound thrashing at the hands
+of my lackeys; the most appropriate chastisement I could think of, for
+a low fellow of that sort.”
+
+“No one can blame you for that, my dear duke, for there is certainly no
+very great harm in having a play-actor—or writer either, for that
+matter—thoroughly thrashed, if he has had the presumption to offend,”
+said the marquis, with a contemptuous shrug; “such cattle are not worth
+the value of the sticks broken over their backs. But this is a
+different case altogether. Under the mask of Captain Fracasse—who, by
+the way, routed your ruffians in superb style—is the Baron de Sigognac;
+a nobleman of the old school, the head of one of the best families we
+have in Gascony; one that has been above reproach for many centuries.”
+
+“What the devil is he doing in this troupe of strolling players, pray?”
+asked the Duke of Vallombreuse, with some heat, toying nervously with
+the cord and tassels of his dressing-gown as he spoke. “Could I be
+expected to divine that there was a de Sigognac hidden under that
+grotesque costume, and behind that absurd false nose?”
+
+“As to your first question,” the marquis replied, “I can answer it in
+one word—Isabelle. Between ourselves, I believe that the young baron is
+desperately in love with her. Indeed, he makes no secret of that fact;
+and, not having been able to induce her to remain with him in his
+château, he has joined the troupe of which she is a member, in order to
+pursue his love affair. You certainly ought not to find this gallant
+proceeding in bad taste, since you also admire the fair object of his
+pursuit.”
+
+“No; I admit all that you say. But you, in your turn, must acknowledge
+that I could not be cognisant of this extraordinary romance by
+inspiration, and that the action of Captain Fracasse was impertinent.”
+
+“Impertinent for an actor, I grant you,” said the marquis, “but
+perfectly natural, indeed inevitable, for a gentleman, resenting
+unauthorized attentions to his mistress, and angry at an affront
+offered to her. Now Captain Fracasse throws aside his mask, and as
+Baron de Sigognac sends you by me his challenge to fight a duel, and
+demands redress in that way for the insult you have offered him.”
+
+“But who is to guarantee me that this pretended Baron de Sigognac, who
+actually appears on the stage before the public with a company of low
+buffoons as one of themselves, is not a vulgar, intriguing rascal,
+usurping an honourable name, in the hope of obtaining the honour of
+crossing swords with the Duke of Vallombreuse?”
+
+“Duke,” said the Marquis de Bruyères, with much dignity, and some
+severity of tone, “_I_ would not serve as second to any man who was not
+of noble birth, and of honourable character. I know the Baron de
+Sigognac well. His château is only a few leagues from my estate. _I_
+will be his guarantee. Besides, if you still persist in entertaining
+any doubts with regard to his real rank, I have here with me all the
+proofs necessary to convince you of his right to the ancient and
+distinguished name of Sigognac. Will you permit me to call in my
+servant, who is waiting in the antechamber? He will give you all those
+documents, for which I am personally responsible.”
+
+“There is no need,” Vallombreuse replied courteously; “your word is
+sufficient. I accept his challenge. My friend, the Chevalier de
+Vidalinc, who is my guest at present, will be my second; will you be
+good enough to consult with him as to the necessary arrangements? I
+will agree to anything you may propose—fight him when and where you
+please, and with any weapons he likes best; though I will confess that
+I should like to see whether the Baron de Sigognac can defend himself
+against a gentleman’s sword as successfully as Captain Fracasse did
+against my lackeys’ cudgels. The charming Isabelle shall crown the
+conqueror in this tournament, as the fair ladies crowned the victorious
+knights in the grand old days of chivalry. But now allow me to retire
+and finish my toilet. The Chevalier de Vidalinc will be with you
+directly. I kiss your hand, valiant marquis, as our Spanish neighbours
+say.”
+
+With these courteous words the Duke of Vallombreuse bowed with studied
+deference and politeness to his noble guest, and lifting the heavy
+_portière_ of tapestry that hung over the door opening into his
+dressing-room, passed through it and vanished. But a very few moments
+had elapsed when the Chevalier de Vidalinc joined the marquis, and they
+lost no time in coming to an understanding as to the conditions of the
+duel. As a matter of course, they selected swords—the gentleman’s
+natural weapon—and the meeting was fixed for the following morning,
+early; as de Sigognac, with his wonted consideration for his humble
+comrades, did not wish to fight that same day, and run the risk of
+interfering with the programme Hérode had announced for the evening, in
+case of his being killed or wounded. The rendezvous was at a certain
+spot in a field outside the walls of the town, which was level, smooth,
+well sheltered from observation, and advantageous in every way—being
+the favourite place of resort for such hostile meetings among the
+duellists of Poitiers.
+
+The Marquis de Bruyères returned straightway to the _Armes de France_,
+and rendered an account of the success of his mission to de Sigognac;
+who thanked him warmly for his services, and felt greatly relieved, now
+that he was assured of having the opportunity to resent, as a gentleman
+should do, the affront offered to his adored Isabelle.
+
+The representation was to begin very early that evening, and all day
+the town crier went about through the streets, beating his drum
+lustily, and, whenever he had gathered a curious crowd around him,
+stopping and announcing the “great attractions—offered for that evening
+by Hérode’s celebrated troupe.” Immense placards were posted upon the
+walls of the tennis-court and at the entrance of the _Armes de France_,
+also announcing, in huge, bright-coloured capitals, which reflected
+great credit on Scapin, who was the calligraphist of the troupe, the
+new play of “Lygdamon et Lydias,” and the Rodomontades of Captain
+Fracasse. Long before the hour designated an eager crowd had assembled
+in the street in front of the theatre, and when the doors were opened
+poured in, like a torrent that has burst its bounds, and threatened to
+sweep everything before them. Order was quickly restored, however,
+within, and “the nobility and gentry of Poitiers” soon began to arrive
+in rapid succession. Titled dames, in their sedan chairs, carried by
+liveried servants, alighted amid much bowing and flourishing of
+attendant gallants. Gentlemen from the environs came riding in,
+followed by mounted grooms who led away their masters’ horses or mules.
+Grand, clumsy old carriages, vast and roomy, with much tarnished
+gildings and many faded decorations about them, and with coats-of-arms
+emblazoned on their panels, rolled slowly up, and out of them, as out
+of Noah’s ark, issued all sorts of odd-looking pairs, and curious
+specimens of provincial grandeur; most of them resplendent in the
+strange fashions of a bygone day, yet apparently well satisfied with
+the elegance of their appearance. The house was literally packed, until
+there was not room left for another human being, be he never so
+slender. On each side of the stage was a row of arm-chairs, intended
+for distinguished spectators, according to the custom of the times, and
+there sat the young Duke of Vallombreuse, looking exceedingly handsome,
+in a very becoming suit of black velvet, elaborately trimmed with jet,
+and with a great deal of exquisite lace about it. Beside him was his
+faithful friend, the Chevalier de Vidalinc, who wore a superb costume
+of dark green satin, richly ornamented with gold. As to the Marquis de
+Bruyères, he had not claimed his seat among the notables, but was
+snugly ensconced in his usual place—a retired corner near the
+orchestra—whence he could applaud his charming Zerbine to his heart’s
+content, without making himself too conspicuous. In the boxes were the
+fine ladies, in full dress, settling themselves to their satisfaction
+with much rustling of silks, fluttering of fans, whispering and
+laughing. Although their finery was rather old-fashioned, the general
+effect was exceedingly brilliant, and the display of magnificent
+jewels—family heirlooms—was fairly dazzling. Such flashing of superb
+diamonds on white bosoms and in dark tresses; such strings of large,
+lustrous pearls round fair necks, and twined amid sunny curls; such
+rubies and sapphires, with their radiant surroundings of brilliants;
+such thick, heavy chains of virgin gold, of curious and beautiful
+workmanship; such priceless laces, yellow with age, of just that
+much-desired tint which is creamy at night; such superb old brocades,
+stiff and rich enough to stand alone; and best of all, such sweet,
+sparkling, young faces, as were to be seen here and there in this
+aristocratic circle. A few of the ladies, not wishing to be known had
+kept on their little black velvet masks, though they did not prevent
+their being recognised, spoken of by name, and commented on with great
+freedom by the plebeian crowd in the pit. One lady, however, who was
+very carefully masked, and attended only by a maid, baffled the
+curiosity of all observers. She sat a little back in her box, so that
+the full blaze of light should not fall upon her, and a large black
+lace veil, which was loosely fastened under her chin, covered her head
+so effectually that it was impossible to make out even the colour of
+her hair. Her dress was rich and elegant in the extreme, but sombre in
+hue, and in her hand she held a handsome fan made of black feathers,
+with a tiny looking-glass in the centre. A great many curious glances
+were directed at her, which manifestly made her uneasy, and she shrank
+still farther back in her box to avoid them; but the orchestra soon
+struck up a merry tune, and attracted all eyes and thoughts to the
+curtain, which was about to rise, so that the mysterious fair one was
+left to her enjoyment of the animated scene in peace. They began with
+“Lygdamon et Lydias,” in which Leander, who played the principal part,
+and wore a most becoming new costume, was quite overwhelmingly
+handsome. His appearance was greeted by a murmur of admiration and a
+great whispering among the ladies, while one unsophisticated young
+creature, just emancipated from her convent-school, exclaimed
+rapturously, aloud, “Oh! how charming he is!” for which shocking
+indiscretion she received a severe reprimand from her horrified mama,
+that made her retire into the darkest corner of the box, covered with
+blushes and confusion. Yet the poor girl had only innocently given
+expression to the secret thought of every woman in the audience, her
+own dignified mother included; for, really, Leander was delightfully,
+irresistibly handsome as Lygdamon—a perfect Apollo, in the eyes of
+those provincial dames. But by far the most agitated of them all was
+the masked beauty; whose heaving bosom, trembling hand—betrayed by the
+fan it held—and eager attitude—leaning breathlessly forward and
+intently watching Leander’s every movement—would inevitably have borne
+witness to her great and absorbing interest in him, if anybody had been
+observing her to mark her emotion; but fortunately for her all eyes
+were turned upon the stage, so she had time to recover her composure.
+Leander was surpassing himself in his acting that night, yet even then
+he did not neglect to gaze searchingly round the circle of his fair
+admirers, trying to select the titled dames, and decide which one among
+them he should favour with his most languishing glances. As he
+scrutinized one after another, his eyes finally reached the masked
+lady, and at once his curiosity was on the _qui vive_—here was
+assuredly something promising at last; he was convinced that the richly
+dressed, graceful _incognita_ was a victim to his own irresistible
+charms, and he directed a long, eloquent, passionate look full at her,
+to indicate that she was understood. To his delight—his rapturous,
+ecstatic delight—she answered his appealing glance by a very slight
+bend of the head, which was full of significance, as if she would thank
+him for his penetration. Being thus happily brought _en rapport_,
+frequent glances were exchanged throughout the play, and even little
+signals also, between the hero on the stage and the lady in her box.
+
+Leander was an adept in that sort of thing, and could so modulate his
+voice and use his really fine eyes in making an impassioned declaration
+of love to the heroine of the play, that the fair object of his
+admiration in the audience would believe that it was addressed
+exclusively to herself. Inspired by this new flame, he acted with so
+much spirit and animation that he was rewarded with round after round
+of applause; which he had the art to make the masked lady understand he
+valued less than the faintest mark of approbation and favour from her.
+
+After “Lygdamon et Lydias” came the Rodomontades of Captain Fracasse,
+which met with its accustomed success. Isabelle was rendered very
+uneasy by the close proximity of the Duke of Vallombreuse, dreading
+some act of insolence on his part; but her fears were needless, for he
+studiously refrained from annoying her in any way—even by staring at
+her too fixedly. He was moderate in his applause, and quietly
+attentive, as he sat in a careless attitude in his arm-chair on the
+stage throughout the piece. His lip curled scornfully sometimes when
+Captain Fracasse was receiving the shower of blows and abuse that fell
+to his share, and his whole countenance was expressive of the most
+lofty disdain, but that was all; for though violent and impetuous by
+nature, the young duke was too much of a gentleman—once his first fury
+passed—to transgress the rules of courtesy in any way; and more
+especially towards an adversary with whom he was to fight on the
+morrow—until then hostilities were suspended, and he religiously
+observed the truce.
+
+The masked lady quietly withdrew a little before the end of the second
+piece, in order to avoid mingling with the crowd, and also to be able
+to regain her chair, which awaited her close at hand, unobserved; her
+disappearance mightily disturbed Leander, who was furtively watching
+the movements of the mysterious unknown. The moment he was free, almost
+before the curtain had fallen, he threw a large cloak around him to
+conceal his theatrical costume, and rushed towards the outer door in
+pursuit of her. The slender thread that bound them together would be
+broken past mending he feared if he did not find her, and it would be
+too horrible to lose sight of this radiant creature—as he styled her to
+himself—before he had been able to profit by the pronounced marks of
+favour she had bestowed upon him so lavishly during the evening. But
+when he reached the street, all out of breath from his frantic efforts
+in dashing through the crowd, and bustling people right and left
+regardless of everything but the object he had in view, there was
+nothing to be seen of her; she had vanished, and left not a trace
+behind. Leander reproached himself bitterly with his own folly in not
+having endeavoured to exchange a few words with his lost divinity in
+the brief interval between the two plays, and called himself every hard
+name he could think of; as we are all apt to do in moments of vexation.
+
+But while he still stood gazing disconsolately in the direction that
+she must have taken, a little page, dressed in a dark brown livery, and
+with his cap pulled down over his eyes, suddenly appeared beside him,
+and accosted him politely in a high childish treble, which he vainly
+strove to render more manly. “Are you M. Leander? the one who played
+Lygdamon a while ago?”
+
+“Yes, I am,” answered Leander, amused at the pretentious airs of his
+small interlocutor, “and pray what can I do for you, my little man?”
+
+“Oh! nothing for me, thank you,” said the page, with a significant
+smile, “only I am charged to deliver a message to you—if you are
+disposed to hear it—from the lady of the mask.”
+
+“From the lady of the mask!” cried Leander. “Oh I tell me quickly what
+it is; I am dying to hear it.”
+
+“Well, here it is, then, word for word,” said the tiny page jauntily.
+“If Lygdamon is as brave as he is gallant, he will go at midnight to
+the open square in front of the church, where he will find a carriage
+awaiting him; he will enter it without question, as without fear, and
+go whither it will take him.”
+
+Before the astonished Leander had time to answer, the page had
+disappeared in the crowd, leaving him in great perplexity, for if his
+heart beat high with joy at the idea of a romantic adventure, his
+shoulders still reminded him painfully of the beating he had received
+in a certain park at dead of night, and he remembered with a groan how
+he had been lured on to his own undoing. Was this another snare spread
+for him by some envious wretch who begrudged him his brilliant success
+that evening, and was jealous of the marked favour he had found in the
+eyes of the fair ladies of Poitiers? Should he encounter some furious
+husband at the rendezvous, sword in hand, ready to fall upon him and
+run him through the body? These thoughts chilled his ardour, and had
+nearly caused him to disregard entirely the page’s mysterious message.
+Yet, if he did not profit by this tempting opportunity, which looked so
+promising, he might make a terrible mistake; and, if he failed to go,
+would not the lady of the mask suspect him of cowardice, and be
+justified in so doing? This thought was insupportable to the gallant
+Leander, and he decided to venture, though low be it spoken—in fear and
+trembling. He hastened back to the hotel, scarcely touched the
+substantial supper provided for the comedians—his appetite lost in his
+intense excitement—and retiring to his own chamber made an elaborate
+toilet; curling and perfuming his hair and mustache, and sparing no
+pains to make himself acceptable to the lovely lady of the mask. He
+armed himself with a dagger and a sword, though he did not know how to
+use either; but he thought that the mere sight of them might inspire
+awe.
+
+When he was all ready at last, he drew his broad felt hat well down
+over his eyes, threw the corner of his cloak over his shoulder, in
+Spanish fashion, so as to conceal the lower part of his face, and crept
+stealthily out of the hotel—for once being lucky enough to escape the
+observation of his wily tormentor, Scapin, who was at that moment
+snoring his loudest in his own room at the other end of the house.
+
+The streets had long been empty and deserted, for the good people of
+the ancient and respectable town of Poitiers go early to bed. Leander
+did not meet a living creature, excepting a few forlorn, homeless cats,
+prowling about and bewailing themselves in a melancholy way, that fled
+before him, and vanished round dark corners or in shadowy doorways. Our
+gallant reached the open square designated by the little page just as
+the last stroke of twelve was vibrating in the still night air. It gave
+him a shudder; a superstitious sensation of horror took possession of
+him, and he felt as if he had heard the tolling of his own funeral
+bell. For an instant he was on the point of rushing back, and seeking
+quiet, safe repose in his comfortable bed at the _Armes de France_, but
+was arrested by the sight of the carriage standing there waiting for
+him, with the tiny page himself in attendance, perched on the step and
+holding the door open for him. So he was obliged to go on—for few
+people in this strange world of ours have the courage to be cowardly
+before witnesses—and instinctively acting a part, he advanced with a
+deliberate and dignified bearing, that gave no evidence of the inward
+fear and agitation that had set his heart beating as if it would burst
+out of his breast, and sent strong shivers over him from his head to
+his feet. Scarcely had he taken his seat in the carriage when the
+coachman touched his horses with the whip, and they were off at a good
+round pace; while he was in utter darkness, and did not even know which
+way they went, as the leathern curtains were carefully drawn down, so
+that nothing could be seen from within, or without. The small page
+remained at his post on the carriage step, but spoke never a word, and
+Leander could not with decency question him, much as he would have
+liked to do so. He knew that his surroundings were luxurious, for his
+exploring fingers told him that the soft, yielding cushions, upon which
+he was resting, were covered with velvet, and his feet sank into a
+thick, rich rug, while the vague, delicious perfume, that seemed to
+surround and caress him, soothed his ruffled feelings, and filled his
+mind with rapturous visions of bliss. He tried in vain to divine who it
+could be that had sent to fetch him in this delightfully mysterious
+way, and became more curious than ever, and also rather uneasy again,
+when he felt that the carriage had quitted the paved streets of the
+town, and was rolling smoothly and rapidly along over a country road.
+At last it stopped, the little page jumped down and flung the door wide
+open, and Leander, alighting, found himself confronted by a high, dark
+wall, which seemed to inclose a park, or garden; but he did not
+perceive a wooden door close at hand until his small companion, pushing
+back a rusty bolt, proceeded to open it, with considerable difficulty,
+and admitted him into what was apparently a thick wood.
+
+“Take hold of my hand,” said the page patronizingly to Leander, “so
+that I can guide you; it is too dark for you to be able to make out the
+path through this labyrinth of trees.”
+
+Leander obeyed, and both walked cautiously forward, feeling their way
+as they wound in and out among the trees, and treading the crackling,
+dry leaves, strewn thickly upon the ground, under their feet. Emerging
+from the wood at last, they came upon a garden, laid out in the usual
+style, with rows of box bordering the angular flower beds, and with yew
+trees, cut into pyramids, at regular intervals; which, just perceptible
+in the darkness, looked like sentinels posted on their way—a shocking
+sight for the poor timid actor, who trembled in every limb. They passed
+them all, however, unchallenged, and ascended some stone steps leading
+up to a terrace, on which stood a small country house—a sort of
+pavilion, with a dome, and little turrets at the corners. The place
+seemed quite deserted, save for a subdued glimmer of light from one
+large window, which the thick crimson silk curtains within could not
+entirely conceal. At this reassuring sight Leander dismissed all fear
+from his mind, and gave himself up to the most blissful anticipations.
+He was in a seventh heaven of delight; his feet seemed to spurn the
+earth; he would have flown into the presence of the waiting angel
+within if he had but known the way. How he wished, in this moment of
+glory and triumph, that Scapin, his mortal enemy and merciless
+tormentor, could see him. The tiny page stepped on before him, and
+after opening a large glass door and showing him into a spacious
+apartment, furnished with great luxury and elegance, retired and left
+him alone, without a word. The vaulted ceiling—which was the interior
+of the dome seen from without—was painted to represent a light blue
+sky, in which small rosy clouds were floating, and bewitching little
+Loves flying about in all sorts of graceful attitudes, while the walls
+were hung with beautiful tapestry. The cabinets, inlaid with exquisite
+Florentine mosaics and filled with many rare and curious objects of
+virtu, the round table covered with a superb Turkish cloth, the large,
+luxurious easy-chairs, the vases of priceless porcelain filled with
+fragrant flowers, all testified to the wealth and fastidious taste of
+their owner. The richly gilded candelabra, of many branches, holding
+clusters of wax candles, which shed their soft, mellow light on all
+this magnificence, were upheld by sculptured arms and hands in black
+marble, to represent a negro’s, issuing from fantastic white marble
+sleeves; as if the sable attendants were standing without the room, and
+had passed their arms through apertures in the wall.
+
+Leander, dazzled by so much splendour, did not at first perceive that
+there was no one awaiting him in this beautiful apartment, but when he
+had recovered from his first feeling of astonishment, and realized that
+he was alone, he proceeded to take off his cloak and lay it, with his
+hat and sword, on a chair in one corner, after which he deliberately
+rearranged his luxuriant ringlets in front of a Venetian mirror, and
+then, assuming his most graceful and telling pose, began pouring forth
+in dulcet tones the following monologue: “But where, oh! where, is the
+divinity of this Paradise? Here is the temple indeed, but I see not the
+goddess. When, oh! when, will she deign to emerge from the cloud that
+veils her perfect form, and reveal herself to the adoring eyes, that
+wait so impatiently to behold her?” rolling the said organs of vision
+about in the most effective manner by way of illustration.
+
+Just at that moment, as if in response to this eloquent appeal, the
+crimson silk hanging, which fell in front of a door that Leander had
+not noticed, was pushed aside, and the lady he had come to seek stood
+before him; with the little black velvet mask still over her face, to
+the great disappointment and discomfiture of her expectant suitor. “Can
+it be possible that she is ugly?” he thought to himself; “this
+obstinate clinging to the mask alarms me.” But his uncertainty was of
+short duration, for the lady, advancing to the centre of the room,
+where Leander stood respectfully awaiting her pleasure, untied the
+strings of the mask, took it off, and threw it down on the table,
+disclosing a rather pretty face, with tolerably regular features,
+large, brilliant, brown eyes, and smiling red lips. Her rich masses of
+dark hair were elaborately dressed, with one long curl hanging down
+upon her neck, and enhancing its whiteness by contrast; the uncovered
+shoulders were plump and shapely, and the full, snowy bosom rose and
+fell tumultuously under the cloud of beautifully fine lace that veiled,
+not concealed, its voluptuous curves.
+
+“Mme. la Marquise de Bruyères!” cried Leander, astonished to the
+highest degree, and not a little agitated, as the remembrance of his
+last, and first, attempt to meet her, and what he had found in her
+place, rushed back upon him; “can it be possible? am I dreaming? or may
+I dare to believe in such unhoped-for, transcendent happiness?”
+
+“Yes; you are not mistaken, my dear friend,” said she, “I am indeed the
+Marquise de Bruyères, and recognised, I trust, by your heart as well as
+your eyes.”
+
+“Ah! but too well,” Leander replied, in thrilling tones. “Your adored
+image is cherished there, traced in living lines of light; I have only
+to look into that devoted, faithful heart, to see and worship your
+beauteous form, endowed with every earthly grace, and radiant with
+every heavenly perfection.”
+
+“I thank you,” said the _marquise_, “for having retained such a kind
+and tender remembrance of me; it proves that yours is a noble,
+magnanimous soul. You had every reason to think me cruel, ungrateful,
+false—when, alas! my poor heart in reality is but too susceptible, and
+I was far from being insensible to the passionate admiration you so
+gracefully testified for me. Your letter addressed to me did not reach
+my hands, but unfortunately fell into those of the marquis—through the
+heartless treachery of the faithless maid to whom it was intrusted—and
+he sent you the answer which so cruelly deceived you, my poor Leander!
+Some time after he showed me that letter, laughing heartily over what
+he was wicked enough to call a capital joke; that letter, in every line
+of which the purest, most impassioned love shone so brightly, and
+filled my heart with joy, despite his ridicule and coarse abuse. It did
+not produce the effect upon me that he expected and intended; the
+sentiment I cherished secretly for you was only increased and
+strengthened by its persuasive eloquence, and I resolved to reward you
+for all that you had suffered for my sake. Knowing my husband to be
+perfectly absorbed in his most recent conquest, and so oblivious of me
+that there was no danger of his becoming aware of my absence from the
+Château de Bruyères, I have ventured to come to Poitiers; for I have
+heard you express fictitious love so admirably, that I long to know
+whether you can be as eloquent and convincing when you speak for
+yourself.”
+
+“Mme. la Marquise,” said Leander, in his sweetest tones, sinking
+gracefully on his knees, upon a cushion at the feet of the lady, who
+had let herself fall languidly into a low easy-chair, as if exhausted
+by the extreme effort that her confession had been to her modesty.
+“Madame, or rather most lovely queen and deity, what can mere empty
+words, counterfeit passion, imaginary raptures, conceived and written
+in cold blood by the poets, and make-believe sighs, breathed out at the
+feet of an odious actress, all powdered and painted, whose eyes are
+wandering absently around the theatre—what can these be beside the
+living words that gush out from the soul, the fire that burns in the
+veins and arteries, the hyperboles of an exalted passion, to which the
+whole universe cannot furnish images brilliant and lofty enough to
+apply to its idol, and the aspirations of a wildly loving heart, that
+would fain break forth from the breast that contains it, to serve as a
+footstool for the dear object of its adoration? You deign to say,
+celestial _marquise_, that I express with some feeling the fictitious
+love in the pieces I play. Shall I tell you why it is so? Because I
+never look at, or even think of, the actress whom I seem to address—my
+thoughts soar far above and beyond her—and I speak to my own perfect
+ideal; to a being, noble, beautiful, _spirituelle_ as yourself, Mme. la
+Marquise! It is you, in fine, _you_ that I see and love under the name
+of Silvie, Doralice, Isabelle, or whatever it may chance to be; they
+are only your phantoms for me.”
+
+With these words Leander, who was too good an actor to neglect the
+pantomime that should accompany such a declaration, bent down over the
+hand that the _marquise_ had allowed him to take, and covered it with
+burning kisses; which delicate attention was amiably received, and his
+real love-making seemed to be as pleasing to her ladyship as even he
+could have desired.
+
+The eastern sky was all aflame with the radiance of the coming sun when
+Leander, well wrapped in his warm cloak, was driven back to Poitiers.
+As he lifted a corner of one of the carefully lowered curtains, to see
+which side of the town they were approaching, he caught sight of the
+Marquis de Bruyères and the Baron de Sigognac, still at some distance,
+who were walking briskly along the road towards him, on their way to
+the spot designated for the duel.
+
+Leander let the curtain drop, so as not to be seen by the marquis, who
+was almost grazed by the carriage wheels as they rolled by him, and a
+satisfied smile played round his lips; he was revenged—the beating was
+atoned for now.
+
+The place selected for the hostile meeting between the Baron de
+Sigognac and the Duke of Vallombreuse was sheltered from the cold north
+wind by a high wall, which also screened the combatants from the
+observation of those passing along the road. The ground was firm, well
+trodden down, without stones, tufts of grass, or inequalities of any
+kind, which might be in the way of the swordsmen, and offered every
+facility to men of honour to murder each other after the most correct
+and approved fashion. The Duke of Vallombreuse and the Chevalier de
+Vidalinc, followed by a surgeon, arrived at the rendezvous only a few
+seconds after the others, and the four gentlemen saluted each other
+with the haughty courtesy and frigid politeness becoming to well-bred
+men meeting for such a purpose. The duke’s countenance was expressive
+of the most careless indifference, as he felt perfect confidence in his
+own courage and skill. The baron was equally cool and collected, though
+it was his first duel, and a little nervousness or agitation would have
+been natural and excusable. The Marquis de Bruyères watched him with
+great satisfaction, auguring good things for their side from his quiet
+_sang-froid_. Vallombreuse immediately threw off his cloak and hat, and
+unfastened his _pourpoint_, in which he was closely imitated by de
+Sigognac. The marquis and the chevalier measured the swords of the
+combatants, which were found to be of equal length, and then each
+second placed his principal in position, and put his sword in his hand.
+
+“Fall to, gentlemen, and fight like men of spirit, as you are,” said
+the marquis.
+
+“A needless recommendation that,” chimed in the Chevalier de Vidalinc;
+“they go at it like lions—-we shall have a superb duel.”
+
+The Duke of Vallombreuse, who, in his inmost heart, could not help
+despising de Sigognac more than a little, and had imagined that he
+should find in him but a weak antagonist, was astonished when he
+discovered the strength of the baron’s sword, and could not deny to
+himself that he wielded a firm and supple blade, which baffled his own
+with the greatest ease—that he was, in fine, a “foeman worthy of his
+steel.” He became more careful and attentive; then tried several
+feints, which were instantly detected. At the least opening he left,
+the point of de Sigognac’s sword, rapid as lightning in its play,
+darted in upon him, necessitating the exercise of all his boasted skill
+to parry it. He ventured an attack, which was so promptly met, and his
+weapon so cleverly struck aside, that he was left exposed to his
+adversary’s thrust, and but for throwing himself back out of reach, by
+a sudden, violent movement, he must have received it full in his
+breast. From that instant all was changed for the young duke; he had
+believed that he would be able to direct the combat according to his
+own will and pleasure, but, instead of that, he was forced to make use
+of all his skill and address to defend himself. He had believed that
+after a few passes he could wound de Sigognac, wherever he chose, by a
+thrust which, up to that time, he had always found successful; but,
+instead of that, he had hard work to avoid being wounded himself.
+Despite his efforts to remain calm and cool, he was rapidly growing
+angry; he felt himself becoming nervous and feverish, while the baron,
+perfectly at his ease and unmoved, seemed to take a certain pleasure in
+irritating him by the irreproachable excellence of his fence.
+
+“Sha’n’t we do something in this way too, while our friends are
+occupied?” said the chevalier to the marquis.
+
+“It is very cold this morning. Suppose we fight a little also, if only
+to warm ourselves up, and set our blood in motion.”
+
+“With all my heart,” the marquis replied; “we could not do better.”
+
+The chevalier was superior to the Marquis de Bruyères in the noble art
+of fencing, and after a few passes had sent the latter’s sword flying
+out of his hand. As no enmity existed between them, they stopped there
+by mutual consent, and turned their attention again to de Sigognac and
+Vallombreuse. The duke, sore pressed by the close play of the baron,
+had fallen back several feet from his original position. He was
+becoming weary, and beginning to draw panting breaths. From time to
+time, as their swords clashed violently together, bluish sparks flew
+from them; but the defence was growing perceptibly weaker, and de
+Sigognac was steadily forcing the duke to give way before his attack.
+When he saw the state of affairs, the Chevalier de Vidalinc turned very
+pale, and began to feel really anxious for his friend, who was so
+evidently getting the worst of it.
+
+“Why the devil doesn’t he try that wonderful thrust he learned from
+Girolamo of Naples?” murmured he. “This confounded Gascon cannot
+possibly know anything about that.”
+
+As if inspired by the same thought, the young duke did, at that very
+moment, try to put it into execution; but de Sigognac, aware of what he
+was preparing to do, not only prevented but anticipated him, and
+touched and wounded his adversary in the arm—his sword going clean
+through it.
+
+The pain was so intense that the duke’s fingers could no longer grasp
+his sword, and it fell to the ground. The baron, with the utmost
+courtesy, instantly desisted, although he was entitled by the rules of
+the code to follow up his blow with another—for the duel does not
+necessarily come to an end with the first blood drawn. He turned the
+point of his sword to the ground, put his left hand on his hip, and
+stood silently awaiting his antagonist’s pleasure. But Vallombreuse
+could not hold the sword which his second had picked up and presented
+to him, after a nod of acquiescence from de Sigognac; and he turned
+away to signify that he had had enough. Whereupon, the marquis and the
+baron, after bowing politely to the others, set forth quietly to walk
+back to the town.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE
+
+
+After the surgeon had bandaged his injured arm, and arranged a sling
+for it, the Duke of Vallombreuse was put carefully into a chair, which
+had been sent for in all haste, to be taken home. His wound was not in
+the least a dangerous one, though it would deprive him of the use of
+his right hand for some time to come, for the blade had gone quite
+through the forearm; but, most fortunately, without severing any
+important tendons or arteries. He suffered a great deal of pain from it
+of course, but still more from his wounded pride; and he felt furiously
+and unreasonably angry with everything and everybody about him. It
+seemed to be somewhat of a relief to him to swear savagely at his
+bearers, and call them all the hardest names he could think of,
+whenever he felt the slightest jar, as they carried him slowly towards
+home, though they were walking as steadily as men could do, and
+carefully avoiding every inequality in the road. When at last he
+reached his own house, he was not willing to be put to bed, as the
+surgeon advised, but lay down upon a lounge instead, where he was made
+as comfortable as was possible by his faithful Picard, who was in
+despair at seeing the young duke in such a condition; astonished as
+well, for nothing of the kind had ever happened before, in all the many
+duels he had fought; and the admiring valet had shared his master’s
+belief that he was invincible. The Chevalier de Vidalinc sat in a low
+chair beside his friend, and gave him from time to time a spoonful of
+the tonic prescribed by the surgeon, but refrained from breaking the
+silence into which he had fallen. Vallombreuse lay perfectly still for
+a while; but it was easy to see, in spite of his affected calmness,
+that his blood was boiling with suppressed rage. At last he could
+restrain himself no longer, and burst out violently: “Oh! Vidalinc,
+this is too outrageously aggravating! to think that that contemptible,
+lean stork, who has flown forth from his ruined château so as not to
+die of starvation in it, should have dared to stick his long bill into
+me! I have encountered, and conquered, the best swordsmen in France,
+and never returned from the field before with so much as a scratch, or
+without leaving my adversary stretched lifeless on the ground, or
+wounded and bleeding in the arms of his friends.”
+
+“But you must remember that the most favoured and the bravest of
+mortals have their unlucky days, Vallombreuse,” answered the chevalier
+sententiously, “and Dame Fortune does not _always_ smile, even upon her
+prime favourites. Until now you have never had to complain of her
+frowns, for you have been her pampered darling all your life long.”
+
+“Isn’t it too disgraceful,” continued Vallombreuse, growing more and
+more heated, “that this ridiculous buffoon—this grotesque country
+clown—who takes such abominable drubbings on the stage, and has never
+in his life known what it was to associate with gentlemen, should have
+managed to get the best of the Duke of Vallombreuse, hitherto by common
+accord pronounced invincible? He must be a professional prize-fighter,
+disguised as a strolling mountebank.”
+
+“There can be no doubt about his real rank,” said Vidalinc, “for the
+Marquis de Bruyères guarantees it; but I must confess that his
+unequalled performance to-day filled me with astonishment; it was
+simply marvellous. Neither Girolamo nor Paraguante, those two
+world-renowned swordsmen, could have surpassed it. I watched him
+closely, and I tell you that even they could not have withstood him. It
+took all your remarkable skill—which has been so greatly enhanced by
+the Neapolitan’s instructions—to avoid being mortally wounded; why your
+defeat was a victory in my eyes, in that it was not a more overwhelming
+one.”
+
+“I don’t know how I am to wait for this wound to heal,” the duke said,
+after a short pause, “I am so impatient to provoke him again, and have
+the opportunity to revenge myself.”
+
+“That would be a very hazardous proceeding, and one that I should
+strongly advise you not to attempt,” Vidalinc replied in an earnest
+tone. “Your sword-arm will scarcely be as strong as before for a long
+time I fear, and that would seriously diminish your chances of success.
+This Baron de Sigognac is a very formidable antagonist, and will be
+still more so, for you, now that he knows your tactics; and besides,
+the confidence in himself which his first victory naturally gives him
+would be another thing in his favour. Honour is satisfied, and the
+encounter was a serious one for you. Let the matter rest here, I
+beseech you!”
+
+Vallombreuse could not help being secretly convinced of the justice of
+these remarks, but was not willing to avow it openly, even to his most
+intimate friend. He was a sufficiently accomplished swordsman himself
+to appreciate de Sigognac’s wonderful prowess, and he knew that it far
+surpassed his own much vaunted skill, though it enraged him to have to
+recognise this humiliating fact. He was even obliged to acknowledge, in
+his inmost heart, that he owed his life to the generous forbearance of
+his hated enemy; who might have taken it just as well as not, but had
+spared him, and been content with giving him only a flesh wound, just
+severe enough to put him hors-de-combat, without doing him any serious
+injury. This magnanimous conduct, by which a less haughty nature would
+have been deeply touched, only served to irritate the young duke’s
+pride, and increase his resentment. To think that he, the valiant and
+puissant Duke of Vallombreuse, had been conquered, humiliated, wounded!
+the bare idea made him frantic. Although he said nothing further to his
+companion about his revenge, his mind was filled with fierce projects
+whereby to obtain it, and he swore to himself to be even yet with the
+author of his present mortification—if not in one way, then in another;
+for injuries there be that are far worse than mere physical wounds and
+hurts.
+
+“I shall cut a sorry figure enough now in the eyes of the fair
+Isabelle,” said he at last, with a forced laugh, “with my arm here run
+through and rendered useless by the sword of her devoted gallant.
+Cupid, weak and disabled, never did find much favour with the Graces,
+you know. But oh! how charming and adorable she seems to me, this
+sweet, disdainful Isabelle! I am actually almost grateful to her for
+resisting me so; for, if she had yielded, I should have been tired of
+her by this time, I fancy. Her nature certainly cannot be a base,
+ordinary one, or she would never have refused thus the advances of a
+wealthy and powerful nobleman, who is ready to lavish upon her
+everything that heart could desire, and whose own personal attractions
+are not to be despised; if the universal verdict of the fair sex of all
+ranks can be relied upon. There is a certain respect and esteem mingled
+with my passionate admiration for her, that I have never felt before
+for any woman, and it is very sweet to me. But how in the world are we
+to get rid of this confounded young sprig of nobility, her
+self-constituted champion? May the devil fly away with him!”
+
+“It will not be an easy matter,” the chevalier replied, and especially
+now that he is upon his guard. “But even if you did succeed in getting
+rid of him, Isabelle’s love for him would still be in your way, and you
+ought to know, better than most men, how obstinate a woman can be in
+her devoted attachment to a man.”
+
+“Oh! if I could only kill this miserable baron,” continued
+Vallombreuse, not at all impressed by the chevalier’s last remark, “I
+could soon win the favour of this virtuous young person, in spite of
+all her little prudish airs and graces. Nothing is so quickly forgotten
+as a defunct suitor.”
+
+These were by no means the chevalier’s sentiments, but he refrained
+from pursuing the subject then, wishing to soothe, rather than
+irritate, his suffering friend.
+
+“You must first get well as fast as you can,” he said, “and it will be
+time enough then for us to discuss the matter. All this talking wearies
+you, and does you no good. Try to get a little nap now, and not excite
+yourself so. The surgeon will tax me with imprudence, and call me a bad
+nurse, I’m afraid, if I don’t manage to keep you more quiet—mentally as
+well as physically.”
+
+His patient, yielding with rather an ill grace to this sensible advice,
+sank back wearily upon his pillows, closed his eyes, and soon fell
+asleep—where we will leave him, enjoying his much needed repose.
+
+Meantime the Marquis de Bruyères and de Sigognac had quietly returned
+to their hotel, where, like well-bred gentlemen, they did not breathe
+even a hint of what had taken place. But walls have ears they say, and
+eyes as well it would appear, for they certainly see as much as they
+ever hear. In the neighbourhood of the apparently solitary, deserted
+spot where the duel had taken place, more than one inquisitive, hidden
+observer had closely watched the progress of the combat, and had not
+lost a moment after it was over in spreading the news of it; so that by
+breakfast-time all Poitiers was in a flutter of excitement over the
+intelligence that the Duke of Vallombreuse had been wounded in a duel
+with an unknown adversary, and was exhausting itself in vain
+conjectures as to who the valiant stranger could possibly be. No one
+thought of de Sigognac, who had led the most retired life imaginable
+ever since his arrival; remaining quietly at the hotel all day, and
+showing only his stage mask, not his own face, at the theatre in the
+evening.
+
+Several gentlemen of his acquaintance sent to inquire ceremoniously
+after the Duke of Vallombreuse, giving their messengers instructions to
+endeavour to get some information from his servants about the
+mysterious duel, but they were as taciturn as the mutes of a seraglio,
+for the very excellent and sufficient reason that they knew nothing
+what ever about it. The young duke, by his great wealth, his
+overweening pride, his uncommon good looks, and his triumphant success
+among fair ladies everywhere, habitually excited much secret jealousy
+and hatred among his associates, which not one of them dared to
+manifest openly—but they were mightily pleased by his present
+discomfiture.
+
+It was the first check he had ever experienced, and all those who had
+been hurt or offended by his arrogance—and they were legion—now
+rejoiced in his mortification. They could not say enough in praise of
+his successful antagonist, though they had never seen him, nor had any
+idea as to what manner of man he might be. The ladies, who nearly all
+had some cause of complaint against the haughty young noble man, as he
+was wont to boast loudly of his triumphs, and basely betray the favours
+that had been accorded to him in secret, were full of enthusiastic and
+tender admiration for this victorious champion of a woman’s virtue,
+who, they felt, had unconsciously avenged for them many scornful
+slights, and they would have gladly crowned him with laurel and myrtle,
+and rewarded him with their sweetest smiles and most distinguished
+favour.
+
+However, as nothing on this terraqueous and sublunary globe can long
+remain a secret, it soon transpired through Maître Bilot, who had it
+direct from Jacques, the valet of the Marquis de Bruyères, who had been
+present during the momentous interview between his master and the Baron
+de Sigognac, that the duke’s brave antagonist was no other than the
+redoubtable Captain Fracasse; or rather, a young nobleman in disguise,
+who for the sake of a love affair had become a member of Hérode’s
+troupe of travelling comedians. As to his real name, Jacques had
+unfortunately forgotten it, further than that it ended in “_gnac_,” as
+is not uncommon in Gascony, but on the point of his rank he was
+positive. This delightfully romantic and “ower-true tale” was received
+with acclamations by the good folk of Poitiers. They were fairly
+overflowing with admiration for and interest in the valiant gentleman
+who wielded such a powerful blade, and the devoted lover who had left
+everything to follow his mistress, and when Captain Fracasse appeared
+upon the stage that evening, the prolonged and enthusiastic applause
+that greeted him, and was renewed over and over again before he was
+allowed to speak a single word, bore witness unmistakably to the favour
+with which he was regarded; while the ladies rose in their boxes and
+waved their handkerchiefs, even the grandest and most dignified among
+them, and brought the palms of their gloved hands daintily together in
+his honour. It was a real ovation, and best of all a spontaneous one.
+Isabelle also received a perfect storm of applause, which alarmed and
+had nearly overcome the retiring young actress, who blushed crimson in
+her embarrassment, as she made a modest curtsey in acknowledgment of
+the compliment.
+
+Hérode was overjoyed, and his face shone like the full moon as he
+rubbed his hands together and grinned broadly in his exuberant delight;
+for the receipts were immense, and the cash-box was full to bursting.
+Everybody had rushed to the theatre to see and applaud the now famous
+Captain Fracasse—the capital actor and high-spirited gentleman—who
+feared neither cudgels nor swords; and had not shrunk from encountering
+the dreaded Duke of Vallombreuse, the terror of all the country round,
+in mortal combat, as the champion of offended beauty. Blazius, however,
+did not share the tyrant’s raptures, but on the contrary foreboded no
+good from all this, for he feared, and not without reason, the
+vindictive character of the Duke of Vallombreuse, and was apprehensive
+that he would find some means of revenging himself for his defeat at de
+Sigognac’s hands that would be detrimental to the troupe. “Earthen
+vessels,” said he, “should be very careful how they get in the way of
+metal ones, lest, if they rashly encounter them, they be ignominiously
+smashed in the shock.” But Hérode, relying upon the support and
+countenance of the Baron de Sigognac and the Marquis de Bruyères,
+laughed at his fears, and called him faint-heart, a coward, and a
+croaker.
+
+When the comedians returned to their hotel, after the play was over, de
+Sigognac accompanied Isabelle to the door of her room, and, contrary to
+her usual custom, the young actress invited him to enter it with her.
+When they found themselves quite alone, and safe from all curious eyes,
+Isabelle turned to de Sigognac, took his hand in both of hers, and
+pressing it warmly said to him in a voice trembling with emotion,
+
+“Promise me never to run such a fearful risk for my sake again, de
+Sigognac; promise me! Swear it, if you really do love me as you say.”
+
+“That is a thing I cannot do,” the baron replied, “even to please you,
+sweet Isabelle! If ever any insolent fellow dares to show a want of
+proper respect for you, I shall surely chastise him for it, as I ought,
+be he what he may—duke, or even prince.”
+
+“But remember, de Sigognac, that I am nothing but an actress,
+inevitably exposed to affronts from the men that haunt the _coulisses_.
+It is the generally received opinion, which alas! is but too well
+justified by the usual ways of the members of my profession, that an
+actress is no better than she should be; in fine, not a proper
+character nor worthy of respect. From the moment that a woman steps
+upon the stage she becomes public property, and even if she be really
+pure and virtuous it is universally believed that she only affects it
+for a purpose. These things are hard and bitter, but they must be
+borne, since it is impossible to change them. In future trust to me, I
+pray you, to repel those who would force their unwelcome attentions
+upon me in the green-room, or endeavour to make their way into my
+dressing-room. A sharp rap over the knuckles with a corset board from
+me will be quite as efficacious as for you to draw your sword in my
+behalf.”
+
+“But I am not convinced,” said de Sigognac, with a smile; “I must still
+believe, sweet Isabelle, that the sword of a chivalrous ally would be
+your best weapon of defence, and I beg you not to deprive me of the
+precious privilege of being your devoted knight and champion.”
+
+Isabelle was still holding de Sigognac’s hand, and she now raised her
+lovely eyes, full of mute supplication, to meet his adoring gaze,
+hoping yet to draw from him, the much desired promise. But the baron
+was incorrigible; where honour was concerned he was as firm and
+unyielding as a Spanish hidalgo, and he would have braved a thousand
+deaths rather than have allowed an affront to the lady of his love to
+pass unpunished; he wished that the same deference and respect should
+be accorded to Isabelle upon the stage, as to a duchess in her
+drawing-room.
+
+“Come, de Sigognac, be reasonable,” pleaded the young actress, “and
+promise me not to expose yourself to such danger again for so frivolous
+a cause. Oh! what anxiety and anguish I endured as I awaited your
+return this morning. I knew that you had gone out to fight with that
+dreadful duke, who is held in such universal terror here; Zerbine told
+me all about it. Cruel that you are to torture my poor heart so! That
+is always the way with men; they never stop to think of what we poor,
+loving women must suffer when their pride is once aroused! off they go,
+as fierce as lions, deaf to our sobs and blind to our tears. Do you
+know, that if you had been killed I should have died too?”
+
+The tears that filled Isabelle’s eyes, and the excessive trembling of
+her voice, showed that she was in earnest, and that she had not even
+yet recovered her usual calmness and composure. More deeply touched
+than words can express by her emotion, and the love for himself it bore
+witness to, de Sigognac, encircling her slender form with the arm that
+was free, drew her gently to him, and softly kissed her fair forehead,
+whilst he could feel, as he pressed her to his breast, how she was
+panting and trembling. He held her thus tenderly embraced for a
+blissful few seconds of silent ecstasy, which a less respectful lover
+would doubtless have presumed upon; but he would have scorned to take
+advantage of the unreserved confidence bestowed upon him in a moment of
+such agitation and sorrowful excitement.
+
+“Be comforted, dear Isabelle,” said he at last, tenderly. “I was not
+killed you see, nor even hurt; and I actually wounded my adversary,
+though he does pass for a tolerably good swordsman hereabouts, I
+believe.”
+
+“Yes, I well know what a strong hand is yours, and what a brave, noble
+heart,” Isabelle replied; “and I do not scruple to acknowledge that I
+love you for it with all my heart; feeling sure that you will respect
+my frank avowal, and not endeavour to take advantage of it. When I
+first saw you, de Sigognac, dispirited and desolate, in that dreary,
+half-ruined château, where your youth was passing in sadness and
+solitude, I felt a tender interest in you suddenly spring into being in
+my heart; had you been happy and prosperous I should have been afraid
+of you, and have shrunk timidly from your notice. When we walked
+together in that neglected garden, where you held aside the brambles so
+carefully for me to pass unscathed, you gathered and presented to me a
+little wild rose—the only thing you had to give me. As I raised it to
+my lips, before putting it in my bosom, and kissed it furtively under
+pretence of inhaling its fragrance, I could not keep back a tear that
+dropped upon it, and secretly and in silence I gave you my heart in
+exchange for it.”
+
+As these entrancing words fell upon his ear, de Sigognac impulsively
+tried to kiss the sweet lips so temptingly near his own, but Isabelle
+withdrew herself gently from his embrace; not with any show of
+excessive prudery, but with a modest timidity that no really gallant
+lover would endeavour to overcome by force.
+
+“Yes, I love you, de Sigognac,” she continued, in a voice that was
+heavenly sweet, “and with all my heart, but not as other women love;
+your glory is my aim, not my own pleasure. I am perfectly willing to be
+looked upon as your mistress; it is the only thing that would account
+satisfactorily to the world at large for your presence in this troupe
+of strolling players. And why should I care for slanderous reports, so
+long as I keep my own self-esteem, and know myself to be virtuous and
+true? If there were really a stain upon my purity it would kill me; I
+could not survive it. It is the princely blood in my veins doubtless
+that gives rise to such pride in me; very ridiculous, perhaps, in an
+actress, but such is my nature.”
+
+This enchanting avowal, which would not have taught anything new to a
+more conceited or bolder suitor, but was a wonderful revelation to de
+Sigognac, who had scarcely dared to hope that his passionate, devoted
+love might some day be returned, filled him with such rapturous,
+overwhelming delight, that he was almost beside himself. A burning
+flush overspread his usually pale face; he seemed to see flames before
+his eyes; there was a strange ringing in his ears, and his heart
+throbbed so violently that he felt half suffocated. Losing control of
+himself in this moment of ecstasy, so intense that it was not unmixed
+with pain, he suddenly seized Isabelle passionately in his arms,
+strained her trembling form convulsively to his heaving breast, and
+covered her face and neck with burning kisses. She did not even try to
+struggle against this fierce embrace, but, throwing her head back,
+looked fixedly at him, with eyes full of sorrow and reproach. From
+those lovely eyes, clear and pure as an angel’s, great tears welled
+forth and rolled down over her blanched cheeks, and a suppressed sob
+shook her quivering frame as a sudden faintness seemed to come over
+her. The young baron, distracted at the sight of her grief, and full of
+keen self-reproach, put her gently down into a low, easy-chair standing
+near, and kneeling before her, took in both his own the hands that she
+abandoned to him, and passionately implored her pardon; pleading that a
+momentary madness had taken possession of him, that he repented of it
+bitterly, and was ready to atone for his offence by the most perfect
+submission to her wishes.
+
+“You have hurt me sadly, my friend!” said Isabelle at last, with a
+deep-drawn sigh. “I had such perfect confidence in your delicacy and
+respect. The frank, unreserved avowal of my love for you ought to have
+been enough, and have shown you clearly, by its very openness, that I
+trusted you entirely. I believed that you would understand me and let
+me love you in my own way, without troubling my tenderness for you by
+vulgar transports. Now, you have robbed me of my feeling of security. I
+do not doubt your words, but I shall no longer dare to yield to the
+impulses of my own heart. And yet it was so sweet to me to be with you,
+to watch you, to listen to your dear voice, and to follow the course of
+your thoughts as I saw them written in your eyes. I wished to share
+your troubles and anxieties, de Sigognac, leaving your pleasures to
+others. I said to myself, among all these coarse, dissolute, presuming
+men that hover about us, there is one who is different—one who believes
+in purity, and knows how to respect it in the woman he honours with his
+love. I dared to indulge in a sweet dream—even I, Isabelle the actress,
+pursued as I am constantly by a gallantry that is odious to me—I dared
+to indulge in the too sweet dream of enjoying with you a pure mutual
+love. I only asked to be your faithful companion, to cheer and comfort
+you in your struggles with an adverse fate until you had reached the
+beginning of happiness and prosperity, and then to retire into
+obscurity again, when you had plenty of new friends and followers, and
+no longer needed me. You see that I was not very exacting.”
+
+“Isabelle, my adored Isabelle,” cried de Sigognac, “every word that you
+speak makes me reproach myself more and more keenly for my fault, and
+the pain I have given you. Rest assured, my own darling, that you have
+nothing further to fear from me. I am not worthy to kiss the traces of
+your footprints in the dust; but yet, I pray you, listen to me! Perhaps
+you do not fully understand all my thoughts and intentions, and will
+forgive me when you do. I have nothing but my name, which is as pure
+and spotless as your sweet self, and I offer it to you, my own beloved
+Isabelle, if you will deign to accept it.”
+
+He was still kneeling at her feet, and at these ardently spoken words
+she leaned towards him, took his upraised face between her hands with a
+quick, passionate movement, and kissed him fervently on the lips; then
+she sprang to her feet and began, hurriedly and excitedly, pacing back
+and forth in the chamber.
+
+“You will be my wife, Isabelle?” cried de Sigognac in agitated tones,
+thrilling in every nerve from the sweet contact of her pure, lovely
+mouth—fresh as a flower, ardent as a flame.
+
+“Never, never,” answered Isabelle, with a clear ring of rapture in her
+voice. “I will show myself worthy of such an honour by refusing it. I
+did mistake you for a moment, my dearest friend; I did mistake you;
+forgive me. Oh! how happy you have made me; what celestial joy fills my
+soul! You do respect and esteem me, then, to the utmost? Ah! de
+Sigognac, you would really lead me, as your wife, into the hall where
+all the portraits of your honoured ancestors would look down upon us?
+and into the chapel, where your dead mother lies at rest? I could meet
+fearlessly, my beloved, the searching gaze of the dead, from whom
+nothing is hidden; the crown of purity would not be wanting on my
+brow.”
+
+“But what!” exclaimed the young baron, “you say that you love me,
+Isabelle, with all that true, faithful heart of yours, yet you will not
+accept me! either as lover or husband?”
+
+“You have offered me your name, de Sigognac, your noble, honoured name,
+and that is enough for me. I give it back to you now, after having
+cherished it for one moment in my inmost heart. For one instant I was
+your wife, and I will never, never be another’s. While my lips were on
+yours I was saying yes to myself, and oh! I did not deserve such
+happiness. For you, my beloved, it would be a sad mistake to burden
+yourself with a poor little actress like me, who would always be
+taunted with her theatrical career, however pure and honourable it may
+have been. The cold, disdainful mien with which great ladies would be
+sure to regard me would cause you keen suffering, and you could not
+challenge _them_, you know, my own brave champion! You are the last of
+a noble race, de Sigognac, and it is your duty to build up your fallen
+house. When, by a tender glance, I induced you to quit your desolate
+home and follow me, you doubtless dreamed of a love affair of the usual
+sort, which was but natural; but I, looking into the future, thought of
+far other things. I saw you returning, in rich attire, from the court
+of your gracious sovereign, who had reinstated you in your rights, and
+given you an honourable office, suitable to your exalted rank. The
+château had resumed its ancient splendour. In fancy I tore the clinging
+ivy from its crumbling walls, put the fallen stones back in their
+places, restored the dilapidated roof and shattered window-panes,
+regilded the three storks on your escutcheon over the great entrance
+door, and in the grand old portico; then, having installed you in the
+renovated home of your honoured ancestors, I retired into obscurity,
+stifling a sigh as I bade you adieu, though sincerely rejoicing in your
+well merited good fortune.”
+
+“And your dream shall be accomplished, my noble Isabelle; I feel sure
+of it—but not altogether as you relate it to me; such an ending would
+be too sad and grievous. You shall be the first, you, my own darling,
+with this dear hand clasped in mine, as now, to cross the threshold of
+that blessed abode, whence ruin and desolation shall have disappeared,
+and have been replaced by prosperity and happiness.”
+
+“No, no, de Sigognac, it will be some great, and noble, and beautiful
+heiress, worthy of you in every way, who will accompany you then; one
+that you can present with just pride to all your friends, and of whom
+none can say, with a malicious smile, I hissed or applauded her at such
+a time and place.”
+
+“It is downright cruelty on your part to show your self so adorable, so
+worthy of all love and admiration, my sweet Isabelle, and at the same
+time to deprive me of every hope,” said de Sigognac, ruefully; “to give
+one glimpse of heaven and then shut me out again; nothing could be more
+cruel. But I will not despair; I shall make you yield to me yet.”
+
+“Do not try, I beseech you,” continued Isabelle, with gentle firmness,
+“for I never shall; I should despise myself if I did. Strive to be
+content, de Sigognac, with the purest, truest, most devoted love that
+ever filled a woman’s heart, and do not ask for more. Is it such an
+unsatisfactory thing to you,” she added, with a bright smile, “to be
+adored by a girl that several men have had the bad taste to declare
+charming? Why, even the Duke of Vallombreuse himself professes that he
+would be proud of it.”
+
+“But to give yourself to me so absolutely, and to refuse yourself to me
+as absolutely! to mingle such sweet and bitter drops in the same
+cup—honey and wormwood—and present it to my lips! only you, Isabelle,
+could be capable of such strange contradictions.”
+
+“Yes, I _am_ an odd girl,” she replied, “and therein I resemble my poor
+mother; but such as I am you must put up with me. If you should persist
+in persecuting me, I know well how I could elude and escape you, and
+where I could hide myself from you so that you would never be able to
+find me. But there will be no need of that, we will not talk of it; our
+compact is made. Let it be as I say, de Sigognac, and let us be happy
+together while we may. It grows late now, and you must go to your own
+room; will you take with you these verses, of a part that does not suit
+me at all, and remodel them for me? they belong to a piece that we are
+to play very soon. Let me be your faithful little friend, de Sigognac,
+and you shall be my great, and well-beloved poet.”
+
+Isabelle, as she spoke, drew forth from a bureau a roll of manuscript,
+tied with a rose-coloured ribbon, which she gave to the baron with a
+radiant smile.
+
+“Now kiss me, and go,” she said, holding up her cheek for his caress.
+“You are going to work for me, and this is your reward. Good-night, my
+beloved, good-night.”
+
+It was long after he had regained the quiet of his own room ere de
+Sigognac could compose himself sufficiently to set about the light task
+imposed upon him by Isabelle. He was at once enchanted and cast down;
+radiant with joy, and filled with sorrow; in a seventh heaven of
+ecstasy, and in the depths of despair. He laughed and he wept
+alternately, swayed by the most tumultuous and contradictory emotions.
+The intense happiness of at last knowing himself beloved by his adored
+Isabelle made him exultant and joyful, while the terrible thought that
+she never would be his made his heart sink within him. Little by
+little, however, he grew calmer, as his mind dwelt lovingly upon the
+picture Isabelle had drawn of the Château de Sigognac restored to its
+ancient splendour, and as he sat musing he had a wonderful vision of
+it—so glowing and vivid that it was like reality. He saw before him the
+facade of the château, with its large windows shining in the sunlight,
+and its many weather-cocks, all freshly gilded, glistening against the
+bright blue sky, whilst the columns of smoke rising from every chimney,
+so long cold and unused, told of plenty and prosperity within, and his
+good faithful Pierre, in a rich new suit of livery, stood between
+Miraut and Beelzebub at the great entrance door awaiting him. He saw
+himself, in sumptuous attire, proudly leading his fair Isabelle by the
+hand towards the grand old home of his forefathers; his beautiful
+Isabelle, dressed like a princess, wearing ornaments bearing a device
+which seemed to be that of one of the greatest, most illustrious
+families of France, and with a ducal coronet upon her shapely head. But
+with it all she did not appear to be proud or haughty—she was just her
+own sweet, modest self—and in the hand that was free she carried the
+little wild rose, fresh as when it was first plucked, that he had given
+her, and from time to time raised and pressed it tenderly to her lips
+as she inhaled its fragrance; it seemed more precious to her than all
+the superb jewels that she wore. As they approached the château a most
+stately and majestic old man, whose breast was covered with orders, and
+whose face seemed not entirely unfamiliar to de Sigognac, stepped forth
+from the portico to meet and welcome them. But what greatly surprised
+him was that a remarkably handsome young man, of most proud and lofty
+bearing, accompanied the old prince, who closely resembled the Duke of
+Vallombreuse, and who smilingly advanced and offered a cordial
+salutation and welcome to Isabelle and himself. A great crowd of
+tenantry stationed near at hand hailed them with lusty cheers, making
+many demonstrations of hearty joy and delight, and his own happiness
+seemed to be complete. Suddenly the sound of a horn was heard, and at a
+little distance he saw the beautiful Yolande de Foix, radiant and
+charming as ever, riding slowly by—apparently returning from the chase.
+He followed her with his eyes admiringly, but felt no regret as her
+figure was lost to view amid the thick gorse bushes bordering the road
+down which she was going, and turned with ever increasing love and
+adoration to the sweet being at his side. The memory of the fair
+Yolande, whom he had once worshipped in a vague, boyish way, faded
+before the delicious reality of his passionate love for Isabelle; who
+satisfied so fully every requirement of his nature, and had so
+thoroughly healed the wound made by the scorn and ridicule of the
+other, that it seemed to be entirely forgotten then.
+
+It was not easy for de Sigognac to rouse himself after this entrancing
+vision, which had been so startlingly real, and fix his attention upon
+the verses he had promised to revise and alter for Isabelle, but when
+at last he had succeeded, he threw himself into his task with
+enthusiasm, and wrote far into the night—inspired by the thought of the
+sweet lips that had called him her poet, and that were to pronounce the
+words he penned; and he was rewarded for his exertions by Isabelle’s
+sweetest smile, and warmest praise and gratitude.
+
+At the theatre the next evening the crowd was even greater than before,
+and the crush unprecedented. The reputation of Captain Fracasse, the
+valiant conqueror of the Duke of Vallombreuse; increased hourly, and
+began to assume a chimerical and fabulous character. If the labours of
+Hercules had been ascribed to him, there would have been some credulous
+ones to believe the tale, and he was endowed by his admirers with the
+prowess of a dozen good knights and brave, of the ancient times of
+chivalrous deeds. Some of the young noblemen of the place talked of
+seeking his acquaintance, and giving a grand banquet in his honour;
+more than one fair lady was desperately in love with him, and had
+serious thoughts of writing a billet-doux to tell him so. In short, he
+was the fashion, and everybody swore by him. As for the hero of a this
+commotion, he was greatly annoyed at being thus forcibly dragged forth
+from the obscurity in which he had desired to remain, but it was not
+possible to avoid it, and he could only submit. For a few moments he
+did think of bolting, and not making his appearance again upon the
+stage in Poitiers; but the remembrance of the disappointment it would
+be to the worthy tyrant, who was in an ecstasy of delight over the
+riches pouring into the treasury, prevented his carrying out this
+design. And, indeed, as he reminded himself, were not these honest
+comedians, who had rescued him from his misery and despair, entitled in
+all fairness to profit, so far as they could, by this unexpected and
+overwhelming favour which he had all unwittingly gained? So, resigning
+himself as philosophically as he could to his fate, he buckled his
+sword-belt, draped his cloak over his shoulder, put on his mask and
+calmly awaited his call to the stage.
+
+As the receipts were so large, Hérode, like a generous manager, had
+doubled the usual number of lights, so that the theatre was almost as
+radiant as if a flood of sunshine had been poured into it. The fair
+portion of the audience, hoping to attract the attention of the valiant
+Captain Fracasse, had arrayed themselves in all their splendour; not a
+diamond was left in its casket; they sparkled and flashed, every one,
+on necks and arms more or less white and round, and on heads more or
+less shapely, but all filled with an ardent desire to please the hero
+of the hour; so the scene was a brilliant one in every way. Only one
+box yet remained unoccupied, the best situated and most conspicuous in
+the whole house; every eye was turned upon it, and much wonder
+expressed at the apathy manifested by those who had secured it, for all
+the rest of the spectators had been long settled in their places. At
+length, just as the curtain was rising, a young lady entered and took
+her seat in the much observed box, accompanied by a gentleman of
+venerable and patriarchal appearance; apparently an indulgent old
+uncle, a slave to the caprices of his pretty niece, who had renounced
+his comfortable after-dinner nap by the fire, in order to obey her
+behest and escort her to the theatre. She, slender and erect as Diana,
+was very richly and elegantly dressed, in that peculiar and exquisite
+shade of delicate sea green which can be worn only by the purest
+blondes, and which seemed to enhance the dazzling whiteness of her
+uncovered shoulders, and the rounded, slender neck, diaphanous as
+alabaster, that proudly sustained her small, exquisitely poised head.
+Her hair, clustering in sunny ringlets round her brow, was like living
+gold, it made a glory round her head, and the whole audience was
+enraptured with her beauty, though an envious mask concealed so much of
+it; all, indeed, save the snow-white forehead, the round dimpled chin,
+the ripe red lips, whose tint was rendered yet more vivid by the
+contrast with the black velvet that shaded them, the perfect oval of
+the face, and a dainty little ear, pink as a sea-shell—a combination of
+charms worthy of a goddess, and which made every one impatient to see
+the radiant, beauteous whole. They were soon gratified; for the young
+deity, either incommoded by the heat, or else wishing to show a queenly
+generosity to the gazing throng, took off the odious mask, and
+disclosed to view a pair of brilliant eyes, dark and blue as lapis
+lazuli, shaded with rich golden fringes, a piquant, perfectly cut
+little nose, half Grecian, half aquiline, and cheeks tinged with a
+delicate flush that would have put a rose-leaf to shame. In fine, it
+was Yolande de Foix, more radiantly beautiful than ever, who, leaning
+forward in a negligent, graceful pose, looked nonchalantly about the
+house, not in the least discomposed by the many eyes fixed boldly and
+admiringly upon her. A loud burst of applause, that greeted the first
+appearance of the favourite actor, drew attention from her for a
+moment, as de Sigognac stalked forward upon the stage in the character
+of Captain Fracasse. As he paused, to wait until his admirers would
+allow him to begin his first tirade, he looked negligently round the
+eager audience, and when his eyes fell upon Yolande de Foix, sitting
+tranquil and radiant in her box, calmly surveying him with her glorious
+eyes, he suddenly turned dizzy and faint; the lights appeared first to
+blaze like suns, and then sink into darkness; the heads of the
+spectators seemed sinking into a dense fog; a cold perspiration started
+out on him from head to foot; he trembled violently, and felt as if his
+legs were giving way under him; composure, memory, courage, all seemed
+to have failed him, as utterly as if he had been struck by lightning.
+
+Oh, shame! oh, rage! oh, too cruel stroke of fate! for him, a de
+Sigognac, to be seen by her—the haughty beauty that he used to worship
+from afar—in this grotesque array, filling so unworthy, so ridiculous a
+part, for the amusement of the gaping multitude! and he could not hide
+himself, he could not sink into the earth, away from her contemptuous,
+mocking gaze. He felt that he could not, would not bear it, and for a
+moment was upon the point of flying; but there seemed to be leaden
+soles to his shoes, which he could by no means raise from the ground.
+He was powerless to move hand or foot, and stood there in a sort of
+stupefaction; to the great astonishment of Scapin, who, thinking that
+he must have forgotten his part, whispered to him the opening phrases
+of his tirade. The public thought that their favourite actor desired
+another round of applause, and broke out afresh, clapping, stamping,
+crying bravo, making a tremendous racket, which little respite gave
+poor de Sigognac time to collect his scattered senses, and, with a
+mighty effort, he broke the spell that had bound him, and threw himself
+into his part with such desperation that his acting was more
+extravagant and telling than ever. It fairly brought down the house.
+The haughty Yolande herself could not forbear to smile, and her old
+uncle, thoroughly aroused, laughed heartily, and applauded with all his
+might. No one but Isabelle had the slightest idea of the reason of
+Captain Fracasse’s unwonted fury—but she saw at once who was looking
+on, and knowing how sensitive he was, realized the effect it must
+infallibly produce upon him. She furtively watched the proud beauty as
+she modestly played her own part, and thought, not without a keen pang
+through her faithful, loving heart, that here would be a worthy mate
+for the Baron de Sigognac, when he had succeeded in re-establishing the
+lost splendour of his house. As to the poor young nobleman, he resolved
+not to glance once again at Yolande, lest he should be seized by a
+sudden transport of rage and do something utterly rash and disgraceful,
+but kept his eyes fixed, whenever he could, upon his sweet, lovely
+Isabelle. The sight of her dear face was balm to his wounded spirit—her
+love, of which he was now so blissfully sure, consoled him for the
+openly manifested scorn of the other, and from her he drew strength to
+go on bravely with his detested part.
+
+It was over at last—the piece was finished—and when de Sigognac tore
+off his mask, like a man who is suffocating, his companions were
+alarmed at his altered looks. He was fairly livid, and let himself fall
+upon a bench standing near like a lifeless body. Seeing that he was
+very faint, Blazius hastened to fetch some wine—his sovereign remedy
+for every ill—but de Sigognac rejected it, and signed that he wanted
+water instead.
+
+“A great mistake,” said the pedant, shaking his head disapprovingly, “a
+sad mistake—water is only fit for frogs, and fish, and such-like
+cold-blooded creatures—it does not do for human beings at all. Every
+water-bottle should be labelled, ’For external use only.’ Why, I should
+die instantly if so much as a drop of the vile stuff found its way down
+my throat. Take my advice, Captain Fracasse, and let it alone. Here,
+have some of this good strong wine; it will set you right in a jiffy.”
+
+But de Sigognac would not be persuaded, and persisted in motioning for
+water. When it was brought, cool and fresh, he eagerly swallowed a
+large draught of the despised liquid, and found himself almost
+immediately revived by it—his face resuming a more natural hue, and the
+light returning to his eyes. When he was able to sit up and look about
+him again, Hérode approached, in his turn, and said, “You played
+admirably this evening, and with wonderful spirit, Captain Fracasse,
+but it does not do to take too much out of yourself in this way—such
+violent exertions would quickly do for you. The comedian’s art consists
+in sparing himself as much as possible, whilst producing striking
+effects; he should be calm amidst all his simulated fury, and cool in
+his apparently most burning rage. Never did actor play this part as
+superbly as you have done to-night—_that_ I am bound to acknowledge—but
+this is too dear a price to pay for it.”
+
+“Yes, wasn’t I absurd in it?” answered the baron bitterly. “I felt
+myself supremely ridiculous throughout—but especially when my head went
+through the guitar with which Leander was belabouring me.”
+
+“You certainly did put on the most comically furious airs imaginable,”
+the tyrant replied, “and the whole audience was convulsed with
+laughter. Even Mlle. Yolande de Foix, that very great, and proud, and
+noble lady, condescended to smile. I saw her myself.”
+
+“It was a great honour for me assuredly,” cried de Sigognac, with
+flaming cheeks, “to have been able to divert so great a lady.”
+
+“Pardon me, my lord,” said the tyrant, who perceived the painful flush
+that covered the baron’s face, “I should have remembered that the
+success which is so prized by us poor comedians, actors by profession,
+cannot but be a matter of indifference to one of your lordship’s rank.”
+
+“You have not offended me, my good Hérode,” de Sigognac hastened to
+reply, holding out his hand to the honest tyrant with a genial smile,
+“whatever is worth doing is worth doing well. But I could not help
+remembering that I had dreamed of and hoped for very different triumphs
+from this.”
+
+Isabelle, who meantime had been dressing for the other piece, passed
+near de Sigognac just then, and gave him such an angelic look—so full
+of tenderness, sympathy, and passionate love—that he quite forgot the
+haughty Yolande, and felt really happy again. It was a divine balm,
+that healed his wounded pride—for the moment at least; but such wounds
+are all too apt to open and bleed again and again.
+
+The Marquis de Bruyères was at his post as usual, and though very much
+occupied in applauding Zerbine, yet found time to go and pay his
+respects to Mlle. Yolande de Foix. He related to her, without
+mentioning the baron’s name, the affair of the duel between Captain
+Fracasse and the Duke of Vallombreuse saying that he ought to be able
+to give all the details of that famous encounter better than anybody
+else, since he had been present as one of the seconds.
+
+“You need not be so mysterious about it,” answered Yolande, “for it is
+not difficult to divine that your Captain Fracasse is no other than the
+Baron de Sigognac. Didn’t I myself see him leaving his old owl-haunted
+towers in company with this little _Bohémienne_, who plays her part of
+ingenuous young girl with such a precious affectation of modesty?” she
+added, with a forced laugh. “And wasn’t he at your château with these
+very players? Judging from his usual stupid, silly air, I would not
+have believed him capable of making such a clever mountebank, and such
+a faithful gallant.”
+
+As he conversed with Yolande, the marquis was looking about the house,
+of which he had a much better view than from his own place near the
+stage, and his attention was caught and fixed by the masked lady, whom
+he had not seen before, as his back was always turned to her box.
+Although her head and figure were much enveloped and disguised in a
+profusion of black laces, the attitude and general contour of this
+mysterious beauty seemed strangely familiar to him, and there was
+something about her that reminded him forcibly of the _marquise_, his
+own wife. “Bah!” said he to himself, “how foolish I am; she must be all
+safe at the Château de Bruyères, where I left her.” But at that very
+moment he caught sight of a diamond ring—a large solitaire, peculiarly
+set—sparkling on her finger, which was precisely like one that the
+Marquise de Bruyères always wore.
+
+A little troubled by this strange coincidence, he took leave abruptly
+of the fair Yolande and her devoted old uncle, and hastened to the
+masked lady’s box. But, prompt as his movements had been, he was too
+late—the nest was empty—the bird had flown. The lady, whoever she might
+be, had vanished, and the suspicious husband was left in considerable
+vexation and perplexity. “Could it be possible,” he murmured, as his
+doubts became almost certainty, “that she was sufficiently infatuated
+to fall in love with that miserable Leander, and follow him here?
+Fortunately I had the rascal thoroughly thrashed, so I am even with
+him, how ever it may be.” This thought restored his ruffled serenity,
+and he made his way as fast as he could to the green-room, to rejoin
+the _soubrette_, who had been impatiently expecting him, and did not
+hesitate to rate him soundly for his unwonted delay.
+
+When all was over, and Leander—who had been feeling excessively anxious
+about the sudden disappearance of his _marquise_—was free, he
+immediately repaired to the open square where he had been first bidden
+to meet the carriage sent to fetch him, and where he had found it
+awaiting him nightly ever since. The little page, who was there alone,
+put a letter and a small package into his hand, without a word, and
+then running swiftly away, before Leander had time to question him,
+vanished in the darkness. The note, which was signed simply _Marie_,
+was from the _marquise_, who said that she feared her husband’s
+suspicions had been excited, and that it would no longer be safe for
+them to meet just then, bade him an affectionate farewell until it
+might be their good fortune to see each other again, expressed much
+regret at this unlucky _contretemps_, and begged him to accept the gold
+chain she sent therewith as a little souvenir, to remind him of the
+many happy hours they had spent together. Leander was at first very
+much vexed and disappointed, but was somewhat reconciled and consoled
+when he felt the weight of his golden treasure, and saw its length and
+thickness; and, on the whole, was rather glad to come off with such
+flying colours from an adventure that might have brought down a yet
+more severe punishment than that he had already received upon his
+devoted head.
+
+When Isabelle regained her own room she found a very rich and elegant
+casket awaiting her there, which had been placed conspicuously on the
+dressing-table, where it could not fail to meet her eye the moment she
+entered the chamber. A folded paper was lying under one corner of the
+casket, which must have contained some very precious gems, for it was a
+real marvel of beauty itself. The paper was not sealed, and bore only
+these two words, evidently written by a weak and trembling hand, “For
+Isabelle.” A bright flush of indignation overspread her sweet face when
+she perceived it, and without even yielding to her feminine curiosity
+so far as to open the richly carved and inlaid casket for a peep at its
+contents, she called for Maître Bilot, and ordered him peremptorily to
+take it immediately out of her room, and give it back to whomsoever
+owned it, for she would not suffer it to remain where it was another
+minute. The landlord affected astonishment, and swore by all he held
+sacred that he did not know who had put the casket there, nor whose it
+was; though it must be confessed that he had his suspicions, and felt
+very sure that they were correct. In truth, the obnoxious jewel-case
+had been secretly placed upon Isabelle’s table by old Mme. Léonarde, to
+whom the Duke of Vallombreuse had had recourse, in the hope that she
+might be able to aid him, and in the full belief, shared by her, that
+the superb diamonds which the beautiful casket contained would
+accomplish all that he desired with Isabelle. But his offering only
+served to rouse her indignation, and she spoke very severely to Maître
+Bilot, commanding him to remove it instantly from her sight, and to be
+careful not to mention this fresh affront to Captain Fracasse. The
+worthy landlord could not help feeling enthusiastic admiration for the
+conduct of the young actress, who rejected jewels that would have made
+a duchess envious, and as he retired bowed to her as respectfully and
+profoundly as he would have done to a queen. After he had withdrawn and
+she was left alone, Isabelle, feeling agitated and feverish, opened her
+window for a breath of fresh air, and to cool her burning cheeks and
+brow. She saw a bright light issuing from a couple of windows in the
+mansion of the Duke of Vallombreuse—doubtless in the room where the
+wounded young nobleman lay—but the garden and the little alley beneath
+her seemed absolutely deserted. In a moment, however, she caught a low
+whisper from the latter, not intended for her ears, which said, “She
+has not gone to bed yet.” She softly leaned out of her window—the room
+within was not lighted, so she could not be seen—and peering anxiously
+into the darkness thought she could distinguish two cloaked figures
+lurking in the alley, and farther away, near one end of it, a third
+one, apparently on the watch. They seemed to feel that they were
+observed, and all three presently slunk away and vanished, leaving
+Isabelle half in doubt as to whether they were the creatures of her
+excited imagination, or had been real men prowling there. Tired at last
+of watching, without hearing or seeing anything more, she withdrew from
+the window, closed and secured it softly, procured a light, saw that
+the great, clumsy bolt on her door was property adjusted, and made her
+preparations for bed; lying down at last and trying to sleep, for she
+was very tired, but haunted by vague fears and doubts that made her
+anxious and uneasy. She did not extinguish her light, but placed it
+near the bed, and strove to reassure herself and reason away her
+nameless terror; but all in vain. At every little noise—the cracking of
+the furniture or the falling of a cinder in the fire-place, she started
+up in fresh alarm, and could not close her eyes. High up in the wall of
+one side of her room was a small round window—a bull’s eye—evidently
+intended to give light and air to some dark inner chamber or closet,
+which looked like a great black eye in the gray wall, keeping an
+unwinking watch upon her, and Isabelle found herself again and again
+glancing up at it with a shudder. It was crossed by two strong iron
+bars, leaving four small apertures, so that there could not possibly be
+any danger of intrusion from that quarter, yet she could not avoid
+feeling nervous about it, and at times fancied that she could see two
+gleaming eye-balls in its black depths. She lay for a long time
+perfectly motionless gazing at it, like one under a spell, and at last
+was paralyzed with horror when a head actually appeared at one of the
+four openings—a small, dark head, with wild, tangled elf-locks hanging
+about it; next came a long, thin arm with a claw-like hand, then the
+shoulder followed, and finally the whole body of a slender, emaciated
+little girl wriggled dexterously, though with much difficulty, through
+the narrow aperture, and the child dropped down upon the floor as
+lightly and noiselessly as a feather, a snow-flake, or a waft of
+thistle-down. She had been deceived by Isabelle’s remaining so long
+perfectly quiet, and believed her asleep; but when she softly
+approached the bed, to make sure that her victim’s slumber had not been
+disturbed by her own advent, an expression of extreme surprise was
+depicted on her face, as she got a full view of the head lying upon the
+pillow and the eyes fixed upon her in speechless terror. “The lady of
+the necklace!” she exclaimed aloud. “Yes, the lady of the necklace!”
+putting one hand, as she spoke, caressingly upon the string of pearl
+beads round her little, thin, brown neck. Isabelle, for her part,
+though half dead with fright, had recognised the little girl she had
+first seen at the Blue Sun inn, and afterwards on the road to the
+Château de Bruyères, in company with Agostino, the brigand. She tried
+to cry out for help, but the child put her hand quickly and firmly over
+her mouth.
+
+“Don’t scream,” she said reassuringly, “nothing shall hurt you.
+Chiquita promised that she would never kill nor harm the good, sweet
+lady, who gave her the pearls that she meant to steal.”
+
+“But what have you come in here for, my poor child?” asked Isabelle,
+gradually recovering her composure, but filled with surprise at this
+strange intrusion.
+
+“To open the great bolt on your door there that you are so careful to
+close every night,” answered Chiquita, in the most matter-of-fact way.
+“They chose me for it because I am such a good climber, and as thin and
+supple as a snake; there are not many holes that I cannot manage to
+crawl through.”
+
+“And why were you to open my door, Chiquita? so that thieves could come
+in and steal what few things I have here? There is nothing of value
+among them, I assure you.”
+
+“Oh, no!” Chiquita replied disdainfully, “it was to let the men in who
+were to carry you off.”
+
+“My God! I am lost!” cried poor Isabelle, wringing her hands in
+despair.
+
+“Not at all,” said Chiquita, “and you need not be so frightened. I
+shall just leave the bolt as it is, and they would not dare to force
+the door; it would make too much noise, and they would be caught at it;
+they’re not so silly as that, never fear.”
+
+“But I should have shrieked at the top of my voice, and clung to the
+bedstead with all my might, if they had tried to take me,” exclaimed
+Isabelle excitedly, “so that I would have been heard by the people in
+the neighbouring rooms, and I’m sure they would have come to my
+rescue.”
+
+“A good gag will stifle any shrieks,” said Chiquita sententiously, with
+a lofty contempt for Isabelle’s ignorance that was very amusing, “and a
+blanket rolled tightly about the body prevents any movements; that is
+an easy matter you see. They would have carried you off without the
+slightest difficulty, for the stable boy was bribed, and was to open
+the back door for them.”
+
+“Who has laid this wicked plot?” asked the poor, frightened, young
+girl, with a trembling voice, horror-stricken at the danger she had
+escaped.
+
+“The great lord who has given them all such heaps of money; oh! such
+quantities of big gold pieces—by the handful,” said Chiquita, her great
+dark eyes glittering with a fierce, covetous expression, strange and
+horrible to see in one so young. “But all the same, _you_ gave me the
+pearls, and he shall not hurt you; he shall not have you if you don’t
+want to go. I will tell them that you were awake, and there was a man
+in the room, so that I could not get in and open the door for them;
+they will all go away quietly enough; you need not be afraid. Now let
+me have one good look at you before I go—oh, how sweet and pretty you
+are—and I love you, yes, I do, ever so much; almost as much as
+Agostino. But what is this?” cried she suddenly, pouncing upon a knife
+that was lying on the table near the bed. “Why, you have got the very
+knife I lost; it was my father’s knife. Well, you may keep it—it’s a
+good one.”
+
+‘When this viper bites you, make sure
+That you must die, for there’s no cure.’
+
+
+“See, this is the way to open it, and then you use it like this: strike
+from below upwards—the blade goes in better that way—and it’s so sharp
+it will go through anything. Carry it in the bosom of your dress, and
+it is always ready; then if anybody bothers you, out with it, and paf!
+you have them ripped up in no time,” and the strange, eerie little
+creature accompanied her words with appropriate gestures, by way of
+illustration. This extraordinary lesson in the art of using a knife,
+given in the dead of night, and under such peculiar circumstances,
+seemed like a nightmare to Isabelle.
+
+“Be sure you hold the knife like this, do you see? tightly clasped in
+your fingers—as long as you have it no one can harm you, but you can
+hurt them. Now, I must go—adieu, and don’t forget Chiquita.”
+
+So saying, the queer little elf pushed a table up to the wall under the
+bull’s eye, mounted it, sprang up and caught hold of the iron bar with
+the agility of a monkey, swung herself up in some extraordinary
+fashion, wriggled through the small opening and disappeared, chanting
+in a rude measure, “Chiquita whisks through key-holes, and dances on
+the sharp points of spear-heads and the broken glass on garden walls,
+without ever hurting herself one bit—and nobody can catch her.”
+
+Isabelle, left alone, awaited the break of day with trembling
+impatience, unable to sleep after the fright and agitation she had
+experienced, and momentarily dreading some fresh cause of alarm; but
+nothing else happened to disturb her. When she joined her companions at
+breakfast, they were all struck with her extreme pallor, and the
+distressed expression of her countenance. To their anxious questions
+she replied by giving an account of her nocturnal adventure, and de
+Sigognac, furious at this fresh outrage, could scarcely be restrained
+from going at once to demand, satisfaction for it from the Duke of
+Vallombreuse, to whom he did not hesitate to attribute this villainous
+scheme.
+
+“I think,” said Blazius, when he could make himself heard, “that we had
+better pack up, and be off as soon as we can for Paris; the air is
+becoming decidedly unwholesome for us in this place.”
+
+After a short discussion all the others agreed with him, and it was
+decided that they should take their departure from Poitiers the very
+next day.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+THE PONT-NEUF
+
+
+It would be too long and tedious to follow our comedians, step by step,
+on their way up to Paris, the great capital. No adventures worthy of
+being recorded here befell them; as they were in good circumstances
+financially, they could travel rapidly and comfortably, and were not
+again subjected to such hardships and annoyances as they had endured in
+the earlier stages of their long journey. At Tours and Orléans they
+stopped to give a few representations, which were eminently successful,
+and very satisfactory to the troupe as well as the public. No attempt
+being made to molest them in any way, Blazius after a time forgot his
+fears, which had been excited by the vindictive character of the Duke
+of Vallombreuse, but Isabelle could not banish from her memory the
+wicked plot to abduct her, and many times saw again in her dreams
+Chiquita’s wild, weird face, with the long, tangled elf-locks hanging
+around it, just as it had appeared to her that dreadful night at the
+_Armes de France_, glaring at her with fierce, wolfish eyes. Then she
+would start up, sobbing and trembling, in violent agitation, and it
+required the most tender soothing from her companion, Zerbine, whose
+room she had shared ever since they quitted Poitiers, to quiet and
+reassure her. The _soubrette_, thoroughly enamoured of Isabelle as of
+old, was devoted to her, and took great delight in watching over and
+ministering to her; an own sister could not have been kinder or more
+affectionately considerate.
+
+The only evidence that de Sigognac gave of the anxiety which he
+secretly felt, was his always insisting upon occupying the room nearest
+Isabelle’s, and he used to lie down in his clothes, with his drawn
+sword on the bed beside him, so as to be ready in case of any sudden
+alarm. By day he generally walked on in advance of the chariot, taking
+upon himself the duty of a scout; redoubling his vigilance wherever
+there happened to be bushes, thickets, high walls, or lurking places of
+any kind, favourable to an ambuscade, near the roadside. If he
+perceived from afar a group of travellers approaching, whose appearance
+seemed to him in the least suspicious, he would instantly draw his
+sword and fall back upon the chariot, around which the tyrant, Scapin,
+Blazius and Leander formed an apparently strong guard; though, of the
+last two mentioned, one was incapacitated for active service by age,
+and the other was as timid as a hare. Some times, varying his tactics
+like a good general, who thinks of and provides against every
+emergency, the baron would constitute himself a rear guard, and follow
+the chariot at a little distance, keeping watch over the road behind
+them. But all his precautions were needless, for no attack was made
+upon the travellers, or any attempt to interfere with them, and they
+proceeded tranquilly on their way, “without let or hindrance.” Although
+it was winter, the season was not a rigorous one, and our comedians,
+well fortified against the cold by plenty of warm clothing and good
+nourishing food, did not mind their exposure to the weather, and found
+their journey a very enjoyable affair. To be sure, the sharp, frosty
+air brought a more brilliant colour than usual into the cheeks of the
+fair members of the troupe, but no one could say that it detracted from
+their charms; and even when it extended, as it did sometimes, to their
+pretty little noses, it could not be found serious fault with, for
+everything is becoming to a young and beautiful woman.
+
+At last they drew near to the capital—following the windings of the
+Seine, whose waters flow past royal palaces, and many another edifice
+of world-wide renown—and at four o’clock of a bright winter afternoon
+came in sight of its spires and domes. The smoke rising from its forest
+of chimneys hung over it in a semi-transparent cloud, through which the
+sun shone, round and red, like a ball of fire. As they entered the city
+by the Porte Saint Bernard, a glorious spectacle greeted their
+wondering eyes. In front of them Notre Dame stood out in bold relief,
+with its magnificent flying buttresses, its two stately towers, massive
+and majestic, and its slender, graceful spire, springing from the lofty
+roof at the point of intersection of the nave and transepts. Many other
+lesser towers and spires rose above churches and chapels that were lost
+amid the densely crowded houses all about them, but de Sigognac had
+eyes only for the grand old cathedral, which overwhelmed him with
+astonishment and delight. He would have liked to linger for hours and
+gaze upon that splendid triumph of architecture, but he needs must go
+forward with the rest, however reluctantly. The wonderful and unceasing
+whirl and confusion in the narrow, crowded streets, through which they
+made their way slowly, and not without difficulty, perplexed and
+distracted him, accustomed as he had been all his life to the vast
+solitude of the Landes, and the deathly stillness that reigned almost
+unbroken in his own desolate old château; it seemed to him as if a
+mill-wheel were running round and round in his head, and he could feel
+himself staggering like a drunken man. The Pont-Neuf was soon reached,
+and then de Sigognac caught a glimpse of the famous equestrian statue
+in bronze of the great and good king, Henri IV, which stands on its
+lofty pedestal and seems to be keeping guard over the splendid bridge,
+with its ever-rolling stream of foot-passengers, horsemen, and vehicles
+of every kind and description, from the superb court carriage to the
+huckster’s hand-cart; but in a moment it was lost to view, as the
+chariot turned into the then newly opened Rue Dauphine. In this street
+was a fine big hotel, frequently patronized by ambassadors from foreign
+lands, with numerous retinues; for it was so vast that it could always
+furnish accommodations for large parties arriving unexpectedly. As the
+prosperous state of their finances admitted of their indulging in such
+luxury, Hérode had fixed upon this house as their place of abode in
+Paris; because it would give a certain prestige to his troupe to be
+lodged there, and show conclusively that they were not mere needy,
+vagabond players, gaining a precarious livelihood in their wanderings
+through the provinces, but a company of comedians of good standing,
+whose talents brought them in a handsome revenue.
+
+Upon their arrival at this imposing hostelry, they were first shown
+into an immense kitchen, which presented an animated, busy scene—a
+whole army of cooks bustling about the great roaring fire, and around
+the various tables, where all sorts of culinary rites were in active
+progress; while the mingling of savoury odours that pervaded the whole
+place so tickled the olfactory organs of Blazius, Hérode, and Scapin,
+the gourmands of the troupe, that their mouths expanded into the
+broadest of grins, as they edged as near as possible to the numerous
+saucepans, etc., from which they issued. In a few moments a servant
+came to conduct them to the rooms that had been prepared for them, and
+just as they turned away from the blazing fire, round which they had
+gathered, to follow him, a traveller entered and approached it, whose
+face seemed strangely familiar to de Sigognac. He was a tall, powerful
+man, wearing large spurs, which rang against the stone floor at every
+step, and the great spots of mud—some of them not yet dry—with which he
+was bespattered from head to foot, showed that he must have been riding
+far and fast. He was a fierce-looking fellow, with an insolent,
+devil-may-care, arrogant sort of expression, and bold, swaggering gait,
+yet he started at sight of the young baron, and plainly shrunk from his
+eye; hastening on to the fire and bending over it, with his back turned
+to de Sigognac, under pretence of warming his hands. In vain did our
+hero try to recall when and where he had seen the man before, but he
+was positive that he had come in contact with him somewhere, and that
+recently; and he was conscious of a vague feeling of uneasiness with
+regard to him, that he could not account for. However, there was
+nothing for him to do but follow his companions, and they all went to
+their respective chambers, there to make themselves presentable for the
+meal to which they were shortly summoned, and which they thoroughly
+enjoyed, as only hungry travellers can. The fare was excellent, the
+wine capital, the dining-room well lighted, warm, and comfortable, and
+all were in high spirits; congratulating each other upon having happily
+reached the end of their long journey at last, and drinking to their
+own future success in this great city of Paris. They indulged in the
+flattering hope of producing a sensation here as well as at Poitiers,
+and even dared to dream of being commanded to appear before the court,
+and of being rewarded royally for their exertions to please. Only de
+Sigognac was silent and preoccupied, and Isabelle, whose thoughts were
+all of him, cast anxious glances at him, and wished that she could
+charm away his melancholy. He was seated at the other end of the table,
+and still puzzling over the face that he had seen in the kitchen, but
+he soon looked towards her, and caught her lovely eyes fixed upon him,
+with such an adorable expression of chaste love and angelic tenderness
+in their shadowy depths, that all thoughts save of her were at once
+banished from his mind. The warmth of the room had flushed her cheeks a
+little, her eyes shone like stars, and she looked wonderfully
+beautiful; the young Duke of Vallombreuse would have been more madly
+enamoured of her than ever if he could have seen her then. As for de
+Sigognac, he gazed at her with unfeigned delight, his dark, expressive
+eyes eloquent of adoring love and deep reverence. A new sentiment
+mingled with his passion now—ever since she had opened her heart to
+him, and let him see all its heavenly purity and goodness—which
+elevated, ennobled, and intensified it. He knew now the true, lofty
+beauty of her soul, that it was akin to the angels, and but for the
+keen, ever-increasing grief he suffered because of her firm refusal to
+give herself wholly to him, his happiness, in possessing her faithful,
+devoted love, would have been too perfect for this life of trials and
+sorrow.
+
+When supper was over, de Sigognac accompanied Isabelle to the
+threshhold of her own room, and said ere he left her, “Be sure to
+fasten your door securely, my sweet Isabelle, for there are so many
+people about in a great hotel like this that one cannot be too
+careful.”
+
+“You need have no fears for me here, my dear baron,” she replied; “only
+look at this lock, and you will be convinced of that. Why it is strong
+enough for a prison door, and the key turns thrice in it. And here is a
+great thick bolt besides—actually as long as my arm. The window is
+securely barred, and there is no dreadful bull’s eye, or opening of any
+kind in the wall, to make me afraid. Travellers so often have articles
+of value with them that I suppose it is necessary for them to have such
+protections against thieves. Make yourself easy about me, de Sigognac!
+never was the enchanted princess of a fairy tale, shut up in her strong
+tower guarded by dragons, in greater security than am I in this
+fortress of mine.”
+
+“But sometimes it chances that the magic charms and spells, represented
+by these bolts and bars, are insufficient, my beloved Isabelle, and the
+enemy manages to force his way in, despite them all—and the mystic
+signs, phylacteries, and abracadabras into the bargain.”
+
+“Yes; but that is when the princess within secretly favours his
+efforts,” said Isabelle, with a mischievous smile, “and in some
+mysterious way constitutes herself his accomplice; being tired of her
+seclusion, perhaps, or else in love with the bold intruder—neither of
+which is my case you know, de Sigognac! Surely if I’m not afraid—I, who
+am more timid than the trembling doe when she hears the dread sound of
+the hunter’s horn and the baying of the hounds you should not fear—you,
+who are brave as Alexander the Great himself. Sleep in peace to-night,
+my friend, I pray you, and sleep soundly—not with one eye open, as you
+have done so often of late for my sake; and now, good night.”
+
+She held out to him a pretty little hand, white and soft enough to have
+belonged to a veritable princess, which he kissed as reverently as if
+it had been a queen’s; then waited to hear her turn the big, clumsy,
+iron key three times in the lock—no easy task for her delicate
+fingers—and push home the heavy bolt. Breathing a fervent blessing upon
+her, he turned away reluctantly towards his own door. As he paused an
+instant before it he saw a shadow moving, turned round quickly, and
+caught sight of the very man he had been thinking of, and puzzling
+over, so much that evening—whose approach he had not heard at
+all—passing stealthily along the corridor, presumably on his way to his
+own room. Not an extraordinary circumstance, that; but the baron’s
+suspicions were instantly aroused, and under pretext of trying to
+introduce his key into the lock, he furtively watched him the whole
+length of the passage, until a turn in it hid him from view, as he
+gained an unfrequented part of the house; a moment later, the sound of
+a door being softly opened and closed announced that he had probably
+reached his own chamber, and then all was still again.
+
+“Now what does this mean?” said de Sigognac to himself, and haunted by
+a vague feeling of anxiety and uneasiness, he could not even bring
+himself to lie down upon his bed and rest his weary frame; so, after
+pacing restlessly about the room for a while, he concluded to occupy
+himself in writing a letter to his good old Pierre; he had promised to
+apprise him of his arrival in Paris. He was careful that the
+handwriting should be very large, clear, and distinct, for the faithful
+old servant was not much of a scholar, and addressed him as follows:
+
+MY GOOD PIERRE:—Here I am at last, actually in Paris, the great
+capital, where, according to general belief, I am to fall in with some
+sort of good fortune or other, that will enable me to re-establish the
+ancient prosperity of my house—though in truth I cannot see where I am
+to look for it. However, some happy chance may bring me into relations
+with the court, and if I could only get to speak to the king—the great
+dispenser of all favours—the important and famous services rendered by
+my ancestors to his royal predecessors would surely incline him to
+listen to me with indulgence and interest. His gracious majesty could
+not, it seems to me, suffer a noble family, that had devoted all their
+possessions to the service of king and country, in many wars, to die
+out so miserably, if once he knew of it. Meantime, for want of other
+employment, I have taken to acting, and have made a little money
+thereby—part of which I shall send to you, as soon as I can find a good
+opportunity. It would have been better perhaps if I had enlisted as a
+soldier; but I could not give up my liberty, and however
+poverty-stricken a man may be, his pride revolts at the idea of putting
+himself under the orders of those whom his noble ancestors used to
+command. The only adventure worth relating that has befallen me since I
+left you was a duel that I fought at Poitiers, with a certain young
+duke, who is held to be invincible; but, thanks to your good
+instructions, I was able to get the better of him easily. I ran him
+through the right arm, and could just as well have run him through the
+body, and left him dead upon the field, for his defence was weak and
+insufficient—by no means equal to his attack, which was daring and
+brilliant, though very reckless—and several times he was entirely at my
+mercy, as he grew heated and angry. He has not been so thoroughly
+trained to preserve his _sang-froid_, whatever may happen, as I, and I
+now appreciate, for the first time, your wonderful patience and
+perseverance in making me a master of the noble art of fencing, and how
+valuable my proficiency in it will be to me. Your scholar does you
+honour, my brave Pierre, and I won great praise and applause for my
+really too easy victory. In spite of the constant novelty and
+excitement of my new way of life, my thoughts often return to dwell
+upon my poor old château, crumbling gradually into ruin over the tombs
+of my ancestors. From afar it does not seem so desolate and forlorn,
+and there are times when I fancy myself there once more, gazing up at
+the venerable family portraits, wandering through the deserted rooms,
+and I find a sort of melancholy pleasure in it. How I wish that I could
+look into your honest, sunburnt face, lighted up with the glad smile
+that always greeted me—and I am not ashamed to confess that I long to
+hear Beelzebub’s contented purring, Miraut’s joyful bark, and the loud
+whinnying of my poor old Bayard, who never failed to recognise my step.
+Are they all still alive—the good, faithful, affectionate creatures—and
+do they seem to remember me? Have you been able to keep yourself and
+them from starvation thus far? Try to hold out until my return, my good
+Pierre, so as to share my fate—be it bright or dark, happy or sad—that
+we may finish our days together in the place where we have suffered so
+much, yet which is so dear to us all. If I am to be the last of the de
+Sigognacs, I can only say, the will of God be done. There is still a
+vacant place left for me in the vault where my forefathers lie.
+
+“BARON DE SIGOGNAC.”
+
+
+The baron sealed this letter with the ring bearing his family arms,
+which was the only jewel remaining in his possession; directed it, and
+put it into his portfolio, to wait until he should find an opportunity
+to forward it to Gascony. Although by this time it was very late, he
+could still hear the vague roar of the great city, which, like the
+sound of the ocean, never entirely ceases, and was so strange and novel
+to him, in contrast with the profound silence of the country that he
+had been accustomed to all his life long. As he sat listening to it, he
+thought he heard cautious footsteps in the corridor, and extinguishing
+his light, softly opened his door just a very little way, scarcely more
+than a crack—and caught a glimpse of a man, enveloped in a large cloak,
+stealing along slowly in the direction the other one had taken. He
+listened breathlessly until he heard him reach, and quietly enter,
+apparently the same door. A few minutes later, while he was still on
+the lookout, another one came creeping stealthily by, making futile
+efforts to stifle the noise of his creaking boots. His suspicions now
+thoroughly aroused, de Sigognac continued his watch, and in about half
+an hour came yet another—a fierce, villainous looking fellow, and fully
+armed, as every one of his predecessors had been also. This strange
+proceeding seemed very extraordinary and menacing to the baron, and the
+number of the men—four—brought to his mind the night attack upon him in
+the streets of Poitiers, after his quarrel with the Duke of
+Vallombreuse. This recollection was like a ray of light, and it
+instantly flashed upon him that the man he had seen in the kitchen was
+no other than one of those precious rascals, who had been routed so
+ignominiously—and these, without doubt, were his comrades. But how came
+they there? in the very house with him—not by chance surely. They must
+have followed him up to Paris, stage by stage, in disguise, or else
+keeping studiously out of his sight, Evidently the young duke’s
+animosity was still active, as well as his passion, and he had not
+renounced his designs upon either Isabelle or himself. Our hero was
+very brave by nature, and did not feel the least anxiety about his own
+safety trusting to his good sword to defend himself against his
+enemies—but he was very uneasy in regard to his sweet Isabelle, and
+dreaded inexpressibly what might be attempted to gain possession of
+her. Not knowing which one of them the four desperadoes had in view
+now, he determined not to relax his vigilance an instant, and to take
+such precautions as he felt pretty sure would circumvent their plans,
+whatever they might be. He lighted all the candles there were in his
+room—a goodly number—and opened his door, so that they threw a flood of
+light on that of Isabelle’s chamber, which was exactly opposite his
+own. Next he drew his sword, laid it, with his dagger, on a table he
+had drawn out in front of the door, and then sat down beside it, facing
+the corridor, to watch. He waited some time without hearing or seeing
+anything. Two o’clock had rung out from a neighbouring church tower
+when a slight rustling caught his listening ear, and presently one of
+the four rascals—the very man he had first seen—emerged from the shadow
+into the bright light streaming out into the passage from his open
+door. The baron had sprung to his feet at the first sound, and stood
+erect on the threshold, sword in hand, with such a lofty, heroic, and
+triumphant air, that Mérindol—for it was he—passed quickly by, without
+offering to molest him, with a most deprecating, crestfallen
+expression; a laughable contrast to his habitual fierce insolence. His
+three doughty comrades followed in quick succession—but not one of them
+dared to attack de Sigognac, and they slunk out of sight as rapidly as
+possible. He saluted each one with a mocking gesture as he passed, and
+stood tranquilly watching them as long as he could see them. In a few
+minutes he had the satisfaction of hearing the stamping of horses’ feet
+in the court-yard below, then the opening of the outer door to let them
+pass out into the street, and finally a great clattering of hoofs as
+they galloped off down the Rue Dauphine.
+
+At breakfast the next morning the tyrant said to de Sigognac, “Captain,
+doesn’t your curiosity prompt you to go out and look about you a little
+in this great city—one of the finest in the world, and of such high
+renown in history? If it is agreeable to you I will be your guide and
+pilot, for I have been familiar from my youth up with the rocks and
+reefs, the straits and shallows, the scyllas and charybdises of this
+seething ocean, which are often so dangerous—sometimes so fatal—to
+strangers, and more especially to inexperienced country people. I will
+be your Palinurus—but I promise you that I shall not allow myself to be
+caught napping, and so fall overboard, like him that Virgil tells us
+about. We are admirably located here for sight-seeing; the Pont-Neuf,
+which is close at hand, you know, is to Paris what the Sacra Via was to
+ancient Rome—the great resort and rallying place of high and low, great
+and small, noble men, gentlemen, _bourgeois_, working men, rogues and
+vagabonds. Men of every rank and profession under the sun are to be
+found gathered together at this general rendezvous.”
+
+“Your kind proposition pleases me greatly, my good Hérode,” de Sigognac
+replied, “and I accept it with thanks; but be sure to tell Scapin that
+he must remain here, and keep a sharp watch over all who come and go;
+and, above all, that he must not let any one gain access to Isabelle.
+The Duke of Vallombreuse has not given up his designs against her and
+me—I feel very anxious about her safety,” and therewith he recounted
+the occurrences of the preceding night.
+
+“I don’t believe they would dare to attempt anything in broad
+daylight,” said the tyrant; “still it is best to err on the safe side,
+and we will leave Scapin, Blazius and Leander to keep guard over
+Isabelle while we are out. And, by the way, I will take my sword with
+me, too, so that I can be of some assistance in case they should find
+an opportunity to fall upon you in the streets.”
+
+After having made every arrangement for Isabelle’s safety, de Sigognac
+and his companion sallied forth into the Rue Dauphine, and turned
+towards the Pont-Neuf. It was quickly reached, and when they had taken
+a few steps upon it a magnificent view suddenly burst upon them, which
+held the young baron enthralled. In the immediate foreground, on the
+bridge itself, which was not encumbered with a double row of houses,
+like the Pont au Change and the Pont Saint Michel, was the fine
+equestrian statue of that great and good king, Henri IV, rivalling in
+its calm majesty the famous one of Marcus Aurelius, on the Capitoline
+Hill at Rome. A high railing, richly gilded, protected its pedestal
+from injury by mischievous street arabs, and the deep, strong tints of
+the bronze horse and rider stood out vigorously against the appropriate
+background formed by the distant hill-sides beyond the Pont Rouge. On
+the left bank of the river the spire of the venerable old church of
+Saint Germain des Pres pointed upwards from amid the houses that
+completely hemmed it in, and the lofty roof of the unfinished Hôtel de
+Nevers towered conspicuously above all its surroundings. A little
+farther on was the only tower still standing of the famous, and
+infamous, Hôtel de Nesle, its base bathed by the river, and though it
+was in a ruinous condition it still lifted itself up proudly above the
+adjacent buildings. Beyond it lay the marshy Grenouillere, and in the
+blue, hazy distance could be distinguished the three crosses on the
+heights of Calvary, or Mont-Valérien. The palace of the Louvre occupied
+the other bank right royally, lighted up by the brilliant winter
+sunshine, which brought out finely all the marvellous details of its
+rich and elaborate ornamentation. The long gallery connecting it with
+the Tuileries, which enabled the monarch to pass freely from his city
+palace to his country house, especially challenged their admiration;
+with its magnificent sculptures, its historical bas-reliefs and
+ornamented cornices, its fretted stonework, fine columns and pilasters,
+it rivalled the renowned triumphs of the best Greek and Roman
+architects. Beyond the gardens of the Tuileries, where the city ended,
+stood the Porte de la Conférence, and along the river bank, outside of
+it, were the trees of Cours-la-Reine, the favourite promenade of the
+fashionable world, which was thronged of an afternoon with gay and
+luxurious equipages. The two banks, which we have thus hastily
+sketched, framed in the most animated scene imaginable; the river being
+covered with boats of all sorts and descriptions, coming and going,
+crossing and recrossing, while at the quay, beside the Louvre, lay the
+royal barges, rich with carving and gilding, and gay with
+bright-coloured awnings, and near at hand rose the historic towers of
+Saint Germain l’Auxerrois.
+
+After gazing silently for a long time at this splendid view, de
+Sigognac turned away reluctantly at his companion’s instance, and
+joined the little crowd already gathered round the “Samaritan,” waiting
+to see the bronze figure surmounting the odd little hydraulic edifice
+strike the hour with his hammer on the bell of the clock. Meanwhile
+they examined the gilt bronze statue of Christ, standing beside the
+Samaritan, who was leaning on the curb of the well, the astronomic dial
+with its zodiac, the grotesque stone mask pouring out the water drawn
+up from the river below, the stout figure of Hercules supporting the
+whole thing, and the hollow statue, perched on the topmost pinnacle,
+that served as a weathercock, like the Fortune on the Dogana at Venice
+and the Giralda at Seville. As the hands on the clock-face at last
+pointed to ten and twelve respectively, the little chime of bells
+struck up a merry tune, while the bronze man with the hammer raised his
+ponderous arm and deliberately struck ten mighty blows, to the great
+delight of the spectators. This curious and ingenious piece of
+mechanism, which had been cunningly devised by one Lintlaer, a Fleming,
+highly amused and interested de Sigognac, to whom everything of the
+kind was absolutely new and surprising.
+
+“Now,” said Hérode, “we will glance at the view from the other side of
+the bridge, though it is not so magnificent as the one you have already
+seen, and is very much shut in by the buildings on the Pont au Change
+yonder. However, there is the tower of Saint Jacques, the spire of
+Saint Méderic, and others too numerous to mention; and that is the
+Sainte Chapelle—a marvel of beauty, so celebrated, you know, for its
+treasures and relics. All the houses in that direction are new and
+handsome, as you see; when I was a boy I used to play at hop-scotch
+where they now stand. Thanks to the munificence of our kings, Paris is
+being constantly improved and beautified, to the great admiration and
+delight of everybody; more especially of foreigners, who take home
+wondrous tales of its splendour.”
+
+“But what astonishes me,” said de Sigognac, “more even than the
+grandeur and sumptuousness of the buildings, both public and private,
+is the infinite number of people swarming everywhere—in the streets and
+open squares, and on the bridges—like ants when one has broken into an
+ant hill; they are all rushing distractedly about, up and down, back
+and forth, as if life and death depended upon their speed. How strange
+it is to think that every individual in this immense crowd must be
+lodged and fed—and what a prodigious amount of food and wine it must
+take to satisfy them all.”
+
+And indeed, it was not surprising that the great numbers of people,
+moving in every direction, should strike one unaccustomed to the
+crowded thoroughfares of large cities as extraordinary. On the
+Pont-Neuf an unceasing stream of vehicles rolled in each direction—fine
+carriages, richly decorated and gilded, drawn by two or four prancing
+horses, with lackeys in brilliant liveries clinging on behind, and
+stately coachmen on the box; less pretentious carriages with more quiet
+steeds and fewer servants; heavy carts laden with stone, wood, or
+wine-barrels, whose drivers swore loudly at the detentions they were
+frequently obliged to submit to, and which were unavoidable in such a
+crush of vehicles; and among them all, gentlemen on horseback,
+threading their way carefully in and out among the press of carts and
+carriages, and endeavouring to avoid coming in contact with their muddy
+wheels—not always successfully; while here and there a sedan chair
+crept slowly along, keeping upon the edge of the stream, so as not to
+be crushed; and the narrow, raised walk on either side was thronged
+with pedestrians. Presently a drove of cattle made its appearance on
+the bridge, and then the uproar and confusion became terrible indeed;
+horses, as well as foot-passengers, were frightened, and tried to run
+away from danger, requiring all the strength of their drivers to
+restrain them. Soon after that excitement was over a detachment of
+soldiers came marching along, with drums beating and colours flying,
+and everybody had to make way for the valiant sons of Mars, no matter
+at what inconvenience to themselves. And so it went on, one thing after
+another—a constant scene of bustle, hurry, and commotion. As de
+Sigognac and the tyrant strolled slowly along they were beset by
+beggars, more or less impudent and pertinacious, and by all sorts of
+odd characters, plying various extraordinary vocations for the
+amusement of the passers-by, for which they seemed to be liberally
+enough remunerated. Here was an improvisatore, singing, not
+unmelodiously, his rather clever verses; there a blind man, led by a
+stout, jolly-looking old woman, who recited his dolorous history in a
+whining voice, and appealed to the charity of the ever-changing
+multitude; farther on a charlatan, loudly claiming to be able to cure
+“all the ills that flesh is heir to” by his magical compound—and
+finding plenty of dupes; and next to him a man with a monkey, whose
+funny tricks caused much merriment. Suddenly a great tumult arose near
+the other end of the bridge, and in a moment a compact crowd had
+gathered around four men, who, with loud cries and imprecations, were
+fighting with swords—apparently with great fury, though in reality it
+was only a mock combat, probably intended to give a good chance to the
+thieves and pickpockets in the throng, with whom they were in league;
+such tactics being very common, as well as successful. By Hérode’s
+advice, de Sigognac refrained from mingling with the crowd immediately
+around the combatants, so he could not get a very good view of them;
+but he was almost sure that they were the very men he had met first in
+the streets of Poitiers, to their great discomfiture, and had seen
+again the previous night at the hotel in the Rue Dauphine, where they
+certainly had gained no advantage to make up for their former defeat.
+He communicated his suspicions to the tyrant, but the rascals had
+already slipped away, and it would have been as useless to attempt to
+find them in the throng as to look for a needle in a haystack.
+
+“It certainly is possible,” said Hérode, thoughtfully, “that this
+quarrel was gotten up with a view to involving you in it, by some means
+or other, for we are undoubtedly followed and watched by the emissaries
+of the Duke of Vallombreuse. One of the scoundrels might have made
+believe that you were in the way, or that you had struck him, and
+falling upon you suddenly, before you had time to draw your sword, have
+given you a thrust that would have done for you; and if he failed to
+wound you mortally; the others could have pretended to come to their
+comrade’s aid, and have completed the job—nothing would have been
+easier. Then they would have separated, and slipped away through the
+crowd, before any one could interfere with them, or else have stood
+their ground, and declared unanimously that they had been obliged to
+attack you in self defence. It is next to impossible in such cases to
+prove that the act was premeditated, and there is no redress for the
+unhappy victim of such a conspiracy.”
+
+“But I am loath to believe,” said the brave, generous young baron,
+“that any gentleman could be capable of such an utterly base and
+unworthy act as this—what, send a set of hired ruffians to foully
+assassinate his rival! If he is not satisfied with the result of our
+first encounter, I am willing and ready to cross swords with him again
+and again, until one or the other of us is slain. That is the way that
+such matters are arranged among men of honour, my good Hérode!”
+
+“Doubtless,” replied the tyrant, dryly, “but the duke well
+knows—despite his cursed pride—that the result of another meeting with
+you could not but be disastrous to himself. He has tried the strength
+of your blade, and learned by bitter experience that its point is
+sharp. You may be sure that he hates you like the very devil, and will
+not scruple to make use of any means whatever to revenge himself for
+his defeat at your hands.”
+
+“Well, if he does not care to try my sword again, we could fight on
+horseback with pistols. He could not accuse me of having any advantage
+of him there.”
+
+Talking thus the two had reached the Quai de l’Ecole, and there a
+carriage just missed running over de Sigognac, though he did his best
+to get out of its way. As it was, only his extremely slender figure
+saved him from being crushed between it and the wall, so close did it
+come to him—notwithstanding the fact that there was plenty of room on
+the other side, and that the coachman could easily have avoided the
+foot passenger he actually seemed to pursue. The windows of the
+carriage were all closed, and the curtains drawn down, so that it was
+impossible to tell whether it had any inmates or not—but if de Sigognac
+could have peeped within he would have seen, reclining languidly upon
+the luxurious cushions, a handsome young nobleman, richly dressed,
+whose right arm was supported by a black silk scarf, arranged as a
+sling. In spite of the warm red glow from the crimson silk curtains, he
+was very pale, and, though so remarkably handsome, his face wore such
+an expression of hatred and cruelty, that he would have inspired
+dislike, rather than admiration—as he sat there with a fierce frown
+contracting his brow, and savagely gnawing his under lip with his
+gleaming white teeth. In fine, the occupant of the carriage that had so
+nearly run over the Baron de Sigognac was no other than the young Duke
+of Vallombreuse.
+
+“Another failure!” said he to himself, with an oath, as he rolled along
+up the broad quay past the Tuileries. “And yet I promised that stupid
+rascal of a coachman of mine twenty-five _louis_ if he could be adroit
+enough to run afoul of that confounded de Sigognac—who is the bane of
+my life—and drive over him, as if by accident. Decidedly the star of my
+destiny is not in the ascendant—this miserable little rustic lordling
+gets the better of me in everything. Isabelle, sweet Isabelle, adores
+_him_, and detests me—he has beaten my lackeys, and dared to wound
+_me_. But there shall be an end of this sort of thing, and that
+speedily—even though he be invulnerable, and bear a charmed life, he
+must and shall be put out of my way—I swear it! though I should be
+forced to risk my name and my title to compass it.”
+
+“Humph!” said Hérode, drawing a long breath; “why those brutes must be
+of the same breed as the famous horses of that Diomedes, King of
+Thrace, we read of, that pursued men to tear them asunder, and fed upon
+their flesh. But at least you are not hurt, my lord, I trust! That
+coachman saw you perfectly well, and I would be willing to wager all I
+possess in the world that he purposely tried to run over you—he
+deliberately turned his horses towards you—I am sure of it, for I saw
+the whole thing. Did you observe whether there was a coat of arms on
+the panel? As you are a nobleman yourself I suppose you must be
+familiar with the devices of the leading families in France.”
+
+“Yes, I am of course,” answered de Sigognac, “but I was too much
+occupied in getting out of the way of the swift rolling carriage to
+notice whether there was anything of that kind on it or not.”
+
+“That’s a pity,” rejoined the tyrant regretfully, “for if we only knew
+that, we should have a clew that might lead to our discovering the
+truth about this most suspicious affair. It is only too evident that
+some one is trying to put you out of the way, _quibuscumque viis_, as
+the pedant would say. Although we unfortunately have no proof of it, I
+am very much inclined to think that this same carriage belongs to his
+lordship, the Duke of Vallombreuse, who wished to indulge himself in
+the pleasure of driving over the body of his enemy in his chariot, in
+true classical and imperial style.”
+
+“What extraordinary idea have you got into your head now, Sir Hérode?”
+said de Sigognac, rather indignantly. “Come, that would be too infamous
+and villainous a proceeding for any gentleman to be guilty of, and you
+must remember that after all the Duke of Vallombreuse is one, and that
+he belongs to a very high and noble family. Besides, did not we leave
+him in Poitiers, laid up with his wound? How then could he possibly be
+in Paris, when we have only just arrived here ourselves?”
+
+“But didn’t we stop several days at Tours? and again at Orléans? And
+even if his wound were not entirely healed he could easily travel in
+his luxurious carriage, by easy stages, from Poitiers to Paris. His
+hurt was not of a dangerous character, you know, and he is young and
+vigorous. You must be on your guard, my dear captain, unceasingly;
+never relax your vigilance for one moment, for I tell you there are
+those about who seek your life. You once out of the way, Isabelle
+would, be in the duke’s power—for what could we, poor players, do
+against such a great and powerful nobleman? Even if Vallombreuse
+himself be not in Paris—though I am almost positive that he is—his
+emissaries are, as you know, and but for your own courage and
+watchfulness you would have been assassinated in your bed by them last
+night.”
+
+This de Sigognac could not dispute, and he only nodded in token of
+assent, as he grasped the hilt of his sword, so as to be ready to draw
+it at the slightest cause for suspicion or alarm. Meantime they had
+walked on as far as the Porte de la Conférence, and now saw ahead of
+them a great cloud of dust, and through it the glitter of bayonets.
+They stepped aside to let the cavalcade pass, and saw that the soldiers
+preceded the carriage of the king, who was returning from Saint Germain
+to the Louvre. The curtains of the royal vehicle were raised, and the
+glasses let down, so that the people could distinctly see their
+sovereign, Louis XIII, who, pale as a ghost and dressed all in black,
+sat as motionless as an effigy in wax. Long, dark brown hair fell about
+his mournful, ghastly countenance, upon which was depicted the same
+terrible ennui that drove Philip II of Spain, to seclude himself so
+much, during the later years of his life, in the silence and solitude
+of the dreary Escorial. His eyes were fixed on vacancy, and seemed
+utterly lifeless—no desire, no thought, no will lent them light or
+expression. A profound disgust for and weariness of everything in this
+life had relaxed his lower lip, which fell sullenly, in a morose,
+pouting way. His hands, excessively thin and white, lay listlessly upon
+his knees, like those of certain Egyptian idols. And yet, for all,
+there was a truly royal majesty about this mournful figure, which
+personified France, and in whose veins flowed sluggishly the generous
+blood of Henri IV.
+
+The young baron had always thought of the king as a sort of
+supernatural being, exalted above all other men. Glorious and majestic
+in his person, and resplendent in sumptuous raiment, enriched with gold
+and precious stones; and now he saw only this sad, motionless figure,
+clad in dismal black, and apparently unconscious of his surroundings,
+sunk in a profound reverie that none would dare to intrude upon. He had
+dreamed of a gracious, smiling sovereign, showering good gifts upon his
+loyal subjects, and here was an apathetic, inanimate being, who seemed
+capable of no thought for any one but himself. He was sadly
+disappointed, shocked, amazed; and he felt, with a sinking heart, how
+hopeless was his own case. For even should he be able to approach this
+mournful, listless monarch, what sympathy could be expected from him?
+The future looked darker than ever now to this brave young heart.
+Absorbed in these sorrowful reflections he walked silently along beside
+his companion, who suspected his taciturn mood, and did not intrude
+upon it, until, as the hour of noon approached, he suggested that they
+should turn their steps homeward, so as to be in time for the mid-day
+meal. When they reached the hotel they were relieved to find that
+nothing particular had happened during their absence. Isabelle, quietly
+seated at table with the others when they entered, received the baron
+with her usual sweet smile, and held out her little white hand to him.
+The comedians asked many questions about his first experiences in
+Paris, and inquired mischievously whether he had brought his cloak, his
+purse, and his handkerchief home with him, to which de Sigognac
+joyfully answered in the affirmative. In this friendly banter he soon
+forgot his sombre thoughts, and asked himself whether he had not been
+the dupe of a hypochondriac fancy, which could see nothing anywhere but
+plots and conspiracies.
+
+He had not been alarmed without reason however, for his enemies, vexed
+but not discouraged by the failure of their several attempts upon him,
+had by no means renounced their determination to make away with him.
+Mérindol, who was threatened by the duke with being sent back to the
+galleys whence he had rescued him, unless he and his comrades succeeded
+in disposing of the Baron de Sigognac, resolved to invoke the
+assistance of a certain clever rascal of his acquaintance, who had
+never been known to fail in any job of that kind which he undertook. He
+no longer felt himself capable to cope with the baron, and moreover
+now, laboured under the serious disadvantage of being personally known
+to him. He went accordingly to look up his friend, Jacquemin Lampourde
+by name, who lodged not very far from the Pont-Neuf, and was lucky
+enough to find him at home, sleeping off the effects of his last
+carouse. He awoke him with some difficulty, and was violently abused
+for his pains. Then, having quietly waited until his friend’s first
+fury was exhausted, he announced that he had come to consult with him
+on important business, having an excellent job to intrust to him, and
+begging that he would be good enough to listen to what he had to say.
+
+“I never listen to anybody when I am drunk,” said Jacquemin Lampourde,
+majestically, putting his elbow on his knee as he spoke, and resting
+his head on his hand—“and besides, I have plenty of money—any quantity
+of gold pieces. We plundered a rich English lord last night, who was a
+walking cash-box, and I am a gentleman of wealth just at present.
+However, one evening at lansquenet may swallow it all up. I can’t
+resist gambling you know, and I’m deuced unlucky at it, so I will see
+you to-night about this little matter of yours. Meet me at the foot of
+the bronze statue on the Pont-Neuf at midnight. I shall be as fresh and
+bright as a lark by that time, and ready for anything. You shall give
+me your instructions then, and we will agree upon my share of the
+spoils. It should be something handsome, for I have the vanity to
+believe that no one would come and disturb a fellow of my calibre for
+any insignificant piece of business. But after all I am weary of
+playing the thief and pickpocket—it is beneath me—and I mean to devote
+all my energies in future to the noble art of assassination; it is more
+worthy of my undisputed prowess. I would rather be a grand, man-slaying
+lion than any meaner beast of prey. If this is a question of killing I
+am your man—but one thing more, it must be a fellow who will defend
+himself. Our victims are so apt to be cowardly, and give in without a
+struggle—it is no better than sticking a pig—and that I cannot stand,
+it disgusts me. A good manly resistance, the more stubborn the better,
+gives a pleasant zest to the task.”
+
+“You may rest easy on that score,” Mirindol replied, with a malicious
+smile; “you will find a tough customer to handle, I promise you.”
+
+“So much the better,” said Lampourde, “for it is a long time since I
+have found an adversary worth crossing swords with. But enough of this
+for the present. Good-bye to you, and let me finish my nap.”
+
+But he tried in vain to compose himself to sleep again, and, after
+several fruitless efforts, gave it up as a bad job; then began to shake
+a companion, who had slept soundly on the floor under the table during
+the preceding discussion, and when he had succeeded in rousing him,
+both went off to a gaming-house, where lansquenet was in active
+progress. The company was composed of thieves, cut-throats,
+professional bullies, ruffians of every sort, lackeys, and low fellows
+of various callings, and a few well-to-do, unsophisticated _bourgeois_,
+who had been enticed in there—unfortunate pigeons, destined to be
+thoroughly plucked. Lampourde, who played recklessly, had soon lost all
+his boasted wealth, and was left with empty pockets. He took his bad
+luck with the utmost philosophy.
+
+“Ouf!” said he to his companion, when they had gone out into the
+street, and the cool, night air blew refreshingly upon his heated face,
+“here am I rid of my money, and a free man again. It is strange that it
+should always make such a brute of me. It surprises me no longer that
+rich men should invariably be such stupid fools. Now, that I haven’t a
+penny left, I feel as gay as a lark—ready for anything. Brilliant ideas
+buzz about my brain, like bees around the hive. Lampourde’s himself
+again. But there’s the Samaritan striking twelve, and a friend of mine
+must be waiting for me down by the bronze Henri IV, so goodnight.”
+
+He quitted his companion and walked quickly to the rendezvous, where he
+found Mérindol, diligently studying his own shadow in the moonlight;
+and the two ruffians, after looking carefully about them to make sure
+that there was no one within ear-shot, held a long consultation, in
+very low tones. What they said we do not know; but, when Lampourde
+quitted the agent of the Duke of Vallombreuse, he joyously jingled the
+handful of gold pieces in his pocket, with an imprudent audacity that
+showed conclusively how much he was respected by the thieves and cut
+throats who haunted the Pont-Neuf.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+THE CROWNED RADISH
+
+
+Jacquemin Lampourde, after parting company with Mérindol, seemed in
+great uncertainty as to which way he should go, and had not yet decided
+when he reached the end of the Pont-Neuf. He was like the donkey
+between two bundles of hay; or, if that comparison be not pleasing,
+like a piece of iron between two magnets of equal power. On the one
+side was lansquenet, with the fascinating excitement of rapidly winning
+and losing the broad gold pieces that he loved; and on the other the
+tavern, with its tempting array of bottles; for he was a drunkard as
+well as a gambler, this same notorious Jacquemin Lampourde. He stood
+stock still for a while, debating this knotty point with himself, quite
+unable to come to a decision, and growing very much vexed at his own
+hesitation, when suddenly a brilliant idea occurred to him, and,
+plunging his hand into his well-filled pocket, he drew forth a gold
+piece, which he tossed into the air, crying, “Head for the tavern, tail
+for lansquenet.” The coin rang upon the pavement as it fell, and he
+kneeled down to see what fate had decided for him; head was up. “Very
+well,” said he, philosophically, as he picked up the piece of money,
+carefully wiped off the mud, and put it back in his pocket, “I’ll go
+and get drunk.” Then, with long strides, he made off to his favourite
+tavern, which had the advantage of being in the immediate vicinity of
+his own lodgings, so that with a few zigzags he was at home, after he
+had filled himself with wine from the soles of his boots to the apple
+in his throat. It was not an inviting-looking place, this same tavern,
+with the odd device of an enormous radish, bearing a golden crown—now
+rather tarnished—which had served as its sign for many generations of
+wine-drinkers. The heavy wooden shutters were all closed when Lampourde
+reached it; but by the bright light streaming through their crevices,
+and the sounds of song and revelry that reached his ear, he knew that
+there must be a numerous company within. Knocking on the door in a
+peculiar way with the handle of his sword, he made himself known as an
+_habitué_ of the house, and was promptly admitted—the door being
+carefully made fast again the moment he had entered. The large, low
+room into which he made his way was filled with the smoke from many
+pipes, and redolent with the fumes of wine. A cheerful wood fire was
+blazing on the hearth, lighting up the array of bottles in the bar,
+which was placed near it, where the master of the establishment sat
+enthroned, keeping a watchful eye on the noisy crowd gathered round the
+many small tables with which the room abounded, drinking, smoking,
+playing at various games, and singing ribald songs. Lampourde paid no
+attention to the uproarious throng, further than to look about and make
+sure that none of his own particular friends and associates were among
+them. He found an unoccupied table, to which a servant quickly brought
+a bottle of fine old Canary wine, very choice and rare, which was
+reserved for a few privileged and appreciative customers, who could
+afford to indulge in such luxuries. Although he was quite by himself,
+two glasses were placed before him, as his dislike of drinking alone
+was well known, and at any moment a comrade might come in and join him.
+Meantime he slowly filled his glass, raised it to the level of his
+eyes, and looked long and lovingly through the beautiful, clear topaz
+of the generous wine. Having thus satisfied the sense of sight, he
+passed to that of smell, and held the glass under his nostrils, where
+he could enjoy the delicious aroma arising from it, giving the wine a
+rotary motion as he did so, in a very artistic manner; then, putting
+the glass to his lips, he let a few drops trickle slowly down over his
+tongue to his palate, lengthening out the enjoyment as much as
+possible, and approving smack of relish as he at last swallowed the
+smooth nectar. Thus Maître Jacquemin Lampourde managed to gratify three
+of the five senses man is blessed with by means of a single glass of
+wine. He pretended that the other two might also have a share of the
+enjoyment—that of touch by the highly polished surface and swelling
+curves of the wine-glass, and that of hearing by the merry ringing when
+two glasses are clinked together, or by the musical sounds to be
+brought forth from a glass by drawing the moistened finger round and
+round the edge of it. But these are fantastic and paradoxical ideas,
+which only serve to show the vicious refinement of this fastidious
+ruffian. He had been but a few minutes alone when an odd-looking,
+shabbily dressed individual came in, who rejoiced in a remarkably pale
+face, which looked as if it had been chalked, and a nose as red and
+fiery as a live coal; the idea of how many casks of wine and bottles of
+brandy must have been imbibed to bring it to such an intensity of
+erubescence would be enough to terrify the ordinary drinker. This
+singular countenance was like a cheese, with a bright, red cherry stuck
+in the middle of it; and to finish the portrait it would only be
+necessary to add two apple seeds, placed a little obliquely, for the
+eyes, and a wide gash for a mouth. Such was Malartic—the intimate
+friend, the Pylades, the Euryalus, the “fidus Achates” of Jacquemin
+Lampourde; who certainly was not handsome—but his mental and moral
+qualities made up for his little physical disadvantages. Next to
+Lampourde—for whom he professed the most exalted admiration and
+respect—he was accounted the most skillful swordsman in Paris; he was
+always lucky at cards, and could drink to any extent without becoming
+intoxicated. For the rest, he was a man of great delicacy and honour,
+in his way—ready to run any risk to help or support a friend, and
+capable of enduring any amount of torture rather than betray his
+comrades—so that he enjoyed the universal and unbounded esteem of his
+circle.
+
+Malartic went straight to Lampourde’s table, sat down opposite to him,
+silently seized the glass the other had promptly filled, and drained it
+at a single draught; evidently his method differed from his friend’s,
+but that it was equally efficacious his nose bore indisputable witness.
+The two men drank steadily and in silence until they had emptied their
+third bottle, and then called for pipes. When they had puffed away for
+a while, and enveloped themselves in a dense cloud of smoke, they fell
+into conversation, deploring the bad times since the king, his court
+and followers, had all gone to Saint Germain, and comparing notes as to
+their own individual doings since their last meeting. Thus far they had
+paid no attention whatever to the company round them, but now such a
+loud discussion arose over the conditions of a bet between two men
+about some feat that one of them declared he could perform and the
+other pronounced impossible, that they both looked round to see what it
+was all about. A man of lithe, vigorous frame, with a complexion dark
+as a Moor’s, jet-black hair and flashing eyes, was drawing out of his
+red girdle a large, dangerous looking knife, which, when opened, was
+nearly as long as a sword, and called in Valencia, where it was made, a
+_navaja_. He carefully examined and tested the edge and point of this
+formidable weapon, with which he seemed satisfied, said to the man he
+had been disputing with, “I am ready!” then turned and called,
+“Chiquita! Chiquita!”
+
+At the sound of her name a little girl, who had been sleeping, rolled
+up in a cloak, on the floor in a dark corner, rose and came towards
+Agostino—for it was he of course—and, fixing her large dark eyes upon
+his face earnestly, said, “Master, what do you want me to do? I am
+ready to obey you here as everywhere else, because you are so brave,
+and have so many red marks on your _navaja_.”
+
+Chiquita said this rapidly, in a patois which was as unintelligible to
+the Frenchmen around her as German, Hebrew or Chinese. Agostino took
+her by the hand and placed her with her back against the door, telling
+her to keep perfectly still, and the child, accustomed to that sort of
+thing, showed neither alarm nor surprise, but stood quietly, looking
+straight before her with perfect serenity, while Agostino, at the other
+end of the room, standing with one foot advanced, balanced the dread
+_navaja_ in his hand. Suddenly with a quick jerking movement he sent it
+flying through the air, and it struck into the wooden door, just over
+Chiquita’s head. As it darted by, like a flash of lightning, the
+spectators had involuntarily closed their eyes for a second, but the
+fragile child’s long dark eyelashes did not even quiver. The brigand’s
+wonderful skill elicited a loud burst of admiration and applause from
+an audience not easily surprised or pleased, in which even the man who
+had lost his wager joined enthusiastically. Agostino went and drew out
+the knife, which was still vibrating, and returning to his place this
+time sent it in between Chiquita’s arm—which was hanging down by her
+side—and her body; if it had deviated a hair’s breadth it must have
+wounded her. At this everybody cried “Enough!” but Agostino insisted
+upon aiming at the other side as well, so as to prove to them that
+there was no chance about it; that it was purely a matter of skill.
+Again the terrible _navaja_ flew through the air, and went straight to
+the mark, and Chiquita, very much delighted at the applause that
+followed, looked about her proudly, glorying in Agostino’s triumph. She
+still wore Isabelle’s pearl beads round her slender brown neck; in
+other respects was much better dressed than when we first saw her, and
+even had shoes on her tiny feet; they seemed to worry and annoy her
+very much, it is true, but she found them a necessary nuisance on the
+cold Paris pavements, and so had to submit to wearing them with as good
+a grace as she could muster. When Agostino gave her leave to quit her
+position she quietly returned to her corner, rolled herself up anew in
+the large cloak, and fell sound asleep again, while he, after pocketing
+the five _pistoles_ he had won, sat down to finish his measure of cheap
+wine; which he did very slowly, intending to remain where he was as
+long as possible; he had no lodging place yet in Paris, having arrived
+that very evening, and this warm room was far more comfortable than a
+refuge in some convent porch, or under the arch of a bridge perhaps,
+where he had feared that he and Chiquita might have to lie shivering
+all night long.
+
+Quiet being restored, comparatively speaking, Lampourde and Malartic
+resumed their interrupted conversation, and after a few remarks upon
+the strange performance they had just witnessed—in which Lampourde
+especially praised Agostino’s marvellous skill, and Malartic warmly
+commended Chiquita’s wonderful courage and _sang-froid_—the former
+confided to his friend that he had a piece of work in prospect, in
+which he would need some assistance, and desired to have his opinion as
+to which of their comrades would be best suited for his purpose. He
+told him that, in the first place, he was commissioned to despatch a
+certain Captain Fracasse, an actor, who had dared to interfere with the
+love affair of a very great lord. In this, of course, he would not
+require any aid; but he had also to make arrangements for the abduction
+of the lady, a very beautiful young actress, who was beloved by both
+the nobleman and the comedian, and who would be zealously defended by
+the members of the dramatic company to which she belonged; so that he
+should be obliged to resort to some stratagem, and would probably need
+the help of several hands to carry it out—adding that they were sure of
+being well paid, for the young lord was as generous and open handed as
+he was wealthy and determined. Thereupon they fell to discussing the
+respective merits of their numerous friends and acquaintances—gentlemen
+of the same stamp as themselves—and having decided upon four, and
+determined to keep an eye upon Agostino, who seemed a clever rascal and
+might be of use, they called for another bottle of wine. When that was
+finished Jacquemin Lampourde was indisputably drunk, and having loyally
+kept his word, retired, somewhat unsteadily, to his own quarters in a
+high state of maudlin satisfaction, accompanied by his friend Malartic,
+whom he had invited to spend the night with him. By this time—it was
+nearly four o’clock in the morning—the Crowned Radish was almost
+deserted, and the master of the establishment, seeing that there was no
+prospect of further custom, told his servants to rouse up and turn out
+all the sleepers—Agostino and Chiquita among the rest—and his orders
+were promptly executed.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+A DOUBLE ATTACK
+
+
+The Duke of Vallombreuse was not a man to neglect his love affairs, any
+more than his enemies. If he hated de Sigognac mortally, he felt for
+Isabelle that furious passion which the unattainable is apt to excite
+in a haughty and violent nature like his, that has never met with
+resistance. To get possession of the young actress had become the
+ruling thought of his life. Spoiled by the easy victories he had always
+gained heretofore, in his career of gallantry, his failure in this
+instance was utterly incomprehensible to him, as well as astonishing
+and maddening. He could not understand it. Oftentimes in the midst of a
+conversation, at the theatre, at church, at the court, anywhere and
+everywhere, the thought of it would suddenly rush into his mind,
+sweeping everything before it, overwhelming him afresh with wonder and
+amazement. And indeed it could not be easy for a man who did not
+believe that such an anomaly as a truly virtuous woman ever
+existed—much less a virtuous actress—to understand Isabelle’s firm
+resistance to the suit of such a rich and handsome young nobleman as
+himself. He sometimes wondered whether it could be that after all she
+was only playing a part, and holding back for a while so as to obtain
+more from him in the end—tactics that he knew were not unusual—but the
+indignant, peremptory way in which she had rejected the casket of
+jewels proved conclusively that no such base motives actuated Isabelle.
+All his letters she had returned unopened. All his advances she had
+persistently repulsed; and he was at his wit’s end to know what to do
+next. Finally he concluded to send for old Mme. Léonarde to come and
+talk the matter over with him; he had kept up secret relations with
+her, as it is always well to have a spy in the enemy’s camp. The duke
+received her, when she came in obedience to his summons, in his own
+particular and favoured room, to which she was conducted by a private
+staircase. It was a most dainty and luxurious apartment, fitted up with
+exquisite taste, and hung round with portraits of beautiful
+women—admirably painted by Simon Vouet, a celebrated master of that
+day—representing different mythological characters, and set in richly
+carved oval frames. These were all likenesses of the young duke’s
+various mistresses, each one displaying her own peculiar charms to the
+greatest possible advantage, and having consented to sit for her
+portrait—in a costume and character chosen by the duke—as a special
+favour, without the most remote idea that it was to form part of a
+gallery.
+
+When the duenna had entered and made her best curtsey, the duke
+condescendingly signed to her to be seated, and immediately began to
+question her eagerly about Isabelle—as to whether there were any signs
+yet of her yielding to his suit, and also how matters were progressing
+between her and the detested Captain Fracasse. Although the crafty old
+woman endeavoured to put the best face upon everything, and was very
+diplomatic in her answers to these searching questions, the information
+that she had to give was excessively displeasing to the imperious young
+nobleman, who had much ado to control his temper sufficiently to
+continue the conversation. Before he let her go he begged her to
+suggest some plan by which he could hope to soften the obdurate
+beauty—appealing to her great experience in such intrigues, and
+offering to give her any reward she chose to claim if she would but
+help him to succeed. She had nothing better to propose, however, than
+secretly administering a strong narcotic to Isabelle, and concerting
+some plan to deliver her into his hands while unconscious from the
+effects of it; which even the unscrupulous young duke indignantly
+rejected. Whereupon, fixing her wicked old eyes admiringly upon his
+handsome face, and apparently moved by a sudden inspiration, she said:
+“But why does not your lordship conduct this affair in person? why not
+begin a regular and assiduous courtship in the good old style? You are
+as beautiful as Adonis, my lord duke! You are young, fascinating,
+powerful, wealthy, a favourite at court, rich in everything that is
+pleasing to the weaker sex; and there is not a woman on earth who could
+long hold out against you, if you would condescend, my lord, to plead
+your own cause with her.”
+
+“By Jove! the old woman is right,” said Vallombreuse to himself,
+glancing complacently at the reflection of his own handsome face and
+figure in a full-length mirror opposite to him; “Isabelle may be
+virtuous and cold, but she is not blind, and Nature has not been so
+unkind to me that the sight of me should inspire her with horror. I can
+at least hope to produce the same happy effect as a fine statue or
+picture, which attracts and charms the eye by its symmetry, or its
+beautiful and harmonious colouring. Then, kneeling at her feet, I can
+softly whisper some of those persuasive words that no woman can listen
+to unmoved—accompanied by such passionately ardent looks that the ice
+round her heart will melt under them and vanish quite away. Not one of
+the loftiest, haughtiest ladies at the court has ever been able to
+withstand them—they have thawed the iciest, most immaculate of them
+all; and besides, it surely cannot fail to flatter the pride of this
+disdainful, high-spirited little actress to have a real duke actually
+and openly kneeling at her feet. Yes, I will take the old woman’s
+advice, and pay my court to her so charmingly and perseveringly that I
+shall conquer at last—she will not be able to withstand me, my sweet
+Isabelle. And it will be a miracle indeed if she has a regret left then
+for that cursed de Sigognac; who shall no longer interfere between my
+love and me—that I swear! She will soon forget him in my arms.”
+
+Having dismissed old Mme. Léonarde with a handsome gratuity, the duke
+next summoned his valet, Picard, and held an important consultation
+with him, as to his most becoming costumes, finally deciding upon a
+very rich but comparatively plain one, all of black velvet; whose
+elegant simplicity he thought would be likely to suit Isabelle’s
+fastidious taste better than any more gorgeous array, and in which it
+must be confessed that he looked adorably handsome—his really beautiful
+face and fine figure appearing to the utmost advantage.
+
+His toilet completed, he sent a peremptory order to his coachman to
+have the carriage, with the four bays, ready in a quarter of an hour.
+When Picard had departed on this errand, Vallombreuse began pacing
+slowly to and fro in his chamber, glancing into the mirror each time he
+passed it with a self-satisfied smile. “That proud little minx must be
+deucedly cross-grained and unappreciative,” said he, “if she does not
+perceive how much more worthy I am of her admiration than that shabby
+de Sigognac. Oh, yes! she’ll be sure to come round, in spite of her
+obstinate affectation of such ferocious virtue, and her tiresome,
+Platonic love for her impecunious suitor. Yes, my little beauty, your
+portrait shall figure in one of those oval frames ere long. I think
+I’ll have you painted as chaste Diana, descended from the sky, despite
+her coldness, to lavish sweet kisses on Endymion. You shall take your
+place among those other goddesses, who were as coy and hard to please
+at first as yourself, and who are far greater ladies, my dear, than you
+ever will be. Your fall is at hand, and you must learn, as your betters
+have done before you, that there’s no withstanding the will of a
+Vallombreuse. ‘Frango nec frangor,’ is my motto.”
+
+A servant entered to announce that the carriage awaited his lordship’s
+pleasure, and during the short drive from his own house to the Rue
+Dauphine, the young duke, despite his arrogant assurance, felt his
+heart beating faster than usual as he wondered how Isabelle would
+receive him. When the splendid carriage, with its four prancing horses
+and servants in gorgeous liveries, drove into the courtyard of the
+hotel where the comedians were stopping, the landlord himself, cap in
+hand, rushed out to ask the pleasure of the lordly visitor; but, rapid
+as were his movements, the duke had already alighted before he could
+reach him. He cut short the obsequious host’s obeisances and breathless
+offers of service by an impatient gesture, and said peremptorily:
+
+“Mlle. Isabelle is stopping here. I wish to see her. Is she at home? Do
+not send to announce my visit; only let me have a servant to show me
+the way to her room.”
+
+“My lord, let me have the glory of conducting your lordship myself—such
+an honour is too great for a rascally servant—I myself am not worthy of
+so distinguished a privilege.”
+
+“As you please,” said Vallombreuse, with haughty negligence, “only be
+quick about it. There are people at every window already, staring down
+at me as if I were the Grand Turk in person.”
+
+He followed his guide, who, with many bows and apologies, preceded him
+upstairs, and down a long, narrow corridor with doors on either side,
+like a convent, until they reached Isabelle’s room, where the landlord
+paused, and, bowing lower than ever, asked what name he should have the
+honour of announcing.
+
+“You can go, now,” the duke replied, laying his hand on the door; “I
+will announce myself.”
+
+Isabelle was sitting by the window, diligently studying her part in a
+new play to be shortly put in rehearsal, and, at the moment the Duke of
+Vallombreuse softly entered her chamber, was repeating, in a low voice
+and with closed eyes, the verses she was learning by heart—just as a
+child does its lessons. The light from the window shone full upon her
+beautiful head and face—seen in profile—and her lovely figure, thrown
+back in a negligent attitude full of grace and _abandon_. She made a
+most bewitching picture thus, and with a delicious effect of
+chiaroscuro that would have enchanted an artist—it enthralled the young
+duke.
+
+Supposing that the intruder who entered so quietly was only the
+chambermaid, come to perform some forgotten duty, Isabelle did not
+interrupt her study or look up, but went on composedly with her
+recitation. The duke, who had breathlessly advanced to the centre of
+the room, paused there, and stood motionless, gazing with rapture upon
+her beauty. As he waited for her to open her eyes and become aware of
+his presence, he sank gracefully down upon one knee, holding his hat so
+that its long plume swept the floor, and laying his hand on his heart,
+in an attitude that was slightly theatrical perhaps, but as respectful
+as if he had been kneeling before a queen. Excitement and agitation had
+flushed his pale cheeks a little, his eyes were luminous and full of
+fire, a sweet smile hovered on his rich, red lips, and he had never
+looked more splendidly, irresistibly handsome in his life. At last
+Isabelle moved, raised her eyelids, turned her head, and perceived the
+Duke of Vallombreuse, kneeling within six feet of her. If Perseus had
+suddenly appeared before her, holding up Medusa’s horrid head, the
+effect would have been much the same. She sat like a statue,
+motionless, breathless, as if she had been petrified, or frozen
+stiff—her eyes, dilated with excessive terror, fixed upon his face, her
+lips parted, her throat parched and dry, her tongue paralyzed—unable to
+move or speak. A ghastly pallor overspread her horror-stricken
+countenance, a deathly chill seized upon all her being, and for one
+dreadful moment of supreme anguish she feared that she was going to
+faint quite away; but, by a desperate, prodigious effort of will, she
+recalled her failing senses, that she might not leave herself entirely
+defenceless in the power of her cruel persecutor.
+
+“Can it be possible that I inspire such overwhelming horror in your
+gentle breast, my sweet Isabelle,” said Vallombreuse in his most dulcet
+tones, and without stirring from his position, “that the mere sight of
+me produces an effect like this? Why, a wild beast, crouching to spring
+upon you from his lair, with angry roar and blazing eyeballs, could not
+terrify you more. My presence here may be a little sudden and
+startling, I admit; but you must not be too hard upon one who lives
+only to love and adore you. I knew that I risked your anger when I
+decided to take this step; but I could not exist any longer without a
+sight of you, and I humbly crave your pardon if I have offended you by
+my ardour and devotion. I kneel at your feet, fair lady, a despairing
+and most unhappy suppliant for your grace and favour.”
+
+“Rise, my lord, I beseech you,” said the frightened, trembling girl,
+speaking with great difficulty and in a voice that sounded strange in
+her own ears; “such a position does not become your rank. I am only an
+actress, and my poor attractions do not warrant such homage. Forget
+this fleeting fancy, I pray you, and carry elsewhere the ardour and
+devotion that are wasted upon me, and that so many great and noble
+ladies would be proud and happy to receive and reward.”
+
+“What do I care for other women, be they what they may?” cried
+Vallombreuse impetuously, as he rose in obedience to her request; “it
+is _your_ pride and purity that I adore, _your_ beauty and goodness
+that I worship; your very cruelty is more charming to me than the
+utmost favour of any other woman in the world. Your sweet modesty and
+angelic loveliness have inspired in me a passion that is almost
+delirium, and unless you can learn to love me I shall die—I cannot live
+without you. You need not be afraid of me,” he added, as Isabelle
+recoiled when he made one step forward, and tried to open the window
+with her trembling hands, as if she meant to throw herself out in case
+of his coming any nearer; “see, I will stay where I am. I will not
+touch you, not even the hem of your garment, so great is my respect for
+you, charming Isabelle! I do not ask anything more than that you will
+deign to suffer my presence here a little longer now, and permit me to
+pay my court to you, lay siege to your heart, and wait patiently until
+it surrenders itself to me freely and of its own accord, as it surely
+will. The most respectful lover could not do more.”
+
+“Spare me this useless pursuit, my lord,” pleaded Isabelle, “and I will
+reward you with the warmest gratitude; but love you I cannot, now or
+ever.”
+
+“You have neither father, brother, husband, or affianced lover,”
+persisted Vallombreuse, “to forbid the advances of a gallant gentleman,
+who seeks only to please and serve you. My sincere homage is surely not
+insulting to you; why do you repulse me so? Oh! you do not dream what a
+splendid prospect would open out before you if you would but yield to
+my entreaties. I would surround you with everything that is beautiful
+and dainty, luxurious and rare. I would anticipate your every wish; I
+would devote my whole life to your service. The story of our love
+should be more enchanting, more blissful than that of Love himself with
+his delicious Psyche—not even the gods could rival us. Come, Isabelle,
+do not turn so coldly away from me, do not persevere in this maddening
+silence, nor drive to desperation and desperate deeds a passion that is
+capable of anything, of everything, save renouncing its adored object,
+your own sweet, charming self!”
+
+“But this love, of which any other woman would be justly proud,” said
+Isabelle modestly, “I cannot return or accept; you _must_ believe me,
+my lord, for I mean every word I say, and I shall never swerve from
+this decision. Even if the virtue and purity that I value more highly
+than life itself were not against it, I should still feel myself
+obliged to decline this dangerous honour.”
+
+“Deign to look upon me with favour and indulgence, my sweet Isabelle,”
+continued Vallombreuse, without heeding her words, “and I will make you
+an object of envy to the greatest and noblest ladies in all France. To
+any other woman I should say—take what you please of my treasures—my
+châteaux, my estates, my gold, my jewels—dress your lackeys in liveries
+richer than the court costumes of princes—have your horses shod with
+silver—live as luxuriously as a queen—make even Paris wonder at your
+lavish splendour if you will—though Paris is not easily roused to
+wonder—but I well know that you have a soul far above all such sordid
+temptations as these. They would have no weight with you, my noble
+Isabelle! But there _is_ a glory that may touch you—that of having
+conquered Vallombreuse—of leading him captive behind your chariot
+wheels—of commanding him as your servant, and your slave. Vallombreuse,
+who has never yielded before—who has been the commander, not the
+commanded—and whose proud neck has never yet bowed to wear the fetters
+that so many fair hands have essayed to fasten round it.”
+
+“Such a captive would be too illustrious for my chains,” said Isabelle,
+firmly, “and as I could never consent to accept so much honour at your
+hands, my lord, I pray you to desist, and relieve me of your presence.”
+
+Hitherto the Duke of Vallombreuse had managed to keep his temper under
+control; he had artfully concealed his naturally violent and
+domineering spirit under a feigned mildness and humility, but, at
+Isabelle’s determined and continued—though modest and
+respectful—resistance to his pleading, his anger was rapidly rising to
+boiling point. He felt that there was love—devoted love—for another
+behind her persistent rejection of his suit, and his wrath and jealousy
+augmented each other. Throwing aside all restraint, he advanced towards
+her impetuously—whereat she made another desperate effort to tear open
+the casement. A fierce frown contracted his brow, he gnawed his under
+lip savagely, and his whole face was transformed—if it had been
+beautiful enough for an angel’s before, it was like a demon’s now.
+
+“Why don’t you tell the truth,” he cried, in a loud, angry voice, “and
+say that you are madly in love with that precious rascal, de Sigognac?
+_That_ is the real reason for all this pretended virtue that you
+shamelessly flaunt in men’s faces. What is there about that cursed
+scoundrel, I should like to know, that charms you so? Am I not
+handsomer, of higher rank, younger, richer, as clever, and as much in
+love with you as he can possibly be? aye, and more—ten thousand times
+more.”
+
+“He has at least one quality that you are lacking in, my lord,” said
+Isabelle, with dignity; “he knows how to respect the woman he loves.”
+
+“That’s only because he cares so little about you, my charmer!” cried
+Vallombreuse, suddenly seizing Isabelle, who vainly strove to escape
+from him, in his arms, and straining her violently to his
+breast—despite her frantic struggles, and agonized cry for help. As if
+in response to it, the door was suddenly opened, and the tyrant, making
+the most deprecating gestures and profound bows, entered the room and
+advanced towards Isabelle, who was at once released by Vallombreuse,
+with muttered curses at this most inopportune intrusion.
+
+“I beg your pardon, mademoiselle,” said Hérode, with a furtive glance
+at the duke, “for interrupting you. I did not know that you were in
+such good company; but the hour for rehearsal has struck, and we are
+only waiting for you to begin.”
+
+He had left the door ajar, and an apparently waiting group could be
+discerned without, consisting of the pedant, Scapin, Leander, and
+Zerbine; a reassuring and most welcome sight to poor Isabelle. For one
+instant the duke, in his rage, was tempted to draw his sword, make a
+furious charge upon the intruding _canaille_, and disperse them “_vi et
+armis_”—but a second thought stayed his hand, as he realized that the
+killing or wounding of two or three of these miserable actors would not
+further his suit; and besides, he could not stain his noble hands with
+such vile blood as theirs. So he put force upon himself and restrained
+his rage, and, bowing with icy politeness to Isabelle, who, trembling
+in every limb, had edged nearer to her friends, he made his way out of
+the room; turning, however, at the threshold to say, with peculiar
+emphasis, “Au revoir, mademoiselle!”—a very simple phrase certainly,
+but replete with significance of a very terrible and threatening nature
+from the way in which it was spoken. His face was so expressive of evil
+passions as he said it that Isabelle shuddered, and felt a violent
+spasm of fear pass over her, even though the presence of her companions
+guaranteed her against any further attempts at violence just then. She
+felt the mortal anguish of the fated dove, above which the cruel kite
+is circling swiftly in the air, drawing nearer with every rapid round.
+
+The Duke of Vallombreuse regained his carriage, which awaited him in
+the court followed by the obsequious landlord, with much superfluous
+and aggravating ceremony that he would gladly have dispensed with, and
+the next minute the rumble of wheels indicated to Isabelle that her
+dangerous visitor had taken his departure.
+
+Now, to explain the timely interruption that came so opportunely to
+rescue Isabelle from her enemy’s clutches. The arrival of the duke in
+his superb carriage at the hotel in the Rue Dauphine had caused an
+excitement and flutter throughout the whole establishment, which soon
+reached the ears of the tyrant, who, like Isabelle, was busy learning
+his new part in the seclusion of his own room. In the absence of de
+Sigognac, who was detained at the theatre to try on a new costume, the
+worthy tyrant, knowing the duke’s evil intentions, determined to keep a
+close watch over his actions, and having summoned the others, applied
+his ear to the key-hole of Isabelle’s door, and listened attentively to
+all that passed within—holding himself in readiness to interfere at any
+moment, if the duke should venture to offer violence to the defenceless
+girl—and to his prudence and courage it was due that she escaped
+further persecution, on that occasion, from her relentless and
+unscrupulous tormentor.
+
+That day was destined to be an eventful one. It will be remembered that
+Lampourde, the professional assassin, had received from Mérindol—acting
+for the Duke Of Vallombreuse—a commission to put Captain Fracasse
+quietly out of the way, and accordingly that worthy was dodging about
+on the Pont-Neuf, at the hour of sunset, waiting to intercept his
+intended victim, who would necessarily pass that way in returning to
+his hotel. Jacquemin awaited his arrival impatiently, frequently
+breathing on his fingers and rubbing them vigorously, so that they
+should not be quite numb with the cold when the moment for action came,
+and stamping up and down in order to warm his half-frozen feet. The
+weather was extremely cold, and the sun had set behind the Pont Rouge,
+in a heavy mass of blood-red clouds. Twilight was coming on apace, and
+already there were only occasional foot-passengers, or vehicles, to be
+encountered hurrying along the deserted streets.
+
+At last de Sigognac appeared, walking very fast, for a vague anxiety
+about Isabelle had taken possession of him, and he was in haste to get
+back to her. In his hurry and preoccupation he did not notice
+Lampourde, who suddenly approached and laid hold of his cloak, which he
+snatched off, with a quick, strong jerk that broke its fastenings.
+Without stopping to dispute the cloak with his assailant, whom he
+mistook at first for an ordinary foot-pad, de Sigognac instantly drew
+his sword and attacked him. Lampourde, on his side, was ready for him,
+and pleased with the baron’s way of handling his weapon, said to
+himself, though in an audible tone, “Now for a little fun.” Then began
+a contest that would have delighted and astonished a connoisseur in
+fencing—such swift, lightning-like flashing of the blades, as they gave
+and parried cut and thrust—the clashing of the steel, the blue sparks
+that leaped from the contending swords as the fight grew more
+furious—Lampourde keeping up meanwhile an odd running commentary, as
+his wonder and admiration grew momentarily greater and more
+enthusiastic, and he had soon reached an exulting mood. Here at last
+was a “foeman worthy of his steel,” and he could not resist paying a
+tribute to the amazing skill that constantly and easily baffled his
+best efforts, in the shape of such extraordinary and original
+compliments that de Sigognac was mightily amused thereby. As usual, he
+was perfectly cool and self-possessed, keeping control of his temper as
+well as of his sword—though by this time he felt sure that it was
+another agent of the Duke of Vallombreuse’s he had to deal with, and
+that his life, not his cloak, was the matter at stake. At last
+Lampourde, who had begun to entertain an immense respect for his
+valiant opponent, could restrain his curiosity no longer, and eagerly
+asked,
+
+“Would it be indiscreet, sir, to inquire who was your instructor?
+Girolamo, Paraguante, or Cote d’Acier would have reason to be proud of
+such a pupil. Which one of them was it?”
+
+“My only master was an old soldier, Pierre by name,” answered de
+Sigognac, more and more amused at the oddities of the accomplished
+swordsman he was engaged with. “Stay, take that! it is one of his
+favourite strokes.”
+
+“The devil!” cried Lampourde, falling back a step, “I was very nearly
+done for, do you know! The point of your sword actually went through my
+sleeve and touched my arm—I felt the cold steel; luckily for me it was
+not broad daylight—I should have been winged; but you are not
+accustomed, like me, to this dim, uncertain light for such work. All
+the same, it was admirably well done, and Jacquemin Lampourde
+congratulates you upon it, sir! Now, pay attention, to me—I will not
+take any mean advantage of such a glorious foe as you are, and I give
+you fair warning that I am going to try on you my own secret and
+special thrust Captain Fracasse—the crowning glory of my art, the ‘ne
+plus ultra’ of my science—the elixir of my life. It is known only to
+myself, and up to this time has been infallible. I have never failed to
+kill my man with it. If you can parry it I will teach it to you. It is
+my only possession, and I will leave it to you if you survive it;
+otherwise I will take my secret to the grave with me. I have never yet
+found any one capable of executing it, unless indeed it be
+yourself—admirable, incomparable swordsman that you are! It is a joy to
+meet such an one. But suppose we suspend hostilities a moment to take
+breath.”
+
+So saying Jacquemin Lampourde lowered the point of his sword, and de
+Sigognac did the same. They stood eyeing each other for a few moments
+with mutual admiration and curiosity, and then resumed the contest more
+fiercely than ever—each man doing his best, as he had need to do, and
+enjoying it. After a few passes, de Sigognac became aware that his
+adversary was preparing to give the decisive blow, and held himself on
+his guard against a surprise; when it came, delivered with terrible
+force, he parried it so successfully that Lampourde’s sword was broken
+short off in the encounter with his own trusty weapon, leaving only the
+hilt and a few inches of the blade in his hand.
+
+“If you have not got the rest of my sword in your body,” cried
+Lampourde, excitedly, “you are a great man!—a hero!—a god!”
+
+“No,” de Sigognac replied calmly, “it did not touch me; and now, if I
+chose, I could pin you to the wall like a bat; but that would be
+repugnant to me, though you did waylay me to take my life, and besides,
+you have really amused me with your droll sayings.
+
+“Baron,” said Jacquemin Lampourde, calmly, “permit me, I humbly pray
+you, to be henceforth, so long as I live, your devoted admirer, your
+slave, your dog! I was to be paid for killing you—I even received a
+portion of the money in advance, which I have spent. But never mind
+that; I will pay it back, every penny of it, though I must rob some one
+else to do it.”
+
+With these words he picked up de Sigognac’s cloak, and having put it
+carefully, even reverentially, over his shoulders, made him a profound
+obeisance, and departed.
+
+Thus the efforts of the Duke of Vallombreuse, to advance his suit and
+to get rid of his rival, had once more failed ignominiously.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+LAMPOURDE’S DELICACY
+
+
+It is easy to imagine the frame of mind in which the Duke of
+Vallombreuse returned home after his repulse by Isabelle, and her
+rescue from his arms by the timely intervention of her friends, the
+comedians. At sight of his face, fairly livid and contorted with
+suppressed rage, his servants trembled and shrunk away from him—as well
+they might—for his natural cruelty was apt to vent itself upon the
+first unhappy dependent that happened to come in his way when his wrath
+was excited. He was not an easy master to serve, even in his most
+genial mood—this haughty, exacting young nobleman—and in his frantic
+fits of anger he was more savage and relentless than a half-starved
+tiger. Upon entering his own house he rushed through it like a
+whirlwind, shutting every door behind him with such a violent bang that
+the very walls shook, and pieces of the gilt mouldings round the panels
+were snapped off, and scattered on the floor. When he reached his own
+room he flung down his hat with such force that it was completely
+flattened, and the feather broken short off. Then, unable to breathe
+freely, he tore open his rich velvet _pourpoint_, as he rushed
+frantically to and fro, without any regard for the superb diamond
+buttons that fastened it, which flew in every direction. The
+exquisitely fine lace ruffles round his neck were reduced to shreds in
+a second, and with a vigorous kick he knocked over a large arm-chair
+that stood in his way, and left it upside down, with its legs in the
+air.
+
+“The impudent little hussy!” he cried, as he continued his frenzied
+walk, like a wild beast in a cage. “I have a great mind to have her
+thrown into prison, there to be well-whipped, and have her hair shaved
+off, before being sent to a lunatic asylum—or better still to some
+strict convent where they take in bad girls who have been forcibly
+rescued from lives of infamy. I could easily manage it. But no, it
+would be worse than useless—persecution would only make her hate me
+more, and would not make her love that cursed de Sigognac a bit less.
+How can I punish her? what on earth shall I do?” and still he paced
+restlessly to and fro, cursing and swearing, and raving like a madman.
+While he was indulging in these transports of rage, without paying any
+attention to how the time was passing, evening drew on, and it was
+rapidly growing dark when his faithful Picard, full of commiseration,
+screwed up his courage to the highest point, and ventured to go softly
+in—though he had not been called, and was disobeying orders—to light
+the candles in his master’s room; thinking that he was quite gloomy
+enough already without being left in darkness as well, and hoping that
+the lights might help to make him more cheerful. They did seem to
+afford him some relief, in that they caused a diversion; for his
+thoughts, which had been all of Isabelle and her cruel repulse of his
+passionate entreaties, suddenly flew to his successful rival, the Baron
+de Sigognac.
+
+“But how is this?” he cried, stopping short in his rapid pacing up and
+down the room. “How comes it that that miserable, degraded wretch has
+not been despatched before this? I gave the most explicit orders about
+it to that good-for-nothing Mérindol. In spite of what Vidalinc says, I
+am convinced that I shall succeed with Isabelle when once that cursed
+lover of hers is out of my way. She will be left entirely at my mercy
+then, and will have to submit to my will and pleasure with the best
+grace she can muster—for I shall not allow any sulking or tears.
+Doubtless she clings so obstinately to that confounded brute in the
+belief that she can induce him to marry her in the end. She means to be
+Mme. la Baronne de Sigognac—the aspiring little actress! That must be
+the reason of all this mighty display of mock modesty, and of her
+venturing to repulse the attentions of a duke, as scornfully, by Jove!
+as if he were a stable-boy. But she shall rue it—the impertinent little
+minx! and I’ll have no mercy shown to the audacious scoundrel who dared
+to disable this right arm of mine. Halloa there! send Mérindol up to me
+instantly, do you hear?”
+
+Picard flew to summon him, and in a few moments the discomfited bully
+made his appearance; pale from abject terror, with teeth chattering and
+limbs trembling, as he was ushered into the dread presence of his angry
+lord. In spite of his efforts to assume the _sang-froid_ he was so far
+from feeling, he staggered like a drunken man, though he had not drank
+enough wine that day to drown a fly, and did not dare to lift his eyes
+to his master’s face.
+
+“Well, you cowardly beast,” said Vallombreuse angrily, how long, pray,
+are you going to stand there speechless, like a stupid fool, with that
+hang-dog air, as if you already had the rope that you so richly deserve
+round your wicked neck? “I only awaited your lordship’s orders,”
+stammered Mérindol, trying to appear at ease, and failing lamentably.
+“My lord duke knows that I am entirely devoted to his service—even to
+being hanged, if it seems good to your lordship.”
+
+“Enough of that cant!” interrupted the duke impatiently. “Didn’t I
+charge you to have that cursed de Sigognac, otherwise Captain Fracasse,
+cleared out of my way? You have not done it—my orders have not been
+obeyed. It is worth while, upon my word, to keep confounded hired
+rascals to do such work for me, at this rate! All that you are good for
+is to stuff yourself in the kitchen, you dastardly beast, and to guzzle
+my good wine from morning until night. But I’ve had enough of this, by
+Jove! and if there is not a change, and that without any further loss
+of time, to the hangman you shall go—do you hear? just as sure as you
+stand there, gaping like a drivelling idiot.”
+
+“My lord duke,” said Mérindol in a trembling voice, “is unjust to his
+faithful servant, who desires nothing but to do his lord’s bidding. But
+this Baron de Sigognac is not to be disposed of so easily as my lord
+believes. Never was there a braver, more fearless man. In our first
+attack on him, at Poitiers, he got the better of us in a most wonderful
+way—we never saw the like of it—and all he had to fight with was a
+dull, rusty sword, not intended for use at all; a theatre sword, just
+for looks. And when we tried to do for him here in Paris, the very
+night he got here, it all came to naught, because he was so watchful,
+and somehow suspected what we were up to, and was ready for us; and
+that upset our beautiful little plan entirely. I never was so surprised
+in my life; and there was nothing for us to do, the whole four of us,
+but to get out of his sight as fast as we could, and he standing there
+laughing at us. Oh! he’s a rare one, is Captain Fracasse. And now he
+knows my face, so I can’t go near him myself. But I have engaged the
+services of a particular friend of mine—the bravest man and the best
+fighter in Paris—he hasn’t his equal in the world with the sword, they
+all say. He is lying in wait for him on the Pont-Neuf now, at this very
+moment, and there’ll be no mistake this time. Lampourde will be sure to
+despatch him for us—if it is not done already—and that without the
+slightest danger of your lordship’s name being mixed up with the affair
+in any way, as it might have been if your lordship’s own servants had
+done it.”
+
+“The plan is not a bad one,” said the young duke, somewhat mollified,
+“and perhaps it is better that it should be done in that way. But are
+you really sure of the courage and skill of this friend of yours? He
+will need both to get the better of that confounded de Sigognac, who is
+no coward, and a master hand with the sword, I am bound to acknowledge,
+though I do hate him like the devil.”
+
+“My lord need have no fears,” said Mérindol enthusiastically, being now
+more at his ease. “Jacquemin Lampourde is a hero, a wonder, as
+everybody will tell your lordship. He is more valiant than Achilles, or
+the great Alexander. He is not spotless certainly, like the Chevalier
+Bayard, but he is fearless.”
+
+Picard, who had been hovering about for a few minutes in an uneasy way,
+now seeing that his master was in a better humour, approached and told
+him that a very odd-looking man was below, who asked to see him
+immediately on most important business.
+
+“You may bring him in,” said the duke, “but just warn him, Picard, that
+if he dares to intrude upon me for any trifling matter, I’ll have him
+skinned alive before I let him go.”
+
+Mirindol was just about leaving the room, when the entrance of the
+newcomer rooted him to the spot; he was so astonished and alarmed that
+he could not move hand or foot. And no wonder, for it was no other than
+the hero whose name he had just spoken—Jacquemin Lampourde in
+person—and the bare fact of his having dared to penetrate so boldly
+into the dread presence of that high and mighty seignior, the Duke of
+Vallombreuse, ignoring entirely the agent through whom his services had
+been engaged, showed of itself that something very extraordinary must
+have taken place.
+
+Lampourde himself did not seem to be in the least disconcerted, and
+after winking at his friend furtively in a very knowing way, stood
+unabashed before the duke, with the bright light of the many wax
+candles shining full upon his face. There was a red mark across his
+forehead, where his hat had been pressed down over it, and great drops
+of sweat stood on it, as if he had been running fast, or exercising
+violently. His eyes, of a bluish gray tint, with a sort of metallic
+lustre in them, were fixed upon those of the haughty young nobleman,
+with a calm insolence that made Mérindol’s blood run cold in his veins;
+his large nose, whose shadow covered all one side of his face, as the
+shadow of Mount Etna covers a considerable portion of the island of
+Sicily, stood out prominently, almost grotesquely, in profile; his
+mustache, with its long stiff points carefully waxed, which produced
+exactly the effect of an iron skewer stuck through his upper lip, and
+the “royal” on his chin curled upward, like a comma turned the wrong
+way, all contributed to make up a very extraordinary physiognomy, such
+as caricaturists dote on. He wore a large scarlet cloak, wrapped
+closely about his erect, vigorous form, and in one hand, which he
+extended towards the duke, he held suspended a well filled purse—a
+strange and mysterious proceeding which Mirindol could by no means
+understand.
+
+“Well, you rascal,” said the duke, after staring for a moment in
+astonishment at this odd-looking specimen, “what does this mean? Are
+you offering alms to me, pray, or what? with your purse there held out
+at arm’s length, apparently for my acceptance.”
+
+“In the first place, my lord duke,” said Lampourde, with perfect
+_sang-froid_ and gravity, “may it not displease your highness, but I am
+not a rascal. My name is Jacquemin Lampourde, and I ply the sword for a
+living. My profession is an honourable one. I have never degraded
+myself by taking part in trade of any kind, or by manual labour.
+Killing is my business, at the risk of my own life and limb—for I
+always do my work alone, unaided, armed only with my trusty sword. Fair
+play is a jewel, and I would scorn to take a mean advantage of anybody.
+I always give warning before I attack a man, and let him have a chance
+to defend himself—having a horror of treachery, and cowardly, sneaking
+ways. What profession could be more noble than mine, pray? I am no
+common, brutal assassin, my lord duke, and I beseech your lordship to
+take back that offensive epithet, which I could never accept, save in a
+friendly, joking way—it outrages too painfully the sensitive delicacy
+of my _amour-propre_, my lord!”
+
+“Very well, so be it, Maître Jacquemin Lampourde, since you desire it,”
+answered Vallombreuse, very much amused at the oddity of his strange
+visitor. “And now have the goodness to explain your business here, with
+a purse in your hand, that you certainly appear to be steadily offering
+to me.”
+
+Jacquemin satisfied by this concession to his susceptibility, suddenly
+jerked his head forward, without bending his body, while he waved the
+hat that he held slowly to and fro, making, according to his ideas, a
+salute that was a judicious mingling of the soldier’s and the
+courtier’s—which ceremony being concluded, he proceeded as follows with
+his explanation:
+
+“Here is the whole thing in a nutshell, my lord duke! I received, from
+Mérindol—acting for your lordship—part payment in advance for
+despatching a certain Baron de Sigognac, commonly called Captain
+Fracasse. On account of circumstances beyond my control, I have not
+been able to finish the job, and as I am a great stickler for honesty,
+and honour also, I have hastened to bring back to you, my lord duke,
+the money that I did not earn.”
+
+With these words he advanced a step, and with a gesture that was not
+devoid of dignity, gently laid the purse down on a beautiful Florentine
+mosaic table, that stood at the duke’s elbow.
+
+“Verily,” said Vallombreuse sneeringly, “we seem to have here one of
+those droll bullies who are good for naught but to figure in a comedy;
+an ass in a lion’s skin, whose roar is nothing worse than a bray. Come,
+my man, own up frankly that you were afraid of that same de Sigognac.”
+
+“Jacquemin Lampourde has never been afraid of anybody in his life,” the
+fighting man replied, drawing himself up haughtily, “and no adversary
+has ever seen his back. Those who know me will tell your lordship that
+easy victories have no charm for me. I love danger and court it. I take
+positive delight in it. I attacked the Baron de Sigognac ‘_secundum
+artem_,’ and with one of my very best swords—made by Alonzo de Sahagun,
+the elder, of Toledo.”
+
+“Well, and what happened then?” said the young duke eagerly. “It would
+seem that you could not have been victorious, since you wish to refund
+this money, which was to pay you for despatching him.”
+
+“First let me inform your highness that in the course of my duels and
+combats, of one sort and another, I have left no less than thirty-seven
+men stretched dead upon the ground—and that without counting in all
+those I have wounded mortally or crippled for life. But this Baron de
+Sigognac intrenched himself within a circle of flashing steel as
+impenetrable as the walls of a granite fortress. I called into
+requisition all the resources of my art against him, and tried in every
+possible way to surprise him off his guard, but he was ready for
+everything—as quick as a flash, as firm as a rock—he parried every
+thrust triumphantly, magnificently, with the most consummate science,
+and a grace and ease I have never seen equalled. He kept me busy
+defending myself too all the time, and more than once had nearly done
+for me. His audacity was astonishing, his _sang-froid_ superb, and his
+perfect mastery over his sword, and his temper, sublime—he was not a
+man, but a god. I could have fallen down and worshipped him. At the
+risk of being spitted on his sword, I prolonged the fight as much as I
+dared, so as to enjoy his marvellous, glorious, unparalleled method to
+the utmost. However, there had to be an end of it, and I thought I was
+sure of despatching him at last by means of a secret I possess—an
+infallible and very difficult thrust, taught and bequeathed to me by
+the great Girolamo of Naples, my beloved master—no man living has a
+knowledge of it but myself—there is no one else left capable of
+executing it to perfection, and upon that depends its success. Well, my
+lord duke, Girolamo himself could not have done it better than I did
+to-night. I was thunderstruck when my opponent did not go down before
+it as if he had been shot. I expected to see him lying dead at my feet.
+But not at all, by Jove! That devil of a Captain Fracasse parried my
+blow with dazzling swiftness, and with such force that my blade was
+broken short off, and I left completely at his mercy, with nothing but
+the stump in my hand. See here, my lord duke! just look what he did to
+my precious, priceless Sahagun.” And Jacquemin Lampourde, with a
+piteous air, drew out and exhibited the sorry remains of his trusty
+sword—almost weeping over it—and calling the duke’s attention to the
+perfectly straight and even break.
+
+“Your highness can see that it was a prodigious blow that snapped this
+steel like a pipe-stem, and it was done with such ease and precision.
+To despatch Captain Fracasse by fair means is beyond my skill, my lord
+duke, and I would scorn to resort to treachery. Like all truly brave
+men, he is generous. I was left entirely defenceless, and he could have
+spitted me like an ortolan just by extending his arm, but he refrained;
+he let me go unscathed. A miraculous display of delicacy, as well as
+chivalrous generosity, from a gentleman assaulted in the gloaming on
+the Pont-Neuf. I owe my life to him, and moreover, such a debt of
+gratitude as I shall never be able to repay. I cannot undertake
+anything more against him, my lord duke; henceforth he is sacred to me.
+Besides, it would be a pity to destroy such a swordsman—good ones are
+rare in these degenerate days, and growing more so every year. I don’t
+believe he has his equal on earth. Most men handle a sword as if it
+were a broomstick nowadays, and then expect to be praised and
+applauded, the clumsy, stupid fools! Now, I have given my reasons for
+coming to inform your highness that I must resign the commission I had
+accepted. As for the money there, I might perhaps have been justified
+in keeping it, to indemnify me for the great risk and peril I incurred,
+but such a questionable proceeding would be repugnant to my tender
+conscience and my honest pride, as your highness can understand.”
+
+“In the name of all the devils in the infernal regions, take back your
+money!” cried Vallombreuse impetuously, “or I will have you pitched out
+of the window yonder, you and your money both. I never heard of such a
+scrupulous scoundrel in my life. You, Mérindol, and your cursed crew,
+have not a spark of honour or honesty among you all; far enough from
+it.” Then perceiving that Lampourde hesitated about picking up the
+purse, he added, “Take it, I tell you! I give it to you to drink my
+health with.”
+
+“In that, my lord duke, you shall be religiously obeyed,” Lampourde
+replied joyfully; “however, I do not suppose that your highness will
+object to my dedicating part of it to lansquenet.” And he stretched out
+his long arm, seized the purse, and with one dexterous movement, like a
+juggler, chucked it jingling into the depths of his pocket.
+
+“It is understood then, my lord duke, that I retire from the affair so
+far as the Baron de Sigognac is concerned,” continued Lampourde, “but,
+if agreeable to your highness, it will be taken in hand by my ‘_alter
+ego_,’ the Chevalier Malartic, who is worthy to be intrusted with the
+most delicate and hazardous enterprises, because of his remarkable
+adroitness and superior ability, and he is one of the best fellows in
+the world into the bargain. I had sketched out a scheme for the
+abduction of the young actress, in whom your highness condescends to
+take an interest, which Malartic will now carry out, with all the
+wonderful perfection of detail that characterizes his clever way of
+doing things. Mérindol here, who knows him, will testify to his rare
+qualifications, my lord duke, and you could not find a better man for
+your purpose. I am presenting a real treasure to your lordship in
+tendering Malartic’s services. When he is wanted your highness has only
+to send a trusty messenger to mark a cross in chalk on the left-hand
+door-post of the Crowned Radish. Malartic will understand, and repair
+at once, in proper disguise, to this house, to receive your lordship’s
+last orders.”
+
+Having finished this triumphant address, Maître Jacquemin Lampourde
+again saluted the duke as before, then put his hat on his head and
+stalked majestically out of the room, exceedingly well satisfied with
+his own eloquence, and what he considered courtly grace, in the
+presence of so illustrious a nobleman. His oddity and originality,
+together with his strange mingling of lofty notions of honour and
+rascality, had greatly amused and interested the young Duke of
+Vallombreuse, who was even willing to forgive him for not having
+despatched de Sigognac; for, if even this famous professional duellist
+could not get the better of him, he really must be invincible, and in
+consequence the thought of his own defeat became less galling and
+intolerable to his pride and vanity. Moreover, he had not been able to
+get rid of an uncomfortable consciousness, even in his most angry mood,
+that his endeavouring to compass de Sigognac’s assassination was rather
+too great an enormity, not on account of any conscientious scruples,
+but simply because his rival was a gentleman; he would not have
+hesitated a second about having half-a-dozen _bourgeois_ murdered, if
+they had been rash or unfortunate enough to interfere with him, the
+blood of such base, ignoble creature being of no more consequence in
+his eyes than so much water. Vallombreuse would have liked to despatch
+his enemy himself in honourable combat, but that was rendered
+impossible by the baron’s superior ability as a swordsman, of which he
+still had a painful reminder in his wounded arm; which was scarcely
+healed yet, and would prevent his indulging in anything like a duel for
+some time to come. So his thoughts turned to the abduction of the young
+actress; a pleasanter subject to dwell upon, as he felt not the
+slightest doubt that once he had her to himself, separated from de
+Sigognac and her companions, she would not long be able to withstand
+his eloquent pleading and personal attractions. His self-conceit was
+boundless, but not much to be wondered at, considering his invariable
+and triumphant success in affairs of gallantry; so, in spite of his
+recent repulse, he flattered himself that he only required a fitting
+opportunity to obtain from Isabelle all that he desired.
+
+“Let me have her for a few days in some secluded place,” said he to
+himself, “where she cannot escape from me, or have any intercourse with
+her friends, and I shall be sure to win her heart. I shall be so kind
+and good and considerate to her, treat her with so much delicacy and
+devotion, that she cannot help feeling grateful to me; and then the
+transition to love will be easy and natural. But when once I have won
+her, made her wholly mine, then she shall pay dearly for what she has
+made me suffer. Yes, my lady, I mean to have my revenge—you may rest
+assured of that.”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+MALARTIC AT WORK
+
+
+If the Duke of Vallombreuse had been furious after his unsuccessful
+visit to Isabelle, the Baron de Sigognac was not less so, when, upon
+his return that evening, he learned what had taken place during his
+absence. The tyrant and Blazius were almost obliged to use force to
+prevent his rushing off, without losing a minute, to challenge the duke
+to mortal combat—a challenge sure to be refused; for de Sigognac, being
+neither the brother nor husband of the injured fair one, had no earthly
+right to call any other gentleman to account for his conduct towards
+her; in France all men are at liberty to pay their court to every
+pretty woman.
+
+As to the attack upon the baron on the Pont-Neuf, there could be no
+doubt that it was instigated by the Duke of Vallombreuse; but how to
+prove it? that was the difficulty. And even supposing it could be
+proved, what good would that do? In the eyes of the world the Baron de
+Sigognac, who carefully concealed his real rank, was only Captain
+Fracasse, a low play-actor, upon whom a great noble, like the Duke of
+Vallombreuse, had a perfect right to inflict a beating, imprisonment,
+or even assassination, if it so pleased him; and that without incurring
+the blame, or serious disapproval, of his friends and equals.
+
+So far as Isabelle was concerned, if the affair were made public,
+nobody would believe that she was really pure and virtuous—the very
+fact of her being an actress was enough to condemn her—for her sake it
+was important to keep the matter secret if possible. So there was
+positively no means of calling their enemy to account for his flagrant
+misdeeds, though de Sigognac, who was almost beside himself with rage
+and indignation, and burning to avenge Isabelle’s wrongs and his own,
+swore that he would punish him, even if he had to move heaven and earth
+to compass it. Yet, when he became a little calmer, he could not but
+acknowledge that Hérode and Blazius were right in advising that they
+should all remain perfectly quiet, and feign the most absolute
+indifference; but at the same time keep their eyes and ears very wide
+open, and be unceasingly on their guard against artful surprises, since
+it was only too evident that the vindictive young duke, who was
+handsome as a god and wicked as the devil, did not intend to abandon
+his designs upon them; although thus far he had failed ignominiously in
+everything he had undertaken against them.
+
+A gentle, loving remonstrance from Isabelle, as she held de Sigognac’s
+hands, all hot and trembling with suppressed rage, between her own
+soft, cool palms, and caressingly interlaced her slender white fingers
+with his, did more to pacify him than all the rest, and he finally
+yielded to her persuasions; promising to keep quiet himself, and allow,
+things to go on just as usual.
+
+Meantime the representations of the troupe had met with splendid
+success. Isabelle’s modest grace and refined beauty, Serafina’s more
+brilliant charms, the _soubrette’s_ sparkling vivacity and bewitching
+coquetry, the superb extravagances of Captain Fracasse, the tyrant’s
+majestic mien, Leander’s manly beauty, the grotesque good humour of the
+pedant, Scapin’s spicy deviltries, and the duenna’s perfect acting had
+taken Paris by storm, and their highest hopes were likely to be
+realized. Having triumphantly won the approbation of the Parisians,
+nothing was wanting but to gain also that of the court, then at Saint
+Germain, and a rumour had reached their ears that they were shortly to
+be summoned thither; for it was asserted that the king, having heard
+such favourable reports of them, had expressed a desire to see them
+himself. Whereas Hérode, in his character of treasurer, greatly
+rejoiced, and all felt a pleasant excitement at the prospect of so
+distinguished an honour. Meanwhile the troupe was often in requisition
+to give private representations at the houses of various people of rank
+and wealth in Paris, and it quickly became the fashion among them to
+offer this very popular style of entertainment to their guests.
+
+Thus it befell that the tyrant, being perfectly accustomed to that sort
+of thing, was not at all surprised, or suspicious of evil, when one
+fine morning a stranger, of most venerable and dignified mien,
+presented himself at the hotel in the Rue Dauphine, and asked to speak
+with him on business. He appeared to be the major-domo, or steward, of
+some great nobleman’s establishment, and, in effect, announced to
+Hérode that he had been sent to consult with him, as manager of the
+troupe, by his master, the Comte de Pommereuil.
+
+This highly respectable old functionary was richly dressed in black
+velvet, and had a heavy gold chain round his neck. His face was
+slightly sunburnt; the wavy hair that fell upon his shoulders, his
+thick, bushy eyebrows, heavy mustache, and long, sweeping beard were
+all white as snow. He had the most patriarchal, benevolent air
+imaginable, and a very gentle, yet dignified manner. The tyrant could
+not help admiring him very much, as he said, courteously, “Are you,
+sir, the famous Hérode I am in quest of, who rules with a hand as firm
+as Apollo’s the excellent company of comedians now playing in Paris?
+Their renown has gone abroad, beyond the walls of the city, and
+penetrated even to my master’s ears, on his estate out in the country.”
+
+“Yes, I have the honour to be the man you seek,” the tyrant answered,
+bowing very graciously.
+
+“The Comte de Pommereuil greatly desires to have you give one of your
+celebrated representations at his château, where guests of high rank
+are sojourning at this moment, and I have come to ascertain whether it
+will be possible for you to do so. The distance is not very
+considerable, only a few leagues. The comte, my master, is a very great
+and generous seignior, who is prepared to reward your illustrious
+company munificently for their trouble, and will do everything in his
+power to make them comfortable while they are under his roof.”
+
+“I will gladly do all that I can to please your noble master,” the
+tyrant replied, “though it will be a little difficult for us to leave
+Paris at present, just in the height of the season; even if it be only
+for a short absence.”
+
+“Three days would suffice for this expedition,” said the venerable
+major-domo persuasively; “one for the journey, the second for the
+representation, and the third for the return to Paris. There is a
+capital theatre at the château, furnished with everything that is
+requisite, so that you need not be encumbered with much luggage—nothing
+beyond your costumes. Here is a purse containing a hundred _pistoles_
+that the Comte de Pommereuil charged me to put into your hands, to
+defray the expenses of the journey. You will receive as much more
+before you return, and there will be handsome presents for the
+actresses forthcoming, of valuable jewels, as souvenirs of the
+occasion.”
+
+After a momentary hesitation, the tyrant accepted the well-filled purse
+tendered to him, and, with a gesture of acquiescence, put it into his
+pocket.
+
+“I am to understand then that you accept, and I may tell my master that
+you will give a representation at the château, as he desires?”
+
+“Yes, I place myself and my company at his disposition,” Hérode said,
+smilingly. “And now let me know what day you want us to go, and which
+of our pieces your master prefers.”
+
+“Thursday is the day my master designated; as for selecting the play,
+that he leaves to your own good taste and discretion.”
+
+“Very well; and now you have only to give me directions as to the road
+we must take to reach the château. Be as explicit as you can, I pray
+you, so that there may be no danger of our going astray.”
+
+The agent of the Comte de Pommereuil accordingly gave the most minute
+and exact directions possible, but ended by saying, “Never mind, you
+need not burden your memory with all these troublesome details! I will
+send you a lackey to serve as guide.”
+
+Matters being thus satisfactorily arranged, the charming old major-domo
+took leave of Hérode, who accompanied him down the stairs and across
+the court to the outer door of the hotel, and departed, looking back to
+exchange a last polite sign of farewell ere he turned the corner of the
+street. If the honest tyrant could have seen him as he walked briskly
+away, the moment he was safely out of sight, he would have been
+astonished at the way the broad, stooping shoulders straightened
+themselves up, and at the rapid, vigorous step that succeeded to the
+slow, rather infirm gait of his venerable visitor—but these things our
+worthy Hérode neither saw nor suspected.
+
+On Wednesday morning, as the comedians were finishing the packing of
+their chariot, which stood ready for departure in the courtyard of the
+hotel, with a pair of fine spirited horses before it that the tyrant
+had hired for the journey, a tall, rather fierce-looking lackey,
+dressed in a neat livery and mounted on a stout pony, presented himself
+at the outer door, cracking his whip vigorously, and announcing himself
+as the guide, sent according to promise by the considerate major-domo,
+to conduct them to the Château de Pommereuil.
+
+Eight clear strokes rang out from the Samaritan just as the heavy
+vehicle emerged into the Rue Dauphine, and our company of players set
+forth on their ill-fated expedition. In less than half an hour they had
+left the Porte Saint Antoine and the Bastile behind them, passed
+through the thickly settled _faubourg_ and gained the open country;
+advancing towards Vincennes, which they could distinguish in the
+distance, with its massive keep partially veiled by a delicate blue
+mist, that was rapidly dispersing under the influence of the bright,
+morning sunshine. As the horses were fresh, and travelled at a good
+pace, they soon came up with the ancient fortress—which was still
+formidable in appearance, though it could not have offered any adequate
+resistance to the projectiles of modern artillery. The gilded crescents
+on the minarets of the chapel built by Pierre de Montereau shone out
+brightly, as if joyous at finding themselves in such close proximity to
+the cross—the sign of redemption. After pausing a few minutes to admire
+this monument of the ancient splendour of our kings, the travellers
+entered the forest, where, amid the dense growth of younger trees,
+stood a few majestic old oaks—contemporaries doubtless of the one under
+which Saint Louis, that king of blessed memory, used to sit and
+dispense justice to his loyal subjects in person—a most becoming and
+laudable occupation for a monarch.
+
+The road was so little used that it was grass-grown in many places, and
+the chariot rolled so smoothly and noiselessly along over it that they
+occasionally surprised a party of rabbits frolicking merrily together,
+and were very much amused to see them scamper away, in as great a hurry
+as if the hounds were at their heels. Farther on a frightened deer
+bounded across the road in front of them, and they could watch its
+swift, graceful flight for some distance amid the leafless trees. The
+young baron was especially interested in all these things, being
+country-bred, and it was a delight unspeakable to him to see the
+fields, the hedgerows, the forest, and the wild creatures of the wood
+once more. It was a pleasure he had been deprived of ever since he had
+frequented cities and towns, where there is nothing to look at but
+dingy houses, muddy streets and smoky chimneys—the works of man not of
+God. He would have pined in them for the fresh country air if he had
+not had the sweet companionship of the lovely woman he adored; in whose
+deep, blue eyes he saw a whole heaven of bliss.
+
+Upon emerging from the wood the road wound up a steep hill-side, so the
+horses were stopped, to rest a few minutes before beginning the ascent,
+and de Sigognac, profiting by the opportunity thus afforded him, said
+to Isabelle, “Dear heart, will you get down and walk a little way with
+me? You will find it a pleasant change and rest after sitting still in
+the chariot so long. The road is smooth and dry, and the sunshine
+deliciously warm—do come!”
+
+Isabelle joyfully acceded to this request, and putting her hand into
+the one extended to help her, jumped lightly down. It was a welcome
+means of according an innocent tête-à-tête to her devoted lover, and
+both felt as if they were treading on air, they were so happy to find
+themselves alone together, as, arm in arm, they walked briskly forward,
+until they were out of sight of their companions. Then they paused to
+look long and lovingly into each other’s eyes, and de Sigognac began
+again to pour out to Isabelle “the old, old story,” that she was never
+weary of hearing, but found more heavenly sweet at every telling. They
+were like the first pair of mortal lovers in Paradise, entirely
+sufficient to and happy in each other. Yet even then Isabelle gently
+checked the passionate utterances of her faithful suitor, and strove to
+moderate his rapturous transports, though their very fervour made her
+heart rejoice, and brought a bright flush to her cheeks and a happy
+light to her eyes that rendered her more adorably beautiful than ever.
+
+“Whatever you may do or say, my darling,” he answered, with a sweet,
+tender smile, “you will never be able to tire out my constancy. If need
+be, I will wait for you until all your scruples shall have vanished of
+themselves—though it be not till these beautiful, soft brown tresses,
+with their exquisite tinge of gold where the sun shines on them, shall
+have turned to silver.”
+
+“Oh!” cried Isabelle, “I shall be so old and so ugly then that even
+your sublime courage will be daunted, and I fear that in rewarding your
+perseverance and fidelity by the gift of myself I should only be
+punishing my devoted knight and brave champion.”
+
+“You will never be ugly, my beloved Isabelle, if you live to be a
+hundred,” he replied, with an adoring glance, “for yours is not the
+mere physical beauty, that fades away and vanishes—it is the beauty of
+the soul, which is immortal.”
+
+“All the same you would be badly off,” rejoined Isabelle, “if I were to
+take you at your word, and promise to be yours when I was old and gray.
+But enough of this jesting,” she continued gravely, “let us be serious!
+You know my resolution, de Sigognac, so try to content yourself with
+being the object of the deepest, truest, most devoted love that was
+ever yet bestowed on mortal man since hearts began to beat in this
+strange world of ours.”
+
+“Such a charming avowal ought to satisfy me, I admit, but it does not!
+My love for you is infinite—it can brook no bounds—it is ever
+increasing—rising higher and higher, despite your heavenly voice, that
+bids it keep within the limits you have fixed for it.”
+
+“Do not talk so, de Sigognac! you vex me by such extravagances,” said
+Isabelle, with a little pout that was as charming as her sweetest
+smile; for in spite of herself her heart beat high with joy at these
+fervent protestations of a love that no coldness could repel, no
+remonstrance diminish.
+
+They walked on a little way in silence—de Sigognac not daring to say
+more then, lest he should seriously displease the sweet creature he
+loved better than his own life. Suddenly she drew her arm out of his,
+and with an exclamation of delight, sprang to a little bank by the
+road-side, where she had spied a tiny violet, peeping out from amid the
+dead leaves that had lain there all the winter through—the first
+harbinger of spring, smiling up at her a friendly greeting, despite the
+wintry cold of February. She knelt down and gently cleared away the dry
+leaves and grass about it, carefully broke the frail little stem, and
+returned to de Sigognac’s side with her treasure—more delighted than if
+she had found a precious jewel lying hidden among the mosses.
+
+“Only see, how exquisitely beautiful and delicate it is”—said she,
+showing it to him—“with its dear little petals scarcely unrolled yet to
+return the greeting of this bright, warm sunshine, that has roused it
+from its long winter sleep.”
+
+“It was not the sunshine, however bright and warm,” answered de
+Sigognac, “but the light of your eyes, sweet Isabelle, that made it
+open out to greet you—and it is exactly the colour too of those dear
+eyes of yours.”
+
+“It has scarcely any fragrance, but that is because it’s so cold,” said
+Isabelle, loosening her scarf, and putting it carefully inside the ruff
+that encircled her slender, white neck. In a few minutes she took it
+out again, inhaled its rich perfume, pressed it furtively to her lips,
+and offered it to de Sigognac.
+
+“See how sweet it is now! The warmth I imparted to it has reassured the
+little modest, timid blossom, and it breathes out its incomparable
+fragrance in gratitude to me.”
+
+“Say rather that it has received it from you,” he replied, raising the
+violet tenderly to his lips, and taking from it the kiss Isabelle had
+bestowed—“for this delicate, delicious odour has nothing gross or
+earthly about it—it is angelically pure and sweet, like yourself, my
+own Isabelle.”
+
+“Ah! the naughty flatterer,” said she, smiling upon him with all her
+heart in her eyes. “I give him a little flower that he may enjoy its
+perfume, and straightway he draws from it inspiration for all sorts of
+high-flown conceits, and fine compliments. There’s no doing anything
+with him—to the simplest, most commonplace remark he replies with a
+poetical flight of fancy.”
+
+However, she could not have been very seriously displeased, for she
+took his arm again, and even leaned upon it rather more heavily than
+the exigencies of the way actually required; which goes to prove that
+the purest virtue is not insensible to pretty compliments, and that
+modesty itself knows how to recompense delicate flattery.
+
+Not far from the road they were travelling stood a small group of
+thatched cottages—scarcely more than huts—whose inhabitants were all
+afield at their work, excepting a poor blind man, attended by a little
+ragged boy, who sat on a stone by the wayside, apparently to solicit
+alms from those who passed by. Although he seemed to be extremely aged
+and feeble, he was chanting a sort of lament over his misfortunes, and
+an appeal to the charity of travellers, in a loud, whining, yet
+vigorous voice; promising his prayers to those who gave him of their
+substance, and assuring them that they should surely go to Paradise as
+a reward for their generosity. For some time before they came up with
+him, Isabelle and de Sigognac had heard his doleful chant—much to the
+annoyance of the latter; for when one is listening, entranced, to the
+sweet singing of the nightingale, it is sorely vexatious to be intruded
+upon by the discordant croaking of a raven. As they drew near to the
+poor old blind man, they saw his little attendant bend down and whisper
+in his ear, whereupon he redoubled his groans and supplications—at the
+same time holding out towards them a small wooden bowl, in which were a
+few coppers, and shaking it, so as to make them rattle as loudly as
+possible, to attract their attention. He was a venerable looking old
+man, with a long white beard, and seemed to be shivering with cold,
+despite the great, thick, woollen cloak in which he was wrapped. The
+child, a wild-looking little creature, whose scanty, tattered clothing
+was but a poor protection against the stinging cold, shrunk timidly
+from notice, and tried to hide himself behind his aged charge.
+Isabelle’s tender heart was moved to pity at the sight of so much
+misery, and she stopped in front of the forlorn little group while she
+searched in her pocket for her purse—not finding it there she turned to
+her companion and asked him to lend her a little money for the poor old
+blind beggar, which the baron hastened to do—though he was thoroughly
+out of patience with his whining jeremiads—and, to prevent Isabelle’s
+coming in actual contact with him, stepped forward himself to deposit
+the coins in his wooden bowl. Thereupon, instead of tearfully thanking
+his benefactor and invoking blessings upon his head, after the usual
+fashion of such gentry, the blind man—to Isabelle’s inexpressible
+alarm—suddenly sprang to his feet, and straightening himself up with a
+jerk, opened his arms wide, as a vulture spreads its wings for flight,
+gathered up his ample cloak about his shoulders with lightning rapidity
+and flung it from him with a quick, sweeping motion like that with
+which the fisherman casts his net. The huge, heavy mantle spread itself
+out like a dense cloud directly above de Sigognac, and falling over and
+about him enveloped him from head to foot in its long, clinging folds,
+held firmly down by the lead with which its edges were weighted—making
+him a helpless prisoner—depriving him at once of sight and breath, and
+of the use of his hands and feet. The young actress, wild with terror,
+turned to fly and call for help, but before she could stir, or utter a
+sound, a hand was clapped over her mouth, and she felt herself lifted
+from the ground. The old blind beggar, who, as by a miracle, had
+suddenly become young and active, and possessed of all his faculties,
+had seized her by the shoulders, while the boy took her by the feet,
+and they carried her swiftly and silently round a clump of bushes near
+by to where a man on horseback and masked, was waiting for them. Two
+other men, also mounted and masked, and armed to the teeth, were
+standing close at hand, behind a wall that prevented their being seen
+from the road. Poor Isabelle, nearly fainting with fright, was lifted
+up in front of the first horseman, and seated on a cloak folded so as
+to serve for a cushion; a broad leather strap being passed round her
+waist, which also encircled that of the rider, to hold her securely in
+her place. All this was done with great rapidity and dexterity, as if
+her captors were accustomed to such manœuvres, and then the horseman,
+who held her firmly with one hand, shook his bridle with the other,
+drove his spurs into the horse’s sides, and was off like a flash—the
+whole thing being done in less time than it takes to describe it.
+Meanwhile de Sigognac was struggling fiercely and wildly under the
+heavy cloak that enveloped him—like a gladiator entangled in his
+adversary’s net—beside himself with rage and despair, as he gasped for
+breath in his stifling prison, and realized that this diabolical
+outrage must be the work of the Duke of Vallombreuse. Suddenly, like an
+inspiration, the thought flashed into his mind of using his dagger to
+free himself from the thick, clinging folds, that weighed him down like
+the leaden cloaks of the wretched condemned spirits we read of with a
+shudder in Dante’s Inferno. With two or three strong, quick strokes he
+succeeded in cutting through it, and casting it from him, with a fierce
+imprecation, perceived Isabelle’s abductors, still near at hand,
+galloping across a neighbouring field, and apparently making for a
+thick grove at a considerable distance from where he was standing. As
+to the blind beggar and the child, they had disappeared—probably hiding
+somewhere near by—but de Sigognac did not waste a second thought on
+them; throwing off his own cloak, lest it should impede him, he started
+swiftly in pursuit of the flying enemy and their fair prize, with fury
+and despair in his heart. He was agile and vigorous, lithe of frame,
+fleet of foot, the very figure for a runner, and he quickly began to
+gain on the horsemen. As soon as they became aware of this one of them
+drew a pistol from his girdle and fired at their pursuer, but missed
+him; whereupon de Sigognac, bounding rapidly from side to side as he
+ran, made it impossible for them to take aim at him, and effectually
+prevented their arresting his course in that way. The man who had
+Isabelle in front of him tried to ride on in advance, and leave the
+other two to deal with the baron, but the young actress struggled so
+violently on the horse’s neck, and kept clutching so persistently at
+the bridle, that his rider could not urge him to his greatest speed.
+Meantime de Sigognac was steadily gaining upon them; without slackening
+his pace he had managed to draw his sword from the scabbard, and
+brandished it aloft, ready for action, as he ran. It is true that he
+was one against three—that he was on foot while they were on
+horseback—but he had not time to consider the odds against him, and he
+seemed possessed of the strength of a giant in Isabelle’s behalf.
+Making a prodigious effort, he suddenly increased his speed, and coming
+up with the two horsemen, who were a little behind the other one,
+quickly disposed of them, by vigorously pricking their horses’ flanks
+with the point of his sword; for, what with fright and pain, the
+animals, after plunging violently, threw off all restraint and
+bolted—dashing off across country as if the devil were after them, and
+carrying their riders with them, just as de Sigognac had expected and
+intended that they should do. The brave young baron was nearly
+spent—panting, almost sobbing, as he struggled desperately on—feeling
+as if his heart would burst at every agonizing throb; but he was indued
+with supernatural strength and endurance, and as Isabelle’s voice
+reached his ear calling, “Help, de Sigognac, help!” he cleared with a
+bound the space that separated them, and leaping up to catch the broad
+leathern strap that was passed round her and her captor, answered in a
+hoarse, shrill tone, “I am here.” Clinging to the strap, he ran along
+beside the galloping horse—like the grooms that the Romans called
+_desultores_—and strove with all his might to pull the rider down out
+of his saddle. He did not dare to use his sword to disable him, as they
+struggled together, lest he should wound Isabelle also; and, meantime,
+the man on horseback was trying his utmost to shake off his fierce
+assailant-unsuccessfully, because he had both hands fully occupied with
+his horse and his captive, who was doing all she could to slip from his
+grasp, and throw herself into her lover’s arms. Loosing his hold on the
+rein for a second, the horseman managed to draw a knife from his
+girdle, and with one blow severed the strap to which the baron was
+clinging; then, driving his spurs into the horse’s sides made the
+frightened animal spring suddenly forward, while de Sigognac—who was
+not prepared for this emergency, and found himself deprived of all
+support—fell violently upon his back in the road. He was up again in an
+instant, and flying after Isabelle, who was now being borne rapidly
+away from him, and whose cries for help came more and more faintly to
+his ear; but the moment he had lost made his pursuit hopeless, and he
+knew that it was all in vain when he saw her disappear behind the
+thicket her ravisher had been aiming for from the first. His heart sank
+within him, and he staggered as he still ran feebly on—feeling now the
+effects of his superhuman exertions, and fearing at each step that his
+feet would carry him no farther. He was soon overtaken by Hérode and
+Scapin, who, alarmed by the pistol shot, and fearing that something was
+wrong, had started in hot pursuit, though the lackey who served them as
+guide had done all that he possibly could to hinder them, and in a few
+faltering words he told them what had occurred.
+
+“Vallombreuse again!” cried the tyrant, with an oath. “But how the
+devil did he get wind of our expedition to the Château de Pommereuil?
+or can it be possible that it was all a plot from the beginning, and we
+are bound on a fool’s errand? I really begin to think it must be so. If
+it is true, I never saw a better actor in my life than that respectable
+old major-domo, confound him! But let us make haste and search this
+grove thoroughly; we may find some trace of poor Isabelle; sweet
+creature that she is! Rough old tyrant though I be, my heart warms to
+her, and I love her more tenderly than I do myself. Alas! I’m afraid,
+that this poor, innocent, little fly is caught in the toils of a cruel
+spider, who will take care never to let us get sight of her again.”
+
+“I will crush him,” said de Sigognac, striking his heel savagely on the
+ground, as if he actually had the spider under it. “I will crush the
+life out of him, the venomous beast!” and the fierce, determined
+expression of his usually calm, mild countenance showed that this was
+no idle threat, but that he was terribly in earnest.
+
+“Look,” cried Hérode, as they dashed through the thicket, “there they
+are!”
+
+They could just discern, through the screen of leafless but thickly
+interlaced branches, a carriage, with all the curtains carefully
+closed, and drawn by four horses lashed to a gallop, which was rapidly
+rolling away from them in the distance. The two men whose horses had
+run away with them had them again under control, and were riding on
+either side of it—one of them leading the horse that had carried
+Isabelle and her captor. _He_ was doubtless mounting guard over her in
+the carriage—perhaps using force to keep her quiet—at thought of which
+de Sigognac could scarcely control the transport of rage and agony that
+shook him. Although the three pursuers followed the fugitives, as fast
+as they could run, it was all of no avail, for they soon lost sight of
+them altogether, and nothing remained to be done but to ascertain, if
+possible, the direction they had taken, so as to have some clew to poor
+Isabelle’s whereabouts. They had considerable difficulty in making out
+the marks of the carriage wheels, for the roads were very dry; and when
+at length they had succeeded in tracing them to a place where four
+roads met they lost them entirely—it was utterly impossible to tell
+which way they had gone. After a long and fruitless search they turned
+back sorrowfully to join their companions, trying to devise some plan
+for Isabelle’s rescue, but feeling acutely how hopeless it was. They
+found the others in the chariot waiting for them, just where the tyrant
+and Scapin had left them, for their false guide had put spurs to his
+horse and ridden off after his confederates, as soon as he became aware
+that their undertaking had proved successful. When Hérode asked an old
+peasant woman, who came by with a bundle of fagots on her back, how far
+it was to the Château de Pommereuil, she answered that there was no
+place of that name anywhere in the country round. Upon being questioned
+closely, she said that she had lived in the neighbourhood for seventy
+years, knew every house within many leagues, and could positively
+assure them that there was no such Château within a day’s journey. So
+it was only too evident that they were the dupes of the clever agents
+of the Duke of Vallombreuse, who had at last succeeded in getting
+possession of Isabelle, as he had sworn that he would do. Accordingly,
+all of the party turned back towards Paris, excepting de Sigognac, the
+tyrant and Scapin, who had decided to go on to the next village, where
+they hoped to be able to procure horses, with which to prosecute their
+search for Isabelle and her abductors.
+
+After the baron’s fall, she had been swiftly taken on to the other side
+of the thicket, where the carriage stood awaiting her; then lifted down
+from the horse and put into it, in spite of her frantic struggles and
+remonstrances. The man who had held her in front of him got down also
+and sprang in after her, closing the door with a bang, and instantly
+they were off at a tremendous pace. He seated himself opposite to her,
+and when she impetuously tried to pull aside the curtain, so that she
+could see out of the window nearest to her, he respectfully but firmly
+restrained her.
+
+“Mademoiselle, I implore you to keep quiet,” he said, with the utmost
+politeness, “and not oblige me to use forcible means to restrain so
+charming and adorable a creature as your most lovely self. No harm
+shall come to you—do not be afraid!—only kindness is intended;
+therefore I beseech you do not persist in vain resistance. If you will
+only submit quietly, you shall be treated with as much consideration
+and respect as a captive queen, but if you go on acting like the devil,
+struggling and shrieking, I have means to bring you to terms, and I
+shall certainly resort to them. _This_ will stop your screaming,
+mademoiselle, and _this_ will prevent your struggling.”
+
+As he spoke he drew out of his pocket a small gag, very artistically
+made, and a long, thick, silken cord, rolled up into a ball.
+
+“It would be barbarous indeed,” he continued, “to apply such a thing as
+this to that sweet, rosy mouth of yours, mademoiselle, as I am sure
+that you will admit—or to bind together those pretty, delicate, little
+wrists, upon which no worse fetters than diamond bracelets should ever
+be placed.”
+
+Poor Isabelle, furious and frightened though she was, could not but
+acknowledge to herself that further physical resistance then would be
+worse than useless, and determined to spare herself at least such
+indignities as she was at that moment threatened with; so, without
+vouchsafing a word to her attendant, she threw herself back into the
+corner of the carriage, closed her eyes, and tried to keep perfectly
+still. But in spite of her utmost endeavours she could not altogether
+repress an occasional sob, nor hold back the great tears that welled
+forth from under her drooping eyelids and rolled down over her pale
+cheeks, as she thought of de Sigognac’s despair and her own danger.
+
+“After the nervous excitement comes the moist stage;” said her masked
+guardian to himself, “things are following their usual and natural
+course. I am very glad of it, for I should have greatly disliked to be
+obliged to act a brutal part with such a sweet, charming girl as this.”
+
+Now and then Isabelle opened her eyes and cast a timid glance at her
+abductor, who finally said to her, in a voice he vainly strove to
+render soft and mild:
+
+“You need not be afraid of me, mademoiselle! I would not harm you in
+any way for the world. If fortune had been more generous to me I
+certainly would never have undertaken this enterprise against such a
+lovely, gentle young lady as you are; but poor men like me are driven
+to all sorts of expedients to earn a little money; they have to take
+whatever comes within their reach, and sacrifice their scruples to
+their necessities.”
+
+“You do admit then,” said Isabelle vehemently, “that you have been
+bribed to carry me off? An infamous, cruel, outrageous thing it is.”
+
+“After what I have had to do,” he replied, “it would be idle to deny
+it. There are a good many philosophers like myself in Paris,
+mademoiselle, who, instead of indulging in love affairs, and intrigues
+of various sorts, of their own, interest themselves in those of other
+people, and, for a consideration, make use of their courage, ingenuity
+and strength to further them. But to change the subject, how charming
+you were in that last new play! You went through the scene of the
+avowal with a grace I have never seen equalled. I applauded you to the
+echo; the pair of hands that kept it up so perseveringly and
+vigorously, you know, belonged to me.”
+
+“I beg you to dispense with these ill-judged remarks and compliments,
+and to tell me where you are taking me, in this strange, outrageous
+manner, against my will, and, in despite of all the ordinary usages of
+civilized society.”
+
+“I cannot tell you that, mademoiselle, and besides, it would do you no
+sort of good to know. In our profession, you see, we are obliged to
+observe as much secrecy and discretion as confessors and physicians.
+Indeed, in such affairs as this we often do not know the names of the
+parties we are working for ourselves.”
+
+“Do you mean to say that you do not know who has employed you to commit
+this abominable, cruel crime?”
+
+“It makes no difference whether I know his name or not, since I am not
+at liberty to disclose it to you. Think over your numerous admirers,
+mademoiselle! the most ardent and least favoured one among them would
+probably be at the bottom of all this.”
+
+Finding that she could not get any information from him, Isabelle
+desisted, and did not speak again. She had not the slightest doubt that
+the Duke of Vallombreuse was the author of this new and daring
+enterprise. The significant and threatening way in which he had said
+“_au revoir, mademoiselle_,” as he quitted her presence after she had
+repulsed him a few days before, had haunted her, and she had been in
+constant dread ever since of some new outrage. She hoped, against hope,
+that de Sigognac, her valiant lover, would yet come to her rescue, and
+thought proudly of the gallant deeds he had already done in her behalf
+that day—but how was he to find out where to seek her?
+
+“If worst comes to worst,” she said to herself, “I still have
+Chiquita’s knife, and I can and will escape from my persecutor in that
+way, if all other means fail.”
+
+For two long hours she sat motionless, a prey to sad and terrible
+thoughts and fears, while the carriage rolled swiftly on without
+slackening its speed, save once, for a moment, when they changed
+horses. As the curtains were all lowered, she could not catch even a
+glimpse of the country she was passing through, nor tell in what
+direction she was being driven. At last she heard the hollow sound of a
+drawbridge under the wheels; the carriage stopped, and her masked
+companion, promptly opening the door, jumped nimbly out and helped her
+to alight. She cast a hurried glance round her, as she stepped down,
+saw that she was in a large, square court, and that all the tall,
+narrow windows in the high brick walls that surrounded it had their
+inside shutters carefully closed. The stone pavement of the spacious
+courtyard was in some places partly covered with moss, and a few weeds
+had sprung up in the corners, and along the edges by the walls. At the
+foot of a broad, easy flight of steps, leading up to a covered porch,
+two majestic Egyptian sphinxes lay keeping guard; their huge rounded
+flanks mottled here and there with patches of moss and lichens.
+Although the large château looked lonely and deserted, it had a grand,
+lordly air, and seemed to be kept in perfect order and repair. Isabelle
+was led up the steps and into the vestibule by the man who had brought
+her there, and then consigned to the care of a respectable-looking
+majordomo, who preceded her up a magnificent staircase, and into a
+suite of rooms furnished with the utmost luxury and elegance. Passing
+through the first—which was enriched with fine old carvings in oak,
+dark with age—he left her in a spacious, admirably proportioned
+apartment, where a cheery wood fire was roaring up the huge chimney,
+and she saw a bed in a curtained alcove. She chanced to catch sight of
+her own face in the mirror over an elaborately furnished
+dressing-table, as she passed it, and was startled and shocked at its
+ghastly pallor and altered expression; she scarcely could recognise it,
+and felt as if she had seen a ghost—poor Isabelle! Over the high,
+richly ornamented chimney-piece hung a portrait of a gentleman, which,
+as she approached the fire, at once caught and riveted her attention.
+The face seemed strangely familiar to her, and yet she could not
+remember where she had seen it before. It was pale, with large, black
+eyes, full red lips, and wavy brown hair, thrown carelessly back from
+it-apparently the likeness of a man about forty years of age and it had
+a charming air of nobility and lofty pride, tempered with benevolence
+and tenderness, which was inexpressibly attractive. The portrait was
+only half-length—the breast being covered with a steel cuirass, richly
+inlaid with gold, which was partly concealed by a white scarf, loosely
+knotted over it. Isabelle, despite her great alarm and anxiety, could
+not long withdraw her eyes or her thoughts from this picture, which
+seemed to exert a strange fascination over her. There was something
+about it that at the first glance resembled the Duke of Vallombreuse,
+but the expression was so different that the likeness disappeared
+entirely upon closer examination. It brought vague memories to
+Isabelle’s mind that she tried in vain to seize—she felt as if she must
+be looking at it in a dream. She was still absorbed in reverie before
+it when the major-domo reappeared, followed by two lackeys, in quiet
+livery, carrying a small table set for one person, which they put down
+near the fire; and as one of them took the cover off an old-fashioned,
+massive silver tureen, he announced to Isabelle that her dinner was
+ready. The savoury odour from the smoking soup was very tempting, and
+she was very hungry; but after she had mechanically seated herself and
+dipped her spoon into the broth, it suddenly occurred to her that the
+food might contain a narcotic—such things had been done—and she pushed
+away the plate in front of her in alarm. The major-domo, who was
+standing at a respectful distance watching her, ready to anticipate her
+every wish, seemed to divine her thought, for he advanced to the table
+and deliberately partook of all the viands upon it, as well as of the
+wine and water—as if to prove to her that there was nothing wrong or
+unusual about them. Isabelle was somewhat reassured by this, and
+feeling that she would probably have need of all her strength, did
+bring herself to eat and drink, though very sparingly. Then, quitting
+the table, she sat down in a large easy-chair in front of the fire to
+think over her terrible position, and endeavour to devise some means of
+escape from it. When the servants had attended to their duties and left
+her alone again, she rose languidly and walked slowly to the
+window—feeling as weak as though she had had a severe illness, after
+the violent emotions and terrors of the day, and as if she had aged
+years in the last few hours. Could it be possible that only that very
+morning she and de Sigognac had been walking together, with hearts full
+of happiness and peace—and she had rapturously hailed the appearance of
+the first spring violet as an omen of good, and gathered the sweet
+little blossom to bestow upon the devoted lover who adored her? And
+now, alas! alas! they were as inexorably and hopelessly separated as if
+half the globe lay between them. No wonder that her breast heaved
+tumultuously with choking sobs, and hot tears rained down over her
+pallid cheeks, as she wept convulsively at the thought of all she had
+lost. But she did not long indulge her grief—she remembered that at any
+moment she might have need of all her coolness and fortitude—and making
+a mighty effort, like the brave heroine that she was, she regained
+control over herself, and drove back the gushing tears to await a more
+fitting season. She was relieved to find that there were no bars at the
+window, as she had feared; but upon opening the casement and leaning
+out she saw immediately beneath her a broad moat, full of stagnant
+water, which surrounded the château, and forbade any hope of succour or
+escape on that side. Beyond the moat was a thick grove of large trees,
+which entirely shut out the view; and she returned to her seat by the
+fire, more disheartened and cast down than ever. She was very nervous,
+and trembled at the slightest sound—casting hasty, terrified glances
+round the vast apartment, and dreading lest an unseen door in some
+shadowy corner should be softly opened, or a hidden panel in the wall
+be slipped aside, to admit her relentless enemy to her presence. She
+remembered all the horrible tales she had ever heard of secret passages
+and winding staircases in the walls, that are supposed to abound in
+ancient castles; and the mysterious visitants, both human and
+supernatural, that are said to be in the habit of issuing from them, in
+the gloaming, and at midnight. As the twilight deepened into darkness,
+her terror increased, and she nearly fainted from fright when a servant
+suddenly entered with lights.
+
+While poor Isabelle was suffering such agony in one part of the
+château, her abductors were having a grand carouse in another. They
+were to remain there for a while as a sort of garrison, in case of an
+attack by de Sigognac and his friends; and were gathered round the
+table in a large room down on the ground floor—as remote as possible
+from Isabelle’s sumptuous quarters. They were all drinking like
+sponges, and making merry over their wine and good cheer, but one of
+them especially showed the most remarkable and astounding powers of
+ingurgitation—it was the man who had carried off the fair prize before
+him on his horse; and, now that the mask was thrown aside, he disclosed
+to view the deathly pale face and fiery red nose of Malartic, bosom
+friend and “_alter ego_” of Maître Jacquemin Lampourde.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+VALLOMBREUSE
+
+
+Isabelle sat for a long time perfectly motionless in her luxurious
+chamber, sunk in a sad reverie, apparently entirely oblivious of the
+glow of light, warmth, and comfort that closed her in—glancing up
+occasionally at the portrait over the chimney-piece, which seemed to be
+smiling down upon her and promising her protection and peace, while it
+more than ever reminded her of some dear face she had known and loved
+long ago. After a time, however, her mood changed. She grew restless,
+and rising, began to wander aimlessly about the room; but her
+uneasiness only increased, and finally, in desperation, she resolved to
+venture out into the corridor and look about her, no matter at what
+risk. Anything would be better than this enforced inactivity and
+suspense. She tried the door with a trembling hand, dreading to find
+herself locked in, but it was not fastened, and seeing that all was
+dark outside, she took up a small lamp, that had been left burning on a
+side table, and boldly setting forth, went softly down the long flight
+of stairs, in the hope of finding some means of exit from the château
+on the lower floor. At the foot of the stairs she came to a large
+double door, one leaf of which yielded easily when she timidly tried to
+open it, but creaked dolefully as it turned on its hinges. She
+hesitated for a moment, fearing that the noise would alarm the servants
+and bring them out to see what was amiss; but no one came, and taking
+fresh courage, she moved on and passed into a lofty, vaulted hall, with
+high-backed, oaken benches ranged against the tapestry-covered walls,
+upon which hung several large trophies of arms, and sundry swords,
+shields, and steel gauntlets, which caught and flashed back the light
+from her lamp as she held it up to examine them. The air was heavy,
+chilly, and damp. An awful stillness reigned in this deserted hall.
+Isabelle shivered as she crept slowly along, and nearly stumbled
+against a huge table, with massive carved feet, that stood in the
+centre of the tesselated marble pavement. She was making for a door,
+opposite the one by which she had entered; but, as she approached it,
+was horror-stricken when she perceived two tall men, clad in armour,
+standing like sentinels, one on either side of it. She stopped short,
+then tried to turn and fly, but was so paralyzed with terror that she
+could not stir, expecting every instant that they would pounce upon her
+and take her prisoner, while she bitterly repented her temerity in
+having ventured to leave her own room, and vainly wished herself back
+by the quiet fireside there. Meanwhile the two dread figures stood as
+motionless as herself—the silence was unbroken, and “the beating of her
+own heart was the only sound she heard.” So at last she plucked up
+courage to look more closely at the grim sentinels, and could not help
+smiling at her own needless alarm, when she found that they were suits
+of armour, indeed, but without men inside of them—just such as one sees
+standing about in the ancient royal palaces of France. Passing them
+with a saucy glance of defiance, and a little triumphant toss of the
+head, Isabelle entered a vast dining room, with tall, sculptured
+buffets, on which stood many superb vessels of gold and silver,
+together with delicate specimens of exquisite Venetian and Bohemian
+glass, and precious pieces of fine porcelain, fit for a king’s table.
+Large handsome chairs, with carved backs, were standing round the great
+dining-table, and the walls, above the heavy oaken wainscot, were hung
+with richly embossed Cordova leather, glowing with warm, bright tints
+and golden arabesques.
+
+She did not linger to examine and admire all the beautified things
+dimly revealed to her by the feeble light of her small lamp, but
+hurried on to the third door, which opened into an apartment yet more
+spacious and magnificent than the other two. At one end of it was a
+lordly dais, raised three steps above the inlaid floor, upon which
+stood a splendid great arm-chair, almost a throne, under a canopy
+emblazoned with a brilliant coat of arms and surmounted by a tuft of
+nodding plumes. Still hurrying on, Isabelle next entered a sumptuous
+bed-chamber, and, as she paused for an instant to hold up her lamp and
+look about her, fancied that she could hear the regular breathing of a
+sleeper in the immense bed, behind the crimson silk curtains which were
+closely drawn around it. She did not dare to stop and investigate the
+matter, but flew on her way, as lightly as any bird, and next found
+herself in a library, where the white busts surmounting the well-filled
+book-cases stared down at her with their hard, stony eyes, and made her
+shudder as she nervously sought for an exit, without delaying one
+moment to glance at the great variety of curious and beautiful objects
+scattered lavishly about, which, under any ordinary circumstances,
+would have held her enthralled.
+
+Running at right angles with the library, and opening out of it, was
+the picture gallery, where the family portraits were arranged in
+chronological order on one side, while opposite to them was a long row
+of windows, looking into the court. The shutters were closed, but near
+the top of each one was a small circular opening, through which the
+moon shone and faintly lighted the dusky gallery, striking here and
+there directly upon the face of a portrait, with an indescribably weird
+and startling effect. It required all of Isabelle’s really heroic
+courage to keep on past the long line of strange faces, looking down
+mockingly it seemed to her from their proud height upon her trembling
+form as she glided swiftly by, and she was thankful to find, at the end
+of the gallery, a glass door opening out upon the court. It was not
+fastened, and after carefully placing her lamp in a sheltered corner,
+where no draughts could reach it, she stepped out under the stars. It
+was a relief to find herself breathing freely in the fresh, pure air,
+though she was actually no less a prisoner than before, and as she
+stood looking up into the clear evening sky, and thinking of her own
+true lover, she seemed to feel new courage and hope springing up in her
+heart.
+
+In one corner of the court she saw a strong light shining out through
+the crevices in the shutters that closed several low windows, and heard
+sounds of revelry from the same direction—the only signs of life she
+had detected about the whole place. Her curiosity was excited by them,
+and she stole softly over towards the quarter from whence they came,
+keeping carefully in the shadow of the wall, and glancing anxiously
+about to make sure that no one was furtively watching her. Finding a
+considerable aperture in one of the wooden shutters she peeped through
+it, and saw a party of men gathered around a table, eating and drinking
+and making merry in a very noisy fashion. The light from a lamp with
+three burners, which was suspended by a copper chain from the low
+ceiling, fell full upon them, and although she had only seen them
+masked before, Isabelle instantly recognised those who had been
+concerned in her abduction. At the head of the table sat Malartic,
+whose extraordinary face was paler and nose redder than ever, and at
+sight of whom the young girl shuddered and drew back. When she had
+recovered herself a little, she looked in again upon the repulsive
+scene, and was surprised to see, at the other end of the table, and
+somewhat apart from the others, Agostino, the brigand, who had now laid
+aside the long white beard in which he had played the part of the old
+blind beggar so successfully. A great deal of loud talking was going
+on, constantly interrupted by bursts of laughter, but Isabelle could
+not hear distinctly enough through the closed window to make out what
+they were saying. Even if she had been actually in the room with them,
+she would have found much of their conversation incomprehensible, as it
+was largely made up of the extraordinary slang of the Paris street
+Arabs and rascals generally. From time to time one or the other of the
+participants in this orgy seemed to propose a toast, whereupon they
+would all clink their glasses together before raising them to their
+lips, drain them at a draught, and applaud vociferously, while there
+was a constant drawing of corks and placing of fresh bottles on the
+table by the servant who was waiting upon them. Just as Isabelle,
+thoroughly disgusted with the brutality of the scene before her, was
+about to turn away, Malartic rapped loudly on the table to obtain a
+hearing, and after making a proposition, which met with ready and
+cordial assent, rose from his seat, cleared his throat, and began to
+sing, or rather shout, a ribald song, all the others joining in the
+chorus, with horrible grimaces and gesticulations, which so frightened
+poor Isabelle that she could scarcely find strength to creep away from
+the loathsome spectacle.
+
+Before re-entering the house she went to look at the drawbridge, with a
+faint hope that she might chance upon some unexpected means of escape,
+but all was secure there, and a little postern, opening on the moat,
+which she discovered near by, was also carefully fastened, with bolts
+and bars strong enough to keep out an army. As these seemed to be the
+only means of exit from the château, she felt that she was a prisoner
+indeed, and understood why it had not been deemed necessary to lock any
+of the inner doors against her. She walked slowly back to the gallery,
+entered it by the glass door, found her lamp burning tranquilly just
+where she had left it, retraced her steps swiftly through the long
+suite of spacious apartments already described and flew up the grand
+staircase to her own room, congratulating herself upon not having been
+detected in her wanderings. She put her lamp down in the antechamber,
+but paused in terror on the threshold of the inner room, stifling a
+shriek that had nearly escaped her as she caught sight of a strange,
+wild figure crouching on the hearth. But her fears were short-lived,
+for with an exclamation of delight the intruder sprang towards her and
+she saw that it was Chiquita—but Chiquita in boy’s clothes.
+
+“Have you got the knife yet?” said the strange little creature abruptly
+to Isabelle—“the knife with three bonny red marks.”
+
+“Yes, Chiquita, I have it here in my bosom,” she replied. “But why do
+you ask? Is my life in danger?”
+
+“A knife,” said the child with fierce, sparkling eyes, “a knife is a
+faithful friend and servant; it never betrays or fails its master, if
+he is careful to give it a drink now and then, for a knife is often
+thirsty you know.”
+
+“You frighten me, you naughty child!” exclaimed Isabelle, much troubled
+and agitated by these sinister, extravagant words, which perhaps, she
+thought, might be intended as a friendly warning.
+
+“Sharpen the edge on the marble of the chimney-piece, like this,”
+continued Chiquita, “and polish the blade on the sole of your shoe.”
+
+“Why do you tell me all this?” cried Isabelle, turning very pale.
+
+“For nothing in particular, only he who would defend himself gets his
+weapons ready—that’s all.”
+
+These odd, fierce phrases greatly alarmed Isabelle, yet Chiquita’s
+presence in her room was a wonderful relief and comfort to her. The
+child apparently cherished a warm and sincere affection for her, which
+was none the less genuine because of its having arisen from such a
+trivial incident—for the pearl beads were more precious than diamonds
+to Chiquita. She had given a voluntary promise to Isabelle never to
+kill or harm her, and with her strange, wild, yet exalted notions of
+honour she looked upon it as a solemn obligation and vow, by which she
+must always abide—for there was a certain savage nobility in Chiquita’s
+character, and she could be faithful unto death. Isabelle was the only
+human being, excepting Agostino, who had been kind to her. She had
+smiled upon the unkempt child, and given her the coveted necklace, and
+Chiquita loved her for it, while she adored her beauty. Isabelle’s
+sweet countenance, so angelically mild and pure, exercised a wonderful
+influence over the neglected little savage, who had always been
+surrounded by fierce, haggard faces, expressive of every evil passion,
+and disfigured by indulgence in the lowest vices, and excesses of every
+kind.
+
+“But how does it happen that you are here, Chiquita?” asked Isabelle,
+after a short silence. “Were you sent to keep guard over me?”
+
+“No, I came alone and of my own accord,” answered Chiquita, “because I
+saw the light and fire. I was tired of lying all cramped up in a
+corner, and keeping quiet, while those beastly men drank bottle after
+bottle of wine, and gorged themselves with the good things set before
+them. I am so little, you know, so young and slender, that they pay no
+more attention to me than they would to a kitten asleep under the
+table. While they were making a great noise I slipped quietly away
+unperceived. The smell of the wine and the food sickened me. I am used
+to the sweet perfume of the heather, and the pure resinous odour of the
+pines. I cannot breathe in such an atmosphere as there is down below
+there.”
+
+“And you were not afraid to wander alone, without a light, through the
+long, dark corridors, and the lonely, deserted rooms?”
+
+“Chiquita does not know what it is to be afraid—her eyes can see in the
+dark, and her feet never stumble. The very owls shut their eyes when
+they meet her, and the bats fold their wings when she comes near their
+haunts. Wandering ghosts stand aside to let her pass, or turn back when
+they see her approaching. Night is her comrade and hides no secrets
+from her, and Chiquita never betrays them to the day.”
+
+Her eyes flashed and dilated as she spoke, and Isabelle looked at her
+with growing wonder, not unmixed with a vague sensation of fear.
+
+“I like much better to stay here, in this heavenly quiet, by the fire
+with you,” continued the child, “than down there in all the uproar. You
+are so beautiful that I love to look at you-you are like the Blessed
+Virgin that I have seen shining above the altar. Only from afar though,
+for they always chase me out of the churches with the dogs, because I
+am so shabby and forlorn. How white your hand is! Mine looks like a
+monkey’s paw beside it—and your hair is as fine and soft as silk, while
+mine is all rough and tangled. Oh! I am so horribly ugly—you must think
+so too.”
+
+“No, my dear child,” Isabelle replied, touched by her naive expressions
+of affection and admiration, “I do not think so. You have beauty
+too—you only need to make yourself neat and clean to be as pretty a
+little girl as one would wish to see.”
+
+“Do you really think so? Are you telling me true? I would steal fine
+clothes if they would make me pretty, for then Agostino would love me.”
+
+This idea brought a little flush of colour to her thin brown cheeks,
+and for a few minutes she seemed lost in a pleasant reverie.
+
+“Do you know where we are?” asked Isabelle, when Chiquita looked up at
+her again.
+
+“In a château that belongs to the great seignior who has so much money,
+and who wanted to carry you off at Poitiers. I had only to draw the
+bolt and it would have been done then. But you gave me the pearl
+necklace, and I love you, and I would not do anything you did not
+like.”
+
+“Yet you have helped to carry me off this time,” said Isabelle
+reproachfully. “Is it because you don’t love me any more that you have
+given me up to my enemies?”
+
+“Agostino ordered me, and I had to obey; besides, some other child
+could have played guide to the blind man as well as I, and then I could
+not have come into the château with you, do you see?—here I may be able
+to do something to help you. I am brave, active and strong, though I am
+so small, and quick as lightning too—and I shall not let anybody harm
+you.”
+
+“Is this château very far from Paris?” asked Isabelle, drawing Chiquita
+up on her lap. “Did you hear any one mention the name of this place?”
+
+“Yes, one of them called it—now what was it?” said the child, looking
+up at the ceiling and absently scratching her head, as if to stimulate
+her memory.
+
+“Try to remember it, my child!” said Isabelle, softly stroking
+Chiquita’s brown cheeks, which flushed with delight at the unwonted
+caress—no one had ever petted the poor child in her life before.
+
+“I think that it was Val-lom-breuse,” said Chiquita at last,
+pronouncing the syllables separately and slowly, as if listening to an
+inward echo. “Yes, Vallombreuse, I am sure of it now. It is the name of
+the seignior that your Captain Fracasse wounded in a duel—he would have
+done much better if he had killed him outright—saved a great deal of
+trouble to himself and to you. He is very wicked, that rich duke,
+though he does throw his gold about so freely by the handfuls—just like
+a man sowing grain. You hate him, don’t you? and you would be glad if
+you could get away from him, eh?”
+
+“Oh yes, indeed!” cried Isabelle impetuously. “But alas! it is
+impossible—a deep moat runs all around this château the drawbridge is
+up, the postern securely fastened—there is no way of escape.”
+
+“Chiquita laughs at bolts and bars, at high walls and deep moats.
+Chiquita can get out of the best guarded prison whenever she pleases,
+and fly away to the moon, right before the eyes of her astonished
+jailer. If you choose, before the sun rises your Captain Fracasse shall
+know where the treasure that he seeks is hidden.”
+
+Isabelle was afraid, when she heard these incoherent phrases, that the
+child was not quite sane, but her little face was so calm, her dark
+eyes so clear and steady, her voice so earnest, and she spoke with such
+an air of quiet conviction, that the supposition was not admissible,
+and the strange little creature did seem to be possessed of some of the
+magic powers she claimed. As if to convince Isabelle that she was not
+merely boasting, she continued, “Let me think a moment, to make a
+plan—don’t speak nor move, for the least sound interferes with me—I
+must listen to the spirit.”
+
+Chiquita bent down her head, put her hand over her eyes, and remained
+for several minutes perfectly motionless; then she raised her head and
+without a word went and opened the window, clambered up on the sill,
+and gazed out intently into the darkness.
+
+“Is she really going to take flight?” said Isabelle to herself, as she
+anxiously watched Chiquita’s movements, not knowing what to expect.
+Exactly opposite to the window, on the other side of the moat, was an
+immense tree, very high and old, whose great branches, spreading out
+horizontally, overhung the water; but the longest of them did not reach
+the wall of the château by at least ten feet. It was upon this tree,
+however, that Chiquita’s plan for escape depended. She turned away from
+the window, drew from her pocket a long cord made of horse-hair, very
+fine and strong, which she carefully unrolled to its full length and
+laid upon the floor; then produced from another pocket an iron hook,
+which she fastened securely to the cord. This done to her satisfaction,
+she went to the window again, and threw the end of the cord with the
+hook into the branches of the tree. The first time she was
+unsuccessful; the iron hook fell and struck against the stone wall
+beneath the casement; but at the second attempt the hook caught and
+held, and Chiquita, drawing the cord taut, asked Isabelle to take hold
+of it and bear her whole weight on it, until the branch was bent as far
+as possible towards the château—coming five or six feet nearer to the
+window where they were. Then Chiquita tied the cord firmly to the
+ornamental iron railing of the tiny balcony, with a knot that could not
+slip, climbed over, and grasping the cord with both hands, swung
+herself off, and hung suspended over the waters of the moat far below.
+Isabelle held her breath. With a rapid motion of the hands Chiquita
+crossed the clear space, reached the tree safely, and climbed down into
+it with the agility of a monkey.
+
+“Now undo the knot so that I can take the cord with me,” she said, in a
+low but very distinct tone of voice to Isabelle, who began to breathe
+freely again, “unless, indeed, you would like to follow me. But you
+would be frightened and dizzy, and might fall, so you had better stay
+where you are. Good-bye! I am going straight to Paris, and shall soon
+be back again; I can get on quickly in this bright moonlight.”
+
+Isabelle did as she was bid, and the branch, being no longer held by
+the cord, swung back to its original position. In less than a minute
+Chiquita had scrambled down to the ground, and the captive soon lost
+sight of her slender little figure as she walked off briskly towards
+the capital.
+
+All that had just occurred seemed like a strange dream to Isabelle, now
+that she found herself alone again. She remained for some time at the
+open casement, looking at the great tree opposite, and trembling as she
+realized the terrible risk Chiquita had run for her sake—feeling warm
+gratitude and tender affection for the wild, incomprehensible little
+creature, who manifested such a strong attachment for herself, and a
+new hope sprang up in her heart as she thought that now de Sigognac
+would soon know where to find her. The cold night air at last forced
+her to close the window, and after arranging the curtains over it
+carefully, so as to show no signs of having been disturbed, she
+returned to her easy-chair by the fire; and just in time, for she had
+scarcely seated herself when the major-domo entered, followed by the
+two servants, again carrying the little table, set for one, with her
+supper daintily arranged upon it. A few minutes earlier and Chiquita’s
+escape would have been discovered and prevented. Isabelle, still
+greatly agitated by all that had passed, could not eat, and signed to
+the servants to remove the supper untouched. Whereupon the major-domo
+himself put some bread and wine on a small table beside the bed, and
+placed on a chair near the fire a richly trimmed dressing-gown, and
+everything that a lady could require in making her toilet for the
+night. Several large logs of wood were piled up on the massive
+andirons, the candles were renewed, and then the major-domo,
+approaching Isabelle with a profound obeisance, said to her that if she
+desired the services of a maid he would send one to her. As she made a
+gesture of dissent he withdrew, after again bowing to her most
+respectfully. When they had all gone, Isabelle, quite worn out, threw
+herself down on the outside of the bed without undressing, so as to be
+ready in case of any sudden alarm in the night; then took out
+Chiquita’s knife, opened it, and laid it beside her. Having taken these
+precautions, she closed her eyes, and hoped that she could for a while
+forget her troubles in sleep; but she had been so much excited and
+agitated that her nerves were all quivering, and it was long before she
+even grew drowsy. There were so many strange, incomprehensible noises
+in the great, empty house to disturb and startle her; and in her own
+room, the cracking of the furniture, the ticking of a death-watch in
+the wall near her bed, the gnawing of a rat behind the wainscot, the
+snapping of the fire. At each fresh sound she started up in terror,
+with her poor heart throbbing as if it would burst out of her breast, a
+cold perspiration breaking out on her forehead, and trembling in every
+limb. At last, however, weary nature had to succumb, and she fell into
+a deep sleep, which lasted until she was awakened by the sun shining on
+her face. Her first thought was to wonder that she had not yet seen the
+Duke of Vallombreuse; but she was thankful for his absence, and hoped
+that it would continue until Chiquita should have brought de Sigognac
+to the rescue.
+
+The reason why the young duke had not yet made his appearance was one
+of policy. He had taken especial pains to show himself at Saint Germain
+on the day of the abduction—had joined the royal hunting party, and
+been exceedingly and unwontedly affable to all who happened to come in
+contact with him. In the evening he had played at cards, and lost
+ostentatiously sums that would have been of importance to a less
+wealthy man—being all the time in a very genial mood—especially after
+the arrival of a mounted messenger, who brought him a little note. Thus
+the duke’s desire to be able to establish an incontestable alibi, in
+case of need, had spared Isabelle thus far the infliction of his hated
+presence; but while she was congratulating herself upon it, and
+welcoming the sunshine that streamed into her room, she heard the
+drawbridge being let down, and immediately after a carriage dashed over
+it and thundered into the court. Her heart sank, for who would be
+likely to enter in that style save the master of the house? Her face
+grew deathly pale, she reeled, and for one dreadful moment felt as if
+she should faint; but, rallying her courage, she reminded herself that
+Chiquita had gone to bring de Sigognac to her aid, and determined
+afresh to meet bravely whatever trials might be in store for her, until
+her beloved knight and champion should arrive, to rescue her from her
+terrible danger and irksome imprisonment. Her eyes involuntarily sought
+the portrait over the chimney-piece, and after passionately invoking
+it, and imploring its aid and protection, as if it had been her patron
+saint, she felt a certain sense of ease and security, as if what she
+had so earnestly entreated would really be accorded to her.
+
+A full hour had elapsed, which the young duke had employed in the
+duties of the toilet, and in snatching a few minutes of repose after
+his rapid night-journey, when the major-domo presented himself, and
+asked respectfully if Isabelle would receive the Duke of Vallombreuse.
+
+“I am a prisoner,” she replied, with quiet dignity, “and this demand,
+which would be fitting and polite in any ordinary case, is only a
+mockery when addressed to one in my position. I have no means of
+preventing your master’s coming into this room, nor can I quit it to
+avoid him. I do not accept his visit but submit to it. He must do as he
+pleases about it, and come and go when he likes. He allows me no choice
+in the matter. Go and tell him exactly what I have said to you.”
+
+The major-domo bowed low, and retired backward to the door, having
+received strict orders to treat Isabelle with the greatest respect and
+consideration. In a few minutes he returned, and announced the Duke of
+Vallombreuse.
+
+Isabelle half rose from her chair by the fire, but turned very pale and
+fell back into it, as her unwelcome visitor made his appearance at the
+door. He closed it and advanced slowly towards her, hat in hand, but
+when he perceived that she was trembling violently, and looked ready to
+faint, he stopped in the middle of the room, made a low bow, and said
+in his most dulcet, persuasive tones:
+
+“If my presence is too unbearably odious now to the charming Isabelle,
+and she would like to have a little time to get used to the thought of
+seeing me, I will withdraw. She is my prisoner, it is true, but I am
+none the less her slave.”
+
+“This courtesy is tardy,” Isabelle replied coldly, “after the violence
+you have made use of against me.”
+
+“That is the natural result,” said the duke, with a smile, “of pushing
+people to extremity by a too obstinate and prolonged resistance. Having
+lost all hope, they stop at nothing—knowing that they cannot make
+matters any worse, whatever they do. If you had only been willing to
+suffer me to pay my court to you in the regular way, and shown a little
+indulgence to my love, I should have quietly remained among the ranks
+of your passionate adorers; striving, by dint of delicate attentions,
+chivalrous devotion, magnificent offerings, and respectful yet ardent
+solicitations, to soften that hard heart of yours. If I could not have
+succeeded in inspiring it with love for me, I might at least have
+awakened in it that tender pity which is akin to love, and which is so
+often only its forerunner. In the end, perhaps, you would have repented
+of your cruel severity, and acknowledged that you had been unjust
+towards me. Believe me, my charming Isabelle, I should have neglected
+nothing to bring it about.”
+
+“If you had employed only honest and honourable means in your suit,”
+Isabelle rejoined, “I should have felt very sorry that I had been so
+unfortunate as to inspire an attachment I could not reciprocate, and
+would have given you my warm sympathy, and friendly regard, instead of
+being reluctantly compelled, by repeated outrages, to hate you instead.
+
+“You do hate me then?—you acknowledge it?” the duke cried, his voice
+trembling with rage; but he controlled himself, and after a short pause
+continued, in a gentler tone, “Yet I do not deserve it. My only wrongs
+towards you, if any there be, have come from the excess and ardour of
+my love; and what woman, however chaste and virtuous, can be seriously
+angry with a gallant gentleman because he has been conquered by the
+power of her adorable charms? whether she so desired or not.”
+
+“Certainly, that is not a reason for dislike or anger, my lord, if the
+suitor does not overstep the limits of respect, as all women will
+agree. But when his insolent impatience leads him to commit excesses,
+and he resorts to fraud, abduction, and imprisonment, as you have not
+hesitated to do, there is no other result possible than an
+unconquerable aversion. Coercion is always and inevitably revolting to
+a nature that has any proper pride or delicacy. Love, true love, is
+divine, and cannot be furnished to order, or extorted by violence. It
+is spontaneous, and freely given—not to be bought, nor yet won by
+importunity.”
+
+“Is an unconquerable aversion then all that I am to expect from you?”
+said Vallombreuse, who had become pale to ghastliness, and been
+fiercely gnawing his under lip, while Isabelle was speaking, in her
+sweet, clear tones, which fell on his ear like the soft chiming of
+silver bells, and only served to enhance his devouring passion.
+
+“There is yet one means of winning my friendship and gratitude—be noble
+and generous, and give me back the liberty of which you have deprived
+me. Let me return to my companions, who must be anxiously seeking for
+me, and suffering keenly because of their fears for my safety. Let me
+go and resume my lowly life as an actress, before this outrageous
+affair—which may irreparably injure my reputation—has become generally
+known, or my absence from the theatre been remarked by the public.”
+
+“How unfortunate it is,” cried the duke, angrily, “that you should ask
+of me the only thing I cannot do for you. If you had expressed your
+desire for an empire, a throne, I would have given it to you—or if you
+had wished for a star, I would have climbed up into the heavens to get
+it for you. But here you calmly ask me to open the door of this cage,
+little bird, to which you would never come back of your own accord, if
+I were stupid enough to let you go. It is impossible! I know well that
+you love me so little, or rather hate me so much, that you would never
+see me again of your own free will—that my only chance of enjoying your
+charming society is to lock you up—keep you my prisoner. However much
+it may cost my pride, I must do it—for I can no more live without you
+than a plant without the light. My thoughts turn to you as the
+heliotrope to the sun. Where you are not, all is darkness for me. If
+what I have dared to do is a crime, I must make the best of it, and
+profit by it as much as I can—for you would never forgive nor overlook
+it, whatever you may say now. Here at least I have you—I hold you. I
+can surround you with my love and care, and strive to melt the ice of
+your coldness by the heat of my passion. Your eyes must behold me—your
+ears must listen to my voice. I shall exert an influence over you, if
+only by the alarm and detestation I am so unfortunate as to inspire in
+your gentle breast; the sound of my footsteps in your antechamber will
+make you start and tremble. And then, besides all that, this captivity
+separates you effectually from the miserable fellow you fancy that you
+love—and whom I abhor; because he has dared to turn your heart away
+from me. I can at least enjoy this small satisfaction, of keeping you
+from him; and I will not let you go free to return to him—you may be
+perfectly sure of that, my fair lady!”
+
+“And how long do you intend to keep me captive?—not like a Christian
+gentleman, but like a lawless corsair.”
+
+“Until you have learned to love me—or at least to say that you have,
+which amounts to the same thing.”
+
+Then he made her a low bow, and departed, with as self-satisfied and
+jaunty an air as if he had been in truth a favoured suitor. Half an
+hour later a lackey brought in a beautiful bouquet, of the rarest and
+choicest flowers, while the stems were clasped by a magnificent
+bracelet, fit for a queen’s wearing. A little piece of folded paper
+nestled among the flowers—a note from the duke—and the fair prisoner
+recognised the handwriting as the same in which “For Isabelle” was
+written, on the slip of paper that accompanied the casket of jewels at
+Poitiers. The note read as follows:
+
+“DEAR ISABELLE—I send you these flowers, though I know they will be
+ungraciously received. As they come from me, their beauty and fragrance
+will not find favour in your eyes. But whatever may be their fate, even
+though you only touch them to fling them disdainfully out of the
+window, they will force you to think for a moment—if it be but in
+anger—of him who declares himself, in spite of everything, your devoted
+adorer,
+
+“VALLOMBREUSE.”
+
+
+This note, breathing of the most specious gallantry, and tenacity of
+purpose, did produce very much the effect it predicted; for it made
+Isabelle exceedingly angry; and, without even once inhaling the
+delicious perfume of the flowers, or pausing for an instant to admire
+their beauty, she flung the bouquet, diamond bracelet and all, out into
+the antechamber. Never surely were lovely blossoms so badly treated;
+and yet Isabelle was excessively fond of them; but she feared that if
+she even allowed them to remain a little while in her room, their donor
+would presume upon the slight concession. She had scarcely resumed her
+seat by the fire, after disposing of the obnoxious bouquet, when a maid
+appeared, who had been sent to wait upon her. She was a pretty, refined
+looking girl, but very pale, and with an air of deep melancholy—as if
+she were brooding over a secret sorrow. She offered her services to
+Isabelle without looking up, and in a low, subdued voice, as if she
+feared that the very walls had ears. Isabelle allowed her to take down
+and comb out her long, silky hair, which was very much dishevelled, and
+to arrange it again as she habitually wore it; which was quickly and
+skilfully done. Then the maid opened a wardrobe and took out several
+beautiful gowns, exquisitely made and trimmed, and just Isabelle’s
+size; but she would not even look at them, and sharply ordered that
+they should instantly be put back where they belonged, though her own
+dress was very much the worse for the rough treatment it had been
+subjected to on the preceding day, and it was a trial to the sweet,
+dainty creature to be so untidy. But she was determined to accept
+nothing from the duke, no matter how long her captivity might last. The
+maid did not insist, but acceded to her wishes with a mild, pitying
+air—just as indulgence is shown, as far as possible, to all the little
+whims and caprices of prisoners condemned to death. Isabelle would have
+liked to question her attendant, and endeavour to elicit some
+information from her, but the girl was more like an automaton than
+anything else, and it was impossible to gain more than a monosyllable
+from her lips. So Isabelle resigned herself with a sigh to her mute
+ministerings, not without a sort of vague terror.
+
+After the maid had retired, dinner was served as before, and Isabelle
+made a hearty meal—feeling that she must keep up her strength, and also
+hopeful of hearing something in a few hours more from her faithful
+lover. Her thoughts were all of him, and as she realized the dangers to
+which he would inevitably be exposed for her sake, her eyes filled with
+tears, and a sharp pang shot through her heart. She was angry with
+herself for being the cause of so much trouble, and fain to curse her
+own beauty—the unhappy occasion of it all. She was absorbed in these
+sad thoughts when a little noise as if a hail-stone had struck against
+the window pane, suddenly aroused her. She flew to the casement, and
+saw Chiquita, in the tree opposite, signing to her to open it, and
+swinging back and forth the long horse-hair cord, with the iron hook
+attached to it. She hastened to comply with the wishes of her strange
+little ally, and, as she stepped back in obedience to another sign, the
+hook, thrown with unerring aim, caught securely in the iron railing of
+the little balcony. Chiquita tied the other end of the cord to the
+branch to which she was clinging, and then began to cross over the
+intervening space as before; but ere she was half-way over, the knot
+gave way, and poor Isabelle for one moment of intense agony thought
+that the child was lost. But, instead of falling into the moat beneath
+her, Chiquita, who did not appear to be in the least disconcerted by
+this accident, swung over against the wall below the balcony, and
+climbing up the cord hand over hand, leaped lightly into the room,
+before Isabelle had recovered her breath. Finding her very pale, and
+tremulous, the child said smilingly, “You were frightened, eh? and
+thought Chiquita would fall down among the frogs in the moat. When I
+tied my cord to the branch, I only made a slip-knot, so that I could
+bring it back with me. I must have looked like a big spider climbing up
+its thread,” she added, with a laugh.
+
+“My dear child,” said Isabelle, with much feeling, and kissing
+Chiquita’s forehead, “you are a very brave little girl.”
+
+“I saw your friends. They had been searching and searching for you; but
+without Chiquita they would never have found out where you were hidden.
+The captain was rushing about like an angry lion—his eyes flashed
+fire—he was magnificent. I came back with him. He rode, and held me in
+front of him. He is hidden in a little wood not far off, he and his
+comrades—they must keep out of sight, you know. This evening, as soon
+as it is dark, they will try to get in here to you—by the tree, you
+know. There’s sure to be a scrimmage—pistol shots and swords
+clashing—oh! it will be splendid; for there’s nothing so fine as a good
+fight; when the men are in earnest, and fierce and brave. Now don’t you
+be frightened and scream, as silly women do; nothing upsets them like
+that. You must just remain perfectly quiet, and keep out of their way.
+If you like, I will come and stay by you, so that you will not be
+afraid.”
+
+“Don’t be uneasy about that, Chiquita! I will not annoy my brave
+friends, who come to save my life at the risk of their own, by any
+foolish fears or demonstrations; that I promise you.”
+
+“That’s right,” the child replied, “and until they come, you can defend
+yourself with my knife, you know. Don’t forget the proper way to use
+it. Strike like this, and then do so; you can rip him up beautifully.
+As for me, I’m going to hunt up a quiet corner where I can get a nap.
+No, I can’t stay here, for we must not be seen together; it would never
+do. Now do you be sure to keep away from that window. You must not even
+go near it, no matter what you hear, for fear they might suspect that
+you hoped for help from that direction. If they did, it would be all up
+with us; for they would send out and search the woods, and beat the
+bushes, and find our friends where they lie hidden. The whole thing
+would fall through, and you would have to stop here with this horrid
+duke that you hate so much.”
+
+“I will not go near the window,” Isabelle answered, “nor even look
+towards it, however much I may wish to. You may depend upon my
+discretion, Chiquita, I do assure you.”
+
+Reassured upon this important point, Chiquita crept softly away, and
+went back to the lower room where she had left the ruffians carousing.
+They were still there—lying about on the benches and the floor, in a
+drunken sleep, and evidently had not even missed her. She curled
+herself up in a corner, as far as might be from the loathsome brutes,
+and was asleep in a minute. The poor child was completely tired out;
+her slender little feet had travelled eight leagues the night before,
+running a good part of the way, and the return on horseback had perhaps
+fatigued her even more, being unaccustomed to it. Although her fragile
+little body had the strength and endurance of steel, she was worn out
+now, and lay, pale and motionless, in a sleep that seemed like death.
+
+“Dear me! how these children do sleep to be sure,” said Malartic, when
+he roused himself at last and looked about him. “In spite of our
+carouse, and all the noise we made, that little monkey in the corner
+there has never waked nor stirred. Halloa! wake up you fellows! drunken
+beasts that you are. Try to stand up on your hind legs, and go out in
+the court and dash a bucket of cold water over your cursed heads. The
+Circe of drunkenness has made swine of you in earnest—go and see if the
+baptism I recommend will turn you back into men, and then we’ll take a
+little look round the place, to make sure there’s no plot hatching to
+rescue the little beauty we have in charge.”
+
+The men scrambled to their feet slowly and with difficulty, and
+staggered out into the court as best they might, where the fresh air,
+and the treatment prescribed by Malartic, did a good deal towards
+reviving them; but they were a sorry looking set after all, and there
+were many aching heads among them. As soon as they were fit for it,
+Malartic took three of the least tipsy of them, and leading the way to
+a small postern that opened on the moat, unchained a row-boat lying
+there, crossed the broad ditch, ascended a steep flight of steps
+leading up the bank on the other side, and, leaving one man to guard
+the boat, proceeded to make a tour of inspection in the immediate
+vicinity of the château; fortunately without stumbling on the party
+concealed in the wood, or seeing anything to arouse their suspicions;
+so they returned to their quarters perfectly satisfied that there was
+no enemy lurking near.
+
+Meantime Isabelle, left quite alone, tried in vain to interest herself
+in a book she had found lying upon one of the side-tables. She read a
+few pages mechanically, and then, finding it impossible to fix her
+attention upon it, threw the volume from her and sat idly in front of
+the fire, which was blazing cheerily, thinking of her own true lover,
+and praying that he might be preserved from injury in the impending
+struggle. Evening came at last—a servant brought in lights, and soon
+after the major-domo announced a visit from the Duke of Vallombreuse.
+He entered at once, and greeted his fair captive with the most finished
+courtesy. He looked very handsome, in a superb suit of pearl gray
+satin, richly trimmed with crimson velvet, and Isabelle could not but
+admire his personal appearance, much as she detested his character.
+
+“I have come to see, my adorable Isabelle, whether _I_ shall be more
+kindly received than my flowers,” said he, drawing up a chair beside
+hers. “I have not the vanity to think so, but I want you to become
+accustomed to my presence. To-morrow another bouquet, and another
+visit.”
+
+“Both will be useless, my lord,” she replied, “though I am sorry to
+have to be so rude as to say so—but I had much better be perfectly
+frank with you.”
+
+“Ah, well!” rejoined the duke, with a malicious smile, “I will dispense
+with hope, and content myself with reality. You do not know, my poor
+child, what a Vallombreuse can do—you, who vainly try to resist him. He
+has never yet known what it was to have an unsatisfied desire—he
+invariably gains his ends, in spite of all opposition—nothing can stop
+him. Tears, supplication, laments, threats, even dead bodies and
+smoking ruins would not daunt him. Do not tempt him too powerfully, by
+throwing new obstacles in his way, you imprudent child!”
+
+Isabelle, frightened by the expression of his countenance as he spoke
+thus, instinctively pushed her chair farther away from his, and felt
+for Chiquita’s knife. But the wily duke, seeing that he had made a
+mistake, instantly changed his tone, and begging her pardon most humbly
+for his vehemence, endeavoured to persuade her, by many specious
+arguments, that she was wrong in persistently turning a deaf ear to his
+suit—setting forth at length, and in glowing words, all the advantages
+that would accrue to her if she would but yield to his wishes, and
+describing the happiness in store for her. While he was thus eloquently
+pleading his cause, Isabelle, who had given him only a divided
+attention, thought that she heard a peculiar little noise in the
+direction whence the longed-for aid was to come, and fearing that
+Vallombreuse might hear it also, hastened to answer him the instant
+that he paused, in a way to vex him still further—for she preferred his
+anger to his love-making. Also, she hoped that by quarrelling with him
+she would be able to prevent his perceiving the suspicious little
+sound—now growing louder and more noticeable.
+
+“The happiness that you so eloquently describe, my lord, would be for
+me a disgrace, which I am resolved to escape by death, if all other
+means fail me. You never shall have me living. Formerly I regarded you
+with indifference, but now I both hate and despise you, for your
+infamous, outrageous and violent behaviour to me, your helpless victim.
+Yes, I may as well tell you openly—and I glory in it—that I do love the
+Baron de Sigognac, whom you have more than once so basely tried to
+assassinate, through your miserable hired ruffians.”
+
+The strange noise still kept on, and Isabelle raised her voice to drown
+it. At her audacious, defiant words, so distinctly and impressively
+enunciated—hurled at him, as it were—Vallombreuse turned pale, and his
+eyes flashed ominously; a light foam gathered about the corners of his
+mouth, and he laid hold of the handle of his sword. For an instant he
+thought of killing Isabelle himself, then and there. If he could not
+have her, at least no one else should. But he relinquished that idea
+almost as soon as it occurred to him, and with a hard, forced laugh
+said, as he sprang up and advanced impetuously towards Isabelle, who
+retreated before him:
+
+“Now, by all the devils in hell, I cannot help admiring you immensely
+in this mood. It is a new role for you, and you are deucedly charming
+in it. You have got such a splendid colour, and your eyes are so
+bright—you are superb, I declare. I am greatly flattered at your
+blazing out into such dazzling beauty on my account—upon my word I am.
+You have done well to speak out openly—I hate deceit. So you love de
+Sigognac, do you? So much the better, say I—it will be all the sweeter
+to call you mine. It will be a pleasing variety to press ardent kisses
+upon sweet lips that say ‘I hate you,’ instead of the insipid,
+everlasting ‘I love you,’ that one gets a surfeit of from all the
+pretty women of one’s acquaintance.”
+
+Alarmed at this coarse language, and the threatening gestures that
+accompanied it, Isabelle started back and drew out Chiquita’s knife.
+
+“Bravo!” cried the duke—“here comes the traditional poniard. We are
+being treated to a bit of high tragedy. But, my fierce little beauty,
+if you are well up in your Roman history, you will remember that the
+chaste Mme. Lucretia did not make use of her dagger until _after_ the
+assault of Sextus, the bold son of Tarquin the Proud. That ancient and
+much-cited example is a good one to follow.”
+
+And without paying any more attention to the knife than to a bee-sting,
+he had violently seized Isabelle in his arms before she could raise it
+to strike.
+
+Just at that moment a loud cracking noise was heard, followed by a
+tremendous crash, and the casement fell clattering to the floor, with
+every pane of glass in it shattered; as if a giant had put his knee
+against it and broken it in; while a mass of branches protruded through
+the opening into the room. It was the top of the tree that Chiquita had
+made such good use of as a way of escape and return. The trunk, sawed
+nearly through by de Sigognac and his companions, was guided in its
+fall so as to make a means of access to Isabelle’s window; both
+bridging the moat, and answering all the purposes of a ladder.
+
+The Duke of Vallombreuse, astonished at this most extraordinary
+intrusion upon his love-making, released his trembling victim, and drew
+his sword. Chiquita, who had crept into the room unperceived when the
+crash came, pulled Isabelle’s sleeve and whispered, “Come into this
+corner, out of the way; the dance is going to begin.”
+
+As she spoke, several pistol shots were heard without, and four of the
+duke’s ruffians—who were doing garrison duty came rushing up the
+stairs, four steps at a time, and dashed into the room-sword in hand,
+and eager for the fray.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+THE AMETHYST RING
+
+
+The topmost branches of the tree, protruding through the window,
+rendered the centre of the room untenable, so Malartic and his three
+aids ranged themselves two and two against the wall on either side of
+it, armed with pistols and swords—ready to give the assailants a warm
+welcome.
+
+“You had better retire, my lord duke, or else put on a mask,” whispered
+Malartic to the young nobleman, “so that you may not be seen and
+recognised in this affair.”
+
+“What do I care?” cried Vallombreuse, flourishing his sword. “I am not
+afraid of anybody in the world—and besides, those who see me will never
+go away from this to tell of it.”
+
+“But at least your lordship will place this second Helen in some safe
+retreat. A stray bullet might so easily deprive your highness of the
+prize that cost so dear—and it would be such a pity.”
+
+The duke, finding this advice judicious, went at once over to where
+Isabelle was standing beside Chiquita, and throwing his arms round her
+attempted to carry her into the next room. The poor girl made a
+desperate resistance, and slipping from the duke’s grasp rushed to the
+window, regardless of danger, crying, “Save me, de Sigognac! save me!”
+A voice from without answered, “I am coming,” but, before he could
+reach the window, Vallombreuse had again seized his prey, and succeeded
+in carrying her into the adjoining room, closing and bolting the stout
+oaken door behind him just as de Sigognac bounded into the chamber he
+had quitted. His entrance was so sudden, and so swiftly and boldly
+made, that he entirely escaped the pistol shots aimed at him, and the
+four bullets all fell harmless. When the smoke had cleared away and the
+“garrison” saw that he was unhurt, a murmur of astonishment arose, and
+one of the men exclaimed aloud that Captain Fracasse—the only name by
+which _they_ knew him—must bear a charmed life; whereupon, Malartic
+cried, “Leave him to me, I’ll soon finish him, and do you three keep a
+strict guard over the window there; for there will be more to follow
+this one if I am not mistaken.”
+
+But he did not find his self-imposed task as easy as he supposed—for de
+Sigognac was ready for him, and gave him plenty to do, though his
+surprise and disappointment were overwhelming when he found that
+Isabelle was nowhere to be seen.
+
+“Where is she?” he cried impetuously. “Where is Isabelle? I heard her
+voice in here only a moment ago.”
+
+“Don’t ask me!” Malartic retorted. “_You_ didn’t give her into my
+charge.” And all this time their swords were flashing and clashing, as
+the combat between them grew more animated.
+
+A moment later, before the men had finished reloading their pistols,
+Scapin dashed in through the window, throwing a remarkable somersault
+like an acrobat as he came, and seeing that the three ruffians had laid
+down their swords beside them on the floor while attending to their
+other weapons, he seized upon them all, ere their owners had recovered
+from their astonishment at his extraordinary advent, and hurled them
+through the broken casement down into the moat. Then, laying hold of
+one of the three from behind, and pinning down his arms securely, he
+placed him in front of himself for a shield—turning him dexterously
+this way and that, in order to keep his body always between his own and
+the enemy; so that they dared not fire upon him lest they should kill
+their comrade, who was vehemently beseeching them to spare his life,
+and vainly struggling to escape from Scapin’s iron grip.
+
+The combat between de Sigognac and Malartic was still going on, but at
+last, the baron—who had already wounded his adversary slightly, and
+whose agony and desperation at being kept from prosecuting his search
+for Isabelle were intense—wrested Malartic’s sword from his grasp, by a
+dexterous manœuvre with his own, and putting his foot upon it as it lay
+on the floor raised the point of his blade to the professional
+ruffian’s throat, crying “Surrender, or you are a dead man!”
+
+At this critical moment another one of the besieging party burst in
+through the window, who, seeing at a glance how matters stood, said to
+Malartic in an authoritative tone, “You can surrender without dishonour
+to this valiant hero—you are entirely at his mercy. You have done your
+duty loyally—now consider yourself a prisoner of war.”
+
+Then turning to de Sigognac, he said, “You may trust his word, for he
+is an honourable fellow in his way, and will not molest you again—I
+will answer for him.”
+
+Malartic made a gesture of acquiescence, and the baron let him
+go—whereupon the discomfited bully picked up his sword, and with a
+crestfallen air walked off very disconsolately to a corner, where he
+sat down and occupied himself in staunching the blood that was flowing
+from his wound. The other three men were quickly conquered, and, at the
+suggestion of the latest comer, were securely bound hand and foot as
+they lay upon the floor, and then left to reflect upon their
+misfortunes.
+
+“They can’t do any more mischief now,” said Jacquemin Lampourde,
+mockingly; for it was that famous fighting man in person, who, in his
+enthusiastic admiration, or rather adoration, for de Sigognac, had
+offered his services on this momentous occasion—services by no means to
+be despised. As to the brave Hérode, he was doing good service in
+fighting the rest of the garrison below. They had hastened out and
+crossed the moat in the little row-boat as quickly as possible after
+the alarm was given, but arrived too late, as we have seen, to prevent
+the assailants from ascending their strange scaling ladder. So they
+determined to follow, hoping to overtake and dislodge some of them. But
+Hérode, who had found the upper branches bending and cracking in a very
+ominous manner under his great weight, was forced to turn about and
+make his way back to the main trunk, where, under cover of darkness, he
+quietly awaited the climbing foe. Mérindol, who commanded this
+detachment of the garrison, was first, and being completely taken by
+surprise was easily dislodged and thrown down into the water below. The
+next one, aroused to a sense of his danger by this, pulled out a pistol
+and fired, but in the agitation of the moment, and the darkness, missed
+his aim, so that he was entirely at the tyrant’s mercy, and in an
+instant was held suspended over the deep waters of the moat. He clung
+desperately to a little branch he had managed to lay hold of, and made
+such a brave fight for his life, that Hérode, who was merciful by
+nature, though so fierce of aspect, decided to make terms with him, if
+he could do so without injuring the interests of his own party; and
+upon receiving a solemn promise from him to remain strictly neutral
+during the remainder of the fray, the powerful actor lifted him up,
+with the greatest ease, and seated him in safety upon the tree-trunk
+again. The poor fellow was so grateful that he was even better than his
+word, for, making use of the password and giving a pretended order from
+Mérindol to the other two, who were some distance behind him and
+ignorant of what had happened, he sent them off post-haste to attend to
+an imaginary foe at some distance from the château; availing himself of
+their absence to make good his escape, after heartily thanking Hérode
+for his clemency. The moon was just rising, and by its light the tyrant
+spied the little row-boat, lying not very far off at the foot of a
+flight of steps in the steep bank, and he was not slow to make use of
+it to cross the moat, and penetrate into the interior court of the
+château—the postern having been fortunately left open. Looking about
+him, to see how he could best rejoin his comrades within the building,
+his eyes fell upon the porch guarded by the two huge, calm sphinxes,
+and he wisely concluded that through it must lie his way to the scene
+of action.
+
+Meantime de Sigognac, Scapin and Lampourde, having a chance to look
+about them, were horrified to find that they were prisoners in the room
+where the battle had been fought. In vain they tried to burst open the
+stout oaken door which was their only means of egress—for the tree had,
+but a moment before, given way and fallen with a loud crash into the
+moat; in vain they strove to cut through one of the panels, or force
+the lock from its fastenings. To de Sigognac this delay was maddening,
+for he knew that the Duke of Vallombreuse had carried Isabelle away,
+and that he must still be with her. He worked like a giant himself, and
+incited the others to redouble their efforts; making battering rams of
+various pieces of furniture—resorting to every means that their
+ingenuity could devise—but without making the least impression on the
+massive barrier. They had paused in dismay, when suddenly a slight,
+grinding noise was heard, like a key turning in a lock, and the door,
+so unsuccessfully attacked, opened as if by magic before them.
+
+“What good angel has come to our aid?” cried de Sigognac; “and by what
+miracle does this door open of itself, after having so stoutly resisted
+all our efforts?”
+
+“There is neither angel nor miracle; only Chiquita,” answered a quiet
+little voice, as the child appeared from behind the door, and fixed her
+great, dark, liquid eyes calmly on de Sigognac. She had managed to slip
+out with Vallombreuse and Isabelle, entirely unnoticed by the former,
+and in the hope of being of use to the latter.
+
+“Where is Isabelle?” cried the baron, as he crossed the threshold and
+looked anxiously round the anteroom, which was dimly lighted by one
+little flickering lamp. For a moment he did not perceive her; the Duke
+of Vallombreuse, surprised at the sudden opening of the door, which he
+had believed to be securely fastened and impenetrable, had retreated
+into a corner, and placed Isabelle, who was almost fainting from terror
+and exhaustion, behind him. She had sunk upon her knees, with her head
+leaning against the wall, her long hair, which had come down, falling
+about her, and her dress in the utmost disorder; for she had struggled
+desperately in the arms of her captor; who, feeling that his fair
+victim was about to escape from his clutches, had vainly striven to
+snatch a few kisses from the sweet lips so temptingly near his own.
+
+“Here she is,” said Chiquita, “in this corner, behind the Duke of
+Vallombreuse; but to get to her you must first kill him.”
+
+“Of course I shall kill him,” cried de Sigognac, advancing sword in
+hand towards the young duke, who was ready to receive him.
+
+“We shall see about that, Sir Captain Fracasse—doughty knight of
+_Bohémiennes!_” said Vallombreuse disdainfully, and the conflict began.
+The duke was not de Sigognac’s equal at this kind of work, but still he
+was skilful and brave, and had had too much good instruction to handle
+his sword like a broom-stick, as Lampourde expressed it. He stood
+entirely upon the defensive, and was exceedingly wary and prudent,
+hoping, as his adversary must be already considerably fatigued by his
+encounter with Malartic, that he might be able to get the better of him
+this time, and retrieve his previous defeat. At the very beginning he
+had succeeded in raising a small silver whistle to his lips with his
+left hand—and its shrill summons brought five or six armed attendants
+into the room.
+
+“Carry away this woman,” he cried, “and put out those two rascals. I
+will take care of the captain myself.”
+
+The sudden interruption of these fresh forces astonished de Sigognac,
+and as he saw two of the men lift up and carry off Isabelle—who had
+fainted quite away—he was thrown for an instant off his guard, and very
+nearly run through the body by his opponent.
+
+Roused to a sense of his danger, he attacked the duke with renewed
+fury, and with a terrible thrust, that made him reel, wounded him
+seriously in the upper part of the chest.
+
+Meanwhile Lampourde and Scapin had shown the duke’s lackeys that it
+would not be a very easy matter to put them out, and were handling them
+rather roughly, when the cowardly fellows, seeing that their master was
+wounded, and leaning against the wall, deathly pale, thought that he
+was done for, and although they were fully armed, took to their heels
+and fled, deaf to his feeble cry for assistance. While all this was
+going on, the tyrant was making his way up the grand staircase, as fast
+as his corpulence would permit, and reached the top just in time to see
+Isabelle, pale, dishevelled, motionless, and apparently dead, being
+borne along the corridor by two lackeys. Without stopping to make any
+inquiries, and full of wrath at the thought that the sweet girl had
+fallen a victim to the wickedness of the cruel Duke of Vallombreuse, he
+drew his sword, and fell upon the two men with such fury that they
+dropped their light burden and fled down the stairs as fast as their
+legs could carry them. Then he knelt down beside the unconscious girl,
+raised her gently in his arms, and found that her heart was beating,
+though but feebly, and that she apparently had no wound, while she
+sighed faintly, like a person beginning to revive after a swoon. In
+this position he was found by de Sigognac, who had effectually gotten
+rid of Vallombreuse, by the famous and well-directed thrust that had
+thrown Jacquemin Lampourde into a rapture of admiration and delight. He
+knelt down beside his darling, took both her hands in his, and said, in
+the most tender tones, that Isabelle heard vaguely as if in a dream:
+
+“Rouse yourself, dear heart, and fear nothing. You are safe now, with
+your own friends, and your own true lover—nobody can harm or frighten
+you again.”
+
+Although she did not yet open her eyes, a faint smile dawned upon the
+colourless lips, and her cold, trembling, little fingers feebly
+returned the tender pressure of de Sigognac’s warm hands. Lampourde
+stood by, and looked down with tearful eyes upon this touching
+group—for he was exceedingly romantic and sentimental, and always
+intensely interested in a love affair. Suddenly, in the midst of the
+profound silence that had succeeded to the uproar of the mêlée, the
+winding of a horn was heard without, and in a moment energetically
+repeated. It was evidently a summons that had to be instantly obeyed;
+the drawbridge was lowered in haste, with a great rattling of chains,
+and a carriage driven rapidly into the court, while the red flaring
+light of torches flashed through the windows of the corridor. In
+another minute the door of the vestibule was thrown open, and hasty
+steps ascended the grand staircase. First came four tall lackeys, in
+rich liveries, carrying lights, and directly behind them a tall,
+noble-looking man, who was dressed from head to foot in black velvet,
+with an order shining on his breast—of those that are usually reserved
+for kings and princes of the blood, and only very exceptionally
+bestowed, upon the most illustrious personages.
+
+When the four lackeys reached the landing at the head of the stairs,
+they silently ranged themselves against the wall, and stood like
+statues bearing torches; without the raising of an eyelid, or the
+slightest change in the stolid expression of their countenances to
+indicate that they perceived anything out of the usual way—exhibiting
+in perfection that miraculous imperturbability and self-command which
+is peculiar to well-bred, thoroughly trained menservants. The gentleman
+whom they had preceded paused ere he stepped upon the landing. Although
+age had brought wrinkles to his handsome face, and turned his abundant
+dark hair gray, it was still easy to recognise in him the original of
+the portrait that had so fascinated Isabelle, and whose protection she
+had passionately implored in her distress.
+
+It was the princely father of Vallombreuse—the son bearing a different
+name, that of a duchy he possessed, until he in his turn should become
+the head of the family, and succeed to the title of prince.
+
+At sight of Isabelle, supported by de Sigognac and the tyrant, whose
+ghastly pallor made her look like one dead, the aged gentleman raised
+his arms towards heaven and groaned.
+
+“Alas! I am too late,” said he, “for all the haste I made,” and
+advancing a few steps he bent over the prostrate girl, and took her
+lifeless hand in his. Upon this hand, white, cold and diaphanous, as if
+it had been sculptured in alabaster, shone a ring, set with an amethyst
+of unusual size. The old nobleman seemed strangely agitated as it
+caught his eye. He drew it gently from Isabelle’s slender finger, with
+a trembling hand signed to one of the torch-bearers to bring his light
+nearer, and by it eagerly examined the device cut upon the stone; first
+holding it close to the light and then at arm’s length; as those whose
+eyesight is impaired by age are wont to do. The Baron de Sigognac,
+Hérode and Lampourde anxiously watched the agitated movements of the
+prince, and his change of expression, as he contemplated this jewel,
+which he seemed to recognise; and which he turned and twisted between
+his fingers, with a pained look in his face, as if some great trouble
+had befallen him.
+
+“Where is the Duke of Vallombreuse?” he cried at last, in a voice of
+thunder. “Where is that monster in human shape, who is unworthy of my
+race?”
+
+He had recognised, without a possibility of doubt, in this ring, the
+one bearing a fanciful device, with which he had been accustomed, long
+ago, to seal the notes he wrote to Cornelia—Isabelle’s mother, and his
+own youthful love. How happened it that this ring was on the finger of
+the young actress, who had been forcibly and shamefully abducted by
+Vallombreuse? From whom could she have received it? These questions
+were torturing to him.
+
+“Can it be possible that she is Cornelia’s daughter and mine?” said the
+prince to himself. “Her profession, her age, her sweet face, in which I
+can trace a softened, beautified likeness of her mother’s, but which
+has a peculiarly high bred, refined expression, worthy of a royal
+princess, all combine to make me believe it must be so. Then, alas!
+alas! it is his own sister that this cursed libertine has so wronged,
+and he has been guilty of a horrible, horrible crime. Oh! I am cruelly
+punished for my youthful folly and sin.”
+
+Isabelle at length opened her eyes, and her first look fell upon the
+prince, holding the ring that he had drawn from her finger. It seemed
+to her as if she had seen his face before—but in youth, without the
+gray hair and beard. It seemed also to be an aged copy of the portrait
+over the chimney-piece in her room, and a feeling of profound
+veneration filled her heart as she gazed at him. She saw, too, her
+beloved de Sigognac kneeling beside her, watching her with tenderest
+devotion; and the worthy tyrant as well—both safe and sound. To the
+horrors of the terrible struggle had succeeded the peace and security
+of deliverance. She had nothing more to fear, for her friends or for
+herself—how could she ever be thankful enough?
+
+The prince, who had been gazing at her with passionate earnestness, as
+if her fair face possessed an irresistible charm for him, now addressed
+her in low, moved tones:
+
+“Mademoiselle, will you kindly tell me how you came by this ring, which
+recalls very dear and sacred memories to me? Has it been long in your
+possession?”
+
+“I have had it ever since my infancy; it is the only thing that my poor
+mother left me,” Isabelle replied, with gentle dignity.
+
+“And who was your mother? Will you, tell me something about her?”
+continued the prince, with increasing emotion.
+
+“Her name was Cornelia, and she was an actress, belonging to the same
+troupe that I am a member of now.”
+
+“Cornelia! then there is no possible doubt about it,” murmured the
+prince to himself, in great agitation. “Yes, it is certainly she whom I
+have been seeking all these years—and now to find her thus!”
+
+Then, controlling his emotion, he resumed his usual calm, majestic
+demeanour, and turning back to Isabelle, said to her, “Permit me to
+keep this ring for the present; I will soon give it back to you.”
+
+“I am content to leave it in your lordship’s hands,” the young actress
+replied, in whose mind the memory of a face, that she had seen long
+years ago bending over her cradle, was growing clearer and more
+distinct every moment.
+
+“Gentlemen,” said the prince, turning to de Sigognac and his
+companions, “under any other circumstances I might find your presence
+here, in my château, with arms in your hands, unwarranted, but I am
+aware of the necessity that drove you to forcibly invade this mansion,
+hitherto sacred from such scenes as this—I know that violence must be
+met with violence, and justifies it; therefore I shall take no further
+notice of what has happened here to-night, and you need have no fears
+of any evil consequences to yourselves because of your share in it. But
+where is the Duke of Vallombreuse? that degenerate son who disgraces my
+old age.”
+
+As if in obedience to his father’s call, the young duke at that moment
+appeared upon the threshold of the door leading into what had been
+Isabelle’s apartment, supported by Malartic. He was frightfully pale,
+and his clinched hand pressed a handkerchief tightly upon his wounded
+chest. He came forward with difficulty, looking like a ghost. Only a
+strong effort of will kept him from falling—an effort that gave to his
+face the immobility of a marble mask. He had heard the voice of his
+father, whom, depraved and shameless as he was, he yet respected and
+dreaded, and he hoped to be able to conceal his wound from him. He bit
+his lips so as not to cry out or groan in his agony, and resolutely
+swallowed down the bloody foam that kept rising and filling his mouth.
+He even took off his hat, in spite of the frightful pain the raising of
+his arm caused him, and stood uncovered and silent before his angry
+parent.
+
+“Sir,” said the prince, severely, “your misdeeds transcend all limits,
+and your behaviour is such that I shall be forced to implore the king
+to send you to prison, or into exile. You are not fit to be at large.
+Abduction—imprisonment—criminal assault. These are not simple
+gallantries; and though I might be willing to pardon and overlook many
+excesses, committed in the wildness of licentious youth, I never could
+bring myself to forgive a deliberate and premeditated crime. Do you
+know, you monster,” he continued approaching Vallombreuse, and
+whispering in his ear, so that no one else could hear, “do you know who
+this young girl is? this good and chaste Isabelle, whom you have
+forcibly abducted, in spite of her determined and virtuous resistance!
+She is your own sister!
+
+“May she replace the son you are about to lose,” the young duke
+replied, attacked by a sudden faintness, and an agony of pain which he
+felt that he could not long endure and live; “but I am not as guilty as
+you suppose. Isabelle is pure—stainless. I swear it, by the God before
+whom I must shortly appear. Death does not lie, and you may believe
+what I say, upon the word of a dying gentleman.”
+
+These words were uttered loudly and distinctly, so as to be heard by
+all. Isabelle turned her beautiful eyes, wet with tears, upon de
+Sigognac, and read in those of her true and faithful lover that he had
+not waited for the solemn attestation, “in extremis,” of the Duke of
+Vallombreuse to believe in the perfect purity of her whom he adored.
+
+“But what is the matter?” asked the prince, holding out his hand to his
+son, who staggered and swayed to and fro in spite of Malartic’s efforts
+to support him, and whose face was fairly livid.
+
+“Nothing, father,” answered Vallombreuse, in a scarcely articulate
+voice, “nothing—only I am dying”—and he fell at full length on the
+floor before the prince could clasp him in his arms, as he endeavoured
+to do.
+
+“He did not fall on his face,” said Jacquemin Lampourde, sententiously;
+“it’s nothing but a fainting fit. He may escape yet. We duellists are
+familiar with this sort of thing, my lord; a great deal more so than
+most medical men, and you may depend upon what I say.”
+
+“A doctor! a doctor!” cried the prince, forgetting his anger as he saw
+his son lying apparently lifeless at his feet. “Perhaps this man is
+right, and there may be some hope for him yet. A fortune to whomsoever
+will save my son!—my only son!—the last scion of a noble race. Go! run
+quickly! What are you about there?—don’t you understand me? Go, I say,
+and run as fast as you can; take the fleetest horse in the stable.”
+
+Whereupon two of the imperturbable lackeys, who had held their torches
+throughout this exciting scene without moving a muscle, hastened off to
+execute their master’s orders. Some of his own servants now came
+forward, raised up the unconscious Duke of Vallombreuse with every
+possible care and precaution, and by his father’s command carried him
+to his own room and laid him on his own bed, the aged prince following,
+with a face from which grief and anxiety had already driven away all
+traces of anger. He saw his race extinct in the death of this son, whom
+he so dearly loved—despite his fault—and whose vices he forgot for the
+moment, remembering only his brilliant and lovable qualities. A
+profound melancholy took complete possession of him, as he stood for a
+few moments plunged in a sorrowful reverie that everybody respected.
+
+Isabelle, entirely revived, and no longer feeling at all faint, had
+risen to her feet, and now stood between de Sigognac and the tyrant,
+adjusting, with a trembling hand, her disordered dress and dishevelled
+hair. Lampourde and Scapin had retired to a little distance from them,
+and held themselves modestly aloof, whilst the men within, still bound
+hand and foot, kept as quiet as possible; fearful of their fate if
+brought to the prince’s notice. At length that aged nobleman returned,
+and breaking the terrible silence that had weighed upon all, said, in
+severe tones, “Let all those who placed their services at the
+disposition of the Duke of Vallombreuse, to aid him in indulging his
+evil passions and committing a terrible crime, quit this château
+instantly. I will refrain from placing you in the hands of the public
+executioner, though you richly deserve it. Go now! vanish! get ye back
+to your lairs! and rest assured that justice will not fail to overtake
+you at last.”
+
+These words were not complimentary, but the trembling offenders were
+thankful to get off so easily, and the ruffians, whom Lampourde and
+Scapin had unbound, followed Malartic down the stairs in silence,
+without daring to claim their promised reward. When they had
+disappeared, the prince advanced and took Isabelle by the hand, and
+gently detaching her from the group of which she had formed a part, led
+her over to where he had been standing, and kept her beside him.
+
+“Stay here, mademoiselle,” he said; “your place is henceforth by my
+side. It is the least that you can do to fulfil your duty as my
+daughter, since you are the innocent means of depriving me of my son.”
+And he wiped away a tear, that, despite all his efforts to control his
+grief, rolled down his withered cheek. Then turning to de Sigognac, he
+said, with an incomparably noble gesture, “Sir, you are at liberty to
+withdraw, with your brave companions. Isabelle will have nothing to
+fear under her father’s protection, and this château will be her home
+for the present. Now that her birth is made known it is not fitting
+that my daughter should return to Paris with you. I thank you, though
+it costs me the hope of perpetuating my race, for having spared my son
+a disgraceful action—what do I say? An abominable crime. I would rather
+have a bloodstain on my escutcheon than a dishonourable blot. Since
+Vallombreuse was infamous in his conduct, you have done well to kill
+him. You have acted like a true gentleman, which I am assured that you
+are, in chivalrously protecting weakness, innocence and virtue. You are
+nobly in the right. That my daughter’s honour has been preserved
+unstained, I owe to you—and it compensates me for the loss of my son—at
+least my reason tells me that it should do so; but the father’s heart
+rebels, and unjust ideas of revenge might arise, which I should find it
+difficult to conquer and set at rest. Therefore you had better go your
+way now, and whatever the result may be I will not pursue or molest
+you. I will try to forget that a terrible necessity turned your sword
+against my son’s life.”
+
+“My lord,” said de Sigognac, with profound respect, “I feel so keenly
+for your grief as a father, that I would have accepted any reproaches,
+no matter how bitter and unjust, from you, without one word of protest
+or feeling of resentment; even though I cannot reproach myself for my
+share in this disastrous conflict. I do not wish to say anything to
+justify myself in your eyes, at the expense of the unhappy Duke of
+Vallombreuse, but I beg you to believe that this quarrel was not of my
+seeking. He persistently threw himself in my way, and I have done
+everything I could to spare him, in more than one encounter. Even here
+it was his own blind fury that led to his being wounded. I leave
+Isabelle, who is dearer to me than my own soul, in your hands, and
+shall grieve my whole life long for this sad victory; which is a
+veritable and terrible defeat for me, since it destroys my happiness.
+Ah! if only I could have been slain myself, instead of your unhappy
+son; it would have been better and happier for me.”
+
+He bowed with grave dignity to the prince, who courteously returned his
+salute, exchanged a long look, eloquent of passionate love and
+heart-breaking regret, with Isabelle, and went sadly down the grand
+staircase, followed by his companions—not however without glancing back
+more than once at the sweet girl he was leaving—who to save herself
+from falling, leaned heavily against the railing of the landing,
+sobbing as if her heart would break, and pressing a handkerchief to her
+streaming eyes. And, so strange a thing is the human heart, the Baron
+de Sigognac departed much comforted by the bitter grief and tears of
+her whom he so devotedly loved and worshipped. He and his friends went
+on foot to the little wood where they had left their horses tied to the
+trees, found them undisturbed, mounted and returned to Paris.
+
+“What do you think, my lord, of all these wonderful events?” said the
+tyrant, after a long silence, to de Sigognac, beside whom he was
+riding. “It all ends up like a regular tragi-comedy. Who would ever
+have dreamed, in the midst of the mêlée, of the sudden entrance upon
+the scene of the grand old princely father, preceded by torches, and
+coming to put a little wholesome restraint on the too atrociously
+outrageous pranks of his dissolute young son? And then the recognition
+of Isabelle as his daughter, by means of the ring with a peculiar
+device of his own engraved upon it; haven’t you seen exactly the same
+sort of thing on the stage? But, after all, it is not so surprising
+perhaps as it seems at the first glance—since the theatre is only a
+copy of real life. Therefore, real life should resemble it, just as the
+original does the portrait, eh? I have always heard that our sweet
+little actress was of noble birth. Blazius and old Mme. Léonarde
+remember seeing the prince when he was devoted to Cornelia. The duenna
+has often tried to persuade Isabelle to seek out her father, but she is
+of too modest and gentle a nature to take a step of that kind; not
+wishing to intrude upon a family that might reject her, and willing to
+content herself in her own lowly, position.”
+
+“Yes, I knew all about that,” rejoined de Sigognac, “for Isabelle told
+me some time ago her mother’s history, and spoke of the ring; but
+without attaching any importance to the fact of her illustrious origin.
+It is very evident, however, from the nobility and delicacy of her
+nature, without any other proof, that princely blood flows in her
+veins; and also the refined, pure, elevated type of her beauty
+testifies to her descent. But what a terrible fatality that this cursed
+Vallombreuse should turn out to be her brother! There is a dead body
+between us now—a stream of blood separates us—and yet, I could not save
+her honour in any other way. Unhappy mortal that I am! I have myself
+created the obstacle upon which my love is wrecked, and killed my hopes
+of future bliss with the very sword that defended the purity of the
+woman I adore. In guarding her I love, I have put her away from me
+forever. How could I go now and present myself to Isabelle with
+blood-stained hands? Alas! that the blood which I was forced to shed in
+her defence should have been her brother’s. Even if she, in her
+heavenly goodness, could forgive me, and look upon me without a feeling
+of horror, the prince, her father, would repulse and curse me as the
+murderer of his only son. I was born, alas! under an unlucky star.”
+
+“Yes, it is all very sad and lamentable, certainly,” said the tyrant;
+“but worse entanglements than this have come out all right in the end.
+You must remember that the Duke of Vallombreuse is only half-brother to
+Isabelle, and that they were aware of the relationship but for a few
+minutes before he fell dead at our feet; which must make a great
+difference in her feelings. And besides, she hated that overbearing
+nobleman, who pursued her so cruelly with his violent and scandalous
+gallantries. The prince himself was far from being satisfied with his
+wretched son—who was ferocious as Nero, dissolute as Heliogabalus, and
+perverse as Satan himself, and who would have been hanged ten times
+over if he had not been a duke. Do not be so disheartened! things may
+turn out a great deal better than you think now.”
+
+“God grant it, my good Hérode,” said de Sigognac fervently. “But
+naturally I cannot feel happy about it. It would have been far better
+for all if I had been killed instead of the duke, since Isabelle would
+have been safe from his criminal pursuit under her father’s care. And
+then, I may as well tell you all, a secret horror froze the very marrow
+in my bones when I saw that handsome young man, but a moment before so
+full of life, fire, and passion, fall lifeless, pale and stiff at my
+feet. Hérode, the death of a man is a grave thing, and though I cannot
+suffer from remorse for this one, since I have committed no crime,
+still, all the time I see Vallombreuse before me, lying, motionless and
+ghastly, with the blood oozing slowly from his wound. It haunts me. I
+cannot drive the horrid sight away.”
+
+“That is all wrong,” said the tyrant, soothingly—for the other was much
+excited—“for you could not have done otherwise. Your conscience should
+not reproach you. You have acted throughout, from the very beginning to
+the end, like the noble gentleman that you are. These scruples are
+owing to exhaustion, to the feverishness due to the excitement you have
+gone through, and the chill from the night air. We will gallop on
+swiftly in a moment, to set our blood flowing more freely, and drive
+away these sad thoughts of yours. But one thing must be promptly done;
+you must quit Paris, forthwith, and retire for a time to some quiet
+retreat, until all this trouble is forgotten. The violent death of the
+Duke of Vallombreuse will make a stir at the court, and in the city, no
+matter how much pains may be taken to keep the facts from the public,
+and, although he was not at all popular, indeed very much the reverse,
+there will be much regret expressed, and you will probably be severely
+blamed. But now let us put spurs to these lazy steeds of ours, and try
+to get on a little faster.”
+
+While they are galloping towards Paris, we will return to the
+château—as quiet now as it had been noisy a little while before. In the
+young duke’s room, a candelabrum, with several branches, stood on a
+round table, so that the light from the candles fell upon the bed,
+where he lay with closed eyes, as motionless as a corpse, and as pale.
+The walls of the large chamber, above a high wainscot of ebony picked
+out with gold, were hung with superb tapestry, representing the history
+of Medea and Jason, with all its murderous and revolting details. Here,
+Medea was seen cutting the body of Pelias into pieces, under pretext of
+restoring his youth—there, the madly jealous woman and unnatural mother
+was murdering her own children; in another panel she was fleeing,
+surfeited with vengeance, in her chariot, drawn by huge dragons
+breathing out flames of fire. The tapestry was certainly magnificent in
+quality and workmanship, rich in colouring, artistic in design, and
+very costly—but inexpressibly repulsive. These mythological horrors
+gave the luxurious room an intensely disagreeable, lugubrious aspect,
+and testified to the natural ferocity and cruelty of the person who had
+selected them. Behind the bed the crimson silk curtains had been drawn
+apart, exposing to view the representation of Jason’s terrible conflict
+with the fierce, brazen bulls that guarded the golden fleece, and
+Vallombreuse, lying senseless below them, looked as if he might have
+been one of their victims. Various suits of clothes, of the greatest
+richness and elegance, which had been successively tried on and
+rejected, were scattered about, and in a splendid great Japanese vase,
+standing on an ebony table near the head of the bed, was a bouquet of
+beautiful flowers, destined to replace the one Isabelle had already
+refused to receive—its glowing tints making a strange contrast with the
+death-like face, which was whiter than the snowy pillow it rested on.
+The prince, sitting in an arm-chair beside the bed, gazed at his
+unconscious son with mournful intentness, and bent down from time to
+time to listen at the slightly parted lips; but no fluttering breath
+came through them; all was still. Never had the young duke looked
+handsomer. The haughty, fierce expression, habitual with him, had given
+place to a serenity that was wonderfully beautiful, though so like
+death. As the father contemplated the perfect face and form, so soon to
+crumble into dust, he forgot, in his overwhelming grief, that the soul
+of a demon had animated it, and he thought sorrowfully of the great
+name that had been revered and honoured for centuries past, but which
+could not go down to centuries to come. More even than the death of his
+son did he mourn for the extinction of his home.
+
+Isabelle stood at the foot of the bed, with clasped hands, praying with
+her whole soul for this new-found brother, who had expiated his crime
+with his life—the crime of loving too much, which woman pardons so
+easily.
+
+The prince, who had been for some time holding his son’s icy cold hand
+between both his own, suddenly thought that he could feel a slight
+warmth in it, and not realizing that he himself had imparted it,
+allowed himself to hope again.
+
+“Will the doctor never come?” he cried impatiently; “something may yet
+be done; I am persuaded of it.”
+
+Even as he spoke the door opened, and the surgeon appeared, followed by
+an assistant carrying a case of instruments. He bowed to the prince,
+and without saying one word went straight to the bedside, felt the
+patient’s pulse, put his hand over his heart, and shook his head
+despondingly. However, to make sure, he drew a little mirror of
+polished steel from his pocket, removed it from its case, and held it
+for a moment over the parted lips; then, upon examining its surface
+closely, he found that a slight dimness was visible upon it. Surprised
+at this unexpected indication of life, he repeated the experiment, and
+again the little mirror was dimmed—Isabelle and the prince meantime
+breathlessly watching every movement, and even the expression of the
+doctor’s face.
+
+“Life is not entirely extinct,” he said at last, turning to the anxious
+father, as he wiped the polished surface of his tiny mirror. “The
+patient still breathes, and as long as there is life there is hope, But
+do not give yourself up to a premature joy that might render your grief
+more bitter afterwards. I only say that the Duke of Vallombreuse has
+not yet breathed his last; that is all. Now, I am going to probe the
+wound, which perhaps is not fatal, as it did not kill him at once.”
+
+“You must not stay here, Isabelle,” said the prince, tenderly; “such
+sights are too trying for a young girl like you. Go to your own room
+now, my dear, and I will let you know the doctor’s verdict as soon as
+he has pronounced it.”
+
+Isabelle accordingly withdrew, and was conducted to an apartment that
+had been made ready for her; the one she had occupied being all in
+disorder after the terrible scenes that had been enacted there.
+
+The surgeon proceeded with his examination, and when it was finished
+said to the prince, “My lord, will you please to order a cot put up in
+that corner yonder, and have a light supper sent in for my assistant
+and myself? We shall remain for the night with the Duke of
+Vallombreuse, and take turns in watching him. I must be with him
+constantly, so as to note every symptom; to combat promptly those that
+are unfavorable, and aid those that are the reverse. Your highness may
+trust everything to me, and feel assured that all that human skill and
+science can do towards saving your son’s life shall be faithfully done.
+Let me advise you to go to your own room now and try to get some rest;
+I think I may safely answer for my patient’s life until the morning.”
+
+A little calmed and much encouraged by this assurance, the prince
+retired to his own apartment, where every hour a servant brought him a
+bulletin from the sick-room.
+
+As to Isabelle, lying in her luxurious bed and vainly trying to sleep,
+she lived over again in imagination all the wonderful as well as
+terrible experiences of the last two days, and tried to realize her new
+position; that she was now the acknowledged daughter of a mighty
+prince, than whom only royalty was higher; that the dreaded Duke of
+Vallombreuse, so handsome and winning despite his perversity, was no
+longer a bold lover to be feared and detested, but a brother, whose
+passion, if he lived, would doubtless be changed into a pure and calm
+fraternal affection. This château, no longer her prison, had become her
+home, and she was treated by all with the respect and consideration due
+to the daughter of its master. From what had seemed to be her ruin had
+arisen her good fortune, and a destiny radiant, unhoped-for, and beyond
+her wildest flights of fancy. Yet, surrounded as she was by everything
+to make her happy and content, Isabelle was far from feeling so—she was
+astonished at herself for being sad and listless, instead of joyous and
+exultant—but the thought of de Sigognac, so infinitely dear to her, so
+far more precious than any other earthly blessing, weighed upon her
+heart, and the separation from him was a sorrow for which nothing could
+console her. Yet, now that their relative positions were so changed,
+might not a great happiness be in store for her? Did not this very
+change bring her nearer in reality to that true, brave, faithful, and
+devoted lover, though for the moment they were parted? As a poor
+nameless actress she had refused to accept his offered hand, lest such
+an alliance should be disadvantageous to him and stand in the way of
+his advancement, but now—how joyfully would she give herself to him.
+The daughter of a great and powerful prince would be a fitting wife for
+the Baron de Sigognac. But if he were the murderer of her father’s only
+son; ah! then indeed they could never join hands over a grave. And even
+if the young duke should recover, he might cherish a lasting resentment
+for the man who had not only dared to oppose his wishes and designs,
+but had also defeated and wounded him. As to the prince, good and
+generous though he was, still he might not be able to bring himself to
+look with favour upon the man who had almost deprived him of his son.
+Then, too, he might desire some other alliance for his new-found
+daughter—it was not impossible—but in her inmost heart she promised
+herself to be faithful to her first and only love; to take refuge in a
+convent rather than accept the hand of any other; even though that
+other were as handsome as Apollo, and gifted as the prince of a fairy
+tale. Comforted by this secret vow, by which she dedicated her life and
+love to de Sigognac, whether their destiny should give them to each
+other or keep them asunder, Isabelle was just falling into a sweet
+sleep when a slight sound made her open her eyes, and they fell upon
+Chiquita, standing at the foot of the bed and gazing at her with a
+thoughtful, melancholy air.
+
+“What is it, my dear child?” said Isabelle, in her sweetest tones. “You
+did not go away with the others, then? I am glad; and if you would like
+to stay here with me, Chiquita, I will keep you and care for you
+tenderly; as is justly due to you, my dear, for you have done a great
+deal for me.”
+
+“I love you dearly,” answered Chiquita, “but I cannot stay with you
+while Agostino lives; he is my master, I must follow him. But I have
+one favour to beg before I leave you; if you think that I have earned
+the pearl necklace now, will you kiss me? No one ever did but you, and
+it was so sweet.”
+
+“Indeed I will, and with all my heart,” said Isabelle, taking the
+child’s thin face between her hands and kissing her warmly on her brown
+cheeks, which flushed crimson under the soft caress.
+
+“And now, good-bye!” said Chiquita, when after a few moments of silence
+she had resumed her usual _sang-froid_. She turned quickly away, but,
+catching sight of the knife she had given Isabelle, which lay upon the
+dressing-table, she seized it eagerly, saying, “Give me back my knife
+now; you will not need it any more,” and vanished.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+A FAMILY PARTY
+
+
+The next morning found the young Duke of Vallombreuse still living,
+though his life hung by so slender a thread, that the surgeon, who
+anxiously watched his every breath, feared from moment to moment that
+it might break. He was a learned and skilful man, this same Maître
+Laurent, who only needed some favourable opportunity to bring him into
+notice and make him as celebrated as he deserved to be. His remarkable
+talents and skill had only been exercised thus far “in anima vili,”
+among the lower orders of society—whose living or dying was a matter of
+no moment whatever. But now had come at last the chance so long sighed
+for in secret, and he felt that the recovery of his illustrious patient
+was of paramount importance to himself. The worthy doctor’s
+_amour-propre_ and ambition were both actively engaged in this
+desperate duel he was fighting with Death, and he set his teeth and
+determined that the victory must rest with him. In order to keep the
+whole glory of the triumph for himself, he had persuaded the prince—not
+without difficulty—to renounce his intention of sending for the most
+celebrated surgeons in Paris, assuring him that he himself was
+perfectly capable to do all that could be done, and pleading that
+nothing was more dangerous than a change of treatment in such a case as
+this. Maître Laurent conquered, and feeling that there was now no
+danger of his being pushed into the background, threw his whole heart
+and strength into the struggle; yet many times during that anxious
+night he feared that his patient’s life was slipping away from his
+detaining grasp, and almost repented him of having assumed the entire
+responsibility. But with the morning came encouragement, and as the
+watchful surgeon stood at the bedside, intently gazing upon the ghastly
+face on the pillow, he murmured to himself:
+
+“No, he will not die—his countenance has lost that terrible,
+hippocratic look that had settled upon it last evening when I first saw
+him—his pulse is stronger, his breathing free and natural. Besides, he
+_must_ live—his recovery will make my fortune. I must and will tear him
+out of the grim clutches of Death—fine, handsome, young fellow that he
+is, and the heir and hope of his noble family—it will be long ere his
+tomb need be made ready to receive him. He will help me to get away
+from this wretched little village, where I vegetate ignobly, and eat my
+heart out day by day. Now for a bold stroke!—at the risk of producing
+fever—at all risks—I shall venture to give him a dose of that
+wonder-working potion of mine.” Opening his case of medicines, he took
+out several small vials, containing different preparations—some red as
+a ruby, others green as an emerald—this one yellow as virgin gold, that
+bright and colourless as a diamond—and on each one a small label
+bearing a Latin inscription. Maître Laurent, though he was perfectly
+sure of himself, carefully read the inscriptions upon those he had
+selected several times over, held up the tiny vials one after another,
+where a ray of sunshine struck upon them, and looked admiringly through
+the bright transparent liquids they contained—then, measuring with the
+utmost care a few drops from each, compounded a potion after a secret
+recipe of his own; which he made a mystery of, and refused to impart to
+his fellow practitioners. Rousing his sleeping assistant, he ordered
+him to raise the patient’s head a little, while, with a small spatula,
+he pried the firmly set teeth apart sufficiently to allow the liquid he
+had prepared to trickle slowly into the mouth. As it reached the throat
+there was a spasmodic contraction that gave Maître Laurent an instant
+of intense anxiety—but it was only momentary, and the remainder of the
+dose was swallowed easily and with almost instantaneous effect. A
+slight tinge of colour showed itself in the pallid cheeks, the eyelids
+trembled and half unclosed, and the hand that had lain inert and
+motionless upon the counterpane stirred a little. Then the young duke
+heaved a deep sigh, and opening his eyes looked vacantly in about him,
+like one awakening from a dream, or returning from those mysterious
+regions whither the soul takes flight when unconsciousness holds this
+mortal frame enthralled. Only a glance, and the long eyelashes fell
+again upon the pale cheeks—but a wonderful change had passed over the
+countenance.
+
+“I staked everything on that move,” said Maître Laurent to himself,
+with a long breath of relief, “and I have won. It was either kill or
+cure—and it has not killed him. All glory be to Æsculapius, Hygeia, and
+Hippocrates!”
+
+At this moment a hand noiselessly put aside the hangings over the door,
+and the venerable head of the prince appeared—looking ten years older
+for the agony and dread of the terrible night just passed.
+
+“How is he, Maître Laurent?” he breathed, in broken, scarcely audible
+tones.
+
+The surgeon put his finger to his lips, and with the other hand pointed
+to the young duke’s face-still raised a little on the pillows, and no
+longer wearing its death-like look; then, with the light step habitual
+with those who are much about the sick, he went over to the prince,
+still standing on the threshold, and drawing him gently outside and
+away from the door, said in a low voice, “Your highness can see that
+the patient’s condition, so far from growing worse, has decidedly
+improved. Certainly he is not out of danger yet—his state is very
+critical—but unless some new and totally unforeseen complication should
+arise, which I shall use every effort to prevent, I think that we can
+pull him through, and that he will be able to enjoy life again as if he
+had never been hurt.”
+
+The prince’s care-worn face brightened and his fine eyes flashed at
+these hopeful words; he stepped forward to enter the sick-room, but
+Maître Laurent respectfully opposed his doing so.
+
+“Permit me, my lord, to prevent your approaching your son’s bedside
+just now—doctors are often very disagreeable, you know, and have to
+impose trying conditions upon those to whom their patients are dear. I
+beseech you not to go near the Duke of Vallombreuse at present. Your
+beloved presence might, in the excessively weak and exhausted condition
+of my patient, cause dangerous agitation. Any strong emotion would be
+instantly fatal to him, his hold upon life is still so slight. Perfect
+tranquility is his only safety. If all goes well—as I trust and believe
+that it will—in a few days he will have regained his strength in a
+measure, his wound will be healing, and you can probably be with him as
+much as you like, without any fear of doing him harm. I know that this
+is very trying to your highness, but, believe me, it is necessary to
+your son’s well-being.”
+
+The prince, very much relieved, and yielding readily to the doctor’s
+wishes, returned to his own apartment; where he occupied himself with
+some religious reading until noon, when the major-domo came to announce
+that dinner was on the table.
+
+“Go and tell my daughter, the Comtesse Isabelle de Lineuil—such is the
+title by which she is to be addressed henceforth—that I request her to
+join me at dinner,” said the prince to the major-domo, who hastened off
+to obey this order.
+
+Isabelle went quickly down the grand staircase with a light step, and
+smiled to herself as she passed through the noble hall where she had
+been so frightened by the two figures in armour, on the occasion of her
+bold exploring expedition the first night after her arrival at the
+château. Everything looked very different now—the bright sunshine was
+pouring in at the windows, and large fires of juniper, and other
+sweet-smelling woods, had completely done away with the damp, chilly,
+heavy atmosphere that pervaded the long disused rooms when she was in
+them before.
+
+In the splendid dining-room she found a table sumptuously spread, and
+her father already seated at it, in his large, high-backed, richly
+carved chair, behind which stood two lackeys, in superb liveries. As
+she approached him she made a most graceful curtsey, which had nothing
+in the least theatrical about it, and would have met with approbation
+even in courtly circles. A servant was holding the chair destined for
+her, and with some timidity, but no apparent embarrassment, she took
+her seat opposite to the prince. She was served with soup and wine, and
+then with course after course of delicate, tempting viands; but she
+could not eat her heart was too full—her nerves were still quivering,
+from the terror and excitement of the preceding day and night.
+
+She was dazzled and agitated by this sudden change of fortune, anxious
+about her brother, now lying at the point of death, and, above all,
+troubled and grieved at her separation from her lover—so she could only
+make a pretence of dining, and played languidly with the food on her
+plate.
+
+“You are eating nothing, my dear _comtesse_,” said the prince, who had
+been furtively watching her; “I pray you try to do better with this bit
+of partridge I am sending you.”
+
+At this title of _comtesse_, spoken as a matter of course, and in such
+a kind, tender tone, Isabelle looked up at the prince with astonishment
+written in her beautiful, deep blue eyes, which seemed to plead timidly
+for an explanation.
+
+“Yes, Comtesse de Lineuil; it is the title which goes with an estate I
+have settled on you, my dear child, and which has long been destined
+for you. The name of Isabelle alone, charming though it be, is not
+suitable for _my_ daughter.”
+
+Isabelle, yielding to the impulse of the moment—as the servants had
+retired and she was alone with her father—rose, and going to his side,
+knelt down and kissed his hand, in token of gratitude for his delicacy
+and generosity.
+
+“Rise, my child,” said he, very tenderly, and much moved, “and return
+to your place. What I have done is only just. It calls for no thanks. I
+should have done it long ago if it had been in my power. In the
+terrible circumstances that have reunited us, my dear daughter, I can
+see the finger of Providence, and through them I have learned your
+worth. To your virtue alone it is due that a horrible crime was not
+committed, and I love and honour you for it; even though it may cost me
+the loss of my only son. But God will be merciful and preserve his
+life, so that he may repent of having so persecuted and outraged the
+purest innocence. Maître Laurent, in whom I have every confidence,
+gives me some hope this morning; and when I looked at Vallombreuse—from
+the threshold of his room only—I could see that the seal of death was
+no longer upon his face.”
+
+They were interrupted by the servants, bringing in water to wash their
+fingers, in a magnificent golden bowl, and this ceremony having been
+duly gone through with, the prince threw down his napkin and led the
+way into the adjoining _salon_, signing to Isabelle to follow him. He
+seated himself in a large arm-chair in front of the blazing wood fire,
+and bidding Isabelle place herself close beside him, took her hand
+tenderly between both of his, and looked long and searchingly at this
+lovely young daughter, so strangely restored to him. There was much of
+sadness mingled with the joy that shone in his eyes, for he was still
+very anxious about his son, whose life was in such jeopardy; but as he
+gazed upon Isabelle’s sweet face the joy predominated, and he smiled
+very lovingly upon the new _comtesse_, as he began to talk to her of
+long past days.
+
+“Doubtless, my beloved child, in the midst of the strange events that
+have brought us together, in such an odd, romantic, almost supernatural
+manner, the thought has suggested itself to your mind, that during all
+the years that have passed since your infancy I have not sought you
+out, and that chance alone has at last restored the long-lost child to
+her neglectful father. But you are so good and noble that I know you
+would not dwell upon such an idea, and I hope that you do not so
+misjudge me as to think me capable of such culpable neglect, now that
+you are getting a little better acquainted with me. As you must know,
+your mother, Cornelia, was excessively proud and high-spirited. She
+resented every affront, whether intended as such or not, with
+extraordinary violence, and when I was obliged, in spite of my most
+heartfelt wishes, to separate myself from her, and reluctantly submit
+to a marriage that I could not avoid, she obstinately refused to allow
+me to provide for her maintenance in comfort and luxury, as well as for
+you and your education. All that I gave her, and settled on her, she
+sent back to me with the most exaggerated disdain, and inexorably
+refused to receive again. I could not but admire, though I so deplored,
+her lofty spirit, and proud rejection of every benefit which I desired
+to confer upon her, and I left in the hands of a trusty agent, for her,
+the deeds of all the landed property and houses I had destined for her,
+as well as the money and jewels—so that she could at any time reclaim
+them, if she would—hoping that she might see fit to change her mind
+when the first flush of anger was over. But, to my great chagrin, she
+persisted in her refusal of everything, and changing her name, fled
+from Paris into the provinces; where she was said to have joined a
+roving band of comedians. Soon after that I was sent by my sovereign on
+several foreign missions that kept me long away from France, and I lost
+all trace of her and you. In vain were all my efforts to find you both,
+until at last I heard that she was dead. Then I redoubled my diligence
+in the search for my little motherless daughter, whom I had so tenderly
+loved; but all in vain. No trace of her could I find. I heard, indeed,
+of many children among these strolling companies, and carefully
+investigated each case that came to my knowledge; but it always ended
+in disappointment. Several women, indeed, tried to palm off their
+little girls upon me as my child, and I had to be on my guard against
+fraud; but I never failed to sift the matter thoroughly, even though I
+knew that deceit was intended, lest I should unawares reject the dear
+little one I was so anxiously seeking. At last I was almost forced to
+conclude that you too had perished; yet a secret intuition always told
+me that you were still in the land of the living. I used to sit for
+hours and think of how sweet and lovely you were in infancy; how your
+little rosy fingers used to play with and pull my long mustache—which
+was black then, my dear—when I leaned over to kiss you in your
+cradle—recalling all your pretty, engaging little baby tricks,
+remembering how fond and proud I was of you, and grieving over the loss
+that I seemed to feel more and more acutely as the years went on. The
+birth of my son only made me long still more intensely for you, instead
+of consoling me for your loss, or banishing you from my memory, and
+when I saw him decked with rich laces and ribbons, like a royal babe,
+and playing with his jewelled rattle, I would think with an aching
+heart that perhaps at that very moment my dear little daughter was
+suffering from cold and hunger, or the unkind treatment of those who
+had her in charge. Then I regretted deeply that I had not taken you
+away from your mother in the very beginning, and had you brought up as
+my daughter should be—but when you were born I did not dream of our
+parting. As years rolled on new anxieties tortured me. I knew that you
+would be beautiful, and how much you would have to suffer from the
+dissolute men who hover about all young and pretty actresses—my blood
+would boil as I thought of the insults and affronts to which you might
+be subjected, and from which I was powerless to shield you—no words can
+tell what I suffered. Affecting a taste for the theatre that I did not
+possess, I never let an opportunity pass to see every company of
+players that I could hear of—hoping to find you at last among them. But
+although I saw numberless young actresses, about your age, not one of
+them could have been you, my dear child—of that I was sure. So at last
+I abandoned the hope of finding my long-lost daughter, though it was a
+bitter trial to feel that I must do so. The princess, my wife, had died
+three years after our marriage, leaving me only one
+child—Vallombreuse—whose ungovernable disposition has always given me
+much trouble and anxiety. A few days ago, at Saint Germain, I heard
+some of the courtiers speak in terms of high praise of Hérode’s troupe,
+and what they said made me determine to go and see one of their
+representations without delay, while my heart beat high with a new
+hope—for they especially lauded a young actress, called Isabelle; whose
+graceful, modest, high-bred air they declared to be irresistible, and
+her acting everything that could be desired—adding that she was as
+virtuous as she was beautiful, and that the boldest libertines
+respected her immaculate purity. Deeply agitated by a secret
+presentiment, I hastened back to Paris, and went to the theatre that
+very night. There I saw you, my darling, and though it would seem to be
+impossible for even a father’s eye to recognise, in the beautiful young
+woman of twenty, the babe that he had kissed in its cradle, and had
+never beheld since, still I knew you instantly—the very moment you came
+in sight—and I perceived, with a heart swelling with happiness and
+thankfulness, that you were all that I could wish. Moreover, I
+recognised the face of an old actor, who had been I knew in the troupe
+that Cornelia joined when she fled from Paris, and I resolved to
+address myself first to him; so as not to startle you by too abrupt a
+disclosure of my claims upon you. But when I sent the next morning to
+the hotel in the Rue Dauphine, I learned that Hérode’s troupe had just
+gone to give a representation at a château in the environs of Paris,
+and would be absent three days. I should have endeavoured to wait
+patiently for their return, had not a brave fellow, who used to be in
+my service, and has my interest at heart, come to inform me that the
+Duke of Vallombreuse, being madly in love with a young actress named
+Isabelle, who resisted his suit with the utmost firmness and
+determination, had arranged to gain forcible possession of her in the
+course of the day’s journey—the expedition into the country being
+gotten up for that express purpose—that he had a band of hired ruffians
+engaged to carry out his nefarious purpose and bring his unhappy victim
+to this château—and that he had come to warn me, fearing lest serious
+consequences should ensue to my son, as the young actress would be
+accompanied by brave and faithful friends, who were armed, and would
+defend her to the death. This terrible news threw me into a frightful
+state of anxiety and excitement. Feeling sure, as I did, that you were
+my own daughter, I shuddered at the thought of the horrible crime that
+I might not be in time to prevent, and without one moment’s delay set
+out for this place—suffering such agony by the way as I do not like
+even to think of. You were already delivered from danger when I
+arrived, as you know, and without having suffered anything beyond the
+alarm and dread—which must have been terrible indeed, my poor child!
+And then, the amethyst ring on your finger confirmed, past any
+possibility of doubt, what my heart had told me, when first my eyes
+beheld you in the theatre.”
+
+“I pray you to believe, dear lord and father,” answered Isabelle, “that
+I have never accused you of anything, nor considered myself neglected.
+Accustomed from my infancy to the roving life of the troupe I was with,
+I neither knew nor dreamed of any other. The little knowledge that I
+had of the world made me realize that I should be wrong in wishing to
+force myself upon an illustrious family, obliged doubtless by powerful
+reasons, of which I knew nothing, to leave me in obscurity. The
+confused remembrance I had of my origin sometimes inspired me—when I
+was very young—with a certain pride, and I would say to myself, when I
+noticed the disdainful air with which great ladies looked down upon us
+poor actresses, I also am of noble birth. But I outgrew those fancies,
+and only preserved an invincible self-respect, which I have always
+cherished. Nothing in the world would have induced me to dishonour the
+illustrious blood that flows in my veins. The disgraceful license of
+the _coulisses_, and the loathsome gallantries lavished upon all
+actresses, even those who are not comely, disgusted me from the first,
+and I have lived in the theatre almost as if in a convent. The good old
+pedant has been like a watchful father to me, and as for Hérode, he
+would have severely chastised any one who dared to touch me with the
+tip of his finger, or even to pronounce a vulgar word in my presence.
+Although they are only obscure actors, they are very honourable, worthy
+men, and I trust you will be good enough to help them if they ever find
+themselves in need of assistance. I owe it partly to them that I can
+lift my forehead for your kiss without a blush of shame, and proudly
+declare myself worthy, so far as purity is concerned, to be your
+daughter. My only regret is to have been the innocent cause of the
+misfortune that has overtaken the duke, your son. I could have wished
+to enter your family, my dear father, under more favourable auspices.”
+
+“You have nothing to reproach yourself with, my sweet child, for you
+could not divine these mysteries, which have been suddenly disclosed by
+a combination of circumstances that would be considered romantic and
+improbable, even in a novel; and my joy at finding you as worthy in
+every way to be my beloved and honoured daughter, as if you had not
+lived amid all the dangers of such a career, makes up for the pain and
+anxiety caused by the illness and danger of my son. Whether he lives or
+dies, I shall never for one moment blame you for anything in connection
+with his misfortune. In any event, it was your virtue and courage that
+saved him from being guilty of a crime that I shudder to contemplate.
+And now, tell me, who was the handsome young man among your liberators
+who seemed to direct the attack, and who wounded Vallombreuse? An actor
+doubtless, though it appeared to me that he had a very noble bearing,
+and magnificent courage.”
+
+“Yes, my dear father,” Isabelle replied, with a most lovely and
+becoming blush, “he is an actor, a member of our troupe; but if I may
+venture to betray his secret, which is already known to the Duke of
+Vallombreuse, I will tell you that the so-called Captain Fracasse
+conceals under his mask a noble countenance, as indeed you already
+know, and under his theatrical pseudonym, the name of an illustrious
+family.”
+
+“True!” rejoined the prince, “I have heard something about that
+already. It would certainly have been astonishing if an ordinary,
+low-born actor had ventured upon so bold and rash a course as running
+counter to a Duke of Vallombreuse, and actually entering into a combat
+with him; it needs noble blood for such daring acts. Only a gentleman
+can conquer a gentleman, just as a diamond can only be cut by a
+diamond.”
+
+The lofty pride of the aged prince found much consolation in the
+knowledge that his son had not been attacked and wounded by an
+adversary of low origin; there was nothing compromising in a duel
+between equals, and he drew a deep breath of relief at thought of it.
+
+“And pray, what is the real name of this valiant champion?” smilingly
+asked the prince, with a roguish twinkle in his dark eyes—“this
+dauntless knight, and brave defender of innocence and purity!”
+
+“He is the Baron de Sigognac,” Isabelle replied blushingly, with a
+slight trembling perceptible in her sweet, low voice. “I reveal his
+name fearlessly to you, my dear father, for you are both too just and
+too generous to visit upon his head the disastrous consequences of a
+victory that he deplores.”
+
+“De Sigognac?” said the prince. “I thought that ancient and illustrious
+family was extinct. Is he not from Gascony?”
+
+“Yes; his home is in the neighbourhood of Dax.”
+
+“Exactly—and the de Sigognacs have an appropriate coat of arms—three
+golden storks on an azure field. Yes, it is as I said, an ancient and
+illustrious family—one of the oldest and most honourable in France.
+Paramede de Sigognac figured gloriously in the first crusade. A
+Raimbaud de Sigognac, the father of this young man without doubt, was
+the devoted friend and companion of Henri IV, in his youth, but was not
+often seen at court in later years. It was said that he was embarrassed
+financially, I remember.”
+
+“So much so, that when our troupe sought refuge of a stormy night under
+his roof, we found his son living in a half ruined château, haunted by
+bats and owls, where his youth was passing in sadness and misery. We
+persuaded him to come away with us, fearing that he would die there of
+starvation and melancholy—but I never saw misfortune so bravely borne.”
+
+“Poverty is no disgrace,” said the prince, “and any noble house that
+has preserved its honour unstained may rise again from its ruins to its
+ancient height of glory and renown. But why did not the young baron
+apply to some of his father’s old friends in his distress? or lay his
+case before the king, who is the natural refuge of all loyal gentlemen
+under such circumstances?”
+
+“Misfortunes such as his are apt to breed timidity, even with the
+bravest,” Isabelle replied, “and pride deters many a man from betraying
+his misery to the world. When the Baron de Sigognac consented to
+accompany us to Paris, he hoped to find some opportunity there to
+retrieve his fallen fortunes; but it has not presented itself. In order
+not to be an expense to the troupe, he generously and nobly insisted
+upon taking the place of one of the actors, who died on the way, and
+who was a great loss to us. As he could appear upon the stage always
+masked, he surely did not compromise his dignity by it.”
+
+“Under this theatrical disguise, I think that, without being a
+sorcerer, I can detect a little bit of romance, eh?” said the prince,
+with a mischievous smile. “But I will not inquire too closely; I know
+how good and true you are well enough not to take alarm at any
+respectful tribute paid to your charms. I have not been with you long
+enough yet as a father, my sweet child, to venture upon sermonizing.”
+
+As he paused, Isabelle raised her lovely eyes, in which shone the
+purest innocence and the most perfect loyalty, to his, and met his
+questioning gaze unflinchingly. The rosy flush which the first mention
+of de Sigognac’s name had called up was gone, and her countenance
+showed no faintest sign of embarrassment or shame. In her pure heart
+the most searching looks of a father, of God himself, could have found
+nothing to condemn. Just at this point the doctor’s assistant was
+announced, who brought a most favourable report from the sick-room. He
+was charged to tell the prince that his son’s condition was eminently
+satisfactory—a marked change for the better having taken place; and
+that Maître Laurent considered the danger past—believing that his
+recovery was now only a question of time.
+
+A few days later, Vallombreuse, propped up on his pillows, received a
+visit from his faithful and devoted friend, the Chevalier de Vidalinc,
+whom he had not been permitted to see earlier. The prince was sitting
+by the bedside, affectionately watching every flitting expression on
+his son’s face, which was pathetically thin and pale, but handsomer
+than ever; because the old haughty, fierce look had vanished, and a
+soft light, that had never been in them before, shone in his beautiful
+eyes, whereat his father’s heart rejoiced exceedingly. Isabelle stood
+at the other side of the bed, and the young duke had clasped his thin,
+startlingly white fingers round her hand. As he was forbidden to speak,
+save in monosyllables—because of his injured lung—he took this means of
+testifying his sympathy with her, who had been the involuntary cause of
+his being wounded and in danger of losing his life, and thus made her
+understand that he cherished no resentments. The affectionate brother
+had replaced the fiery lover, and his illness, in calming his ardent
+passion, had contributed not a little to make the transition a less
+difficult one than it could possibly have been otherwise. Isabelle was
+now for him really and only the Comtesse de Lineuil, his dear sister.
+He nodded in a friendly way to Vidalinc, and disengaged his hand for a
+moment from Isabelle’s to give it to him—it was all that the doctor
+would allow—but his eyes were eloquent enough to make up for his
+enforced silence.
+
+In the course of a few weeks, Vallombreuse, who had gained strength
+rapidly, was able to leave his bed and recline upon a lounge near the
+open window; so as to enjoy the mild, delightful air of spring, that
+brought colour to his cheeks and light to his eyes. Isabelle was often
+with him, and read aloud for hours together to entertain him; as Maître
+Laurent’s orders were strict that he should not talk, even yet, any
+more than was actually necessary. One day, when Isabelle had finished a
+chapter in the volume from which she was reading to him, and was about
+to begin another, he interrupted her, and said, “My dear sister, that
+book is certainly very amusing, and the author a man of remarkable wit
+and talent; but I must confess that I prefer your charming conversation
+to your delightful reading. Do you know, I would not have believed it
+possible to gain so much, in losing all hope of what I desired more
+ardently than I had ever done anything in my whole life before. The
+brother is very much more kindly treated than the suitor—are you aware
+of that? You are as sweet and amiable to the one as you were severe and
+unapproachable to the other. I find in this calm, peaceful affection,
+charms that I had never dreamed of, and you reveal to me a new side of
+the feminine character, hitherto utterly unknown to me. Carried away by
+fiery passions, and irritated to madness by any opposition, I was like
+the wild huntsman of the ancient legend, who stopped for no obstacle,
+but rode recklessly over everything in his path. I looked upon whatever
+beautiful woman I was in pursuit of as my legitimate prey. I scouted
+the very idea of failure, and deemed myself irresistible. At the
+mention of virtue, I only shrugged my shoulders, and I think I may say,
+without too much conceit, to the only woman I ever pursued who did not
+yield to me, that I had reason not to put much faith in it. My mother
+died when I was a mere baby; you, my sweet sister, were not near me,
+and I have never known, until now, all the purity, tenderness, and
+sublime courage of which your sex is capable. I chanced to see you. An
+irresistible attraction, in which, perhaps, the unknown tie of blood
+had its influence, drew me to you, and for the first time in my life a
+feeling of respect and esteem mingled with my passion. Your character
+delighted me, even when you drove me to despair. I could not but
+secretly approve and admire the modest and courteous firmness with
+which you rejected my homage. The more decidedly you repulsed me, the
+more I felt that you were worthy of my adoration. Anger and admiration
+succeeded each other in my heart, and even in my most violent paroxysms
+of rage I always respected you. I descried the angel in the woman, and
+bowed to the ascendency of a celestial purity. Now I am happy and
+blessed indeed; for I have in you precisely what I needed, without
+knowing it—this pure affection, free from all earthly
+taint—unalterable—eternal. I possess at last the love of a soul.”
+
+“Yes, my dear brother, it is yours,” Isabelle replied; “and it is a
+great source of happiness to me that I am able to assure you of it. You
+have in me a devoted sister and friend, who will love you doubly to
+make up for the years we have lost—above all, now that you have
+promised me to correct the faults that have so grieved and alarmed our
+dear father, and to exhibit only the good qualities of which _you_ have
+plenty.”
+
+“Oh! you little preacher,” cried Vallombreuse, with a bright, admiring
+smile; “how you take advantage of my weakness. However, it is perfectly
+true that I have been a dreadful monster, but I really do mean to do
+better in future—if not for love of virtue itself, at least to avoid
+seeing my charming sister put on a severe, disapproving air, at some
+atrocious escapade of mine. Still, I fear that I shall always be Folly,
+as you will be Reason.”
+
+“If you will persist in paying me such high-flown compliments,” said
+Isabelle, with a little shrug of her pretty shoulders, “I shall
+certainly resume the reading, and you will have to listen to a long
+story that the corsair is just about to relate to the beautiful
+princess, his captive, in the cabin of his galley.”
+
+“Oh, no! surely I do not deserve such a severe punishment as that. Even
+at the risk of appearing garrulous, I do so want to talk a little. That
+confounded doctor has kept me mute long enough in all conscience, and I
+am tired to death of having the seal of silence upon my lips, like a
+statue of Hippocrates.”
+
+“But I am afraid you may do yourself harm; remember that your wound is
+scarcely healed yet, and the injured lung is still very irritable.
+Maître Laurent laid such stress upon my reading to you, so that you
+should keep quiet, and give your chest a good chance to get strong and
+well again.”
+
+“Maître Laurent doesn’t know what he’s talking about, and only wants to
+prolong his own importance to me. My lungs work as well as ever they
+did. I feel perfectly myself again, and I’ve a great mind to order my
+horse and go for a canter in the forest.”
+
+“You had better talk than do such a wildly imprudent thing as that; it
+is certainly less dangerous.”
+
+“I shall very soon be about again, my sweet little sister, and then I
+shall have the pleasure of introducing you into the society suitable to
+your rank—where your incomparable grace and beauty will create a
+sensation, and bring crowds of adorers to your feet. From among them
+you will be able to select a husband, eh?” “I can have no desire to do
+anything of that kind, Vallombreuse, and pray do not think this the
+foolish declaration of a girl who would be very sorry to be taken at
+her word. I am entirely in earnest, I do assure you. I have bestowed my
+hand so often in the last act of the pieces I have played that I am in
+no hurry to do it in reality. I do not wish for anything better than to
+remain quietly here with the prince and yourself.”
+
+“But, my dear girl, a father and brother will not always content you—do
+not think it! Such affection cannot satisfy the demands of the heart
+forever.”
+
+“It will be enough for me, however, and if some day they fail me, I can
+take refuge in a convent.”
+
+“Heaven forbid! that would be carrying austerity too far indeed. I pray
+you never to mention it again, if you have any regard for my peace of
+mind. And now tell me, my sweet little sister, what do you think of my
+dear friend, the Chevalier de Vidalinc? does not he seem to be
+possessed of every qualification necessary to make a good husband?”
+
+“Doubtless, and the woman that he marries will have a right to consider
+herself fortunate but however charming and desirable your friend may
+be, my dear Vallombreuse, _I_ shall never be that woman.”
+
+“Well, let him pass, then—but tell me what you think of the Marquis de
+l’Estang, who came to see me the other day, and gazed spell-bound at my
+lovely sister all the time he was here. He was so overwhelmed by your
+surpassing grace, so dazzled by your exquisite beauty, that he was
+struck dumb, and when he tried to pay you pretty compliments, did
+nothing but stammer and blush. Aside from this timidity, which made him
+appear to great disadvantage, and which your ladyship should readily
+excuse, since you yourself were the cause of it, the marquis is an
+accomplished and estimable gentleman. He is handsome, young, of high
+birth and great wealth. He would do capitally for my fair sister, and
+is sure to address himself to the prince—if indeed he has not already
+done so—as an aspirant to the honour of an alliance with her.”
+
+“As I have the honour of belonging to this illustrious family,” said
+Isabelle a little impatiently, for she was exceedingly annoyed by this
+banter, “too much humility would not become me, therefore I will not
+say that I consider myself unworthy of such an alliance; but if the
+Marquis de l’Estang should ask my hand of my father, I would refuse
+him. I have told you, my dear brother, more than once, that I do not
+wish to marry—and you know it too—so pray don’t tease me any more about
+it.”
+
+“Oh! what a fierce, determined little woman is this fair sister of
+mine. Diana herself was not more inaccessible, in the forests and
+valleys of Haemus—yet, if the naughty mythological stories may be
+believed, she did at last smile upon a certain Endymion. You are vexed,
+because I casually propose some suitable candidates for the honour of
+your hand; but you need not be, for, if _they_ do not please you, we
+will hunt up one who will.”
+
+“I am not vexed, my dear brother, but you are certainly talking far too
+much for an invalid, and I shall tell Maître Laurent to reprimand you,
+or not permit you to have the promised bit of fowl for your supper.”
+
+“Oh! if that’s the case I will desist at once,” said Vallombreuse, with
+a droll air of submission, “for I’m as hungry as an ogre—but rest
+assured of one thing, my charming sister: No one shall select your
+husband but myself.”
+
+To put an end to this teasing, Isabelle began to read the corsair’s
+long story, without paying any attention to the indignant protests that
+were made, and Vallombreuse, to revenge himself, finally closed his
+eyes and pretended to be asleep; which feigned slumber soon became
+real, and Isabelle, perceiving that it was so, put aside her book and
+quietly stole away.
+
+This conversation, in which, under all his mischievous banter, the duke
+seemed to have a definite and serious purpose in view, worried Isabelle
+very much, in spite of her efforts to banish it from her mind. Could it
+be that Vallombreuse was nursing a secret resentment against de
+Sigognac? He had never once spoken his name, or referred to him in any
+way, since he was wounded by him; and was he trying to place an
+insurmountable barrier between his sister and the baron, by bringing
+about her marriage with another? or was he simply trying to find out
+whether the actress transformed to a countess, had changed in
+sentiments as well as in rank? Isabelle could not answer these
+questions satisfactorily to herself. As she was the duke’s sister, of
+course the rivalry between him and de Sigognac could no longer exist;
+but, on the other hand, it was difficult to imagine that such a
+haughty, vindictive character as the young duke’s could have forgotten,
+or forgiven, the ignominy of his first defeat at the baron’s hands, and
+still less of the second more disastrous encounter. Although their
+relative positions were changed, Vallombreuse, in his heart, would
+doubtless always hate de Sigognac—even if he had magnanimity enough to
+forgive him, it could scarcely be expected that he should also love
+him, and be willing to welcome him as a member of his family. No, all
+hope of such a reconciliation must be abandoned. Besides, she feared
+that the prince, her father, would never be able to regard with favour
+the man who had imperilled the life of his only son. These sad thoughts
+threw poor Isabelle into a profound melancholy, which she in vain
+endeavoured to shake off. As long as she considered that her position
+as an actress would be an obstacle to de Sigognac, she had resolutely
+repelled the idea of a marriage with him, but now that an unhoped-for,
+undreamed-of stroke of destiny had heaped upon her all the good things
+that heart could desire, she would have loved to reward, with the gift
+of her hand and fortune, the faithful lover who had addressed her when
+she was poor and lowly—it seemed an actual meanness, to her generous
+spirit, not to share her prosperity with the devoted companion of her
+misery. But all that she could do was to be faithful to him—for she
+dared not say a word in his favour, either to the prince or to
+Vallombreuse.
+
+Very soon the young duke was well enough to join his father and sister
+at meals, and he manifested such respectful and affectionate deference
+to the prince, and such an ingenuous and delicate tenderness towards
+Isabelle, that it was evident he had, in spite of his apparent
+frivolity, a mind and character very superior to what one would have
+expected to find in such a licentious, ungovernable youth as he had
+been, and which gave promise of an honourable and useful manhood.
+Isabelle took her part modestly—but with a very sweet dignity, that sat
+well upon her—in the conversation at the table, and in the _salon_, and
+her remarks were so to the point, so witty, and so apropos, that the
+prince was astonished as well as charmed, and grew daily more proud of
+and devoted to his new treasure; finding a happiness and satisfaction
+he had longed for all his life in the affection and devotion of his
+children.
+
+At last Vallombreuse was pronounced well enough to mount his horse, and
+go for a ride in the forest—which he had long been sighing for—and
+Isabelle gladly consented to bear him company. They looked a
+wonderfully handsome pair, as they rode leisurely through the leafy
+arcades. But there was one very marked difference between them.
+
+The young man’s countenance was radiant with happiness and smiles, but
+the girl’s face was clouded over with an abiding melancholy.
+Occasionally her brother’s lively sallies would bring a faint smile to
+her sweet lips, but they fell back immediately into the mournful droop
+that had become habitual with them. Vallombreuse apparently did not
+perceive it—though in reality he was well aware of it, and of its
+cause—and was full of fun and frolic.
+
+“Oh! what a delicious thing it is to live,” he cried, “yet how seldom
+we think of the exquisite enjoyment there is in the simple act of
+breathing,” and he drew a long, deep breath, as if he never could get
+enough of the soft, balmy air. “The trees surely were never so green
+before, the sky so blue, or the flowers so fragrant. I feel as if I had
+been born into the world only yesterday, and was looking upon nature
+for the first time to-day. I never appreciated it before. When I
+remember that I might even now be lying, stiff and stark, under a fine
+marble monument, and that instead of that I am riding through an
+elysium, beside my darling sister, who has really learned to love me, I
+am too divinely happy. I do not even feel my wound any more. I don’t
+believe that I ever was wounded. And now for a gallop, for I’m sure
+that our good father is wearying for us at home.”
+
+In spite of Isabelle’s remonstrances he put spurs to his horse, and she
+could not restrain hers when its companion bounded forward, so off they
+went at a swift pace, and never drew rein until they reached the
+château. As he lifted his sister down from her saddle, Vallombreuse
+said, “Now, after to-day’s achievement, I can surely be treated like a
+big boy, and get permission to go out by myself.”
+
+“What! you want to go away and leave us already? and scarcely well yet,
+you bad boy!”
+
+“Even so, my sweet sister; I want to make a little journey that will
+take several days,” said Vallombreuse negligently.
+
+Accordingly, the very next morning he departed, after having taken an
+affectionate leave of the prince, his father; who did not oppose his
+going, as Isabelle had confidently expected, but seemed, on the
+contrary, to approve of it heartily. After receiving many charges to be
+careful and prudent, from his sister, which he dutifully promised to
+remember and obey, the young duke bade her good-bye also, and said, in
+a mysterious, yet most significant way,
+
+“Au revoir, my sweet little sister, you will be pleased with what I am
+about to do.” And Isabelle sought in vain for the key to the enigma.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+NETTLES AND COBWEBS
+
+
+The worthy tyrant’s advice was sensible and good, and de Sigognac
+resolved to follow it without delay. Since Isabelle’s departure, no
+attraction existed for him in the troupe, and he was very glad of a
+valid pretext for quitting it; though he could not leave his humble
+friends without some regrets. It was necessary that he should disappear
+for a while—plunge into obscurity, until the excitement consequent upon
+the violent death of the young Duke of Vallombreuse should be forgotten
+in some new tragedy in real life.
+
+So, after bidding farewell to the worthy comedians, who had shown him
+so much kindness, he departed from the gay capital—mounted on a stout
+pony, and with a tolerably well-filled purse—his share of the receipts
+of the troupe, which he had fairly earned. By easy stages he travelled
+slowly towards his own ruined château. After the storm the bird flies
+home to its nest, no matter how ragged and torn it may be. It was the
+only refuge open to him, and in the midst of his despondency he felt a
+sort of sad pleasure at the thought of returning to his ancestral
+home—desolate and forlorn as it was—where it would have been better,
+perhaps, for him to have quietly remained—for his fortunes were not
+improved, and this last crowning disaster had been ruinous to all his
+hopes and prospects of happiness.
+
+“Ah, well!” said he to himself, sorrowfully, as he jogged slowly on,
+“it was predestined that I should die of hunger and ennui within those
+crumbling walls, and under my poor, dilapidated, old roof, that lets
+the rain run through it like a huge sieve. No one can escape his
+destiny, and I shall accomplish mine. I am doomed to be the last de
+Sigognac.”
+
+Then came visions of what might have been, that made the sad present
+seem even darker by contrast; and his burden was well-nigh too heavy
+for him to bear, when he remembered all Isabelle’s goodness and
+loveliness—now lost to him forever. No wonder that his eyes were often
+wet with tears, and that there was no brightness even in the sunshine
+for him.
+
+It is needless to describe in detail a journey that lasted twenty days,
+and was not marked by any remarkable incidents or adventures. It is
+enough to say that one fine evening de Sigognac saw from afar the lofty
+towers of his ancient château, illuminated by the setting sun, and
+shining out in bold relief against the soft purple of the evening sky;
+whilst one of the few remaining casements had caught the fiery sunset
+glow, and looked like a great carbuncle set in the fine facade of the
+stately old castle. This sight aroused a strange tenderness and
+agitation in the young baron’s breast. It was true that he had suffered
+long and acutely in that dreary mansion, yet after all it was very dear
+to him—far more than he knew before he had quitted it—and he was deeply
+moved at seeing it again. In a few moments more the glorious god of day
+had sunk behind the western horizon, and the château seemed to retreat,
+until it became scarcely perceptible as the light faded, forming only a
+vague, gray blot in the distance as the gloaming succeeded to the glow.
+But de Sigognac knew every step of the way perfectly, and soon turned
+from the highway into the neglected, grass-grown road that led to the
+château. In the profound stillness, which seemed wonderfully peaceful
+and pleasant to him, he fancied that he could distinguish the distant
+barking of a dog, and that it sounded like Miraut. He stopped to
+listen; yes, there could be no doubt about it, and it was approaching.
+The baron gave a clear, melodious whistle—a signal well known of old to
+Miraut-and in a few moments the faithful dog, running as fast as his
+poor old legs could carry him, burst through a break in the
+hedge—panting, barking, almost sobbing for joy. He strove to jump up on
+the horse’s neck to get at his beloved master; he was beside himself
+with delight, and manifested it in the most frantic manner, whilst de
+Sigognac bent down to pat his head and try to quiet his wild
+transports. After bearing his master company a little way, Miraut set
+off again at full speed, to announce the good news to the others at the
+château—that is to say, to Pierre, Bayard, and Beelzebub—and bounding
+into the kitchen where the old servant was sitting, lost in sad
+thoughts, he barked in such a significant way that Pierre knew at once
+that something unusual had happened.
+
+“Can it be possible that the young master is coming? said he aloud,
+rising, in compliance with Miraut’s wishes, who was pulling at the
+skirts of his coat, and imploring him with his eyes to bestir himself
+and follow him. As it was quite dark by this time, Pierre lighted a
+pine torch, which he carried with him, and as he turned into the road
+its ruddy light suddenly flashed upon de Sigognac and his horse.
+
+“Is it really you, my lord?” cried Pierre, joyfully, as he caught sight
+of his young master; “Miraut had tried to tell me of your arrival in
+his own way before I left the house, but as I had not heard anything
+about your even thinking of coming, I feared that he might be mistaken.
+Welcome home to your own domain, my beloved master! We are overjoyed to
+see you.”
+
+“Yes, my good Pierre, it is really I, and not my wraith. Miraut was not
+mistaken. Here I am again, if not richer than when I went away, at
+least all safe and sound. Come now, lead the way with your torch, and
+we will go into the château.”
+
+Pierre, not without considerable difficulty, opened the great door, and
+the Baron de Sigognac rode slowly through the ancient portico,
+fantastically illuminated by the flaring torchlight, in which the three
+sculptured storks overhead seemed to be flapping their wings, as if in
+joyful salutation to the last representative of the family they had
+symbolized for so many centuries. Then a loud, impatient whinny, like
+the blast of a trumpet, was heard ringing out on the still night air,
+as Bayard, in his stable, caught the welcome sound of his master’s
+voice.
+
+“Yes, yes, I hear you, my poor old Bayard,” cried de Sigognac, as he
+dismounted in the court, and threw the bridle to Pierre; “I am coming
+to say how d’you do,” and as he turned he stumbled over Beelzebub, who
+was trying to rub himself against his master’s legs, purring and mewing
+alternately to attract his attention. The baron stooped down, took the
+old black cat up in his arms, and tenderly caressed him as he advanced
+towards the stables; then put him down gently as he reached Bayard’s
+stall, and another touching scene of affectionate greeting was enacted.
+The poor old pony laid his head lovingly on his master’s shoulder, and
+actually tried to kick up his hind legs in a frisky way in honour of
+the great event; also, he received the horse that de Sigognac had
+ridden all the way from Paris, and which was put in the stall beside
+his own, very politely, and seemed pleased to have a companion in his
+solitary grandeur.
+
+“And now that I have responded to the endearments of my dumb friends,”
+said the baron to Pierre, “we will go into the kitchen, and examine
+into the condition of your larder. I had but a poor breakfast this
+morning, and no dinner at all, being anxious to push on and reach my
+journey’s end before nightfall. I am as hungry as a bear, and will be
+glad of anything, no matter what.”
+
+“I have not much to put before you, my lord, and I fear that you will
+find it but sorry fare after the delicacies you must have been
+accustomed to in Paris; but though it will not be tempting, nor over
+savoury, it will at least satisfy your hunger.”
+
+“That is all that can be required of any food,” answered de Sigognac,
+“and I am not as ungrateful as you seem to think, my good Pierre, to
+the frugal fare of my youth, which has certainly made me healthy,
+vigorous, and strong. Bring out what you have, and serve it as proudly
+as if it were of the choicest and daintiest; I will promise to do
+honour to it, for I am desperately hungry.”
+
+The old servant bustled about joyously, and quickly had the table ready
+for his master; then stood behind his chair, while he ate and drank
+with a traveller’s appetite, as proudly erect as if he had been a grand
+major-domo waiting on a prince. According to the old custom, Miraut and
+Beelzebub, stationed on the right and on the left, watched their
+master’s every motion, and received a share of everything that was on
+the table. The great kitchen was lighted, not very brilliantly, by a
+torch, stuck in an iron bracket just inside the broad, open chimney, so
+that the smoke should escape through it and not fill the room, and the
+scene was so exactly a counterpart of the one described at the
+beginning of this narrative, that the baron, struck with the perfect
+resemblance, fancied that he must have been dreaming, and had never
+quitted his ancient château at all. Everything was precisely as he had
+left it, excepting that the nettles and weeds had grown a little
+taller, and the cobweb draperies a little more voluminous; all else was
+unchanged. Unconsciously lapsing into the old ways, de Sigognac fell
+into a deep reverie after he had finished his simple repast, which
+Pierre, as of old, respected, and even Miraut and Beelzebub did not
+venture to intrude upon. All that had occurred since he last sat at his
+own table passed in review before him, but seemed like adventures that
+he had read of, not actually participated in himself. It had all passed
+into the background. Captain Fracasse, already nearly obliterated,
+appeared like a pale spectre in the far distance; his combats with the
+Duke of Vallombreuse seemed equally unreal. In fine, everything that he
+had seen, done, and suffered, had sunk into shadowy vagueness; but his
+love for Isabelle had undergone no change; it had neither diminished
+nor grown cold; it was as passionate and all-absorbing as ever; it was
+his very life; yet rather like an aspiration of the soul than a real
+passion, since with it all he knew that the angelic being who was its
+object, and whom he worshipped from afar, could never, never be his.
+The wheels of his chariot, which for a brief space had turned aside
+into a new track, were back in the old rut again, and realizing that
+there could be no further escape from it possible for him, he gave way
+sullenly to a despairing, stolid sort of resignation, that he had no
+heart to struggle against, but yielded to it passively; blaming himself
+the while for having presumed to indulge in a season of bright hopes
+and delicious dreams. Why the devil should such an unlucky fellow as he
+had always been venture to aspire to happiness? It was all foolishness,
+and sure to end in bitter disappointment; but he had had his lesson
+now, and would be wiser for the future.
+
+He sat perfectly motionless for a long time, plunged in a sad
+reverie—sunk in a species of torpor; but he roused himself at last, and
+perceiving that his faithful old follower’s eyes were fixed upon him,
+full of timid questioning that he did not venture to put into words,
+briefly related to him the principal incidents of his journey up to the
+capital, and his short stay there. When he graphically described his
+two duels with the Duke of Vallombreuse—the old man, filled with pride
+and delight at the proficiency of his beloved pupil, could not restrain
+his enthusiasm, and snatching up a stick gave vigorous illustrations of
+all the most salient points of the encounters as the baron delineated
+them, ending up with a wild flourish and a shout of triumph.
+
+“Alas! my good Pierre,” said he, with a sigh, when quiet was restored,
+“you taught me how to use my sword only too well. My unfortunate
+victory has been my ruin, and has sent me back, hopeless and bereaved,
+to this poor old crumbling château of mine, where I am doomed to drag
+out the weary remainder of my days in sorrow and misery. I am
+peculiarly unhappy, in that my very triumphs have only made matters
+worse for me—it would have been better far for me, and for all, if I
+had been wounded, or even killed, in this last disastrous encounter,
+instead of my rival and enemy, the young Duke of Vallombreuse.”
+
+“The de Sigognacs are never beaten,” said the old retainer loftily. “No
+matter what may come of it, I am glad, my dear young master, that you
+killed that insolent duke. The whole thing was conducted in strict
+accordance with the code of honour—what more could be desired? How
+could any valiant gentleman object to die gloriously, sword in hand, of
+a good, honest wound, fairly given? He should consider himself most
+fortunate.”
+
+“Ah well! perhaps you are right—I will not dispute you,” said de
+Sigognac, smiling secretly at the old man’s philosophy. “But I am very
+tired, and would like to go to my own room now—will you light the lamp,
+my good Pierre, and lead the way?”
+
+Pierre obeyed, and the baron, preceded by his old servant and followed
+by his old dog and cat, slowly ascended the ancient staircase. The
+quaint frescoes were gradually fading, growing ever paler and more
+indistinct, and there were new stains on the dull blue sky of the
+vaulted ceiling, where the rain and melting snow of winter storms had
+filtered through from the dilapidated roof. The ruinous condition of
+everything in and about the crumbling old château, to which de Sigognac
+had been perfectly accustomed before he quitted it, and taken as a
+matter of course, now struck him forcibly, and increased his dejection.
+He saw in it the sad and inevitable decadence of his race, and said to
+himself, “If these ancient walls had any pity for the last forlorn
+remnant of the family they have sheltered for centuries, they would
+fall in and bury me in their ruins.”
+
+When he reached the landing at the head of the stairs he took the lamp
+from Pierre’s hand, bade him good-night and dismissed him—not willing
+that even his faithful old servant, who had cared for him ever since
+his birth, should witness his overpowering emotion. He walked slowly
+through the great banqueting hall, where the comedians had supped on
+that memorable night, and the remembrance of that gay scene rendered
+the present dreary solitude and silence more terrible than they had
+ever seemed to him before. The death-like stillness was only broken by
+the horrid gnawing of a rat somewhere in the wall, and the old family
+portraits glared down at him reproachfully, as he passed on below them
+with listless step and downcast eyes, oblivious of everything but his
+own deep misery, and his yearning for his lost Isabelle. As he came
+under the last portrait of all, that of his own sweet young mother, he
+suddenly looked up, and as his eyes rested on the calm, beautiful
+countenance—which had always worn such a pathetic, mournful expression
+that it used to make his heart ache to look at it in his boyish days—it
+seemed to smile upon him. He was startled for an instant, and then,
+thrilling with a strange, exquisite delight, and inspired with new hope
+and courage, he said in a low, earnest tone, “I accept my dear dead
+mother’s smile as a good omen—perhaps all may not be lost even yet—I
+will try to believe so.”
+
+After a moment of silent thought, he went on into his own chamber, and
+put down the small lamp he carried, upon the little table, where still
+lay the stray volume of Ronsard’s poems that he had been reading—or
+rather trying to read—on that tempestuous night when the old pedant
+knocked at his door. And there was his bed, where Isabelle had
+slept—the very pillow upon which her dear head had rested. He trembled
+as he stood and gazed at it, and saw, as in a vision, the perfect form
+lying there again in his place, and the sweetest face in all the world
+turned towards him, with a tender smile parting the ripe red lips, a
+rosy flush mantling in the delicate cheeks, and warm lovelight shining
+in the deep blue eyes. He stood spell-bound—afraid to move or
+breathe—and worshipped the beautiful vision with all his soul and
+strength, as if it had been indeed divine—but alas! it faded as
+suddenly as it had appeared, and he felt as if the doors of heaven had
+been shut upon him. He hastily undressed, and threw himself down in the
+place where Isabelle had actually reposed; passionately kissed the
+pillow that had been hallowed by the touch of her head, and bedewed it
+with his tears. He lay long awake, thinking of the angelic being who
+loved him and whom he adored, whilst Beelzebub, rolled up in a ball,
+slept at his feet, and snored like the traditional cat of Mahomet, that
+lay and slumbered upon the prophet’s sleeve.
+
+When morning came, de Sigognac was more impressed than ever with the
+dilapidated, crumbling condition of his ancient mansion. Daylight has
+no mercy upon old age and ruins; it reveals with cruel distinctness the
+wrinkles, gray hairs, poverty, misery, stains, fissures, dust and mould
+in which they abound; but more kindly night softens or conceals all
+defects, with its friendly shade, spreading over them its mantle of
+darkness. The rooms that used to seem so vast to their youthful owner
+had shrunken, and looked almost small and insignificant to him now, to
+his extreme surprise and mortification; but he soon regained the
+feeling of being really at home, and resumed his former way of life
+completely; just as one goes back to an old garment, that has for a
+time been laid aside, and replaced by a new one. His days were spent
+thus: early in the morning he went to say a short prayer in the
+half-ruined chapel where his ancestors lay, ere he repaired to the
+kitchen where his simple breakfast awaited him; that disposed of, he
+and old Pierre fetched their swords, and fought their friendly duels;
+after which he mounted Bayard, or the pony he had brought home with
+him, and went off for long, solitary rides over the desolate Landes.
+Returning late in the afternoon he sat, sad and silent as of old, until
+his frugal supper was prepared, partook of it, also in silence, and
+then retired to his lonely chamber, where he tried to read some musty
+old volume which he knew by heart already, or else flung himself on his
+bed—never without kissing the sacred pillow that had supported
+Isabelle’s beloved head—and lay there a prey to mournful and bitter
+meditations, until at last he could forget his troubles and grief in
+sleep. There was not a vestige left of the brilliant Captain Fracasse,
+nor of the high-spirited rival of the haughty Duke of Vallombreuse; the
+unfortunate young Baron de Sigognac had relapsed entirely into the
+sad-eyed, dejected master of Castle Misery.
+
+One morning he sauntered listlessly down into the garden, which was
+wilder and more overgrown than ever—a tangled mass of weeds and
+brambles. He mechanically directed his steps towards the straggling
+eglantine that had had a little rose ready for each of the fair
+visitors that accompanied him when last he was there, and was surprised
+and delighted to see that it again held forth, as if for his
+acceptance, two lovely little blossoms that had come out to greet him,
+and upon each of which a dewdrop sparkled amid the frail, delicately
+tinted petals. He was strangely moved and touched by the sight of these
+tiny wild roses, which awoke such tender, precious memories, and he
+repeated to himself, as he had often done before, the words in which
+Isabelle had confessed to him that she had furtively kissed the little
+flower, his offering, and dropped a tear upon it, and then secretly
+given him her own heart in exchange for it—surely the sweetest words
+ever spoken on this earth. He gently plucked one of the dainty little
+roses, passionately inhaled its delicate fragrance and pressed a kiss
+upon it, as if it had been her lips, which were not less sweet, and
+soft, and fresh. He had done nothing but think of Isabelle ever since
+their separation, and he fully realized now, if he had not before, how
+indispensable she was to his happiness. She was never out of his mind,
+waking or sleeping, for he dreamed of her every night, and his love
+grew fonder, if that were possible, as the weary days went on. She was
+so good and true, so pure and sweet, so beautiful, so everything that
+was lovely and desirable, “made of all creatures’ best,” a veritable
+angel in human guise. Ah! how passionately he loved her—how could he
+live without her? Yet he feared—he was almost forced to believe—that he
+had lost her irreparably, and that for him hope was dead. Those were
+terrible days for the poor, grief-stricken young baron, and he felt
+that he could not long endure such misery and live. Two or three months
+passed away thus, and one day when de Sigognac chanced to be in his own
+room, finishing a sonnet addressed to Isabelle, Pierre entered, and
+announced to his master that there was a gentleman without who wished
+to speak with him.
+
+“A gentleman, who wants to see me!” exclaimed the astonished baron.
+“You must be either romancing or mad, my good Pierre! There is no
+gentleman in the world who can have anything to say to me. However, for
+the rarity of the thing, you may bring in this extraordinary mortal—if
+such there really be, and you are not dreaming, as I shrewdly suspect.
+But tell me his name first, or hasn’t he got any?”
+
+“He declined to give it, saying that it would not afford your lordship
+any information,” Pierre made answer, as he turned back and opened wide
+both leaves of the door.
+
+Upon the threshold appeared a handsome young man, dressed in a rich and
+elegant travelling costume of chestnut brown cloth trimmed with green,
+and holding in his hand a broad felt hat with a long green plume;
+leaving his well shaped, proudly carried head fully exposed to view, as
+well as the delicate, regular features of a face worthy of an ancient
+Greek statue. The sight of this fine cavalier did not seem to make an
+agreeable impression upon de Sigognac, who turned very pale, and
+rushing to where his trusty sword was suspended, over the head of his
+bed, drew it from the scabbard, and turned to face the new-comer with
+the naked blade in his hand.
+
+“By heaven, my lord duke, I believed that I had killed you!” he cried
+in excited tones. “Is it really you—your very self—or your wraith that
+stands before me?”
+
+“It is really I—my very self—Hannibal de Vallombreuse, in the flesh,
+and no wraith; as far from being dead as possible,” answered the young
+duke, with a radiant smile. “But put up that sword I pray you, my dear
+baron! We have fought twice already, you know, and surely that is
+enough. I do not come as an enemy, and if I have to reproach myself
+with some little sins against you, you have certainly had your revenge
+for them, so we are quits. To prove that my intentions are not hostile,
+but of the most friendly nature if you will so allow, I have brought
+credentials, in the shape of this commission, signed by the king, which
+gives you command of a regiment. My good father and I have reminded his
+majesty of the devotion of your illustrious ancestors to his royal
+ones, and I have ventured to bring you this good news in person. And
+now, as I am your guest, I pray you have something or other killed, I
+don’t care what, and put on the spit to roast as quickly as may be—for
+the love of God give me something to eat—I am starving. The inns are so
+far apart and so abominably bad down here that there might almost as
+well be none at all, and my baggage-wagon, stocked with edibles, is
+stuck fast in a quagmire a long way from this. So you see the
+necessities of the case.”
+
+“I am very much afraid, my lord duke, that the fare I can offer will
+seem to you only another form of revenge on my part,” said de Sigognac
+with playful courtesy; “but do not, I beseech you, attribute to
+resentment the meagre repast for which I shall be obliged to claim your
+indulgence. You must know how gladly I would put before you a sumptuous
+meal if I could; and what we can give you will at least, as my good
+Pierre says, satisfy hunger, though it may not gratify the palate. And
+let me now say that your frank and cordial words touch me deeply, and
+find an echo in my inmost heart. I am both proud and happy to call you
+my friend—henceforth you will not have one more loyal and devoted than
+myself—and though you may not often have need of my services, they will
+be, none the less, always at your disposition. Halloa! Pierre! do you
+go, without a moment’s delay, and hunt up some fowls, eggs, meat,
+whatever you can find, and try to serve a substantial meal to this
+gentleman, my friend, who is nearly dying with hunger, and is not used
+to it like you and I.”
+
+Pierre put in his pocket some of the money his master had sent him from
+Paris—which he had never touched before—mounted the pony, and galloped
+off to the nearest village in search of provisions. He found several
+fowls—such as they were—a splendid Bayonne ham, a few bottles of fine
+old wine, and by great good luck, discovered, at the priest’s house, a
+grand big _pâté_ of ducks’ livers—a delicacy worthy of a bishop’s or a
+prince’s table—and which he had much difficulty to obtain from his
+reverence, who was a bit of a gourmand, at an almost fabulous price.
+But this was evidently a great occasion, and the faithful old servant
+would spare no pains to do it honour. In less than an hour he was at
+home again, and leaving the charge of the cooking to a capable woman he
+had found and sent out to the château, he immediately proceeded to set
+the table, in the ancient banqueting hall—gathering together all the
+fine porcelain and dainty glass that yet remained intact in the two
+tall buffets—evidences of former splendour. But the profusion of gold
+and silver plate that used to adorn the festive board of the de
+Sigognacs had all been converted into coin of the realm long ago.
+
+When at last the old servant announced that dinner was ready, the two
+young men took their places opposite to each other at table, and
+Vallombreuse, who was in the gayest, most jovial mood, attacked the
+viands with an eagerness and ferocity immensely diverting to his host.
+After devouring almost the whole of a chicken, which, it is true,
+seemed to have died of a consumption, there was so little flesh on its
+bones, he fell back upon the tempting, rosy slices of the delicate
+Bayonne ham, and then passed to the _pâté_ of ducks’ livers, which he
+declared to be supremely delicious, exquisite, ambrosial—food fit for
+the gods; and he found the sharp cheese, made of goat’s milk, which
+followed, an excellent relish. He praised the wine, too—which was
+really very old and fine and drank it with great gusto, out of his
+delicate Venetian wine-glass. Once, when he caught sight of Pierre’s
+bewildered, terrified look, as he heard his master address his merry
+guest as the Duke of Vallombreuse—who ought to be dead, if he was
+not—he fairly roared with laughter, and was as full of fun and frolic
+as a school-boy out for a holiday; Meantime de Sigognac, whilst he
+endeavoured to play the attentive host, and to respond as well as he
+could to the young duke’s lively sallies, could not recover from his
+surprise at seeing him sitting there opposite to himself, as a guest at
+his own table—making himself very much at home, too, in the most
+charming, genial, easy way imaginable—and yet he was the haughty,
+overbearing, insolent young nobleman, who had been his hated rival;
+whom he had twice encountered and defeated, in fierce combat, and who
+had several times tried to compass his death by means of hired
+ruffians. What could be the explanation of it all?
+
+The Duke of Vallombreuse divined his companion’s thoughts, and when the
+old servant had retired, after placing a bottle of especially choice
+wine and two small glasses on the table, he looked up at de Sigognac
+and said, with the most amicable frankness, “I can plainly perceive, my
+dear baron, in spite of your admirable courtesy, that this unexpected
+step of mine appears very strange and inexplicable to you. You have
+been saying to yourself, How in the world has it come about, that the
+arrogant, imperious Vallombreuse has been transformed, from the
+unscrupulous, cruel, blood-thirsty tiger that he was, into the
+peaceable, playful lamb he seems to be now—which a ‘gentle shepherdess’
+might lead about with a ribbon round its neck!—I will tell you. During
+the six weeks that I was confined to my bed, I made various
+reflections, which the thoughtless might pronounce cowardly, but which
+are permitted to the bravest and most valiant when death stares them in
+the face. I realized then, for the first time, the relative value of
+many things, and also how wrong and wicked my own course had been; and
+I promised myself to do very differently for the future, if I
+recovered. As the passionate love that Isabelle inspired in my heart
+had been replaced by a pure and sacred fraternal affection—which is the
+greatest blessing of my life—I had no further reason to dislike you.
+You were no longer my rival; a brother cannot be jealous in that way of
+his own sister; and then, I was deeply grateful to you, for the
+respectful tenderness and deference I knew you had never failed to
+manifest towards her, when she was in a position that authorized great
+license. You were the first to recognise her pure, exalted soul, while
+she was still only an obscure actress. When she was poor, and despised
+by those who will cringe to her now, you offered to her—lowly as was
+her station—the most precious treasure that a nobleman can possess: the
+time-honoured name of his ancestors. You would have made her your wife
+then—now that she is rich, and of high rank, she belongs to you of
+right. The true, faithful lover of Isabelle, the actress, should be the
+honoured husband of the Comtesse de Lineuil.”
+
+“But you forget,” cried de Sigognac, in much agitation, “that she
+always absolutely refused me, though she knew that I was perfectly
+disinterested.”
+
+“It was because of her supreme delicacy, her angelic susceptibility,
+and her noble spirit of self-sacrifice that she said that. She feared
+that she would necessarily be a disadvantage to you—an obstacle in the
+way of your advancement. But the situation is entirely changed now.”
+
+“Yes, now it is I who would be a disadvantage to her; have I then a
+right to be less generous and magnanimous than she was?”
+
+“Do you still love my sister?” said Vallombreuse, in a grave tone. “As
+her brother, I have the right to ask this question.”
+
+“I love her with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my strength,”
+de Sigognac replied fervently, “as much and more than ever man loved
+woman on this earth—where nothing is perfect—save Isabelle.”
+
+“Such being the case, my dear Captain of Mousquetaires, and governor of
+a province—soon to be—have your horse saddled, and come with me to the
+Château of Vallombreuse, so that I may formally present you to the
+prince, my father, as the favoured suitor of the Comtesse de Lineuil,
+my sister. Isabelle has refused even to think of the Chevalier de
+Vidalinc, or the Marquis de l’Estang, as aspirants to her hand—both
+right handsome, attractive, eligible young fellows, by Jove!—but I am
+of opinion that she will accept, without very much persuasion, the
+Baron de Sigognac.”
+
+The next day the duke and the baron were riding gaily forward, side by
+side, on the road to Paris.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+CHIQUITA’S DECLARATION OF LOVE
+
+
+A compact crowd filled the Place de Grève, despite the early hour
+indicated by the clock of the Hôtel de Ville.
+
+The tall buildings on the eastern side of the square threw their
+shadows more than half-way across it, and upon a sinister-looking
+wooden framework, which rose several feet above the heads of the
+populace, and bore a number of ominous, dull red stains. At the windows
+of the houses surrounding the crowded square, a few heads were to be
+seen looking out from time to time, but quickly drawn back again as
+they perceived that the interesting performance, for which all were
+waiting, had not yet begun. Clinging to the transverse piece of the
+tall stone cross, which stood at that side of the open square nearest
+the river, was a forlorn, little, ragged boy, who had climbed up to it
+with the greatest difficulty, and was holding on with all his might,
+his arms clasped round the cross-piece and his legs round the upright,
+in a most painful and precarious position. But nothing would have
+induced him to abandon it, so long as he could possibly maintain
+himself there, no matter at what cost of discomfort, or even actual
+distress, for from it he had a capital view of the scaffold, and all
+its horribly fascinating details—the wheel upon which the criminal was
+to revolve, the coil of rope to bind him to it, and the heavy bar to
+break his bones.
+
+If any one among the anxious crowd of spectators, however, had
+carefully studied the small, thin countenance of the child perched up
+on the tall stone cross, he would have discovered that its expression
+was by no means that of vulgar curiosity. It was not simply the fierce
+attractions of an execution that had drawn thither this wild,
+weird-looking young creature, with his sun-burned complexion, great,
+flashing, dark eyes, brilliant white teeth, unkempt masses of thick,
+black hair, and slender brown hands—which were convulsively clinging to
+the rough, cold stone. The delicacy of the features would seem to
+indicate a different sex from the dress—but nobody paid any attention
+to the child, And all eyes were turned towards the scaffold, or the
+direction from which the cart bearing the condemned criminal was to
+come. Among the groups close around the scaffold were several faces we
+have seen before; notably, the chalky countenance and fiery red nose of
+Malartic, and the bold profile of Jacquemin Lampourde, also several of
+the ruffians engaged in the abduction of Isabelle, as well as various
+other _habitués_ of the Crowned Radish. The Place de Grève, to which
+sooner or later they were all pretty sure to come and expiate their
+crimes with their lives, seemed to exercise a singular fascination over
+murderers, thieves, and criminals of all sorts, who invariably gathered
+in force to witness an execution. They evidently could not resist it,
+and appeared to find a fierce satisfaction in watching the terrible
+spectacle that they themselves would some day probably furnish to the
+gaping multitude. Then the victim himself always expected his friends’
+attendance—he would be hurt and disappointed if his comrades did not
+rally round him at the last. A criminal in that position likes to see
+familiar faces in the throng that hems him in. It gives him courage,
+steadies his nerves.
+
+He cannot exhibit any signs of cowardice before those who appreciate
+true merit and bravery, according to his way of thinking, and pride
+comes to his aid. A man will meet death like a Roman under such
+circumstances, who would be weak as a woman if he were despatched in
+private.
+
+The criminal to be executed on that occasion was a thief, already
+notorious in Paris for his daring and dexterity, though he had only
+been there a few months. But, unfortunately for himself—though very
+much the reverse for the well-to-do citizens of the capital in
+general—he had not confined himself to his legitimate business. In his
+last enterprise—breaking into a private dwelling to gain possession of
+a large sum of money that was to be kept there for a single night—he
+had killed the master of the house, who was aroused by his entrance;
+and, not content to stop there, had also brutally murdered his wife, as
+she lay quietly sleeping in her bed—like a tiger, that has tasted blood
+and is wild for more. So atrocious a crime had roused the indignation
+of even his own unscrupulous, hardened companions, and it was not long
+ere his hiding-place was mysteriously revealed, and he was arrested,
+tried, and condemned to death. Now he was to pay the penalty of his
+guilt.
+
+As the fatal hour approached, a carriage drove down along the quay,
+turned into the Place de Grève, and attempted to cross it; but,
+becoming immediately entangled in the crowd, could make little or no
+progress, despite the utmost exertions of the majestic coachman and
+attendant lackeys to induce the people to make way for it, and let it
+pass.
+
+But for the grand coat of arms and ducal coronet emblazoned on the
+panels, which inspired a certain awe as well as respect in the motley
+throng of pedestrians, the equipage would undoubtedly have been roughly
+dealt with-but as it was, they contented themselves with resolutely and
+obstinately barring its passage, after it had reached the middle of the
+square. The indignant coachman did not dare to urge his spirited horses
+forward at all hazards, ruthlessly trampling down the unlucky
+individuals who happened to be directly in his way, as he would
+certainly have done in any ordinary crowd, for the _canaille_, that
+filled the Place de Grève to overflowing, was out in too great force to
+be trifled with—so there was nothing for it but patience.
+
+“These rascals are waiting for an execution, and will not stir, nor let
+us stir, until it is over,” said a remarkably handsome young man,
+magnificently dressed, to his equally fine looking, though more
+modestly attired friend, who was seated beside him in the luxurious
+carriage. “The devil take the unlucky dog who must needs be broken on
+the wheel just when we want to cross the Place de Grève. Why couldn’t
+he have put it off until to-morrow morning, I should like to know!”
+
+“You may be sure that the poor wretch would be only too glad to do so
+if he could,” answered the other, “for the occasion is a far more
+serious matter to him than to us.”
+
+“The best thing we can do under the circumstances, my dear de Sigognac,
+is to turn our heads away if the spectacle is too revolting—though it
+is by no means easy, when something horrible is taking place close at
+hand. Even Saint Augustine opened his eyes in the arena at a loud cheer
+from the people, though he had vowed to himself beforehand to keep them
+closed.”
+
+“At all events, we shall not be detained here long,” rejoined de
+Sigognac, “for there comes the prisoner. See, Vallombreuse, how the
+crowd gives way before him, though it will not let us move an inch.”
+
+A rickety cart, drawn by a miserable old skeleton of a horse, and
+surrounded by mounted guards, was slowly advancing through the dense
+throng towards the scaffold. In it were a venerable priest, with a long
+white beard, who was holding a crucifix to the lips of the condemned
+man, seated beside him, the executioner, placed behind his victim, and
+holding the end of the rope that bound him, and an assistant, who was
+driving the poor old horse. The criminal, whom every one turned to gaze
+at, was no other than our old acquaintance, Agostino, the brigand.
+
+“Why, what is this!” cried de Sigognac, in great surprise. “I know that
+man—he is the fellow who stopped us on the highway, and tried to
+frighten us with his band of scarecrows, as poor Matamore called them.
+I told you all about it when we came by the place where it happened.”
+
+“Yes, I remember perfectly,” said Vallombreuse; “it was a capital
+story, and I had a good laugh over it. But it would seem that the
+ingenious rascal has been up to something more serious since then—his
+ambition has probably been his ruin. He certainly is no coward—only
+look what a good face he puts on it.”
+
+Agostino, holding his head proudly erect, but a trifle paler than usual
+perhaps, seemed to be searching for some one in the crowd. When the
+cart passed slowly in front of the stone cross, he caught sight of the
+little boy, who had not budged from his excessively uncomfortable and
+wearisome position, and a flash of joy shone in the brigand’s eyes, a
+slight smile parted his lips, as he made an almost imperceptible sign
+with his head, and said, in a low tone, “Chiquita!”
+
+“My son, what was that strange word you spoke?” asked the priest. “It
+sounded like an outlandish woman’s name. Dismiss all such subjects from
+your mind, and fix your thoughts on your own hopes of salvation, for
+you stand on the threshold of eternity.”
+
+“Yes, my father, I know it but too well, and though my hair is black
+and my form erect, whilst you are bowed with age, and your long beard
+is white as snow, you are younger now than I—every turn of the wheels,
+towards that scaffold yonder, ages me by ten years.”
+
+During this brief colloquy the cart had made steady progress, and in a
+moment more had stopped at the foot of the rude wooden steps that led
+up to the scaffold, which Agostino ascended slowly but
+unfalteringly—preceded by the assistant, supported by the priest, and
+followed by the executioner. In less than a minute he was firmly bound
+upon the wheel, and the executioner, having thrown off his showy
+scarlet cloak, braided with white, and rolled up his sleeves, stooped
+to pick up the terrible bar that lay at his feet. It was a moment of
+intense horror and excitement. An anxious curiosity, largely mixed with
+dread, oppressed the hearts of the spectators, who stood motionless,
+breathless, with pale faces, and straining eyes fixed upon the tragic
+group on the fatal scaffold. Suddenly a strange stir ran through the
+crowd—the child, who was perched up on the cross, had slipped quickly
+down to the ground, and gliding like a serpent through the closely
+packed throng, reached the scaffold, cleared the steps at a bound, and
+appeared beside the astonished executioner, who was just in the act of
+raising the ponderous bar to strike, with such a wild, ghastly, yet
+inspired and noble countenance—lighted up by a strength of will and
+purpose that made it actually sublime—that the grim dealer of death
+paused involuntarily, and withheld the murderous blow about to fall.
+
+“Get out of my way, thou puppet!” he roared in angry tones, as he
+recovered his _sang-froid_, “or thou wilt get thy accursed head
+smashed.”
+
+But Chiquita paid no attention to him—she did not care whether she was
+killed too, or not. Bending over Agostino, she passionately kissed his
+forehead, whispered “I love thee!”—and then, with a blow as swift as
+lightning, plunged into his heart the knife she had reclaimed from
+Isabelle. It was dealt with so firm a hand, and unerring an aim, that
+death was almost instantaneous—scarcely had Agostino time to murmur
+“Thanks.”
+
+With a wild burst of hysterical laughter the child sprang down from the
+scaffold, while the executioner, stupefied at her bold deed, lowered
+his now useless club; uncertain whether or not he should proceed to
+break the bones of the man already dead, and beyond his power to
+torture.
+
+“Well done, Chiquita, well done, and bravely!” cried Malartic—who had
+recognised her in spite of her boy’s clothes—losing his self-restraint
+in his admiration. The other ruffians, who had seen Chiquita at the
+Crowned Radish, and wondered at and admired her courage when she stood
+against the door and let Agostino fling his terrible _navaja_ at her
+without moving a muscle, now grouped themselves closely together so as
+to effectually prevent the soldiers from pursuing her. The fracas that
+ensued gave Chiquita time to reach the carriage of the Duke of
+Vallombreuse—which, taking advantage of the stir and shifting in the
+throng, was slowly making its way out of the Place de Grève. She
+climbed up on the step, and catching sight of de Sigognac within,
+appealed to him, in scarcely audible words, as she panted and
+trembled—“I saved your Isabelle, now save me!”
+
+Vallombreuse, who had been very much interested by this strange and
+exciting scene, cried to the coachman, “Get on as fast as you can, even
+if you have to drive over the people.”
+
+But there was no need—the crowd opened as if by magic before the
+carriage, and closed again compactly after it had passed, so that
+Chiquita’s pursuers could not penetrate it, or make any progress—they
+were completely baffled, whichever way they turned. Meanwhile the
+fugitive was being rapidly carried beyond their reach. As soon as the
+open street was gained, the coachman had urged his horses forward, and
+in a very few minutes they reached the Porte Saint Antoine. As the
+report of what had occurred in the Place de Grève could not have
+preceded them, Vallombreuse thought it better to proceed at a more
+moderate pace—fearing that their very speed might arouse suspicion—and
+gave orders accordingly; as soon as they were fairly beyond the gate he
+took Chiquita into the carriage—where she seated herself, without a
+word, opposite to de Sigognac. Under the calmest exterior she was
+filled with a preternatural excitement—not a muscle of her face moved;
+but a bright flush glowed on her usually pale cheeks, which gave to her
+magnificent dark eyes—now fixed upon vacancy, and seeing nothing that
+was before them—a marvellous brilliancy. A complete transformation had
+taken place in Chiquita—this violent shock had torn asunder the
+childish chrysalis in which the young maiden had lain dormant—as she
+plunged her knife into Agostino’s heart she opened her own. Her love
+was born of that murder—the strange, almost sexless being, half child,
+half goblin, that she had been until then, existed no longer—Chiquita
+was a woman from the moment of that heroic act of sublime devotion. Her
+passion, that had bloomed out in one instant, was destined to be
+eternal—a kiss and a stab, that was Chiquita’s love story.
+
+The carriage rolled smoothly and swiftly on its way towards
+Vallombreuse, and when the high, steep roof of the château came in
+sight the young duke said to de Sigognac, “You must go with me to my
+room first, where you can get rid of the dust, and freshen up a bit
+before I present you to my sister—who knows nothing whatever of my
+journey, or its motive. I have prepared a surprise for her, and I want
+it to be complete—so please draw down the curtain on your side, while I
+do the same on mine, in order that we may not be seen, as we drive into
+the court, from any of the windows that command a view of it. But what
+are we to do with this little wretch here?”
+
+Chiquita, who was roused from her deep reverie by the duke’s question,
+looked gravely up at him, and said, “Let some one take me to Mlle.
+Isabelle—she will decide what is to be done with me.”
+
+With all the curtains carefully drawn down the carriage drove over the
+drawbridge and into the court. Vallombreuse alighted, took de
+Sigognac’s arm, and led him silently to his own apartment, after having
+ordered a servant to conduct Chiquita to the presence of the Comtesse
+de Lineuil. At sight of her Isabelle was greatly astonished, and,
+laying down the book she was reading, fixed upon the poor child a look
+full of interest, affection, and questioning.
+
+Chiquita stood silent and motionless until the servant had retired,
+then, with a strange solemnity, which was entirely new in her, she went
+up to Isabelle, and timidly taking her hand, said:
+
+“My knife is in Agostino’s heart. I have no master now, and I must
+devote myself to somebody. Next to him who is dead I love you best of
+all the world. You gave me the pearl necklace I wished for, and you
+kissed me. Will you have me for your servant, your slave, your dog?
+Only give me a black dress, so that I may wear mourning for my lost
+love—it is all I ask. I will sleep on the floor outside your door, so
+that I shall not be in your way. When you want me, whistle for me, like
+this,”—and she whistled shrilly—“and I will come instantly. Will you
+have me?”
+
+In answer Isabelle drew Chiquita into her arms, pressed her lips to the
+girl’s forehead warmly, and thankfully accepted this soul, that
+dedicated itself to her.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+HYMEN! OH HYMEN!
+
+
+Isabelle, accustomed to Chiquita’s odd, enigmatical ways, had refrained
+from questioning her—waiting to ask for explanations until the poor
+girl should have become more quiet, and able to give them. She could
+see that some terrible catastrophe must have occurred, which had left
+all her nerves quivering, and caused the strong shudders that passed
+over her in rapid succession; but the child had rendered her such good
+service, in her own hour of need, that she felt the least she could do
+was to receive and care for the poor little waif tenderly, without
+making any inquiries as to her evidently desperate situation. After
+giving her in charge to her own maid, with orders that she should be
+properly clothed, and made thoroughly comfortable in every way,
+Isabelle resumed her reading—or rather tried to resume it; but her
+thoughts would wander, and after mechanically turning over a few pages
+in a listless way, she laid the book down, beside her neglected
+embroidery, on a little table at her elbow. Leaning her head on her
+hand, and closing her eyes, she lapsed into a sorrowful reverie—as,
+indeed, she had done of late many times every day.
+
+“Oh! what has become of de Sigognac?” she said to herself. “Where can
+he be? and does he still think of me, and love me as of old? Yes, I am
+sure he does; he will be true and faithful to me so long as he lives,
+my brave, devoted knight! I fear that he has gone back to his desolate,
+old château, and, believing that my brother is dead, does not dare to
+approach me. It must be that chimerical obstacle that stands in his
+way—otherwise he would surely have tried to see me again—or at least
+have written to me. Perhaps I ought to have sent him word that
+Vallombreuse had recovered; yet how could I do that? A modest woman
+shrinks from even seeming to wish to entice her absent lover back to
+her side. How often I think that I should be far happier if I could
+have remained as I was—an obscure actress; then I could at least have
+had the bliss of seeing him every day, and of enjoying in peace the
+sweetness of being loved by such a noble, tender heart as his. Despite
+the touching affection and devotion that my princely father lavishes
+upon me, I feel sad and lonely in this magnificent château. If
+Vallombreuse were only here his society would help to pass the time;
+but he is staying away so long—and I try in vain to make out what he
+meant when he told me, with such a significant smile, as he bade me
+adieu, that I would be pleased with what he was about to do. Sometimes
+I fancy that I do understand; but I dare not indulge myself with such
+blissful thoughts for an instant. If I did, and were mistaken after
+all, the disappointment would be too cruel—too heart-rending. But, if
+it only could be true! ah! if it only might! I fear I should go mad
+with excess of joy.”
+
+The young Comtesse de Lineuil was still absorbed in sad thoughts when a
+tall lackey appeared, and asked if she would receive his lordship, the
+Duke of Vallombreuse who had just arrived, at the château and desired
+to speak with her.
+
+“Certainly, I shall be delighted to see him,” she said in glad
+surprise; “ask him to come to me at once.”
+
+In a few minutes—which had seemed like hours to Isabelle—the young duke
+made his appearance, with beaming eyes, rosy cheeks, light, elastic
+step, and that air of glorious health and vigour which had
+distinguished him before his illness. He threw down his broad felt hat
+as he came in, and, hastening to his sister’s side, took her pretty
+white hands and raised them to his lips.
+
+“Dearest Isabelle,” he cried, “I am so rejoiced to see you again! I was
+obliged to stay away from you much longer than I wished, for it is a
+great deprivation to me now not to be with you every day—I have gotten
+so thoroughly into the habit of depending upon your sweet society. But
+I have been occupied entirely with your interests during my absence,
+and the hope of pleasing my darling sister, and adding to her
+happiness, has helped me to endure the long separation from her.”
+
+“The way to please me most, as you ought to have known,” Isabelle
+replied, “was to stay here at home quietly with your father and me, and
+let us take care of you, instead of rushing off so rashly—with your
+wound scarcely healed, or your health fully re-established—on some
+foolish errand or other, that you were not willing to acknowledge.”
+
+“Was I ever really wounded, or ill?” said Vallombreuse, laughing. “Upon
+my word I had forgotten all about it. Never in my life was I in better
+health than at this moment, and my little expedition has done me no end
+of good. But you, my sweet sister, are not looking as well as when I
+left you; you have grown thin and pale. What is the matter? I fear that
+you find your life here at the château very dull. Solitude and
+seclusion are not at all the thing for a beautiful young woman, I know.
+Reading and embroidery are but melancholy pastimes at best and there
+must be moments when even the gravest, most sedate of maidens grows
+weary of gazing out upon the stagnant waters of the moat, and longs to
+look upon the face of a handsome young knight.”
+
+“Oh! what an unmerciful tease you are, Vallombreuse, and how you do
+love to torment me with these strange fancies of yours. You forget that
+I have had the society of the prince, who is so kind and devoted to me,
+and who abounds in wise and instructive discourse.”
+
+“Yes, there is no doubt that our worthy father is a most learned and
+accomplished gentleman, honoured and admired at home and abroad; but
+his pursuits and occupations are too grave and weighty for you to
+share, my dear little sister, and I don’t want to see your youth passed
+altogether in such a solemn way. As you would not smile upon my friend,
+the Chevalier de Vidalinc, nor condescend to listen to the suit of the
+Marquis de l’Estang, I concluded to go in search of somebody that would
+be more likely to please your fastidious taste, and, my dear, I have
+found him. Such a charming, perfect, ideal husband he will make! I am
+convinced that you will dote upon him.”
+
+“It is downright cruelty, Vallombreuse, to persecute me as you do, with
+such unfeeling jests. You know perfectly well that I do not wish to
+marry; I cannot give my hand without my heart, and my heart is not mine
+to give.”
+
+“But you will talk very differently, I do assure you, my dear little
+sister, when you see the husband I have chosen for you.”
+
+“Never! never!” cried Isabelle, whose voice betrayed her distress. “I
+shall always be faithful to a memory that is infinitely dear and
+precious to me; for I cannot think that you intend to force me to act
+against my will.”
+
+“Oh, no! I am not quite such a tyrant as that; I only ask you not to
+reject my protégé before you have seen him.”
+
+Without waiting for her reply, Vallombreuse abruptly left the room, and
+returned in a moment with de Sigognac, whose heart was throbbing as if
+it would burst out of his breast. The two young men, hand in hand,
+paused on the threshold, hoping that Isabelle would turn her eyes
+towards them; but she modestly cast them down and kept them fixed upon
+the floor, while her thoughts flew far away, to hover about the beloved
+being who she little dreamed was so near her. Vallombreuse, seeing that
+she took no notice of them, and had fallen into a reverie, advanced
+towards her, still holding de Sigognac by the hand, and made a
+ceremonious bow, as did also his companion; but while the young duke
+was smiling and gay, de Sigognac was deeply agitated, and very pale.
+Brave as a lion when he had to do with men, he was timid with women—as
+are all generous, manly hearts.
+
+“Comtesse de Lineuil,” said Vallombreuse, in an emphatic tone of voice,
+“permit me to present to you one of my dearest friends, for whom I
+entreat your favour—the Baron de Sigognac.”
+
+As he pronounced this name, which she at first believed to be a jest on
+her brother’s part, Isabelle started, trembled violently, and then
+glanced up timidly at the newcomer.
+
+When she saw that Vallombreuse had not deceived her, that it was really
+he, her own true lover, standing there before her, she turned deathly
+pale, and had nearly fallen from her chair; then the quick reaction
+came, and a most lovely blush spread itself all over her fair face, and
+even her snowy neck, as far as it could be seen. Without a word, she
+sprang up, and throwing her arms round her brother’s neck hid her face
+on his shoulder, while two or three convulsive sobs shook her slender
+frame and a little shower of tears fell from her eyes. By this
+instinctive movement, so exquisitely modest and truly feminine,
+Isabelle manifested all the exceeding delicacy and purity of her
+nature. Thus were her warm thanks to Vallombreuse, whose kindness and
+generosity overcame her, mutely expressed; and as she could not follow
+the dictates of her heart, and throw herself into her lover’s arms, she
+took refuge in her transport of joy with her brother, who had restored
+him to her.
+
+Vallombreuse supported her tenderly for a few moments, until he found
+she was growing calmer, when he gently disengaged himself from her
+clasping arms, and drawing down the hands with which she had covered
+her face, to hide its tears and blushes, said, “My sweet sister, do
+not, I pray you, hide your lovely face from us; I fear my protégé will
+be driven to believe that you entertain such an invincible dislike to
+him you will not even look at him.”
+
+Isabelle raised her drooping head, and turning full upon de Sigognac
+her glorious eyes, shining with a celestial joy, in spite of the
+sparkling tear-drops that still hung upon their long lashes, held out
+to him her beautiful white hand, which he took reverentially in both
+his own, and bending down pressed fervently to his lips. The passionate
+kiss he imprinted upon it thrilled through Isabelle’s whole being, and
+for a second she turned faint and giddy; but the delicious ecstasy,
+which is almost anguish, of such emotion as hers, is never hurtful, and
+she presently looked up and smiled reassuringly upon her anxious lover,
+as the colour returned to her lips and cheeks, and the warm light to
+her eyes.
+
+“And now tell me, my sweet little sister,” began Vallombreuse, with an
+air of triumph, and a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, “wasn’t I right
+when I declared that you would smile upon the husband I had chosen for
+you? and would not be discouraged, though you were so obstinate? If I
+had not been equally so, this dear de Sigognac would have gone back to
+his far-away château, without even having seen you; and that would have
+been a pity, as you must admit.”
+
+“Yes, I do admit it, my dearest brother, and also that you have been
+adorably kind and good to me. You were the only one who, under the
+circumstances, could bring about this reunion, and we both know how to
+appreciate what you have so nobly and generously done for us.”
+
+“Yes, indeed,” said de Sigognac warmly; “your brother has given us
+ample proof of the nobility and generosity of his nature—he
+magnanimously put aside the resentment that might seem legitimate, and
+came to me with his hand outstretched, and his heart in it. He revenges
+himself nobly for the harm I was obliged to do him, by imposing an
+eternal gratitude upon me—a light burden, that I shall bear joyfully so
+long as I live.”
+
+“Say nothing more about that, my dear baron!” Vallombreuse exclaimed.
+“You would have done as much in my place. The differences of two
+valiant adversaries are very apt to end in a warm mutual attachment—we
+were destined from the beginning to become, sooner or later, a devoted
+pair of friends; like Theseus and Pirithous, Nisus and Euryalus, or
+Damon and Pythias. But never mind about me now, and tell my sister how
+you were thinking of her, and longing for her, in that lonely château
+of yours; where, by the way, I made one of the best meals I ever had in
+my life, though you do pretend that starvation is the rule down there.”
+
+“And _I_ had a charming supper there too,” said Isabelle with a smile,
+“which I look back upon with the greatest pleasure.”
+
+“Nevertheless,” rejoined de Sigognac, “plenty does not abound there—but
+I cannot regret the blessed poverty that was the means of first winning
+me your regard, my precious darling! I am thankful for it—I owe
+everything to it.”
+
+“_I_ am of opinion,” interrupted Vallombreuse, with a significant
+smile, “that it would be well for me to go and report myself to my
+father. I want to announce your arrival to him myself, de Sigognac! Not
+that he will need to be specially prepared to receive you, for I am
+bound to confess—what may surprise my little sister here—that he knew
+such a thing might come about, and was equally implicated with my
+graceless self in this little conspiracy. But one thing yet—tell me
+before I go, Isabelle, Comtesse de Lineuil, whether you really do
+intend to accept the Baron de Sigognac as your husband—I don’t want to
+run any risk of making a blunder at this stage of the proceedings, you
+understand, after having conducted the negotiations successfully up to
+this point. You do definitely and finally accept him, eh?—that is
+well—and now I will go to the prince. Engaged lovers sometimes have
+matters to discuss that even a brother may not hear, so I will leave
+you together, feeling sure that you will both thank me for it in your
+hearts. Adieu!—make the most of your time, for I shall soon return to
+conduct de Sigognac to the prince.”
+
+With a laughing nod the young duke picked up his hat and went away,
+leaving the two happy lovers alone together, and—however agreeable his
+company may have been to them, it must be admitted that his absence
+was, as he had predicted, very welcome to both. The Baron de Sigognac
+eagerly approached Isabelle, and—again possessed himself of her fair
+hand, which she did not withdraw from his warm, loving clasp. Neither
+spoke, and for a few minutes the fond lovers stood side by side and
+gazed into each other’s eyes. Such silence is more eloquent than any
+words. At last de Sigognac said softly, “I can scarcely believe even
+yet in the reality of so much bliss. Oh! what a strange, contradictory
+destiny is mine. You loved me, my darling, because I was poor and
+unhappy—and thus my past misery was the direct cause of my present
+felicity. A troupe of strolling actors, who chanced to seek refuge
+under my crumbling roof, held in reserve for me an angel of purity and
+goodness—a hostile encounter has given me a devoted friend—and, most
+wonderful of all, your forcible abduction led to your meeting the fond
+father who had been seeking you so many years in vain. And all this
+because a Thespian chariot went astray one stormy night in the Landes.”
+
+“We were destined for each other—it was all arranged for us in heaven
+above. Twin souls are sure to come together at last, if they can only
+have patience to wait for the meeting. I felt instinctively, when we
+met at the Château de Sigognac, that you were my fate. At sight of you
+my heart, which had always lain dormant before, and never responded to
+any appeal, thrilled within me, and, unasked, yielded to you all its
+love and allegiance. Your very timidity won more for you than the
+greatest boldness and assurance could have done, and from the first
+moment of our acquaintance I resolved never to give myself to any one
+but you, or God.”
+
+“And yet, cruel, hard-hearted child that you were—though so divinely
+good and lovely—you refused your hand to me, when I sued for it on my
+knees. I know well that it was all through generosity, and that of the
+noblest—but, my darling, it was a very cruel generosity too.”
+
+“I will do my best to atone for it now, my dearest de Sigognac, in
+giving you this hand you wished for, together with my heart, which has
+long been all your own. The Comtesse de Lineuil is not bound to be
+governed by the scruples of Isabelle, the actress. I have had only one
+fear—that your pride might keep you from ever seeking me again as I am
+now. But, even if you had given me up, you would never have loved
+another woman, would you, de Sigognac? You would have been faithful to
+me always, even though you had renounced me—I felt so sure of that.
+Were you thinking of me down there in your ancient château, when
+Vallombreuse broke in upon your solitude?”
+
+“My dearest Isabelle, by day I had only one thought—of you—and at
+night, when I kissed the sacred pillow on which your lovely head had
+rested, before laying my own down upon it, I besought the god of dreams
+to show me your adored image while I slept.”
+
+“And were your prayers sometimes answered?”
+
+“Always—not once was I disappointed—and only when morning came did you
+leave me, vanishing through ‘the ivory gates.’ Oh I how interminable
+the sad, lonely days seemed to me, and how I wished that I could sleep,
+and dream of you, my angel, all the weary time.”
+
+“I saw you also in my dreams, many nights in succession. Our souls must
+have met, de Sigognac, while our bodies lay wrapped in slumber. But
+now, thanks be to God, we are reunited—and forever. The prince, my
+father, knew and approved of your being brought here, Vallombreuse
+said, so we can have no opposition to our wishes to fear from him. He
+has spoken to me of you several times of late in very flattering terms;
+looking at me searchingly, the while, in a way that greatly agitated
+and troubled me, for I did not know what might be in his mind, as
+Vallombreuse had not then told me that he no longer hated you, and I
+feared that he would always do so after his double defeat at your
+hands. But all the terrible anxiety is over now, my beloved, and
+blessed peace and happiness lie before us.”
+
+At this moment the door opened, and the young duke announced to de
+Sigognac that his father was waiting to receive him. The baron
+immediately rose from his seat beside Isabelle, bowed low to her, and
+followed Vallombreuse to the prince’s presence. The aged nobleman,
+dressed entirely in black, and with his breast covered with orders, was
+sitting in a large arm-chair at a table heaped up with books and
+papers, with which he had evidently been occupied. His attitude was
+stately and dignified, and the expression of his noble, benevolent
+countenance affable in the extreme. He rose to receive de Sigognac,
+gave him a cordial greeting, and politely bade him be seated.
+
+“My dear father,” said Vallombreuse, “I present to you the Baron de
+Sigognac; formerly my rival, now my friend, and soon to be my brother,
+if you consent. Any improvement that you may see in me is due to his
+influence, and it is no light obligation that I owe to him—though he
+will not admit that there is any. The baron comes to ask a favour of
+you, which I shall rejoice to see accorded to him.”
+
+The prince made a gesture of acquiescence, and looked reassuringly at
+de Sigognac, as if inviting him to speak fearlessly for himself.
+Encouraged by the expression of his eyes, the baron rose, and, with a
+low bow, said, in clear, distinct tones, “Prince, I am here to ask of
+you the hand of Mlle. la Comtesse Isabelle de Lineuil, your daughter.”
+
+The old nobleman looked at him steadily and searchingly for a moment,
+and then, as if satisfied with his scrutiny, answered: “Baron de
+Sigognac, I accede to your request, and consent to this alliance, with
+great pleasure—so far, that is, as my paternal will accords with the
+wishes of my beloved daughter—whom I should never attempt to coerce in
+anything. The Comtesse de Lineuil must be consulted in this matter, and
+herself decide the question which is of such vital importance to her. I
+cannot undertake to answer for her—the whims and fancies of young
+ladies are sometimes so odd and unexpected.”
+
+The prince said this with a mischievous smile—as if he had not long
+known that Isabelle loved de Sigognac with all her heart, and was
+pining for him. After a brief pause, he added: “Vallombreuse, go and
+fetch your sister, for, without her, I cannot give a definite answer to
+the Baron de Sigognac.”
+
+The young duke accordingly went for Isabelle, who was greatly alarmed
+at this summons, and obeyed it in fear and trembling. Despite her
+brother’s assurances, she could not bring herself to believe in the
+reality of such great happiness. Her breast heaved tumultuously, her
+face was very pale, at each step her knees threatened to give way under
+her, and when her father drew her fondly to his side she was forced to
+grasp the arm of his chair tightly, to save herself from falling.
+
+“My daughter,” said the prince gravely, “here is a gentleman who does
+you the honour to sue for your hand. For my own part, I should hail
+this union with joy—for he is of an ancient and illustrious family, of
+stainless reputation and tried courage, and appears to me to possess
+every qualification that heart could desire. I am perfectly satisfied
+with him—but has he succeeded in pleasing you, my child? Young heads do
+not always agree with gray ones. Examine your own heart carefully, and
+tell me if you are willing to accept the Baron de Sigognac as your
+husband. Take plenty of time to consider—you shall not be hurried, my
+dear child, in so grave a matter as this.”
+
+The prince’s kindly, cordial smile gave evidence that he was in a
+playful mood, and Isabelle, plucking up courage, threw her arms round
+her father’s neck, and said in the softest tones, “There is no need for
+me to consider or hesitate, my dear lord and father! Since the Baron de
+Sigognac is so happy as to please you, I confess, freely and frankly,
+that I have loved him ever since we first met, and have never wished
+for any other alliance. To obey, you in this will be my highest
+happiness.”
+
+“And now clasp hands, my children, and exchange the kiss of betrothal,”
+cried the Duke of Vallombreuse gaily. “Verily, the romance ends more
+happily than could have been expected after such a stormy beginning.
+And now the next question is, when shall the wedding be?”
+
+“It will take a little time to make due preparation,” said the prince.
+“So many people must be set to work, in order that the marriage of my
+only daughter may be worthily celebrated. Meanwhile, Isabelle, here is
+your dowry, the deed of the estate of Lineuil—from which you derive
+your title, and which yields you an income of fifty thousand crowns per
+annum—together with rent-rolls, and all the various documents
+appertaining thereto”—and he handed a formidable roll of papers to her.
+“As to you, my dear de Sigognac, I have here for you a royal ordinance,
+which constitutes you governor of a province; and no one, I venture to
+say, could be more worthy of this distinguished honour than yourself.”
+
+Vallombreuse, who had gone out of the room while his father was
+speaking, now made his appearance, followed by a servant carrying a box
+covered with crimson velvet.
+
+He took it from the lackey at the door, and advancing, placed it upon
+the table in front of Isabelle.
+
+“My dear little sister,” said he, “will you accept this from me as a
+wedding gift?”
+
+On the cover was inscribed “For Isabelle,” in golden letters, and it
+contained the very casket which the Duke of Vallombreuse had offered at
+Poitiers to the young actress, and which she had so indignantly refused
+to receive, or even look at.
+
+“You will accept it this time?” he pleaded, with a radiant smile; “and
+honour these diamonds of finest water, and these pearls of richest
+lustre, by wearing them, for _my_ sake. They are not more pure and
+beautiful than yourself.”
+
+Isabelle smilingly took up a magnificent necklace and clasped it round
+her fair neck, to show that she harboured no resentment; then put the
+exquisite bracelets on her round, white arms, and decked herself with
+the various superb ornaments that the beautiful casket contained.
+
+And now we have only to add, that a week later Isabelle and de Sigognac
+were united in marriage in the chapel at Vallombreuse, which was
+brilliantly lighted, and filled with fragrance from the profusion of
+flowers that converted it into a very bower. The music was heavenly,
+the fair bride adorably beautiful, with her long white veil floating
+about her, and the Baron de Sigognac radiant with happiness. The
+Marquis de Bruyères was one of his witnesses, and a most brilliant and
+aristocratic assemblage “assisted” at this notable wedding in high
+life. No one, who had not been previously informed of it, could ever
+have suspected that the lovely bride—at once so noble and modest, so
+dignified and graceful, so gentle and refined, yet with as lofty a
+bearing as a princess of the blood royal—had only a short time before
+been one of a band of strolling players, nightly fulfilling her duties
+as an actress. While de Sigognac, governor of a province, captain of
+mousquetaires, superbly dressed, dignified, stately and affable, the
+very beau-ideal of a distinguished young nobleman, had nothing about
+him to recall the poor, shabby, disconsolate youth, almost starving in
+his dreary, half-ruined château, whose misery was described at the
+beginning of this tale.
+
+After a splendid collation, graced by the presence of the bride and
+groom, the happy pair vanished; but we will not attempt to follow them,
+or intrude upon their privacy—turning away at the very threshold of the
+nuptial chamber, singing, in low tones, after the fashion of the
+ancients, “Hymen! oh Hymen!”
+
+The mysteries of such sacred happiness as theirs should be respected;
+and besides, sweet, modest Isabelle would have died of shame if so much
+as a single one of the pins that held her bodice were indiscreetly
+drawn out.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII.
+THE CASTLE OF HAPPINESS
+
+EPILOGUE
+
+It will be readily believed that our sweet Isabelle had not forgotten,
+in her exceeding happiness as Mme. la Baronne de Sigognac, her former
+companions of Hérode’s troupe. As she could not invite them to her
+wedding because they would have been so much out of place there—she
+had, in commemoration of that auspicious occasion, sent handsome and
+appropriate gifts to them all; offered with a grace so charming that it
+redoubled their value. So long as the company remained in Paris, she
+went often to see them play; applauding her old friends heartily, and
+judiciously as well, knowing just where the applause should be given.
+The young _baronne_ did not attempt to conceal the fact that she had
+formerly been an actress herself—not parading it, but referring to it
+quietly, if necessary, as a matter of course; an excellent method to
+disarm ill-natured tongues, which would surely have wagged vigorously
+had any mystery been made about it. In addition, her illustrious birth
+and exalted position imposed silence upon those around her, and her
+sweet dignity and modesty had soon won all hearts—even those of her own
+sex—until it was universally conceded that there was not a greater or
+truer lady in court circles than the beautiful young Baronne de
+Sigognac.
+
+The king, Louis XIII, having heard Isabelle’s eventful history, praised
+her highly for her virtuous conduct, and evinced great interest in de
+Sigognac, whom he heartily commended for his respectful, honourable
+gallantry, under circumstances that, according to general opinion,
+would authorize all manner of license. His deference to defenceless
+virtue peculiarly pleased the chaste, reserved monarch, who had no
+sympathy with, or indulgence for the wild, unbridled excesses of the
+licentious youth of his capital and court. As to Vallombreuse, he had
+entirely changed and amended his way of life, and seemed to find
+unfailing pleasure and satisfaction, as well as benefit, in the
+companionship of his new friend and brother, to whom he was devoted,
+and who fully reciprocated his warm affection; while the prince, his
+father, joyfully dwelt in the bosom of his reunited family, and found
+in it the happiness he had vainly sought before. The young husband and
+wife led a charming life, more and more in love with and devoted to
+each other, and never experiencing that satiety of bliss which is
+ruinous to the most perfect happiness. Although Isabelle had no
+concealments from her husband, and shared even her inmost thoughts with
+him, yet for a time she seemed very much occupied with some mysterious
+business—apparently exclusively her own.
+
+She had secret conferences with her steward, with an architect, and
+also with certain sculptors and painters—all without de Sigognac’s
+knowledge, and by the connivance of Vallombreuse, who seemed to be her
+confidant, aider and abettor.
+
+One fine morning, several months after their marriage, Isabelle said to
+de Sigognac, as if a sudden thought had struck her: “My dear lord, do
+you never think of your poor, deserted, old château? and have you no
+desire to return to the birthplace of our love?”
+
+“I am not so unfeeling as that, my darling, and I have thought of it
+longingly many times of late. But I did not like to propose the journey
+to you without being sure that it would please you. I did not like to
+tear you away from the delights of the court—of which you are the chief
+ornament—and take you to that poor, old, half-ruined mansion, the haunt
+of rats and owls, where I could not hope to make you even comfortable,
+yet, which I prefer, miserable as it is, to the most luxurious palaces;
+for it was the home of my ancestors, and the place where I first saw
+you, my heart’s delight!—spot ever sacred and dear to me, upon which I
+should like to erect an altar.”
+
+“And I,” rejoined Isabelle, “often wonder whether the eglantine in the
+garden still blooms, as it did for me.”
+
+“It does,” said de Sigognac, “I am sure of it—having once been blessed
+by your touch, it must be always blooming—even though there be none to
+see.”
+
+“Ah! my lord, unlike husbands in general, you are more gallant after
+marriage than before,” Isabelle said, laughingly, yet deeply touched by
+his tender words, “and you pay your wife compliments as if she were
+your ladylove. And now, since I have ascertained that your wishes
+accord with my whim, will it please your lordship to set out for the
+Château de Sigognac this week? The weather is fine. The great heat of
+summer is over, and we can really enjoy the journey. Vallombreuse will
+go with us, and I shall take Chiquita. She will be glad to see her own
+country again.”
+
+The needful preparations were soon made, and the travelling party set
+off in high spirits. The journey was rapid and delightful. Relays of
+horses had been sent on in advance by Vallombreuse, so that in a few
+days they reached the point where the road leading to the Château de
+Sigognac branched off from the great post-road. It was about two
+o’clock of a bright, warm afternoon when the carriage turned off the
+highway, and as they got, at the same moment, their first view of the
+château, de Sigognac could not believe the testimony of his own eyes—he
+was bewildered, dazzled, overwhelmed—he no longer recognised the
+familiar details which had been so deeply impressed upon his memory.
+All was changed, as if by magic. The road, smooth, free from grass and
+weeds, and freshly gravelled, had no more ruts; the hedges, neatly
+trimmed and properly tended, no longer reached out long, straggling
+arms to catch the rare passer-by; the tall trees on either side had
+been carefully pruned, so that their branches met in an arch overhead,
+and framed in a most astonishing picture. Instead of the dreary ruin,
+slowly crumbling into dust, a fine new château rose before
+them—resembling the old one as a son resembles his father. It was an
+exact reproduction—nothing had been changed, only renewed—it was simply
+the ancient mansion rejuvenated. The walls were smooth and unbroken,
+the lofty towers intact, rising proudly at the four angles of the
+building, with their freshly gilded weathercocks gleaming in the
+sunlight. A handsome new roof, tastefully ornamented with a pretty
+design in different coloured slates, had replaced the broken,
+weather-stained tiles, through which the rain used to find its way down
+into the frescoed hall, and the long suite of deserted rooms. Every
+window had bright large panes of clear glass shining in its casement,
+and a magnificent great door, turning smoothly and noiselessly upon its
+huge hinges, had superseded the old, worm-eaten one, that used to groan
+and creak piteously when opened ever so little. Above it shone the de
+Sigognac arms—three golden storks upon an azure field, with this noble
+motto—entirely obliterated of old—“Alta petunt.”
+
+For a few moments de Sigognac gazed at it all in silence, overcome by
+astonishment and emotion. Then he suddenly turned to Isabelle, with
+joyful surprise written in every line of his speaking countenance, and
+seizing her hands passionately, and holding them firmly clasped in his,
+said: “It is to you, my kind, generous fairy, that I owe this
+marvellous transformation of my poor, dilapidated, old château. You
+have touched it with your wand and restored its ancient splendour,
+majesty and youth. I cannot tell you how enchanted, how gratified I am
+by this wonderful surprise. It is unspeakably charming and delightful,
+like everything that emanates from my good angel. Without a word or
+hint from me, you have divined, and carried out, the secret and most
+earnest wish of my heart.”
+
+“You must also thank a certain sorcerer, who has greatly aided me in
+all this,” said Isabelle softly, touched by her husband’s emotion and
+delight, and pointing to Vallombreuse, who was sitting opposite to her.
+The two young men clasped hands for a moment, and smiled at each other
+in friendly fashion. There was a perfect under standing between these
+kindred spirits now, and no words were needed on either side.
+
+By this time the carriage had reached the château, where Pierre, in a
+fine new livery—and a tremor of delight—was waiting to receive them.
+After an affectionate, as well as respectful, greeting from the
+faithful old servant, they entered the grand portico, which had been,
+like all the rest, admirably restored, and, alighting from the
+carriage, paused a moment to admire its magnificent proportions ere
+they passed on into the frescoed hall, where eight or ten tall lackeys
+were drawn up in line, and bowed profoundly to their new master and
+mistress. Skilful artists had retouched the ancient frescoes, and made
+them glow with all their original brilliant tints. The colossal figures
+of Hercules were still supporting the heavy cornice, and the busts of
+the Roman emperors looked out majestically from their niches. Higher
+up, the vine climbing on its trellis was as luxuriant as in the olden
+time, and there were no unsightly stains on the bright blue sky of the
+vaulted roof to mar its beauty. A like metamorphosis had been worked
+everywhere—the worm-eaten woodwork had been renewed, the uneven floors
+relaid, the tarnished gilding restored to its original splendour—and
+the new furniture throughout had been made exactly like the old that it
+replaced. The fine old tapestry in de Sigognac’s own room had been
+minutely copied, down to the smallest detail, and the hangings of the
+bed were of green and white brocade, in precisely the same delicate
+tint and graceful pattern as the old.
+
+Isabelle, with her innate delicacy and perfect taste, had not aimed at
+producing a sensation, by any overwhelming magnificence or dazzling
+splendour in renovating the intrinsically fine old Château de Sigognac,
+but had simply wished to gratify and delight the heart of her husband,
+so tenderly loved, in giving back to him the impressions and
+surroundings of his childhood and youth, robbed of their misery and
+sadness. All was bright and gay now in this lordly mansion, erst so
+dreary and melancholy; even the sombre old family portraits, cleansed,
+retouched and revarnished by skilful hands, smiled down upon them, as
+if pleased with the new order of things; especially their own handsome,
+richly gilt frames.
+
+After looking through the interior of the château, de Sigognac and
+Isabelle went out into the court, where no weeds or nettles were to be
+seen, no grass growing up between the paving stones, no heaps of
+rubbish in the corners, and through the clear glass panes of the
+numerous windows looking into it were visible the folds of the rich
+curtains in the chambers that were formerly the favourite haunt of owls
+and bats. They went on down into the garden, by a noble flight of broad
+stone steps, no longer tottering and moss-grown, and turned first to
+seek the wild eglantine which had offered its delicate little rose to
+the young actress, on the memorable morning when the baron had decided
+to go forth from his ruined castle for love of her. It had another
+dainty blossom ready for her now, which Isabelle received from de
+Sigognac’s hand, with tears, that told of a happiness too deep for
+words, welling up into her eyes, and exchanged with her adored and
+adoring husband a long, fond look, that seemed to give to each a
+glimpse of heaven.
+
+The gardeners had been busy too, and had converted the neglected
+wilderness we made acquaintance with long ago into a veritable little
+paradise. At the end of the well-ordered and exquisitely arranged
+garden, Pomona still stood in her cool grotto, restored to all the
+beauty of her youth, while a stream of pure, sparkling water poured
+from the lion’s mouth, and fell with a musical murmur into the marble
+basin. Even in their best and most glorious days the garden and the
+château had never known greater beauty and luxury than now. The baron,
+ever more and more astonished and enchanted, as he rambled slowly
+through it all, like one in a delicious dream, kept Isabelle’s arm
+pressed tenderly to his heart, and was not ashamed to let her see the
+tears that at last he could no longer restrain, and which came from a
+very full heart.
+
+“Now,” said Isabelle, “that we have seen everything here, we must go
+and inspect the different pieces of property we have been able to buy
+back, so as to reconstruct, as nearly as possible, the ancient barony
+of Sigognac. I will leave you for a few moments, to go and put on my
+riding habit; I shall not be long, for I learned to make changes of
+that sort very rapidly in my old profession, you know. Will you,
+meantime, go and select our horses, and order that they should be made
+ready?”
+
+Vallombreuse accompanied de Sigognac to the stables, where they found
+ten splendid horses contentedly munching their oats in their oaken
+stalls. Everything was in perfect order, but ere the baron had time to
+admire and praise, as he wished to do, a loud whinnying that was almost
+deafening suddenly burst forth, as good old Bayard peremptorily claimed
+his attention. Isabelle had long ago sent orders to the château that
+the superannuated pony should always have the best place in the stable,
+and be tenderly cared for. His manger was full of ground oats, which he
+seemed to be enjoying with great gusto, and he evidently approved
+highly of the new regime. In his stall Miraut lay sleeping, but the
+sound of his master’s voice aroused him, and he joyfully jumped up and
+came to lick his hand, and claim the accustomed caress. As to
+Beelzebub, though he had not yet made his appearance, it must not be
+attributed to a want of affection on his part, but rather to an excess
+of timidity. The poor old cat had been so unsettled and alarmed at the
+invasion of the quiet château by an army of noisy workmen, and all the
+confusion and changes that had followed, that he had fled from his
+usual haunts, and taken up his abode in a remote attic; where he lay in
+concealment, impatiently waiting for darkness to come, so that he might
+venture out to pay his respects to his beloved master.
+
+The baron, after petting Bayard and Miraut until they were in ecstasies
+of delight, chose from among the horses a beautiful, spirited chestnut
+for himself, the duke selected a Spanish jennet, with proudly arched
+neck and flowing mane, which was worthy to carry an Infanta, and an
+exquisite white palfrey, whose skin shone like satin, was brought out
+for the _baronne_. In a few moments Isabelle came down, attired in a
+superb riding habit, which consisted of a dark blue velvet basque,
+richly braided with silver, over a long, ample skirt of silver-gray
+satin, and her broad hat of white felt, like a cavalier’s, was trimmed
+with a floating, dark blue feather. Her beautiful hair was confined in
+the most coquettish little blue and silver net, and as she came
+forward, radiant with smiles, she was a vision of loveliness, that drew
+forth fervent exclamations of delight from her two devoted and adoring
+knights. The Baronne de Sigognac certainly was enchantingly beautiful
+in her rich equestrian costume, which displayed the perfection of her
+slender, well-rounded figure to the greatest advantage, and there was a
+high-bred, dainty look about her which bore silent witness to her
+illustrious origin. She was still the sweet, modest Isabelle of old,
+but she was also the daughter of a mighty prince, the sister of a proud
+young duke, and the honoured wife of a valiant gentleman, whose race
+had been noble since before the crusades. Vallombreuse, remarking it,
+could not forbear to say: “My dearest sister, how magnificent you look
+to-day! Hippolyte, queen of the Amazons, was never more superb, or more
+triumphantly beautiful, than you are in this most becoming costume.”
+
+Isabelle smiled in reply, as she put her pretty little foot into de
+Sigognac’s hand, and sprang lightly into her saddle.
+
+Her husband and brother mounted also, and the little cavalcade set
+forth in high glee, making the vaulted portico ring with their merry
+laughter, as they rode through it. Just in front of the château they
+met the Marquis de Bruyères, and several other gentlemen of the
+neighbourhood, coming to pay their respects. They wished to go back
+into the château and receive their guests properly, saying that they
+could ride out at any time, but the visitors would not listen to such a
+thing, and turning their horses’ heads proposed to ride with them. The
+party, increased by six or eight cavaliers in gala dress—for the
+provincial lordlings had made themselves as fine as possible to do
+honour to their new neighbours—was really very imposing; a cortege
+worthy of a princess. They rode on between broad green fields, through
+woods and groves and highly cultivated farms, all of which had now been
+restored to the estate they had originally belonged to; and the
+grateful, adoring glances that the Baron de Sigognac found opportunity
+to bestow upon his lovely _baronne_, made her heart beat high with a
+happiness almost too perfect for this weary world of trials and
+sorrows.
+
+As they were riding through a little pine wood, near the boundary line
+of the estate, the barking of hounds was heard, and presently the party
+met the beautiful Yolande de Foix, followed by her old uncle, and one
+or two attendant cavaliers. The road was very narrow, and there was
+scarcely room to pass, though each party endeavoured to make way for
+the other. Yolande’s horse was prancing about restively, and the skirt
+of her long riding-habit brushed Isabelle’s as she passed her. She was
+furiously angry, and sorely tempted to address some cutting words to
+the “_Bohémienne_” she had once so cruelly insulted; but Isabelle, who
+had a soul above such petty malice, and had long ago forgiven Yolande
+for her unprovoked insolence, felt how much her own triumph must wound
+the other’s proud spirit, and with perfect dignity and grace bowed to
+Mlle. de Foix, who could not do less than respond by a slight
+inclination of her haughty head, though her heart was filled with rage,
+and she had much ado to control herself. The Baron de Sigognac, with a
+quiet, unembarrassed air, had bowed respectfully to the fair huntress,
+who looked eagerly, but in vain, into the eyes of her former adorer for
+a spark of the old flame that used to blaze up in them at sight of her.
+Angry and disappointed, she gave her horse a sharp cut with the whip,
+and swept away at a gallop.
+
+“Now, by Venus and all the Loves,” said Vallombreuse to the Marquis de
+Bruyères, beside whom he was riding, “that girl is a beauty, but she
+looked deucedly savage and cross. How she did glare at my sister, eh!
+as if she wanted to stab her.”
+
+“When one has long been the acknowledged queen of a neighbourhood,” the
+marquis replied, “it is not pleasant to be dethroned, you know, and
+every one must admit that Mme. la Baronne de Sigognac bears off the
+palm.”
+
+The gay cavalcade, after a long ride, returned to the château, to find
+a sumptuous repast awaiting them in the magnificent banqueting hall,
+where the poor young baron had once supped with the wandering
+comedians, upon their own provisions. What a transformation had been
+effected! now a superb service of silver, bearing the family arms,
+shone upon the fine damask that covered the table, in which also the
+three storks were apparent, while beautiful porcelain and dainty glass,
+lovely flowers and luscious fruits contributed to the attractions of
+the bountifully furnished board. Isabelle sat in the same place she had
+occupied on the eventful night that had changed the destiny of the
+young lord of the château, and she could not but think of, and live
+over, that widely different occasion, as did also the baron, and the
+married lovers exchanged furtive smiles and glances, in which tender
+memories and bright hopes were happily mingled.
+
+Near one of the tall buffets stood a large, fine-looking man with a
+thick black beard, dressed in black velvet, and wearing a massive chain
+of silver round his neck, who kept a watchful eye upon the numerous
+lackeys waiting on the guests, and from time to time gave an order,
+with a most majestic air. Presiding over another buffet, on which were
+neatly arranged numerous wine-bottles of different forms and
+dimensions, was another elderly man, of short, corpulent figure, and
+with a jolly red face, who stepped about actively and lightly, despite
+his age and weight, dispensing the wine to the servants as it was
+needed. At first de Sigognac did not notice them, but chancing to
+glance in their direction, was astonished to recognise in the first the
+tragic Hérode, and in the second the grotesque Blazius. Isabelle,
+seeing that her husband had become aware of their presence, whispered
+to him, that in order to provide for the old age of those two devoted
+and faithful friends she had thought it well to give them superior
+positions in their household; in which they would have only easy duties
+to perform, as they had to direct others in their work, not to do any
+themselves; and the baron heartily approved and commended what his
+sweet young wife, ever considerate for others, had been pleased to do.
+
+Course succeeded to course, and bottle to bottle—there was much
+laughing and talking around the convivial board, and the host was
+exerting himself to do honour to the festive occasion, when he felt a
+head laid on his knee, and a tattoo vigorously played by a pair of paws
+on his leg that was well known to him of old. Miraut and Beelzebub, who
+had slipped into the room, and under the table, without being detected,
+thus announced their presence to their indulgent master. He did not
+repulse them, but managed, without attracting notice, to give them a
+share of everything on his plate, and was especially amused at the
+almost insatiable voracity of the old black cat—who had evidently been
+fasting in his hiding-place in the attic. He actually seemed to enjoy,
+like an epicure, the rich and dainty viands that had replaced the
+frugal fare of long ago, and ate so much that when the meal was over he
+could scarcely stand, and made his way with difficulty into his
+master’s bed-chamber, where he curled himself up in a luxurious
+arm-chair and settled down comfortably for the night.
+
+Vallombreuse kept pace with the Marquis de Bruyères, and the other
+guests, in disposing of the choice wines, that did credit to the
+pedant’s selection; but de Sigognac, who had not lost his temperate
+habits, only touched his lips to the edge of his wine-glass, and made a
+pretence of keeping them company. Isabelle, under pretext of fatigue,
+had withdrawn when the dessert was placed upon the table. She really
+was very tired, and sent at once for Chiquita, now promoted to the
+dignity of first lady’s maid, to come and perform her nightly duties.
+The wild, untutored child had—under Isabelle’s judicious, tender and
+careful training—developed into a quiet, industrious and very beautiful
+young girl. She still wore mourning for Agostino, and around her neck
+was the famous string of pearl beads—it was a sacred treasure to
+Chiquita, and she was never seen without it. She attended to her duties
+quickly and deftly—evidently taking great delight in waiting upon the
+mistress she adored—and kissed her hand passionately, as she never
+failed to do, when all was finished and she bade her good-night.
+
+When, an hour later, de Sigognac entered the room in which he had spent
+so many weary, lonely nights—listening to the wind as it shrieked and
+moaned round the outside of the desolate château, and wailed along the
+corridors-feeling that life was a hard and bitter thing, and fancying
+that it would never bring anything but trials and misery to him—he saw,
+by the subdued light from the shaded lamp, the face to him most
+beautiful in all the world smiling lovingly to greet him from under the
+green and white silken curtains that hung round his own bed, where it
+lay resting upon the pillow he had so often kissed, and moistened with
+his tears. His eyes were moist now—but from excess of happiness, not
+sorrow—as he saw before him the blessed, blissful realization of his
+vision.
+
+Towards morning Beelzebub, who had been excessively uneasy and restless
+all night, managed, with great difficulty, to clamber up on the bed,
+where he rubbed his nose against his master’s hand—trying at the same
+time to purr in the old way, but failing lamentably. The baron woke
+instantly, and saw poor Beelzebub looking at him appealingly, with his
+great green eyes unnaturally dilated, and momentarily growing dim; he
+was trembling violently, and as his master’s kind hand was stretched
+out to stroke his head, fell over on his side, and with one
+half-stifled cry, one convulsive shudder, breathed his last.
+
+“Poor Beelzebub!” softly said Isabelle, who had been roused from her
+sweet slumber by his dying groan, “he has lived through all the misery
+of the old time, but will not be here to share and enjoy the prosperity
+of the new.”
+
+Beelzebub, it must be confessed, fell a victim to his own
+intemperance—a severe fit of indigestion, consequent upon the enormous
+supper he had eaten, was the cause of his death—his long-famished
+stomach was not accustomed to, nor proof against, such excesses. This
+death, even though it was only that of a dumb beast, touched de
+Sigognac deeply; for poor Beelzebub had been his faithful companion,
+night and day, through many long, weary years of sadness and poverty,
+and had always shown the warmest, most devoted affection for him. He
+carefully wrapped the body in a piece of fine, soft cloth, and waited,
+until evening should come, to bury it himself; when he would be safe
+from observation and possible ridicule. Accordingly, after nightfall,
+he took a spade, a lantern, and poor Beelzebub’s body, which was stiff
+and stark by that time, and went down into the garden, where he set to
+work to dig the grave, under the sacred eglantine, in what seemed to
+him like hallowed ground. He wanted to make it deep enough to insure
+its not being disturbed by any roaming beast of prey, and worked away
+diligently, until his spade struck sharply against some hard substance,
+that he at first thought must be a large stone, or piece of rock
+perhaps. He attempted, in various ways, to dislodge it, but all in
+vain, and it gave out such a peculiar, hollow sound at every blow, that
+at last he threw down his spade and took the lantern to see what the
+strange obstacle might be.
+
+He was greatly surprised at finding the corner of a stout oaken chest,
+strengthened with iron bands, much rusted, but still intact. He dug all
+round it, and then, using his spade as a lever, succeeded in raising
+it, though it was very heavy, to the edge of the hole, and sliding it
+out on the grass beside it; then he put poor Beelzebub into the place
+it had occupied, and filled up the grave. He carefully smoothed it
+over, replaced the sod, and when all was finished to his satisfaction,
+went in search of his faithful old Pierre, upon whose discretion and
+secrecy he knew that he could rely. Together they carried the
+mysterious strong box into the château, but not without great
+difficulty and frequent pauses to rest, because of its immense weight.
+Pierre broke open the chest with an axe, and the cover sprang back,
+disclosing to view a mass of gold coins—all ancient, and many of them
+foreign. Upon examination, a quantity of valuable jewelry, set with
+precious stones, was found mingled with the gold, and, under all, a
+piece of parchment, with a huge seal attached, bearing the three storks
+of the de Sigognacs, still in a good state of preservation; but the
+writing was almost entirely obliterated by dampness and mould. The
+signature, however, was still visible, and letter by letter the baron
+spelled it out—“Raymond de Sigognac.” It was the name of one of his
+ancestors, who had gone to serve his king and country in the war then
+raging, and never returned; leaving the mystery of his death, or
+disappearance, unsolved. He had only one child, an infant son, and when
+he left home—in those troublous times—must have buried all his
+treasures for safety, and they had remained undiscovered until this
+late day. Doubtless, he had confided the secret of their whereabouts to
+some trusty friend or retainer, who, perhaps, had died suddenly before
+he could disclose it to the rightful heir. From the time of that
+Raymond began the decadence of the de Sigognacs, who, previous to that
+epoch, had always been wealthy and powerful.
+
+Of course, the mystery about this treasure—so strangely brought to
+light—could never be cleared up now; but one thing was certain, beyond
+a question or a doubt, that the strong box and its contents belonged of
+right to the present Baron de Sigognac—the only living representative
+of the family. His first move was to seek his generous, devoted wife,
+so that he might show her the mysterious treasure he had found, and
+claim her sweet sympathy in his joy, which would be incomplete without
+it. After relating to her all the surprising incidents of the evening,
+he finished by saying, “Decidedly, Beelzebub was the good genius of the
+de Sigognacs—through his means I have become rich—and now that my
+blessed angel has come to me he has taken his departure; for there is
+nothing else left for him to do, since you, my love, have given me
+perfect happiness.”
+
+
+
+
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+<div style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Captain Fracasse, by Théophile Gautier</div>
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
+most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
+whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
+of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online
+at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you
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+country where you are located before using this eBook.
+</div>
+<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: Captain Fracasse</div>
+<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Théophile Gautier</div>
+<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Translator: Ellen Murray Beam</div>
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: March, 1998 [eBook #1235]<br />
+[Most recently updated: June 17, 2021]</div>
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</div>
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Character set encoding: UTF-8</div>
+<div style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Produced by: Dianne Bean and David Widger</div>
+<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CAPTAIN FRACASSE ***</div>
+
+<h1>Captain Fracasse</h1>
+
+<h2 class="no-break">by Théophile Gautier</h2>
+
+<hr />
+
+<h2>Contents</h2>
+
+<table summary="" style="">
+
+
+
+<tr>
+<td> <a href="#chap01">CHAPTER I. CASTLE MISERY</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td> <a href="#chap02">CHAPTER II THE CHARIOT OF THESPIS</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td> <a href="#chap03">CHAPTER III THE BLUE SUN INN</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td> <a href="#chap04">CHAPTER IV AN ADVENTURE WITH BRIGANDS</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td> <a href="#chap05">CHAPTER V AT THE CHATEAU DE BRUYERES</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td> <a href="#chap06">CHAPTER VI A SNOW-STORM AND ITS CONSEQUENCES</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td> <a href="#chap07">CHAPTER VII CAPTAIN FRACASSE</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td> <a href="#chap08">CHAPTER VIII THE DUKE OF VALLOMBREUSE</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td> <a href="#chap09">CHAPTER IX A MELEE AND A DUEL</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td> <a href="#chap10">CHAPTER X A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td> <a href="#chap11">CHAPTER XI THE PONT-NEUF</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td> <a href="#chap12">CHAPTER XII THE CROWNED RADISH</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td> <a href="#chap13">CHAPTER XIII A DOUBLE ATTACK</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td> <a href="#chap14">CHAPTER XIV LAMPOURDE&rsquo;S DELICACY</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td> <a href="#chap15">CHAPTER XV MALARTIC AT WORK</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td> <a href="#chap16">CHAPTER XVI VALLOMBREUSE</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td> <a href="#chap17">CHAPTER XVII THE AMETHYST RING</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td> <a href="#chap18">CHAPTER XVIII A FAMILY PARTY</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td> <a href="#chap19">CHAPTER XIX NETTLES AND COBWEBS</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td> <a href="#chap20">CHAPTER XX CHIQUITA&rsquo;S DECLARATION OF LOVE</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td> <a href="#chap21">CHAPTER XXI HYMEN! OH HYMEN!</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+<tr>
+<td> <a href="#chap22">CHAPTER XXII THE CASTLE OF HAPPINESS</a></td>
+</tr>
+
+</table>
+
+<div class="chapter">
+
+<h2>CAPTAIN FRACASSE</h2>
+
+</div><!--end chapter-->
+
+<div class="chapter">
+
+<h2><a name="chap01"></a>CHAPTER I.<br/>
+CASTLE MISERY</h2>
+
+<p>
+Upon the southern slope of one of those barren hills that rise abruptly here
+and there in the desolate expanse of the Landes, in South-western France,
+stood, in the reign of Louis XIII, a gentleman&rsquo;s residence, such as
+abound in Gascony, and which the country people dignify by the name of château.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Two tall towers, with extinguisher tops, mounted guard at the angles of the
+mansion, and gave it rather a feudal air. The deep grooves upon its facade
+betrayed the former existence of a draw-bridge, rendered unnecessary now by the
+filling up of the moat, while the towers were draped for more than half their
+height with a most luxuriant growth of ivy, whose deep, rich green contrasted
+happily with the ancient gray walls.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A traveller, seeing from afar the steep pointed roof and lofty towers standing
+out against the sky, above the furze and heather that crowned the hill-top,
+would have pronounced it a rather imposing château&mdash;the residence probably
+of some provincial magnate; but as he drew near would have quickly found reason
+to change his opinion. The road which led to it from the highway was entirely
+overgrown with moss and weeds, save a narrow pathway in the centre, though two
+deep ruts, full of water, and inhabited by a numerous family of frogs, bore
+mute witness to the fact that carriages had once passed that way.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The roof, of dark red tiles, was disfigured by many large, leprous-looking,
+yellow patches, while in some places the decayed rafters had given way, leaving
+formidable gaps. The numerous weather-cocks that surmounted the towers and
+chimneys were so rusted that they could no longer budge an inch, and pointed
+persistently in various directions. The high dormer windows were partially
+closed by old wooden shutters, warped, split, and in every stage of
+dilapidation; broken stones filled up the loop-holes and openings in the
+towers; of the twelve large windows in the front of the house, eight were
+boarded up; the remaining four had small diamond-shaped panes of thick,
+greenish glass, fitting so loosely in their leaden frames that they shook and
+rattled at every breath of wind; between these windows a great deal of the
+stucco had fallen off, leaving the rough wall exposed to view.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Above the grand old entrance door, whose massive stone frame and lintel
+retained traces of rich ornamentation, almost obliterated by time and neglect,
+was sculptured a coat of arms, now so defaced that the most accomplished adept
+in heraldry would not be able to decipher it. Only one leaf of the great double
+door was ever opened now, for not many guests were received or entertained at
+the château in these days of its decadence. Swallows had built their nests in
+every available nook about it, and but for a slender thread of smoke rising
+spirally from a chimney at the back of this dismal, half-ruined mansion, the
+traveller would have surely believed it to be uninhabited. This was the only
+sign of life visible about the whole place, like the little cloud upon the
+mirror from the breath of a dying man, which alone gives evidence that he still
+lives.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Upon pushing open the practicable leaf of the great worm-eaten door, which
+yielded reluctantly, and creaked dolefully as it turned upon its rusty hinges,
+the curious visitor entered a sort of portico, more ancient than the rest of
+the building, with fine, large columns of bluish granite, and a lofty vaulted
+roof. At the point of intersection of the arches was a stone shield, bearing
+the same coat of arms that was sculptured over the entrance without. This one
+was in somewhat better preservation than the other, and seemed to bear
+something resembling three golden storks (cigognes) on an azure field; though
+it was so much in shadow, and so faded and dingy, that it was impossible to
+make it out clearly. Fastened to the wall, at a convenient height from the
+ground, were great iron extinguishers, blackened by the smoke from torches in
+long by-gone years, and also iron rings, to which the guests&rsquo; horses were
+made fast in the olden times, when the castle was in its glory. The dust that
+lay thick upon them now showed that it was long since they had been made use
+of.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+From this portico&mdash;whence a door on either side opened into the main
+building; one leading into a long suite of apartments on the ground floor, and
+the other into what had probably been a guard-room&mdash;the explorer passed
+into an interior court, dismal, damp, and bare. In the corners nettles and
+various rank weeds were growing riotously amid the great heaps of rubbish
+fallen from the crumbling cornice high above, and grass had sprung up
+everywhere in the crevices of the stone pavement. Opposite the entrance a
+flight of dilapidated, shaky steps, with a heavy stone balustrade, led down
+into a neglected garden, which was gradually becoming a perfect thicket.
+Excepting in one small bed, where a few cabbages were growing, there was no
+attempt at cultivation, and nature had reasserted her rights everywhere else in
+this abandoned spot, taking, apparently, a fierce delight in effacing all
+traces of man&rsquo;s labour. The fruit trees threw out irregular branches
+without fear of the pruning knife; the box, intended to form a narrow border to
+the curiously shaped flower-beds and grass-plots, had grown up unchecked into
+huge, bushy shrubs, while a great variety of sturdy weeds had usurped the
+places formerly devoted to choice plants and beautiful, fragrant flowers.
+Brambles, bristling with sharp thorns, which had thrown their long, straggling
+arms across the paths, caught and tried to hold back any bold adventurer who
+attempted to penetrate into the mysterious depths of this desolate wilderness.
+Solitude is averse to being surprised in dishabille, and surrounds herself with
+all sorts of defensive obstacles.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+However, the courageous explorer who persisted in following the ancient,
+overgrown alley, and was not to be daunted by formidable briers that tore his
+hands and clothing, nor low-hanging, closely interlaced branches that struck
+him smart blows in the face as he forced his way through them, would have
+reached at last a sort of rocky niche, fancifully arranged as a grotto. Besides
+the masses of ivy, iris and gladiolus, that had been carefully planted long ago
+in the interstices of the rock, it was draped with a profusion of graceful wild
+vines and feathery ferns, which half-veiled the marble statue, representing
+some mythological divinity, that still stood in this lonely retreat. It must
+have been intended for Flora or Pomona, but now there were tufts of repulsive,
+venomous-looking mushrooms in the pretty, graceful, little basket on her arm,
+instead of the sculptured fruit or flowers that should have filled it. Although
+her nose was broken, and her fair body disfigured by many dark stains, and
+overgrown in part with clinging mosses, it could still plainly be seen that she
+had once been very lovely. At her feet was a marble basin, shaped like a shell,
+half full of discoloured, stagnant water; the lion&rsquo;s head just above it,
+now almost entirely concealed by a thick curtain of leaves, no longer poured
+forth the sparkling stream that used to fall into it with a musical murmur.
+This little grotto, with its fountain and statue, bore witness to former
+wealth; and also to the aesthetic taste of some long-dead owner of the domain.
+The marble goddess was in the Florentine style of the Renaissance, and probably
+the work of one of those Italian sculptors who followed in the train of del
+Rosso or Primaticcio, when they came to France at the bidding of that generous
+patron of the arts, Francis I; which time was also, apparently, the epoch of
+the greatest prosperity of this noble family, now so utterly fallen into decay.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Behind the grotto rose a high wall, built of stone, crumbling and mouldy now,
+but still bearing some broken remains of trellis-work, evidently intended to be
+covered with creepers that would entirely conceal the wall itself with a rich
+tapestry of verdure. This was the limit of the garden; beyond stretched the
+wide expanse of the sandy, barren Landes, flecked here and there with patches
+of scanty heather, and scattered groves of pine trees.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Turning back towards the château it became apparent that this side of it was
+even more neglected and ruinous than the one we have already described; the
+recent poverty-stricken owners having tried to keep up appearances as far as
+possible, and concentrated their efforts upon the front of their dilapidated
+abode. In the stable, where were stalls for twenty horses, a miserable, old,
+white pony stood at an empty manger, nibbling disconsolately at a scanty truss
+of hay, and frequently turning his sunken, lack-lustre eyes expectantly towards
+the door. In front of an extensive kennel, where the lord of the manor used to
+keep a whole pack of hounds, a single dog, pathetically thin, lay sleeping
+tranquilly and soundly, apparently so accustomed to the unbroken solitude of
+the place that he had abandoned all habits of watchfulness.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Entering the château the visitor found himself in a broad and lofty hall,
+containing a grand old staircase, with a richly carved, wooden
+balustrade&mdash;a good deal broken and defaced now, like everything else in
+this doleful Castle Misery. The walls had been elaborately frescoed,
+representing colossal figures of Hercules supporting brackets upon which rested
+the heavily ornamented cornice. Springing from it fantastic vines climbed
+upward on the arched ceiling, and above them the blue sky, faded and dingy, was
+grotesquely variegated with dark spots, caused by the water filtering through
+from the dilapidated roof. Between the oft-repeated figures of Hercules were
+frescoed niches, wherein heads of Roman emperors and other illustrious
+historical characters had been depicted in glowing tints; but all were so vague
+and dim now that they were but the ghosts of pictures, which should be
+described with the shadows of words&mdash;ordinary terms are too substantial to
+apply to them. The very echoes in this deserted hall seemed startled and amazed
+as they repeated and multiplied the unwonted sound of footsteps.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A door near the head of the first flight of stairs opened into what had
+evidently been the great banqueting hall in the old days when sumptuous repasts
+and numerous guests were not uncommon things in the château. A huge beam
+divided the lofty ceiling into two compartments, which were crossed at regular
+intervals by smaller joists, richly carved, and retaining some traces of
+gilding. The spaces between had been originally of a deep blue tint, almost
+lost now under the thick coating of dust and spiders&rsquo; webs that no
+housemaid&rsquo;s mop ever invaded. Above the grand old chimney-piece was a
+noble stag&rsquo;s head, with huge, spreading antlers, and on the walls hung
+rows of ancient family portraits, so faded and mouldy now that most of the
+faces had a ghastly hue, and at night, by the dim, flickering lamp-light, they
+looked like a company of spectres. Nothing in the world is sadder than a
+collection of old portraits hanging thus, neglected and forgotten, in deserted
+halls&mdash;representations, half obliterated themselves, of forms and faces
+long since returned to dust. Yet these painted phantoms were most appropriate
+inhabitants of this desolate abode; real living people would have seemed out of
+place in the death-stricken house.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In the middle of the room stood an immense dining-table of dark, polished wood,
+much worm-eaten, and gradually falling into decay. Two tall buffets,
+elaborately carved and ornamented, stood on opposite sides of the room, with
+only a few odd pieces of Palissy ware, representing lizards, crabs, and
+shell-fish, reposing on shiny green leaves, and two or three delicate
+wine-glasses of quaint patterns remaining upon the shelves where gold and
+silver plate used to glitter in rich profusion, as was the mode in France. The
+handsome old chairs, with their high, carved backs and faded velvet cushions,
+that had been so firm and luxurious once, were tottering and insecure; but it
+mattered little, since no one ever came to sit in them now round the festive
+board, and they stood against the wall in prim order, under the rows of family
+portraits.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A smaller room opened out of this one, hung round with faded, moth-eaten
+tapestry. In one corner stood a large bed, with four tall, twisted columns and
+long, ample curtains of rich brocade, which had been delicate green and white,
+but now were of a dingy, yellowish hue, and cut completely through from top to
+bottom in every fold. An ebony table, with some pretty gilded ornaments still
+clinging to it, a mirror dim with age, and two large arm-chairs, covered with
+worn and faded embroidery, that had been wrought by the fair fingers of some
+noble dame long since dead and forgotten, completed the furniture of this
+dismal chamber.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In these two rooms were the latticed windows seen in the front of the château,
+and over them still hung long sweeping curtains, so tattered and moth-eaten
+that they were almost falling to pieces. Profound silence reigned here,
+unbroken save by occasional scurrying and squeaking of mice behind the
+wainscot, the gnawing of rats in the wall, or the ticking of the death-watch.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+From the tapestried chamber a door opened into a long suite of deserted rooms,
+which were lofty and of noble proportions, but devoid of furniture, and given
+up to dust, spiders, and rats. The apartments on the floor above them were the
+home of great numbers of bats, owls, and jackdaws, who found ready ingress
+through the large holes in the roof. Every evening they flew forth in flocks,
+with much flapping of wings, and weird, melancholy cries and shrieks, in search
+of the food not to be found in the immediate vicinity of this forlorn mansion.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The apartments on the ground floor contained nothing but a few bundles of
+straw, a heap of corn-cobs, and some antiquated gardening implements. In one of
+them, however, was a rude bed, covered with a single, coarse blanket;
+presumably that of the only domestic remaining in the whole establishment.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was from the kitchen chimney that the little spiral of smoke escaped which
+was seen from without. A few sticks were burning in the wide, old-fashioned
+fireplace, but the flames looked pale under the bright light that streamed down
+upon them through the broad, straight flue. The pot that hung from the clumsy
+iron crane was boiling sleepily, and if the curious visitor could have peeped
+into it he would have seen that the little cabbage bed in the garden had
+contributed of its produce to the <i>pot-au-feu</i>. An old black cat was
+sitting as close to the fire as he could without singeing his whiskers, and
+gravely watching the simmering pot with longing eyes. His ears had been closely
+cropped, and he had not a vestige of a tail, so that he looked like one of
+those grotesque Japanese chimeras that everybody is familiar with. Upon the
+table, near at hand, a white plate, a tin drinking cup, and a china dish,
+bearing the family arms stamped in blue, were neatly arranged, evidently in
+readiness for somebody&rsquo;s supper. For a long time the cat remained
+perfectly motionless, intently watching the pot which had almost ceased to boil
+as the fire got low, and the silence continued unbroken; but at last a slow,
+heavy step was heard approaching from without, and presently the door opened to
+admit an old man, who looked half peasant, half gentleman&rsquo;s servant. The
+black cat immediately quitted his place by the fire and went to meet him;
+rubbing himself against the newcomer&rsquo;s legs, arching his back and purring
+loudly; testifying his joy in every way possible to him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Well, well, Beelzebub,&rdquo; said the old man, bending down and
+stroking him affectionately, &ldquo;are you really so glad to see me? Yes, I
+know you are, and it pleases me, old fellow, so it does. We are so lonely here,
+my poor young master and I, that even the welcome of a dumb beast is not to be
+despised. They do say that you have no soul, Beelzebub, but you certainly do
+love us, and understand most times what we say to you too.&rdquo; These
+greetings exchanged, Beelzebub led the way back to the fire, and then with
+beseeching eyes, looking alternately from the face of his friend to the
+<i>pot-au-feu</i>, seemed mutely begging for his share of its contents. Poor
+Beelzebub was growing so old that he could no longer catch as many rats and
+mice as his appetite craved, and he was evidently very hungry.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Pierre, that was the old servant&rsquo;s name, threw more wood on the
+smouldering fire, and then sat down on a settle in the chimney corner, inviting
+his companion&mdash;who had to wait still for his supper as patiently as he
+might&mdash;to take a seat beside him. The firelight shone full upon the old
+man&rsquo;s honest, weather-beaten face, the few scattered locks of snow-white
+hair escaping from under his dark blue woollen cap, his thick, black eyebrows
+and deep wrinkles. He had the usual characteristics of the Basque race; a long
+face, hooked nose, and dark, gipsy-like complexion. He wore a sort of livery,
+which was so old and threadbare that it would be impossible to make out its
+original colour, and his stiff, soldier-like carriage and movements proclaimed
+that he had at some time in his life served in a military capacity. &ldquo;The
+young master is late to-night,&rdquo; he muttered to himself, as the daylight
+faded. &ldquo;What possible pleasure can he find in these long, solitary
+rambles over the dunes? It is true though that it is so dreary here, in this
+lonely, dismal house, that any other place is preferable.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At this moment a joyous barking was heard without, the old pony in the stable
+stamped and whinnied, and the cat jumped down from his place beside Pierre and
+trotted off towards the door with great alacrity. In an instant the latch was
+lifted, and the old servant rose, taking off his woollen cap respectfully, as
+his master came into the kitchen. He was preceded by the poor old dog, trying
+to jump up on him, but falling back every time without being able to reach his
+face, and Beelzebub seemed to welcome them both&mdash;showing no evidence of
+the antipathy usually existing between the feline and canine races; on the
+contrary, receiving Miraut with marks of affection which were fully
+reciprocated.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The Baron de Sigognac, for it was indeed the lord of the manor who now entered,
+was a young man of five or six and twenty; though at first sight he seemed much
+older, because of the deep gravity, even sadness, of his demeanour; the feeling
+of utter powerlessness which poverty brings having effectually chased away all
+the natural piety and light-heartedness of youth. Dark circles surrounded his
+sunken eyes, his cheeks were hollow, his mustache drooped in a sorrowful curve
+over his sad mouth. His long black hair was negligently pushed back from his
+pale face, and showed a want of care remarkable in a young man who was
+strikingly handsome, despite his doleful desponding expression. The constant
+pressure of a crushing grief had drawn sorrowful lines in a countenance that a
+little animation would have rendered charming. All the elasticity and
+hopefulness natural to his age seemed to have been lost in his useless
+struggles against an unhappy fate. Though his frame was lithe, vigorous, and
+admirably proportioned, all his movements were slow and apathetic, like those
+of an old man. His gestures were entirely devoid of animation, his whole
+expression inert, and it was evidently a matter of perfect indifference to him
+where he might chance to find himself at home, in his dismal château, or abroad
+in the desolate Landes.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He had on an old gray felt hat, much too large for him, with a dingy, shabby
+feather, that drooped as if it felt heartily ashamed of itself, and the
+miserable condition to which it was reduced. A broad collar of guipure lace,
+ragged in many places, was turned down over a just-au-corps, which had been cut
+for a taller and much stouter man than the slender, young baron. The sleeves of
+his doublet were so long that they fell over his hands, which were small and
+shapely, and there were large iron spurs on the clumsy, old-fashioned
+riding-boots he wore. These shabby, antiquated clothes had belonged to his
+father; they were made according to the fashion that prevailed during the
+preceding reign; and the poor young nobleman, whose appearance in them was both
+ridiculous and touching, might have been taken for one of his own ancestors.
+Although he tenderly cherished his father&rsquo;s memory, and tears often came
+into his eyes as he put on these garments that had seemed actually a part of
+him, yet it was not from choice that young de Sigognac availed himself of the
+paternal wardrobe. Unfortunately he had no other clothes, save those of his
+boyhood, long ago outgrown, and so he was thankful to have these, distasteful
+as they could not fail to be to him. The peasants, who had been accustomed to
+hold them in respect when worn by their old seignior, did not think it strange
+or absurd to see them on his youthful successor; just as they did not seem to
+notice or be aware of the half-ruined condition of the château. It had come so
+gradually that they were thoroughly used to it, and took it as a matter of
+course. The Baron de Sigognac, though poverty-stricken and forlorn, was still
+in their eyes the noble lord of the manor; the decadence of the family did not
+strike them at all as it would a stranger; and yet it was a grotesquely
+melancholy sight to see the poor young nobleman pass by, in his shabby old
+clothes, on his miserable old pony, and followed by his forlorn old dog.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The baron sat down in silence at the table prepared for him, having recognised
+Pierre&rsquo;s respectful salute by a kindly gesture. The old servant
+immediately busied himself in serving his master&rsquo;s frugal supper; first
+pouring the hot soup&mdash;which was of that kind, popular among the poor
+peasantry of Gascony, called &ldquo;garbure&rdquo;&mdash;upon some bread cut
+into small pieces in an earthen basin, which he set before the baron; then,
+fetching from the cupboard a dish of bacon, cold, and cooked in Gascon fashion,
+he placed that also upon the table, and had nothing else to add to this meagre
+repast. The baron ate it slowly, with an absent air, while Miraut and
+Beelzebub, one on each side of him, received their full share from his kind
+hand.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The supper finished, he fell into a deep reverie. Miraut had laid his head
+caressingly upon his master&rsquo;s knee, and looked up into his face with
+loving, intelligent eyes, somewhat dimmed by age, but still seeming to
+understand his thoughts and sympathize with his sadness. Beelzebub purred
+loudly meantime, and occasionally mewed plaintively to attract his attention,
+while Pierre stood in a respectful attitude, cap in hand, at a little distance,
+motionless as a statue, waiting patiently until his master&rsquo;s wandering
+thoughts should return. By this time the darkness had fallen, and the
+flickering radiance from the few sticks blazing in the great fireplace made
+strange effects of light and shade in the spacious old kitchen. It was a sad
+picture; this last scion of a noble race, formerly rich and powerful, left
+wandering like an uneasy ghost in the castle of his ancestors, with but one
+faithful old servant remaining to him of the numerous retinue of the olden
+times; one poor old dog, half starved, and gray with age, where used to be a
+pack of thirty hounds; one miserable, superannuated pony in the stable where
+twenty horses had been wont to stand; and one old cat to beg for caresses from
+his hand.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At last the baron roused himself, and signed to Pierre that he wished to retire
+to his own chamber; whereupon the servant lighted a pine knot at the fire, and
+preceded his master up the stairs, Miraut and Beelzebub accompanying them. The
+smoky, flaring light of the torch made the faded figures on the wall seem to
+waver and move as they passed through the hall and up the broad staircase, and
+gave a strange, weird expression to the family portraits that looked down upon
+this little procession as it moved by below them. When they reached the
+tapestried chamber Pierre lighted a little copper lamp, and then bade the baron
+good-night, followed by Miraut as he retraced his steps to the kitchen; but
+Beelzebub, being a privileged character, remained, and curled himself up
+comfortably in one of the old arm-chairs, while his master threw himself
+listlessly into the other, in utter despair at the thought of his miserable
+loneliness, and aimless, hopeless life. If the chamber seemed dreary and
+forlorn by day, it was far more so by night. The faded figures in the tapestry
+had an uncanny look; especially one, a hunter, who might have passed for an
+assassin, just taking aim at his victim. The smile on his startlingly red lips,
+in reality only a self-satisfied smirk, was fairly devilish in that light, and
+his ghastly face horribly life-like. The lamp burned dimly in the damp heavy
+air, the wind sighed and moaned along the corridors, and strange, frightful
+sounds came from the deserted chambers close at hand. The storm that had long
+been threatening had come at last, and large, heavy rain-drops were driven
+violently against the window-panes by gusts of wind that made them rattle
+loudly in their leaden frames. Sometimes it seemed as if the whole sash would
+give way before the fiercer blasts, as though a giant had set his knee against
+it, and was striving to force an entrance. Now and again, when the wind lulled
+for a moment while it gathered strength for a fresh assault, the horrid shriek
+of an owl would be heard above the dashing of the rain that was falling in
+torrents.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The master of this dismal mansion paid little attention to this lugubrious
+symphony, but Beelzebub was very uneasy, starting up at every sound, and
+peering into the shadowy corners of the room, as if he could see there
+something invisible to human eyes. The baron took up a little book that was
+lying upon the table, glanced at the familiar arms stamped upon its tarnished
+cover, and opening it, began to read in a listless, absent way. His eyes
+followed the smooth rhythm of Ronsard&rsquo;s ardent love-songs and stately
+sonnets, but his thoughts were wandering far afield, and he soon threw the book
+from him with an impatient gesture, and began slowly unfastening his garments,
+with the air of a man who is not sleepy, but only goes to bed because he does
+not know what else to do with himself, and has perhaps a faint hope of
+forgetting his troubles in the embrace of Morpheus, most blessed of all the
+gods. The sand runs so slowly in the hour-glass on a dark, stormy night, in a
+half-ruined castle, ten leagues away from any living soul.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The poor young baron, only surviving representative of an ancient and noble
+house, had much indeed to make him melancholy and despondent. His ancestors had
+worked their own ruin, and that of their descendants, in various ways. Some by
+gambling, some in the army, some by undue prodigality in living&mdash;in order
+that they might shine at court&mdash;so that each generation had left the
+estate more and more diminished. The fiefs, the farms, the land surrounding the
+château itself, all had been sold, one after the other, and the last baron,
+after desperate efforts to retrieve the fallen fortunes of the
+family&mdash;efforts which came too late, for it is useless to try to stop the
+leaks after the vessel has gone down&mdash;had left his son nothing but this
+half-ruined château and the few acres of barren land immediately around it. The
+unfortunate child had been born and brought up in poverty. His mother had died
+young, broken-hearted at the wretched prospects of her only son; so that he
+could not even remember her sweet caresses and tender, loving care. His father
+had been very stern with him; punishing him severely for the most trivial
+offences; yet he would have been glad now even of his sharp rebukes, so
+terribly lonely had he been for the last four years; ever since his father was
+laid in the family vault. His youthful pride would not allow him to associate
+with the noblesse of the province without the accessories suitable to his rank,
+though he would have been received with open arms by them, so his solitude was
+never invaded. Those who knew his circumstances respected as well as pitied the
+poor, proud young baron, while many of the former friends of the family
+believed that it was extinct; which indeed it inevitably would be, with this
+its only remaining scion, if things went on much longer as they had been going
+for many years past.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The baron had not yet removed a single garment when his attention was attracted
+by the strange uneasiness of Beelzebub, who finally jumped down from his
+arm-chair, went straight to one of the windows, and raising himself on his hind
+legs put his fore-paws on the casing and stared out into the thick darkness,
+where it was impossible to distinguish anything but the driving rain. A loud
+howl from Miraut at the same moment proclaimed that he too was aroused, and
+that something very unusual must be going on in the vicinity of the château,
+ordinarily as quiet as the grave. Miraut kept up persistently a furious
+barking, and the baron gave up all idea of going to bed. He hastily readjusted
+his dress, so that he might be in readiness for whatever should happen, and
+feeling a little excited at this novel commotion.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;What can be the matter with poor old Miraut? He usually sleeps from
+sunset to sunrise without making a sound, save his snores. Can it be that a
+wolf is prowling about the place?&rdquo; said the young man to himself, as he
+buckled the belt of his sword round his slender waist. A formidable weapon it
+was, that sword, with long blade, and heavy iron scabbard.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At that moment three loud knocks upon the great outer door resounded through
+the house. Who could possibly have strayed here at this hour, so far from the
+travelled roads, and in this tempest that was making night horrible without? No
+such thing had occurred within the baron&rsquo;s recollection. What could it
+portend?
+</p>
+
+</div><!--end chapter-->
+
+<div class="chapter">
+
+<h2><a name="chap02"></a>CHAPTER II.<br/>
+THE CHARIOT OF THESPIS</h2>
+
+<p>
+The Baron de Sigognac went down the broad staircase without a moment&rsquo;s
+delay to answer this mysterious summons, protecting with his hand the feeble
+flame of the small lamp he carried from the many draughts that threatened to
+blow it out. The light, shining through his slender fingers, gave them a rosy
+tinge, so that he merited the epithet applied by Homer, the immortal bard, to
+the laughing, beautiful Aurora, even though he advanced through the thick
+darkness with his usual melancholy mien, and followed by a black cat, instead
+of preceding the glorious god of day.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Setting down his lamp in a sheltered corner, he proceeded to take down the
+massive bar that secured the door, cautiously opened the practicable leaf, and
+found himself face to face with a man, upon whom the light of the lamp shone
+sufficiently to show rather a grotesque figure, standing uncovered in the
+pelting rain. His head was bald and shining, with a few locks of gray hair
+clustering about the temples. A jolly red nose, bulbous in form, a small pair
+of twinkling, roguish eyes, looking out from under bushy, jet-black eyebrows,
+flabby cheeks, over which was spread a network of purplish fibres, full,
+sensual lips, and a scanty, straggling beard, that scarcely covered the short,
+round chin, made up a physiognomy worthy to serve as the model for a Silenus;
+for it was plainly that of a wine-bibber and <i>bon vivant</i>. Yet a certain
+expression of good humour and kindness, almost of gentleness, redeemed what
+would otherwise have been a repulsive face. The comical little wrinkles
+gathering about the eyes, and the merry upward turn of the comers of the mouth,
+showed a disposition to smile as he met the inquiring gaze of the young baron,
+but he only bowed repeatedly and profoundly, with exaggerated politeness and
+respect.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This extraordinary pantomime finished, with a grand flourish, the burlesque
+personage, still standing uncovered in the pouring rain, anticipated the
+question upon de Sigognac&rsquo;s lips, and began at once the following
+address, in an emphatic and declamatory tone:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I pray you deign to excuse, noble seignior, my having come thus to knock
+at the gates of your castle in person at this untimely hour, without sending a
+page or a courier in advance, to announce my approach in a suitable manner.
+Necessity knows no law, and forces the most polished personages to be guilty of
+gross breaches of etiquette at times.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;What is it you want?&rdquo; interrupted the baron, in rather a
+peremptory tone, annoyed by the absurd address of this strange old creature,
+whose sanity he began to doubt.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Hospitality, most noble seignior; hospitality for myself and my
+comrades&mdash;princes and princesses, heroes and beauties, men of letters and
+great captains, pretty waiting-maids and honest valets, who travel through the
+provinces from town to town in the chariot of Thespis, drawn by oxen, as in the
+ancient times. This chariot is now hopelessly stuck in the mud only a
+stone&rsquo;s throw from your castle, my noble lord.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;If I understand aright what you say,&rdquo; answered the baron,
+&ldquo;you are a strolling band of players, and have lost your way. Though my
+house is sadly dilapidated, and I cannot offer you more than mere shelter, you
+are heartily welcome to that, and will be better off within here than exposed
+to the fury of this wild storm.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The pedant&mdash;for such seemed to be his character in the troupe&mdash;bowed
+his acknowledgments.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+During this colloquy, Pierre, awakened by Miraut&rsquo;s loud barking, had
+risen and joined his master at the door. As soon as he was informed of what had
+occurred, he lighted a lantern, and with the baron set forth, under the
+guidance of the droll old actor, to find and rescue the chariot in distress.
+When they reached it Leander and Matamore were tugging vainly at the wheels,
+while his majesty, the king, pricked up the weary oxen with the point of his
+dagger. The actresses, wrapped in their cloaks and seated in the rude chariot,
+were in despair, and much frightened as well&mdash;wet and weary too, poor
+things. This most welcome re-enforcement inspired all with fresh courage, and,
+guided by Pierre&rsquo;s suggestions, they soon succeeded in getting the
+unwieldy vehicle out of the quagmire and into the road leading to the château,
+which was speedily reached, and the huge equipage safely piloted through the
+grand portico into the interior court. The oxen were at once taken from before
+it and led into the stable, while the actresses followed de Sigognac up to the
+ancient banqueting hall, which was the most habitable room in the château.
+Pierre brought some wood, and soon had a bright fire blazing cheerily in the
+great fireplace. It was needed, although but the beginning of September and the
+weather still warm, to dry the dripping garments of the company; and besides,
+the air was so damp and chilly in this long disused apartment that the genial
+warmth and glow of the fire were welcome to all.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Although the strolling comedians were accustomed to find themselves in all
+sorts of odd, strange lodgings in the course of their wanderings, they now
+looked with astonishment at their extraordinary surroundings; being careful,
+however, like well-bred people, not to manifest too plainly the surprise they
+could not help feeling.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I regret very much that I cannot offer you a supper,&rdquo; said their
+young host, when all had assembled round the fire, &ldquo;but my larder is so
+bare that a mouse could not find enough for a meal in it. I live quite alone in
+this house with my faithful old Pierre; never visited by anybody; and you can
+plainly perceive, without my telling you, that plenty does not abound
+here.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Never mind that, noble seignior,&rdquo; answered Blazius, the pedant,
+&ldquo;for though on the stage we may sit down to mock repasts&mdash;pasteboard
+fowls and wooden bottles&mdash;we are careful to provide ourselves with more
+substantial and savoury viands in real life. As quartermaster of the troupe I
+always have in reserve a Bayonne ham, a game pasty, or something, of that sort,
+with at least a dozen bottles of good old Bordeaux.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Bravo, sir pedant,&rdquo; cried Leander, &ldquo;do you go forthwith and
+fetch in the provisions; and if his lordship will permit, and deign to join us,
+we will have our little feast here. The ladies will set the table for us
+meanwhile I am sure.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The baron graciously nodded his assent, being in truth so amazed at the whole
+proceeding that he could not easily have found words just then; and he followed
+with wondering and admiring eyes the graceful movements of Serafina and
+Isabelle, who, quitting their seats by the fire, proceeded to arrange upon the
+worn but snow-white cloth that Pierre had spread on the ancient dining-table,
+the plates and other necessary articles that the old servant brought forth from
+the recesses of the carved buffets. The pedant quickly came back, carrying a
+large basket in each hand, and with a triumphant air placed a huge pasty of
+most tempting appearance in the middle of the table. To this he added a large
+smoked tongue, some slices of rosy Bayonne ham, and six bottles of wine.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Beelzebub watched these interesting preparations from a distance with eager
+eyes, but was too much afraid of all these strangers to approach and claim a
+share of the good things on the table. The poor beast was so accustomed to
+solitude and quiet, never seeing any one beyond his beloved master and Pierre,
+that he was horribly frightened at the sudden irruption of these noisy
+newcomers.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Finding the feeble light of the baron&rsquo;s small lamp rather dim, Matamore
+bad gone out to the chariot and brought back two showy candelabra, which
+ordinarily did duty on the stage. They each held several candles, which, in
+addition to the warm radiance from the blazing fire, made quite a brilliant
+illumination in this room, so lately dark, cheerless, and deserted. It had
+become warm and comfortable by this time; its family portraits and tarnished
+splendour looked their best in the bright, soft light, which had chased away
+the dark shadows and given a new beauty to everything it fell upon; the whole
+place was metamorphosed; a festive air prevailed, and the ancient banqueting
+hall once more resounded with cheery voices and gay laughter.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The poor young baron, to whom all this had been intensely disagreeable at
+first, became aware of a strange feeling of comfort and pleasure stealing over
+him, to which, after a short struggle, he finally yielded himself entirely.
+Isabelle, Serafina, even the pretty <i>soubrette</i>, seemed to him,
+unaccustomed as he was to feminine beauty and grace, like goddesses come down
+from Mount Olympus, rather than mere ordinary mortals. They were all very
+pretty, and well fitted to turn heads far more experienced than his. The whole
+thing was like a delightful dream to him; he almost doubted the evidence of his
+own senses, and every few minutes found himself dreading the awakening, and the
+vanishing of the entrancing vision.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When all was ready de Sigognac led Isabelle and Serafina to the table, placing
+one on each side of him, with the pretty <i>soubrette</i> opposite. Mme.
+Léonarde, the duenna of the troupe, sat beside the pedant, Leander, Matamore,
+his majesty the tyrant, and Scapin finding places for themselves. The youthful
+host was now able to study the faces of his guests at his ease, as they sat
+round the table in the full light of the candles burning upon it in the two
+theatrical candelabra. He turned his attention to the ladies first, and it
+perhaps will not be out of place to give a little sketch of them here, while
+the pedant attacks the gigantic game pasty.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Serafina, the &ldquo;leading lady&rdquo; of the troupe, was a handsome young
+woman of four or five and twenty, who had quite a grand air, and was as
+dignified and graceful withal as any veritable noble dame who shone at the
+court of his most gracious majesty, Louis XIII. She had an oval face, slightly
+aquiline nose, large gray eyes, bright red lips&mdash;the under one full and
+pouting, like a ripe cherry&mdash;-a very fair complexion, with a beautiful
+colour in her cheeks when she was animated or excited, and rich masses of dark
+brown hair most becomingly arranged. She wore a round felt hat, with the wide
+rim turned up at one side, and trimmed with long, floating plumes. A broad lace
+collar was turned down over her dark green velvet dress, which was elaborately
+braided, and fitted closely to a fine, well-developed figure. A long, black
+silk scarf was worn negligently around her shapely shoulders and although both
+velvet and silk were old and dingy, and the feathers in her hat wet and limp,
+they were still very effective, and she looked like a young queen who had
+strayed away from her realm; the freshness and radiant beauty of her face more
+than made up for the shabbiness of her dress, and de Sigognac was fairly
+dazzled by her many charms.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Isabelle was much more youthful than Serafina, as was requisite for her role of
+ingenuous young girl, and far more simply dressed. She had a sweet, almost
+childlike face, beautiful, silky, chestnut hair, with golden lights in it,
+dark, sweeping lashes veiling her large, soft eyes, a little rosebud of a
+mouth, and an air of modesty and purity that was evidently natural to
+her&mdash;not assumed. A gray silk gown, simply made, showed to advantage her
+slender, graceful form, which seemed far too fragile to endure the hardships
+inseparable from the wandering life she was leading. A high Elizabethan ruff
+made a most becoming frame for her sweet, delicately tinted, young face, and
+her only ornament was a string of pearl beads, clasped round her slender, white
+neck. Though her beauty was less striking at first sight than Serafina&rsquo;s,
+it was of a higher order: not dazzling like hers, but surpassingly lovely in
+its exquisite purity and freshness, and promising to eclipse the other&rsquo;s
+more showy charms, when the half-opened bud should have expanded into the
+full-blown flower.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The <i>soubrette</i> was like a beautiful Gipsy, with a clear, dark complexion,
+rich, mantling colour in her velvety cheeks, intensely black hair&mdash;long,
+thick, and wavy&mdash;great, flashing, brown eyes, and rather a large mouth,
+with ripe, red lips, and dazzling white teeth&mdash;one&rsquo;s very beau-ideal
+of a bewitching, intriguing waiting-maid, and one that might be a dangerous
+rival to any but a surpassingly lovely and fascinating mistress. She was one of
+the beauties that women are not apt to admire, but men rave about and run after
+the world over. She wore a fantastic costume of blue and yellow, which was odd,
+piquant, and becoming, and seemed fully conscious of her own charms.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Mme. Léonarde, the &ldquo;noble mother&rdquo; of the troupe dressed all in
+black, like a Spanish duenna, was portly of figure, with a heavy, very pale
+face, double chin, and intensely black eyes, that had a crafty, slightly
+malicious expression. She had been upon the stage from her early childhood,
+passing through all the different phases, and was an actress of decided talent,
+often still winning enthusiastic applause at the expense of younger and more
+attractive women, who were inclined to think her something of an old sorceress.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+So much for the feminine element. The principal roles were all represented; and
+if occasionally a re-enforcement was required, they could almost always pick up
+some provincial actress, or even an amateur, at a pinch. The actors were five
+in number: The pedant, already described, who rejoiced in the name of Blazitis;
+Leander; Hérode, the tragic tyrant; Matamore, the bully; and Scapin, the
+intriguing valet.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Leander, the romantic, irresistible, young lover&mdash;darling of the
+ladies&mdash;was a tall, fine-looking fellow of about thirty, though apparently
+much more youthful, thanks to the assiduous care he bestowed on his handsome
+person. His slightly curly, black hair was worn long, so that he might often
+have occasion to push it back from his forehead, with a hand as white and
+delicate as a woman&rsquo;s, upon one of whose taper fingers sparkled an
+enormous diamond&mdash;a great deal too big to be real. He was rather
+fancifully dressed, and always falling into such graceful, languishing
+attitudes as he thought would be admired by the fair sex, whose devoted slave
+he was. This Adonis never for one moment laid aside his role. He punctuated his
+sentences with sighs, even when speaking of the most indifferent matters, and
+assumed all sorts of preposterous airs and graces, to the secret amusement of
+his companions. But he had great success among the ladies, who all flattered
+him and declared he was charming, until they had turned his head completely;
+and it was his firm belief that he was irresistibly fascinating.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The tyrant was the most good-natured, easy-going creature imaginable; but,
+strangely enough, gifted by nature with all the external signs of ferocity.
+With his tall, burly frame, very dark skin, immensely thick, shaggy eyebrows,
+black as jet, crinkly, bushy hair of the same hue, and long beard, that grew
+far up on his cheeks, he was a very formidable, fierce-looking fellow; and when
+he spoke, his loud, deep voice made everything ring again. He affected great
+dignity, and filled his role to perfection.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Matamore was as different as possible, painfully thin&mdash;scarcely more than
+mere skin and bones&mdash;a living skeleton with a large hooked nose, set in a
+long, narrow face, a huge mustache turned up at the ends, and flashing, black
+eyes. His excessively tall, lank figure was so emaciated that it was like a
+caricature of a man. The swaggering air suitable to his part had become
+habitual with him, and he walked always with immense strides, head well thrown
+back, and hand on the pommel of the huge sword he was never seen without.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As to Scapin, he looked more like a fox than anything else, and had a most
+villainous countenance; yet he was a good enough fellow in reality.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The painter has a great advantage over the writer, in that he can so present
+the group on his canvas that one glance suffices to take in the whole picture,
+with the lights and shadows, attitudes, costumes, and details of every kind,
+which are sadly wanting in our description&mdash;too long, though so
+imperfect&mdash;of the party gathered thus unexpectedly round our young
+baron&rsquo;s table. The beginning of the repast was very silent, until the
+most urgent demands of hunger had been satisfied. Poor de Sigognac, who had
+never perhaps at any one time had as much to eat as he wanted since he was
+weaned, attacked the tempting viands with an appetite and ardour quite new to
+him; and that too despite his great desire to appear interesting and romantic
+in the eyes of the beautiful young women between whom he was seated. The
+pedant, very much amused at the boyish eagerness and enjoyment of his youthful
+host, quietly heaped choice bits upon his plate, and watched their rapid
+disappearance with beaming satisfaction. Beelzebub had at last plucked up
+courage and crept softly under the table to his master, making his presence
+known by a quick tapping with his fore-paws upon the baron&rsquo;s knees; his
+claims were at once recognised, and he feasted to his heart&rsquo;s content on
+the savoury morsels quietly thrown down to him. Poor old Miraut, who had
+followed Pierre into the room, was not neglected either, and had his full share
+of the good things that found their way to his master&rsquo;s plate.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+By this time there was a good deal of laughing and talking round the festive
+board. The baron, though very timid, and much embarrassed, had ventured to
+enter into conversation with his fair neighbours. The pedant and the tyrant
+were loudly discussing the respective merits of tragedy and comedy. Leander,
+like Narcissus of old, was complacently admiring his own charms as reflected in
+a little pocket mirror he always had about him. Strange to say he was not a
+suitor of either Serafina&rsquo;s or Isabelle&rsquo;s; fortunately for them he
+aimed higher, and was always hoping that some grand lady, who saw him on the
+stage, would fall violently in love with him, and shower all sorts of favours
+upon him. He was in the habit of boasting that he had had many delightful
+adventures of the kind, which Scapin persistently denied, declaring that to his
+certain knowledge they had never taken place, save in the aspiring
+lover&rsquo;s own vivid imagination. The exasperating valet, malicious as a
+monkey, took the greatest delight in tormenting poor Leander, and never lost an
+opportunity; so now, seeing him absorbed in self-admiration, he immediately
+attacked him, and soon had made him furious. The quarrel grew loud and violent,
+and Leander was heard declaring that he could produce a large chest crammed
+full of love letters, written to him by various high and titled ladies;
+whereupon everybody laughed uproariously, while Serafina said to de Sigognac
+that she for one did not admire their taste, and Isabelle silently looked her
+disgust. The baron meantime was more and more charmed with this sweet, dainty
+young girl, and though he was too shy to address any high-flown compliments to
+her, according to the fashion of the day, his eyes spoke eloquently for him.
+She was not at all displeased at his ardent glances, and smiled radiantly and
+encouragingly upon him, thereby unconsciously making poor Matamore, who was
+secretly enamoured of her, desperately unhappy, though he well knew that his
+passion was an utterly hopeless one. A more skilful and audacious lover would
+have pushed his advantage, but our poor young hero had not learned courtly
+manners nor assurance in his isolated château, and, though he lacked neither
+wit nor learning, it must be confessed that at this moment he did appear
+lamentably stupid.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+All the bottles having been scrupulously emptied, the pedant turned the last
+one of the half dozen upside down, so that every drop might run out; which
+significant action was noted and understood by Matamore, who lost no time in
+bringing in a fresh supply from the chariot. The baron began to feel the wine a
+little in his head, being entirely unaccustomed to it, yet he could not resist
+drinking once again to the health of the ladies. The pedant and the tyrant
+drank like old topers, who can absorb any amount of liquor&mdash;be it wine, or
+something stronger&mdash;without becoming actually intoxicated. Matamore was
+very abstemious, both in eating and drinking, and could have lived like the
+impoverished Spanish hidalgo, who dines on three olives and sups on an air upon
+his mandoline. There was a reason for his extreme frugality; he feared that if
+he ate and drank like other people he might lose his phenomenal thinness, which
+was of inestimable value to him in a professional point of view. If he should
+be so unfortunate as to gain flesh, his attractions would diminish in an
+inverse ratio, so he starved himself almost to death, and was constantly seen
+anxiously examining the buckle of his belt, to make sure that he had not
+increased in girth since his last meal. Voluntary Tantalus, he scarcely allowed
+himself enough to keep life in his attenuated frame, and if he had but fasted
+as carefully from motives of piety he would have been a full-fledged saint.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The portly duenna disposed of solids and fluids perseveringly, and in
+formidable quantities, seeming to have an unlimited capacity; but Isabelle and
+Serafina had finished their supper long ago, and were yawning wearily behind
+their pretty, outspread hands, having no fans within reach, to conceal these
+pronounced symptoms of sleepiness.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The baron, becoming aware of this state of things, said to them,
+&ldquo;Mesdemoiselles, I perceive that you are very weary, and I wish with all
+my heart that I could offer you each a luxurious bed-chamber; but my house,
+like my family, has fallen into decay, and I can only give to you and Madame my
+own room. Fortunately the bed is very large, and you must make yourselves as
+comfortable as you can&mdash;for a single night you will not mind. As to the
+gentlemen, I must ask them to remain here with me, and try to sleep in the
+arm-chairs before the fire. I pray you, ladies, do not allow yourselves to be
+startled by the waving of the tapestry-which is only due to the strong draughts
+about the room on a stormy night like this&mdash;the moaning of the wind in the
+chimney, or the wild scurrying and squeaking of the mice behind the wainscot. I
+can guarantee that no ghosts will disturb you here, though this place does look
+dreary and dismal enough to be haunted.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I am not a bit of a coward,&rdquo; answered Serafina laughingly,
+&ldquo;and will do my best to reassure this timid little Isabelle. As to our
+duenna,&mdash;she is something of a sorceress herself, and if the devil in
+person should make his appearance he would meet his match in her.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The baron then took a light in his hand and showed the three ladies the way
+into the bed-chamber, which certainly did strike them rather unpleasantly at
+first sight, and looked very eerie in the dim, flickering light of the one
+small lamp.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;What a capital scene it would make for the fifth act of a
+tragedy,&rdquo; said Serafina, as she looked curiously about her, while poor
+little Isabelle shivered with cold and terror. They all crept into bed without
+undressing, Isabelle begging to lie between Serafina and Mme. Léonarde, for she
+felt nervous and frightened. The other two fell asleep at once, but the timid
+young girl lay long awake, gazing with wide-open, straining eyes at the door
+that led into the shut-up apartments beyond, as if she dreaded its opening to
+admit some unknown horror. But it remained fast shut, and though all sorts of
+mysterious noises made her poor little heart flutter painfully, her eyelids
+closed at last, and she forgot her weariness and her fears in profound slumber.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In the other room the pedant slept soundly, with his head on the table, and the
+tyrant opposite to him snored like a giant. Matamore had rolled himself up in a
+cloak and made himself as comfortable as possible under the circumstances in a
+large arm-chair, with his long, thin legs extended at full length, and his feet
+on the fender. Leander slept sitting bolt upright, so as not to disarrange his
+carefully brushed hair, and de Sigognac, who had taken possession of a vacant
+arm-chair, was too much agitated and excited by the events of the evening to be
+able to close his eyes. The coming of two beautiful, young women thus suddenly
+into his life&mdash;which had been hitherto so isolated, sad and dreary,
+entirely devoid of all the usual pursuits and pleasures of youth&mdash;could
+not fail to rouse him from his habitual apathy, and set his pulses beating
+after a new fashion. Incredible as it may seem yet it was quite true that our
+young hero had never had a single love affair. He was too proud, as we have
+already said, to take his rightful place among his equals, without any of the
+appurtenances suitable to his rank, and also too proud to associate familiarly
+with the surrounding peasantry, who accorded him as much respect in his poverty
+as they had ever shown to his ancestors in their prosperity. He had no near
+relatives to come to his assistance, and so lived on, neglected and forgotten,
+in his crumbling château, with nothing to look forward to or hope for. In the
+course of his solitary wanderings he had several times chanced to encounter the
+young and beautiful Yolande de Foix, following the hounds on her snow-white
+palfrey, in company with her father and a number of the young noblemen of the
+neighbourhood. This dazzling vision of beauty often haunted his dreams, but
+what possible relations could there ever be hoped for between the rich, courted
+heiress, whose suitors were legion, and his own poverty-stricken self? Far from
+seeking to attract her attention, he always got out of her sight as quickly as
+possible, lest his ill-fitting, shabby garments and miserable old pony should
+excite a laugh at his expense; for he was very sensitive, this poor young
+nobleman, and could not have borne the least approach to ridicule from the fair
+object of his secret and passionate admiration. He had tried his utmost to
+stifle the ardent emotions that filled his heart whenever his thoughts strayed
+to the beautiful Yolande, realizing how far above his reach she was, and he
+believed that he had succeeded; though there were times even yet when it all
+rushed back upon him with overwhelming force, like a huge tidal wave that
+sweeps everything before it.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The night passed quietly at the château, without other incident than the fright
+of poor Isabelle, when Beelzebub, who had climbed up on the bed, as was his
+frequent custom, established himself comfortably upon her bosom; finding it a
+deliciously soft, warm resting-place, and obstinately resisting her frantic
+efforts to drive him away.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As to de Sigognac, he did not once close his eyes. A vague project was
+gradually shaping itself in his mind, keeping him wakeful and perplexed. The
+advent of these strolling comedians appeared to him like a stroke of fate, an
+ambassador of fortune, to invite him to go out into the great world, away from
+this old feudal ruin, where his youth was passing in misery and
+inaction&mdash;to quit this dreary shade, and emerge into the light and life of
+the outer world.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At last the gray light of the dawn came creeping in through the lattice
+windows, speedily followed by the first bright rays from the rising sun. The
+storm was over, and the glorious god of day rose triumphant in a perfectly
+clear sky. It was a strange group that he peeped in upon, where the old family
+portraits seemed looking down with haughty contempt upon the slumbering
+invaders of their dignified solitude. The <i>soubrette</i> was the first to
+awake, starting up as a warm sunbeam shone caressingly full upon her face. She
+sprang to her feet, shook out her skirts, as a bird does its plumage, passed
+the palms of her hands lightly over her glossy bands of jet-black hair, and
+then seeing that the baron was quietly observing her, with eyes that showed no
+trace of drowsiness, she smiled radiantly upon him as she made a low and most
+graceful curtsey.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I am very sorry,&rdquo; said de Sigognac, as he rose to acknowledge her
+salute, &ldquo;that the ruinous condition of this château, which verily seems
+better fitted to receive phantoms than real living guests, would not permit me
+to offer you more comfortable accommodations. If I had been able to follow my
+inclinations, I should have lodged you in a luxurious chamber, where you could
+have reposed between fine linen sheets, under silken curtains, instead of
+resting uneasily in that worm-eaten old chair.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Do not be sorry about anything, my lord, I pray you,&rdquo; answered the
+<i>soubrette</i> with another brilliant smile; &ldquo;but for your kindness we
+should have been in far worse plight; forced to pass the night in the poor old
+chariot, stuck fast in the mud; exposed to the cutting wind and pelting rain.
+We should assuredly have found ourselves in wretched case this morning.
+Besides, this château which you speak of so disparagingly is magnificence
+itself in comparison with the miserable barns, open to the weather, in which we
+have sometimes been forced to spend the night, trying to sleep as best we might
+on bundles of straw, and making light of our misery to keep our courage
+up.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+While the baron and the actress were exchanging civilities the pedant&rsquo;s
+chair, unable to support his weight any longer, suddenly gave way under him,
+and he fell to the floor with a tremendous crash, which startled the whole
+company. In his fall he had mechanically seized hold of the table-cloth, and so
+brought nearly all the things upon it clattering down with him. He lay
+sprawling like a huge turtle in the midst of them until the tyrant, after
+rubbing his eyes and stretching his burly limbs, came to the rescue, and held
+out a helping hand, by aid of which the old actor managed with some difficulty
+to scramble to his feet.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Such an accident as that could never happen to Matamore,&rdquo; said
+Hérode, with his resounding laugh; &ldquo;he might fall into a spider&rsquo;s
+web without breaking through it.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;That&rsquo;s true,&rdquo; retorted the shadow of a man, in his turn
+stretching his long attenuated limbs and yawning tremendously, &ldquo;but then,
+you know, not everybody has the advantage of being a second Polyphemus, a
+mountain of flesh and bones, like you, or a big wine-barrel, like our friend
+Blazius there.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+All this commotion had aroused Isabelle, Serafina and the duenna, who presently
+made their appearance. The two younger women, though a little pale and weary,
+yet looked very charming in the bright morning light. In de Sigognac&rsquo;s
+eyes they appeared radiant, in spite of the shabbiness of their finery, which
+was far more apparent now than on the preceding evening. But what signify faded
+ribbons and dingy gowns when the wearers are fresh, young and beautiful?
+Besides, the baron&rsquo;s eyes were so accustomed to dinginess that they were
+not capable of detecting such slight defects in the toilets of his fair guests,
+and he gazed with delight upon these bewitching creatures, enraptured with
+their grace and beauty. As to the duenna, she was both old and ugly, and had
+long ago accepted the inevitable with commendable resignation.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As the ladies entered by one door, Pierre came in by the other, bringing more
+wood for the fire, and then proceeding to make the disordered room as tidy as
+he could. All the company now gathered round the cheerful blaze that was
+roaring up the chimney and sending out a warm glow that was an irresistible
+attraction in the chill of the early morning. Isabelle knelt down and stretched
+out the rosy palms of her pretty little hands as near to the flames as she
+dared, while Serafina stood behind and laid her hands caressingly on her
+shoulders, like an elder sister taking tender care of a younger one. Matamore
+stood on one leg like a huge heron, leaning against the corner of the carved
+chimney-piece, and seemed inclined to fall asleep again, while the pedant was
+vainly searching for a swallow of wine among the empty bottles.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The baron meantime had held a hurried private consultation with Pierre as to
+the possibility of procuring a few eggs, or a fowl or two, at the nearest
+hamlet, so that he might give the travellers something to eat before their
+departure, and he bade the old servant be quick about it, for the chariot was
+to make an early start, as they had a long day&rsquo;s journey before them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I cannot let you go away fasting, though you will have rather a scanty
+breakfast I fear,&rdquo; he said to his guests, &ldquo;but it is better to have
+a poor one than none at all; and there is not an inn within six leagues of this
+where you could be sure of getting anything to eat. I will not make further
+apologies, for the condition of everything in this house shows you plainly
+enough that I am not rich; but as my poverty is mainly owing to the great
+expenditures made by my honoured ancestors in many wars for the defence of king
+and country, I do not need to be ashamed of it.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;No indeed, my lord,&rdquo; answered Hérode in his deep, bass voice,
+&ldquo;and many there be in these degenerate days who hold their heads very
+high because of their riches, who would not like to have to confess how they
+came in possession of them.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;What astonishes me,&rdquo; interrupted Blazius, &ldquo;is that such an
+accomplished young gentleman as your lordship seems to be should be willing to
+remain here in this isolated spot, where Fortune cannot reach you even if she
+would. You ought to go to Paris, the great capital of the world, the rendezvous
+of brave and learned men, the El Dorado, the promised land, the Paradise of all
+true Frenchmen. There you would be sure to make your way, either in attaching
+yourself to the household of some great nobleman, a friend of your family, or
+in performing some brilliant deed of valour, the opportunity for which will not
+be long to find.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+These words, although rather high-flown, were not devoid of sense, and de
+Sigognac could not help secretly admitting that there was some truth in them.
+He had often, during his long rambles over the desolate Landes, thought
+wishfully of undertaking what the pedant had just proposed; but he had not
+money enough for the journey even, and he did not know where to look for more.
+Though brave and high-spirited, he was very sensitive, and feared a smile of
+derision more than a sword-thrust. He was not familiar with the prevailing
+fashions in dress, but he felt that his antiquated costume was ridiculous as
+well as shabby, and sure to be laughed at anywhere but among his own simple
+peasantry. Like most of those who are disheartened and crushed by extreme
+poverty, he only looked at the dark side of things, and made no allowance for
+any possible advantages. Perhaps he might have been delicately as well as
+generously assisted by some of his father&rsquo;s old friends if he would only
+have let them know of his situation, but his pride held him back, and he would
+have died of starvation rather than ask for aid in any form.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I used to think sometimes of going to Paris,&rdquo; he answered slowly,
+after some hesitation, &ldquo;but I have no friends or even acquaintances
+there; and the descendants of those who perhaps knew my ancestors when they
+were rich and powerful, and in favour at court, could scarcely be expected to
+welcome a poverty-stricken Baron de Sigognac, who came swooping down from his
+ruined tower to try and snatch a share of any prey that chanced to lie within
+reach of his talons. And besides&mdash;I do not know why I should be ashamed to
+acknowledge it&mdash;I have not any of the appurtenances suitable to my rank,
+and could not present myself upon a footing worthy of my name. I doubt if I
+have even money enough for the expenses of the journey alone, and that in the
+humblest fashion.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;But it is not necessary,&rdquo; Blazius hastened to reply, &ldquo;that
+you should make a state entry into the capital, like a Roman emperor, in a
+gilded chariot drawn by four white horses abreast. If our humble equipage does
+not appear too unworthy to your lordship, come with us to Paris; we are on our
+way there now. Many a man shines there to-day in brave apparel, and enjoys high
+favour at court, who travelled thither on foot, carrying his little bundle over
+his shoulder, swung on the point of his rapier, and his shoes in his hand, for
+fear of wearing them out on the way.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A slight flush, partly of shame, partly of pleasure, rose to de
+Sigognac&rsquo;s cheek at this speech. If on the one side his pride revolted at
+the idea of being under an obligation to such a person as the pedant, on the
+other he was touched and gratified by this kind proposition so frankly made,
+and which, moreover, accorded so well with his own secret desires. He feared
+also that if he refused the actor&rsquo;s kindly-meant offer he would wound his
+feelings, and perhaps miss an opportunity that would never be afforded to him
+again. It is true that the idea of a descendant of the noble old house of
+Sigognac travelling in the chariot of a band of strolling players, and making
+common cause with them, was rather shocking at first sight, but surely it would
+be better than to go on any longer leading his miserable, hopeless life in this
+dismal, deserted place. He wavered between those two decisive little
+monosyllables, yes and no, and could by no means reach a satisfactory
+conclusion, when Isabelle, who had been watching the colloquy with breathless
+interest, advanced smilingly to where he was standing somewhat apart with
+Blazius, and addressed the following words to him, which speedily put an end to
+all his uncertainty:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Our poet, having fallen heir to a fortune, has lately left us, and his
+lordship would perhaps be good enough to take his place. I found accidentally,
+in opening a volume of Ronsard&rsquo;s poems that lay upon the table in his
+room, a piece of paper with a sonnet written upon it, which must be of his
+composition, and proves him not unaccustomed to writing in verse. He could
+rearrange our parts for us, make the necessary alterations and additions in the
+new plays we undertake, and even perhaps write a piece for us now and then. I
+have now a very pretty little Italian comedy by me, which, with some slight
+modifications, would suit us nicely, and has a really charming part for
+me.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+With her last words, accompanied though they were with a smile, she gave the
+baron such a sweet, wistful look that he could no longer resist; but the
+appearance of Pierre at this moment with a large omelette created a diversion,
+and interrupted this interesting conversation. They all immediately gathered
+round the table, and attacked the really good breakfast, which the old servant
+had somehow managed to put before them, with great zest. As to de Sigognac, he
+kept them company merely out of politeness, and trifled with what was on his
+plate while the others were eating, having partaken too heartily of the supper
+the night before to be hungry now, and, besides, being so much preoccupied with
+weightier matters that he was not able to pay much attention to this.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+After the meat was finished, and while the chariot was being made ready for a
+start, Isabelle and Serafina expressed a desire to go into the garden, which
+they looked down upon from the court.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I am afraid,&rdquo; said de Sigognac, as he aided them to descend the
+unsteady, slippery stone steps, &ldquo;that the briers will make sad work with
+your dresses, for thorns abound in my neglected garden, though roses do
+not.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The young baron said this in the sad, ironical tone he usually adopted when
+alluding to his poverty; but a moment after they suddenly came upon two
+exquisite little wild roses, blooming directly in their path. With an
+exclamation of surprise de Sigognac gathered them, and as he offered one to
+each lady, said, with a smile, &ldquo;I did not know there was anything of this
+sort here, having never found aught but rank weeds and brambles before; it is
+your gracious presence that has brought forth these two blossoms in the midst
+of ruin and desolation.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Isabelle put her little rose carefully in the bosom of her dress, giving him
+her thanks mutely by an eloquent glance, which spoke more perhaps than she
+knew, and brought a flush of pleasure to his cheeks. They walked on to the
+statue in its rocky niche at the end of the garden, de Sigognac carefully
+bending back the branches that obstructed the way. The young girl looked round
+with a sort of tender interest at this overgrown, neglected spot, so thoroughly
+in keeping with the ruined château that frowned down upon them, and thought
+pityingly of the long, dreary hours that the poor baron must have spent here in
+solitude and despair. Serafina&rsquo;s face only expressed a cold disdain, but
+slightly masked by politeness. To her mind the ruinous condition of things was
+anything but interesting, and though she dearly loved a title she had still
+greater respect for wealth and magnificence.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;My domain ends here,&rdquo; said the baron, as they reached the grotto
+of the statue, &ldquo;though formerly all the surrounding country, as far as
+the eye can reach from the top of that high tower yonder, belonged to my
+ancestors. But barely enough remains now to afford me a shelter until the day
+comes when the last of the de Sigognacs shall be laid to rest amid his
+forefathers in the family vault, thenceforward their sole possession.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Do you know you are very much out of spirits this morning?&rdquo; said
+Isabelle in reply, touched by the expression of this sad thought that had
+occurred to her also, and assuming a bright, playful air, in the hope that it
+might help to chase away the heavy shadow that lay upon her young host&rsquo;s
+brow. &ldquo;Fortune is blind, they say, but nevertheless she does sometimes
+shower her good gifts upon the worthy and the brave; the only thing is that
+they must put themselves in her way. Come, decide to go with us, and perhaps in
+a few years the Château de Sigognac, restored to its ancient splendour, may
+loom up as proudly as of old; think of that, my lord, and take courage to quit
+it for a time. And besides,&rdquo; she added in a lower tone that only de
+Sigognac could hear, &ldquo;I cannot bear to go away and leave you here alone
+in this dreary place.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The soft light that shone in Isabelle&rsquo;s beautiful eyes as she murmured
+these persuasive words was irresistible to the man who already loved her madly;
+and the idea of following his divinity in a humble disguise, as many a noble
+knight had done of old, reconciled him to what would otherwise have seemed too
+incongruous and humiliating. It could not be considered derogatory to any
+gentleman to accompany his lady-love, be she what she might, actress or
+princess, and to attach himself, for love of her bright eyes, to even a band of
+strolling players. The mischievous little boy of the bow had compelled even
+gods and heroes to submit to all sorts of odd tests and means. Jupiter himself
+took the form of a bull to carry off Europa, and swam across the sea with her
+upon his back to the island of Crete. Hercules, dressed as a woman, sat
+spinning meekly at Omphale&rsquo;s feet. Even Aristotle went upon all fours
+that his mistress might ride on his back. What wonder then that our youthful
+baron thought that nothing could be too difficult or repulsive in the service
+of the lovely being at his side! So he decided at once not to let her leave him
+behind, and begging the comedians to wait a few moments while he made his
+hurried preparations, drew Pierre aside and told him in few words of his new
+project. The faithful old servant, although nearly heart-broken at the thought
+of parting with his beloved master, fully realized how greatly it would be to
+his advantage to quit the dreary life that was blighting his youth, and go out
+into the world; and while he felt keenly the incongruity of such fellow
+travellers for a de Sigognac, yet wisely thought that it was better for him to
+go thus than not at all. He quickly filled an old valise with the few articles
+of clothing that formed the baron&rsquo;s scanty wardrobe, and put into a
+leathern purse the little money he still possessed; secretly adding thereto his
+own small hoard, which he could safely do without fear of detection, as he had
+the care of the family finances, as well as everything else about the
+establishment. The old white pony was brought out and saddled, for de Sigognac
+did not wish to get into the chariot until they had gone some distance from
+home, not caring to make his departure public. He would seem thus to be only
+accompanying his guests a little way upon their journey, and Pierre was to
+follow on foot to lead the horse back home.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The oxen, great slow-moving, majestic creatures, were already harnessed to the
+heavy chariot, while their driver, a tall, sturdy peasant lad, standing in
+front of them leaning upon his goad, had unconsciously assumed an attitude so
+graceful that he closely resembled the sculptured figures in ancient Greek
+bas-reliefs. Isabelle and Serafina had seated themselves in the front of the
+chariot, so that they could enjoy the fresh, cool air, and see the country as
+they passed along; while the others bestowed themselves inside, where they
+might indulge in a morning nap. At last all were ready; the driver gave the
+word of command, and the oxen stepped slowly forward, setting in motion the
+great unwieldy, lumbering vehicle, which creaked and groaned in lamentable
+fashion, making the vaulted portico ring again as it passed through it and out
+of the château.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In the midst of all this unwonted commotion, Beelzebub and Miraut moved
+restlessly about the court, evidently very much perplexed as to what could be
+the meaning of it. The old dog ran back and forth from his master, who always
+had a caress for him, to Pierre, looking up into their faces with questioning,
+anxious eyes, and Beelzebub finally went and held a consultation with his good
+friend, the old white pony, now standing with saddle and bridle on, quietly
+awaiting his master&rsquo;s pleasure. He bent down his head so that his lips
+almost touched Beelzebub, and really appeared to be whispering something to
+him; which the cat in his turn imparted to Miraut, in that mysterious language
+of animals which Democritus, claimed that he understood, but which we are not
+able to translate. Whatever it might have been that Bayard, the old pony,
+communicated to Beelzebub, one thing is certain, that when at last the baron
+vaulted into his saddle and sallied forth from his ancient castle, he was
+accompanied by both cat and dog. Now, though it was no uncommon thing for
+Miraut to follow him abroad, Beelzebub had never been known to attempt such a
+feat before.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As he rode slowly out through the grand old portico de Sigognac felt his heart
+heavy within him, and when, after going a few paces from the château, he turned
+round for one last look at its crumbling walls, he felt an acute grief at
+bidding them farewell which was an astonishment to himself. As his eyes sought
+and dwelt upon the roof of the little chapel where his father and mother lay
+sleeping side by side, he almost reproached himself for wishing to go and leave
+them, and it required a mighty effort to turn away and ride after the chariot,
+which was some distance in advance of him. He had soon overtaken and passed it,
+when a gentle gust of wind brought to him the penetrating, faintly aromatic
+scent of his native heather, still wet from last night&rsquo;s rain, and also
+the silvery sound of a distant convent bell that was associated with his
+earliest recollections. They both seemed to be reproaching him for his
+desertion of his home, and he involuntarily checked the old pony, and made as
+if he would turn back. Miraut and Beelzebub, seeming to understand the
+movement, looked up at him eagerly, but as he was in the very act of turning
+the horse&rsquo;s head he met Isabelle&rsquo;s soft eyes fixed on him with such
+an entreating, wistful look that he flushed and trembled under it, and entirely
+forgetting his ancient château, the perfume of the heather, and the quick
+strokes of the distant bell, that still continued ringing, he put spurs to his
+horse and dashed on in advance again. The struggle was over&mdash;Isabelle had
+conquered.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When the highway was reached, de Sigognac again fell behind the
+chariot&mdash;which moved more quickly over the smooth, hard road&mdash;so that
+Pierre might be able to catch up to him, and rode slowly forward, lost in
+thought; he roused himself, however, in time to take one last look at the
+towers of Sigognac, which were still visible over the tops of the pine trees.
+Bayard came to a full stop as he gazed, and Miraut took advantage of the pause
+to endeavour to climb up and lick his master&rsquo;s face once more; but he was
+so old and stiff that de Sigognac had to lift him up in front of him; holding
+him there he tenderly caressed the faithful companion of many sad, lonely
+years, even bending down and kissing him between the eyes. Meantime the more
+agile Beelzebub had scrambled up on the other side, springing from the ground
+to the baron&rsquo;s foot, and then climbing up by his leg; he purred loudly as
+his master affectionately stroked his head, looking up in his face as if he
+understood perfectly that this was a leave-taking. We trust that the kind
+reader will not laugh at our poor young hero, when we say that he was so deeply
+touched by these evidences of affection from his humble followers that two
+great tears rolled down his pale cheeks and fell upon the heads of his dumb
+favourites, before he put them gently from him and resumed his journey.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Miraut and Beelzebub stood where he had put them down, looking after their
+beloved master until a turn in the road hid him from their sight, and then
+quietly returned to the château together. The rain of the previous night had
+left no traces in the sandy expanse of the Landes, save that it had freshened
+up the heather with its tiny purple bells, and the furze bushes with their
+bright yellow blossoms. The very pine trees themselves looked less dark and
+mournful than usual, and their penetrating, resinous odour filled the fresh
+morning air. Here and there a little column of smoke rising from amid a grove
+of chestnut trees betrayed the homestead of some farmer, and scattered over the
+gently rolling plain, that extended as far as the eye could reach, great flocks
+of sheep could be discerned, carefully guarded by shepherd and dog; the former
+mounted on stilts, and looking very odd to those unaccustomed to the shepherds
+of the Landes. On the southern horizon the snow-clad tops of the more lofty
+peaks of the Pyrenees rose boldly into the clear sky, with light wreaths of
+mist still clinging round them here and there.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Oxen travel slowly, especially over roads where at times the wheels sink deep
+into the sand, and the sun was high above the horizon before they had gone two
+leagues on their way. The baron, loath to fatigue his old servant and poor
+Bayard, determined to bid adieu to them without further delay; so he sprang
+lightly to the ground, put the bridle into Pierre&rsquo;s trembling hand, and
+affectionately stroked the old pony&rsquo;s neck, as he never failed to do when
+he dismounted. It was a painful moment. The faithful servant had taken care of
+his young master from his infancy, and he turned very pale as he said in
+faltering tones, &ldquo;God bless and keep your lordship. How I wish that I
+could go with you.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;And so do I, my good Pierre, but that is impossible. You must stay and
+take care of the château for me; I could not bear to think of it entirely
+abandoned, or in any other hands than yours, my faithful friend! And besides,
+what would become of Bayard and Miraut and Beelzebub, if you too deserted
+them?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You are right, master,&rdquo; answered Pierre, his eyes filling with
+tears as he bade him farewell before he turned and led Bayard slowly back by
+the road they had come. The old pony whinnied loudly as he left his master, and
+long after he was out of sight could be heard at short intervals calling out
+his adieux.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The poor young baron, left quite alone, stood for a moment with downcast eyes,
+feeling very desolate and sad; then roused himself with an effort, and hastened
+after the chariot. As he walked along beside it with a sorrowful, preoccupied
+air, Isabelle complained of being tired of her somewhat cramped position, and
+said that she would like to get down and walk a little way for a change; her
+real motive being a kind wish to endeavour to cheer up poor de Sigognac and
+make him forget his sad thoughts. The shadow that had overspread his
+countenance passed away entirely as he assisted Isabelle to alight, and then
+offering his arm led her on in advance of the lumbering chariot. They had
+walked some distance, and she was just reciting some verses, from one of her
+parts, which she wished to have altered a little, when the sound of a horn
+close at hand startled them, and from a by-path emerged a gay party returning
+from the chase. The beautiful Yolande de Foix came first, radiant as Diana,
+with a brilliant colour in her cheeks and eyes that shone like stars. Several
+long rents in the velvet skirt of her riding habit showed that she had been
+following the hounds through the thickets of furze that abound in the Landes,
+yet she did not look in the least fatigued, and as she came forward made her
+spirited horse fret and prance under quick, light strokes of her
+riding-whip&mdash;in whose handle shone a magnificent amethyst set in massive
+gold, and engraved with the de Foix arms. Three or four young noblemen,
+splendidly dressed and mounted, were with her, and as she swept proudly past
+our hero and his fair companion-upon whom she cast a glance of haughty
+disdain&mdash;she said in clear ringing tones, &ldquo;Do look at the Baron de
+Sigognac, dancing attendance upon a <i>Bohémienne</i>.&rdquo; And the little
+company passed on with a shout of laughter.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The poor baron was furious, and instinctively grasped the handle of his sword
+with a quick, angry movement; but as quickly released it&mdash;for he was on
+foot and those who had insulted him were on horseback, so that he could not
+hope to overtake them; and besides, he could not challenge a lady. But the
+angry flush soon faded from his cheek, and the remembrance of his displeasure
+from his mind, under the gentle influence of Isabelle, who put forth all her
+powers of fascination to make her companion forget the affront he had received
+because of her.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The day passed without any other incident worthy of being recorded, and our
+travellers arrived in good season at the inn where they were to sup and sleep.
+</p>
+
+</div><!--end chapter-->
+
+<div class="chapter">
+
+<h2><a name="chap03"></a>CHAPTER III.<br/>
+THE BLUE SUN INN</h2>
+
+<p>
+It was in front of the largest house in a wretched little hamlet that the weary
+oxen drawing the chariot of Thespis stopped of their own accord. The wooden
+sign that creaked distractingly as it swung to and fro at every breath of wind
+bore a large, blue sun, darting its rays, after the most approved fashion, to
+the utmost dimensions of the board on which it was painted. Rather an original
+idea, one would say, to have a blue orb of day instead of a golden
+one&mdash;such as adorned so many other inns on the great post-road&mdash;but
+originality had had nothing whatever to do with it. The wandering painter who
+produced this remarkable work of art happened to have no vestige of any colour
+but blue left upon his palette, and he discoursed so eloquently of the
+superiority of this tint to all others that he succeeded in persuading the
+worthy innkeeper to have an azure sun depicted on his swinging sign. And not
+this one alone had yielded to his specious arguments, for he had painted blue
+lions, blue cocks, blue horses, on various signs in the country round, in a
+manner that would have delighted the Chinese&mdash;who esteem an artist in
+proportion to the unnaturalness of his designs and colouring.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The few scrawny, unwholesome-looking children feebly playing in the muddy,
+filthy, little street, and the prematurely old, ghastly women standing at the
+open doors of the miserable thatched huts of which the hamlet was composed,
+were but too evidently the wretched victims of a severe type of malarial fever
+that prevails in the Landes. They were truly piteous objects, and our
+travellers were glad to take refuge in the inn&mdash;though it was anything but
+inviting&mdash;and so get out of sight of them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The landlord, a villainous looking fellow, with an ugly crimson scar across his
+forehead, who rejoiced in the extraordinary name of Chirriguirri, received them
+with many low obeisances, and led the way into his house, talking volubly of
+the excellent accommodations to be found therein.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The Baron de Sigognac hesitated ere he crossed the threshold, though the
+comedians had all drawn back respectfully to allow him to precede them. His
+pride revolted at going into such a place in such company, but one glance from
+Isabelle put everything else out of his head, and he entered the dirty little
+inn at her side with an air of joyful alacrity. In the happy kingdom of France
+the fortunate man who escorted a pretty woman, no matter where, needed not to
+fear ridicule or contumely, and was sure to be envied.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The large low room into which Maître Chirriguirri ushered the party, with much
+ceremony and many bows, was scarcely so magnificent as he had given them reason
+to expect, but our strolling players had long ago learned to take whatever came
+in their way without grumbling, and they seated themselves quietly on the rude
+wooden settles ranged round a rough, stone platform in the centre of the
+apartment, upon which a few sticks of wood were blazing the smoke escaping
+through an opening in the roof above. From an iron bar which crossed this
+opening a strong chain was suspended, and fastened to it was the crane, so that
+it hung at the proper height over the fire&mdash;for this was the kitchen as
+well as the reception room. The low ceiling was blackened with the smoke that
+filled the upper part of the room and escaped slowly through the hole over the
+fire, unless a puff of wind drove it back again. A row of bright copper
+<i>casseroles</i> hanging against the wall&mdash;like the burnished shields
+along the sides of the ancient triremes, if this comparison be not too noble
+for such a lowly subject&mdash;gleamed vaguely in the flashing of the red
+fire-light, and a large, half-empty wine-skin lying on the floor in one corner
+looked like a beheaded body carelessly flung down there. Certainly not a
+cheerful looking place, but, the fire being newly replenished burned brightly,
+and our weary travellers were glad to bask in its genial warmth.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At the end of one of the wooden benches a little girl was sitting, apparently
+sound asleep. She was a poor, thin, little creature, with a mass of long,
+tangled, black hair, which hung down over her face and almost concealed it, as
+she sat with her head drooping forward on her breast. Her scanty clothing was
+tattered and dirty, her feet and poor, thin, little legs brown and bare, and
+covered with scratches&mdash;some still bleeding which bore witness to much
+running through the thorny furze thickets.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Isabelle, who chanced to sit down near her, cast many pitying glances upon this
+forlorn little figure, but took care not to disturb the quiet sleep she seemed
+to be enjoying in her uncomfortable resting-place. After a little, when she had
+turned to speak to Serafina, who sat beside her, the child woke with a start,
+and pushing back the mass of dishevelled hair revealed a sad little face, so
+thin that the cheek bones were painfully prominent, and pale to ghastliness. A
+pair of magnificent, dark brown eyes, with heavy sweeping lashes, looked
+preternaturally large in her woe-begone little countenance, and at this moment
+were filled with wondering admiration, mingled with fierce covetousness, as she
+stared at Serafina&rsquo;s mock jewels&mdash;and more especially at
+Isabelle&rsquo;s row of pearl beads. She seemed fairly dazzled by these latter,
+and gazed at them fixedly in a sort of ecstasy&mdash;having evidently never
+seen anything like them before, and probably thinking they must be of immense
+value. Occasionally her eyes wandered to the dresses of the two ladies, and at
+last, unable to restrain her ardent curiosity any longer, she put out her
+little brown hand and softly felt of Isabelle&rsquo;s gown, apparently finding
+exquisite delight in the mere contact of her finger-tips with the smooth,
+glossy surface of the silk. Though her touch was so light Isabelle immediately
+turned towards the child and smiled upon her encouragingly, but the poor little
+vagabond, finding herself detected, in an instant had assumed a stupid, almost
+idiotic look&mdash;with an instinctive amount of histrionic art that would have
+done honour to a finished actress. Then dropping her eyelids and leaning her
+shoulders against the hard back of the wooden settle she seemed to fall into a
+deep sleep, with her head bent down upon her breast in the old attitude.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Meanwhile Maître Chirriguirri had been talking long and loudly about the choice
+delicacies he could have set before his guests if they had only come a day or
+two earlier, and enumerating all sorts of fine dishes&mdash;which doubtless had
+existed only in his own very vivid imagination&mdash;though he told a
+high-sounding story about the noblemen and grandees who had supped at his house
+and devoured all these dainties only yesterday. When at length the flow of his
+eloquence was checked by a display of ferocity on the part of the tyrant, and
+he was finally brought to the point, he acknowledged that he could only give
+them some of the soup called garbure&mdash;with which we have already made
+acquaintance at the Château de Sigognac, some salt codfish, and a dish of
+bacon; with plenty of wine, which according to his account was fit for the
+gods. Our weary travellers were so hungry by this time that they were glad of
+even this frugal fare, and when Mionnette, a gaunt, morose-looking creature,
+the only servant that the inn could boast, announced that their supper was
+ready in an adjoining room, they did not wait to be summoned a second time.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They were still at table when a great barking of dogs was heard without,
+together with the noise of horses&rsquo; feet, and in a moment three loud,
+impatient knocks upon the outer door resounded through the house. Mionnette
+rushed to open it, whereupon a gentleman entered, followed by a number of dogs,
+who nearly knocked the tall maid-servant over in their eagerness to get in, and
+rushed into the dining-room where our friends were assembled, barking, jumping
+over each other, and licking off the plates that had been used and removed to a
+low side table, before their master could stop them. A few sharp cuts with the
+whip he held in his hand distributed promiscuously among them, without
+distinction between the innocent and the guilty ones, quieted this uproar as if
+by magic, and the aggressive hounds, taking refuge under the benches ranged
+along the walls, curled themselves round on the floor and went comfortably to
+sleep, or lay panting, with their red tongues hanging out of their mouths and
+heads reposing on their fore-paws&mdash;not daring to stir.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The obstreperous dogs thus disposed of, the cavalier advanced into the room,
+with the calm assurance of a man who feels perfectly at his ease; his spurs
+ringing against the stone floor at every step. The landlord followed him
+obsequiously, cap in hand, cringing and bowing in most humble
+fashion&mdash;having entirely laid aside his boasting air and evidently feeling
+very ill at ease&mdash;this being a personage of whom he stood in awe. As the
+gentleman approached the table he politely saluted the company, before turning
+to give his orders to Maître Chirriguirri, who stood silently awaiting them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The newcomer was a handsome man of about thirty, with curly light hair, and a
+fair complexion, somewhat reddened by exposure to the sun. His eyes were blue,
+and rather prominent, his nose slightly retroussi; his small blond mustache was
+carefully turned up at the ends, and scarcely shaded a well-formed but sensual
+mouth, below which was a small, pointed beard&mdash;called a royal in those
+days, an imperial in these. As he took off his broad felt hat, richly
+ornamented with long sweeping plumes, and threw it carelessly down on one of
+the benches, it was seen that his smooth, broad forehead was snowy white, and
+the contrast with his sunburnt cheeks was not by any means displeasing. Indeed
+it was a very handsome, attractive face, in which an expression of frank gaiety
+and good humour tempered the air of pride that pervaded it.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The dress of this gay cavalier was extremely rich and elegant; almost too much
+so for the country. But when we say that the marquis&mdash;for such was his
+title&mdash;had been following the hounds in company with the beautiful Yolande
+de Foix, we feel that his costume, of blue velvet elaborately decorated with
+silver braid, is fully accounted for. He was one of the gallants that shone at
+court in Paris&mdash;where he was in the habit of spending a large portion of
+every year&mdash;and he prided himself on being one of the best dressed
+noblemen in France.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+His order to the obsequious landlord was in few words. &ldquo;I want some broth
+for my dogs, some oats for my horses, a piece of bread and a slice of ham for
+myself, and something or other for my grooms&rdquo;&mdash;and then he advanced
+smilingly to the table and sat down in a vacant place beside the pretty
+<i>soubrette</i>, who, charmed with such a gay, handsome seignior, had been
+pleased to bestow a languishing glance and a brilliant smile upon him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Maître Chirriguirri hastened to fetch what he had demanded, while the
+<i>soubrette</i>, with the grace of a Hebe, filled his glass to the brim with
+wine; which he accepted with a smile, and drank off at a single draught. For a
+few minutes he was fully occupied in satisfying his hunger&mdash;which was
+veritably that of a hunter&mdash;and then looking about him at the party
+assembled round the table, remarked the Baron de Sigognac, with whom he had a
+slight acquaintance, seated beside the fair Isabelle&mdash;in whose company
+indeed he had seen him already once before that day. The two young people were
+talking together in low tones, and quite absorbed in each other; but the
+language of their eyes was unmistakable, and the marquis smiled to himself as
+he took note of what he supposed to be a very promising intrigue&mdash;wherein
+he did the youthful pair great injustice. As a thorough man of the world he was
+not at all surprised at finding de Sigognac with this band of vagabond players,
+from such a motive, and the half-pitying contempt he had formerly felt for the
+shabby, retiring young baron was straightway changed to a certain admiration
+and respect by this evidence of his gallantry. When he caught his eye he made a
+little gesture of recognition and approval&mdash;to show that he understood and
+appreciated his position&mdash;but paid no further attention to him, evidently
+meaning to respect his incognito, and devoted himself to the <i>soubrette</i>.
+She received his high-flown compliments with peals of laughter, and paid him
+back in his own coin with considerable wit and much merriment, to the great
+delight of the marquis&mdash;who was always delighted to meet with any
+adventure of this sort.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Wishing to pursue this one, which opened so well, he declared loudly that he
+was passionately fond of the theatre, and complained pathetically of being
+deprived altogether of this, his favourite amusement, in the country; then
+addressing himself to the tyrant he asked whether the troupe had any pressing
+engagements that would prevent their turning aside a little from the usual
+route to visit the Château de Bruyères and give one of their best plays
+there&mdash;it would be an easy matter to rig up a theatre for them in the
+great hall or the orangery.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The tyrant hastened to reply that nothing could be easier, and that the troupe,
+one of the best that had ever travelled through the provinces, was entirely at
+his lordship&rsquo;s disposition&mdash;&ldquo;from the king to the
+<i>soubrette</i>&rdquo;&mdash;he added, with a broad grin.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;That is capital,&rdquo; said the marquis, &ldquo;and as to money
+matters, you can arrange them to suit yourself. I should not think of
+bargaining with the votaries of Thalia&mdash;a muse so highly favoured by
+Apollo, and as eagerly sought after, and enthusiastically applauded, at the
+court of his most gracious majesty as in town and country everywhere.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+After arranging the necessary preliminaries, the marquis, who had meantime
+surreptitiously squeezed the <i>soubrette&rsquo;s</i> hand under the table,
+rose, called his dogs together, put on his hat, waved his hand to the company
+in token of adieu, and took his departure amid much barking and
+commotion&mdash;going directly home, in order to set on foot his preparations
+to receive the comedians on the morrow at his château.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As it was growing late, and they were to make an early start the next morning,
+our tired travellers lost no time in going to rest; the women in a sort of
+loft, where they had to make themselves as comfortable as they could with the
+bundles of straw that were to serve them for beds, whilst the men slept on the
+benches in the room where they had supped.
+</p>
+
+</div><!--end chapter-->
+
+<div class="chapter">
+
+<h2><a name="chap04"></a>CHAPTER IV.<br/>
+AN ADVENTURE WITH BRIGANDS</h2>
+
+<p>
+Let us return now to the little girl we left feigning to sleep soundly upon a
+settle in the kitchen. There was certainly something suspicious about the
+fierce way in which she eyed Isabelle&rsquo;s pearl necklace, and her little
+bit of clever acting afterwards. As soon as the door had closed upon the
+comedians she slowly opened her large, dark eyes, looked sharply round the
+great, dim kitchen, and when she found that nobody was watching her, slipped
+quietly down from the bench, threw back her hair with a quick movement of the
+head peculiar to her, crept softly to the door, which she cautiously unlatched,
+and escaped into the open air without making any more sound than a shadow, then
+walked slowly and listlessly away until she had turned a corner and was out of
+sight of the house, when she set off running as fleetly as a deer pursued by
+the hounds&mdash;jumping over the frequent obstacles in her path with wonderful
+agility, never stumbling, and flying along, with her black hair streaming out
+behind her, like some wild creature of the desolate pine barrens through which
+she was skilfully threading her way.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+She reached at last a little knoll, crowned by a group of pine trees crowded
+closely together, and dashing up the steep bank with undiminished speed came to
+a sudden stop in the very middle of the grove. Here she stood still for a
+moment, peering anxiously about her, and then, putting two fingers in her
+mouth, gave three shrill whistles, such as no traveller in those desolate
+regions can hear without a shudder. In an instant what seemed to be a heap of
+pine twigs stirred, and a man emerging from beneath them rose slowly to his
+feet at a little distance from the child.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Is it you, Chiquita?&rdquo; he asked. &ldquo;What news do you bring? You
+are late. I had given over expecting you to-night, and gone to sleep.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The speaker was a dark, fierce-looking fellow of about five and twenty, with a
+spare, wiry frame, brilliant black eyes, and very white teeth&mdash;which were
+long and pointed like the fangs of a young wolf. He looked as if he might be a
+brigand, poacher, smuggler, thief, or assassin&mdash;all of which he had been
+indeed by turns. He was dressed like a Spanish peasant, and in the red woollen
+girdle wound several times around his waist was stuck a formidable knife,
+called in Spain a <i>navaja</i>. The desperadoes who make use of these terrible
+weapons usually display as many red stripes, cut in the steel, upon their long
+pointed blades as they have committed murders, and are esteemed by their
+companions in proportion to the number indicated by this horrible record. We do
+not know exactly how many of these scarlet grooves adorned Agostino&rsquo;s
+<i>navaja</i>, but judging by the savage expression of his countenance, and the
+fierce glitter of his eye, we may safely suppose them to have been creditably
+numerous.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Well, Chiquita,&rdquo; said he, laying his hand caressingly on the
+child&rsquo;s head, &ldquo;and what did you see at Maître Chirriguirri&rsquo;s
+inn?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;A great chariot full of people came there this afternoon,&rdquo; she
+answered. &ldquo;I saw them carry five large chests into the barn, and they
+must have been very heavy, for it took two men to lift them.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Hum!&rdquo; said Agostino, &ldquo;sometimes travellers put stones into
+their boxes to make them seem very weighty and valuable, and deceive the
+inn-keepers.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;But,&rdquo; interrupted the child eagerly, &ldquo;the three young ladies
+had trimmings of gold on their clothes; and one of them, the prettiest, had
+round her neck a row of round, shining, white things, and oh! they were so
+beautiful!&rdquo; and she clasped her hands in an ecstasy of admiration, her
+voice trembling with excitement.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Those must be pearls,&rdquo; muttered Agostino to himself, &ldquo;and
+they will be worth having&mdash;provided they are real&mdash;but then they do
+make such perfect imitations now-a-days, and even rich people are mean enough
+to wear them.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;My dear Agostino, my good Agostino,&rdquo; continued Chiquita, in her
+most coaxing tones, and without paying any attention to his mutterings,
+&ldquo;will you give me the beautiful, shining things if you kill that
+lady?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;They would go so well with your rags and tatters!&rdquo; he answered
+mockingly.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;But I have so often kept watch for you while you slept, and I have run
+so far to tell you when any one was coming, no matter how cold it was, nor how
+my poor, bare feet ached&mdash;and I have never once kept you waiting for your
+food, when I used to carry it to you in your hiding places, even when I was bad
+with the fever, or my teeth chattering with the chill, and I so weak that I
+could hardly drag myself along. Oh Agostino! do remember what I have done for
+you, and let me have the beautiful, shining things.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Yes, you have been both brave and faithful, Chiquita, I admit; but we
+have not got the wonderful necklace yet, you know. Now, tell me, how many men
+were there in the party.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Oh! a great many. A big, tall man with a long beard; an old, fat
+man&mdash;one that looked like a fox&mdash;two thin men, and one that looked
+like a gentleman, though his clothes were very old and shabby.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Six men,&rdquo; said Agostino, who had counted them on his fingers as
+she enumerated them, and his face fell. &ldquo;Alas! I am the only one left of
+our brave band now; when the others were with me we would not have minded
+double the number. Have they arms, Chiquita?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;The gentleman has a sword, and so has the tall, thin man&mdash;a very
+long one.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;No pistols or guns?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t see any,&rdquo; answered Chiquita, &ldquo;but they might
+have left them in the chariot, you know; only Maître Chirriguirri or Mionnette
+would have been sure to send you word if they had, and they said nothing to me
+about them.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Well, we will risk it then, and see what we can do,&rdquo; said Agostino
+resolutely. &ldquo;Five large, heavy chests, gold ornaments, a pearl necklace!
+they certainly are worth trying for.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The brigand and his little companion then went to a secret place in the thick
+pine grove, and set to work industriously, removing a few large stones, a
+quantity of branches, and finally the five or six boards they had concealed,
+disclosing a large hole that looked like a grave. It was not very deep, and
+Agostino, jumping down into it, stooped and lifted out what seemed to be a dead
+body&mdash;dressed in its usual every-day clothes&mdash;which he flung down
+upon the ground beside the hole. Chiquita, who did not appear to be in the
+least agitated or alarmed by these mysterious proceedings, seized the figure by
+the feet, with the utmost <i>sang-froid</i>, and dragged it out of
+Agostino&rsquo;s way, with a much greater degree of strength than could have
+been expected from such a slight, delicate little creature. Agostino continued
+his work of exhumation until five other bodies lay beside the first
+one&mdash;all neatly arranged in a row by the little girl, who seemed to
+actually enjoy her lugubrious task. It made a strange picture in the weird
+light of the nearly full moon, half veiled by driving clouds&mdash;the open
+grave, the bodies lying side by side under the dark pine trees, and the figures
+of Agostino and Chiquita bending over them. But the tragic aspect of the affair
+soon changed to a comic one; for when Agostino placed the first of the bodies
+in an upright position it became apparent that it was only a sort of a
+scarecrow&mdash;a rude figure intended to frighten timid traveller&mdash;which
+being skilfully disposed at the edge of the grove, partly hidden among the
+trees, looked at a little distance exactly like a brigand&mdash;gun and all.
+Indeed it really was dressed in the garments of one of his old comrades, who
+had paid the penalty of his crimes on the gallows. He apostrophized the figure
+as he arranged it to his liking, calling it by name, relating some of the brave
+deeds of its prototype, and bewailing the sad fate that had left him to ply his
+nefarious trade single-handed, with a rude eloquence that was not wanting in
+pathos. Returning to where the others lay, he lifted up one which he reminded
+Chiquita, represented her father&mdash;whose valour and skill he eulogized
+warmly&mdash;whilst the child devoutly made the sign of the cross as she
+muttered a prayer. This one being put in position, he carried the remaining
+figures, one by one, to the places marked for them, keeping up a running
+commentary upon the ci-devant brigands whose representatives they were, and
+calling them each repeatedly by name, as if there were a certain sad
+satisfaction in addressing them in the old, familiar way.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When this queer task was completed, the bandit and his faithful little
+companion, taking advantage of a flood of moonlight as the clouds drifted away
+before the wind, went and stood on the road&mdash;not very far from their
+retreat&mdash;by which our travellers were to pass, to judge of the effect of
+their group of brigands. It was really very formidable, and had often been of
+great service to the bold originator of the plan; for on seeing so numerous a
+band apparently advancing upon them, most travellers took to their heels,
+leaving the coveted spoils behind them for Agostino to gather up at his
+leisure.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As they slowly returned to the pine grove he said to the child, who was
+clinging to his arm affectionately as she walked beside him, &ldquo;The first
+stage of their journey to-morrow is a long one, and these people will be sure
+to start in good season, so that they will reach this spot just at the right
+time for us&mdash;in the uncertain light of the dawn. In the darkness of night
+our brigands yonder could not be seen, and in broad daylight the ruse would be
+apparent; so we are in luck, Chiquita! But now for a nap&mdash;we have plenty
+of time for it, and the creaking of the wheels will be sure to wake us.&rdquo;
+Accordingly Agostino threw himself down upon a little heap of pine branches and
+heather, Chiquita crept close to him, so that the large cloak with which he had
+covered himself might protect her also from the chilly night air, and both were
+soon sound asleep.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was so early when our travellers were roused from their slumbers and told
+that it was time for them to resume their journey, by the treacherous landlord
+of the Blue Sun Inn, that it seemed to them like the middle of the night; to
+they arranged themselves as comfortably as they could in the great, roomy
+chariot, and despite the loud creaking and groaning that accompanied its every
+movement as it went slowly lumbering along, and the shrill cries of the driver
+to his oxen, they were all soon asleep again, excepting de Sigognac, who walked
+beside the chariot, lost in thoughts of Isabelle&rsquo;s beauty, grace and
+modesty, and adorable goodness, which seemed better suited to a young lady of
+noble birth than a wandering actress. He tormented himself with trying to
+devise some means to induce her to reciprocate the ardent love that filled his
+heart for her, not for an instant suspecting that it was already a <i>fait
+accompli</i>, and that the sweet, pure maiden had given him, unasked, her
+gentle, faithful heart. The bashful young baron imagined all sorts of romantic
+and perilous incidents in which he might constitute himself her knight and
+protector, and show such brave and tender devotion to her as he had read of in
+the old books of chivalry; and which might lead up to the avowal he was burning
+to make, yet dared not. It never occurred to him that the look in his dark eyes
+whenever they rested on her face, the tone of his voice when he addressed her,
+the deep sighs he vainly sought to stifle, and the tender, eager care with
+which he strove to anticipate her every wish had spoken for him, as plainly as
+any words could do; and that, though he had not dared to breathe one syllable
+of his passionate love to Isabelle, she knew it, rejoiced in it, and was proud
+of it, and that it filled her with a delicious, rapturous joy, such as she had
+never felt before, or even dreamed of.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The morning began to break&mdash;the narrow band of pale light on the horizon,
+which was growing rapidly brighter and assuming a rosy tinge, was reflected
+here and there in the little pools of water that shone like bits of a broken
+mirror scattered over the ground&mdash;distant sounds were heard, and columns
+of smoke rising into the still morning air proved that even in this desolate,
+God-forsaken part of the Landes there were human habitations to be found.
+Stalking along with giant strides on the highest part of some rising ground not
+very far off was a grotesque figure, clearly defined against the bright eastern
+sky, which would have been a puzzle to a stranger, but was a familiar sight to
+de Sigognac&mdash;a shepherd mounted on his high stilts, such as are to be met
+with everywhere throughout the Landes.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But the young baron was too much absorbed in his own engrossing thoughts to
+take any note of his surroundings as he kept pace with the slow-moving chariot,
+until his eye was caught and his attention fixed by a strange little point of
+light, glittering among the sombre pines that formed the dense grove where we
+left Agostino and Chiquita sleeping. He wondered what it could
+be&mdash;certainly not a glow-worm, the season for them was past long
+ago&mdash;and he watched it as he advanced towards it with a vague feeling of
+uneasiness. Approaching nearer he caught a glimpse of the singular group of
+figures lurking among the trees, and at first feared an ambuscade; but finding
+that they continued perfectly motionless he concluded that he must have been
+mistaken, and that they were only old stumps after all; so he forbore to arouse
+the comedians, as he had for a moment thought of doing.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A few steps farther and suddenly a loud report was heard from the grove, a
+bullet sped through the air, and struck the oxen&rsquo;s yoke&mdash;happily
+without doing any damage, further than causing the usually quiet, steady-going
+beasts to swerve violently to one side&mdash;when fortunately a considerable
+heap of sand prevented the chariot&rsquo;s being overturned into the ditch
+beside the road. The sharp report and violent shock startled the sleeping
+travellers in the chariot, and the younger women shrieked wildly in their
+terror, whilst the duenna, who had met with such adventures before, slipped the
+few gold pieces she had in her purse into her shoe. Beside the chariot, from
+which the actors were struggling to extricate themselves, stood
+Agostino&mdash;his cloak wrapped around his left arm and the formidable
+<i>navaja</i> in his right hand-and cried in a voice of thunder, &ldquo;Your
+money or your lives! Resistance is useless! At the first sign of it my band
+will fire upon you.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Whilst the bandit was shouting out these terrible words, de Sigognac had
+quietly drawn his sword, and as he finished attacked him furiously. Agostino
+skilfully parried his thrusts, with the cloak on his left arm, which so
+disposed made an excellent shield, and watched his opportunity to give a
+murderous stab with his <i>navaja</i>, which indeed he almost succeeded in
+doing; a quick spring to one side alone saved the baron from a wound which must
+have been fatal, as the brigand threw the knife at him with tremendous force,
+and it flew through the air and fell ringing upon the ground at a marvellous
+distance, instead of piercing de Sigognac&rsquo;s heart. His antagonist turned
+pale, for he was quite defenceless, having depended entirely upon his trusty
+<i>navaja</i>, which had never failed him before, and he very well knew that
+his vaunted band could not come to his rescue. However, he shouted to them to
+fire, counting upon the sudden terror that command would inspire to deliver him
+from his dilemma; and, indeed, the comedians, expecting a broadside, did take
+refuge behind the chariot, whilst even our brave hero involuntarily bent his
+head a little, to avoid the shower of bullets.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Meantime Chiquita, who had breathlessly watched all that passed from her hiding
+place among some furze bushes close at hand, when she saw her friend in peril,
+crept softly forth, glided along on the ground like a snake until she reached
+the knife, lying unnoticed where it had fallen, and, seizing it, in one instant
+had restored it to Agostino, She looked like a little fury as she did so, and
+if her strength had been equal to her ferocity she would have been a formidable
+foe.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Agostino again aimed his <i>navaja</i> at the baron, who was at that moment off
+his guard, and would not perhaps have escaped the deadly weapon a second time
+if it had been hurled at him from that skilful hand, but that a grasp of iron
+fastened upon the desperado&rsquo;s wrist, just in time to defeat his purpose.
+He strove in vain to extricate his right arm from the powerful grip that held
+it like a vice&mdash;struggling violently, and writhing with the pain it caused
+him&mdash;but he dared not turn upon this new assailant, who was behind him,
+because de Sigognac would have surely scored his back for him; and he was
+forced to continue parrying his thrusts with his left arm, still protected by
+the ample cloak firmly wound around it. He soon discovered that he could not
+possibly free his right hand, and the agony became so great that his fingers
+could no longer keep their grasp of the knife, which fell a second time to the
+ground.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was the tyrant who had come to de Sigognac&rsquo;s rescue, and now suddenly
+roared out in his stentorian voice, &ldquo;What the deuce is nipping me? Is it
+a viper? I felt two sharp fangs meet in the calf of my leg.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was Chiquita, who was biting his leg like a dog, in the vain hope of making
+him turn round and loose his hold upon Agostino; but the tyrant shook her off
+with a quick movement, that sent her rolling in the dust at some distance,
+without relinquishing his captive, whilst Matamore dashed forward and picked up
+the <i>navaja</i>, which he shut together and put into his pocket.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Whilst this scene was enacting the sun had risen, and poured a flood of
+radiance upon the earth in which the sham brigands lost much of their life-like
+effect. &ldquo;Ha, ha!&rdquo; laughed the peasant, &ldquo;it would appear that
+those gentlemen&rsquo;s guns take a long time to go off; they must be wet with
+dew. But whatever may be the matter with them they are miserable cowards, to
+stand still there at a safe distance and leave their chief to do all the
+fighting by himself.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;There is a good reason for that,&rdquo; answered Matamore, as he climbed
+up the steep bank to them, &ldquo;these are nothing but scarecrows.&rdquo; And
+with six vigorous kicks he sent the six absurd figures rolling in every
+direction, making the most comical gestures as they fell.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You may safely alight now, ladies,&rdquo; said the baron, reassuringly,
+to the trembling actresses, &ldquo;there&rsquo;s nothing more to fear; it was
+only a sham battle after all.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In despair at his overwhelming defeat, Agostino hung his head mournfully, and
+stood like a statue of grief, dreading lest worse still should befall him, if
+the comedians, who were in too great force for him to attempt to struggle any
+longer against them, decided to take him on to the next town and deliver him
+over to the jailor to be locked up, as indeed he richly deserved. His faithful
+little friend, Chiquita, stood motionless at his side, as downcast as himself.
+But the farce of the false brigands so tickled the fancy of the players that it
+seemed as if they never would have done laughing over it, and they were
+evidently inclined to deal leniently with the ingenious rascal who had devised
+it. The tyrant, who had loosened, but not quitted, his hold upon the bandit,
+assumed his most tragic air and voice, and said to him, &ldquo;You have
+frightened these ladies almost to death, you scoundrel, and you richly deserve
+to be strung up for it; but if, as I believe, they will consent to pardon
+you&mdash;for they are very kind and good&mdash;-I will not take you to the
+lock-up. I confess that I do not care to furnish a subject for the gallows.
+Besides, your stratagem is really very ingenious and amusing&mdash;a capital
+farce to play at the expense of cowardly travellers&mdash;who have doubtless
+paid you well for the entertainment, eh? As an actor, I appreciate the joke,
+and your ingenuity inclines me to be indulgent. You are not simply and brutally
+a robber, and it would certainly be a pity to cut short such a fine
+career.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Alas!&rdquo; answered Agostino mournfully, &ldquo;no other career is
+open to me, and I am more to be pitied than you suppose. I am the only one left
+of a band formerly as complete as yours; the executioner has deprived me of my
+brave comrades one by one, and now I am obliged to carry on my operations
+entirely alone&mdash;dressing up my scarecrows, as your friend calls them, and
+assuming different voices to make believe that I am supported by a numerous
+company. Ah! mine is a sad fate; and then my road is such a poor one&mdash;so
+few travellers come this way&mdash;and I have not the means to purchase a
+better one. Every good road is owned by a band of brigands, you know. I wish
+that I could get some honest work to do, but that is hopeless; who would employ
+such a looking fellow as I am? all in rags and tatters, worse than the poorest
+beggar. I must surely have been born under an unlucky star. And now this
+attempt has failed, from which I hoped to get enough to keep us for two months,
+and buy a decent cloak for poor Chiquita besides; she needs it badly enough,
+poor thing! Yesterday I had nothing to eat, and I had to tighten my belt to
+sustain my empty stomach. Your unexpected resistance has taken the very bread
+out of my mouth; and since you would not let me rob you, at least be generous
+and give me something.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;To be sure,&rdquo; said the tyrant, who was greatly amused; &ldquo;as we
+have prevented your successfully plying your trade we certainly do owe you an
+indemnity. Here, take these two <i>pistoles</i> to drink our healths
+with.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Isabelle meantime sought in the chariot for a piece of new woollen stuff she
+happened to have with her, which was soft and warm, and gave it to Chiquita,
+who exclaimed, &ldquo;Oh! but it is the necklace of shining white things that I
+want.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Kind Isabelle immediately unclasped it, and then fastened it round the slender
+neck of the child, who was so overwhelmed with delight that she could not
+speak. She silently rolled the smooth, white beads between her little brown
+fingers in a sort of mute ecstasy for a few moments, then suddenly raising her
+head and tossing back her thick black hair, she fixed her sparkling eyes on
+Isabelle, and said in a low, earnest voice, &ldquo;Oh! you are very, very good,
+and I will never, never kill you.&rdquo; Then she ran swiftly back to the pine
+grove, clambered up the steep bank, and sat down to admire and enjoy her
+treasure. As to Agostino, after making his best bow, and thanking the tyrant
+for his really princely munificence, he picked up his prostrate comrades, and
+carried them back to be buried again until their services should be needed on
+some, he hoped, more auspicious occasion.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The driver, who had deserted his oxen and run to hide himself among the furze
+bushes at the beginning of the affray, returned to his post when he saw that
+all danger was over, and the chariot once more started upon its way&mdash;the
+worthy duenna having taken her doubloons out of her shoes and restored them to
+her purse, which was then deposited in the depths of a mysterious pocket.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You behaved like a real hero of romance,&rdquo; Isabelle said in an
+undertone to de Sigognac, &ldquo;and I feel that under your protection we can
+travel securely; how bravely you attacked that bandit single-handedly when you
+had every reason to believe that he was supported by an armed band.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You overestimate my little exploit,&rdquo; the baron replied modestly,
+&ldquo;there was no danger worth mentioning,&rdquo; then sinking his voice to a
+whisper, &ldquo;but to protect you I would meet and conquer giants, put to
+flight a whole host of Saracens, attack and destroy dragons and horrid
+monsters; I would force my way through enchanted forests filled with snares and
+perils, such as we read of, and even descend into hell itself, like Æneas of
+old. In your dear service the most difficult feats would be easy; your
+beautiful eyes inspire me with indomitable courage, and your sweet presence, or
+even the bare thought of you, seems to endue me with a super-human
+strength.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This was, perhaps, rather exaggerated, but perfectly sincere, and Isabelle did
+not doubt for a moment that de Sigognac would be able to accomplish fabulous
+deeds of prowess in her honour and for her sake; and she was not so very far
+wrong, for he was becoming hourly more passionately enamoured of her, and
+ardent young lovers are capable of prodigies of valour, inspired by the fair
+objects of their adoration.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Serafina, who had overheard some of the baron&rsquo;s impassioned words, could
+not repress a scornful smile; so many women are apt to find the fervid
+protestations of lovers, when addressed to others than themselves, supremely
+ridiculous, yet they joyfully receive the very same protestations, without
+detecting anything in the least absurd in them when whispered into their own
+ears. For a moment she was tempted to try the power of her many charms, which
+she believed to be irresistible, with the young baron, and win him away from
+Isabelle; but this idea was speedily rejected, for Serafina held beauty to be a
+precious gem that should be richly set in gold&mdash;the gem was hers, but the
+golden setting was lamentably wanting, and poor de Sigognac could not possibly
+furnish it. So the accomplished coquette decided not to interfere with this
+newly-born love affair, which was &ldquo;all very well for a simple-minded
+young girl like Isabelle,&rdquo; she said to herself, with a disdainful smile
+and toss of the head.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Profound silence had fallen upon the party after the late excitement, and some
+of them were even growing sleepy again, when several hours later the driver
+suddenly called out, &ldquo;There is the Château de Bruyères.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+</div><!--end chapter-->
+
+<div class="chapter">
+
+<h2><a name="chap05"></a>CHAPTER V.<br/>
+AT THE CHÂTEAU DE BRUYÈRES</h2>
+
+<p>
+The extensive domain of the Marquis de Bruyères was situated just upon the edge
+of the Landes, and consisted mostly of productive, highly-cultivated
+land&mdash;the barren sand reaching only to the boundary wall of the great park
+that surrounded the château. An air of prosperity pervaded the entire estate,
+in pleasing contrast with the desolate region of country close at hand. Outside
+the park wall was a broad, deep ditch, filled with clear water and spanned by a
+handsome stone bridge, wide enough for two carriages abreast, which led to the
+grand entrance gates. These were of wrought iron, and quite a marvel of
+delicate workmanship and beauty. There was a good deal of gilding about them,
+and the lofty apex bore a marquis&rsquo;s crown above a shield supported by two
+naked savages, upon which the de Bruyères arms were richly emblazoned&mdash;it
+was an entrance worthy of a royal demesne. When our party paused before it, in
+the course of the morning, a servant in a rich, showy livery was slowly opening
+the folding leaves of the magnificent gates, so as to admit them into the park.
+The very oxen hesitated ere they took their slow way through it, as if dazzled
+by so much splendour, and ashamed of their own homeliness&mdash;the honest
+brutes little suspecting that the wealthy nobleman&rsquo;s pomp and glitter are
+derived from the industry of the lowly tillers of the soil. It certainly would
+seem as if only fine carriages and prancing horses should be permitted to pass
+through such a portal as this, but the chariot of Thespis, no matter how
+humble, is privileged, and not only enters, but is welcome everywhere.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A broad avenue led from the bridge to the château, passing by carefully clipped
+shrubbery, whence marble statues peeped out here and there, and a beautiful
+garden, with flower-beds ingeniously laid out in geometrical patterns, and
+brilliant with well contrasted colours. The narrow walks among them were
+bordered with box, and strewn with fine sand of various tints, and several
+little fountains threw up their sparkling jets among the flowers. In the centre
+of the garden was a magnificent fountain, with a large, oblong, marble basin,
+and a Triton, on a high pedestal, pouring water from a shell. A row of yews,
+skilfully trimmed into pyramids, balls, and various fanciful shapes, and placed
+at regular distances on each side of the grand avenue, extended from the
+entrance gates to the château, their sombre hue contrasting well with the
+brighter green of the foliage behind them. Everything was in the most perfect
+order; not a leaf out of place, nor a particle of dust to be seen anywhere, as
+if the gardeners had just freshly washed and trimmed every tree, shrub, and
+plant under their care.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+All this magnificence astonished and delighted the poor comedians, who rarely
+gained admission to such an abode as this. Serafina, affecting indifference,
+but noting everything carefully from under her lowered eye-lashes, promised
+herself to supplant the <i>soubrette</i> in the marquis&rsquo;s favour, feeling
+that this great seignior was her own legitimate prey, and ought to have devoted
+himself to her in the first place, instead of weakly yielding to the vulgar
+blandishments of the pretty waiting-maid, as he should no longer be permitted
+to do&mdash;if she had any power.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Meanwhile the <i>soubrette</i>, feeling sure of her conquest, had given herself
+up to castle-building with all the fervour of her ardent southern nature.
+Isabelle, who was not preoccupied by any ambitious projects, turned her head
+now and then to glance and smile tenderly at de Sigognac, who was sitting in
+the chariot behind her and who she knew must be feeling acutely the painful
+contrast between this splendid estate and his own desolate, half-ruined
+château. Her loving heart ached for him, and her eyes spoke sweetest sympathy
+to the poor young nobleman, reduced so low a fortune, yet so worthy of a better
+fate.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The tyrant was deep in thought, trying to decide how, much he might venture to
+demand for the services of his troupe, and mentally increasing the amount at
+every step, as new glories disclosed themselves to his wondering eyes. The
+pedant was looking forward impatiently to the copious draughts of generous wine
+he felt sure of enjoying in the splendid château that was now in full view, and
+Leander, striving to smooth his slightly dishevelled locks with a dainty little
+tortoise-shell pocket-comb, was wondering, with a fluttering heart, whether a
+fair <i>marquise</i> dwelt within those walls, and would gaze down upon him
+from one of those windows as he alighted&mdash;indulging in high hopes of the
+impression he should make upon her susceptible heart.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The Château de Bruyères, which had been entirely rebuilt in the preceding
+reign, was a noble structure, of immense size, three stories in height, and
+enclosing a large interior court. It was built of red brick, with elaborate,
+white stone facings. There were many pretty balconies with sculptured stone
+railings, and large, clear panes of glass&mdash;an unusual luxury at that
+epoch&mdash;in the numerous lofty windows, through which the rich hangings
+within were visible; and a projecting porch, reached by an imposing flight of
+broad stone steps, in the centre of the facade, marked the main entrance. The
+high, steep roof was of slate, in several shades, wrought into a quaint, pretty
+pattern, and the groups of tall chimneys were symmetrically disposed and
+handsomely ornamented. There was a look of gaiety and luxury about this really
+beautiful château which gave the idea of great prosperity, but not the
+slightest approach to vulgar pretension. There was nothing meretricious or
+glaring; everything was substantial and in perfect taste, and an indescribably
+majestic, dignified air, if we may be allowed the expression, pervaded the
+whole establishment, which spoke of ancient wealth and nobility under all this
+modern splendour.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Behind the château, its gardens and terraces, was a veritable forest of lofty,
+venerable trees, forming the magnificent park, which was of great extent, and
+for centuries had been the pride of the Bruyères.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Although our high-minded young hero had never been envious of any one in his
+life, he could not altogether suppress the melancholy sigh with which he
+remembered that in former years the de Sigognacs had stood higher than the de
+Bruyères in the province, and had taken precedence of them at court; nor could
+he help contrasting in his own mind this fresh, new château, replete with every
+beauty and luxury that a cultivated taste could devise and plentiful wealth
+procure, with his own desolate, dilapidated mansion&mdash;the home of owls and
+rats&mdash;which was gradually but surely crumbling into dust, and a keen pang
+shot through his heart at the thought. He recalled the dreary, solitary,
+hopeless life he had led there, and said to himself that the Marquis de
+Bruyères ought to be a very happy man, with so much to make his existence
+delightful. The stopping of the chariot at the foot of the broad stone steps in
+the front of the château aroused him from his reverie; he dismissed as quickly
+as he could the sad thoughts that had engrossed him, endeavoured to dismiss
+also the dark shadow from his brow, and jumping lightly to the ground turned
+and held out his hand to help Isabelle to descend, before any one else could
+offer her that little service.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The Marquis de Bruyères, who had seen the chariot advancing slowly up the
+avenue, stood in the porch to receive them. He was superbly dressed, and looked
+very handsome, as both Serafina and the <i>soubrette</i> secretly remarked. He
+descended two or three steps as the chariot stopped, and welcomed his guests
+with a friendly wave of the hand&mdash;doing them as much honour as if they had
+been of his own rank&mdash;which act of courtesy, let us hasten to explain, was
+because of the Baron de Sigognac&rsquo;s presence among them; but for that they
+would not have been brought to the main entrance at all.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At this moment the wily <i>soubrette</i>, seeing her opportunity for a bold
+stroke, prepared to alight; and as de Sigognac was fully occupied with
+Isabelle, and nobody else thought of paying any attention to her&mdash;for she
+always jumped to the ground as lightly as a bird, disdaining
+assistance&mdash;she hesitated for a moment, with an adorable little air of
+timidity, and then raised an appealing glance to the marquis. He could not
+resist it, and, rushing down the steps to her aid, held out both hands to her.
+With wonderful art the clever little actress managed to slip and lose her
+balance, so as to fall into his extended arms, clasping him around the neck as
+she did so.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Pardon me, my lord,&rdquo; said she, breathlessly, to the marquis,
+feigning a confusion she was far from really feeling, &ldquo;I thought I was
+going to fall, and grasped your collar, just as a drowning man clutches at the
+nearest object. A fall is a bad omen, you know, as well as a serious matter,
+for a poor actress.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Permit me to look upon this little accident as a favour,&rdquo; the
+marquis replied, giving her a most significant glance, and lightly pressing her
+yielding form in his arms before he released her.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Serafina had watched this little by-play out of the corner of her eye, though
+her face was apparently turned away from them, and she bit her lip till it
+bled, with vexation; so after all the <i>soubrette</i> had succeeded, by an
+abominably bold action, in compelling the marquis to neglect her betters and
+give his warmest welcome to a low <i>intrigante</i>, said the &ldquo;leading
+lady&rdquo; to herself, swelling with righteous indignation, and abusing the
+offender roundly in her thoughts&mdash;wishing that she could do it aloud, and
+expose her outrageous, unmannerly artifice.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Jean,&rdquo; said the marquis to a servant in livery who stood near,
+&ldquo;have this chariot taken into the court, and see that the decorations,
+scenery, etc., are carefully put in some convenient place; have the luggage of
+these ladies and gentlemen carried to the rooms that I ordered to be made ready
+for them, and take care that they have everything they want;&rdquo; then in a
+lower tone, but very emphatically, &ldquo;I desire that they should be treated
+with the utmost courtesy and respect.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+These orders being given, the marquis gravely ascended the steps, followed by
+the comedians, and having consigned them to his major-domo to show them to
+their respective rooms and make them comfortable, he gracefully bowed and left
+them; darting an admiring glance at the <i>soubrette</i> as he did so, which
+she acknowledged by a radiant smile, that Serafina, raging inwardly, pronounced
+&ldquo;abominably bold.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The chariot meantime had made its way into a back court, accompanied by the
+tyrant, the pedant and Scapin, who superintended the unloading of the various
+articles that would be needed&mdash;a strange medley, which the supercilious
+servants of the château, in their rich liveries, handled with a very lofty air
+of contempt and condescension, feeling it quite beneath their dignity to wait
+upon a band of strolling players. But they dared not rebel, for the marquis had
+ordered it, and he was a severe master, as well as a very generous one.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The major-domo, however, conducted his charges to their appointed chambers with
+as profound an air of respect as if they had been real princes and princesses;
+for the marquis himself had visited the left wing of the château, where they
+were to be lodged, had specified the room for each guest, and ordered that they
+should want for nothing&mdash;a very unusual proceeding on his part, as he was
+in the habit of leaving all such minor details to his trusty major-domo. A
+beautiful chamber, hung with tapestry which represented the loves of Cupid and
+Psyche, was given to the <i>soubrette</i>, the pretty, dainty, blue one to
+Isabelle, and the luxurious red one to Serafina, whilst the more sober brown
+one was assigned to the duenna. The Baron de Sigognac was installed in a
+magnificent apartment, whose panelled walls were covered with richly embossed
+Spanish leather. It was close to Isabelle&rsquo;s room&mdash;a delicate
+attention on the part of the marquis. This superb chamber was always reserved
+for his most honoured guests, and in giving it to our young hero he desired to
+testify that he recognised and appreciated his rank, though he religiously
+respected his incognito.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When de Sigognac was left alone, and at liberty to think over quietly the odd
+situation in which he found himself, he looked at his magnificent surroundings
+with surprise as well as admiration&mdash;for he had never in his life seen, or
+even imagined, such splendour and luxury. The rich glowing colours of the
+chimerical flowers and foliage embossed on a golden ground of the Spanish
+leather on the walls, the corresponding tints in the frescoed ceiling and the
+heavy, silken hangings at the windows and doors and round the bed, the
+elaborately carved and gilded furniture, the luxurious easy-chairs and sofas,
+the large mirrors with bevelled edges, and the dainty dressing-table, lavishly
+furnished with all the accessories of the toilet, with its oval glass draped
+with lace which was tied back with knots of gay ribbon, certainly did make up a
+charming whole, and the wood fire burning brightly in the open fireplace gave a
+cheerful, cosy air to it all.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Our poor young baron blushed painfully as he caught sight of his own figure in
+one of the long mirrors&mdash;his shabby, ill-fitting clothes looked so sadly
+out of place amidst all this magnificence&mdash;and for the first time in his
+life he felt ashamed of his poverty. Highly unphilosophical this, but surely
+excusable in so young a man as our hero. With a natural desire to improve his
+forlorn appearance if he could, he unpacked the scanty supply of clothing that
+his faithful Pierre had put up for him&mdash;hoping that he might come across
+something a little less thread-bare than the suit he actually had on his
+back&mdash;but the inspection was not satisfactory, and he groaned as he
+discarded one faded, shabby garment after another. The linen was not any
+better&mdash;worn so that it was thin everywhere, with numerous darns and
+patches, and many holes, he could not find a single shirt that was whole and in
+good condition. He was so absorbed in this melancholy inspection that he did
+not hear a low knock at the door, nor notice that it was slowly pushed open,
+having been already ajar, to admit the stout person of Blazius, who approached
+him with many bows and flourishes, though entirely unobserved. When the pedant
+reached his side de Sigognac was just holding up before him a shirt that had as
+many openings as the rose window of a cathedral, and slowly shaking his head as
+he gazed at it, with an expression of utter discouragement.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Body of Bacchus!&rdquo; exclaimed the pedant&mdash;his voice, so close
+at hand, startling the astonished baron, who had believed himself alone, and
+safe from intrusion&mdash;&ldquo;that shirt has verily a valiant and triumphant
+air. It looks as if it had been worn by Mars himself in battle, so riddled has
+it been by lances, spears, darts, arrows, and I know not what besides.
+Don&rsquo;t be ashamed of it, Baron!&mdash;these holes are honourable to you.
+Many a shirt of fine linen, ruffled and embroidered, according to the latest
+fashion, disguises the graceless person of some rascally parvenu&mdash;and
+usurer as well perhaps&mdash;who usurps the place of his betters. Several of
+the great heroes, of immortal fame, had not a shirt to their
+backs&mdash;Ulysses, for example, that wise and valiant man, who presented
+himself before the beautiful Princess Nausicaa, with no other covering than a
+bunch of sea-weed&mdash;as we are told, in the Odyssey, by the grand old bard,
+Homer.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Unfortunately,&rdquo; de Sigognac replied, &ldquo;there is no point of
+resemblance, my dear Blazius, between me and the brave King of Ithaca, save the
+lack of linen. <i>I</i> have done no deeds of valour to shed a lustre over MY
+poverty. I have had no chance to make myself famous, and I fear that the poets
+will never celebrate my praises in glowing hexameters. But, jesting aside, I
+must confess that I do feel greatly annoyed at being forced to appear in this
+guise here. The Marquis de Bruyères recognised me, though he made no sign, and
+he may betray my secret.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;It <i>is</i> a pity,&rdquo; said the pedant in reply, &ldquo;but
+there&rsquo;s a remedy for every ill under the sun, save death, according to
+the old saying, and if you will permit me, I think that I can help you out of
+this awkward dilemma. We, poor players, shadows of real men and women, phantoms
+of personages of every degree, from the highest to the lowest, have the means
+necessary for assuming almost any character, you know. As
+&lsquo;<i>costumier</i>&rsquo; of the troupe I am accustomed to make all sorts
+of transformations, and can turn a miserable vagabond into an Alexander, or a
+vulgar wench into a princess. Now, if you are not too proud, I will exercise my
+poor skill in your lordship&rsquo;s service. Since you have been willing to
+join our company for this journey, do not disdain to make use of our resources,
+such as they are, and put aside these ill-fitting garments, which disguise your
+natural advantages, and make you feel ill at ease. Most fortunately I happen to
+have in reserve a handsome suit of black velvet, which has not the least of a
+theatrical air about it, and has never been used; any gentleman could wear it,
+and unless I am much mistaken it will fit you capitally. I have also the fine
+linen shirt, silk stockings, shoes&mdash;with broad buckles, and cloak to go
+with it&mdash;there is nothing wanting, not even the sword.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Oh! as to that,&rdquo; cried de Sigognac, with a gesture expressive of
+all that pride of birth which no misfortunes could crush, &ldquo;I have my
+father&rsquo;s sword.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;True,&rdquo; answered Blazius, &ldquo;and guard it sacredly, my lord!
+for a sword is a faithful friend&mdash;defender of its master&rsquo;s life and
+honour. <i>It</i> does not abandon him in times of peril and disaster, like the
+false friends who cling only to prosperity. Our stage swords have neither edge
+nor point, for they are only intended for show; the wounds they make disappear
+suddenly when the curtain falls, without the aid of the surgeon with his
+instruments and lint. That trusty sword of yours you can depend upon in any
+emergency, and I have already seen it doing good service in our behalf. But
+permit me to go and fetch the things I spoke of; I am impatient to see the
+butterfly emerge from the chrysalis.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Having thus spoken, in the theatrical way that had become habitual with him,
+the worthy pedant quitted the room, and soon reappeared, carrying a large
+package, which he deposited on the table in the centre of the chamber.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;If your lordship will accept an old actor as
+<i>valet-de-chambre</i>,&rdquo; he said, rubbing his hands joyfully together,
+&ldquo;I will beautify you in no time. All the ladies will be sure to fall in
+love with you, for&mdash;with no disrespect to the larder at the Château de
+Sigognac be it said&mdash;you have fasted so much in your lonely life there
+that it has made you most interestingly slender and pale&mdash;just what the
+dear creatures delight in. They would not listen to a word from a stout lover,
+even if the diamonds and pearls of the fairy tale dropped from his lips
+whenever he spoke. That is the sole reason for my want of success with the fair
+sex, and I long ago deserted the shrine of Venus for the worship of Bacchus. A
+big paunch is not amiss among the devotees of that merry god, for it bears
+witness to plentiful libations.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Thus running on gaily, the worthy pedant strove to amuse the melancholy young
+nobleman, while he deftly performed his duties as valet; and they were very
+quickly completed, for the requirements of the stage necessitate great
+dexterity on the part of the actors to make the metamorphoses frequently needed
+with sufficient promptness and rapidity. Charmed with the result of his efforts
+he led de Sigognac up to one of the large mirrors, wherein, upon raising his
+eyes, he saw a figure which, at the first glance, he thought must be that of
+some person who had entered the room without his knowledge, and turned to ask
+who the intruder was&mdash;but there was no stranger there, and he discovered
+that it was his own reflection&mdash;so changed that he was mute with
+astonishment. A young, handsome, richly-dressed de Sigognac stood before him,
+and a radiant smile parted his lips and lighted up his face as he gazed at his
+own image, which perfected the really marvellous transformation. Blazius,
+standing near, contemplated his work with undisguised pride and satisfaction,
+changing his position several times so as to get different views, as a sculptor
+might who had just put the finishing touches to his statue altogether to his
+liking.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;When you have made your way at court, my lord, and regained the position
+held by your ancestors, as I hope and expect that you will do, I shall pray you
+to give me a refuge for my old age in your household, and make me intendant of
+your lordship&rsquo;s wardrobe,&rdquo; said he, with a profound bow to the
+baron.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I will not forget your request, my good Blazius, even though I fear that
+I shall never be able to comply with it,&rdquo; de Sigognac answered with a
+melancholy smile. &ldquo;You, my kind friend, are the first human being that
+has ever asked a favour of me.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;After our dinner, which we are to have very shortly, we are to consult
+with his lordship, the marquis, as to what play shall be given this evening,
+and learn from him where we are to rig our theatre. You will pass for the poet
+of the troupe; it is by no means an unheard-of thing for men of learning and
+position to join a band of players thus&mdash;either for the fun of the thing,
+and in hope of adventures, or for the love of a young and beautiful actress. I
+could tell you of several notable instances; and it is thought to be rather to
+a man&rsquo;s credit than otherwise in fashionable circles. Isabelle is a very
+good pretext for you; she is young, beautiful, clever, modest, and virtuous. In
+fact many an actress who takes like her the role of the ingenuous young girl is
+in reality all that she personates, though a frivolous and frequently
+licentious public will not credit it for a moment.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Herewith the pedant discreetly retired, having accomplished, to his great
+satisfaction, what he had really feared to propose to the young baron, for whom
+he had conceived a very warm affection.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Meanwhile the elegant Leander, indulging in delightful dreams of the possible
+fair <i>châtelaine</i> who was to fall a victim to his charms, was making his
+careful toilet&mdash;arraying himself in his most resplendent finery,
+scrupulously kept for grand occasions&mdash;convinced that great good fortune
+awaited him, and determined to carry the noble lady&rsquo;s heart by storm.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As to the actresses, to whom the gallant marquis, with princely munificence,
+had sent several pieces of rich stuffs and silks, it is needless to say that
+they spared no pains to make themselves as charming as possible, and obeyed the
+summons to dinner radiant with smiles and in high good humour&mdash;excepting
+indeed the fair Serafina, who was inwardly consumed with envy and spite, but
+careful to conceal it from all beholders.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The marquis, who was of an ardent, impatient nature, made his appearance in the
+dining-room before they had quite finished the sumptuous repast which had been
+served to them; he would not allow them to rise, but seated himself at the
+table with them, and when the last course had been removed, asked the tyrant to
+be good enough to give him a list of the plays they were in the habit of
+acting, so that he might select one for the evening&rsquo;s entertainment. But
+so many were enumerated that his lordship found it not easy to make a choice,
+and expressed his desire to have the tyrant&rsquo;s ideas upon the subject.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;There is one piece we often play,&rdquo; Hérode said, &ldquo;which never
+fails to please, and is so full of good-natured fun and nonsense that it keeps
+the audience in a roar of laughter from the beginning to the end.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Let us have that one, by all means,&rdquo; the marquis exclaimed;
+&ldquo;and pray what is the name of this delightful play?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;The Rodomontades of Captain Matamore.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;A capital title, upon my word! and has the <i>soubrette</i> a good part
+in it?&rdquo; asked his lordship, with a languishing glance at her.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;The most racy, mischievous role imaginable,&rdquo; said Hérode warmly,
+&ldquo;and she plays it to perfection&mdash;it is her chef d&rsquo;oeuvre. She
+is always applauded to the echo in it.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At this high praise from the manager, Zerbine&mdash;for such was the
+<i>soubrette&rsquo;s</i> name&mdash;tried her best to get up a becoming blush,
+but in vain. Modesty she had none, and the tint she would fain have called into
+requisition at that moment was not contained in any of her numerous rouge-pots.
+So she cast down her eyes, thereby displaying to advantage the length and
+thickness of her jet-black lashes, and raised her hand with a deprecating
+gesture, which called attention to its pretty, taper fingers and rosy nails.
+The marquis watched he admiringly, and she certainly was very charming in her
+way. He did not vouchsafe even a glance to the other two young
+actresses&mdash;refraining from testifying any marked admiration for Isabelle
+because of the prior claim of the Baron de Sigognac&mdash;though he was
+secretly very much delighted with her sweet, refined style of beauty, and the
+quiet dignity and grace of her deportment. Serafina, who was naturally
+indignant that the marquis had not even asked if there was a part for her in
+the piece to be performed, accused him in her heart of being no gentleman, and
+of having very low, vulgar tastes, but she was the only one of the party that
+felt any dissatisfaction.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Before the marquis left them he said to Hérode, &ldquo;I have given orders to
+have the orangery cleared so that our theatre can be arranged there; they are
+carrying planks, trestles, benches, hangings, and all other needful articles in
+there now. Will you kindly superintend the workmen, who are new to this sort of
+business? They will obey your orders as they would my own.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Accordingly the tyrant, Blazius and Scapin repaired to the orangery, which was
+at a little distance from the château and admirably calculated for the purpose
+it was now to serve, and where they found everything necessary to convert it
+into a temporary theatre.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Whilst this work is going forward we will make our amiable, indulgent readers
+acquainted with the fair mistress of the château&mdash;having heretofore
+forgotten to mention that the Marquis de Bruyères was a married man; he thought
+of it so seldom himself that we may surely be pardoned for this omission. As
+can be readily imagined, from our last remark, love had not been the moving
+cause in this union. Adjoining estates, which, united in one, formed a noble
+domain, and equality of rank had been the chief considerations. After a very
+brief honeymoon, during which they had become painfully aware of a total want
+of congeniality, the marquis and <i>marquise</i>&mdash;like well-bred people,
+making no outcry about their matrimonial failure&mdash;had tacitly agreed to
+live amicably under the same roof, but entirely independent of each
+other&mdash;he to go his way and she hers, with perfect freedom. They always
+treated each other in public, and indeed whenever they chanced to meet, with
+the greatest courtesy, and might easily have been mistaken by a casual observer
+for an unusually happy and united pair. Mme. la Marquise occupied a sumptuous
+suite of apartments in the château, which her husband never thought of entering
+without first sending to ascertain whether it would be convenient for madame to
+receive him, like a formal visitor. But we will avail ourselves of the
+time-honoured privilege of authors, and make our way into the noble
+<i>châtelaine&rsquo;s</i> bed-chamber, without any form or
+ceremony&mdash;feeling sure of not disturbing its fair occupant, since the
+writer of a romance wears upon his finger the wonder-working ring of Gyges,
+which renders him invisible.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was a large, lofty room, hung with superb tapestry representing the
+adventures of Apollo, and exhibiting every luxury that wealth could procure.
+Here also a bright wood fire was, burning cheerily, and the Marquise de
+Bruyères sat before her dressing table, with two maids in attendance upon her,
+absorbed in the all-important business of putting the finishing touches to her
+extremely becoming as well as effective toilet. Mme. la Marquise was a handsome
+brunette, whose embonpoint, which had succeeded to the slender outline of early
+youth, had added to her beauty; her magnificent black hair, which was one of
+her ladyship&rsquo;s greatest charms, was dressed in the most elaborate
+fashion&mdash;an intricate mass of glossy braids, puffs and curls, forming a
+lofty structure, and ornamented with a large bow of crimson ribbon, while one
+long curl fell upon her fair neck, making it look all the whiter by contrast.
+Her dress of crimson silk, cut very low, displayed to advantage&mdash;the
+plump, dimpled shoulders, and her snowy bosom, and from a band of black velvet
+round her throat was suspended a heart-shaped locket, set with superb rubies
+and brilliants. A white satin petticoat covered with priceless old lace, over
+which the crimson silk gown, open in front, was looped high upon the hips, and
+then swept back in a long, ample, richly trimmed train, completed the elegant
+toilet of Mme. la Marquise.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jeanne, the favourite maid and confidante, held open the box of tiny black,
+&ldquo;<i>mouches</i>&rdquo;&mdash;without which no fashionable lady of that
+epoch considered herself fully equipped&mdash;while the <i>marquise</i> placed
+one, with most happy effect, near the corner of her rather pretty mouth, and
+then hesitated some time before she could decide where to put the other, which
+she held ready on the tip of her forefinger. The two maids stood motionless,
+breathlessly watching their mistress, as if fully impressed with the importance
+of this grave question, until at last the little black star found a
+resting-place just above the edge of the crimson silk bodice, to the
+left&mdash;indicating, in the accepted hieroglyphics of that age of gallantry,
+that he who aspired to the lips of the fair wearer must first win her heart.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+After a last lingering look in the mirror Mme. la Marquise rose and walked
+slowly towards the fire, but suddenly, remembering that there was yet one
+adornment wanting, turned back, and took from a beautiful casket standing open
+on the toilet-table, a large, thick watch&mdash;called in those days a
+Nuremberg egg&mdash;which was curiously enamelled in a variety of bright
+colours, and set with brilliants. It hung from a short, broad chain of rich
+workmanship, which she hooked into her girdle, near another chain of the same
+description, from which depended a small hand-mirror in a pretty gold frame.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Madame is looking her loveliest to-day,&rdquo; said Jeanne in flattering
+tones; &ldquo;her hair is dressed to perfection, and her gown fits like a
+glove.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Do you really think so?&rdquo; asked her mistress languidly, and with
+affected indifference. &ldquo;It seems to me, on the contrary, that I am
+positively hideous. My eyes are sunken, and this colour makes me look immensely
+stout. I have half a mind to exchange this dress for a black one now. What do
+you think, Jeanne? Black makes people look slender, they say.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;If madame insists upon it I can quickly make the exchange; but it would
+be a sad pity not to wear such an elegant and becoming costume as madame has on
+now.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Well, let it be then; but it will be all your fault, Jeanne, if I fail
+to receive as much admiration as usual this evening. Do you know whether the
+marquis has invited many people to come and see this play?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Yes, madame, several messengers have been sent off on horseback in
+different directions, and there will be sure to be a large gathering&mdash;they
+will come from all the châteaux within driving distance&mdash;for such an
+occasion as this is rare, here in the depths of the country.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You are right,&rdquo; said Mme. la Marquise, with a deep sigh, which was
+almost a groan; &ldquo;we are buried alive in this dreary place. And what about
+these players?&mdash;have you seen them, Jeanne?&mdash;are there any handsome
+young actors among them?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I have only had a glimpse of them, madame, and such people are so
+painted and fixed up, they say, that it is hard to tell what they really do
+look like; but there was one slender young man, with long, black curls and a
+very good figure, who had quite a grand air.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;That must be the lover, Jeanne, for it is always the best looking young
+actor in the troupe who takes that part. It would be ridiculous, you know, to
+have a stout old codger, or a very ugly man, or even an awkward one, making
+declarations of love, and going down on their knees, and all that sort of
+thing&mdash;it would not do at all, Jeanne!&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;No, madame, it would not be very nice,&rdquo; said the maid with a merry
+laugh, adding shrewdly, &ldquo;and although it seems to make very little
+difference what husbands may be like, lovers should always be everything that
+is charming.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I confess that I have a weakness for those stage gallants,&rdquo; Mme.
+la Marquise said with a little sigh, &ldquo;they are so handsome, and so
+devoted&mdash;they always use such beautiful language, and make such graceful
+gestures&mdash;they are really irresistible. I cannot help feeling vexed when
+their impassioned appeals are received coldly, and they are driven to despair,
+as so often happens in plays; I would like to call them to me and try to
+console them, the bewitching creatures!&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;That is because madame has such a kind heart that she can&rsquo;t bear
+to see any one suffer without trying to help and comfort them,&rdquo; said the
+specious Jeanne. &ldquo;Now I am of quite a different mind&mdash;nothing I
+would like better than to flout a sentimental suitor; fine words would not gain
+any favour with me&mdash;I should distrust them.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Oh! you don&rsquo;t understand the matter, Jeanne! You have not read as
+many romances, or seen as many plays as I have. Did you say that young actor
+was very handsome?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Mme. la Marquise can judge for herself,&rdquo; answered the maid, who
+had gone to the window, &ldquo;for he is just crossing the court this blessed
+minute, on his way to the orangery, where they are rigging up their
+theatre.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Mme. la Marquise hastened to the window, and there was Leander in full view,
+walking along slowly, apparently lost in thought, and wearing a tender, sad
+expression, which he considered especially effective and interesting&mdash;as
+we have said, he never for a moment forgot his role. As he drew near he looked
+up, as by a sudden inspiration, to the very window where the <i>marquise</i>
+stood watching him, and instantly taking off his hat with a grand flourish, so
+that its long feather swept the ground, made a very low obeisance, such as
+courtiers make to a queen; then drew himself up proudly to his full height, and
+darting an ardent glance of admiration and homage at the beautiful unknown, put
+on his broad felt hat again and went composedly on his way. It was admirably
+well done; a genuine cavalier, familiar with all the gallant usages in vogue at
+court, could not have acquitted himself better. Flattered by this mark of
+respect for her rank and admiration of her beauty, so gracefully tendered, Mme.
+la Marquise could not help acknowledging it by a slight bend of the head, and a
+little half suppressed smile. These favourable signs did not escape Leander,
+who, with his usual self-conceit, took a most exaggerated view of their import.
+He did not for a moment doubt that the fair mistress of the château&mdash;for
+he took it for granted it was she&mdash;had fallen violently in love with him,
+then and there; he felt sure that he had read it in her eyes and her smile. His
+heart beat tumultuously; he trembled with excitement; at last it had come! the
+dream of his life was to be accomplished; he, the poor, strolling player, had
+won the heart of a great lady; his fortune was made! He got through the
+rehearsal to which he had been summoned as best he might, and the instant it
+was over hastened back to his own room, to indite an impassioned appeal to his
+new divinity, and devise some means to insure its reaching her that same
+evening.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As everything was in readiness the play was to begin as soon as the invited
+guests had all assembled. The orangery had been transformed into a charming
+little theatre, and was brilliantly lighted by many clusters of wax candles.
+Behind the spectators the orange trees had been arranged in rows, rising one
+above the other, and filled the air with their delicious fragrance. In the
+front row of seats, which was composed of luxurious arm-chairs, were to be seen
+the beautiful Yolande de Foix, the Duchesse de Montalban, the Baronne
+d&rsquo;Hagémeau, the Marquise de Bruyres, and many other titled dames,
+resplendent in gorgeous array, and vying with each other in magnificence and
+beauty. Rich velvets, brilliant satins, cloth of silver and gold, misty laces,
+gay ribbons, white feathers, tiaras of diamonds, strings of pearls, superb
+jewels, glittering in delicate shell-like ears, on white necks and rounded
+arms, were in profusion, and the scene would have graced the court itself. If
+the surpassingly lovely Yolande de Foix had not been present, several radiant
+mortal goddesses in the exceptionally brilliant assemblage might have made it
+difficult for a Paris to decide between their rival claims to the golden apple;
+but her beauty eclipsed them all, though it was rather that of the haughty
+Diana than the smiling Venus. Men raved about her, declared her irresistible,
+worshipped at her shrine, but never dared aspire to her love; one scornful
+glance from her cold blue eyes effectually extinguished any nascent hope, and
+the cruel beauty punished presumption as relentlessly, and won and flung away
+hearts with as much nonchalance, as ever did her immortal prototype, the fair
+goddess of the chase.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+How was this exquisite creature dressed? It would require more
+<i>sang-froid</i> than we are possessed of to venture upon a description of her
+perfect toilet; her raiment floated about her graceful form like a luminous
+cloud, in which one could think only of herself; we believe, however, that
+there were clusters of pearls nestling amid the bright curls that made an
+aureola&mdash;a veritable golden glory&mdash;about her beautiful head.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Behind these fair ladies sat or stood the nobles and gentlemen who had the
+honour of being their fathers, husbands, and brothers. Some were leaning
+forward to whisper soft nothings and dainty compliments into willing ears,
+others lounging and fanning themselves lazily with their broad felt hats, and
+others still standing in the background looking admiringly at the pretty group
+before them. The hum of conversation filled the air, and a slight impatience
+was just beginning to manifest itself among the waiting audience, when the
+traditional three knocks were heard, and all suddenly subsided into silence.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The curtain rose slowly and revealed a very pretty scene representing a public
+square where several streets met, surrounded by picturesque houses with small
+latticed windows, overhanging gables, high peaked roofs, and smoke curling
+upwards from the slender chimneys against the blue sky.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+One of these houses had a practicable door and window, whilst two of those in
+the side scenes enjoyed equal advantages, and one of them was furnished with a
+balcony. A few trees were scattered about in front of the houses, and, though
+the painting was not of the highest order of scenic art, the general effect was
+very good, and won a round of applause from the aristocratic audience. The
+piece opens with a quarrel between the testy old <i>bourgeois</i>, Pandolphe,
+and his daughter, Isabelle, who, being in love with a handsome young suitor,
+obstinately refuses to obey her father&rsquo;s commands and marry a certain
+Captain Matamore, with whom he is perfectly infatuated. She is ably supported
+in her resistance by her pretty maid, Zerbine, who is well paid by Leander, the
+favoured lover, to espouse his cause. To all the curses and abuse that
+Pandolphe showers upon her, she answers gaily with the most exasperating and
+amusing impertinences, advising him to marry this fine captain himself if he is
+so fond of him; as for her part she will never suffer her dear, beautiful
+mistress to become the wife of that horrid old codger, that abominable bully,
+that detestable scarecrow! Whereupon Pandolphe, furiously angry, orders her
+into the house, so that he may speak to his daughter alone; and when she
+refuses to obey, and defies him to make her, he takes her by the shoulders and
+attempts to force her to go, but she, bending forward with admirable
+elasticity, from the waist only, at each vigorous effort of his, stands her
+ground and does not budge one inch from her place, breaking into peals of
+laughter at every fresh attempt, and accompanying it all with an irresistibly
+saucy, comical by-play, that wins her round after round of enthusiastic
+applause&mdash;whilst the Marquis de Bruyères, enchanted with her spirited
+acting, congratulates himself anew upon the happy chance that threw this
+charming creature in his way.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Another character now enters upon the scene, looking cautiously about him at
+every step, as if he feared an unpleasant surprise. This is Leander, the horror
+of fathers, husbands, and guardians, the delight of wives, daughters, and
+wards&mdash;in one word, the lover&mdash;the very beau-ideal of a lover; young,
+handsome, ardent, ready for anything, winning over strict old duennas, bribing
+pert waiting-maids, climbing up rope-ladders, overcoming every obstacle to
+reach the fair mistress of his affections, and kneeling at her feet to pour out
+burning protestations of love and devotion, that no mortal woman could ever
+resist. Suddenly perceiving that Pandolphe is here, where he only expected to
+find Isabelle, Leander stops and throws himself into an attitude, which he has
+frequently practised before the mirror, and which, he flatters himself, shows
+his handsome person to great advantage; standing with his weight thrown upon
+the left leg, the right one advanced and slightly bent at the knee; one hand on
+the hilt of his sword, the other stroking his chin, so as to make the big
+diamond on his finger flash in the light, and a slight smile playing about his
+lips. He really did look very handsome as he stood there, and was greatly
+admired by all the ladies&mdash;even the haughty Yolande herself not disdaining
+to smile upon him approvingly. Profiting by the opportunity that this pause
+gave him, Leander fixed his eyes upon the Marquise de Bruyères, with such a
+look of passionate entreaty and admiration that she blushed crimson in spite of
+herself under his ardent gaze; then he turned reluctantly towards Isabelle,
+with an absent, indifferent air, which he intended should indicate to the fair
+object of his aspirations the difference between real and simulated passion.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When Pandolphe becomes aware of the presence of Leander he is more furious than
+ever, and hustles his daughter and her maid into the house as quickly as
+possible, not, however, without Zerbine&rsquo;s finding means to take from
+Leander a note for Isabelle, which she slips into the pocket of her coquettish
+little apron. The young man, left alone with the irate father, assures him in
+the most respectful manner that his intentions are honourable; that he asks the
+hand of his fair daughter in marriage; that he is of gentle birth, has an ample
+fortune, and is in high favour at court; that nothing could ever induce him to
+give up Isabelle; he is ready to risk everything to win her, for he loves her
+better than his life&mdash;delicious words, which the young girl listens to
+with rapture from her balcony, whence she makes little signs of approval and
+encouragement to her lover, quite unknown to the stern father, whose back is
+turned to her, and who believes her safely locked up in the house. Despite the
+mellifluous eloquence of the ardent young suitor Pandolphe remains obstinate
+and unmoved, and swears, by all the gods that either he will have Captain
+Matamore for his son-in-law, or his refractory daughter shall be shut up in a
+convent and forced to become a nun. Off he bustles in hot haste to find a
+notary and have the contract of marriage drawn without further delay.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As soon as he is out of sight Leander tries to persuade Isabelle&mdash;who is
+still in her balcony, her father having carried off the key of the street door
+in his pocket&mdash;to consent to fly from such persecution, and accompany him
+to the cell of a certain holy hermit whom he knows, and who is always willing
+and ready to marry runaway couples like themselves, whose loves are thwarted by
+tyrannical parents. But the young girl answers modestly, yet firmly, that,
+although she wishes nothing so earnestly as to be permitted to bestow her hand
+upon her faithful Leander, who already has her heart, she cannot disobey her
+father, for that she, like all dutiful daughters, is in duty bound to respect
+and submit to the commands of the author of her being; but she promises never
+to marry the detested Captain Matamore&mdash;she will go into the convent
+rather than listen to him for a moment. Unable to shake her decision Leander
+then retires to devise plans, with the aid of his clever valet, to overcome the
+formidable obstacles in his way&mdash;more than ever determined not to give up
+the fair Isabelle, and promising her to return in the evening and report
+progress.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Isabelle retires from her balcony and closes her window, and a moment after
+Captain Matamore strides fiercely upon the stage&mdash;his appearance is
+greeted with peals of laughter&mdash;his tall, attenuated figure is encased in
+an absurd costume, in which the bright red and yellow stripes of his tunic meet
+in points in front and behind, whilst they run spirally round his long, thin
+arms and legs, producing the most preposterously comical effect imaginable; a
+stiffly-starched ruff, immensely broad, encircles his neck, upon which his head
+seems to be set, like that of John the Baptist on the charger; a large felt
+hat, turned up at one side, and ornamented with a huge tuft of red and yellow
+feathers, is stuck jauntily on his head, and a short cloak of the same colour,
+fastened round his neck and thrown back from his shoulders, floats behind him.
+He wears an enormous sword, whose heavily weighted hilt keeps the point always
+raised and standing out prominently behind him, whilst from it dangles a clever
+imitation of a spider&rsquo;s web&mdash;a convincing proof of how much he is in
+the habit of making use of this formidable weapon. Closely followed by his
+valet, Scapin, who is in imminent danger of having an eye put out by the end of
+his master&rsquo;s big sword, he marches several times around the stage, taking
+preternaturally long strides, rolling his eyes about fiercely, twisting the
+long ends of his huge mustache, and indulging in a variety of ridiculous
+gestures indicative of exaggerated rage and fury, which are irresistibly
+funny&mdash;all the more so because there is nothing whatever to provoke this
+display of ferocity. Finally he stops in front of the footlights, strikes an
+attitude, and delivers himself thus: &ldquo;For to-day, Scapin, I am willing to
+let my man-killer here have a little rest, so that there may be an opportunity
+to get all its recent victims decently buried, in the cemeteries I contribute
+so largely towards filling. When a man has performed such feats of courage and
+carnage as I have&mdash;killing my hundreds single-handed, while my dastardly
+comrades trembled with fear, or turned and fled from the foe&mdash;to say
+nothing of my daily affairs of honour, now that the wars are over&mdash;he may
+assuredly indulge himself occasionally in milder amusements. Besides, the whole
+civilized world, having now been subjugated by my good sword, no longer offers
+any resistance to my indomitable arm, and Atropos, the eldest of the dread
+Parcae sisters, has sent word to me that the fatal scissors, with which she
+cuts the threads of human lives, have become so dulled by the great amount of
+work my trusty blade has given her to do with them, that she has been obliged
+to send them to Vulcan to be sharpened, and she begs for a short respite. So
+you see, Scapin, I must put force upon myself and restrain my natural
+ardour&mdash;refrain for a time from wars, massacres, sacking of cities,
+stand-up fights with giants, killing of monsters and dragons, like Theseus and
+Hercules of glorious memory, and all the other little pastimes which usually
+occupy my good sword and me. I will take my ease now for a brief period, and
+Death may enjoy a short rest too. But to whom did my worthy prototype, Mars,
+the great god of war, devote <i>his</i> leisure hours? in whose sweet society
+did <i>he</i> find delight? Ask Venus, the immortal goddess of love and beauty,
+who had the good taste to prefer a warlike man to all others, and lent a
+willing ear to the suit of my valiant predecessor. So I, following his
+illustrious example, condescend to turn my attention for the moment to the
+tender sex, and pay my court to the fair Isabelle, the young and beautiful
+object of my ardent love. Being aware that Cupid, with all his assurance, would
+not dare to aim one of his golden-tipped arrows at such an all-conquering hero
+as my unworthy self, I have given him a little encouragement; and, in order
+that the shaft may penetrate to the generous lion&rsquo;s heart that beats in
+this broad breast, I have laid aside the world-famed coat of mail&mdash;made of
+the rings given to me by goddesses, empresses, queens, infantas, princesses,
+and great ladies of every degree, my illustrious admirers the world
+over&mdash;which is proof against all weapons, and has so often saved my life
+in my maddest deeds of daring.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;All of which signifies,&rdquo; interrupts the valet, who had listened to
+this high-blown tirade with ill-concealed impatience, &ldquo;as far as my
+feeble intellect can comprehend such magnificent eloquence, that your most
+redoubtable lordship has fallen in love with some young girl hereabouts, like
+any ordinary mortal.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Really, Scapin,&rdquo; says Matamore, with good-humoured condescension,
+&ldquo;you have hit the nail upon the head&mdash;you are not so stupid after
+all, for a valet. Yes, I have fallen in love, but do not imagine for a moment
+that my courage will suffer diminution on that account. It was all very well
+for Samson to allow his hair to be cut off, and for Alcides to handle the
+distaff at the bidding of his mistress; but Delilah would not have dared to
+touch one hair of my head, and Omphale should have pulled off my boots for
+me&mdash;at the least sign of revolt I would have given her worse to do:
+cleaning the skin of the Nemaean lion, for instance, when I brought it home all
+fresh and bleeding, just as I had torn it from the quivering carcass. The
+thought that has lately occurred to me, that I have subjugated only half of the
+human race, is humiliating. Women, by reason of their weakness, escape me; I
+cannot treat them as I do my masculine opponents&mdash;cut their throats, run
+them through the body, or hew off their arms and legs; I must lay siege to
+their hearts, and conquer them in that way. It is true that I have stormed and
+taken a greater number of such fair citadels than there are drops of water in
+the ocean, or stars in the sky&mdash;why, I sleep on a mattress stuffed with
+thousands of beautiful curls and tresses of every shade, light and dark, golden
+and jet-black, which are among my most treasured trophies. Juno herself has
+made overtures to me, but I turned a deaf ear to her blandishments, finding her
+charms rather too ripe for my taste; I prefer the first flush of youthful
+beauty; it is a pure and innocent maiden that I would honour with my notice
+now, but she repulses me&mdash;that I should live to say it!&mdash;she dares to
+repulse me. I cannot permit such an impertinence on her part, and the fair
+Isabelle must humbly sue to me for pardon, and herself bringing the golden keys
+of the citadel of her heart, upon a salver of silver, offer them to me upon her
+bended knees, with streaming eyes and dishevelled tresses, begging for grace
+and favour in my sight. Go now, and summon the fortress to surrender&mdash;this
+house contains the rebellious fair.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But doors and windows remain inexorably closed, and no notice is taken of the
+valet&rsquo;s thundering knocks and mocking summons to surrender; secure in the
+strength of their bolts and bars, the garrison, which consists of Isabelle and
+her maid, vouchsafes no reply. Matamore, becoming more enraged at each vain
+attempt to gain a response from his fair enemy, stamps about the stage, roaring
+out his defiance, threatening to sack and burn the place, pouring out volleys
+of remarkable oaths, and lashing himself into such a fury that he actually
+foams at the mouth. When his valet at length, after many vain efforts, is able
+to gain a hearing, and tells him of his formidable rival, Leander, and how he
+has already won the lady&rsquo;s heart, all his rage is turned against that
+fortunate suitor, of whom he vows that he will make mince-meat as soon as he
+can lay hands on him. At this very moment Leander himself returns, and Scapin
+points him out to his master as he approaches, adding that he will keep a sharp
+look-out for the police while Matamore is giving him his quietus. But the
+cowardly braggadocio would fain withdraw, now that the enemy is actually in
+sight, and is only restrained from flight by his servant, who pushes him
+forward directly in Leander&rsquo;s path.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Seeing that escape is impossible, Matamore settles his hat firmly on his head,
+twists the long ends of his mustache, puts his hand on the hilt of his big
+sword, and advances threateningly towards Leander&mdash;but it is pure bravado,
+for his teeth are chattering with fear, and his long, thin legs waver and
+tremble under him visibly, like reeds shaken by the wind. Only one hope remains
+to him&mdash;that of intimidating Leander by loud threats and ferocious
+gestures, if, by a happy chance, he be a fellow of his own kidney. So in a
+terrible voice he addresses him thus: &ldquo;Sir, do you know that I am the
+great Captain Matamore of the celebrated house of Cuerno de Cornazan, and
+allied to the no less illustrious family of Escobombardon de la Papirontonda? I
+am a descendant, on my mother&rsquo;s side, of the famous Antacus, the ancient
+hero and giant.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Well, you may be a descendant of the man in the moon for all that I
+care,&rdquo; answers Leander, with a disdainful shrug of the shoulders;
+&ldquo;what the devil have I to do with such absurd stuff and nonsense?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Blood and bones! thunder and Mars! You see, sir, you shall see, and that
+very quickly, what you have to do with it, unless you take yourself off in the
+twinkling of an eye. I will give you one minute&rsquo;s grace, for your extreme
+youth touches me, so take to your heels and fly while there is yet time.
+Observe me well! I am the terror of the whole world&mdash;my path is marked
+with graves&mdash;my own shadow scarcely dares to follow me into the perils I
+delight in. If I enter a besieged city, it is by the breach&mdash;when I quit
+it I pass under a triumphal arch; if I cross a river, it is one of blood, and
+the bridge is made of the bodies of my adversaries. I can toss a knight and his
+horse, both, weighted with armour, high into the air. I can snap
+elephants&rsquo; bones, as you would pipe-stems. When great Mars himself
+chances to meet me on the battle-field he turns and flees, dreading the weight
+of my arm. My prowess is so well known, and the terror I inspire so great, that
+no one dares to meet me face to face, and I never see anything but the backs of
+my retreating foes.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Is it so? well, you shall meet <i>me</i> face to face. Take <i>that</i>,
+and see how you like it!&rdquo; says Leander laughing merrily, and giving him a
+sounding slap on one cheek which almost knocks the poor devil over, and is
+instantly followed by an equally hearty one on the other, to restore his
+equilibrium.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+During this scene Isabelle and Zerbine come out upon the balcony. The
+mischievous <i>soubrette</i> goes into convulsions of laughter, whilst her
+mistress nods encouragingly to Leander. Meantime Pandolphe, accompanied by the
+notary, turns the corner of one of the streets and enters the square just in
+time to see Leander&rsquo;s extraordinary exploit, whereat he is horrified and
+amazed. The valiant captain bellows like a bull, shrieks out the most frightful
+threats and curses, vowing all sorts of vengeance, and making prodigious
+efforts to draw his big sword, so that he may forthwith set about cutting up
+his unmannerly assailant into mince-meat. He tugs and strains until he is red
+in the face, but his &ldquo;man-killer&rdquo; cannot be induced to quit the
+scabbard and Leander, growing impatient, follows up his first attack with a
+vigorous, well directed kick, which sends the unlucky bully flying to the other
+side of the stage, where he falls all in a heap and rolls in the dust. The
+handsome, young gallant then bows gracefully to Isabelle and retires from the
+scene.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Captain Matamore meanwhile lies sprawling on the ground, making ludicrous and
+ineffectual efforts to regain his feet. Pandolphe and Scapin go to his
+assistance, and when they have hauled him up, and he has made sure that Leander
+is no longer present, he roars out in a voice of thunder: &ldquo;Scapin, quick,
+hoop me with iron bands or I shall burst! I am in such a rage! I shall explode
+like a bomb! and you, treacherous blade, do <i>you</i> play me false at such a
+moment? Is it thus you reward me for having always tried to slake your
+insatiable thirst with the blood of the bravest and noblest? I don&rsquo;t know
+why I have not already broken you into a thousand pieces, as you so richly
+deserve&mdash;false, ungrateful weapon that you are! But stay&mdash;was it to
+teach me that it is unworthy of the true warrior to desert his post?&mdash;or
+forget his sterner duties in the soft delights of love?&mdash;was it for that
+you refused to leap from your scabbard as of old? It is true, alas! that thus
+far this week I have not defeated a single army&mdash;I have killed neither
+ogre nor dragon&mdash;I have not furnished his usual rations to Death&mdash;and
+in consequence my trusty blade has rusted in the scabbard&mdash;that I should
+live to say it! rusted!&mdash;and I have been forced to submit to insults, and
+even blows, before the very eyes of my mistress. What a lesson! Henceforth I
+shall make it a rule to kill at least three men every morning before I break my
+fast, so as to be sure that my good sword plays freely&mdash;keep me in mind,
+Scapin, do you hear?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Perhaps Leander will return before long,&rdquo; says the valet;
+&ldquo;suppose we all help you to draw your &lsquo;<i>trusty blade</i>,&rsquo;
+so that you may be ready for him.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Matamore, accordingly, plants himself firmly, holding the scabbard in both
+hands, Scapin seizes the handle of the sword, Pandolphe clasps him firmly round
+the waist, the notary tries to do as much by Pandolphe&rsquo;s stout person,
+and they all pull and pull. For some time the rusty old sword resists all their
+efforts, but at last yields suddenly, and the three fall in a confused heap on
+the ground, with legs and arms waving wildly in the air, while Matamore tumbles
+the other way, still clinging to the now empty scabbard. Picking himself up as
+quickly as possible he seizes his big sword, which has dropped from the
+valet&rsquo;s hand, and waving it triumphantly says with stern emphasis,
+&ldquo;Now Leander&rsquo;s fate is sealed! There is but one way for him to
+escape certain death. He must emigrate to some distant planet. If he be
+sufficiently fool-hardy to remain on this globe I will find him, no matter in
+what distant land he strives to hide himself, and transfix him with this good
+sword&mdash;unless indeed he be first turned to stone by the terrible
+Medusa-like power of my eye.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In spite of all that he has witnessed, the obstinate old father still feels
+unbounded faith in Matamore&rsquo;s valour, and persists in his lamentable
+intention to bestow the hand of his fair daughter upon this magnificent hero.
+Poor Isabelle bursts into tears, and declares that she prefers the convent to
+such a fate. Zerbine loudly swears that this marriage shall never take place,
+and tries to console her weeping mistress. Matamore attributes this rather
+discouraging demonstration on the part of Isabelle to an excess of maidenly
+modesty, not doubting her <i>penchant</i> for himself, though he acknowledges
+that he has not yet properly paid his court, nor shown himself in all his glory
+to her&mdash;this last from prudential motives, fearing lest she might be
+dangerously dazzled and overwhelmed if he should burst upon her too suddenly in
+the full splendour of his heroic character, remembering, and taking warning by,
+the sad and terrible fate that befell Semele, when Jupiter, reluctantly
+yielding to her wishes, appeared before her with all the insignia of his
+majesty.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Isabelle and her maid withdrew from the balcony, without taking any further
+notice of the valiant Matamore; but he, undaunted, wishing to play the lover
+after the most approved fashion, plants himself resolutely under her window and
+sends Scapin to fetch a guitar; upon which he thrums awkwardly for a while, and
+then accompanies it with his voice, in an attempt at a Spanish love song, which
+sounds much like the nocturnal caterwauling of a disconsolate tabby than
+anything else we can compare it to. A dash of cold water, mischievously thrown
+down on him by Zerbine under pretext of watering the plants in the balcony,
+does not extinguish his musical ardour. &ldquo;A gentle shower from the sweet
+eyes of my Isabelle, moved to tears by this plaintive melody,&rdquo; says he,
+&ldquo;for it is universally conceded that I excel in music as in arms, and
+wield the lyre as skilfully as the sword.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Unfortunately for him, Leander suddenly reappears, and highly indignant that
+this miserable rascal should presume to serenade <i>his</i> mistress, snatches
+the guitar from his hands and begins whacking him over the head with it, so
+furiously that it is quickly broken through, and slipping over the unhappy
+serenader&rsquo;s head remains fixed round his neck, so that he is completely
+at the mercy of his assailant. Holding fast to the handle of the guitar,
+Leander hauls him about the stage, banging him against the side-scenes,
+dragging him forward to the footlights&mdash;making the most absurd scene
+imaginable&mdash;and finally, letting go of him suddenly, sends him sprawling
+on the ground. Fancy the ridiculous appearance of the unfortunate bully, who
+looked as if he had put his head through a frying-pan!
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But his miseries are not yet at an end. Leander&rsquo;s valet had been
+arranging a clever little plot to prevent the fulfilment of the proposed
+marriage between Isabelle and Captain Matamore. At his instigation, a certain
+Doralice, very pretty and coquettish, makes her appearance, accompanied by a
+fierce-looking brother&mdash;represented by Hérode&mdash;carrying two immensely
+long rapiers under his arm, and evidently &ldquo;spoiling for a fight.&rdquo;
+The young lady complains that she has been shamefully jilted by Captain
+Matamore, who has deserted her for Isabelle, the daughter of a certain
+Pandolphe, and demands instant reparation for this outrage, adding that her
+brother is ready to exact it at the point of the sword, or avenge the insult by
+taking the life of the heartless villain who has trifled with her youthful
+affections.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Make haste to give this rascal his quietus,&rdquo; says Pandolphe to his
+future son-in-law; &ldquo;it will be only child&rsquo;s play for you, who have
+fearlessly encountered, single-handed, a whole army of Saracens.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Very reluctantly, and after many most absurd grimaces, Matamore crosses swords
+with Doralice&rsquo;s ferocious brother, but he trembles so that the latter,
+with one quick movement, sends his weapon flying out of his hand, and chastises
+him with the flat of his sword until he roars for mercy.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+To cap the climax, Mme. Léonarde comes upon the scene, mopping her streaming
+eyes with an enormous pocket-handkerchief, sighing and sobbing, and bewailing
+herself. She goes straight to Pandolphe and shows him a written promise of
+marriage, over Matamore&rsquo;s signature, cleverly counterfeited; whereupon
+the poor wretch, convicted of such abominable and complicated perfidy, is
+assailed with a new shower of blows and curses, and finally condemned, by the
+unanimous vote of all present, to marry old Mme. Léonarde&mdash;who has made
+herself as hideous as possible&mdash;as a fitting punishment for all his
+deviltries, rodomontades, and cowardice. Pandolphe, thoroughly disgusted with
+Matamore at last, makes no further objections to Leander&rsquo;s suit, and the
+curtain falls as he gives his consent to the marriage of the two young lovers.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This <i>bouffonnade</i>, being played with great spirit, was enthusiastically
+applauded. The gentlemen were charmed with the mischievous, coquettish
+<i>soubrette</i>, who was fairly radiant with beauty that evening; the ladies
+were greatly pleased with Isabelle&rsquo;s refinement and modesty; whilst
+Matamore received the well merited encomiums of all. It would have been
+impossible to find, even in the great Parisian theatres, an actor better fitted
+for the part he had played so admirably. Leander was much admired by all the
+younger ladies, but the gentlemen agreed, without a dissenting voice, that he
+was a horridly conceited coxcomb. Wherever he appeared indeed this was the
+universal verdict, with which he was perfectly content&mdash;caring far more
+for his handsome person, and the effect it produced upon the fair sex, than for
+his art; though, to do him justice, he was a very good actor. Serafina&rsquo;s
+beauty did not fail to find admirers, and more than one young gentleman swore
+by his mustache that she was an adorable creature&mdash;quite regardless of the
+displeasure of the fair ladies within hearing.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+During the play, de Sigognac, hidden in the <i>coulisses</i>, had enjoyed
+intensely Isabelle&rsquo;s charming rendering of her part, though he was more
+than a little jealous of the favour she apparently bestowed upon
+Leander&mdash;and especially at the tender tone of her voice whenever she spoke
+to him&mdash;not being yet accustomed to the feigned love-making on the stage,
+which often covers profound antipathies and real enmity. When the play was
+over, he complimented the young actress with a constrained, embarrassed air,
+which she could not help remarking, and perfectly understood.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You play that part admirably, Isabelle! so well that one might almost
+think there was some truth in it.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Is it not my duty to do so?&rdquo; she asked smilingly, secretly pleased
+at his displeasure; &ldquo;did not the manager engage me for that?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Doubtless,&rdquo; de Sigognac replied, &ldquo;but you seemed to be
+<i>really</i> in love with that conceited fellow, who never thinks of anything
+but his own good looks, and how to display them to the best advantage.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;But the role required it. You surely would not have had me play it as if
+he disgusted me! besides, did I not preserve throughout the quiet demeanour of
+a well-bred, respectable girl? If I failed in that you must tell me how and
+where, so that I may endeavour to correct it in future.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Oh no! you appeared from the beginning to the end like a modest,
+retiring, young lady&mdash;no, there is no fault to be found with you in that
+respect; your acting was inimitable&mdash;so graceful, lady-like, and
+easy&mdash;but withal so true to nature that it was almost too real.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;My dear baron, they are putting out the lights; everybody has gone but
+ourselves, and we shall be left in the dark if we don&rsquo;t make haste. Be
+good enough to throw this cloak around my shoulders and accompany me to the
+château.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+De Sigognac acquitted himself of this novel duty with less awkwardness than
+might have been expected, though his hands trembled a little, and he felt an
+almost irresistible desire to take her into his arms as he wrapped the mantle
+round her slender form; but he restrained himself, and respectfully offering
+his arm led her out of the orangery, which by this time was entirely deserted.
+It was, as we have said, at a little distance from the château, and on the
+level of the park, lower than the mansion, which stood on a high terrace, with
+a handsome stone balustrade at the edge, supporting at regular intervals large
+vases filled with blooming plants, in the pretty Italian fashion. A broad, easy
+flight of stone steps led up to the terrace, affording in their ascent a most
+imposing view of the château, which loomed up grandly against the evening sky.
+Many of the windows on this side were lighted, whilst the others glistened
+brightly as the silvery moon-beams struck upon them&mdash;as did also the
+dewdrops on the shrubbery and the grass-plots&mdash;as if a shower of diamonds
+had fallen on this favoured spot. Looking towards the park, the long vistas cut
+through the wood, losing themselves in the hazy blue of the distance, called to
+mind Breughel&rsquo;s famous picture of Paradise, or else disclosed the
+far-away gleam of a marble statue, or the spray of a misty fountain sparkling
+in the moonlight.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Isabelle and de Sigognac slowly ascended the broad steps, pausing frequently to
+turn and look back at this enchanting scene, and charmed with the beauty of the
+night walked for a little while to and fro upon the terrace before retiring to
+their rooms. As they were in full sight of the windows, and it was not yet very
+late, the modest young girl felt that there could be no impropriety in this
+little indulgence; and besides, the baron&rsquo;s extreme timidity was very
+reassuring to her, and she knew that he would not presume upon the favour
+accorded to him. He had not made a formal avowal of his love to her, but she
+was as well aware of it as if he had, and also of his profound respect for her,
+which sentiment is indeed always an accompaniment of a worthy passion. She knew
+herself beloved&mdash;the knowledge was very sweet to her&mdash;and she felt
+herself safe from all fear of offence in the company of this honourable
+gentleman and true lover. With the delicious embarrassment of nascent, unavowed
+love, this young couple wandering by moonlight in a lonely garden, side by
+side, arm in arm, only exchanged the most insignificant, commonplace remarks;
+but if no undercurrent was betrayed by actual words, the trembling, voices,
+long pauses, stifled sighs, and low, confidential tones told of strong emotions
+beneath this quiet surface.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The chamber assigned to the beautiful Yolande de Foix, near that of Mme. la
+Marquise, was on this side of the château, overlooking the park, and after she
+had dismissed her maid, she went to the window to look out once more upon the
+exceeding beauty of the night, and caught sight of de Sigognac and Isabelle,
+pacing slowly back and forth on the terrace below, without any other company
+than their own shadows. Assuredly the disdainful Yolande, haughty as a goddess,
+could never have felt anything but scorn for our poor young baron, past whom
+she had sometimes flashed in a whirlwind of light and noise in the chase, and
+whom she had so recently cruelly insulted; but still it displeased her to see
+him devoting himself thus to a beautiful young girl, to whom he was undoubtedly
+making love at that very moment. She had regarded him as her own humble
+vassal&mdash;for she had not failed to read the passionate admiration in his
+eyes whenever they met her own&mdash;and could not brook his shaking off his
+allegiance thus; her slaves ought to live and die in her service, even though
+their fidelity were never rewarded by a single smile. She watched them, with a
+frowning brow, until they disappeared, and then sought her couch in anything
+but a tranquil mood, haunted by the lover-like pair that had so roused her
+wrath, and still kept her long awake.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+De Sigognac escorted Isabelle to the door of her chamber, where he bade her
+good-night, and as he turned away towards his own, saw, at the end of the
+corridor, a mysterious looking individual closely wrapped in a large cloak,
+with one end thrown over the shoulder in Spanish fashion, and so drawn up round
+his face that only the eyes were visible; a slouch hat concealed his forehead,
+so that he was completely disguised, yet he drew back hurriedly into a dark
+corner when de Sigognac turned towards him, as if to avoid his notice. The
+baron knew that the comedians had all gone to their rooms already, and besides,
+it could not be one of them, for the tyrant was much larger and taller, the
+pedant a great deal stouter, Leander more slender, Matamore much thinner, and
+Scapin of quite a different make. Not wishing to appear curious, or to annoy
+the unknown in any way, de Sigognac hastened to enter his own room&mdash;not
+however without having observed that the door of the tapestry-hung chamber
+stood ajar. When he had closed his, he heard stealthy footsteps approaching,
+and presently a bolt shot home softly, then profound silence.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+About an hour later, Leander opened his door as quietly as possible, looked
+carefully to see if the corridor was empty, and then, stepping as lightly and
+cautiously as a gipsy performing the famous egg-dance, traversed its whole
+length, reached the staircase, which he descended as noiselessly as the
+phantoms in a haunted castle, and passed out into the moonlight; he crept along
+in the shadow of the wall and of some thick shrubbery, went down the steps into
+the park, and made his way to a sort of bower, where stood a charming statue of
+the mischievous little god of love, with his finger on his lip&mdash;an
+appropriate presiding genius of a secret rendezvous, as this evidently must be.
+Here he stopped and waited, anxiously watching the path by which he had come,
+and listening intently to catch the first sound of approaching footsteps.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+We have already related how Leander, encouraged by the smile with which Mme. la
+Marquise acknowledged his salutation, and convinced that she was smitten with
+his beauty and grace, had made bold to address a letter to her, which he bribed
+Jeanne to place secretly upon her mistress&rsquo;s toilet-table, where she
+would be sure to see it. This letter we copy here at length, so as to give an
+idea of the style of composition employed by Leander in addressing the great
+ladies of whose favours he boasted so loudly.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Madame, or rather fair goddess of beauty, do not blame anything but your
+own incomparable charms for this intrusion upon you. I am forced by their
+radiance to emerge from the deep shadow in which I should remain shrouded, and
+approach their dazzling brilliancy&mdash;just as the dolphins are attracted
+from the depths of ocean, by the brightness of the fisherman&rsquo;s lanterns,
+though they are, alas! to find destruction there, and perish by the sharp
+harpoons hurled pitilessly at them with unerring aim. I know but too well that
+the waves will be reddened by my blood; but as I cannot live without your
+favour, I do not fear to meet death thus. It may be strangely audacious, on my
+part to pretend to the privileges of gods and demi-gods&mdash;to die by your
+fair hand&mdash;but I dare to aspire to it; being already in despair, nothing
+worse can come to me, and I would rather incur your wrath than your scorn, or
+your disdain. In order to direct the fatal blow aright, the executioner must
+look upon his victim, and I shall have, in yielding up my life under your fair,
+cruel hand, the supreme delight of being for one blissful moment the object of
+your regard. Yes, I love you, madame! I adore you! And if it be a crime, I
+cannot repent of it. God suffers himself to be adored; the stars receive the
+admiration of the humblest shepherd; it is the fate of all such lofty
+perfection as yours to, be beloved, adored, only by inferior beings, since it
+has not its equal upon earth, nor scarcely indeed in heaven. I, alas! am but a
+poor, wandering actor, yet were I a haughty duke or prince, my head would not
+be on a level with your beauteous feet, and there would be, all the same,
+between your heavenly height and my kneeling adoration, as great a distance as
+from the soaring summit of the loftiest Alp to the yawning abyss far, far
+below. You must always stoop to reach a heart that adores you. I dare to say,
+madame, that mine is as proud as it is tender, and she who would deign not to
+repulse it, would find in it the most ardent love, the most perfect delicacy,
+the most absolute respect, and unbounded devotion. Besides, if such divine
+happiness be accorded me, your indulgence would not have to stoop so low as you
+might fancy. Though reduced by an adverse destiny and the jealous hatred of one
+of the great ones of the earth, who must be nameless, to the dire necessity of
+hiding myself under this disguise, I am not what I seem. I do not need to blush
+for my birth&mdash;rather I may glory in it. If I dared to betray the secrecy
+imposed upon me, for reasons of state, I could prove to you that most
+illustrious blood runs in my veins. Whoever may love me, noble though she be,
+will not degrade herself. But I have already said too much&mdash;my lips are
+sealed. I shall never be other than the humblest, most devoted of your slaves;
+even though, by one of those strange coincidences that happen sometimes in real
+life, I should come to be recognised by all the world as a king&rsquo;s son. If
+in your great goodness you will condescend to show me, fair goddess of beauty,
+by the slightest sign, that my boldness has not angered you, I shall die happy,
+consumed by the burning brightness of your eyes upon the funeral pyre of my
+love.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+How would Mme. la Marquise have received this ardent epistle? which had perhaps
+done him good service already more than once. Would she have looked favourably
+upon her humble suitor?&mdash;who can tell?&mdash;for the feminine heart is
+past comprehension. Unfortunately the letter did not reach her. Being entirely
+taken up with great ladies, Leander overlooked their waiting-maids, and did not
+trouble himself to show them any attentions or gallantries&mdash;wherein he
+made a sad mistake&mdash;for if the <i>pistoles</i> he gave to Jeanne, with his
+precious epistle, had been supplemented by a few kisses and compliments, she
+would have taken far more pains to execute his commission. As she held the
+letter carelessly in her hand, the marquis chanced to pass by, and asked her
+idly what she had got there.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Oh! nothing much,&rdquo; she answered scornfully, &ldquo;only a note
+from Mr. Leander to Mme. la Marquise.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;From Leander? that jackanapes who plays the lover in the Rodomontades of
+Captain Matamore? What in the world can <i>he</i> have to say to Mme. la
+Marquise? Doubtless he asks for a gratuity!&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think so,&rdquo; said the spiteful waiting-maid;
+&ldquo;when he gave me this letter he sighed, and rolled up his eyes like a
+love-sick swain.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Give me the letter,&rdquo; said the marquis, &ldquo;<i>I</i> will answer
+it&mdash;and don&rsquo;t say anything about it to your mistress. Such chaps are
+apt to be impertinent&mdash;they are spoiled by admiration, and sometimes
+presume upon it.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The marquis, who dearly loved a joke, amused himself by answering
+Leander&rsquo;s extraordinary epistle with one in much the same
+style&mdash;written in a delicate, lady-like hand upon perfumed paper, and
+sealed with a fanciful device&mdash;altogether a production well calculated to
+deceive the poor devil, and confirm him in his ridiculous fancies. Accordingly,
+when he regained his bed-chamber after the play was over, he found upon his
+dressing-table a note addressed to himself. He hastened to open it, trembling
+from head to foot with excitement and delight, and read as follows: &ldquo;It
+is true, as you say so eloquently&mdash;too eloquently for my peace of
+mind&mdash;that goddesses can only love mortals. At eleven o&rsquo;clock, when
+all the world is sunk in slumber, and no prying human eyes open to gaze upon
+her, Diana will quit her place in the skies above and descend to earth, to
+visit the gentle shepherd, Endymion&mdash;not upon Mount Latmus, but in the
+park&mdash;at the foot of the statue of silent love. The handsome shepherd must
+be sure to have fallen asleep ere Diana appears, so as not to shock the modesty
+of the immortal goddess&mdash;who will come without her cortege of nymphs,
+wrapped in a cloud and devoid of her silvery radiance.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+We will leave to the reader&rsquo;s imagination the delirious joy that filled
+to overflowing the foolish heart of the susceptible Leander, who was fooled to
+the top of his bent, when he read this precious note, which exceeded his
+wildest hopes. He immediately began his preparations to play the part of
+Endymion&mdash;poured a whole bottle of perfume upon his hair and hands, chewed
+a flower of mace to make his breath sweet, twisted his glossy curls daintily
+round his white fingers&mdash;though not a hair was awry&mdash;and then waited
+impatiently for the moment when he should set forth to seek the rendezvous at
+the foot of the statue of silent love&mdash;where we left him anxiously
+awaiting the arrival of his goddess. He shivered nervously from excitement, and
+the penetrating chilliness of the damp night air, as he stood motionless at the
+appointed spot. He trembled at the falling of a leaf&mdash;the crackling of the
+gravel under his feet whenever he moved them sounded so loud in his ears that
+he felt sure it would be heard at the château. The mysterious darkness of the
+wood filled him with awe, and the great, black trees seemed like terrible
+genii, threatening him. The poor wretch was not exactly frightened, but not
+very far from it. Mme. la Marquise was tardy&mdash;Diana was leaving her
+faithful Endymion too long cooling his heels in the heavy night dew. At last he
+thought he heard heavy footsteps approaching,&mdash;but they could not be those
+of his goddess&mdash;he must be mistaken&mdash;goddesses glide so lightly over
+the sward that not even a blade of grass is crushed beneath their
+feet&mdash;and, indeed, all was silent again.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Unless Mme. la Marquise comes quickly, I fear she will find only a
+half-frozen lover, instead of an ardent, impatient one,&rdquo; murmured Leander
+with chattering teeth; and even as the words escaped him four dark shadows
+advanced noiselessly from behind upon the expectant gallant. Two of these
+shadows, which were the substantial bodies of stout rascals in the service of
+the Marquis de Bruyères, seized him suddenly by the arms, which they held
+pinioned closely to his sides, while the other two proceeded to rain blows
+alternately upon his back&mdash;keeping perfect time as their strokes fell
+thick and fast. Too proud to run the risk of making his woes public by an
+outcry, their astonished victim took his punishment bravely&mdash;without
+making a sound. Mutius Scaevola did not bear himself more heroically while his
+right hand lay among the burning coals upon the altar in the presence of
+Porsenna, than did Leander under his severe chastisement. When it was finished
+the two men let go of their prisoner, all four saluted him gravely, and retired
+as noiselessly as they had come, without a single word being spoken.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+What a terrible fall was this! that famous one of Icarus himself, tumbling down
+headlong from the near neighbourhood of the sun, was not a greater. Battered,
+bruised, sore and aching all over, poor Leander, crestfallen and forlorn,
+limping painfully, and suppressing his groans with Spartan resolution, crept
+slowly back to his own room; but so overweening was his self-conceit that he
+never even suspected that a trick had been played upon him. He said to himself
+that without doubt Mme. la Marquise had been watched and followed by her
+jealous husband, who had overtaken her before she reached the rendezvous in the
+park, carried her back to the château by main strength, and forced her, with a
+poniard at her throat, to confess all. He pictured her to himself on her knees,
+with streaming eyes, disordered dress and dishevelled hair, imploring her stern
+lord and master to be merciful&mdash;to have pity upon her and forgive her this
+once&mdash;vowing by all she held sacred never to be faithless to him again,
+even in thought. Suffering and miserable as he was after his tremendous
+thrashing, he yet pitied and grieved over the poor lady who had put herself in
+such peril for his sake, never dreaming that she was in blissful ignorance of
+the whole affair, and at that very moment sleeping peacefully in her luxurious
+bed. As the poor fellow crept cautiously and painfully along the corridor
+leading to his room and to those of the other members of the troupe he had the
+misfortune to be detected by Scapin, who, evidently on the watch for him, was
+peeping out of his own half-open door, grinning, grimacing, and gesticulating
+significantly, as he noted the other&rsquo;s limping gait and drooping figure.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In vain did Leander strive to straighten himself up and assume a gay, careless
+air; his malicious tormentor was not in the least taken in by it.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The next morning the comedians prepared to resume their journey; no longer,
+however, in the slow-moving, groaning ox-cart, which they were glad, indeed, to
+exchange for the more roomy, commodious vehicle that the tyrant had been able
+to hire for them&mdash;thanks to the marquis&rsquo;s liberality&mdash;in which
+they could bestow themselves and their belongings comfortably, and to which was
+harnessed four stout draught horses.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Leander and Zerbine were both rather late in rising, and the last to make their
+appearance&mdash;the former with a doleful countenance, despite his best
+efforts to conceal his sufferings under a cheerful exterior, the latter beaming
+with satisfaction, and with smiles for everybody. She was decidedly inclined to
+be munificent towards her companions, and bestow upon them some of the rich
+spoils that had fallen plentifully to her share&mdash;taking quite a new
+position among them&mdash;even the duenna treating her with a certain
+obsequious, wheedling consideration, which she had been far from ever showing
+her before. Scapin, whose keen observation nothing ever escaped, noticed that
+her box had suddenly doubled in weight, by some magic or other, and drew his
+own conclusions therefrom. Zerbine was a universal favourite, and no one
+begrudged her her good fortune, save Serafina, who bit her lip till it bled,
+and murmured indignantly, &ldquo;Shameless creature!&rdquo; but the
+<i>soubrette</i> pretended not to hear it, content for the moment with the
+signal humiliation of the arch-coquette.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At last the new Thespian chariot was ready for a start, and our travellers bade
+adieu to the hospitable château, where they had been so honourably received and
+so generously treated, and which they all, excepting poor Leander, quitted with
+regret. The tyrant dwelt upon the bountiful supply of <i>pistoles</i> he had
+received; the pedant upon the capital wines of which he had drunk his fill;
+Matamore upon the enthusiastic applause that had been lavished upon him by that
+aristocratic audience; Zerbine upon the pieces of rich silk, the golden
+necklaces and other like treasures with which her chest was replete&mdash;no
+wonder that it was heavy&mdash;while de Sigognac and Isabelle, thinking only of
+each other, and happy in being together, did not even turn their heads for one
+last glimpse of the handsome Château de Bruyere.
+</p>
+
+</div><!--end chapter-->
+
+<div class="chapter">
+
+<h2><a name="chap06"></a>CHAPTER VI.<br/>
+A SNOW-STORM AND ITS CONSEQUENCES</h2>
+
+<p>
+As may be readily supposed, the comedians were well satisfied with the kind
+treatment they had received during their brief sojourn at the Château de
+Bruyères; such a piece of good fortune did not often fall to their lot, and
+they rejoiced in it exceedingly. The tyrant had distributed among them each
+one&rsquo;s share of the marquis&rsquo;s liberal remuneration for their
+services, and it was wonderfully pleasant to them to have broad pieces in the
+purses usually so scantily supplied, and not infrequently quite empty. Zerbine,
+who was evidently rejoicing over some secret source of satisfaction, accepted
+good-naturedly all the taunts and jokes of her companions upon the irresistible
+power of her charms. She was triumphant, and could afford to be laughed
+at&mdash;indeed, joined heartily in the general merriment at her own
+expense&mdash;while Serafina sulked openly, with &ldquo;envy, hatred, and
+malice&rdquo; filling her heart. Poor Leander, still smarting from his severe
+beating, sore and aching, unable to find an easy position, and suffering
+agonies from the jolting of the chariot, found it hard work to join in the
+prevailing gaiety.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When he thought no one was looking at him, he would furtively rub his poor,
+bruised shoulders and arms with the palm of his hand, which stealthy manœuvre
+might very readily have passed unobserved by the rest of the company, but did
+not escape the wily valet, who was always on the lookout for a chance to
+torment Leander; his monstrous self-conceit being intensely exasperating to
+him. A harder jolt than usual having made the unfortunate gallant groan aloud,
+Scapin immediately opened his attack, feigning to feel the liveliest
+commiseration for him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;My poor Leander, what is the matter with you this morning? You moan and
+sigh as if you were in great agony! Are you really suffering so acutely? You
+seem to be all battered and bruised, like the Knight of the Sorrowful
+Countenance, after he had capered stark naked, for a love penance, among the
+rocks in the Sierra Morena, in humble imitation of his favourite hero, Amadis
+de Gaul. You look as if you had not slept at all last night, and had been lying
+upon hard sticks, rods, or clubs, instead of in a soft, downy bed, such as were
+given to the rest of us in the fine château yonder. Tell us, I pray you, did
+not Morpheus once visit you all the night through?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Morpheus may have remained shut up in his cavern, but Cupid is a
+wanderer by night, who does not need a lantern to find the way to those
+fortunate individuals he favours with a visit,&rdquo; Leander replied, hoping
+to divert attention from the tell-tale bruises, that he had fancied were
+successfully concealed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I am only a humble valet, and have had no experience in affairs of
+gallantry. I never paid court to a fine lady in my life; but still, I do know
+this much, that the mischievous little god, Cupid, according to all the poets,
+aims his arrows at the hearts of those he wishes to wound, instead of using his
+bow upon their backs.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;What in the world do you mean?&rdquo; Leander interrupted quickly,
+growing seriously uneasy at the turn the conversation was taking.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Oh! nothing; only that I see, in spite of all your efforts to hide it
+with that handkerchief knotted so carefully round your neck, that you have
+there on the back of it a long, black mark, which to-morrow will be indigo, the
+day after green, and then yellow, until it fades away altogether, like any
+other bruise&mdash;a black mark that looks devilishly like the authentic
+flourish which accompanies the signature of a good, stout club on a
+calf&rsquo;s skin&mdash;or on vellum, if that term pleases you better.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Ah! my good Scapin, you do not understand such matters,&rdquo; Leander
+replied, a scarlet flush mounting to the very roots of his hair, and at his
+wits&rsquo; ends to know how to silence his tormentor; &ldquo;doubtless some
+dead and gone beauty, who loved me passionately during her lifetime, has come
+back and kissed me there while I was sleeping; as is well known, the contact of
+the lips of the dead leave strange, dark marks, like bruises, on human flesh,
+which the recipient of the mysterious caress is astonished to find upon
+awaking.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Your defunct beauty visited you and bestowed her mysterious caress very
+apropos,&rdquo; remarked Scapin, incredulously; &ldquo;but I would be willing
+to take my oath that yonder vigorous kiss had been imprinted upon your
+lily-white neck by the stinging contact of a stout club.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Unmannerly jester and scoffer that you are! is nothing sacred to
+you?&rdquo; broke in Leander, with some show of heat.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You push my modesty too far. I endeavoured delicately to put off upon a
+dead beauty what I should have ascribed to a living one. Ignorant and
+unsophisticated though you claim to be, have you never heard of kisses so
+ardent that such traces of them are left?&mdash;where pearly teeth have closed
+upon the soft flesh, and made their mark on the white skin?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Memorem dente notam,&rdquo; interrupted the pedant, charmed to have a
+chance to quote Horace.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;This explanation appears to me very judicious,&rdquo; Scapin said; then,
+with a low bow to the pedant, &ldquo;and is sustained by unquestionable if
+incomprehensible authority; but the mark is so long that this nocturnal beauty
+of yours, dead or alive, must have had in her lovely mouth that famous tooth
+which the three Gorgon sisters owned among them, and passed about from one to
+the other.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This sally was followed by a roar of laughter, and Leander, beside himself with
+rage, half rose, to throw himself upon Scopin, and chastise him then and there
+for his insufferable impertinence; but he was so stiff and sore from his own
+beating, and the pain in his back, which was striped like a zebra&rsquo;s, was
+so excruciating, that he sank back into his place with a suppressed groan, and
+concluded to postpone his revenge to some more convenient season. Hérode and
+Blazius, who were accustomed to settle such little disputes, insisted upon
+their making up their differences, and a sort of reconciliation took
+place-Scapin promising never to allude to the subject again, but managing to
+give poor Leander one or two more digs that made him wince even as he did so.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+During this absurd altercation the chariot had been making steady progress, and
+soon arrived at an open space where another great post-road crossed the one
+they were following, at right angles. A large wooden crucifix, much the worse
+for long exposure to the weather, had been erected upon a grassy mound at the
+intersection of the two highways. A group, consisting of two men and three
+mules, stood at its foot, apparently awaiting some one&rsquo;s arrival. As they
+approached, one of the mules, as if weary of standing still, impatiently shook
+its head, which was gaily decorated with bright, many-coloured tufts and
+tassels, and set all the little silver bells about it ringing sharply. Although
+a pair of leather blinkers, decked with gay embroidery, effectually prevented
+its seeing to the right or to the left, it evidently was aware of the approach
+of the chariot before the men&rsquo;s senses had given them any intimation of
+it.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;The Colonelle shakes her ear-trumpets and shows her teeth,&rdquo; said
+one of them; &ldquo;they cannot be far off now.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In effect, after a very few minutes the chariot was seen approaching, and
+presently rolled into the open space. Zerbine, who sat in front, glanced
+composedly at the little group of men and mules standing there, without
+betraying any surprise at seeing them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;By Jove! those are fine beasts yonder,&rdquo; exclaimed the tyrant,
+&ldquo;splendid Spanish mules, especially that foremost one; they can easily do
+their fifteen or twenty leagues a day, I&rsquo;ll venture, and if we were
+mounted on the like we should soon find ourselves in Paris. But what the devil
+are they doing in this lonely place? it must be a relay, waiting for some rich
+seignior travelling this way.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;No,&rdquo; said the duenna, &ldquo;that foremost mule is intended for a
+lady&mdash;don&rsquo;t you see the cushions and housings?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;In that case,&rdquo; he replied, &ldquo;there must be an abduction in
+the wind; those two equerries, in gray liveries, certainly have a very
+mysterious, knowing sort of an air.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Perhaps you are right,&rdquo; said Zerbine, demurely, with a significant
+little smile and shrug.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Can it be possible that the lady is among us?&rdquo; asked Scapin;
+&ldquo;one of the men is coming this way by himself, as if he desired to parley
+before resorting to violence.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Oh! there&rsquo;ll be no need,&rdquo; said Serafina, casting a scornful
+glance at the <i>soubrette</i>, who returned it with interest.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;There are bold creatures that go of their own accord, without waiting to
+be carried off.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;And there are others who are NOT carried off, that would like to
+be,&rdquo; retorted the <i>soubrette</i>, &ldquo;but the desire is not
+sufficient; a few charms are needed too.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At this point the equerry who had advanced to meet the chariot made a sign to
+them to stop, and, cap in hand, politely asked if Mlle. Zerbine was among them.
+The <i>soubrette</i> herself answered this inquiry in the affirmative, and
+sprang to the ground as lightly as a bird.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Mademoiselle, I am at your disposal,&rdquo; said the equerry to her, in
+a respectful and gallant tone. Zerbine shook out her skirts, adjusted her
+wraps, and then, turning towards the comedians, delivered this little harangue:
+&ldquo;My dear comrades, I pray you pardon me for quitting you in this
+unceremonious manner. There are times when Opportunity offers itself suddenly
+for our acceptance, and we must seize it without delay, or lose it altogether;
+he would be a fool who let it slip through his fingers, for once relinquished
+it returns not again. The face of Fortune, which until now has always frowned
+upon me, at last vouchsafes me a smile, and I am delighted to enjoy its
+brightness, even though it may prove to be only fleeting. In my humble role of
+<i>soubrette</i>, I could not aspire to, or expect to receive, the admiration
+of rich lords and gentlemen&mdash;that is for my betters; and now that a happy
+chance has thrown such an unhoped-for piece of good luck in my way, you will
+not blame me, I am confident, for gladly accepting it. Let me take my
+belongings then&mdash;which are packed in the chariot with the others&mdash;and
+receive my adieux. I shall be sure to rejoin you some day, sooner or later, at
+Paris, for I am a born actress; the theatre was my first love, and I have never
+long been faithless to it.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The two men accordingly, aided by the comedians, took Zerbine&rsquo;s boxes out
+of the chariot, and adjusted them carefully on the pack-mule. The
+<i>soubrette</i> made a sweeping curtsey to her friends in the chariot, and
+threw a kiss to Isabelle from her finger tips, then, aided by one of the
+equerries, sprang to her place behind him, on the back of the Colonelle, as
+lightly and gracefully as if she had been taught the art of mounting in an
+equestrian academy, nodded a last farewell, and striking the mule sharply with
+the high heel of her pretty little shoe, set off at a round pace.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Good-bye, and good luck to you, Zerbine,&rdquo; cried the comedians
+heartily, one and all; save only Serafina, who was more furiously angry with
+her than ever.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;This is an unfortunate thing for us,&rdquo; said the tyrant regretfully,
+&ldquo;a serious loss. I wish with all my heart that we could have kept that
+capital little actress with us; we shall not easily find any one to replace
+her, even in Paris; she is really incomparable in her own role&mdash;but she
+was not in any way bound to stay with us a moment longer than she chose. We
+shall have to substitute a duenna, or a chaperon, for the <i>soubrette</i> in
+our pieces for the present; it will be less pleasing of course, but still Mme.
+Léonarde here is a host in herself, and we shall manage to get on very nicely,
+I dare say.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The chariot started on its way again as he spoke, at rather a better pace than
+the lumbering old ox-cart. They were travelling through a part of the country
+now which was a great contrast to the desolate Landes. To the Baron de
+Sigognac, who had never been beyond their desolate expanse before, it was a
+revelation, and he could not sufficiently admire the richness and beauty of
+this region. The productive, red soil was highly cultivated&mdash;not an inch
+of ground neglected&mdash;comfortable, often handsome, stone houses scattered
+along their route at frequent intervals, and surrounded by large, luxuriant
+gardens, spoke of a well-to-do population. On each side of the broad, smooth
+road was a row of fine trees, whose falling leaves lay piled upon the ground in
+yellow heaps, or whirled in the wind before de Sigognac and Isabelle, as they
+walked along beneath their spreading branches, finding the exercise a welcome
+relief after sitting for a long time in the chariot in rather a cramped
+position. One day as they were walking thus side by side, de Sigognac said to
+his fair companion, &ldquo;I wish you would tell me, Isabelle, how it has
+happened that you, with all the characteristics of a lady of lofty lineage in
+the innate modesty and dignity of your manners, the refinement and purity of
+your language, the incomparable grace of your carriage, the elevation of your
+sentiments upon all subjects, to say nothing of the delicate, aristocratic type
+of your beauty&mdash;should have become a member of a wandering band of players
+like this&mdash;good, honest people no doubt, but not of the same rank or race
+as yourself.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t fancy that I am a princess in disguise, or a great lady
+reduced to earn my living in this way,&rdquo; she replied, with an adorable
+smile, &ldquo;merely because of some good qualities you think you have
+discovered in me. The history of my life is a very simple, uneventful one, but
+since you show such kind interest in me I will gladly relate it to you. So far
+from being brought down to the station I occupy by some grievous catastrophe or
+romantic combination of adverse circumstances, I was born to the profession of
+an actress&mdash;the chariot of Thespis was, so to say, my birthplace. My
+mother, who was a very beautiful woman and finished actress, played the part of
+tragic princess. She did not confine her role to the theatre, but exacted as
+much deference and respect from those around her when off the stage, as she
+received upon it, until she came to consider herself a veritable princess. She
+had all the majesty and grace of one, and was greatly admired and courted, but
+never would suffer any of the gallants, who flutter about pretty actresses like
+moths around a candle, to approach her&mdash;holding herself entirely above
+them, and keeping her good name unsullied through everything. An account of
+this unusual conduct on the part of a beautiful young actress chanced to reach
+the ears of a certain rich and powerful prince, who was very much struck and
+interested by it, and immediately sought an introduction to my mother. As his
+actual rank and position equalled hers of imaginary princess, she received his
+attentions with evident pleasure. He was young, handsome, eloquent, and very
+much in love with her&mdash;what wonder then that she yielded at last to his
+impassioned entreaties, and gave herself to him, though, because of his high
+station, he could not do as his heart dictated, and make her his wife. They
+were very happy in each other&rsquo;s love, and after I was born my young
+father was devoted to me.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Ah!&rdquo; interrupted de Sigognac, eagerly, &ldquo;that explains it
+all; princely blood does flow in your veins. I knew it&mdash;was sure of
+it!&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Their happiness continued,&rdquo; resumed Isabelle, &ldquo;until reasons
+of state made it necessary for him to tear himself away from her, to go on a
+diplomatic mission to one of the great capitals of Europe; and ere his return
+to France an illustrious marriage had been arranged for him by his family, with
+the sanction of royalty, which he found it impossible to evade. In these cruel
+circumstances he endeavoured to do everything in his power to soften the pain
+of this rupture to my poor mother&mdash;himself almost broken-hearted at being
+forced to leave her&mdash;and made every possible arrangement for her comfort
+and well-being; settling a generous income on her, and providing lavishly for
+my maintenance and education. But she would accept nothing from him&mdash;she
+could not receive his money without his love&mdash;&lsquo;all or nothing&rsquo;
+was her motto; and taking me with her she fled from him, successfully
+concealing her place of refuge. She soon after joined a band of players
+travelling through the provinces, and resumed her old role; but her heart was
+broken, and she gradually faded away, dying at last when I was only about seven
+years old. Even then I used to appear upon the stage in parts suitable to my
+age. I was a precocious little thing in many ways. My mother&rsquo;s death
+caused me a grief far more acute than most children, even a good deal older
+than I was then, are capable of feeling. How well I remember being punished
+because I refused to act the part of one of Medea&rsquo;s children, the day
+after she died. But my grief was not very long-lived&mdash;I was but a child
+after all, and the actors and actresses of the troupe were so good to me,
+always petting me, and devising all sorts of ways to please and divert
+me&mdash;theatrical people are proverbially kind to comrades in distress, you
+know. The pedant, who belonged to our company, and looked just as old and
+wrinkled then as he does now, took the greatest interest in me, constituted
+himself my master, and taught me thoroughly and indefatigably all the secrets
+of the histrionic art&mdash;taking unwearied pains with me. I could not have
+had a better teacher; perhaps you do not know that he has a great reputation,
+even in Paris. You will wonder that a man of his fame and attainments should be
+found in a strolling company of players like this, but his unfortunate habits
+of intemperance have been the cause of all his troubles. He was professor of
+elocution in one of the celebrated colleges, holding an enviable and lucrative
+position, but lost it because of his inveterate irregularities. He is his own
+worst enemy, poor Blazius! In the midst of all the confusion and serious
+disadvantages of a vagabond life, I have always been able to hold myself
+somewhat apart, and remain pure and innocent. My companions, who have known me
+from babyhood, look upon me as a sister or daughter, and treat me with
+invariable affection and respect; and as for the men of the outside world who
+haunt the <i>coulisses</i>, and seem to think that an actress is public
+property, off the stage as well as upon it, I have thus far managed to keep
+them at a distance&mdash;continuing in real life my role of modest, ingenuous,
+young girl, without hypocrisy or false pretensions.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Thus, as they strolled along together, and could talk confidentially without
+fear of listeners, Isabelle related the story of her life to de Sigognac, who
+was a most attentive and delighted listener, and ever more and more charmed
+with his fair divinity.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;And the name of the prince,&rdquo; said he, after a short pause,
+&ldquo;do you remember it?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I fear that it might be dangerous to my peace to disclose it,&rdquo; she
+replied; &ldquo;but it is indelibly engraven upon my memory.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Are there any proofs remaining to you of his connection with your
+mother?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I have in my possession a seal-ring bearing his coat of arms&rdquo;
+Isabelle answered; &ldquo;it is the only jewel of all he had lavished upon her
+that my mother kept, and that entirely on account of the associations connected
+with it, not for its intrinsic value, which is small. If you would like to see
+it I will be very glad to show it to you some day.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It would be too tedious to follow our travellers step by step on their long
+journey, so we will skip over a few days&mdash;which passed quietly, without
+any incidents worth recording&mdash;and rejoin them as they were drawing near
+to the ancient town of Poitiers. In the meantime their receipts had not been
+large, and hard times had come to the wandering comedians. The money received
+from the Marquis de Bruyères had all been spent, as well as the modest sum in
+de Sigognac&rsquo;s purse-who had contributed all that he possessed to the
+common fund, in spite of the protestations of his comrades in distress. The
+chariot was drawn now by a single horse-instead of the four with which they had
+set off so triumphantly from the Château de Bruyères&mdash;and such a horse! a
+miserable, old, broken-down hack, whose ribs were so prominent that he looked
+as if he lived upon barrel-hoops instead of oats and hay; his lack-lustre eyes,
+drooping head, halting gait, and panting breath combined to make him a most
+pitiable object, and he plodded on at a snail&rsquo;s pace, looking as if he
+might drop down dead on the road at any moment. Only the three women were in
+the chariot&mdash;the men all walking, so as to relieve their poor, jaded beast
+as much as possible. The weather was bitterly cold, and they wrapped their
+cloaks about them and strode on in silence, absorbed in their own melancholy
+thoughts.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Poor de Sigognac, well-nigh discouraged, asked himself despondingly whether it
+would not have been better for him to have remained in the dilapidated home of
+his fathers, even at the risk of starving to death there in silence and
+seclusion, than run the risk of such hardships in company with these Bohemians.
+His thoughts flew back to his good old Pierre, to Bayard, Miraut, and
+Beelzebub, the faithful companions of his solitude; his heart was heavy within
+him, and at the sudden remembrance of his dear old friends and followers his
+throat contracted spasmodically, and he almost sobbed aloud; but he looked back
+at Isabelle, wrapped in her cloak and sitting serenely in the front of the
+chariot, and took fresh courage, feeling glad that he could be near her in this
+dark hour, to do all that mortal man, struggling against such odds, could
+compass for her comfort and protection. She responded to his appealing glance
+with a sweet smile, that quickened his pulses and sent a thrill of joy through
+every nerve. She did not seem at all disheartened or cast down by the greatness
+of their misery. Her heart was satisfied and happy; why should she be crushed
+by mere physical suffering and discomforts? She was very brave, although
+apparently so delicate and fragile, and inspired de Sigognac, who could have
+fallen down and worshipped her as he gazed up into her beautiful eyes, with
+some of her own undaunted courage.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The great, barren plain they were slowly traversing, with a few dreary
+skeletons of misshapen old trees scattered here and there, and not a dwelling
+in sight, was not calculated to dissipate the melancholy of the party. Save one
+or two aged peasants trudging listlessly along, bending under the weight of the
+fagots they carried on their backs, they had not seen a human being all day
+long. The spiteful magpies, that seemed to be the only inhabitants of this
+dreary waste, danced about in front of them, chattering and almost laughing at
+them, as if rejoicing in and making fun of their miseries. A searching north
+wind, that penetrated to the very marrow in their bones, was blowing, and the
+few white flakes that flew before it now and then were the
+<i>avant-couriers</i> of the steady fall of snow that began as nightfall
+approached.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;It would appear,&rdquo; said the pedant, who was walking behind the
+chariot trying to find shelter from the icy wind, &ldquo;that the celestial
+housewife up above has been plucking her geese, and is shaking the feathers out
+of her apron down upon us. She might a great deal better send us the geese
+themselves. I for one would be glad enough to eat 114 them, without being very
+particular as to whether they were done to a turn, and without sauce or
+seasoning either.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Yes, so would I, even without salt,&rdquo; added the tyrant, &ldquo;for
+my stomach is empty. I could welcome now an omelette such as they gave us this
+morning, and swallow it without winking, though the eggs were so far gone that
+the little chicks were almost ready to peep.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+By this time de Sigognac also had taken refuge behind the
+chariot&mdash;Isabelle having been driven from her seat in front to a place in
+the interior by the increasing violence of the storm-and Blazius said to him,
+&ldquo;This is a trying time, my lord, and I regret very much that you should
+have to share our bad fortune; but I trust it will be only of brief duration,
+and although we do get on but slowly, still every step brings us nearer to
+Paris.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I was not brought up in the lap of luxury,&rdquo; de Sigognac answered,
+&ldquo;and I am not a man to be frightened by a few snowflakes and a biting
+wind; but it is for these poor, suffering women that I am troubled; they are
+exposed to such severe hardships&mdash;cold, privations, fatigue&mdash;and we
+cannot adequately shelter and protect them, do what we will.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;But you must remember that they are accustomed to roughing it, my dear
+baron, and what would be simply unendurable to many of their sex, who have
+never been subjected to such tests, they meet bravely, and make light of, in a
+really remarkable manner.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The storm grew worse and worse; the snow, driven with great force by the wind,
+penetrated into the chariot where Isabelle, Serafina, and Mme. Léonarde had
+taken refuge among the luggage, in spite of all that could be done to keep it
+out, and had soon covered their wraps with a coating of white. The poor horse
+was scarcely able to make any headway at all against the wind and snow; his
+feet slipped at every step, and he panted painfully. Hérode went to his head,
+and took hold of the bridle with his strong hand to lead him and try to help
+him along, while the pedant, de Sigognac, and Scapin put their shoulders to the
+wheels at every inequality in the road and whenever he paused or stumbled
+badly, and Leander cracked the whip loudly to encourage the poor beast; it
+would have been downright cruelty to strike him. As to Matamore, he had
+lingered behind, and they were expecting every moment to see his tall, spare
+figure emerge from the gloom with rapid strides and rejoin them. Finally the
+storm became so violent that it was impossible to face it any longer; and
+though it was so important that they should reach the next village before the
+daylight was all gone, they were forced to halt, and turn the chariot, with its
+back to the wind. The poor old horse, utterly exhausted by this last effort,
+slipped and fell, and without making any attempt to rise lay panting on the
+ground. Our unhappy travellers found themselves in a sad predicament
+indeed&mdash;wet, cold, tired and hungry, all in the superlative
+degree&mdash;blinded by the driving snow, and lost, without any means of
+getting on save their own powers of locomotion, in the midst of a great
+desert&mdash;for the white covering which now lay upon everything had
+obliterated almost all traces of the road; they did not know which way to turn,
+or what to do. For the moment they all took refuge in the chariot, until the
+greatest violence of the tempest should be over, huddled close together for
+warmth, and striving not to lose heart entirely. Presently the wind quieted
+down all of a sudden, as if it had expended its fury and wanted to rest; but
+the snow continued to fall industriously, though noiselessly, and as far as the
+eye could reach through the gathering darkness the surface of the earth was
+white, as if it had been wrapped in a winding sheet.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;What in the world has become of Matamore?&rdquo; cried Blazius suddenly;
+&ldquo;has the wind carried him off to the moon I wonder?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Yes; where can he be?&rdquo; said the tyrant, in an anxious tone;
+&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t see him anywhere&mdash;I thought he was among us; perhaps
+he is lying asleep among the stage properties at the back of the chariot; I
+have known him curl himself down there for a nap before now. Holloa! Matamore!
+where are you? wake up and answer us!&rdquo; But no Matamore responded, and
+there was no movement under the great heap of scenery, and decorations of all
+sorts, stowed away there.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Holloa! Matamore!&rdquo; roared Hérode again, in his loudest tones,
+which might have waked the seven sleepers in their cavern, and roused their dog
+too.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;We have not seen him here in the chariot at all today,&rdquo; said one
+of the actresses; &ldquo;we thought he was walking with the others.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;The deuce!&rdquo; exclaimed Blazius, &ldquo;this is very strange. I hope
+no accident has happened to the poor fellow.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Undoubtedly he has taken shelter in the worst of the storm on the lee
+side of the trunk of a tree somewhere,&rdquo; said de Sigognac, &ldquo;and will
+soon come up with us.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+After a short discussion, it was decided to wait where they were a few minutes
+longer, and then if he did not make his appearance go in search of him. They
+anxiously watched the way by which they had come, but no human form appeared on
+the great expanse of white, and the darkness was falling rapidly upon the
+earth, as it does after the short days of December. The distant howling of a
+dog now came to their ears, to add to the lugubrious effect of their
+surroundings, but they were all so troubled at the strange absence of their
+comrade that their own individual miseries were for the moment forgotten. The
+doleful howling, so far away at first, gradually became louder, until at last a
+large, black dog came in sight, and sitting down upon the snow, still a long
+distance from them, raised his head so that his muzzle pointed upward to the
+sky and howled, as if in the greatest distress.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I&rsquo;m afraid something terrible has happened to our poor
+Matamore,&rdquo; cried the tyrant, and his voice trembled a little; &ldquo;that
+dog howls as if for a death.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At this speech the two young women turned even paler than they had been before,
+if that were possible, and made the sign of the cross devoutly, while Isabelle
+murmured a prayer.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;We must go in search of him without a moment&rsquo;s delay,&rdquo; said
+Blazius, &ldquo;and take the lantern with us; it will as a guiding star to him
+if he has wandered off from the road, as is very probable, with everything
+covered with snow like this.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They accordingly lighted their horn lantern, and set off with all possible
+speed&mdash;the tyrant, Blazius, and de Sigognac&mdash;whilst Scapin and
+Leander remained with the three women in the chariot. The dog, meantime, kept
+up his dismal howling without a moment&rsquo;s intermission as the three men
+hastened towards him. The darkness and the newfallen snow, which had completely
+obliterated all traces of footsteps, made the task of looking for the missing
+actor a very difficult one, and after walking nearly a mile without seeing a
+sign of him, they began to fear that their search would prove fruitless. They
+kept calling, &ldquo;Matamore! Matamore!&rdquo; but there was no reply, nothing
+to be heard but the howling of the large black dog, at intervals now, or the
+scream of an owl, disturbed by the light of the lantern. At last de Sigognac,
+with his penetrating vision, thought he could make out a recumbent figure at
+the foot of a tree, a little way off from the road, and they all pressed
+forward to the spot he indicated.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was indeed poor Matamore, sitting on the ground, with his back against the
+tree, and his long legs, stretched out in front of him, quite buried under the
+snow; he did not stir at the approach of his comrades, or answer their joyful
+shout of recognition, and when Blazius, alarmed at this strange apathy,
+hastened forward and threw the light of the lantern upon his face, he had
+nearly let it fall from fright at what it revealed. Poor Matamore was dead,
+stiff and stark, with wide-open, sunken eyes staring out vaguely into the
+darkness, and his ghastly face wearing that pinched, indescribable expression
+which the mortal puts on when the spirit that dwelt within has fled. The three
+who had found him thus were inexpressibly shocked, and stood for a moment
+speechless and motionless, in the presence of death. The tyrant was the first
+to recover himself, and hoping that some sign of life might yet remain he
+stooped and took the cold hand into his, and essayed to find a pulse at the
+wrist&mdash;in vain! it was still and icy. Unwilling yet to admit that the
+vital spark was extinct, he asked Blazius for his gourd, which he always
+carried with him, and endeavoured to pour a few drops of wine into his
+mouth&mdash;in vain! the teeth were tightly locked together, and the wine
+trickled from between his pale lips, and dropped slowly down upon his breast.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Leave him in peace! do not disturb these poor remains!&rdquo; said de
+Sigognac in trembling tones; &ldquo;don&rsquo;t you see that he is dead?&rdquo;
+&ldquo;Alas! you are right,&rdquo; Blazius added, &ldquo;he is dead; dead as
+Cheops in the great pyramid. Poor fellow! he must have been confused by the
+blinding snow, and unable to make his way against that terrible wind, turned
+aside and sat down under this tree, to wait until its violence should be spent;
+but he had not flesh enough on his bones to keep them warm, and must have been
+quickly frozen through and through. He has starved himself more than ever
+lately, in hopes of producing a sensation at Paris, and he was thinner than any
+greyhound before. Poor Matamore! thou art out of the way of all trouble now; no
+more blows, and kicks, and curses for thee, my friend, whether on or off the
+stage, and thou wilt be laughed at no more forever.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;What shall we do about his body?&rdquo; interrupted the more practical
+tyrant. &ldquo;We cannot leave it here for dogs, and wolves, and birds of prey
+to devour&mdash;though indeed I almost doubt whether they would touch it, there
+is so little flesh upon his bones.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;No, certainly, we cannot leave him here,&rdquo; Blazius replied;
+&ldquo;he was a good and loyal comrade; he deserves better of us than that; we
+will not abandon him, poor Matamore! He is not heavy; you take his head and I
+will take his feet, and we will carry him to the chariot. To-morrow morning we
+will bury him as decently as we can in some quiet, retired spot, where he will
+not be likely to be disturbed. Unfortunately we cannot do better for him than
+that, for we, poor actors, are excluded by our hard-hearted and very unjust
+step-mother, the church, from her cemeteries; she denies us the security and
+comfort of being laid to rest for our last long sleep in consecrated ground.
+After having devoted our lives to the amusement of the human race&mdash;the
+highest as well as the more lowly among them, and faithful sons and daughters
+of holy church too&mdash;we must be thrown into the next ditch when the end
+comes, like dead dogs and horses. Now, Hérode, are you ready? and will you, my
+lord, lead the way with the lantern?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The mournful little procession moved slowly forward; the howling dog was quiet
+at last, as if his duty was done, and a deathlike stillness prevailed around
+them. It was well that there were no passers-by at that hour; it would have
+been a strange sight, almost a frightful one, for any such, for they might well
+have supposed that a hideous crime had been committed; the two men bearing the
+dead body away at night, lighted by the third with his lantern, which threw
+their shadows, long, black and misshapen, upon the startling whiteness of the
+snow, as they advanced with measured tread. Those who had remained with the
+chariot saw from afar the glimmer of de Sigognac&rsquo;s lantern, and wondered
+why they walked so slowly, not perceiving at that distance their sad burden.
+Scapin and Leander hastened forward to meet them, and as soon as they got near
+enough to see them distinctly the former shouted to them&mdash;&ldquo;Well,
+what is the matter? why are you carrying Matamore like that? is he ill, or has
+he hurt himself?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;He is not ill,&rdquo; answered Blazius, quietly, as they met, &ldquo;and
+nothing can ever hurt him again&mdash;he is cured forever of the strange malady
+we call life, which always ends in death.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Is he really dead?&rdquo; Scapin asked, with a sob he did not even try
+to suppress, as he bent to look at the face of the poor comic actor, for he had
+a tender heart under his rough exterior, and had cherished a very sincere
+affection for poor Matamore.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Very dead indeed, for he is frozen as well,&rdquo; Blazius replied, in a
+voice that belied the levity of his words.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;He has lived! as they always say at the end of a tragedy,&rdquo; said
+Hérode; &ldquo;but relieve us, please, it is your turn now; we have carried the
+poor fellow a long way, and it is well for us that he is no heavier.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Scapin took Hérode&rsquo;s place, reverently and tenderly, while Leander
+relieved the pedant&mdash;though this office was little to his taste&mdash;and
+they resumed their march, soon reaching the chariot. In spite of the cold and
+snow, Isabelle and Serafina sprang to the ground to meet them, but the duenna
+did not leave her seat&mdash;with age had come apathy, and selfishness had
+never been wanting. When they saw poor Matamore stiff and motionless, and were
+told that he was dead, the two young women were greatly shocked and moved, and
+Isabelle, bursting into tears, raised her pure eyes to heaven and breathed a
+fervent prayer for the departed soul.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And now came the question, what was to be done? The village for which they were
+bound was still a league away; but they could not stay where they were all
+night, and they decided to go on, even if they had to abandon the chariot and
+walk&mdash;anything would be better than freezing to death like poor Matamore.
+But after all, things were not at such a desperate pass as they supposed; the
+long rest, and a good feed of oats that Scapin had been thoughtful enough to
+give their tired horse, had so revived the poor old beast that he seemed to be
+ready and willing to go forward again&mdash;so their most serious difficulty
+was removed. Matamore&rsquo;s body was laid in the chariot, and carefully
+covered with a large piece of white linen they fortunately happened to have
+among their heterogeneous belongings, the women resumed their seats, not
+without a slight shudder as they thought of their ghastly companion, and the
+men walked&mdash;Scapin going in front with the lantern, and Hérode leading the
+horse. They could not make very rapid progress, but at the end of two hours
+perceived&mdash;oh, welcome sight!&mdash;the first straggling houses of the
+village where they were to spend the night. At the noise of the approaching
+vehicle the dogs began to bark furiously, and more than one nightcapped head
+appeared at the windows as they passed along through the deserted
+street&mdash;so the pedant was able to ask the way to the inn, which proved to
+be at the other end of the hamlet&mdash;and the worn-out old horse had to make
+one more effort; but he seemed to feel that the stable, where he should find
+shelter, rest and food, was before him, and pushed on with astonishing
+alacrity.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They found it at last&mdash;the inn&mdash;with its bunch of holly for a sign.
+It looked a forlorn place, for travellers did not usually stop over night in
+this small, unimportant village; but the comedians were not in a mood to be
+fastidious, and would have been thankful for even a more unpromising house of
+entertainment than this one. It was all shut up for the night, with not a sign
+of life to be seen, so the tyrant applied himself diligently to pounding on the
+door with his big fists, until the sound of footsteps within, descending the
+stairs, showed that he had succeeded in rousing somebody. A ray of light shone
+through the cracks in the rickety old door, then it was cautiously opened just
+a little, and an aged, withered crone, striving to protect the flame of her
+flaring candle from the wind with one skinny hand, and to hold the rags of her
+most extraordinary undress together with the other, peered out at them
+curiously. She was evidently just as she had turned out of her bed, and a more
+revolting, witch-like old hag it would be hard to find; but she bade the
+belated travellers enter, with a horrible grimace that was intended for a
+smile, throwing the door wide open, and telling them they were welcome to her
+house as she led the way into the kitchen. She kindled the smouldering embers
+on the hearth into a blaze, threw on some fresh wood, and then withdrew to
+mount to her chamber and make herself a little more presentable&mdash;having
+first roused a stout peasant lad, who served as hostler, and sent him to take
+the chariot into the court, where he was heard directly unharnessing the weary
+horse and leading him into the stable.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;We cannot leave poor Matamore&rsquo;s body in the chariot all night,
+like a dead deer brought home from the chase,&rdquo; said Blazius; &ldquo;the
+dogs out there in the court might find it out. Besides, he had been baptized,
+and his remains ought to be watched with and cared for, like any other good
+Christian&rsquo;s.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+So they brought in the sad burden tenderly, laid it on the long table, and
+covered it again carefully with the white linen cloth. When the old woman
+returned, and saw this strange and terrible sight, she was frightened almost to
+death, and, throwing herself on her knees, began begging volubly for
+mercy&mdash;evidently taking the troupe of comedians for a band of assassins,
+and the dead man for their unfortunate victim. It was with the greatest
+difficulty that Isabelle finally succeeded in calming and reassuring the poor,
+distracted, old creature, who was beside herself with terror, and made her
+listen to the story of poor Matamore&rsquo;s death. When, at last, she fully
+understood the true state of the case, she went and fetched more candles, which
+she lighted and disposed symmetrically about the dead body, and kindly offered
+to sit up and watch it with Mme. Léonarde&mdash;also to do all that was
+necessary and usual for it&mdash;adding that she was always sent for in the
+village when there was a death, to perform those last, sad offices. All this
+being satisfactorily arranged&mdash;whereat they were greatly
+relieved&mdash;the weary travellers were conducted into another room, and food
+was placed before them; but the sad scenes just enacted had taken away their
+appetites, though it was many long hours since they had eaten. And be it here
+recorded that Blazius, for the first time in his life, forgot to drink his
+wine, though it was excellent, and left his glass half full. He could not have
+given a more convincing proof of the depth and sincerity of his grief.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Isabelle and Serafina spent the night in an adjoining chamber, sharing the one
+small bed it contained, and the men lay down upon bundles of straw that the
+stable-boy brought in for them. None of them slept much&mdash;being haunted by
+disturbing dreams inspired by the sad and trying events of the previous
+day&mdash;and all were up and stirring at an early hour, for poor
+Matamore&rsquo;s burial was to be attended to. For want of something more
+appropriate the aged hostess and Mme. Léonarde had enveloped the body in an old
+piece of thick canvass&mdash;still bearing traces of the foliage and garlands
+of flowers originally painted in bright colours upon it&mdash;in which they had
+sewed it securely, so that it looked not unlike an Egyptian mummy. A board
+resting on two cross pieces of wood served as a bier, and, the body being
+placed upon it, was carried by Hérode, Blazius, Scapin and Leander. A large,
+black velvet cloak, adorned with spangles, which was used upon the stage by
+sovereign pontiffs or venerable necromancers, did duty as a pall&mdash;not
+inappropriately surely. The little cortege left the inn by a small door in the
+rear that opened upon a deserted common, so as to avoid passing through the
+street and rousing the curiosity of the villagers, and set off towards a
+retired spot, indicated by the friendly old woman, where no one would be likely
+to witness or interfere with their proceedings. The early morning was gray and
+cold, the sky leaden&mdash;no one had ventured abroad yet save a few peasants
+searching for dead wood and sticks, who looked with suspicious eyes upon the
+strange little procession making its way slowly through the untrodden snow, but
+did not attempt to approach or molest it. They reached at last the lonely spot
+where they were to leave the mortal remains of poor Matamore, and the
+stable-boy, who had accompanied them carrying a spade, set to work to dig the
+grave. Several carcasses of animals lay scattered about close at hand, partly
+hidden by the snow&mdash;among them two or three skeletons of horses, picked
+clean by birds of prey; their long heads, at the end of the slender vertebral
+columns, peering out horribly at them, and their ribs, like the sticks of an
+open fan stripped of its covering, appearing above the smooth white surface,
+bearing each one its little load of snow. The comedians observed these ghastly
+surroundings with a shudder, as they laid their burden gently down upon the
+ground, and gathered round the grave which the boy was industriously digging.
+He made but slow progress, however, and the tyrant, taking the spade from him,
+went to work with a will, and had soon finished the sad task. Just at the last
+a volley of stones suddenly startled the little group, who, intent upon the
+mournful business in hand, had not noticed the stealthy approach of a
+considerable number of peasants.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+These last had been hastily summoned by their friends who had first perceived
+the mysterious little funeral procession, without priest, crucifix, or lighted
+tapers, and taken it for granted that there must be something uncanny about it.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They were about to follow up the shower of stones by a charge upon the group
+assembled round the open grave, when de Sigognac, outraged at this brutal
+assault, whipped out his sword, and rushed upon them impetuously, striking some
+with the flat of the blade, and threatening others with the point; while the
+tyrant, who had leaped out of the grave at the first alarm, seized one of the
+cross pieces of the improvised bier, and followed the baron into the thick of
+the crowd, raining blows right and left among their cowardly assailants; who,
+though they far outnumbered the little band of comedians, fled before the
+vigorous attack of de Sigognac and Hérode, cursing and swearing, and shouting
+out violent threats as they withdrew. Poor Matamore&rsquo;s humble obsequies
+were completed without further hindrance. When the first spadeful of earth fell
+upon his body the pedant, with great tears slowly rolling down his cheeks, bent
+reverently over the grave and sighed out, &ldquo;Alas! poor Matamore!&rdquo;
+little thinking that he was, using the very words of Hamlet, prince of Denmark,
+when he apostrophized the skull of Yorick, an ancient king&rsquo;s jester, in
+the famous tragedy of one Shakespeare&mdash;a poet of great renown in England,
+and protégé of Queen Elizabeth.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The grave was filled up in silence, and the tyrant&mdash;after having trampled
+down the snow for some distance around it, so that its exact whereabouts might
+not be easy to find in case the angry peasants should come back to disturb
+it&mdash;said as they turned away, &ldquo;Now let us get out of this place as
+fast as we can; we have nothing more to do here, and the sooner we quit it the
+better. Those brutes that attacked us may return with
+reinforcements&mdash;indeed I think it more than likely that they will&mdash;in
+which case your sword, my dear baron, and my stick might not be enough to
+scatter them again. We don&rsquo;t want to kill any of them, and have the cries
+of widows and orphans resounding in our ears; and besides, it might be awkward
+for us if we were obliged to do it in self-defence, and then were hauled up
+before the local justice of peace to answer for it.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+There was so much good sense in this advice that it was unanimously agreed to
+follow it, and in less than an hour, after having settled their account at the
+inn, they, were once more upon the road.
+</p>
+
+</div><!--end chapter-->
+
+<div class="chapter">
+
+<h2><a name="chap07"></a>CHAPTER VII.<br/>
+CAPTAIN FRACASSE</h2>
+
+<p>
+The comedians pushed forward at first as rapidly as the strength of their
+horse&mdash;resuscitated by a night&rsquo;s rest in a comfortable stable, and a
+generous feed of oats&mdash;would allow; it being important to put a good
+distance between themselves and the infuriated peasants who had been repulsed
+by de Sigognac and the tyrant. They plodded on for more than two leagues in
+profound silence, for poor Matamore&rsquo;s sad fate weighed heavily upon their
+hearts, and each one thought, with a shudder, that the day might come when he
+too would die, and be buried secretly and in haste, in some lonely and
+neglected spot by the roadside, wherever they chanced to be, and there
+abandoned by his comrades.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At last Blazius, whose tongue was scarcely ever at rest, save when he slept,
+could restrain it no longer, and began to expatiate upon the mournful theme of
+which all were thinking, embellishing his discourse with many apt quotations,
+apothegms and maxims, of which in his role of pedant he had an ample store laid
+up in his memory. The tyrant listened in silence, but with such a scowling,
+preoccupied air that Blazius finally observed it, and broke off his eloquent
+disquisition abruptly to inquire what he was cogitating so intently.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I am thinking about Milo, the celebrated Crotonian,&rdquo; he replied,
+&ldquo;who killed a bullock with one blow of his fist, and devoured it in a
+single day. I always have admired that exploit particularly, and I feel as if I
+could do as much myself to-day.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;But as bad luck will have it,&rdquo; said Scapin, putting in his oar,
+&ldquo;the bullock is wanting.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; rejoined the tyrant, &ldquo;I, alas! have only the fist and
+the stomach. Oh! thrice happy the ostrich, that, at a pinch, makes a meal of
+pebbles, bits of broken glass, shoe-buttons, knife-handles, belt-buckles, or
+any such-like delicacies that come in its way, which the poor, weak, human
+stomach cannot digest at all. At this moment I feel capable of swallowing whole
+that great mass of scenery and decorations in the chariot yonder. I feel as if
+I had as big a chasm in me as the grave I dug this morning for poor Matamore,
+and as if I never could get enough to fill it. The ancients were wise old
+fellows; they knew what they were about when they instituted the feasts that
+always followed their funerals, with abundance of meats and all sorts of good
+things to eat, washed down with copious draughts of wine, to the honour of the
+dead and the great good of the living. Ah! if we only had the wherewithal now
+to follow their illustrious example, and accomplish worthily that philosophical
+rite, so admirably calculated to stay the tears of mourners and raise their
+drooping spirits.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;In other words,&rdquo; said Blazius, &ldquo;you are hankering after
+something to eat. Polyphemus, ogre, Gargantua, monster that you are! you
+disgust me.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;And you,&rdquo; retorted the tyrant, &ldquo;I know that you are
+hankering after something to drink. Silenus, hogshead, wine-bottle, sponge that
+you are! you excite my pity.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;How delightful it would be for us all if you both could have your
+wish,&rdquo; interposed Scapin, in a conciliatory tone.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Look, yonder by the roadside is a little grove, capitally situated for a
+halting-place. We might stop there for a little, ransack the chariot to find
+whatever fragments may yet remain in it of our last stock of provisions, and
+gathering them all up take our breakfast, such as it may be, comfortably
+sheltered from this cold north wind on the lee side of the thicket there. The
+short halt will give the poor old horse a chance to rest, and we meantime,
+while we are breakfasting, can discuss at our leisure some expedients for
+supplying our immediate needs, and also talk over our future plans and
+prospects&mdash;which latter, it seems to me, look devilishly dark and
+discouraging.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Your words are golden, friend Scapin,&rdquo; the pedant said, &ldquo;let
+us by all means gather up the crumbs that are left of former plenty, though
+they will be but few and musty, I fear. There are still, however, two or three
+bottles of wine remaining&mdash;the last of a goodly store&mdash;enough for us
+each to have a glass. What a pity that the soil hereabouts is not of that
+peculiar kind of clay upon which certain tribes of American savages are said to
+subsist, when they have been unlucky in their hunting and fishing, and have
+nothing better to eat.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They accordingly turned the chariot off from the road into the edge of the
+thicket, unharnessed the horse, and left him free to forage for himself;
+whereupon he began to nibble, with great apparent relish, at the scattered
+spears of grass peeping up here and there through the snow. A large rug was
+brought from the chariot and spread upon the ground in a sheltered spot, upon
+which the comedians seated themselves, in Turkish fashion, in a circle, while
+Blazius distributed among them the sorry rations he had managed to scrape
+together; laughing and jesting about them in such an amusing manner that all
+were fain to join in his merriment, and general good humour prevailed. The
+Baron de Sigognac, who had long, indeed always, been accustomed to extreme
+frugality, in fact almost starvation, and found it easier to bear such trials
+with equanimity than his companions, could not help admiring the wonderful way
+in which the pedant made the best of a really desperate situation, and found
+something to laugh at and make merry over where most people would have grumbled
+and groaned, and bewailed their hard lot, in a manner to make themselves, and
+all their companions in misery, doubly unhappy. But his attention was quickly
+absorbed in his anxiety about Isabelle, who was deathly pale, and shivering
+until her teeth chattered, though she did her utmost to conceal her suffering
+condition, and to laugh with the rest. Her wraps were sadly insufficient to
+protect her properly from such extreme cold as they were exposed to then, and
+de Sigognac, who was sitting beside her, insisted upon sharing his cloak with
+her&mdash;though she protested against his depriving himself of so much of
+it&mdash;and beneath its friendly shelter gently drew her slender, shrinking
+form close to himself, so as to impart some of his own vital warmth to her. She
+could feel the quickened beating of his heart as he held her respectfully, yet
+firmly and tenderly, embraced, and he was soon rewarded for his loving care by
+seeing the colour return to her pale lips, the happy light to her sweet eyes,
+and even a faint flush appear on her delicate cheeks.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+While they were eating&mdash;or rather making believe to eat their make-believe
+breakfast&mdash;a singular noise was heard near by, to which at first they paid
+no particular attention, thinking it was the wind whistling through the matted
+branches of the thicket, if they thought of it at all; but presently it grew
+louder, and they could not imagine what it proceeded from. It was a sort of
+hissing sound, at once shrill and hoarse, quite impossible to describe
+accurately.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As it grew louder and louder, and seemed to be approaching them, the women
+manifested some alarm.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Oh!&rdquo; shrieked Serafina &ldquo;I hope it&rsquo;s not a snake; I
+shall die if it is; I am so terrified by the horrid, crawling creatures.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;But it can&rsquo;t possibly be a snake,&rdquo; said Leander,
+reassuringly; &ldquo;in such cold weather as this the snakes are all torpid and
+lying in their holes underground, stiffer than so many sticks.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Leander is right,&rdquo; added the pedant, &ldquo;this cannot be a
+snake; and besides, snakes never make such a sound as that at any time. It must
+proceed from some wild creature of the wood that our invasion has disturbed;
+perhaps we may be lucky enough to capture it and find it edible; that would be
+a piece of good fortune, indeed, quite like a fairy-tale.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Meantime Scapin was listening attentively to the strange, incomprehensible
+sound, and watching keenly that part of the thicket from which it seemed to
+come. Presently a movement of the underbrush became noticeable, and just as he
+motioned to the company to keep perfectly quiet a magnificent big gander
+emerged from the bushes, stretching out his long neck, hissing with all his
+might, and waddling along with a sort of stupid majesty that was most
+diverting&mdash;closely followed by two geese, his good, simple-minded,
+confiding wives, in humble attendance upon their infuriated lord and master.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t stir, any of you,&rdquo; said Scapin, under his breath, and
+I will endeavour to capture this splendid prize&rdquo;&mdash;with which the
+clever scamp crept softly round behind his companions, who were still seated in
+a circle on the rug, so lightly that he made not the slightest sound; and while
+the gander&mdash;who with his two followers had stopped short at sight of the
+intruders&mdash;was intently examining them, with some curiosity mingled with
+his angry defiance, and apparently wondering in his stupid way how these
+mysterious figures came to be in that usually deserted spot, Scapin succeeded,
+by making a wide detour, in getting behind the three geese unseen, and
+noiselessly advancing upon them, with one rapid, dexterous movement, threw his
+large heavy cloak over the coveted prize. In another instant he had the
+struggling gander, still enveloped in the cloak, in his arms, and, by
+compressing his neck tightly, quickly put an end to his resistance&mdash;and
+his existence at the same time; while his two wives, or rather widows, rushed
+back into the thick underbrush to avoid a like fate, making a great cackling
+and ado over the terrible catastrophe that had befallen their quondam lord and
+master.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Bravo, Scapin! that was a clever trick indeed,&rdquo; cried Hérode;
+&ldquo;it throws those you are so often applauded for on the stage quite into
+the shade&mdash;a masterpiece of strategy, friend Scapin!&mdash;for, as is well
+known, geese are by nature very vigilant, and never caught off their
+guard&mdash;of which history gives us a notable instance, in the watchfulness
+of the sacred geese of the Capitol, whose loud cackling in the dead of night at
+the stealthy approach of the Gauls woke the sleeping soldiers to a sense of
+their danger just in time to save Rome. This splendid big fellow here saves
+us&mdash;after another fashion it is true, but one which is no less
+providential.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The goose was plucked and prepared for the spit by Mme. Léonarde, while
+Blazius, the tyrant, and Leander busied themselves in gathering together a
+goodly quantity of dead wood and twigs, and laying them ready to light in a
+tolerably dry spot. Scapin, with his large clasp-knife, cut a straight, strong
+stick, stripped off the bark for a spit, and found two stout forked branches,
+which he stuck firmly into the ground on each side of the fire so that they
+would meet over it. A handful of dry straw from the chariot served as kindling,
+and they quickly had a bright blaze, over which the goose was suspended, and
+being duly turned and tended by Scapin, in a surprisingly short space of time
+began to assume a beautiful light brown hue, and send out such a savoury
+delicious odour that the tyrant sprang up and strode away from its immediate
+vicinity, declaring that if he remained near it the temptation to seize and
+swallow it, spit and all, would surely be too strong for him. Blazius had
+fetched from the chariot a huge tin platter that usually figured in theatrical
+feasts, upon which the goose, done to a turn, was finally placed with all due
+ceremony, and a second breakfast was partaken of, which was by no means a
+fallacious, chimerical repast like the first. The pedant, who was an
+accomplished carver, officiated in that capacity on this auspicious occasion;
+begging the company, as he did so, to be kind enough to excuse the unavoidable
+absence, which he deeply regretted, of the slices of Seville oranges that
+should have formed a part of the dish&mdash;being an obligatory accessory of
+roast goose&mdash;and they with charming courtesy smilingly expressed their
+willingness to overlook for this once such a culinary solecism.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Now,&rdquo; said Hérode, when nothing remained of the goose but its
+well-picked bones, &ldquo;we must try to decide upon what is best to be done.
+Only three or four <i>pistoles</i> are left in the exchequer, and my office as
+treasurer bids fair to become a sinecure. We have been so unfortunate as to
+lose two valuable members of the troupe, Zerbine and poor Matamore, rendering
+many of our best plays impossible for us, and at any rate we cannot give
+dramatic representations that would bring in much money here in the fields,
+where our audience would be mainly composed of crows, jackdaws, and
+magpies&mdash;who could scarcely be expected to pay us very liberally for our
+entertainment. With that poor, miserable, old horse there, slowly dying between
+the shafts of our chariot, hardly able to drag one foot after another, we
+cannot reasonably expect to reach Poitiers in less than two days&mdash;if we do
+then&mdash;and our situation is an unpleasantly tragic one, for we run the risk
+of being frozen or starved to death by the wayside; fat geese, already roasted,
+do not emerge from every thicket you know.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You state the case very clearly,&rdquo; the pedant said as he paused,
+&ldquo;and make the evil very apparent, but you don&rsquo;t say a word about
+the remedy.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;My idea is,&rdquo; rejoined Hérode, &ldquo;to stop at the first village
+we come to and give an entertainment. All work in the fields is at a standstill
+now, and the peasants are idle in consequence; they will be only too delighted
+at the prospect of a little amusement. Somebody will let us have his barn for
+our theatre, and Scapin shall go round the town beating the drum, and
+announcing our programme, adding this important clause, that all those who
+cannot pay for their places in money may do so in provisions. A fowl, a ham, or
+a jug of wine, will secure a seat in the first row; a pair of pigeons, a dozen
+eggs, or a loaf of bread, in the second, and so on down. Peasants are
+proverbially stingy with their money, but will be liberal enough with their
+provisions; and though our purse will not be replenished, our larder will,
+which is equally important, since our very lives depend upon it. After that we
+can push on to Poitiers, and I know an inn-keeper there who will give us credit
+until we have had time to fill our purse again, and get our finances in good
+order.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;But what piece can we play, in case we find our village?&rdquo; asked
+Scapin. &ldquo;Our <i>repertoire</i> is sadly reduced, you know. Tragedies, and
+even the better class of comedies, would be all Greek to the stupid rustics,
+utterly ignorant as they are of history or fable, and scarcely even
+understanding the French language. The only thing to give them would be a
+roaring farce, with plenty of funny by-play, resounding blows, kicks and cuffs,
+ridiculous tumbles, and absurdities within their limited comprehension. The
+Rodomontades of Captain Matamore would be the very thing; but that is out of
+our power now that poor Matamore is dead.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When Scapin paused, de Sigognac made a sign with his hand that he wished to
+speak, and all the company turned respectfully towards him to listen to what he
+had to say. A little flush spread itself over his pale countenance, and it was
+only after a brief but sharp struggle with himself that he opened his tightly
+compressed lips, and addressed his expectant audience, as follows:
+&ldquo;Although I do not possess poor Matamore&rsquo;s talent, I can almost
+rival him in thinness, and <i>I</i> will take his role, and do the best I can
+with it. I am your comrade, and I want to do my part in this strait we find
+ourselves in. I should be ashamed to share your prosperity, as I have done, and
+not aid you, so far as lies in my power, in your adversity, and this is the
+only way in which I can assist you. There is no one in the whole world to care
+what may become of the de Sigognacs; my house is crumbling into dust over the
+tombs of my ancestors; oblivion covers my once glorious name, and the arms of
+my family are almost entirely obliterated above the deserted entrance to the
+Château de Sigognac. Perhaps I may yet see the three golden storks shine out
+brilliantly upon my shield, and life, prosperity, and happiness return to the
+desolate abode where my sad, hopeless youth was spent. But in the meantime,
+since to you I owe my escape from that dreary seclusion, I beg you to accept me
+freely as your comrade, and my poor services as such; to you I am no longer de
+Sigognac.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Isabelle had laid her hand on his arm at his first sentence, as soon as she
+comprehended what he meant to say, to try to stop him, and here she made
+another effort to interrupt; but for once he would not heed her, and continued,
+&ldquo;I renounce my title of baron for the present; I fold it up and put it
+away at the bottom of my portmanteau, like a garment that is laid aside. Do not
+make use of it again, I pray you; we will see whether under a new name I may
+not succeed in escaping from the ill fortune that has thus far pursued me as
+the Baron de Sigognac. Henceforth then I take poor Matamore&rsquo;s place, and
+my name is Captain Fracasse.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Bravo! <i>vive</i> Captain Fracasse!&rdquo; cried they all, with enthusiasm,
+&ldquo;may applause greet and follow him wherever he goes.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This sudden move on de Sigognac&rsquo;s part, at which the comedians were
+greatly astonished, as well as deeply touched, was not so unpremeditated as it
+seemed; he had been thinking about it for some time. He blushed at the idea of
+being a mere parasite, living upon the bounty of these honest players&mdash;who
+shared all they had with him so generously, and without ever making him feel,
+for a moment, that he was under any obligation to them, but&mdash;rather that
+he was conferring an honour upon them&mdash;he deemed it less unworthy a
+gentleman to appear upon the stage and do his part towards filling the common
+purse than to be their pensioner in idleness; and after all, there was no
+disgrace in becoming an actor. The idea of quitting them and going back to
+Sigognac had indeed presented itself to his mind, but he had instantly repulsed
+it as base and cowardly&mdash;it is not in the hour of danger and disaster that
+the true soldier retires from the ranks. Besides, if he had wished to go ever
+so much, his love for Isabelle would have kept him near her; and then, though
+he was not given to day-dreams, he yet fancied that wonderful adventures,
+sudden changes, and strokes of good fortune might possibly be awaiting him in
+the mysterious future, into which he fain would peer, and he would inevitably
+lose the chance of them all if he returned to his ruinous château.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Everything being thus satisfactorily arranged, the old horse was harnessed up
+again, and the chariot moved slowly forward on its way. Their good meal had
+revived everybody&rsquo;s drooping spirits, and they all, excepting the duenna
+and Serafina, who never walked if they could possibly help it, trudged cheerily
+along, laughing and talking as they went.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Isabelle had taken de Sigognac&rsquo;s offered arm, and leaned on it proudly,
+glancing furtively up into his face, whenever he was looking away from her,
+with eyes full of tenderness and loving admiration, never suspecting, in her
+modesty, that it was for love of her that he had decided to turn actor&mdash;a
+thing so revolting, as she knew, to his pride as a gentleman. He was a hero in
+her eyes, and though she wished to reproach him for his hasty action, which she
+would have prevented if she could, she had not the heart to find fault with him
+for his noble devotion to the common cause after all. Yet she would have done
+anything, suffered everything herself, to have saved him this humiliation; hers
+being one of those true, loyal hearts that forget themselves in their love, and
+think only of the interests and happiness of the being beloved. She walked on
+beside him until her strength was exhausted, and then returned to her place in
+the chariot, giving him a look so eloquent of love and admiration, as he
+carefully drew her wraps about her, that his heart bounded with joy, and he
+felt that no sacrifice could be too great which was made for her sweet sake.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In every direction around them, as far as the eye could reach, the snow-covered
+country was utterly devoid of town, village, or hamlet; not a sign of life was
+anywhere to be seen.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;A sorry prospect for our fine plan,&rdquo; said the pedant, after a
+searching examination of their surroundings, &ldquo;and I very much fear that
+the plentiful store of provisions Hérode promised us will not be forthcoming. I
+cannot see the smoke of a single chimney, strain my eyes as I will, nor the
+weather-cock on any village spire.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Have a little patience, Blazius!&rdquo; the tyrant replied. &ldquo;Where
+people live too much crowded together the air becomes vitiated, you know, and
+it is very salubrious to have the villages situated a good distance
+apart.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;What a healthy part of the country this must be then the inhabitants
+need not to fear epidemics&mdash;for to begin with there are no inhabitants. At
+this rate our Captain Fracasse will not have a chance very soon to make his
+debut.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+By this time it was nearly dark, the sky was overcast with heavy leaden clouds,
+and only a faint lurid glow on the horizon in the west showed where the sun had
+gone down. An icy wind, blowing full in their faces, and the hard, frozen
+surface of the snow, made their progress both difficult and painful. The poor
+old horse slipped at every step, though Scapin was carefully leading him, and
+staggered along like a drunken man, striking first against one shaft and then
+against the other, growing perceptibly weaker at every turn of the wheels
+behind him. Now and again he shook his head slowly up and down, and cast
+appealing glances at those around him, as his trembling legs seemed about to
+give way under him. His hour had come&mdash;the poor, old horse! and he was
+dying in harness like a brave beast, as he was. At last he could no more, and
+falling heavily to the ground gave one feeble kick as he stretched himself out
+on his side, and yielded up the ghost. Frightened by the sudden shock, the
+women shrieked loudly, and the men, running to their assistance, helped them to
+clamber out of the chariot. Mme. Léonarde and Serafina were none the worse for
+the fright, but Isabelle had fainted quite away, and de Sigognac, lifting her
+light weight easily, carried her in his arms to the bank at the side of the
+road, followed by the duenna, while Scapin bent down over the prostrate horse
+and carefully examined his ears.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;He is stone dead,&rdquo; said he in despairing tones; &ldquo;his ears
+are cold, and there is no pulsation in the auricular artery.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Then I suppose we shall have to harness ourselves to the chariot in his
+place,&rdquo; broke in Leander dolefully, almost weeping. &ldquo;Oh! cursed be
+the mad folly that led me to choose an actor&rsquo;s career.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Is this a time to groan and bewail yourself?&rdquo; roared the tyrant
+savagely, entirely out of patience with Leander&rsquo;s everlasting jeremiads;
+&ldquo;for heaven&rsquo;s sake pluck up a little courage, and be a man! And now
+to consider what is to be done; but first let us see how our good little
+Isabelle is getting on; is she still unconscious? No; she opens her eyes, and
+there is the colour coming back to her lips; she will do now, thanks to the
+baron and Mme. Léonarde. We must divide ourselves into two bands; one will stay
+with the women and the chariot, the other will scour the country in search of
+aid. We cannot think of remaining here all night, for we should be frozen stiff
+long before morning. Come, Captain Fracasse, Leander, and Scapin, you three
+being the youngest, and also the fleetest of foot, off with you. Run like
+greyhounds, and bring us succour as speedily as may be. Blazius and I will
+meantime do duty as guardians of the chariot and its contents.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The three men designated signified their readiness to obey the tyrant, and set
+off across country, though not feeling at all sanguine as to the results of
+their search, for the night was intensely dark; but that very darkness had its
+advantages, and came to their aid in an unexpected manner, for though it
+effectually concealed all surrounding objects, it made visible a tiny point of
+light shining at the foot of a little hill some distance from the road.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Behold,&rdquo; cried the pedant, &ldquo;our guiding star! as welcome to
+us weary travellers, lost in the desert, as the polar star to the distressed
+mariner &lsquo;in periculo maris.&rsquo; That blessed star yonder, whose rays
+shine far out into the darkness, is a light burning in some warm, comfortable
+room, which forms&mdash;Heaven be praised!&mdash;part of the habitation of
+human and civilized beings&mdash;not Laestrygon savages. Without doubt there is
+a bright fire blazing on the hearth in that cosy room, and over it hangs a
+famous big pot, from which issue puffs of a delicious odour&mdash;oh,
+delightful thought!&mdash;round which my imagination holds high revel, and in
+fancy I wash down with generous wine the savoury morsels from that glorious
+<i>pot-au-feu</i>.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You rave, my good Blazius,&rdquo; said the tyrant, &ldquo;the frost must
+have gotten into your brain&mdash;that makes men mad, they say, or silly. Yet
+there is some method in your madness, some truth in your ravings, for yonder
+light must indicate an inhabited dwelling. This renders a change in the plans
+for our campaign advisable. We will all go forward together towards the
+promised refuge, and leave the chariot where it is; no robbers will be abroad
+on such a night as this to interfere with its contents. We will take our few
+valuables&mdash;they are not so numerous or weighty but that we can carry them
+with us; for once it is an advantage that our possessions are few. To-morrow
+morning we will come back to fetch the chariot: now, forward, march!&mdash;and
+it is time, for I am nearly frozen to death.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The comedians accordingly started across the fields, towards the friendly light
+that promised them so much&mdash;Isabelle supported by de Sigognac, Serafina by
+Leander, and the duenna dragged along by Scapin; while Blazius and the tyrant
+formed the advance guard. It was not easy work; sometimes plunging into deep
+snow, more than knee high, as they came upon a ditch, hidden completely under
+the treacherously smooth white surface, or stumbling, and even falling more
+than once, over some unseen obstacle; but at length they came up to what seemed
+to be a large, low building, probably a farm-house, surrounded by stone walls,
+with a big gate for carts to enter. In the expanse of dark wall before them
+shone the light which had guided their steps, and upon approaching they found
+that it proceeded from a small window, whose shutters&mdash;most fortunately
+for them, poor, lost wanderers&mdash;had not yet been closed. The dogs within
+the enclosure, perceiving the approach of strangers, began to bark loudly and
+rush about the yard; they could hear them jumping up at the walls in vain
+efforts to get at the intruders. Presently the sound of a man&rsquo;s voice and
+footsteps mingled with their barking, and in a moment the whole establishment
+seemed to be on the alert.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Stay here, all of you,&rdquo; said the pedant, halting at a little
+distance from the gate, &ldquo;and let me go forward alone to knock for
+admission. Our numbers might alarm the good people of the farm, and lead them
+to fancy us a band of robbers, with designs upon their rustic Penates; as I am
+old, and inoffensive looking, they will not be afraid of me.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This advice was approved by all, and Blazius, going forward by himself, knocked
+gently at the great gate, which was first opened cautiously just a very little,
+then flung impetuously back; and then the comedians, from their outpost in the
+snow, saw a most extraordinary and inexplicable scene enacted before their
+astonished eyes. The pedant and the farmer who had opened the gate, after
+gazing at each other a moment intently, by the light of the lantern which the
+latter held up to see what manner of man his nocturnal visitor might be, and
+after exchanging rapidly a few words, that the others could not hear,
+accompanied by wild gesticulations, rushed into each other&rsquo;s arms, and
+began pounding each other heartily upon the back&mdash;mutually bestowing
+resounding accolades&mdash;as is the manner upon the stage of expressing joy at
+meeting a dear friend. Emboldened by this cordial reception, which yet was a
+mystery to them, the rest of the troupe ventured to approach, though slowly and
+timidly.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Halloa! all of you there,&rdquo; cried the pedant suddenly, in a joyful
+voice, &ldquo;come on without fear, you will be made welcome by a friend and a
+brother, a world-famed member of our profession, the darling of Thespis, the
+favourite of Thalia, no less a personage than the celebrated
+Bellombre&mdash;you all know his glorious record. Blessed is the happy chance
+that has directed our steps hither, to the philosophic retreat where this
+histrionic hero reposes tranquilly upon his laurels.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Come in, I pray you, ladies and gentlemen,&rdquo; said Bellombre,
+advancing to meet them, with a graceful courtesy which proved that the
+ci-devant actor had not put aside his elegant, courtly manners when he donned
+his peasant dress.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Come in quickly out of this biting wind; my dwelling is rude and homely,
+but you will be better off within it than here in the open air.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They needed no urging, and joyfully accepting his kind invitation followed
+their host into the house, charmed with this unhoped-for good fortune. Blazius
+and Bellombre were old acquaintances, and had formerly been members Of the same
+troupe; as their respective roles did not clash there was no rivalry between
+them, and they had become fast friends&mdash;being fellow worshippers at the
+shrine of the merry god of wine. Bellombre had retired from the stage some
+years before, when at his father&rsquo;s death he inherited this farm and a
+small fortune. The parts that he excelled in required a certain degree of
+youth, and he was not sorry to withdraw before wrinkles and whitening locks
+should make it necessary for him to abandon his favourite roles. In the world
+he was believed to be dead, but his splendid acting was often quoted by his
+former admirers&mdash;who were wont to declare that there had been nothing to
+equal it seen on the stage since he had made his last bow to the public.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The room into which he led his guests was very spacious, and served both as
+kitchen and sitting-room&mdash;there was also a large curtained bed standing in
+an alcove at the end farthest from the fire, as was not unusual in ancient
+farm-houses. The blaze from the four or five immense logs of wood heaped up on
+the huge andirons was roaring up the broad chimney flue, and filling the room
+with a bright, ruddy glow&mdash;a most welcome sight to the poor half-frozen
+travellers, who gathered around it and luxuriated in its genial warmth. The
+large apartment was plainly and substantially furnished, just as any well-to-do
+farmer&rsquo;s house might be, but near one of the windows stood a round table
+heaped up with books, some of them lying open as if but just put down, which
+showed that the owner of the establishment had not lost his taste for literary
+pursuits, but devoted to them his long winter evenings.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The cordiality of their welcome and the deliciously warm atmosphere in which
+they found themselves had combined to raise the spirits of the
+comedians&mdash;colour returned to pale faces, light to heavy eyes, and smiles
+to anxious lips&mdash;their gaiety was in proportion to the misery and peril
+from which they had just happily escaped, their hardships were all forgotten,
+and they gave themselves up entirely to the enjoyment of the hour. Their host
+had called up his servants, who bustled about, setting the table and making
+other preparations for supper, to the undisguised delight of Blazius, who said
+triumphantly to the tyrant, &ldquo;You see now, Hérode, and must acknowledge,
+that my predictions, inspired by the little glimmer of light we saw from afar,
+are completely verified&mdash;they have all come literally true. Fragrant puffs
+are issuing even now from the mammoth <i>pot-au-feu</i> there over the fire,
+and we shall presently wash down its savoury contents with draughts of generous
+wine, which I see already awaiting us on the table yonder. It is warm and
+bright and cosy in this room, and we appreciate and enjoy it all doubly, after
+the darkness and the cold and the danger from which we have escaped into the
+grateful shelter of this hospitable roof; and to crown the whole, our host is
+the grand, illustrious, incomparable Bellombre&mdash;flower and cream of all
+comedians, past, present and future, and best of good fellows.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Our happiness would be complete if only poor Matamore were here,&rdquo;
+said Isabelle with a sigh.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Pray what has happened to him?&rdquo; asked Bellombre, who knew him by
+reputation.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The tyrant told him the tragic story of the snow-storm, and its fatal
+consequences. &ldquo;But for this thrice-blessed meeting with my old and
+faithful friend here,&rdquo; Blazius added, &ldquo;the same fate would probably
+have overtaken us ere morning&mdash;we should all have been found, frozen stiff
+and stark, by the next party of travellers on the post road.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;That would have been a pity indeed,&rdquo; Bellombre rejoined, and
+glancing admiringly at Isabelle and Serafina, added gallantly, &ldquo;but
+surely these young goddesses would have melted the snow, and thawed the ice,
+with the fire I see shining in their sparkling eyes.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You attribute too much power to our eyes,&rdquo; Serafina made answer;
+&ldquo;they could not even have made any impression upon a heart, in the thick,
+impenetrable darkness that enveloped us; the tears that the icy cold forced
+from them would have extinguished the flames of the most ardent love.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+While they sat at supper, Blazius told their host of the sad condition of their
+affairs, at which he seemed no way surprised.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;There are always plenty of ups and downs in a theatrical career,&rdquo;
+he said&mdash;&ldquo;the wheel of Fortune turns very fast in that profession;
+but if misfortunes come suddenly, so also does prosperity follow quickly in
+their train. Don&rsquo;t be discouraged!&mdash;things are brightening with you
+now. Tomorrow morning I will send one of my stout farm-horses to bring your
+chariot on here, and we will rig up a theatre in my big barn; there is a large
+town not far from this which will send us plenty of spectators. If the
+entertainment does not fetch as good a sum as I think it will, I have a little
+fund of <i>pistoles</i> lying idle here that will be entirely at your service,
+for, by Apollo! I would not leave my good Blazius and his friends in distress
+so long as I had a copper in my purse.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I see that you are always the same warm-hearted, openhanded Bellombre as
+of old,&rdquo; cried the pedant, grasping the other&rsquo;s outstretched hand
+warmly; &ldquo;you have not grown rusty and hard in consequence of your bucolic
+occupations.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;No,&rdquo; Bellombre replied, with a smile; &ldquo;I do not let my brain
+lie fallow while I cultivate my fields. I make a point of reading over
+frequently the good old authors, seated comfortably by the fire with my feet on
+the fender, and I read also such new works as I am able to procure, from time
+to time, here in the depths of the country. I often go carefully over my own
+old parts, and I see plainly what a self-satisfied fool I was in the old days,
+when I was applauded to the echo every time I appeared upon the stage, simply
+because I happened to be blessed with a sonorous voice, a graceful carriage,
+and a fine leg; the doting stupidity of the public, with which I chanced to be
+a favourite, was the true cause of my success.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Only the great Bellombre himself would ever be suffered to say such
+things as these of that most illustrious ornament of our profession,&rdquo;
+said the tyrant, courteously.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Art is long, but life is short,&rdquo; continued the ci-devant actor,
+&ldquo;and I should have arrived at a certain degree of proficiency at last
+perhaps, but&mdash;I was beginning to grow stout; and I would not allow myself
+to cling to the stage until two footmen should have to come and help me up from
+my rheumatic old knees every time I had a declaration of love to make, so I
+gladly seized the opportunity afforded me by my little inheritance, and retired
+in the height of my glory.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;And you were wise, Bellombre,&rdquo; said Blazius, &ldquo;though your
+retreat was premature; you might have given ten years more to the theatre, and
+then have retired full early.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In effect he was still a very handsome, vigorous man, about whom no signs of
+age were apparent, save an occasional thread of silver amid the rich masses of
+dark hair that fell upon his shoulders.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The younger men, as well as the three actresses, were glad to retire to rest
+early; but Blazius and the tyrant, with their host, sat up drinking the
+latter&rsquo;s capital wine until far into the night. At length they, too,
+succumbed to their fatigue; and while they are sleeping we will return to the
+abandoned chariot to see what was going on there. In the gray light of the
+early morning it could be perceived that the poor old horse still lay just as
+he had fallen; several crows were flitting about, not yet venturing to attack
+the miserable carcass, peering at it suspiciously from a respectful distance,
+as if they feared some hidden snare. At last one, bolder than its fellows,
+alighted upon the poor beast&rsquo;s head, and was just bending over that
+coveted dainty, the eye&mdash;which was open and staring&mdash;when a heavy
+step, coming over the snow, startled him. With a croak of disappointment he
+quitted his post of vantage, rose heavily in the air, and flapped slowly off to
+a neighbouring tree, followed by his companions, cawing and scolding hoarsely.
+The figure of a man appeared, coming along the road at a brisk pace, and
+carrying a large bundle in his arms, enveloped in his cloak. This he put down
+upon the ground when he came up with the chariot, standing directly in his way,
+and it proved to be a little girl about twelve years old; a child with large,
+dark, liquid eyes that had a feverish light in them&mdash;eyes exactly like
+Chiquita&rsquo;s. There was a string of pearl beads round the slender neck, and
+an extraordinary combination of rags and tatters, held together in some
+mysterious way, hung about the thin, fragile little figure. It was indeed
+Chiquita herself, and with her, Agostino&mdash;the ingenious rascal, whose
+laughable exploit with his scarecrow brigands has been already
+recorded&mdash;who, tired of following a profession that yielded no profits,
+had set out on foot for Paris&mdash;where all men of talent could find
+employment they said&mdash;marching by night, and lying hidden by day, like all
+other beasts of prey. The poor child, overcome with fatigue and benumbed by the
+cold, had given out entirely that night, in spite of her valiant efforts to
+keep up with Agostino, and he had at last picked her up in his arms and carried
+her for a while&mdash;she was but a light burden&mdash;hoping to find some sort
+of shelter soon.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;What can be the meaning of this?&rdquo; he said to Chiquita.
+&ldquo;Usually we stop the vehicles, but here we are stopped by one in our
+turn; we must look out lest it be full of travellers, ready to demand our money
+or our lives.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;There&rsquo;s nobody in it,&rdquo; Chiquita replied, having peeped in
+under the cover.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Perhaps there may be something worth having inside there,&rdquo;
+Agostino said; &ldquo;we will look and see,&rdquo; and he proceeded to light
+the little dark lantern he always had with him, for the daylight was not yet
+strong enough to penetrate into the dusky interior of the chariot. Chiquita,
+who was greatly excited by the hope of booty, jumped in, and rapidly searched
+it, carefully directing the light of the lantern upon the packages and confused
+mass of theatrical articles stowed away in the back part of it, but finding
+nothing of value anywhere.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Search thoroughly, my good little Chiquita!&rdquo; said the brigand, as
+he kept watch outside, &ldquo;be sure that you don&rsquo;t overlook
+anything.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;There is nothing here, absolutely nothing that is worth the trouble of
+carrying away. Oh, yes! here is a bag, with something that sounds like money in
+ft.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Give it to me,&rdquo; cried Agostino eagerly, snatching it from her, and
+making a rapid examination of its contents; but he threw it down angrily upon
+the ground, exclaiming, &ldquo;the devil take it! I thought we had found a
+treasure at last, but instead of good money there&rsquo;s nothing but a lot of
+pieces of gilded lead and such-like in it. But we&rsquo;ll get one thing out of
+this anyhow&mdash;a good rest inside here for you, sheltered from the wind and
+cold. Your poor little feet are bleeding, and they must be nearly frozen. Curl
+yourself down there on those cushions, and I will cover you with this bit of
+painted canvas. Now go to sleep, and I will watch while you have a nap; it is
+too early yet for honest folks to be abroad, and we shall not be
+disturbed.&rdquo; In a few minutes poor little Chiquita was sound asleep.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Agostino sat on the front seat of the chariot, with his <i>navaja</i> open and
+lying beside him, watching the road and the fields all about, with the keen,
+practised eye of a man of his lawless profession. All was still. No sound or
+movement any where, save among the crows. In spite of his iron will and
+constitution he began to feel an insidious drowsiness creeping over him, which
+he did not find it easy to shake off; several times his eyelids closed, and he
+lifted them resolutely, only to have them fall again in another instant. In
+fact he was just dropping into a doze, when he felt, as in a dream, a hot
+breath on his face, and suddenly waked to see two gleaming eyeballs close to
+his. With a movement more rapid than thought itself, he seized the wolf by the
+throat with his left hand, and picking up his <i>navaja</i> with the other,
+plunged it up to the hilt into the animal&rsquo;s breast. It must have gone
+through the heart, for he dropped down dead in the road, without a struggle.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Although he had gained the victory so easily over his fierce assailant,
+Agostino concluded that this was not a good place for them to tarry in, and
+called to Chiquita, who jumped up instantly, wide awake, and manifested no
+alarm at sight of the dead wolf lying beside the chariot.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;We had better move on,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;that carcass of the horse
+there draws the wolves; they are often mad with hunger in the winter time you
+know, and especially when there is snow on the ground. I could easily kill a
+pretty good number of them, but they might come down upon us by scores, and if
+I should happen to fall asleep again it would not be pleasant to wake up and
+find myself in the stomach of one of those confounded brutes. When I was
+disposed of they would make only a mouthful of you, little one! So come along,
+we must scamper off as fast as ever we can. That fellow there was only the
+advance guard, the others will not be far behind him&mdash;this carcass will
+keep them busy for a while, and give us time to get the start of them. You can
+walk now, Chiquita, can&rsquo;t you?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Yes, indeed,&rdquo; she replied cheerily, &ldquo;that little nap has
+done me so much good. Poor Agostino! you shall not have to carry me again, like
+a great clumsy parcel. And Agostino,&rdquo; she added with a fierce energy,
+&ldquo;when my feet refuse to walk or run in your service you must just cut my
+throat with your big knife there, and throw me into the next ditch. I will
+thank you for it, Agostino, for I could not bear to have your precious life in
+danger for the sake of poor, miserable little me.&rdquo; Thereupon this strange
+pair, both very fleet of foot, set off running, side by side, the brigand
+holding Chiquita by the hand, so as to give her all the aid and support he
+could, and they quickly passed out of sight. No sooner had they departed than
+the crows came swooping down from their perch in the nearest tree, and fell to
+fiercely upon their horrible feast, in which they were almost directly joined
+by several ravenous wolves&mdash;and they made such good use of their time,
+that in a few hours nothing remained of the poor old horse but his bones, his
+tail, and his shoes. When somewhat later the tyrant arrived, accompanied by one
+of Bellombre&rsquo;s farm-hands, leading the horse that was to take the chariot
+back with them, he was naturally astonished to find only the skeleton, with the
+harness and trappings, still intact, about it, for neither birds nor beasts had
+interfered with them, and his surprise was increased when he discovered the
+half-devoured carcass of the wolf lying under the chariot wheels. There also,
+scattered on the road, were the sham <i>louis-d&rsquo;or</i> that did duty upon
+the stage when largesses were to be distributed; and upon the snow were the
+traces, clearly defined, of the footsteps of a man, approaching the chariot
+from the way it had come, and of those of the same man, and also of a child,
+going on beyond it.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;It would appear,&rdquo; said Hérode to himself, &ldquo;that the chariot
+of Thespis has received visitors, since we abandoned it, of more than one sort,
+and for my part I am very thankful to have missed them all. Oh, happy accident!
+that, when it happened, seemed to us so great a misfortune, yet is proven now
+to have been a blessing in disguise. And you, my poor old horse, you could not
+have done us a greater service than to die just when and where you did. Thanks
+to you we have escaped the wolves&mdash;two-legged ones, which are perhaps the
+most to be dreaded of all, as well as the ravenous brethren of this worthy
+lying here. What a dainty feast the sweet, tender flesh of those plump little
+pullets, Isabelle and Serafina, would have been for them, to say nothing of the
+tougher stuff the rest of us are made of. What a bountiful meal we should have
+furnished them&mdash;the murderous brutes!&rdquo; While the tyrant was
+indulging in this soliloquy Bellombre&rsquo;s servant had detached the chariot
+from the skeleton of the poor old horse, and had harnessed to it, with
+considerable difficulty, the animal he had been leading, which was terrified at
+sight of the bleeding, mutilated carcass of the wolf lying on the snow, and the
+ghastly skeleton of its predecessor. Arrived at the farm, the chariot was
+safely stowed away under a shed, and upon examination it was found that nothing
+was missing. Indeed, something had been left there, for a small clasp-knife was
+picked up in it, which had fallen out of Chiquita&rsquo;s pocket, and excited a
+great deal of curiosity and conjecture. It was of Spanish make, and bore upon
+its sharp, pointed blade, a sinister inscription in that language, to this
+effect&mdash;
+</p>
+
+<p class="poem">
+&ldquo;When this viper bites you, make sure<br/>
+That you must die&mdash;for there is no cure.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+No one could imagine how it had come there, and the tyrant was especially
+anxious to clear up the mystery that puzzled them all. Isabelle, who was a
+little inclined to be superstitious, and attach importance to omens, signs of
+evil, and such-like, felt troubled about it. She spoke Spanish perfectly, and
+understood the full force and significance of the strange inscription upon the
+wicked-looking blade of the tiny weapon.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Meantime, Scapin, dressed in his freshest and most gaudy costume, had marched
+into the neighbouring town, carrying his drum; he stationed himself in the
+large, public square, and made such good play with his drum-sticks that he soon
+had a curious crowd around him, to whom he made an eloquent address, setting
+forth in glowing terms the great attractions offered by &ldquo;the illustrious
+comedians of Hérode&rsquo;s celebrated troupe,&rdquo; who, &ldquo;for this
+night only,&rdquo; would delight the public by the representation of that
+screaming farce, the Rodomontades of Captain Fracasse; to be followed by a
+&ldquo;bewitching Moorish dance,&rdquo; performed by the &ldquo;incomparable
+Mlle. Serafina.&rdquo; After enlarging brilliantly upon this theme, he added,
+that as they were &ldquo;more desirous of glory than profit,&rdquo; they would
+be willing to accept provisions of all kinds, instead of coin of the realm, in
+payment of places, from those who had not the money to spare, and asked them to
+let all their friends know. This closing announcement made a great sensation
+among his attentive listeners, and he marched back to the farm, confident that
+they would have a goodly number of spectators. There he found the stage already
+erected in the barn, and a rehearsal in progress, which was necessary on de
+Sigognac&rsquo;s account.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Bellombre was instructing him in various minor details as the play went on, and
+for a novice he did wonderfully well&mdash;acting with much spirit and grace,
+showing decided talent, and remarkable aptitude. But it was very evident that
+he was greatly annoyed by some portions of the piece, and an angry flush
+mounted to the roots of his hair at the whacks and cuffs so liberally bestowed
+upon the doughty captain.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+His comrades spared him as much as possible&mdash;feeling that it must be
+intensely repugnant to him&mdash;but he grew furious in spite of all his
+efforts to control his temper, and at each fresh attack upon him his flashing
+eyes and knitted brows betrayed the fierce rage he was in; then, suddenly
+remembering that his role required a very different expression of countenance,
+he would pull himself up, and endeavour to imitate that which Matamore had been
+wont to assume in this character. Bellombre, who was watching him critically,
+stopped him a moment, to say: &ldquo;You make a great mistake in attempting to
+suppress your natural emotions; you should take care not to do it, for they
+produce a capital effect, and you can create a new type of stage bully; when
+you have gotten accustomed to this sort of thing, and no longer feel this
+burning indignation, you must feign it. Strike out in a path of your own, and
+you will be sure to attain success&mdash;far more so than if you attempt to
+follow in another&rsquo;s footsteps. Fracasse, as you represent him, loves and
+admires courage, and would fain be able to manifest it&mdash;he is angry with
+himself for being such an arrant coward. When free from danger, he dreams of
+nothing but heroic exploits and superhuman enterprises; but when any actual
+peril threatens him, his too vivid imagination conjures up such terrible
+visions of bleeding wounds and violent death that his heart fails him. Yet his
+pride revolts at the idea of being beaten; for a moment he is filled with rage,
+but his courage all disappears with the first blows he receives, and he finally
+shows himself to be the poltroon that he himself despises. This method it
+appears to me is far superior to the absurd grimaces, trembling legs, and
+exaggerated gestures, by which indifferent actors endeavour to excite the
+laughter of their audience&mdash;but meantime lose sight entirely of their
+art.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The baron gratefully accepted the veteran actor&rsquo;s advice, and played his
+part after the fashion indicated by him with so much spirit that all present
+applauded his acting enthusiastically, and prophesied its success. The
+performances were to begin at an early hour, and as the time approached, de
+Sigognac put on poor Matamore&rsquo;s costume, to which he had fallen heir, and
+which Mme. Léonarde had taken in hand and cleverly altered for him, so that he
+could get into it. He had a sharp struggle with his pride as be donned this
+absurd dress, and made himself ready for his debut as an actor, but resolutely
+repressed all rising regrets, and determined faithfully to do his best in the
+new role he had undertaken.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A large audience had gathered in the big barn, which was brilliantly lighted,
+and the representation began before a full house. At the end farthest from the
+stage, and behind the spectators, were some cattle in their stalls, that stared
+at the unwonted scene with an expression of stupid wonder in their great, soft
+eyes&mdash;the eyes that Homer, the grand old Greek poet, deemed worthy to
+supply an epithet for the beauteous orbs of majestic Juno herself&mdash;and in
+the midst of one of the most exciting parts of the play, a calf among them was
+moved to express its emotions by an unearthly groan, which did not in the least
+disconcert the audience, but had nearly been too much for the gravity of the
+actors upon the stage.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Captain Fracasse won much applause, and indeed acted his part admirably, being
+under no constraint; for he did not need to fear the criticism of this rustic
+audience as he would have done that of a more cultivated and experienced one;
+and, too, he felt sure that there could be nobody among the spectators that
+knew him, or anything about him. The other actors were also vigorously clapped
+by the toil-hardened hands of these lowly tillers of the soil&mdash;whose
+applause throughout was bestowed, Bellombre declared, judiciously and
+intelligently. Serafina executed her Moorish dance with a degree of agility and
+voluptuous grace that would have done honour to a professional ballet-dancer,
+or to a Spanish gipsy, and literally brought down the house.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But while de Sigognac was thus employed, far from his ancient château, the
+portraits of his ancestors that hung upon its walls were frowning darkly at the
+degeneracy of this last scion of their noble race, and a sigh, almost a groan,
+that issued from their faded lips, echoed dismally through the deserted house.
+In the kitchen, Pierre, with Miraut and Beelzebub on either side of
+him&mdash;all three looking melancholy and forlorn&mdash;sat thinking of his
+absent lord, and said aloud, &ldquo;Oh, where is my poor, dear master
+now?&rdquo; a big tear rolling down his withered cheek as he stooped to caress
+his dumb companions.
+</p>
+
+</div><!--end chapter-->
+
+<div class="chapter">
+
+<h2><a name="chap08"></a>CHAPTER VIII.<br/>
+THE DUKE OF VALLOMBREUSE</h2>
+
+<p>
+The next morning Bellombre drew Blazius aside, and untying the strings of a
+long leathern purse emptied out of it into the palm of his hand a hundred
+<i>pistoles</i>, which he piled up neatly on the table by which they were
+standing; to the great admiration of the pedant, who thought to himself that
+his friend was a lucky fellow to be in possession of so large a
+sum&mdash;absolute wealth in his eyes. But what was his surprise when Bellombre
+swept them all up and put them into his own hands.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You must have understood,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;that I did not bring
+out this money in order to torment you in like manner with Tantalus, and I want
+you to take it, without any scruples, as freely as it is given&mdash;or loaned,
+if you are too proud to accept a gift from an old friend. These pieces were
+made to circulate&mdash;they are round, you see&mdash;and by this time they
+must be tired of lying tied up in my old purse there. I have no use for them;
+there&rsquo;s nothing to spend them on here; the farm produces everything that
+is needed in my household, so I shall not miss them, and it is much better in
+every way that they should be in your hands.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Not finding any adequate reply to make to this astonishing speech, Blazius put
+the money into his pocket, and, after first administering to his friend a
+cordial accolade, grasped and wrung his hand with grateful fervour, while an
+inconvenient tear, that he had tried in vain to wink away, ran down his jolly
+red nose. As Bellombre had said the night before, affairs were brightening with
+the troupe; good fortune had come at last, and the hard times they had met and
+struggled against so bravely and uncomplainingly were among the things of the
+past. The receipts of the previous evening&mdash;for there had been some money
+taken in, as well as plentiful stores of edibles&mdash;added to
+Bellombre&rsquo;s <i>pistoles</i>, made a good round sum, and the chariot of
+Thespis, so deplorably bare of late, was now amply provisioned. Not to do
+things by halves, their generous host lent to the comedians two stout farm
+horses, with a man to drive them into Poitiers, and bring them back home again.
+They had on their gala-day harness, and from their gaudily-painted, high-peaked
+collars hung strings of tiny bells, that jingled cheerily at every firm,
+regular step of the great, gentle creatures. So our travellers set out in high
+feather, and their entry into Poitiers, though not so magnificent as
+Alexander&rsquo;s into Babylon, was still in very fine style indeed. As they
+threaded their way through the narrow, tortuous streets of that ancient town,
+the noise of their horses&rsquo; iron shoes ringing out against the rough stone
+pavement, and the clatter of their wheels drew many inmates of the houses they
+passed to the windows, and a little crowd collected around them as they stood
+waiting for admission before the great entrance door of the <i>Armes de
+France;</i> the driver, meanwhile, cracking his whip till it sounded like a
+volley of musketry, to which the horses responded by shaking their heads, and
+making all the little bells about them jingle sharply and merrily. There was a
+wonderful difference between this and their arrival at the last inn they had
+stopped at&mdash;the night of the snow-storm&mdash;and the landlord, hearing
+such welcome sounds without, ran himself to admit his guests, and opened the
+two leaves of the great door, so that the chariot could pass into the interior
+court. This hotel was the finest in Poitiers, where all the rich and noble
+travellers were in the habit of alighting, and there was an air of gaiety and
+prosperity about it very pleasing to our comedians, in contrast with all the
+comfortless, miserable lodgings they had been obliged to put up with for a long
+time past. The landlord, whose double, or rather triple chin testified to
+bountiful fare, and the ruddy tints of his face to the excellence of his wines,
+seemed to be the incarnation of good humour.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He was so plump, so fresh, so rosy and so smiling, that it was a pleasure only
+to look at him. When he saw the tyrant, he fairly bubbled over with delight. A
+troupe of comedians always attracted people to his house, and brought him in a
+great deal of money; for the young men of leisure of the town sought their
+company, and were constantly drinking wine with the actors, and giving dainty
+little suppers, and treats of various kinds, to the actresses.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You are heartily welcome, Seignior Hérode! What happy chance brings you
+this way?&rdquo; said the landlord, smilingly. &ldquo;It is a long time since
+we have had the pleasure of seeing you at the <i>Armes de France</i>.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;So it is, Maître Bilot,&rdquo; the tyrant answered; &ldquo;but we cannot
+be giving our poor little performances always in the same place, you see; the
+spectators would become so familiar with all our tricks that they could do them
+themselves, so we are forced to absent ourselves for a while. And how are
+things going on here, now? Have you many of the nobility and gentry in town at
+present?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;A great many, Seignior Hérode, for the hunting is over, so they have
+come in from the châteaux. But they don&rsquo;t know what to do with
+themselves, for it is so dull and quiet here. People can&rsquo;t be eating and
+drinking all the time, and they are dying for want of a little amusement. You
+will have full houses.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Well,&rdquo; rejoined the tyrant, &ldquo;then please give us seven or
+eight good rooms, have three or four fat capons put down to roast, bring up,
+from that famous cellar of yours, a dozen of the capital wine I used to drink
+here&mdash;you know which I mean&mdash;and spread abroad the news of the
+arrival of Hérode&rsquo;s celebrated troupe at the <i>Armes de France</i>, with
+a new and extensive <i>repertoire</i>, to give a few representations in
+Poitiers.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+While this conversation was going on the rest of the comedians had alighted,
+and were already being conducted to their respective rooms by several servants.
+The one given to Isabelle was a little apart from the others&mdash;those in
+their immediate vicinity being occupied&mdash;which was not displeasing to the
+modest young girl, who was often greatly annoyed and embarrassed by the
+promiscuous, free-and-easy way of getting on, inseparable from such a Bohemian
+life. She always accepted the inevitable with a good grace, and never
+complained of the vexation she felt at being obliged to share her bed-chamber
+with Serafina or the duenna, or perhaps both; but it was a luxury she had
+scarcely dared to hope for to have her room entirely to herself, and moreover
+sufficiently distant from her companions to insure her a good deal of privacy.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In a marvellously short space of time the whole town had become acquainted with
+the news of the arrival of the comedians, and the young men of wealth and
+fashion began flocking to the hotel, to drink a bottle of Maître Bilot&rsquo;s
+wine, and question him about the beauty and charms of the actresses; curling up
+the points of their mustaches as they did so with such an absurdly conceited,
+insolent air of imaginary triumph, that the worthy landlord could not help
+laughing in his sleeve at them as he gave his discreet, mysterious answers,
+accompanied by significant gestures calculated to turn the silly heads of these
+dandified young calves, and make them wild with curiosity and impatience.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Isabelle, when left alone, had first unpacked a portion of her clothing, and
+arranged it neatly on the shelves of the wardrobe in her room, and then
+proceeded to indulge in the luxury of a bath and complete change of linen. She
+took down her long, fine, silky hair, combed it carefully, and arranged it
+tastefully, with a pale blue ribbon entwined artistically in it; which delicate
+tint was very becoming to her, with her fair, diaphanous complexion, and lovely
+flush, like a rose-leaf, on her cheek. When she had put on the silvery gray
+dress, with its pretty blue trimmings, which completed her simple toilet, she
+smiled at her own charming reflection in the glass, and thought of a pair of
+dark, speaking eyes that she knew would find her fair, and pleasant to look
+upon. As she turned away from the mirror a sunbeam streamed in through her
+window, and she could not resist the temptation to open the casement and put
+her pretty head out, to see what view there might be from it. She looked down
+into a narrow, deserted alley, with the wall of the hotel on one side and that
+of the garden opposite on the other, so high that it reached above the tops of
+the trees within. From her window she could look down into this garden, and
+see, quite at the other end of it, the large mansion it belonged to, whose
+lofty, blackened walls testified to its antiquity. Two gentlemen were walking
+slowly, arm in arm, along one of the broad paths leading towards the house,
+engrossed in conversation; both were young and handsome, but they were scarcely
+of equal rank, judging by the marked deference paid by one, the elder, to the
+other.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+We will call this friendly pair Orestes and Pylades for the present, until we
+ascertain their real names. The former was about one or two and twenty, and
+remarkably handsome and <i>distingué</i>&mdash;strikingly so&mdash;with a very
+white skin, intensely black hair and eyes, a tall, slender, lithe figure, shown
+to advantage by the rich costume of tan-coloured velvet he wore; and
+well-formed feet, with high, arched insteps, small and delicate enough for a
+woman&rsquo;s&mdash;that more than one woman had envied him&mdash;encased in
+dainty, perfectly fitting boots, made of white Russia leather. From the
+careless ease of his manners, and the haughty grace of his carriage, one would
+readily divine that he was a great noble; one of the favoured few of the earth,
+who are sure of being well received everywhere, and courted and flattered by
+everybody. Pylades, though a good-looking fellow enough, with auburn hair and
+mustache, was not nearly so handsome or striking, either in face or figure, as
+his companion. They were talking of women; Orestes declaring himself a
+woman-hater from that time forward, because of what he was pleased to call the
+persecutions of his latest mistress, of whom he was thoroughly tired&mdash;no
+new thing with him&mdash;but who would not submit to be thrown aside, like a
+cast-off glove, without making a struggle to regain the favour of her ci-devant
+admirer. He was anathematizing the vanity, treachery, and deceitfulness of all
+women, without exception, from the duchess down to the dairy-maid, and
+declaring that he should renounce their society altogether for the future, when
+they reached the end of the walk, at the house, and turned about to pace its
+length again.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As they did so he chanced to glance upward, and perceived Isabelle at her
+window. He nudged his companion, to direct his attention to her, as he said,
+&ldquo;Just look up at that window! Do you see the delicious, adorable creature
+there? She seems a goddess, rather than a mere mortal woman&mdash;Aurora,
+looking forth from her chamber in the East&mdash;with her golden brown hair,
+her heavenly countenance, and her sweet, soft eyes. Only observe the exquisite
+grace of her attitude&mdash;leaning slightly forward on one elbow, so as to
+bring into fine relief the shapely curves of her beautiful form. I would be
+willing to swear that hers is a lovely character&mdash;different from the rest
+of her sex. She is one by herself&mdash;a peerless creature&mdash;a very pearl
+of womanhood&mdash;a being fit for Paradise. Her face tells me that she is
+modest, pure, amiable, and refined. Her manners must be charming, her
+conversation fresh, sparkling, and elevating.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;The deuce!&rdquo; exclaimed Pylades, laughingly, &ldquo;what good eyes
+you must have to make out all that at such a distance! Now I see merely a woman
+at a window, who is rather pretty, to tell the honest truth, but not likely to
+possess half the perfections you so lavishly bestow upon her. Take care, or you
+will be in love with her directly.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Oh! I&rsquo;m that now, over head and ears. I must find out forthwith
+who she is, and what; but one thing is certain, mine she must be, though it
+cost me the half, nay, the whole of my fortune to win her, and there be a
+hundred rivals to overcome and slay ere I can carry her off from them in
+triumph.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Come, come, don&rsquo;t get so excited,&rdquo; said Pylades, &ldquo;you
+will throw yourself into a fever; but what has become of the contempt and
+hatred for the fair sex you were declaring so vehemently just now? The first
+pretty face has routed it all.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;But when I talked like that I did not know that this lovely angel
+existed upon earth, and what I said was an odious, outrageous blasphemy&mdash;a
+monstrous, abominable heresy&mdash;for which I pray that Venus, fair goddess of
+love and beauty, will graciously forgive me.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Oh, yes! she&rsquo;ll forgive you fast enough, never fear, for she is
+always very indulgent to such hot-headed lovers as you are.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I am going to open the campaign,&rdquo; said Orestes, &ldquo;and declare
+war courteously on my beautiful enemy.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+With these words he stopped short, fixed his bold eyes on Isabelle&rsquo;s
+face, took off his hat, in a gallant and respectful way, so that its long plume
+swept the ground, and wafted a kiss on the tips of his fingers towards the new
+object of his ardent admiration. The young actress, who saw this demonstration
+with much annoyance, assumed a cold, composed manner, as if to show this
+insolent fellow that he had made a mistake, drew back from the window, closed
+it, and let fall the curtain; all done calmly and deliberately, and with the
+frigid dignity with which she was wont to rebuke such overtures.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;There,&rdquo; exclaimed Pylades, &ldquo;your Aurora is hidden behind a
+cloud; not very promising, that, for the rest of the day.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t agree with you; I regard it, on the contrary, as a
+favourable augury that my little beauty has retired. Don&rsquo;t you know that
+when the soldier hides himself behind the battlements of the tower, it
+signifies that the besieger&rsquo;s arrow has hit him? I tell you she has mine
+now, sticking in under her left wing; that kiss will force her to think of me
+all night, if only to be vexed with me, and tax me with effrontery&mdash;a
+fault which is never displeasing to ladies, I find, though they do sometimes
+make a great outcry about it, for the sake of appearances. There is something
+between me and the fair unknown now; a very slight, almost imperceptible thread
+it may seem at present, but I will so manage as to make from it a rope, by
+which I shall climb up into her window.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I must admit,&rdquo; rejoined Pylades respectfully, &ldquo;that you
+certainly are wonderfully well versed in all the stratagems and ruses of
+love-making.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I rather pique myself upon my accomplishments in that line, I will
+confess,&rdquo; Orestes said, laughingly; &ldquo;but come, let&rsquo;s go in
+now; the little beauty was startled, and will not show herself at the window
+again just yet. This evening I shall begin operations in earnest.&rdquo; And
+the two friends turned about and strolled slowly back towards the house, which
+they presently entered, and disappeared from sight.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+There was a large tennis-court not far from the hotel, which was wonderfully
+well suited to make a theatre of; so our comedians hired it, took immediate
+possession, set carpenters and painters to work, furbished up their own rather
+dilapidated scenery and decorations, and soon had a charming little theatre, in
+which all the numbered seats and boxes were eagerly snapped up, directly they
+were offered to &ldquo;the nobility and gentry of Poitiers,&rdquo; who secured
+them for all the representations to be given by the troupe, so that success was
+insured. The dressing-room of the tennis players had to serve as green-room,
+and dressing-room as well for the comedians, large folding screens being
+disposed round the toilet tables of the actresses, so as to shut them off as
+much as possible from the gentlemen visitors always lounging there. Not a very
+agreeable arrangement for the former, but the best that could be done, and
+highly approved by the latter, of course.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;What a pity it is,&rdquo; said the tyrant to Blazius, as they were
+arranging what pieces they could play, seated at a window looking into the
+interior court of the <i>Armes de France</i>, &ldquo;what a great pity it is
+that Zerbine is not with us here. She is almost worth her weight in gold, that
+little minx; a real treasure, so full of fun and deviltry that nobody can
+resist her acting; she would make any piece go off well&mdash;a pearl of
+<i>soubrette</i>s is Zerbine.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Yes, she is a rare one,&rdquo; Blazius replied, with a deep sigh,
+&ldquo;and I regret more and more every day our having lost her. The devil fly
+away with that naughty marquis who must needs go and rob us of our paragon of
+waiting-maids.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Just at this point they were interrupted by the noise of an arrival, and
+leaning out of the window saw three fine mules, richly caparisoned in the gay
+Spanish fashion, entering the court, with a great jingling of bells and
+clattering of hoofs. On the first one was mounted a lackey in gray livery, and
+well armed, who led by a long strap a second mule heavily laden with baggage,
+and on the third was a young woman, wrapped in a large cloak trimmed with fur,
+and with her hat, a gray felt with a scarlet feather, drawn down over her eyes,
+so as to conceal her face from the two interested spectators at the window
+above.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I say, Hérode,&rdquo; exclaimed the pedant, &ldquo;doesn&rsquo;t all
+this remind you of something? It seems to me this is not the first time we have
+heard the jingling of those bells, eh?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;By Saint Alipantin!&rdquo; cried the tyrant, joyfully, &ldquo;these are
+the very mules that carried Zerbine off so mysteriously. Speak of a
+wolf&mdash;&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;And you will hear the rustling of his wings,&rdquo; interrupted Blazius,
+with a peal of laughter. &ldquo;Oh! thrice happy day!&mdash;day to be marked
+with white!&mdash;for this is really Mlle. Zerbine in person. Look, she jumps
+down from her mule with that bewitching little air peculiar to herself, and
+throws her cloak to that obsequious lackey with a nonchalance worthy of a
+princess; there, she has taken off her hat, and shakes out her raven tresses as
+a bird does its feathers; it delights my old eyes to see her again. Come,
+let&rsquo;s go down and welcome her.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+So Blazius and his companions hastened down to the court, and met Zerbine just
+as she turned to enter the house.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The impetuous girl rushed at the pedant, threw her arms around his neck, and
+kissed him heartily, crying, &ldquo;I must kiss your dear, jolly, ugly old
+face, just the same as though it were young and handsome, for I am so glad, so
+very glad to see it again. Now don&rsquo;t you be jealous, Hérode, and scowl as
+if you were just going to order the slaughter of the innocents; wait a minute!
+I&rsquo;m going to kiss you, too; I only began with my dear old Blazius here
+because he&rsquo;s the ugliest.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And Zerbine loyally fulfilled her promise. Then giving a hand to each of her
+companions, went up-stairs between them to the room Maître Bilot had ordered to
+be made ready for her. The moment she entered it she threw herself down into an
+arm-chair standing near the door, and began to draw long deep breaths, like a
+person who has just gotten rid of a heavy load.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You cannot imagine,&rdquo; she said after a little, &ldquo;how glad I am
+to get back to you again, though you needn&rsquo;t go and imagine that I am in
+love with your old phizes because of that; I&rsquo;m not in love with anybody,
+Heaven be praised! I&rsquo;m so joyful because I&rsquo;ve gotten back into my
+own element once more. Everything is badly off out of its own element, you
+know. The water will not do for birds, nor the air for fishes. I am an actress
+by nature, and the atmosphere of the theatre is my native air; in it alone do I
+breathe freely; even its unpleasant odours are sweet to my nostrils. Real,
+everyday life seems very dull and flat. I must have imaginary love affairs to
+manage for other people, and take part in the whirl of romantic adventures to
+be found only on the stage, to keep me alive and happy. So I&rsquo;ve come back
+to claim my old place again. I hope you haven&rsquo;t found any one else to
+fill it; though of course I know that you couldn&rsquo;t get anybody to really
+replace me. If you had I should scratch her eyes out, that I promise you, for I
+am a real little devil when my rights are encroached upon, though you might not
+think it.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no need for you to show your prowess in that way,&rdquo;
+said the tyrant, &ldquo;for we have not had any one to take your role, and
+we&rsquo;re delighted, overjoyed, to have you back again. If you had had some
+of the magic compound Apuleius tells us of, and had thereby changed yourself
+into a bird, to come and listen to what Blazius and I were saying a little
+while ago, you would have heard nothing but good of yourself&mdash;a rare thing
+that for listeners&mdash;and you would have heard some very enthusiastic praise
+besides.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;That&rsquo;s charming!&rdquo; the <i>soubrette</i> exclaimed. &ldquo;I
+see that you two are just the same good old souls as ever, and that you have
+missed your little Zerbine.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Several servants now came in, carrying trunks, boxes, portmanteaus, packages,
+no end of baggage, which Zerbine counted over and found correct; and when they
+had gone she opened two or three of the larger chests with the keys she had on
+a small silver ring. They were filled with all sorts of handsome
+things&mdash;silks and velvets, laces and jewels&mdash;and among the rest a
+long purse, crammed as full as it could hold of gold pieces, which Zerbine
+poured out in a heap on the table; seeming to take a childish delight in
+looking at and playing with her golden treasure, while laughing and chattering
+merrily all the time.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Serafina would burst with rage and envy if she should see all this
+money,&rdquo; said she gaily, &ldquo;so we will keep it out of her sight. I
+only show it to you to prove that I didn&rsquo;t need to return to my
+profession, but was actuated by a pure love of my art. As to you, my good old
+friends, if your finances happen to be not just as you could wish, put your
+paws into this and help yourselves; take just as much as ever they will
+hold.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The two actors thanked her heartily for her generous offer, but assured her
+that they were very well off, and in need of no assistance.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Ah well!&rdquo; said Zerbine, &ldquo;it will be for another time then. I
+shall put it away in my strong box, and keep it for you, like a faithful
+treasurer.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;But surely you haven&rsquo;t abandoned the poor marquis,&rdquo; said
+Blazius, rather reproachfully. &ldquo;Of course I know there was no question of
+his giving you up; you are not one of that sort. The role of Ariadne would not
+suit you at all; you are a Circe. Yet he is a splendid young nobleman-handsome,
+wealthy, amiable, and not wanting in wit.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Oh! I haven&rsquo;t given him up; very far from it,&rdquo; Zerbine
+replied, with a saucy smile. &ldquo;I shall guard him carefully, as the most
+precious gem in my casket. Though I have quitted him for the moment, he will
+shortly follow me.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Fugax sequax, sequax fugax,&rdquo; the pedant rejoined; &ldquo;these
+four Latin words, which have a cabalistic sound, not unlike the croaking of
+certain batrachians, and might have been borrowed, one would say, from the
+&lsquo;Comedy of the Frogs,&rsquo; by one Aristophanes, an Athenian poet,
+contain the very pith and marrow of all theories of love and lovemaking; they
+would make a capital rule to regulate everybody&rsquo;s conduct&mdash;of the
+virile as well as of the fair sex.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;And what under the sun do your fine Latin words mean, you pompous old
+pedant?&rdquo; asked Zerbine. &ldquo;You have neglected to translate them,
+entirely forgetting that not everybody has been professor in a college, and
+knight of the ferule, like yourself.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Their meaning,&rdquo; he replied, &ldquo;may be expressed in this little
+couplet:
+</p>
+
+<p class="poem">
+&lsquo;If you fly from men, they&rsquo;ll be sure to pursue,<br/>
+But if you follow them, they will fly from you.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Ha! ha!&rdquo; laughed Zerbine, &ldquo;that&rsquo;s a verse that ought
+to be set to music.&rdquo; And she began singing it to a merry tune at the top
+of her voice; a voice so clear and ringing that it was a pleasure to hear it.
+She accompanied her song with such an amusing and effective pantomime,
+representing flight and pursuit, that it was a pity she had not had a larger
+audience to enjoy it. After this outburst of merriment she quieted down a
+little, and gave her companions a brief, history of her adventures since she
+had parted from them, declaring that the marquis had invariably treated her
+with the courtesy and generosity of a prince. But in spite of it all she had
+longed for her old wandering life with the troupe, the excitement of acting,
+and the rounds of applause she never failed to win; and at last she confessed
+to the marquis that she was pining for her role of <i>soubrette</i>.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;&lsquo;Very well,&rsquo; he said to me, &lsquo;you can take your mules
+and your belongings and go in pursuit of the troupe, and I will shortly follow
+in pursuit of you. I have some matters to look after in Paris, that have been
+neglected of late, and I have been too long absent from the court. You will
+permit me to applaud you I suppose, and truth to tell I shall be very glad to
+enjoy your bewitching acting again.&rsquo; So I told him I would look for him
+among the audience every evening till he made his appearance, and, after the
+most tender leave-taking, I jumped on my mule and caught you up here at the
+<i>Armes de France</i>, as you know.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;But,&rdquo; said Hérode, &ldquo;suppose your marquis should not turn up
+at all! you would be regularly sold.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This idea struck Zerbine as being so utterly absurd that she threw herself back
+and laughed until she had to hold her sides, and was fairly breathless.
+&ldquo;The marquis not come!&rdquo; she cried, when she could speak, &ldquo;you
+had better engage rooms for him right away&mdash;not come! Why my fear was that
+he would overtake me on the road; you will see him very soon, I can guarantee.
+Ah! you abominable old bear! you doubt the power of my charms, do you?
+You&rsquo;re decidedly growing stupid, Hérode, as you grow old; you used to be
+rather clever than otherwise.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At this moment appeared Leander and Scapin, who had heard of Zerbine&rsquo;s
+arrival from the servants, and came to pay their respects, soon followed by old
+Mme. Léonarde, who greeted the <i>soubrette</i> with as much obsequiousness as
+if she had-been a princess. Isabelle came also to welcome her, to the great
+delight of Zerbine, who was devotedly fond of her, and always trying to do
+something to please her. She now insisted upon presenting her with a piece of
+rich silk, which Isabelle accepted very reluctantly, and only when she found
+that the warm-hearted <i>soubrette</i> would be really wounded if she refused
+her first gift. Serafina had shut herself up in her own room, and was the only
+one that failed to come and bid Zerbine welcome. She could neither forget nor
+forgive the inexplicable preference of the Marquis de Bruyères for her humble
+rival, and she called the <i>soubrette</i> all sorts of hard names in her wrath
+and indignation; but nobody paid any attention to her bad humour, and she was
+left to sulk in solitude.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When Zerbine asked why Matamore had not come to speak to her with the rest,
+they told her the sad story of his death, and also that the Baron de Sigognac
+now filled his role, under the name of Captain Fracasse.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;It will be a great honour for me to act with a gentleman whose ancestors
+figured honourably in the crusades,&rdquo; said she, &ldquo;and I only hope
+that my profound respect for him will not overwhelm me, and spoil my acting;
+fortunately I have become pretty well accustomed to the society of people of
+rank lately.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A moment later de Sigognac knocked at the door, and came in to greet Zerbine,
+and courteously express his pleasure at her return. She rose as he approached,
+and making a very low curtsey, said, &ldquo;This is for the Baron de Sigognac;
+and this is for my comrade, Captain Fracasse;&rdquo; kissing him on both
+cheeks&mdash;which unexpected and unprecedented proceeding put poor de Sigognac
+completely out of countenance; partly because he was not used to such little
+theatrical liberties, but more, because he was ashamed to have such a thing
+happen in the presence of his pure and peerless Isabelle.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And now we will return to Orestes and Pylades, who, after their eventful
+promenade in the garden, were cosily dining together. The former, that is to
+say the young Duke of Vallombreuse, had scarcely eaten any dinner, and had even
+neglected his glass of wine, so preoccupied was he with thoughts of his lovely
+unknown. The Chevalier de Vidalinc, his friend and confidant, tried in vain to
+draw him into conversation; he replied only by monosyllables, or not at all, to
+the other&rsquo;s brilliant sallies. When the dessert had been put upon the
+table, and the servants had retired and left them alone, the chevalier said to
+the duke: &ldquo;I am entirely at your service in this new affair, of course,
+ready to help you bag your bird in any way you please; shall I go and send out
+the beaters to drive it towards your nets?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;No, indeed, you will do nothing of the kind; I shall go myself, for
+there is nothing I enjoy so much as the pursuit of game, of whatever sort it
+may be. I would follow a deer, or a pheasant, to the ends of the earth but what
+I would have it; how much more a divine creature like this. It is only after I
+have captured the flying prize that I lose all interest in it; so do not, I
+pray you, propose to deprive me of the delights of the chase; the more
+difficult it is the better I like it, the more fascinating I find it. The most
+annoying thing is that women are always so willing to be caught; if I could
+only find an obdurate, cruel fair one, who would fly from me in earnest, how I
+should adore her! but, alas! such an anomaly does not exist on this terraqueous
+globe.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;If I were not so well acquainted with your innumerable triumphs, I
+should be obliged to tax you with conceit,&rdquo; said Vidalinc, &ldquo;but as
+it is I must admit that you are justified in what you say. But perhaps your
+wish may be gratified this time, for the young beauty certainly did seem to be
+very modest and retiring, as well as positively cold and forbidding in her
+manner of receiving your little act of gallantry.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;We will see about that, and without any delay. Maître Bilot is always
+ready and glad to tell all he knows whenever he can secure a good listener, and
+he is sharp enough to find out very quickly pretty much all that&rsquo;s worth
+knowing about his guests in the hotel. Come, we&rsquo;ll go and drink a bottle
+of his best Madeira; I will draw him out, and get all the information he can
+give us about this fair inmate of his house.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A few minutes later the two young gentlemen entered the <i>Armes de France</i>,
+and asked for Maître Bilot. The worthy landlord came forward at once, and
+himself conducted them into a cosy, well-lighted room on the ground floor,
+where a bright fire was burning cheerily; he took the old, dusty bottle, with
+cobwebs clinging about it, from the waiter&rsquo;s hands, drew the cork very
+carefully, and then poured the amber wine, as clear as a topaz, into the
+delicate Venetian glasses held out for it by the duke and his companion, with a
+hand as steady as if it had been of bronze. In taking upon himself this office
+Maître Bilot affected an almost religious solemnity, as though he were a priest
+of Bacchus, officiating at his altar, and about to celebrate the mysterious
+rites of the ancient worshippers of that merry god; nothing was wanting but the
+crown of vine leaves. He seemed to think that this ceremoniousness was a sort
+of testimony to the superior quality of the wine from his well-stocked cellar,
+which needed no recommendation, for it was really very good, worthy of even a
+royal table, and of wide-spread fame.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Maître Bilot, having finished his little performance, was about to withdraw,
+when a significant glance from the duke made him pause respectfully on the
+threshold.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Maître Bilot,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;fetch a glass for yourself from the
+buffet there, and come and drink a bumper of this capital wine to my
+health.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This command, for such it was in reality, was instantly obeyed, and after
+emptying his glass at a single draught, the well-pleased landlord stood, with
+one hand resting on the table and his eyes fixed on the duke, waiting to see,
+what was wanted of him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Have you many strangers in your house now?&rdquo; asked Vallombreuse,
+&ldquo;and who and what are they?&rdquo; Bilot was about to reply, but the
+young duke interrupted him, and continued, &ldquo;But what&rsquo;s the use of
+beating about the bush with such a wily old miscreant as you are, Maître Bilot?
+Who is the lady that has the room with a window, the third one from the corner,
+looking into my garden? Answer to the point, and you shall have a gold piece
+for every syllable.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Under those conditions,&rdquo; said Bilot, with a broad grin, &ldquo;one
+must be very virtuous indeed to make use of the laconic style so highly
+esteemed by the ancients. However, as I am devoted to your lordship, I will
+answer in a single word&mdash;Isabelle.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Isabelle! a charming and romantic name. But do not confine yourself to
+such Lacedaemonian brevity, Maître Bilot; be prolix! and relate to me,
+minutely, everything that you know about the lovely Isabelle.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I am proud and happy to obey your lordship&rsquo;s commands,&rdquo; the
+worthy landlord answered, with a low bow; &ldquo;my cellar, my kitchen, my
+tongue and myself are all at your lordship&rsquo;s disposition. Isabelle is an
+actress, belonging to the celebrated troupe of Seignior Hérode, stopping at
+present at the <i>Armes de France</i>.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;An actress!&rdquo; exclaimed the young duke, with an air of
+disappointment. &ldquo;I should have taken her for a lady of rank, from her
+quiet, dignified mien, or at least a well-bred <i>bourgeoise</i>, rather than a
+member of a band of strolling players.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Yes, your lordship is right; any one might think so, for her manners and
+appearance are very lady-like, and she has an untarnished reputation, despite
+the difficulties of her position. No one understands better how to keep all the
+gallants that hover about her at a respectful distance; she treats these
+would-be suitors for her favour with a cold, reserved, yet perfect politeness
+that there is no getting over.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;What you say pleases me,&rdquo; interrupted Vallombreuse, &ldquo;for
+there is nothing I so thoroughly despise as a fortress that is ready to
+capitulate before the first assault has been made.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;It would need more than one to conquer this fair citadel, my lord,
+though you are a bold and successful captain, not used to encountering any
+serious resistance, and sweeping everything before you; and, moreover, it is
+guarded by the vigilant sentinel of a pure and devoted love.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Oh ho! she has a lover then, this modest Isabelle!&rdquo; cried the
+young duke, in a tone at once triumphant and annoyed, for though on the one
+side he had no faith in the steadfast virtue of any woman, on the other he was
+vexed to learn that he had a successful rival.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I said love, not lover,&rdquo; continued the landlord with respectful
+persistency, &ldquo;which is by no means the same thing. Your lordship is too
+well versed in such matters not to appreciate the difference. A woman that has
+one lover may have two, as the old song says; but a woman who loves, with a
+pure love, and has that love returned in every sense, it is impossible, or at
+least very difficult, to win away from it. She possesses already everything
+that you, my lord, or any one, could offer for her acceptance.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You talk as if you had been studying the subject of love
+diligently&mdash;and Petrarch&rsquo;s sonnets as well; but notwithstanding all
+that, Maître Bilot, I don&rsquo;t believe you thoroughly understand anything
+outside of your own wines and sauces, which, I am bound to admit, are always
+excellent. And pray, who is the favoured object of this Platonic
+attachment?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;One of the members of the troupe,&rdquo; Bilot replied, &ldquo;and it is
+not to be wondered at, for he&rsquo;s a handsome young fellow, and very
+different from the rest of them; far superior, more like a gentleman than an
+actor; and I shrewdly suspect he is one,&rdquo; added the landlord, with a
+knowing look.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Well, now you must be happy!&rdquo; said the Chevalier de Vidalinc to
+his friend. &ldquo;Here are unexpected obstacles in plenty, and a perfect
+none-such of a prize. A virtuous actress is a rare phenomenon, not to be found
+every day in the week. You are in luck!&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Are you sure,&rdquo; continued the young duke, still addressing the
+landlord, and without paying any attention to the last remark, &ldquo;that this
+chaste Isabelle does not accord any privileges secretly to that conceited young
+jackanapes? I despise the fellow thoroughly, and detest him as well.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Your lordship does not know her,&rdquo; answered Maître Bilot, &ldquo;or
+I should not need to declare, as I do, that she is as spotless as the ermine.
+She would rather die than suffer a stain upon her purity. It is impossible to
+see much of her without perceiving that; it shines out in everything that she
+says and does.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Hereupon a long discussion followed as to the best manner of conducting the
+attack upon this fair citadel, which the young nobleman became more and more
+determined to conquer, as new difficulties were suggested. The worthy landlord,
+who was a shrewd fellow and had made a just estimate of Isabelle&rsquo;s
+character, finished by advising his noble interlocutor to turn his attention to
+Serafina, &ldquo;who was very charming, and not less beautiful than Isabelle,
+and who would be greatly pleased and flattered by his lordship&rsquo;s
+notice.&rdquo; This, because he felt sure that the duke would not succeed with
+Isabelle, in spite of his exalted rank, handsome person, and immense wealth,
+and he wished to spare him an inevitable disappointment.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;It is Isabelle that I admire, and will have,&rdquo; said Vallombreuse,
+in a dry tone that put an end to the discussion. &ldquo;Isabelle, and no other,
+Maître Bilot.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Then plunging his hand into his pocket, he drew forth a goodly number of gold
+pieces, and throwing them down carelessly on the table, said, &ldquo;Pay
+yourself for the bottle of wine out of this, and keep the balance.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The landlord gathered up the <i>louis</i> with a deprecating air, and dropped
+them one by one into his purse. The two gentlemen rose, without another word,
+put on their broad, plumed hats, threw their cloaks on their shoulders, and
+quitted the hotel. Vallombreuse took several turns up and down the narrow alley
+between the <i>Armes de France</i> and his own garden wall, looking up
+searchingly at Isabelle&rsquo;s window every time he passed under it; but it
+was all for naught. Isabelle, now on her guard, did not approach the window
+again; the curtain was drawn closely over it, and not a sign visible from
+without that the room was occupied. Tired at last of this dull work, the duke
+slowly withdrew to his own mansion, feeling highly indignant that this
+inappreciative little actress should presume to slight the attentions of a
+great and powerful noble like himself; but he found some comfort in the thought
+that when she came to see and know him she could not long hold out against his
+numerous attractions. As to his rival&mdash;if the fellow ventured to interfere
+with him too much, he would quietly suppress him, by means of certain stout
+ruffians&mdash;professional cut-throats&mdash;he had in his employ, to do all
+that sort of work for him; his own dignity not allowing him to come into
+personal contact with such cattle as actors. Though Vallombreuse had not seen
+anything of Isabelle at her window, he himself had been closely watched, by
+jealous eyes, from a neighbouring casement that commanded the same view. They
+belonged to de Sigognac, who was greatly annoyed and incensed by the manœuvres
+of this mysterious personage under Isabelle&rsquo;s window. A dozen times he
+was on the point of rushing down, sword in hand, to attack and drive away the
+impertinent unknown; but he controlled himself by a strong effort; for there
+was after all nothing in the mere fact of a man&rsquo;s promenading back and
+forth in a deserted alley to justify him in such an onslaught, and he would
+only bring down ridicule on himself; besides, the name of Isabelle might be
+dragged in&mdash;sweet Isabelle, who was all unconscious of the ardent glances
+directed at her window from below, as well as of the burning indignation,
+because of them, of her own true lover close at hand. But he promised himself
+to keep a watchful eye for the future upon this young gallant, and studied his
+features carefully, every time his face was raised towards Isabelle&rsquo;s
+window, so that he should be sure to recognise him when he saw him again.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Hérode had selected for their first representation in Poitiers a new play,
+which all the comedians were very much occupied in learning and rehearsing, to
+be followed by the Rodomontades of Captain Fracasse, in which de Sigognac was
+to make his real debut before a real public having only acted as yet to an
+audience of calves, horned cattle, and peasants in Bellombre&rsquo;s barn. He
+was studying diligently under the direction of Blazius, who was more devoted to
+him than ever, and who had proposed something which was a most welcome
+suggestion to the sensitive young baron. This was for him to wear what is
+called a half-mask, which covers only the forehead and nose, but if arranged
+with skill alters entirely the wearer&rsquo;s appearance&mdash;so that his
+nearest friend would not recognise him&mdash;without interfering materially
+with his comfort. This idea de Sigognac hailed with delight, for it insured his
+preserving his incognito; the light pasteboard screen seemed to him like the
+closed visor of a helmet, behind which he need not shrink from facing the
+enemy&mdash;that is to stay the gazing crowd on the other side of the
+foot-lights. With it he would take merely the part of the unknown, concealed
+intelligence that directs the movements of the marionette, and the voice that
+makes it speak; only he should be within it, instead of behind the scenes
+pulling the strings&mdash;his dignity would have nothing to suffer in playing
+the game in that manner, and for this relief from a dreaded ordeal he was
+unspeakably thankful. Blazius, who never could take too much pains in the
+service of his dear baron, himself modelled and fashioned the little mask, very
+deftly, so as to make his stage physiognomy as unlike his real, every-day
+countenance as possible. A prominent nose, very red at the point, bushy,
+high-arched eyebrows, and an immensely heavy mustache drooping over his mouth,
+completely disguised the well-cut, regular features of the handsome young
+nobleman, and although in reality it only concealed the forehead and nose, yet
+it transfigured the whole face.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+There was to be a dress rehearsal the evening before the first representation,
+so that they might judge of the general effect in their improvised theatre, and
+test its capabilities; and as the actresses could not very well go through the
+streets in full costume, they were to finish their toilets in the green-room,
+while the actor themselves ready for the stage in the small dressing-closets
+set aside for that purpose. All the gentlemen in Poitiers, young and old, were
+wild to penetrate into this temple, or rather sacristy, of Thalia, where the
+priestesses of that widely worshipped muse adorned themselves to celebrate her
+mysterious rites, and a great number of them had succeeded in gaining
+admittance. They crowded round the actresses, offering advice as to the placing
+of a flower or a jewel, handing the powder-box or the rouge-pot, presenting the
+little hand-mirror, taking upon themselves all such small offices with the
+greatest &ldquo;<i>empressement</i>,&rdquo; and vying with each other in their
+gallant attendance upon the fair objects of their admiration; the younger and
+more timid among them holding a little aloof and sitting on the large chests
+scattered about, swinging their feet and twisting their mustaches, while they
+watched the proceedings of their bolder companions with envious eyes. Each
+actress had her own circle of admiring cavaliers about her, paying her
+high-flown compliments in the exaggerated language of the day, and doing their
+best to make themselves agreeable in every way they could think of. Zerbine
+laughed at them all, and made fun of them unmercifully, turning everything they
+said into ridicule; yet so coquettishly that they thought her bewitching, in
+spite of her sharp tongue, which was like a two-edged sword. Serafina, whose
+vanity was overweening, delighted in the fulsome homage paid to her charms, and
+smiled encouragingly upon her throng of admirers, but Isabelle, who was
+intensely annoyed at the whole thing, did not pay the slightest attention to
+them, nor even once raise her eyes to look at them; being apparently absorbed
+in the duties of her toilet, which she accomplished as quietly and modestly as
+possible&mdash;having left only the finishing touches to be given in that
+public place.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The Duke of Vallombreuse was careful, of course, not to miss this excellent
+opportunity, of which he had been informed by Maître Bilot, to see Isabelle
+again, and entering the green-room in good season, followed by his friend
+Vidalinc, marched straight up to her toilet-table. He was enchanted to find
+that, on this close inspection, she was even more beautiful than he had
+supposed, and in his enthusiastic delight at this discovery could scarcely
+refrain from seizing her in his arms and declaring his passion there and then;
+only the presence of the crowd of lookers-on saved Isabelle from what would
+have been a most trying and painful scene.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The young duke was superbly dressed. He had spared no pains, for he wanted to
+dazzle Isabelle, and he certainly did look splendidly handsome. He wore a
+magnificent costume of rich white satin, slashed and trimmed with crimson, with
+many knots of ribbon about it fastened with diamond clasps, with broad ruffles
+of exquisitely fine lace at throat and wrists, with a wide belt of cloth of
+silver supporting his sword, and with perfumed gloves on the hands that held
+his white felt hat, with its long crimson feather. His wavy black hair fell
+around the perfect oval of his face, enhancing its smooth whiteness; a delicate
+mustache shaded, not concealed, his full red lips; his splendid, great black
+eyes flashed through their thick, silky fringes, and his neck, white and round
+as a marble column, rose from amid its surrounding of soft, priceless lace,
+proudly supporting his haughty, handsome head. Yet with all this perfection of
+outline and colouring, his appearance was not entirely pleasing; a repelling
+haughtiness shone out through the perfectly modelled features, and it was but
+too evident that the joys and sorrows of his fellow mortals would awaken no
+sympathy in the owner of that surpassingly handsome face and form. He believed
+that he was not made of common clay like other men, but was a being of a higher
+order, who condescended to mingle with his inferiors&mdash;a piece of fine
+porcelain amid homely vessels of coarser earthenware.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Vallombreuse stationed himself silently close beside the mirror on
+Isabelle&rsquo;s dressing-table, leaning one elbow on its frame all the other
+gallants respectfully making way for him&mdash;just where she could not
+possibly help seeing him whenever she looked in the glass; a skilful manœuvre,
+which would surely have succeeded with any other than this modest young girl.
+He wished to produce an impression, before addressing a word to her, by his
+personal beauty, his lordly mien, and his magnificence of apparel. Isabelle,
+who had instantly recognised the audacious gallant of the garden, and who was
+displeased by the imperious ardour of his gaze, redoubled her reserve of
+manner, and did not lift her eyes to the mirror in front of her at all; she did
+not even seem to be aware that one of the handsomest young noblemen in all
+France was standing there before her, trying to win a glance from her lovely
+eyes&mdash;but then, she was a singular girl, this sweet Isabelle! At length,
+exasperated by her utter indifference, Vallombreuse suddenly took the
+initiative, and said to her, &ldquo;Mademoiselle, you take the part of Sylvia
+in this new play, do you not?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Yes, sir,&rdquo; Isabelle answered curtly, without looking at
+him&mdash;not able to evade this direct question.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Then never will a part have been so admirably played,&rdquo; continued
+the duke. &ldquo;If it is poor your acting will make it excellent, if it is
+fine you will make it peerless. Ah! happy indeed the poet whose verses are
+intrusted to those lovely lips of yours.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+These vague compliments were only such as admiring gallants were in the habit
+of lavishing upon pretty actresses, and Isabelle could not with any show of
+reason resent it openly, but she acknowledged it only by a very slight bend of
+the head, and still without looking up. At this moment de Sigognac entered the
+green-room; he was masked and in full costume, just buckling around his waist
+the belt of the big sword he had inherited from Matamore, with the cobweb
+dangling from the scabbard. He also marched straight up to Isabelle, and was
+received with a radiant smile.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You are capitally gotten up,&rdquo; she said to him in a low, tone, so
+low that he had to bend down nearer her to hear, &ldquo;and I am sure that no
+fierce Spanish captain ever had a more superbly arrogant air than you.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The Duke of Vallombreuse drew himself up to his full height, and looked this
+unwelcome new-comer over from head to foot, with an air of the coolest, most
+haughty disdain. &ldquo;This must be the contemptible scoundrel they say
+she&rsquo;s in love with,&rdquo; he said to himself, swelling with indignation
+and spite&mdash;filled with amazement too&mdash;for he could not conceive of a
+woman&rsquo;s hesitating for an instant between the magnificent young Duke of
+Vallombreuse and this ridiculous play-actor. After the first rapid glance he
+made as if he did not perceive de Sigognac at all, no more than if he had been
+a piece of furniture standing there; for him Captain Fracasse was not a
+<i>man</i>, but a <i>thing</i>, and he continued to gaze fixedly at poor
+Isabelle&mdash;his eyes fairly blazing with passion&mdash;exactly as though no
+one was near. She, confused at last, and alarmed, blushed painfully, in spite
+of all her efforts to appear calm and unmoved, and hastened to finish what
+little remained to be done, so that she might make her escape, for she could
+see de Sigognac&rsquo;s hand close spasmodically on the handle of his sword,
+and, realizing how he must be feeling, feared an outbreak on his part. With
+trembling fingers she adjusted a little black &ldquo;<i>mouche</i>&rdquo; near
+the corner of her pretty mouth, and pushed back her chair preparatory to rising
+from it&mdash;having a legitimate cause for haste, as the tyrant had already
+more than once roared out from the stage door, &ldquo;Mesdemoiselles, are you
+ready?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Permit me, mademoiselle,&rdquo; said the duke starting forward,
+&ldquo;you have forgotten to put on an &lsquo;<i>assassine</i>,&rsquo;&rdquo;
+and touching the tip of his forefinger to his lips he plunged it into the box
+of patches standing open on the dressing-table, and brought one out on it.
+&ldquo;Permit me to put it on for you&mdash;here, just above your snowy bosom;
+it will enhance its exquisite whiteness.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The action followed so quickly upon the words that Isabelle, terrified at this
+cruel effrontery, had scarcely time to start to one side, and so escape his
+profane touch; but the duke was not one to be easily balked in anything he
+particularly desired to do, and pressing nearer he again extended his hand
+towards Isabelle&rsquo;s white neck, and had almost succeeded in accomplishing
+his object, when his arm was seized from behind, and held firmly in a grasp of
+iron.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Furiously angry, he turned his head to see who had dared to lay hands upon his
+sacred person, and perceived that it was the odious Captain Fracasse.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;My lord duke,&rdquo; said he calmly, still holding his wrist firmly,
+&ldquo;Mademoiselle is in need of no assistance from you, or any one else, in
+this matter.&rdquo; Then his grasp relaxed and he let go of the duke&rsquo;s
+arm.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Vallombreuse, who looked positively hideous at that moment, his face pale to
+ghastliness and disfigured by the rage he felt, grasped the hilt of his sword
+with the hand released by de Sigognac, and drew it partly out of its scabbard,
+as if he meant to attack him, his eyes flashing fire and every feature working
+in its frenzy&mdash;the baron meanwhile standing perfectly motionless, quietly
+awaiting the onset.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But ere he had touched him the duke stopped short; a sudden thought had
+extinguished his blazing fury like a douche of cold water; his self-control
+returned, his face resumed its wonted expression, the colour came to his lips,
+and his eyes showed the most icy disdain, the most supreme contempt that it
+could be possible for one human being to manifest for another. He had
+remembered just in time that he must not so greatly demean himself as to cross
+swords with a person of no birth, and an actor besides; all his pride revolted
+at the bare idea of such a thing. An insult coming from a creature so low in
+the social scale could not reach him. Does a gentleman declare war upon the mud
+that bespatters him? However, it was not in his character to leave an offence
+unpunished, no matter whence it proceeded, and stepping nearer to de Sigognac
+he said, &ldquo;You impertinent scoundrel, I will have every bone in your body
+broken for you with cudgels, by my lackeys.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You&rsquo;d better take care what you do, my lord,&rdquo; answered the
+baron, in the most tranquil tone and with the most careless air imaginable,
+&ldquo;you&rsquo;d much better take care what you do! My bones are not so
+easily broken, but cudgels may be. I do not put up with blows anywhere but on
+the stage.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;However insolent you may choose to be, you graceless rascal, you cannot
+provoke me to do you so much honour as to attack you myself; that is too high
+an ambition for such as you to realize,&rdquo; said Vallombreuse, scornfully.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;We will see about that, my lord duke,&rdquo; de Sigognac replied;
+&ldquo;it may happen that I, having less pride than yourself, will fight you,
+and conquer you, with my own hands.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I do not dispute with a masker,&rdquo; said the duke shortly, taking
+Vidalinc&rsquo;s arm as if to depart.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I will show you my face, duke, at a more fitting time and place,&rdquo;
+de Sigognac continued composedly, &ldquo;and I think it will be still more
+distasteful to you than my false nose. But enough for the present. I hear the
+bell that summons me, and if I wait any longer here with you I shall miss my
+entry at the proper moment.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He turned on his heel and leisurely walked off, with admirable nonchalance,
+leaving the haughty duke very much disconcerted, and at a disadvantage, as
+indeed de Sigognac had cleverly managed that he should be throughout the brief
+interview.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The comedians were charmed with his courage and coolness, but, knowing his real
+rank, were not so much astonished as the other spectators of this extraordinary
+scene, who were both shocked and amazed at such temerity.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Isabelle was so terrified and excited by this fierce altercation that a deathly
+pallor had overspread her troubled face, and Zerbine, who had flown to her
+assistance, had to fetch some of her own rouge and bestow it plentifully upon
+the colourless lips and cheeks before she could obey the tyrant&rsquo;s
+impatient call, again resounding through the green-room.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When she tried to rise her trembling knees had nearly given way under her, and
+but for the <i>soubrette&rsquo;s</i> kind support she must have fallen to the
+floor. To have been the cause, though innocently, of a quarrel like this was a
+terrible blow to poor Isabelle sweet, pure, modest child that she was&mdash;for
+she knew that it is a dreadful thing for any woman to have her name mixed up in
+such an affair, and shrank from the publicity that could not fail to be given
+to it; besides, she loved de Sigognac with fervour and devotion, though she had
+never acknowledged it to him, and the thought of the danger to which he was
+exposed, of a secret attack by the duke&rsquo;s hired ruffians, or even of a
+duel with his lordship himself, drove her well-nigh frantic with grief and
+terror.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In spite of this untoward incident, the rehearsal went on, and very smoothly;
+the theatre was found to be all that they could desire, and everybody acted
+with much spirit. Even poor, trembling Isabelle did herself credit, though her
+heart was heavy within her; but for de Sigognac&rsquo;s dear sake, whose
+anxious glances she strove to meet with a reassuring smile, she succeeded in
+controlling her emotion, and felt inspired to do her very best. As to Captain
+Fracasse, excited by the quarrel, he acted superbly. Zerbine surpassed herself.
+Shouts of laughter and storms of clapping followed her animated words and
+gestures. From one corner, near the orchestra, came such vigorous bursts of
+applause, leading all the rest and lasting longer than any, that at last
+Zerbine&rsquo;s attention was attracted and her curiosity excited.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Approaching the foot-lights, in such a way as to make it appear part of her
+usual by-play, she peered over them and caught sight of her marquis, beaming
+with smiles and flushed from his violent efforts in her behalf.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;The marquis is here,&rdquo; she managed to whisper to Blazius, who was
+playing Pandolphe; &ldquo;just look at him! how delighted he is, and how he
+applauds me&mdash;till he is actually red in the face, the dear man! So he
+admires my acting, does he? Well, he shall have a spicy specimen of it,
+then.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Zerbine kept her word, and, from that on to the end of the piece, played with
+redoubled spirit. She was never so sparkling, so bewitchingly coquettish, so
+charmingly mischievous before, and the delighted marquis was more fascinated
+than ever. The new play, entitled &ldquo;Lygdamon et Lydias,&rdquo; and written
+by a certain Georges de Scudéry (a gentleman who, after having served with
+honour in the French Guards, quitted the sword for the pen, which he wielded
+with equal success), was next rehearsed, and highly approved by
+all&mdash;without a single dissenting voice. Leander, who played the leading
+part of Lygdamon, was really admirable in it, and entertained high hopes of the
+effect he should produce upon the fair ladies of Poitiers and its environs.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But we will leave our comedians now, and follow the Duke of Vallombreuse and
+his devoted friend Vidalinc.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Quite beside himself with rage, the young duke, after the scene in the
+green-room in which he had played so unsatisfactory a part to himself, returned
+to his own home and there raved to Vidalinc about his revenge, threatening the
+insolent captain with all manner of punishments, and going on like a madman.
+His friend tried in vain to soothe him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He rushed wildly around the room, wringing his hands, kicking the furniture
+about right and left, upsetting tables and arm-chairs, and finally, seizing a
+large Japanese vase, very curious and costly, threw it violently on the floor,
+where it broke into a thousand pieces.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Oh!&rdquo; he shrieked, &ldquo;if I could only smash that abominable
+blackguard like this vase, trample him under foot as I do this debris, and then
+have the remains of him swept up and thrown out into the dust-heap, where he
+belongs. A miserable scoundrel, that dares to interpose between me, the Duke of
+Vallombreuse, and the object of my desires! If he were only a gentleman I would
+fight him, on foot or on horseback, with swords, daggers, pistols, anything in
+the shape of a weapon, until I had him down, with my foot on his breast, and
+could spit into the face of his corpse.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Perhaps he is one,&rdquo; said Vidalinc; &ldquo;his audacious defiance
+looks like it. You remember what Maître Bilot told you about Isabelle&rsquo;s
+favoured lover? This must be the one, judging by his jealousy of you, and the
+agitation of the girl.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Do you really mean what you say?&rdquo; cried Vallombreuse,
+contemptuously. &ldquo;What! a man of birth and condition mingle voluntarily
+and on terms of equality with these low buffoons of actors, paint his nose red,
+and strut about the stage, receiving cuffs and kicks from everybody? Oh no,
+Vidalinc, the thing is impossible.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;But just remember,&rdquo; persisted the chevalier, &ldquo;that mighty
+Jove himself resorted to the expedient of adopting the shapes of various
+beasts, as well as birds, in his terrestrial love affairs, which was surely
+much more derogatory to the majesty of the king of the gods than to play in a
+comedy is to the dignity of a gentleman.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Never mind,&rdquo; said the duke, as he rang a small hand bell sharply;
+&ldquo;be he what he may, I intend first to have the scamp well punished in his
+character of play-actor; even though I should be obliged to chastise the
+gentleman afterward, if there prove to be one hidden behind that ridiculous
+mask&mdash;which idea I cannot credit.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;If there be one! There&rsquo;s no doubt of it, I tell you,&rdquo;
+rejoined his friend, with an air of conviction. &ldquo;The more I think of it,
+the more positive I am of it. Why, his eyes shone like stars under his
+overhanging false eye-brows, and in spite of his absurd pasteboard nose he had
+a grand, majestic air about him that was very imposing, and would be utterly
+impossible to a low-born man.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Well, so much the better,&rdquo; said Vallombreuse; &ldquo;for if you
+are right, I can make his punishment twofold.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Meantime a servant, in rich livery, had entered, and after bowing low stood as
+motionless as a statue, with one hand on the knob of the door, awaiting his
+master&rsquo;s orders; which were presently given, as follows: &ldquo;Go and
+call up Basque, Azolan, Mérindol, and Labriche, if they have gone to bed; tell
+them to arm themselves with stout cudgels and go down to the tennis-court, find
+a dark corner near by and wait there, until the players come out, for a certain
+Captain Fracasse. They are to fall upon him and beat him until they leave him
+for dead upon the pavement, but to be careful not to kill him outright&mdash;it
+might be thought that I was afraid of him if they did, you know,&rdquo; in an
+aside to Vidalinc.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I will be responsible for the consequences; and with every blow they are
+to cry, &lsquo;This is from the Duke of Vallombreuse,&rsquo; so that he may
+understand plainly what it means.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This order, though of so savage and fierce a nature, did not seem to surprise
+the lackey, who, as he retired, assured his lordship, with an unmoved
+countenance and another low bow, that his commands should be immediately
+obeyed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I am sorry,&rdquo; said Vidalinc, after the servant had closed the door
+behind him, &ldquo;that you mean to treat this man so roughly, for after all he
+showed a spirit superior to his position, and becoming a gentleman. Suppose you
+let me go and pick a quarrel with him, and kill him for you in a duel. All
+blood is red when it is shed, the lowly as well as the lofty, though they do
+pretend that the blood of the nobles is blue. I come of a good and ancient
+family, if not so high in rank as yours, and I have no fear of belittling
+myself in this affair. Only say the word, and I will go this instant, for this
+histrionic captain is, it seems to me, more worthy of the sword of a gentleman
+than the cudgels of your hired ruffians.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I thank you heartily for this offer,&rdquo; answered the duke,
+&ldquo;which proves your faithful devotion to me and my interests, but I cannot
+accept it. That low scoundrel has dared to lay hands upon me, and he must
+expiate his crime in the most ignominious way. Should he prove to be a
+gentleman, he will be able to find redress. I never fail to respond, as you
+know, when there is question of settling a matter by the sword.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;As you please, my lord duke,&rdquo; said Vidalinc, stretching out his
+legs lazily and putting his feet on the fender, with the air of a man who can
+do no more, but must stand aside and let things take their own course.
+&ldquo;By the way, do you know that that Serafina is charming? I paid her
+several compliments, which were very graciously received; and more than that,
+she has promised to allow me to call upon her, and appointed the time. She is a
+very amiable as well as beautiful young woman. Maître Bilot was perfectly
+correct in his statements to us.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+After which the two gentlemen awaited, in almost unbroken silence, the return
+of the <i>four</i> ruffians who had gone forth to chastise de Sigognac.
+</p>
+
+</div><!--end chapter-->
+
+<div class="chapter">
+
+<h2><a name="chap09"></a>CHAPTER IX.<br/>
+A MÊLÉE AND A DUEL</h2>
+
+<p>
+The rehearsal was over, and the comedians were preparing to return to their
+hotel; de Sigognac, expecting some sort of an assault on his way through the
+deserted streets, did not lay aside Matamore&rsquo;s big sword with the rest of
+his costume. It was an excellent Spanish blade, very long, and with a large
+basket hilt, which made a perfect protection for the hand&mdash;altogether a
+weapon which, wielded by a brave man, was by no means to be despised, and which
+could give, as well as parry, good hard thrusts. Though scarcely able to
+inflict a mortal wound, as the point and edge had been blunted, according to
+the usual custom of theatrical sword owners, it would be, however, all that was
+requisite to defend its wearer against the cudgels of the ruffians that the
+Duke of Vallombreuse had despatched to administer his promised punishment.
+Hérode, who also anticipated an attack upon de Sigognac, and was not one to
+desert a friend when danger threatened, took the precaution to arm himself with
+the big heavy club that was used to give the signal&mdash;three loud
+raps&mdash;for the rising of the curtain, which made a very formidable weapon,
+and would do good service in his strong hands.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Captain,&rdquo; said he to the baron as they quitted the tennis-court,
+&ldquo;we will let the women go on a little way in advance of us, under the
+escort of Blazius and Leander, one of whom is too old, the other too cowardly,
+to be of any service to us in case of need. And we don&rsquo;t want to have
+their fair charges terrified, and deafening us with their shrieks. Scapin shall
+accompany us, for he knows a clever trick or two for tripping a man up, that I
+have seen him perform admirably in several wrestling bouts. He will lay one or
+two of our assailants flat on their backs for us before they can turn round. In
+any event here is my good club, to supplement your good sword.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Thanks, my brave friend Hérode,&rdquo; answered de Sigognac, &ldquo;your
+kind offer is not one to be refused; but let us take our precautions not to be
+surprised, though we are in force. We will march along in single file, through
+the very middle of the street, so that these rogues, lurking in dark corners,
+will have to emerge from their hiding places to come out to us, and we shall be
+able to see them before they can strike us. I will draw my sword, you brandish
+your club, and Scapin must cut a pigeon wing, so as to make sure that his legs
+are supple and in good working order. Now, forward march!&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He put himself at the head of the little column, and advanced cautiously into
+the narrow street that led from the tennis-court to the hotel of the <i>Armes
+de France</i>, which was very crooked, badly paved, devoid of lamps, and
+capitally well calculated for an ambuscade. The overhanging gable-ends on
+either side of the way made the darkness in the street below them still more
+dense&mdash;a most favourable circumstance for the ruffians lying in wait
+there. Not a single ray of light streamed forth from the shut-up house whose
+inmates were presumably all sleeping soundly in their comfortable beds, and
+there was no moon that night. Basque, Azolan, Labriche and Mérindol had been
+waiting more than half an hour for Captain Fracasse in this street, which they
+knew he was obliged to pass through in returning to his hotel. They had
+disposed themselves in pairs on opposite sides of the way, so that when he was
+between them their clubs could all play upon him together, like the hammers of
+the Cyclops on their great anvil. The passing of the group of women, escorted
+by Blazius and Leander, none of whom perceived them, had warned them of the
+approach of their victim, and they stood awaiting his appearance, firmly
+grasping their cudgels in readiness to pounce upon him; little dreaming of the
+reception in store for them&mdash;for ordinarily, indeed one may say
+invariably, the poets, actors, <i>bourgeois</i>, and such-like, whom the nobles
+condescended to have cudgeled by their hired ruffians, employed expressly for
+that purpose, took their chastisement meekly, and without attempting to make
+any resistance. Despite the extreme darkness of the night, the baron, with his
+penetrating eyes, made out the forms of the four villains lying in wait for
+him, at some distance, and before he came up with them stopped and made as if
+he meant to turn back&mdash;which ruse deceived them completely&mdash;and
+fearing that their prey was about to escape them, they rushed impetuously forth
+from their hiding places towards him. Azolan was the first, closely followed by
+the others, and all crying at the tops of their voices, &ldquo;Kill! Kill! this
+for Captain Fracasse, from the Duke of Vallombreuse.&rdquo; Meantime de
+Sigognac had wound his large cloak several times round his left arm for a
+shield, and receiving upon it the first blow from Azolan&rsquo;s cudgel,
+returned it with such a violent lunge, full in his antagonist&rsquo;s breast,
+that the miserable fellow went over backward, with great force, right into the
+gutter running down the middle of the street, with his head in the mud and his
+heels in the air. If the point of the sword had not been blunted, it would
+infallibly have gone through his body, and come out between his
+shoulder-blades, leaving a dead man, instead of only a stunned one, on the
+ground. Basque, in spite of his comrade&rsquo;s disaster, advanced to the
+charge bravely, but a furious blow on his head, with the flat of the blade,
+sent him down like a shot, and made him see scores of stars, though there was
+not one visible in the sky that night. The tyrant&rsquo;s club encountering
+Mérindol&rsquo;s cudgel broke it short off, and the latter finding himself
+disarmed, took to his heels; not however without receiving a tremendous blow on
+the shoulder before he could get out of Hérode&rsquo;s reach. Scapin, for his
+part, had seized Labriche suddenly round the waist from behind, pinning down
+his arms so that he could not use his club at all, and raising him from the
+ground quickly, with one dexterous movement tripped him up, and sent him
+rolling on the pavement ten paces off, so violently that he was knocked
+senseless&mdash;the back of his neck coming in contact with a projecting
+stone&mdash;and lay apparently lifeless where he fell.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+So the way was cleared, and the victory in this fierce encounter was honourably
+gained by our hero and his two companions over the four sturdy ruffians, who
+had never been defeated before. They were in a sorry plight&mdash;Azolan and
+Basque creeping stealthily away, on their hands and knees, trying under cover
+of the darkness to put themselves beyond the reach of further danger; Labriche
+lying motionless, like a drunken man, across the gutter, and Mérindol, less
+badly hurt, flying towards home as fast as his legs could carry him. As he drew
+near the house, however, he slackened his pace, for he dreaded the duke&rsquo;s
+anger more than Hérode&rsquo;s club, and almost forgot, for the moment, the
+terrible agony from his dislocated shoulder, from which the arm hung down
+helpless and inert. Scarcely had he entered the outer door ere he was summoned
+to the presence of the duke, who was all impatient to learn the details of the
+tremendous thrashing that, he took it for granted, they had given to Captain
+Fracasse. When Mérindol was ushered in, frightened and embarrassed, trembling
+in every limb, not knowing what to say or do, and suffering fearfully from his
+injured shoulder, he paused at the threshold, and stood speechless and
+motionless, waiting breathlessly for a word or gesture of encouragement from
+the duke, who glared at him in silence.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Well,&rdquo; at length said the Chevalier de Vidalinc to the discomfited
+Mérindol, seeing that Vallombreuse only stared at him savagely and did not seem
+inclined to speak, &ldquo;what news do you bring us? Bad, I am sure, for you
+have by no means a triumphant air&mdash;very much the reverse, indeed, I should
+say.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;My lord, the duke, of course cannot doubt our zeal in striving to
+execute his orders, to the best of our ability,&rdquo; said Mérindol,
+cringingly, &ldquo;but this time we have had very bad luck.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;What do you mean by that?&rdquo; asked the duke sharply, with an angry
+frown and flashing eyes, before which the stout ruffian quailed. &ldquo;There
+were four of you! do you mean to tell me that, among you, you could not succeed
+in thrashing this miserable play-actor?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;That miserable play-actor, my lord,&rdquo; Mérindol replied, plucking up
+a little courage, &ldquo;far exceeds in vigour and bravery the great Hercules
+they tell us of. He fell upon us with such fury that in one instant he had
+knocked Azolan and Basque down into the gutter. They fell under his blows like
+pasteboard puppets&mdash;yet they are both strong men, and used to hard knocks.
+Labriche was tripped up and cleverly thrown by another actor, and fell with
+such force that he was completely stunned; the back of his head has found out
+that the stones of Poitiers pavements are harder than it is, poor fellow! As
+for me, my thick club was broken short off by an immense stick in the hands of
+that giant they call Hérode, and my shoulder so badly hurt that I
+sha&rsquo;n&rsquo;t have the use of my arm here for a fortnight.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You are no better than so many calves, you pitiful, cowardly
+knaves!&rdquo; cried the Duke of Vallombreuse, in a perfect frenzy of rage.
+&ldquo;Why, any old woman could put you to rout with her distaff, and not half
+try. I made a horrid mistake when I rescued you from the galleys and the
+gallows, and took you into my service, believing that you were brave rascals,
+and not afraid of anything or anybody on the face of the globe. And now, answer
+me this: When you found that clubs would not do, why didn&rsquo;t you whip out
+your swords and have at him?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;My lord had given us orders for a beating, not an assassination, and we
+would not have dared to go beyond his commands.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Behold,&rdquo; cried Vidalinc, laughing contemptuously, &ldquo;behold a
+faithful, exact and conscientious scoundrel whose obedience does not deviate so
+much as a hair&rsquo;s breadth from his lord&rsquo;s commands. How delightful
+and refreshing to find such purity and fidelity, combined with such rare
+courage, in the character of a professional cut-throat! But now, Vallombreuse,
+what do you think of all this? This chase of yours opens well, and
+romantically, in a manner that must be immensely pleasing to you, since you
+find the pursuit agreeable in proportion to its difficulty, and the obstacles
+in the way constitute its greatest charms for you. I ought to congratulate you,
+it seems to me. This Isabelle, for an actress, is not easy of access; she
+dwells in a fortress, without drawbridge or other means of entrance, and
+guarded, as we read of in the history of ancient chivalry, by dragons breathing
+out flames of fire and smoke. But here comes our routed army.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Azolan, Basque, and Labriche, who had recovered from his swoon, now presented
+themselves reluctantly at the door, and stood extending their hands
+supplicatingly towards their master. They were a miserable-looking set of
+wretches enough&mdash;very pale, fairly livid indeed, haggard, dirty and
+blood-stained; for although they had only contused wounds, the force of the
+blows had set the blood flowing from their noses, and great red stains
+disfigured their hideous countenances.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Get to your kennel, ye hounds!&rdquo; cried the duke, in a terrible
+voice, being moved only to anger by the sight of this forlorn group of
+supplicants. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m sure I don&rsquo;t know why I have not ordered
+you all soundly thrashed for your imbecility and cowardice. I shall send you my
+surgeon to examine your wounds, and see whether the thumps you make such a
+babyish outcry about really were as violent and overpowering as you represent.
+If they were not, I will have you skinned alive, every mother&rsquo;s son of
+you, like the eels at Melun; and now, begone! out of my sight, quick, you vile
+<i>canaille!</i>&rdquo; The discomfited ruffians turned and fled, thankful to
+make their escape, and forgetful for the moment of their painful wounds and
+bruises; such abject terror did the young duke&rsquo;s anger inspire in the
+breasts of those hardened villains. When the poor devils had disappeared,
+Vallombreuse threw himself down on a heap of cushions, piled up on a low, broad
+divan beside the fire, and fell into a revery that Vidalinc was careful not to
+break in upon. They evidently were not pleasant thoughts that occupied him;
+dark, tempestuous ones rather, judging by the expression of his handsome face,
+as he lay back idly among the soft pillows, looking very picturesque in the
+rich showy costume he still wore. He did not remain there long. Only a short
+time had elapsed when he suddenly started up, with a smothered imprecation, and
+bidding his friend an abrupt good-night, retired to his own chamber, without
+touching the dainty little supper that had just been brought in. Vidalinc sat
+down and enjoyed it by himself, with perfect good humour, thinking meanwhile of
+Serafina&rsquo;s remarkable beauty and amiability, with which he was highly
+charmed, and not neglecting to drink her health in the duke&rsquo;s choice wine
+ere he quitted the table, and, following his example, retired to his own room,
+where he slept soundly, dreaming of Serafina, until morning; while
+Vallombreuse, less fortunate, and still haunted by disturbing thoughts, tossed
+restlessly, and turned from side to side, courting sleep in vain, under the
+rich silken hangings drawn round his luxurious bed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When de Sigognac, the tyrant and Scapin reached the <i>Armes de France</i>,
+after having overcome the serious obstacles in their way, they found the others
+in a terrible state of alarm about them. In the stillness of the night they had
+distinctly heard the loud cries of the duke&rsquo;s ruffians, and the noise of
+the fierce combat, and feared that their poor friends were being murdered.
+Isabelle, nearly frantic in her terror lest her lover should be overpowered and
+slain, tried to rush back to him, never remembering that she would be more of a
+hindrance than a help; but at the first step she had again almost fainted away,
+and would have fallen upon the rough pavement but for Blazius and Zerbine, who,
+each taking an arm, supported her between them the rest of the way to the hotel
+When they reached it at last, she refused to go to her own room, but waited
+with the others at the outer door for news of their comrades, fearing the
+worst, yet prayerfully striving to hope for the best. At sight of de
+Sigognac&mdash;who, alarmed at her extreme pallor, hastened anxiously to her
+side&mdash;she impetuously raised her arms to heaven, as a low cry of
+thanksgiving escaped her lips, and letting them fall around his neck, for one
+moment hid her streaming eyes against his shoulder; but quickly regaining her
+self-control, she withdrew herself gently from the detaining arm that had
+fondly encircled her slender, yielding form, and stepping back from him a
+little, resumed with a strong effort her usual reserve and quiet dignity.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;And you are not wounded or hurt?&rdquo; she asked, in her sweetest
+tones, her face glowing with happiness as she caught his reassuring gesture; he
+could not speak yet for emotion. The clasp of her arms round his neck had been
+like a glimpse of heaven to him a moment of divine ecstasy. &ldquo;Ah! if he
+could only snatch her to his breast and hold her there forever,&rdquo; he was
+thinking, &ldquo;close to the heart that beat for her alone,&rdquo; as she
+continued: &ldquo;If the slightest harm had befallen you, because of me, I
+should have died of grief. But, oh! how imprudent you were, to defy that
+handsome, wicked duke, who has the assurance and the pride of Lucifer himself,
+for the sake of a poor, insignificant girl like me. You were not reasonable, de
+Sigognac! Now that you are a comedian, like the rest of us, you must learn to
+put up with certain impertinences and annoyances, without attempting to resent
+them.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I never will,&rdquo; said de Sigognac, finding his voice at last,
+&ldquo;I swear it, I never will permit an affront to be offered to the adorable
+Isabelle in my presence even when I have on my player&rsquo;s mask.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Well spoken, captain,&rdquo; cried Hérode, &ldquo;well spoken, and
+bravely. I would not like to be the man to incur your wrath. By the powers
+above! what a fierce reception you gave those rascals yonder. It was lucky for
+them that poor Matamore&rsquo;s sword had no edge. If it had been sharp and
+pointed, you would have cleft them from head to heels, clean in two, as the
+ancient knight-errants did the Saracens, and wicked enchanters.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Your club did as much execution as my sword, Hérode, and your conscience
+need not reproach you, for they were not innocents that you slaughtered this
+time.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;No, indeed!&rdquo; the tyrant rejoined, with a mighty laugh, &ldquo;the
+flower of the galleys these&mdash;the cream of gallows-birds.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Such jobs would scarcely be undertaken by any other class of fellows you
+know,&rdquo; de Sigognac said; &ldquo;but we must not neglect to make
+Scapin&rsquo;s valiant deeds known, and praise them as they deserve. He fought
+and conquered without the aid of any other arms than those that nature gave
+him.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Scapin, who was a natural buffoon, acknowledged this encomium with a very low
+obeisance&mdash;his eyes cast down, his hand on his heart&mdash;and with such
+an irresistibly comical affectation of modesty and embarrassment that they all
+burst into a hearty laugh, which did them much good after the intense
+excitement and alarm.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+After this, as it was late, the comedians bade each other good-night, and
+retired to their respective rooms; excepting de Sigognac, who remained for a
+while in the court, walking slowly back and forth, cogitating deeply. The actor
+was avenged, but the gentleman was not. Must he then throw aside the mask that
+concealed his identity, proclaim his real name, make a commotion, and run the
+risk of drawing down upon his comrades the anger of a powerful nobleman?
+Prudence said no, but honour said yes. The baron could not resist its imperious
+voice, and the moment that he decided to obey it he directed his steps towards
+Zerbine&rsquo;s room.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He knocked gently at the door, which was opened cautiously, a very little way
+at first, by a servant, who instantly admitted the unexpected guest when he saw
+who it was.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The large room was brilliantly lighted, with many rose-coloured wax candles in
+two handsome candelabra on a table covered with fine damask, on which smoked a
+dainty supper. Game and various other delicacies were there, most temptingly
+served. One crystal decanter, with sprigs of gold scattered over its shining
+surface, was filled with wine rivalling the ruby in depth and brilliancy of
+hue, while that in the other was clear and yellow as a topaz. Only two places
+had been laid on this festive board, and opposite Zerbine sat the Marquis de
+Bruyères, of whom de Sigognac was in search. The <i>soubrette</i> welcomed him
+warmly, with a graceful mingling of the actress&rsquo;s familiarity with her
+comrade with her respect for the gentleman.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;It is very charming of you to come and join us here, in our cosy little
+nest,&rdquo; said the marquis to de Sigognac, with much cordiality, &ldquo;and
+we are right glad to welcome you. Jacques, lay a place for this
+gentleman&mdash;you will sup with us?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I will accept your kind invitation,&rdquo; de Sigognac replied;
+&ldquo;but not for the sake of the supper. I do not wish to interfere with your
+enjoyment, and nothing is so disagreeable for those at table as a looker-on who
+is not eating with them.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The baron accordingly sat down in the arm-chair rolled up for him by the
+servant, beside Zerbine and opposite the marquis, who helped him to some of the
+partridge he had been carving, and filled his wine-glass for him; all without
+asking any questions as to what brought him there, or even hinting at it. But
+he felt sure that it must be something of importance that had caused the
+usually reserved and retiring young nobleman to take such a step as this.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Do you like this red wine best or the other?&rdquo; asked the marquis.
+&ldquo;As for me, I drink some of both, so that there may be no jealous feeling
+between them.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I prefer the red wine, thank you,&rdquo; de Sigognac said, with a smile,
+&ldquo;and will add a little water to it. I am very temperate by nature and
+habit, and mingle a certain devotion to the nymphs with my worship at the
+shrine of Bacchus, as the ancients had it. But it was not for feasting and
+drinking that I was guilty of the indiscretion of intruding upon you at this
+unseemly hour. Marquis, I have come to ask of you a service that one gentleman
+never refuses to another. Mlle. Zerbine has probably related to you something
+of what took place in the green-room this evening. The Duke of Vallombreuse
+made an attempt to lay hands upon Isabelle, under pretext of placing an
+<i>mouche</i> for her, and was guilty of an insolent, outrageous, and brutal
+action, unworthy of a gentleman, which was not justified by any coquetry or
+advances on the part of that young girl, who is as pure as she is modest and
+for whom I feel the highest respect and esteem.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;And she deserves it,&rdquo; said Zerbine heartily, &ldquo;every word you
+say of her, as I, who know her thoroughly, can testify. I could not say
+anything but good of her, even if I would.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I seized the duke&rsquo;s arm, and stopped him before he had succeeded
+in what he meant to do,&rdquo; continued de Sigognac, after a grateful glance
+at the <i>soubrette;</i> &ldquo;he was furiously angry, and assailed me with
+threats and invectives, to which I replied with a mocking <i>sang-froid</i>,
+from behind my stage mask. He declared he would have me thrashed by his
+lackeys, and in effect, as I was coming back to this house, a little while ago,
+four ruffians fell upon me in the dark, narrow street. A couple of blows with
+the flat of my sword did for two of the rascals, while Hérode and Scapin put
+the other two hors-de-combat in fine style. Although the duke imagined that
+only a poor actor was concerned, yet as there is also a gentleman in that
+actor&rsquo;s skin, such an outrage cannot be committed with impunity.
+<i>You</i> know me, marquis, though up to the present moment you have kindly
+and delicately respected my incognito, for which I thank you. You know who and
+what my ancestors were, and can certify that the family of de Sigognac has been
+noble for more than a thousand years, and that not one who has borne the name
+has ever had a blot on his scutcheon.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Baron de Sigognac,&rdquo; said the marquis, addressing him for the first
+time by his own name, &ldquo;I will bear witness, upon my honour, before
+whomsoever you may choose to name, to the antiquity and nobility of your
+family. Palamède de Sigognac distinguished himself by wonderful deeds of valour
+in the first crusade, to which he led a hundred lances, equipped, and
+transported thither, at his own expense. That was at an epoch when the
+ancestors of some of the proudest nobles of France to-day were not even
+squires. He and Hugues de Bruyères, my own ancestor, were warm friends, and
+slept in the same tent as brothers in arms.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At these glorious reminiscences de Sigognac raised his head proudly, and held
+it high; he felt the pure blood of his ancestors throbbing in his veins, and
+his heart beat tumultuously. Zerbine, who was watching him, was surprised at
+the strange inward beauty&mdash;if the expression may be allowed&mdash;that
+seemed to shine through the young baron&rsquo;s ordinarily sad countenance, and
+illuminate it. &ldquo;These nobles,&rdquo; she said to herself, &ldquo;are
+certainly a race by themselves; they look as if they had sprung from the side
+of Jupiter, not been born into the world like ordinary mortals. At the least
+word their pride is up in arms, and transforms them, as it does the Baron de
+Sigognac now. If he should make love to me, with eyes like those, I simply
+could not resist him; I should have to throw over my marquis. Why, he fairly
+glows with heroism; he is god-like.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Meantime de Sigognac, in blissful ignorance of this ardent admiration, which
+would have been so distasteful to him, was saying to the marquis, &ldquo;Such
+being your opinion of my family, you will not, I fancy, object to carry a
+challenge from me to the Duke of Vallombreuse.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Assuredly I will do it for you,&rdquo; answered the marquis, in a grave,
+measured way, widely different from his habitual good-natured, easy
+carelessness of manner and speech; &ldquo;and, moreover, I offer my own
+services as your second. To-morrow morning I will present myself at the
+duke&rsquo;s house in your behalf; there is one thing to be said in his
+favour&mdash;that although he may be, in fact is, very insolent, he is no
+coward, and he will no longer intrench himself behind his dignity when he is
+made acquainted with your real rank. But enough of this subject for the
+present; I will see you to-morrow morning in good season, and we will not weary
+poor Zerbine any longer with our man&rsquo;s talk of affairs of honour. I can
+plainly see that she is doing her best to suppress a yawn, and we would a great
+deal rather that a smile should part her pretty red lips, and disclose to us
+the rows of pearls within. Come, Zerbine, fill the Baron de Sigognac&rsquo;s
+glass, and let us be merry again.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The <i>soubrette</i> obeyed, and with as much grace and dexterity as if she had
+been Hebe in person; everything that she attempted to do she did well, this
+clever little actress.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The conversation became animated, and did not touch upon any other grave
+subject, but was mainly about Zerbine&rsquo;s own acting&mdash;the marquis
+overwhelming her with compliments upon it, in which de Sigognac could
+truthfully and sincerely join him, for the <i>soubrette</i> had really shown
+incomparable spirit, grace, and talent. They also talked of the productions of
+M. de Scudéry&mdash;who was one of the most brilliant writers of the
+day&mdash;which the marquis declared that he considered perfect, but slightly
+soporific; adding that he, for his part, decidedly preferred the Rodomontades
+of Captain Fracasse to Lygdamon et Lydias&mdash;he was a gentleman of taste,
+the marquis!
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As soon as he could do so without an actual breach of politeness, de Sigognac
+took his leave, and retiring to his own chamber locked himself in; then took an
+ancient sword out of the woollen case in which he kept it to preserve it from
+rust&mdash;his father&rsquo;s sword&mdash;which he had brought with him from
+home, as a faithful friend and ally. He drew it slowly out of the scabbard,
+kissing the hilt with fervent affection and respect as he did so, for to him it
+was sacred. It was a handsome weapon, richly, but not too profusely,
+ornamented&mdash;a sword for service, not for show; its blade of bluish steel,
+upon which a few delicate lines of gold were traced, bore the well-known mark
+of one of the most celebrated armourers of Toledo. The young baron examined the
+edge critically, drawing his fingers lightly over it, and then, resting the
+point against the door, bent it nearly double to test its elasticity. The noble
+blade stood the trial right valiantly, and there was no fear of its betraying
+its master in the hour of need. Delighted to have it in his hand again, and
+excited by the thought of what was in store for it and himself, de Sigognac
+began to fence vigorously against the wall, and to practise the various thrusts
+and passes that his faithful old Pierre, who was a famous swordsman, had taught
+him at Castle Misery. They had been in the habit of spending hours every day in
+these lessons, glad of some active occupation, and the exercise had developed
+the young baron&rsquo;s frame, strengthened his muscles, and greatly augmented
+his natural suppleness and agility. He was passionately fond of and had
+thoroughly studied the noble art of fencing, and, while he believed himself to
+be still only a scholar, had long been a master in it&mdash;a proficient, such
+as is rarely to be found, even in the great cities. A better instructor than
+old Pierre he could not have had&mdash;not in Paris itself&mdash;and buried
+though he had been in the depths of the country, entirely isolated, and
+deprived of all the usual advantages enjoyed by young men of his rank, he yet
+had become, though perfectly unconscious of it, a match for the most celebrated
+swordsmen in France&mdash;that is to say, in the world&mdash;able to measure
+blades with the best of them. He may not have had all the elegant finish, and
+the many little airs and graces affected by the young sprigs of nobility and
+polished men of fashion in their sword-play, but skilful indeed must be the
+blade that could penetrate within the narrow circle of flashing steel in which
+he intrenched himself. Finding, after a long combat with an imaginary foe, that
+his hand had not lost its cunning, and satisfied at length both with himself
+and with his sword, which he placed near his bedside, de Sigognac was soon
+sleeping soundly, and as quietly as if he had never even dreamed of sending a
+challenge to that lofty and puissant nobleman, the Duke of Vallombreuse.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Isabelle meanwhile could not close her eyes, because of her anxiety about the
+young baron. She knew that he would not allow the matter to rest where it was,
+and she dreaded inexpressibly the consequences of a quarrel with the duke; but
+the idea of endeavouring to prevent a duel never even occurred to her. In those
+days affairs of honour were regarded as sacred things, that women did not dream
+of interfering with, or rendering more trying to their near and dear ones by
+tears and lamentations, in anticipation of the danger to be incurred by them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At nine o&rsquo;clock the next morning, the Marquis de Bruyères was astir, and
+went to look up de Sigognac, whom he found in his own room, in order to
+regulate with him the conditions of the duel. The baron asked him to take with
+him, in case of incredulity, or refusal of his challenge, on the duke&rsquo;s
+part, the old deeds and ancient parchments, to which large seals were
+suspended, the commissions of various sorts with royal signatures in faded ink,
+the genealogical tree of the de Sigognacs, and in fact all his credentials,
+which he had brought away from the château with him as his most precious
+treasures; for they were indisputable witnesses to the nobility and antiquity
+of his house. These valuable documents, with their strange old Gothic
+characters, scarcely decipherable save by experts, were carefully wrapped up in
+a piece of faded crimson silk, which looked as if it might have been part of
+the very banner borne by Palamède de Sigognac at the head of his hundred
+followers in the first crusade.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I do not believe,&rdquo; said the marquis, &ldquo;that these credentials
+will be necessary; my word should be sufficient; it has never yet been doubted.
+However, as it is possible that this hot-headed young duke may persist in
+recognising only Captain Fracasse in your person, I will let my servant
+accompany me and carry them for me to his house, in case I should deem it best
+to produce them.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You must do whatever you think proper and right,&rdquo; de Sigognac
+answered; &ldquo;I have implicit confidence in your judgment, and leave my
+honour in your hands, without a condition or reservation.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;It will be safe with me, I do solemnly assure you,&rdquo; said the
+Marquis de Bruyères earnestly, &ldquo;and we will have satisfaction yet from
+this proud young nobleman, whose excessive insolence and outrageously imperious
+ways are more than a little offensive to me, as well as to many others. He is
+no better than the rest of us, whose blood is as ancient and noble as his own,
+nor does his ducal coronet entitle him to the superiority he arrogates to
+himself so disagreeably. But we won&rsquo;t talk any more about it&mdash;we
+must act now. Words are feminine, but actions are masculine, and offended
+honour can only be appeased with blood, as the old saying has it.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Whereupon the marquis called his servant, consigned the precious packet, with
+an admonition, to his care, and followed by him set off on his mission of
+defiance. The duke, who had passed a restless, wakeful night, and only fallen
+asleep towards morning, was not yet up when the Marquis de Bruyères, upon
+reaching his house, told the servant who admitted him to announce him
+immediately to his master. The valet was aghast at the enormity of this demand,
+which was expressed in rather a peremptory tone. What! disturb the duke! before
+he had called for him! it would be as much as his life was worth to do it; he
+would as soon venture unarmed into the cage of a furious lion, or the den of a
+royal tiger. The duke was always more or less surly and ill-tempered on first
+waking in the morning, even when he had gone to bed in a good humour, as his
+servants knew to their cost.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Your lordship had much better wait a little while, or call again later
+in the day,&rdquo; said the valet persuasively, in answer to the marquis.
+&ldquo;My lord, the duke, has not summoned me yet, and I would not
+dare&mdash;&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Go this instant to your master and announce the Marquis de
+Bruyères,&rdquo; interrupted that gentleman, in loud, angry tones, &ldquo;or I
+will force the door and admit myself to his presence. I <i>must</i> speak to
+him, and that at once, on important business, in which your master&rsquo;s
+honour is involved.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Ah! that makes a difference,&rdquo; said the servant, promptly,
+&ldquo;why didn&rsquo;t your lordship mention it in the first place? I will go
+and tell my lord, the duke, forthwith; he went to bed in such a furious,
+blood-thirsty mood last night that I am sure he will be enchanted at the
+prospect of a duel this morning&mdash;delighted to have a pretext for
+fighting.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And the man went off with a resolute air, after respectfully begging the
+marquis to be good enough to wait a few minutes. At the noise he made in
+opening the door of his master&rsquo;s bedroom, though he endeavoured to do it
+as softly as possible, Vallombreuse, who was only dozing, started up in bed,
+broad awake, and looked round fiercely for something to throw at his head.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;What the devil do you mean by this?&rdquo; he cried savagely.
+&ldquo;Haven&rsquo;t I ordered you never to come in here until I called for
+you? You shall have a hundred lashes for this, you scoundrel, I promise you;
+and you needn&rsquo;t whine and beg for mercy either, for you&rsquo;ll get none
+from me. I&rsquo;d like to know how I am to go to sleep again now?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;My lord may have his faithful servant lashed to death, if it so please
+his lordship,&rdquo; answered the valet, with abject respect, &ldquo;but though
+I have dared to transgress my lord&rsquo;s orders, it is not without a good
+reason. His lordship, the Marquis de Bruyères, is below, asking to speak with
+my lord, the duke, on important business, relating to an affair of honour, and
+I know that my lord never denies himself to any gentleman on such occasions,
+but always receives visits of that sort, at any time of day or night.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;The Marquis de Bruyères!&rdquo; said the duke, surprised, &ldquo;have I
+any quarrel with him? I don&rsquo;t recollect a difference between us ever; and
+besides, it&rsquo;s an age since I&rsquo;ve seen him. Perhaps he imagines that
+I want to steal his dear Zerbine&rsquo;s heart away from him; lovers are always
+fancying that everybody else is enamoured of their own particular favourites.
+Here, Picard, give me my dressing-gown, and draw those curtains round the bed,
+so as to hide its disorder; make haste about it, do you hear? we must not keep
+the worthy marquis waiting another minute.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Picard bustled about, and brought to his master a magnificent
+dressing-gown-made, after the Venetian fashion, of rich stuff, with arabesques
+of black velvet on a gold ground&mdash;which he slipped on, and tied round the
+waist with a superb cord and tassels; then, seating himself in an easychair,
+told Picard to admit his early visitor.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Good morning, my dear marquis,&rdquo; said the young duke smilingly,
+half rising to salute his guest as he entered. &ldquo;I am very glad to see
+you, whatever your errand may be. Picard, a chair for his lordship! Excuse me,
+I pray you, for receiving you so unceremoniously here in my bedroom, which is
+still in disorder, and do not look upon it as a lack of civility, but rather as
+a mark of my regard for you. Picard said that you wished to see me
+immediately.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I must beg you to pardon <i>me</i>, my dear duke,&rdquo; the marquis
+hastened to reply, &ldquo;for insisting so strenuously upon disturbing your
+repose, and cutting short perhaps some delicious dream; but I am charged to see
+you upon a mission, which, among gentlemen, will not brook delay.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You excite my curiosity to the highest degree,&rdquo; said Vallombreuse,
+&ldquo;and I cannot even imagine what this urgent business may be about.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I suppose it is not unlikely, my lord,&rdquo; rejoined the marquis,
+&ldquo;that you have forgotten certain occurrences that took place last
+evening. Such trifling matters are not apt to make a very deep impression, so
+with your permission I will recall them to your mind. In the so-called
+green-room, down at the tennis-court, you deigned to honour with your
+particular notice a young person, Isabelle by name, and with a playfulness that
+I, for my part, do not consider criminal, you endeavoured to place an
+<i>assassine</i> for her, just above her white bosom, complimenting her upon
+its fairness as you did so. This proceeding, which I do not criticise, greatly
+shocked and incensed a certain actor standing by, called Captain Fracasse, who
+rushed forward and seized your arm.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Marquis, you are the most faithful and conscientious of
+historiographers,&rdquo; interrupted Vallombreuse. &ldquo;That is all true,
+every word of it, and to finish the narrative I will add that I promised the
+rascal, who was as insolent as a noble, a sound thrashing at the hands of my
+lackeys; the most appropriate chastisement I could think of, for a low fellow
+of that sort.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;No one can blame you for that, my dear duke, for there is certainly no
+very great harm in having a play-actor&mdash;or writer either, for that
+matter&mdash;thoroughly thrashed, if he has had the presumption to
+offend,&rdquo; said the marquis, with a contemptuous shrug; &ldquo;such cattle
+are not worth the value of the sticks broken over their backs. But this is a
+different case altogether. Under the mask of Captain Fracasse&mdash;who, by the
+way, routed your ruffians in superb style&mdash;is the Baron de Sigognac; a
+nobleman of the old school, the head of one of the best families we have in
+Gascony; one that has been above reproach for many centuries.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;What the devil is he doing in this troupe of strolling players,
+pray?&rdquo; asked the Duke of Vallombreuse, with some heat, toying nervously
+with the cord and tassels of his dressing-gown as he spoke. &ldquo;Could I be
+expected to divine that there was a de Sigognac hidden under that grotesque
+costume, and behind that absurd false nose?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;As to your first question,&rdquo; the marquis replied, &ldquo;I can
+answer it in one word&mdash;Isabelle. Between ourselves, I believe that the
+young baron is desperately in love with her. Indeed, he makes no secret of that
+fact; and, not having been able to induce her to remain with him in his
+château, he has joined the troupe of which she is a member, in order to pursue
+his love affair. You certainly ought not to find this gallant proceeding in bad
+taste, since you also admire the fair object of his pursuit.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;No; I admit all that you say. But you, in your turn, must acknowledge
+that I could not be cognisant of this extraordinary romance by inspiration, and
+that the action of Captain Fracasse was impertinent.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Impertinent for an actor, I grant you,&rdquo; said the marquis,
+&ldquo;but perfectly natural, indeed inevitable, for a gentleman, resenting
+unauthorized attentions to his mistress, and angry at an affront offered to
+her. Now Captain Fracasse throws aside his mask, and as Baron de Sigognac sends
+you by me his challenge to fight a duel, and demands redress in that way for
+the insult you have offered him.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;But who is to guarantee me that this pretended Baron de Sigognac, who
+actually appears on the stage before the public with a company of low buffoons
+as one of themselves, is not a vulgar, intriguing rascal, usurping an
+honourable name, in the hope of obtaining the honour of crossing swords with
+the Duke of Vallombreuse?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Duke,&rdquo; said the Marquis de Bruyères, with much dignity, and some
+severity of tone, &ldquo;<i>I</i> would not serve as second to any man who was
+not of noble birth, and of honourable character. I know the Baron de Sigognac
+well. His château is only a few leagues from my estate. <i>I</i> will be his
+guarantee. Besides, if you still persist in entertaining any doubts with regard
+to his real rank, I have here with me all the proofs necessary to convince you
+of his right to the ancient and distinguished name of Sigognac. Will you permit
+me to call in my servant, who is waiting in the antechamber? He will give you
+all those documents, for which I am personally responsible.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;There is no need,&rdquo; Vallombreuse replied courteously; &ldquo;your
+word is sufficient. I accept his challenge. My friend, the Chevalier de
+Vidalinc, who is my guest at present, will be my second; will you be good
+enough to consult with him as to the necessary arrangements? I will agree to
+anything you may propose&mdash;fight him when and where you please, and with
+any weapons he likes best; though I will confess that I should like to see
+whether the Baron de Sigognac can defend himself against a gentleman&rsquo;s
+sword as successfully as Captain Fracasse did against my lackeys&rsquo;
+cudgels. The charming Isabelle shall crown the conqueror in this tournament, as
+the fair ladies crowned the victorious knights in the grand old days of
+chivalry. But now allow me to retire and finish my toilet. The Chevalier de
+Vidalinc will be with you directly. I kiss your hand, valiant marquis, as our
+Spanish neighbours say.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+With these courteous words the Duke of Vallombreuse bowed with studied
+deference and politeness to his noble guest, and lifting the heavy
+<i>portière</i> of tapestry that hung over the door opening into his
+dressing-room, passed through it and vanished. But a very few moments had
+elapsed when the Chevalier de Vidalinc joined the marquis, and they lost no
+time in coming to an understanding as to the conditions of the duel. As a
+matter of course, they selected swords&mdash;the gentleman&rsquo;s natural
+weapon&mdash;and the meeting was fixed for the following morning, early; as de
+Sigognac, with his wonted consideration for his humble comrades, did not wish
+to fight that same day, and run the risk of interfering with the programme
+Hérode had announced for the evening, in case of his being killed or wounded.
+The rendezvous was at a certain spot in a field outside the walls of the town,
+which was level, smooth, well sheltered from observation, and advantageous in
+every way&mdash;being the favourite place of resort for such hostile meetings
+among the duellists of Poitiers.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The Marquis de Bruyères returned straightway to the <i>Armes de France</i>, and
+rendered an account of the success of his mission to de Sigognac; who thanked
+him warmly for his services, and felt greatly relieved, now that he was assured
+of having the opportunity to resent, as a gentleman should do, the affront
+offered to his adored Isabelle.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The representation was to begin very early that evening, and all day the town
+crier went about through the streets, beating his drum lustily, and, whenever
+he had gathered a curious crowd around him, stopping and announcing the
+&ldquo;great attractions&mdash;offered for that evening by Hérode&rsquo;s
+celebrated troupe.&rdquo; Immense placards were posted upon the walls of the
+tennis-court and at the entrance of the <i>Armes de France</i>, also
+announcing, in huge, bright-coloured capitals, which reflected great credit on
+Scapin, who was the calligraphist of the troupe, the new play of
+&ldquo;Lygdamon et Lydias,&rdquo; and the Rodomontades of Captain Fracasse.
+Long before the hour designated an eager crowd had assembled in the street in
+front of the theatre, and when the doors were opened poured in, like a torrent
+that has burst its bounds, and threatened to sweep everything before them.
+Order was quickly restored, however, within, and &ldquo;the nobility and gentry
+of Poitiers&rdquo; soon began to arrive in rapid succession. Titled dames, in
+their sedan chairs, carried by liveried servants, alighted amid much bowing and
+flourishing of attendant gallants. Gentlemen from the environs came riding in,
+followed by mounted grooms who led away their masters&rsquo; horses or mules.
+Grand, clumsy old carriages, vast and roomy, with much tarnished gildings and
+many faded decorations about them, and with coats-of-arms emblazoned on their
+panels, rolled slowly up, and out of them, as out of Noah&rsquo;s ark, issued
+all sorts of odd-looking pairs, and curious specimens of provincial grandeur;
+most of them resplendent in the strange fashions of a bygone day, yet
+apparently well satisfied with the elegance of their appearance. The house was
+literally packed, until there was not room left for another human being, be he
+never so slender. On each side of the stage was a row of arm-chairs, intended
+for distinguished spectators, according to the custom of the times, and there
+sat the young Duke of Vallombreuse, looking exceedingly handsome, in a very
+becoming suit of black velvet, elaborately trimmed with jet, and with a great
+deal of exquisite lace about it. Beside him was his faithful friend, the
+Chevalier de Vidalinc, who wore a superb costume of dark green satin, richly
+ornamented with gold. As to the Marquis de Bruyères, he had not claimed his
+seat among the notables, but was snugly ensconced in his usual place&mdash;a
+retired corner near the orchestra&mdash;whence he could applaud his charming
+Zerbine to his heart&rsquo;s content, without making himself too conspicuous.
+In the boxes were the fine ladies, in full dress, settling themselves to their
+satisfaction with much rustling of silks, fluttering of fans, whispering and
+laughing. Although their finery was rather old-fashioned, the general effect
+was exceedingly brilliant, and the display of magnificent jewels&mdash;family
+heirlooms&mdash;was fairly dazzling. Such flashing of superb diamonds on white
+bosoms and in dark tresses; such strings of large, lustrous pearls round fair
+necks, and twined amid sunny curls; such rubies and sapphires, with their
+radiant surroundings of brilliants; such thick, heavy chains of virgin gold, of
+curious and beautiful workmanship; such priceless laces, yellow with age, of
+just that much-desired tint which is creamy at night; such superb old brocades,
+stiff and rich enough to stand alone; and best of all, such sweet, sparkling,
+young faces, as were to be seen here and there in this aristocratic circle. A
+few of the ladies, not wishing to be known had kept on their little black
+velvet masks, though they did not prevent their being recognised, spoken of by
+name, and commented on with great freedom by the plebeian crowd in the pit. One
+lady, however, who was very carefully masked, and attended only by a maid,
+baffled the curiosity of all observers. She sat a little back in her box, so
+that the full blaze of light should not fall upon her, and a large black lace
+veil, which was loosely fastened under her chin, covered her head so
+effectually that it was impossible to make out even the colour of her hair. Her
+dress was rich and elegant in the extreme, but sombre in hue, and in her hand
+she held a handsome fan made of black feathers, with a tiny looking-glass in
+the centre. A great many curious glances were directed at her, which manifestly
+made her uneasy, and she shrank still farther back in her box to avoid them;
+but the orchestra soon struck up a merry tune, and attracted all eyes and
+thoughts to the curtain, which was about to rise, so that the mysterious fair
+one was left to her enjoyment of the animated scene in peace. They began with
+&ldquo;Lygdamon et Lydias,&rdquo; in which Leander, who played the principal
+part, and wore a most becoming new costume, was quite overwhelmingly handsome.
+His appearance was greeted by a murmur of admiration and a great whispering
+among the ladies, while one unsophisticated young creature, just emancipated
+from her convent-school, exclaimed rapturously, aloud, &ldquo;Oh! how charming
+he is!&rdquo; for which shocking indiscretion she received a severe reprimand
+from her horrified mama, that made her retire into the darkest corner of the
+box, covered with blushes and confusion. Yet the poor girl had only innocently
+given expression to the secret thought of every woman in the audience, her own
+dignified mother included; for, really, Leander was delightfully, irresistibly
+handsome as Lygdamon&mdash;a perfect Apollo, in the eyes of those provincial
+dames. But by far the most agitated of them all was the masked beauty; whose
+heaving bosom, trembling hand&mdash;betrayed by the fan it held&mdash;and eager
+attitude&mdash;leaning breathlessly forward and intently watching
+Leander&rsquo;s every movement&mdash;would inevitably have borne witness to her
+great and absorbing interest in him, if anybody had been observing her to mark
+her emotion; but fortunately for her all eyes were turned upon the stage, so
+she had time to recover her composure. Leander was surpassing himself in his
+acting that night, yet even then he did not neglect to gaze searchingly round
+the circle of his fair admirers, trying to select the titled dames, and decide
+which one among them he should favour with his most languishing glances. As he
+scrutinized one after another, his eyes finally reached the masked lady, and at
+once his curiosity was on the <i>qui vive</i>&mdash;here was assuredly
+something promising at last; he was convinced that the richly dressed, graceful
+<i>incognita</i> was a victim to his own irresistible charms, and he directed a
+long, eloquent, passionate look full at her, to indicate that she was
+understood. To his delight&mdash;his rapturous, ecstatic delight&mdash;she
+answered his appealing glance by a very slight bend of the head, which was full
+of significance, as if she would thank him for his penetration. Being thus
+happily brought <i>en rapport</i>, frequent glances were exchanged throughout
+the play, and even little signals also, between the hero on the stage and the
+lady in her box.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Leander was an adept in that sort of thing, and could so modulate his voice and
+use his really fine eyes in making an impassioned declaration of love to the
+heroine of the play, that the fair object of his admiration in the audience
+would believe that it was addressed exclusively to herself. Inspired by this
+new flame, he acted with so much spirit and animation that he was rewarded with
+round after round of applause; which he had the art to make the masked lady
+understand he valued less than the faintest mark of approbation and favour from
+her.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+After &ldquo;Lygdamon et Lydias&rdquo; came the Rodomontades of Captain
+Fracasse, which met with its accustomed success. Isabelle was rendered very
+uneasy by the close proximity of the Duke of Vallombreuse, dreading some act of
+insolence on his part; but her fears were needless, for he studiously refrained
+from annoying her in any way&mdash;even by staring at her too fixedly. He was
+moderate in his applause, and quietly attentive, as he sat in a careless
+attitude in his arm-chair on the stage throughout the piece. His lip curled
+scornfully sometimes when Captain Fracasse was receiving the shower of blows
+and abuse that fell to his share, and his whole countenance was expressive of
+the most lofty disdain, but that was all; for though violent and impetuous by
+nature, the young duke was too much of a gentleman&mdash;once his first fury
+passed&mdash;to transgress the rules of courtesy in any way; and more
+especially towards an adversary with whom he was to fight on the
+morrow&mdash;until then hostilities were suspended, and he religiously observed
+the truce.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The masked lady quietly withdrew a little before the end of the second piece,
+in order to avoid mingling with the crowd, and also to be able to regain her
+chair, which awaited her close at hand, unobserved; her disappearance mightily
+disturbed Leander, who was furtively watching the movements of the mysterious
+unknown. The moment he was free, almost before the curtain had fallen, he threw
+a large cloak around him to conceal his theatrical costume, and rushed towards
+the outer door in pursuit of her. The slender thread that bound them together
+would be broken past mending he feared if he did not find her, and it would be
+too horrible to lose sight of this radiant creature&mdash;as he styled her to
+himself&mdash;before he had been able to profit by the pronounced marks of
+favour she had bestowed upon him so lavishly during the evening. But when he
+reached the street, all out of breath from his frantic efforts in dashing
+through the crowd, and bustling people right and left regardless of everything
+but the object he had in view, there was nothing to be seen of her; she had
+vanished, and left not a trace behind. Leander reproached himself bitterly with
+his own folly in not having endeavoured to exchange a few words with his lost
+divinity in the brief interval between the two plays, and called himself every
+hard name he could think of; as we are all apt to do in moments of vexation.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But while he still stood gazing disconsolately in the direction that she must
+have taken, a little page, dressed in a dark brown livery, and with his cap
+pulled down over his eyes, suddenly appeared beside him, and accosted him
+politely in a high childish treble, which he vainly strove to render more
+manly. &ldquo;Are you M. Leander? the one who played Lygdamon a while
+ago?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Yes, I am,&rdquo; answered Leander, amused at the pretentious airs of
+his small interlocutor, &ldquo;and pray what can I do for you, my little
+man?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Oh! nothing for me, thank you,&rdquo; said the page, with a significant
+smile, &ldquo;only I am charged to deliver a message to you&mdash;if you are
+disposed to hear it&mdash;from the lady of the mask.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;From the lady of the mask!&rdquo; cried Leander. &ldquo;Oh I tell me
+quickly what it is; I am dying to hear it.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Well, here it is, then, word for word,&rdquo; said the tiny page
+jauntily. &ldquo;If Lygdamon is as brave as he is gallant, he will go at
+midnight to the open square in front of the church, where he will find a
+carriage awaiting him; he will enter it without question, as without fear, and
+go whither it will take him.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Before the astonished Leander had time to answer, the page had disappeared in
+the crowd, leaving him in great perplexity, for if his heart beat high with joy
+at the idea of a romantic adventure, his shoulders still reminded him painfully
+of the beating he had received in a certain park at dead of night, and he
+remembered with a groan how he had been lured on to his own undoing. Was this
+another snare spread for him by some envious wretch who begrudged him his
+brilliant success that evening, and was jealous of the marked favour he had
+found in the eyes of the fair ladies of Poitiers? Should he encounter some
+furious husband at the rendezvous, sword in hand, ready to fall upon him and
+run him through the body? These thoughts chilled his ardour, and had nearly
+caused him to disregard entirely the page&rsquo;s mysterious message. Yet, if
+he did not profit by this tempting opportunity, which looked so promising, he
+might make a terrible mistake; and, if he failed to go, would not the lady of
+the mask suspect him of cowardice, and be justified in so doing? This thought
+was insupportable to the gallant Leander, and he decided to venture, though low
+be it spoken&mdash;in fear and trembling. He hastened back to the hotel,
+scarcely touched the substantial supper provided for the comedians&mdash;his
+appetite lost in his intense excitement&mdash;and retiring to his own chamber
+made an elaborate toilet; curling and perfuming his hair and mustache, and
+sparing no pains to make himself acceptable to the lovely lady of the mask. He
+armed himself with a dagger and a sword, though he did not know how to use
+either; but he thought that the mere sight of them might inspire awe.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When he was all ready at last, he drew his broad felt hat well down over his
+eyes, threw the corner of his cloak over his shoulder, in Spanish fashion, so
+as to conceal the lower part of his face, and crept stealthily out of the
+hotel&mdash;for once being lucky enough to escape the observation of his wily
+tormentor, Scapin, who was at that moment snoring his loudest in his own room
+at the other end of the house.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The streets had long been empty and deserted, for the good people of the
+ancient and respectable town of Poitiers go early to bed. Leander did not meet
+a living creature, excepting a few forlorn, homeless cats, prowling about and
+bewailing themselves in a melancholy way, that fled before him, and vanished
+round dark corners or in shadowy doorways. Our gallant reached the open square
+designated by the little page just as the last stroke of twelve was vibrating
+in the still night air. It gave him a shudder; a superstitious sensation of
+horror took possession of him, and he felt as if he had heard the tolling of
+his own funeral bell. For an instant he was on the point of rushing back, and
+seeking quiet, safe repose in his comfortable bed at the <i>Armes de
+France</i>, but was arrested by the sight of the carriage standing there
+waiting for him, with the tiny page himself in attendance, perched on the step
+and holding the door open for him. So he was obliged to go on&mdash;for few
+people in this strange world of ours have the courage to be cowardly before
+witnesses&mdash;and instinctively acting a part, he advanced with a deliberate
+and dignified bearing, that gave no evidence of the inward fear and agitation
+that had set his heart beating as if it would burst out of his breast, and sent
+strong shivers over him from his head to his feet. Scarcely had he taken his
+seat in the carriage when the coachman touched his horses with the whip, and
+they were off at a good round pace; while he was in utter darkness, and did not
+even know which way they went, as the leathern curtains were carefully drawn
+down, so that nothing could be seen from within, or without. The small page
+remained at his post on the carriage step, but spoke never a word, and Leander
+could not with decency question him, much as he would have liked to do so. He
+knew that his surroundings were luxurious, for his exploring fingers told him
+that the soft, yielding cushions, upon which he was resting, were covered with
+velvet, and his feet sank into a thick, rich rug, while the vague, delicious
+perfume, that seemed to surround and caress him, soothed his ruffled feelings,
+and filled his mind with rapturous visions of bliss. He tried in vain to divine
+who it could be that had sent to fetch him in this delightfully mysterious way,
+and became more curious than ever, and also rather uneasy again, when he felt
+that the carriage had quitted the paved streets of the town, and was rolling
+smoothly and rapidly along over a country road. At last it stopped, the little
+page jumped down and flung the door wide open, and Leander, alighting, found
+himself confronted by a high, dark wall, which seemed to inclose a park, or
+garden; but he did not perceive a wooden door close at hand until his small
+companion, pushing back a rusty bolt, proceeded to open it, with considerable
+difficulty, and admitted him into what was apparently a thick wood.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Take hold of my hand,&rdquo; said the page patronizingly to Leander,
+&ldquo;so that I can guide you; it is too dark for you to be able to make out
+the path through this labyrinth of trees.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Leander obeyed, and both walked cautiously forward, feeling their way as they
+wound in and out among the trees, and treading the crackling, dry leaves,
+strewn thickly upon the ground, under their feet. Emerging from the wood at
+last, they came upon a garden, laid out in the usual style, with rows of box
+bordering the angular flower beds, and with yew trees, cut into pyramids, at
+regular intervals; which, just perceptible in the darkness, looked like
+sentinels posted on their way&mdash;a shocking sight for the poor timid actor,
+who trembled in every limb. They passed them all, however, unchallenged, and
+ascended some stone steps leading up to a terrace, on which stood a small
+country house&mdash;a sort of pavilion, with a dome, and little turrets at the
+corners. The place seemed quite deserted, save for a subdued glimmer of light
+from one large window, which the thick crimson silk curtains within could not
+entirely conceal. At this reassuring sight Leander dismissed all fear from his
+mind, and gave himself up to the most blissful anticipations. He was in a
+seventh heaven of delight; his feet seemed to spurn the earth; he would have
+flown into the presence of the waiting angel within if he had but known the
+way. How he wished, in this moment of glory and triumph, that Scapin, his
+mortal enemy and merciless tormentor, could see him. The tiny page stepped on
+before him, and after opening a large glass door and showing him into a
+spacious apartment, furnished with great luxury and elegance, retired and left
+him alone, without a word. The vaulted ceiling&mdash;which was the interior of
+the dome seen from without&mdash;was painted to represent a light blue sky, in
+which small rosy clouds were floating, and bewitching little Loves flying about
+in all sorts of graceful attitudes, while the walls were hung with beautiful
+tapestry. The cabinets, inlaid with exquisite Florentine mosaics and filled
+with many rare and curious objects of virtu, the round table covered with a
+superb Turkish cloth, the large, luxurious easy-chairs, the vases of priceless
+porcelain filled with fragrant flowers, all testified to the wealth and
+fastidious taste of their owner. The richly gilded candelabra, of many
+branches, holding clusters of wax candles, which shed their soft, mellow light
+on all this magnificence, were upheld by sculptured arms and hands in black
+marble, to represent a negro&rsquo;s, issuing from fantastic white marble
+sleeves; as if the sable attendants were standing without the room, and had
+passed their arms through apertures in the wall.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Leander, dazzled by so much splendour, did not at first perceive that there was
+no one awaiting him in this beautiful apartment, but when he had recovered from
+his first feeling of astonishment, and realized that he was alone, he proceeded
+to take off his cloak and lay it, with his hat and sword, on a chair in one
+corner, after which he deliberately rearranged his luxuriant ringlets in front
+of a Venetian mirror, and then, assuming his most graceful and telling pose,
+began pouring forth in dulcet tones the following monologue: &ldquo;But where,
+oh! where, is the divinity of this Paradise? Here is the temple indeed, but I
+see not the goddess. When, oh! when, will she deign to emerge from the cloud
+that veils her perfect form, and reveal herself to the adoring eyes, that wait
+so impatiently to behold her?&rdquo; rolling the said organs of vision about in
+the most effective manner by way of illustration.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Just at that moment, as if in response to this eloquent appeal, the crimson
+silk hanging, which fell in front of a door that Leander had not noticed, was
+pushed aside, and the lady he had come to seek stood before him; with the
+little black velvet mask still over her face, to the great disappointment and
+discomfiture of her expectant suitor. &ldquo;Can it be possible that she is
+ugly?&rdquo; he thought to himself; &ldquo;this obstinate clinging to the mask
+alarms me.&rdquo; But his uncertainty was of short duration, for the lady,
+advancing to the centre of the room, where Leander stood respectfully awaiting
+her pleasure, untied the strings of the mask, took it off, and threw it down on
+the table, disclosing a rather pretty face, with tolerably regular features,
+large, brilliant, brown eyes, and smiling red lips. Her rich masses of dark
+hair were elaborately dressed, with one long curl hanging down upon her neck,
+and enhancing its whiteness by contrast; the uncovered shoulders were plump and
+shapely, and the full, snowy bosom rose and fell tumultuously under the cloud
+of beautifully fine lace that veiled, not concealed, its voluptuous curves.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Mme. la Marquise de Bruyères!&rdquo; cried Leander, astonished to the
+highest degree, and not a little agitated, as the remembrance of his last, and
+first, attempt to meet her, and what he had found in her place, rushed back
+upon him; &ldquo;can it be possible? am I dreaming? or may I dare to believe in
+such unhoped-for, transcendent happiness?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Yes; you are not mistaken, my dear friend,&rdquo; said she, &ldquo;I am
+indeed the Marquise de Bruyères, and recognised, I trust, by your heart as well
+as your eyes.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Ah! but too well,&rdquo; Leander replied, in thrilling tones.
+&ldquo;Your adored image is cherished there, traced in living lines of light; I
+have only to look into that devoted, faithful heart, to see and worship your
+beauteous form, endowed with every earthly grace, and radiant with every
+heavenly perfection.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I thank you,&rdquo; said the <i>marquise</i>, &ldquo;for having retained
+such a kind and tender remembrance of me; it proves that yours is a noble,
+magnanimous soul. You had every reason to think me cruel, ungrateful,
+false&mdash;when, alas! my poor heart in reality is but too susceptible, and I
+was far from being insensible to the passionate admiration you so gracefully
+testified for me. Your letter addressed to me did not reach my hands, but
+unfortunately fell into those of the marquis&mdash;through the heartless
+treachery of the faithless maid to whom it was intrusted&mdash;and he sent you
+the answer which so cruelly deceived you, my poor Leander! Some time after he
+showed me that letter, laughing heartily over what he was wicked enough to call
+a capital joke; that letter, in every line of which the purest, most
+impassioned love shone so brightly, and filled my heart with joy, despite his
+ridicule and coarse abuse. It did not produce the effect upon me that he
+expected and intended; the sentiment I cherished secretly for you was only
+increased and strengthened by its persuasive eloquence, and I resolved to
+reward you for all that you had suffered for my sake. Knowing my husband to be
+perfectly absorbed in his most recent conquest, and so oblivious of me that
+there was no danger of his becoming aware of my absence from the Château de
+Bruyères, I have ventured to come to Poitiers; for I have heard you express
+fictitious love so admirably, that I long to know whether you can be as
+eloquent and convincing when you speak for yourself.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Mme. la Marquise,&rdquo; said Leander, in his sweetest tones, sinking
+gracefully on his knees, upon a cushion at the feet of the lady, who had let
+herself fall languidly into a low easy-chair, as if exhausted by the extreme
+effort that her confession had been to her modesty. &ldquo;Madame, or rather
+most lovely queen and deity, what can mere empty words, counterfeit passion,
+imaginary raptures, conceived and written in cold blood by the poets, and
+make-believe sighs, breathed out at the feet of an odious actress, all powdered
+and painted, whose eyes are wandering absently around the theatre&mdash;what
+can these be beside the living words that gush out from the soul, the fire that
+burns in the veins and arteries, the hyperboles of an exalted passion, to which
+the whole universe cannot furnish images brilliant and lofty enough to apply to
+its idol, and the aspirations of a wildly loving heart, that would fain break
+forth from the breast that contains it, to serve as a footstool for the dear
+object of its adoration? You deign to say, celestial <i>marquise</i>, that I
+express with some feeling the fictitious love in the pieces I play. Shall I
+tell you why it is so? Because I never look at, or even think of, the actress
+whom I seem to address&mdash;my thoughts soar far above and beyond
+her&mdash;and I speak to my own perfect ideal; to a being, noble, beautiful,
+<i>spirituelle</i> as yourself, Mme. la Marquise! It is you, in fine,
+<i>you</i> that I see and love under the name of Silvie, Doralice, Isabelle, or
+whatever it may chance to be; they are only your phantoms for me.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+With these words Leander, who was too good an actor to neglect the pantomime
+that should accompany such a declaration, bent down over the hand that the
+<i>marquise</i> had allowed him to take, and covered it with burning kisses;
+which delicate attention was amiably received, and his real love-making seemed
+to be as pleasing to her ladyship as even he could have desired.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The eastern sky was all aflame with the radiance of the coming sun when
+Leander, well wrapped in his warm cloak, was driven back to Poitiers. As he
+lifted a corner of one of the carefully lowered curtains, to see which side of
+the town they were approaching, he caught sight of the Marquis de Bruyères and
+the Baron de Sigognac, still at some distance, who were walking briskly along
+the road towards him, on their way to the spot designated for the duel.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Leander let the curtain drop, so as not to be seen by the marquis, who was
+almost grazed by the carriage wheels as they rolled by him, and a satisfied
+smile played round his lips; he was revenged&mdash;the beating was atoned for
+now.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The place selected for the hostile meeting between the Baron de Sigognac and
+the Duke of Vallombreuse was sheltered from the cold north wind by a high wall,
+which also screened the combatants from the observation of those passing along
+the road. The ground was firm, well trodden down, without stones, tufts of
+grass, or inequalities of any kind, which might be in the way of the swordsmen,
+and offered every facility to men of honour to murder each other after the most
+correct and approved fashion. The Duke of Vallombreuse and the Chevalier de
+Vidalinc, followed by a surgeon, arrived at the rendezvous only a few seconds
+after the others, and the four gentlemen saluted each other with the haughty
+courtesy and frigid politeness becoming to well-bred men meeting for such a
+purpose. The duke&rsquo;s countenance was expressive of the most careless
+indifference, as he felt perfect confidence in his own courage and skill. The
+baron was equally cool and collected, though it was his first duel, and a
+little nervousness or agitation would have been natural and excusable. The
+Marquis de Bruyères watched him with great satisfaction, auguring good things
+for their side from his quiet <i>sang-froid</i>. Vallombreuse immediately threw
+off his cloak and hat, and unfastened his <i>pourpoint</i>, in which he was
+closely imitated by de Sigognac. The marquis and the chevalier measured the
+swords of the combatants, which were found to be of equal length, and then each
+second placed his principal in position, and put his sword in his hand.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Fall to, gentlemen, and fight like men of spirit, as you are,&rdquo;
+said the marquis.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;A needless recommendation that,&rdquo; chimed in the Chevalier de
+Vidalinc; &ldquo;they go at it like lions&mdash;-we shall have a superb
+duel.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The Duke of Vallombreuse, who, in his inmost heart, could not help despising de
+Sigognac more than a little, and had imagined that he should find in him but a
+weak antagonist, was astonished when he discovered the strength of the
+baron&rsquo;s sword, and could not deny to himself that he wielded a firm and
+supple blade, which baffled his own with the greatest ease&mdash;that he was,
+in fine, a &ldquo;foeman worthy of his steel.&rdquo; He became more careful and
+attentive; then tried several feints, which were instantly detected. At the
+least opening he left, the point of de Sigognac&rsquo;s sword, rapid as
+lightning in its play, darted in upon him, necessitating the exercise of all
+his boasted skill to parry it. He ventured an attack, which was so promptly
+met, and his weapon so cleverly struck aside, that he was left exposed to his
+adversary&rsquo;s thrust, and but for throwing himself back out of reach, by a
+sudden, violent movement, he must have received it full in his breast. From
+that instant all was changed for the young duke; he had believed that he would
+be able to direct the combat according to his own will and pleasure, but,
+instead of that, he was forced to make use of all his skill and address to
+defend himself. He had believed that after a few passes he could wound de
+Sigognac, wherever he chose, by a thrust which, up to that time, he had always
+found successful; but, instead of that, he had hard work to avoid being wounded
+himself. Despite his efforts to remain calm and cool, he was rapidly growing
+angry; he felt himself becoming nervous and feverish, while the baron,
+perfectly at his ease and unmoved, seemed to take a certain pleasure in
+irritating him by the irreproachable excellence of his fence.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Sha&rsquo;n&rsquo;t we do something in this way too, while our friends
+are occupied?&rdquo; said the chevalier to the marquis.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;It is very cold this morning. Suppose we fight a little also, if only to
+warm ourselves up, and set our blood in motion.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;With all my heart,&rdquo; the marquis replied; &ldquo;we could not do
+better.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The chevalier was superior to the Marquis de Bruyères in the noble art of
+fencing, and after a few passes had sent the latter&rsquo;s sword flying out of
+his hand. As no enmity existed between them, they stopped there by mutual
+consent, and turned their attention again to de Sigognac and Vallombreuse. The
+duke, sore pressed by the close play of the baron, had fallen back several feet
+from his original position. He was becoming weary, and beginning to draw
+panting breaths. From time to time, as their swords clashed violently together,
+bluish sparks flew from them; but the defence was growing perceptibly weaker,
+and de Sigognac was steadily forcing the duke to give way before his attack.
+When he saw the state of affairs, the Chevalier de Vidalinc turned very pale,
+and began to feel really anxious for his friend, who was so evidently getting
+the worst of it.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Why the devil doesn&rsquo;t he try that wonderful thrust he learned from
+Girolamo of Naples?&rdquo; murmured he. &ldquo;This confounded Gascon cannot
+possibly know anything about that.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As if inspired by the same thought, the young duke did, at that very moment,
+try to put it into execution; but de Sigognac, aware of what he was preparing
+to do, not only prevented but anticipated him, and touched and wounded his
+adversary in the arm&mdash;his sword going clean through it.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The pain was so intense that the duke&rsquo;s fingers could no longer grasp his
+sword, and it fell to the ground. The baron, with the utmost courtesy,
+instantly desisted, although he was entitled by the rules of the code to follow
+up his blow with another&mdash;for the duel does not necessarily come to an end
+with the first blood drawn. He turned the point of his sword to the ground, put
+his left hand on his hip, and stood silently awaiting his antagonist&rsquo;s
+pleasure. But Vallombreuse could not hold the sword which his second had picked
+up and presented to him, after a nod of acquiescence from de Sigognac; and he
+turned away to signify that he had had enough. Whereupon, the marquis and the
+baron, after bowing politely to the others, set forth quietly to walk back to
+the town.
+</p>
+
+</div><!--end chapter-->
+
+<div class="chapter">
+
+<h2><a name="chap10"></a>CHAPTER X.<br/>
+A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE</h2>
+
+<p>
+After the surgeon had bandaged his injured arm, and arranged a sling for it,
+the Duke of Vallombreuse was put carefully into a chair, which had been sent
+for in all haste, to be taken home. His wound was not in the least a dangerous
+one, though it would deprive him of the use of his right hand for some time to
+come, for the blade had gone quite through the forearm; but, most fortunately,
+without severing any important tendons or arteries. He suffered a great deal of
+pain from it of course, but still more from his wounded pride; and he felt
+furiously and unreasonably angry with everything and everybody about him. It
+seemed to be somewhat of a relief to him to swear savagely at his bearers, and
+call them all the hardest names he could think of, whenever he felt the
+slightest jar, as they carried him slowly towards home, though they were
+walking as steadily as men could do, and carefully avoiding every inequality in
+the road. When at last he reached his own house, he was not willing to be put
+to bed, as the surgeon advised, but lay down upon a lounge instead, where he
+was made as comfortable as was possible by his faithful Picard, who was in
+despair at seeing the young duke in such a condition; astonished as well, for
+nothing of the kind had ever happened before, in all the many duels he had
+fought; and the admiring valet had shared his master&rsquo;s belief that he was
+invincible. The Chevalier de Vidalinc sat in a low chair beside his friend, and
+gave him from time to time a spoonful of the tonic prescribed by the surgeon,
+but refrained from breaking the silence into which he had fallen. Vallombreuse
+lay perfectly still for a while; but it was easy to see, in spite of his
+affected calmness, that his blood was boiling with suppressed rage. At last he
+could restrain himself no longer, and burst out violently: &ldquo;Oh! Vidalinc,
+this is too outrageously aggravating! to think that that contemptible, lean
+stork, who has flown forth from his ruined château so as not to die of
+starvation in it, should have dared to stick his long bill into me! I have
+encountered, and conquered, the best swordsmen in France, and never returned
+from the field before with so much as a scratch, or without leaving my
+adversary stretched lifeless on the ground, or wounded and bleeding in the arms
+of his friends.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;But you must remember that the most favoured and the bravest of mortals
+have their unlucky days, Vallombreuse,&rdquo; answered the chevalier
+sententiously, &ldquo;and Dame Fortune does not <i>always</i> smile, even upon
+her prime favourites. Until now you have never had to complain of her frowns,
+for you have been her pampered darling all your life long.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Isn&rsquo;t it too disgraceful,&rdquo; continued Vallombreuse, growing
+more and more heated, &ldquo;that this ridiculous buffoon&mdash;this grotesque
+country clown&mdash;who takes such abominable drubbings on the stage, and has
+never in his life known what it was to associate with gentlemen, should have
+managed to get the best of the Duke of Vallombreuse, hitherto by common accord
+pronounced invincible? He must be a professional prize-fighter, disguised as a
+strolling mountebank.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;There can be no doubt about his real rank,&rdquo; said Vidalinc,
+&ldquo;for the Marquis de Bruyères guarantees it; but I must confess that his
+unequalled performance to-day filled me with astonishment; it was simply
+marvellous. Neither Girolamo nor Paraguante, those two world-renowned
+swordsmen, could have surpassed it. I watched him closely, and I tell you that
+even they could not have withstood him. It took all your remarkable
+skill&mdash;which has been so greatly enhanced by the Neapolitan&rsquo;s
+instructions&mdash;to avoid being mortally wounded; why your defeat was a
+victory in my eyes, in that it was not a more overwhelming one.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know how I am to wait for this wound to heal,&rdquo; the
+duke said, after a short pause, &ldquo;I am so impatient to provoke him again,
+and have the opportunity to revenge myself.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;That would be a very hazardous proceeding, and one that I should
+strongly advise you not to attempt,&rdquo; Vidalinc replied in an earnest tone.
+&ldquo;Your sword-arm will scarcely be as strong as before for a long time I
+fear, and that would seriously diminish your chances of success. This Baron de
+Sigognac is a very formidable antagonist, and will be still more so, for you,
+now that he knows your tactics; and besides, the confidence in himself which
+his first victory naturally gives him would be another thing in his favour.
+Honour is satisfied, and the encounter was a serious one for you. Let the
+matter rest here, I beseech you!&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Vallombreuse could not help being secretly convinced of the justice of these
+remarks, but was not willing to avow it openly, even to his most intimate
+friend. He was a sufficiently accomplished swordsman himself to appreciate de
+Sigognac&rsquo;s wonderful prowess, and he knew that it far surpassed his own
+much vaunted skill, though it enraged him to have to recognise this humiliating
+fact. He was even obliged to acknowledge, in his inmost heart, that he owed his
+life to the generous forbearance of his hated enemy; who might have taken it
+just as well as not, but had spared him, and been content with giving him only
+a flesh wound, just severe enough to put him hors-de-combat, without doing him
+any serious injury. This magnanimous conduct, by which a less haughty nature
+would have been deeply touched, only served to irritate the young duke&rsquo;s
+pride, and increase his resentment. To think that he, the valiant and puissant
+Duke of Vallombreuse, had been conquered, humiliated, wounded! the bare idea
+made him frantic. Although he said nothing further to his companion about his
+revenge, his mind was filled with fierce projects whereby to obtain it, and he
+swore to himself to be even yet with the author of his present
+mortification&mdash;if not in one way, then in another; for injuries there be
+that are far worse than mere physical wounds and hurts.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I shall cut a sorry figure enough now in the eyes of the fair
+Isabelle,&rdquo; said he at last, with a forced laugh, &ldquo;with my arm here
+run through and rendered useless by the sword of her devoted gallant. Cupid,
+weak and disabled, never did find much favour with the Graces, you know. But
+oh! how charming and adorable she seems to me, this sweet, disdainful Isabelle!
+I am actually almost grateful to her for resisting me so; for, if she had
+yielded, I should have been tired of her by this time, I fancy. Her nature
+certainly cannot be a base, ordinary one, or she would never have refused thus
+the advances of a wealthy and powerful nobleman, who is ready to lavish upon
+her everything that heart could desire, and whose own personal attractions are
+not to be despised; if the universal verdict of the fair sex of all ranks can
+be relied upon. There is a certain respect and esteem mingled with my
+passionate admiration for her, that I have never felt before for any woman, and
+it is very sweet to me. But how in the world are we to get rid of this
+confounded young sprig of nobility, her self-constituted champion? May the
+devil fly away with him!&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;It will not be an easy matter,&rdquo; the chevalier replied, and
+especially now that he is upon his guard. &ldquo;But even if you did succeed in
+getting rid of him, Isabelle&rsquo;s love for him would still be in your way,
+and you ought to know, better than most men, how obstinate a woman can be in
+her devoted attachment to a man.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Oh! if I could only kill this miserable baron,&rdquo; continued
+Vallombreuse, not at all impressed by the chevalier&rsquo;s last remark,
+&ldquo;I could soon win the favour of this virtuous young person, in spite of
+all her little prudish airs and graces. Nothing is so quickly forgotten as a
+defunct suitor.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+These were by no means the chevalier&rsquo;s sentiments, but he refrained from
+pursuing the subject then, wishing to soothe, rather than irritate, his
+suffering friend.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You must first get well as fast as you can,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;and
+it will be time enough then for us to discuss the matter. All this talking
+wearies you, and does you no good. Try to get a little nap now, and not excite
+yourself so. The surgeon will tax me with imprudence, and call me a bad nurse,
+I&rsquo;m afraid, if I don&rsquo;t manage to keep you more quiet&mdash;mentally
+as well as physically.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+His patient, yielding with rather an ill grace to this sensible advice, sank
+back wearily upon his pillows, closed his eyes, and soon fell
+asleep&mdash;where we will leave him, enjoying his much needed repose.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Meantime the Marquis de Bruyères and de Sigognac had quietly returned to their
+hotel, where, like well-bred gentlemen, they did not breathe even a hint of
+what had taken place. But walls have ears they say, and eyes as well it would
+appear, for they certainly see as much as they ever hear. In the neighbourhood
+of the apparently solitary, deserted spot where the duel had taken place, more
+than one inquisitive, hidden observer had closely watched the progress of the
+combat, and had not lost a moment after it was over in spreading the news of
+it; so that by breakfast-time all Poitiers was in a flutter of excitement over
+the intelligence that the Duke of Vallombreuse had been wounded in a duel with
+an unknown adversary, and was exhausting itself in vain conjectures as to who
+the valiant stranger could possibly be. No one thought of de Sigognac, who had
+led the most retired life imaginable ever since his arrival; remaining quietly
+at the hotel all day, and showing only his stage mask, not his own face, at the
+theatre in the evening.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Several gentlemen of his acquaintance sent to inquire ceremoniously after the
+Duke of Vallombreuse, giving their messengers instructions to endeavour to get
+some information from his servants about the mysterious duel, but they were as
+taciturn as the mutes of a seraglio, for the very excellent and sufficient
+reason that they knew nothing what ever about it. The young duke, by his great
+wealth, his overweening pride, his uncommon good looks, and his triumphant
+success among fair ladies everywhere, habitually excited much secret jealousy
+and hatred among his associates, which not one of them dared to manifest
+openly&mdash;but they were mightily pleased by his present discomfiture.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was the first check he had ever experienced, and all those who had been hurt
+or offended by his arrogance&mdash;and they were legion&mdash;now rejoiced in
+his mortification. They could not say enough in praise of his successful
+antagonist, though they had never seen him, nor had any idea as to what manner
+of man he might be. The ladies, who nearly all had some cause of complaint
+against the haughty young noble man, as he was wont to boast loudly of his
+triumphs, and basely betray the favours that had been accorded to him in
+secret, were full of enthusiastic and tender admiration for this victorious
+champion of a woman&rsquo;s virtue, who, they felt, had unconsciously avenged
+for them many scornful slights, and they would have gladly crowned him with
+laurel and myrtle, and rewarded him with their sweetest smiles and most
+distinguished favour.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+However, as nothing on this terraqueous and sublunary globe can long remain a
+secret, it soon transpired through Maître Bilot, who had it direct from
+Jacques, the valet of the Marquis de Bruyères, who had been present during the
+momentous interview between his master and the Baron de Sigognac, that the
+duke&rsquo;s brave antagonist was no other than the redoubtable Captain
+Fracasse; or rather, a young nobleman in disguise, who for the sake of a love
+affair had become a member of Hérode&rsquo;s troupe of travelling comedians. As
+to his real name, Jacques had unfortunately forgotten it, further than that it
+ended in &ldquo;<i>gnac</i>,&rdquo; as is not uncommon in Gascony, but on the
+point of his rank he was positive. This delightfully romantic and
+&ldquo;ower-true tale&rdquo; was received with acclamations by the good folk of
+Poitiers. They were fairly overflowing with admiration for and interest in the
+valiant gentleman who wielded such a powerful blade, and the devoted lover who
+had left everything to follow his mistress, and when Captain Fracasse appeared
+upon the stage that evening, the prolonged and enthusiastic applause that
+greeted him, and was renewed over and over again before he was allowed to speak
+a single word, bore witness unmistakably to the favour with which he was
+regarded; while the ladies rose in their boxes and waved their handkerchiefs,
+even the grandest and most dignified among them, and brought the palms of their
+gloved hands daintily together in his honour. It was a real ovation, and best
+of all a spontaneous one. Isabelle also received a perfect storm of applause,
+which alarmed and had nearly overcome the retiring young actress, who blushed
+crimson in her embarrassment, as she made a modest curtsey in acknowledgment of
+the compliment.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Hérode was overjoyed, and his face shone like the full moon as he rubbed his
+hands together and grinned broadly in his exuberant delight; for the receipts
+were immense, and the cash-box was full to bursting. Everybody had rushed to
+the theatre to see and applaud the now famous Captain Fracasse&mdash;the
+capital actor and high-spirited gentleman&mdash;who feared neither cudgels nor
+swords; and had not shrunk from encountering the dreaded Duke of Vallombreuse,
+the terror of all the country round, in mortal combat, as the champion of
+offended beauty. Blazius, however, did not share the tyrant&rsquo;s raptures,
+but on the contrary foreboded no good from all this, for he feared, and not
+without reason, the vindictive character of the Duke of Vallombreuse, and was
+apprehensive that he would find some means of revenging himself for his defeat
+at de Sigognac&rsquo;s hands that would be detrimental to the troupe.
+&ldquo;Earthen vessels,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;should be very careful how they
+get in the way of metal ones, lest, if they rashly encounter them, they be
+ignominiously smashed in the shock.&rdquo; But Hérode, relying upon the support
+and countenance of the Baron de Sigognac and the Marquis de Bruyères, laughed
+at his fears, and called him faint-heart, a coward, and a croaker.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When the comedians returned to their hotel, after the play was over, de
+Sigognac accompanied Isabelle to the door of her room, and, contrary to her
+usual custom, the young actress invited him to enter it with her. When they
+found themselves quite alone, and safe from all curious eyes, Isabelle turned
+to de Sigognac, took his hand in both of hers, and pressing it warmly said to
+him in a voice trembling with emotion,
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Promise me never to run such a fearful risk for my sake again, de
+Sigognac; promise me! Swear it, if you really do love me as you say.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;That is a thing I cannot do,&rdquo; the baron replied, &ldquo;even to
+please you, sweet Isabelle! If ever any insolent fellow dares to show a want of
+proper respect for you, I shall surely chastise him for it, as I ought, be he
+what he may&mdash;duke, or even prince.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;But remember, de Sigognac, that I am nothing but an actress, inevitably
+exposed to affronts from the men that haunt the <i>coulisses</i>. It is the
+generally received opinion, which alas! is but too well justified by the usual
+ways of the members of my profession, that an actress is no better than she
+should be; in fine, not a proper character nor worthy of respect. From the
+moment that a woman steps upon the stage she becomes public property, and even
+if she be really pure and virtuous it is universally believed that she only
+affects it for a purpose. These things are hard and bitter, but they must be
+borne, since it is impossible to change them. In future trust to me, I pray
+you, to repel those who would force their unwelcome attentions upon me in the
+green-room, or endeavour to make their way into my dressing-room. A sharp rap
+over the knuckles with a corset board from me will be quite as efficacious as
+for you to draw your sword in my behalf.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;But I am not convinced,&rdquo; said de Sigognac, with a smile; &ldquo;I
+must still believe, sweet Isabelle, that the sword of a chivalrous ally would
+be your best weapon of defence, and I beg you not to deprive me of the precious
+privilege of being your devoted knight and champion.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Isabelle was still holding de Sigognac&rsquo;s hand, and she now raised her
+lovely eyes, full of mute supplication, to meet his adoring gaze, hoping yet to
+draw from him, the much desired promise. But the baron was incorrigible; where
+honour was concerned he was as firm and unyielding as a Spanish hidalgo, and he
+would have braved a thousand deaths rather than have allowed an affront to the
+lady of his love to pass unpunished; he wished that the same deference and
+respect should be accorded to Isabelle upon the stage, as to a duchess in her
+drawing-room.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Come, de Sigognac, be reasonable,&rdquo; pleaded the young actress,
+&ldquo;and promise me not to expose yourself to such danger again for so
+frivolous a cause. Oh! what anxiety and anguish I endured as I awaited your
+return this morning. I knew that you had gone out to fight with that dreadful
+duke, who is held in such universal terror here; Zerbine told me all about it.
+Cruel that you are to torture my poor heart so! That is always the way with
+men; they never stop to think of what we poor, loving women must suffer when
+their pride is once aroused! off they go, as fierce as lions, deaf to our sobs
+and blind to our tears. Do you know, that if you had been killed I should have
+died too?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The tears that filled Isabelle&rsquo;s eyes, and the excessive trembling of her
+voice, showed that she was in earnest, and that she had not even yet recovered
+her usual calmness and composure. More deeply touched than words can express by
+her emotion, and the love for himself it bore witness to, de Sigognac,
+encircling her slender form with the arm that was free, drew her gently to him,
+and softly kissed her fair forehead, whilst he could feel, as he pressed her to
+his breast, how she was panting and trembling. He held her thus tenderly
+embraced for a blissful few seconds of silent ecstasy, which a less respectful
+lover would doubtless have presumed upon; but he would have scorned to take
+advantage of the unreserved confidence bestowed upon him in a moment of such
+agitation and sorrowful excitement.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Be comforted, dear Isabelle,&rdquo; said he at last, tenderly. &ldquo;I
+was not killed you see, nor even hurt; and I actually wounded my adversary,
+though he does pass for a tolerably good swordsman hereabouts, I
+believe.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Yes, I well know what a strong hand is yours, and what a brave, noble
+heart,&rdquo; Isabelle replied; &ldquo;and I do not scruple to acknowledge that
+I love you for it with all my heart; feeling sure that you will respect my
+frank avowal, and not endeavour to take advantage of it. When I first saw you,
+de Sigognac, dispirited and desolate, in that dreary, half-ruined château,
+where your youth was passing in sadness and solitude, I felt a tender interest
+in you suddenly spring into being in my heart; had you been happy and
+prosperous I should have been afraid of you, and have shrunk timidly from your
+notice. When we walked together in that neglected garden, where you held aside
+the brambles so carefully for me to pass unscathed, you gathered and presented
+to me a little wild rose&mdash;the only thing you had to give me. As I raised
+it to my lips, before putting it in my bosom, and kissed it furtively under
+pretence of inhaling its fragrance, I could not keep back a tear that dropped
+upon it, and secretly and in silence I gave you my heart in exchange for
+it.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As these entrancing words fell upon his ear, de Sigognac impulsively tried to
+kiss the sweet lips so temptingly near his own, but Isabelle withdrew herself
+gently from his embrace; not with any show of excessive prudery, but with a
+modest timidity that no really gallant lover would endeavour to overcome by
+force.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Yes, I love you, de Sigognac,&rdquo; she continued, in a voice that was
+heavenly sweet, &ldquo;and with all my heart, but not as other women love; your
+glory is my aim, not my own pleasure. I am perfectly willing to be looked upon
+as your mistress; it is the only thing that would account satisfactorily to the
+world at large for your presence in this troupe of strolling players. And why
+should I care for slanderous reports, so long as I keep my own self-esteem, and
+know myself to be virtuous and true? If there were really a stain upon my
+purity it would kill me; I could not survive it. It is the princely blood in my
+veins doubtless that gives rise to such pride in me; very ridiculous, perhaps,
+in an actress, but such is my nature.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This enchanting avowal, which would not have taught anything new to a more
+conceited or bolder suitor, but was a wonderful revelation to de Sigognac, who
+had scarcely dared to hope that his passionate, devoted love might some day be
+returned, filled him with such rapturous, overwhelming delight, that he was
+almost beside himself. A burning flush overspread his usually pale face; he
+seemed to see flames before his eyes; there was a strange ringing in his ears,
+and his heart throbbed so violently that he felt half suffocated. Losing
+control of himself in this moment of ecstasy, so intense that it was not
+unmixed with pain, he suddenly seized Isabelle passionately in his arms,
+strained her trembling form convulsively to his heaving breast, and covered her
+face and neck with burning kisses. She did not even try to struggle against
+this fierce embrace, but, throwing her head back, looked fixedly at him, with
+eyes full of sorrow and reproach. From those lovely eyes, clear and pure as an
+angel&rsquo;s, great tears welled forth and rolled down over her blanched
+cheeks, and a suppressed sob shook her quivering frame as a sudden faintness
+seemed to come over her. The young baron, distracted at the sight of her grief,
+and full of keen self-reproach, put her gently down into a low, easy-chair
+standing near, and kneeling before her, took in both his own the hands that she
+abandoned to him, and passionately implored her pardon; pleading that a
+momentary madness had taken possession of him, that he repented of it bitterly,
+and was ready to atone for his offence by the most perfect submission to her
+wishes.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You have hurt me sadly, my friend!&rdquo; said Isabelle at last, with a
+deep-drawn sigh. &ldquo;I had such perfect confidence in your delicacy and
+respect. The frank, unreserved avowal of my love for you ought to have been
+enough, and have shown you clearly, by its very openness, that I trusted you
+entirely. I believed that you would understand me and let me love you in my own
+way, without troubling my tenderness for you by vulgar transports. Now, you
+have robbed me of my feeling of security. I do not doubt your words, but I
+shall no longer dare to yield to the impulses of my own heart. And yet it was
+so sweet to me to be with you, to watch you, to listen to your dear voice, and
+to follow the course of your thoughts as I saw them written in your eyes. I
+wished to share your troubles and anxieties, de Sigognac, leaving your
+pleasures to others. I said to myself, among all these coarse, dissolute,
+presuming men that hover about us, there is one who is different&mdash;one who
+believes in purity, and knows how to respect it in the woman he honours with
+his love. I dared to indulge in a sweet dream&mdash;even I, Isabelle the
+actress, pursued as I am constantly by a gallantry that is odious to me&mdash;I
+dared to indulge in the too sweet dream of enjoying with you a pure mutual
+love. I only asked to be your faithful companion, to cheer and comfort you in
+your struggles with an adverse fate until you had reached the beginning of
+happiness and prosperity, and then to retire into obscurity again, when you had
+plenty of new friends and followers, and no longer needed me. You see that I
+was not very exacting.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Isabelle, my adored Isabelle,&rdquo; cried de Sigognac, &ldquo;every
+word that you speak makes me reproach myself more and more keenly for my fault,
+and the pain I have given you. Rest assured, my own darling, that you have
+nothing further to fear from me. I am not worthy to kiss the traces of your
+footprints in the dust; but yet, I pray you, listen to me! Perhaps you do not
+fully understand all my thoughts and intentions, and will forgive me when you
+do. I have nothing but my name, which is as pure and spotless as your sweet
+self, and I offer it to you, my own beloved Isabelle, if you will deign to
+accept it.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He was still kneeling at her feet, and at these ardently spoken words she
+leaned towards him, took his upraised face between her hands with a quick,
+passionate movement, and kissed him fervently on the lips; then she sprang to
+her feet and began, hurriedly and excitedly, pacing back and forth in the
+chamber.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You will be my wife, Isabelle?&rdquo; cried de Sigognac in agitated
+tones, thrilling in every nerve from the sweet contact of her pure, lovely
+mouth&mdash;fresh as a flower, ardent as a flame.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Never, never,&rdquo; answered Isabelle, with a clear ring of rapture in
+her voice. &ldquo;I will show myself worthy of such an honour by refusing it. I
+did mistake you for a moment, my dearest friend; I did mistake you; forgive me.
+Oh! how happy you have made me; what celestial joy fills my soul! You do
+respect and esteem me, then, to the utmost? Ah! de Sigognac, you would really
+lead me, as your wife, into the hall where all the portraits of your honoured
+ancestors would look down upon us? and into the chapel, where your dead mother
+lies at rest? I could meet fearlessly, my beloved, the searching gaze of the
+dead, from whom nothing is hidden; the crown of purity would not be wanting on
+my brow.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;But what!&rdquo; exclaimed the young baron, &ldquo;you say that you love
+me, Isabelle, with all that true, faithful heart of yours, yet you will not
+accept me! either as lover or husband?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You have offered me your name, de Sigognac, your noble, honoured name,
+and that is enough for me. I give it back to you now, after having cherished it
+for one moment in my inmost heart. For one instant I was your wife, and I will
+never, never be another&rsquo;s. While my lips were on yours I was saying yes
+to myself, and oh! I did not deserve such happiness. For you, my beloved, it
+would be a sad mistake to burden yourself with a poor little actress like me,
+who would always be taunted with her theatrical career, however pure and
+honourable it may have been. The cold, disdainful mien with which great ladies
+would be sure to regard me would cause you keen suffering, and you could not
+challenge <i>them</i>, you know, my own brave champion! You are the last of a
+noble race, de Sigognac, and it is your duty to build up your fallen house.
+When, by a tender glance, I induced you to quit your desolate home and follow
+me, you doubtless dreamed of a love affair of the usual sort, which was but
+natural; but I, looking into the future, thought of far other things. I saw you
+returning, in rich attire, from the court of your gracious sovereign, who had
+reinstated you in your rights, and given you an honourable office, suitable to
+your exalted rank. The château had resumed its ancient splendour. In fancy I
+tore the clinging ivy from its crumbling walls, put the fallen stones back in
+their places, restored the dilapidated roof and shattered window-panes,
+regilded the three storks on your escutcheon over the great entrance door, and
+in the grand old portico; then, having installed you in the renovated home of
+your honoured ancestors, I retired into obscurity, stifling a sigh as I bade
+you adieu, though sincerely rejoicing in your well merited good fortune.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;And your dream shall be accomplished, my noble Isabelle; I feel sure of
+it&mdash;but not altogether as you relate it to me; such an ending would be too
+sad and grievous. You shall be the first, you, my own darling, with this dear
+hand clasped in mine, as now, to cross the threshold of that blessed abode,
+whence ruin and desolation shall have disappeared, and have been replaced by
+prosperity and happiness.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;No, no, de Sigognac, it will be some great, and noble, and beautiful
+heiress, worthy of you in every way, who will accompany you then; one that you
+can present with just pride to all your friends, and of whom none can say, with
+a malicious smile, I hissed or applauded her at such a time and place.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;It is downright cruelty on your part to show your self so adorable, so
+worthy of all love and admiration, my sweet Isabelle, and at the same time to
+deprive me of every hope,&rdquo; said de Sigognac, ruefully; &ldquo;to give one
+glimpse of heaven and then shut me out again; nothing could be more cruel. But
+I will not despair; I shall make you yield to me yet.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Do not try, I beseech you,&rdquo; continued Isabelle, with gentle
+firmness, &ldquo;for I never shall; I should despise myself if I did. Strive to
+be content, de Sigognac, with the purest, truest, most devoted love that ever
+filled a woman&rsquo;s heart, and do not ask for more. Is it such an
+unsatisfactory thing to you,&rdquo; she added, with a bright smile, &ldquo;to
+be adored by a girl that several men have had the bad taste to declare
+charming? Why, even the Duke of Vallombreuse himself professes that he would be
+proud of it.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;But to give yourself to me so absolutely, and to refuse yourself to me
+as absolutely! to mingle such sweet and bitter drops in the same
+cup&mdash;honey and wormwood&mdash;and present it to my lips! only you,
+Isabelle, could be capable of such strange contradictions.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Yes, I <i>am</i> an odd girl,&rdquo; she replied, &ldquo;and therein I
+resemble my poor mother; but such as I am you must put up with me. If you
+should persist in persecuting me, I know well how I could elude and escape you,
+and where I could hide myself from you so that you would never be able to find
+me. But there will be no need of that, we will not talk of it; our compact is
+made. Let it be as I say, de Sigognac, and let us be happy together while we
+may. It grows late now, and you must go to your own room; will you take with
+you these verses, of a part that does not suit me at all, and remodel them for
+me? they belong to a piece that we are to play very soon. Let me be your
+faithful little friend, de Sigognac, and you shall be my great, and
+well-beloved poet.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Isabelle, as she spoke, drew forth from a bureau a roll of manuscript, tied
+with a rose-coloured ribbon, which she gave to the baron with a radiant smile.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Now kiss me, and go,&rdquo; she said, holding up her cheek for his
+caress. &ldquo;You are going to work for me, and this is your reward.
+Good-night, my beloved, good-night.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was long after he had regained the quiet of his own room ere de Sigognac
+could compose himself sufficiently to set about the light task imposed upon him
+by Isabelle. He was at once enchanted and cast down; radiant with joy, and
+filled with sorrow; in a seventh heaven of ecstasy, and in the depths of
+despair. He laughed and he wept alternately, swayed by the most tumultuous and
+contradictory emotions. The intense happiness of at last knowing himself
+beloved by his adored Isabelle made him exultant and joyful, while the terrible
+thought that she never would be his made his heart sink within him. Little by
+little, however, he grew calmer, as his mind dwelt lovingly upon the picture
+Isabelle had drawn of the Château de Sigognac restored to its ancient
+splendour, and as he sat musing he had a wonderful vision of it&mdash;so
+glowing and vivid that it was like reality. He saw before him the facade of the
+château, with its large windows shining in the sunlight, and its many
+weather-cocks, all freshly gilded, glistening against the bright blue sky,
+whilst the columns of smoke rising from every chimney, so long cold and unused,
+told of plenty and prosperity within, and his good faithful Pierre, in a rich
+new suit of livery, stood between Miraut and Beelzebub at the great entrance
+door awaiting him. He saw himself, in sumptuous attire, proudly leading his
+fair Isabelle by the hand towards the grand old home of his forefathers; his
+beautiful Isabelle, dressed like a princess, wearing ornaments bearing a device
+which seemed to be that of one of the greatest, most illustrious families of
+France, and with a ducal coronet upon her shapely head. But with it all she did
+not appear to be proud or haughty&mdash;she was just her own sweet, modest
+self&mdash;and in the hand that was free she carried the little wild rose,
+fresh as when it was first plucked, that he had given her, and from time to
+time raised and pressed it tenderly to her lips as she inhaled its fragrance;
+it seemed more precious to her than all the superb jewels that she wore. As
+they approached the château a most stately and majestic old man, whose breast
+was covered with orders, and whose face seemed not entirely unfamiliar to de
+Sigognac, stepped forth from the portico to meet and welcome them. But what
+greatly surprised him was that a remarkably handsome young man, of most proud
+and lofty bearing, accompanied the old prince, who closely resembled the Duke
+of Vallombreuse, and who smilingly advanced and offered a cordial salutation
+and welcome to Isabelle and himself. A great crowd of tenantry stationed near
+at hand hailed them with lusty cheers, making many demonstrations of hearty joy
+and delight, and his own happiness seemed to be complete. Suddenly the sound of
+a horn was heard, and at a little distance he saw the beautiful Yolande de
+Foix, radiant and charming as ever, riding slowly by&mdash;apparently returning
+from the chase. He followed her with his eyes admiringly, but felt no regret as
+her figure was lost to view amid the thick gorse bushes bordering the road down
+which she was going, and turned with ever increasing love and adoration to the
+sweet being at his side. The memory of the fair Yolande, whom he had once
+worshipped in a vague, boyish way, faded before the delicious reality of his
+passionate love for Isabelle; who satisfied so fully every requirement of his
+nature, and had so thoroughly healed the wound made by the scorn and ridicule
+of the other, that it seemed to be entirely forgotten then.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was not easy for de Sigognac to rouse himself after this entrancing vision,
+which had been so startlingly real, and fix his attention upon the verses he
+had promised to revise and alter for Isabelle, but when at last he had
+succeeded, he threw himself into his task with enthusiasm, and wrote far into
+the night&mdash;inspired by the thought of the sweet lips that had called him
+her poet, and that were to pronounce the words he penned; and he was rewarded
+for his exertions by Isabelle&rsquo;s sweetest smile, and warmest praise and
+gratitude.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At the theatre the next evening the crowd was even greater than before, and the
+crush unprecedented. The reputation of Captain Fracasse, the valiant conqueror
+of the Duke of Vallombreuse; increased hourly, and began to assume a chimerical
+and fabulous character. If the labours of Hercules had been ascribed to him,
+there would have been some credulous ones to believe the tale, and he was
+endowed by his admirers with the prowess of a dozen good knights and brave, of
+the ancient times of chivalrous deeds. Some of the young noblemen of the place
+talked of seeking his acquaintance, and giving a grand banquet in his honour;
+more than one fair lady was desperately in love with him, and had serious
+thoughts of writing a billet-doux to tell him so. In short, he was the fashion,
+and everybody swore by him. As for the hero of a this commotion, he was greatly
+annoyed at being thus forcibly dragged forth from the obscurity in which he had
+desired to remain, but it was not possible to avoid it, and he could only
+submit. For a few moments he did think of bolting, and not making his
+appearance again upon the stage in Poitiers; but the remembrance of the
+disappointment it would be to the worthy tyrant, who was in an ecstasy of
+delight over the riches pouring into the treasury, prevented his carrying out
+this design. And, indeed, as he reminded himself, were not these honest
+comedians, who had rescued him from his misery and despair, entitled in all
+fairness to profit, so far as they could, by this unexpected and overwhelming
+favour which he had all unwittingly gained? So, resigning himself as
+philosophically as he could to his fate, he buckled his sword-belt, draped his
+cloak over his shoulder, put on his mask and calmly awaited his call to the
+stage.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As the receipts were so large, Hérode, like a generous manager, had doubled the
+usual number of lights, so that the theatre was almost as radiant as if a flood
+of sunshine had been poured into it. The fair portion of the audience, hoping
+to attract the attention of the valiant Captain Fracasse, had arrayed
+themselves in all their splendour; not a diamond was left in its casket; they
+sparkled and flashed, every one, on necks and arms more or less white and
+round, and on heads more or less shapely, but all filled with an ardent desire
+to please the hero of the hour; so the scene was a brilliant one in every way.
+Only one box yet remained unoccupied, the best situated and most conspicuous in
+the whole house; every eye was turned upon it, and much wonder expressed at the
+apathy manifested by those who had secured it, for all the rest of the
+spectators had been long settled in their places. At length, just as the
+curtain was rising, a young lady entered and took her seat in the much observed
+box, accompanied by a gentleman of venerable and patriarchal appearance;
+apparently an indulgent old uncle, a slave to the caprices of his pretty niece,
+who had renounced his comfortable after-dinner nap by the fire, in order to
+obey her behest and escort her to the theatre. She, slender and erect as Diana,
+was very richly and elegantly dressed, in that peculiar and exquisite shade of
+delicate sea green which can be worn only by the purest blondes, and which
+seemed to enhance the dazzling whiteness of her uncovered shoulders, and the
+rounded, slender neck, diaphanous as alabaster, that proudly sustained her
+small, exquisitely poised head. Her hair, clustering in sunny ringlets round
+her brow, was like living gold, it made a glory round her head, and the whole
+audience was enraptured with her beauty, though an envious mask concealed so
+much of it; all, indeed, save the snow-white forehead, the round dimpled chin,
+the ripe red lips, whose tint was rendered yet more vivid by the contrast with
+the black velvet that shaded them, the perfect oval of the face, and a dainty
+little ear, pink as a sea-shell&mdash;a combination of charms worthy of a
+goddess, and which made every one impatient to see the radiant, beauteous
+whole. They were soon gratified; for the young deity, either incommoded by the
+heat, or else wishing to show a queenly generosity to the gazing throng, took
+off the odious mask, and disclosed to view a pair of brilliant eyes, dark and
+blue as lapis lazuli, shaded with rich golden fringes, a piquant, perfectly cut
+little nose, half Grecian, half aquiline, and cheeks tinged with a delicate
+flush that would have put a rose-leaf to shame. In fine, it was Yolande de
+Foix, more radiantly beautiful than ever, who, leaning forward in a negligent,
+graceful pose, looked nonchalantly about the house, not in the least
+discomposed by the many eyes fixed boldly and admiringly upon her. A loud burst
+of applause, that greeted the first appearance of the favourite actor, drew
+attention from her for a moment, as de Sigognac stalked forward upon the stage
+in the character of Captain Fracasse. As he paused, to wait until his admirers
+would allow him to begin his first tirade, he looked negligently round the
+eager audience, and when his eyes fell upon Yolande de Foix, sitting tranquil
+and radiant in her box, calmly surveying him with her glorious eyes, he
+suddenly turned dizzy and faint; the lights appeared first to blaze like suns,
+and then sink into darkness; the heads of the spectators seemed sinking into a
+dense fog; a cold perspiration started out on him from head to foot; he
+trembled violently, and felt as if his legs were giving way under him;
+composure, memory, courage, all seemed to have failed him, as utterly as if he
+had been struck by lightning.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Oh, shame! oh, rage! oh, too cruel stroke of fate! for him, a de Sigognac, to
+be seen by her&mdash;the haughty beauty that he used to worship from
+afar&mdash;in this grotesque array, filling so unworthy, so ridiculous a part,
+for the amusement of the gaping multitude! and he could not hide himself, he
+could not sink into the earth, away from her contemptuous, mocking gaze. He
+felt that he could not, would not bear it, and for a moment was upon the point
+of flying; but there seemed to be leaden soles to his shoes, which he could by
+no means raise from the ground. He was powerless to move hand or foot, and
+stood there in a sort of stupefaction; to the great astonishment of Scapin,
+who, thinking that he must have forgotten his part, whispered to him the
+opening phrases of his tirade. The public thought that their favourite actor
+desired another round of applause, and broke out afresh, clapping, stamping,
+crying bravo, making a tremendous racket, which little respite gave poor de
+Sigognac time to collect his scattered senses, and, with a mighty effort, he
+broke the spell that had bound him, and threw himself into his part with such
+desperation that his acting was more extravagant and telling than ever. It
+fairly brought down the house. The haughty Yolande herself could not forbear to
+smile, and her old uncle, thoroughly aroused, laughed heartily, and applauded
+with all his might. No one but Isabelle had the slightest idea of the reason of
+Captain Fracasse&rsquo;s unwonted fury&mdash;but she saw at once who was
+looking on, and knowing how sensitive he was, realized the effect it must
+infallibly produce upon him. She furtively watched the proud beauty as she
+modestly played her own part, and thought, not without a keen pang through her
+faithful, loving heart, that here would be a worthy mate for the Baron de
+Sigognac, when he had succeeded in re-establishing the lost splendour of his
+house. As to the poor young nobleman, he resolved not to glance once again at
+Yolande, lest he should be seized by a sudden transport of rage and do
+something utterly rash and disgraceful, but kept his eyes fixed, whenever he
+could, upon his sweet, lovely Isabelle. The sight of her dear face was balm to
+his wounded spirit&mdash;her love, of which he was now so blissfully sure,
+consoled him for the openly manifested scorn of the other, and from her he drew
+strength to go on bravely with his detested part.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was over at last&mdash;the piece was finished&mdash;and when de Sigognac
+tore off his mask, like a man who is suffocating, his companions were alarmed
+at his altered looks. He was fairly livid, and let himself fall upon a bench
+standing near like a lifeless body. Seeing that he was very faint, Blazius
+hastened to fetch some wine&mdash;his sovereign remedy for every ill&mdash;but
+de Sigognac rejected it, and signed that he wanted water instead.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;A great mistake,&rdquo; said the pedant, shaking his head
+disapprovingly, &ldquo;a sad mistake&mdash;water is only fit for frogs, and
+fish, and such-like cold-blooded creatures&mdash;it does not do for human
+beings at all. Every water-bottle should be labelled, &rsquo;For external use
+only.&rsquo; Why, I should die instantly if so much as a drop of the vile stuff
+found its way down my throat. Take my advice, Captain Fracasse, and let it
+alone. Here, have some of this good strong wine; it will set you right in a
+jiffy.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But de Sigognac would not be persuaded, and persisted in motioning for water.
+When it was brought, cool and fresh, he eagerly swallowed a large draught of
+the despised liquid, and found himself almost immediately revived by
+it&mdash;his face resuming a more natural hue, and the light returning to his
+eyes. When he was able to sit up and look about him again, Hérode approached,
+in his turn, and said, &ldquo;You played admirably this evening, and with
+wonderful spirit, Captain Fracasse, but it does not do to take too much out of
+yourself in this way&mdash;such violent exertions would quickly do for you. The
+comedian&rsquo;s art consists in sparing himself as much as possible, whilst
+producing striking effects; he should be calm amidst all his simulated fury,
+and cool in his apparently most burning rage. Never did actor play this part as
+superbly as you have done to-night&mdash;<i>that</i> I am bound to
+acknowledge&mdash;but this is too dear a price to pay for it.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Yes, wasn&rsquo;t I absurd in it?&rdquo; answered the baron bitterly.
+&ldquo;I felt myself supremely ridiculous throughout&mdash;but especially when
+my head went through the guitar with which Leander was belabouring me.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You certainly did put on the most comically furious airs
+imaginable,&rdquo; the tyrant replied, &ldquo;and the whole audience was
+convulsed with laughter. Even Mlle. Yolande de Foix, that very great, and
+proud, and noble lady, condescended to smile. I saw her myself.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;It was a great honour for me assuredly,&rdquo; cried de Sigognac, with
+flaming cheeks, &ldquo;to have been able to divert so great a lady.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Pardon me, my lord,&rdquo; said the tyrant, who perceived the painful
+flush that covered the baron&rsquo;s face, &ldquo;I should have remembered that
+the success which is so prized by us poor comedians, actors by profession,
+cannot but be a matter of indifference to one of your lordship&rsquo;s
+rank.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You have not offended me, my good Hérode,&rdquo; de Sigognac hastened to
+reply, holding out his hand to the honest tyrant with a genial smile,
+&ldquo;whatever is worth doing is worth doing well. But I could not help
+remembering that I had dreamed of and hoped for very different triumphs from
+this.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Isabelle, who meantime had been dressing for the other piece, passed near de
+Sigognac just then, and gave him such an angelic look&mdash;so full of
+tenderness, sympathy, and passionate love&mdash;that he quite forgot the
+haughty Yolande, and felt really happy again. It was a divine balm, that healed
+his wounded pride&mdash;for the moment at least; but such wounds are all too
+apt to open and bleed again and again.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The Marquis de Bruyères was at his post as usual, and though very much occupied
+in applauding Zerbine, yet found time to go and pay his respects to Mlle.
+Yolande de Foix. He related to her, without mentioning the baron&rsquo;s name,
+the affair of the duel between Captain Fracasse and the Duke of Vallombreuse
+saying that he ought to be able to give all the details of that famous
+encounter better than anybody else, since he had been present as one of the
+seconds.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You need not be so mysterious about it,&rdquo; answered Yolande,
+&ldquo;for it is not difficult to divine that your Captain Fracasse is no other
+than the Baron de Sigognac. Didn&rsquo;t I myself see him leaving his old
+owl-haunted towers in company with this little <i>Bohémienne</i>, who plays her
+part of ingenuous young girl with such a precious affectation of
+modesty?&rdquo; she added, with a forced laugh. &ldquo;And wasn&rsquo;t he at
+your château with these very players? Judging from his usual stupid, silly air,
+I would not have believed him capable of making such a clever mountebank, and
+such a faithful gallant.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As he conversed with Yolande, the marquis was looking about the house, of which
+he had a much better view than from his own place near the stage, and his
+attention was caught and fixed by the masked lady, whom he had not seen before,
+as his back was always turned to her box. Although her head and figure were
+much enveloped and disguised in a profusion of black laces, the attitude and
+general contour of this mysterious beauty seemed strangely familiar to him, and
+there was something about her that reminded him forcibly of the
+<i>marquise</i>, his own wife. &ldquo;Bah!&rdquo; said he to himself,
+&ldquo;how foolish I am; she must be all safe at the Château de Bruyères, where
+I left her.&rdquo; But at that very moment he caught sight of a diamond
+ring&mdash;a large solitaire, peculiarly set&mdash;sparkling on her finger,
+which was precisely like one that the Marquise de Bruyères always wore.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A little troubled by this strange coincidence, he took leave abruptly of the
+fair Yolande and her devoted old uncle, and hastened to the masked lady&rsquo;s
+box. But, prompt as his movements had been, he was too late&mdash;the nest was
+empty&mdash;the bird had flown. The lady, whoever she might be, had vanished,
+and the suspicious husband was left in considerable vexation and perplexity.
+&ldquo;Could it be possible,&rdquo; he murmured, as his doubts became almost
+certainty, &ldquo;that she was sufficiently infatuated to fall in love with
+that miserable Leander, and follow him here? Fortunately I had the rascal
+thoroughly thrashed, so I am even with him, how ever it may be.&rdquo; This
+thought restored his ruffled serenity, and he made his way as fast as he could
+to the green-room, to rejoin the <i>soubrette</i>, who had been impatiently
+expecting him, and did not hesitate to rate him soundly for his unwonted delay.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When all was over, and Leander&mdash;who had been feeling excessively anxious
+about the sudden disappearance of his <i>marquise</i>&mdash;was free, he
+immediately repaired to the open square where he had been first bidden to meet
+the carriage sent to fetch him, and where he had found it awaiting him nightly
+ever since. The little page, who was there alone, put a letter and a small
+package into his hand, without a word, and then running swiftly away, before
+Leander had time to question him, vanished in the darkness. The note, which was
+signed simply <i>Marie</i>, was from the <i>marquise</i>, who said that she
+feared her husband&rsquo;s suspicions had been excited, and that it would no
+longer be safe for them to meet just then, bade him an affectionate farewell
+until it might be their good fortune to see each other again, expressed much
+regret at this unlucky <i>contretemps</i>, and begged him to accept the gold
+chain she sent therewith as a little souvenir, to remind him of the many happy
+hours they had spent together. Leander was at first very much vexed and
+disappointed, but was somewhat reconciled and consoled when he felt the weight
+of his golden treasure, and saw its length and thickness; and, on the whole,
+was rather glad to come off with such flying colours from an adventure that
+might have brought down a yet more severe punishment than that he had already
+received upon his devoted head.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When Isabelle regained her own room she found a very rich and elegant casket
+awaiting her there, which had been placed conspicuously on the dressing-table,
+where it could not fail to meet her eye the moment she entered the chamber. A
+folded paper was lying under one corner of the casket, which must have
+contained some very precious gems, for it was a real marvel of beauty itself.
+The paper was not sealed, and bore only these two words, evidently written by a
+weak and trembling hand, &ldquo;For Isabelle.&rdquo; A bright flush of
+indignation overspread her sweet face when she perceived it, and without even
+yielding to her feminine curiosity so far as to open the richly carved and
+inlaid casket for a peep at its contents, she called for Maître Bilot, and
+ordered him peremptorily to take it immediately out of her room, and give it
+back to whomsoever owned it, for she would not suffer it to remain where it was
+another minute. The landlord affected astonishment, and swore by all he held
+sacred that he did not know who had put the casket there, nor whose it was;
+though it must be confessed that he had his suspicions, and felt very sure that
+they were correct. In truth, the obnoxious jewel-case had been secretly placed
+upon Isabelle&rsquo;s table by old Mme. Léonarde, to whom the Duke of
+Vallombreuse had had recourse, in the hope that she might be able to aid him,
+and in the full belief, shared by her, that the superb diamonds which the
+beautiful casket contained would accomplish all that he desired with Isabelle.
+But his offering only served to rouse her indignation, and she spoke very
+severely to Maître Bilot, commanding him to remove it instantly from her sight,
+and to be careful not to mention this fresh affront to Captain Fracasse. The
+worthy landlord could not help feeling enthusiastic admiration for the conduct
+of the young actress, who rejected jewels that would have made a duchess
+envious, and as he retired bowed to her as respectfully and profoundly as he
+would have done to a queen. After he had withdrawn and she was left alone,
+Isabelle, feeling agitated and feverish, opened her window for a breath of
+fresh air, and to cool her burning cheeks and brow. She saw a bright light
+issuing from a couple of windows in the mansion of the Duke of
+Vallombreuse&mdash;doubtless in the room where the wounded young nobleman
+lay&mdash;but the garden and the little alley beneath her seemed absolutely
+deserted. In a moment, however, she caught a low whisper from the latter, not
+intended for her ears, which said, &ldquo;She has not gone to bed yet.&rdquo;
+She softly leaned out of her window&mdash;the room within was not lighted, so
+she could not be seen&mdash;and peering anxiously into the darkness thought she
+could distinguish two cloaked figures lurking in the alley, and farther away,
+near one end of it, a third one, apparently on the watch. They seemed to feel
+that they were observed, and all three presently slunk away and vanished,
+leaving Isabelle half in doubt as to whether they were the creatures of her
+excited imagination, or had been real men prowling there. Tired at last of
+watching, without hearing or seeing anything more, she withdrew from the
+window, closed and secured it softly, procured a light, saw that the great,
+clumsy bolt on her door was property adjusted, and made her preparations for
+bed; lying down at last and trying to sleep, for she was very tired, but
+haunted by vague fears and doubts that made her anxious and uneasy. She did not
+extinguish her light, but placed it near the bed, and strove to reassure
+herself and reason away her nameless terror; but all in vain. At every little
+noise&mdash;the cracking of the furniture or the falling of a cinder in the
+fire-place, she started up in fresh alarm, and could not close her eyes. High
+up in the wall of one side of her room was a small round window&mdash;a
+bull&rsquo;s eye&mdash;evidently intended to give light and air to some dark
+inner chamber or closet, which looked like a great black eye in the gray wall,
+keeping an unwinking watch upon her, and Isabelle found herself again and again
+glancing up at it with a shudder. It was crossed by two strong iron bars,
+leaving four small apertures, so that there could not possibly be any danger of
+intrusion from that quarter, yet she could not avoid feeling nervous about it,
+and at times fancied that she could see two gleaming eye-balls in its black
+depths. She lay for a long time perfectly motionless gazing at it, like one
+under a spell, and at last was paralyzed with horror when a head actually
+appeared at one of the four openings&mdash;a small, dark head, with wild,
+tangled elf-locks hanging about it; next came a long, thin arm with a claw-like
+hand, then the shoulder followed, and finally the whole body of a slender,
+emaciated little girl wriggled dexterously, though with much difficulty,
+through the narrow aperture, and the child dropped down upon the floor as
+lightly and noiselessly as a feather, a snow-flake, or a waft of thistle-down.
+She had been deceived by Isabelle&rsquo;s remaining so long perfectly quiet,
+and believed her asleep; but when she softly approached the bed, to make sure
+that her victim&rsquo;s slumber had not been disturbed by her own advent, an
+expression of extreme surprise was depicted on her face, as she got a full view
+of the head lying upon the pillow and the eyes fixed upon her in speechless
+terror. &ldquo;The lady of the necklace!&rdquo; she exclaimed aloud.
+&ldquo;Yes, the lady of the necklace!&rdquo; putting one hand, as she spoke,
+caressingly upon the string of pearl beads round her little, thin, brown neck.
+Isabelle, for her part, though half dead with fright, had recognised the little
+girl she had first seen at the Blue Sun inn, and afterwards on the road to the
+Château de Bruyères, in company with Agostino, the brigand. She tried to cry
+out for help, but the child put her hand quickly and firmly over her mouth.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t scream,&rdquo; she said reassuringly, &ldquo;nothing shall
+hurt you. Chiquita promised that she would never kill nor harm the good, sweet
+lady, who gave her the pearls that she meant to steal.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;But what have you come in here for, my poor child?&rdquo; asked
+Isabelle, gradually recovering her composure, but filled with surprise at this
+strange intrusion.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;To open the great bolt on your door there that you are so careful to
+close every night,&rdquo; answered Chiquita, in the most matter-of-fact way.
+&ldquo;They chose me for it because I am such a good climber, and as thin and
+supple as a snake; there are not many holes that I cannot manage to crawl
+through.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;And why were you to open my door, Chiquita? so that thieves could come
+in and steal what few things I have here? There is nothing of value among them,
+I assure you.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Oh, no!&rdquo; Chiquita replied disdainfully, &ldquo;it was to let the
+men in who were to carry you off.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;My God! I am lost!&rdquo; cried poor Isabelle, wringing her hands in
+despair.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Not at all,&rdquo; said Chiquita, &ldquo;and you need not be so
+frightened. I shall just leave the bolt as it is, and they would not dare to
+force the door; it would make too much noise, and they would be caught at it;
+they&rsquo;re not so silly as that, never fear.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;But I should have shrieked at the top of my voice, and clung to the
+bedstead with all my might, if they had tried to take me,&rdquo; exclaimed
+Isabelle excitedly, &ldquo;so that I would have been heard by the people in the
+neighbouring rooms, and I&rsquo;m sure they would have come to my
+rescue.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;A good gag will stifle any shrieks,&rdquo; said Chiquita sententiously,
+with a lofty contempt for Isabelle&rsquo;s ignorance that was very amusing,
+&ldquo;and a blanket rolled tightly about the body prevents any movements; that
+is an easy matter you see. They would have carried you off without the
+slightest difficulty, for the stable boy was bribed, and was to open the back
+door for them.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Who has laid this wicked plot?&rdquo; asked the poor, frightened, young
+girl, with a trembling voice, horror-stricken at the danger she had escaped.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;The great lord who has given them all such heaps of money; oh! such
+quantities of big gold pieces&mdash;by the handful,&rdquo; said Chiquita, her
+great dark eyes glittering with a fierce, covetous expression, strange and
+horrible to see in one so young. &ldquo;But all the same, <i>you</i> gave me
+the pearls, and he shall not hurt you; he shall not have you if you don&rsquo;t
+want to go. I will tell them that you were awake, and there was a man in the
+room, so that I could not get in and open the door for them; they will all go
+away quietly enough; you need not be afraid. Now let me have one good look at
+you before I go&mdash;oh, how sweet and pretty you are&mdash;and I love you,
+yes, I do, ever so much; almost as much as Agostino. But what is this?&rdquo;
+cried she suddenly, pouncing upon a knife that was lying on the table near the
+bed. &ldquo;Why, you have got the very knife I lost; it was my father&rsquo;s
+knife. Well, you may keep it&mdash;it&rsquo;s a good one.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p class="poem">
+&lsquo;When this viper bites you, make sure<br/>
+That you must die, for there&rsquo;s no cure.&rsquo;
+</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">
+&ldquo;See, this is the way to open it, and then you use it like this: strike
+from below upwards&mdash;the blade goes in better that way&mdash;and it&rsquo;s
+so sharp it will go through anything. Carry it in the bosom of your dress, and
+it is always ready; then if anybody bothers you, out with it, and paf! you have
+them ripped up in no time,&rdquo; and the strange, eerie little creature
+accompanied her words with appropriate gestures, by way of illustration. This
+extraordinary lesson in the art of using a knife, given in the dead of night,
+and under such peculiar circumstances, seemed like a nightmare to Isabelle.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Be sure you hold the knife like this, do you see? tightly clasped in
+your fingers&mdash;as long as you have it no one can harm you, but you can hurt
+them. Now, I must go&mdash;adieu, and don&rsquo;t forget Chiquita.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+So saying, the queer little elf pushed a table up to the wall under the
+bull&rsquo;s eye, mounted it, sprang up and caught hold of the iron bar with
+the agility of a monkey, swung herself up in some extraordinary fashion,
+wriggled through the small opening and disappeared, chanting in a rude measure,
+&ldquo;Chiquita whisks through key-holes, and dances on the sharp points of
+spear-heads and the broken glass on garden walls, without ever hurting herself
+one bit&mdash;and nobody can catch her.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Isabelle, left alone, awaited the break of day with trembling impatience,
+unable to sleep after the fright and agitation she had experienced, and
+momentarily dreading some fresh cause of alarm; but nothing else happened to
+disturb her. When she joined her companions at breakfast, they were all struck
+with her extreme pallor, and the distressed expression of her countenance. To
+their anxious questions she replied by giving an account of her nocturnal
+adventure, and de Sigognac, furious at this fresh outrage, could scarcely be
+restrained from going at once to demand, satisfaction for it from the Duke of
+Vallombreuse, to whom he did not hesitate to attribute this villainous scheme.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I think,&rdquo; said Blazius, when he could make himself heard,
+&ldquo;that we had better pack up, and be off as soon as we can for Paris; the
+air is becoming decidedly unwholesome for us in this place.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+After a short discussion all the others agreed with him, and it was decided
+that they should take their departure from Poitiers the very next day.
+</p>
+
+</div><!--end chapter-->
+
+<div class="chapter">
+
+<h2><a name="chap11"></a>CHAPTER XI.<br/>
+THE PONT-NEUF</h2>
+
+<p>
+It would be too long and tedious to follow our comedians, step by step, on
+their way up to Paris, the great capital. No adventures worthy of being
+recorded here befell them; as they were in good circumstances financially, they
+could travel rapidly and comfortably, and were not again subjected to such
+hardships and annoyances as they had endured in the earlier stages of their
+long journey. At Tours and Orléans they stopped to give a few representations,
+which were eminently successful, and very satisfactory to the troupe as well as
+the public. No attempt being made to molest them in any way, Blazius after a
+time forgot his fears, which had been excited by the vindictive character of
+the Duke of Vallombreuse, but Isabelle could not banish from her memory the
+wicked plot to abduct her, and many times saw again in her dreams
+Chiquita&rsquo;s wild, weird face, with the long, tangled elf-locks hanging
+around it, just as it had appeared to her that dreadful night at the <i>Armes
+de France</i>, glaring at her with fierce, wolfish eyes. Then she would start
+up, sobbing and trembling, in violent agitation, and it required the most
+tender soothing from her companion, Zerbine, whose room she had shared ever
+since they quitted Poitiers, to quiet and reassure her. The <i>soubrette</i>,
+thoroughly enamoured of Isabelle as of old, was devoted to her, and took great
+delight in watching over and ministering to her; an own sister could not have
+been kinder or more affectionately considerate.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The only evidence that de Sigognac gave of the anxiety which he secretly felt,
+was his always insisting upon occupying the room nearest Isabelle&rsquo;s, and
+he used to lie down in his clothes, with his drawn sword on the bed beside him,
+so as to be ready in case of any sudden alarm. By day he generally walked on in
+advance of the chariot, taking upon himself the duty of a scout; redoubling his
+vigilance wherever there happened to be bushes, thickets, high walls, or
+lurking places of any kind, favourable to an ambuscade, near the roadside. If
+he perceived from afar a group of travellers approaching, whose appearance
+seemed to him in the least suspicious, he would instantly draw his sword and
+fall back upon the chariot, around which the tyrant, Scapin, Blazius and
+Leander formed an apparently strong guard; though, of the last two mentioned,
+one was incapacitated for active service by age, and the other was as timid as
+a hare. Some times, varying his tactics like a good general, who thinks of and
+provides against every emergency, the baron would constitute himself a rear
+guard, and follow the chariot at a little distance, keeping watch over the road
+behind them. But all his precautions were needless, for no attack was made upon
+the travellers, or any attempt to interfere with them, and they proceeded
+tranquilly on their way, &ldquo;without let or hindrance.&rdquo; Although it
+was winter, the season was not a rigorous one, and our comedians, well
+fortified against the cold by plenty of warm clothing and good nourishing food,
+did not mind their exposure to the weather, and found their journey a very
+enjoyable affair. To be sure, the sharp, frosty air brought a more brilliant
+colour than usual into the cheeks of the fair members of the troupe, but no one
+could say that it detracted from their charms; and even when it extended, as it
+did sometimes, to their pretty little noses, it could not be found serious
+fault with, for everything is becoming to a young and beautiful woman.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At last they drew near to the capital&mdash;following the windings of the
+Seine, whose waters flow past royal palaces, and many another edifice of
+world-wide renown&mdash;and at four o&rsquo;clock of a bright winter afternoon
+came in sight of its spires and domes. The smoke rising from its forest of
+chimneys hung over it in a semi-transparent cloud, through which the sun shone,
+round and red, like a ball of fire. As they entered the city by the Porte Saint
+Bernard, a glorious spectacle greeted their wondering eyes. In front of them
+Notre Dame stood out in bold relief, with its magnificent flying buttresses,
+its two stately towers, massive and majestic, and its slender, graceful spire,
+springing from the lofty roof at the point of intersection of the nave and
+transepts. Many other lesser towers and spires rose above churches and chapels
+that were lost amid the densely crowded houses all about them, but de Sigognac
+had eyes only for the grand old cathedral, which overwhelmed him with
+astonishment and delight. He would have liked to linger for hours and gaze upon
+that splendid triumph of architecture, but he needs must go forward with the
+rest, however reluctantly. The wonderful and unceasing whirl and confusion in
+the narrow, crowded streets, through which they made their way slowly, and not
+without difficulty, perplexed and distracted him, accustomed as he had been all
+his life to the vast solitude of the Landes, and the deathly stillness that
+reigned almost unbroken in his own desolate old château; it seemed to him as if
+a mill-wheel were running round and round in his head, and he could feel
+himself staggering like a drunken man. The Pont-Neuf was soon reached, and then
+de Sigognac caught a glimpse of the famous equestrian statue in bronze of the
+great and good king, Henri IV, which stands on its lofty pedestal and seems to
+be keeping guard over the splendid bridge, with its ever-rolling stream of
+foot-passengers, horsemen, and vehicles of every kind and description, from the
+superb court carriage to the huckster&rsquo;s hand-cart; but in a moment it was
+lost to view, as the chariot turned into the then newly opened Rue Dauphine. In
+this street was a fine big hotel, frequently patronized by ambassadors from
+foreign lands, with numerous retinues; for it was so vast that it could always
+furnish accommodations for large parties arriving unexpectedly. As the
+prosperous state of their finances admitted of their indulging in such luxury,
+Hérode had fixed upon this house as their place of abode in Paris; because it
+would give a certain prestige to his troupe to be lodged there, and show
+conclusively that they were not mere needy, vagabond players, gaining a
+precarious livelihood in their wanderings through the provinces, but a company
+of comedians of good standing, whose talents brought them in a handsome
+revenue.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Upon their arrival at this imposing hostelry, they were first shown into an
+immense kitchen, which presented an animated, busy scene&mdash;a whole army of
+cooks bustling about the great roaring fire, and around the various tables,
+where all sorts of culinary rites were in active progress; while the mingling
+of savoury odours that pervaded the whole place so tickled the olfactory organs
+of Blazius, Hérode, and Scapin, the gourmands of the troupe, that their mouths
+expanded into the broadest of grins, as they edged as near as possible to the
+numerous saucepans, etc., from which they issued. In a few moments a servant
+came to conduct them to the rooms that had been prepared for them, and just as
+they turned away from the blazing fire, round which they had gathered, to
+follow him, a traveller entered and approached it, whose face seemed strangely
+familiar to de Sigognac. He was a tall, powerful man, wearing large spurs,
+which rang against the stone floor at every step, and the great spots of
+mud&mdash;some of them not yet dry&mdash;with which he was bespattered from
+head to foot, showed that he must have been riding far and fast. He was a
+fierce-looking fellow, with an insolent, devil-may-care, arrogant sort of
+expression, and bold, swaggering gait, yet he started at sight of the young
+baron, and plainly shrunk from his eye; hastening on to the fire and bending
+over it, with his back turned to de Sigognac, under pretence of warming his
+hands. In vain did our hero try to recall when and where he had seen the man
+before, but he was positive that he had come in contact with him somewhere, and
+that recently; and he was conscious of a vague feeling of uneasiness with
+regard to him, that he could not account for. However, there was nothing for
+him to do but follow his companions, and they all went to their respective
+chambers, there to make themselves presentable for the meal to which they were
+shortly summoned, and which they thoroughly enjoyed, as only hungry travellers
+can. The fare was excellent, the wine capital, the dining-room well lighted,
+warm, and comfortable, and all were in high spirits; congratulating each other
+upon having happily reached the end of their long journey at last, and drinking
+to their own future success in this great city of Paris. They indulged in the
+flattering hope of producing a sensation here as well as at Poitiers, and even
+dared to dream of being commanded to appear before the court, and of being
+rewarded royally for their exertions to please. Only de Sigognac was silent and
+preoccupied, and Isabelle, whose thoughts were all of him, cast anxious glances
+at him, and wished that she could charm away his melancholy. He was seated at
+the other end of the table, and still puzzling over the face that he had seen
+in the kitchen, but he soon looked towards her, and caught her lovely eyes
+fixed upon him, with such an adorable expression of chaste love and angelic
+tenderness in their shadowy depths, that all thoughts save of her were at once
+banished from his mind. The warmth of the room had flushed her cheeks a little,
+her eyes shone like stars, and she looked wonderfully beautiful; the young Duke
+of Vallombreuse would have been more madly enamoured of her than ever if he
+could have seen her then. As for de Sigognac, he gazed at her with unfeigned
+delight, his dark, expressive eyes eloquent of adoring love and deep reverence.
+A new sentiment mingled with his passion now&mdash;ever since she had opened
+her heart to him, and let him see all its heavenly purity and
+goodness&mdash;which elevated, ennobled, and intensified it. He knew now the
+true, lofty beauty of her soul, that it was akin to the angels, and but for the
+keen, ever-increasing grief he suffered because of her firm refusal to give
+herself wholly to him, his happiness, in possessing her faithful, devoted love,
+would have been too perfect for this life of trials and sorrow.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When supper was over, de Sigognac accompanied Isabelle to the threshhold of her
+own room, and said ere he left her, &ldquo;Be sure to fasten your door
+securely, my sweet Isabelle, for there are so many people about in a great
+hotel like this that one cannot be too careful.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You need have no fears for me here, my dear baron,&rdquo; she replied;
+&ldquo;only look at this lock, and you will be convinced of that. Why it is
+strong enough for a prison door, and the key turns thrice in it. And here is a
+great thick bolt besides&mdash;actually as long as my arm. The window is
+securely barred, and there is no dreadful bull&rsquo;s eye, or opening of any
+kind in the wall, to make me afraid. Travellers so often have articles of value
+with them that I suppose it is necessary for them to have such protections
+against thieves. Make yourself easy about me, de Sigognac! never was the
+enchanted princess of a fairy tale, shut up in her strong tower guarded by
+dragons, in greater security than am I in this fortress of mine.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;But sometimes it chances that the magic charms and spells, represented
+by these bolts and bars, are insufficient, my beloved Isabelle, and the enemy
+manages to force his way in, despite them all&mdash;and the mystic signs,
+phylacteries, and abracadabras into the bargain.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Yes; but that is when the princess within secretly favours his
+efforts,&rdquo; said Isabelle, with a mischievous smile, &ldquo;and in some
+mysterious way constitutes herself his accomplice; being tired of her
+seclusion, perhaps, or else in love with the bold intruder&mdash;neither of
+which is my case you know, de Sigognac! Surely if I&rsquo;m not afraid&mdash;I,
+who am more timid than the trembling doe when she hears the dread sound of the
+hunter&rsquo;s horn and the baying of the hounds you should not fear&mdash;you,
+who are brave as Alexander the Great himself. Sleep in peace to-night, my
+friend, I pray you, and sleep soundly&mdash;not with one eye open, as you have
+done so often of late for my sake; and now, good night.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+She held out to him a pretty little hand, white and soft enough to have
+belonged to a veritable princess, which he kissed as reverently as if it had
+been a queen&rsquo;s; then waited to hear her turn the big, clumsy, iron key
+three times in the lock&mdash;no easy task for her delicate fingers&mdash;and
+push home the heavy bolt. Breathing a fervent blessing upon her, he turned away
+reluctantly towards his own door. As he paused an instant before it he saw a
+shadow moving, turned round quickly, and caught sight of the very man he had
+been thinking of, and puzzling over, so much that evening&mdash;whose approach
+he had not heard at all&mdash;passing stealthily along the corridor, presumably
+on his way to his own room. Not an extraordinary circumstance, that; but the
+baron&rsquo;s suspicions were instantly aroused, and under pretext of trying to
+introduce his key into the lock, he furtively watched him the whole length of
+the passage, until a turn in it hid him from view, as he gained an unfrequented
+part of the house; a moment later, the sound of a door being softly opened and
+closed announced that he had probably reached his own chamber, and then all was
+still again.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Now what does this mean?&rdquo; said de Sigognac to himself, and haunted
+by a vague feeling of anxiety and uneasiness, he could not even bring himself
+to lie down upon his bed and rest his weary frame; so, after pacing restlessly
+about the room for a while, he concluded to occupy himself in writing a letter
+to his good old Pierre; he had promised to apprise him of his arrival in Paris.
+He was careful that the handwriting should be very large, clear, and distinct,
+for the faithful old servant was not much of a scholar, and addressed him as
+follows:
+</p>
+
+<p class="p2">
+M<small>Y GOOD</small> P<small>IERRE</small>:&mdash;Here I am at last, actually
+in Paris, the great capital, where, according to general belief, I am to fall
+in with some sort of good fortune or other, that will enable me to re-establish
+the ancient prosperity of my house&mdash;though in truth I cannot see where I
+am to look for it. However, some happy chance may bring me into relations with
+the court, and if I could only get to speak to the king&mdash;the great
+dispenser of all favours&mdash;the important and famous services rendered by my
+ancestors to his royal predecessors would surely incline him to listen to me
+with indulgence and interest. His gracious majesty could not, it seems to me,
+suffer a noble family, that had devoted all their possessions to the service of
+king and country, in many wars, to die out so miserably, if once he knew of it.
+Meantime, for want of other employment, I have taken to acting, and have made a
+little money thereby&mdash;part of which I shall send to you, as soon as I can
+find a good opportunity. It would have been better perhaps if I had enlisted as
+a soldier; but I could not give up my liberty, and however poverty-stricken a
+man may be, his pride revolts at the idea of putting himself under the orders
+of those whom his noble ancestors used to command. The only adventure worth
+relating that has befallen me since I left you was a duel that I fought at
+Poitiers, with a certain young duke, who is held to be invincible; but, thanks
+to your good instructions, I was able to get the better of him easily. I ran
+him through the right arm, and could just as well have run him through the
+body, and left him dead upon the field, for his defence was weak and
+insufficient&mdash;by no means equal to his attack, which was daring and
+brilliant, though very reckless&mdash;and several times he was entirely at my
+mercy, as he grew heated and angry. He has not been so thoroughly trained to
+preserve his <i>sang-froid</i>, whatever may happen, as I, and I now
+appreciate, for the first time, your wonderful patience and perseverance in
+making me a master of the noble art of fencing, and how valuable my proficiency
+in it will be to me. Your scholar does you honour, my brave Pierre, and I won
+great praise and applause for my really too easy victory. In spite of the
+constant novelty and excitement of my new way of life, my thoughts often return
+to dwell upon my poor old château, crumbling gradually into ruin over the tombs
+of my ancestors. From afar it does not seem so desolate and forlorn, and there
+are times when I fancy myself there once more, gazing up at the venerable
+family portraits, wandering through the deserted rooms, and I find a sort of
+melancholy pleasure in it. How I wish that I could look into your honest,
+sunburnt face, lighted up with the glad smile that always greeted me&mdash;and
+I am not ashamed to confess that I long to hear Beelzebub&rsquo;s contented
+purring, Miraut&rsquo;s joyful bark, and the loud whinnying of my poor old
+Bayard, who never failed to recognise my step. Are they all still
+alive&mdash;the good, faithful, affectionate creatures&mdash;and do they seem
+to remember me? Have you been able to keep yourself and them from starvation
+thus far? Try to hold out until my return, my good Pierre, so as to share my
+fate&mdash;be it bright or dark, happy or sad&mdash;that we may finish our days
+together in the place where we have suffered so much, yet which is so dear to
+us all. If I am to be the last of the de Sigognacs, I can only say, the will of
+God be done. There is still a vacant place left for me in the vault where my
+forefathers lie.
+</p>
+
+<p class="right">
+&ldquo;B<small>ARON DE</small> S<small>IGOGNAC</small>.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The baron sealed this letter with the ring bearing his family arms, which was
+the only jewel remaining in his possession; directed it, and put it into his
+portfolio, to wait until he should find an opportunity to forward it to
+Gascony. Although by this time it was very late, he could still hear the vague
+roar of the great city, which, like the sound of the ocean, never entirely
+ceases, and was so strange and novel to him, in contrast with the profound
+silence of the country that he had been accustomed to all his life long. As he
+sat listening to it, he thought he heard cautious footsteps in the corridor,
+and extinguishing his light, softly opened his door just a very little way,
+scarcely more than a crack&mdash;and caught a glimpse of a man, enveloped in a
+large cloak, stealing along slowly in the direction the other one had taken. He
+listened breathlessly until he heard him reach, and quietly enter, apparently
+the same door. A few minutes later, while he was still on the lookout, another
+one came creeping stealthily by, making futile efforts to stifle the noise of
+his creaking boots. His suspicions now thoroughly aroused, de Sigognac
+continued his watch, and in about half an hour came yet another&mdash;a fierce,
+villainous looking fellow, and fully armed, as every one of his predecessors
+had been also. This strange proceeding seemed very extraordinary and menacing
+to the baron, and the number of the men&mdash;four&mdash;brought to his mind
+the night attack upon him in the streets of Poitiers, after his quarrel with
+the Duke of Vallombreuse. This recollection was like a ray of light, and it
+instantly flashed upon him that the man he had seen in the kitchen was no other
+than one of those precious rascals, who had been routed so
+ignominiously&mdash;and these, without doubt, were his comrades. But how came
+they there? in the very house with him&mdash;not by chance surely. They must
+have followed him up to Paris, stage by stage, in disguise, or else keeping
+studiously out of his sight, Evidently the young duke&rsquo;s animosity was
+still active, as well as his passion, and he had not renounced his designs upon
+either Isabelle or himself. Our hero was very brave by nature, and did not feel
+the least anxiety about his own safety trusting to his good sword to defend
+himself against his enemies&mdash;but he was very uneasy in regard to his sweet
+Isabelle, and dreaded inexpressibly what might be attempted to gain possession
+of her. Not knowing which one of them the four desperadoes had in view now, he
+determined not to relax his vigilance an instant, and to take such precautions
+as he felt pretty sure would circumvent their plans, whatever they might be. He
+lighted all the candles there were in his room&mdash;a goodly number&mdash;and
+opened his door, so that they threw a flood of light on that of
+Isabelle&rsquo;s chamber, which was exactly opposite his own. Next he drew his
+sword, laid it, with his dagger, on a table he had drawn out in front of the
+door, and then sat down beside it, facing the corridor, to watch. He waited
+some time without hearing or seeing anything. Two o&rsquo;clock had rung out
+from a neighbouring church tower when a slight rustling caught his listening
+ear, and presently one of the four rascals&mdash;the very man he had first
+seen&mdash;emerged from the shadow into the bright light streaming out into the
+passage from his open door. The baron had sprung to his feet at the first
+sound, and stood erect on the threshold, sword in hand, with such a lofty,
+heroic, and triumphant air, that Mérindol&mdash;for it was he&mdash;passed
+quickly by, without offering to molest him, with a most deprecating,
+crestfallen expression; a laughable contrast to his habitual fierce insolence.
+His three doughty comrades followed in quick succession&mdash;but not one of
+them dared to attack de Sigognac, and they slunk out of sight as rapidly as
+possible. He saluted each one with a mocking gesture as he passed, and stood
+tranquilly watching them as long as he could see them. In a few minutes he had
+the satisfaction of hearing the stamping of horses&rsquo; feet in the
+court-yard below, then the opening of the outer door to let them pass out into
+the street, and finally a great clattering of hoofs as they galloped off down
+the Rue Dauphine.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At breakfast the next morning the tyrant said to de Sigognac, &ldquo;Captain,
+doesn&rsquo;t your curiosity prompt you to go out and look about you a little
+in this great city&mdash;one of the finest in the world, and of such high
+renown in history? If it is agreeable to you I will be your guide and pilot,
+for I have been familiar from my youth up with the rocks and reefs, the straits
+and shallows, the scyllas and charybdises of this seething ocean, which are
+often so dangerous&mdash;sometimes so fatal&mdash;to strangers, and more
+especially to inexperienced country people. I will be your Palinurus&mdash;but
+I promise you that I shall not allow myself to be caught napping, and so fall
+overboard, like him that Virgil tells us about. We are admirably located here
+for sight-seeing; the Pont-Neuf, which is close at hand, you know, is to Paris
+what the Sacra Via was to ancient Rome&mdash;the great resort and rallying
+place of high and low, great and small, noble men, gentlemen, <i>bourgeois</i>,
+working men, rogues and vagabonds. Men of every rank and profession under the
+sun are to be found gathered together at this general rendezvous.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Your kind proposition pleases me greatly, my good Hérode,&rdquo; de
+Sigognac replied, &ldquo;and I accept it with thanks; but be sure to tell
+Scapin that he must remain here, and keep a sharp watch over all who come and
+go; and, above all, that he must not let any one gain access to Isabelle. The
+Duke of Vallombreuse has not given up his designs against her and me&mdash;I
+feel very anxious about her safety,&rdquo; and therewith he recounted the
+occurrences of the preceding night.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t believe they would dare to attempt anything in broad
+daylight,&rdquo; said the tyrant; &ldquo;still it is best to err on the safe
+side, and we will leave Scapin, Blazius and Leander to keep guard over Isabelle
+while we are out. And, by the way, I will take my sword with me, too, so that I
+can be of some assistance in case they should find an opportunity to fall upon
+you in the streets.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+After having made every arrangement for Isabelle&rsquo;s safety, de Sigognac
+and his companion sallied forth into the Rue Dauphine, and turned towards the
+Pont-Neuf. It was quickly reached, and when they had taken a few steps upon it
+a magnificent view suddenly burst upon them, which held the young baron
+enthralled. In the immediate foreground, on the bridge itself, which was not
+encumbered with a double row of houses, like the Pont au Change and the Pont
+Saint Michel, was the fine equestrian statue of that great and good king, Henri
+IV, rivalling in its calm majesty the famous one of Marcus Aurelius, on the
+Capitoline Hill at Rome. A high railing, richly gilded, protected its pedestal
+from injury by mischievous street arabs, and the deep, strong tints of the
+bronze horse and rider stood out vigorously against the appropriate background
+formed by the distant hill-sides beyond the Pont Rouge. On the left bank of the
+river the spire of the venerable old church of Saint Germain des Pres pointed
+upwards from amid the houses that completely hemmed it in, and the lofty roof
+of the unfinished Hôtel de Nevers towered conspicuously above all its
+surroundings. A little farther on was the only tower still standing of the
+famous, and infamous, Hôtel de Nesle, its base bathed by the river, and though
+it was in a ruinous condition it still lifted itself up proudly above the
+adjacent buildings. Beyond it lay the marshy Grenouillere, and in the blue,
+hazy distance could be distinguished the three crosses on the heights of
+Calvary, or Mont-Valérien. The palace of the Louvre occupied the other bank
+right royally, lighted up by the brilliant winter sunshine, which brought out
+finely all the marvellous details of its rich and elaborate ornamentation. The
+long gallery connecting it with the Tuileries, which enabled the monarch to
+pass freely from his city palace to his country house, especially challenged
+their admiration; with its magnificent sculptures, its historical bas-reliefs
+and ornamented cornices, its fretted stonework, fine columns and pilasters, it
+rivalled the renowned triumphs of the best Greek and Roman architects. Beyond
+the gardens of the Tuileries, where the city ended, stood the Porte de la
+Conférence, and along the river bank, outside of it, were the trees of
+Cours-la-Reine, the favourite promenade of the fashionable world, which was
+thronged of an afternoon with gay and luxurious equipages. The two banks, which
+we have thus hastily sketched, framed in the most animated scene imaginable;
+the river being covered with boats of all sorts and descriptions, coming and
+going, crossing and recrossing, while at the quay, beside the Louvre, lay the
+royal barges, rich with carving and gilding, and gay with bright-coloured
+awnings, and near at hand rose the historic towers of Saint Germain
+l&rsquo;Auxerrois.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+After gazing silently for a long time at this splendid view, de Sigognac turned
+away reluctantly at his companion&rsquo;s instance, and joined the little crowd
+already gathered round the &ldquo;Samaritan,&rdquo; waiting to see the bronze
+figure surmounting the odd little hydraulic edifice strike the hour with his
+hammer on the bell of the clock. Meanwhile they examined the gilt bronze statue
+of Christ, standing beside the Samaritan, who was leaning on the curb of the
+well, the astronomic dial with its zodiac, the grotesque stone mask pouring out
+the water drawn up from the river below, the stout figure of Hercules
+supporting the whole thing, and the hollow statue, perched on the topmost
+pinnacle, that served as a weathercock, like the Fortune on the Dogana at
+Venice and the Giralda at Seville. As the hands on the clock-face at last
+pointed to ten and twelve respectively, the little chime of bells struck up a
+merry tune, while the bronze man with the hammer raised his ponderous arm and
+deliberately struck ten mighty blows, to the great delight of the spectators.
+This curious and ingenious piece of mechanism, which had been cunningly devised
+by one Lintlaer, a Fleming, highly amused and interested de Sigognac, to whom
+everything of the kind was absolutely new and surprising.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Now,&rdquo; said Hérode, &ldquo;we will glance at the view from the
+other side of the bridge, though it is not so magnificent as the one you have
+already seen, and is very much shut in by the buildings on the Pont au Change
+yonder. However, there is the tower of Saint Jacques, the spire of Saint
+Méderic, and others too numerous to mention; and that is the Sainte
+Chapelle&mdash;a marvel of beauty, so celebrated, you know, for its treasures
+and relics. All the houses in that direction are new and handsome, as you see;
+when I was a boy I used to play at hop-scotch where they now stand. Thanks to
+the munificence of our kings, Paris is being constantly improved and
+beautified, to the great admiration and delight of everybody; more especially
+of foreigners, who take home wondrous tales of its splendour.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;But what astonishes me,&rdquo; said de Sigognac, &ldquo;more even than
+the grandeur and sumptuousness of the buildings, both public and private, is
+the infinite number of people swarming everywhere&mdash;in the streets and open
+squares, and on the bridges&mdash;like ants when one has broken into an ant
+hill; they are all rushing distractedly about, up and down, back and forth, as
+if life and death depended upon their speed. How strange it is to think that
+every individual in this immense crowd must be lodged and fed&mdash;and what a
+prodigious amount of food and wine it must take to satisfy them all.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And indeed, it was not surprising that the great numbers of people, moving in
+every direction, should strike one unaccustomed to the crowded thoroughfares of
+large cities as extraordinary. On the Pont-Neuf an unceasing stream of vehicles
+rolled in each direction&mdash;fine carriages, richly decorated and gilded,
+drawn by two or four prancing horses, with lackeys in brilliant liveries
+clinging on behind, and stately coachmen on the box; less pretentious carriages
+with more quiet steeds and fewer servants; heavy carts laden with stone, wood,
+or wine-barrels, whose drivers swore loudly at the detentions they were
+frequently obliged to submit to, and which were unavoidable in such a crush of
+vehicles; and among them all, gentlemen on horseback, threading their way
+carefully in and out among the press of carts and carriages, and endeavouring
+to avoid coming in contact with their muddy wheels&mdash;not always
+successfully; while here and there a sedan chair crept slowly along, keeping
+upon the edge of the stream, so as not to be crushed; and the narrow, raised
+walk on either side was thronged with pedestrians. Presently a drove of cattle
+made its appearance on the bridge, and then the uproar and confusion became
+terrible indeed; horses, as well as foot-passengers, were frightened, and tried
+to run away from danger, requiring all the strength of their drivers to
+restrain them. Soon after that excitement was over a detachment of soldiers
+came marching along, with drums beating and colours flying, and everybody had
+to make way for the valiant sons of Mars, no matter at what inconvenience to
+themselves. And so it went on, one thing after another&mdash;a constant scene
+of bustle, hurry, and commotion. As de Sigognac and the tyrant strolled slowly
+along they were beset by beggars, more or less impudent and pertinacious, and
+by all sorts of odd characters, plying various extraordinary vocations for the
+amusement of the passers-by, for which they seemed to be liberally enough
+remunerated. Here was an improvisatore, singing, not unmelodiously, his rather
+clever verses; there a blind man, led by a stout, jolly-looking old woman, who
+recited his dolorous history in a whining voice, and appealed to the charity of
+the ever-changing multitude; farther on a charlatan, loudly claiming to be able
+to cure &ldquo;all the ills that flesh is heir to&rdquo; by his magical
+compound&mdash;and finding plenty of dupes; and next to him a man with a
+monkey, whose funny tricks caused much merriment. Suddenly a great tumult arose
+near the other end of the bridge, and in a moment a compact crowd had gathered
+around four men, who, with loud cries and imprecations, were fighting with
+swords&mdash;apparently with great fury, though in reality it was only a mock
+combat, probably intended to give a good chance to the thieves and pickpockets
+in the throng, with whom they were in league; such tactics being very common,
+as well as successful. By Hérode&rsquo;s advice, de Sigognac refrained from
+mingling with the crowd immediately around the combatants, so he could not get
+a very good view of them; but he was almost sure that they were the very men he
+had met first in the streets of Poitiers, to their great discomfiture, and had
+seen again the previous night at the hotel in the Rue Dauphine, where they
+certainly had gained no advantage to make up for their former defeat. He
+communicated his suspicions to the tyrant, but the rascals had already slipped
+away, and it would have been as useless to attempt to find them in the throng
+as to look for a needle in a haystack.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;It certainly is possible,&rdquo; said Hérode, thoughtfully, &ldquo;that
+this quarrel was gotten up with a view to involving you in it, by some means or
+other, for we are undoubtedly followed and watched by the emissaries of the
+Duke of Vallombreuse. One of the scoundrels might have made believe that you
+were in the way, or that you had struck him, and falling upon you suddenly,
+before you had time to draw your sword, have given you a thrust that would have
+done for you; and if he failed to wound you mortally; the others could have
+pretended to come to their comrade&rsquo;s aid, and have completed the
+job&mdash;nothing would have been easier. Then they would have separated, and
+slipped away through the crowd, before any one could interfere with them, or
+else have stood their ground, and declared unanimously that they had been
+obliged to attack you in self defence. It is next to impossible in such cases
+to prove that the act was premeditated, and there is no redress for the unhappy
+victim of such a conspiracy.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;But I am loath to believe,&rdquo; said the brave, generous young baron,
+&ldquo;that any gentleman could be capable of such an utterly base and unworthy
+act as this&mdash;what, send a set of hired ruffians to foully assassinate his
+rival! If he is not satisfied with the result of our first encounter, I am
+willing and ready to cross swords with him again and again, until one or the
+other of us is slain. That is the way that such matters are arranged among men
+of honour, my good Hérode!&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Doubtless,&rdquo; replied the tyrant, dryly, &ldquo;but the duke well
+knows&mdash;despite his cursed pride&mdash;that the result of another meeting
+with you could not but be disastrous to himself. He has tried the strength of
+your blade, and learned by bitter experience that its point is sharp. You may
+be sure that he hates you like the very devil, and will not scruple to make use
+of any means whatever to revenge himself for his defeat at your hands.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Well, if he does not care to try my sword again, we could fight on
+horseback with pistols. He could not accuse me of having any advantage of him
+there.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Talking thus the two had reached the Quai de l&rsquo;Ecole, and there a
+carriage just missed running over de Sigognac, though he did his best to get
+out of its way. As it was, only his extremely slender figure saved him from
+being crushed between it and the wall, so close did it come to
+him&mdash;notwithstanding the fact that there was plenty of room on the other
+side, and that the coachman could easily have avoided the foot passenger he
+actually seemed to pursue. The windows of the carriage were all closed, and the
+curtains drawn down, so that it was impossible to tell whether it had any
+inmates or not&mdash;but if de Sigognac could have peeped within he would have
+seen, reclining languidly upon the luxurious cushions, a handsome young
+nobleman, richly dressed, whose right arm was supported by a black silk scarf,
+arranged as a sling. In spite of the warm red glow from the crimson silk
+curtains, he was very pale, and, though so remarkably handsome, his face wore
+such an expression of hatred and cruelty, that he would have inspired dislike,
+rather than admiration&mdash;as he sat there with a fierce frown contracting
+his brow, and savagely gnawing his under lip with his gleaming white teeth. In
+fine, the occupant of the carriage that had so nearly run over the Baron de
+Sigognac was no other than the young Duke of Vallombreuse.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Another failure!&rdquo; said he to himself, with an oath, as he rolled
+along up the broad quay past the Tuileries. &ldquo;And yet I promised that
+stupid rascal of a coachman of mine twenty-five <i>louis</i> if he could be
+adroit enough to run afoul of that confounded de Sigognac&mdash;who is the bane
+of my life&mdash;and drive over him, as if by accident. Decidedly the star of
+my destiny is not in the ascendant&mdash;this miserable little rustic lordling
+gets the better of me in everything. Isabelle, sweet Isabelle, adores
+<i>him</i>, and detests me&mdash;he has beaten my lackeys, and dared to wound
+<i>me</i>. But there shall be an end of this sort of thing, and that
+speedily&mdash;even though he be invulnerable, and bear a charmed life, he must
+and shall be put out of my way&mdash;I swear it! though I should be forced to
+risk my name and my title to compass it.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Humph!&rdquo; said Hérode, drawing a long breath; &ldquo;why those
+brutes must be of the same breed as the famous horses of that Diomedes, King of
+Thrace, we read of, that pursued men to tear them asunder, and fed upon their
+flesh. But at least you are not hurt, my lord, I trust! That coachman saw you
+perfectly well, and I would be willing to wager all I possess in the world that
+he purposely tried to run over you&mdash;he deliberately turned his horses
+towards you&mdash;I am sure of it, for I saw the whole thing. Did you observe
+whether there was a coat of arms on the panel? As you are a nobleman yourself I
+suppose you must be familiar with the devices of the leading families in
+France.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Yes, I am of course,&rdquo; answered de Sigognac, &ldquo;but I was too
+much occupied in getting out of the way of the swift rolling carriage to notice
+whether there was anything of that kind on it or not.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;That&rsquo;s a pity,&rdquo; rejoined the tyrant regretfully, &ldquo;for
+if we only knew that, we should have a clew that might lead to our discovering
+the truth about this most suspicious affair. It is only too evident that some
+one is trying to put you out of the way, <i>quibuscumque viis</i>, as the
+pedant would say. Although we unfortunately have no proof of it, I am very much
+inclined to think that this same carriage belongs to his lordship, the Duke of
+Vallombreuse, who wished to indulge himself in the pleasure of driving over the
+body of his enemy in his chariot, in true classical and imperial style.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;What extraordinary idea have you got into your head now, Sir
+Hérode?&rdquo; said de Sigognac, rather indignantly. &ldquo;Come, that would be
+too infamous and villainous a proceeding for any gentleman to be guilty of, and
+you must remember that after all the Duke of Vallombreuse is one, and that he
+belongs to a very high and noble family. Besides, did not we leave him in
+Poitiers, laid up with his wound? How then could he possibly be in Paris, when
+we have only just arrived here ourselves?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;But didn&rsquo;t we stop several days at Tours? and again at Orléans?
+And even if his wound were not entirely healed he could easily travel in his
+luxurious carriage, by easy stages, from Poitiers to Paris. His hurt was not of
+a dangerous character, you know, and he is young and vigorous. You must be on
+your guard, my dear captain, unceasingly; never relax your vigilance for one
+moment, for I tell you there are those about who seek your life. You once out
+of the way, Isabelle would, be in the duke&rsquo;s power&mdash;for what could
+we, poor players, do against such a great and powerful nobleman? Even if
+Vallombreuse himself be not in Paris&mdash;though I am almost positive that he
+is&mdash;his emissaries are, as you know, and but for your own courage and
+watchfulness you would have been assassinated in your bed by them last
+night.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This de Sigognac could not dispute, and he only nodded in token of assent, as
+he grasped the hilt of his sword, so as to be ready to draw it at the slightest
+cause for suspicion or alarm. Meantime they had walked on as far as the Porte
+de la Conférence, and now saw ahead of them a great cloud of dust, and through
+it the glitter of bayonets. They stepped aside to let the cavalcade pass, and
+saw that the soldiers preceded the carriage of the king, who was returning from
+Saint Germain to the Louvre. The curtains of the royal vehicle were raised, and
+the glasses let down, so that the people could distinctly see their sovereign,
+Louis XIII, who, pale as a ghost and dressed all in black, sat as motionless as
+an effigy in wax. Long, dark brown hair fell about his mournful, ghastly
+countenance, upon which was depicted the same terrible ennui that drove Philip
+II of Spain, to seclude himself so much, during the later years of his life, in
+the silence and solitude of the dreary Escorial. His eyes were fixed on
+vacancy, and seemed utterly lifeless&mdash;no desire, no thought, no will lent
+them light or expression. A profound disgust for and weariness of everything in
+this life had relaxed his lower lip, which fell sullenly, in a morose, pouting
+way. His hands, excessively thin and white, lay listlessly upon his knees, like
+those of certain Egyptian idols. And yet, for all, there was a truly royal
+majesty about this mournful figure, which personified France, and in whose
+veins flowed sluggishly the generous blood of Henri IV.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The young baron had always thought of the king as a sort of supernatural being,
+exalted above all other men. Glorious and majestic in his person, and
+resplendent in sumptuous raiment, enriched with gold and precious stones; and
+now he saw only this sad, motionless figure, clad in dismal black, and
+apparently unconscious of his surroundings, sunk in a profound reverie that
+none would dare to intrude upon. He had dreamed of a gracious, smiling
+sovereign, showering good gifts upon his loyal subjects, and here was an
+apathetic, inanimate being, who seemed capable of no thought for any one but
+himself. He was sadly disappointed, shocked, amazed; and he felt, with a
+sinking heart, how hopeless was his own case. For even should he be able to
+approach this mournful, listless monarch, what sympathy could be expected from
+him? The future looked darker than ever now to this brave young heart. Absorbed
+in these sorrowful reflections he walked silently along beside his companion,
+who suspected his taciturn mood, and did not intrude upon it, until, as the
+hour of noon approached, he suggested that they should turn their steps
+homeward, so as to be in time for the mid-day meal. When they reached the hotel
+they were relieved to find that nothing particular had happened during their
+absence. Isabelle, quietly seated at table with the others when they entered,
+received the baron with her usual sweet smile, and held out her little white
+hand to him. The comedians asked many questions about his first experiences in
+Paris, and inquired mischievously whether he had brought his cloak, his purse,
+and his handkerchief home with him, to which de Sigognac joyfully answered in
+the affirmative. In this friendly banter he soon forgot his sombre thoughts,
+and asked himself whether he had not been the dupe of a hypochondriac fancy,
+which could see nothing anywhere but plots and conspiracies.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He had not been alarmed without reason however, for his enemies, vexed but not
+discouraged by the failure of their several attempts upon him, had by no means
+renounced their determination to make away with him. Mérindol, who was
+threatened by the duke with being sent back to the galleys whence he had
+rescued him, unless he and his comrades succeeded in disposing of the Baron de
+Sigognac, resolved to invoke the assistance of a certain clever rascal of his
+acquaintance, who had never been known to fail in any job of that kind which he
+undertook. He no longer felt himself capable to cope with the baron, and
+moreover now, laboured under the serious disadvantage of being personally known
+to him. He went accordingly to look up his friend, Jacquemin Lampourde by name,
+who lodged not very far from the Pont-Neuf, and was lucky enough to find him at
+home, sleeping off the effects of his last carouse. He awoke him with some
+difficulty, and was violently abused for his pains. Then, having quietly waited
+until his friend&rsquo;s first fury was exhausted, he announced that he had
+come to consult with him on important business, having an excellent job to
+intrust to him, and begging that he would be good enough to listen to what he
+had to say.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I never listen to anybody when I am drunk,&rdquo; said Jacquemin
+Lampourde, majestically, putting his elbow on his knee as he spoke, and resting
+his head on his hand&mdash;&ldquo;and besides, I have plenty of money&mdash;any
+quantity of gold pieces. We plundered a rich English lord last night, who was a
+walking cash-box, and I am a gentleman of wealth just at present. However, one
+evening at lansquenet may swallow it all up. I can&rsquo;t resist gambling you
+know, and I&rsquo;m deuced unlucky at it, so I will see you to-night about this
+little matter of yours. Meet me at the foot of the bronze statue on the
+Pont-Neuf at midnight. I shall be as fresh and bright as a lark by that time,
+and ready for anything. You shall give me your instructions then, and we will
+agree upon my share of the spoils. It should be something handsome, for I have
+the vanity to believe that no one would come and disturb a fellow of my calibre
+for any insignificant piece of business. But after all I am weary of playing
+the thief and pickpocket&mdash;it is beneath me&mdash;and I mean to devote all
+my energies in future to the noble art of assassination; it is more worthy of
+my undisputed prowess. I would rather be a grand, man-slaying lion than any
+meaner beast of prey. If this is a question of killing I am your man&mdash;but
+one thing more, it must be a fellow who will defend himself. Our victims are so
+apt to be cowardly, and give in without a struggle&mdash;it is no better than
+sticking a pig&mdash;and that I cannot stand, it disgusts me. A good manly
+resistance, the more stubborn the better, gives a pleasant zest to the
+task.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You may rest easy on that score,&rdquo; Mirindol replied, with a
+malicious smile; &ldquo;you will find a tough customer to handle, I promise
+you.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;So much the better,&rdquo; said Lampourde, &ldquo;for it is a long time
+since I have found an adversary worth crossing swords with. But enough of this
+for the present. Good-bye to you, and let me finish my nap.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But he tried in vain to compose himself to sleep again, and, after several
+fruitless efforts, gave it up as a bad job; then began to shake a companion,
+who had slept soundly on the floor under the table during the preceding
+discussion, and when he had succeeded in rousing him, both went off to a
+gaming-house, where lansquenet was in active progress. The company was composed
+of thieves, cut-throats, professional bullies, ruffians of every sort, lackeys,
+and low fellows of various callings, and a few well-to-do, unsophisticated
+<i>bourgeois</i>, who had been enticed in there&mdash;unfortunate pigeons,
+destined to be thoroughly plucked. Lampourde, who played recklessly, had soon
+lost all his boasted wealth, and was left with empty pockets. He took his bad
+luck with the utmost philosophy.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Ouf!&rdquo; said he to his companion, when they had gone out into the
+street, and the cool, night air blew refreshingly upon his heated face,
+&ldquo;here am I rid of my money, and a free man again. It is strange that it
+should always make such a brute of me. It surprises me no longer that rich men
+should invariably be such stupid fools. Now, that I haven&rsquo;t a penny left,
+I feel as gay as a lark&mdash;ready for anything. Brilliant ideas buzz about my
+brain, like bees around the hive. Lampourde&rsquo;s himself again. But
+there&rsquo;s the Samaritan striking twelve, and a friend of mine must be
+waiting for me down by the bronze Henri IV, so goodnight.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He quitted his companion and walked quickly to the rendezvous, where he found
+Mérindol, diligently studying his own shadow in the moonlight; and the two
+ruffians, after looking carefully about them to make sure that there was no one
+within ear-shot, held a long consultation, in very low tones. What they said we
+do not know; but, when Lampourde quitted the agent of the Duke of Vallombreuse,
+he joyously jingled the handful of gold pieces in his pocket, with an imprudent
+audacity that showed conclusively how much he was respected by the thieves and
+cut throats who haunted the Pont-Neuf.
+</p>
+
+</div><!--end chapter-->
+
+<div class="chapter">
+
+<h2><a name="chap12"></a>CHAPTER XII.<br/>
+THE CROWNED RADISH</h2>
+
+<p>
+Jacquemin Lampourde, after parting company with Mérindol, seemed in great
+uncertainty as to which way he should go, and had not yet decided when he
+reached the end of the Pont-Neuf. He was like the donkey between two bundles of
+hay; or, if that comparison be not pleasing, like a piece of iron between two
+magnets of equal power. On the one side was lansquenet, with the fascinating
+excitement of rapidly winning and losing the broad gold pieces that he loved;
+and on the other the tavern, with its tempting array of bottles; for he was a
+drunkard as well as a gambler, this same notorious Jacquemin Lampourde. He
+stood stock still for a while, debating this knotty point with himself, quite
+unable to come to a decision, and growing very much vexed at his own
+hesitation, when suddenly a brilliant idea occurred to him, and, plunging his
+hand into his well-filled pocket, he drew forth a gold piece, which he tossed
+into the air, crying, &ldquo;Head for the tavern, tail for lansquenet.&rdquo;
+The coin rang upon the pavement as it fell, and he kneeled down to see what
+fate had decided for him; head was up. &ldquo;Very well,&rdquo; said he,
+philosophically, as he picked up the piece of money, carefully wiped off the
+mud, and put it back in his pocket, &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll go and get drunk.&rdquo;
+Then, with long strides, he made off to his favourite tavern, which had the
+advantage of being in the immediate vicinity of his own lodgings, so that with
+a few zigzags he was at home, after he had filled himself with wine from the
+soles of his boots to the apple in his throat. It was not an inviting-looking
+place, this same tavern, with the odd device of an enormous radish, bearing a
+golden crown&mdash;now rather tarnished&mdash;which had served as its sign for
+many generations of wine-drinkers. The heavy wooden shutters were all closed
+when Lampourde reached it; but by the bright light streaming through their
+crevices, and the sounds of song and revelry that reached his ear, he knew that
+there must be a numerous company within. Knocking on the door in a peculiar way
+with the handle of his sword, he made himself known as an <i>habitué</i> of the
+house, and was promptly admitted&mdash;the door being carefully made fast again
+the moment he had entered. The large, low room into which he made his way was
+filled with the smoke from many pipes, and redolent with the fumes of wine. A
+cheerful wood fire was blazing on the hearth, lighting up the array of bottles
+in the bar, which was placed near it, where the master of the establishment sat
+enthroned, keeping a watchful eye on the noisy crowd gathered round the many
+small tables with which the room abounded, drinking, smoking, playing at
+various games, and singing ribald songs. Lampourde paid no attention to the
+uproarious throng, further than to look about and make sure that none of his
+own particular friends and associates were among them. He found an unoccupied
+table, to which a servant quickly brought a bottle of fine old Canary wine,
+very choice and rare, which was reserved for a few privileged and appreciative
+customers, who could afford to indulge in such luxuries. Although he was quite
+by himself, two glasses were placed before him, as his dislike of drinking
+alone was well known, and at any moment a comrade might come in and join him.
+Meantime he slowly filled his glass, raised it to the level of his eyes, and
+looked long and lovingly through the beautiful, clear topaz of the generous
+wine. Having thus satisfied the sense of sight, he passed to that of smell, and
+held the glass under his nostrils, where he could enjoy the delicious aroma
+arising from it, giving the wine a rotary motion as he did so, in a very
+artistic manner; then, putting the glass to his lips, he let a few drops
+trickle slowly down over his tongue to his palate, lengthening out the
+enjoyment as much as possible, and approving smack of relish as he at last
+swallowed the smooth nectar. Thus Maître Jacquemin Lampourde managed to gratify
+three of the five senses man is blessed with by means of a single glass of
+wine. He pretended that the other two might also have a share of the
+enjoyment&mdash;that of touch by the highly polished surface and swelling
+curves of the wine-glass, and that of hearing by the merry ringing when two
+glasses are clinked together, or by the musical sounds to be brought forth from
+a glass by drawing the moistened finger round and round the edge of it. But
+these are fantastic and paradoxical ideas, which only serve to show the vicious
+refinement of this fastidious ruffian. He had been but a few minutes alone when
+an odd-looking, shabbily dressed individual came in, who rejoiced in a
+remarkably pale face, which looked as if it had been chalked, and a nose as red
+and fiery as a live coal; the idea of how many casks of wine and bottles of
+brandy must have been imbibed to bring it to such an intensity of erubescence
+would be enough to terrify the ordinary drinker. This singular countenance was
+like a cheese, with a bright, red cherry stuck in the middle of it; and to
+finish the portrait it would only be necessary to add two apple seeds, placed a
+little obliquely, for the eyes, and a wide gash for a mouth. Such was
+Malartic&mdash;the intimate friend, the Pylades, the Euryalus, the &ldquo;fidus
+Achates&rdquo; of Jacquemin Lampourde; who certainly was not handsome&mdash;but
+his mental and moral qualities made up for his little physical disadvantages.
+Next to Lampourde&mdash;for whom he professed the most exalted admiration and
+respect&mdash;he was accounted the most skillful swordsman in Paris; he was
+always lucky at cards, and could drink to any extent without becoming
+intoxicated. For the rest, he was a man of great delicacy and honour, in his
+way&mdash;ready to run any risk to help or support a friend, and capable of
+enduring any amount of torture rather than betray his comrades&mdash;so that he
+enjoyed the universal and unbounded esteem of his circle.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Malartic went straight to Lampourde&rsquo;s table, sat down opposite to him,
+silently seized the glass the other had promptly filled, and drained it at a
+single draught; evidently his method differed from his friend&rsquo;s, but that
+it was equally efficacious his nose bore indisputable witness. The two men
+drank steadily and in silence until they had emptied their third bottle, and
+then called for pipes. When they had puffed away for a while, and enveloped
+themselves in a dense cloud of smoke, they fell into conversation, deploring
+the bad times since the king, his court and followers, had all gone to Saint
+Germain, and comparing notes as to their own individual doings since their last
+meeting. Thus far they had paid no attention whatever to the company round
+them, but now such a loud discussion arose over the conditions of a bet between
+two men about some feat that one of them declared he could perform and the
+other pronounced impossible, that they both looked round to see what it was all
+about. A man of lithe, vigorous frame, with a complexion dark as a
+Moor&rsquo;s, jet-black hair and flashing eyes, was drawing out of his red
+girdle a large, dangerous looking knife, which, when opened, was nearly as long
+as a sword, and called in Valencia, where it was made, a <i>navaja</i>. He
+carefully examined and tested the edge and point of this formidable weapon,
+with which he seemed satisfied, said to the man he had been disputing with,
+&ldquo;I am ready!&rdquo; then turned and called, &ldquo;Chiquita!
+Chiquita!&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At the sound of her name a little girl, who had been sleeping, rolled up in a
+cloak, on the floor in a dark corner, rose and came towards Agostino&mdash;for
+it was he of course&mdash;and, fixing her large dark eyes upon his face
+earnestly, said, &ldquo;Master, what do you want me to do? I am ready to obey
+you here as everywhere else, because you are so brave, and have so many red
+marks on your <i>navaja</i>.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Chiquita said this rapidly, in a patois which was as unintelligible to the
+Frenchmen around her as German, Hebrew or Chinese. Agostino took her by the
+hand and placed her with her back against the door, telling her to keep
+perfectly still, and the child, accustomed to that sort of thing, showed
+neither alarm nor surprise, but stood quietly, looking straight before her with
+perfect serenity, while Agostino, at the other end of the room, standing with
+one foot advanced, balanced the dread <i>navaja</i> in his hand. Suddenly with
+a quick jerking movement he sent it flying through the air, and it struck into
+the wooden door, just over Chiquita&rsquo;s head. As it darted by, like a flash
+of lightning, the spectators had involuntarily closed their eyes for a second,
+but the fragile child&rsquo;s long dark eyelashes did not even quiver. The
+brigand&rsquo;s wonderful skill elicited a loud burst of admiration and
+applause from an audience not easily surprised or pleased, in which even the
+man who had lost his wager joined enthusiastically. Agostino went and drew out
+the knife, which was still vibrating, and returning to his place this time sent
+it in between Chiquita&rsquo;s arm&mdash;which was hanging down by her
+side&mdash;and her body; if it had deviated a hair&rsquo;s breadth it must have
+wounded her. At this everybody cried &ldquo;Enough!&rdquo; but Agostino
+insisted upon aiming at the other side as well, so as to prove to them that
+there was no chance about it; that it was purely a matter of skill. Again the
+terrible <i>navaja</i> flew through the air, and went straight to the mark, and
+Chiquita, very much delighted at the applause that followed, looked about her
+proudly, glorying in Agostino&rsquo;s triumph. She still wore Isabelle&rsquo;s
+pearl beads round her slender brown neck; in other respects was much better
+dressed than when we first saw her, and even had shoes on her tiny feet; they
+seemed to worry and annoy her very much, it is true, but she found them a
+necessary nuisance on the cold Paris pavements, and so had to submit to wearing
+them with as good a grace as she could muster. When Agostino gave her leave to
+quit her position she quietly returned to her corner, rolled herself up anew in
+the large cloak, and fell sound asleep again, while he, after pocketing the
+five <i>pistoles</i> he had won, sat down to finish his measure of cheap wine;
+which he did very slowly, intending to remain where he was as long as possible;
+he had no lodging place yet in Paris, having arrived that very evening, and
+this warm room was far more comfortable than a refuge in some convent porch, or
+under the arch of a bridge perhaps, where he had feared that he and Chiquita
+might have to lie shivering all night long.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Quiet being restored, comparatively speaking, Lampourde and Malartic resumed
+their interrupted conversation, and after a few remarks upon the strange
+performance they had just witnessed&mdash;in which Lampourde especially praised
+Agostino&rsquo;s marvellous skill, and Malartic warmly commended
+Chiquita&rsquo;s wonderful courage and <i>sang-froid</i>&mdash;the former
+confided to his friend that he had a piece of work in prospect, in which he
+would need some assistance, and desired to have his opinion as to which of
+their comrades would be best suited for his purpose. He told him that, in the
+first place, he was commissioned to despatch a certain Captain Fracasse, an
+actor, who had dared to interfere with the love affair of a very great lord. In
+this, of course, he would not require any aid; but he had also to make
+arrangements for the abduction of the lady, a very beautiful young actress, who
+was beloved by both the nobleman and the comedian, and who would be zealously
+defended by the members of the dramatic company to which she belonged; so that
+he should be obliged to resort to some stratagem, and would probably need the
+help of several hands to carry it out&mdash;adding that they were sure of being
+well paid, for the young lord was as generous and open handed as he was wealthy
+and determined. Thereupon they fell to discussing the respective merits of
+their numerous friends and acquaintances&mdash;gentlemen of the same stamp as
+themselves&mdash;and having decided upon four, and determined to keep an eye
+upon Agostino, who seemed a clever rascal and might be of use, they called for
+another bottle of wine. When that was finished Jacquemin Lampourde was
+indisputably drunk, and having loyally kept his word, retired, somewhat
+unsteadily, to his own quarters in a high state of maudlin satisfaction,
+accompanied by his friend Malartic, whom he had invited to spend the night with
+him. By this time&mdash;it was nearly four o&rsquo;clock in the
+morning&mdash;the Crowned Radish was almost deserted, and the master of the
+establishment, seeing that there was no prospect of further custom, told his
+servants to rouse up and turn out all the sleepers&mdash;Agostino and Chiquita
+among the rest&mdash;and his orders were promptly executed.
+</p>
+
+</div><!--end chapter-->
+
+<div class="chapter">
+
+<h2><a name="chap13"></a>CHAPTER XIII.<br/>
+A DOUBLE ATTACK</h2>
+
+<p>
+The Duke of Vallombreuse was not a man to neglect his love affairs, any more
+than his enemies. If he hated de Sigognac mortally, he felt for Isabelle that
+furious passion which the unattainable is apt to excite in a haughty and
+violent nature like his, that has never met with resistance. To get possession
+of the young actress had become the ruling thought of his life. Spoiled by the
+easy victories he had always gained heretofore, in his career of gallantry, his
+failure in this instance was utterly incomprehensible to him, as well as
+astonishing and maddening. He could not understand it. Oftentimes in the midst
+of a conversation, at the theatre, at church, at the court, anywhere and
+everywhere, the thought of it would suddenly rush into his mind, sweeping
+everything before it, overwhelming him afresh with wonder and amazement. And
+indeed it could not be easy for a man who did not believe that such an anomaly
+as a truly virtuous woman ever existed&mdash;much less a virtuous
+actress&mdash;to understand Isabelle&rsquo;s firm resistance to the suit of
+such a rich and handsome young nobleman as himself. He sometimes wondered
+whether it could be that after all she was only playing a part, and holding
+back for a while so as to obtain more from him in the end&mdash;tactics that he
+knew were not unusual&mdash;but the indignant, peremptory way in which she had
+rejected the casket of jewels proved conclusively that no such base motives
+actuated Isabelle. All his letters she had returned unopened. All his advances
+she had persistently repulsed; and he was at his wit&rsquo;s end to know what
+to do next. Finally he concluded to send for old Mme. Léonarde to come and talk
+the matter over with him; he had kept up secret relations with her, as it is
+always well to have a spy in the enemy&rsquo;s camp. The duke received her,
+when she came in obedience to his summons, in his own particular and favoured
+room, to which she was conducted by a private staircase. It was a most dainty
+and luxurious apartment, fitted up with exquisite taste, and hung round with
+portraits of beautiful women&mdash;admirably painted by Simon Vouet, a
+celebrated master of that day&mdash;representing different mythological
+characters, and set in richly carved oval frames. These were all likenesses of
+the young duke&rsquo;s various mistresses, each one displaying her own peculiar
+charms to the greatest possible advantage, and having consented to sit for her
+portrait&mdash;in a costume and character chosen by the duke&mdash;as a special
+favour, without the most remote idea that it was to form part of a gallery.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When the duenna had entered and made her best curtsey, the duke condescendingly
+signed to her to be seated, and immediately began to question her eagerly about
+Isabelle&mdash;as to whether there were any signs yet of her yielding to his
+suit, and also how matters were progressing between her and the detested
+Captain Fracasse. Although the crafty old woman endeavoured to put the best
+face upon everything, and was very diplomatic in her answers to these searching
+questions, the information that she had to give was excessively displeasing to
+the imperious young nobleman, who had much ado to control his temper
+sufficiently to continue the conversation. Before he let her go he begged her
+to suggest some plan by which he could hope to soften the obdurate
+beauty&mdash;appealing to her great experience in such intrigues, and offering
+to give her any reward she chose to claim if she would but help him to succeed.
+She had nothing better to propose, however, than secretly administering a
+strong narcotic to Isabelle, and concerting some plan to deliver her into his
+hands while unconscious from the effects of it; which even the unscrupulous
+young duke indignantly rejected. Whereupon, fixing her wicked old eyes
+admiringly upon his handsome face, and apparently moved by a sudden
+inspiration, she said: &ldquo;But why does not your lordship conduct this
+affair in person? why not begin a regular and assiduous courtship in the good
+old style? You are as beautiful as Adonis, my lord duke! You are young,
+fascinating, powerful, wealthy, a favourite at court, rich in everything that
+is pleasing to the weaker sex; and there is not a woman on earth who could long
+hold out against you, if you would condescend, my lord, to plead your own cause
+with her.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;By Jove! the old woman is right,&rdquo; said Vallombreuse to himself,
+glancing complacently at the reflection of his own handsome face and figure in
+a full-length mirror opposite to him; &ldquo;Isabelle may be virtuous and cold,
+but she is not blind, and Nature has not been so unkind to me that the sight of
+me should inspire her with horror. I can at least hope to produce the same
+happy effect as a fine statue or picture, which attracts and charms the eye by
+its symmetry, or its beautiful and harmonious colouring. Then, kneeling at her
+feet, I can softly whisper some of those persuasive words that no woman can
+listen to unmoved&mdash;accompanied by such passionately ardent looks that the
+ice round her heart will melt under them and vanish quite away. Not one of the
+loftiest, haughtiest ladies at the court has ever been able to withstand
+them&mdash;they have thawed the iciest, most immaculate of them all; and
+besides, it surely cannot fail to flatter the pride of this disdainful,
+high-spirited little actress to have a real duke actually and openly kneeling
+at her feet. Yes, I will take the old woman&rsquo;s advice, and pay my court to
+her so charmingly and perseveringly that I shall conquer at last&mdash;she will
+not be able to withstand me, my sweet Isabelle. And it will be a miracle indeed
+if she has a regret left then for that cursed de Sigognac; who shall no longer
+interfere between my love and me&mdash;that I swear! She will soon forget him
+in my arms.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Having dismissed old Mme. Léonarde with a handsome gratuity, the duke next
+summoned his valet, Picard, and held an important consultation with him, as to
+his most becoming costumes, finally deciding upon a very rich but comparatively
+plain one, all of black velvet; whose elegant simplicity he thought would be
+likely to suit Isabelle&rsquo;s fastidious taste better than any more gorgeous
+array, and in which it must be confessed that he looked adorably
+handsome&mdash;his really beautiful face and fine figure appearing to the
+utmost advantage.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+His toilet completed, he sent a peremptory order to his coachman to have the
+carriage, with the four bays, ready in a quarter of an hour. When Picard had
+departed on this errand, Vallombreuse began pacing slowly to and fro in his
+chamber, glancing into the mirror each time he passed it with a self-satisfied
+smile. &ldquo;That proud little minx must be deucedly cross-grained and
+unappreciative,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;if she does not perceive how much more
+worthy I am of her admiration than that shabby de Sigognac. Oh, yes!
+she&rsquo;ll be sure to come round, in spite of her obstinate affectation of
+such ferocious virtue, and her tiresome, Platonic love for her impecunious
+suitor. Yes, my little beauty, your portrait shall figure in one of those oval
+frames ere long. I think I&rsquo;ll have you painted as chaste Diana, descended
+from the sky, despite her coldness, to lavish sweet kisses on Endymion. You
+shall take your place among those other goddesses, who were as coy and hard to
+please at first as yourself, and who are far greater ladies, my dear, than you
+ever will be. Your fall is at hand, and you must learn, as your betters have
+done before you, that there&rsquo;s no withstanding the will of a Vallombreuse.
+&lsquo;Frango nec frangor,&rsquo; is my motto.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A servant entered to announce that the carriage awaited his lordship&rsquo;s
+pleasure, and during the short drive from his own house to the Rue Dauphine,
+the young duke, despite his arrogant assurance, felt his heart beating faster
+than usual as he wondered how Isabelle would receive him. When the splendid
+carriage, with its four prancing horses and servants in gorgeous liveries,
+drove into the courtyard of the hotel where the comedians were stopping, the
+landlord himself, cap in hand, rushed out to ask the pleasure of the lordly
+visitor; but, rapid as were his movements, the duke had already alighted before
+he could reach him. He cut short the obsequious host&rsquo;s obeisances and
+breathless offers of service by an impatient gesture, and said peremptorily:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Mlle. Isabelle is stopping here. I wish to see her. Is she at home? Do
+not send to announce my visit; only let me have a servant to show me the way to
+her room.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;My lord, let me have the glory of conducting your lordship
+myself&mdash;such an honour is too great for a rascally servant&mdash;I myself
+am not worthy of so distinguished a privilege.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;As you please,&rdquo; said Vallombreuse, with haughty negligence,
+&ldquo;only be quick about it. There are people at every window already,
+staring down at me as if I were the Grand Turk in person.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He followed his guide, who, with many bows and apologies, preceded him
+upstairs, and down a long, narrow corridor with doors on either side, like a
+convent, until they reached Isabelle&rsquo;s room, where the landlord paused,
+and, bowing lower than ever, asked what name he should have the honour of
+announcing.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You can go, now,&rdquo; the duke replied, laying his hand on the door;
+&ldquo;I will announce myself.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Isabelle was sitting by the window, diligently studying her part in a new play
+to be shortly put in rehearsal, and, at the moment the Duke of Vallombreuse
+softly entered her chamber, was repeating, in a low voice and with closed eyes,
+the verses she was learning by heart&mdash;just as a child does its lessons.
+The light from the window shone full upon her beautiful head and
+face&mdash;seen in profile&mdash;and her lovely figure, thrown back in a
+negligent attitude full of grace and <i>abandon</i>. She made a most bewitching
+picture thus, and with a delicious effect of chiaroscuro that would have
+enchanted an artist&mdash;it enthralled the young duke.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Supposing that the intruder who entered so quietly was only the chambermaid,
+come to perform some forgotten duty, Isabelle did not interrupt her study or
+look up, but went on composedly with her recitation. The duke, who had
+breathlessly advanced to the centre of the room, paused there, and stood
+motionless, gazing with rapture upon her beauty. As he waited for her to open
+her eyes and become aware of his presence, he sank gracefully down upon one
+knee, holding his hat so that its long plume swept the floor, and laying his
+hand on his heart, in an attitude that was slightly theatrical perhaps, but as
+respectful as if he had been kneeling before a queen. Excitement and agitation
+had flushed his pale cheeks a little, his eyes were luminous and full of fire,
+a sweet smile hovered on his rich, red lips, and he had never looked more
+splendidly, irresistibly handsome in his life. At last Isabelle moved, raised
+her eyelids, turned her head, and perceived the Duke of Vallombreuse, kneeling
+within six feet of her. If Perseus had suddenly appeared before her, holding up
+Medusa&rsquo;s horrid head, the effect would have been much the same. She sat
+like a statue, motionless, breathless, as if she had been petrified, or frozen
+stiff&mdash;her eyes, dilated with excessive terror, fixed upon his face, her
+lips parted, her throat parched and dry, her tongue paralyzed&mdash;unable to
+move or speak. A ghastly pallor overspread her horror-stricken countenance, a
+deathly chill seized upon all her being, and for one dreadful moment of supreme
+anguish she feared that she was going to faint quite away; but, by a desperate,
+prodigious effort of will, she recalled her failing senses, that she might not
+leave herself entirely defenceless in the power of her cruel persecutor.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Can it be possible that I inspire such overwhelming horror in your
+gentle breast, my sweet Isabelle,&rdquo; said Vallombreuse in his most dulcet
+tones, and without stirring from his position, &ldquo;that the mere sight of me
+produces an effect like this? Why, a wild beast, crouching to spring upon you
+from his lair, with angry roar and blazing eyeballs, could not terrify you
+more. My presence here may be a little sudden and startling, I admit; but you
+must not be too hard upon one who lives only to love and adore you. I knew that
+I risked your anger when I decided to take this step; but I could not exist any
+longer without a sight of you, and I humbly crave your pardon if I have
+offended you by my ardour and devotion. I kneel at your feet, fair lady, a
+despairing and most unhappy suppliant for your grace and favour.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Rise, my lord, I beseech you,&rdquo; said the frightened, trembling
+girl, speaking with great difficulty and in a voice that sounded strange in her
+own ears; &ldquo;such a position does not become your rank. I am only an
+actress, and my poor attractions do not warrant such homage. Forget this
+fleeting fancy, I pray you, and carry elsewhere the ardour and devotion that
+are wasted upon me, and that so many great and noble ladies would be proud and
+happy to receive and reward.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;What do I care for other women, be they what they may?&rdquo; cried
+Vallombreuse impetuously, as he rose in obedience to her request; &ldquo;it is
+<i>your</i> pride and purity that I adore, <i>your</i> beauty and goodness that
+I worship; your very cruelty is more charming to me than the utmost favour of
+any other woman in the world. Your sweet modesty and angelic loveliness have
+inspired in me a passion that is almost delirium, and unless you can learn to
+love me I shall die&mdash;I cannot live without you. You need not be afraid of
+me,&rdquo; he added, as Isabelle recoiled when he made one step forward, and
+tried to open the window with her trembling hands, as if she meant to throw
+herself out in case of his coming any nearer; &ldquo;see, I will stay where I
+am. I will not touch you, not even the hem of your garment, so great is my
+respect for you, charming Isabelle! I do not ask anything more than that you
+will deign to suffer my presence here a little longer now, and permit me to pay
+my court to you, lay siege to your heart, and wait patiently until it
+surrenders itself to me freely and of its own accord, as it surely will. The
+most respectful lover could not do more.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Spare me this useless pursuit, my lord,&rdquo; pleaded Isabelle,
+&ldquo;and I will reward you with the warmest gratitude; but love you I cannot,
+now or ever.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You have neither father, brother, husband, or affianced lover,&rdquo;
+persisted Vallombreuse, &ldquo;to forbid the advances of a gallant gentleman,
+who seeks only to please and serve you. My sincere homage is surely not
+insulting to you; why do you repulse me so? Oh! you do not dream what a
+splendid prospect would open out before you if you would but yield to my
+entreaties. I would surround you with everything that is beautiful and dainty,
+luxurious and rare. I would anticipate your every wish; I would devote my whole
+life to your service. The story of our love should be more enchanting, more
+blissful than that of Love himself with his delicious Psyche&mdash;not even the
+gods could rival us. Come, Isabelle, do not turn so coldly away from me, do not
+persevere in this maddening silence, nor drive to desperation and desperate
+deeds a passion that is capable of anything, of everything, save renouncing its
+adored object, your own sweet, charming self!&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;But this love, of which any other woman would be justly proud,&rdquo;
+said Isabelle modestly, &ldquo;I cannot return or accept; you <i>must</i>
+believe me, my lord, for I mean every word I say, and I shall never swerve from
+this decision. Even if the virtue and purity that I value more highly than life
+itself were not against it, I should still feel myself obliged to decline this
+dangerous honour.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Deign to look upon me with favour and indulgence, my sweet
+Isabelle,&rdquo; continued Vallombreuse, without heeding her words, &ldquo;and
+I will make you an object of envy to the greatest and noblest ladies in all
+France. To any other woman I should say&mdash;take what you please of my
+treasures&mdash;my châteaux, my estates, my gold, my jewels&mdash;dress your
+lackeys in liveries richer than the court costumes of princes&mdash;have your
+horses shod with silver&mdash;live as luxuriously as a queen&mdash;make even
+Paris wonder at your lavish splendour if you will&mdash;though Paris is not
+easily roused to wonder&mdash;but I well know that you have a soul far above
+all such sordid temptations as these. They would have no weight with you, my
+noble Isabelle! But there <i>is</i> a glory that may touch you&mdash;that of
+having conquered Vallombreuse&mdash;of leading him captive behind your chariot
+wheels&mdash;of commanding him as your servant, and your slave. Vallombreuse,
+who has never yielded before&mdash;who has been the commander, not the
+commanded&mdash;and whose proud neck has never yet bowed to wear the fetters
+that so many fair hands have essayed to fasten round it.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Such a captive would be too illustrious for my chains,&rdquo; said
+Isabelle, firmly, &ldquo;and as I could never consent to accept so much honour
+at your hands, my lord, I pray you to desist, and relieve me of your
+presence.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Hitherto the Duke of Vallombreuse had managed to keep his temper under control;
+he had artfully concealed his naturally violent and domineering spirit under a
+feigned mildness and humility, but, at Isabelle&rsquo;s determined and
+continued&mdash;though modest and respectful&mdash;resistance to his pleading,
+his anger was rapidly rising to boiling point. He felt that there was
+love&mdash;devoted love&mdash;for another behind her persistent rejection of
+his suit, and his wrath and jealousy augmented each other. Throwing aside all
+restraint, he advanced towards her impetuously&mdash;whereat she made another
+desperate effort to tear open the casement. A fierce frown contracted his brow,
+he gnawed his under lip savagely, and his whole face was transformed&mdash;if
+it had been beautiful enough for an angel&rsquo;s before, it was like a
+demon&rsquo;s now.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Why don&rsquo;t you tell the truth,&rdquo; he cried, in a loud, angry
+voice, &ldquo;and say that you are madly in love with that precious rascal, de
+Sigognac? <i>That</i> is the real reason for all this pretended virtue that you
+shamelessly flaunt in men&rsquo;s faces. What is there about that cursed
+scoundrel, I should like to know, that charms you so? Am I not handsomer, of
+higher rank, younger, richer, as clever, and as much in love with you as he can
+possibly be? aye, and more&mdash;ten thousand times more.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;He has at least one quality that you are lacking in, my lord,&rdquo;
+said Isabelle, with dignity; &ldquo;he knows how to respect the woman he
+loves.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;That&rsquo;s only because he cares so little about you, my
+charmer!&rdquo; cried Vallombreuse, suddenly seizing Isabelle, who vainly
+strove to escape from him, in his arms, and straining her violently to his
+breast&mdash;despite her frantic struggles, and agonized cry for help. As if in
+response to it, the door was suddenly opened, and the tyrant, making the most
+deprecating gestures and profound bows, entered the room and advanced towards
+Isabelle, who was at once released by Vallombreuse, with muttered curses at
+this most inopportune intrusion.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I beg your pardon, mademoiselle,&rdquo; said Hérode, with a furtive
+glance at the duke, &ldquo;for interrupting you. I did not know that you were
+in such good company; but the hour for rehearsal has struck, and we are only
+waiting for you to begin.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He had left the door ajar, and an apparently waiting group could be discerned
+without, consisting of the pedant, Scapin, Leander, and Zerbine; a reassuring
+and most welcome sight to poor Isabelle. For one instant the duke, in his rage,
+was tempted to draw his sword, make a furious charge upon the intruding
+<i>canaille</i>, and disperse them &ldquo;<i>vi et armis</i>&rdquo;&mdash;but a
+second thought stayed his hand, as he realized that the killing or wounding of
+two or three of these miserable actors would not further his suit; and besides,
+he could not stain his noble hands with such vile blood as theirs. So he put
+force upon himself and restrained his rage, and, bowing with icy politeness to
+Isabelle, who, trembling in every limb, had edged nearer to her friends, he
+made his way out of the room; turning, however, at the threshold to say, with
+peculiar emphasis, &ldquo;Au revoir, mademoiselle!&rdquo;&mdash;a very simple
+phrase certainly, but replete with significance of a very terrible and
+threatening nature from the way in which it was spoken. His face was so
+expressive of evil passions as he said it that Isabelle shuddered, and felt a
+violent spasm of fear pass over her, even though the presence of her companions
+guaranteed her against any further attempts at violence just then. She felt the
+mortal anguish of the fated dove, above which the cruel kite is circling
+swiftly in the air, drawing nearer with every rapid round.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The Duke of Vallombreuse regained his carriage, which awaited him in the court
+followed by the obsequious landlord, with much superfluous and aggravating
+ceremony that he would gladly have dispensed with, and the next minute the
+rumble of wheels indicated to Isabelle that her dangerous visitor had taken his
+departure.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Now, to explain the timely interruption that came so opportunely to rescue
+Isabelle from her enemy&rsquo;s clutches. The arrival of the duke in his superb
+carriage at the hotel in the Rue Dauphine had caused an excitement and flutter
+throughout the whole establishment, which soon reached the ears of the tyrant,
+who, like Isabelle, was busy learning his new part in the seclusion of his own
+room. In the absence of de Sigognac, who was detained at the theatre to try on
+a new costume, the worthy tyrant, knowing the duke&rsquo;s evil intentions,
+determined to keep a close watch over his actions, and having summoned the
+others, applied his ear to the key-hole of Isabelle&rsquo;s door, and listened
+attentively to all that passed within&mdash;holding himself in readiness to
+interfere at any moment, if the duke should venture to offer violence to the
+defenceless girl&mdash;and to his prudence and courage it was due that she
+escaped further persecution, on that occasion, from her relentless and
+unscrupulous tormentor.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+That day was destined to be an eventful one. It will be remembered that
+Lampourde, the professional assassin, had received from Mérindol&mdash;acting
+for the Duke Of Vallombreuse&mdash;a commission to put Captain Fracasse quietly
+out of the way, and accordingly that worthy was dodging about on the Pont-Neuf,
+at the hour of sunset, waiting to intercept his intended victim, who would
+necessarily pass that way in returning to his hotel. Jacquemin awaited his
+arrival impatiently, frequently breathing on his fingers and rubbing them
+vigorously, so that they should not be quite numb with the cold when the moment
+for action came, and stamping up and down in order to warm his half-frozen
+feet. The weather was extremely cold, and the sun had set behind the Pont
+Rouge, in a heavy mass of blood-red clouds. Twilight was coming on apace, and
+already there were only occasional foot-passengers, or vehicles, to be
+encountered hurrying along the deserted streets.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At last de Sigognac appeared, walking very fast, for a vague anxiety about
+Isabelle had taken possession of him, and he was in haste to get back to her.
+In his hurry and preoccupation he did not notice Lampourde, who suddenly
+approached and laid hold of his cloak, which he snatched off, with a quick,
+strong jerk that broke its fastenings. Without stopping to dispute the cloak
+with his assailant, whom he mistook at first for an ordinary foot-pad, de
+Sigognac instantly drew his sword and attacked him. Lampourde, on his side, was
+ready for him, and pleased with the baron&rsquo;s way of handling his weapon,
+said to himself, though in an audible tone, &ldquo;Now for a little fun.&rdquo;
+Then began a contest that would have delighted and astonished a connoisseur in
+fencing&mdash;such swift, lightning-like flashing of the blades, as they gave
+and parried cut and thrust&mdash;the clashing of the steel, the blue sparks
+that leaped from the contending swords as the fight grew more
+furious&mdash;Lampourde keeping up meanwhile an odd running commentary, as his
+wonder and admiration grew momentarily greater and more enthusiastic, and he
+had soon reached an exulting mood. Here at last was a &ldquo;foeman worthy of
+his steel,&rdquo; and he could not resist paying a tribute to the amazing skill
+that constantly and easily baffled his best efforts, in the shape of such
+extraordinary and original compliments that de Sigognac was mightily amused
+thereby. As usual, he was perfectly cool and self-possessed, keeping control of
+his temper as well as of his sword&mdash;though by this time he felt sure that
+it was another agent of the Duke of Vallombreuse&rsquo;s he had to deal with,
+and that his life, not his cloak, was the matter at stake. At last Lampourde,
+who had begun to entertain an immense respect for his valiant opponent, could
+restrain his curiosity no longer, and eagerly asked,
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Would it be indiscreet, sir, to inquire who was your instructor?
+Girolamo, Paraguante, or Cote d&rsquo;Acier would have reason to be proud of
+such a pupil. Which one of them was it?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;My only master was an old soldier, Pierre by name,&rdquo; answered de
+Sigognac, more and more amused at the oddities of the accomplished swordsman he
+was engaged with. &ldquo;Stay, take that! it is one of his favourite
+strokes.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;The devil!&rdquo; cried Lampourde, falling back a step, &ldquo;I was
+very nearly done for, do you know! The point of your sword actually went
+through my sleeve and touched my arm&mdash;I felt the cold steel; luckily for
+me it was not broad daylight&mdash;I should have been winged; but you are not
+accustomed, like me, to this dim, uncertain light for such work. All the same,
+it was admirably well done, and Jacquemin Lampourde congratulates you upon it,
+sir! Now, pay attention, to me&mdash;I will not take any mean advantage of such
+a glorious foe as you are, and I give you fair warning that I am going to try
+on you my own secret and special thrust Captain Fracasse&mdash;the crowning
+glory of my art, the &lsquo;ne plus ultra&rsquo; of my science&mdash;the elixir
+of my life. It is known only to myself, and up to this time has been
+infallible. I have never failed to kill my man with it. If you can parry it I
+will teach it to you. It is my only possession, and I will leave it to you if
+you survive it; otherwise I will take my secret to the grave with me. I have
+never yet found any one capable of executing it, unless indeed it be
+yourself&mdash;admirable, incomparable swordsman that you are! It is a joy to
+meet such an one. But suppose we suspend hostilities a moment to take
+breath.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+So saying Jacquemin Lampourde lowered the point of his sword, and de Sigognac
+did the same. They stood eyeing each other for a few moments with mutual
+admiration and curiosity, and then resumed the contest more fiercely than
+ever&mdash;each man doing his best, as he had need to do, and enjoying it.
+After a few passes, de Sigognac became aware that his adversary was preparing
+to give the decisive blow, and held himself on his guard against a surprise;
+when it came, delivered with terrible force, he parried it so successfully that
+Lampourde&rsquo;s sword was broken short off in the encounter with his own
+trusty weapon, leaving only the hilt and a few inches of the blade in his hand.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;If you have not got the rest of my sword in your body,&rdquo; cried
+Lampourde, excitedly, &ldquo;you are a great man!&mdash;a hero!&mdash;a
+god!&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;No,&rdquo; de Sigognac replied calmly, &ldquo;it did not touch me; and
+now, if I chose, I could pin you to the wall like a bat; but that would be
+repugnant to me, though you did waylay me to take my life, and besides, you
+have really amused me with your droll sayings.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Baron,&rdquo; said Jacquemin Lampourde, calmly, &ldquo;permit me, I
+humbly pray you, to be henceforth, so long as I live, your devoted admirer,
+your slave, your dog! I was to be paid for killing you&mdash;I even received a
+portion of the money in advance, which I have spent. But never mind that; I
+will pay it back, every penny of it, though I must rob some one else to do
+it.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+With these words he picked up de Sigognac&rsquo;s cloak, and having put it
+carefully, even reverentially, over his shoulders, made him a profound
+obeisance, and departed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Thus the efforts of the Duke of Vallombreuse, to advance his suit and to get
+rid of his rival, had once more failed ignominiously.
+</p>
+
+</div><!--end chapter-->
+
+<div class="chapter">
+
+<h2><a name="chap14"></a>CHAPTER XIV.<br/>
+LAMPOURDE&rsquo;S DELICACY</h2>
+
+<p>
+It is easy to imagine the frame of mind in which the Duke of Vallombreuse
+returned home after his repulse by Isabelle, and her rescue from his arms by
+the timely intervention of her friends, the comedians. At sight of his face,
+fairly livid and contorted with suppressed rage, his servants trembled and
+shrunk away from him&mdash;as well they might&mdash;for his natural cruelty was
+apt to vent itself upon the first unhappy dependent that happened to come in
+his way when his wrath was excited. He was not an easy master to serve, even in
+his most genial mood&mdash;this haughty, exacting young nobleman&mdash;and in
+his frantic fits of anger he was more savage and relentless than a half-starved
+tiger. Upon entering his own house he rushed through it like a whirlwind,
+shutting every door behind him with such a violent bang that the very walls
+shook, and pieces of the gilt mouldings round the panels were snapped off, and
+scattered on the floor. When he reached his own room he flung down his hat with
+such force that it was completely flattened, and the feather broken short off.
+Then, unable to breathe freely, he tore open his rich velvet <i>pourpoint</i>,
+as he rushed frantically to and fro, without any regard for the superb diamond
+buttons that fastened it, which flew in every direction. The exquisitely fine
+lace ruffles round his neck were reduced to shreds in a second, and with a
+vigorous kick he knocked over a large arm-chair that stood in his way, and left
+it upside down, with its legs in the air.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;The impudent little hussy!&rdquo; he cried, as he continued his frenzied
+walk, like a wild beast in a cage. &ldquo;I have a great mind to have her
+thrown into prison, there to be well-whipped, and have her hair shaved off,
+before being sent to a lunatic asylum&mdash;or better still to some strict
+convent where they take in bad girls who have been forcibly rescued from lives
+of infamy. I could easily manage it. But no, it would be worse than
+useless&mdash;persecution would only make her hate me more, and would not make
+her love that cursed de Sigognac a bit less. How can I punish her? what on
+earth shall I do?&rdquo; and still he paced restlessly to and fro, cursing and
+swearing, and raving like a madman. While he was indulging in these transports
+of rage, without paying any attention to how the time was passing, evening drew
+on, and it was rapidly growing dark when his faithful Picard, full of
+commiseration, screwed up his courage to the highest point, and ventured to go
+softly in&mdash;though he had not been called, and was disobeying
+orders&mdash;to light the candles in his master&rsquo;s room; thinking that he
+was quite gloomy enough already without being left in darkness as well, and
+hoping that the lights might help to make him more cheerful. They did seem to
+afford him some relief, in that they caused a diversion; for his thoughts,
+which had been all of Isabelle and her cruel repulse of his passionate
+entreaties, suddenly flew to his successful rival, the Baron de Sigognac.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;But how is this?&rdquo; he cried, stopping short in his rapid pacing up
+and down the room. &ldquo;How comes it that that miserable, degraded wretch has
+not been despatched before this? I gave the most explicit orders about it to
+that good-for-nothing Mérindol. In spite of what Vidalinc says, I am convinced
+that I shall succeed with Isabelle when once that cursed lover of hers is out
+of my way. She will be left entirely at my mercy then, and will have to submit
+to my will and pleasure with the best grace she can muster&mdash;for I shall
+not allow any sulking or tears. Doubtless she clings so obstinately to that
+confounded brute in the belief that she can induce him to marry her in the end.
+She means to be Mme. la Baronne de Sigognac&mdash;the aspiring little actress!
+That must be the reason of all this mighty display of mock modesty, and of her
+venturing to repulse the attentions of a duke, as scornfully, by Jove! as if he
+were a stable-boy. But she shall rue it&mdash;the impertinent little minx! and
+I&rsquo;ll have no mercy shown to the audacious scoundrel who dared to disable
+this right arm of mine. Halloa there! send Mérindol up to me instantly, do you
+hear?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Picard flew to summon him, and in a few moments the discomfited bully made his
+appearance; pale from abject terror, with teeth chattering and limbs trembling,
+as he was ushered into the dread presence of his angry lord. In spite of his
+efforts to assume the <i>sang-froid</i> he was so far from feeling, he
+staggered like a drunken man, though he had not drank enough wine that day to
+drown a fly, and did not dare to lift his eyes to his master&rsquo;s face.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Well, you cowardly beast,&rdquo; said Vallombreuse angrily, how long,
+pray, are you going to stand there speechless, like a stupid fool, with that
+hang-dog air, as if you already had the rope that you so richly deserve round
+your wicked neck? &ldquo;I only awaited your lordship&rsquo;s orders,&rdquo;
+stammered Mérindol, trying to appear at ease, and failing lamentably. &ldquo;My
+lord duke knows that I am entirely devoted to his service&mdash;even to being
+hanged, if it seems good to your lordship.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Enough of that cant!&rdquo; interrupted the duke impatiently.
+&ldquo;Didn&rsquo;t I charge you to have that cursed de Sigognac, otherwise
+Captain Fracasse, cleared out of my way? You have not done it&mdash;my orders
+have not been obeyed. It is worth while, upon my word, to keep confounded hired
+rascals to do such work for me, at this rate! All that you are good for is to
+stuff yourself in the kitchen, you dastardly beast, and to guzzle my good wine
+from morning until night. But I&rsquo;ve had enough of this, by Jove! and if
+there is not a change, and that without any further loss of time, to the
+hangman you shall go&mdash;do you hear? just as sure as you stand there, gaping
+like a drivelling idiot.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;My lord duke,&rdquo; said Mérindol in a trembling voice, &ldquo;is
+unjust to his faithful servant, who desires nothing but to do his lord&rsquo;s
+bidding. But this Baron de Sigognac is not to be disposed of so easily as my
+lord believes. Never was there a braver, more fearless man. In our first attack
+on him, at Poitiers, he got the better of us in a most wonderful way&mdash;we
+never saw the like of it&mdash;and all he had to fight with was a dull, rusty
+sword, not intended for use at all; a theatre sword, just for looks. And when
+we tried to do for him here in Paris, the very night he got here, it all came
+to naught, because he was so watchful, and somehow suspected what we were up
+to, and was ready for us; and that upset our beautiful little plan entirely. I
+never was so surprised in my life; and there was nothing for us to do, the
+whole four of us, but to get out of his sight as fast as we could, and he
+standing there laughing at us. Oh! he&rsquo;s a rare one, is Captain Fracasse.
+And now he knows my face, so I can&rsquo;t go near him myself. But I have
+engaged the services of a particular friend of mine&mdash;the bravest man and
+the best fighter in Paris&mdash;he hasn&rsquo;t his equal in the world with the
+sword, they all say. He is lying in wait for him on the Pont-Neuf now, at this
+very moment, and there&rsquo;ll be no mistake this time. Lampourde will be sure
+to despatch him for us&mdash;if it is not done already&mdash;and that without
+the slightest danger of your lordship&rsquo;s name being mixed up with the
+affair in any way, as it might have been if your lordship&rsquo;s own servants
+had done it.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;The plan is not a bad one,&rdquo; said the young duke, somewhat
+mollified, &ldquo;and perhaps it is better that it should be done in that way.
+But are you really sure of the courage and skill of this friend of yours? He
+will need both to get the better of that confounded de Sigognac, who is no
+coward, and a master hand with the sword, I am bound to acknowledge, though I
+do hate him like the devil.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;My lord need have no fears,&rdquo; said Mérindol enthusiastically, being
+now more at his ease. &ldquo;Jacquemin Lampourde is a hero, a wonder, as
+everybody will tell your lordship. He is more valiant than Achilles, or the
+great Alexander. He is not spotless certainly, like the Chevalier Bayard, but
+he is fearless.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Picard, who had been hovering about for a few minutes in an uneasy way, now
+seeing that his master was in a better humour, approached and told him that a
+very odd-looking man was below, who asked to see him immediately on most
+important business.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You may bring him in,&rdquo; said the duke, &ldquo;but just warn him,
+Picard, that if he dares to intrude upon me for any trifling matter, I&rsquo;ll
+have him skinned alive before I let him go.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Mirindol was just about leaving the room, when the entrance of the newcomer
+rooted him to the spot; he was so astonished and alarmed that he could not move
+hand or foot. And no wonder, for it was no other than the hero whose name he
+had just spoken&mdash;Jacquemin Lampourde in person&mdash;and the bare fact of
+his having dared to penetrate so boldly into the dread presence of that high
+and mighty seignior, the Duke of Vallombreuse, ignoring entirely the agent
+through whom his services had been engaged, showed of itself that something
+very extraordinary must have taken place.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Lampourde himself did not seem to be in the least disconcerted, and after
+winking at his friend furtively in a very knowing way, stood unabashed before
+the duke, with the bright light of the many wax candles shining full upon his
+face. There was a red mark across his forehead, where his hat had been pressed
+down over it, and great drops of sweat stood on it, as if he had been running
+fast, or exercising violently. His eyes, of a bluish gray tint, with a sort of
+metallic lustre in them, were fixed upon those of the haughty young nobleman,
+with a calm insolence that made Mérindol&rsquo;s blood run cold in his veins;
+his large nose, whose shadow covered all one side of his face, as the shadow of
+Mount Etna covers a considerable portion of the island of Sicily, stood out
+prominently, almost grotesquely, in profile; his mustache, with its long stiff
+points carefully waxed, which produced exactly the effect of an iron skewer
+stuck through his upper lip, and the &ldquo;royal&rdquo; on his chin curled
+upward, like a comma turned the wrong way, all contributed to make up a very
+extraordinary physiognomy, such as caricaturists dote on. He wore a large
+scarlet cloak, wrapped closely about his erect, vigorous form, and in one hand,
+which he extended towards the duke, he held suspended a well filled
+purse&mdash;a strange and mysterious proceeding which Mirindol could by no
+means understand.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Well, you rascal,&rdquo; said the duke, after staring for a moment in
+astonishment at this odd-looking specimen, &ldquo;what does this mean? Are you
+offering alms to me, pray, or what? with your purse there held out at
+arm&rsquo;s length, apparently for my acceptance.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;In the first place, my lord duke,&rdquo; said Lampourde, with perfect
+<i>sang-froid</i> and gravity, &ldquo;may it not displease your highness, but I
+am not a rascal. My name is Jacquemin Lampourde, and I ply the sword for a
+living. My profession is an honourable one. I have never degraded myself by
+taking part in trade of any kind, or by manual labour. Killing is my business,
+at the risk of my own life and limb&mdash;for I always do my work alone,
+unaided, armed only with my trusty sword. Fair play is a jewel, and I would
+scorn to take a mean advantage of anybody. I always give warning before I
+attack a man, and let him have a chance to defend himself&mdash;having a horror
+of treachery, and cowardly, sneaking ways. What profession could be more noble
+than mine, pray? I am no common, brutal assassin, my lord duke, and I beseech
+your lordship to take back that offensive epithet, which I could never accept,
+save in a friendly, joking way&mdash;it outrages too painfully the sensitive
+delicacy of my <i>amour-propre</i>, my lord!&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Very well, so be it, Maître Jacquemin Lampourde, since you desire
+it,&rdquo; answered Vallombreuse, very much amused at the oddity of his strange
+visitor. &ldquo;And now have the goodness to explain your business here, with a
+purse in your hand, that you certainly appear to be steadily offering to
+me.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Jacquemin satisfied by this concession to his susceptibility, suddenly jerked
+his head forward, without bending his body, while he waved the hat that he held
+slowly to and fro, making, according to his ideas, a salute that was a
+judicious mingling of the soldier&rsquo;s and the courtier&rsquo;s&mdash;which
+ceremony being concluded, he proceeded as follows with his explanation:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Here is the whole thing in a nutshell, my lord duke! I received, from
+Mérindol&mdash;acting for your lordship&mdash;part payment in advance for
+despatching a certain Baron de Sigognac, commonly called Captain Fracasse. On
+account of circumstances beyond my control, I have not been able to finish the
+job, and as I am a great stickler for honesty, and honour also, I have hastened
+to bring back to you, my lord duke, the money that I did not earn.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+With these words he advanced a step, and with a gesture that was not devoid of
+dignity, gently laid the purse down on a beautiful Florentine mosaic table,
+that stood at the duke&rsquo;s elbow.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Verily,&rdquo; said Vallombreuse sneeringly, &ldquo;we seem to have here
+one of those droll bullies who are good for naught but to figure in a comedy;
+an ass in a lion&rsquo;s skin, whose roar is nothing worse than a bray. Come,
+my man, own up frankly that you were afraid of that same de Sigognac.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Jacquemin Lampourde has never been afraid of anybody in his life,&rdquo;
+the fighting man replied, drawing himself up haughtily, &ldquo;and no adversary
+has ever seen his back. Those who know me will tell your lordship that easy
+victories have no charm for me. I love danger and court it. I take positive
+delight in it. I attacked the Baron de Sigognac &lsquo;<i>secundum
+artem</i>,&rsquo; and with one of my very best swords&mdash;made by Alonzo de
+Sahagun, the elder, of Toledo.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Well, and what happened then?&rdquo; said the young duke eagerly.
+&ldquo;It would seem that you could not have been victorious, since you wish to
+refund this money, which was to pay you for despatching him.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;First let me inform your highness that in the course of my duels and
+combats, of one sort and another, I have left no less than thirty-seven men
+stretched dead upon the ground&mdash;and that without counting in all those I
+have wounded mortally or crippled for life. But this Baron de Sigognac
+intrenched himself within a circle of flashing steel as impenetrable as the
+walls of a granite fortress. I called into requisition all the resources of my
+art against him, and tried in every possible way to surprise him off his guard,
+but he was ready for everything&mdash;as quick as a flash, as firm as a
+rock&mdash;he parried every thrust triumphantly, magnificently, with the most
+consummate science, and a grace and ease I have never seen equalled. He kept me
+busy defending myself too all the time, and more than once had nearly done for
+me. His audacity was astonishing, his <i>sang-froid</i> superb, and his perfect
+mastery over his sword, and his temper, sublime&mdash;he was not a man, but a
+god. I could have fallen down and worshipped him. At the risk of being spitted
+on his sword, I prolonged the fight as much as I dared, so as to enjoy his
+marvellous, glorious, unparalleled method to the utmost. However, there had to
+be an end of it, and I thought I was sure of despatching him at last by means
+of a secret I possess&mdash;an infallible and very difficult thrust, taught and
+bequeathed to me by the great Girolamo of Naples, my beloved master&mdash;no
+man living has a knowledge of it but myself&mdash;there is no one else left
+capable of executing it to perfection, and upon that depends its success. Well,
+my lord duke, Girolamo himself could not have done it better than I did
+to-night. I was thunderstruck when my opponent did not go down before it as if
+he had been shot. I expected to see him lying dead at my feet. But not at all,
+by Jove! That devil of a Captain Fracasse parried my blow with dazzling
+swiftness, and with such force that my blade was broken short off, and I left
+completely at his mercy, with nothing but the stump in my hand. See here, my
+lord duke! just look what he did to my precious, priceless Sahagun.&rdquo; And
+Jacquemin Lampourde, with a piteous air, drew out and exhibited the sorry
+remains of his trusty sword&mdash;almost weeping over it&mdash;and calling the
+duke&rsquo;s attention to the perfectly straight and even break.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Your highness can see that it was a prodigious blow that snapped this
+steel like a pipe-stem, and it was done with such ease and precision. To
+despatch Captain Fracasse by fair means is beyond my skill, my lord duke, and I
+would scorn to resort to treachery. Like all truly brave men, he is generous. I
+was left entirely defenceless, and he could have spitted me like an ortolan
+just by extending his arm, but he refrained; he let me go unscathed. A
+miraculous display of delicacy, as well as chivalrous generosity, from a
+gentleman assaulted in the gloaming on the Pont-Neuf. I owe my life to him, and
+moreover, such a debt of gratitude as I shall never be able to repay. I cannot
+undertake anything more against him, my lord duke; henceforth he is sacred to
+me. Besides, it would be a pity to destroy such a swordsman&mdash;good ones are
+rare in these degenerate days, and growing more so every year. I don&rsquo;t
+believe he has his equal on earth. Most men handle a sword as if it were a
+broomstick nowadays, and then expect to be praised and applauded, the clumsy,
+stupid fools! Now, I have given my reasons for coming to inform your highness
+that I must resign the commission I had accepted. As for the money there, I
+might perhaps have been justified in keeping it, to indemnify me for the great
+risk and peril I incurred, but such a questionable proceeding would be
+repugnant to my tender conscience and my honest pride, as your highness can
+understand.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;In the name of all the devils in the infernal regions, take back your
+money!&rdquo; cried Vallombreuse impetuously, &ldquo;or I will have you pitched
+out of the window yonder, you and your money both. I never heard of such a
+scrupulous scoundrel in my life. You, Mérindol, and your cursed crew, have not
+a spark of honour or honesty among you all; far enough from it.&rdquo; Then
+perceiving that Lampourde hesitated about picking up the purse, he added,
+&ldquo;Take it, I tell you! I give it to you to drink my health with.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;In that, my lord duke, you shall be religiously obeyed,&rdquo; Lampourde
+replied joyfully; &ldquo;however, I do not suppose that your highness will
+object to my dedicating part of it to lansquenet.&rdquo; And he stretched out
+his long arm, seized the purse, and with one dexterous movement, like a
+juggler, chucked it jingling into the depths of his pocket.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;It is understood then, my lord duke, that I retire from the affair so
+far as the Baron de Sigognac is concerned,&rdquo; continued Lampourde,
+&ldquo;but, if agreeable to your highness, it will be taken in hand by my
+&lsquo;<i>alter ego</i>,&rsquo; the Chevalier Malartic, who is worthy to be
+intrusted with the most delicate and hazardous enterprises, because of his
+remarkable adroitness and superior ability, and he is one of the best fellows
+in the world into the bargain. I had sketched out a scheme for the abduction of
+the young actress, in whom your highness condescends to take an interest, which
+Malartic will now carry out, with all the wonderful perfection of detail that
+characterizes his clever way of doing things. Mérindol here, who knows him,
+will testify to his rare qualifications, my lord duke, and you could not find a
+better man for your purpose. I am presenting a real treasure to your lordship
+in tendering Malartic&rsquo;s services. When he is wanted your highness has
+only to send a trusty messenger to mark a cross in chalk on the left-hand
+door-post of the Crowned Radish. Malartic will understand, and repair at once,
+in proper disguise, to this house, to receive your lordship&rsquo;s last
+orders.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Having finished this triumphant address, Maître Jacquemin Lampourde again
+saluted the duke as before, then put his hat on his head and stalked
+majestically out of the room, exceedingly well satisfied with his own
+eloquence, and what he considered courtly grace, in the presence of so
+illustrious a nobleman. His oddity and originality, together with his strange
+mingling of lofty notions of honour and rascality, had greatly amused and
+interested the young Duke of Vallombreuse, who was even willing to forgive him
+for not having despatched de Sigognac; for, if even this famous professional
+duellist could not get the better of him, he really must be invincible, and in
+consequence the thought of his own defeat became less galling and intolerable
+to his pride and vanity. Moreover, he had not been able to get rid of an
+uncomfortable consciousness, even in his most angry mood, that his endeavouring
+to compass de Sigognac&rsquo;s assassination was rather too great an enormity,
+not on account of any conscientious scruples, but simply because his rival was
+a gentleman; he would not have hesitated a second about having half-a-dozen
+<i>bourgeois</i> murdered, if they had been rash or unfortunate enough to
+interfere with him, the blood of such base, ignoble creature being of no more
+consequence in his eyes than so much water. Vallombreuse would have liked to
+despatch his enemy himself in honourable combat, but that was rendered
+impossible by the baron&rsquo;s superior ability as a swordsman, of which he
+still had a painful reminder in his wounded arm; which was scarcely healed yet,
+and would prevent his indulging in anything like a duel for some time to come.
+So his thoughts turned to the abduction of the young actress; a pleasanter
+subject to dwell upon, as he felt not the slightest doubt that once he had her
+to himself, separated from de Sigognac and her companions, she would not long
+be able to withstand his eloquent pleading and personal attractions. His
+self-conceit was boundless, but not much to be wondered at, considering his
+invariable and triumphant success in affairs of gallantry; so, in spite of his
+recent repulse, he flattered himself that he only required a fitting
+opportunity to obtain from Isabelle all that he desired.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Let me have her for a few days in some secluded place,&rdquo; said he to
+himself, &ldquo;where she cannot escape from me, or have any intercourse with
+her friends, and I shall be sure to win her heart. I shall be so kind and good
+and considerate to her, treat her with so much delicacy and devotion, that she
+cannot help feeling grateful to me; and then the transition to love will be
+easy and natural. But when once I have won her, made her wholly mine, then she
+shall pay dearly for what she has made me suffer. Yes, my lady, I mean to have
+my revenge&mdash;you may rest assured of that.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+</div><!--end chapter-->
+
+<div class="chapter">
+
+<h2><a name="chap15"></a>CHAPTER XV.<br/>
+MALARTIC AT WORK</h2>
+
+<p>
+If the Duke of Vallombreuse had been furious after his unsuccessful visit to
+Isabelle, the Baron de Sigognac was not less so, when, upon his return that
+evening, he learned what had taken place during his absence. The tyrant and
+Blazius were almost obliged to use force to prevent his rushing off, without
+losing a minute, to challenge the duke to mortal combat&mdash;a challenge sure
+to be refused; for de Sigognac, being neither the brother nor husband of the
+injured fair one, had no earthly right to call any other gentleman to account
+for his conduct towards her; in France all men are at liberty to pay their
+court to every pretty woman.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As to the attack upon the baron on the Pont-Neuf, there could be no doubt that
+it was instigated by the Duke of Vallombreuse; but how to prove it? that was
+the difficulty. And even supposing it could be proved, what good would that do?
+In the eyes of the world the Baron de Sigognac, who carefully concealed his
+real rank, was only Captain Fracasse, a low play-actor, upon whom a great
+noble, like the Duke of Vallombreuse, had a perfect right to inflict a beating,
+imprisonment, or even assassination, if it so pleased him; and that without
+incurring the blame, or serious disapproval, of his friends and equals.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+So far as Isabelle was concerned, if the affair were made public, nobody would
+believe that she was really pure and virtuous&mdash;the very fact of her being
+an actress was enough to condemn her&mdash;for her sake it was important to
+keep the matter secret if possible. So there was positively no means of calling
+their enemy to account for his flagrant misdeeds, though de Sigognac, who was
+almost beside himself with rage and indignation, and burning to avenge
+Isabelle&rsquo;s wrongs and his own, swore that he would punish him, even if he
+had to move heaven and earth to compass it. Yet, when he became a little
+calmer, he could not but acknowledge that Hérode and Blazius were right in
+advising that they should all remain perfectly quiet, and feign the most
+absolute indifference; but at the same time keep their eyes and ears very wide
+open, and be unceasingly on their guard against artful surprises, since it was
+only too evident that the vindictive young duke, who was handsome as a god and
+wicked as the devil, did not intend to abandon his designs upon them; although
+thus far he had failed ignominiously in everything he had undertaken against
+them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A gentle, loving remonstrance from Isabelle, as she held de Sigognac&rsquo;s
+hands, all hot and trembling with suppressed rage, between her own soft, cool
+palms, and caressingly interlaced her slender white fingers with his, did more
+to pacify him than all the rest, and he finally yielded to her persuasions;
+promising to keep quiet himself, and allow, things to go on just as usual.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Meantime the representations of the troupe had met with splendid success.
+Isabelle&rsquo;s modest grace and refined beauty, Serafina&rsquo;s more
+brilliant charms, the <i>soubrette&rsquo;s</i> sparkling vivacity and
+bewitching coquetry, the superb extravagances of Captain Fracasse, the
+tyrant&rsquo;s majestic mien, Leander&rsquo;s manly beauty, the grotesque good
+humour of the pedant, Scapin&rsquo;s spicy deviltries, and the duenna&rsquo;s
+perfect acting had taken Paris by storm, and their highest hopes were likely to
+be realized. Having triumphantly won the approbation of the Parisians, nothing
+was wanting but to gain also that of the court, then at Saint Germain, and a
+rumour had reached their ears that they were shortly to be summoned thither;
+for it was asserted that the king, having heard such favourable reports of
+them, had expressed a desire to see them himself. Whereas Hérode, in his
+character of treasurer, greatly rejoiced, and all felt a pleasant excitement at
+the prospect of so distinguished an honour. Meanwhile the troupe was often in
+requisition to give private representations at the houses of various people of
+rank and wealth in Paris, and it quickly became the fashion among them to offer
+this very popular style of entertainment to their guests.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Thus it befell that the tyrant, being perfectly accustomed to that sort of
+thing, was not at all surprised, or suspicious of evil, when one fine morning a
+stranger, of most venerable and dignified mien, presented himself at the hotel
+in the Rue Dauphine, and asked to speak with him on business. He appeared to be
+the major-domo, or steward, of some great nobleman&rsquo;s establishment, and,
+in effect, announced to Hérode that he had been sent to consult with him, as
+manager of the troupe, by his master, the Comte de Pommereuil.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This highly respectable old functionary was richly dressed in black velvet, and
+had a heavy gold chain round his neck. His face was slightly sunburnt; the wavy
+hair that fell upon his shoulders, his thick, bushy eyebrows, heavy mustache,
+and long, sweeping beard were all white as snow. He had the most patriarchal,
+benevolent air imaginable, and a very gentle, yet dignified manner. The tyrant
+could not help admiring him very much, as he said, courteously, &ldquo;Are you,
+sir, the famous Hérode I am in quest of, who rules with a hand as firm as
+Apollo&rsquo;s the excellent company of comedians now playing in Paris? Their
+renown has gone abroad, beyond the walls of the city, and penetrated even to my
+master&rsquo;s ears, on his estate out in the country.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Yes, I have the honour to be the man you seek,&rdquo; the tyrant
+answered, bowing very graciously.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;The Comte de Pommereuil greatly desires to have you give one of your
+celebrated representations at his château, where guests of high rank are
+sojourning at this moment, and I have come to ascertain whether it will be
+possible for you to do so. The distance is not very considerable, only a few
+leagues. The comte, my master, is a very great and generous seignior, who is
+prepared to reward your illustrious company munificently for their trouble, and
+will do everything in his power to make them comfortable while they are under
+his roof.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I will gladly do all that I can to please your noble master,&rdquo; the
+tyrant replied, &ldquo;though it will be a little difficult for us to leave
+Paris at present, just in the height of the season; even if it be only for a
+short absence.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Three days would suffice for this expedition,&rdquo; said the venerable
+major-domo persuasively; &ldquo;one for the journey, the second for the
+representation, and the third for the return to Paris. There is a capital
+theatre at the château, furnished with everything that is requisite, so that
+you need not be encumbered with much luggage&mdash;nothing beyond your
+costumes. Here is a purse containing a hundred <i>pistoles</i> that the Comte
+de Pommereuil charged me to put into your hands, to defray the expenses of the
+journey. You will receive as much more before you return, and there will be
+handsome presents for the actresses forthcoming, of valuable jewels, as
+souvenirs of the occasion.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+After a momentary hesitation, the tyrant accepted the well-filled purse
+tendered to him, and, with a gesture of acquiescence, put it into his pocket.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I am to understand then that you accept, and I may tell my master that
+you will give a representation at the château, as he desires?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Yes, I place myself and my company at his disposition,&rdquo; Hérode
+said, smilingly. &ldquo;And now let me know what day you want us to go, and
+which of our pieces your master prefers.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Thursday is the day my master designated; as for selecting the play,
+that he leaves to your own good taste and discretion.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Very well; and now you have only to give me directions as to the road we
+must take to reach the château. Be as explicit as you can, I pray you, so that
+there may be no danger of our going astray.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The agent of the Comte de Pommereuil accordingly gave the most minute and exact
+directions possible, but ended by saying, &ldquo;Never mind, you need not
+burden your memory with all these troublesome details! I will send you a lackey
+to serve as guide.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Matters being thus satisfactorily arranged, the charming old major-domo took
+leave of Hérode, who accompanied him down the stairs and across the court to
+the outer door of the hotel, and departed, looking back to exchange a last
+polite sign of farewell ere he turned the corner of the street. If the honest
+tyrant could have seen him as he walked briskly away, the moment he was safely
+out of sight, he would have been astonished at the way the broad, stooping
+shoulders straightened themselves up, and at the rapid, vigorous step that
+succeeded to the slow, rather infirm gait of his venerable visitor&mdash;but
+these things our worthy Hérode neither saw nor suspected.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+On Wednesday morning, as the comedians were finishing the packing of their
+chariot, which stood ready for departure in the courtyard of the hotel, with a
+pair of fine spirited horses before it that the tyrant had hired for the
+journey, a tall, rather fierce-looking lackey, dressed in a neat livery and
+mounted on a stout pony, presented himself at the outer door, cracking his whip
+vigorously, and announcing himself as the guide, sent according to promise by
+the considerate major-domo, to conduct them to the Château de Pommereuil.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Eight clear strokes rang out from the Samaritan just as the heavy vehicle
+emerged into the Rue Dauphine, and our company of players set forth on their
+ill-fated expedition. In less than half an hour they had left the Porte Saint
+Antoine and the Bastile behind them, passed through the thickly settled
+<i>faubourg</i> and gained the open country; advancing towards Vincennes, which
+they could distinguish in the distance, with its massive keep partially veiled
+by a delicate blue mist, that was rapidly dispersing under the influence of the
+bright, morning sunshine. As the horses were fresh, and travelled at a good
+pace, they soon came up with the ancient fortress&mdash;which was still
+formidable in appearance, though it could not have offered any adequate
+resistance to the projectiles of modern artillery. The gilded crescents on the
+minarets of the chapel built by Pierre de Montereau shone out brightly, as if
+joyous at finding themselves in such close proximity to the cross&mdash;the
+sign of redemption. After pausing a few minutes to admire this monument of the
+ancient splendour of our kings, the travellers entered the forest, where, amid
+the dense growth of younger trees, stood a few majestic old
+oaks&mdash;contemporaries doubtless of the one under which Saint Louis, that
+king of blessed memory, used to sit and dispense justice to his loyal subjects
+in person&mdash;a most becoming and laudable occupation for a monarch.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The road was so little used that it was grass-grown in many places, and the
+chariot rolled so smoothly and noiselessly along over it that they occasionally
+surprised a party of rabbits frolicking merrily together, and were very much
+amused to see them scamper away, in as great a hurry as if the hounds were at
+their heels. Farther on a frightened deer bounded across the road in front of
+them, and they could watch its swift, graceful flight for some distance amid
+the leafless trees. The young baron was especially interested in all these
+things, being country-bred, and it was a delight unspeakable to him to see the
+fields, the hedgerows, the forest, and the wild creatures of the wood once
+more. It was a pleasure he had been deprived of ever since he had frequented
+cities and towns, where there is nothing to look at but dingy houses, muddy
+streets and smoky chimneys&mdash;the works of man not of God. He would have
+pined in them for the fresh country air if he had not had the sweet
+companionship of the lovely woman he adored; in whose deep, blue eyes he saw a
+whole heaven of bliss.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Upon emerging from the wood the road wound up a steep hill-side, so the horses
+were stopped, to rest a few minutes before beginning the ascent, and de
+Sigognac, profiting by the opportunity thus afforded him, said to Isabelle,
+&ldquo;Dear heart, will you get down and walk a little way with me? You will
+find it a pleasant change and rest after sitting still in the chariot so long.
+The road is smooth and dry, and the sunshine deliciously warm&mdash;do
+come!&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Isabelle joyfully acceded to this request, and putting her hand into the one
+extended to help her, jumped lightly down. It was a welcome means of according
+an innocent tête-à-tête to her devoted lover, and both felt as if they were
+treading on air, they were so happy to find themselves alone together, as, arm
+in arm, they walked briskly forward, until they were out of sight of their
+companions. Then they paused to look long and lovingly into each other&rsquo;s
+eyes, and de Sigognac began again to pour out to Isabelle &ldquo;the old, old
+story,&rdquo; that she was never weary of hearing, but found more heavenly
+sweet at every telling. They were like the first pair of mortal lovers in
+Paradise, entirely sufficient to and happy in each other. Yet even then
+Isabelle gently checked the passionate utterances of her faithful suitor, and
+strove to moderate his rapturous transports, though their very fervour made her
+heart rejoice, and brought a bright flush to her cheeks and a happy light to
+her eyes that rendered her more adorably beautiful than ever.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Whatever you may do or say, my darling,&rdquo; he answered, with a
+sweet, tender smile, &ldquo;you will never be able to tire out my constancy. If
+need be, I will wait for you until all your scruples shall have vanished of
+themselves&mdash;though it be not till these beautiful, soft brown tresses,
+with their exquisite tinge of gold where the sun shines on them, shall have
+turned to silver.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Oh!&rdquo; cried Isabelle, &ldquo;I shall be so old and so ugly then
+that even your sublime courage will be daunted, and I fear that in rewarding
+your perseverance and fidelity by the gift of myself I should only be punishing
+my devoted knight and brave champion.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You will never be ugly, my beloved Isabelle, if you live to be a
+hundred,&rdquo; he replied, with an adoring glance, &ldquo;for yours is not the
+mere physical beauty, that fades away and vanishes&mdash;it is the beauty of
+the soul, which is immortal.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;All the same you would be badly off,&rdquo; rejoined Isabelle, &ldquo;if
+I were to take you at your word, and promise to be yours when I was old and
+gray. But enough of this jesting,&rdquo; she continued gravely, &ldquo;let us
+be serious! You know my resolution, de Sigognac, so try to content yourself
+with being the object of the deepest, truest, most devoted love that was ever
+yet bestowed on mortal man since hearts began to beat in this strange world of
+ours.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Such a charming avowal ought to satisfy me, I admit, but it does not! My
+love for you is infinite&mdash;it can brook no bounds&mdash;it is ever
+increasing&mdash;rising higher and higher, despite your heavenly voice, that
+bids it keep within the limits you have fixed for it.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Do not talk so, de Sigognac! you vex me by such extravagances,&rdquo;
+said Isabelle, with a little pout that was as charming as her sweetest smile;
+for in spite of herself her heart beat high with joy at these fervent
+protestations of a love that no coldness could repel, no remonstrance diminish.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They walked on a little way in silence&mdash;de Sigognac not daring to say more
+then, lest he should seriously displease the sweet creature he loved better
+than his own life. Suddenly she drew her arm out of his, and with an
+exclamation of delight, sprang to a little bank by the road-side, where she had
+spied a tiny violet, peeping out from amid the dead leaves that had lain there
+all the winter through&mdash;the first harbinger of spring, smiling up at her a
+friendly greeting, despite the wintry cold of February. She knelt down and
+gently cleared away the dry leaves and grass about it, carefully broke the
+frail little stem, and returned to de Sigognac&rsquo;s side with her
+treasure&mdash;more delighted than if she had found a precious jewel lying
+hidden among the mosses.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Only see, how exquisitely beautiful and delicate it is&rdquo;&mdash;said
+she, showing it to him&mdash;&ldquo;with its dear little petals scarcely
+unrolled yet to return the greeting of this bright, warm sunshine, that has
+roused it from its long winter sleep.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;It was not the sunshine, however bright and warm,&rdquo; answered de
+Sigognac, &ldquo;but the light of your eyes, sweet Isabelle, that made it open
+out to greet you&mdash;and it is exactly the colour too of those dear eyes of
+yours.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;It has scarcely any fragrance, but that is because it&rsquo;s so
+cold,&rdquo; said Isabelle, loosening her scarf, and putting it carefully
+inside the ruff that encircled her slender, white neck. In a few minutes she
+took it out again, inhaled its rich perfume, pressed it furtively to her lips,
+and offered it to de Sigognac.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;See how sweet it is now! The warmth I imparted to it has reassured the
+little modest, timid blossom, and it breathes out its incomparable fragrance in
+gratitude to me.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Say rather that it has received it from you,&rdquo; he replied, raising
+the violet tenderly to his lips, and taking from it the kiss Isabelle had
+bestowed&mdash;&ldquo;for this delicate, delicious odour has nothing gross or
+earthly about it&mdash;it is angelically pure and sweet, like yourself, my own
+Isabelle.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Ah! the naughty flatterer,&rdquo; said she, smiling upon him with all
+her heart in her eyes. &ldquo;I give him a little flower that he may enjoy its
+perfume, and straightway he draws from it inspiration for all sorts of
+high-flown conceits, and fine compliments. There&rsquo;s no doing anything with
+him&mdash;to the simplest, most commonplace remark he replies with a poetical
+flight of fancy.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+However, she could not have been very seriously displeased, for she took his
+arm again, and even leaned upon it rather more heavily than the exigencies of
+the way actually required; which goes to prove that the purest virtue is not
+insensible to pretty compliments, and that modesty itself knows how to
+recompense delicate flattery.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Not far from the road they were travelling stood a small group of thatched
+cottages&mdash;scarcely more than huts&mdash;whose inhabitants were all afield
+at their work, excepting a poor blind man, attended by a little ragged boy, who
+sat on a stone by the wayside, apparently to solicit alms from those who passed
+by. Although he seemed to be extremely aged and feeble, he was chanting a sort
+of lament over his misfortunes, and an appeal to the charity of travellers, in
+a loud, whining, yet vigorous voice; promising his prayers to those who gave
+him of their substance, and assuring them that they should surely go to
+Paradise as a reward for their generosity. For some time before they came up
+with him, Isabelle and de Sigognac had heard his doleful chant&mdash;much to
+the annoyance of the latter; for when one is listening, entranced, to the sweet
+singing of the nightingale, it is sorely vexatious to be intruded upon by the
+discordant croaking of a raven. As they drew near to the poor old blind man,
+they saw his little attendant bend down and whisper in his ear, whereupon he
+redoubled his groans and supplications&mdash;at the same time holding out
+towards them a small wooden bowl, in which were a few coppers, and shaking it,
+so as to make them rattle as loudly as possible, to attract their attention. He
+was a venerable looking old man, with a long white beard, and seemed to be
+shivering with cold, despite the great, thick, woollen cloak in which he was
+wrapped. The child, a wild-looking little creature, whose scanty, tattered
+clothing was but a poor protection against the stinging cold, shrunk timidly
+from notice, and tried to hide himself behind his aged charge. Isabelle&rsquo;s
+tender heart was moved to pity at the sight of so much misery, and she stopped
+in front of the forlorn little group while she searched in her pocket for her
+purse&mdash;not finding it there she turned to her companion and asked him to
+lend her a little money for the poor old blind beggar, which the baron hastened
+to do&mdash;though he was thoroughly out of patience with his whining
+jeremiads&mdash;and, to prevent Isabelle&rsquo;s coming in actual contact with
+him, stepped forward himself to deposit the coins in his wooden bowl.
+Thereupon, instead of tearfully thanking his benefactor and invoking blessings
+upon his head, after the usual fashion of such gentry, the blind man&mdash;to
+Isabelle&rsquo;s inexpressible alarm&mdash;suddenly sprang to his feet, and
+straightening himself up with a jerk, opened his arms wide, as a vulture
+spreads its wings for flight, gathered up his ample cloak about his shoulders
+with lightning rapidity and flung it from him with a quick, sweeping motion
+like that with which the fisherman casts his net. The huge, heavy mantle spread
+itself out like a dense cloud directly above de Sigognac, and falling over and
+about him enveloped him from head to foot in its long, clinging folds, held
+firmly down by the lead with which its edges were weighted&mdash;making him a
+helpless prisoner&mdash;depriving him at once of sight and breath, and of the
+use of his hands and feet. The young actress, wild with terror, turned to fly
+and call for help, but before she could stir, or utter a sound, a hand was
+clapped over her mouth, and she felt herself lifted from the ground. The old
+blind beggar, who, as by a miracle, had suddenly become young and active, and
+possessed of all his faculties, had seized her by the shoulders, while the boy
+took her by the feet, and they carried her swiftly and silently round a clump
+of bushes near by to where a man on horseback and masked, was waiting for them.
+Two other men, also mounted and masked, and armed to the teeth, were standing
+close at hand, behind a wall that prevented their being seen from the road.
+Poor Isabelle, nearly fainting with fright, was lifted up in front of the first
+horseman, and seated on a cloak folded so as to serve for a cushion; a broad
+leather strap being passed round her waist, which also encircled that of the
+rider, to hold her securely in her place. All this was done with great rapidity
+and dexterity, as if her captors were accustomed to such manœuvres, and then
+the horseman, who held her firmly with one hand, shook his bridle with the
+other, drove his spurs into the horse&rsquo;s sides, and was off like a
+flash&mdash;the whole thing being done in less time than it takes to describe
+it. Meanwhile de Sigognac was struggling fiercely and wildly under the heavy
+cloak that enveloped him&mdash;like a gladiator entangled in his
+adversary&rsquo;s net&mdash;beside himself with rage and despair, as he gasped
+for breath in his stifling prison, and realized that this diabolical outrage
+must be the work of the Duke of Vallombreuse. Suddenly, like an inspiration,
+the thought flashed into his mind of using his dagger to free himself from the
+thick, clinging folds, that weighed him down like the leaden cloaks of the
+wretched condemned spirits we read of with a shudder in Dante&rsquo;s Inferno.
+With two or three strong, quick strokes he succeeded in cutting through it, and
+casting it from him, with a fierce imprecation, perceived Isabelle&rsquo;s
+abductors, still near at hand, galloping across a neighbouring field, and
+apparently making for a thick grove at a considerable distance from where he
+was standing. As to the blind beggar and the child, they had
+disappeared&mdash;probably hiding somewhere near by&mdash;but de Sigognac did
+not waste a second thought on them; throwing off his own cloak, lest it should
+impede him, he started swiftly in pursuit of the flying enemy and their fair
+prize, with fury and despair in his heart. He was agile and vigorous, lithe of
+frame, fleet of foot, the very figure for a runner, and he quickly began to
+gain on the horsemen. As soon as they became aware of this one of them drew a
+pistol from his girdle and fired at their pursuer, but missed him; whereupon de
+Sigognac, bounding rapidly from side to side as he ran, made it impossible for
+them to take aim at him, and effectually prevented their arresting his course
+in that way. The man who had Isabelle in front of him tried to ride on in
+advance, and leave the other two to deal with the baron, but the young actress
+struggled so violently on the horse&rsquo;s neck, and kept clutching so
+persistently at the bridle, that his rider could not urge him to his greatest
+speed. Meantime de Sigognac was steadily gaining upon them; without slackening
+his pace he had managed to draw his sword from the scabbard, and brandished it
+aloft, ready for action, as he ran. It is true that he was one against
+three&mdash;that he was on foot while they were on horseback&mdash;but he had
+not time to consider the odds against him, and he seemed possessed of the
+strength of a giant in Isabelle&rsquo;s behalf. Making a prodigious effort, he
+suddenly increased his speed, and coming up with the two horsemen, who were a
+little behind the other one, quickly disposed of them, by vigorously pricking
+their horses&rsquo; flanks with the point of his sword; for, what with fright
+and pain, the animals, after plunging violently, threw off all restraint and
+bolted&mdash;dashing off across country as if the devil were after them, and
+carrying their riders with them, just as de Sigognac had expected and intended
+that they should do. The brave young baron was nearly spent&mdash;panting,
+almost sobbing, as he struggled desperately on&mdash;feeling as if his heart
+would burst at every agonizing throb; but he was indued with supernatural
+strength and endurance, and as Isabelle&rsquo;s voice reached his ear calling,
+&ldquo;Help, de Sigognac, help!&rdquo; he cleared with a bound the space that
+separated them, and leaping up to catch the broad leathern strap that was
+passed round her and her captor, answered in a hoarse, shrill tone, &ldquo;I am
+here.&rdquo; Clinging to the strap, he ran along beside the galloping
+horse&mdash;like the grooms that the Romans called <i>desultores</i>&mdash;and
+strove with all his might to pull the rider down out of his saddle. He did not
+dare to use his sword to disable him, as they struggled together, lest he
+should wound Isabelle also; and, meantime, the man on horseback was trying his
+utmost to shake off his fierce assailant-unsuccessfully, because he had both
+hands fully occupied with his horse and his captive, who was doing all she
+could to slip from his grasp, and throw herself into her lover&rsquo;s arms.
+Loosing his hold on the rein for a second, the horseman managed to draw a knife
+from his girdle, and with one blow severed the strap to which the baron was
+clinging; then, driving his spurs into the horse&rsquo;s sides made the
+frightened animal spring suddenly forward, while de Sigognac&mdash;who was not
+prepared for this emergency, and found himself deprived of all
+support&mdash;fell violently upon his back in the road. He was up again in an
+instant, and flying after Isabelle, who was now being borne rapidly away from
+him, and whose cries for help came more and more faintly to his ear; but the
+moment he had lost made his pursuit hopeless, and he knew that it was all in
+vain when he saw her disappear behind the thicket her ravisher had been aiming
+for from the first. His heart sank within him, and he staggered as he still ran
+feebly on&mdash;feeling now the effects of his superhuman exertions, and
+fearing at each step that his feet would carry him no farther. He was soon
+overtaken by Hérode and Scapin, who, alarmed by the pistol shot, and fearing
+that something was wrong, had started in hot pursuit, though the lackey who
+served them as guide had done all that he possibly could to hinder them, and in
+a few faltering words he told them what had occurred.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Vallombreuse again!&rdquo; cried the tyrant, with an oath. &ldquo;But
+how the devil did he get wind of our expedition to the Château de Pommereuil?
+or can it be possible that it was all a plot from the beginning, and we are
+bound on a fool&rsquo;s errand? I really begin to think it must be so. If it is
+true, I never saw a better actor in my life than that respectable old
+major-domo, confound him! But let us make haste and search this grove
+thoroughly; we may find some trace of poor Isabelle; sweet creature that she
+is! Rough old tyrant though I be, my heart warms to her, and I love her more
+tenderly than I do myself. Alas! I&rsquo;m afraid, that this poor, innocent,
+little fly is caught in the toils of a cruel spider, who will take care never
+to let us get sight of her again.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I will crush him,&rdquo; said de Sigognac, striking his heel savagely on
+the ground, as if he actually had the spider under it. &ldquo;I will crush the
+life out of him, the venomous beast!&rdquo; and the fierce, determined
+expression of his usually calm, mild countenance showed that this was no idle
+threat, but that he was terribly in earnest.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Look,&rdquo; cried Hérode, as they dashed through the thicket,
+&ldquo;there they are!&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They could just discern, through the screen of leafless but thickly interlaced
+branches, a carriage, with all the curtains carefully closed, and drawn by four
+horses lashed to a gallop, which was rapidly rolling away from them in the
+distance. The two men whose horses had run away with them had them again under
+control, and were riding on either side of it&mdash;one of them leading the
+horse that had carried Isabelle and her captor. <i>He</i> was doubtless
+mounting guard over her in the carriage&mdash;perhaps using force to keep her
+quiet&mdash;at thought of which de Sigognac could scarcely control the
+transport of rage and agony that shook him. Although the three pursuers
+followed the fugitives, as fast as they could run, it was all of no avail, for
+they soon lost sight of them altogether, and nothing remained to be done but to
+ascertain, if possible, the direction they had taken, so as to have some clew
+to poor Isabelle&rsquo;s whereabouts. They had considerable difficulty in
+making out the marks of the carriage wheels, for the roads were very dry; and
+when at length they had succeeded in tracing them to a place where four roads
+met they lost them entirely&mdash;it was utterly impossible to tell which way
+they had gone. After a long and fruitless search they turned back sorrowfully
+to join their companions, trying to devise some plan for Isabelle&rsquo;s
+rescue, but feeling acutely how hopeless it was. They found the others in the
+chariot waiting for them, just where the tyrant and Scapin had left them, for
+their false guide had put spurs to his horse and ridden off after his
+confederates, as soon as he became aware that their undertaking had proved
+successful. When Hérode asked an old peasant woman, who came by with a bundle
+of fagots on her back, how far it was to the Château de Pommereuil, she
+answered that there was no place of that name anywhere in the country round.
+Upon being questioned closely, she said that she had lived in the neighbourhood
+for seventy years, knew every house within many leagues, and could positively
+assure them that there was no such Château within a day&rsquo;s journey. So it
+was only too evident that they were the dupes of the clever agents of the Duke
+of Vallombreuse, who had at last succeeded in getting possession of Isabelle,
+as he had sworn that he would do. Accordingly, all of the party turned back
+towards Paris, excepting de Sigognac, the tyrant and Scapin, who had decided to
+go on to the next village, where they hoped to be able to procure horses, with
+which to prosecute their search for Isabelle and her abductors.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+After the baron&rsquo;s fall, she had been swiftly taken on to the other side
+of the thicket, where the carriage stood awaiting her; then lifted down from
+the horse and put into it, in spite of her frantic struggles and remonstrances.
+The man who had held her in front of him got down also and sprang in after her,
+closing the door with a bang, and instantly they were off at a tremendous pace.
+He seated himself opposite to her, and when she impetuously tried to pull aside
+the curtain, so that she could see out of the window nearest to her, he
+respectfully but firmly restrained her.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Mademoiselle, I implore you to keep quiet,&rdquo; he said, with the
+utmost politeness, &ldquo;and not oblige me to use forcible means to restrain
+so charming and adorable a creature as your most lovely self. No harm shall
+come to you&mdash;do not be afraid!&mdash;only kindness is intended; therefore
+I beseech you do not persist in vain resistance. If you will only submit
+quietly, you shall be treated with as much consideration and respect as a
+captive queen, but if you go on acting like the devil, struggling and
+shrieking, I have means to bring you to terms, and I shall certainly resort to
+them. <i>This</i> will stop your screaming, mademoiselle, and <i>this</i> will
+prevent your struggling.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As he spoke he drew out of his pocket a small gag, very artistically made, and
+a long, thick, silken cord, rolled up into a ball.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;It would be barbarous indeed,&rdquo; he continued, &ldquo;to apply such
+a thing as this to that sweet, rosy mouth of yours, mademoiselle, as I am sure
+that you will admit&mdash;or to bind together those pretty, delicate, little
+wrists, upon which no worse fetters than diamond bracelets should ever be
+placed.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Poor Isabelle, furious and frightened though she was, could not but acknowledge
+to herself that further physical resistance then would be worse than useless,
+and determined to spare herself at least such indignities as she was at that
+moment threatened with; so, without vouchsafing a word to her attendant, she
+threw herself back into the corner of the carriage, closed her eyes, and tried
+to keep perfectly still. But in spite of her utmost endeavours she could not
+altogether repress an occasional sob, nor hold back the great tears that welled
+forth from under her drooping eyelids and rolled down over her pale cheeks, as
+she thought of de Sigognac&rsquo;s despair and her own danger.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;After the nervous excitement comes the moist stage;&rdquo; said her
+masked guardian to himself, &ldquo;things are following their usual and natural
+course. I am very glad of it, for I should have greatly disliked to be obliged
+to act a brutal part with such a sweet, charming girl as this.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Now and then Isabelle opened her eyes and cast a timid glance at her abductor,
+who finally said to her, in a voice he vainly strove to render soft and mild:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You need not be afraid of me, mademoiselle! I would not harm you in any
+way for the world. If fortune had been more generous to me I certainly would
+never have undertaken this enterprise against such a lovely, gentle young lady
+as you are; but poor men like me are driven to all sorts of expedients to earn
+a little money; they have to take whatever comes within their reach, and
+sacrifice their scruples to their necessities.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You do admit then,&rdquo; said Isabelle vehemently, &ldquo;that you have
+been bribed to carry me off? An infamous, cruel, outrageous thing it is.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;After what I have had to do,&rdquo; he replied, &ldquo;it would be idle
+to deny it. There are a good many philosophers like myself in Paris,
+mademoiselle, who, instead of indulging in love affairs, and intrigues of
+various sorts, of their own, interest themselves in those of other people, and,
+for a consideration, make use of their courage, ingenuity and strength to
+further them. But to change the subject, how charming you were in that last new
+play! You went through the scene of the avowal with a grace I have never seen
+equalled. I applauded you to the echo; the pair of hands that kept it up so
+perseveringly and vigorously, you know, belonged to me.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I beg you to dispense with these ill-judged remarks and compliments, and
+to tell me where you are taking me, in this strange, outrageous manner, against
+my will, and, in despite of all the ordinary usages of civilized
+society.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I cannot tell you that, mademoiselle, and besides, it would do you no
+sort of good to know. In our profession, you see, we are obliged to observe as
+much secrecy and discretion as confessors and physicians. Indeed, in such
+affairs as this we often do not know the names of the parties we are working
+for ourselves.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Do you mean to say that you do not know who has employed you to commit
+this abominable, cruel crime?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;It makes no difference whether I know his name or not, since I am not at
+liberty to disclose it to you. Think over your numerous admirers, mademoiselle!
+the most ardent and least favoured one among them would probably be at the
+bottom of all this.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Finding that she could not get any information from him, Isabelle desisted, and
+did not speak again. She had not the slightest doubt that the Duke of
+Vallombreuse was the author of this new and daring enterprise. The significant
+and threatening way in which he had said &ldquo;<i>au revoir,
+mademoiselle</i>,&rdquo; as he quitted her presence after she had repulsed him
+a few days before, had haunted her, and she had been in constant dread ever
+since of some new outrage. She hoped, against hope, that de Sigognac, her
+valiant lover, would yet come to her rescue, and thought proudly of the gallant
+deeds he had already done in her behalf that day&mdash;but how was he to find
+out where to seek her?
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;If worst comes to worst,&rdquo; she said to herself, &ldquo;I still have
+Chiquita&rsquo;s knife, and I can and will escape from my persecutor in that
+way, if all other means fail.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+For two long hours she sat motionless, a prey to sad and terrible thoughts and
+fears, while the carriage rolled swiftly on without slackening its speed, save
+once, for a moment, when they changed horses. As the curtains were all lowered,
+she could not catch even a glimpse of the country she was passing through, nor
+tell in what direction she was being driven. At last she heard the hollow sound
+of a drawbridge under the wheels; the carriage stopped, and her masked
+companion, promptly opening the door, jumped nimbly out and helped her to
+alight. She cast a hurried glance round her, as she stepped down, saw that she
+was in a large, square court, and that all the tall, narrow windows in the high
+brick walls that surrounded it had their inside shutters carefully closed. The
+stone pavement of the spacious courtyard was in some places partly covered with
+moss, and a few weeds had sprung up in the corners, and along the edges by the
+walls. At the foot of a broad, easy flight of steps, leading up to a covered
+porch, two majestic Egyptian sphinxes lay keeping guard; their huge rounded
+flanks mottled here and there with patches of moss and lichens. Although the
+large château looked lonely and deserted, it had a grand, lordly air, and
+seemed to be kept in perfect order and repair. Isabelle was led up the steps
+and into the vestibule by the man who had brought her there, and then consigned
+to the care of a respectable-looking majordomo, who preceded her up a
+magnificent staircase, and into a suite of rooms furnished with the utmost
+luxury and elegance. Passing through the first&mdash;which was enriched with
+fine old carvings in oak, dark with age&mdash;he left her in a spacious,
+admirably proportioned apartment, where a cheery wood fire was roaring up the
+huge chimney, and she saw a bed in a curtained alcove. She chanced to catch
+sight of her own face in the mirror over an elaborately furnished
+dressing-table, as she passed it, and was startled and shocked at its ghastly
+pallor and altered expression; she scarcely could recognise it, and felt as if
+she had seen a ghost&mdash;poor Isabelle! Over the high, richly ornamented
+chimney-piece hung a portrait of a gentleman, which, as she approached the
+fire, at once caught and riveted her attention. The face seemed strangely
+familiar to her, and yet she could not remember where she had seen it before.
+It was pale, with large, black eyes, full red lips, and wavy brown hair, thrown
+carelessly back from it-apparently the likeness of a man about forty years of
+age and it had a charming air of nobility and lofty pride, tempered with
+benevolence and tenderness, which was inexpressibly attractive. The portrait
+was only half-length&mdash;the breast being covered with a steel cuirass,
+richly inlaid with gold, which was partly concealed by a white scarf, loosely
+knotted over it. Isabelle, despite her great alarm and anxiety, could not long
+withdraw her eyes or her thoughts from this picture, which seemed to exert a
+strange fascination over her. There was something about it that at the first
+glance resembled the Duke of Vallombreuse, but the expression was so different
+that the likeness disappeared entirely upon closer examination. It brought
+vague memories to Isabelle&rsquo;s mind that she tried in vain to
+seize&mdash;she felt as if she must be looking at it in a dream. She was still
+absorbed in reverie before it when the major-domo reappeared, followed by two
+lackeys, in quiet livery, carrying a small table set for one person, which they
+put down near the fire; and as one of them took the cover off an old-fashioned,
+massive silver tureen, he announced to Isabelle that her dinner was ready. The
+savoury odour from the smoking soup was very tempting, and she was very hungry;
+but after she had mechanically seated herself and dipped her spoon into the
+broth, it suddenly occurred to her that the food might contain a
+narcotic&mdash;such things had been done&mdash;and she pushed away the plate in
+front of her in alarm. The major-domo, who was standing at a respectful
+distance watching her, ready to anticipate her every wish, seemed to divine her
+thought, for he advanced to the table and deliberately partook of all the
+viands upon it, as well as of the wine and water&mdash;as if to prove to her
+that there was nothing wrong or unusual about them. Isabelle was somewhat
+reassured by this, and feeling that she would probably have need of all her
+strength, did bring herself to eat and drink, though very sparingly. Then,
+quitting the table, she sat down in a large easy-chair in front of the fire to
+think over her terrible position, and endeavour to devise some means of escape
+from it. When the servants had attended to their duties and left her alone
+again, she rose languidly and walked slowly to the window&mdash;feeling as weak
+as though she had had a severe illness, after the violent emotions and terrors
+of the day, and as if she had aged years in the last few hours. Could it be
+possible that only that very morning she and de Sigognac had been walking
+together, with hearts full of happiness and peace&mdash;and she had rapturously
+hailed the appearance of the first spring violet as an omen of good, and
+gathered the sweet little blossom to bestow upon the devoted lover who adored
+her? And now, alas! alas! they were as inexorably and hopelessly separated as
+if half the globe lay between them. No wonder that her breast heaved
+tumultuously with choking sobs, and hot tears rained down over her pallid
+cheeks, as she wept convulsively at the thought of all she had lost. But she
+did not long indulge her grief&mdash;she remembered that at any moment she
+might have need of all her coolness and fortitude&mdash;and making a mighty
+effort, like the brave heroine that she was, she regained control over herself,
+and drove back the gushing tears to await a more fitting season. She was
+relieved to find that there were no bars at the window, as she had feared; but
+upon opening the casement and leaning out she saw immediately beneath her a
+broad moat, full of stagnant water, which surrounded the château, and forbade
+any hope of succour or escape on that side. Beyond the moat was a thick grove
+of large trees, which entirely shut out the view; and she returned to her seat
+by the fire, more disheartened and cast down than ever. She was very nervous,
+and trembled at the slightest sound&mdash;casting hasty, terrified glances
+round the vast apartment, and dreading lest an unseen door in some shadowy
+corner should be softly opened, or a hidden panel in the wall be slipped aside,
+to admit her relentless enemy to her presence. She remembered all the horrible
+tales she had ever heard of secret passages and winding staircases in the
+walls, that are supposed to abound in ancient castles; and the mysterious
+visitants, both human and supernatural, that are said to be in the habit of
+issuing from them, in the gloaming, and at midnight. As the twilight deepened
+into darkness, her terror increased, and she nearly fainted from fright when a
+servant suddenly entered with lights.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+While poor Isabelle was suffering such agony in one part of the château, her
+abductors were having a grand carouse in another. They were to remain there for
+a while as a sort of garrison, in case of an attack by de Sigognac and his
+friends; and were gathered round the table in a large room down on the ground
+floor&mdash;as remote as possible from Isabelle&rsquo;s sumptuous quarters.
+They were all drinking like sponges, and making merry over their wine and good
+cheer, but one of them especially showed the most remarkable and astounding
+powers of ingurgitation&mdash;it was the man who had carried off the fair prize
+before him on his horse; and, now that the mask was thrown aside, he disclosed
+to view the deathly pale face and fiery red nose of Malartic, bosom friend and
+&ldquo;<i>alter ego</i>&rdquo; of Maître Jacquemin Lampourde.
+</p>
+
+</div><!--end chapter-->
+
+<div class="chapter">
+
+<h2><a name="chap16"></a>CHAPTER XVI.<br/>
+VALLOMBREUSE</h2>
+
+<p>
+Isabelle sat for a long time perfectly motionless in her luxurious chamber,
+sunk in a sad reverie, apparently entirely oblivious of the glow of light,
+warmth, and comfort that closed her in&mdash;glancing up occasionally at the
+portrait over the chimney-piece, which seemed to be smiling down upon her and
+promising her protection and peace, while it more than ever reminded her of
+some dear face she had known and loved long ago. After a time, however, her
+mood changed. She grew restless, and rising, began to wander aimlessly about
+the room; but her uneasiness only increased, and finally, in desperation, she
+resolved to venture out into the corridor and look about her, no matter at what
+risk. Anything would be better than this enforced inactivity and suspense. She
+tried the door with a trembling hand, dreading to find herself locked in, but
+it was not fastened, and seeing that all was dark outside, she took up a small
+lamp, that had been left burning on a side table, and boldly setting forth,
+went softly down the long flight of stairs, in the hope of finding some means
+of exit from the château on the lower floor. At the foot of the stairs she came
+to a large double door, one leaf of which yielded easily when she timidly tried
+to open it, but creaked dolefully as it turned on its hinges. She hesitated for
+a moment, fearing that the noise would alarm the servants and bring them out to
+see what was amiss; but no one came, and taking fresh courage, she moved on and
+passed into a lofty, vaulted hall, with high-backed, oaken benches ranged
+against the tapestry-covered walls, upon which hung several large trophies of
+arms, and sundry swords, shields, and steel gauntlets, which caught and flashed
+back the light from her lamp as she held it up to examine them. The air was
+heavy, chilly, and damp. An awful stillness reigned in this deserted hall.
+Isabelle shivered as she crept slowly along, and nearly stumbled against a huge
+table, with massive carved feet, that stood in the centre of the tesselated
+marble pavement. She was making for a door, opposite the one by which she had
+entered; but, as she approached it, was horror-stricken when she perceived two
+tall men, clad in armour, standing like sentinels, one on either side of it.
+She stopped short, then tried to turn and fly, but was so paralyzed with terror
+that she could not stir, expecting every instant that they would pounce upon
+her and take her prisoner, while she bitterly repented her temerity in having
+ventured to leave her own room, and vainly wished herself back by the quiet
+fireside there. Meanwhile the two dread figures stood as motionless as
+herself&mdash;the silence was unbroken, and &ldquo;the beating of her own heart
+was the only sound she heard.&rdquo; So at last she plucked up courage to look
+more closely at the grim sentinels, and could not help smiling at her own
+needless alarm, when she found that they were suits of armour, indeed, but
+without men inside of them&mdash;just such as one sees standing about in the
+ancient royal palaces of France. Passing them with a saucy glance of defiance,
+and a little triumphant toss of the head, Isabelle entered a vast dining room,
+with tall, sculptured buffets, on which stood many superb vessels of gold and
+silver, together with delicate specimens of exquisite Venetian and Bohemian
+glass, and precious pieces of fine porcelain, fit for a king&rsquo;s table.
+Large handsome chairs, with carved backs, were standing round the great
+dining-table, and the walls, above the heavy oaken wainscot, were hung with
+richly embossed Cordova leather, glowing with warm, bright tints and golden
+arabesques.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+She did not linger to examine and admire all the beautified things dimly
+revealed to her by the feeble light of her small lamp, but hurried on to the
+third door, which opened into an apartment yet more spacious and magnificent
+than the other two. At one end of it was a lordly dais, raised three steps
+above the inlaid floor, upon which stood a splendid great arm-chair, almost a
+throne, under a canopy emblazoned with a brilliant coat of arms and surmounted
+by a tuft of nodding plumes. Still hurrying on, Isabelle next entered a
+sumptuous bed-chamber, and, as she paused for an instant to hold up her lamp
+and look about her, fancied that she could hear the regular breathing of a
+sleeper in the immense bed, behind the crimson silk curtains which were closely
+drawn around it. She did not dare to stop and investigate the matter, but flew
+on her way, as lightly as any bird, and next found herself in a library, where
+the white busts surmounting the well-filled book-cases stared down at her with
+their hard, stony eyes, and made her shudder as she nervously sought for an
+exit, without delaying one moment to glance at the great variety of curious and
+beautiful objects scattered lavishly about, which, under any ordinary
+circumstances, would have held her enthralled.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Running at right angles with the library, and opening out of it, was the
+picture gallery, where the family portraits were arranged in chronological
+order on one side, while opposite to them was a long row of windows, looking
+into the court. The shutters were closed, but near the top of each one was a
+small circular opening, through which the moon shone and faintly lighted the
+dusky gallery, striking here and there directly upon the face of a portrait,
+with an indescribably weird and startling effect. It required all of
+Isabelle&rsquo;s really heroic courage to keep on past the long line of strange
+faces, looking down mockingly it seemed to her from their proud height upon her
+trembling form as she glided swiftly by, and she was thankful to find, at the
+end of the gallery, a glass door opening out upon the court. It was not
+fastened, and after carefully placing her lamp in a sheltered corner, where no
+draughts could reach it, she stepped out under the stars. It was a relief to
+find herself breathing freely in the fresh, pure air, though she was actually
+no less a prisoner than before, and as she stood looking up into the clear
+evening sky, and thinking of her own true lover, she seemed to feel new courage
+and hope springing up in her heart.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In one corner of the court she saw a strong light shining out through the
+crevices in the shutters that closed several low windows, and heard sounds of
+revelry from the same direction&mdash;the only signs of life she had detected
+about the whole place. Her curiosity was excited by them, and she stole softly
+over towards the quarter from whence they came, keeping carefully in the shadow
+of the wall, and glancing anxiously about to make sure that no one was
+furtively watching her. Finding a considerable aperture in one of the wooden
+shutters she peeped through it, and saw a party of men gathered around a table,
+eating and drinking and making merry in a very noisy fashion. The light from a
+lamp with three burners, which was suspended by a copper chain from the low
+ceiling, fell full upon them, and although she had only seen them masked
+before, Isabelle instantly recognised those who had been concerned in her
+abduction. At the head of the table sat Malartic, whose extraordinary face was
+paler and nose redder than ever, and at sight of whom the young girl shuddered
+and drew back. When she had recovered herself a little, she looked in again
+upon the repulsive scene, and was surprised to see, at the other end of the
+table, and somewhat apart from the others, Agostino, the brigand, who had now
+laid aside the long white beard in which he had played the part of the old
+blind beggar so successfully. A great deal of loud talking was going on,
+constantly interrupted by bursts of laughter, but Isabelle could not hear
+distinctly enough through the closed window to make out what they were saying.
+Even if she had been actually in the room with them, she would have found much
+of their conversation incomprehensible, as it was largely made up of the
+extraordinary slang of the Paris street Arabs and rascals generally. From time
+to time one or the other of the participants in this orgy seemed to propose a
+toast, whereupon they would all clink their glasses together before raising
+them to their lips, drain them at a draught, and applaud vociferously, while
+there was a constant drawing of corks and placing of fresh bottles on the table
+by the servant who was waiting upon them. Just as Isabelle, thoroughly
+disgusted with the brutality of the scene before her, was about to turn away,
+Malartic rapped loudly on the table to obtain a hearing, and after making a
+proposition, which met with ready and cordial assent, rose from his seat,
+cleared his throat, and began to sing, or rather shout, a ribald song, all the
+others joining in the chorus, with horrible grimaces and gesticulations, which
+so frightened poor Isabelle that she could scarcely find strength to creep away
+from the loathsome spectacle.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Before re-entering the house she went to look at the drawbridge, with a faint
+hope that she might chance upon some unexpected means of escape, but all was
+secure there, and a little postern, opening on the moat, which she discovered
+near by, was also carefully fastened, with bolts and bars strong enough to keep
+out an army. As these seemed to be the only means of exit from the château, she
+felt that she was a prisoner indeed, and understood why it had not been deemed
+necessary to lock any of the inner doors against her. She walked slowly back to
+the gallery, entered it by the glass door, found her lamp burning tranquilly
+just where she had left it, retraced her steps swiftly through the long suite
+of spacious apartments already described and flew up the grand staircase to her
+own room, congratulating herself upon not having been detected in her
+wanderings. She put her lamp down in the antechamber, but paused in terror on
+the threshold of the inner room, stifling a shriek that had nearly escaped her
+as she caught sight of a strange, wild figure crouching on the hearth. But her
+fears were short-lived, for with an exclamation of delight the intruder sprang
+towards her and she saw that it was Chiquita&mdash;but Chiquita in boy&rsquo;s
+clothes.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Have you got the knife yet?&rdquo; said the strange little creature
+abruptly to Isabelle&mdash;&ldquo;the knife with three bonny red marks.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Yes, Chiquita, I have it here in my bosom,&rdquo; she replied.
+&ldquo;But why do you ask? Is my life in danger?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;A knife,&rdquo; said the child with fierce, sparkling eyes, &ldquo;a
+knife is a faithful friend and servant; it never betrays or fails its master,
+if he is careful to give it a drink now and then, for a knife is often thirsty
+you know.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You frighten me, you naughty child!&rdquo; exclaimed Isabelle, much
+troubled and agitated by these sinister, extravagant words, which perhaps, she
+thought, might be intended as a friendly warning.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Sharpen the edge on the marble of the chimney-piece, like this,&rdquo;
+continued Chiquita, &ldquo;and polish the blade on the sole of your
+shoe.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Why do you tell me all this?&rdquo; cried Isabelle, turning very pale.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;For nothing in particular, only he who would defend himself gets his
+weapons ready&mdash;that&rsquo;s all.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+These odd, fierce phrases greatly alarmed Isabelle, yet Chiquita&rsquo;s
+presence in her room was a wonderful relief and comfort to her. The child
+apparently cherished a warm and sincere affection for her, which was none the
+less genuine because of its having arisen from such a trivial
+incident&mdash;for the pearl beads were more precious than diamonds to
+Chiquita. She had given a voluntary promise to Isabelle never to kill or harm
+her, and with her strange, wild, yet exalted notions of honour she looked upon
+it as a solemn obligation and vow, by which she must always abide&mdash;for
+there was a certain savage nobility in Chiquita&rsquo;s character, and she
+could be faithful unto death. Isabelle was the only human being, excepting
+Agostino, who had been kind to her. She had smiled upon the unkempt child, and
+given her the coveted necklace, and Chiquita loved her for it, while she adored
+her beauty. Isabelle&rsquo;s sweet countenance, so angelically mild and pure,
+exercised a wonderful influence over the neglected little savage, who had
+always been surrounded by fierce, haggard faces, expressive of every evil
+passion, and disfigured by indulgence in the lowest vices, and excesses of
+every kind.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;But how does it happen that you are here, Chiquita?&rdquo; asked
+Isabelle, after a short silence. &ldquo;Were you sent to keep guard over
+me?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;No, I came alone and of my own accord,&rdquo; answered Chiquita,
+&ldquo;because I saw the light and fire. I was tired of lying all cramped up in
+a corner, and keeping quiet, while those beastly men drank bottle after bottle
+of wine, and gorged themselves with the good things set before them. I am so
+little, you know, so young and slender, that they pay no more attention to me
+than they would to a kitten asleep under the table. While they were making a
+great noise I slipped quietly away unperceived. The smell of the wine and the
+food sickened me. I am used to the sweet perfume of the heather, and the pure
+resinous odour of the pines. I cannot breathe in such an atmosphere as there is
+down below there.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;And you were not afraid to wander alone, without a light, through the
+long, dark corridors, and the lonely, deserted rooms?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Chiquita does not know what it is to be afraid&mdash;her eyes can see in
+the dark, and her feet never stumble. The very owls shut their eyes when they
+meet her, and the bats fold their wings when she comes near their haunts.
+Wandering ghosts stand aside to let her pass, or turn back when they see her
+approaching. Night is her comrade and hides no secrets from her, and Chiquita
+never betrays them to the day.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Her eyes flashed and dilated as she spoke, and Isabelle looked at her with
+growing wonder, not unmixed with a vague sensation of fear.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I like much better to stay here, in this heavenly quiet, by the fire
+with you,&rdquo; continued the child, &ldquo;than down there in all the uproar.
+You are so beautiful that I love to look at you-you are like the Blessed Virgin
+that I have seen shining above the altar. Only from afar though, for they
+always chase me out of the churches with the dogs, because I am so shabby and
+forlorn. How white your hand is! Mine looks like a monkey&rsquo;s paw beside
+it&mdash;and your hair is as fine and soft as silk, while mine is all rough and
+tangled. Oh! I am so horribly ugly&mdash;you must think so too.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;No, my dear child,&rdquo; Isabelle replied, touched by her naive
+expressions of affection and admiration, &ldquo;I do not think so. You have
+beauty too&mdash;you only need to make yourself neat and clean to be as pretty
+a little girl as one would wish to see.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Do you really think so? Are you telling me true? I would steal fine
+clothes if they would make me pretty, for then Agostino would love me.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This idea brought a little flush of colour to her thin brown cheeks, and for a
+few minutes she seemed lost in a pleasant reverie.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Do you know where we are?&rdquo; asked Isabelle, when Chiquita looked up
+at her again.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;In a château that belongs to the great seignior who has so much money,
+and who wanted to carry you off at Poitiers. I had only to draw the bolt and it
+would have been done then. But you gave me the pearl necklace, and I love you,
+and I would not do anything you did not like.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Yet you have helped to carry me off this time,&rdquo; said Isabelle
+reproachfully. &ldquo;Is it because you don&rsquo;t love me any more that you
+have given me up to my enemies?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Agostino ordered me, and I had to obey; besides, some other child could
+have played guide to the blind man as well as I, and then I could not have come
+into the château with you, do you see?&mdash;here I may be able to do something
+to help you. I am brave, active and strong, though I am so small, and quick as
+lightning too&mdash;and I shall not let anybody harm you.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Is this château very far from Paris?&rdquo; asked Isabelle, drawing
+Chiquita up on her lap. &ldquo;Did you hear any one mention the name of this
+place?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Yes, one of them called it&mdash;now what was it?&rdquo; said the child,
+looking up at the ceiling and absently scratching her head, as if to stimulate
+her memory.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Try to remember it, my child!&rdquo; said Isabelle, softly stroking
+Chiquita&rsquo;s brown cheeks, which flushed with delight at the unwonted
+caress&mdash;no one had ever petted the poor child in her life before.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I think that it was Val-lom-breuse,&rdquo; said Chiquita at last,
+pronouncing the syllables separately and slowly, as if listening to an inward
+echo. &ldquo;Yes, Vallombreuse, I am sure of it now. It is the name of the
+seignior that your Captain Fracasse wounded in a duel&mdash;he would have done
+much better if he had killed him outright&mdash;saved a great deal of trouble
+to himself and to you. He is very wicked, that rich duke, though he does throw
+his gold about so freely by the handfuls&mdash;just like a man sowing grain.
+You hate him, don&rsquo;t you? and you would be glad if you could get away from
+him, eh?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Oh yes, indeed!&rdquo; cried Isabelle impetuously. &ldquo;But alas! it
+is impossible&mdash;a deep moat runs all around this château the drawbridge is
+up, the postern securely fastened&mdash;there is no way of escape.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Chiquita laughs at bolts and bars, at high walls and deep moats.
+Chiquita can get out of the best guarded prison whenever she pleases, and fly
+away to the moon, right before the eyes of her astonished jailer. If you
+choose, before the sun rises your Captain Fracasse shall know where the
+treasure that he seeks is hidden.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Isabelle was afraid, when she heard these incoherent phrases, that the child
+was not quite sane, but her little face was so calm, her dark eyes so clear and
+steady, her voice so earnest, and she spoke with such an air of quiet
+conviction, that the supposition was not admissible, and the strange little
+creature did seem to be possessed of some of the magic powers she claimed. As
+if to convince Isabelle that she was not merely boasting, she continued,
+&ldquo;Let me think a moment, to make a plan&mdash;don&rsquo;t speak nor move,
+for the least sound interferes with me&mdash;I must listen to the
+spirit.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Chiquita bent down her head, put her hand over her eyes, and remained for
+several minutes perfectly motionless; then she raised her head and without a
+word went and opened the window, clambered up on the sill, and gazed out
+intently into the darkness.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Is she really going to take flight?&rdquo; said Isabelle to herself, as
+she anxiously watched Chiquita&rsquo;s movements, not knowing what to expect.
+Exactly opposite to the window, on the other side of the moat, was an immense
+tree, very high and old, whose great branches, spreading out horizontally,
+overhung the water; but the longest of them did not reach the wall of the
+château by at least ten feet. It was upon this tree, however, that
+Chiquita&rsquo;s plan for escape depended. She turned away from the window,
+drew from her pocket a long cord made of horse-hair, very fine and strong,
+which she carefully unrolled to its full length and laid upon the floor; then
+produced from another pocket an iron hook, which she fastened securely to the
+cord. This done to her satisfaction, she went to the window again, and threw
+the end of the cord with the hook into the branches of the tree. The first time
+she was unsuccessful; the iron hook fell and struck against the stone wall
+beneath the casement; but at the second attempt the hook caught and held, and
+Chiquita, drawing the cord taut, asked Isabelle to take hold of it and bear her
+whole weight on it, until the branch was bent as far as possible towards the
+château&mdash;coming five or six feet nearer to the window where they were.
+Then Chiquita tied the cord firmly to the ornamental iron railing of the tiny
+balcony, with a knot that could not slip, climbed over, and grasping the cord
+with both hands, swung herself off, and hung suspended over the waters of the
+moat far below. Isabelle held her breath. With a rapid motion of the hands
+Chiquita crossed the clear space, reached the tree safely, and climbed down
+into it with the agility of a monkey.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Now undo the knot so that I can take the cord with me,&rdquo; she said,
+in a low but very distinct tone of voice to Isabelle, who began to breathe
+freely again, &ldquo;unless, indeed, you would like to follow me. But you would
+be frightened and dizzy, and might fall, so you had better stay where you are.
+Good-bye! I am going straight to Paris, and shall soon be back again; I can get
+on quickly in this bright moonlight.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Isabelle did as she was bid, and the branch, being no longer held by the cord,
+swung back to its original position. In less than a minute Chiquita had
+scrambled down to the ground, and the captive soon lost sight of her slender
+little figure as she walked off briskly towards the capital.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+All that had just occurred seemed like a strange dream to Isabelle, now that
+she found herself alone again. She remained for some time at the open casement,
+looking at the great tree opposite, and trembling as she realized the terrible
+risk Chiquita had run for her sake&mdash;feeling warm gratitude and tender
+affection for the wild, incomprehensible little creature, who manifested such a
+strong attachment for herself, and a new hope sprang up in her heart as she
+thought that now de Sigognac would soon know where to find her. The cold night
+air at last forced her to close the window, and after arranging the curtains
+over it carefully, so as to show no signs of having been disturbed, she
+returned to her easy-chair by the fire; and just in time, for she had scarcely
+seated herself when the major-domo entered, followed by the two servants, again
+carrying the little table, set for one, with her supper daintily arranged upon
+it. A few minutes earlier and Chiquita&rsquo;s escape would have been
+discovered and prevented. Isabelle, still greatly agitated by all that had
+passed, could not eat, and signed to the servants to remove the supper
+untouched. Whereupon the major-domo himself put some bread and wine on a small
+table beside the bed, and placed on a chair near the fire a richly trimmed
+dressing-gown, and everything that a lady could require in making her toilet
+for the night. Several large logs of wood were piled up on the massive
+andirons, the candles were renewed, and then the major-domo, approaching
+Isabelle with a profound obeisance, said to her that if she desired the
+services of a maid he would send one to her. As she made a gesture of dissent
+he withdrew, after again bowing to her most respectfully. When they had all
+gone, Isabelle, quite worn out, threw herself down on the outside of the bed
+without undressing, so as to be ready in case of any sudden alarm in the night;
+then took out Chiquita&rsquo;s knife, opened it, and laid it beside her. Having
+taken these precautions, she closed her eyes, and hoped that she could for a
+while forget her troubles in sleep; but she had been so much excited and
+agitated that her nerves were all quivering, and it was long before she even
+grew drowsy. There were so many strange, incomprehensible noises in the great,
+empty house to disturb and startle her; and in her own room, the cracking of
+the furniture, the ticking of a death-watch in the wall near her bed, the
+gnawing of a rat behind the wainscot, the snapping of the fire. At each fresh
+sound she started up in terror, with her poor heart throbbing as if it would
+burst out of her breast, a cold perspiration breaking out on her forehead, and
+trembling in every limb. At last, however, weary nature had to succumb, and she
+fell into a deep sleep, which lasted until she was awakened by the sun shining
+on her face. Her first thought was to wonder that she had not yet seen the Duke
+of Vallombreuse; but she was thankful for his absence, and hoped that it would
+continue until Chiquita should have brought de Sigognac to the rescue.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The reason why the young duke had not yet made his appearance was one of
+policy. He had taken especial pains to show himself at Saint Germain on the day
+of the abduction&mdash;had joined the royal hunting party, and been exceedingly
+and unwontedly affable to all who happened to come in contact with him. In the
+evening he had played at cards, and lost ostentatiously sums that would have
+been of importance to a less wealthy man&mdash;being all the time in a very
+genial mood&mdash;especially after the arrival of a mounted messenger, who
+brought him a little note. Thus the duke&rsquo;s desire to be able to establish
+an incontestable alibi, in case of need, had spared Isabelle thus far the
+infliction of his hated presence; but while she was congratulating herself upon
+it, and welcoming the sunshine that streamed into her room, she heard the
+drawbridge being let down, and immediately after a carriage dashed over it and
+thundered into the court. Her heart sank, for who would be likely to enter in
+that style save the master of the house? Her face grew deathly pale, she
+reeled, and for one dreadful moment felt as if she should faint; but, rallying
+her courage, she reminded herself that Chiquita had gone to bring de Sigognac
+to her aid, and determined afresh to meet bravely whatever trials might be in
+store for her, until her beloved knight and champion should arrive, to rescue
+her from her terrible danger and irksome imprisonment. Her eyes involuntarily
+sought the portrait over the chimney-piece, and after passionately invoking it,
+and imploring its aid and protection, as if it had been her patron saint, she
+felt a certain sense of ease and security, as if what she had so earnestly
+entreated would really be accorded to her.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A full hour had elapsed, which the young duke had employed in the duties of the
+toilet, and in snatching a few minutes of repose after his rapid night-journey,
+when the major-domo presented himself, and asked respectfully if Isabelle would
+receive the Duke of Vallombreuse.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I am a prisoner,&rdquo; she replied, with quiet dignity, &ldquo;and this
+demand, which would be fitting and polite in any ordinary case, is only a
+mockery when addressed to one in my position. I have no means of preventing
+your master&rsquo;s coming into this room, nor can I quit it to avoid him. I do
+not accept his visit but submit to it. He must do as he pleases about it, and
+come and go when he likes. He allows me no choice in the matter. Go and tell
+him exactly what I have said to you.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The major-domo bowed low, and retired backward to the door, having received
+strict orders to treat Isabelle with the greatest respect and consideration. In
+a few minutes he returned, and announced the Duke of Vallombreuse.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Isabelle half rose from her chair by the fire, but turned very pale and fell
+back into it, as her unwelcome visitor made his appearance at the door. He
+closed it and advanced slowly towards her, hat in hand, but when he perceived
+that she was trembling violently, and looked ready to faint, he stopped in the
+middle of the room, made a low bow, and said in his most dulcet, persuasive
+tones:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;If my presence is too unbearably odious now to the charming Isabelle,
+and she would like to have a little time to get used to the thought of seeing
+me, I will withdraw. She is my prisoner, it is true, but I am none the less her
+slave.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;This courtesy is tardy,&rdquo; Isabelle replied coldly, &ldquo;after the
+violence you have made use of against me.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;That is the natural result,&rdquo; said the duke, with a smile,
+&ldquo;of pushing people to extremity by a too obstinate and prolonged
+resistance. Having lost all hope, they stop at nothing&mdash;knowing that they
+cannot make matters any worse, whatever they do. If you had only been willing
+to suffer me to pay my court to you in the regular way, and shown a little
+indulgence to my love, I should have quietly remained among the ranks of your
+passionate adorers; striving, by dint of delicate attentions, chivalrous
+devotion, magnificent offerings, and respectful yet ardent solicitations, to
+soften that hard heart of yours. If I could not have succeeded in inspiring it
+with love for me, I might at least have awakened in it that tender pity which
+is akin to love, and which is so often only its forerunner. In the end,
+perhaps, you would have repented of your cruel severity, and acknowledged that
+you had been unjust towards me. Believe me, my charming Isabelle, I should have
+neglected nothing to bring it about.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;If you had employed only honest and honourable means in your
+suit,&rdquo; Isabelle rejoined, &ldquo;I should have felt very sorry that I had
+been so unfortunate as to inspire an attachment I could not reciprocate, and
+would have given you my warm sympathy, and friendly regard, instead of being
+reluctantly compelled, by repeated outrages, to hate you instead.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You do hate me then?&mdash;you acknowledge it?&rdquo; the duke cried,
+his voice trembling with rage; but he controlled himself, and after a short
+pause continued, in a gentler tone, &ldquo;Yet I do not deserve it. My only
+wrongs towards you, if any there be, have come from the excess and ardour of my
+love; and what woman, however chaste and virtuous, can be seriously angry with
+a gallant gentleman because he has been conquered by the power of her adorable
+charms? whether she so desired or not.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Certainly, that is not a reason for dislike or anger, my lord, if the
+suitor does not overstep the limits of respect, as all women will agree. But
+when his insolent impatience leads him to commit excesses, and he resorts to
+fraud, abduction, and imprisonment, as you have not hesitated to do, there is
+no other result possible than an unconquerable aversion. Coercion is always and
+inevitably revolting to a nature that has any proper pride or delicacy. Love,
+true love, is divine, and cannot be furnished to order, or extorted by
+violence. It is spontaneous, and freely given&mdash;not to be bought, nor yet
+won by importunity.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Is an unconquerable aversion then all that I am to expect from
+you?&rdquo; said Vallombreuse, who had become pale to ghastliness, and been
+fiercely gnawing his under lip, while Isabelle was speaking, in her sweet,
+clear tones, which fell on his ear like the soft chiming of silver bells, and
+only served to enhance his devouring passion.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;There is yet one means of winning my friendship and gratitude&mdash;be
+noble and generous, and give me back the liberty of which you have deprived me.
+Let me return to my companions, who must be anxiously seeking for me, and
+suffering keenly because of their fears for my safety. Let me go and resume my
+lowly life as an actress, before this outrageous affair&mdash;which may
+irreparably injure my reputation&mdash;has become generally known, or my
+absence from the theatre been remarked by the public.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;How unfortunate it is,&rdquo; cried the duke, angrily, &ldquo;that you
+should ask of me the only thing I cannot do for you. If you had expressed your
+desire for an empire, a throne, I would have given it to you&mdash;or if you
+had wished for a star, I would have climbed up into the heavens to get it for
+you. But here you calmly ask me to open the door of this cage, little bird, to
+which you would never come back of your own accord, if I were stupid enough to
+let you go. It is impossible! I know well that you love me so little, or rather
+hate me so much, that you would never see me again of your own free
+will&mdash;that my only chance of enjoying your charming society is to lock you
+up&mdash;keep you my prisoner. However much it may cost my pride, I must do
+it&mdash;for I can no more live without you than a plant without the light. My
+thoughts turn to you as the heliotrope to the sun. Where you are not, all is
+darkness for me. If what I have dared to do is a crime, I must make the best of
+it, and profit by it as much as I can&mdash;for you would never forgive nor
+overlook it, whatever you may say now. Here at least I have you&mdash;I hold
+you. I can surround you with my love and care, and strive to melt the ice of
+your coldness by the heat of my passion. Your eyes must behold me&mdash;your
+ears must listen to my voice. I shall exert an influence over you, if only by
+the alarm and detestation I am so unfortunate as to inspire in your gentle
+breast; the sound of my footsteps in your antechamber will make you start and
+tremble. And then, besides all that, this captivity separates you effectually
+from the miserable fellow you fancy that you love&mdash;and whom I abhor;
+because he has dared to turn your heart away from me. I can at least enjoy this
+small satisfaction, of keeping you from him; and I will not let you go free to
+return to him&mdash;you may be perfectly sure of that, my fair lady!&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;And how long do you intend to keep me captive?&mdash;not like a
+Christian gentleman, but like a lawless corsair.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Until you have learned to love me&mdash;or at least to say that you
+have, which amounts to the same thing.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Then he made her a low bow, and departed, with as self-satisfied and jaunty an
+air as if he had been in truth a favoured suitor. Half an hour later a lackey
+brought in a beautiful bouquet, of the rarest and choicest flowers, while the
+stems were clasped by a magnificent bracelet, fit for a queen&rsquo;s wearing.
+A little piece of folded paper nestled among the flowers&mdash;a note from the
+duke&mdash;and the fair prisoner recognised the handwriting as the same in
+which &ldquo;For Isabelle&rdquo; was written, on the slip of paper that
+accompanied the casket of jewels at Poitiers. The note read as follows:
+</p>
+
+<p class="p2">
+&ldquo;D<small>EAR</small> I<small>SABELLE</small>&mdash;I send you these
+flowers, though I know they will be ungraciously received. As they come from
+me, their beauty and fragrance will not find favour in your eyes. But whatever
+may be their fate, even though you only touch them to fling them disdainfully
+out of the window, they will force you to think for a moment&mdash;if it be but
+in anger&mdash;of him who declares himself, in spite of everything, your
+devoted adorer,
+</p>
+
+<p class="right">
+&ldquo;V<small>ALLOMBREUSE</small>.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This note, breathing of the most specious gallantry, and tenacity of purpose,
+did produce very much the effect it predicted; for it made Isabelle exceedingly
+angry; and, without even once inhaling the delicious perfume of the flowers, or
+pausing for an instant to admire their beauty, she flung the bouquet, diamond
+bracelet and all, out into the antechamber. Never surely were lovely blossoms
+so badly treated; and yet Isabelle was excessively fond of them; but she feared
+that if she even allowed them to remain a little while in her room, their donor
+would presume upon the slight concession. She had scarcely resumed her seat by
+the fire, after disposing of the obnoxious bouquet, when a maid appeared, who
+had been sent to wait upon her. She was a pretty, refined looking girl, but
+very pale, and with an air of deep melancholy&mdash;as if she were brooding
+over a secret sorrow. She offered her services to Isabelle without looking up,
+and in a low, subdued voice, as if she feared that the very walls had ears.
+Isabelle allowed her to take down and comb out her long, silky hair, which was
+very much dishevelled, and to arrange it again as she habitually wore it; which
+was quickly and skilfully done. Then the maid opened a wardrobe and took out
+several beautiful gowns, exquisitely made and trimmed, and just
+Isabelle&rsquo;s size; but she would not even look at them, and sharply ordered
+that they should instantly be put back where they belonged, though her own
+dress was very much the worse for the rough treatment it had been subjected to
+on the preceding day, and it was a trial to the sweet, dainty creature to be so
+untidy. But she was determined to accept nothing from the duke, no matter how
+long her captivity might last. The maid did not insist, but acceded to her
+wishes with a mild, pitying air&mdash;just as indulgence is shown, as far as
+possible, to all the little whims and caprices of prisoners condemned to death.
+Isabelle would have liked to question her attendant, and endeavour to elicit
+some information from her, but the girl was more like an automaton than
+anything else, and it was impossible to gain more than a monosyllable from her
+lips. So Isabelle resigned herself with a sigh to her mute ministerings, not
+without a sort of vague terror.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+After the maid had retired, dinner was served as before, and Isabelle made a
+hearty meal&mdash;feeling that she must keep up her strength, and also hopeful
+of hearing something in a few hours more from her faithful lover. Her thoughts
+were all of him, and as she realized the dangers to which he would inevitably
+be exposed for her sake, her eyes filled with tears, and a sharp pang shot
+through her heart. She was angry with herself for being the cause of so much
+trouble, and fain to curse her own beauty&mdash;the unhappy occasion of it all.
+She was absorbed in these sad thoughts when a little noise as if a hail-stone
+had struck against the window pane, suddenly aroused her. She flew to the
+casement, and saw Chiquita, in the tree opposite, signing to her to open it,
+and swinging back and forth the long horse-hair cord, with the iron hook
+attached to it. She hastened to comply with the wishes of her strange little
+ally, and, as she stepped back in obedience to another sign, the hook, thrown
+with unerring aim, caught securely in the iron railing of the little balcony.
+Chiquita tied the other end of the cord to the branch to which she was
+clinging, and then began to cross over the intervening space as before; but ere
+she was half-way over, the knot gave way, and poor Isabelle for one moment of
+intense agony thought that the child was lost. But, instead of falling into the
+moat beneath her, Chiquita, who did not appear to be in the least disconcerted
+by this accident, swung over against the wall below the balcony, and climbing
+up the cord hand over hand, leaped lightly into the room, before Isabelle had
+recovered her breath. Finding her very pale, and tremulous, the child said
+smilingly, &ldquo;You were frightened, eh? and thought Chiquita would fall down
+among the frogs in the moat. When I tied my cord to the branch, I only made a
+slip-knot, so that I could bring it back with me. I must have looked like a big
+spider climbing up its thread,&rdquo; she added, with a laugh.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;My dear child,&rdquo; said Isabelle, with much feeling, and kissing
+Chiquita&rsquo;s forehead, &ldquo;you are a very brave little girl.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I saw your friends. They had been searching and searching for you; but
+without Chiquita they would never have found out where you were hidden. The
+captain was rushing about like an angry lion&mdash;his eyes flashed
+fire&mdash;he was magnificent. I came back with him. He rode, and held me in
+front of him. He is hidden in a little wood not far off, he and his
+comrades&mdash;they must keep out of sight, you know. This evening, as soon as
+it is dark, they will try to get in here to you&mdash;by the tree, you know.
+There&rsquo;s sure to be a scrimmage&mdash;pistol shots and swords
+clashing&mdash;oh! it will be splendid; for there&rsquo;s nothing so fine as a
+good fight; when the men are in earnest, and fierce and brave. Now don&rsquo;t
+you be frightened and scream, as silly women do; nothing upsets them like that.
+You must just remain perfectly quiet, and keep out of their way. If you like, I
+will come and stay by you, so that you will not be afraid.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t be uneasy about that, Chiquita! I will not annoy my brave
+friends, who come to save my life at the risk of their own, by any foolish
+fears or demonstrations; that I promise you.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;That&rsquo;s right,&rdquo; the child replied, &ldquo;and until they
+come, you can defend yourself with my knife, you know. Don&rsquo;t forget the
+proper way to use it. Strike like this, and then do so; you can rip him up
+beautifully. As for me, I&rsquo;m going to hunt up a quiet corner where I can
+get a nap. No, I can&rsquo;t stay here, for we must not be seen together; it
+would never do. Now do you be sure to keep away from that window. You must not
+even go near it, no matter what you hear, for fear they might suspect that you
+hoped for help from that direction. If they did, it would be all up with us;
+for they would send out and search the woods, and beat the bushes, and find our
+friends where they lie hidden. The whole thing would fall through, and you
+would have to stop here with this horrid duke that you hate so much.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I will not go near the window,&rdquo; Isabelle answered, &ldquo;nor even
+look towards it, however much I may wish to. You may depend upon my discretion,
+Chiquita, I do assure you.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Reassured upon this important point, Chiquita crept softly away, and went back
+to the lower room where she had left the ruffians carousing. They were still
+there&mdash;lying about on the benches and the floor, in a drunken sleep, and
+evidently had not even missed her. She curled herself up in a corner, as far as
+might be from the loathsome brutes, and was asleep in a minute. The poor child
+was completely tired out; her slender little feet had travelled eight leagues
+the night before, running a good part of the way, and the return on horseback
+had perhaps fatigued her even more, being unaccustomed to it. Although her
+fragile little body had the strength and endurance of steel, she was worn out
+now, and lay, pale and motionless, in a sleep that seemed like death.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Dear me! how these children do sleep to be sure,&rdquo; said Malartic,
+when he roused himself at last and looked about him. &ldquo;In spite of our
+carouse, and all the noise we made, that little monkey in the corner there has
+never waked nor stirred. Halloa! wake up you fellows! drunken beasts that you
+are. Try to stand up on your hind legs, and go out in the court and dash a
+bucket of cold water over your cursed heads. The Circe of drunkenness has made
+swine of you in earnest&mdash;go and see if the baptism I recommend will turn
+you back into men, and then we&rsquo;ll take a little look round the place, to
+make sure there&rsquo;s no plot hatching to rescue the little beauty we have in
+charge.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The men scrambled to their feet slowly and with difficulty, and staggered out
+into the court as best they might, where the fresh air, and the treatment
+prescribed by Malartic, did a good deal towards reviving them; but they were a
+sorry looking set after all, and there were many aching heads among them. As
+soon as they were fit for it, Malartic took three of the least tipsy of them,
+and leading the way to a small postern that opened on the moat, unchained a
+row-boat lying there, crossed the broad ditch, ascended a steep flight of steps
+leading up the bank on the other side, and, leaving one man to guard the boat,
+proceeded to make a tour of inspection in the immediate vicinity of the
+château; fortunately without stumbling on the party concealed in the wood, or
+seeing anything to arouse their suspicions; so they returned to their quarters
+perfectly satisfied that there was no enemy lurking near.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Meantime Isabelle, left quite alone, tried in vain to interest herself in a
+book she had found lying upon one of the side-tables. She read a few pages
+mechanically, and then, finding it impossible to fix her attention upon it,
+threw the volume from her and sat idly in front of the fire, which was blazing
+cheerily, thinking of her own true lover, and praying that he might be
+preserved from injury in the impending struggle. Evening came at last&mdash;a
+servant brought in lights, and soon after the major-domo announced a visit from
+the Duke of Vallombreuse. He entered at once, and greeted his fair captive with
+the most finished courtesy. He looked very handsome, in a superb suit of pearl
+gray satin, richly trimmed with crimson velvet, and Isabelle could not but
+admire his personal appearance, much as she detested his character.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I have come to see, my adorable Isabelle, whether <i>I</i> shall be more
+kindly received than my flowers,&rdquo; said he, drawing up a chair beside
+hers. &ldquo;I have not the vanity to think so, but I want you to become
+accustomed to my presence. To-morrow another bouquet, and another visit.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Both will be useless, my lord,&rdquo; she replied, &ldquo;though I am
+sorry to have to be so rude as to say so&mdash;but I had much better be
+perfectly frank with you.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Ah, well!&rdquo; rejoined the duke, with a malicious smile, &ldquo;I
+will dispense with hope, and content myself with reality. You do not know, my
+poor child, what a Vallombreuse can do&mdash;you, who vainly try to resist him.
+He has never yet known what it was to have an unsatisfied desire&mdash;he
+invariably gains his ends, in spite of all opposition&mdash;nothing can stop
+him. Tears, supplication, laments, threats, even dead bodies and smoking ruins
+would not daunt him. Do not tempt him too powerfully, by throwing new obstacles
+in his way, you imprudent child!&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Isabelle, frightened by the expression of his countenance as he spoke thus,
+instinctively pushed her chair farther away from his, and felt for
+Chiquita&rsquo;s knife. But the wily duke, seeing that he had made a mistake,
+instantly changed his tone, and begging her pardon most humbly for his
+vehemence, endeavoured to persuade her, by many specious arguments, that she
+was wrong in persistently turning a deaf ear to his suit&mdash;setting forth at
+length, and in glowing words, all the advantages that would accrue to her if
+she would but yield to his wishes, and describing the happiness in store for
+her. While he was thus eloquently pleading his cause, Isabelle, who had given
+him only a divided attention, thought that she heard a peculiar little noise in
+the direction whence the longed-for aid was to come, and fearing that
+Vallombreuse might hear it also, hastened to answer him the instant that he
+paused, in a way to vex him still further&mdash;for she preferred his anger to
+his love-making. Also, she hoped that by quarrelling with him she would be able
+to prevent his perceiving the suspicious little sound&mdash;now growing louder
+and more noticeable.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;The happiness that you so eloquently describe, my lord, would be for me
+a disgrace, which I am resolved to escape by death, if all other means fail me.
+You never shall have me living. Formerly I regarded you with indifference, but
+now I both hate and despise you, for your infamous, outrageous and violent
+behaviour to me, your helpless victim. Yes, I may as well tell you
+openly&mdash;and I glory in it&mdash;that I do love the Baron de Sigognac, whom
+you have more than once so basely tried to assassinate, through your miserable
+hired ruffians.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The strange noise still kept on, and Isabelle raised her voice to drown it. At
+her audacious, defiant words, so distinctly and impressively
+enunciated&mdash;hurled at him, as it were&mdash;Vallombreuse turned pale, and
+his eyes flashed ominously; a light foam gathered about the corners of his
+mouth, and he laid hold of the handle of his sword. For an instant he thought
+of killing Isabelle himself, then and there. If he could not have her, at least
+no one else should. But he relinquished that idea almost as soon as it occurred
+to him, and with a hard, forced laugh said, as he sprang up and advanced
+impetuously towards Isabelle, who retreated before him:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Now, by all the devils in hell, I cannot help admiring you immensely in
+this mood. It is a new role for you, and you are deucedly charming in it. You
+have got such a splendid colour, and your eyes are so bright&mdash;you are
+superb, I declare. I am greatly flattered at your blazing out into such
+dazzling beauty on my account&mdash;upon my word I am. You have done well to
+speak out openly&mdash;I hate deceit. So you love de Sigognac, do you? So much
+the better, say I&mdash;it will be all the sweeter to call you mine. It will be
+a pleasing variety to press ardent kisses upon sweet lips that say &lsquo;I
+hate you,&rsquo; instead of the insipid, everlasting &lsquo;I love you,&rsquo;
+that one gets a surfeit of from all the pretty women of one&rsquo;s
+acquaintance.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Alarmed at this coarse language, and the threatening gestures that accompanied
+it, Isabelle started back and drew out Chiquita&rsquo;s knife.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Bravo!&rdquo; cried the duke&mdash;&ldquo;here comes the traditional
+poniard. We are being treated to a bit of high tragedy. But, my fierce little
+beauty, if you are well up in your Roman history, you will remember that the
+chaste Mme. Lucretia did not make use of her dagger until <i>after</i> the
+assault of Sextus, the bold son of Tarquin the Proud. That ancient and
+much-cited example is a good one to follow.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And without paying any more attention to the knife than to a bee-sting, he had
+violently seized Isabelle in his arms before she could raise it to strike.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Just at that moment a loud cracking noise was heard, followed by a tremendous
+crash, and the casement fell clattering to the floor, with every pane of glass
+in it shattered; as if a giant had put his knee against it and broken it in;
+while a mass of branches protruded through the opening into the room. It was
+the top of the tree that Chiquita had made such good use of as a way of escape
+and return. The trunk, sawed nearly through by de Sigognac and his companions,
+was guided in its fall so as to make a means of access to Isabelle&rsquo;s
+window; both bridging the moat, and answering all the purposes of a ladder.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The Duke of Vallombreuse, astonished at this most extraordinary intrusion upon
+his love-making, released his trembling victim, and drew his sword. Chiquita,
+who had crept into the room unperceived when the crash came, pulled
+Isabelle&rsquo;s sleeve and whispered, &ldquo;Come into this corner, out of the
+way; the dance is going to begin.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As she spoke, several pistol shots were heard without, and four of the
+duke&rsquo;s ruffians&mdash;who were doing garrison duty came rushing up the
+stairs, four steps at a time, and dashed into the room-sword in hand, and eager
+for the fray.
+</p>
+
+</div><!--end chapter-->
+
+<div class="chapter">
+
+<h2><a name="chap17"></a>CHAPTER XVII.<br/>
+THE AMETHYST RING</h2>
+
+<p>
+The topmost branches of the tree, protruding through the window, rendered the
+centre of the room untenable, so Malartic and his three aids ranged themselves
+two and two against the wall on either side of it, armed with pistols and
+swords&mdash;ready to give the assailants a warm welcome.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You had better retire, my lord duke, or else put on a mask,&rdquo;
+whispered Malartic to the young nobleman, &ldquo;so that you may not be seen
+and recognised in this affair.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;What do I care?&rdquo; cried Vallombreuse, flourishing his sword.
+&ldquo;I am not afraid of anybody in the world&mdash;and besides, those who see
+me will never go away from this to tell of it.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;But at least your lordship will place this second Helen in some safe
+retreat. A stray bullet might so easily deprive your highness of the prize that
+cost so dear&mdash;and it would be such a pity.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The duke, finding this advice judicious, went at once over to where Isabelle
+was standing beside Chiquita, and throwing his arms round her attempted to
+carry her into the next room. The poor girl made a desperate resistance, and
+slipping from the duke&rsquo;s grasp rushed to the window, regardless of
+danger, crying, &ldquo;Save me, de Sigognac! save me!&rdquo; A voice from
+without answered, &ldquo;I am coming,&rdquo; but, before he could reach the
+window, Vallombreuse had again seized his prey, and succeeded in carrying her
+into the adjoining room, closing and bolting the stout oaken door behind him
+just as de Sigognac bounded into the chamber he had quitted. His entrance was
+so sudden, and so swiftly and boldly made, that he entirely escaped the pistol
+shots aimed at him, and the four bullets all fell harmless. When the smoke had
+cleared away and the &ldquo;garrison&rdquo; saw that he was unhurt, a murmur of
+astonishment arose, and one of the men exclaimed aloud that Captain
+Fracasse&mdash;the only name by which <i>they</i> knew him&mdash;must bear a
+charmed life; whereupon, Malartic cried, &ldquo;Leave him to me, I&rsquo;ll
+soon finish him, and do you three keep a strict guard over the window there;
+for there will be more to follow this one if I am not mistaken.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But he did not find his self-imposed task as easy as he supposed&mdash;for de
+Sigognac was ready for him, and gave him plenty to do, though his surprise and
+disappointment were overwhelming when he found that Isabelle was nowhere to be
+seen.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Where is she?&rdquo; he cried impetuously. &ldquo;Where is Isabelle? I
+heard her voice in here only a moment ago.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t ask me!&rdquo; Malartic retorted. &ldquo;<i>You</i>
+didn&rsquo;t give her into my charge.&rdquo; And all this time their swords
+were flashing and clashing, as the combat between them grew more animated.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A moment later, before the men had finished reloading their pistols, Scapin
+dashed in through the window, throwing a remarkable somersault like an acrobat
+as he came, and seeing that the three ruffians had laid down their swords
+beside them on the floor while attending to their other weapons, he seized upon
+them all, ere their owners had recovered from their astonishment at his
+extraordinary advent, and hurled them through the broken casement down into the
+moat. Then, laying hold of one of the three from behind, and pinning down his
+arms securely, he placed him in front of himself for a shield&mdash;turning him
+dexterously this way and that, in order to keep his body always between his own
+and the enemy; so that they dared not fire upon him lest they should kill their
+comrade, who was vehemently beseeching them to spare his life, and vainly
+struggling to escape from Scapin&rsquo;s iron grip.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The combat between de Sigognac and Malartic was still going on, but at last,
+the baron&mdash;who had already wounded his adversary slightly, and whose agony
+and desperation at being kept from prosecuting his search for Isabelle were
+intense&mdash;wrested Malartic&rsquo;s sword from his grasp, by a dexterous
+manœuvre with his own, and putting his foot upon it as it lay on the floor
+raised the point of his blade to the professional ruffian&rsquo;s throat,
+crying &ldquo;Surrender, or you are a dead man!&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At this critical moment another one of the besieging party burst in through the
+window, who, seeing at a glance how matters stood, said to Malartic in an
+authoritative tone, &ldquo;You can surrender without dishonour to this valiant
+hero&mdash;you are entirely at his mercy. You have done your duty
+loyally&mdash;now consider yourself a prisoner of war.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Then turning to de Sigognac, he said, &ldquo;You may trust his word, for he is
+an honourable fellow in his way, and will not molest you again&mdash;I will
+answer for him.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Malartic made a gesture of acquiescence, and the baron let him
+go&mdash;whereupon the discomfited bully picked up his sword, and with a
+crestfallen air walked off very disconsolately to a corner, where he sat down
+and occupied himself in staunching the blood that was flowing from his wound.
+The other three men were quickly conquered, and, at the suggestion of the
+latest comer, were securely bound hand and foot as they lay upon the floor, and
+then left to reflect upon their misfortunes.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;They can&rsquo;t do any more mischief now,&rdquo; said Jacquemin
+Lampourde, mockingly; for it was that famous fighting man in person, who, in
+his enthusiastic admiration, or rather adoration, for de Sigognac, had offered
+his services on this momentous occasion&mdash;services by no means to be
+despised. As to the brave Hérode, he was doing good service in fighting the
+rest of the garrison below. They had hastened out and crossed the moat in the
+little row-boat as quickly as possible after the alarm was given, but arrived
+too late, as we have seen, to prevent the assailants from ascending their
+strange scaling ladder. So they determined to follow, hoping to overtake and
+dislodge some of them. But Hérode, who had found the upper branches bending and
+cracking in a very ominous manner under his great weight, was forced to turn
+about and make his way back to the main trunk, where, under cover of darkness,
+he quietly awaited the climbing foe. Mérindol, who commanded this detachment of
+the garrison, was first, and being completely taken by surprise was easily
+dislodged and thrown down into the water below. The next one, aroused to a
+sense of his danger by this, pulled out a pistol and fired, but in the
+agitation of the moment, and the darkness, missed his aim, so that he was
+entirely at the tyrant&rsquo;s mercy, and in an instant was held suspended over
+the deep waters of the moat. He clung desperately to a little branch he had
+managed to lay hold of, and made such a brave fight for his life, that Hérode,
+who was merciful by nature, though so fierce of aspect, decided to make terms
+with him, if he could do so without injuring the interests of his own party;
+and upon receiving a solemn promise from him to remain strictly neutral during
+the remainder of the fray, the powerful actor lifted him up, with the greatest
+ease, and seated him in safety upon the tree-trunk again. The poor fellow was
+so grateful that he was even better than his word, for, making use of the
+password and giving a pretended order from Mérindol to the other two, who were
+some distance behind him and ignorant of what had happened, he sent them off
+post-haste to attend to an imaginary foe at some distance from the château;
+availing himself of their absence to make good his escape, after heartily
+thanking Hérode for his clemency. The moon was just rising, and by its light
+the tyrant spied the little row-boat, lying not very far off at the foot of a
+flight of steps in the steep bank, and he was not slow to make use of it to
+cross the moat, and penetrate into the interior court of the château&mdash;the
+postern having been fortunately left open. Looking about him, to see how he
+could best rejoin his comrades within the building, his eyes fell upon the
+porch guarded by the two huge, calm sphinxes, and he wisely concluded that
+through it must lie his way to the scene of action.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Meantime de Sigognac, Scapin and Lampourde, having a chance to look about them,
+were horrified to find that they were prisoners in the room where the battle
+had been fought. In vain they tried to burst open the stout oaken door which
+was their only means of egress&mdash;for the tree had, but a moment before,
+given way and fallen with a loud crash into the moat; in vain they strove to
+cut through one of the panels, or force the lock from its fastenings. To de
+Sigognac this delay was maddening, for he knew that the Duke of Vallombreuse
+had carried Isabelle away, and that he must still be with her. He worked like a
+giant himself, and incited the others to redouble their efforts; making
+battering rams of various pieces of furniture&mdash;resorting to every means
+that their ingenuity could devise&mdash;but without making the least impression
+on the massive barrier. They had paused in dismay, when suddenly a slight,
+grinding noise was heard, like a key turning in a lock, and the door, so
+unsuccessfully attacked, opened as if by magic before them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;What good angel has come to our aid?&rdquo; cried de Sigognac;
+&ldquo;and by what miracle does this door open of itself, after having so
+stoutly resisted all our efforts?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;There is neither angel nor miracle; only Chiquita,&rdquo; answered a
+quiet little voice, as the child appeared from behind the door, and fixed her
+great, dark, liquid eyes calmly on de Sigognac. She had managed to slip out
+with Vallombreuse and Isabelle, entirely unnoticed by the former, and in the
+hope of being of use to the latter.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Where is Isabelle?&rdquo; cried the baron, as he crossed the threshold
+and looked anxiously round the anteroom, which was dimly lighted by one little
+flickering lamp. For a moment he did not perceive her; the Duke of
+Vallombreuse, surprised at the sudden opening of the door, which he had
+believed to be securely fastened and impenetrable, had retreated into a corner,
+and placed Isabelle, who was almost fainting from terror and exhaustion, behind
+him. She had sunk upon her knees, with her head leaning against the wall, her
+long hair, which had come down, falling about her, and her dress in the utmost
+disorder; for she had struggled desperately in the arms of her captor; who,
+feeling that his fair victim was about to escape from his clutches, had vainly
+striven to snatch a few kisses from the sweet lips so temptingly near his own.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Here she is,&rdquo; said Chiquita, &ldquo;in this corner, behind the
+Duke of Vallombreuse; but to get to her you must first kill him.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Of course I shall kill him,&rdquo; cried de Sigognac, advancing sword in
+hand towards the young duke, who was ready to receive him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;We shall see about that, Sir Captain Fracasse&mdash;doughty knight of
+<i>Bohémiennes!</i>&rdquo; said Vallombreuse disdainfully, and the conflict
+began. The duke was not de Sigognac&rsquo;s equal at this kind of work, but
+still he was skilful and brave, and had had too much good instruction to handle
+his sword like a broom-stick, as Lampourde expressed it. He stood entirely upon
+the defensive, and was exceedingly wary and prudent, hoping, as his adversary
+must be already considerably fatigued by his encounter with Malartic, that he
+might be able to get the better of him this time, and retrieve his previous
+defeat. At the very beginning he had succeeded in raising a small silver
+whistle to his lips with his left hand&mdash;and its shrill summons brought
+five or six armed attendants into the room.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Carry away this woman,&rdquo; he cried, &ldquo;and put out those two
+rascals. I will take care of the captain myself.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The sudden interruption of these fresh forces astonished de Sigognac, and as he
+saw two of the men lift up and carry off Isabelle&mdash;who had fainted quite
+away&mdash;he was thrown for an instant off his guard, and very nearly run
+through the body by his opponent.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Roused to a sense of his danger, he attacked the duke with renewed fury, and
+with a terrible thrust, that made him reel, wounded him seriously in the upper
+part of the chest.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Meanwhile Lampourde and Scapin had shown the duke&rsquo;s lackeys that it would
+not be a very easy matter to put them out, and were handling them rather
+roughly, when the cowardly fellows, seeing that their master was wounded, and
+leaning against the wall, deathly pale, thought that he was done for, and
+although they were fully armed, took to their heels and fled, deaf to his
+feeble cry for assistance. While all this was going on, the tyrant was making
+his way up the grand staircase, as fast as his corpulence would permit, and
+reached the top just in time to see Isabelle, pale, dishevelled, motionless,
+and apparently dead, being borne along the corridor by two lackeys. Without
+stopping to make any inquiries, and full of wrath at the thought that the sweet
+girl had fallen a victim to the wickedness of the cruel Duke of Vallombreuse,
+he drew his sword, and fell upon the two men with such fury that they dropped
+their light burden and fled down the stairs as fast as their legs could carry
+them. Then he knelt down beside the unconscious girl, raised her gently in his
+arms, and found that her heart was beating, though but feebly, and that she
+apparently had no wound, while she sighed faintly, like a person beginning to
+revive after a swoon. In this position he was found by de Sigognac, who had
+effectually gotten rid of Vallombreuse, by the famous and well-directed thrust
+that had thrown Jacquemin Lampourde into a rapture of admiration and delight.
+He knelt down beside his darling, took both her hands in his, and said, in the
+most tender tones, that Isabelle heard vaguely as if in a dream:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Rouse yourself, dear heart, and fear nothing. You are safe now, with
+your own friends, and your own true lover&mdash;nobody can harm or frighten you
+again.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Although she did not yet open her eyes, a faint smile dawned upon the
+colourless lips, and her cold, trembling, little fingers feebly returned the
+tender pressure of de Sigognac&rsquo;s warm hands. Lampourde stood by, and
+looked down with tearful eyes upon this touching group&mdash;for he was
+exceedingly romantic and sentimental, and always intensely interested in a love
+affair. Suddenly, in the midst of the profound silence that had succeeded to
+the uproar of the mêlée, the winding of a horn was heard without, and in a
+moment energetically repeated. It was evidently a summons that had to be
+instantly obeyed; the drawbridge was lowered in haste, with a great rattling of
+chains, and a carriage driven rapidly into the court, while the red flaring
+light of torches flashed through the windows of the corridor. In another minute
+the door of the vestibule was thrown open, and hasty steps ascended the grand
+staircase. First came four tall lackeys, in rich liveries, carrying lights, and
+directly behind them a tall, noble-looking man, who was dressed from head to
+foot in black velvet, with an order shining on his breast&mdash;of those that
+are usually reserved for kings and princes of the blood, and only very
+exceptionally bestowed, upon the most illustrious personages.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When the four lackeys reached the landing at the head of the stairs, they
+silently ranged themselves against the wall, and stood like statues bearing
+torches; without the raising of an eyelid, or the slightest change in the
+stolid expression of their countenances to indicate that they perceived
+anything out of the usual way&mdash;exhibiting in perfection that miraculous
+imperturbability and self-command which is peculiar to well-bred, thoroughly
+trained menservants. The gentleman whom they had preceded paused ere he stepped
+upon the landing. Although age had brought wrinkles to his handsome face, and
+turned his abundant dark hair gray, it was still easy to recognise in him the
+original of the portrait that had so fascinated Isabelle, and whose protection
+she had passionately implored in her distress.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It was the princely father of Vallombreuse&mdash;the son bearing a different
+name, that of a duchy he possessed, until he in his turn should become the head
+of the family, and succeed to the title of prince.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At sight of Isabelle, supported by de Sigognac and the tyrant, whose ghastly
+pallor made her look like one dead, the aged gentleman raised his arms towards
+heaven and groaned.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Alas! I am too late,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;for all the haste I
+made,&rdquo; and advancing a few steps he bent over the prostrate girl, and
+took her lifeless hand in his. Upon this hand, white, cold and diaphanous, as
+if it had been sculptured in alabaster, shone a ring, set with an amethyst of
+unusual size. The old nobleman seemed strangely agitated as it caught his eye.
+He drew it gently from Isabelle&rsquo;s slender finger, with a trembling hand
+signed to one of the torch-bearers to bring his light nearer, and by it eagerly
+examined the device cut upon the stone; first holding it close to the light and
+then at arm&rsquo;s length; as those whose eyesight is impaired by age are wont
+to do. The Baron de Sigognac, Hérode and Lampourde anxiously watched the
+agitated movements of the prince, and his change of expression, as he
+contemplated this jewel, which he seemed to recognise; and which he turned and
+twisted between his fingers, with a pained look in his face, as if some great
+trouble had befallen him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Where is the Duke of Vallombreuse?&rdquo; he cried at last, in a voice
+of thunder. &ldquo;Where is that monster in human shape, who is unworthy of my
+race?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He had recognised, without a possibility of doubt, in this ring, the one
+bearing a fanciful device, with which he had been accustomed, long ago, to seal
+the notes he wrote to Cornelia&mdash;Isabelle&rsquo;s mother, and his own
+youthful love. How happened it that this ring was on the finger of the young
+actress, who had been forcibly and shamefully abducted by Vallombreuse? From
+whom could she have received it? These questions were torturing to him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Can it be possible that she is Cornelia&rsquo;s daughter and
+mine?&rdquo; said the prince to himself. &ldquo;Her profession, her age, her
+sweet face, in which I can trace a softened, beautified likeness of her
+mother&rsquo;s, but which has a peculiarly high bred, refined expression,
+worthy of a royal princess, all combine to make me believe it must be so. Then,
+alas! alas! it is his own sister that this cursed libertine has so wronged, and
+he has been guilty of a horrible, horrible crime. Oh! I am cruelly punished for
+my youthful folly and sin.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Isabelle at length opened her eyes, and her first look fell upon the prince,
+holding the ring that he had drawn from her finger. It seemed to her as if she
+had seen his face before&mdash;but in youth, without the gray hair and beard.
+It seemed also to be an aged copy of the portrait over the chimney-piece in her
+room, and a feeling of profound veneration filled her heart as she gazed at
+him. She saw, too, her beloved de Sigognac kneeling beside her, watching her
+with tenderest devotion; and the worthy tyrant as well&mdash;both safe and
+sound. To the horrors of the terrible struggle had succeeded the peace and
+security of deliverance. She had nothing more to fear, for her friends or for
+herself&mdash;how could she ever be thankful enough?
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The prince, who had been gazing at her with passionate earnestness, as if her
+fair face possessed an irresistible charm for him, now addressed her in low,
+moved tones:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Mademoiselle, will you kindly tell me how you came by this ring, which
+recalls very dear and sacred memories to me? Has it been long in your
+possession?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I have had it ever since my infancy; it is the only thing that my poor
+mother left me,&rdquo; Isabelle replied, with gentle dignity.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;And who was your mother? Will you, tell me something about her?&rdquo;
+continued the prince, with increasing emotion.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Her name was Cornelia, and she was an actress, belonging to the same
+troupe that I am a member of now.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Cornelia! then there is no possible doubt about it,&rdquo; murmured the
+prince to himself, in great agitation. &ldquo;Yes, it is certainly she whom I
+have been seeking all these years&mdash;and now to find her thus!&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Then, controlling his emotion, he resumed his usual calm, majestic demeanour,
+and turning back to Isabelle, said to her, &ldquo;Permit me to keep this ring
+for the present; I will soon give it back to you.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I am content to leave it in your lordship&rsquo;s hands,&rdquo; the
+young actress replied, in whose mind the memory of a face, that she had seen
+long years ago bending over her cradle, was growing clearer and more distinct
+every moment.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Gentlemen,&rdquo; said the prince, turning to de Sigognac and his
+companions, &ldquo;under any other circumstances I might find your presence
+here, in my château, with arms in your hands, unwarranted, but I am aware of
+the necessity that drove you to forcibly invade this mansion, hitherto sacred
+from such scenes as this&mdash;I know that violence must be met with violence,
+and justifies it; therefore I shall take no further notice of what has happened
+here to-night, and you need have no fears of any evil consequences to
+yourselves because of your share in it. But where is the Duke of Vallombreuse?
+that degenerate son who disgraces my old age.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As if in obedience to his father&rsquo;s call, the young duke at that moment
+appeared upon the threshold of the door leading into what had been
+Isabelle&rsquo;s apartment, supported by Malartic. He was frightfully pale, and
+his clinched hand pressed a handkerchief tightly upon his wounded chest. He
+came forward with difficulty, looking like a ghost. Only a strong effort of
+will kept him from falling&mdash;an effort that gave to his face the immobility
+of a marble mask. He had heard the voice of his father, whom, depraved and
+shameless as he was, he yet respected and dreaded, and he hoped to be able to
+conceal his wound from him. He bit his lips so as not to cry out or groan in
+his agony, and resolutely swallowed down the bloody foam that kept rising and
+filling his mouth. He even took off his hat, in spite of the frightful pain the
+raising of his arm caused him, and stood uncovered and silent before his angry
+parent.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Sir,&rdquo; said the prince, severely, &ldquo;your misdeeds transcend
+all limits, and your behaviour is such that I shall be forced to implore the
+king to send you to prison, or into exile. You are not fit to be at large.
+Abduction&mdash;imprisonment&mdash;criminal assault. These are not simple
+gallantries; and though I might be willing to pardon and overlook many
+excesses, committed in the wildness of licentious youth, I never could bring
+myself to forgive a deliberate and premeditated crime. Do you know, you
+monster,&rdquo; he continued approaching Vallombreuse, and whispering in his
+ear, so that no one else could hear, &ldquo;do you know who this young girl is?
+this good and chaste Isabelle, whom you have forcibly abducted, in spite of her
+determined and virtuous resistance! She is your own sister!
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;May she replace the son you are about to lose,&rdquo; the young duke
+replied, attacked by a sudden faintness, and an agony of pain which he felt
+that he could not long endure and live; &ldquo;but I am not as guilty as you
+suppose. Isabelle is pure&mdash;stainless. I swear it, by the God before whom I
+must shortly appear. Death does not lie, and you may believe what I say, upon
+the word of a dying gentleman.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+These words were uttered loudly and distinctly, so as to be heard by all.
+Isabelle turned her beautiful eyes, wet with tears, upon de Sigognac, and read
+in those of her true and faithful lover that he had not waited for the solemn
+attestation, &ldquo;in extremis,&rdquo; of the Duke of Vallombreuse to believe
+in the perfect purity of her whom he adored.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;But what is the matter?&rdquo; asked the prince, holding out his hand to
+his son, who staggered and swayed to and fro in spite of Malartic&rsquo;s
+efforts to support him, and whose face was fairly livid.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Nothing, father,&rdquo; answered Vallombreuse, in a scarcely articulate
+voice, &ldquo;nothing&mdash;only I am dying&rdquo;&mdash;and he fell at full
+length on the floor before the prince could clasp him in his arms, as he
+endeavoured to do.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;He did not fall on his face,&rdquo; said Jacquemin Lampourde,
+sententiously; &ldquo;it&rsquo;s nothing but a fainting fit. He may escape yet.
+We duellists are familiar with this sort of thing, my lord; a great deal more
+so than most medical men, and you may depend upon what I say.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;A doctor! a doctor!&rdquo; cried the prince, forgetting his anger as he
+saw his son lying apparently lifeless at his feet. &ldquo;Perhaps this man is
+right, and there may be some hope for him yet. A fortune to whomsoever will
+save my son!&mdash;my only son!&mdash;the last scion of a noble race. Go! run
+quickly! What are you about there?&mdash;don&rsquo;t you understand me? Go, I
+say, and run as fast as you can; take the fleetest horse in the stable.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Whereupon two of the imperturbable lackeys, who had held their torches
+throughout this exciting scene without moving a muscle, hastened off to execute
+their master&rsquo;s orders. Some of his own servants now came forward, raised
+up the unconscious Duke of Vallombreuse with every possible care and
+precaution, and by his father&rsquo;s command carried him to his own room and
+laid him on his own bed, the aged prince following, with a face from which
+grief and anxiety had already driven away all traces of anger. He saw his race
+extinct in the death of this son, whom he so dearly loved&mdash;despite his
+fault&mdash;and whose vices he forgot for the moment, remembering only his
+brilliant and lovable qualities. A profound melancholy took complete possession
+of him, as he stood for a few moments plunged in a sorrowful reverie that
+everybody respected.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Isabelle, entirely revived, and no longer feeling at all faint, had risen to
+her feet, and now stood between de Sigognac and the tyrant, adjusting, with a
+trembling hand, her disordered dress and dishevelled hair. Lampourde and Scapin
+had retired to a little distance from them, and held themselves modestly aloof,
+whilst the men within, still bound hand and foot, kept as quiet as possible;
+fearful of their fate if brought to the prince&rsquo;s notice. At length that
+aged nobleman returned, and breaking the terrible silence that had weighed upon
+all, said, in severe tones, &ldquo;Let all those who placed their services at
+the disposition of the Duke of Vallombreuse, to aid him in indulging his evil
+passions and committing a terrible crime, quit this château instantly. I will
+refrain from placing you in the hands of the public executioner, though you
+richly deserve it. Go now! vanish! get ye back to your lairs! and rest assured
+that justice will not fail to overtake you at last.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+These words were not complimentary, but the trembling offenders were thankful
+to get off so easily, and the ruffians, whom Lampourde and Scapin had unbound,
+followed Malartic down the stairs in silence, without daring to claim their
+promised reward. When they had disappeared, the prince advanced and took
+Isabelle by the hand, and gently detaching her from the group of which she had
+formed a part, led her over to where he had been standing, and kept her beside
+him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Stay here, mademoiselle,&rdquo; he said; &ldquo;your place is henceforth
+by my side. It is the least that you can do to fulfil your duty as my daughter,
+since you are the innocent means of depriving me of my son.&rdquo; And he wiped
+away a tear, that, despite all his efforts to control his grief, rolled down
+his withered cheek. Then turning to de Sigognac, he said, with an incomparably
+noble gesture, &ldquo;Sir, you are at liberty to withdraw, with your brave
+companions. Isabelle will have nothing to fear under her father&rsquo;s
+protection, and this château will be her home for the present. Now that her
+birth is made known it is not fitting that my daughter should return to Paris
+with you. I thank you, though it costs me the hope of perpetuating my race, for
+having spared my son a disgraceful action&mdash;what do I say? An abominable
+crime. I would rather have a bloodstain on my escutcheon than a dishonourable
+blot. Since Vallombreuse was infamous in his conduct, you have done well to
+kill him. You have acted like a true gentleman, which I am assured that you
+are, in chivalrously protecting weakness, innocence and virtue. You are nobly
+in the right. That my daughter&rsquo;s honour has been preserved unstained, I
+owe to you&mdash;and it compensates me for the loss of my son&mdash;at least my
+reason tells me that it should do so; but the father&rsquo;s heart rebels, and
+unjust ideas of revenge might arise, which I should find it difficult to
+conquer and set at rest. Therefore you had better go your way now, and whatever
+the result may be I will not pursue or molest you. I will try to forget that a
+terrible necessity turned your sword against my son&rsquo;s life.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;My lord,&rdquo; said de Sigognac, with profound respect, &ldquo;I feel
+so keenly for your grief as a father, that I would have accepted any
+reproaches, no matter how bitter and unjust, from you, without one word of
+protest or feeling of resentment; even though I cannot reproach myself for my
+share in this disastrous conflict. I do not wish to say anything to justify
+myself in your eyes, at the expense of the unhappy Duke of Vallombreuse, but I
+beg you to believe that this quarrel was not of my seeking. He persistently
+threw himself in my way, and I have done everything I could to spare him, in
+more than one encounter. Even here it was his own blind fury that led to his
+being wounded. I leave Isabelle, who is dearer to me than my own soul, in your
+hands, and shall grieve my whole life long for this sad victory; which is a
+veritable and terrible defeat for me, since it destroys my happiness. Ah! if
+only I could have been slain myself, instead of your unhappy son; it would have
+been better and happier for me.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He bowed with grave dignity to the prince, who courteously returned his salute,
+exchanged a long look, eloquent of passionate love and heart-breaking regret,
+with Isabelle, and went sadly down the grand staircase, followed by his
+companions&mdash;not however without glancing back more than once at the sweet
+girl he was leaving&mdash;who to save herself from falling, leaned heavily
+against the railing of the landing, sobbing as if her heart would break, and
+pressing a handkerchief to her streaming eyes. And, so strange a thing is the
+human heart, the Baron de Sigognac departed much comforted by the bitter grief
+and tears of her whom he so devotedly loved and worshipped. He and his friends
+went on foot to the little wood where they had left their horses tied to the
+trees, found them undisturbed, mounted and returned to Paris.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;What do you think, my lord, of all these wonderful events?&rdquo; said
+the tyrant, after a long silence, to de Sigognac, beside whom he was riding.
+&ldquo;It all ends up like a regular tragi-comedy. Who would ever have dreamed,
+in the midst of the mêlée, of the sudden entrance upon the scene of the grand
+old princely father, preceded by torches, and coming to put a little wholesome
+restraint on the too atrociously outrageous pranks of his dissolute young son?
+And then the recognition of Isabelle as his daughter, by means of the ring with
+a peculiar device of his own engraved upon it; haven&rsquo;t you seen exactly
+the same sort of thing on the stage? But, after all, it is not so surprising
+perhaps as it seems at the first glance&mdash;since the theatre is only a copy
+of real life. Therefore, real life should resemble it, just as the original
+does the portrait, eh? I have always heard that our sweet little actress was of
+noble birth. Blazius and old Mme. Léonarde remember seeing the prince when he
+was devoted to Cornelia. The duenna has often tried to persuade Isabelle to
+seek out her father, but she is of too modest and gentle a nature to take a
+step of that kind; not wishing to intrude upon a family that might reject her,
+and willing to content herself in her own lowly, position.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Yes, I knew all about that,&rdquo; rejoined de Sigognac, &ldquo;for
+Isabelle told me some time ago her mother&rsquo;s history, and spoke of the
+ring; but without attaching any importance to the fact of her illustrious
+origin. It is very evident, however, from the nobility and delicacy of her
+nature, without any other proof, that princely blood flows in her veins; and
+also the refined, pure, elevated type of her beauty testifies to her descent.
+But what a terrible fatality that this cursed Vallombreuse should turn out to
+be her brother! There is a dead body between us now&mdash;a stream of blood
+separates us&mdash;and yet, I could not save her honour in any other way.
+Unhappy mortal that I am! I have myself created the obstacle upon which my love
+is wrecked, and killed my hopes of future bliss with the very sword that
+defended the purity of the woman I adore. In guarding her I love, I have put
+her away from me forever. How could I go now and present myself to Isabelle
+with blood-stained hands? Alas! that the blood which I was forced to shed in
+her defence should have been her brother&rsquo;s. Even if she, in her heavenly
+goodness, could forgive me, and look upon me without a feeling of horror, the
+prince, her father, would repulse and curse me as the murderer of his only son.
+I was born, alas! under an unlucky star.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Yes, it is all very sad and lamentable, certainly,&rdquo; said the
+tyrant; &ldquo;but worse entanglements than this have come out all right in the
+end. You must remember that the Duke of Vallombreuse is only half-brother to
+Isabelle, and that they were aware of the relationship but for a few minutes
+before he fell dead at our feet; which must make a great difference in her
+feelings. And besides, she hated that overbearing nobleman, who pursued her so
+cruelly with his violent and scandalous gallantries. The prince himself was far
+from being satisfied with his wretched son&mdash;who was ferocious as Nero,
+dissolute as Heliogabalus, and perverse as Satan himself, and who would have
+been hanged ten times over if he had not been a duke. Do not be so
+disheartened! things may turn out a great deal better than you think
+now.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;God grant it, my good Hérode,&rdquo; said de Sigognac fervently.
+&ldquo;But naturally I cannot feel happy about it. It would have been far
+better for all if I had been killed instead of the duke, since Isabelle would
+have been safe from his criminal pursuit under her father&rsquo;s care. And
+then, I may as well tell you all, a secret horror froze the very marrow in my
+bones when I saw that handsome young man, but a moment before so full of life,
+fire, and passion, fall lifeless, pale and stiff at my feet. Hérode, the death
+of a man is a grave thing, and though I cannot suffer from remorse for this
+one, since I have committed no crime, still, all the time I see Vallombreuse
+before me, lying, motionless and ghastly, with the blood oozing slowly from his
+wound. It haunts me. I cannot drive the horrid sight away.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;That is all wrong,&rdquo; said the tyrant, soothingly&mdash;for the
+other was much excited&mdash;&ldquo;for you could not have done otherwise. Your
+conscience should not reproach you. You have acted throughout, from the very
+beginning to the end, like the noble gentleman that you are. These scruples are
+owing to exhaustion, to the feverishness due to the excitement you have gone
+through, and the chill from the night air. We will gallop on swiftly in a
+moment, to set our blood flowing more freely, and drive away these sad thoughts
+of yours. But one thing must be promptly done; you must quit Paris, forthwith,
+and retire for a time to some quiet retreat, until all this trouble is
+forgotten. The violent death of the Duke of Vallombreuse will make a stir at
+the court, and in the city, no matter how much pains may be taken to keep the
+facts from the public, and, although he was not at all popular, indeed very
+much the reverse, there will be much regret expressed, and you will probably be
+severely blamed. But now let us put spurs to these lazy steeds of ours, and try
+to get on a little faster.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+While they are galloping towards Paris, we will return to the château&mdash;as
+quiet now as it had been noisy a little while before. In the young duke&rsquo;s
+room, a candelabrum, with several branches, stood on a round table, so that the
+light from the candles fell upon the bed, where he lay with closed eyes, as
+motionless as a corpse, and as pale. The walls of the large chamber, above a
+high wainscot of ebony picked out with gold, were hung with superb tapestry,
+representing the history of Medea and Jason, with all its murderous and
+revolting details. Here, Medea was seen cutting the body of Pelias into pieces,
+under pretext of restoring his youth&mdash;there, the madly jealous woman and
+unnatural mother was murdering her own children; in another panel she was
+fleeing, surfeited with vengeance, in her chariot, drawn by huge dragons
+breathing out flames of fire. The tapestry was certainly magnificent in quality
+and workmanship, rich in colouring, artistic in design, and very
+costly&mdash;but inexpressibly repulsive. These mythological horrors gave the
+luxurious room an intensely disagreeable, lugubrious aspect, and testified to
+the natural ferocity and cruelty of the person who had selected them. Behind
+the bed the crimson silk curtains had been drawn apart, exposing to view the
+representation of Jason&rsquo;s terrible conflict with the fierce, brazen bulls
+that guarded the golden fleece, and Vallombreuse, lying senseless below them,
+looked as if he might have been one of their victims. Various suits of clothes,
+of the greatest richness and elegance, which had been successively tried on and
+rejected, were scattered about, and in a splendid great Japanese vase, standing
+on an ebony table near the head of the bed, was a bouquet of beautiful flowers,
+destined to replace the one Isabelle had already refused to receive&mdash;its
+glowing tints making a strange contrast with the death-like face, which was
+whiter than the snowy pillow it rested on. The prince, sitting in an arm-chair
+beside the bed, gazed at his unconscious son with mournful intentness, and bent
+down from time to time to listen at the slightly parted lips; but no fluttering
+breath came through them; all was still. Never had the young duke looked
+handsomer. The haughty, fierce expression, habitual with him, had given place
+to a serenity that was wonderfully beautiful, though so like death. As the
+father contemplated the perfect face and form, so soon to crumble into dust, he
+forgot, in his overwhelming grief, that the soul of a demon had animated it,
+and he thought sorrowfully of the great name that had been revered and honoured
+for centuries past, but which could not go down to centuries to come. More even
+than the death of his son did he mourn for the extinction of his home.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Isabelle stood at the foot of the bed, with clasped hands, praying with her
+whole soul for this new-found brother, who had expiated his crime with his
+life&mdash;the crime of loving too much, which woman pardons so easily.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The prince, who had been for some time holding his son&rsquo;s icy cold hand
+between both his own, suddenly thought that he could feel a slight warmth in
+it, and not realizing that he himself had imparted it, allowed himself to hope
+again.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Will the doctor never come?&rdquo; he cried impatiently;
+&ldquo;something may yet be done; I am persuaded of it.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Even as he spoke the door opened, and the surgeon appeared, followed by an
+assistant carrying a case of instruments. He bowed to the prince, and without
+saying one word went straight to the bedside, felt the patient&rsquo;s pulse,
+put his hand over his heart, and shook his head despondingly. However, to make
+sure, he drew a little mirror of polished steel from his pocket, removed it
+from its case, and held it for a moment over the parted lips; then, upon
+examining its surface closely, he found that a slight dimness was visible upon
+it. Surprised at this unexpected indication of life, he repeated the
+experiment, and again the little mirror was dimmed&mdash;Isabelle and the
+prince meantime breathlessly watching every movement, and even the expression
+of the doctor&rsquo;s face.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Life is not entirely extinct,&rdquo; he said at last, turning to the
+anxious father, as he wiped the polished surface of his tiny mirror. &ldquo;The
+patient still breathes, and as long as there is life there is hope, But do not
+give yourself up to a premature joy that might render your grief more bitter
+afterwards. I only say that the Duke of Vallombreuse has not yet breathed his
+last; that is all. Now, I am going to probe the wound, which perhaps is not
+fatal, as it did not kill him at once.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You must not stay here, Isabelle,&rdquo; said the prince, tenderly;
+&ldquo;such sights are too trying for a young girl like you. Go to your own
+room now, my dear, and I will let you know the doctor&rsquo;s verdict as soon
+as he has pronounced it.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Isabelle accordingly withdrew, and was conducted to an apartment that had been
+made ready for her; the one she had occupied being all in disorder after the
+terrible scenes that had been enacted there.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The surgeon proceeded with his examination, and when it was finished said to
+the prince, &ldquo;My lord, will you please to order a cot put up in that
+corner yonder, and have a light supper sent in for my assistant and myself? We
+shall remain for the night with the Duke of Vallombreuse, and take turns in
+watching him. I must be with him constantly, so as to note every symptom; to
+combat promptly those that are unfavorable, and aid those that are the reverse.
+Your highness may trust everything to me, and feel assured that all that human
+skill and science can do towards saving your son&rsquo;s life shall be
+faithfully done. Let me advise you to go to your own room now and try to get
+some rest; I think I may safely answer for my patient&rsquo;s life until the
+morning.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A little calmed and much encouraged by this assurance, the prince retired to
+his own apartment, where every hour a servant brought him a bulletin from the
+sick-room.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As to Isabelle, lying in her luxurious bed and vainly trying to sleep, she
+lived over again in imagination all the wonderful as well as terrible
+experiences of the last two days, and tried to realize her new position; that
+she was now the acknowledged daughter of a mighty prince, than whom only
+royalty was higher; that the dreaded Duke of Vallombreuse, so handsome and
+winning despite his perversity, was no longer a bold lover to be feared and
+detested, but a brother, whose passion, if he lived, would doubtless be changed
+into a pure and calm fraternal affection. This château, no longer her prison,
+had become her home, and she was treated by all with the respect and
+consideration due to the daughter of its master. From what had seemed to be her
+ruin had arisen her good fortune, and a destiny radiant, unhoped-for, and
+beyond her wildest flights of fancy. Yet, surrounded as she was by everything
+to make her happy and content, Isabelle was far from feeling so&mdash;she was
+astonished at herself for being sad and listless, instead of joyous and
+exultant&mdash;but the thought of de Sigognac, so infinitely dear to her, so
+far more precious than any other earthly blessing, weighed upon her heart, and
+the separation from him was a sorrow for which nothing could console her. Yet,
+now that their relative positions were so changed, might not a great happiness
+be in store for her? Did not this very change bring her nearer in reality to
+that true, brave, faithful, and devoted lover, though for the moment they were
+parted? As a poor nameless actress she had refused to accept his offered hand,
+lest such an alliance should be disadvantageous to him and stand in the way of
+his advancement, but now&mdash;how joyfully would she give herself to him. The
+daughter of a great and powerful prince would be a fitting wife for the Baron
+de Sigognac. But if he were the murderer of her father&rsquo;s only son; ah!
+then indeed they could never join hands over a grave. And even if the young
+duke should recover, he might cherish a lasting resentment for the man who had
+not only dared to oppose his wishes and designs, but had also defeated and
+wounded him. As to the prince, good and generous though he was, still he might
+not be able to bring himself to look with favour upon the man who had almost
+deprived him of his son. Then, too, he might desire some other alliance for his
+new-found daughter&mdash;it was not impossible&mdash;but in her inmost heart
+she promised herself to be faithful to her first and only love; to take refuge
+in a convent rather than accept the hand of any other; even though that other
+were as handsome as Apollo, and gifted as the prince of a fairy tale. Comforted
+by this secret vow, by which she dedicated her life and love to de Sigognac,
+whether their destiny should give them to each other or keep them asunder,
+Isabelle was just falling into a sweet sleep when a slight sound made her open
+her eyes, and they fell upon Chiquita, standing at the foot of the bed and
+gazing at her with a thoughtful, melancholy air.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;What is it, my dear child?&rdquo; said Isabelle, in her sweetest tones.
+&ldquo;You did not go away with the others, then? I am glad; and if you would
+like to stay here with me, Chiquita, I will keep you and care for you tenderly;
+as is justly due to you, my dear, for you have done a great deal for me.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I love you dearly,&rdquo; answered Chiquita, &ldquo;but I cannot stay
+with you while Agostino lives; he is my master, I must follow him. But I have
+one favour to beg before I leave you; if you think that I have earned the pearl
+necklace now, will you kiss me? No one ever did but you, and it was so
+sweet.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Indeed I will, and with all my heart,&rdquo; said Isabelle, taking the
+child&rsquo;s thin face between her hands and kissing her warmly on her brown
+cheeks, which flushed crimson under the soft caress.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;And now, good-bye!&rdquo; said Chiquita, when after a few moments of
+silence she had resumed her usual <i>sang-froid</i>. She turned quickly away,
+but, catching sight of the knife she had given Isabelle, which lay upon the
+dressing-table, she seized it eagerly, saying, &ldquo;Give me back my knife
+now; you will not need it any more,&rdquo; and vanished.
+</p>
+
+</div><!--end chapter-->
+
+<div class="chapter">
+
+<h2><a name="chap18"></a>CHAPTER XVIII.<br/>
+A FAMILY PARTY</h2>
+
+<p>
+The next morning found the young Duke of Vallombreuse still living, though his
+life hung by so slender a thread, that the surgeon, who anxiously watched his
+every breath, feared from moment to moment that it might break. He was a
+learned and skilful man, this same Maître Laurent, who only needed some
+favourable opportunity to bring him into notice and make him as celebrated as
+he deserved to be. His remarkable talents and skill had only been exercised
+thus far &ldquo;in anima vili,&rdquo; among the lower orders of
+society&mdash;whose living or dying was a matter of no moment whatever. But now
+had come at last the chance so long sighed for in secret, and he felt that the
+recovery of his illustrious patient was of paramount importance to himself. The
+worthy doctor&rsquo;s <i>amour-propre</i> and ambition were both actively
+engaged in this desperate duel he was fighting with Death, and he set his teeth
+and determined that the victory must rest with him. In order to keep the whole
+glory of the triumph for himself, he had persuaded the prince&mdash;not without
+difficulty&mdash;to renounce his intention of sending for the most celebrated
+surgeons in Paris, assuring him that he himself was perfectly capable to do all
+that could be done, and pleading that nothing was more dangerous than a change
+of treatment in such a case as this. Maître Laurent conquered, and feeling that
+there was now no danger of his being pushed into the background, threw his
+whole heart and strength into the struggle; yet many times during that anxious
+night he feared that his patient&rsquo;s life was slipping away from his
+detaining grasp, and almost repented him of having assumed the entire
+responsibility. But with the morning came encouragement, and as the watchful
+surgeon stood at the bedside, intently gazing upon the ghastly face on the
+pillow, he murmured to himself:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;No, he will not die&mdash;his countenance has lost that terrible,
+hippocratic look that had settled upon it last evening when I first saw
+him&mdash;his pulse is stronger, his breathing free and natural. Besides, he
+<i>must</i> live&mdash;his recovery will make my fortune. I must and will tear
+him out of the grim clutches of Death&mdash;fine, handsome, young fellow that
+he is, and the heir and hope of his noble family&mdash;it will be long ere his
+tomb need be made ready to receive him. He will help me to get away from this
+wretched little village, where I vegetate ignobly, and eat my heart out day by
+day. Now for a bold stroke!&mdash;at the risk of producing fever&mdash;at all
+risks&mdash;I shall venture to give him a dose of that wonder-working potion of
+mine.&rdquo; Opening his case of medicines, he took out several small vials,
+containing different preparations&mdash;some red as a ruby, others green as an
+emerald&mdash;this one yellow as virgin gold, that bright and colourless as a
+diamond&mdash;and on each one a small label bearing a Latin inscription. Maître
+Laurent, though he was perfectly sure of himself, carefully read the
+inscriptions upon those he had selected several times over, held up the tiny
+vials one after another, where a ray of sunshine struck upon them, and looked
+admiringly through the bright transparent liquids they contained&mdash;then,
+measuring with the utmost care a few drops from each, compounded a potion after
+a secret recipe of his own; which he made a mystery of, and refused to impart
+to his fellow practitioners. Rousing his sleeping assistant, he ordered him to
+raise the patient&rsquo;s head a little, while, with a small spatula, he pried
+the firmly set teeth apart sufficiently to allow the liquid he had prepared to
+trickle slowly into the mouth. As it reached the throat there was a spasmodic
+contraction that gave Maître Laurent an instant of intense anxiety&mdash;but it
+was only momentary, and the remainder of the dose was swallowed easily and with
+almost instantaneous effect. A slight tinge of colour showed itself in the
+pallid cheeks, the eyelids trembled and half unclosed, and the hand that had
+lain inert and motionless upon the counterpane stirred a little. Then the young
+duke heaved a deep sigh, and opening his eyes looked vacantly in about him,
+like one awakening from a dream, or returning from those mysterious regions
+whither the soul takes flight when unconsciousness holds this mortal frame
+enthralled. Only a glance, and the long eyelashes fell again upon the pale
+cheeks&mdash;but a wonderful change had passed over the countenance.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I staked everything on that move,&rdquo; said Maître Laurent to himself,
+with a long breath of relief, &ldquo;and I have won. It was either kill or
+cure&mdash;and it has not killed him. All glory be to Æsculapius, Hygeia, and
+Hippocrates!&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At this moment a hand noiselessly put aside the hangings over the door, and the
+venerable head of the prince appeared&mdash;looking ten years older for the
+agony and dread of the terrible night just passed.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;How is he, Maître Laurent?&rdquo; he breathed, in broken, scarcely
+audible tones.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The surgeon put his finger to his lips, and with the other hand pointed to the
+young duke&rsquo;s face-still raised a little on the pillows, and no longer
+wearing its death-like look; then, with the light step habitual with those who
+are much about the sick, he went over to the prince, still standing on the
+threshold, and drawing him gently outside and away from the door, said in a low
+voice, &ldquo;Your highness can see that the patient&rsquo;s condition, so far
+from growing worse, has decidedly improved. Certainly he is not out of danger
+yet&mdash;his state is very critical&mdash;but unless some new and totally
+unforeseen complication should arise, which I shall use every effort to
+prevent, I think that we can pull him through, and that he will be able to
+enjoy life again as if he had never been hurt.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The prince&rsquo;s care-worn face brightened and his fine eyes flashed at these
+hopeful words; he stepped forward to enter the sick-room, but Maître Laurent
+respectfully opposed his doing so.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Permit me, my lord, to prevent your approaching your son&rsquo;s bedside
+just now&mdash;doctors are often very disagreeable, you know, and have to
+impose trying conditions upon those to whom their patients are dear. I beseech
+you not to go near the Duke of Vallombreuse at present. Your beloved presence
+might, in the excessively weak and exhausted condition of my patient, cause
+dangerous agitation. Any strong emotion would be instantly fatal to him, his
+hold upon life is still so slight. Perfect tranquility is his only safety. If
+all goes well&mdash;as I trust and believe that it will&mdash;in a few days he
+will have regained his strength in a measure, his wound will be healing, and
+you can probably be with him as much as you like, without any fear of doing him
+harm. I know that this is very trying to your highness, but, believe me, it is
+necessary to your son&rsquo;s well-being.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The prince, very much relieved, and yielding readily to the doctor&rsquo;s
+wishes, returned to his own apartment; where he occupied himself with some
+religious reading until noon, when the major-domo came to announce that dinner
+was on the table.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Go and tell my daughter, the Comtesse Isabelle de Lineuil&mdash;such is
+the title by which she is to be addressed henceforth&mdash;that I request her
+to join me at dinner,&rdquo; said the prince to the major-domo, who hastened
+off to obey this order.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Isabelle went quickly down the grand staircase with a light step, and smiled to
+herself as she passed through the noble hall where she had been so frightened
+by the two figures in armour, on the occasion of her bold exploring expedition
+the first night after her arrival at the château. Everything looked very
+different now&mdash;the bright sunshine was pouring in at the windows, and
+large fires of juniper, and other sweet-smelling woods, had completely done
+away with the damp, chilly, heavy atmosphere that pervaded the long disused
+rooms when she was in them before.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In the splendid dining-room she found a table sumptuously spread, and her
+father already seated at it, in his large, high-backed, richly carved chair,
+behind which stood two lackeys, in superb liveries. As she approached him she
+made a most graceful curtsey, which had nothing in the least theatrical about
+it, and would have met with approbation even in courtly circles. A servant was
+holding the chair destined for her, and with some timidity, but no apparent
+embarrassment, she took her seat opposite to the prince. She was served with
+soup and wine, and then with course after course of delicate, tempting viands;
+but she could not eat her heart was too full&mdash;her nerves were still
+quivering, from the terror and excitement of the preceding day and night.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+She was dazzled and agitated by this sudden change of fortune, anxious about
+her brother, now lying at the point of death, and, above all, troubled and
+grieved at her separation from her lover&mdash;so she could only make a
+pretence of dining, and played languidly with the food on her plate.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You are eating nothing, my dear <i>comtesse</i>,&rdquo; said the prince,
+who had been furtively watching her; &ldquo;I pray you try to do better with
+this bit of partridge I am sending you.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At this title of <i>comtesse</i>, spoken as a matter of course, and in such a
+kind, tender tone, Isabelle looked up at the prince with astonishment written
+in her beautiful, deep blue eyes, which seemed to plead timidly for an
+explanation.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Yes, Comtesse de Lineuil; it is the title which goes with an estate I
+have settled on you, my dear child, and which has long been destined for you.
+The name of Isabelle alone, charming though it be, is not suitable for
+<i>my</i> daughter.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Isabelle, yielding to the impulse of the moment&mdash;as the servants had
+retired and she was alone with her father&mdash;rose, and going to his side,
+knelt down and kissed his hand, in token of gratitude for his delicacy and
+generosity.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Rise, my child,&rdquo; said he, very tenderly, and much moved,
+&ldquo;and return to your place. What I have done is only just. It calls for no
+thanks. I should have done it long ago if it had been in my power. In the
+terrible circumstances that have reunited us, my dear daughter, I can see the
+finger of Providence, and through them I have learned your worth. To your
+virtue alone it is due that a horrible crime was not committed, and I love and
+honour you for it; even though it may cost me the loss of my only son. But God
+will be merciful and preserve his life, so that he may repent of having so
+persecuted and outraged the purest innocence. Maître Laurent, in whom I have
+every confidence, gives me some hope this morning; and when I looked at
+Vallombreuse&mdash;from the threshold of his room only&mdash;I could see that
+the seal of death was no longer upon his face.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+They were interrupted by the servants, bringing in water to wash their fingers,
+in a magnificent golden bowl, and this ceremony having been duly gone through
+with, the prince threw down his napkin and led the way into the adjoining
+<i>salon</i>, signing to Isabelle to follow him. He seated himself in a large
+arm-chair in front of the blazing wood fire, and bidding Isabelle place herself
+close beside him, took her hand tenderly between both of his, and looked long
+and searchingly at this lovely young daughter, so strangely restored to him.
+There was much of sadness mingled with the joy that shone in his eyes, for he
+was still very anxious about his son, whose life was in such jeopardy; but as
+he gazed upon Isabelle&rsquo;s sweet face the joy predominated, and he smiled
+very lovingly upon the new <i>comtesse</i>, as he began to talk to her of long
+past days.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Doubtless, my beloved child, in the midst of the strange events that
+have brought us together, in such an odd, romantic, almost supernatural manner,
+the thought has suggested itself to your mind, that during all the years that
+have passed since your infancy I have not sought you out, and that chance alone
+has at last restored the long-lost child to her neglectful father. But you are
+so good and noble that I know you would not dwell upon such an idea, and I hope
+that you do not so misjudge me as to think me capable of such culpable neglect,
+now that you are getting a little better acquainted with me. As you must know,
+your mother, Cornelia, was excessively proud and high-spirited. She resented
+every affront, whether intended as such or not, with extraordinary violence,
+and when I was obliged, in spite of my most heartfelt wishes, to separate
+myself from her, and reluctantly submit to a marriage that I could not avoid,
+she obstinately refused to allow me to provide for her maintenance in comfort
+and luxury, as well as for you and your education. All that I gave her, and
+settled on her, she sent back to me with the most exaggerated disdain, and
+inexorably refused to receive again. I could not but admire, though I so
+deplored, her lofty spirit, and proud rejection of every benefit which I
+desired to confer upon her, and I left in the hands of a trusty agent, for her,
+the deeds of all the landed property and houses I had destined for her, as well
+as the money and jewels&mdash;so that she could at any time reclaim them, if
+she would&mdash;hoping that she might see fit to change her mind when the first
+flush of anger was over. But, to my great chagrin, she persisted in her refusal
+of everything, and changing her name, fled from Paris into the provinces; where
+she was said to have joined a roving band of comedians. Soon after that I was
+sent by my sovereign on several foreign missions that kept me long away from
+France, and I lost all trace of her and you. In vain were all my efforts to
+find you both, until at last I heard that she was dead. Then I redoubled my
+diligence in the search for my little motherless daughter, whom I had so
+tenderly loved; but all in vain. No trace of her could I find. I heard, indeed,
+of many children among these strolling companies, and carefully investigated
+each case that came to my knowledge; but it always ended in disappointment.
+Several women, indeed, tried to palm off their little girls upon me as my
+child, and I had to be on my guard against fraud; but I never failed to sift
+the matter thoroughly, even though I knew that deceit was intended, lest I
+should unawares reject the dear little one I was so anxiously seeking. At last
+I was almost forced to conclude that you too had perished; yet a secret
+intuition always told me that you were still in the land of the living. I used
+to sit for hours and think of how sweet and lovely you were in infancy; how
+your little rosy fingers used to play with and pull my long
+mustache&mdash;which was black then, my dear&mdash;when I leaned over to kiss
+you in your cradle&mdash;recalling all your pretty, engaging little baby
+tricks, remembering how fond and proud I was of you, and grieving over the loss
+that I seemed to feel more and more acutely as the years went on. The birth of
+my son only made me long still more intensely for you, instead of consoling me
+for your loss, or banishing you from my memory, and when I saw him decked with
+rich laces and ribbons, like a royal babe, and playing with his jewelled
+rattle, I would think with an aching heart that perhaps at that very moment my
+dear little daughter was suffering from cold and hunger, or the unkind
+treatment of those who had her in charge. Then I regretted deeply that I had
+not taken you away from your mother in the very beginning, and had you brought
+up as my daughter should be&mdash;but when you were born I did not dream of our
+parting. As years rolled on new anxieties tortured me. I knew that you would be
+beautiful, and how much you would have to suffer from the dissolute men who
+hover about all young and pretty actresses&mdash;my blood would boil as I
+thought of the insults and affronts to which you might be subjected, and from
+which I was powerless to shield you&mdash;no words can tell what I suffered.
+Affecting a taste for the theatre that I did not possess, I never let an
+opportunity pass to see every company of players that I could hear
+of&mdash;hoping to find you at last among them. But although I saw numberless
+young actresses, about your age, not one of them could have been you, my dear
+child&mdash;of that I was sure. So at last I abandoned the hope of finding my
+long-lost daughter, though it was a bitter trial to feel that I must do so. The
+princess, my wife, had died three years after our marriage, leaving me only one
+child&mdash;Vallombreuse&mdash;whose ungovernable disposition has always given
+me much trouble and anxiety. A few days ago, at Saint Germain, I heard some of
+the courtiers speak in terms of high praise of Hérode&rsquo;s troupe, and what
+they said made me determine to go and see one of their representations without
+delay, while my heart beat high with a new hope&mdash;for they especially
+lauded a young actress, called Isabelle; whose graceful, modest, high-bred air
+they declared to be irresistible, and her acting everything that could be
+desired&mdash;adding that she was as virtuous as she was beautiful, and that
+the boldest libertines respected her immaculate purity. Deeply agitated by a
+secret presentiment, I hastened back to Paris, and went to the theatre that
+very night. There I saw you, my darling, and though it would seem to be
+impossible for even a father&rsquo;s eye to recognise, in the beautiful young
+woman of twenty, the babe that he had kissed in its cradle, and had never
+beheld since, still I knew you instantly&mdash;the very moment you came in
+sight&mdash;and I perceived, with a heart swelling with happiness and
+thankfulness, that you were all that I could wish. Moreover, I recognised the
+face of an old actor, who had been I knew in the troupe that Cornelia joined
+when she fled from Paris, and I resolved to address myself first to him; so as
+not to startle you by too abrupt a disclosure of my claims upon you. But when I
+sent the next morning to the hotel in the Rue Dauphine, I learned that
+Hérode&rsquo;s troupe had just gone to give a representation at a château in
+the environs of Paris, and would be absent three days. I should have
+endeavoured to wait patiently for their return, had not a brave fellow, who
+used to be in my service, and has my interest at heart, come to inform me that
+the Duke of Vallombreuse, being madly in love with a young actress named
+Isabelle, who resisted his suit with the utmost firmness and determination, had
+arranged to gain forcible possession of her in the course of the day&rsquo;s
+journey&mdash;the expedition into the country being gotten up for that express
+purpose&mdash;that he had a band of hired ruffians engaged to carry out his
+nefarious purpose and bring his unhappy victim to this château&mdash;and that
+he had come to warn me, fearing lest serious consequences should ensue to my
+son, as the young actress would be accompanied by brave and faithful friends,
+who were armed, and would defend her to the death. This terrible news threw me
+into a frightful state of anxiety and excitement. Feeling sure, as I did, that
+you were my own daughter, I shuddered at the thought of the horrible crime that
+I might not be in time to prevent, and without one moment&rsquo;s delay set out
+for this place&mdash;suffering such agony by the way as I do not like even to
+think of. You were already delivered from danger when I arrived, as you know,
+and without having suffered anything beyond the alarm and dread&mdash;which
+must have been terrible indeed, my poor child! And then, the amethyst ring on
+your finger confirmed, past any possibility of doubt, what my heart had told
+me, when first my eyes beheld you in the theatre.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I pray you to believe, dear lord and father,&rdquo; answered Isabelle,
+&ldquo;that I have never accused you of anything, nor considered myself
+neglected. Accustomed from my infancy to the roving life of the troupe I was
+with, I neither knew nor dreamed of any other. The little knowledge that I had
+of the world made me realize that I should be wrong in wishing to force myself
+upon an illustrious family, obliged doubtless by powerful reasons, of which I
+knew nothing, to leave me in obscurity. The confused remembrance I had of my
+origin sometimes inspired me&mdash;when I was very young&mdash;with a certain
+pride, and I would say to myself, when I noticed the disdainful air with which
+great ladies looked down upon us poor actresses, I also am of noble birth. But
+I outgrew those fancies, and only preserved an invincible self-respect, which I
+have always cherished. Nothing in the world would have induced me to dishonour
+the illustrious blood that flows in my veins. The disgraceful license of the
+<i>coulisses</i>, and the loathsome gallantries lavished upon all actresses,
+even those who are not comely, disgusted me from the first, and I have lived in
+the theatre almost as if in a convent. The good old pedant has been like a
+watchful father to me, and as for Hérode, he would have severely chastised any
+one who dared to touch me with the tip of his finger, or even to pronounce a
+vulgar word in my presence. Although they are only obscure actors, they are
+very honourable, worthy men, and I trust you will be good enough to help them
+if they ever find themselves in need of assistance. I owe it partly to them
+that I can lift my forehead for your kiss without a blush of shame, and proudly
+declare myself worthy, so far as purity is concerned, to be your daughter. My
+only regret is to have been the innocent cause of the misfortune that has
+overtaken the duke, your son. I could have wished to enter your family, my dear
+father, under more favourable auspices.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You have nothing to reproach yourself with, my sweet child, for you
+could not divine these mysteries, which have been suddenly disclosed by a
+combination of circumstances that would be considered romantic and improbable,
+even in a novel; and my joy at finding you as worthy in every way to be my
+beloved and honoured daughter, as if you had not lived amid all the dangers of
+such a career, makes up for the pain and anxiety caused by the illness and
+danger of my son. Whether he lives or dies, I shall never for one moment blame
+you for anything in connection with his misfortune. In any event, it was your
+virtue and courage that saved him from being guilty of a crime that I shudder
+to contemplate. And now, tell me, who was the handsome young man among your
+liberators who seemed to direct the attack, and who wounded Vallombreuse? An
+actor doubtless, though it appeared to me that he had a very noble bearing, and
+magnificent courage.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Yes, my dear father,&rdquo; Isabelle replied, with a most lovely and
+becoming blush, &ldquo;he is an actor, a member of our troupe; but if I may
+venture to betray his secret, which is already known to the Duke of
+Vallombreuse, I will tell you that the so-called Captain Fracasse conceals
+under his mask a noble countenance, as indeed you already know, and under his
+theatrical pseudonym, the name of an illustrious family.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;True!&rdquo; rejoined the prince, &ldquo;I have heard something about
+that already. It would certainly have been astonishing if an ordinary, low-born
+actor had ventured upon so bold and rash a course as running counter to a Duke
+of Vallombreuse, and actually entering into a combat with him; it needs noble
+blood for such daring acts. Only a gentleman can conquer a gentleman, just as a
+diamond can only be cut by a diamond.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The lofty pride of the aged prince found much consolation in the knowledge that
+his son had not been attacked and wounded by an adversary of low origin; there
+was nothing compromising in a duel between equals, and he drew a deep breath of
+relief at thought of it.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;And pray, what is the real name of this valiant champion?&rdquo;
+smilingly asked the prince, with a roguish twinkle in his dark
+eyes&mdash;&ldquo;this dauntless knight, and brave defender of innocence and
+purity!&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;He is the Baron de Sigognac,&rdquo; Isabelle replied blushingly, with a
+slight trembling perceptible in her sweet, low voice. &ldquo;I reveal his name
+fearlessly to you, my dear father, for you are both too just and too generous
+to visit upon his head the disastrous consequences of a victory that he
+deplores.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;De Sigognac?&rdquo; said the prince. &ldquo;I thought that ancient and
+illustrious family was extinct. Is he not from Gascony?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Yes; his home is in the neighbourhood of Dax.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Exactly&mdash;and the de Sigognacs have an appropriate coat of
+arms&mdash;three golden storks on an azure field. Yes, it is as I said, an
+ancient and illustrious family&mdash;one of the oldest and most honourable in
+France. Paramede de Sigognac figured gloriously in the first crusade. A
+Raimbaud de Sigognac, the father of this young man without doubt, was the
+devoted friend and companion of Henri IV, in his youth, but was not often seen
+at court in later years. It was said that he was embarrassed financially, I
+remember.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;So much so, that when our troupe sought refuge of a stormy night under
+his roof, we found his son living in a half ruined château, haunted by bats and
+owls, where his youth was passing in sadness and misery. We persuaded him to
+come away with us, fearing that he would die there of starvation and
+melancholy&mdash;but I never saw misfortune so bravely borne.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Poverty is no disgrace,&rdquo; said the prince, &ldquo;and any noble
+house that has preserved its honour unstained may rise again from its ruins to
+its ancient height of glory and renown. But why did not the young baron apply
+to some of his father&rsquo;s old friends in his distress? or lay his case
+before the king, who is the natural refuge of all loyal gentlemen under such
+circumstances?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Misfortunes such as his are apt to breed timidity, even with the
+bravest,&rdquo; Isabelle replied, &ldquo;and pride deters many a man from
+betraying his misery to the world. When the Baron de Sigognac consented to
+accompany us to Paris, he hoped to find some opportunity there to retrieve his
+fallen fortunes; but it has not presented itself. In order not to be an expense
+to the troupe, he generously and nobly insisted upon taking the place of one of
+the actors, who died on the way, and who was a great loss to us. As he could
+appear upon the stage always masked, he surely did not compromise his dignity
+by it.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Under this theatrical disguise, I think that, without being a sorcerer,
+I can detect a little bit of romance, eh?&rdquo; said the prince, with a
+mischievous smile. &ldquo;But I will not inquire too closely; I know how good
+and true you are well enough not to take alarm at any respectful tribute paid
+to your charms. I have not been with you long enough yet as a father, my sweet
+child, to venture upon sermonizing.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As he paused, Isabelle raised her lovely eyes, in which shone the purest
+innocence and the most perfect loyalty, to his, and met his questioning gaze
+unflinchingly. The rosy flush which the first mention of de Sigognac&rsquo;s
+name had called up was gone, and her countenance showed no faintest sign of
+embarrassment or shame. In her pure heart the most searching looks of a father,
+of God himself, could have found nothing to condemn. Just at this point the
+doctor&rsquo;s assistant was announced, who brought a most favourable report
+from the sick-room. He was charged to tell the prince that his son&rsquo;s
+condition was eminently satisfactory&mdash;a marked change for the better
+having taken place; and that Maître Laurent considered the danger
+past&mdash;believing that his recovery was now only a question of time.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A few days later, Vallombreuse, propped up on his pillows, received a visit
+from his faithful and devoted friend, the Chevalier de Vidalinc, whom he had
+not been permitted to see earlier. The prince was sitting by the bedside,
+affectionately watching every flitting expression on his son&rsquo;s face,
+which was pathetically thin and pale, but handsomer than ever; because the old
+haughty, fierce look had vanished, and a soft light, that had never been in
+them before, shone in his beautiful eyes, whereat his father&rsquo;s heart
+rejoiced exceedingly. Isabelle stood at the other side of the bed, and the
+young duke had clasped his thin, startlingly white fingers round her hand. As
+he was forbidden to speak, save in monosyllables&mdash;because of his injured
+lung&mdash;he took this means of testifying his sympathy with her, who had been
+the involuntary cause of his being wounded and in danger of losing his life,
+and thus made her understand that he cherished no resentments. The affectionate
+brother had replaced the fiery lover, and his illness, in calming his ardent
+passion, had contributed not a little to make the transition a less difficult
+one than it could possibly have been otherwise. Isabelle was now for him really
+and only the Comtesse de Lineuil, his dear sister. He nodded in a friendly way
+to Vidalinc, and disengaged his hand for a moment from Isabelle&rsquo;s to give
+it to him&mdash;it was all that the doctor would allow&mdash;but his eyes were
+eloquent enough to make up for his enforced silence.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In the course of a few weeks, Vallombreuse, who had gained strength rapidly,
+was able to leave his bed and recline upon a lounge near the open window; so as
+to enjoy the mild, delightful air of spring, that brought colour to his cheeks
+and light to his eyes. Isabelle was often with him, and read aloud for hours
+together to entertain him; as Maître Laurent&rsquo;s orders were strict that he
+should not talk, even yet, any more than was actually necessary. One day, when
+Isabelle had finished a chapter in the volume from which she was reading to
+him, and was about to begin another, he interrupted her, and said, &ldquo;My
+dear sister, that book is certainly very amusing, and the author a man of
+remarkable wit and talent; but I must confess that I prefer your charming
+conversation to your delightful reading. Do you know, I would not have believed
+it possible to gain so much, in losing all hope of what I desired more ardently
+than I had ever done anything in my whole life before. The brother is very much
+more kindly treated than the suitor&mdash;are you aware of that? You are as
+sweet and amiable to the one as you were severe and unapproachable to the
+other. I find in this calm, peaceful affection, charms that I had never dreamed
+of, and you reveal to me a new side of the feminine character, hitherto utterly
+unknown to me. Carried away by fiery passions, and irritated to madness by any
+opposition, I was like the wild huntsman of the ancient legend, who stopped for
+no obstacle, but rode recklessly over everything in his path. I looked upon
+whatever beautiful woman I was in pursuit of as my legitimate prey. I scouted
+the very idea of failure, and deemed myself irresistible. At the mention of
+virtue, I only shrugged my shoulders, and I think I may say, without too much
+conceit, to the only woman I ever pursued who did not yield to me, that I had
+reason not to put much faith in it. My mother died when I was a mere baby; you,
+my sweet sister, were not near me, and I have never known, until now, all the
+purity, tenderness, and sublime courage of which your sex is capable. I chanced
+to see you. An irresistible attraction, in which, perhaps, the unknown tie of
+blood had its influence, drew me to you, and for the first time in my life a
+feeling of respect and esteem mingled with my passion. Your character delighted
+me, even when you drove me to despair. I could not but secretly approve and
+admire the modest and courteous firmness with which you rejected my homage. The
+more decidedly you repulsed me, the more I felt that you were worthy of my
+adoration. Anger and admiration succeeded each other in my heart, and even in
+my most violent paroxysms of rage I always respected you. I descried the angel
+in the woman, and bowed to the ascendency of a celestial purity. Now I am happy
+and blessed indeed; for I have in you precisely what I needed, without knowing
+it&mdash;this pure affection, free from all earthly
+taint&mdash;unalterable&mdash;eternal. I possess at last the love of a
+soul.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Yes, my dear brother, it is yours,&rdquo; Isabelle replied; &ldquo;and
+it is a great source of happiness to me that I am able to assure you of it. You
+have in me a devoted sister and friend, who will love you doubly to make up for
+the years we have lost&mdash;above all, now that you have promised me to
+correct the faults that have so grieved and alarmed our dear father, and to
+exhibit only the good qualities of which <i>you</i> have plenty.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Oh! you little preacher,&rdquo; cried Vallombreuse, with a bright,
+admiring smile; &ldquo;how you take advantage of my weakness. However, it is
+perfectly true that I have been a dreadful monster, but I really do mean to do
+better in future&mdash;if not for love of virtue itself, at least to avoid
+seeing my charming sister put on a severe, disapproving air, at some atrocious
+escapade of mine. Still, I fear that I shall always be Folly, as you will be
+Reason.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;If you will persist in paying me such high-flown compliments,&rdquo;
+said Isabelle, with a little shrug of her pretty shoulders, &ldquo;I shall
+certainly resume the reading, and you will have to listen to a long story that
+the corsair is just about to relate to the beautiful princess, his captive, in
+the cabin of his galley.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Oh, no! surely I do not deserve such a severe punishment as that. Even
+at the risk of appearing garrulous, I do so want to talk a little. That
+confounded doctor has kept me mute long enough in all conscience, and I am
+tired to death of having the seal of silence upon my lips, like a statue of
+Hippocrates.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;But I am afraid you may do yourself harm; remember that your wound is
+scarcely healed yet, and the injured lung is still very irritable. Maître
+Laurent laid such stress upon my reading to you, so that you should keep quiet,
+and give your chest a good chance to get strong and well again.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Maître Laurent doesn&rsquo;t know what he&rsquo;s talking about, and
+only wants to prolong his own importance to me. My lungs work as well as ever
+they did. I feel perfectly myself again, and I&rsquo;ve a great mind to order
+my horse and go for a canter in the forest.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You had better talk than do such a wildly imprudent thing as that; it is
+certainly less dangerous.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I shall very soon be about again, my sweet little sister, and then I
+shall have the pleasure of introducing you into the society suitable to your
+rank&mdash;where your incomparable grace and beauty will create a sensation,
+and bring crowds of adorers to your feet. From among them you will be able to
+select a husband, eh?&rdquo; &ldquo;I can have no desire to do anything of that
+kind, Vallombreuse, and pray do not think this the foolish declaration of a
+girl who would be very sorry to be taken at her word. I am entirely in earnest,
+I do assure you. I have bestowed my hand so often in the last act of the pieces
+I have played that I am in no hurry to do it in reality. I do not wish for
+anything better than to remain quietly here with the prince and
+yourself.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;But, my dear girl, a father and brother will not always content
+you&mdash;do not think it! Such affection cannot satisfy the demands of the
+heart forever.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;It will be enough for me, however, and if some day they fail me, I can
+take refuge in a convent.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Heaven forbid! that would be carrying austerity too far indeed. I pray
+you never to mention it again, if you have any regard for my peace of mind. And
+now tell me, my sweet little sister, what do you think of my dear friend, the
+Chevalier de Vidalinc? does not he seem to be possessed of every qualification
+necessary to make a good husband?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Doubtless, and the woman that he marries will have a right to consider
+herself fortunate but however charming and desirable your friend may be, my
+dear Vallombreuse, <i>I</i> shall never be that woman.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Well, let him pass, then&mdash;but tell me what you think of the Marquis
+de l&rsquo;Estang, who came to see me the other day, and gazed spell-bound at
+my lovely sister all the time he was here. He was so overwhelmed by your
+surpassing grace, so dazzled by your exquisite beauty, that he was struck dumb,
+and when he tried to pay you pretty compliments, did nothing but stammer and
+blush. Aside from this timidity, which made him appear to great disadvantage,
+and which your ladyship should readily excuse, since you yourself were the
+cause of it, the marquis is an accomplished and estimable gentleman. He is
+handsome, young, of high birth and great wealth. He would do capitally for my
+fair sister, and is sure to address himself to the prince&mdash;if indeed he
+has not already done so&mdash;as an aspirant to the honour of an alliance with
+her.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;As I have the honour of belonging to this illustrious family,&rdquo;
+said Isabelle a little impatiently, for she was exceedingly annoyed by this
+banter, &ldquo;too much humility would not become me, therefore I will not say
+that I consider myself unworthy of such an alliance; but if the Marquis de
+l&rsquo;Estang should ask my hand of my father, I would refuse him. I have told
+you, my dear brother, more than once, that I do not wish to marry&mdash;and you
+know it too&mdash;so pray don&rsquo;t tease me any more about it.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Oh! what a fierce, determined little woman is this fair sister of mine.
+Diana herself was not more inaccessible, in the forests and valleys of
+Haemus&mdash;yet, if the naughty mythological stories may be believed, she did
+at last smile upon a certain Endymion. You are vexed, because I casually
+propose some suitable candidates for the honour of your hand; but you need not
+be, for, if <i>they</i> do not please you, we will hunt up one who will.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I am not vexed, my dear brother, but you are certainly talking far too
+much for an invalid, and I shall tell Maître Laurent to reprimand you, or not
+permit you to have the promised bit of fowl for your supper.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Oh! if that&rsquo;s the case I will desist at once,&rdquo; said
+Vallombreuse, with a droll air of submission, &ldquo;for I&rsquo;m as hungry as
+an ogre&mdash;but rest assured of one thing, my charming sister: No one shall
+select your husband but myself.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+To put an end to this teasing, Isabelle began to read the corsair&rsquo;s long
+story, without paying any attention to the indignant protests that were made,
+and Vallombreuse, to revenge himself, finally closed his eyes and pretended to
+be asleep; which feigned slumber soon became real, and Isabelle, perceiving
+that it was so, put aside her book and quietly stole away.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+This conversation, in which, under all his mischievous banter, the duke seemed
+to have a definite and serious purpose in view, worried Isabelle very much, in
+spite of her efforts to banish it from her mind. Could it be that Vallombreuse
+was nursing a secret resentment against de Sigognac? He had never once spoken
+his name, or referred to him in any way, since he was wounded by him; and was
+he trying to place an insurmountable barrier between his sister and the baron,
+by bringing about her marriage with another? or was he simply trying to find
+out whether the actress transformed to a countess, had changed in sentiments as
+well as in rank? Isabelle could not answer these questions satisfactorily to
+herself. As she was the duke&rsquo;s sister, of course the rivalry between him
+and de Sigognac could no longer exist; but, on the other hand, it was difficult
+to imagine that such a haughty, vindictive character as the young duke&rsquo;s
+could have forgotten, or forgiven, the ignominy of his first defeat at the
+baron&rsquo;s hands, and still less of the second more disastrous encounter.
+Although their relative positions were changed, Vallombreuse, in his heart,
+would doubtless always hate de Sigognac&mdash;even if he had magnanimity enough
+to forgive him, it could scarcely be expected that he should also love him, and
+be willing to welcome him as a member of his family. No, all hope of such a
+reconciliation must be abandoned. Besides, she feared that the prince, her
+father, would never be able to regard with favour the man who had imperilled
+the life of his only son. These sad thoughts threw poor Isabelle into a
+profound melancholy, which she in vain endeavoured to shake off. As long as she
+considered that her position as an actress would be an obstacle to de Sigognac,
+she had resolutely repelled the idea of a marriage with him, but now that an
+unhoped-for, undreamed-of stroke of destiny had heaped upon her all the good
+things that heart could desire, she would have loved to reward, with the gift
+of her hand and fortune, the faithful lover who had addressed her when she was
+poor and lowly&mdash;it seemed an actual meanness, to her generous spirit, not
+to share her prosperity with the devoted companion of her misery. But all that
+she could do was to be faithful to him&mdash;for she dared not say a word in
+his favour, either to the prince or to Vallombreuse.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Very soon the young duke was well enough to join his father and sister at
+meals, and he manifested such respectful and affectionate deference to the
+prince, and such an ingenuous and delicate tenderness towards Isabelle, that it
+was evident he had, in spite of his apparent frivolity, a mind and character
+very superior to what one would have expected to find in such a licentious,
+ungovernable youth as he had been, and which gave promise of an honourable and
+useful manhood. Isabelle took her part modestly&mdash;but with a very sweet
+dignity, that sat well upon her&mdash;in the conversation at the table, and in
+the <i>salon</i>, and her remarks were so to the point, so witty, and so
+apropos, that the prince was astonished as well as charmed, and grew daily more
+proud of and devoted to his new treasure; finding a happiness and satisfaction
+he had longed for all his life in the affection and devotion of his children.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At last Vallombreuse was pronounced well enough to mount his horse, and go for
+a ride in the forest&mdash;which he had long been sighing for&mdash;and
+Isabelle gladly consented to bear him company. They looked a wonderfully
+handsome pair, as they rode leisurely through the leafy arcades. But there was
+one very marked difference between them.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The young man&rsquo;s countenance was radiant with happiness and smiles, but
+the girl&rsquo;s face was clouded over with an abiding melancholy. Occasionally
+her brother&rsquo;s lively sallies would bring a faint smile to her sweet lips,
+but they fell back immediately into the mournful droop that had become habitual
+with them. Vallombreuse apparently did not perceive it&mdash;though in reality
+he was well aware of it, and of its cause&mdash;and was full of fun and frolic.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Oh! what a delicious thing it is to live,&rdquo; he cried, &ldquo;yet
+how seldom we think of the exquisite enjoyment there is in the simple act of
+breathing,&rdquo; and he drew a long, deep breath, as if he never could get
+enough of the soft, balmy air. &ldquo;The trees surely were never so green
+before, the sky so blue, or the flowers so fragrant. I feel as if I had been
+born into the world only yesterday, and was looking upon nature for the first
+time to-day. I never appreciated it before. When I remember that I might even
+now be lying, stiff and stark, under a fine marble monument, and that instead
+of that I am riding through an elysium, beside my darling sister, who has
+really learned to love me, I am too divinely happy. I do not even feel my wound
+any more. I don&rsquo;t believe that I ever was wounded. And now for a gallop,
+for I&rsquo;m sure that our good father is wearying for us at home.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In spite of Isabelle&rsquo;s remonstrances he put spurs to his horse, and she
+could not restrain hers when its companion bounded forward, so off they went at
+a swift pace, and never drew rein until they reached the château. As he lifted
+his sister down from her saddle, Vallombreuse said, &ldquo;Now, after
+to-day&rsquo;s achievement, I can surely be treated like a big boy, and get
+permission to go out by myself.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;What! you want to go away and leave us already? and scarcely well yet,
+you bad boy!&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Even so, my sweet sister; I want to make a little journey that will take
+several days,&rdquo; said Vallombreuse negligently.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Accordingly, the very next morning he departed, after having taken an
+affectionate leave of the prince, his father; who did not oppose his going, as
+Isabelle had confidently expected, but seemed, on the contrary, to approve of
+it heartily. After receiving many charges to be careful and prudent, from his
+sister, which he dutifully promised to remember and obey, the young duke bade
+her good-bye also, and said, in a mysterious, yet most significant way,
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Au revoir, my sweet little sister, you will be pleased with what I am
+about to do.&rdquo; And Isabelle sought in vain for the key to the enigma.
+</p>
+
+</div><!--end chapter-->
+
+<div class="chapter">
+
+<h2><a name="chap19"></a>CHAPTER XIX.<br/>
+NETTLES AND COBWEBS</h2>
+
+<p>
+The worthy tyrant&rsquo;s advice was sensible and good, and de Sigognac
+resolved to follow it without delay. Since Isabelle&rsquo;s departure, no
+attraction existed for him in the troupe, and he was very glad of a valid
+pretext for quitting it; though he could not leave his humble friends without
+some regrets. It was necessary that he should disappear for a
+while&mdash;plunge into obscurity, until the excitement consequent upon the
+violent death of the young Duke of Vallombreuse should be forgotten in some new
+tragedy in real life.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+So, after bidding farewell to the worthy comedians, who had shown him so much
+kindness, he departed from the gay capital&mdash;mounted on a stout pony, and
+with a tolerably well-filled purse&mdash;his share of the receipts of the
+troupe, which he had fairly earned. By easy stages he travelled slowly towards
+his own ruined château. After the storm the bird flies home to its nest, no
+matter how ragged and torn it may be. It was the only refuge open to him, and
+in the midst of his despondency he felt a sort of sad pleasure at the thought
+of returning to his ancestral home&mdash;desolate and forlorn as it
+was&mdash;where it would have been better, perhaps, for him to have quietly
+remained&mdash;for his fortunes were not improved, and this last crowning
+disaster had been ruinous to all his hopes and prospects of happiness.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Ah, well!&rdquo; said he to himself, sorrowfully, as he jogged slowly
+on, &ldquo;it was predestined that I should die of hunger and ennui within
+those crumbling walls, and under my poor, dilapidated, old roof, that lets the
+rain run through it like a huge sieve. No one can escape his destiny, and I
+shall accomplish mine. I am doomed to be the last de Sigognac.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Then came visions of what might have been, that made the sad present seem even
+darker by contrast; and his burden was well-nigh too heavy for him to bear,
+when he remembered all Isabelle&rsquo;s goodness and loveliness&mdash;now lost
+to him forever. No wonder that his eyes were often wet with tears, and that
+there was no brightness even in the sunshine for him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+It is needless to describe in detail a journey that lasted twenty days, and was
+not marked by any remarkable incidents or adventures. It is enough to say that
+one fine evening de Sigognac saw from afar the lofty towers of his ancient
+château, illuminated by the setting sun, and shining out in bold relief against
+the soft purple of the evening sky; whilst one of the few remaining casements
+had caught the fiery sunset glow, and looked like a great carbuncle set in the
+fine facade of the stately old castle. This sight aroused a strange tenderness
+and agitation in the young baron&rsquo;s breast. It was true that he had
+suffered long and acutely in that dreary mansion, yet after all it was very
+dear to him&mdash;far more than he knew before he had quitted it&mdash;and he
+was deeply moved at seeing it again. In a few moments more the glorious god of
+day had sunk behind the western horizon, and the château seemed to retreat,
+until it became scarcely perceptible as the light faded, forming only a vague,
+gray blot in the distance as the gloaming succeeded to the glow. But de
+Sigognac knew every step of the way perfectly, and soon turned from the highway
+into the neglected, grass-grown road that led to the château. In the profound
+stillness, which seemed wonderfully peaceful and pleasant to him, he fancied
+that he could distinguish the distant barking of a dog, and that it sounded
+like Miraut. He stopped to listen; yes, there could be no doubt about it, and
+it was approaching. The baron gave a clear, melodious whistle&mdash;a signal
+well known of old to Miraut-and in a few moments the faithful dog, running as
+fast as his poor old legs could carry him, burst through a break in the
+hedge&mdash;panting, barking, almost sobbing for joy. He strove to jump up on
+the horse&rsquo;s neck to get at his beloved master; he was beside himself with
+delight, and manifested it in the most frantic manner, whilst de Sigognac bent
+down to pat his head and try to quiet his wild transports. After bearing his
+master company a little way, Miraut set off again at full speed, to announce
+the good news to the others at the château&mdash;that is to say, to Pierre,
+Bayard, and Beelzebub&mdash;and bounding into the kitchen where the old servant
+was sitting, lost in sad thoughts, he barked in such a significant way that
+Pierre knew at once that something unusual had happened.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Can it be possible that the young master is coming? said he aloud,
+rising, in compliance with Miraut&rsquo;s wishes, who was pulling at the skirts
+of his coat, and imploring him with his eyes to bestir himself and follow him.
+As it was quite dark by this time, Pierre lighted a pine torch, which he
+carried with him, and as he turned into the road its ruddy light suddenly
+flashed upon de Sigognac and his horse.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Is it really you, my lord?&rdquo; cried Pierre, joyfully, as he caught
+sight of his young master; &ldquo;Miraut had tried to tell me of your arrival
+in his own way before I left the house, but as I had not heard anything about
+your even thinking of coming, I feared that he might be mistaken. Welcome home
+to your own domain, my beloved master! We are overjoyed to see you.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Yes, my good Pierre, it is really I, and not my wraith. Miraut was not
+mistaken. Here I am again, if not richer than when I went away, at least all
+safe and sound. Come now, lead the way with your torch, and we will go into the
+château.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Pierre, not without considerable difficulty, opened the great door, and the
+Baron de Sigognac rode slowly through the ancient portico, fantastically
+illuminated by the flaring torchlight, in which the three sculptured storks
+overhead seemed to be flapping their wings, as if in joyful salutation to the
+last representative of the family they had symbolized for so many centuries.
+Then a loud, impatient whinny, like the blast of a trumpet, was heard ringing
+out on the still night air, as Bayard, in his stable, caught the welcome sound
+of his master&rsquo;s voice.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Yes, yes, I hear you, my poor old Bayard,&rdquo; cried de Sigognac, as
+he dismounted in the court, and threw the bridle to Pierre; &ldquo;I am coming
+to say how d&rsquo;you do,&rdquo; and as he turned he stumbled over Beelzebub,
+who was trying to rub himself against his master&rsquo;s legs, purring and
+mewing alternately to attract his attention. The baron stooped down, took the
+old black cat up in his arms, and tenderly caressed him as he advanced towards
+the stables; then put him down gently as he reached Bayard&rsquo;s stall, and
+another touching scene of affectionate greeting was enacted. The poor old pony
+laid his head lovingly on his master&rsquo;s shoulder, and actually tried to
+kick up his hind legs in a frisky way in honour of the great event; also, he
+received the horse that de Sigognac had ridden all the way from Paris, and
+which was put in the stall beside his own, very politely, and seemed pleased to
+have a companion in his solitary grandeur.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;And now that I have responded to the endearments of my dumb
+friends,&rdquo; said the baron to Pierre, &ldquo;we will go into the kitchen,
+and examine into the condition of your larder. I had but a poor breakfast this
+morning, and no dinner at all, being anxious to push on and reach my
+journey&rsquo;s end before nightfall. I am as hungry as a bear, and will be
+glad of anything, no matter what.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I have not much to put before you, my lord, and I fear that you will
+find it but sorry fare after the delicacies you must have been accustomed to in
+Paris; but though it will not be tempting, nor over savoury, it will at least
+satisfy your hunger.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;That is all that can be required of any food,&rdquo; answered de
+Sigognac, &ldquo;and I am not as ungrateful as you seem to think, my good
+Pierre, to the frugal fare of my youth, which has certainly made me healthy,
+vigorous, and strong. Bring out what you have, and serve it as proudly as if it
+were of the choicest and daintiest; I will promise to do honour to it, for I am
+desperately hungry.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The old servant bustled about joyously, and quickly had the table ready for his
+master; then stood behind his chair, while he ate and drank with a
+traveller&rsquo;s appetite, as proudly erect as if he had been a grand
+major-domo waiting on a prince. According to the old custom, Miraut and
+Beelzebub, stationed on the right and on the left, watched their master&rsquo;s
+every motion, and received a share of everything that was on the table. The
+great kitchen was lighted, not very brilliantly, by a torch, stuck in an iron
+bracket just inside the broad, open chimney, so that the smoke should escape
+through it and not fill the room, and the scene was so exactly a counterpart of
+the one described at the beginning of this narrative, that the baron, struck
+with the perfect resemblance, fancied that he must have been dreaming, and had
+never quitted his ancient château at all. Everything was precisely as he had
+left it, excepting that the nettles and weeds had grown a little taller, and
+the cobweb draperies a little more voluminous; all else was unchanged.
+Unconsciously lapsing into the old ways, de Sigognac fell into a deep reverie
+after he had finished his simple repast, which Pierre, as of old, respected,
+and even Miraut and Beelzebub did not venture to intrude upon. All that had
+occurred since he last sat at his own table passed in review before him, but
+seemed like adventures that he had read of, not actually participated in
+himself. It had all passed into the background. Captain Fracasse, already
+nearly obliterated, appeared like a pale spectre in the far distance; his
+combats with the Duke of Vallombreuse seemed equally unreal. In fine,
+everything that he had seen, done, and suffered, had sunk into shadowy
+vagueness; but his love for Isabelle had undergone no change; it had neither
+diminished nor grown cold; it was as passionate and all-absorbing as ever; it
+was his very life; yet rather like an aspiration of the soul than a real
+passion, since with it all he knew that the angelic being who was its object,
+and whom he worshipped from afar, could never, never be his. The wheels of his
+chariot, which for a brief space had turned aside into a new track, were back
+in the old rut again, and realizing that there could be no further escape from
+it possible for him, he gave way sullenly to a despairing, stolid sort of
+resignation, that he had no heart to struggle against, but yielded to it
+passively; blaming himself the while for having presumed to indulge in a season
+of bright hopes and delicious dreams. Why the devil should such an unlucky
+fellow as he had always been venture to aspire to happiness? It was all
+foolishness, and sure to end in bitter disappointment; but he had had his
+lesson now, and would be wiser for the future.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He sat perfectly motionless for a long time, plunged in a sad
+reverie&mdash;sunk in a species of torpor; but he roused himself at last, and
+perceiving that his faithful old follower&rsquo;s eyes were fixed upon him,
+full of timid questioning that he did not venture to put into words, briefly
+related to him the principal incidents of his journey up to the capital, and
+his short stay there. When he graphically described his two duels with the Duke
+of Vallombreuse&mdash;the old man, filled with pride and delight at the
+proficiency of his beloved pupil, could not restrain his enthusiasm, and
+snatching up a stick gave vigorous illustrations of all the most salient points
+of the encounters as the baron delineated them, ending up with a wild flourish
+and a shout of triumph.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Alas! my good Pierre,&rdquo; said he, with a sigh, when quiet was
+restored, &ldquo;you taught me how to use my sword only too well. My
+unfortunate victory has been my ruin, and has sent me back, hopeless and
+bereaved, to this poor old crumbling château of mine, where I am doomed to drag
+out the weary remainder of my days in sorrow and misery. I am peculiarly
+unhappy, in that my very triumphs have only made matters worse for me&mdash;it
+would have been better far for me, and for all, if I had been wounded, or even
+killed, in this last disastrous encounter, instead of my rival and enemy, the
+young Duke of Vallombreuse.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;The de Sigognacs are never beaten,&rdquo; said the old retainer loftily.
+&ldquo;No matter what may come of it, I am glad, my dear young master, that you
+killed that insolent duke. The whole thing was conducted in strict accordance
+with the code of honour&mdash;what more could be desired? How could any valiant
+gentleman object to die gloriously, sword in hand, of a good, honest wound,
+fairly given? He should consider himself most fortunate.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Ah well! perhaps you are right&mdash;I will not dispute you,&rdquo; said
+de Sigognac, smiling secretly at the old man&rsquo;s philosophy. &ldquo;But I
+am very tired, and would like to go to my own room now&mdash;will you light the
+lamp, my good Pierre, and lead the way?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Pierre obeyed, and the baron, preceded by his old servant and followed by his
+old dog and cat, slowly ascended the ancient staircase. The quaint frescoes
+were gradually fading, growing ever paler and more indistinct, and there were
+new stains on the dull blue sky of the vaulted ceiling, where the rain and
+melting snow of winter storms had filtered through from the dilapidated roof.
+The ruinous condition of everything in and about the crumbling old château, to
+which de Sigognac had been perfectly accustomed before he quitted it, and taken
+as a matter of course, now struck him forcibly, and increased his dejection. He
+saw in it the sad and inevitable decadence of his race, and said to himself,
+&ldquo;If these ancient walls had any pity for the last forlorn remnant of the
+family they have sheltered for centuries, they would fall in and bury me in
+their ruins.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When he reached the landing at the head of the stairs he took the lamp from
+Pierre&rsquo;s hand, bade him good-night and dismissed him&mdash;not willing
+that even his faithful old servant, who had cared for him ever since his birth,
+should witness his overpowering emotion. He walked slowly through the great
+banqueting hall, where the comedians had supped on that memorable night, and
+the remembrance of that gay scene rendered the present dreary solitude and
+silence more terrible than they had ever seemed to him before. The death-like
+stillness was only broken by the horrid gnawing of a rat somewhere in the wall,
+and the old family portraits glared down at him reproachfully, as he passed on
+below them with listless step and downcast eyes, oblivious of everything but
+his own deep misery, and his yearning for his lost Isabelle. As he came under
+the last portrait of all, that of his own sweet young mother, he suddenly
+looked up, and as his eyes rested on the calm, beautiful
+countenance&mdash;which had always worn such a pathetic, mournful expression
+that it used to make his heart ache to look at it in his boyish days&mdash;it
+seemed to smile upon him. He was startled for an instant, and then, thrilling
+with a strange, exquisite delight, and inspired with new hope and courage, he
+said in a low, earnest tone, &ldquo;I accept my dear dead mother&rsquo;s smile
+as a good omen&mdash;perhaps all may not be lost even yet&mdash;I will try to
+believe so.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+After a moment of silent thought, he went on into his own chamber, and put down
+the small lamp he carried, upon the little table, where still lay the stray
+volume of Ronsard&rsquo;s poems that he had been reading&mdash;or rather trying
+to read&mdash;on that tempestuous night when the old pedant knocked at his
+door. And there was his bed, where Isabelle had slept&mdash;the very pillow
+upon which her dear head had rested. He trembled as he stood and gazed at it,
+and saw, as in a vision, the perfect form lying there again in his place, and
+the sweetest face in all the world turned towards him, with a tender smile
+parting the ripe red lips, a rosy flush mantling in the delicate cheeks, and
+warm lovelight shining in the deep blue eyes. He stood spell-bound&mdash;afraid
+to move or breathe&mdash;and worshipped the beautiful vision with all his soul
+and strength, as if it had been indeed divine&mdash;but alas! it faded as
+suddenly as it had appeared, and he felt as if the doors of heaven had been
+shut upon him. He hastily undressed, and threw himself down in the place where
+Isabelle had actually reposed; passionately kissed the pillow that had been
+hallowed by the touch of her head, and bedewed it with his tears. He lay long
+awake, thinking of the angelic being who loved him and whom he adored, whilst
+Beelzebub, rolled up in a ball, slept at his feet, and snored like the
+traditional cat of Mahomet, that lay and slumbered upon the prophet&rsquo;s
+sleeve.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When morning came, de Sigognac was more impressed than ever with the
+dilapidated, crumbling condition of his ancient mansion. Daylight has no mercy
+upon old age and ruins; it reveals with cruel distinctness the wrinkles, gray
+hairs, poverty, misery, stains, fissures, dust and mould in which they abound;
+but more kindly night softens or conceals all defects, with its friendly shade,
+spreading over them its mantle of darkness. The rooms that used to seem so vast
+to their youthful owner had shrunken, and looked almost small and insignificant
+to him now, to his extreme surprise and mortification; but he soon regained the
+feeling of being really at home, and resumed his former way of life completely;
+just as one goes back to an old garment, that has for a time been laid aside,
+and replaced by a new one. His days were spent thus: early in the morning he
+went to say a short prayer in the half-ruined chapel where his ancestors lay,
+ere he repaired to the kitchen where his simple breakfast awaited him; that
+disposed of, he and old Pierre fetched their swords, and fought their friendly
+duels; after which he mounted Bayard, or the pony he had brought home with him,
+and went off for long, solitary rides over the desolate Landes. Returning late
+in the afternoon he sat, sad and silent as of old, until his frugal supper was
+prepared, partook of it, also in silence, and then retired to his lonely
+chamber, where he tried to read some musty old volume which he knew by heart
+already, or else flung himself on his bed&mdash;never without kissing the
+sacred pillow that had supported Isabelle&rsquo;s beloved head&mdash;and lay
+there a prey to mournful and bitter meditations, until at last he could forget
+his troubles and grief in sleep. There was not a vestige left of the brilliant
+Captain Fracasse, nor of the high-spirited rival of the haughty Duke of
+Vallombreuse; the unfortunate young Baron de Sigognac had relapsed entirely
+into the sad-eyed, dejected master of Castle Misery.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+One morning he sauntered listlessly down into the garden, which was wilder and
+more overgrown than ever&mdash;a tangled mass of weeds and brambles. He
+mechanically directed his steps towards the straggling eglantine that had had a
+little rose ready for each of the fair visitors that accompanied him when last
+he was there, and was surprised and delighted to see that it again held forth,
+as if for his acceptance, two lovely little blossoms that had come out to greet
+him, and upon each of which a dewdrop sparkled amid the frail, delicately
+tinted petals. He was strangely moved and touched by the sight of these tiny
+wild roses, which awoke such tender, precious memories, and he repeated to
+himself, as he had often done before, the words in which Isabelle had confessed
+to him that she had furtively kissed the little flower, his offering, and
+dropped a tear upon it, and then secretly given him her own heart in exchange
+for it&mdash;surely the sweetest words ever spoken on this earth. He gently
+plucked one of the dainty little roses, passionately inhaled its delicate
+fragrance and pressed a kiss upon it, as if it had been her lips, which were
+not less sweet, and soft, and fresh. He had done nothing but think of Isabelle
+ever since their separation, and he fully realized now, if he had not before,
+how indispensable she was to his happiness. She was never out of his mind,
+waking or sleeping, for he dreamed of her every night, and his love grew
+fonder, if that were possible, as the weary days went on. She was so good and
+true, so pure and sweet, so beautiful, so everything that was lovely and
+desirable, &ldquo;made of all creatures&rsquo; best,&rdquo; a veritable angel
+in human guise. Ah! how passionately he loved her&mdash;how could he live
+without her? Yet he feared&mdash;he was almost forced to believe&mdash;that he
+had lost her irreparably, and that for him hope was dead. Those were terrible
+days for the poor, grief-stricken young baron, and he felt that he could not
+long endure such misery and live. Two or three months passed away thus, and one
+day when de Sigognac chanced to be in his own room, finishing a sonnet
+addressed to Isabelle, Pierre entered, and announced to his master that there
+was a gentleman without who wished to speak with him.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;A gentleman, who wants to see me!&rdquo; exclaimed the astonished baron.
+&ldquo;You must be either romancing or mad, my good Pierre! There is no
+gentleman in the world who can have anything to say to me. However, for the
+rarity of the thing, you may bring in this extraordinary mortal&mdash;if such
+there really be, and you are not dreaming, as I shrewdly suspect. But tell me
+his name first, or hasn&rsquo;t he got any?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;He declined to give it, saying that it would not afford your lordship
+any information,&rdquo; Pierre made answer, as he turned back and opened wide
+both leaves of the door.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Upon the threshold appeared a handsome young man, dressed in a rich and elegant
+travelling costume of chestnut brown cloth trimmed with green, and holding in
+his hand a broad felt hat with a long green plume; leaving his well shaped,
+proudly carried head fully exposed to view, as well as the delicate, regular
+features of a face worthy of an ancient Greek statue. The sight of this fine
+cavalier did not seem to make an agreeable impression upon de Sigognac, who
+turned very pale, and rushing to where his trusty sword was suspended, over the
+head of his bed, drew it from the scabbard, and turned to face the new-comer
+with the naked blade in his hand.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;By heaven, my lord duke, I believed that I had killed you!&rdquo; he
+cried in excited tones. &ldquo;Is it really you&mdash;your very self&mdash;or
+your wraith that stands before me?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;It is really I&mdash;my very self&mdash;Hannibal de Vallombreuse, in the
+flesh, and no wraith; as far from being dead as possible,&rdquo; answered the
+young duke, with a radiant smile. &ldquo;But put up that sword I pray you, my
+dear baron! We have fought twice already, you know, and surely that is enough.
+I do not come as an enemy, and if I have to reproach myself with some little
+sins against you, you have certainly had your revenge for them, so we are
+quits. To prove that my intentions are not hostile, but of the most friendly
+nature if you will so allow, I have brought credentials, in the shape of this
+commission, signed by the king, which gives you command of a regiment. My good
+father and I have reminded his majesty of the devotion of your illustrious
+ancestors to his royal ones, and I have ventured to bring you this good news in
+person. And now, as I am your guest, I pray you have something or other killed,
+I don&rsquo;t care what, and put on the spit to roast as quickly as may
+be&mdash;for the love of God give me something to eat&mdash;I am starving. The
+inns are so far apart and so abominably bad down here that there might almost
+as well be none at all, and my baggage-wagon, stocked with edibles, is stuck
+fast in a quagmire a long way from this. So you see the necessities of the
+case.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I am very much afraid, my lord duke, that the fare I can offer will seem
+to you only another form of revenge on my part,&rdquo; said de Sigognac with
+playful courtesy; &ldquo;but do not, I beseech you, attribute to resentment the
+meagre repast for which I shall be obliged to claim your indulgence. You must
+know how gladly I would put before you a sumptuous meal if I could; and what we
+can give you will at least, as my good Pierre says, satisfy hunger, though it
+may not gratify the palate. And let me now say that your frank and cordial
+words touch me deeply, and find an echo in my inmost heart. I am both proud and
+happy to call you my friend&mdash;henceforth you will not have one more loyal
+and devoted than myself&mdash;and though you may not often have need of my
+services, they will be, none the less, always at your disposition. Halloa!
+Pierre! do you go, without a moment&rsquo;s delay, and hunt up some fowls,
+eggs, meat, whatever you can find, and try to serve a substantial meal to this
+gentleman, my friend, who is nearly dying with hunger, and is not used to it
+like you and I.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Pierre put in his pocket some of the money his master had sent him from
+Paris&mdash;which he had never touched before&mdash;mounted the pony, and
+galloped off to the nearest village in search of provisions. He found several
+fowls&mdash;such as they were&mdash;a splendid Bayonne ham, a few bottles of
+fine old wine, and by great good luck, discovered, at the priest&rsquo;s house,
+a grand big <i>pâté</i> of ducks&rsquo; livers&mdash;a delicacy worthy of a
+bishop&rsquo;s or a prince&rsquo;s table&mdash;and which he had much difficulty
+to obtain from his reverence, who was a bit of a gourmand, at an almost
+fabulous price. But this was evidently a great occasion, and the faithful old
+servant would spare no pains to do it honour. In less than an hour he was at
+home again, and leaving the charge of the cooking to a capable woman he had
+found and sent out to the château, he immediately proceeded to set the table,
+in the ancient banqueting hall&mdash;gathering together all the fine porcelain
+and dainty glass that yet remained intact in the two tall
+buffets&mdash;evidences of former splendour. But the profusion of gold and
+silver plate that used to adorn the festive board of the de Sigognacs had all
+been converted into coin of the realm long ago.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When at last the old servant announced that dinner was ready, the two young men
+took their places opposite to each other at table, and Vallombreuse, who was in
+the gayest, most jovial mood, attacked the viands with an eagerness and
+ferocity immensely diverting to his host. After devouring almost the whole of a
+chicken, which, it is true, seemed to have died of a consumption, there was so
+little flesh on its bones, he fell back upon the tempting, rosy slices of the
+delicate Bayonne ham, and then passed to the <i>pâté</i> of ducks&rsquo;
+livers, which he declared to be supremely delicious, exquisite,
+ambrosial&mdash;food fit for the gods; and he found the sharp cheese, made of
+goat&rsquo;s milk, which followed, an excellent relish. He praised the wine,
+too&mdash;which was really very old and fine and drank it with great gusto, out
+of his delicate Venetian wine-glass. Once, when he caught sight of
+Pierre&rsquo;s bewildered, terrified look, as he heard his master address his
+merry guest as the Duke of Vallombreuse&mdash;who ought to be dead, if he was
+not&mdash;he fairly roared with laughter, and was as full of fun and frolic as
+a school-boy out for a holiday; Meantime de Sigognac, whilst he endeavoured to
+play the attentive host, and to respond as well as he could to the young
+duke&rsquo;s lively sallies, could not recover from his surprise at seeing him
+sitting there opposite to himself, as a guest at his own table&mdash;making
+himself very much at home, too, in the most charming, genial, easy way
+imaginable&mdash;and yet he was the haughty, overbearing, insolent young
+nobleman, who had been his hated rival; whom he had twice encountered and
+defeated, in fierce combat, and who had several times tried to compass his
+death by means of hired ruffians. What could be the explanation of it all?
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The Duke of Vallombreuse divined his companion&rsquo;s thoughts, and when the
+old servant had retired, after placing a bottle of especially choice wine and
+two small glasses on the table, he looked up at de Sigognac and said, with the
+most amicable frankness, &ldquo;I can plainly perceive, my dear baron, in spite
+of your admirable courtesy, that this unexpected step of mine appears very
+strange and inexplicable to you. You have been saying to yourself, How in the
+world has it come about, that the arrogant, imperious Vallombreuse has been
+transformed, from the unscrupulous, cruel, blood-thirsty tiger that he was,
+into the peaceable, playful lamb he seems to be now&mdash;which a &lsquo;gentle
+shepherdess&rsquo; might lead about with a ribbon round its neck!&mdash;I will
+tell you. During the six weeks that I was confined to my bed, I made various
+reflections, which the thoughtless might pronounce cowardly, but which are
+permitted to the bravest and most valiant when death stares them in the face. I
+realized then, for the first time, the relative value of many things, and also
+how wrong and wicked my own course had been; and I promised myself to do very
+differently for the future, if I recovered. As the passionate love that
+Isabelle inspired in my heart had been replaced by a pure and sacred fraternal
+affection&mdash;which is the greatest blessing of my life&mdash;I had no
+further reason to dislike you. You were no longer my rival; a brother cannot be
+jealous in that way of his own sister; and then, I was deeply grateful to you,
+for the respectful tenderness and deference I knew you had never failed to
+manifest towards her, when she was in a position that authorized great license.
+You were the first to recognise her pure, exalted soul, while she was still
+only an obscure actress. When she was poor, and despised by those who will
+cringe to her now, you offered to her&mdash;lowly as was her station&mdash;the
+most precious treasure that a nobleman can possess: the time-honoured name of
+his ancestors. You would have made her your wife then&mdash;now that she is
+rich, and of high rank, she belongs to you of right. The true, faithful lover
+of Isabelle, the actress, should be the honoured husband of the Comtesse de
+Lineuil.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;But you forget,&rdquo; cried de Sigognac, in much agitation, &ldquo;that
+she always absolutely refused me, though she knew that I was perfectly
+disinterested.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;It was because of her supreme delicacy, her angelic susceptibility, and
+her noble spirit of self-sacrifice that she said that. She feared that she
+would necessarily be a disadvantage to you&mdash;an obstacle in the way of your
+advancement. But the situation is entirely changed now.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Yes, now it is I who would be a disadvantage to her; have I then a right
+to be less generous and magnanimous than she was?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Do you still love my sister?&rdquo; said Vallombreuse, in a grave tone.
+&ldquo;As her brother, I have the right to ask this question.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I love her with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my
+strength,&rdquo; de Sigognac replied fervently, &ldquo;as much and more than
+ever man loved woman on this earth&mdash;where nothing is perfect&mdash;save
+Isabelle.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Such being the case, my dear Captain of Mousquetaires, and governor of a
+province&mdash;soon to be&mdash;have your horse saddled, and come with me to
+the Château of Vallombreuse, so that I may formally present you to the prince,
+my father, as the favoured suitor of the Comtesse de Lineuil, my sister.
+Isabelle has refused even to think of the Chevalier de Vidalinc, or the Marquis
+de l&rsquo;Estang, as aspirants to her hand&mdash;both right handsome,
+attractive, eligible young fellows, by Jove!&mdash;but I am of opinion that she
+will accept, without very much persuasion, the Baron de Sigognac.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The next day the duke and the baron were riding gaily forward, side by side, on
+the road to Paris.
+</p>
+
+</div><!--end chapter-->
+
+<div class="chapter">
+
+<h2><a name="chap20"></a>CHAPTER XX.<br/>
+CHIQUITA&rsquo;S DECLARATION OF LOVE</h2>
+
+<p>
+A compact crowd filled the Place de Grève, despite the early hour indicated by
+the clock of the Hôtel de Ville.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The tall buildings on the eastern side of the square threw their shadows more
+than half-way across it, and upon a sinister-looking wooden framework, which
+rose several feet above the heads of the populace, and bore a number of
+ominous, dull red stains. At the windows of the houses surrounding the crowded
+square, a few heads were to be seen looking out from time to time, but quickly
+drawn back again as they perceived that the interesting performance, for which
+all were waiting, had not yet begun. Clinging to the transverse piece of the
+tall stone cross, which stood at that side of the open square nearest the
+river, was a forlorn, little, ragged boy, who had climbed up to it with the
+greatest difficulty, and was holding on with all his might, his arms clasped
+round the cross-piece and his legs round the upright, in a most painful and
+precarious position. But nothing would have induced him to abandon it, so long
+as he could possibly maintain himself there, no matter at what cost of
+discomfort, or even actual distress, for from it he had a capital view of the
+scaffold, and all its horribly fascinating details&mdash;the wheel upon which
+the criminal was to revolve, the coil of rope to bind him to it, and the heavy
+bar to break his bones.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+If any one among the anxious crowd of spectators, however, had carefully
+studied the small, thin countenance of the child perched up on the tall stone
+cross, he would have discovered that its expression was by no means that of
+vulgar curiosity. It was not simply the fierce attractions of an execution that
+had drawn thither this wild, weird-looking young creature, with his sun-burned
+complexion, great, flashing, dark eyes, brilliant white teeth, unkempt masses
+of thick, black hair, and slender brown hands&mdash;which were convulsively
+clinging to the rough, cold stone. The delicacy of the features would seem to
+indicate a different sex from the dress&mdash;but nobody paid any attention to
+the child, And all eyes were turned towards the scaffold, or the direction from
+which the cart bearing the condemned criminal was to come. Among the groups
+close around the scaffold were several faces we have seen before; notably, the
+chalky countenance and fiery red nose of Malartic, and the bold profile of
+Jacquemin Lampourde, also several of the ruffians engaged in the abduction of
+Isabelle, as well as various other <i>habitués</i> of the Crowned Radish. The
+Place de Grève, to which sooner or later they were all pretty sure to come and
+expiate their crimes with their lives, seemed to exercise a singular
+fascination over murderers, thieves, and criminals of all sorts, who invariably
+gathered in force to witness an execution. They evidently could not resist it,
+and appeared to find a fierce satisfaction in watching the terrible spectacle
+that they themselves would some day probably furnish to the gaping multitude.
+Then the victim himself always expected his friends&rsquo; attendance&mdash;he
+would be hurt and disappointed if his comrades did not rally round him at the
+last. A criminal in that position likes to see familiar faces in the throng
+that hems him in. It gives him courage, steadies his nerves.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He cannot exhibit any signs of cowardice before those who appreciate true merit
+and bravery, according to his way of thinking, and pride comes to his aid. A
+man will meet death like a Roman under such circumstances, who would be weak as
+a woman if he were despatched in private.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The criminal to be executed on that occasion was a thief, already notorious in
+Paris for his daring and dexterity, though he had only been there a few months.
+But, unfortunately for himself&mdash;though very much the reverse for the
+well-to-do citizens of the capital in general&mdash;he had not confined himself
+to his legitimate business. In his last enterprise&mdash;breaking into a
+private dwelling to gain possession of a large sum of money that was to be kept
+there for a single night&mdash;he had killed the master of the house, who was
+aroused by his entrance; and, not content to stop there, had also brutally
+murdered his wife, as she lay quietly sleeping in her bed&mdash;like a tiger,
+that has tasted blood and is wild for more. So atrocious a crime had roused the
+indignation of even his own unscrupulous, hardened companions, and it was not
+long ere his hiding-place was mysteriously revealed, and he was arrested,
+tried, and condemned to death. Now he was to pay the penalty of his guilt.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As the fatal hour approached, a carriage drove down along the quay, turned into
+the Place de Grève, and attempted to cross it; but, becoming immediately
+entangled in the crowd, could make little or no progress, despite the utmost
+exertions of the majestic coachman and attendant lackeys to induce the people
+to make way for it, and let it pass.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But for the grand coat of arms and ducal coronet emblazoned on the panels,
+which inspired a certain awe as well as respect in the motley throng of
+pedestrians, the equipage would undoubtedly have been roughly dealt with-but as
+it was, they contented themselves with resolutely and obstinately barring its
+passage, after it had reached the middle of the square. The indignant coachman
+did not dare to urge his spirited horses forward at all hazards, ruthlessly
+trampling down the unlucky individuals who happened to be directly in his way,
+as he would certainly have done in any ordinary crowd, for the <i>canaille</i>,
+that filled the Place de Grève to overflowing, was out in too great force to be
+trifled with&mdash;so there was nothing for it but patience.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;These rascals are waiting for an execution, and will not stir, nor let
+us stir, until it is over,&rdquo; said a remarkably handsome young man,
+magnificently dressed, to his equally fine looking, though more modestly
+attired friend, who was seated beside him in the luxurious carriage. &ldquo;The
+devil take the unlucky dog who must needs be broken on the wheel just when we
+want to cross the Place de Grève. Why couldn&rsquo;t he have put it off until
+to-morrow morning, I should like to know!&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You may be sure that the poor wretch would be only too glad to do so if
+he could,&rdquo; answered the other, &ldquo;for the occasion is a far more
+serious matter to him than to us.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;The best thing we can do under the circumstances, my dear de Sigognac,
+is to turn our heads away if the spectacle is too revolting&mdash;though it is
+by no means easy, when something horrible is taking place close at hand. Even
+Saint Augustine opened his eyes in the arena at a loud cheer from the people,
+though he had vowed to himself beforehand to keep them closed.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;At all events, we shall not be detained here long,&rdquo; rejoined de
+Sigognac, &ldquo;for there comes the prisoner. See, Vallombreuse, how the crowd
+gives way before him, though it will not let us move an inch.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+A rickety cart, drawn by a miserable old skeleton of a horse, and surrounded by
+mounted guards, was slowly advancing through the dense throng towards the
+scaffold. In it were a venerable priest, with a long white beard, who was
+holding a crucifix to the lips of the condemned man, seated beside him, the
+executioner, placed behind his victim, and holding the end of the rope that
+bound him, and an assistant, who was driving the poor old horse. The criminal,
+whom every one turned to gaze at, was no other than our old acquaintance,
+Agostino, the brigand.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Why, what is this!&rdquo; cried de Sigognac, in great surprise. &ldquo;I
+know that man&mdash;he is the fellow who stopped us on the highway, and tried
+to frighten us with his band of scarecrows, as poor Matamore called them. I
+told you all about it when we came by the place where it happened.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Yes, I remember perfectly,&rdquo; said Vallombreuse; &ldquo;it was a
+capital story, and I had a good laugh over it. But it would seem that the
+ingenious rascal has been up to something more serious since then&mdash;his
+ambition has probably been his ruin. He certainly is no coward&mdash;only look
+what a good face he puts on it.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Agostino, holding his head proudly erect, but a trifle paler than usual
+perhaps, seemed to be searching for some one in the crowd. When the cart passed
+slowly in front of the stone cross, he caught sight of the little boy, who had
+not budged from his excessively uncomfortable and wearisome position, and a
+flash of joy shone in the brigand&rsquo;s eyes, a slight smile parted his lips,
+as he made an almost imperceptible sign with his head, and said, in a low tone,
+&ldquo;Chiquita!&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;My son, what was that strange word you spoke?&rdquo; asked the priest.
+&ldquo;It sounded like an outlandish woman&rsquo;s name. Dismiss all such
+subjects from your mind, and fix your thoughts on your own hopes of salvation,
+for you stand on the threshold of eternity.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Yes, my father, I know it but too well, and though my hair is black and
+my form erect, whilst you are bowed with age, and your long beard is white as
+snow, you are younger now than I&mdash;every turn of the wheels, towards that
+scaffold yonder, ages me by ten years.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+During this brief colloquy the cart had made steady progress, and in a moment
+more had stopped at the foot of the rude wooden steps that led up to the
+scaffold, which Agostino ascended slowly but unfalteringly&mdash;preceded by
+the assistant, supported by the priest, and followed by the executioner. In
+less than a minute he was firmly bound upon the wheel, and the executioner,
+having thrown off his showy scarlet cloak, braided with white, and rolled up
+his sleeves, stooped to pick up the terrible bar that lay at his feet. It was a
+moment of intense horror and excitement. An anxious curiosity, largely mixed
+with dread, oppressed the hearts of the spectators, who stood motionless,
+breathless, with pale faces, and straining eyes fixed upon the tragic group on
+the fatal scaffold. Suddenly a strange stir ran through the crowd&mdash;the
+child, who was perched up on the cross, had slipped quickly down to the ground,
+and gliding like a serpent through the closely packed throng, reached the
+scaffold, cleared the steps at a bound, and appeared beside the astonished
+executioner, who was just in the act of raising the ponderous bar to strike,
+with such a wild, ghastly, yet inspired and noble countenance&mdash;lighted up
+by a strength of will and purpose that made it actually sublime&mdash;that the
+grim dealer of death paused involuntarily, and withheld the murderous blow
+about to fall.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Get out of my way, thou puppet!&rdquo; he roared in angry tones, as he
+recovered his <i>sang-froid</i>, &ldquo;or thou wilt get thy accursed head
+smashed.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But Chiquita paid no attention to him&mdash;she did not care whether she was
+killed too, or not. Bending over Agostino, she passionately kissed his
+forehead, whispered &ldquo;I love thee!&rdquo;&mdash;and then, with a blow as
+swift as lightning, plunged into his heart the knife she had reclaimed from
+Isabelle. It was dealt with so firm a hand, and unerring an aim, that death was
+almost instantaneous&mdash;scarcely had Agostino time to murmur
+&ldquo;Thanks.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+With a wild burst of hysterical laughter the child sprang down from the
+scaffold, while the executioner, stupefied at her bold deed, lowered his now
+useless club; uncertain whether or not he should proceed to break the bones of
+the man already dead, and beyond his power to torture.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Well done, Chiquita, well done, and bravely!&rdquo; cried
+Malartic&mdash;who had recognised her in spite of her boy&rsquo;s
+clothes&mdash;losing his self-restraint in his admiration. The other ruffians,
+who had seen Chiquita at the Crowned Radish, and wondered at and admired her
+courage when she stood against the door and let Agostino fling his terrible
+<i>navaja</i> at her without moving a muscle, now grouped themselves closely
+together so as to effectually prevent the soldiers from pursuing her. The
+fracas that ensued gave Chiquita time to reach the carriage of the Duke of
+Vallombreuse&mdash;which, taking advantage of the stir and shifting in the
+throng, was slowly making its way out of the Place de Grève. She climbed up on
+the step, and catching sight of de Sigognac within, appealed to him, in
+scarcely audible words, as she panted and trembled&mdash;&ldquo;I saved your
+Isabelle, now save me!&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Vallombreuse, who had been very much interested by this strange and exciting
+scene, cried to the coachman, &ldquo;Get on as fast as you can, even if you
+have to drive over the people.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+But there was no need&mdash;the crowd opened as if by magic before the
+carriage, and closed again compactly after it had passed, so that
+Chiquita&rsquo;s pursuers could not penetrate it, or make any
+progress&mdash;they were completely baffled, whichever way they turned.
+Meanwhile the fugitive was being rapidly carried beyond their reach. As soon as
+the open street was gained, the coachman had urged his horses forward, and in a
+very few minutes they reached the Porte Saint Antoine. As the report of what
+had occurred in the Place de Grève could not have preceded them, Vallombreuse
+thought it better to proceed at a more moderate pace&mdash;fearing that their
+very speed might arouse suspicion&mdash;and gave orders accordingly; as soon as
+they were fairly beyond the gate he took Chiquita into the carriage&mdash;where
+she seated herself, without a word, opposite to de Sigognac. Under the calmest
+exterior she was filled with a preternatural excitement&mdash;not a muscle of
+her face moved; but a bright flush glowed on her usually pale cheeks, which
+gave to her magnificent dark eyes&mdash;now fixed upon vacancy, and seeing
+nothing that was before them&mdash;a marvellous brilliancy. A complete
+transformation had taken place in Chiquita&mdash;this violent shock had torn
+asunder the childish chrysalis in which the young maiden had lain
+dormant&mdash;as she plunged her knife into Agostino&rsquo;s heart she opened
+her own. Her love was born of that murder&mdash;the strange, almost sexless
+being, half child, half goblin, that she had been until then, existed no
+longer&mdash;Chiquita was a woman from the moment of that heroic act of sublime
+devotion. Her passion, that had bloomed out in one instant, was destined to be
+eternal&mdash;a kiss and a stab, that was Chiquita&rsquo;s love story.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The carriage rolled smoothly and swiftly on its way towards Vallombreuse, and
+when the high, steep roof of the château came in sight the young duke said to
+de Sigognac, &ldquo;You must go with me to my room first, where you can get rid
+of the dust, and freshen up a bit before I present you to my sister&mdash;who
+knows nothing whatever of my journey, or its motive. I have prepared a surprise
+for her, and I want it to be complete&mdash;so please draw down the curtain on
+your side, while I do the same on mine, in order that we may not be seen, as we
+drive into the court, from any of the windows that command a view of it. But
+what are we to do with this little wretch here?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Chiquita, who was roused from her deep reverie by the duke&rsquo;s question,
+looked gravely up at him, and said, &ldquo;Let some one take me to Mlle.
+Isabelle&mdash;she will decide what is to be done with me.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+With all the curtains carefully drawn down the carriage drove over the
+drawbridge and into the court. Vallombreuse alighted, took de Sigognac&rsquo;s
+arm, and led him silently to his own apartment, after having ordered a servant
+to conduct Chiquita to the presence of the Comtesse de Lineuil. At sight of her
+Isabelle was greatly astonished, and, laying down the book she was reading,
+fixed upon the poor child a look full of interest, affection, and questioning.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Chiquita stood silent and motionless until the servant had retired, then, with
+a strange solemnity, which was entirely new in her, she went up to Isabelle,
+and timidly taking her hand, said:
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;My knife is in Agostino&rsquo;s heart. I have no master now, and I must
+devote myself to somebody. Next to him who is dead I love you best of all the
+world. You gave me the pearl necklace I wished for, and you kissed me. Will you
+have me for your servant, your slave, your dog? Only give me a black dress, so
+that I may wear mourning for my lost love&mdash;it is all I ask. I will sleep
+on the floor outside your door, so that I shall not be in your way. When you
+want me, whistle for me, like this,&rdquo;&mdash;and she whistled
+shrilly&mdash;&ldquo;and I will come instantly. Will you have me?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In answer Isabelle drew Chiquita into her arms, pressed her lips to the
+girl&rsquo;s forehead warmly, and thankfully accepted this soul, that dedicated
+itself to her.
+</p>
+
+</div><!--end chapter-->
+
+<div class="chapter">
+
+<h2><a name="chap21"></a>CHAPTER XXI.<br/>
+HYMEN! OH HYMEN!</h2>
+
+<p>
+Isabelle, accustomed to Chiquita&rsquo;s odd, enigmatical ways, had refrained
+from questioning her&mdash;waiting to ask for explanations until the poor girl
+should have become more quiet, and able to give them. She could see that some
+terrible catastrophe must have occurred, which had left all her nerves
+quivering, and caused the strong shudders that passed over her in rapid
+succession; but the child had rendered her such good service, in her own hour
+of need, that she felt the least she could do was to receive and care for the
+poor little waif tenderly, without making any inquiries as to her evidently
+desperate situation. After giving her in charge to her own maid, with orders
+that she should be properly clothed, and made thoroughly comfortable in every
+way, Isabelle resumed her reading&mdash;or rather tried to resume it; but her
+thoughts would wander, and after mechanically turning over a few pages in a
+listless way, she laid the book down, beside her neglected embroidery, on a
+little table at her elbow. Leaning her head on her hand, and closing her eyes,
+she lapsed into a sorrowful reverie&mdash;as, indeed, she had done of late many
+times every day.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Oh! what has become of de Sigognac?&rdquo; she said to herself.
+&ldquo;Where can he be? and does he still think of me, and love me as of old?
+Yes, I am sure he does; he will be true and faithful to me so long as he lives,
+my brave, devoted knight! I fear that he has gone back to his desolate, old
+château, and, believing that my brother is dead, does not dare to approach me.
+It must be that chimerical obstacle that stands in his way&mdash;otherwise he
+would surely have tried to see me again&mdash;or at least have written to me.
+Perhaps I ought to have sent him word that Vallombreuse had recovered; yet how
+could I do that? A modest woman shrinks from even seeming to wish to entice her
+absent lover back to her side. How often I think that I should be far happier
+if I could have remained as I was&mdash;an obscure actress; then I could at
+least have had the bliss of seeing him every day, and of enjoying in peace the
+sweetness of being loved by such a noble, tender heart as his. Despite the
+touching affection and devotion that my princely father lavishes upon me, I
+feel sad and lonely in this magnificent château. If Vallombreuse were only here
+his society would help to pass the time; but he is staying away so
+long&mdash;and I try in vain to make out what he meant when he told me, with
+such a significant smile, as he bade me adieu, that I would be pleased with
+what he was about to do. Sometimes I fancy that I do understand; but I dare not
+indulge myself with such blissful thoughts for an instant. If I did, and were
+mistaken after all, the disappointment would be too cruel&mdash;too
+heart-rending. But, if it only could be true! ah! if it only might! I fear I
+should go mad with excess of joy.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The young Comtesse de Lineuil was still absorbed in sad thoughts when a tall
+lackey appeared, and asked if she would receive his lordship, the Duke of
+Vallombreuse who had just arrived, at the château and desired to speak with
+her.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Certainly, I shall be delighted to see him,&rdquo; she said in glad
+surprise; &ldquo;ask him to come to me at once.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+In a few minutes&mdash;which had seemed like hours to Isabelle&mdash;the young
+duke made his appearance, with beaming eyes, rosy cheeks, light, elastic step,
+and that air of glorious health and vigour which had distinguished him before
+his illness. He threw down his broad felt hat as he came in, and, hastening to
+his sister&rsquo;s side, took her pretty white hands and raised them to his
+lips.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Dearest Isabelle,&rdquo; he cried, &ldquo;I am so rejoiced to see you
+again! I was obliged to stay away from you much longer than I wished, for it is
+a great deprivation to me now not to be with you every day&mdash;I have gotten
+so thoroughly into the habit of depending upon your sweet society. But I have
+been occupied entirely with your interests during my absence, and the hope of
+pleasing my darling sister, and adding to her happiness, has helped me to
+endure the long separation from her.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;The way to please me most, as you ought to have known,&rdquo; Isabelle
+replied, &ldquo;was to stay here at home quietly with your father and me, and
+let us take care of you, instead of rushing off so rashly&mdash;with your wound
+scarcely healed, or your health fully re-established&mdash;on some foolish
+errand or other, that you were not willing to acknowledge.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Was I ever really wounded, or ill?&rdquo; said Vallombreuse, laughing.
+&ldquo;Upon my word I had forgotten all about it. Never in my life was I in
+better health than at this moment, and my little expedition has done me no end
+of good. But you, my sweet sister, are not looking as well as when I left you;
+you have grown thin and pale. What is the matter? I fear that you find your
+life here at the château very dull. Solitude and seclusion are not at all the
+thing for a beautiful young woman, I know. Reading and embroidery are but
+melancholy pastimes at best and there must be moments when even the gravest,
+most sedate of maidens grows weary of gazing out upon the stagnant waters of
+the moat, and longs to look upon the face of a handsome young knight.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Oh! what an unmerciful tease you are, Vallombreuse, and how you do love
+to torment me with these strange fancies of yours. You forget that I have had
+the society of the prince, who is so kind and devoted to me, and who abounds in
+wise and instructive discourse.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Yes, there is no doubt that our worthy father is a most learned and
+accomplished gentleman, honoured and admired at home and abroad; but his
+pursuits and occupations are too grave and weighty for you to share, my dear
+little sister, and I don&rsquo;t want to see your youth passed altogether in
+such a solemn way. As you would not smile upon my friend, the Chevalier de
+Vidalinc, nor condescend to listen to the suit of the Marquis de
+l&rsquo;Estang, I concluded to go in search of somebody that would be more
+likely to please your fastidious taste, and, my dear, I have found him. Such a
+charming, perfect, ideal husband he will make! I am convinced that you will
+dote upon him.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;It is downright cruelty, Vallombreuse, to persecute me as you do, with
+such unfeeling jests. You know perfectly well that I do not wish to marry; I
+cannot give my hand without my heart, and my heart is not mine to give.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;But you will talk very differently, I do assure you, my dear little
+sister, when you see the husband I have chosen for you.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Never! never!&rdquo; cried Isabelle, whose voice betrayed her distress.
+&ldquo;I shall always be faithful to a memory that is infinitely dear and
+precious to me; for I cannot think that you intend to force me to act against
+my will.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Oh, no! I am not quite such a tyrant as that; I only ask you not to
+reject my protégé before you have seen him.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Without waiting for her reply, Vallombreuse abruptly left the room, and
+returned in a moment with de Sigognac, whose heart was throbbing as if it would
+burst out of his breast. The two young men, hand in hand, paused on the
+threshold, hoping that Isabelle would turn her eyes towards them; but she
+modestly cast them down and kept them fixed upon the floor, while her thoughts
+flew far away, to hover about the beloved being who she little dreamed was so
+near her. Vallombreuse, seeing that she took no notice of them, and had fallen
+into a reverie, advanced towards her, still holding de Sigognac by the hand,
+and made a ceremonious bow, as did also his companion; but while the young duke
+was smiling and gay, de Sigognac was deeply agitated, and very pale. Brave as a
+lion when he had to do with men, he was timid with women&mdash;as are all
+generous, manly hearts.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Comtesse de Lineuil,&rdquo; said Vallombreuse, in an emphatic tone of
+voice, &ldquo;permit me to present to you one of my dearest friends, for whom I
+entreat your favour&mdash;the Baron de Sigognac.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As he pronounced this name, which she at first believed to be a jest on her
+brother&rsquo;s part, Isabelle started, trembled violently, and then glanced up
+timidly at the newcomer.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When she saw that Vallombreuse had not deceived her, that it was really he, her
+own true lover, standing there before her, she turned deathly pale, and had
+nearly fallen from her chair; then the quick reaction came, and a most lovely
+blush spread itself all over her fair face, and even her snowy neck, as far as
+it could be seen. Without a word, she sprang up, and throwing her arms round
+her brother&rsquo;s neck hid her face on his shoulder, while two or three
+convulsive sobs shook her slender frame and a little shower of tears fell from
+her eyes. By this instinctive movement, so exquisitely modest and truly
+feminine, Isabelle manifested all the exceeding delicacy and purity of her
+nature. Thus were her warm thanks to Vallombreuse, whose kindness and
+generosity overcame her, mutely expressed; and as she could not follow the
+dictates of her heart, and throw herself into her lover&rsquo;s arms, she took
+refuge in her transport of joy with her brother, who had restored him to her.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Vallombreuse supported her tenderly for a few moments, until he found she was
+growing calmer, when he gently disengaged himself from her clasping arms, and
+drawing down the hands with which she had covered her face, to hide its tears
+and blushes, said, &ldquo;My sweet sister, do not, I pray you, hide your lovely
+face from us; I fear my protégé will be driven to believe that you entertain
+such an invincible dislike to him you will not even look at him.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Isabelle raised her drooping head, and turning full upon de Sigognac her
+glorious eyes, shining with a celestial joy, in spite of the sparkling
+tear-drops that still hung upon their long lashes, held out to him her
+beautiful white hand, which he took reverentially in both his own, and bending
+down pressed fervently to his lips. The passionate kiss he imprinted upon it
+thrilled through Isabelle&rsquo;s whole being, and for a second she turned
+faint and giddy; but the delicious ecstasy, which is almost anguish, of such
+emotion as hers, is never hurtful, and she presently looked up and smiled
+reassuringly upon her anxious lover, as the colour returned to her lips and
+cheeks, and the warm light to her eyes.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;And now tell me, my sweet little sister,&rdquo; began Vallombreuse, with
+an air of triumph, and a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, &ldquo;wasn&rsquo;t I
+right when I declared that you would smile upon the husband I had chosen for
+you? and would not be discouraged, though you were so obstinate? If I had not
+been equally so, this dear de Sigognac would have gone back to his far-away
+château, without even having seen you; and that would have been a pity, as you
+must admit.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Yes, I do admit it, my dearest brother, and also that you have been
+adorably kind and good to me. You were the only one who, under the
+circumstances, could bring about this reunion, and we both know how to
+appreciate what you have so nobly and generously done for us.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Yes, indeed,&rdquo; said de Sigognac warmly; &ldquo;your brother has
+given us ample proof of the nobility and generosity of his nature&mdash;he
+magnanimously put aside the resentment that might seem legitimate, and came to
+me with his hand outstretched, and his heart in it. He revenges himself nobly
+for the harm I was obliged to do him, by imposing an eternal gratitude upon
+me&mdash;a light burden, that I shall bear joyfully so long as I live.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Say nothing more about that, my dear baron!&rdquo; Vallombreuse
+exclaimed. &ldquo;You would have done as much in my place. The differences of
+two valiant adversaries are very apt to end in a warm mutual
+attachment&mdash;we were destined from the beginning to become, sooner or
+later, a devoted pair of friends; like Theseus and Pirithous, Nisus and
+Euryalus, or Damon and Pythias. But never mind about me now, and tell my sister
+how you were thinking of her, and longing for her, in that lonely château of
+yours; where, by the way, I made one of the best meals I ever had in my life,
+though you do pretend that starvation is the rule down there.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;And <i>I</i> had a charming supper there too,&rdquo; said Isabelle with
+a smile, &ldquo;which I look back upon with the greatest pleasure.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Nevertheless,&rdquo; rejoined de Sigognac, &ldquo;plenty does not abound
+there&mdash;but I cannot regret the blessed poverty that was the means of first
+winning me your regard, my precious darling! I am thankful for it&mdash;I owe
+everything to it.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;<i>I</i> am of opinion,&rdquo; interrupted Vallombreuse, with a
+significant smile, &ldquo;that it would be well for me to go and report myself
+to my father. I want to announce your arrival to him myself, de Sigognac! Not
+that he will need to be specially prepared to receive you, for I am bound to
+confess&mdash;what may surprise my little sister here&mdash;that he knew such a
+thing might come about, and was equally implicated with my graceless self in
+this little conspiracy. But one thing yet&mdash;tell me before I go, Isabelle,
+Comtesse de Lineuil, whether you really do intend to accept the Baron de
+Sigognac as your husband&mdash;I don&rsquo;t want to run any risk of making a
+blunder at this stage of the proceedings, you understand, after having
+conducted the negotiations successfully up to this point. You do definitely and
+finally accept him, eh?&mdash;that is well&mdash;and now I will go to the
+prince. Engaged lovers sometimes have matters to discuss that even a brother
+may not hear, so I will leave you together, feeling sure that you will both
+thank me for it in your hearts. Adieu!&mdash;make the most of your time, for I
+shall soon return to conduct de Sigognac to the prince.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+With a laughing nod the young duke picked up his hat and went away, leaving the
+two happy lovers alone together, and&mdash;however agreeable his company may
+have been to them, it must be admitted that his absence was, as he had
+predicted, very welcome to both. The Baron de Sigognac eagerly approached
+Isabelle, and&mdash;again possessed himself of her fair hand, which she did not
+withdraw from his warm, loving clasp. Neither spoke, and for a few minutes the
+fond lovers stood side by side and gazed into each other&rsquo;s eyes. Such
+silence is more eloquent than any words. At last de Sigognac said softly,
+&ldquo;I can scarcely believe even yet in the reality of so much bliss. Oh!
+what a strange, contradictory destiny is mine. You loved me, my darling,
+because I was poor and unhappy&mdash;and thus my past misery was the direct
+cause of my present felicity. A troupe of strolling actors, who chanced to seek
+refuge under my crumbling roof, held in reserve for me an angel of purity and
+goodness&mdash;a hostile encounter has given me a devoted friend&mdash;and,
+most wonderful of all, your forcible abduction led to your meeting the fond
+father who had been seeking you so many years in vain. And all this because a
+Thespian chariot went astray one stormy night in the Landes.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;We were destined for each other&mdash;it was all arranged for us in
+heaven above. Twin souls are sure to come together at last, if they can only
+have patience to wait for the meeting. I felt instinctively, when we met at the
+Château de Sigognac, that you were my fate. At sight of you my heart, which had
+always lain dormant before, and never responded to any appeal, thrilled within
+me, and, unasked, yielded to you all its love and allegiance. Your very
+timidity won more for you than the greatest boldness and assurance could have
+done, and from the first moment of our acquaintance I resolved never to give
+myself to any one but you, or God.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;And yet, cruel, hard-hearted child that you were&mdash;though so
+divinely good and lovely&mdash;you refused your hand to me, when I sued for it
+on my knees. I know well that it was all through generosity, and that of the
+noblest&mdash;but, my darling, it was a very cruel generosity too.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I will do my best to atone for it now, my dearest de Sigognac, in giving
+you this hand you wished for, together with my heart, which has long been all
+your own. The Comtesse de Lineuil is not bound to be governed by the scruples
+of Isabelle, the actress. I have had only one fear&mdash;that your pride might
+keep you from ever seeking me again as I am now. But, even if you had given me
+up, you would never have loved another woman, would you, de Sigognac? You would
+have been faithful to me always, even though you had renounced me&mdash;I felt
+so sure of that. Were you thinking of me down there in your ancient château,
+when Vallombreuse broke in upon your solitude?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;My dearest Isabelle, by day I had only one thought&mdash;of
+you&mdash;and at night, when I kissed the sacred pillow on which your lovely
+head had rested, before laying my own down upon it, I besought the god of
+dreams to show me your adored image while I slept.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;And were your prayers sometimes answered?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Always&mdash;not once was I disappointed&mdash;and only when morning
+came did you leave me, vanishing through &lsquo;the ivory gates.&rsquo; Oh I
+how interminable the sad, lonely days seemed to me, and how I wished that I
+could sleep, and dream of you, my angel, all the weary time.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I saw you also in my dreams, many nights in succession. Our souls must
+have met, de Sigognac, while our bodies lay wrapped in slumber. But now, thanks
+be to God, we are reunited&mdash;and forever. The prince, my father, knew and
+approved of your being brought here, Vallombreuse said, so we can have no
+opposition to our wishes to fear from him. He has spoken to me of you several
+times of late in very flattering terms; looking at me searchingly, the while,
+in a way that greatly agitated and troubled me, for I did not know what might
+be in his mind, as Vallombreuse had not then told me that he no longer hated
+you, and I feared that he would always do so after his double defeat at your
+hands. But all the terrible anxiety is over now, my beloved, and blessed peace
+and happiness lie before us.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+At this moment the door opened, and the young duke announced to de Sigognac
+that his father was waiting to receive him. The baron immediately rose from his
+seat beside Isabelle, bowed low to her, and followed Vallombreuse to the
+prince&rsquo;s presence. The aged nobleman, dressed entirely in black, and with
+his breast covered with orders, was sitting in a large arm-chair at a table
+heaped up with books and papers, with which he had evidently been occupied. His
+attitude was stately and dignified, and the expression of his noble, benevolent
+countenance affable in the extreme. He rose to receive de Sigognac, gave him a
+cordial greeting, and politely bade him be seated.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;My dear father,&rdquo; said Vallombreuse, &ldquo;I present to you the
+Baron de Sigognac; formerly my rival, now my friend, and soon to be my brother,
+if you consent. Any improvement that you may see in me is due to his influence,
+and it is no light obligation that I owe to him&mdash;though he will not admit
+that there is any. The baron comes to ask a favour of you, which I shall
+rejoice to see accorded to him.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The prince made a gesture of acquiescence, and looked reassuringly at de
+Sigognac, as if inviting him to speak fearlessly for himself. Encouraged by the
+expression of his eyes, the baron rose, and, with a low bow, said, in clear,
+distinct tones, &ldquo;Prince, I am here to ask of you the hand of Mlle. la
+Comtesse Isabelle de Lineuil, your daughter.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The old nobleman looked at him steadily and searchingly for a moment, and then,
+as if satisfied with his scrutiny, answered: &ldquo;Baron de Sigognac, I accede
+to your request, and consent to this alliance, with great pleasure&mdash;so
+far, that is, as my paternal will accords with the wishes of my beloved
+daughter&mdash;whom I should never attempt to coerce in anything. The Comtesse
+de Lineuil must be consulted in this matter, and herself decide the question
+which is of such vital importance to her. I cannot undertake to answer for
+her&mdash;the whims and fancies of young ladies are sometimes so odd and
+unexpected.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The prince said this with a mischievous smile&mdash;as if he had not long known
+that Isabelle loved de Sigognac with all her heart, and was pining for him.
+After a brief pause, he added: &ldquo;Vallombreuse, go and fetch your sister,
+for, without her, I cannot give a definite answer to the Baron de
+Sigognac.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The young duke accordingly went for Isabelle, who was greatly alarmed at this
+summons, and obeyed it in fear and trembling. Despite her brother&rsquo;s
+assurances, she could not bring herself to believe in the reality of such great
+happiness. Her breast heaved tumultuously, her face was very pale, at each step
+her knees threatened to give way under her, and when her father drew her fondly
+to his side she was forced to grasp the arm of his chair tightly, to save
+herself from falling.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;My daughter,&rdquo; said the prince gravely, &ldquo;here is a gentleman
+who does you the honour to sue for your hand. For my own part, I should hail
+this union with joy&mdash;for he is of an ancient and illustrious family, of
+stainless reputation and tried courage, and appears to me to possess every
+qualification that heart could desire. I am perfectly satisfied with
+him&mdash;but has he succeeded in pleasing you, my child? Young heads do not
+always agree with gray ones. Examine your own heart carefully, and tell me if
+you are willing to accept the Baron de Sigognac as your husband. Take plenty of
+time to consider&mdash;you shall not be hurried, my dear child, in so grave a
+matter as this.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The prince&rsquo;s kindly, cordial smile gave evidence that he was in a playful
+mood, and Isabelle, plucking up courage, threw her arms round her
+father&rsquo;s neck, and said in the softest tones, &ldquo;There is no need for
+me to consider or hesitate, my dear lord and father! Since the Baron de
+Sigognac is so happy as to please you, I confess, freely and frankly, that I
+have loved him ever since we first met, and have never wished for any other
+alliance. To obey, you in this will be my highest happiness.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;And now clasp hands, my children, and exchange the kiss of
+betrothal,&rdquo; cried the Duke of Vallombreuse gaily. &ldquo;Verily, the
+romance ends more happily than could have been expected after such a stormy
+beginning. And now the next question is, when shall the wedding be?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;It will take a little time to make due preparation,&rdquo; said the
+prince. &ldquo;So many people must be set to work, in order that the marriage
+of my only daughter may be worthily celebrated. Meanwhile, Isabelle, here is
+your dowry, the deed of the estate of Lineuil&mdash;from which you derive your
+title, and which yields you an income of fifty thousand crowns per
+annum&mdash;together with rent-rolls, and all the various documents
+appertaining thereto&rdquo;&mdash;and he handed a formidable roll of papers to
+her. &ldquo;As to you, my dear de Sigognac, I have here for you a royal
+ordinance, which constitutes you governor of a province; and no one, I venture
+to say, could be more worthy of this distinguished honour than yourself.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Vallombreuse, who had gone out of the room while his father was speaking, now
+made his appearance, followed by a servant carrying a box covered with crimson
+velvet.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He took it from the lackey at the door, and advancing, placed it upon the table
+in front of Isabelle.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;My dear little sister,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;will you accept this from
+me as a wedding gift?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+On the cover was inscribed &ldquo;For Isabelle,&rdquo; in golden letters, and
+it contained the very casket which the Duke of Vallombreuse had offered at
+Poitiers to the young actress, and which she had so indignantly refused to
+receive, or even look at.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You will accept it this time?&rdquo; he pleaded, with a radiant smile;
+&ldquo;and honour these diamonds of finest water, and these pearls of richest
+lustre, by wearing them, for <i>my</i> sake. They are not more pure and
+beautiful than yourself.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Isabelle smilingly took up a magnificent necklace and clasped it round her fair
+neck, to show that she harboured no resentment; then put the exquisite
+bracelets on her round, white arms, and decked herself with the various superb
+ornaments that the beautiful casket contained.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+And now we have only to add, that a week later Isabelle and de Sigognac were
+united in marriage in the chapel at Vallombreuse, which was brilliantly
+lighted, and filled with fragrance from the profusion of flowers that converted
+it into a very bower. The music was heavenly, the fair bride adorably
+beautiful, with her long white veil floating about her, and the Baron de
+Sigognac radiant with happiness. The Marquis de Bruyères was one of his
+witnesses, and a most brilliant and aristocratic assemblage
+&ldquo;assisted&rdquo; at this notable wedding in high life. No one, who had
+not been previously informed of it, could ever have suspected that the lovely
+bride&mdash;at once so noble and modest, so dignified and graceful, so gentle
+and refined, yet with as lofty a bearing as a princess of the blood
+royal&mdash;had only a short time before been one of a band of strolling
+players, nightly fulfilling her duties as an actress. While de Sigognac,
+governor of a province, captain of mousquetaires, superbly dressed, dignified,
+stately and affable, the very beau-ideal of a distinguished young nobleman, had
+nothing about him to recall the poor, shabby, disconsolate youth, almost
+starving in his dreary, half-ruined château, whose misery was described at the
+beginning of this tale.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+After a splendid collation, graced by the presence of the bride and groom, the
+happy pair vanished; but we will not attempt to follow them, or intrude upon
+their privacy&mdash;turning away at the very threshold of the nuptial chamber,
+singing, in low tones, after the fashion of the ancients, &ldquo;Hymen! oh
+Hymen!&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The mysteries of such sacred happiness as theirs should be respected; and
+besides, sweet, modest Isabelle would have died of shame if so much as a single
+one of the pins that held her bodice were indiscreetly drawn out.
+</p>
+
+</div><!--end chapter-->
+
+<div class="chapter">
+
+<h2><a name="chap22"></a>CHAPTER XXII.<br/>
+THE CASTLE OF HAPPINESS</h2>
+
+<h3>EPILOGUE</h3>
+
+<p>
+It will be readily believed that our sweet Isabelle had not forgotten, in her
+exceeding happiness as Mme. la Baronne de Sigognac, her former companions of
+Hérode&rsquo;s troupe. As she could not invite them to her wedding because they
+would have been so much out of place there&mdash;she had, in commemoration of
+that auspicious occasion, sent handsome and appropriate gifts to them all;
+offered with a grace so charming that it redoubled their value. So long as the
+company remained in Paris, she went often to see them play; applauding her old
+friends heartily, and judiciously as well, knowing just where the applause
+should be given. The young <i>baronne</i> did not attempt to conceal the fact
+that she had formerly been an actress herself&mdash;not parading it, but
+referring to it quietly, if necessary, as a matter of course; an excellent
+method to disarm ill-natured tongues, which would surely have wagged vigorously
+had any mystery been made about it. In addition, her illustrious birth and
+exalted position imposed silence upon those around her, and her sweet dignity
+and modesty had soon won all hearts&mdash;even those of her own sex&mdash;until
+it was universally conceded that there was not a greater or truer lady in court
+circles than the beautiful young Baronne de Sigognac.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The king, Louis XIII, having heard Isabelle&rsquo;s eventful history, praised
+her highly for her virtuous conduct, and evinced great interest in de Sigognac,
+whom he heartily commended for his respectful, honourable gallantry, under
+circumstances that, according to general opinion, would authorize all manner of
+license. His deference to defenceless virtue peculiarly pleased the chaste,
+reserved monarch, who had no sympathy with, or indulgence for the wild,
+unbridled excesses of the licentious youth of his capital and court. As to
+Vallombreuse, he had entirely changed and amended his way of life, and seemed
+to find unfailing pleasure and satisfaction, as well as benefit, in the
+companionship of his new friend and brother, to whom he was devoted, and who
+fully reciprocated his warm affection; while the prince, his father, joyfully
+dwelt in the bosom of his reunited family, and found in it the happiness he had
+vainly sought before. The young husband and wife led a charming life, more and
+more in love with and devoted to each other, and never experiencing that
+satiety of bliss which is ruinous to the most perfect happiness. Although
+Isabelle had no concealments from her husband, and shared even her inmost
+thoughts with him, yet for a time she seemed very much occupied with some
+mysterious business&mdash;apparently exclusively her own.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+She had secret conferences with her steward, with an architect, and also with
+certain sculptors and painters&mdash;all without de Sigognac&rsquo;s knowledge,
+and by the connivance of Vallombreuse, who seemed to be her confidant, aider
+and abettor.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+One fine morning, several months after their marriage, Isabelle said to de
+Sigognac, as if a sudden thought had struck her: &ldquo;My dear lord, do you
+never think of your poor, deserted, old château? and have you no desire to
+return to the birthplace of our love?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;I am not so unfeeling as that, my darling, and I have thought of it
+longingly many times of late. But I did not like to propose the journey to you
+without being sure that it would please you. I did not like to tear you away
+from the delights of the court&mdash;of which you are the chief
+ornament&mdash;and take you to that poor, old, half-ruined mansion, the haunt
+of rats and owls, where I could not hope to make you even comfortable, yet,
+which I prefer, miserable as it is, to the most luxurious palaces; for it was
+the home of my ancestors, and the place where I first saw you, my heart&rsquo;s
+delight!&mdash;spot ever sacred and dear to me, upon which I should like to
+erect an altar.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;And I,&rdquo; rejoined Isabelle, &ldquo;often wonder whether the
+eglantine in the garden still blooms, as it did for me.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;It does,&rdquo; said de Sigognac, &ldquo;I am sure of it&mdash;having
+once been blessed by your touch, it must be always blooming&mdash;even though
+there be none to see.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Ah! my lord, unlike husbands in general, you are more gallant after
+marriage than before,&rdquo; Isabelle said, laughingly, yet deeply touched by
+his tender words, &ldquo;and you pay your wife compliments as if she were your
+ladylove. And now, since I have ascertained that your wishes accord with my
+whim, will it please your lordship to set out for the Château de Sigognac this
+week? The weather is fine. The great heat of summer is over, and we can really
+enjoy the journey. Vallombreuse will go with us, and I shall take Chiquita. She
+will be glad to see her own country again.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The needful preparations were soon made, and the travelling party set off in
+high spirits. The journey was rapid and delightful. Relays of horses had been
+sent on in advance by Vallombreuse, so that in a few days they reached the
+point where the road leading to the Château de Sigognac branched off from the
+great post-road. It was about two o&rsquo;clock of a bright, warm afternoon
+when the carriage turned off the highway, and as they got, at the same moment,
+their first view of the château, de Sigognac could not believe the testimony of
+his own eyes&mdash;he was bewildered, dazzled, overwhelmed&mdash;he no longer
+recognised the familiar details which had been so deeply impressed upon his
+memory. All was changed, as if by magic. The road, smooth, free from grass and
+weeds, and freshly gravelled, had no more ruts; the hedges, neatly trimmed and
+properly tended, no longer reached out long, straggling arms to catch the rare
+passer-by; the tall trees on either side had been carefully pruned, so that
+their branches met in an arch overhead, and framed in a most astonishing
+picture. Instead of the dreary ruin, slowly crumbling into dust, a fine new
+château rose before them&mdash;resembling the old one as a son resembles his
+father. It was an exact reproduction&mdash;nothing had been changed, only
+renewed&mdash;it was simply the ancient mansion rejuvenated. The walls were
+smooth and unbroken, the lofty towers intact, rising proudly at the four angles
+of the building, with their freshly gilded weathercocks gleaming in the
+sunlight. A handsome new roof, tastefully ornamented with a pretty design in
+different coloured slates, had replaced the broken, weather-stained tiles,
+through which the rain used to find its way down into the frescoed hall, and
+the long suite of deserted rooms. Every window had bright large panes of clear
+glass shining in its casement, and a magnificent great door, turning smoothly
+and noiselessly upon its huge hinges, had superseded the old, worm-eaten one,
+that used to groan and creak piteously when opened ever so little. Above it
+shone the de Sigognac arms&mdash;three golden storks upon an azure field, with
+this noble motto&mdash;entirely obliterated of old&mdash;&ldquo;Alta
+petunt.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+For a few moments de Sigognac gazed at it all in silence, overcome by
+astonishment and emotion. Then he suddenly turned to Isabelle, with joyful
+surprise written in every line of his speaking countenance, and seizing her
+hands passionately, and holding them firmly clasped in his, said: &ldquo;It is
+to you, my kind, generous fairy, that I owe this marvellous transformation of
+my poor, dilapidated, old château. You have touched it with your wand and
+restored its ancient splendour, majesty and youth. I cannot tell you how
+enchanted, how gratified I am by this wonderful surprise. It is unspeakably
+charming and delightful, like everything that emanates from my good angel.
+Without a word or hint from me, you have divined, and carried out, the secret
+and most earnest wish of my heart.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;You must also thank a certain sorcerer, who has greatly aided me in all
+this,&rdquo; said Isabelle softly, touched by her husband&rsquo;s emotion and
+delight, and pointing to Vallombreuse, who was sitting opposite to her. The two
+young men clasped hands for a moment, and smiled at each other in friendly
+fashion. There was a perfect under standing between these kindred spirits now,
+and no words were needed on either side.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+By this time the carriage had reached the château, where Pierre, in a fine new
+livery&mdash;and a tremor of delight&mdash;was waiting to receive them. After
+an affectionate, as well as respectful, greeting from the faithful old servant,
+they entered the grand portico, which had been, like all the rest, admirably
+restored, and, alighting from the carriage, paused a moment to admire its
+magnificent proportions ere they passed on into the frescoed hall, where eight
+or ten tall lackeys were drawn up in line, and bowed profoundly to their new
+master and mistress. Skilful artists had retouched the ancient frescoes, and
+made them glow with all their original brilliant tints. The colossal figures of
+Hercules were still supporting the heavy cornice, and the busts of the Roman
+emperors looked out majestically from their niches. Higher up, the vine
+climbing on its trellis was as luxuriant as in the olden time, and there were
+no unsightly stains on the bright blue sky of the vaulted roof to mar its
+beauty. A like metamorphosis had been worked everywhere&mdash;the worm-eaten
+woodwork had been renewed, the uneven floors relaid, the tarnished gilding
+restored to its original splendour&mdash;and the new furniture throughout had
+been made exactly like the old that it replaced. The fine old tapestry in de
+Sigognac&rsquo;s own room had been minutely copied, down to the smallest
+detail, and the hangings of the bed were of green and white brocade, in
+precisely the same delicate tint and graceful pattern as the old.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Isabelle, with her innate delicacy and perfect taste, had not aimed at
+producing a sensation, by any overwhelming magnificence or dazzling splendour
+in renovating the intrinsically fine old Château de Sigognac, but had simply
+wished to gratify and delight the heart of her husband, so tenderly loved, in
+giving back to him the impressions and surroundings of his childhood and youth,
+robbed of their misery and sadness. All was bright and gay now in this lordly
+mansion, erst so dreary and melancholy; even the sombre old family portraits,
+cleansed, retouched and revarnished by skilful hands, smiled down upon them, as
+if pleased with the new order of things; especially their own handsome, richly
+gilt frames.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+After looking through the interior of the château, de Sigognac and Isabelle
+went out into the court, where no weeds or nettles were to be seen, no grass
+growing up between the paving stones, no heaps of rubbish in the corners, and
+through the clear glass panes of the numerous windows looking into it were
+visible the folds of the rich curtains in the chambers that were formerly the
+favourite haunt of owls and bats. They went on down into the garden, by a noble
+flight of broad stone steps, no longer tottering and moss-grown, and turned
+first to seek the wild eglantine which had offered its delicate little rose to
+the young actress, on the memorable morning when the baron had decided to go
+forth from his ruined castle for love of her. It had another dainty blossom
+ready for her now, which Isabelle received from de Sigognac&rsquo;s hand, with
+tears, that told of a happiness too deep for words, welling up into her eyes,
+and exchanged with her adored and adoring husband a long, fond look, that
+seemed to give to each a glimpse of heaven.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The gardeners had been busy too, and had converted the neglected wilderness we
+made acquaintance with long ago into a veritable little paradise. At the end of
+the well-ordered and exquisitely arranged garden, Pomona still stood in her
+cool grotto, restored to all the beauty of her youth, while a stream of pure,
+sparkling water poured from the lion&rsquo;s mouth, and fell with a musical
+murmur into the marble basin. Even in their best and most glorious days the
+garden and the château had never known greater beauty and luxury than now. The
+baron, ever more and more astonished and enchanted, as he rambled slowly
+through it all, like one in a delicious dream, kept Isabelle&rsquo;s arm
+pressed tenderly to his heart, and was not ashamed to let her see the tears
+that at last he could no longer restrain, and which came from a very full
+heart.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Now,&rdquo; said Isabelle, &ldquo;that we have seen everything here, we
+must go and inspect the different pieces of property we have been able to buy
+back, so as to reconstruct, as nearly as possible, the ancient barony of
+Sigognac. I will leave you for a few moments, to go and put on my riding habit;
+I shall not be long, for I learned to make changes of that sort very rapidly in
+my old profession, you know. Will you, meantime, go and select our horses, and
+order that they should be made ready?&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Vallombreuse accompanied de Sigognac to the stables, where they found ten
+splendid horses contentedly munching their oats in their oaken stalls.
+Everything was in perfect order, but ere the baron had time to admire and
+praise, as he wished to do, a loud whinnying that was almost deafening suddenly
+burst forth, as good old Bayard peremptorily claimed his attention. Isabelle
+had long ago sent orders to the château that the superannuated pony should
+always have the best place in the stable, and be tenderly cared for. His manger
+was full of ground oats, which he seemed to be enjoying with great gusto, and
+he evidently approved highly of the new regime. In his stall Miraut lay
+sleeping, but the sound of his master&rsquo;s voice aroused him, and he
+joyfully jumped up and came to lick his hand, and claim the accustomed caress.
+As to Beelzebub, though he had not yet made his appearance, it must not be
+attributed to a want of affection on his part, but rather to an excess of
+timidity. The poor old cat had been so unsettled and alarmed at the invasion of
+the quiet château by an army of noisy workmen, and all the confusion and
+changes that had followed, that he had fled from his usual haunts, and taken up
+his abode in a remote attic; where he lay in concealment, impatiently waiting
+for darkness to come, so that he might venture out to pay his respects to his
+beloved master.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The baron, after petting Bayard and Miraut until they were in ecstasies of
+delight, chose from among the horses a beautiful, spirited chestnut for
+himself, the duke selected a Spanish jennet, with proudly arched neck and
+flowing mane, which was worthy to carry an Infanta, and an exquisite white
+palfrey, whose skin shone like satin, was brought out for the <i>baronne</i>.
+In a few moments Isabelle came down, attired in a superb riding habit, which
+consisted of a dark blue velvet basque, richly braided with silver, over a
+long, ample skirt of silver-gray satin, and her broad hat of white felt, like a
+cavalier&rsquo;s, was trimmed with a floating, dark blue feather. Her beautiful
+hair was confined in the most coquettish little blue and silver net, and as she
+came forward, radiant with smiles, she was a vision of loveliness, that drew
+forth fervent exclamations of delight from her two devoted and adoring knights.
+The Baronne de Sigognac certainly was enchantingly beautiful in her rich
+equestrian costume, which displayed the perfection of her slender, well-rounded
+figure to the greatest advantage, and there was a high-bred, dainty look about
+her which bore silent witness to her illustrious origin. She was still the
+sweet, modest Isabelle of old, but she was also the daughter of a mighty
+prince, the sister of a proud young duke, and the honoured wife of a valiant
+gentleman, whose race had been noble since before the crusades. Vallombreuse,
+remarking it, could not forbear to say: &ldquo;My dearest sister, how
+magnificent you look to-day! Hippolyte, queen of the Amazons, was never more
+superb, or more triumphantly beautiful, than you are in this most becoming
+costume.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Isabelle smiled in reply, as she put her pretty little foot into de
+Sigognac&rsquo;s hand, and sprang lightly into her saddle.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Her husband and brother mounted also, and the little cavalcade set forth in
+high glee, making the vaulted portico ring with their merry laughter, as they
+rode through it. Just in front of the château they met the Marquis de Bruyères,
+and several other gentlemen of the neighbourhood, coming to pay their respects.
+They wished to go back into the château and receive their guests properly,
+saying that they could ride out at any time, but the visitors would not listen
+to such a thing, and turning their horses&rsquo; heads proposed to ride with
+them. The party, increased by six or eight cavaliers in gala dress&mdash;for
+the provincial lordlings had made themselves as fine as possible to do honour
+to their new neighbours&mdash;was really very imposing; a cortege worthy of a
+princess. They rode on between broad green fields, through woods and groves and
+highly cultivated farms, all of which had now been restored to the estate they
+had originally belonged to; and the grateful, adoring glances that the Baron de
+Sigognac found opportunity to bestow upon his lovely <i>baronne</i>, made her
+heart beat high with a happiness almost too perfect for this weary world of
+trials and sorrows.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+As they were riding through a little pine wood, near the boundary line of the
+estate, the barking of hounds was heard, and presently the party met the
+beautiful Yolande de Foix, followed by her old uncle, and one or two attendant
+cavaliers. The road was very narrow, and there was scarcely room to pass,
+though each party endeavoured to make way for the other. Yolande&rsquo;s horse
+was prancing about restively, and the skirt of her long riding-habit brushed
+Isabelle&rsquo;s as she passed her. She was furiously angry, and sorely tempted
+to address some cutting words to the &ldquo;<i>Bohémienne</i>&rdquo; she had
+once so cruelly insulted; but Isabelle, who had a soul above such petty malice,
+and had long ago forgiven Yolande for her unprovoked insolence, felt how much
+her own triumph must wound the other&rsquo;s proud spirit, and with perfect
+dignity and grace bowed to Mlle. de Foix, who could not do less than respond by
+a slight inclination of her haughty head, though her heart was filled with
+rage, and she had much ado to control herself. The Baron de Sigognac, with a
+quiet, unembarrassed air, had bowed respectfully to the fair huntress, who
+looked eagerly, but in vain, into the eyes of her former adorer for a spark of
+the old flame that used to blaze up in them at sight of her. Angry and
+disappointed, she gave her horse a sharp cut with the whip, and swept away at a
+gallop.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Now, by Venus and all the Loves,&rdquo; said Vallombreuse to the Marquis
+de Bruyères, beside whom he was riding, &ldquo;that girl is a beauty, but she
+looked deucedly savage and cross. How she did glare at my sister, eh! as if she
+wanted to stab her.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;When one has long been the acknowledged queen of a neighbourhood,&rdquo;
+the marquis replied, &ldquo;it is not pleasant to be dethroned, you know, and
+every one must admit that Mme. la Baronne de Sigognac bears off the
+palm.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+The gay cavalcade, after a long ride, returned to the château, to find a
+sumptuous repast awaiting them in the magnificent banqueting hall, where the
+poor young baron had once supped with the wandering comedians, upon their own
+provisions. What a transformation had been effected! now a superb service of
+silver, bearing the family arms, shone upon the fine damask that covered the
+table, in which also the three storks were apparent, while beautiful porcelain
+and dainty glass, lovely flowers and luscious fruits contributed to the
+attractions of the bountifully furnished board. Isabelle sat in the same place
+she had occupied on the eventful night that had changed the destiny of the
+young lord of the château, and she could not but think of, and live over, that
+widely different occasion, as did also the baron, and the married lovers
+exchanged furtive smiles and glances, in which tender memories and bright hopes
+were happily mingled.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Near one of the tall buffets stood a large, fine-looking man with a thick black
+beard, dressed in black velvet, and wearing a massive chain of silver round his
+neck, who kept a watchful eye upon the numerous lackeys waiting on the guests,
+and from time to time gave an order, with a most majestic air. Presiding over
+another buffet, on which were neatly arranged numerous wine-bottles of
+different forms and dimensions, was another elderly man, of short, corpulent
+figure, and with a jolly red face, who stepped about actively and lightly,
+despite his age and weight, dispensing the wine to the servants as it was
+needed. At first de Sigognac did not notice them, but chancing to glance in
+their direction, was astonished to recognise in the first the tragic Hérode,
+and in the second the grotesque Blazius. Isabelle, seeing that her husband had
+become aware of their presence, whispered to him, that in order to provide for
+the old age of those two devoted and faithful friends she had thought it well
+to give them superior positions in their household; in which they would have
+only easy duties to perform, as they had to direct others in their work, not to
+do any themselves; and the baron heartily approved and commended what his sweet
+young wife, ever considerate for others, had been pleased to do.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Course succeeded to course, and bottle to bottle&mdash;there was much laughing
+and talking around the convivial board, and the host was exerting himself to do
+honour to the festive occasion, when he felt a head laid on his knee, and a
+tattoo vigorously played by a pair of paws on his leg that was well known to
+him of old. Miraut and Beelzebub, who had slipped into the room, and under the
+table, without being detected, thus announced their presence to their indulgent
+master. He did not repulse them, but managed, without attracting notice, to
+give them a share of everything on his plate, and was especially amused at the
+almost insatiable voracity of the old black cat&mdash;who had evidently been
+fasting in his hiding-place in the attic. He actually seemed to enjoy, like an
+epicure, the rich and dainty viands that had replaced the frugal fare of long
+ago, and ate so much that when the meal was over he could scarcely stand, and
+made his way with difficulty into his master&rsquo;s bed-chamber, where he
+curled himself up in a luxurious arm-chair and settled down comfortably for the
+night.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Vallombreuse kept pace with the Marquis de Bruyères, and the other guests, in
+disposing of the choice wines, that did credit to the pedant&rsquo;s selection;
+but de Sigognac, who had not lost his temperate habits, only touched his lips
+to the edge of his wine-glass, and made a pretence of keeping them company.
+Isabelle, under pretext of fatigue, had withdrawn when the dessert was placed
+upon the table. She really was very tired, and sent at once for Chiquita, now
+promoted to the dignity of first lady&rsquo;s maid, to come and perform her
+nightly duties. The wild, untutored child had&mdash;under Isabelle&rsquo;s
+judicious, tender and careful training&mdash;developed into a quiet,
+industrious and very beautiful young girl. She still wore mourning for
+Agostino, and around her neck was the famous string of pearl beads&mdash;it was
+a sacred treasure to Chiquita, and she was never seen without it. She attended
+to her duties quickly and deftly&mdash;evidently taking great delight in
+waiting upon the mistress she adored&mdash;and kissed her hand passionately, as
+she never failed to do, when all was finished and she bade her good-night.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+When, an hour later, de Sigognac entered the room in which he had spent so many
+weary, lonely nights&mdash;listening to the wind as it shrieked and moaned
+round the outside of the desolate château, and wailed along the
+corridors-feeling that life was a hard and bitter thing, and fancying that it
+would never bring anything but trials and misery to him&mdash;he saw, by the
+subdued light from the shaded lamp, the face to him most beautiful in all the
+world smiling lovingly to greet him from under the green and white silken
+curtains that hung round his own bed, where it lay resting upon the pillow he
+had so often kissed, and moistened with his tears. His eyes were moist
+now&mdash;but from excess of happiness, not sorrow&mdash;as he saw before him
+the blessed, blissful realization of his vision.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Towards morning Beelzebub, who had been excessively uneasy and restless all
+night, managed, with great difficulty, to clamber up on the bed, where he
+rubbed his nose against his master&rsquo;s hand&mdash;trying at the same time
+to purr in the old way, but failing lamentably. The baron woke instantly, and
+saw poor Beelzebub looking at him appealingly, with his great green eyes
+unnaturally dilated, and momentarily growing dim; he was trembling violently,
+and as his master&rsquo;s kind hand was stretched out to stroke his head, fell
+over on his side, and with one half-stifled cry, one convulsive shudder,
+breathed his last.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+&ldquo;Poor Beelzebub!&rdquo; softly said Isabelle, who had been roused from
+her sweet slumber by his dying groan, &ldquo;he has lived through all the
+misery of the old time, but will not be here to share and enjoy the prosperity
+of the new.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Beelzebub, it must be confessed, fell a victim to his own intemperance&mdash;a
+severe fit of indigestion, consequent upon the enormous supper he had eaten,
+was the cause of his death&mdash;his long-famished stomach was not accustomed
+to, nor proof against, such excesses. This death, even though it was only that
+of a dumb beast, touched de Sigognac deeply; for poor Beelzebub had been his
+faithful companion, night and day, through many long, weary years of sadness
+and poverty, and had always shown the warmest, most devoted affection for him.
+He carefully wrapped the body in a piece of fine, soft cloth, and waited, until
+evening should come, to bury it himself; when he would be safe from observation
+and possible ridicule. Accordingly, after nightfall, he took a spade, a
+lantern, and poor Beelzebub&rsquo;s body, which was stiff and stark by that
+time, and went down into the garden, where he set to work to dig the grave,
+under the sacred eglantine, in what seemed to him like hallowed ground. He
+wanted to make it deep enough to insure its not being disturbed by any roaming
+beast of prey, and worked away diligently, until his spade struck sharply
+against some hard substance, that he at first thought must be a large stone, or
+piece of rock perhaps. He attempted, in various ways, to dislodge it, but all
+in vain, and it gave out such a peculiar, hollow sound at every blow, that at
+last he threw down his spade and took the lantern to see what the strange
+obstacle might be.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+He was greatly surprised at finding the corner of a stout oaken chest,
+strengthened with iron bands, much rusted, but still intact. He dug all round
+it, and then, using his spade as a lever, succeeded in raising it, though it
+was very heavy, to the edge of the hole, and sliding it out on the grass beside
+it; then he put poor Beelzebub into the place it had occupied, and filled up
+the grave. He carefully smoothed it over, replaced the sod, and when all was
+finished to his satisfaction, went in search of his faithful old Pierre, upon
+whose discretion and secrecy he knew that he could rely. Together they carried
+the mysterious strong box into the château, but not without great difficulty
+and frequent pauses to rest, because of its immense weight. Pierre broke open
+the chest with an axe, and the cover sprang back, disclosing to view a mass of
+gold coins&mdash;all ancient, and many of them foreign. Upon examination, a
+quantity of valuable jewelry, set with precious stones, was found mingled with
+the gold, and, under all, a piece of parchment, with a huge seal attached,
+bearing the three storks of the de Sigognacs, still in a good state of
+preservation; but the writing was almost entirely obliterated by dampness and
+mould. The signature, however, was still visible, and letter by letter the
+baron spelled it out&mdash;&ldquo;Raymond de Sigognac.&rdquo; It was the name
+of one of his ancestors, who had gone to serve his king and country in the war
+then raging, and never returned; leaving the mystery of his death, or
+disappearance, unsolved. He had only one child, an infant son, and when he left
+home&mdash;in those troublous times&mdash;must have buried all his treasures
+for safety, and they had remained undiscovered until this late day. Doubtless,
+he had confided the secret of their whereabouts to some trusty friend or
+retainer, who, perhaps, had died suddenly before he could disclose it to the
+rightful heir. From the time of that Raymond began the decadence of the de
+Sigognacs, who, previous to that epoch, had always been wealthy and powerful.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Of course, the mystery about this treasure&mdash;so strangely brought to
+light&mdash;could never be cleared up now; but one thing was certain, beyond a
+question or a doubt, that the strong box and its contents belonged of right to
+the present Baron de Sigognac&mdash;the only living representative of the
+family. His first move was to seek his generous, devoted wife, so that he might
+show her the mysterious treasure he had found, and claim her sweet sympathy in
+his joy, which would be incomplete without it. After relating to her all the
+surprising incidents of the evening, he finished by saying, &ldquo;Decidedly,
+Beelzebub was the good genius of the de Sigognacs&mdash;through his means I
+have become rich&mdash;and now that my blessed angel has come to me he has
+taken his departure; for there is nothing else left for him to do, since you,
+my love, have given me perfect happiness.&rdquo;
+</p>
+
+</div><!--end chapter-->
+
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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Captain Fracasse, by Theophile Gautier
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Captain Fracasse
+
+Author: Theophile Gautier
+
+Release Date: February 18, 2006 [EBook #1235]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CAPTAIN FRACASSE ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Dianne Bean and David Widger
+
+
+
+
+
+CAPTAIN FRACASSE
+
+
+by Theophile Gautier
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+     I.     Castle Misery
+     II.    The chariot of Thespis
+     III.   The Blue Sun Inn
+     IV.    An adventure with brigands
+     V.     At the Chateau de Bruyeres
+     VI.    A snow-storm and its consequences
+     VII.   Captain Fracasse
+     VIII.  The Duke of Vallombreuse
+     IX.    A melee and a duel
+     X.     A midnight adventure
+     XI.    The Pont-Neuf
+     XII.   The Crowned Radish
+     XIII.  A double attack
+     XIV.   Lampourde's delicacy
+     XV.    Malartic at work
+     XVI.   Vallombreuse
+     XVII.  The amethyst ring
+     XVIII. A family party
+     XIX.   Nettles and cobwebs
+     XX.    Chiquita's declaration of love
+     XXI.   "Hymen! Oh Hymen!"
+     XXII.  The castle of happiness
+
+
+
+
+CAPTAIN FRACASSE
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I. CASTLE MISERY
+
+Upon the southern slope of one of those barren hills that rise abruptly
+here and there in the desolate expanse of the Landes, in South-western
+France, stood, in the reign of Louis XIII, a gentleman's residence, such
+as abound in Gascony, and which the country people dignify by the name
+of chateau.
+
+Two tall towers, with extinguisher tops, mounted guard at the angles of
+the mansion, and gave it rather a feudal air. The deep grooves upon
+its facade betrayed the former existence of a draw-bridge, rendered
+unnecessary now by the filling up of the moat, while the towers were
+draped for more than half their height with a most luxuriant growth of
+ivy, whose deep, rich green contrasted happily with the ancient gray
+walls.
+
+A traveller, seeing from afar the steep pointed roof and lofty towers
+standing out against the sky, above the furze and heather that crowned
+the hill-top, would have pronounced it a rather imposing chateau--the
+residence probably of some provincial magnate; but as he drew near would
+have quickly found reason to change his opinion. The road which led to
+it from the highway was entirely overgrown with moss and weeds, save a
+narrow pathway in the centre, though two deep ruts, full of water, and
+inhabited by a numerous family of frogs, bore mute witness to the fact
+that carriages had once passed that way.
+
+The roof, of dark red tiles, was disfigured by many large,
+leprous-looking, yellow patches, while in some places the decayed
+rafters had given way, leaving formidable gaps. The numerous
+weather-cocks that surmounted the towers and chimneys were so rusted
+that they could no longer budge an inch, and pointed persistently in
+various directions. The high dormer windows were partially closed by
+old wooden shutters, warped, split, and in every stage of dilapidation;
+broken stones filled up the loop-holes and openings in the towers; of
+the twelve large windows in the front of the house, eight were boarded
+up; the remaining four had small diamond-shaped panes of thick, greenish
+glass, fitting so loosely in their leaden frames that they shook and
+rattled at every breath of wind; between these windows a great deal of
+the stucco had fallen off, leaving the rough wall exposed to view.
+
+Above the grand old entrance door, whose massive stone frame and lintel
+retained traces of rich ornamentation, almost obliterated by time and
+neglect, was sculptured a coat of arms, now so defaced that the most
+accomplished adept in heraldry would not be able to decipher it. Only
+one leaf of the great double door was ever opened now, for not many
+guests were received or entertained at the chateau in these days of its
+decadence. Swallows had built their nests in every available nook about
+it, and but for a slender thread of smoke rising spirally from a chimney
+at the back of this dismal, half-ruined mansion, the traveller would
+have surely believed it to be uninhabited. This was the only sign of
+life visible about the whole place, like the little cloud upon the
+mirror from the breath of a dying man, which alone gives evidence that
+he still lives.
+
+Upon pushing open the practicable leaf of the great worm-eaten door,
+which yielded reluctantly, and creaked dolefully as it turned upon
+its rusty hinges, the curious visitor entered a sort of portico, more
+ancient than the rest of the building, with fine, large columns of
+bluish granite, and a lofty vaulted roof. At the point of intersection
+of the arches was a stone shield, bearing the same coat of arms that was
+sculptured over the entrance without. This one was in somewhat better
+preservation than the other, and seemed to bear something resembling
+three golden storks (cigognes) on an azure field; though it was so much
+in shadow, and so faded and dingy, that it was impossible to make it out
+clearly. Fastened to the wall, at a convenient height from the ground,
+were great iron extinguishers, blackened by the smoke from torches in
+long by-gone years, and also iron rings, to which the guests' horses
+were made fast in the olden times, when the castle was in its glory. The
+dust that lay thick upon them now showed that it was long since they had
+been made use of.
+
+From this portico--whence a door on either side opened into the main
+building; one leading into a long suite of apartments on the ground
+floor, and the other into what had probably been a guard-room--the
+explorer passed into an interior court, dismal, damp, and bare. In the
+corners nettles and various rank weeds were growing riotously amid the
+great heaps of rubbish fallen from the crumbling cornice high above, and
+grass had sprung up everywhere in the crevices of the stone pavement.
+Opposite the entrance a flight of dilapidated, shaky steps, with a heavy
+stone balustrade, led down into a neglected garden, which was gradually
+becoming a perfect thicket. Excepting in one small bed, where a few
+cabbages were growing, there was no attempt at cultivation, and nature
+had reasserted her rights everywhere else in this abandoned spot,
+taking, apparently, a fierce delight in effacing all traces of man's
+labour. The fruit trees threw out irregular branches without fear of
+the pruning knife; the box, intended to form a narrow border to the
+curiously shaped flower-beds and grass-plots, had grown up unchecked
+into huge, bushy shrubs, while a great variety of sturdy weeds had
+usurped the places formerly devoted to choice plants and beautiful,
+fragrant flowers. Brambles, bristling with sharp thorns, which had
+thrown their long, straggling arms across the paths, caught and tried
+to hold back any bold adventurer who attempted to penetrate into the
+mysterious depths of this desolate wilderness. Solitude is averse to
+being surprised in dishabille, and surrounds herself with all sorts of
+defensive obstacles.
+
+However, the courageous explorer who persisted in following the ancient,
+overgrown alley, and was not to be daunted by formidable briers that
+tore his hands and clothing, nor low-hanging, closely interlaced
+branches that struck him smart blows in the face as he forced his
+way through them, would have reached at last a sort of rocky niche,
+fancifully arranged as a grotto. Besides the masses of ivy, iris and
+gladiolus, that had been carefully planted long ago in the interstices
+of the rock, it was draped with a profusion of graceful wild vines and
+feathery ferns, which half-veiled the marble statue, representing some
+mythological divinity, that still stood in this lonely retreat. It must
+have been intended for Flora or Pomona, but now there were tufts of
+repulsive, venomous-looking mushrooms in the pretty, graceful, little
+basket on her arm, instead of the sculptured fruit or flowers that
+should have filled it. Although her nose was broken, and her fair body
+disfigured by many dark stains, and overgrown in part with clinging
+mosses, it could still plainly be seen that she had once been very
+lovely. At her feet was a marble basin, shaped like a shell, half full
+of discoloured, stagnant water; the lion's head just above it, now
+almost entirely concealed by a thick curtain of leaves, no longer poured
+forth the sparkling stream that used to fall into it with a musical
+murmur. This little grotto, with its fountain and statue, bore witness
+to former wealth; and also to the aesthetic taste of some long-dead
+owner of the domain. The marble goddess was in the Florentine style of
+the Renaissance, and probably the work of one of those Italian sculptors
+who followed in the train of del Rosso or Primaticcio, when they came
+to France at the bidding of that generous patron of the arts, Francis I;
+which time was also, apparently, the epoch of the greatest prosperity of
+this noble family, now so utterly fallen into decay.
+
+Behind the grotto rose a high wall, built of stone, crumbling and mouldy
+now, but still bearing some broken remains of trellis-work, evidently
+intended to be covered with creepers that would entirely conceal the
+wall itself with a rich tapestry of verdure. This was the limit of the
+garden; beyond stretched the wide expanse of the sandy, barren Landes,
+flecked here and there with patches of scanty heather, and scattered
+groves of pine trees.
+
+Turning back towards the chateau it became apparent that this side of
+it was even more neglected and ruinous than the one we have already
+described; the recent poverty-stricken owners having tried to keep up
+appearances as far as possible, and concentrated their efforts upon the
+front of their dilapidated abode. In the stable, where were stalls for
+twenty horses, a miserable, old, white pony stood at an empty manger,
+nibbling disconsolately at a scanty truss of hay, and frequently turning
+his sunken, lack-lustre eyes expectantly towards the door. In front of
+an extensive kennel, where the lord of the manor used to keep a whole
+pack of hounds, a single dog, pathetically thin, lay sleeping tranquilly
+and soundly, apparently so accustomed to the unbroken solitude of the
+place that he had abandoned all habits of watchfulness.
+
+Entering the chateau the visitor found himself in a broad and lofty
+hall, containing a grand old staircase, with a richly carved, wooden
+balustrade--a good deal broken and defaced now, like everything else
+in this doleful Castle Misery. The walls had been elaborately frescoed,
+representing colossal figures of Hercules supporting brackets upon which
+rested the heavily ornamented cornice. Springing from it fantastic vines
+climbed upward on the arched ceiling, and above them the blue sky, faded
+and dingy, was grotesquely variegated with dark spots, caused by
+the water filtering through from the dilapidated roof. Between the
+oft-repeated figures of Hercules were frescoed niches, wherein heads
+of Roman emperors and other illustrious historical characters had been
+depicted in glowing tints; but all were so vague and dim now that they
+were but the ghosts of pictures, which should be described with the
+shadows of words--ordinary terms are too substantial to apply to them.
+The very echoes in this deserted hall seemed startled and amazed as they
+repeated and multiplied the unwonted sound of footsteps.
+
+A door near the head of the first flight of stairs opened into what had
+evidently been the great banqueting hall in the old days when sumptuous
+repasts and numerous guests were not uncommon things in the chateau. A
+huge beam divided the lofty ceiling into two compartments, which were
+crossed at regular intervals by smaller joists, richly carved, and
+retaining some traces of gilding. The spaces between had been originally
+of a deep blue tint, almost lost now under the thick coating of dust and
+spiders' webs that no housemaid's mop ever invaded. Above the grand old
+chimney-piece was a noble stag's head, with huge, spreading antlers, and
+on the walls hung rows of ancient family portraits, so faded and mouldy
+now that most of the faces had a ghastly hue, and at night, by the dim,
+flickering lamp-light, they looked like a company of spectres. Nothing
+in the world is sadder than a collection of old portraits hanging
+thus, neglected and forgotten, in deserted halls--representations, half
+obliterated themselves, of forms and faces long since returned to dust.
+Yet these painted phantoms were most appropriate inhabitants of this
+desolate abode; real living people would have seemed out of place in the
+death-stricken house.
+
+In the middle of the room stood an immense dining-table of dark,
+polished wood, much worm-eaten, and gradually falling into decay. Two
+tall buffets, elaborately carved and ornamented, stood on opposite sides
+of the room, with only a few odd pieces of Palissy ware, representing
+lizards, crabs, and shell-fish, reposing on shiny green leaves, and two
+or three delicate wine-glasses of quaint patterns remaining upon the
+shelves where gold and silver plate used to glitter in rich profusion,
+as was the mode in France. The handsome old chairs, with their high,
+carved backs and faded velvet cushions, that had been so firm and
+luxurious once, were tottering and insecure; but it mattered little,
+since no one ever came to sit in them now round the festive board, and
+they stood against the wall in prim order, under the rows of family
+portraits.
+
+A smaller room opened out of this one, hung round with faded, moth-eaten
+tapestry. In one corner stood a large bed, with four tall, twisted
+columns and long, ample curtains of rich brocade, which had been
+delicate green and white, but now were of a dingy, yellowish hue, and
+cut completely through from top to bottom in every fold. An ebony table,
+with some pretty gilded ornaments still clinging to it, a mirror
+dim with age, and two large arm-chairs, covered with worn and faded
+embroidery, that had been wrought by the fair fingers of some noble dame
+long since dead and forgotten, completed the furniture of this dismal
+chamber.
+
+In these two rooms were the latticed windows seen in the front of the
+chateau, and over them still hung long sweeping curtains, so tattered
+and moth-eaten that they were almost falling to pieces. Profound silence
+reigned here, unbroken save by occasional scurrying and squeaking
+of mice behind the wainscot, the gnawing of rats in the wall, or the
+ticking of the death-watch.
+
+From the tapestried chamber a door opened into a long suite of deserted
+rooms, which were lofty and of noble proportions, but devoid of
+furniture, and given up to dust, spiders, and rats. The apartments on
+the floor above them were the home of great numbers of bats, owls, and
+jackdaws, who found ready ingress through the large holes in the roof.
+Every evening they flew forth in flocks, with much flapping of wings,
+and weird, melancholy cries and shrieks, in search of the food not to be
+found in the immediate vicinity of this forlorn mansion.
+
+The apartments on the ground floor contained nothing but a few bundles
+of straw, a heap of corn-cobs, and some antiquated gardening implements.
+In one of them, however, was a rude bed, covered with a single, coarse
+blanket; presumably that of the only domestic remaining in the whole
+establishment.
+
+It was from the kitchen chimney that the little spiral of smoke escaped
+which was seen from without. A few sticks were burning in the wide,
+old-fashioned fireplace, but the flames looked pale under the bright
+light that streamed down upon them through the broad, straight flue. The
+pot that hung from the clumsy iron crane was boiling sleepily, and if
+the curious visitor could have peeped into it he would have seen that
+the little cabbage bed in the garden had contributed of its produce to
+the pot-au-feu. An old black cat was sitting as close to the fire as he
+could without singeing his whiskers, and gravely watching the simmering
+pot with longing eyes. His ears had been closely cropped, and he had
+not a vestige of a tail, so that he looked like one of those grotesque
+Japanese chimeras that everybody is familiar with. Upon the table, near
+at hand, a white plate, a tin drinking cup, and a china dish, bearing
+the family arms stamped in blue, were neatly arranged, evidently in
+readiness for somebody's supper. For a long time the cat remained
+perfectly motionless, intently watching the pot which had almost ceased
+to boil as the fire got low, and the silence continued unbroken; but
+at last a slow, heavy step was heard approaching from without, and
+presently the door opened to admit an old man, who looked half peasant,
+half gentleman's servant. The black cat immediately quitted his place
+by the fire and went to meet him; rubbing himself against the newcomer's
+legs, arching his back and purring loudly; testifying his joy in every
+way possible to him.
+
+"Well, well, Beelzebub," said the old man, bending down and stroking him
+affectionately, "are you really so glad to see me? Yes, I know you are,
+and it pleases me, old fellow, so it does. We are so lonely here, my
+poor young master and I, that even the welcome of a dumb beast is not
+to be despised. They do say that you have no soul, Beelzebub, but you
+certainly do love us, and understand most times what we say to you too."
+These greetings exchanged, Beelzebub led the way back to the fire, and
+then with beseeching eyes, looking alternately from the face of his
+friend to the pot-au-feu, seemed mutely begging for his share of its
+contents. Poor Beelzebub was growing so old that he could no longer
+catch as many rats and mice as his appetite craved, and he was evidently
+very hungry.
+
+Pierre, that was the old servant's name, threw more wood on the
+smouldering fire, and then sat down on a settle in the chimney corner,
+inviting his companion--who had to wait still for his supper as
+patiently as he might--to take a seat beside him. The firelight shone
+full upon the old man's honest, weather-beaten face, the few scattered
+locks of snow-white hair escaping from under his dark blue woollen
+cap, his thick, black eyebrows and deep wrinkles. He had the usual
+characteristics of the Basque race; a long face, hooked nose, and dark,
+gipsy-like complexion. He wore a sort of livery, which was so old and
+threadbare that it would be impossible to make out its original colour,
+and his stiff, soldier-like carriage and movements proclaimed that he
+had at some time in his life served in a military capacity. "The young
+master is late to-night," he muttered to himself, as the daylight faded.
+"What possible pleasure can he find in these long, solitary rambles over
+the dunes? It is true though that it is so dreary here, in this lonely,
+dismal house, that any other place is preferable."
+
+At this moment a joyous barking was heard without, the old pony in the
+stable stamped and whinnied, and the cat jumped down from his place
+beside Pierre and trotted off towards the door with great alacrity. In
+an instant the latch was lifted, and the old servant rose, taking off
+his woollen cap respectfully, as his master came into the kitchen. He
+was preceded by the poor old dog, trying to jump up on him, but falling
+back every time without being able to reach his face, and Beelzebub
+seemed to welcome them both--showing no evidence of the antipathy
+usually existing between the feline and canine races; on the contrary,
+receiving Miraut with marks of affection which were fully reciprocated.
+
+The Baron de Sigognac, for it was indeed the lord of the manor who now
+entered, was a young man of five or six and twenty; though at first
+sight he seemed much older, because of the deep gravity, even sadness,
+of his demeanour; the feeling of utter powerlessness which poverty
+brings having effectually chased away all the natural piety and
+light-heartedness of youth. Dark circles surrounded his sunken eyes, his
+cheeks were hollow, his mustache drooped in a sorrowful curve over his
+sad mouth. His long black hair was negligently pushed back from his
+pale face, and showed a want of care remarkable in a young man who was
+strikingly handsome, despite his doleful desponding expression. The
+constant pressure of a crushing grief had drawn sorrowful lines in a
+countenance that a little animation would have rendered charming. All
+the elasticity and hopefulness natural to his age seemed to have been
+lost in his useless struggles against an unhappy fate. Though his frame
+was lithe, vigorous, and admirably proportioned, all his movements were
+slow and apathetic, like those of an old man. His gestures were entirely
+devoid of animation, his whole expression inert, and it was evidently
+a matter of perfect indifference to him where he might chance to find
+himself at home, in his dismal chateau, or abroad in the desolate
+Landes.
+
+He had on an old gray felt hat, much too large for him, with a dingy,
+shabby feather, that drooped as if it felt heartily ashamed of itself,
+and the miserable condition to which it was reduced. A broad collar
+of guipure lace, ragged in many places, was turned down over a
+just-au-corps, which had been cut for a taller and much stouter man than
+the slender, young baron. The sleeves of his doublet were so long that
+they fell over his hands, which were small and shapely, and there were
+large iron spurs on the clumsy, old-fashioned riding-boots he wore.
+These shabby, antiquated clothes had belonged to his father; they were
+made according to the fashion that prevailed during the preceding
+reign; and the poor young nobleman, whose appearance in them was both
+ridiculous and touching, might have been taken for one of his own
+ancestors. Although he tenderly cherished his father's memory, and tears
+often came into his eyes as he put on these garments that had seemed
+actually a part of him, yet it was not from choice that young de
+Sigognac availed himself of the paternal wardrobe. Unfortunately he had
+no other clothes, save those of his boyhood, long ago outgrown, and so
+he was thankful to have these, distasteful as they could not fail to be
+to him. The peasants, who had been accustomed to hold them in respect
+when worn by their old seignior, did not think it strange or absurd to
+see them on his youthful successor; just as they did not seem to notice
+or be aware of the half-ruined condition of the chateau. It had come so
+gradually that they were thoroughly used to it, and took it as a matter
+of course. The Baron de Sigognac, though poverty-stricken and forlorn,
+was still in their eyes the noble lord of the manor; the decadence of
+the family did not strike them at all as it would a stranger; and yet it
+was a grotesquely melancholy sight to see the poor young nobleman pass
+by, in his shabby old clothes, on his miserable old pony, and followed
+by his forlorn old dog.
+
+The baron sat down in silence at the table prepared for him, having
+recognised Pierre's respectful salute by a kindly gesture. The old
+servant immediately busied himself in serving his master's frugal
+supper; first pouring the hot soup--which was of that kind, popular
+among the poor peasantry of Gascony, called "garbure"--upon some bread
+cut into small pieces in an earthen basin, which he set before the
+baron; then, fetching from the cupboard a dish of bacon, cold, and
+cooked in Gascon fashion, he placed that also upon the table, and had
+nothing else to add to this meagre repast. The baron ate it slowly,
+with an absent air, while Miraut and Beelzebub, one on each side of him,
+received their full share from his kind hand.
+
+The supper finished, he fell into a deep reverie. Miraut had laid his
+head caressingly upon his master's knee, and looked up into his face
+with loving, intelligent eyes, somewhat dimmed by age, but still seeming
+to understand his thoughts and sympathize with his sadness. Beelzebub
+purred loudly meantime, and occasionally mewed plaintively to attract
+his attention, while Pierre stood in a respectful attitude, cap in hand,
+at a little distance, motionless as a statue, waiting patiently until
+his master's wandering thoughts should return. By this time the darkness
+had fallen, and the flickering radiance from the few sticks blazing
+in the great fireplace made strange effects of light and shade in the
+spacious old kitchen. It was a sad picture; this last scion of a noble
+race, formerly rich and powerful, left wandering like an uneasy ghost in
+the castle of his ancestors, with but one faithful old servant remaining
+to him of the numerous retinue of the olden times; one poor old dog,
+half starved, and gray with age, where used to be a pack of thirty
+hounds; one miserable, superannuated pony in the stable where twenty
+horses had been wont to stand; and one old cat to beg for caresses from
+his hand.
+
+At last the baron roused himself, and signed to Pierre that he wished to
+retire to his own chamber; whereupon the servant lighted a pine knot at
+the fire, and preceded his master up the stairs, Miraut and Beelzebub
+accompanying them. The smoky, flaring light of the torch made the faded
+figures on the wall seem to waver and move as they passed through the
+hall and up the broad staircase, and gave a strange, weird expression to
+the family portraits that looked down upon this little procession as
+it moved by below them. When they reached the tapestried chamber Pierre
+lighted a little copper lamp, and then bade the baron good-night,
+followed by Miraut as he retraced his steps to the kitchen; but
+Beelzebub, being a privileged character, remained, and curled himself up
+comfortably in one of the old arm-chairs, while his master threw himself
+listlessly into the other, in utter despair at the thought of his
+miserable loneliness, and aimless, hopeless life. If the chamber seemed
+dreary and forlorn by day, it was far more so by night. The faded
+figures in the tapestry had an uncanny look; especially one, a hunter,
+who might have passed for an assassin, just taking aim at his victim.
+The smile on his startlingly red lips, in reality only a self-satisfied
+smirk, was fairly devilish in that light, and his ghastly face horribly
+life-like. The lamp burned dimly in the damp heavy air, the wind sighed
+and moaned along the corridors, and strange, frightful sounds came
+from the deserted chambers close at hand. The storm that had long been
+threatening had come at last, and large, heavy rain-drops were driven
+violently against the window-panes by gusts of wind that made them
+rattle loudly in their leaden frames. Sometimes it seemed as if the
+whole sash would give way before the fiercer blasts, as though a giant
+had set his knee against it, and was striving to force an entrance. Now
+and again, when the wind lulled for a moment while it gathered strength
+for a fresh assault, the horrid shriek of an owl would be heard above
+the dashing of the rain that was falling in torrents.
+
+The master of this dismal mansion paid little attention to this
+lugubrious symphony, but Beelzebub was very uneasy, starting up at every
+sound, and peering into the shadowy corners of the room, as if he could
+see there something invisible to human eyes. The baron took up a little
+book that was lying upon the table, glanced at the familiar arms stamped
+upon its tarnished cover, and opening it, began to read in a listless,
+absent way. His eyes followed the smooth rhythm of Ronsard's ardent
+love-songs and stately sonnets, but his thoughts were wandering far
+afield, and he soon threw the book from him with an impatient gesture,
+and began slowly unfastening his garments, with the air of a man who is
+not sleepy, but only goes to bed because he does not know what else to
+do with himself, and has perhaps a faint hope of forgetting his troubles
+in the embrace of Morpheus, most blessed of all the gods. The sand runs
+so slowly in the hour-glass on a dark, stormy night, in a half-ruined
+castle, ten leagues away from any living soul.
+
+The poor young baron, only surviving representative of an ancient and
+noble house, had much indeed to make him melancholy and despondent. His
+ancestors had worked their own ruin, and that of their descendants,
+in various ways. Some by gambling, some in the army, some by undue
+prodigality in living--in order that they might shine at court--so that
+each generation had left the estate more and more diminished. The fiefs,
+the farms, the land surrounding the chateau itself, all had been sold,
+one after the other, and the last baron, after desperate efforts to
+retrieve the fallen fortunes of the family--efforts which came too late,
+for it is useless to try to stop the leaks after the vessel has gone
+down--had left his son nothing but this half-ruined chateau and the few
+acres of barren land immediately around it. The unfortunate child
+had been born and brought up in poverty. His mother had died young,
+broken-hearted at the wretched prospects of her only son; so that he
+could not even remember her sweet caresses and tender, loving care. His
+father had been very stern with him; punishing him severely for the
+most trivial offences; yet he would have been glad now even of his sharp
+rebukes, so terribly lonely had he been for the last four years; ever
+since his father was laid in the family vault. His youthful pride would
+not allow him to associate with the noblesse of the province without
+the accessories suitable to his rank, though he would have been received
+with open arms by them, so his solitude was never invaded. Those who
+knew his circumstances respected as well as pitied the poor, proud young
+baron, while many of the former friends of the family believed that it
+was extinct; which indeed it inevitably would be, with this its only
+remaining scion, if things went on much longer as they had been going
+for many years past.
+
+The baron had not yet removed a single garment when his attention was
+attracted by the strange uneasiness of Beelzebub, who finally jumped
+down from his arm-chair, went straight to one of the windows, and
+raising himself on his hind legs put his fore-paws on the casing
+and stared out into the thick darkness, where it was impossible to
+distinguish anything but the driving rain. A loud howl from Miraut at
+the same moment proclaimed that he too was aroused, and that something
+very unusual must be going on in the vicinity of the chateau, ordinarily
+as quiet as the grave. Miraut kept up persistently a furious barking,
+and the baron gave up all idea of going to bed. He hastily readjusted
+his dress, so that he might be in readiness for whatever should happen,
+and feeling a little excited at this novel commotion.
+
+"What can be the matter with poor old Miraut? He usually sleeps from
+sunset to sunrise without making a sound, save his snores. Can it be
+that a wolf is prowling about the place?" said the young man to
+himself, as he buckled the belt of his sword round his slender waist.
+A formidable weapon it was, that sword, with long blade, and heavy iron
+scabbard.
+
+At that moment three loud knocks upon the great outer door resounded
+through the house. Who could possibly have strayed here at this hour, so
+far from the travelled roads, and in this tempest that was making
+night horrible without? No such thing had occurred within the baron's
+recollection. What could it portend?
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II. THE CHARIOT OF THESPIS
+
+The Baron de Sigognac went down the broad staircase without a moment's
+delay to answer this mysterious summons, protecting with his hand the
+feeble flame of the small lamp he carried from the many draughts that
+threatened to blow it out. The light, shining through his slender
+fingers, gave them a rosy tinge, so that he merited the epithet applied
+by Homer, the immortal bard, to the laughing, beautiful Aurora, even
+though he advanced through the thick darkness with his usual melancholy
+mien, and followed by a black cat, instead of preceding the glorious god
+of day.
+
+Setting down his lamp in a sheltered corner, he proceeded to take down
+the massive bar that secured the door, cautiously opened the practicable
+leaf, and found himself face to face with a man, upon whom the light of
+the lamp shone sufficiently to show rather a grotesque figure, standing
+uncovered in the pelting rain. His head was bald and shining, with a
+few locks of gray hair clustering about the temples. A jolly red nose,
+bulbous in form, a small pair of twinkling, roguish eyes, looking out
+from under bushy, jet-black eyebrows, flabby cheeks, over which was
+spread a network of purplish fibres, full, sensual lips, and a scanty,
+straggling beard, that scarcely covered the short, round chin, made up
+a physiognomy worthy to serve as the model for a Silenus; for it was
+plainly that of a wine-bibber and bon vivant. Yet a certain expression
+of good humour and kindness, almost of gentleness, redeemed what would
+otherwise have been a repulsive face. The comical little wrinkles
+gathering about the eyes, and the merry upward turn of the comers of the
+mouth, showed a disposition to smile as he met the inquiring gaze of
+the young baron, but he only bowed repeatedly and profoundly, with
+exaggerated politeness and respect.
+
+This extraordinary pantomime finished, with a grand flourish, the
+burlesque personage, still standing uncovered in the pouring rain,
+anticipated the question upon de Sigognac's lips, and began at once the
+following address, in an emphatic and declamatory tone:
+
+"I pray you deign to excuse, noble seignior, my having come thus to
+knock at the gates of your castle in person at this untimely hour,
+without sending a page or a courier in advance, to announce my approach
+in a suitable manner. Necessity knows no law, and forces the most
+polished personages to be guilty of gross breaches of etiquette at
+times."
+
+"What is it you want?" interrupted the baron, in rather a peremptory
+tone, annoyed by the absurd address of this strange old creature, whose
+sanity he began to doubt.
+
+"Hospitality, most noble seignior; hospitality for myself and my
+comrades--princes and princesses, heroes and beauties, men of letters
+and great captains, pretty waiting-maids and honest valets, who travel
+through the provinces from town to town in the chariot of Thespis, drawn
+by oxen, as in the ancient times. This chariot is now hopelessly stuck
+in the mud only a stone's throw from your castle, my noble lord."
+
+"If I understand aright what you say," answered the baron, "you are a
+strolling band of players, and have lost your way. Though my house is
+sadly dilapidated, and I cannot offer you more than mere shelter, you
+are heartily welcome to that, and will be better off within here than
+exposed to the fury of this wild storm."
+
+The pedant--for such seemed to be his character in the troupe--bowed his
+acknowledgments.
+
+During this colloquy, Pierre, awakened by Miraut's loud barking, had
+risen and joined his master at the door. As soon as he was informed of
+what had occurred, he lighted a lantern, and with the baron set forth,
+under the guidance of the droll old actor, to find and rescue the
+chariot in distress. When they reached it Leander and Matamore were
+tugging vainly at the wheels, while his majesty, the king, pricked up
+the weary oxen with the point of his dagger. The actresses, wrapped in
+their cloaks and seated in the rude chariot, were in despair, and much
+frightened as well--wet and weary too, poor things. This most welcome
+re-enforcement inspired all with fresh courage, and, guided by Pierre's
+suggestions, they soon succeeded in getting the unwieldy vehicle out
+of the quagmire and into the road leading to the chateau, which was
+speedily reached, and the huge equipage safely piloted through the grand
+portico into the interior court. The oxen were at once taken from before
+it and led into the stable, while the actresses followed de Sigognac up
+to the ancient banqueting hall, which was the most habitable room in the
+chateau. Pierre brought some wood, and soon had a bright fire blazing
+cheerily in the great fireplace. It was needed, although but the
+beginning of September and the weather still warm, to dry the dripping
+garments of the company; and besides, the air was so damp and chilly in
+this long disused apartment that the genial warmth and glow of the fire
+were welcome to all.
+
+Although the strolling comedians were accustomed to find themselves in
+all sorts of odd, strange lodgings in the course of their wanderings,
+they now looked with astonishment at their extraordinary surroundings;
+being careful, however, like well-bred people, not to manifest too
+plainly the surprise they could not help feeling.
+
+"I regret very much that I cannot offer you a supper," said their young
+host, when all had assembled round the fire, "but my larder is so bare
+that a mouse could not find enough for a meal in it. I live quite alone
+in this house with my faithful old Pierre; never visited by anybody;
+and you can plainly perceive, without my telling you, that plenty does
+not abound here."
+
+"Never mind that, noble seignior," answered Blazius, the pedant, "for
+though on the stage we may sit down to mock repasts--pasteboard fowls
+and wooden bottles--we are careful to provide ourselves with more
+substantial and savoury viands in real life. As quartermaster of
+the troupe I always have in reserve a Bayonne ham, a game pasty, or
+something, of that sort, with at least a dozen bottles of good old
+Bordeaux."
+
+"Bravo, sir pedant," cried Leander, "do you go forthwith and fetch in
+the provisions; and if his lordship will permit, and deign to join us,
+we will have our little feast here. The ladies will set the table for us
+meanwhile I am sure."
+
+The baron graciously nodded his assent, being in truth so amazed at the
+whole proceeding that he could not easily have found words just then;
+and he followed with wondering and admiring eyes the graceful movements
+of Serafina and Isabelle, who, quitting their seats by the fire,
+proceeded to arrange upon the worn but snow-white cloth that Pierre
+had spread on the ancient dining-table, the plates and other necessary
+articles that the old servant brought forth from the recesses of the
+carved buffets. The pedant quickly came back, carrying a large basket
+in each hand, and with a triumphant air placed a huge pasty of most
+tempting appearance in the middle of the table. To this he added a large
+smoked tongue, some slices of rosy Bayonne ham, and six bottles of wine.
+
+Beelzebub watched these interesting preparations from a distance with
+eager eyes, but was too much afraid of all these strangers to approach
+and claim a share of the good things on the table. The poor beast was
+so accustomed to solitude and quiet, never seeing any one beyond his
+beloved master and Pierre, that he was horribly frightened at the sudden
+irruption of these noisy newcomers.
+
+Finding the feeble light of the baron's small lamp rather dim, Matamore
+bad gone out to the chariot and brought back two showy candelabra, which
+ordinarily did duty on the stage. They each held several candles, which,
+in addition to the warm radiance from the blazing fire, made quite
+a brilliant illumination in this room, so lately dark, cheerless, and
+deserted. It had become warm and comfortable by this time; its family
+portraits and tarnished splendour looked their best in the bright, soft
+light, which had chased away the dark shadows and given a new beauty to
+everything it fell upon; the whole place was metamorphosed; a festive
+air prevailed, and the ancient banqueting hall once more resounded with
+cheery voices and gay laughter.
+
+The poor young baron, to whom all this had been intensely disagreeable
+at first, became aware of a strange feeling of comfort and pleasure
+stealing over him, to which, after a short struggle, he finally yielded
+himself entirely. Isabelle, Serafina, even the pretty soubrette, seemed
+to him, unaccustomed as he was to feminine beauty and grace, like
+goddesses come down from Mount Olympus, rather than mere ordinary
+mortals. They were all very pretty, and well fitted to turn heads far
+more experienced than his. The whole thing was like a delightful dream
+to him; he almost doubted the evidence of his own senses, and every few
+minutes found himself dreading the awakening, and the vanishing of the
+entrancing vision.
+
+When all was ready de Sigognac led Isabelle and Serafina to the table,
+placing one on each side of him, with the pretty soubrette opposite.
+Mme. Leonarde, the duenna of the troupe, sat beside the pedant,
+Leander, Matamore, his majesty the tyrant, and Scapin finding places
+for themselves. The youthful host was now able to study the faces of his
+guests at his ease, as they sat round the table in the full light of the
+candles burning upon it in the two theatrical candelabra. He turned his
+attention to the ladies first, and it perhaps will not be out of place
+to give a little sketch of them here, while the pedant attacks the
+gigantic game pasty.
+
+Serafina, the "leading lady" of the troupe, was a handsome young woman
+of four or five and twenty, who had quite a grand air, and was as
+dignified and graceful withal as any veritable noble dame who shone
+at the court of his most gracious majesty, Louis XIII. She had an oval
+face, slightly aquiline nose, large gray eyes, bright red lips--the
+under one full and pouting, like a ripe cherry---a very fair complexion,
+with a beautiful colour in her cheeks when she was animated or excited,
+and rich masses of dark brown hair most becomingly arranged. She wore
+a round felt hat, with the wide rim turned up at one side, and trimmed
+with long, floating plumes. A broad lace collar was turned down over
+her dark green velvet dress, which was elaborately braided, and fitted
+closely to a fine, well-developed figure. A long, black silk scarf was
+worn negligently around her shapely shoulders and although both velvet
+and silk were old and dingy, and the feathers in her hat wet and limp,
+they were still very effective, and she looked like a young queen who
+had strayed away from her realm; the freshness and radiant beauty of her
+face more than made up for the shabbiness of her dress, and de Sigognac
+was fairly dazzled by her many charms.
+
+Isabelle was much more youthful than Serafina, as was requisite for her
+role of ingenuous young girl, and far more simply dressed. She had a
+sweet, almost childlike face, beautiful, silky, chestnut hair, with
+golden lights in it, dark, sweeping lashes veiling her large, soft eyes,
+a little rosebud of a mouth, and an air of modesty and purity that was
+evidently natural to her--not assumed. A gray silk gown, simply made,
+showed to advantage her slender, graceful form, which seemed far too
+fragile to endure the hardships inseparable from the wandering life she
+was leading. A high Elizabethan ruff made a most becoming frame for her
+sweet, delicately tinted, young face, and her only ornament was a string
+of pearl beads, clasped round her slender, white neck. Though her beauty
+was less striking at first sight than Serafina's, it was of a higher
+order: not dazzling like hers, but surpassingly lovely in its exquisite
+purity and freshness, and promising to eclipse the other's more
+showy charms, when the half-opened bud should have expanded into the
+full-blown flower.
+
+The soubrette was like a beautiful Gipsy, with a clear, dark complexion,
+rich, mantling colour in her velvety cheeks, intensely black hair--long,
+thick, and wavy--great, flashing, brown eyes, and rather a large mouth,
+with ripe, red lips, and dazzling white teeth--one's very beau-ideal of
+a bewitching, intriguing waiting-maid, and one that might be a dangerous
+rival to any but a surpassingly lovely and fascinating mistress. She was
+one of the beauties that women are not apt to admire, but men rave about
+and run after the world over. She wore a fantastic costume of blue and
+yellow, which was odd, piquant, and becoming, and seemed fully conscious
+of her own charms.
+
+Mme. Leonarde, the "noble mother" of the troupe dressed all in black,
+like a Spanish duenna, was portly of figure, with a heavy, very pale
+face, double chin, and intensely black eyes, that had a crafty, slightly
+malicious expression. She had been upon the stage from her early
+childhood, passing through all the different phases, and was an actress
+of decided talent, often still winning enthusiastic applause at the
+expense of younger and more attractive women, who were inclined to think
+her something of an old sorceress.
+
+So much for the feminine element. The principal roles were all
+represented; and if occasionally a re-enforcement was required, they
+could almost always pick up some provincial actress, or even an
+amateur, at a pinch. The actors were five in number: The pedant, already
+described, who rejoiced in the name of Blazitis; Leander; Herode, the
+tragic tyrant; Matamore, the bully; and Scapin, the intriguing valet.
+
+Leander, the romantic, irresistible, young lover--darling of the
+ladies--was a tall, fine-looking fellow of about thirty, though
+apparently much more youthful, thanks to the assiduous care he bestowed
+on his handsome person. His slightly curly, black hair was worn long,
+so that he might often have occasion to push it back from his forehead,
+with a hand as white and delicate as a woman's, upon one of whose taper
+fingers sparkled an enormous diamond--a great deal too big to be real.
+He was rather fancifully dressed, and always falling into such graceful,
+languishing attitudes as he thought would be admired by the fair sex,
+whose devoted slave he was. This Adonis never for one moment laid aside
+his role. He punctuated his sentences with sighs, even when speaking of
+the most indifferent matters, and assumed all sorts of preposterous airs
+and graces, to the secret amusement of his companions. But he had great
+success among the ladies, who all flattered him and declared he was
+charming, until they had turned his head completely; and it was his firm
+belief that he was irresistibly fascinating.
+
+The tyrant was the most good-natured, easy-going creature imaginable;
+but, strangely enough, gifted by nature with all the external signs of
+ferocity. With his tall, burly frame, very dark skin, immensely thick,
+shaggy eyebrows, black as jet, crinkly, bushy hair of the same hue, and
+long beard, that grew far up on his cheeks, he was a very formidable,
+fierce-looking fellow; and when he spoke, his loud, deep voice made
+everything ring again. He affected great dignity, and filled his role to
+perfection.
+
+Matamore was as different as possible, painfully thin--scarcely more
+than mere skin and bones--a living skeleton with a large hooked nose,
+set in a long, narrow face, a huge mustache turned up at the ends, and
+flashing, black eyes. His excessively tall, lank figure was so emaciated
+that it was like a caricature of a man. The swaggering air suitable to
+his part had become habitual with him, and he walked always with immense
+strides, head well thrown back, and hand on the pommel of the huge sword
+he was never seen without.
+
+As to Scapin, he looked more like a fox than anything else, and had a
+most villainous countenance; yet he was a good enough fellow in reality.
+
+The painter has a great advantage over the writer, in that he can so
+present the group on his canvas that one glance suffices to take in the
+whole picture, with the lights and shadows, attitudes, costumes, and
+details of every kind, which are sadly wanting in our description--too
+long, though so imperfect--of the party gathered thus unexpectedly round
+our young baron's table. The beginning of the repast was very silent,
+until the most urgent demands of hunger had been satisfied. Poor de
+Sigognac, who had never perhaps at any one time had as much to eat as
+he wanted since he was weaned, attacked the tempting viands with an
+appetite and ardour quite new to him; and that too despite his great
+desire to appear interesting and romantic in the eyes of the beautiful
+young women between whom he was seated. The pedant, very much amused at
+the boyish eagerness and enjoyment of his youthful host, quietly heaped
+choice bits upon his plate, and watched their rapid disappearance with
+beaming satisfaction. Beelzebub had at last plucked up courage and crept
+softly under the table to his master, making his presence known by a
+quick tapping with his fore-paws upon the baron's knees; his claims were
+at once recognised, and he feasted to his heart's content on the savoury
+morsels quietly thrown down to him. Poor old Miraut, who had followed
+Pierre into the room, was not neglected either, and had his full share
+of the good things that found their way to his master's plate.
+
+By this time there was a good deal of laughing and talking round the
+festive board. The baron, though very timid, and much embarrassed, had
+ventured to enter into conversation with his fair neighbours. The pedant
+and the tyrant were loudly discussing the respective merits of tragedy
+and comedy. Leander, like Narcissus of old, was complacently admiring
+his own charms as reflected in a little pocket mirror he always had
+about him. Strange to say he was not a suitor of either Serafina's or
+Isabelle's; fortunately for them he aimed higher, and was always hoping
+that some grand lady, who saw him on the stage, would fall violently in
+love with him, and shower all sorts of favours upon him. He was in the
+habit of boasting that he had had many delightful adventures of the
+kind, which Scapin persistently denied, declaring that to his certain
+knowledge they had never taken place, save in the aspiring lover's own
+vivid imagination. The exasperating valet, malicious as a monkey, took
+the greatest delight in tormenting poor Leander, and never lost
+an opportunity; so now, seeing him absorbed in self-admiration, he
+immediately attacked him, and soon had made him furious. The quarrel
+grew loud and violent, and Leander was heard declaring that he could
+produce a large chest crammed full of love letters, written to him
+by various high and titled ladies; whereupon everybody laughed
+uproariously, while Serafina said to de Sigognac that she for one did
+not admire their taste, and Isabelle silently looked her disgust. The
+baron meantime was more and more charmed with this sweet, dainty young
+girl, and though he was too shy to address any high-flown compliments to
+her, according to the fashion of the day, his eyes spoke eloquently for
+him. She was not at all displeased at his ardent glances, and smiled
+radiantly and encouragingly upon him, thereby unconsciously making poor
+Matamore, who was secretly enamoured of her, desperately unhappy,
+though he well knew that his passion was an utterly hopeless one. A more
+skilful and audacious lover would have pushed his advantage, but our
+poor young hero had not learned courtly manners nor assurance in his
+isolated chateau, and, though he lacked neither wit nor learning, it
+must be confessed that at this moment he did appear lamentably stupid.
+
+All the bottles having been scrupulously emptied, the pedant turned the
+last one of the half dozen upside down, so that every drop might run
+out; which significant action was noted and understood by Matamore, who
+lost no time in bringing in a fresh supply from the chariot. The baron
+began to feel the wine a little in his head, being entirely unaccustomed
+to it, yet he could not resist drinking once again to the health of the
+ladies. The pedant and the tyrant drank like old topers, who can
+absorb any amount of liquor--be it wine, or something stronger--without
+becoming actually intoxicated. Matamore was very abstemious, both in
+eating and drinking, and could have lived like the impoverished
+Spanish hidalgo, who dines on three olives and sups on an air upon his
+mandoline. There was a reason for his extreme frugality; he feared
+that if he ate and drank like other people he might lose his phenomenal
+thinness, which was of inestimable value to him in a professional
+point of view. If he should be so unfortunate as to gain flesh, his
+attractions would diminish in an inverse ratio, so he starved himself
+almost to death, and was constantly seen anxiously examining the buckle
+of his belt, to make sure that he had not increased in girth since his
+last meal. Voluntary Tantalus, he scarcely allowed himself enough to
+keep life in his attenuated frame, and if he had but fasted as carefully
+from motives of piety he would have been a full-fledged saint.
+
+The portly duenna disposed of solids and fluids perseveringly, and
+in formidable quantities, seeming to have an unlimited capacity; but
+Isabelle and Serafina had finished their supper long ago, and were
+yawning wearily behind their pretty, outspread hands, having no fans
+within reach, to conceal these pronounced symptoms of sleepiness.
+
+The baron, becoming aware of this state of things, said to them,
+"Mesdemoiselles, I perceive that you are very weary, and I wish with
+all my heart that I could offer you each a luxurious bed-chamber; but my
+house, like my family, has fallen into decay, and I can only give to you
+and Madame my own room. Fortunately the bed is very large, and you must
+make yourselves as comfortable as you can--for a single night you will
+not mind. As to the gentlemen, I must ask them to remain here with me,
+and try to sleep in the arm-chairs before the fire. I pray you,
+ladies, do not allow yourselves to be startled by the waving of the
+tapestry-which is only due to the strong draughts about the room on a
+stormy night like this--the moaning of the wind in the chimney, or the
+wild scurrying and squeaking of the mice behind the wainscot. I can
+guarantee that no ghosts will disturb you here, though this place does
+look dreary and dismal enough to be haunted."
+
+"I am not a bit of a coward," answered Serafina laughingly, "and will do
+my best to reassure this timid little Isabelle. As to our duenna,--she
+is something of a sorceress herself, and if the devil in person should
+make his appearance he would meet his match in her."
+
+The baron then took a light in his hand and showed the three ladies
+the way into the bed-chamber, which certainly did strike them rather
+unpleasantly at first sight, and looked very eerie in the dim,
+flickering light of the one small lamp.
+
+"What a capital scene it would make for the fifth act of a tragedy,"
+said Serafina, as she looked curiously about her, while poor little
+Isabelle shivered with cold and terror. They all crept into bed without
+undressing, Isabelle begging to lie between Serafina and Mme. Leonarde,
+for she felt nervous and frightened. The other two fell asleep at
+once, but the timid young girl lay long awake, gazing with wide-open,
+straining eyes at the door that led into the shut-up apartments beyond,
+as if she dreaded its opening to admit some unknown horror. But it
+remained fast shut, and though all sorts of mysterious noises made her
+poor little heart flutter painfully, her eyelids closed at last, and she
+forgot her weariness and her fears in profound slumber.
+
+In the other room the pedant slept soundly, with his head on the table,
+and the tyrant opposite to him snored like a giant. Matamore had rolled
+himself up in a cloak and made himself as comfortable as possible
+under the circumstances in a large arm-chair, with his long, thin legs
+extended at full length, and his feet on the fender. Leander slept
+sitting bolt upright, so as not to disarrange his carefully brushed
+hair, and de Sigognac, who had taken possession of a vacant arm-chair,
+was too much agitated and excited by the events of the evening to be
+able to close his eyes. The coming of two beautiful, young women thus
+suddenly into his life--which had been hitherto so isolated, sad and
+dreary, entirely devoid of all the usual pursuits and pleasures of
+youth--could not fail to rouse him from his habitual apathy, and set his
+pulses beating after a new fashion. Incredible as it may seem yet it was
+quite true that our young hero had never had a single love affair. He
+was too proud, as we have already said, to take his rightful place among
+his equals, without any of the appurtenances suitable to his rank, and
+also too proud to associate familiarly with the surrounding peasantry,
+who accorded him as much respect in his poverty as they had ever shown
+to his ancestors in their prosperity. He had no near relatives to come
+to his assistance, and so lived on, neglected and forgotten, in his
+crumbling chateau, with nothing to look forward to or hope for. In
+the course of his solitary wanderings he had several times chanced to
+encounter the young and beautiful Yolande de Foix, following the hounds
+on her snow-white palfrey, in company with her father and a number of
+the young noblemen of the neighbourhood. This dazzling vision of beauty
+often haunted his dreams, but what possible relations could there ever
+be hoped for between the rich, courted heiress, whose suitors were
+legion, and his own poverty-stricken self? Far from seeking to attract
+her attention, he always got out of her sight as quickly as possible,
+lest his ill-fitting, shabby garments and miserable old pony should
+excite a laugh at his expense; for he was very sensitive, this poor
+young nobleman, and could not have borne the least approach to ridicule
+from the fair object of his secret and passionate admiration. He had
+tried his utmost to stifle the ardent emotions that filled his heart
+whenever his thoughts strayed to the beautiful Yolande, realizing how
+far above his reach she was, and he believed that he had succeeded;
+though there were times even yet when it all rushed back upon him with
+overwhelming force, like a huge tidal wave that sweeps everything
+before it.
+
+The night passed quietly at the chateau, without other incident than the
+fright of poor Isabelle, when Beelzebub, who had climbed up on the bed,
+as was his frequent custom, established himself comfortably upon
+her bosom; finding it a deliciously soft, warm resting-place, and
+obstinately resisting her frantic efforts to drive him away.
+
+As to de Sigognac, he did not once close his eyes. A vague project was
+gradually shaping itself in his mind, keeping him wakeful and perplexed.
+The advent of these strolling comedians appeared to him like a stroke of
+fate, an ambassador of fortune, to invite him to go out into the great
+world, away from this old feudal ruin, where his youth was passing in
+misery and inaction--to quit this dreary shade, and emerge into the
+light and life of the outer world.
+
+At last the gray light of the dawn came creeping in through the lattice
+windows, speedily followed by the first bright rays from the rising sun.
+The storm was over, and the glorious god of day rose triumphant in a
+perfectly clear sky. It was a strange group that he peeped in upon,
+where the old family portraits seemed looking down with haughty contempt
+upon the slumbering invaders of their dignified solitude. The soubrette
+was the first to awake, starting up as a warm sunbeam shone caressingly
+full upon her face. She sprang to her feet, shook out her skirts, as a
+bird does its plumage, passed the palms of her hands lightly over her
+glossy bands of jet-black hair, and then seeing that the baron was
+quietly observing her, with eyes that showed no trace of drowsiness, she
+smiled radiantly upon him as she made a low and most graceful curtsey.
+
+"I am very sorry," said de Sigognac, as he rose to acknowledge her
+salute, "that the ruinous condition of this chateau, which verily seems
+better fitted to receive phantoms than real living guests, would not
+permit me to offer you more comfortable accommodations. If I had been
+able to follow my inclinations, I should have lodged you in a luxurious
+chamber, where you could have reposed between fine linen sheets, under
+silken curtains, instead of resting uneasily in that worm-eaten old
+chair."
+
+"Do not be sorry about anything, my lord, I pray you," answered the
+soubrette with another brilliant smile; "but for your kindness we
+should have been in far worse plight; forced to pass the night in the
+poor old chariot, stuck fast in the mud; exposed to the cutting wind and
+pelting rain. We should assuredly have found ourselves in wretched case
+this morning. Besides, this chateau which you speak of so disparagingly
+is magnificence itself in comparison with the miserable barns, open to
+the weather, in which we have sometimes been forced to spend the night,
+trying to sleep as best we might on bundles of straw, and making light
+of our misery to keep our courage up."
+
+While the baron and the actress were exchanging civilities the pedant's
+chair, unable to support his weight any longer, suddenly gave way under
+him, and he fell to the floor with a tremendous crash, which startled
+the whole company. In his fall he had mechanically seized hold of the
+table-cloth, and so brought nearly all the things upon it clattering
+down with him. He lay sprawling like a huge turtle in the midst of them
+until the tyrant, after rubbing his eyes and stretching his burly limbs,
+came to the rescue, and held out a helping hand, by aid of which the old
+actor managed with some difficulty to scramble to his feet.
+
+"Such an accident as that could never happen to Matamore," said Herode,
+with his resounding laugh; "he might fall into a spider's web without
+breaking through it."
+
+"That's true," retorted the shadow of a man, in his turn stretching his
+long attenuated limbs and yawning tremendously, "but then, you know, not
+everybody has the advantage of being a second Polyphemus, a mountain of
+flesh and bones, like you, or a big wine-barrel, like our friend Blazius
+there."
+
+All this commotion had aroused Isabelle, Serafina and the duenna, who
+presently made their appearance. The two younger women, though a little
+pale and weary, yet looked very charming in the bright morning light. In
+de Sigognac's eyes they appeared radiant, in spite of the shabbiness
+of their finery, which was far more apparent now than on the preceding
+evening. But what signify faded ribbons and dingy gowns when the wearers
+are fresh, young and beautiful? Besides, the baron's eyes were so
+accustomed to dinginess that they were not capable of detecting such
+slight defects in the toilets of his fair guests, and he gazed with
+delight upon these bewitching creatures, enraptured with their grace and
+beauty. As to the duenna, she was both old and ugly, and had long ago
+accepted the inevitable with commendable resignation.
+
+As the ladies entered by one door, Pierre came in by the other, bringing
+more wood for the fire, and then proceeding to make the disordered room
+as tidy as he could. All the company now gathered round the cheerful
+blaze that was roaring up the chimney and sending out a warm glow
+that was an irresistible attraction in the chill of the early morning.
+Isabelle knelt down and stretched out the rosy palms of her pretty
+little hands as near to the flames as she dared, while Serafina stood
+behind and laid her hands caressingly on her shoulders, like an elder
+sister taking tender care of a younger one. Matamore stood on one
+leg like a huge heron, leaning against the corner of the carved
+chimney-piece, and seemed inclined to fall asleep again, while the
+pedant was vainly searching for a swallow of wine among the empty
+bottles.
+
+The baron meantime had held a hurried private consultation with Pierre
+as to the possibility of procuring a few eggs, or a fowl or two, at the
+nearest hamlet, so that he might give the travellers something to eat
+before their departure, and he bade the old servant be quick about it,
+for the chariot was to make an early start, as they had a long day's
+journey before them.
+
+"I cannot let you go away fasting, though you will have rather a scanty
+breakfast I fear," he said to his guests, "but it is better to have a
+poor one than none at all; and there is not an inn within six leagues of
+this where you could be sure of getting anything to eat. I will not make
+further apologies, for the condition of everything in this house shows
+you plainly enough that I am not rich; but as my poverty is mainly owing
+to the great expenditures made by my honoured ancestors in many wars for
+the defence of king and country, I do not need to be ashamed of it."
+
+"No indeed, my lord," answered Herode in his deep, bass voice, "and many
+there be in these degenerate days who hold their heads very high because
+of their riches, who would not like to have to confess how they came in
+possession of them."
+
+"What astonishes me," interrupted Blazius, "is that such an accomplished
+young gentleman as your lordship seems to be should be willing to remain
+here in this isolated spot, where Fortune cannot reach you even if she
+would. You ought to go to Paris, the great capital of the world, the
+rendezvous of brave and learned men, the El Dorado, the promised land,
+the Paradise of all true Frenchmen. There you would be sure to make
+your way, either in attaching yourself to the household of some great
+nobleman, a friend of your family, or in performing some brilliant deed
+of valour, the opportunity for which will not be long to find."
+
+These words, although rather high-flown, were not devoid of sense, and
+de Sigognac could not help secretly admitting that there was some truth
+in them. He had often, during his long rambles over the desolate Landes,
+thought wishfully of undertaking what the pedant had just proposed; but
+he had not money enough for the journey even, and he did not know where
+to look for more. Though brave and high-spirited, he was very sensitive,
+and feared a smile of derision more than a sword-thrust. He was not
+familiar with the prevailing fashions in dress, but he felt that his
+antiquated costume was ridiculous as well as shabby, and sure to be
+laughed at anywhere but among his own simple peasantry. Like most of
+those who are disheartened and crushed by extreme poverty, he only
+looked at the dark side of things, and made no allowance for any
+possible advantages. Perhaps he might have been delicately as well as
+generously assisted by some of his father's old friends if he would only
+have let them know of his situation, but his pride held him back, and he
+would have died of starvation rather than ask for aid in any form.
+
+"I used to think sometimes of going to Paris," he answered slowly, after
+some hesitation, "but I have no friends or even acquaintances there; and
+the descendants of those who perhaps knew my ancestors when they were
+rich and powerful, and in favour at court, could scarcely be expected
+to welcome a poverty-stricken Baron de Sigognac, who came swooping down
+from his ruined tower to try and snatch a share of any prey that chanced
+to lie within reach of his talons. And besides--I do not know why I
+should be ashamed to acknowledge it--I have not any of the appurtenances
+suitable to my rank, and could not present myself upon a footing worthy
+of my name. I doubt if I have even money enough for the expenses of the
+journey alone, and that in the humblest fashion."
+
+"But it is not necessary," Blazius hastened to reply, "that you should
+make a state entry into the capital, like a Roman emperor, in a gilded
+chariot drawn by four white horses abreast. If our humble equipage does
+not appear too unworthy to your lordship, come with us to Paris; we are
+on our way there now. Many a man shines there to-day in brave apparel,
+and enjoys high favour at court, who travelled thither on foot, carrying
+his little bundle over his shoulder, swung on the point of his rapier,
+and his shoes in his hand, for fear of wearing them out on the way."
+
+A slight flush, partly of shame, partly of pleasure, rose to de
+Sigognac's cheek at this speech. If on the one side his pride revolted
+at the idea of being under an obligation to such a person as the pedant,
+on the other he was touched and gratified by this kind proposition so
+frankly made, and which, moreover, accorded so well with his own secret
+desires. He feared also that if he refused the actor's kindly-meant
+offer he would wound his feelings, and perhaps miss an opportunity that
+would never be afforded to him again. It is true that the idea of a
+descendant of the noble old house of Sigognac travelling in the chariot
+of a band of strolling players, and making common cause with them, was
+rather shocking at first sight, but surely it would be better than to
+go on any longer leading his miserable, hopeless life in this
+dismal, deserted place. He wavered between those two decisive little
+monosyllables, yes and no, and could by no means reach a satisfactory
+conclusion, when Isabelle, who had been watching the colloquy with
+breathless interest, advanced smilingly to where he was standing
+somewhat apart with Blazius, and addressed the following words to him,
+which speedily put an end to all his uncertainty:
+
+"Our poet, having fallen heir to a fortune, has lately left us, and
+his lordship would perhaps be good enough to take his place. I found
+accidentally, in opening a volume of Ronsard's poems that lay upon the
+table in his room, a piece of paper with a sonnet written upon it, which
+must be of his composition, and proves him not unaccustomed to writing
+in verse. He could rearrange our parts for us, make the necessary
+alterations and additions in the new plays we undertake, and even
+perhaps write a piece for us now and then. I have now a very pretty
+little Italian comedy by me, which, with some slight modifications,
+would suit us nicely, and has a really charming part for me."
+
+With her last words, accompanied though they were with a smile, she gave
+the baron such a sweet, wistful look that he could no longer resist; but
+the appearance of Pierre at this moment with a large omelette created
+a diversion, and interrupted this interesting conversation. They all
+immediately gathered round the table, and attacked the really good
+breakfast, which the old servant had somehow managed to put before them,
+with great zest. As to de Sigognac, he kept them company merely out of
+politeness, and trifled with what was on his plate while the others were
+eating, having partaken too heartily of the supper the night before to
+be hungry now, and, besides, being so much preoccupied with weightier
+matters that he was not able to pay much attention to this.
+
+After the meat was finished, and while the chariot was being made ready
+for a start, Isabelle and Serafina expressed a desire to go into the
+garden, which they looked down upon from the court.
+
+"I am afraid," said de Sigognac, as he aided them to descend the
+unsteady, slippery stone steps, "that the briers will make sad work with
+your dresses, for thorns abound in my neglected garden, though roses do
+not."
+
+The young baron said this in the sad, ironical tone he usually adopted
+when alluding to his poverty; but a moment after they suddenly came upon
+two exquisite little wild roses, blooming directly in their path. With
+an exclamation of surprise de Sigognac gathered them, and as he offered
+one to each lady, said, with a smile, "I did not know there was anything
+of this sort here, having never found aught but rank weeds and brambles
+before; it is your gracious presence that has brought forth these two
+blossoms in the midst of ruin and desolation."
+
+Isabelle put her little rose carefully in the bosom of her dress, giving
+him her thanks mutely by an eloquent glance, which spoke more perhaps
+than she knew, and brought a flush of pleasure to his cheeks. They
+walked on to the statue in its rocky niche at the end of the garden, de
+Sigognac carefully bending back the branches that obstructed the way.
+The young girl looked round with a sort of tender interest at this
+overgrown, neglected spot, so thoroughly in keeping with the ruined
+chateau that frowned down upon them, and thought pityingly of the long,
+dreary hours that the poor baron must have spent here in solitude and
+despair. Serafina's face only expressed a cold disdain, but slightly
+masked by politeness. To her mind the ruinous condition of things was
+anything but interesting, and though she dearly loved a title she had
+still greater respect for wealth and magnificence.
+
+"My domain ends here," said the baron, as they reached the grotto of the
+statue, "though formerly all the surrounding country, as far as the
+eye can reach from the top of that high tower yonder, belonged to my
+ancestors. But barely enough remains now to afford me a shelter until
+the day comes when the last of the de Sigognacs shall be laid to rest
+amid his forefathers in the family vault, thenceforward their sole
+possession."
+
+"Do you know you are very much out of spirits this morning?" said
+Isabelle in reply, touched by the expression of this sad thought that
+had occurred to her also, and assuming a bright, playful air, in the
+hope that it might help to chase away the heavy shadow that lay upon
+her young host's brow. "Fortune is blind, they say, but nevertheless she
+does sometimes shower her good gifts upon the worthy and the brave; the
+only thing is that they must put themselves in her way. Come, decide to
+go with us, and perhaps in a few years the Chateau de Sigognac, restored
+to its ancient splendour, may loom up as proudly as of old; think of
+that, my lord, and take courage to quit it for a time. And besides," she
+added in a lower tone that only de Sigognac could hear, "I cannot bear
+to go away and leave you here alone in this dreary place."
+
+The soft light that shone in Isabelle's beautiful eyes as she murmured
+these persuasive words was irresistible to the man who already loved her
+madly; and the idea of following his divinity in a humble disguise,
+as many a noble knight had done of old, reconciled him to what would
+otherwise have seemed too incongruous and humiliating. It could not be
+considered derogatory to any gentleman to accompany his lady-love, be
+she what she might, actress or princess, and to attach himself, for love
+of her bright eyes, to even a band of strolling players. The mischievous
+little boy of the bow had compelled even gods and heroes to submit to
+all sorts of odd tests and means. Jupiter himself took the form of a
+bull to carry off Europa, and swam across the sea with her upon his
+back to the island of Crete. Hercules, dressed as a woman, sat spinning
+meekly at Omphale's feet. Even Aristotle went upon all fours that his
+mistress might ride on his back. What wonder then that our youthful
+baron thought that nothing could be too difficult or repulsive in the
+service of the lovely being at his side! So he decided at once not
+to let her leave him behind, and begging the comedians to wait a few
+moments while he made his hurried preparations, drew Pierre aside and
+told him in few words of his new project. The faithful old servant,
+although nearly heart-broken at the thought of parting with his beloved
+master, fully realized how greatly it would be to his advantage to quit
+the dreary life that was blighting his youth, and go out into the world;
+and while he felt keenly the incongruity of such fellow travellers for
+a de Sigognac, yet wisely thought that it was better for him to go thus
+than not at all. He quickly filled an old valise with the few articles
+of clothing that formed the baron's scanty wardrobe, and put into a
+leathern purse the little money he still possessed; secretly adding
+thereto his own small hoard, which he could safely do without fear
+of detection, as he had the care of the family finances, as well as
+everything else about the establishment. The old white pony was brought
+out and saddled, for de Sigognac did not wish to get into the chariot
+until they had gone some distance from home, not caring to make his
+departure public. He would seem thus to be only accompanying his guests
+a little way upon their journey, and Pierre was to follow on foot to
+lead the horse back home.
+
+The oxen, great slow-moving, majestic creatures, were already harnessed
+to the heavy chariot, while their driver, a tall, sturdy peasant lad,
+standing in front of them leaning upon his goad, had unconsciously
+assumed an attitude so graceful that he closely resembled the sculptured
+figures in ancient Greek bas-reliefs. Isabelle and Serafina had seated
+themselves in the front of the chariot, so that they could enjoy the
+fresh, cool air, and see the country as they passed along; while the
+others bestowed themselves inside, where they might indulge in a morning
+nap. At last all were ready; the driver gave the word of command, and
+the oxen stepped slowly forward, setting in motion the great unwieldy,
+lumbering vehicle, which creaked and groaned in lamentable fashion,
+making the vaulted portico ring again as it passed through it and out of
+the chateau.
+
+In the midst of all this unwonted commotion, Beelzebub and Miraut moved
+restlessly about the court, evidently very much perplexed as to what
+could be the meaning of it. The old dog ran back and forth from his
+master, who always had a caress for him, to Pierre, looking up into
+their faces with questioning, anxious eyes, and Beelzebub finally went
+and held a consultation with his good friend, the old white pony,
+now standing with saddle and bridle on, quietly awaiting his master's
+pleasure. He bent down his head so that his lips almost touched
+Beelzebub, and really appeared to be whispering something to him; which
+the cat in his turn imparted to Miraut, in that mysterious language of
+animals which Democritus, claimed that he understood, but which we are
+not able to translate. Whatever it might have been that Bayard, the old
+pony, communicated to Beelzebub, one thing is certain, that when at last
+the baron vaulted into his saddle and sallied forth from his ancient
+castle, he was accompanied by both cat and dog. Now, though it was no
+uncommon thing for Miraut to follow him abroad, Beelzebub had never been
+known to attempt such a feat before.
+
+As he rode slowly out through the grand old portico de Sigognac felt
+his heart heavy within him, and when, after going a few paces from the
+chateau, he turned round for one last look at its crumbling walls, he
+felt an acute grief at bidding them farewell which was an astonishment
+to himself. As his eyes sought and dwelt upon the roof of the little
+chapel where his father and mother lay sleeping side by side, he almost
+reproached himself for wishing to go and leave them, and it required a
+mighty effort to turn away and ride after the chariot, which was some
+distance in advance of him. He had soon overtaken and passed it, when
+a gentle gust of wind brought to him the penetrating, faintly aromatic
+scent of his native heather, still wet from last night's rain, and also
+the silvery sound of a distant convent bell that was associated with his
+earliest recollections. They both seemed to be reproaching him for his
+desertion of his home, and he involuntarily checked the old pony,
+and made as if he would turn back. Miraut and Beelzebub, seeming to
+understand the movement, looked up at him eagerly, but as he was in the
+very act of turning the horse's head he met Isabelle's soft eyes
+fixed on him with such an entreating, wistful look that he flushed and
+trembled under it, and entirely forgetting his ancient chateau, the
+perfume of the heather, and the quick strokes of the distant bell, that
+still continued ringing, he put spurs to his horse and dashed on in
+advance again. The struggle was over--Isabelle had conquered.
+
+When the highway was reached, de Sigognac again fell behind the
+chariot--which moved more quickly over the smooth, hard road--so that
+Pierre might be able to catch up to him, and rode slowly forward, lost
+in thought; he roused himself, however, in time to take one last look
+at the towers of Sigognac, which were still visible over the tops of
+the pine trees. Bayard came to a full stop as he gazed, and Miraut took
+advantage of the pause to endeavour to climb up and lick his master's
+face once more; but he was so old and stiff that de Sigognac had to
+lift him up in front of him; holding him there he tenderly caressed
+the faithful companion of many sad, lonely years, even bending down
+and kissing him between the eyes. Meantime the more agile Beelzebub had
+scrambled up on the other side, springing from the ground to the baron's
+foot, and then climbing up by his leg; he purred loudly as his master
+affectionately stroked his head, looking up in his face as if he
+understood perfectly that this was a leave-taking. We trust that the
+kind reader will not laugh at our poor young hero, when we say that he
+was so deeply touched by these evidences of affection from his humble
+followers that two great tears rolled down his pale cheeks and fell upon
+the heads of his dumb favourites, before he put them gently from him and
+resumed his journey.
+
+Miraut and Beelzebub stood where he had put them down, looking after
+their beloved master until a turn in the road hid him from their sight,
+and then quietly returned to the chateau together. The rain of the
+previous night had left no traces in the sandy expanse of the Landes,
+save that it had freshened up the heather with its tiny purple bells,
+and the furze bushes with their bright yellow blossoms. The very pine
+trees themselves looked less dark and mournful than usual, and their
+penetrating, resinous odour filled the fresh morning air. Here and there
+a little column of smoke rising from amid a grove of chestnut trees
+betrayed the homestead of some farmer, and scattered over the gently
+rolling plain, that extended as far as the eye could reach, great flocks
+of sheep could be discerned, carefully guarded by shepherd and dog; the
+former mounted on stilts, and looking very odd to those unaccustomed to
+the shepherds of the Landes. On the southern horizon the snow-clad tops
+of the more lofty peaks of the Pyrenees rose boldly into the clear sky,
+with light wreaths of mist still clinging round them here and there.
+
+Oxen travel slowly, especially over roads where at times the wheels sink
+deep into the sand, and the sun was high above the horizon before they
+had gone two leagues on their way. The baron, loath to fatigue his old
+servant and poor Bayard, determined to bid adieu to them without further
+delay; so he sprang lightly to the ground, put the bridle into Pierre's
+trembling hand, and affectionately stroked the old pony's neck, as he
+never failed to do when he dismounted. It was a painful moment. The
+faithful servant had taken care of his young master from his infancy,
+and he turned very pale as he said in faltering tones, "God bless and
+keep your lordship. How I wish that I could go with you."
+
+"And so do I, my good Pierre, but that is impossible. You must stay
+and take care of the chateau for me; I could not bear to think of
+it entirely abandoned, or in any other hands than yours, my faithful
+friend! And besides, what would become of Bayard and Miraut and
+Beelzebub, if you too deserted them?"
+
+"You are right, master," answered Pierre, his eyes filling with tears as
+he bade him farewell before he turned and led Bayard slowly back by the
+road they had come. The old pony whinnied loudly as he left his master,
+and long after he was out of sight could be heard at short intervals
+calling out his adieux.
+
+The poor young baron, left quite alone, stood for a moment with downcast
+eyes, feeling very desolate and sad; then roused himself with an effort,
+and hastened after the chariot. As he walked along beside it with a
+sorrowful, preoccupied air, Isabelle complained of being tired of her
+somewhat cramped position, and said that she would like to get down and
+walk a little way for a change; her real motive being a kind wish to
+endeavour to cheer up poor de Sigognac and make him forget his sad
+thoughts. The shadow that had overspread his countenance passed away
+entirely as he assisted Isabelle to alight, and then offering his arm
+led her on in advance of the lumbering chariot. They had walked some
+distance, and she was just reciting some verses, from one of her parts,
+which she wished to have altered a little, when the sound of a horn
+close at hand startled them, and from a by-path emerged a gay party
+returning from the chase. The beautiful Yolande de Foix came first,
+radiant as Diana, with a brilliant colour in her cheeks and eyes that
+shone like stars. Several long rents in the velvet skirt of her riding
+habit showed that she had been following the hounds through the thickets
+of furze that abound in the Landes, yet she did not look in the least
+fatigued, and as she came forward made her spirited horse fret and
+prance under quick, light strokes of her riding-whip--in whose handle
+shone a magnificent amethyst set in massive gold, and engraved with
+the de Foix arms. Three or four young noblemen, splendidly dressed and
+mounted, were with her, and as she swept proudly past our hero and his
+fair companion-upon whom she cast a glance of haughty disdain--she
+said in clear ringing tones, "Do look at the Baron de Sigognac, dancing
+attendance upon a Bohemienne." And the little company passed on with a
+shout of laughter.
+
+The poor baron was furious, and instinctively grasped the handle of his
+sword with a quick, angry movement; but as quickly released it--for he
+was on foot and those who had insulted him were on horseback, so that he
+could not hope to overtake them; and besides, he could not challenge a
+lady. But the angry flush soon faded from his cheek, and the remembrance
+of his displeasure from his mind, under the gentle influence of
+Isabelle, who put forth all her powers of fascination to make her
+companion forget the affront he had received because of her.
+
+The day passed without any other incident worthy of being recorded, and
+our travellers arrived in good season at the inn where they were to sup
+and sleep.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III. THE BLUE SUN INN
+
+It was in front of the largest house in a wretched little hamlet that
+the weary oxen drawing the chariot of Thespis stopped of their own
+accord. The wooden sign that creaked distractingly as it swung to and
+fro at every breath of wind bore a large, blue sun, darting its rays,
+after the most approved fashion, to the utmost dimensions of the board
+on which it was painted. Rather an original idea, one would say, to have
+a blue orb of day instead of a golden one--such as adorned so many other
+inns on the great post-road--but originality had had nothing whatever to
+do with it. The wandering painter who produced this remarkable work of
+art happened to have no vestige of any colour but blue left upon his
+palette, and he discoursed so eloquently of the superiority of this tint
+to all others that he succeeded in persuading the worthy innkeeper to
+have an azure sun depicted on his swinging sign. And not this one alone
+had yielded to his specious arguments, for he had painted blue lions,
+blue cocks, blue horses, on various signs in the country round, in a
+manner that would have delighted the Chinese--who esteem an artist in
+proportion to the unnaturalness of his designs and colouring.
+
+The few scrawny, unwholesome-looking children feebly playing in the
+muddy, filthy, little street, and the prematurely old, ghastly women
+standing at the open doors of the miserable thatched huts of which the
+hamlet was composed, were but too evidently the wretched victims of a
+severe type of malarial fever that prevails in the Landes. They were
+truly piteous objects, and our travellers were glad to take refuge in
+the inn--though it was anything but inviting--and so get out of sight of
+them.
+
+The landlord, a villainous looking fellow, with an ugly crimson
+scar across his forehead, who rejoiced in the extraordinary name of
+Chirriguirri, received them with many low obeisances, and led the way
+into his house, talking volubly of the excellent accommodations to be
+found therein.
+
+The Baron de Sigognac hesitated ere he crossed the threshold, though the
+comedians had all drawn back respectfully to allow him to precede them.
+His pride revolted at going into such a place in such company, but one
+glance from Isabelle put everything else out of his head, and he entered
+the dirty little inn at her side with an air of joyful alacrity. In the
+happy kingdom of France the fortunate man who escorted a pretty woman,
+no matter where, needed not to fear ridicule or contumely, and was sure
+to be envied.
+
+The large low room into which Maitre Chirriguirri ushered the party,
+with much ceremony and many bows, was scarcely so magnificent as he
+had given them reason to expect, but our strolling players had long ago
+learned to take whatever came in their way without grumbling, and they
+seated themselves quietly on the rude wooden settles ranged round a
+rough, stone platform in the centre of the apartment, upon which a few
+sticks of wood were blazing the smoke escaping through an opening in the
+roof above. From an iron bar which crossed this opening a strong chain
+was suspended, and fastened to it was the crane, so that it hung at the
+proper height over the fire--for this was the kitchen as well as the
+reception room. The low ceiling was blackened with the smoke that filled
+the upper part of the room and escaped slowly through the hole over the
+fire, unless a puff of wind drove it back again. A row of bright copper
+casseroles hanging against the wall--like the burnished shields along
+the sides of the ancient triremes, if this comparison be not too noble
+for such a lowly subject--gleamed vaguely in the flashing of the red
+fire-light, and a large, half-empty wine-skin lying on the floor in
+one corner looked like a beheaded body carelessly flung down there.
+Certainly not a cheerful looking place, but, the fire being newly
+replenished burned brightly, and our weary travellers were glad to bask
+in its genial warmth.
+
+At the end of one of the wooden benches a little girl was sitting,
+apparently sound asleep. She was a poor, thin, little creature, with
+a mass of long, tangled, black hair, which hung down over her face and
+almost concealed it, as she sat with her head drooping forward on her
+breast. Her scanty clothing was tattered and dirty, her feet and poor,
+thin, little legs brown and bare, and covered with scratches--some still
+bleeding which bore witness to much running through the thorny furze
+thickets.
+
+Isabelle, who chanced to sit down near her, cast many pitying glances
+upon this forlorn little figure, but took care not to disturb the quiet
+sleep she seemed to be enjoying in her uncomfortable resting-place.
+After a little, when she had turned to speak to Serafina, who sat
+beside her, the child woke with a start, and pushing back the mass of
+dishevelled hair revealed a sad little face, so thin that the cheek
+bones were painfully prominent, and pale to ghastliness. A pair of
+magnificent, dark brown eyes, with heavy sweeping lashes, looked
+preternaturally large in her woe-begone little countenance, and at
+this moment were filled with wondering admiration, mingled with
+fierce covetousness, as she stared at Serafina's mock jewels--and more
+especially at Isabelle's row of pearl beads. She seemed fairly dazzled
+by these latter, and gazed at them fixedly in a sort of ecstasy--having
+evidently never seen anything like them before, and probably thinking
+they must be of immense value. Occasionally her eyes wandered to the
+dresses of the two ladies, and at last, unable to restrain her ardent
+curiosity any longer, she put out her little brown hand and softly felt
+of Isabelle's gown, apparently finding exquisite delight in the mere
+contact of her finger-tips with the smooth, glossy surface of the silk.
+Though her touch was so light Isabelle immediately turned towards the
+child and smiled upon her encouragingly, but the poor little vagabond,
+finding herself detected, in an instant had assumed a stupid, almost
+idiotic look--with an instinctive amount of histrionic art that would
+have done honour to a finished actress. Then dropping her eyelids and
+leaning her shoulders against the hard back of the wooden settle she
+seemed to fall into a deep sleep, with her head bent down upon her
+breast in the old attitude.
+
+Meanwhile Maitre Chirriguirri had been talking long and loudly about the
+choice delicacies he could have set before his guests if they had
+only come a day or two earlier, and enumerating all sorts of fine
+dishes--which doubtless had existed only in his own very vivid
+imagination--though he told a high-sounding story about the noblemen
+and grandees who had supped at his house and devoured all these dainties
+only yesterday. When at length the flow of his eloquence was checked
+by a display of ferocity on the part of the tyrant, and he was finally
+brought to the point, he acknowledged that he could only give them some
+of the soup called garbure--with which we have already made acquaintance
+at the Chateau de Sigognac, some salt codfish, and a dish of bacon; with
+plenty of wine, which according to his account was fit for the gods. Our
+weary travellers were so hungry by this time that they were glad of even
+this frugal fare, and when Mionnette, a gaunt, morose-looking creature,
+the only servant that the inn could boast, announced that their supper
+was ready in an adjoining room, they did not wait to be summoned a
+second time.
+
+They were still at table when a great barking of dogs was heard without,
+together with the noise of horses' feet, and in a moment three loud,
+impatient knocks upon the outer door resounded through the house.
+Mionnette rushed to open it, whereupon a gentleman entered, followed by
+a number of dogs, who nearly knocked the tall maid-servant over in their
+eagerness to get in, and rushed into the dining-room where our friends
+were assembled, barking, jumping over each other, and licking off the
+plates that had been used and removed to a low side table, before their
+master could stop them. A few sharp cuts with the whip he held in his
+hand distributed promiscuously among them, without distinction between
+the innocent and the guilty ones, quieted this uproar as if by magic,
+and the aggressive hounds, taking refuge under the benches ranged along
+the walls, curled themselves round on the floor and went comfortably
+to sleep, or lay panting, with their red tongues hanging out of their
+mouths and heads reposing on their fore-paws--not daring to stir.
+
+The obstreperous dogs thus disposed of, the cavalier advanced into the
+room, with the calm assurance of a man who feels perfectly at his ease;
+his spurs ringing against the stone floor at every step. The landlord
+followed him obsequiously, cap in hand, cringing and bowing in most
+humble fashion--having entirely laid aside his boasting air and
+evidently feeling very ill at ease--this being a personage of whom he
+stood in awe. As the gentleman approached the table he politely saluted
+the company, before turning to give his orders to Maitre Chirriguirri,
+who stood silently awaiting them.
+
+The newcomer was a handsome man of about thirty, with curly light hair,
+and a fair complexion, somewhat reddened by exposure to the sun. His
+eyes were blue, and rather prominent, his nose slightly retroussi; his
+small blond mustache was carefully turned up at the ends, and scarcely
+shaded a well-formed but sensual mouth, below which was a small, pointed
+beard--called a royal in those days, an imperial in these. As he took
+off his broad felt hat, richly ornamented with long sweeping plumes,
+and threw it carelessly down on one of the benches, it was seen that
+his smooth, broad forehead was snowy white, and the contrast with his
+sunburnt cheeks was not by any means displeasing. Indeed it was a very
+handsome, attractive face, in which an expression of frank gaiety and
+good humour tempered the air of pride that pervaded it.
+
+The dress of this gay cavalier was extremely rich and elegant; almost
+too much so for the country. But when we say that the marquis--for
+such was his title--had been following the hounds in company with the
+beautiful Yolande de Foix, we feel that his costume, of blue velvet
+elaborately decorated with silver braid, is fully accounted for. He was
+one of the gallants that shone at court in Paris--where he was in the
+habit of spending a large portion of every year--and he prided himself
+on being one of the best dressed noblemen in France.
+
+His order to the obsequious landlord was in few words. "I want some
+broth for my dogs, some oats for my horses, a piece of bread and a slice
+of ham for myself, and something or other for my grooms"--and then he
+advanced smilingly to the table and sat down in a vacant place beside
+the pretty soubrette, who, charmed with such a gay, handsome seignior,
+had been pleased to bestow a languishing glance and a brilliant smile
+upon him.
+
+Maitre Chirriguirri hastened to fetch what he had demanded, while the
+soubrette, with the grace of a Hebe, filled his glass to the brim with
+wine; which he accepted with a smile, and drank off at a single draught.
+For a few minutes he was fully occupied in satisfying his hunger--which
+was veritably that of a hunter--and then looking about him at the party
+assembled round the table, remarked the Baron de Sigognac, with whom
+he had a slight acquaintance, seated beside the fair Isabelle--in whose
+company indeed he had seen him already once before that day. The two
+young people were talking together in low tones, and quite absorbed in
+each other; but the language of their eyes was unmistakable, and the
+marquis smiled to himself as he took note of what he supposed to be
+a very promising intrigue--wherein he did the youthful pair great
+injustice. As a thorough man of the world he was not at all surprised
+at finding de Sigognac with this band of vagabond players, from such
+a motive, and the half-pitying contempt he had formerly felt for the
+shabby, retiring young baron was straightway changed to a certain
+admiration and respect by this evidence of his gallantry. When he caught
+his eye he made a little gesture of recognition and approval--to show
+that he understood and appreciated his position--but paid no further
+attention to him, evidently meaning to respect his incognito,
+and devoted himself to the soubrette. She received his high-flown
+compliments with peals of laughter, and paid him back in his own coin
+with considerable wit and much merriment, to the great delight of the
+marquis--who was always delighted to meet with any adventure of this
+sort.
+
+Wishing to pursue this one, which opened so well, he declared
+loudly that he was passionately fond of the theatre, and complained
+pathetically of being deprived altogether of this, his favourite
+amusement, in the country; then addressing himself to the tyrant he
+asked whether the troupe had any pressing engagements that would prevent
+their turning aside a little from the usual route to visit the Chateau
+de Bruyeres and give one of their best plays there--it would be an easy
+matter to rig up a theatre for them in the great hall or the orangery.
+
+The tyrant hastened to reply that nothing could be easier, and that the
+troupe, one of the best that had ever travelled through the provinces,
+was entirely at his lordship's disposition--"from the king to the
+soubrette"--he added, with a broad grin.
+
+"That is capital," said the marquis, "and as to money matters, you can
+arrange them to suit yourself. I should not think of bargaining with the
+votaries of Thalia--a muse so highly favoured by Apollo, and as eagerly
+sought after, and enthusiastically applauded, at the court of his most
+gracious majesty as in town and country everywhere."
+
+After arranging the necessary preliminaries, the marquis, who had
+meantime surreptitiously squeezed the soubrette's hand under the table,
+rose, called his dogs together, put on his hat, waved his hand to the
+company in token of adieu, and took his departure amid much barking and
+commotion--going directly home, in order to set on foot his preparations
+to receive the comedians on the morrow at his chateau.
+
+As it was growing late, and they were to make an early start the next
+morning, our tired travellers lost no time in going to rest; the women
+in a sort of loft, where they had to make themselves as comfortable as
+they could with the bundles of straw that were to serve them for beds,
+whilst the men slept on the benches in the room where they had supped.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV. AN ADVENTURE WITH BRIGANDS
+
+Let us return now to the little girl we left feigning to sleep soundly
+upon a settle in the kitchen. There was certainly something suspicious
+about the fierce way in which she eyed Isabelle's pearl necklace, and
+her little bit of clever acting afterwards. As soon as the door had
+closed upon the comedians she slowly opened her large, dark eyes, looked
+sharply round the great, dim kitchen, and when she found that nobody was
+watching her, slipped quietly down from the bench, threw back her hair
+with a quick movement of the head peculiar to her, crept softly to the
+door, which she cautiously unlatched, and escaped into the open air
+without making any more sound than a shadow, then walked slowly and
+listlessly away until she had turned a corner and was out of sight of
+the house, when she set off running as fleetly as a deer pursued by the
+hounds--jumping over the frequent obstacles in her path with wonderful
+agility, never stumbling, and flying along, with her black hair
+streaming out behind her, like some wild creature of the desolate pine
+barrens through which she was skilfully threading her way.
+
+She reached at last a little knoll, crowned by a group of pine
+trees crowded closely together, and dashing up the steep bank with
+undiminished speed came to a sudden stop in the very middle of the
+grove. Here she stood still for a moment, peering anxiously about her,
+and then, putting two fingers in her mouth, gave three shrill whistles,
+such as no traveller in those desolate regions can hear without a
+shudder. In an instant what seemed to be a heap of pine twigs stirred,
+and a man emerging from beneath them rose slowly to his feet at a little
+distance from the child.
+
+"Is it you, Chiquita?" he asked. "What news do you bring? You are late.
+I had given over expecting you to-night, and gone to sleep."
+
+The speaker was a dark, fierce-looking fellow of about five and
+twenty, with a spare, wiry frame, brilliant black eyes, and very white
+teeth--which were long and pointed like the fangs of a young wolf.
+He looked as if he might be a brigand, poacher, smuggler, thief, or
+assassin--all of which he had been indeed by turns. He was dressed like
+a Spanish peasant, and in the red woollen girdle wound several times
+around his waist was stuck a formidable knife, called in Spain a navaja.
+The desperadoes who make use of these terrible weapons usually display
+as many red stripes, cut in the steel, upon their long pointed blades
+as they have committed murders, and are esteemed by their companions in
+proportion to the number indicated by this horrible record. We do
+not know exactly how many of these scarlet grooves adorned Agostino's
+navaja, but judging by the savage expression of his countenance, and
+the fierce glitter of his eye, we may safely suppose them to have been
+creditably numerous.
+
+"Well, Chiquita," said he, laying his hand caressingly on the child's
+head, "and what did you see at Maitre Chirriguirri's inn?"
+
+"A great chariot full of people came there this afternoon," she
+answered. "I saw them carry five large chests into the barn, and they
+must have been very heavy, for it took two men to lift them."
+
+"Hum!" said Agostino, "sometimes travellers put stones into their
+boxes to make them seem very weighty and valuable, and deceive the
+inn-keepers."
+
+"But," interrupted the child eagerly, "the three young ladies had
+trimmings of gold on their clothes; and one of them, the prettiest, had
+round her neck a row of round, shining, white things, and oh! they were
+so beautiful!" and she clasped her hands in an ecstasy of admiration,
+her voice trembling with excitement.
+
+"Those must be pearls," muttered Agostino to himself, "and they will be
+worth having--provided they are real--but then they do make such perfect
+imitations now-a-days, and even rich people are mean enough to wear
+them."
+
+"My dear Agostino, my good Agostino," continued Chiquita, in her most
+coaxing tones, and without paying any attention to his mutterings, "will
+you give me the beautiful, shining things if you kill that lady?"
+
+"They would go so well with your rags and tatters!" he answered
+mockingly.
+
+"But I have so often kept watch for you while you slept, and I have run
+so far to tell you when any one was coming, no matter how cold it was,
+nor how my poor, bare feet ached--and I have never once kept you waiting
+for your food, when I used to carry it to you in your hiding places,
+even when I was bad with the fever, or my teeth chattering with the
+chill, and I so weak that I could hardly drag myself along. Oh Agostino!
+do remember what I have done for you, and let me have the beautiful,
+shining things."
+
+"Yes, you have been both brave and faithful, Chiquita, I admit; but we
+have not got the wonderful necklace yet, you know. Now, tell me, how
+many men were there in the party."
+
+"Oh! a great many. A big, tall man with a long beard; an old, fat
+man--one that looked like a fox--two thin men, and one that looked like
+a gentleman, though his clothes were very old and shabby."
+
+"Six men," said Agostino, who had counted them on his fingers as she
+enumerated them, and his face fell. "Alas! I am the only one left of our
+brave band now; when the others were with me we would not have minded
+double the number. Have they arms, Chiquita?"
+
+"The gentleman has a sword, and so has the tall, thin man--a very long
+one."
+
+"No pistols or guns?"
+
+"I didn't see any," answered Chiquita, "but they might have left them in
+the chariot, you know; only Maitre Chirriguirri or Mionnette would have
+been sure to send you word if they had, and they said nothing to me
+about them."
+
+"Well, we will risk it then, and see what we can do," said Agostino
+resolutely. "Five large, heavy chests, gold ornaments, a pearl necklace!
+they certainly are worth trying for."
+
+The brigand and his little companion then went to a secret place in the
+thick pine grove, and set to work industriously, removing a few large
+stones, a quantity of branches, and finally the five or six boards they
+had concealed, disclosing a large hole that looked like a grave. It was
+not very deep, and Agostino, jumping down into it, stooped and lifted
+out what seemed to be a dead body--dressed in its usual every-day
+clothes--which he flung down upon the ground beside the hole. Chiquita,
+who did not appear to be in the least agitated or alarmed by these
+mysterious proceedings, seized the figure by the feet, with the utmost
+sang-froid, and dragged it out of Agostino's way, with a much greater
+degree of strength than could have been expected from such a slight,
+delicate little creature. Agostino continued his work of exhumation
+until five other bodies lay beside the first one--all neatly arranged
+in a row by the little girl, who seemed to actually enjoy her lugubrious
+task. It made a strange picture in the weird light of the nearly full
+moon, half veiled by driving clouds--the open grave, the bodies lying
+side by side under the dark pine trees, and the figures of Agostino and
+Chiquita bending over them. But the tragic aspect of the affair soon
+changed to a comic one; for when Agostino placed the first of the bodies
+in an upright position it became apparent that it was only a sort of
+a scarecrow--a rude figure intended to frighten timid traveller--which
+being skilfully disposed at the edge of the grove, partly hidden among
+the trees, looked at a little distance exactly like a brigand--gun and
+all. Indeed it really was dressed in the garments of one of his old
+comrades, who had paid the penalty of his crimes on the gallows. He
+apostrophized the figure as he arranged it to his liking, calling it by
+name, relating some of the brave deeds of its prototype, and bewailing
+the sad fate that had left him to ply his nefarious trade single-handed,
+with a rude eloquence that was not wanting in pathos. Returning to where
+the others lay, he lifted up one which he reminded Chiquita, represented
+her father--whose valour and skill he eulogized warmly--whilst the child
+devoutly made the sign of the cross as she muttered a prayer. This one
+being put in position, he carried the remaining figures, one by one,
+to the places marked for them, keeping up a running commentary upon the
+ci-devant brigands whose representatives they were, and calling them
+each repeatedly by name, as if there were a certain sad satisfaction in
+addressing them in the old, familiar way.
+
+When this queer task was completed, the bandit and his faithful little
+companion, taking advantage of a flood of moonlight as the clouds
+drifted away before the wind, went and stood on the road--not very far
+from their retreat--by which our travellers were to pass, to judge of
+the effect of their group of brigands. It was really very formidable,
+and had often been of great service to the bold originator of the plan;
+for on seeing so numerous a band apparently advancing upon them, most
+travellers took to their heels, leaving the coveted spoils behind them
+for Agostino to gather up at his leisure.
+
+As they slowly returned to the pine grove he said to the child, who was
+clinging to his arm affectionately as she walked beside him, "The first
+stage of their journey to-morrow is a long one, and these people will be
+sure to start in good season, so that they will reach this spot just
+at the right time for us--in the uncertain light of the dawn. In the
+darkness of night our brigands yonder could not be seen, and in broad
+daylight the ruse would be apparent; so we are in luck, Chiquita! But
+now for a nap--we have plenty of time for it, and the creaking of the
+wheels will be sure to wake us." Accordingly Agostino threw himself down
+upon a little heap of pine branches and heather, Chiquita crept close
+to him, so that the large cloak with which he had covered himself might
+protect her also from the chilly night air, and both were soon sound
+asleep.
+
+It was so early when our travellers were roused from their slumbers
+and told that it was time for them to resume their journey, by the
+treacherous landlord of the Blue Sun Inn, that it seemed to them like
+the middle of the night; to they arranged themselves as comfortably as
+they could in the great, roomy chariot, and despite the loud creaking
+and groaning that accompanied its every movement as it went slowly
+lumbering along, and the shrill cries of the driver to his oxen, they
+were all soon asleep again, excepting de Sigognac, who walked beside the
+chariot, lost in thoughts of Isabelle's beauty, grace and modesty, and
+adorable goodness, which seemed better suited to a young lady of noble
+birth than a wandering actress. He tormented himself with trying to
+devise some means to induce her to reciprocate the ardent love that
+filled his heart for her, not for an instant suspecting that it was
+already a fait accompli, and that the sweet, pure maiden had given him,
+unasked, her gentle, faithful heart. The bashful young baron imagined
+all sorts of romantic and perilous incidents in which he might
+constitute himself her knight and protector, and show such brave and
+tender devotion to her as he had read of in the old books of chivalry;
+and which might lead up to the avowal he was burning to make, yet dared
+not. It never occurred to him that the look in his dark eyes whenever
+they rested on her face, the tone of his voice when he addressed her,
+the deep sighs he vainly sought to stifle, and the tender, eager care
+with which he strove to anticipate her every wish had spoken for him,
+as plainly as any words could do; and that, though he had not dared to
+breathe one syllable of his passionate love to Isabelle, she knew it,
+rejoiced in it, and was proud of it, and that it filled her with a
+delicious, rapturous joy, such as she had never felt before, or even
+dreamed of.
+
+The morning began to break--the narrow band of pale light on the
+horizon, which was growing rapidly brighter and assuming a rosy tinge,
+was reflected here and there in the little pools of water that shone
+like bits of a broken mirror scattered over the ground--distant sounds
+were heard, and columns of smoke rising into the still morning air
+proved that even in this desolate, God-forsaken part of the Landes there
+were human habitations to be found. Stalking along with giant strides on
+the highest part of some rising ground not very far off was a grotesque
+figure, clearly defined against the bright eastern sky, which would have
+been a puzzle to a stranger, but was a familiar sight to de Sigognac--a
+shepherd mounted on his high stilts, such as are to be met with
+everywhere throughout the Landes.
+
+But the young baron was too much absorbed in his own engrossing
+thoughts to take any note of his surroundings as he kept pace with the
+slow-moving chariot, until his eye was caught and his attention fixed by
+a strange little point of light, glittering among the sombre pines that
+formed the dense grove where we left Agostino and Chiquita sleeping.
+He wondered what it could be--certainly not a glow-worm, the season for
+them was past long ago--and he watched it as he advanced towards it with
+a vague feeling of uneasiness. Approaching nearer he caught a glimpse
+of the singular group of figures lurking among the trees, and at
+first feared an ambuscade; but finding that they continued perfectly
+motionless he concluded that he must have been mistaken, and that they
+were only old stumps after all; so he forbore to arouse the comedians,
+as he had for a moment thought of doing.
+
+A few steps farther and suddenly a loud report was heard from the grove,
+a bullet sped through the air, and struck the oxen's yoke--happily
+without doing any damage, further than causing the usually quiet,
+steady-going beasts to swerve violently to one side--when fortunately a
+considerable heap of sand prevented the chariot's being overturned into
+the ditch beside the road. The sharp report and violent shock startled
+the sleeping travellers in the chariot, and the younger women shrieked
+wildly in their terror, whilst the duenna, who had met with such
+adventures before, slipped the few gold pieces she had in her purse into
+her shoe. Beside the chariot, from which the actors were struggling to
+extricate themselves, stood Agostino--his cloak wrapped around his left
+arm and the formidable navaja in his right hand-and cried in a voice of
+thunder, "Your money or your lives! Resistance is useless! At the first
+sign of it my band will fire upon you."
+
+Whilst the bandit was shouting out these terrible words, de Sigognac
+had quietly drawn his sword, and as he finished attacked him furiously.
+Agostino skilfully parried his thrusts, with the cloak on his left arm,
+which so disposed made an excellent shield, and watched his opportunity
+to give a murderous stab with his navaja, which indeed he almost
+succeeded in doing; a quick spring to one side alone saved the baron
+from a wound which must have been fatal, as the brigand threw the knife
+at him with tremendous force, and it flew through the air and fell
+ringing upon the ground at a marvellous distance, instead of piercing
+de Sigognac's heart. His antagonist turned pale, for he was quite
+defenceless, having depended entirely upon his trusty navaja, which had
+never failed him before, and he very well knew that his vaunted band
+could not come to his rescue. However, he shouted to them to fire,
+counting upon the sudden terror that command would inspire to deliver
+him from his dilemma; and, indeed, the comedians, expecting a broadside,
+did take refuge behind the chariot, whilst even our brave hero
+involuntarily bent his head a little, to avoid the shower of bullets.
+
+Meantime Chiquita, who had breathlessly watched all that passed from
+her hiding place among some furze bushes close at hand, when she saw her
+friend in peril, crept softly forth, glided along on the ground like a
+snake until she reached the knife, lying unnoticed where it had fallen,
+and, seizing it, in one instant had restored it to Agostino, She looked
+like a little fury as she did so, and if her strength had been equal to
+her ferocity she would have been a formidable foe.
+
+Agostino again aimed his navaja at the baron, who was at that moment off
+his guard, and would not perhaps have escaped the deadly weapon a second
+time if it had been hurled at him from that skilful hand, but that
+a grasp of iron fastened upon the desperado's wrist, just in time to
+defeat his purpose. He strove in vain to extricate his right arm from
+the powerful grip that held it like a vice--struggling violently, and
+writhing with the pain it caused him--but he dared not turn upon this
+new assailant, who was behind him, because de Sigognac would have surely
+scored his back for him; and he was forced to continue parrying his
+thrusts with his left arm, still protected by the ample cloak firmly
+wound around it. He soon discovered that he could not possibly free
+his right hand, and the agony became so great that his fingers could no
+longer keep their grasp of the knife, which fell a second time to the
+ground.
+
+It was the tyrant who had come to de Sigognac's rescue, and now suddenly
+roared out in his stentorian voice, "What the deuce is nipping me? Is it
+a viper? I felt two sharp fangs meet in the calf of my leg."
+
+It was Chiquita, who was biting his leg like a dog, in the vain hope of
+making him turn round and loose his hold upon Agostino; but the tyrant
+shook her off with a quick movement, that sent her rolling in the dust
+at some distance, without relinquishing his captive, whilst Matamore
+dashed forward and picked up the navaja, which he shut together and put
+into his pocket.
+
+Whilst this scene was enacting the sun had risen, and poured a flood of
+radiance upon the earth in which the sham brigands lost much of their
+life-like effect. "Ha, ha!" laughed the peasant, "it would appear that
+those gentlemen's guns take a long time to go off; they must be wet
+with dew. But whatever may be the matter with them they are miserable
+cowards, to stand still there at a safe distance and leave their chief
+to do all the fighting by himself."
+
+"There is a good reason for that," answered Matamore, as he climbed up
+the steep bank to them, "these are nothing but scarecrows." And with
+six vigorous kicks he sent the six absurd figures rolling in every
+direction, making the most comical gestures as they fell.
+
+"You may safely alight now, ladies," said the baron, reassuringly, to
+the trembling actresses, "there's nothing more to fear; it was only a
+sham battle after all."
+
+In despair at his overwhelming defeat, Agostino hung his head
+mournfully, and stood like a statue of grief, dreading lest worse still
+should befall him, if the comedians, who were in too great force for him
+to attempt to struggle any longer against them, decided to take him on
+to the next town and deliver him over to the jailor to be locked up, as
+indeed he richly deserved. His faithful little friend, Chiquita, stood
+motionless at his side, as downcast as himself. But the farce of the
+false brigands so tickled the fancy of the players that it seemed as
+if they never would have done laughing over it, and they were evidently
+inclined to deal leniently with the ingenious rascal who had devised it.
+The tyrant, who had loosened, but not quitted, his hold upon the bandit,
+assumed his most tragic air and voice, and said to him, "You have
+frightened these ladies almost to death, you scoundrel, and you richly
+deserve to be strung up for it; but if, as I believe, they will consent
+to pardon you--for they are very kind and good---I will not take you to
+the lock-up. I confess that I do not care to furnish a subject for the
+gallows. Besides, your stratagem is really very ingenious and amusing--a
+capital farce to play at the expense of cowardly travellers--who have
+doubtless paid you well for the entertainment, eh? As an actor, I
+appreciate the joke, and your ingenuity inclines me to be indulgent. You
+are not simply and brutally a robber, and it would certainly be a pity
+to cut short such a fine career."
+
+"Alas!" answered Agostino mournfully, "no other career is open to me,
+and I am more to be pitied than you suppose. I am the only one left of
+a band formerly as complete as yours; the executioner has deprived me
+of my brave comrades one by one, and now I am obliged to carry on my
+operations entirely alone--dressing up my scarecrows, as your friend
+calls them, and assuming different voices to make believe that I am
+supported by a numerous company. Ah! mine is a sad fate; and then my
+road is such a poor one--so few travellers come this way--and I have not
+the means to purchase a better one. Every good road is owned by a band
+of brigands, you know. I wish that I could get some honest work to do,
+but that is hopeless; who would employ such a looking fellow as I am?
+all in rags and tatters, worse than the poorest beggar. I must surely
+have been born under an unlucky star. And now this attempt has failed,
+from which I hoped to get enough to keep us for two months, and buy a
+decent cloak for poor Chiquita besides; she needs it badly enough, poor
+thing! Yesterday I had nothing to eat, and I had to tighten my belt to
+sustain my empty stomach. Your unexpected resistance has taken the very
+bread out of my mouth; and since you would not let me rob you, at least
+be generous and give me something."
+
+"To be sure," said the tyrant, who was greatly amused; "as we have
+prevented your successfully plying your trade we certainly do owe you an
+indemnity. Here, take these two pistoles to drink our healths with."
+
+Isabelle meantime sought in the chariot for a piece of new woollen stuff
+she happened to have with her, which was soft and warm, and gave it to
+Chiquita, who exclaimed, "Oh! but it is the necklace of shining white
+things that I want."
+
+Kind Isabelle immediately unclasped it, and then fastened it round the
+slender neck of the child, who was so overwhelmed with delight that she
+could not speak. She silently rolled the smooth, white beads between her
+little brown fingers in a sort of mute ecstasy for a few moments, then
+suddenly raising her head and tossing back her thick black hair, she
+fixed her sparkling eyes on Isabelle, and said in a low, earnest voice,
+"Oh! you are very, very good, and I will never, never kill you." Then
+she ran swiftly back to the pine grove, clambered up the steep bank, and
+sat down to admire and enjoy her treasure. As to Agostino, after
+making his best bow, and thanking the tyrant for his really princely
+munificence, he picked up his prostrate comrades, and carried them back
+to be buried again until their services should be needed on some, he
+hoped, more auspicious occasion.
+
+The driver, who had deserted his oxen and run to hide himself among the
+furze bushes at the beginning of the affray, returned to his post when
+he saw that all danger was over, and the chariot once more started upon
+its way--the worthy duenna having taken her doubloons out of her shoes
+and restored them to her purse, which was then deposited in the depths
+of a mysterious pocket.
+
+"You behaved like a real hero of romance," Isabelle said in an undertone
+to de Sigognac, "and I feel that under your protection we can travel
+securely; how bravely you attacked that bandit single-handedly when you
+had every reason to believe that he was supported by an armed band."
+
+"You overestimate my little exploit," the baron replied modestly, "there
+was no danger worth mentioning," then sinking his voice to a whisper,
+"but to protect you I would meet and conquer giants, put to flight a
+whole host of Saracens, attack and destroy dragons and horrid monsters;
+I would force my way through enchanted forests filled with snares and
+perils, such as we read of, and even descend into hell itself, like
+Aeneas of old. In your dear service the most difficult feats would be
+easy; your beautiful eyes inspire me with indomitable courage, and your
+sweet presence, or even the bare thought of you, seems to endue me with
+a super-human strength."
+
+This was, perhaps, rather exaggerated, but perfectly sincere, and
+Isabelle did not doubt for a moment that de Sigognac would be able to
+accomplish fabulous deeds of prowess in her honour and for her sake;
+and she was not so very far wrong, for he was becoming hourly more
+passionately enamoured of her, and ardent young lovers are capable of
+prodigies of valour, inspired by the fair objects of their adoration.
+
+Serafina, who had overheard some of the baron's impassioned words, could
+not repress a scornful smile; so many women are apt to find the fervid
+protestations of lovers, when addressed to others than themselves,
+supremely ridiculous, yet they joyfully receive the very same
+protestations, without detecting anything in the least absurd in them
+when whispered into their own ears. For a moment she was tempted to try
+the power of her many charms, which she believed to be irresistible,
+with the young baron, and win him away from Isabelle; but this idea was
+speedily rejected, for Serafina held beauty to be a precious gem that
+should be richly set in gold--the gem was hers, but the golden setting
+was lamentably wanting, and poor de Sigognac could not possibly furnish
+it. So the accomplished coquette decided not to interfere with this
+newly-born love affair, which was "all very well for a simple-minded
+young girl like Isabelle," she said to herself, with a disdainful smile
+and toss of the head.
+
+Profound silence had fallen upon the party after the late excitement,
+and some of them were even growing sleepy again, when several hours
+later the driver suddenly called out, "There is the Chateau de
+Bruyeres."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V. AT THE CHATEAU DE BRUYERES
+
+The extensive domain of the Marquis de Bruyeres was situated just
+upon the edge of the Landes, and consisted mostly of productive,
+highly-cultivated land--the barren sand reaching only to the boundary
+wall of the great park that surrounded the chateau. An air of prosperity
+pervaded the entire estate, in pleasing contrast with the desolate
+region of country close at hand. Outside the park wall was a broad, deep
+ditch, filled with clear water and spanned by a handsome stone bridge,
+wide enough for two carriages abreast, which led to the grand entrance
+gates. These were of wrought iron, and quite a marvel of delicate
+workmanship and beauty. There was a good deal of gilding about them, and
+the lofty apex bore a marquis's crown above a shield supported by
+two naked savages, upon which the de Bruyeres arms were richly
+emblazoned--it was an entrance worthy of a royal demesne. When our party
+paused before it, in the course of the morning, a servant in a rich,
+showy livery was slowly opening the folding leaves of the magnificent
+gates, so as to admit them into the park. The very oxen hesitated ere
+they took their slow way through it, as if dazzled by so much splendour,
+and ashamed of their own homeliness--the honest brutes little suspecting
+that the wealthy nobleman's pomp and glitter are derived from the
+industry of the lowly tillers of the soil. It certainly would seem as
+if only fine carriages and prancing horses should be permitted to pass
+through such a portal as this, but the chariot of Thespis, no matter how
+humble, is privileged, and not only enters, but is welcome everywhere.
+
+A broad avenue led from the bridge to the chateau, passing by carefully
+clipped shrubbery, whence marble statues peeped out here and there, and
+a beautiful garden, with flower-beds ingeniously laid out in geometrical
+patterns, and brilliant with well contrasted colours. The narrow walks
+among them were bordered with box, and strewn with fine sand of various
+tints, and several little fountains threw up their sparkling jets among
+the flowers. In the centre of the garden was a magnificent fountain,
+with a large, oblong, marble basin, and a Triton, on a high pedestal,
+pouring water from a shell. A row of yews, skilfully trimmed into
+pyramids, balls, and various fanciful shapes, and placed at regular
+distances on each side of the grand avenue, extended from the entrance
+gates to the chateau, their sombre hue contrasting well with the
+brighter green of the foliage behind them. Everything was in the most
+perfect order; not a leaf out of place, nor a particle of dust to be
+seen anywhere, as if the gardeners had just freshly washed and trimmed
+every tree, shrub, and plant under their care.
+
+All this magnificence astonished and delighted the poor comedians, who
+rarely gained admission to such an abode as this. Serafina, affecting
+indifference, but noting everything carefully from under her lowered
+eye-lashes, promised herself to supplant the soubrette in the marquis's
+favour, feeling that this great seignior was her own legitimate prey,
+and ought to have devoted himself to her in the first place, instead of
+weakly yielding to the vulgar blandishments of the pretty waiting-maid,
+as he should no longer be permitted to do--if she had any power.
+
+Meanwhile the soubrette, feeling sure of her conquest, had given herself
+up to castle-building with all the fervour Of her ardent southern
+nature. Isabelle, who was not preoccupied by any ambitious projects,
+turned her head now and then to glance and smile tenderly at de
+Sigognac, who was sitting in the chariot behind her and who she knew
+must be feeling acutely the painful contrast between this splendid
+estate and his own desolate, half-ruined chateau. Her loving heart
+ached for him, and her eyes spoke sweetest sympathy to the poor young
+nobleman, reduced so low a fortune, yet so worthy of a better fate.
+
+The tyrant was deep in thought, trying to decide how, much he might
+venture to demand for the services of his troupe, and mentally
+increasing the amount at every step, as new glories disclosed themselves
+to his wondering eyes. The pedant was looking forward impatiently to
+the copious draughts of generous wine he felt sure of enjoying in the
+splendid chateau that was now in full view, and Leander, striving
+to smooth his slightly dishevelled locks with a dainty little
+tortoise-shell pocket-comb, was wondering, with a fluttering heart,
+whether a fair marquise dwelt within those walls, and would gaze down
+upon him from one of those windows as he alighted--indulging in high
+hopes of the impression he should make upon her susceptible heart.
+
+The Chateau de Bruyeres, which had been entirely rebuilt in the
+preceding reign, was a noble structure, of immense size, three stories
+in height, and enclosing a large interior court. It was built of red
+brick, with elaborate, white stone facings. There were many pretty
+balconies with sculptured stone railings, and large, clear panes of
+glass--an unusual luxury at that epoch--in the numerous lofty windows,
+through which the rich hangings within were visible; and a projecting
+porch, reached by an imposing flight of broad stone steps, in the centre
+of the facade, marked the main entrance. The high, steep roof was of
+slate, in several shades, wrought into a quaint, pretty pattern, and
+the groups of tall chimneys were symmetrically disposed and handsomely
+ornamented. There was a look of gaiety and luxury about this really
+beautiful chateau which gave the idea of great prosperity, but not the
+slightest approach to vulgar pretension. There was nothing meretricious
+or glaring; everything was substantial and in perfect taste, and
+an indescribably majestic, dignified air, if we may be allowed the
+expression, pervaded the whole establishment, which spoke of ancient
+wealth and nobility under all this modern splendour.
+
+Behind the chateau, its gardens and terraces, was a veritable forest of
+lofty, venerable trees, forming the magnificent park, which was of great
+extent, and for centuries had been the pride of the Bruyeres.
+
+Although our high-minded young hero had never been envious of any one
+in his life, he could not altogether suppress the melancholy sigh with
+which he remembered that in former years the de Sigognacs had stood
+higher than the de Bruyeres in the province, and had taken precedence of
+them at court; nor could he help contrasting in his own mind this fresh,
+new chateau, replete with every beauty and luxury that a cultivated
+taste could devise and plentiful wealth procure, with his own desolate,
+dilapidated mansion--the home of owls and rats--which was gradually but
+surely crumbling into dust, and a keen pang shot through his heart at
+the thought. He recalled the dreary, solitary, hopeless life he had led
+there, and said to himself that the Marquis de Bruyeres ought to be
+a very happy man, with so much to make his existence delightful. The
+stopping of the chariot at the foot of the broad stone steps in the
+front of the chateau aroused him from his reverie; he dismissed as
+quickly as he could the sad thoughts that had engrossed him, endeavoured
+to dismiss also the dark shadow from his brow, and jumping lightly to
+the ground turned and held out his hand to help Isabelle to descend,
+before any one else could offer her that little service.
+
+The Marquis de Bruyeres, who had seen the chariot advancing slowly up
+the avenue, stood in the porch to receive them. He was superbly dressed,
+and looked very handsome, as both Serafina and the soubrette secretly
+remarked. He descended two or three steps as the chariot stopped, and
+welcomed his guests with a friendly wave of the hand--doing them as much
+honour as if they had been of his own rank--which act of courtesy, let
+us hasten to explain, was because of the Baron de Sigognac's presence
+among them; but for that they would not have been brought to the main
+entrance at all.
+
+At this moment the wily soubrette, seeing her opportunity for a bold
+stroke, prepared to alight; and as de Sigognac was fully occupied with
+Isabelle, and nobody else thought of paying any attention to her--for
+she always jumped to the ground as lightly as a bird, disdaining
+assistance--she hesitated for a moment, with an adorable little air of
+timidity, and then raised an appealing glance to the marquis. He could
+not resist it, and, rushing down the steps to her aid, held out both
+hands to her. With wonderful art the clever little actress managed
+to slip and lose her balance, so as to fall into his extended arms,
+clasping him around the neck as she did so.
+
+"Pardon me, my lord," said she, breathlessly, to the marquis, feigning
+a confusion she was far from really feeling, "I thought I was going to
+fall, and grasped your collar, just as a drowning man clutches at the
+nearest object. A fall is a bad omen, you know, as well as a serious
+matter, for a poor actress."
+
+"Permit me to look upon this little accident as a favour," the marquis
+replied, giving her a most significant glance, and lightly pressing her
+yielding form in his arms before he released her.
+
+Serafina had watched this little by-play out of the corner of her eye,
+though her face was apparently turned away from them, and she bit
+her lip till it bled, with vexation; so after all the soubrette had
+succeeded, by an abominably bold action, in compelling the marquis to
+neglect her betters and give his warmest welcome to a low intrigante,
+said the "leading lady" to herself, swelling with righteous indignation,
+and abusing the offender roundly in her thoughts--wishing that she could
+do it aloud, and expose her outrageous, unmannerly artifice.
+
+"Jean," said the marquis to a servant in livery who stood near, "have
+this chariot taken into the court, and see that the decorations,
+scenery, etc., are carefully put in some convenient place; have the
+luggage of these ladies and gentlemen carried to the rooms that
+I ordered to be made ready for them, and take care that they have
+everything they want;" then in a lower tone, but very emphatically,
+"I desire that they should be treated with the utmost courtesy and
+respect."
+
+These orders being given, the marquis gravely ascended the steps,
+followed by the comedians, and having consigned them to his major-domo
+to show them to their respective rooms and make them comfortable,
+he gracefully bowed and left them; darting an admiring glance at the
+soubrette as he did so, which she acknowledged by a radiant smile, that
+Serafina, raging inwardly, pronounced "abominably bold."
+
+The chariot meantime had made its way into a back court, accompanied by
+the tyrant, the pedant and Scapin, who superintended the unloading of
+the various articles that would be needed--a strange medley, which the
+supercilious servants of the chateau, in their rich liveries, handled
+with a very lofty air of contempt and condescension, feeling it quite
+beneath their dignity to wait upon a band of strolling players. But they
+dared not rebel, for the marquis had ordered it, and he was a severe
+master, as well as a very generous one.
+
+The major-domo, however, conducted his charges to their appointed
+chambers with as profound an air of respect as if they had been real
+princes and princesses; for the marquis himself had visited the left
+wing of the chateau, where they were to be lodged, had specified the
+room for each guest, and ordered that they should want for nothing--a
+very unusual proceeding on his part, as he was in the habit of leaving
+all such minor details to his trusty major-domo. A beautiful chamber,
+hung with tapestry which represented the loves of Cupid and Psyche, was
+given to the soubrette, the pretty, dainty, blue one to Isabelle, and
+the luxurious red one to Serafina, whilst the more sober brown one
+was assigned to the duenna. The Baron de Sigognac was installed in a
+magnificent apartment, whose panelled walls were covered with richly
+embossed Spanish leather. It was close to Isabelle's room--a delicate
+attention on the part of the marquis. This superb chamber was always
+reserved for his most honoured guests, and in giving it to our young
+hero he desired to testify that he recognised and appreciated his rank,
+though he religiously respected his incognito.
+
+When de Sigognac was left alone, and at liberty to think over
+quietly the odd situation in which he found himself, he looked at his
+magnificent surroundings with surprise as well as admiration--for he had
+never in his life seen, or even imagined, such splendour and luxury. The
+rich glowing colours of the chimerical flowers and foliage embossed on
+a golden ground of the Spanish leather on the walls, the corresponding
+tints in the frescoed ceiling and the heavy, silken hangings at the
+windows and doors and round the bed, the elaborately carved and gilded
+furniture, the luxurious easy-chairs and sofas, the large mirrors with
+bevelled edges, and the dainty dressing-table, lavishly furnished with
+all the accessories of the toilet, with its oval glass draped with lace
+which was tied back with knots of gay ribbon, certainly did make up a
+charming whole, and the wood fire burning brightly in the open fireplace
+gave a cheerful, cosy air to it all.
+
+Our poor young baron blushed painfully as he caught sight of his own
+figure in one of the long mirrors--his shabby, ill-fitting clothes
+looked so sadly out of place amidst all this magnificence--and for
+the first time in his life he felt ashamed of his poverty. Highly
+unphilosophical this, but surely excusable in so young a man as our
+hero. With a natural desire to improve his forlorn appearance if he
+could, he unpacked the scanty supply of clothing that his faithful
+Pierre had put up for him--hoping that he might come across something a
+little less thread-bare than the suit he actually had on his back--but
+the inspection was not satisfactory, and he groaned as he discarded one
+faded, shabby garment after another. The linen was not any better--worn
+so that it was thin everywhere, with numerous darns and patches, and
+many holes, he could not find a single shirt that was whole and in good
+condition. He was so absorbed in this melancholy inspection that he did
+not hear a low knock at the door, nor notice that it was slowly pushed
+open, having been already ajar, to admit the stout person of Blazius,
+who approached him with many bows and flourishes, though entirely
+unobserved. When the pedant reached his side de Sigognac was just
+holding up before him a shirt that had as many openings as the rose
+window of a cathedral, and slowly shaking his head as he gazed at it,
+with an expression of utter discouragement.
+
+"Body of Bacchus!" exclaimed the pedant--his voice, so close at hand,
+startling the astonished baron, who had believed himself alone, and safe
+from intrusion--"that shirt has verily a valiant and triumphant air. It
+looks as if it had been worn by Mars himself in battle, so riddled has
+it been by lances, spears, darts, arrows, and I know not what besides.
+Don't be ashamed of it, Baron!--these holes are honourable to you. Many
+a shirt of fine linen, ruffled and embroidered, according to the latest
+fashion, disguises the graceless person of some rascally parvenu--and
+usurer as well perhaps--who usurps the place of his betters. Several
+of the great heroes, of immortal fame, had not a shirt to their
+backs--Ulysses, for example, that wise and valiant man, who presented
+himself before the beautiful Princess Nausicaa, with no other covering
+than a bunch of sea-weed--as we are told, in the Odyssey, by the grand
+old bard, Homer."
+
+"Unfortunately," de Sigognac replied, "there is no point of resemblance,
+my dear Blazius, between me and the brave King of Ithaca, save the lack
+of linen. _I_ have done no deeds of valour to shed a lustre over MY
+poverty. I have had no chance to make myself famous, and I fear that
+the poets will never celebrate my praises in glowing hexameters. But,
+jesting aside, I must confess that I do feel greatly annoyed at being
+forced to appear in this guise here. The Marquis de Bruyeres recognised
+me, though he made no sign, and he may betray my secret."
+
+"It _is_ a pity," said the pedant in reply, "but there's a remedy for
+every ill under the sun, save death, according to the old saying, and
+if you will permit me, I think that I can help you out of this awkward
+dilemma. We, poor players, shadows of real men and women, phantoms of
+personages of every degree, from the highest to the lowest, have
+the means necessary for assuming almost any character, you know.
+As 'costumier' of the troupe I am accustomed to make all sorts of
+transformations, and can turn a miserable vagabond into an Alexander,
+or a vulgar wench into a princess. Now, if you are not too proud, I will
+exercise my poor skill in your lordship's service. Since you have been
+willing to join our company for this journey, do not disdain to make
+use of our resources, such as they are, and put aside these ill-fitting
+garments, which disguise your natural advantages, and make you feel ill
+at ease. Most fortunately I happen to have in reserve a handsome suit of
+black velvet, which has not the least of a theatrical air about it, and
+has never been used; any gentleman could wear it, and unless I am much
+mistaken it will fit you capitally. I have also the fine linen shirt,
+silk stockings, shoes--with broad buckles, and cloak to go with
+it--there is nothing wanting, not even the sword."
+
+"Oh! as to that," cried de Sigognac, with a gesture expressive of
+all that pride of birth which no misfortunes could crush, "I have my
+father's sword."
+
+"True," answered Blazius, "and guard it sacredly, my lord! for a sword
+is a faithful friend--defender of its master's life and honour. IT does
+not abandon him in times of peril and disaster, like the false friends
+who cling only to prosperity. Our stage swords have neither edge
+nor point, for they are only intended for show; the wounds they make
+disappear suddenly when the curtain falls, without the aid of the
+surgeon with his instruments and lint. That trusty sword of yours you
+can depend upon in any emergency, and I have already seen it doing good
+service in our behalf. But permit me to go and fetch the things I spoke
+of; I am impatient to see the butterfly emerge from the chrysalis."
+
+Having thus spoken, in the theatrical way that had become habitual with
+him, the worthy pedant quitted the room, and soon reappeared, carrying
+a large package, which he deposited on the table in the centre of the
+chamber.
+
+"If your lordship will accept an old actor as valet-de-chambre," he
+said, rubbing his hands joyfully together, "I will beautify you in no
+time. All the ladies will be sure to fall in love with you, for--with no
+disrespect to the larder at the Chateau de Sigognac be it said--you
+have fasted so much in your lonely life there that it has made you most
+interestingly slender and pale--just what the dear creatures delight in.
+They would not listen to a word from a stout lover, even if the diamonds
+and pearls of the fairy tale dropped from his lips whenever he spoke.
+That is the sole reason for my want of success with the fair sex, and I
+long ago deserted the shrine of Venus for the worship of Bacchus. A big
+paunch is not amiss among the devotees of that merry god, for it bears
+witness to plentiful libations."
+
+Thus running on gaily, the worthy pedant strove to amuse the melancholy
+young nobleman, while he deftly performed his duties as valet; and
+they were very quickly completed, for the requirements of the stage
+necessitate great dexterity on the part of the actors to make the
+metamorphoses frequently needed with sufficient promptness and rapidity.
+Charmed with the result of his efforts he led de Sigognac up to one
+of the large mirrors, wherein, upon raising his eyes, he saw a figure
+which, at the first glance, he thought must be that of some person who
+had entered the room without his knowledge, and turned to ask who the
+intruder was--but there was no stranger there, and he discovered that it
+was his own reflection--so changed that he was mute with astonishment.
+A young, handsome, richly-dressed de Sigognae stood before him, and a
+radiant smile parted his lips and lighted up his face as he gazed at
+his own image, which perfected the really marvellous transformation.
+Blazius, standing near, contemplated his work with undisguised pride and
+satisfaction, changing his position several times so as to get different
+views, as a sculptor might who had just put the finishing touches to his
+statue altogether to his liking.
+
+"When you have made your way at court, my lord, and regained the
+position held by your ancestors, as I hope and expect that you will do,
+I shall pray you to give me a refuge for my old age in your household,
+and make me intendant of your lordship's wardrobe," said he, with a
+profound bow to the baron.
+
+"I will not forget your request, my good Blazius, even though I fear
+that I shall never be able to comply with it," de Sigognae answered with
+a melancholy smile. "You, my kind friend, are the first human being that
+has ever asked a favour of me."
+
+"After our dinner, which we are to have very shortly, we are to consult
+with his lordship, the marquis, as to what play shall be given this
+evening, and learn from him where we are to rig our theatre. You will
+pass for the poet of the troupe; it is by no means an unheard-of thing
+for men of learning and position to join a band of players thus--either
+for the fun of the thing, and in hope of adventures, or for the love
+of a young and beautiful actress. I could tell you of several notable
+instances; and it is thought to be rather to a man's credit than
+otherwise in fashionable circles. Isabelle is a very good pretext for
+you; she is young, beautiful, clever, modest, and virtuous. In fact many
+an actress who takes like her the role of the ingenuous young girl is
+in reality all that she personates, though a frivolous and frequently
+licentious public will not credit it for a moment."
+
+Herewith the pedant discreetly retired, having accomplished, to his
+great satisfaction, what he had really feared to propose to the young
+baron, for whom he had conceived a very warm affection.
+
+Meanwhile the elegant Leander, indulging in delightful dreams of the
+possible fair chatelaine who was to fall a victim to his charms, was
+making his careful toilet--arraying himself in his most resplendent
+finery, scrupulously kept for grand occasions--convinced that great good
+fortune awaited him, and determined to carry the noble lady's heart by
+storm.
+
+As to the actresses, to whom the gallant marquis, with princely
+munificence, had sent several pieces of rich stuffs and silks, it is
+needless to say that they spared no pains to make themselves as charming
+as possible, and obeyed the summons to dinner radiant with smiles and in
+high good humour--excepting indeed the fair Serafina, who was inwardly
+consumed with envy and spite, but careful to conceal it from all
+beholders.
+
+The marquis, who was of an ardent, impatient nature, made his appearance
+in the dining-room before they had quite finished the sumptuous repast
+which had been served to them; he would not allow them to rise, but
+seated himself at the table with them, and when the last course had been
+removed, asked the tyrant to be good enough to give him a list of the
+plays they were in the habit of acting, so that he might select one
+for the evening's entertainment. But so many were enumerated that his
+lordship found it not easy to make a choice, and expressed his desire to
+have the tyrant's ideas upon the subject.
+
+"There is one piece we often play," Herode said, "which never fails to
+please, and is so full of good-natured fun and nonsense that it keeps
+the audience in a roar of laughter from the beginning to the end."
+
+"Let us have that one, by all means," the marquis exclaimed; "and pray
+what is the name of this delightful play?"
+
+"The Rodomontades of Captain Matamore."
+
+"A capital title, upon my word! and has the soubrette a good part in
+it?" asked his lordship, with a languishing glance at her.
+
+"The most racy, mischievous role imaginable," said Herode warmly, "and
+she plays it to perfection--it is her chef d'oeuvre. She is always
+applauded to the echo in it."
+
+At this high praise from the manager, Zerbine--for such was the
+soubrette's name--tried her best to get up a becoming blush, but in
+vain. Modesty she had none, and the tint she would fain have called
+into requisition at that moment was not contained in any of her numerous
+rouge-pots. So she cast down her eyes, thereby displaying to advantage
+the length and thickness of her jet-black lashes, and raised her hand
+with a deprecating gesture, which called attention to its pretty, taper
+fingers and rosy nails. The marquis watched he admiringly, and she
+certainly was very charming in her way. He did not vouchsafe even a
+glance to the other two young actresses--refraining from testifying any
+marked admiration for Isabelle because of the prior claim of the Baron
+de Sigognac--though he was secretly very much delighted with her
+sweet, refined style of beauty, and the quiet dignity and grace of her
+deportment. Serafina, who was naturally indignant that the marquis had
+not even asked if there was a part for her in the piece to be performed,
+accused him in her heart of being no gentleman, and of having very
+low, vulgar tastes, but she was the only one of the party that felt any
+dissatisfaction.
+
+Before the marquis left them he said to Herode, "I have given orders
+to have the orangery cleared so that our theatre can be arranged there;
+they are carrying planks, trestles, benches, hangings, and all other
+needful articles in there now. Will you kindly superintend the workmen,
+who are new to this sort of business? They will obey your orders as they
+would my own."
+
+Accordingly the tyrant, Blazius and Scapin repaired to the orangery,
+which was at a little distance from the chateau and admirably calculated
+for the purpose it was now to serve, and where they found everything
+necessary to convert it into a temporary theatre.
+
+Whilst this work is going forward we will make our amiable, indulgent
+readers acquainted with the fair mistress of the chateau--having
+heretofore forgotten to mention that the Marquis de Bruyeres was a
+married man; he thought of it so seldom himself that we may surely be
+pardoned for this omission. As can be readily imagined, from our last
+remark, love had not been the moving cause in this union. Adjoining
+estates, which, united in one, formed a noble domain, and equality of
+rank had been the chief considerations. After a very brief honeymoon,
+during which they had become painfully aware of a total want of
+congeniality, the marquis and marquise--like well-bred people, making
+no outcry about their matrimonial failure--had tacitly agreed to live
+amicably under the same roof, but entirely independent of each other--he
+to go his way and she hers, with perfect freedom. They always treated
+each other in public, and indeed whenever they chanced to meet, with
+the greatest courtesy, and might easily have been mistaken by a casual
+observer for an unusually happy and united pair. Mme. la Marquise
+occupied a sumptuous suite of apartments in the chateau, which her
+husband never thought of entering without first sending to ascertain
+whether it would be convenient for madame to receive him, like a formal
+visitor. But we will avail ourselves of the time-honoured privilege
+of authors, and make our way into the noble chatelaine's bed-chamber,
+without any form or ceremony--feeling sure of not disturbing its fair
+occupant, since the writer of a romance wears upon his finger the
+wonder-working ring of Gyges, which renders him invisible.
+
+It was a large, lofty room, hung with superb tapestry representing the
+adventures of Apollo, and exhibiting every luxury that wealth could
+procure. Here also a bright wood fire was, burning cheerily, and the
+Marquise de Bruyeres sat before her dressing table, with two maids in
+attendance upon her, absorbed in the all-important business of putting
+the finishing touches to her extremely becoming as well as effective
+toilet. Mme. la Marquise was a handsome brunette, whose embonpoint,
+which had succeeded to the slender outline of early youth, had added to
+her beauty; her magnificent black hair, which was one of her ladyship's
+greatest charms, was dressed in the most elaborate fashion--an intricate
+mass of glossy braids, puffs and curls, forming a lofty structure, and
+ornamented with a large bow of crimson ribbon, while one long curl fell
+upon her fair neck, making it look all the whiter by contrast. Her
+dress of crimson silk, cut very low, displayed to advantage--the plump,
+dimpled shoulders, and her snowy bosom, and from a band of black velvet
+round her throat was suspended a heart-shaped locket, set with superb
+rubies and brilliants. A white satin petticoat covered with priceless
+old lace, over which the crimson silk gown, open in front, was looped
+high upon the hips, and then swept back in a long, ample, richly trimmed
+train, completed the elegant toilet of Mme. la Marquise. Jeanne,
+the favourite maid and confidante, held open the box of tiny black,
+"muoches"--without which no fashionable lady of that epoch considered
+herself fully equipped--while the marquise placed one, with most happy
+effect, near the corner of her rather pretty mouth, and then hesitated
+some time before she could decide where to put the other, which she
+held ready on the tip of her forefinger. The two maids stood motionless,
+breathlessly watching their mistress, as if fully impressed with the
+importance of this grave question, until at last the little black star
+found a resting-place just above the edge of the crimson silk bodice,
+to the left--indicating, in the accepted hieroglyphics of that age of
+gallantry, that he who aspired to the lips of the fair wearer must first
+win her heart.
+
+After a last lingering look in the mirror Mme. la Marquise rose and
+walked slowly towards the fire, but suddenly, remembering that there was
+yet one adornment wanting, turned back, and took from a beautiful casket
+standing open on the toilet-table, a large, thick watch--called in those
+days a Nuremberg egg--which was curiously enamelled in a variety of
+bright colours, and set with brilliants. It hung from a short, broad
+chain of rich workmanship, which she hooked into her girdle, near
+another chain of the same description, from which depended a small
+hand-mirror in a pretty gold frame.
+
+"Madame is looking her loveliest to-day," said Jeanne in flattering
+tones; "her hair is dressed to perfection, and her gown fits like a
+glove."
+
+"Do you really think so?" asked her mistress languidly, and with
+affected indifference. "It seems to me, on the contrary, that I am
+positively hideous. My eyes are sunken, and this colour makes me look
+immensely stout. I have half a mind to exchange this dress for a black
+one now. What do you think, Jeanne? Black makes people look slender,
+they say."
+
+"If madame insists upon it I can quickly make the exchange; but it would
+be a sad pity not to wear such an elegant and becoming costume as madame
+has on now."
+
+"Well, let it be then; but it will be all your fault, Jeanne, if I fail
+to receive as much admiration as usual this evening. Do you know whether
+the marquis has invited many people to come and see this play?"
+
+"Yes, madame, several messengers have been sent off on horseback
+in different directions, and there will be sure to be a large
+gathering--they will come from all the chateaux within driving
+distance--for such an occasion as this is rare, here in the depths of
+the country."
+
+"You are right," said Mme. la Marquise, with a deep sigh, which was
+almost a groan; "we are buried alive in this dreary place. And what
+about these players?--have you seen them, Jeanne?--are there any
+handsome young actors among them?"
+
+"I have only had a glimpse of them, madame, and such people are so
+painted and fixed up, they say, that it is hard to tell what they really
+do look like; but there was one slender young man, with long, black
+curls and a very good figure, who had quite a grand air."
+
+"That must be the lover, Jeanne, for it is always the best looking young
+actor in the troupe who takes that part. It would be ridiculous, you
+know, to have a stout old codger, or a very ugly man, or even an awkward
+one, making declarations of love, and going down on their knees, and all
+that sort of thing--it would not do at all, Jeanne!"
+
+"No, madame, it would not be very nice," said the maid with a merry
+laugh, adding shrewdly, "and although it seems to make very little
+difference what husbands may be like, lovers should always be everything
+that is charming."
+
+"I confess that I have a weakness for those stage gallants," Mme.
+la Marquise said with a little sigh, "they are so handsome, and so
+devoted--they always use such beautiful language, and make such graceful
+gestures--they are really irresistible. I cannot help feeling vexed when
+their impassioned appeals are received coldly, and they are driven to
+despair, as so often happens in plays; I would like to call them to me
+and try to console them, the bewitching creatures!"
+
+"That is because madame has such a kind heart that she can't bear to
+see any one suffer without trying to help and comfort them," said the
+specious Jeanne. "Now I am of quite a different mind--nothing I would
+like better than to flout a sentimental suitor; fine words would not
+gain any favour with me--I should distrust them."
+
+"Oh! you don't understand the matter, Jeanne! You have not read as many
+romances, or seen as many plays as I have. Did you say that young actor
+was very handsome?"
+
+"Mme. la Marquise can judge for herself," answered the maid, who had
+gone to the window, "for he is just crossing the court this blessed
+minute, on his way to the orangery, where they are rigging up their
+theatre."
+
+Mme. la Marquise hastened to the window, and there was Leander in full
+view, walking along slowly, apparently lost in thought, and wearing a
+tender, sad expression, which he considered especially effective and
+interesting--as we have said, he never for a moment forgot his role.
+As he drew near he looked up, as by a sudden inspiration, to the very
+window where the marquise stood watching him, and instantly taking
+off his hat with a grand flourish, so that its long feather swept the
+ground, made a very low obeisance, such as courtiers make to a queen;
+then drew himself up proudly to his full height, and darting an ardent
+glance of admiration and homage at the beautiful unknown, put on his
+broad felt hat again and went composedly on his way. It was admirably
+well done; a genuine cavalier, familiar with all the gallant usages in
+vogue at court, could not have acquitted himself better. Flattered
+by this mark of respect for her rank and admiration of her beauty, so
+gracefully tendered, Mme. la Marquise could not help acknowledging it
+by a slight bend of the head, and a little half suppressed smile.
+These favourable signs did not escape Leander, who, with his usual
+self-conceit, took a most exaggerated view of their import. He did not
+for a moment doubt that the fair mistress of the chateau--for he took it
+for granted it was she--had fallen violently in love with him, then and
+there; he felt sure that he had read it in her eyes and her smile. His
+heart beat tumultuously; he trembled with excitement; at last it had
+come! the dream of his life was to be accomplished; he, the poor,
+strolling player, had won the heart of a great lady; his fortune was
+made! He got through the rehearsal to which he had been summoned as best
+he might, and the instant it was over hastened back to his own room, to
+indite an impassioned appeal to his new divinity, and devise some means
+to insure its reaching her that same evening.
+
+As everything was in readiness the play was to begin as soon as the
+invited guests had all assembled. The orangery had been transformed into
+a charming little theatre, and was brilliantly lighted by many clusters
+of wax candles. Behind the spectators the orange trees had been arranged
+in rows, rising one above the other, and filled the air with their
+delicious fragrance. In the front row of seats, which was composed of
+luxurious arm-chairs, were to be seen the beautiful Yolande de Foix, the
+Duchesse de Montalban, the Baronne d'Hagemeau, the Marquise de Bruyres,
+and many other titled dames, resplendent in gorgeous array, and vying
+with each other in magnificence and beauty. Rich velvets, brilliant
+satins, cloth of silver and gold, misty laces, gay ribbons, white
+feathers, tiaras of diamonds, strings of pearls, superb jewels,
+glittering in delicate shell-like ears, on white necks and rounded arms,
+were in profusion, and the scene would have graced the court itself. If
+the surpassingly lovely Yolande de Foix had not been present, several
+radiant mortal goddesses in the exceptionally brilliant assemblage might
+have made it difficult for a Paris to decide between their rival claims
+to the golden apple; but her beauty eclipsed them all, though it was
+rather that of the haughty Diana than the smiling Venus. Men raved about
+her, declared her irresistible, worshipped at her shrine, but never
+dared aspire to her love; one scornful glance from her cold blue eyes
+effectually extinguished any nascent hope, and the cruel beauty punished
+presumption as relentlessly, and won and flung away hearts with as much
+nonchalance, as ever did her immortal prototype, the fair goddess of the
+chase.
+
+How was this exquisite creature dressed? It would require more
+sang-froid than we are possessed of to venture upon a description of
+her perfect toilet; her raiment floated about her graceful form like a
+luminous cloud, in which one could think only of herself; we believe,
+however, that there were clusters of pearls nestling amid the bright
+curls that made an aureola--a veritable golden glory--about her
+beautiful head.
+
+Behind these fair ladies sat or stood the nobles and gentlemen who had
+the honour of being their fathers, husbands, and brothers. Some were
+leaning forward to whisper soft nothings and dainty compliments into
+willing ears, others lounging and fanning themselves lazily with their
+broad felt hats, and others still standing in the background looking
+admiringly at the pretty group before them. The hum of conversation
+filled the air, and a slight impatience was just beginning to manifest
+itself among the waiting audience, when the traditional three knocks
+were heard, and all suddenly subsided into silence.
+
+The curtain rose slowly and revealed a very pretty scene representing
+a public square where several streets met, surrounded by picturesque
+houses with small latticed windows, overhanging gables, high peaked
+roofs, and smoke curling upwards from the slender chimneys against the
+blue sky.
+
+One of these houses had a practicable door and window, whilst two of
+those in the side scenes enjoyed equal advantages, and one of them was
+furnished with a balcony. A few trees were scattered about in front of
+the houses, and, though the painting was not of the highest order
+of scenic art, the general effect was very good, and won a round of
+applause from the aristocratic audience. The piece opens with a quarrel
+between the testy old bourgeois, Pandolphe, and his daughter, Isabelle,
+who, being in love with a handsome young suitor, obstinately refuses to
+obey her father's commands and marry a certain Captain Matamore, with
+whom he is perfectly infatuated. She is ably supported in her resistance
+by her pretty maid, Zerbine, who is well paid by Leander, the favoured
+lover, to espouse his cause. To all the curses and abuse that Pandolphe
+showers upon her, she answers gaily with the most exasperating and
+amusing impertinences, advising him to marry this fine captain himself
+if he is so fond of him; as for her part she will never suffer her dear,
+beautiful mistress to become the wife of that horrid old codger, that
+abominable bully, that detestable scarecrow! Whereupon Pandolphe,
+furiously angry, orders her into the house, so that he may speak to his
+daughter alone; and when she refuses to obey, and defies him to make
+her, he takes her by the shoulders and attempts to force her to go, but
+she, bending forward with admirable elasticity, from the waist only, at
+each vigorous effort of his, stands her ground and does not budge one
+inch from her place, breaking into peals of laughter at every fresh
+attempt, and accompanying it all with an irresistibly saucy,
+comical by-play, that wins her round after round of enthusiastic
+applause--whilst the Marquis de Bruyeres, enchanted with her spirited
+acting, congratulates himself anew upon the happy chance that threw this
+charming creature in his way.
+
+Another character now enters upon the scene, looking cautiously about
+him at every step, as if he feared an unpleasant surprise. This is
+Leander, the horror of fathers, husbands, and guardians, the delight of
+wives, daughters, and wards--in one word, the lover--the very beau-ideal
+of a lover; young, handsome, ardent, ready for anything, winning
+over strict old duennas, bribing pert waiting-maids, climbing up
+rope-ladders, overcoming every obstacle to reach the fair mistress
+of his affections, and kneeling at her feet to pour out burning
+protestations of love and devotion, that no mortal woman could ever
+resist. Suddenly perceiving that Pandolphe is here, where he only
+expected to find Isabelle, Leander stops and throws himself into an
+attitude, which he has frequently practised before the mirror,
+and which, he flatters himself, shows his handsome person to great
+advantage; standing with his weight thrown upon the left leg, the right
+one advanced and slightly bent at the knee; one hand on the hilt of his
+sword, the other stroking his chin, so as to make the big diamond on his
+finger flash in the light, and a slight smile playing about his lips. He
+really did look very handsome as he stood there, and was greatly admired
+by all the ladies--even the haughty Yolande herself not disdaining to
+smile upon him approvingly. Profiting by the opportunity that this pause
+gave him, Leander fixed his eyes upon the Marquise de Bruyeres, with
+such a look of passionate entreaty and admiration that she blushed
+crimson in spite of herself under his ardent gaze; then he turned
+reluctantly towards Isabelle, with an absent, indifferent air, which
+he intended should indicate to the fair object of his aspirations the
+difference between real and simulated passion.
+
+When Pandolphe becomes aware of the presence of Leander he is more
+furious than ever, and hustles his daughter and her maid into the house
+as quickly as possible, not, however, without Zerbine's finding means to
+take from Leander a note for Isabelle, which she slips into the pocket
+of her coquettish little apron. The young man, left alone with the irate
+father, assures him in the most respectful manner that his intentions
+are honourable; that he asks the hand of his fair daughter in marriage;
+that he is of gentle birth, has an ample fortune, and is in high favour
+at court; that nothing could ever induce him to give up Isabelle; he is
+ready to risk everything to win her, for he loves her better than his
+life--delicious words, which the young girl listens to with rapture from
+her balcony, whence she makes little signs of approval and encouragement
+to her lover, quite unknown to the stern father, whose back is turned
+to her, and who believes her safely locked up in the house. Despite
+the mellifluous eloquence of the ardent young suitor Pandolphe remains
+obstinate and unmoved, and swears, by all the gods that either he will
+have Captain Matamore for his son-in-law, or his refractory daughter
+shall be shut up in a convent and forced to become a nun. Off he bustles
+in hot haste to find a notary and have the contract of marriage drawn
+without further delay.
+
+As soon as he is out of sight Leander tries to persuade Isabelle--who
+is still in her balcony, her father having carried off the key of the
+street door in his pocket--to consent to fly from such persecution, and
+accompany him to the cell of a certain holy hermit whom he knows,
+and who is always willing and ready to marry runaway couples like
+themselves, whose loves are thwarted by tyrannical parents. But the
+young girl answers modestly, yet firmly, that, although she wishes
+nothing so earnestly as to be permitted to bestow her hand upon her
+faithful Leander, who already has her heart, she cannot disobey her
+father, for that she, like all dutiful daughters, is in duty bound to
+respect and submit to the commands of the author of her being; but she
+promises never to marry the detested Captain Matamore--she will go into
+the convent rather than listen to him for a moment. Unable to shake
+her decision Leander then retires to devise plans, with the aid of his
+clever valet, to overcome the formidable obstacles in his way--more than
+ever determined not to give up the fair Isabelle, and promising her to
+return in the evening and report progress.
+
+Isabelle retires from her balcony and closes her window, and a moment
+after Captain Matamore strides fiercely upon the stage--his appearance
+is greeted with peals of laughter--his tall, attenuated figure is
+encased in an absurd costume, in which the bright red and yellow
+stripes of his tunic meet in points in front and behind, whilst they
+run spirally round his long, thin arms and legs, producing the most
+preposterously comical effect imaginable; a stiffly-starched ruff,
+immensely broad, encircles his neck, upon which his head seems to be
+set, like that of John the Baptist on the charger; a large felt hat,
+turned up at one side, and ornamented with a huge tuft of red and yellow
+feathers, is stuck jauntily on his head, and a short cloak of the same
+colour, fastened round his neck and thrown back from his shoulders,
+floats behind him. He wears an enormous sword, whose heavily weighted
+hilt keeps the point always raised and standing out prominently behind
+him, whilst from it dangles a clever imitation of a spider's web--a
+convincing proof of how much he is in the habit of making use of this
+formidable weapon. Closely followed by his valet, Scapin, who is in
+imminent danger of having an eye put out by the end of his master's big
+sword, he marches several times around the stage, taking preternaturally
+long strides, rolling his eyes about fiercely, twisting the long ends
+of his huge mustache, and indulging in a variety of ridiculous gestures
+indicative of exaggerated rage and fury, which are irresistibly
+funny--all the more so because there is nothing whatever to provoke
+this display of ferocity. Finally he stops in front of the footlights,
+strikes an attitude, and delivers himself thus: "For to-day, Scapin, I
+am willing to let my man-killer here have a little rest, so that there
+may be an opportunity to get all its recent victims decently buried, in
+the cemeteries I contribute so largely towards filling. When a man
+has performed such feats of courage and carnage as I have--killing my
+hundreds single-handed, while my dastardly comrades trembled with fear,
+or turned and fled from the foe--to say nothing of my daily affairs of
+honour, now that the wars are over--he may assuredly indulge himself
+occasionally in milder amusements. Besides, the whole civilized world,
+having now been subjugated by my good sword, no longer offers any
+resistance to my indomitable arm, and Atropos, the eldest of the dread
+Parcae sisters, has sent word to me that the fatal scissors, with which
+she cuts the threads of human lives, have become so dulled by the great
+amount of work my trusty blade has given her to do with them, that she
+has been obliged to send them to Vulcan to be sharpened, and she begs
+for a short respite. So you see, Scapin, I must put force upon myself
+and restrain my natural ardour--refrain for a time from wars, massacres,
+sacking of cities, stand-up fights with giants, killing of monsters and
+dragons, like Theseus and Hercules of glorious memory, and all the other
+little pastimes which usually occupy my good sword and me. I will take
+my ease now for a brief period, and Death may enjoy a short rest too.
+But to whom did my worthy prototype, Mars, the great god of war, devote
+HIS leisure hours? in whose sweet society did HE find delight? Ask
+Venus, the immortal goddess of love and beauty, who had the good taste
+to prefer a warlike man to all others, and lent a willing ear to the
+suit of my valiant predecessor. So I, following his illustrious example,
+condescend to turn my attention for the moment to the tender sex, and
+pay my court to the fair Isabelle, the young and beautiful object of my
+ardent love. Being aware that Cupid, with all his assurance, would not
+dare to aim one of his golden-tipped arrows at such an all-conquering
+hero as my unworthy self, I have given him a little encouragement; and,
+in order that the shaft may penetrate to the generous lion's heart that
+beats in this broad breast, I have laid aside the world-famed coat of
+mail--made of the rings given to me by goddesses, empresses, queens,
+infantas, princesses, and great ladies of every degree, my illustrious
+admirers the world over--which is proof against all weapons, and has so
+often saved my life in my maddest deeds of daring."
+
+"All of which signifies," interrupts the valet, who had listened to this
+high-blown tirade with ill-concealed impatience, "as far as my feeble
+intellect can comprehend such magnificent eloquence, that your most
+redoubtable lordship has fallen in love with some young girl hereabouts,
+like any ordinary mortal."
+
+"Really, Scapin," says Matamore, with good-humoured condescension, "you
+have hit the nail upon the head--you are not so stupid after all, for a
+valet. Yes, I have fallen in love, but do not imagine for a moment that
+my courage will suffer diminution on that account. It was all very well
+for Samson to allow his hair to be cut off, and for Alcides to handle
+the distaff at the bidding of his mistress; but Delilah would not have
+dared to touch one hair of my head, and Omphale should have pulled off
+my boots for me--at the least sign of revolt I would have given her
+worse to do: cleaning the skin of the Nemaean lion, for instance, when
+I brought it home all fresh and bleeding, just as I had torn it from the
+quivering carcass. The thought that has lately occurred to me, that I
+have subjugated only half of the human race, is humiliating. Women,
+by reason of their weakness, escape me; I cannot treat them as I do my
+masculine opponents--cut their throats, run them through the body,
+or hew off their arms and legs; I must lay siege to their hearts, and
+conquer them in that way. It is true that I have stormed and taken a
+greater number of such fair citadels than there are drops of water in
+the ocean, or stars in the sky--why, I sleep on a mattress stuffed with
+thousands of beautiful curls and tresses of every shade, light and dark,
+golden and jet-black, which are among my most treasured trophies.
+Juno herself has made overtures to me, but I turned a deaf ear to her
+blandishments, finding her charms rather too ripe for my taste; I prefer
+the first flush of youthful beauty; it is a pure and innocent maiden
+that I would honour with my notice now, but she repulses me--that I
+should live to say it!--she dares to repulse me. I cannot permit such
+an impertinence on her part, and the fair Isabelle must humbly sue to me
+for pardon, and herself bringing the golden keys of the citadel of her
+heart, upon a salver of silver, offer them to me upon her bended knees,
+with streaming eyes and dishevelled tresses, begging for grace and
+favour in my sight. Go now, and summon the fortress to surrender--this
+house contains the rebellious fair."
+
+But doors and windows remain inexorably closed, and no notice is taken
+of the valet's thundering knocks and mocking summons to surrender;
+secure in the strength of their bolts and bars, the garrison, which
+consists of Isabelle and her maid, vouchsafes no reply. Matamore,
+becoming more enraged at each vain attempt to gain a response from
+his fair enemy, stamps about the stage, roaring out his defiance,
+threatening to sack and burn the place, pouring out volleys of
+remarkable oaths, and lashing himself into such a fury that he actually
+foams at the mouth. When his valet at length, after many vain efforts,
+is able to gain a hearing, and tells him of his formidable rival,
+Leander, and how he has already won the lady's heart, all his rage is
+turned against that fortunate suitor, of whom he vows that he will
+make mince-meat as soon as he can lay hands on him. At this very moment
+Leander himself returns, and Scapin points him out to his master as he
+approaches, adding that he will keep a sharp look-out for the police
+while Matamore is giving him his quietus. But the cowardly braggadocio
+would fain withdraw, now that the enemy is actually in sight, and is
+only restrained from flight by his servant, who pushes him forward
+directly in Leander's path.
+
+Seeing that escape is impossible, Matamore settles his hat firmly on his
+head, twists the long ends of his mustache, puts his hand on the hilt
+of his big sword, and advances threateningly towards Leander--but it is
+pure bravado, for his teeth are chattering with fear, and his long, thin
+legs waver and tremble under him visibly, like reeds shaken by the
+wind. Only one hope remains to him--that of intimidating Leander by loud
+threats and ferocious gestures, if, by a happy chance, he be a fellow of
+his own kidney. So in a terrible voice he addresses him thus: "Sir, do
+you know that I am the great Captain Matamore of the celebrated house
+of Cuerno de Cornazan, and allied to the no less illustrious family
+of Escobombardon de la Papirontonda? I am a descendant, on my mother's
+side, of the famous Antacus, the ancient hero and giant."
+
+"Well, you may be a descendant of the man in the moon for all that I
+care," answers Leander, with a disdainful shrug of the shoulders; "what
+the devil have I to do with such absurd stuff and nonsense?"
+
+"Blood and bones! thunder and Mars! You see, sir, you shall see, and
+that very quickly, what you have to do with it, unless you take yourself
+off in the twinkling of an eye. I will give you one minute's grace, for
+your extreme youth touches me, so take to your heels and fly while there
+is yet time. Observe me well! I am the terror of the whole world--my
+path is marked with graves--my own shadow scarcely dares to follow me
+into the perils I delight in. If I enter a besieged city, it is by
+the breach--when I quit it I pass under a triumphal arch; if I cross a
+river, it is one of blood, and the bridge is made of the bodies of my
+adversaries. I can toss a knight and his horse, both, weighted with
+armour, high into the air. I can snap elephants' bones, as you
+would pipe-stems. When great Mars himself chances to meet me on the
+battle-field he turns and flees, dreading the weight of my arm. My
+prowess is so well known, and the terror I inspire so great, that no one
+dares to meet me face to face, and I never see anything but the backs of
+my retreating foes."
+
+"Is it so? well, you shall meet ME face to face. Take THAT, and see how
+you like it!" says Leander laughing merrily, and giving him a sounding
+slap on one cheek which almost knocks the poor devil over, and is
+instantly followed by an equally hearty one on the other, to restore his
+equilibrium.
+
+During this scene Isabelle and Zerbine come out upon the balcony. The
+mischievous soubrette goes into convulsions of laughter, whilst her
+mistress nods encouragingly to Leander. Meantime Pandolphe, accompanied
+by the notary, turns the corner of one of the streets and enters the
+square just in time to see Leander's extraordinary exploit, whereat
+he is horrified and amazed. The valiant captain bellows like a bull,
+shrieks out the most frightful threats and curses, vowing all sorts of
+vengeance, and making prodigious efforts to draw his big sword, so that
+he may forthwith set about cutting up his unmannerly assailant into
+mince-meat. He tugs and strains until he is red in the face, but his
+"man-killer" cannot be induced to quit the scabbard and Leander, growing
+impatient, follows up his first attack with a vigorous, well directed
+kick, which sends the unlucky bully flying to the other side of the
+stage, where he falls all in a heap and rolls in the dust. The handsome,
+young gallant then bows gracefully to Isabelle and retires from the
+scene.
+
+Captain Matamore meanwhile lies sprawling on the ground, making
+ludicrous and ineffectual efforts to regain his feet. Pandolphe and
+Scapin go to his assistance, and when they have hauled him up, and he
+has made sure that Leander is no longer present, he roars out in a voice
+of thunder: "Scapin, quick, hoop me with iron bands or I shall burst!
+I am in such a rage! I shall explode like a bomb! and you, treacherous
+blade, do YOU play me false at such a moment? Is it thus you reward me
+for having always tried to slake your insatiable thirst with the blood
+of the bravest and noblest? I don't know why I have not already broken
+you into a thousand pieces, as you so richly deserve--false, ungrateful
+weapon that you are! But stay--was it to teach me that it is unworthy
+of the true warrior to desert his post?--or forget his sterner duties
+in the soft delights of love?--was it for that you refused to leap from
+your scabbard as of old? It is true, alas! that thus far this week
+I have not defeated a single army--I have killed neither ogre nor
+dragon--I have not furnished his usual rations to Death--and in
+consequence my trusty blade has rusted in the scabbard--that I should
+live to say it! rusted!--and I have been forced to submit to insults,
+and even blows, before the very eyes of my mistress. What a lesson!
+Henceforth I shall make it a rule to kill at least three men every
+morning before I break my fast, so as to be sure that my good sword
+plays freely--keep me in mind, Scapin, do you hear?"
+
+"Perhaps Leander will return before long," says the valet; "suppose we
+all help you to draw your 'TRUSTY BLADE,' so that you may be ready for
+him."
+
+Matamore, accordingly, plants himself firmly, holding the scabbard in
+both hands, Scapin seizes the handle of the sword, Pandolphe clasps him
+firmly round the waist, the notary tries to do as much by Pandolphe's
+stout person, and they all pull and pull. For some time the rusty old
+sword resists all their efforts, but at last yields suddenly, and the
+three fall in a confused heap on the ground, with legs and arms waving
+wildly in the air, while Matamore tumbles the other way, still clinging
+to the now empty scabbard. Picking himself up as quickly as possible
+he seizes his big sword, which has dropped from the valet's hand, and
+waving it triumphantly says with stem emphasis, "Now Leander's fate is
+sealed! There is but one way for him to escape certain death. He must
+emigrate to some distant planet. If he be sufficiently fool-hardy to
+remain on this globe I will find him, no matter in what distant land he
+strives to hide himself, and transfix him with this good sword--unless
+indeed he be first turned to stone by the terrible Medusa-like power of
+my eye."
+
+In spite of all that he has witnessed, the obstinate old father
+still feels unbounded faith in Matamore's valour, and persists in his
+lamentable intention to bestow the hand of his fair daughter upon this
+magnificent hero. Poor Isabelle bursts into tears, and declares that
+she prefers the convent to such a fate. Zerbine loudly swears that
+this marriage shall never take place, and tries to console her weeping
+mistress. Matamore attributes this rather discouraging demonstration on
+the part of Isabelle to an excess of maidenly modesty, not doubting
+her penchant for himself, though he acknowledges that he has not yet
+properly paid his court, nor shown himself in all his glory to her--this
+last from prudential motives, fearing lest she might be dangerously
+dazzled and overwhelmed if he should burst upon her too suddenly in the
+full splendour of his heroic character, remembering, and taking
+warning by, the sad and terrible fate that befell Semele, when Jupiter,
+reluctantly yielding to her wishes, appeared before her with all the
+insignia of his majesty.
+
+Isabelle and her maid withdrew from the balcony, without taking any
+further notice of the valiant Matamore; but he, undaunted, wishing
+to play the lover after the most approved fashion, plants himself
+resolutely under her window and sends Scapin to fetch a guitar; upon
+which he thrums awkwardly for a while, and then accompanies it with his
+voice, in an attempt at a Spanish love song, which sounds much like the
+nocturnal caterwauling of a disconsolate tabby than anything else we can
+compare it to. A dash of cold water, mischievously thrown down on him
+by Zerbine under pretext of watering the plants in the balcony, does not
+extinguish his musical ardour. "A gentle shower from the sweet eyes of
+my Isabelle, moved to tears by this plaintive melody," says he, "for it
+is universally conceded that I excel in music as in arms, and wield the
+lyre as skilfully as the sword."
+
+Unfortunately for him, Leander suddenly reappears, and highly indignant
+that this miserable rascal should presume to serenade HIS mistress,
+snatches the guitar from his hands and begins whacking him over the head
+with it, so furiously that it is quickly broken through, and slipping
+over the unhappy serenader's head remains fixed round his neck, so that
+he is completely at the mercy of his assailant. Holding fast to the
+handle of the guitar, Leander hauls him about the stage, banging him
+against the side-scenes, dragging him forward to the footlights--making
+the most absurd scene imaginable--and finally, letting go of him
+suddenly, sends him sprawling on the ground. Fancy the ridiculous
+appearance of the unfortunate bully, who looked as if he had put his
+head through a frying-pan!
+
+But his miseries are not yet at an end. Leander's valet had been
+arranging a clever little plot to prevent the fulfilment of the proposed
+marriage between Isabelle and Captain Matamore. At his instigation,
+a certain Doralice, very pretty and coquettish, makes her appearance,
+accompanied by a fierce-looking brother--represented by Herode--carrying
+two immensely long rapiers under his arm, and evidently "spoiling for a
+fight." The young lady complains that she has been shamefully jilted by
+Captain Matamore, who has deserted her for Isabelle, the daughter of
+a certain Pandolphe, and demands instant reparation for this outrage,
+adding that her brother is ready to exact it at the point of the sword,
+or avenge the insult by taking the life of the heartless villain who has
+trifled with her youthful affections.
+
+"Make haste to give this rascal his quietus," says Pandolphe to his
+future son-in-law; "it will be only child's play for you, who have
+fearlessly encountered, single-handed, a whole army of Saracens."
+
+Very reluctantly, and after many most absurd grimaces, Matamore crosses
+swords with Doralice's ferocious brother, but he trembles so that the
+latter, with one quick movement, sends his weapon flying out of his
+hand, and chastises him with the flat of his sword until he roars for
+mercy.
+
+To cap the climax, Mme. Leonarde comes upon the scene, mopping her
+streaming eyes with an enormous pocket-handkerchief, sighing and
+sobbing, and bewailing herself. She goes straight to Pandolphe and shows
+him a written promise of marriage, over Matamore's signature, cleverly
+counterfeited; whereupon the poor wretch, convicted of such abominable
+and complicated perfidy, is assailed with a new shower of blows and
+curses, and finally condemned, by the unanimous vote of all present, to
+marry old Mme. Leonarde--who has made herself as hideous as possible--as
+a fitting punishment for all his deviltries, rodomontades, and
+cowardice. Pandolphe, thoroughly disgusted with Matamore at last, makes
+no further objections to Leander's suit, and the curtain falls as he
+gives his consent to the marriage of the two young lovers.
+
+This bouffonnade, being played with great spirit, was enthusiastically
+applauded. The gentlemen were charmed with the mischievous, coquettish
+soubrette, who was fairly radiant with beauty that evening; the ladies
+were greatly pleased with Isabelle's refinement and modesty; whilst
+Matamore received the well merited encomiums of all. It would have been
+impossible to find, even in the great Parisian theatres, an actor better
+fitted for the part he had played so admirably. Leander was much
+admired by all the younger ladies, but the gentlemen agreed, without a
+dissenting voice, that he was a horridly conceited coxcomb. Wherever
+he appeared indeed this was the universal verdict, with which he was
+perfectly content--caring far more for his handsome person, and the
+effect it produced upon the fair sex, than for his art; though, to do
+him justice, he was a very good actor. Serafina's beauty did not fail to
+find admirers, and more than one young gentleman swore by his mustache
+that she was an adorable creature--quite regardless of the displeasure
+of the fair ladies within hearing.
+
+During the play, de Sigognac, hidden in the coulisses, had enjoyed
+intensely Isabelle's charming rendering of her part, though he was
+more than a little jealous of the favour she apparently bestowed upon
+Leander--and especially at the tender tone of her voice whenever she
+spoke to him--not being yet accustomed to the feigned love-making on the
+stage, which often covers profound antipathies and real enmity. When
+the play was over, he complimented the young actress with a constrained,
+embarrassed air, which she could not help remarking, and perfectly
+understood.
+
+"You play that part admirably, Isabelle! so well that one might almost
+think there was some truth in it."
+
+"Is it not my duty to do so?" she asked smilingly, secretly pleased at
+his displeasure; "did not the manager engage me for that?"
+
+"Doubtless," de Sigognac replied, "but you seemed to be REALLY in love
+with that conceited fellow, who never thinks of anything but his own
+good looks, and how to display them to the best advantage."
+
+"But the role required it. You surely would not have had me play it as
+if he disgusted me! besides, did I not preserve throughout the quiet
+demeanour of a well-bred, respectable girl? If I failed in that you must
+tell me how and where, so that I may endeavour to correct it in future."
+
+"Oh no! you appeared from the beginning to the end like a modest,
+retiring, young lady--no, there is no fault to be found with you in
+that respect; your acting was inimitable--so graceful, lady-like, and
+easy--but withal so true to nature that it was almost too real."
+
+"My dear baron, they are putting out the lights; everybody has gone but
+ourselves, and we shall be left in the dark if we don't make haste. Be
+good enough to throw this cloak around my shoulders and accompany me to
+the chateau."
+
+De Sigognac acquitted himself of this novel duty with less awkwardness
+than might have been expected, though his hands trembled a little, and
+he felt an almost irresistible desire to take her into his arms as he
+wrapped the mantle round her slender form; but he restrained himself,
+and respectfully offering his arm led her out of the orangery, which by
+this time was entirely deserted. It was, as we have said, at a little
+distance from the chateau, and on the level of the park, lower than the
+mansion, which stood on a high terrace, with a handsome stone balustrade
+at the edge, supporting at regular intervals large vases filled with
+blooming plants, in the pretty Italian fashion. A broad, easy flight
+of stone steps led up to the terrace, affording in their ascent a
+most imposing view of the chateau, which loomed up grandly against the
+evening sky. Many of the windows on this side were lighted, whilst the
+others glistened brightly as the silvery moon-beams struck upon them--as
+did also the dewdrops on the shrubbery and the grass-plots--as if a
+shower of diamonds had fallen on this favoured spot. Looking towards
+the park, the long vistas cut through the wood, losing themselves in the
+hazy blue of the distance, called to mind Breughel's famous picture of
+Paradise, or else disclosed the far-away gleam of a marble statue, or
+the spray of a misty fountain sparkling in the moonlight.
+
+Isabelle and de Sigognac slowly ascended the broad steps, pausing
+frequently to turn and look back at this enchanting scene, and charmed
+with the beauty of the night walked for a little while to and fro upon
+the terrace before retiring to their rooms. As they were in full sight
+of the windows, and it was not yet very late, the modest young girl
+felt that there could be no impropriety in this little indulgence; and
+besides, the baron's extreme timidity was very reassuring to her, and
+she knew that he would not presume upon the favour accorded to him. He
+had not made a formal avowal of his love to her, but she was as well
+aware of it as if he had, and also of his profound respect for her,
+which sentiment is indeed always an accompaniment of a worthy passion.
+She knew herself beloved--the knowledge was very sweet to her--and
+she felt herself safe from all fear of offence in the company of this
+honourable gentleman and true lover. With the delicious embarrassment
+of nascent, unavowed love, this young couple wandering by moonlight in
+a lonely garden, side by side, arm in arm, only exchanged the most
+insignificant, commonplace remarks; but if no undercurrent was betrayed
+by actual words, the trembling, voices, long pauses, stifled sighs,
+and low, confidential tones told of strong emotions beneath this quiet
+surface.
+
+The chamber assigned to the beautiful Yolande de Foix, near that of Mme.
+la Marquise, was on this side of the chateau, overlooking the park, and
+after she had dismissed her maid, she went to the window to look out
+once more upon the exceeding beauty of the night, and caught sight of
+de Sigognac and Isabelle, pacing slowly back and forth on the terrace
+below, without any other company than their own shadows. Assuredly the
+disdainful Yolande, haughty as a goddess, could never have felt anything
+but scorn for our poor young baron, past whom she had sometimes flashed
+in a whirlwind of light and noise in the chase, and whom she had so
+recently cruelly insulted; but still it displeased her to see him
+devoting himself thus to a beautiful young girl, to whom he was
+undoubtedly making love at that very moment. She had regarded him as
+her own humble vassal--for she had not failed to read the passionate
+admiration in his eyes whenever they met her own--and could not brook
+his shaking off his allegiance thus; her slaves ought to live and die in
+her service, even though their fidelity were never rewarded by a single
+smile. She watched them, with a frowning brow, until they disappeared,
+and then sought her conch in anything but a tranquil mood, haunted by
+the lover-like pair that had so roused her wrath, and still kept her
+long awake.
+
+De Sigognac escorted Isabelle to the door of her chamber, where he bade
+her good-night, and as he turned away towards his own, saw, at the end
+of the corridor, a mysterious looking individual closely wrapped in a
+large cloak, with one end thrown over the shoulder in Spanish fashion,
+and so drawn up round his face that only the eyes were visible; a slouch
+hat concealed his forehead, so that he was completely disguised, yet he
+drew back hurriedly into a dark corner when de Sigognac turned towards
+him, as if to avoid his notice. The baron knew that the comedians had
+all gone to their rooms already, and besides, it could not be one of
+them, for the tyrant was much larger and taller, the pedant a great
+deal stouter, Leander more slender, Matamore much thinner, and Scapin of
+quite a different make. Not wishing to appear curious, or to annoy the
+unknown in any way, de Sigognac hastened to enter his own room--not
+however without having observed that the door of the tapestry-hung
+chamber stood ajar. When he had closed his, he heard stealthy footsteps
+approaching, and presently a bolt shot home softly, then profound
+silence.
+
+About an hour later, Leander opened his door as quietly as possible,
+looked carefully to see if the corridor was empty, and then, stepping
+as lightly and cautiously as a gipsy performing the famous egg-dance,
+traversed its whole length, reached the staircase, which he descended as
+noiselessly as the phantoms in a haunted castle, and passed out into the
+moonlight; he crept along in the shadow of the wall and of some thick
+shrubbery, went down the steps into the park, and made his way to a sort
+of bower, where stood a charming statue of the mischievous little god of
+love, with his finger on his lip--an appropriate presiding genius of
+a secret rendezvous, as this evidently must be. Here he stopped and
+waited, anxiously watching the path by which he had come, and listening
+intently to catch the first sound of approaching footsteps.
+
+We have already related how Leander, encouraged by the smile with which
+Mme. la Marquise acknowledged his salutation, and convinced that she was
+smitten with his beauty and grace, had made bold to address a letter
+to her, which he bribed Jeanne to place secretly upon her mistress's
+toilet-table, where she would be sure to see it. This letter we copy
+here at length, so as to give an idea of the style of composition
+employed by Leander in addressing the great ladies of whose favours he
+boasted so loudly.
+
+"Madame, or rather fair goddess of beauty, do not blame anything but
+your own incomparable charms for this intrusion upon you. I am forced by
+their radiance to emerge from the deep shadow in which I should remain
+shrouded, and approach their dazzling brilliancy--just as the dolphins
+are attracted from the depths of ocean, by the brightness of the
+fisherman's lanterns, though they are, alas! to find destruction there,
+and perish by the sharp harpoons hurled pitilessly at them with unerring
+aim. I know but too well that the waves will be reddened by my blood;
+but as I cannot live without your favour, I do not fear to meet death
+thus. It may be strangely audacious, on my part to pretend to the
+privileges of gods and demi-gods--to die by your fair hand--but I dare
+to aspire to it; being already in despair, nothing worse can come to me,
+and I would rather incur your wrath than your scorn, or your disdain.
+In order to direct the fatal blow aright, the executioner must look upon
+his victim, and I shall have, in yielding up my life under your fair,
+cruel hand, the supreme delight of being for one blissful moment the
+object of your regard. Yes, I love you, madame! I adore you! And if it
+be a crime, I cannot repent of it. God suffers himself to be adored; the
+stars receive the admiration of the humblest shepherd; it is the fate
+of all such lofty perfection as yours to, be beloved, adored, only by
+inferior beings, since it has not its equal upon earth, nor scarcely
+indeed in heaven. I, alas! am but a poor, wandering actor, yet were I
+a haughty duke or prince, my head would not be on a level with your
+beauteous feet, and there would be, all the same, between your heavenly
+height and my kneeling adoration, as great a distance as from the
+soaring summit of the loftiest Alp to the yawning abyss far, far below.
+You must always stoop to reach a heart that adores you. I dare to say,
+madame, that mine is as proud as it is tender, and she who would deign
+not to repulse it, would find in it the most ardent love, the most
+perfect delicacy, the most absolute respect, and unbounded devotion.
+Besides, if such divine happiness be accorded me, your indulgence
+would not have to stoop so low as you might fancy. Though reduced by an
+adverse destiny and the jealous hatred of one of the great ones of the
+earth, who must be nameless, to the dire necessity of hiding myself
+under this disguise, I am not what I seem. I do not need to blush for
+my birth--rather I may glory in it. If I dared to betray the secrecy
+imposed upon me, for reasons of state, I could prove to you that most
+illustrious blood runs in my veins. Whoever may love me, noble though
+she be, will not degrade herself. But I have already said too much--my
+lips are sealed. I shall never be other than the humblest, most devoted
+of your slaves; even though, by one of those strange coincidences that
+happen sometimes in real life, I should come to be recognised by all the
+world as a king's son. If in your great goodness you will condescend to
+show me, fair goddess of beauty, by the slightest sign, that my
+boldness has not angered you, I shall die happy, consumed by the burning
+brightness of your eyes upon the funeral pyre of my love."
+
+How would Mme. la Marquise have received this ardent epistle? which had
+perhaps done him good service already more than once. Would she have
+looked favourably upon her humble suitor?--who can tell?--for the
+feminine heart is past comprehension. Unfortunately the letter did not
+reach her. Being entirely taken up with great ladies, Leander overlooked
+their waiting-maids, and did not trouble himself to show them any
+attentions or gallantries--wherein he made a sad mistake--for if
+the pistoles he gave to Jeanne, with his precious epistle, had been
+supplemented by a few kisses and compliments, she would have taken far
+more pains to execute his commission. As she held the letter carelessly
+in her hand, the marquis chanced to pass by, and asked her idly what she
+had got there.
+
+"Oh! nothing much," she answered scornfully, "only a note from Mr.
+Leander to Mme. la Marquise."
+
+"From Leander? that jackanapes who plays the lover in the Rodomontades
+of Captain Matamore? What in the world can HE have to say to Mme. la
+Marquise? Doubtless he asks for a gratuity!"
+
+"I don't think so," said the spiteful waiting-maid; "when he gave me
+this letter he sighed, and rolled up his eyes like a love-sick swain."
+
+"Give me the letter," said the marquis, "_I_ will answer it--and
+don't say anything about it to your mistress. Such chaps are apt to be
+impertinent--they are spoiled by admiration, and sometimes presume upon
+it."
+
+The marquis, who dearly loved a joke, amused himself by answering
+Leander's extraordinary epistle with one in much the same style--written
+in a delicate, lady-like hand upon perfumed paper, and sealed with a
+fanciful device--altogether a production well calculated to deceive the
+poor devil, and confirm him in his ridiculous fancies. Accordingly, when
+he regained his bed-chamber after the play was over, he found upon his
+dressing-table a note addressed to himself. He hastened to open it,
+trembling from head to foot with excitement and delight, and read as
+follows: "It is true, as you say so eloquently--too eloquently for my
+peace of mind--that goddesses can only love mortals. At eleven o'clock,
+when all the world is sunk in slumber, and no prying human eyes open to
+gaze upon her, Diana will quit her place in the skies above and descend
+to earth, to visit the gentle shepherd, Endymion--not upon Mount Latmus,
+but in the park--at the foot of the statue of silent love. The handsome
+shepherd must be sure to have fallen asleep ere Diana appears, so as not
+to shock the modesty of the immortal goddess--who will come without
+her cortege of nymphs, wrapped in a cloud and devoid of her silvery
+radiance."
+
+We will leave to the reader's imagination the delirious joy that filled
+to overflowing the foolish heart of the susceptible Leander, who was
+fooled to the top of his bent, when he read this precious note, which
+exceeded his wildest hopes. He immediately began his preparations to
+play the part of Endymion--poured a whole bottle of perfume upon his
+hair and hands, chewed a flower of mace to make his breath sweet,
+twisted his glossy curls daintily round his white fingers--though not a
+hair was awry--and then waited impatiently for the moment when he should
+set forth to seek the rendezvous at the foot of the statue of silent
+love--where we left him anxiously awaiting the arrival of his goddess.
+He shivered nervously from excitement, and the penetrating chilliness
+of the damp night air, as he stood motionless at the appointed spot. He
+trembled at the falling of a leaf--the crackling of the gravel under
+his feet whenever he moved them sounded so loud in his ears that he felt
+sure it would be heard at the chateau. The mysterious darkness of
+the wood filled him with awe, and the great, black trees seemed like
+terrible genii, threatening him. The poor wretch was not exactly
+frightened, but not very far from it. Mme. la Marquise was tardy--Diana
+was leaving her faithful Endymion too long cooling his heels in
+the heavy night dew. At last he thought he heard heavy footsteps
+approaching,--but they could not be those of his goddess--he must be
+mistaken--goddesses glide so lightly over the sward that not even a
+blade of grass is crushed beneath their feet--and, indeed, all was
+silent again.
+
+"Unless Mme. la Marquise comes quickly, I fear she will find only
+a half-frozen lover, instead of an ardent, impatient one," murmured
+Leander with chattering teeth; and even as the words escaped him
+four dark shadows advanced noiselessly from behind upon the expectant
+gallant. Two of these shadows, which were the substantial bodies of
+stout rascals in the service of the Marquis de Bruyeres, seized him
+suddenly by the arms, which they held pinioned closely to his sides,
+while the other two proceeded to rain blows alternately upon his
+back--keeping perfect time as their strokes fell thick and fast. Too
+proud to run the risk of making his woes public by an outcry, their
+astonished victim took his punishment bravely--without making a sound.
+Mutius Scaevola did not bear himself more heroically while his right
+hand lay among the burning coals upon the altar in the presence of
+Porsenna, than did Leander under his severe chastisement. When it was
+finished the two men let go of their prisoner, all four saluted him
+gravely, and retired as noiselessly as they had come, without a single
+word being spoken.
+
+What a terrible fall was this! that famous one of Icarus himself,
+tumbling down headlong from the near neighbourhood of the sun, was not
+a greater. Battered, bruised, sore and aching all over, poor Leander,
+crestfallen and forlorn, limping painfully, and suppressing his groans
+with Spartan resolution, crept slowly back to his own room; but so
+overweening as his self-conceit that he never even suspected that a
+trick had been played upon him. He said to himself that without doubt
+Mme. la Marquise had been watched and followed by her jealous husband,
+who had overtaken her before she reached the rendezvous in the park,
+carried her back to the chateau by main strength, and forced her, with a
+poniard at her throat, to confess all. He pictured her to himself on
+her knees, with streaming eyes, disordered dress and dishevelled hair,
+imploring her stem lord and master to be merciful--to have pity upon
+her and forgive her this once--vowing by all she held sacred never to be
+faithless to him again, even in thought. Suffering and miserable as he
+was after his tremendous thrashing, he yet pitied and grieved over the
+poor lady who had put herself in such peril for his sake, never dreaming
+that she was in blissful ignorance of the whole affair, and at that
+very moment sleeping peacefully in her luxurious bed. As the poor fellow
+crept cautiously and painfully along the corridor leading to his room
+and to those of the other members of the troupe he had the misfortune to
+be detected by Scapin, who, evidently on the watch for him, was peeping
+out of his own half-open door, grinning, grimacing, and gesticulating
+significantly, as he noted the other's limping gait and drooping figure.
+
+In vain did Leander strive to straighten himself up and assume a gay,
+careless air; his malicious tormentor was not in the least taken in by
+it.
+
+The next morning the comedians prepared to resume their journey; no
+longer, however, in the slow-moving, groaning ox-cart, which they were
+glad, indeed, to exchange for the more roomy, commodious vehicle that
+the tyrant had been able to hire for them--thanks to the marquis's
+liberality--in which they could bestow themselves and their belongings
+comfortably, and to which was harnessed four stout draught horses.
+
+Leander and Zerbine were both rather late in rising, and the last to
+make their appearance--the former with a doleful countenance, despite
+his best efforts to conceal his sufferings under a cheerful exterior,
+the latter beaming with satisfaction, and with smiles for everybody.
+She was decidedly inclined to be munificent towards her companions, and
+bestow upon them some of the rich spoils that had fallen plentifully
+to her share--taking quite a new position among them--even the duenna
+treating her with a certain obsequious, wheedling consideration, which
+she had been far from ever showing her before. Scapin, whose keen
+observation nothing ever escaped, noticed that her box had suddenly
+doubled in weight, by some magic or other, and drew his own conclusions
+therefrom. Zerbine was a universal favourite, and no one begrudged
+her her good fortune, save Serafina, who bit her lip till it bled, and
+murmured indignantly, "Shameless creature!" but the soubrette pretended
+not to hear it, content for the moment with the signal humiliation of
+the arch-coquette.
+
+At last the new Thespian chariot was ready for a start, and our
+travellers bade adieu to the hospitable chateau, where they had been
+so honourably received and so generously treated, and which they all,
+excepting poor Leander, quitted with regret. The tyrant dwelt upon
+the bountiful supply of pistoles he had received; the pedant upon
+the capital wines of which he had drunk his fill; Matamore upon
+the enthusiastic applause that had been lavished upon him by that
+aristocratic audience; Zerbine upon the pieces of rich silk, the golden
+necklaces and other like treasures with which her chest was replete--no
+wonder that it was heavy--while de Sigognac and Isabelle, thinking only
+of each other, and happy in being together, did not even turn their
+heads for one last glimpse of the handsome Chateau de Bruyere.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI. A SNOW-STORM AND ITS CONSEQUENCES
+
+As may be readily supposed, the comedians were well satisfied with
+the kind treatment they had received during their brief sojourn at the
+Chateau de Bruyeres; such a piece of good fortune did not often fall
+to their lot, and they rejoiced in it exceedingly. The tyrant had
+distributed among them each one's share of the marquis's liberal
+remuneration for their services, and it was wonderfully pleasant to them
+to have broad pieces in the purses usually so scantily supplied, and not
+infrequently quite empty. Zerbine, who was evidently rejoicing over some
+secret source of satisfaction, accepted good-naturedly all the taunts
+and jokes of her companions upon the irresistible power of her charms.
+She was triumphant, and could afford to be laughed at--indeed, joined
+heartily in the general merriment at her own expense--while Serafina
+sulked openly, with "envy, hatred, and malice" filling her heart. Poor
+Leander, still smarting from his severe beating, sore and aching, unable
+to find an easy position, and suffering agonies from the jolting of the
+chariot, found it hard work to join in the prevailing gaiety.
+
+When he thought no one was looking at him, he would furtively rub
+his poor, bruised shoulders and arms with the palm of his hand, which
+stealthy manoeuvre might very readily have passed unobserved by the rest
+of the company, but did not escape the wily valet, who was always on
+the lookout for a chance to torment Leander; his monstrous self-conceit
+being intensely exasperating to him. A harder jolt than usual having
+made the unfortunate gallant groan aloud, Scapin immediately opened his
+attack, feigning to feel the liveliest commiseration for him.
+
+"My poor Leander, what is the matter with you this morning? You moan and
+sigh as if you were in great agony! Are you really suffering so
+acutely? You seem to be all battered and bruised, like the Knight of
+the Sorrowful Countenance, after he had capered stark naked, for a love
+penance, among the rocks in the Sierra Morena, in humble imitation of
+his favourite hero, Amadis de Gaul. You look as if you had not slept
+at all last night, and had been lying upon hard sticks, rods, or clubs,
+instead of in a soft, downy bed, such as were given to the rest of us
+in the fine chateau yonder. Tell us, I pray you, did not Morpheus once
+visit you all the night through?"
+
+"Morpheus may have remained shut up in his cavern, but Cupid is a
+wanderer by night, who does not need a lantern to find the way to those
+fortunate individuals he favours with a visit," Leander replied, hoping
+to divert attention from the tell-tale bruises, that he had fancied were
+successfully concealed.
+
+"I am only a humble valet, and have had no experience in affairs of
+gallantry. I never paid court to a fine lady in my life; but still, I do
+know this much, that the mischievous little god, Cupid, according to all
+the poets, aims his arrows at the hearts of those he wishes to wound,
+instead of using his bow upon their backs."
+
+"What in the world do you mean?" Leander interrupted quickly, growing
+seriously uneasy at the turn the conversation was taking.
+
+"Oh! nothing; only that I see, in spite of all your efforts to hide it
+with that handkerchief knotted so carefully round your neck, that you
+have there on the back of it a long, black mark, which to-morrow will
+be indigo, the day after green, and then yellow, until it fades away
+altogether, like any other bruise--a black mark that looks devilishly
+like the authentic flourish which accompanies the signature of a good,
+stout club on a calf's skin--or on vellum, if that term pleases you
+better."
+
+"Ah! my good Scapin, you do not understand such matters," Leander
+replied, a scarlet flush mounting to the very roots of his hair, and
+at his wits' ends to know how to silence his tormentor; "doubtless some
+dead and gone beauty, who loved me passionately during her lifetime, has
+come back and kissed me there while I was sleeping; as is well known,
+the contact of the lips of the dead leave strange, dark marks, like
+bruises, on human flesh, which the recipient of the mysterious caress is
+astonished to find upon awaking."
+
+"Your defunct beauty visited you and bestowed her mysterious caress very
+apropos," remarked Scapin, incredulously; "but I would be willing to
+take my oath that yonder vigorous kiss had been imprinted upon your
+lily-white neck by the stinging contact of a stout club."
+
+"Unmannerly jester and scoffer that you are! is nothing sacred to you?"
+broke in Leander, with some show of heat.
+
+"You push my modesty too far. I endeavoured delicately to put off upon
+a dead beauty what I should have ascribed to a living one. Ignorant and
+unsophisticated though you claim to be, have you never heard of kisses
+so ardent that such traces of them are left?--where pearly teeth have
+closed upon the soft flesh, and made their mark on the white skin?"
+
+"Memorem dente notam," interrupted the pedant, charmed to have a chance
+to quote Horace.
+
+"This explanation appears to me very judicious," Scapin said; then,
+with a low bow to the pedant, "and is sustained by unquestionable if
+incomprehensible authority; but the mark is so long that this nocturnal
+beauty of yours, dead or alive, must have had in her lovely mouth that
+famous tooth which the three Gorgon sisters owned among them, and passed
+about from one to the other."
+
+This sally was followed by a roar of laughter, and Leander, beside
+himself with rage, half rose, to throw himself upon Scopin, and chastise
+him then and there for his insufferable impertinence; but he was so
+stiff and sore from his own beating, and the pain in his back, which was
+striped like a zebra's, was so excruciating, that he sank back into his
+place with a suppressed groan, and concluded to postpone his revenge to
+some more convenient season. Herode and Blazius, who were accustomed
+to settle such little disputes, insisted upon their making up their
+differences, and a sort of reconciliation took place-Scapin promising
+never to allude to the subject again, but managing to give poor Leander
+one or two more digs that made him wince even as he did so.
+
+During this absurd altercation the chariot had been making steady
+progress, and soon arrived at an open space where another great
+post-road crossed the one they were following, at right angles. A large
+wooden crucifix, much the worse for long exposure to the weather,
+had been erected upon a grassy mound at the intersection of the two
+highways. A group, consisting of two men and three mules, stood at its
+foot, apparently awaiting some one's arrival. As they approached, one
+of the mules, as if weary of standing still, impatiently shook its head,
+which was gaily decorated with bright, many-coloured tufts and tassels,
+and set all the little silver bells about it ringing sharply. Although
+a pair of leather blinkers, decked with gay embroidery, effectually
+prevented its seeing to the right or to the left, it evidently was aware
+of the approach of the chariot before the men's senses had given them
+any intimation of it.
+
+"The Colonelle shakes her ear-trumpets and shows her teeth," said one of
+them; "they cannot be far off now."
+
+In effect, after a very few minutes the chariot was seen approaching,
+and presently rolled into the open space. Zerbine, who sat in front,
+glanced composedly at the little group of men and mules standing there,
+without betraying any surprise at seeing them.
+
+"By Jove! those are fine beasts yonder," exclaimed the tyrant, "splendid
+Spanish mules, especially that foremost one; they can easily do their
+fifteen or twenty leagues a day, I'll venture, and if we were mounted on
+the like we should soon find ourselves in Paris. But what the devil are
+they doing in this lonely place? it must be a relay, waiting for some
+rich seignior travelling this way."
+
+"No," said the duenna, "that foremost mule is intended for a lady--don't
+you see the cushions and housings?"
+
+"In that case," he replied, "there must be an abduction in the wind;
+those two equerries, in gray liveries, certainly have a very mysterious,
+knowing sort of an air."
+
+"Perhaps you are right," said Zerbine, demurely, with a significant
+little smile and shrug.
+
+"Can it be possible that the lady is among us?" asked Scapin; "one of
+the men is coming this way by himself, as if he desired to parley before
+resorting to violence."
+
+"Oh! there'll be no need," said Serafina, casting a scornful glance at
+the soubrette, who returned it with interest.
+
+"There are bold creatures that go of their own accord, without waiting
+to be carried off."
+
+"And there are others who are NOT carried off, that would like to be,"
+retorted the soubrette, "but the desire is not sufficient; a few charms
+are needed too."
+
+At this point the equerry who had advanced to meet the chariot made a
+sign to them to stop, and, cap in hand, politely asked if Mlle. Zerbine
+was among them. The soubrette herself answered this inquiry in the
+affirmative, and sprang to the ground as lightly as a bird.
+
+"Mademoiselle, I am at your disposal," said the equerry to her, in a
+respectful and gallant tone. Zerbine shook out her skirts, adjusted her
+wraps, and then, turning towards the comedians, delivered this little
+harangue: "My dear comrades, I pray you pardon me for quitting you
+in this unceremonious manner. There are times when Opportunity offers
+itself suddenly for our acceptance, and we must seize it without delay,
+or lose it altogether; he would be a fool who let it slip through
+his fingers, for once relinquished it returns not again. The face of
+Fortune, which until now has always frowned upon me, at last vouchsafes
+me a smile, and I am delighted to enjoy its brightness, even though it
+may prove to be only fleeting. In my humble role of soubrette, I could
+not aspire to, or expect to receive, the admiration of rich lords and
+gentlemen--that is for my betters; and now that a happy chance has
+thrown such an unhoped-for piece of good luck in my way, you will
+not blame me, I am confident, for gladly accepting it. Let me take my
+belongings then--which are packed in the chariot with the others--and
+receive my adieux. I shall be sure to rejoin you some day, sooner or
+later, at Paris, for I am a born actress; the theatre was my first love,
+and I have never long been faithless to it."
+
+The two men accordingly, aided by the comedians, took Zerbine's boxes
+out of the chariot, and adjusted them carefully on the pack-mule. The
+soubrette made a sweeping curtsey to her friends in the chariot, and
+threw a kiss to Isabelle from her finger tips, then, aided by one of the
+equerries, sprang to her place behind him, on the back of the Colonelle,
+as lightly and gracefully as if she had been taught the art of mounting
+in an equestrian academy, nodded a last farewell, and striking the mule
+sharply with the high heel of her pretty little shoe, set off at a round
+pace.
+
+"Good-bye, and good luck to you, Zerbine," cried the comedians heartily,
+one and all; save only Serafina, who was more furiously angry with her
+than ever.
+
+"This is an unfortunate thing for us," said the tyrant regretfully,
+"a serious loss. I wish with all my heart that we could have kept that
+capital little actress with us; we shall not easily find any one to
+replace her, even in Paris; she is really incomparable in her own
+role--but she was not in any way bound to stay with us a moment longer
+than she chose. We shall have to substitute a duenna, or a chaperon, for
+the soubrette in our pieces for the present; it will be less pleasing of
+course, but still Mme. Leonarde here is a host in herself, and we shall
+manage to get on very nicely, I dare say."
+
+The chariot started on its way again as he spoke, at rather a better
+pace than the lumbering old ox-cart. They were travelling through a part
+of the country now which was a great contrast to the desolate Landes. To
+the Baron de Sigognac, who had never been beyond their desolate expanse
+before, it was a revelation, and he could not sufficiently admire the
+richness and beauty of this region. The productive, red soil was
+highly cultivated--not an inch of ground neglected--comfortable,
+often handsome, stone houses scattered along their route at frequent
+intervals, and surrounded by large, luxuriant gardens, spoke of a
+well-to-do population. On each side of the broad, smooth road was a row
+of fine trees, whose falling leaves lay piled upon the ground in yellow
+heaps, or whirled in the wind before de Sigognac and Isabelle, as they
+walked along beneath their spreading branches, finding the exercise a
+welcome relief after sitting for a long time in the chariot in rather
+a cramped position. One day as they were walking thus side by side,
+de Sigognac said to his fair companion, "I wish you would tell me,
+Isabelle, how it has happened that you, with all the characteristics
+of a lady of lofty lineage in the innate modesty and dignity of your
+manners, the refinement and purity of your language, the incomparable
+grace of your carriage, the elevation of your sentiments upon all
+subjects, to say nothing of the delicate, aristocratic type of your
+beauty--should have become a member of a wandering band of players like
+this--good, honest people no doubt, but not of the same rank or race as
+yourself."
+
+"Don't fancy that I am a princess in disguise, or a great lady reduced
+to earn my living in this way," she replied, with an adorable smile,
+"merely because of some good qualities you think you have discovered in
+me. The history of my life is a very simple, uneventful one, but since
+you show such kind interest in me I will gladly relate it to you. So
+far from being brought down to the station I occupy by some grievous
+catastrophe or romantic combination of adverse circumstances, I was born
+to the profession of an actress--the chariot of Thespis was, so to say,
+my birthplace. My mother, who was a very beautiful woman and finished
+actress, played the part of tragic princess. She did not confine her
+role to the theatre, but exacted as much deference and respect from
+those around her when off the stage, as she received upon it, until she
+came to consider herself a veritable princess. She had all the majesty
+and grace of one, and was greatly admired and courted, but never would
+suffer any of the gallants, who flutter about pretty actresses like
+moths around a candle, to approach her--holding herself entirely above
+them, and keeping her good name unsullied through everything. An account
+of this unusual conduct on the part of a beautiful young actress chanced
+to reach the ears of a certain rich and powerful prince, who was very
+much struck and interested by it, and immediately sought an introduction
+to my mother. As his actual rank and position equalled hers of imaginary
+princess, she received his attentions with evident pleasure. He was
+young, handsome, eloquent, and very much in love with her--what wonder
+then that she yielded at last to his impassioned entreaties, and gave
+herself to him, though, because of his high station, he could not do as
+his heart dictated, and make her his wife. They were very happy in each
+other's love, and after I was born my young father was devoted to me."
+
+"Ah!" interrupted de Sigognac, eagerly, "that explains it all; princely
+blood does flow in your veins. I knew it--was sure of it!"
+
+"Their happiness continued," resumed Isabelle, "until reasons of state
+made it necessary for him to tear himself away from her, to go on a
+diplomatic mission to one of the great capitals of Europe; and ere his
+return to France an illustrious marriage had been arranged for him by
+his family, with the sanction of royalty, which he found it impossible
+to evade. In these cruel circumstances he endeavoured to do
+everything in his power to soften the pain of this rupture to my poor
+mother--himself almost broken-hearted at being forced to leave her--and
+made every possible arrangement for her comfort and well-being; settling
+a generous income on her, and providing lavishly for my maintenance and
+education. But she would accept nothing from him--she could not receive
+his money without his love--'all or nothing' was her motto; and taking
+me with her she fled from him, successfully concealing her place of
+refuge. She soon after joined a band of players travelling through the
+provinces, and resumed her old role; but her heart was broken, and she
+gradually faded away, dying at last when I was only about seven years
+old. Even then I used to appear upon the stage in parts suitable to my
+age. I was a precocious little thing in many ways. My mother's death
+caused me a grief far more acute than most children, even a good deal
+older than I was then, are capable of feeling. How well I remember being
+punished because I refused to act the part of one of Medea's children,
+the day after she died. But my grief was not very long-lived--I was but
+a child after all, and the actors and actresses of the troupe were so
+good to me, always petting me, and devising all sorts of ways to please
+and divert me--theatrical people are proverbially kind to comrades in
+distress, you know. The pedant, who belonged to our company, and looked
+just as old and wrinkled then as he does now, took the greatest interest
+in me, constituted himself my master, and taught me thoroughly and
+indefatigably all the secrets of the histrionic art--taking unwearied
+pains with me. I could not have had a better teacher; perhaps you do not
+know that he has a great reputation, even in Paris. You will wonder that
+a man of his fame and attainments should be found in a strolling company
+of players like this, but his unfortunate habits of intemperance have
+been the cause of all his troubles. He was professor of elocution in one
+of the celebrated colleges, holding an enviable and lucrative position,
+but lost it because of his inveterate irregularities. He is his own
+worst enemy, poor Blazius! In the midst of all the confusion and serious
+disadvantages of a vagabond life, I have always been able to hold myself
+somewhat apart, and remain pure and innocent. My companions, who have
+known me from babyhood, look upon me as a sister or daughter, and treat
+me with invariable affection and respect; and as for the men of the
+outside world who haunt the coulisses, and seem to think that an actress
+is public property, off the stage as well as upon it, I have thus far
+managed to keep them at a distance--continuing in real life my role of
+modest, ingenuous, young girl, without hypocrisy or false pretensions."
+
+Thus, as they strolled along together, and could talk confidentially
+without fear of listeners, Isabelle related the story of her life to de
+Sigognac, who was a most attentive and delighted listener, and ever more
+and more charmed with his fair divinity.
+
+"And the name of the prince," said he, after a short pause, "do you
+remember it?"
+
+"I fear that it might be dangerous to my peace to disclose it," she
+replied; "but it is indelibly engraven upon my memory."
+
+"Are there any proofs remaining to you of his connection with your
+mother?"
+
+"I have in my possession a seal-ring bearing his coat of arms" Isabelle
+answered; "it is the only jewel of all he had lavished upon her that my
+mother kept, and that entirely on account of the associations connected
+with it, not for its intrinsic value, which is small. If you would like
+to see it I will be very glad to show it to you some day."
+
+It would be too tedious to follow our travellers step by step on their
+long journey, so we will skip over a few days--which passed quietly,
+without any incidents worth recording--and rejoin them as they were
+drawing near to the ancient town of Poitiers. In the meantime their
+receipts had not been large, and hard times had come to the wandering
+comedians. The money received from the Marquis de Bruyeres had all
+been spent, as well as the modest sum in de Sigognac's purse-who had
+contributed all that he possessed to the common fund, in spite of the
+protestations of his comrades in distress. The chariot was drawn now
+by a single horse-instead of the four with which they had set off
+so triumphantly from the Chateau de Bruyeres--and such a horse! a
+miserable, old, broken-down hack, whose ribs were so prominent that he
+looked as if he lived upon barrel-hoops instead of oats and hay; his
+lack-lustre eyes, drooping head, halting gait, and panting breath
+combined to make him a most pitiable object, and he plodded on at a
+snail's pace, looking as if he might drop down dead on the road at any
+moment. Only the three women were in the chariot--the men all walking,
+so as to relieve their poor, jaded beast as much as possible. The
+weather was bitterly cold, and they wrapped their cloaks about them and
+strode on in silence, absorbed in their own melancholy thoughts.
+
+Poor de Sigognac, well-nigh discouraged, asked himself despondingly
+whether it would not have been better for him to have remained in the
+dilapidated home of his fathers, even at the risk of starving to death
+there in silence and seclusion, than run the risk of such hardships in
+company with these Bohemians. His thoughts flew back to his good old
+Pierre, to Bayard, Miraut, and Beelzebub, the faithful companions of his
+solitude; his heart was heavy within him, and at the sudden
+remembrance of his dear old friends and followers his throat contracted
+spasmodically, and he almost sobbed aloud; but he looked back at
+Isabelle, wrapped in her cloak and sitting serenely in the front of the
+chariot, and took fresh courage, feeling glad that he could be near her
+in this dark hour, to do all that mortal man, struggling against such
+odds, could compass for her comfort and protection. She responded to his
+appealing glance with a sweet smile, that quickened his pulses and
+sent a thrill of joy through every nerve. She did not seem at all
+disheartened or cast down by the greatness of their misery. Her heart
+was satisfied and happy; why should she be crushed by mere physical
+suffering and discomforts? She was very brave, although apparently so
+delicate and fragile, and inspired de Sigognac, who could have fallen
+down and worshipped her as he gazed up into her beautiful eyes, with
+some of her own undaunted courage.
+
+The great, barren plain they were slowly traversing, with a few dreary
+skeletons of misshapen old trees scattered here and there, and not a
+dwelling in sight, was not calculated to dissipate the melancholy of the
+party. Save one or two aged peasants trudging listlessly along, bending
+under the weight of the fagots they carried on their backs, they had not
+seen a human being all day long. The spiteful magpies, that seemed to
+be the only inhabitants of this dreary waste, danced about in front of
+them, chattering and almost laughing at them, as if rejoicing in and
+making fun of their miseries. A searching north wind, that penetrated
+to the very marrow in their bones, was blowing, and the few white flakes
+that flew before it now and then were the avantcouriers of the steady
+fall of snow that began as nightfall approached.
+
+"It would appear," said the pedant, who was walking behind the chariot
+trying to find shelter from the icy wind, "that the celestial housewife
+up above has been plucking her geese, and is shaking the feathers out of
+her apron down upon us. She might a great deal better send us the geese
+themselves. I for one would be glad enough to eat 114 them, without
+being very particular as to whether they were done to a turn, and
+without sauce or seasoning either."
+
+"Yes, so would I, even without salt," added the tyrant, "for my stomach
+is empty. I could welcome now an omelette such as they gave us this
+morning, and swallow it without winking, though the eggs were so far
+gone that the little chicks were almost ready to peep."
+
+By this time de Sigognac also had taken refuge behind the
+chariot--Isabelle having been driven from her seat in front to a place
+in the interior by the increasing violence of the storm-and Blazius said
+to him, "This is a trying time, my lord, and I regret very much that
+you should have to share our bad fortune; but I trust it will be only of
+brief duration, and although we do get on but slowly, still every step
+brings us nearer to Paris."
+
+"I was not brought up in the lap of luxury," de Sigognac answered, "and
+I am not a man to be frightened by a few snowflakes and a biting wind;
+but it is for these poor, suffering women that I am troubled; they are
+exposed to such severe hardships--cold, privations, fatigue--and we
+cannot adequately shelter and protect them, do what we will."
+
+"But you must remember that they are accustomed to roughing it, my dear
+baron, and what would be simply unendurable to many of their sex, who
+have never been subjected to such tests, they meet bravely, and make
+light of, in a really remarkable manner."
+
+The storm grew worse and worse; the snow, driven with great force by
+the wind, penetrated into the chariot where Isabelle, Serafina, and Mme.
+Leonarde had taken refuge among the luggage, in spite of all that could
+be done to keep it out, and had soon covered their wraps with a coating
+of white. The poor horse was scarcely able to make any headway at all
+against the wind and snow; his feet slipped at every step, and he panted
+painfully. Herode went to his head, and took hold of the bridle with his
+strong hand to lead him and try to help him along, while the pedant,
+de Sigognac, and Scapin put their shoulders to the wheels at every
+inequality in the road and whenever he paused or stumbled badly, and
+Leander cracked the whip loudly to encourage the poor beast; it would
+have been downright cruelty to strike him. As to Matamore, he had
+lingered behind, and they were expecting every moment to see his tall,
+spare figure emerge from the gloom with rapid strides and rejoin them.
+Finally the storm became so violent that it was impossible to face it
+any longer; and though it was so important that they should reach the
+next village before the daylight was all gone, they were forced to halt,
+and turn the chariot, with its back to the wind. The poor old horse,
+utterly exhausted by this last effort, slipped and fell, and without
+making any attempt to rise lay panting on the ground. Our unhappy
+travellers found themselves in a sad predicament indeed--wet, cold,
+tired and hungry, all in the superlative degree--blinded by the driving
+snow, and lost, without any means of getting on save their own powers of
+locomotion, in the midst of a great desert--for the white covering which
+now lay upon everything had obliterated almost all traces of the road;
+they did not know which way to turn, or what to do. For the moment
+they all took refuge in the chariot, until the greatest violence of the
+tempest should be over, huddled close together for warmth, and striving
+not to lose heart entirely. Presently the wind quieted down all of a
+sudden, as if it had expended its fury and wanted to rest; but the snow
+continued to fall industriously, though noiselessly, and as far as the
+eye could reach through the gathering darkness the surface of the earth
+was white, as if it had been wrapped in a winding sheet.
+
+"What in the world has become of Matamore?" cried Blazius suddenly; "has
+the wind carried him off to the moon I wonder?"
+
+"Yes; where can he be?" said the tyrant, in an anxious tone; "I can't
+see him anywhere--I thought he was among us; perhaps he is lying asleep
+among the stage properties at the back of the chariot; I have known him
+curl himself down there for a nap before now. Holloa! Matamore! where
+are you? wake up and answer us!" But no Matamore responded, and there
+was no movement under the great heap of scenery, and decorations of all
+sorts, stowed away there.
+
+"Holloa! Matamore!" roared Herode again, in his loudest tones, which
+might have waked the seven sleepers in their cavern, and roused their
+dog too.
+
+"We have not seen him here in the chariot at all today," said one of the
+actresses; "we thought he was walking with the others."
+
+"The deuce!" exclaimed Blazius, "this is very strange. I hope no
+accident has happened to the poor fellow."
+
+"Undoubtedly he has taken shelter in the worst of the storm on the lee
+side of the trunk of a tree somewhere," said de Sigognac, "and will soon
+come up with us."
+
+After a short discussion, it was decided to wait where they were a few
+minutes longer, and then if he did not make his appearance go in search
+of him. They anxiously watched the way by which they had come, but no
+human form appeared on the great expanse of white, and the darkness
+was falling rapidly upon the earth, as it does after the short days of
+December. The distant howling of a dog now came to their ears, to add
+to the lugubrious effect of their surroundings, but they were all
+so troubled at the strange absence of their comrade that their own
+individual miseries were for the moment forgotten. The doleful howling,
+so far away at first, gradually became louder, until at last a large,
+black dog came in sight, and sitting down upon the snow, still a long
+distance from them, raised his head so that his muzzle pointed upward to
+the sky and howled, as if in the greatest distress.
+
+"I'm afraid something terrible has happened to our poor Matamore," cried
+the tyrant, and his voice trembled a little; "that dog howls as if for a
+death."
+
+At this speech the two young women turned even paler than they had been
+before, if that were possible, and made the sign of the cross devoutly,
+while Isabelle murmured a prayer.
+
+"We must go in search of him without a moment's delay," said Blazius,
+"and take the lantern with us; it will as a guiding star to him if he
+has wandered off from the road, as is very probable, with everything
+covered with snow like this."
+
+They accordingly lighted their horn lantern, and set off with all
+possible speed--the tyrant, Blazius, and de Sigognac--whilst Scapin and
+Leander remained with the three women in the chariot. The dog, meantime,
+kept up his dismal howling without a moment's intermission as the three
+men hastened towards him. The darkness and the newfallen snow, which had
+completely obliterated all traces of footsteps, made the task of looking
+for the missing actor a very difficult one, and after walking nearly a
+mile without seeing a sign of him, they began to fear that their search
+would prove fruitless. They kept calling, "Matamore! Matamore!" but
+there was no reply, nothing to be heard but the howling of the large
+black dog, at intervals now, or the scream of an owl, disturbed by the
+light of the lantern. At last de Sigognac, with his penetrating vision,
+thought he could make out a recumbent figure at the foot of a tree, a
+little way off from the road, and they all pressed forward to the spot
+he indicated.
+
+It was indeed poor Matamore, sitting on the ground, with his back
+against the tree, and his long legs, stretched out in front of him,
+quite buried under the snow; he did not stir at the approach of his
+comrades, or answer their joyful shout of recognition, and when Blazius,
+alarmed at this strange apathy, hastened forward and threw the light of
+the lantern upon his face, he had nearly let it fall from fright at what
+it revealed. Poor Matamore was dead, stiff and stark, with wide-open,
+sunken eyes staring out vaguely into the darkness, and his ghastly face
+wearing that pinched, indescribable expression which the mortal puts on
+when the spirit that dwelt within has fled. The three who had found him
+thus were inexpressibly shocked, and stood for a moment speechless
+and motionless, in the presence of death. The tyrant was the first to
+recover himself, and hoping that some sign of life might yet remain he
+stooped and took the cold hand into his, and essayed to find a pulse at
+the wrist--in vain! it was still and icy. Unwilling yet to admit that
+the vital spark was extinct, he asked Blazius for his gourd, which he
+always carried with him, and endeavoured to pour a few drops of wine
+into his mouth--in vain! the teeth were tightly locked together, and the
+wine trickled from between his pale lips, and dropped slowly down upon
+his breast.
+
+"Leave him in peace! do not disturb these poor remains!" said de
+Sigognac in trembling tones; "don't you see that he is dead?" "Alas!
+you are right," Blazius added, "he is dead; dead as Cheops in the great
+pyramid. Poor fellow! he must have been confused by the blinding snow,
+and unable to make his way against that terrible wind, turned aside and
+sat down under this tree, to wait until its violence should be spent;
+but he had not flesh enough on his bones to keep them warm, and must
+have been quickly frozen through and through. He has starved himself
+more than ever lately, in hopes of producing a sensation at Paris, and
+he was thinner than any greyhound before. Poor Matamore! thou art out
+of the way of all trouble now; no more blows, and kicks, and curses for
+thee, my friend, whether on or off the stage, and thou wilt be laughed
+at no more forever."
+
+"What shall we do about his body?" interrupted the more practical
+tyrant. "We cannot leave it here for dogs, and wolves, and birds of prey
+to devour--though indeed I almost doubt whether they would touch it,
+there is so little flesh upon his bones."
+
+"No, certainly, we cannot leave him here," Blazius replied; "he was a
+good and loyal comrade; he deserves better of us than that; we will not
+abandon him, poor Matamore! He is not heavy; you take his head and I
+will take his feet, and we will carry him to the chariot. To-morrow
+morning we will bury him as decently as we can in some quiet, retired
+spot, where he will not be likely to be disturbed. Unfortunately we
+cannot do better for him than that, for we, poor actors, are excluded
+by our hard-hearted and very unjust step-mother, the church, from her
+cemeteries; she denies us the security and comfort of being laid to rest
+for our last long sleep in consecrated ground. After having devoted our
+lives to the amusement of the human race--the highest as well as the more
+lowly among them, and faithful sons and daughters of holy church too--we
+must be thrown into the next ditch when the end comes, like dead dogs
+and horses. Now, Herode, are you ready? and will you, my lord, lead the
+way with the lantern?"
+
+The mournful little procession moved slowly forward; the howling dog
+was quiet at last, as if his duty was done, and a deathlike stillness
+prevailed around them. It was well that there were no passers-by at that
+hour; it would have been a strange sight, almost a frightful one, for
+any such, for they might well have supposed that a hideous crime had
+been committed; the two men bearing the dead body away at night, lighted
+by the third with his lantern, which threw their shadows, long, black
+and misshapen, upon the startling whiteness of the snow, as they
+advanced with measured tread. Those who had remained with the chariot
+saw from afar the glimmer of de Sigognac's lantern, and wondered why
+they walked so slowly, not perceiving at that distance their sad burden.
+Scapin and Leander hastened forward to meet them, and as soon as
+they got near enough to see them distinctly the former shouted to
+them--"Well, what is the matter? why are you carrying Matamore like
+that? is he ill, or has he hurt himself?"
+
+"He is not ill," answered Blazius, quietly, as they met, "and nothing can
+ever hurt him again--he is cured forever of the strange malady we call
+life, which always ends in death."
+
+"Is he really dead?" Scapin asked, with a sob he did not even try to
+suppress, as he bent to look at the face of the poor comic actor, for
+he had a tender heart under his rough exterior, and had cherished a very
+sincere affection for poor Matamoie.
+
+"Very dead indeed, for he is frozen as well," Blazius replied, in a
+voice that belied the levity of his words.
+
+"He has lived! as they always say at the end of a tragedy," said Herode;
+"but relieve us, please, it is your turn now; we have carried the poor
+fellow a long way, and it is well for us that he is no heavier."
+
+Scapin took Herode's place, reverently and tenderly, while Leander
+relieved the pedant--though this office was little to his taste--and
+they resumed their march, soon reaching the chariot. In spite of the
+cold and snow, Isabelle and Serafina sprang to the ground to meet them,
+but the duenna did not leave her seat--with age had come apathy, and
+selfishness had never been wanting. When they saw poor Matamore stiff
+and motionless, and were told that he was dead, the two young women were
+greatly shocked and moved, and Isabelle, bursting into tears, raised her
+pure eyes to heaven and breathed a fervent prayer for the departed soul.
+
+And now came the question, what was to be done? The village for which
+they were bound was still a league away; but they could not stay where
+they were all night, and they decided to go on, even if they had to
+abandon the chariot and walk--anything would be better than freezing
+to death like poor Matamore. But after all, things were not at such a
+desperate pass as they supposed; the long rest, and a good feed of oats
+that Scapin had been thoughtful enough to give their tired horse, had so
+revived the poor old beast that he seemed to be ready and willing to go
+forward again--so their most serious difficulty was removed. Matamore's
+body was laid in the chariot, and carefully covered with a large
+piece of white linen they fortunately happened to have among their
+heterogeneous belongings, the women resumed their seats, not without a
+slight shudder as they thought of their ghastly companion, and the men
+walked--Scapin going in front with the lantern, and Herode leading the
+horse. They could not make very rapid progress, but at the end of two
+hours perceived--oh, welcome sight!--the first straggling houses of
+the village where they were to spend the night. At the noise of the
+approaching vehicle the dogs began to bark furiously, and more than one
+nightcapped head appeared at the windows as they passed along through
+the deserted street--so the pedant was able to ask the way to the inn,
+which proved to be at the other end of the hamlet--and the worn-out
+old horse had to make one more effort; but he seemed to feel that the
+stable, where he should find shelter, rest and food, was before him, and
+pushed on with astonishing alacrity.
+
+They found it at last--the inn--with its bunch of holly for a sign. It
+looked a forlorn place, for travellers did not usually stop over night
+in this small, unimportant village; but the comedians were not in a
+mood to be fastidious, and would have been thankful for even a more
+unpromising house of entertainment than this one. It was all shut up
+for the night, with not a sign of life to be seen, so the tyrant applied
+himself diligently to pounding on the door with his big fists, until
+the sound of footsteps within, descending the stairs, showed that he had
+succeeded in rousing somebody. A ray of light shone through the cracks
+in the rickety old door, then it was cautiously opened just a little,
+and an aged, withered crone, striving to protect the flame of her
+flaring candle from the wind with one skinny hand, and to hold the rags
+of her most extraordinary undress together with the other, peered out at
+them curiously. She was evidently just as she had turned out of her bed,
+and a more revolting, witch-like old hag it would be hard to find; but
+she bade the belated travellers enter, with a horrible grimace that was
+intended for a smile, throwing the door wide open, and telling them
+they were welcome to her house as she led the way into the kitchen. She
+kindled the smouldering embers on the hearth into a blaze, threw on some
+fresh wood, and then withdrew to mount to her chamber and make herself
+a little more presentable--having first roused a stout peasant lad,
+who served as hostler, and sent him to take the chariot into the court,
+where he was heard directly unharnessing the weary horse and leading him
+into the stable.
+
+"We cannot leave poor Matamore's body in the chariot all night, like
+a dead deer brought home from the chase," said Blazius; "the dogs out
+there in the court might find it out. Besides, he had been baptized, and
+his remains ought to be watched with and cared for, like any other good
+Christian's."
+
+So they brought in the sad burden tenderly, laid it on the long table,
+and covered it again carefully with the white linen cloth. When the
+old woman returned, and saw this strange and terrible sight, she was
+frightened almost to death, and, throwing herself on her knees, began
+begging volubly for mercy--evidently taking the troupe of comedians for
+a band of assassins, and the dead man for their unfortunate victim.
+It was with the greatest difficulty that Isabelle finally succeeded
+in calming and reassuring the poor, distracted, old creature, who was
+beside herself with terror, and made her listen to the story of poor
+Matamore's death. When, at last, she fully understood the true state
+of the case, she went and fetched more candles, which she lighted and
+disposed symmetrically about the dead body, and kindly offered to sit up
+and watch it with Mme. Leonarde--also to do all that was necessary and
+usual for it--adding that she was always sent for in the village when
+there was a death, to perform those last, sad offices. All this being
+satisfactorily arranged--whereat they were greatly relieved--the weary
+travellers were conducted into another room, and food was placed before
+them; but the sad scenes just enacted had taken away their appetites,
+though it was many long hours since they had eaten. And be it here
+recorded that Blazius, for the first time in his life, forgot to drink
+his wine, though it was excellent, and left his glass half full. He
+could not have given a more convincing proof of the depth and sincerity
+of his grief.
+
+Isabelle and Serafina spent the night in an adjoining chamber, sharing
+the one small bed it contained, and the men lay down upon bundles
+of straw that the stable-boy brought in for them. None of them slept
+much--being haunted by disturbing dreams inspired by the sad and trying
+events of the previous day--and all were up and stirring at an early
+hour, for poor Matamore's burial was to be attended to. For want of
+something more appropriate the aged hostess and Mme. Leonarde had
+enveloped the body in an old piece of thick canvass--still bearing
+traces of the foliage and garlands of flowers originally painted in
+bright colours upon it--in which they had sewed it securely, so that it
+looked not unlike an Egyptian mummy. A board resting on two cross
+pieces of wood served as a bier, and, the body being placed upon it, was
+carried by Herode, Blazius, Scapin and Leander. A large, black velvet
+cloak, adorned with spangles, which was used upon the stage by
+sovereign pontiffs or venerable necromancers, did duty as a pall--not
+inappropriately surely. The little cortege left the inn by a small door
+in the rear that opened upon a deserted common, so as to avoid passing
+through the street and rousing the curiosity of the villagers, and set
+off towards a retired spot, indicated by the friendly old woman, where
+no one would be likely to witness or interfere with their proceedings.
+The early morning was gray and cold, the sky leaden--no one had ventured
+abroad yet save a few peasants searching for dead wood and sticks, who
+looked with suspicious eyes upon the strange little procession making
+its way slowly through the untrodden snow, but did not attempt to
+approach or molest it. They reached at last the lonely spot where they
+were to leave the mortal remains of poor Matamore, and the stable-boy,
+who had accompanied them carrying a spade, set to work to dig the grave.
+Several carcasses of animals lay scattered about close at hand, partly
+hidden by the snow--among them two or three skeletons of horses, picked
+clean by birds of prey; their long heads, at the end of the slender
+vertebral columns, peering out horribly at them, and their ribs, like
+the sticks of an open fan stripped of its covering, appearing above
+the smooth white surface, bearing each one its little load of snow. The
+comedians observed these ghastly surroundings with a shudder, as they
+laid their burden gently down upon the ground, and gathered round
+the grave which the boy was industriously digging. He made but slow
+progress, however, and the tyrant, taking the spade from him, went to
+work with a will, and had soon finished the sad task. Just at the last
+a volley of stones suddenly startled the little group, who, intent upon
+the mournful business in hand, had not noticed the stealthy approach of
+a considerable number of peasants.
+
+These last had been hastily summoned by their friends who had first
+perceived the mysterious little funeral procession, without priest,
+crucifix, or lighted tapers, and taken it for granted that there must be
+something uncanny about it.
+
+They were about to follow up the shower of stones by a charge upon the
+group assembled round the open grave, when de Sigognac, outraged at this
+brutal assault, whipped out his sword, and rushed upon them impetuously,
+striking some with the flat of the blade, and threatening others with
+the point; while the tyrant, who had leaped out of the grave at the
+first alarm, seized one of the cross pieces of the improvised bier, and
+followed the baron into the thick of the crowd, raining blows right and
+left among their cowardly assailants; who, though they far outnumbered
+the little band of comedians, fled before the vigorous attack of de
+Sigognac and Herode, cursing and swearing, and shouting out violent
+threats as they withdrew. Poor Matamore's humble obsequies were
+completed without further hindrance. When the first spadeful of earth
+fell upon his body the pedant, with great tears slowly rolling down
+his cheeks, bent reverently over the grave and sighed out, "Alas! poor
+Matamore!" little thinking that he was, using the very words of Hamlet,
+prince of Denmark, when he apostrophized the skull of Yorick, an ancient
+king's jester, in the famous tragedy of one Shakespeare--a poet of great
+renown in England, and protege of Queen Elizabeth.
+
+The grave was filled up in silence, and the tyrant--after having
+trampled down the snow for some distance around it, so that its exact
+whereabouts might not be easy to find in case the angry peasants should
+come back to disturb it--said as they turned away, "Now let us get out
+of this place as fast as we can; we have nothing more to do here, and
+the sooner we quit it the better. Those brutes that attacked us may
+return with reinforcements--indeed I think it more than likely that they
+will--in which case your sword, my dear baron, and my stick might not
+be enough to scatter them again. We don't want to kill any of them,
+and have the cries of widows and orphans resounding in our ears; and
+besides, it might be awkward for us if we were obliged to do it in
+self-defence, and then were hauled up before the local justice of peace
+to answer for it."
+
+There was so much good sense in this advice that it was unanimously
+agreed to follow it, and in less than an hour, after having settled
+their account at the inn, they, were once more upon the road.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII. CAPTAIN FRACASSE
+
+The comedians pushed forward at first as rapidly as the strength of
+their horse--resuscitated by a night's rest in a comfortable stable, and
+a generous feed of oats--would allow; it being important to put a good
+distance between themselves and the infuriated peasants who had been
+repulsed by de Sigognac and the tyrant. They plodded on for more than
+two leagues in profound silence, for poor Matamore's sad fate weighed
+heavily upon their hearts, and each one thought, with a shudder, that
+the day might come when he too would die, and be buried secretly and in
+haste, in some lonely and neglected spot by the roadside, wherever they
+chanced to be, and there abandoned by his comrades.
+
+At last Blazius, whose tongue was scarcely ever at rest, save when he
+slept, could restrain it no longer, and began to expatiate upon the
+mournful theme of which all were thinking, embellishing his discourse
+with many apt quotations, apothegms and maxims, of which in his role of
+pedant he had an ample store laid up in his memory. The tyrant listened
+in silence, but with such a scowling, preoccupied air that Blazius
+finally observed it, and broke off his eloquent disquisition abruptly to
+inquire what he was cogitating so intently.
+
+"I am thinking about Milo, the celebrated Crotonian," he replied, "who
+killed a bullock with one blow of his fist, and devoured it in a single
+day. I always have admired that exploit particularly, and I feel as if I
+could do as much myself to-day."
+
+"But as bad luck will have it," said Scapin, putting in his oar, "the
+bullock is wanting."
+
+"Yes," rejoined the tyrant, "I, alas! have only the fist and the
+stomach. Oh! thrice happy the ostrich, that, at a pinch, makes a meal
+of pebbles, bits of broken glass, shoe-buttons, knife-handles,
+belt-buckles, or any such-like delicacies that come in its way, which
+the poor, weak, human stomach cannot digest at all. At this moment
+I feel capable of swallowing whole that great mass of scenery and
+decorations in the chariot yonder. I feel as if I had as big a chasm in
+me as the grave I dug this morning for poor Matamore, and as if I never
+could get enough to fill it. The ancients were wise old fellows; they
+knew what they were about when they instituted the feasts that always
+followed their funerals, with abundance of meats and all sorts of good
+things to eat, washed down with copious draughts of wine, to the honour
+of the dead and the great good of the living. Ah! if we only had the
+wherewithal now to follow their illustrious example, and accomplish
+worthily that philosophical rite, so admirably calculated to stay the
+tears of mourners and raise their drooping spirits."
+
+"In other words," said Blazius, "you are hankering after something to
+eat. Polyphemus, ogre, Gargantua, monster that you are! you disgust me."
+
+"And you," retorted the tyrant, "I know that you are hankering after
+something to drink. Silenus, hogshead, wine-bottle, sponge that you are!
+you excite my pity."
+
+"How delightful it would be for us all if you both could have your
+wish," interposed Scapin, in a conciliatory tone.
+
+"Look, yonder by the roadside is a little grove, capitally situated for
+a halting-place. We might stop there for a little, ransack the chariot
+to find whatever fragments may yet remain in it of our last stock of
+provisions, and gathering them all up take our breakfast, such as it may
+be, comfortably sheltered from this cold north wind on the lee side of
+the thicket there. The short halt will give the poor old horse a chance
+to rest, and we meantime, while we are breakfasting, can discuss at our
+leisure some expedients for supplying our immediate needs, and also talk
+over our future plans and prospects--which latter, it seems to me, look
+devilishly dark and discouraging."
+
+"Your words are golden, friend Scapin," the pedant said, "let us by all
+means gather up the crumbs that are left of former plenty, though they
+will be but few and musty, I fear. There are still, however, two or
+three bottles of wine remaining--the last of a goodly store--enough for
+us each to have a glass. What a pity that the soil hereabouts is not of
+that peculiar kind of clay upon which certain tribes of American savages
+are said to subsist, when they have been unlucky in their hunting and
+fishing, and have nothing better to eat."
+
+They accordingly turned the chariot off from the road into the edge
+of the thicket, unharnessed the horse, and left him free to forage for
+himself; whereupon he began to nibble, with great apparent relish, at
+the scattered spears of grass peeping up here and there through the
+snow. A large rug was brought from the chariot and spread upon the
+ground in a sheltered spot, upon which the comedians seated themselves,
+in Turkish fashion, in a circle, while Blazius distributed among them
+the sorry rations he had managed to scrape together; laughing and
+jesting about them in such an amusing manner that all were fain to
+join in his merriment, and general good humour prevailed. The Baron
+de Sigognac, who had long, indeed always, been accustomed to extreme
+frugality, in fact almost starvation, and found it easier to bear such
+trials with equanimity than his companions, could not help admiring the
+wonderful way in which the pedant made the best of a really desperate
+situation, and found something to laugh at and make merry over where
+most people would have grumbled and groaned, and bewailed their hard
+lot, in a manner to make themselves, and all their companions in misery,
+doubly unhappy. But his attention was quickly absorbed in his anxiety
+about Isabelle, who was deathly pale, and shivering until her teeth
+chattered, though she did her utmost to conceal her suffering condition,
+and to laugh with the rest. Her wraps were sadly insufficient to protect
+her properly from such extreme cold as they were exposed to then, and
+de Sigognac, who was sitting beside her, insisted upon sharing his cloak
+with her--though she protested against his depriving himself of so
+much of it--and beneath its friendly shelter gently drew her slender,
+shrinking form close to himself, so as to impart some of his own vital
+warmth to her. She could feel the quickened beating of his heart as he
+held her respectfully, yet firmly and tenderly, embraced, and he was
+soon rewarded for his loving care by seeing the colour return to her
+pale lips, the happy light to her sweet eyes, and even a faint flush
+appear on her delicate cheeks.
+
+While they were eating--or rather making believe to eat their
+make-believe breakfast--a singular noise was heard near by, to which
+at first they paid no particular attention, thinking it was the wind
+whistling through the matted branches of the thicket, if they thought of
+it at all; but presently it grew louder, and they could not imagine what
+it proceeded from. It was a sort of hissing sound, at once shrill and
+hoarse, quite impossible to describe accurately.
+
+As it grew louder and louder, and seemed to be approaching them, the
+women manifested some alarm.
+
+"Oh!" shrieked Serafina "I hope it's not a snake; I shall die if it is;
+I am so terrified by the horrid, crawling creatures."
+
+"But it can't possibly be a snake," said Leander, reassuringly; "in such
+cold weather as this the snakes are all torpid and lying in their holes
+underground, stiffer than so many sticks."
+
+"Leander is right," added the pedant, "this cannot be a snake; and
+besides, snakes never make such a sound as that at any time. It must
+proceed from some wild creature of the wood that our invasion has
+disturbed; perhaps we may be lucky enough to capture it and find it
+edible; that would be a piece of good fortune, indeed, quite like a
+fairy-tale."
+
+Meantime Scapin was listening attentively to the strange,
+incomprehensible sound, and watching keenly that part of the thicket
+from which it seemed to come. Presently a movement of the underbrush
+became noticeable, and just as he motioned to the company to keep
+perfectly quiet a magnificent big gander emerged from the bushes,
+stretching out his long neck, hissing with all his might, and waddling
+along with a sort of stupid majesty that was most diverting--closely
+followed by two geese, his good, simple-minded, confiding wives, in
+humble attendance upon their infuriated lord and master.
+
+"Don't stir, any of you," said Scapin, under his breath, and I will
+endeavour to capture this splendid prize"--with which the clever scamp
+crept softly round behind his companions, who were still seated in a
+circle on the rug, so lightly that he made not the slightest sound; and
+while the gander--who with his two followers had stopped short at sight
+of the intruders--was intently examining them, with some curiosity
+mingled with his angry defiance, and apparently wondering in his stupid
+way how these mysterious figures came to be in that usually deserted
+spot, Scapin succeeded, by making a wide detour, in getting behind the
+three geese unseen, and noiselessly advancing upon them, with one rapid,
+dexterous movement, threw his large heavy cloak over the coveted prize.
+In another instant he had the struggling gander, still enveloped in the
+cloak, in his arms, and, by compressing his neck tightly, quickly put an
+end to his resistance--and his existence at the same time; while his two
+wives, or rather widows, rushed back into the thick underbrush to
+avoid a like fate, making a great cackling and ado over the terrible
+catastrophe that had befallen their quondam lord and master.
+
+"Bravo, Scapin! that was a clever trick indeed," cried Herode; "it
+throws those you are so often applauded for on the stage quite into the
+shade--a masterpiece of strategy, friend Scapin!--for, as is well known,
+geese are by nature very vigilant, and never caught off their guard--of
+which history gives us a notable instance, in the watchfulness of the
+sacred geese of the Capitol, whose loud cackling in the dead of night at
+the stealthy approach of the Gauls woke the sleeping soldiers to a sense
+of their danger just in time to save Rome. This splendid big fellow here
+saves us--after another fashion it is true, but one which is no less
+providential."
+
+The goose was plucked and prepared for the spit by Mme. Leonarde, while
+Blazius, the tyrant, and Leander busied themselves in gathering together
+a goodly quantity of dead wood and twigs, and laying them ready to
+light in a tolerably dry spot. Scapin, with his large clasp-knife, cut a
+straight, strong stick, stripped off the bark for a spit, and found two
+stout forked branches, which he stuck firmly into the ground on each
+side of the fire so that they would meet over it. A handful of dry
+straw from the chariot served as kindling, and they quickly had a bright
+blaze, over which the goose was suspended, and being duly turned and
+tended by Scapin, in a surprisingly short space of time began to assume
+a beautiful light brown hue, and send out such a savoury delicious odour
+that the tyrant sprang up and strode away from its immediate vicinity,
+declaring that if he remained near it the temptation to seize and
+swallow it, spit and all, would surely be too strong for him. Blazius
+had fetched from the chariot a huge tin platter that usually figured
+in theatrical feasts, upon which the goose, done to a turn, was finally
+placed with all due ceremony, and a second breakfast was partaken of,
+which was by no means a fallacious, chimerical repast like the first.
+The pedant, who was an accomplished carver, officiated in that capacity
+on this auspicious occasion; begging the company, as he did so, to
+be kind enough to excuse the unavoidable absence, which he deeply
+regretted, of the slices of Seville oranges that should have formed a
+part of the dish--being an obligatory accessory of roast goose--and they
+with charming courtesy smilingly expressed their willingness to overlook
+for this once such a culinary solecism.
+
+"Now," said Herode, when nothing remained of the goose but its
+well-picked bones, "we must try to decide upon what is best to be done.
+Only three or four pistoles are left in the exchequer, and my office as
+treasurer bids fair to become a sinecure. We have been so unfortunate as
+to lose two valuable members of the troupe, Zerbine and poor Matamore,
+rendering many of our best plays impossible for us, and at any rate we
+cannot give dramatic representations that would bring in much money here
+in the fields, where our audience would be mainly composed of crows,
+jackdaws, and magpies--who could scarcely be expected to pay us very
+liberally for our entertainment. With that poor, miserable, old horse
+there, slowly dying between the shafts of our chariot, hardly able
+to drag one foot after another, we cannot reasonably expect to reach
+Poitiers in less than two days--if we do then--and our situation is an
+unpleasantly tragic one, for we run the risk of being frozen or starved
+to death by the wayside; fat geese, already roasted, do not emerge from
+every thicket you know."
+
+"You state the case very clearly," the pedant said as he paused, "and
+make the evil very apparent, but you don't say a word about the remedy."
+
+"My idea is," rejoined Herode, "to stop at the first village we come
+to and give an entertainment. All work in the fields is at a standstill
+now, and the peasants are idle in consequence; they will be only too
+delighted at the prospect of a little amusement. Somebody will let
+us have his barn for our theatre, and Scapin shall go round the town
+beating the drum, and announcing our programme, adding this important
+clause, that all those who cannot pay for their places in money may do
+so in provisions. A fowl, a ham, or a jug of wine, will secure a seat in
+the first row; a pair of pigeons, a dozen eggs, or a loaf of bread, in
+the second, and so on down. Peasants are proverbially stingy with their
+money, but will be liberal enough with their provisions; and though
+our purse will not be replenished, our larder will, which is equally
+important, since our very lives depend upon it. After that we can push
+on to Poitiers, and I know an inn-keeper there who will give us credit
+until we have had time to fill our purse again, and get our finances in
+good order."
+
+"But what piece can we play, in case we find our village?" asked Scapin.
+"Our repertoire is sadly reduced, you know. Tragedies, and even the
+better class of comedies, would be all Greek to the stupid rustics,
+utterly ignorant as they are of history or fable, and scarcely even
+understanding the French language. The only thing to give them would be
+a roaring farce, with plenty of funny by-play, resounding blows, kicks
+and cuffs, ridiculous tumbles, and absurdities within their limited
+comprehension. The Rodomontades of Captain Matamore would be the very
+thing; but that is out of our power now that poor Matamore is dead."
+
+When Scapin paused, de Sigognac made a sign with his hand that he wished
+to speak, and all the company turned respectfully towards him to listen
+to what he had to say. A little flush spread itself over his pale
+countenance, and it was only after a brief but sharp struggle with
+himself that he opened his tightly compressed lips, and addressed
+his expectant audience, as follows: "Although I do not possess poor
+Matamore's talent, I can almost rival him in thinness, and I will take
+his role, and do the best I can with it. I am your comrade, and I want
+to do my part in this strait we find ourselves in. I should be ashamed
+to share your prosperity, as I have done, and not aid you, so far as
+lies in my power, in your adversity, and this is the only way in which
+I can assist you. There is no one in the whole world to care what may
+become of the de Sigognacs; my house is crumbling into dust over the
+tombs of my ancestors; oblivion covers my once glorious name, and the
+arms of my family are almost entirely obliterated above the deserted
+entrance to the Chateau de Sigognac. Perhaps I may yet see the
+three golden storks shine out brilliantly upon my shield, and life,
+prosperity, and happiness return to the desolate abode where my sad,
+hopeless youth was spent. But in the meantime, since to you I owe my
+escape from that dreary seclusion, I beg you to accept me freely as
+your comrade, and my poor services as such; to you I am no longer de
+Sigognac."
+
+Isabelle had laid her hand on his arm at his first sentence, as soon as
+she comprehended what he meant to say, to try to stop him, and here she
+made another effort to interrupt; but for once he would not heed her,
+and continued, "I renounce my title of baron for the present; I fold it
+up and put it away at the bottom of my portmanteau, like a garment that
+is laid aside. Do not make use of it again, I pray you; we will see
+whether under a new name I may not succeed in escaping from the
+ill fortune that has thus far pursued me as the Baron de Sigognac.
+Henceforth then I take poor Matamore's place, and my name is Captain
+Fracasse."
+
+"Bravo! Vive Captain Fracasse!" cried they all, with enthusiasm, "may
+applause greet and follow him wherever he goes."
+
+This sudden move on de Sigognac's part, at which the comedians were
+greatly astonished, as well as deeply touched, was not so unpremeditated
+as it seemed; he had been thinking about it for some time. He blushed
+at the idea of being a mere parasite, living upon the bounty of these
+honest players--who shared all they had with him so generously, and
+without ever making him feel, for a moment, that he was under any
+obligation to them, but--rather that he was conferring an honour upon
+them--he deemed it less unworthy a gentleman to appear upon the stage
+and do his part towards filling the common purse than to be their
+pensioner in idleness; and after all, there was no disgrace in becoming
+an actor. The idea of quitting them and going back to Sigognac had
+indeed presented itself to his mind, but he had instantly repulsed it as
+base and cowardly--it is not in the hour of danger and disaster that
+the true soldier retires from the ranks. Besides, if he had wished to
+go ever so much, his love for Isabelle would have kept him near her;
+and then, though he was not given to day-dreams, he yet fancied that
+wonderful adventures, sudden changes, and strokes of good fortune might
+possibly be awaiting him in the mysterious future, into which he fain
+would peer, and he would inevitably lose the chance of them all if he
+returned to his ruinous chateau.
+
+Everything being thus satisfactorily arranged, the old horse was
+harnessed up again, and the chariot moved slowly forward on its way.
+Their good meal had revived everybody's drooping spirits, and they
+all, excepting the duenna and Serafina, who never walked if they could
+possibly help it, trudged cheerily along, laughing and talking as they
+went.
+
+Isabelle had taken de Sigognac's offered arm, and leaned on it proudly,
+glancing furtively up into his face, whenever he was looking away
+from her, with eyes full of tenderness and loving admiration, never
+suspecting, in her modesty, that it was for love of her that he had
+decided to turn actor--a thing so revolting, as she knew, to his pride
+as a gentleman. He was a hero in her eyes, and though she wished to
+reproach him for his hasty action, which she would have prevented if
+she could, she had not the heart to find fault with him for his
+noble devotion to the common cause after all. Yet she would have
+done anything, suffered everything herself, to have saved him this
+humiliation; hers being one of those true, loyal hearts that forget
+themselves in their love, and think only of the interests and happiness
+of the being beloved. She walked on beside him until her strength was
+exhausted, and then returned to her place in the chariot, giving him a
+look so eloquent of love and admiration, as he carefully drew her
+wraps about her, that his heart bounded with joy, and he felt that no
+sacrifice could be too great which was made for her sweet sake.
+
+In every direction around them, as far as the eye could reach, the
+snow-covered country was utterly devoid of town, village, or hamlet; not
+a sign of life was anywhere to be seen.
+
+"A sorry prospect for our fine plan," said the pedant, after a searching
+examination of their surroundings, "and I very much fear that
+the plentiful store of provisions Herode promised us will not be
+forthcoming. I cannot see the smoke of a single chimney, strain my eyes
+as I will, nor the weather-cock on any village spire."
+
+"Have a little patience, Blazius!" the tyrant replied. "Where people
+live too much crowded together the air becomes vitiated, you know, and
+it is very salubrious to have the villages situated a good distance
+apart."
+
+"What a healthy part of the country this must be then the inhabitants
+need not to fear epidemics--for to begin with there are no inhabitants.
+At this rate our Captain Fracasse will not have a chance very soon to
+make his debut."
+
+By this time it was nearly dark, the sky was overcast with heavy leaden
+clouds, and only a faint lurid glow on the horizon in the west showed
+where the sun had gone down. An icy wind, blowing full in their faces,
+and the hard, frozen surface of the snow, made their progress both
+difficult and painful. The poor old horse slipped at every step, though
+Scapin was carefully leading him, and staggered along like a drunken
+man, striking first against one shaft and then against the other,
+growing perceptibly weaker at every turn of the wheels behind him.
+Now and again he shook his head slowly up and down, and cast appealing
+glances at those around him, as his trembling legs seemed about to give
+way under him. His hour had come--the poor, old horse! and he was dying
+in harness like a brave beast, as he was. At last he could no more,
+and falling heavily to the ground gave one feeble kick as he stretched
+himself out on his side, and yielded up the ghost. Frightened by the
+sudden shock, the women shrieked loudly, and the men, running to their
+assistance, helped them to clamber out of the chariot. Mme. Leonarde and
+Serafina were none the worse for the fright, but Isabelle had fainted
+quite away, and de Sigognac, lifting her light weight easily, carried
+her in his arms to the bank at the side of the road, followed by the
+duenna, while Scapin bent down over the prostrate horse and carefully
+examined his ears.
+
+"He is stone dead," said he in despairing tones; "his ears are cold, and
+there is no pulsation in the auricular artery."
+
+"Then I suppose we shall have to harness ourselves to the chariot in his
+place," broke in Leander dolefully, almost weeping. "Oh! cursed be the
+mad folly that led me to choose an actor's career."
+
+"Is this a time to groan and bewail yourself?" roared the tyrant
+savagely, entirely out of patience with Leander's everlasting jeremiads;
+"for heaven's sake pluck up a little courage, and be a man! And now to
+consider what is to be done; but first let us see how our good little
+Isabelle is getting on; is she still unconscious? No; she opens her
+eyes, and there is the colour coming back to her lips; she will do now,
+thanks to the baron and Mme. Leonarde. We must divide ourselves into
+two bands; one will stay with the women and the chariot, the other will
+scour the country in search of aid. We cannot think of remaining here
+all night, for we should be frozen stiff long before morning. Come,
+Captain Fracasse, Leander, and Scapin, you three being the youngest, and
+also the fleetest of foot, off with you. Run like greyhounds, and bring
+us succour as speedily as may be. Blazius and I will meantime do duty as
+guardians of the chariot and its contents."
+
+The three men designated signified their readiness to obey the tyrant,
+and set off across country, though not feeling at all sanguine as to the
+results of their search, for the night was intensely dark; but that
+very darkness had its advantages, and came to their aid in an unexpected
+manner, for though it effectually concealed all surrounding objects, it
+made visible a tiny point of light shining at the foot of a little hill
+some distance from the road.
+
+"Behold," cried the pedant, "our guiding star! as welcome to us weary
+travellers, lost in the desert, as the polar star to the distressed
+mariner 'in periculo maris.' That blessed star yonder, whose rays shine
+far out into the darkness, is a light burning in some warm, comfortable
+room, which forms--Heaven be praised!--part of the habitation of human
+and civilized beings--not Laestrygon savages. Without doubt there is a
+bright fire blazing on the hearth in that cosy room, and over it hangs
+a famous big pot, from which issue puffs of a delicious odour--oh,
+delightful thought!--round which my imagination holds high revel, and
+in fancy I wash down with generous wine the savoury morsels from that
+glorious pot-au-feu."
+
+"You rave, my good Blazius," said the tyrant, "the frost must have
+gotten into your brain--that makes men mad, they say, or silly. Yet
+there is some method in your madness, some truth in your ravings, for
+yonder light must indicate an inhabited dwelling. This renders a change
+in the plans for our campaign advisable. We will all go forward together
+towards the promised refuge, and leave the chariot where it is; no
+robbers will be abroad on such a night as this to interfere with its
+contents. We will take our few valuables--they are not so numerous or
+weighty but that we can carry them with us; for once it is an advantage
+that our possessions are few. To-morrow morning we will come back to
+fetch the chariot: now, forward, march!--and it is time, for I am nearly
+frozen to death."
+
+The comedians accordingly started across the fields, towards the
+friendly light that promised them so much--Isabelle supported by de
+Sigognac, Serafina by Leander, and the duenna dragged along by Scapin;
+while Blazius and the tyrant formed the advance guard. It was not easy
+work; sometimes plunging into deep snow, more than knee high, as they
+came upon a ditch, hidden completely under the treacherously smooth
+white surface, or stumbling, and even falling more than once, over
+some unseen obstacle; but at length they came up to what seemed to be a
+large, low building, probably a farm-house, surrounded by stone walls,
+with a big gate for carts to enter. In the expanse of dark wall before
+them shone the light which had guided their steps, and upon approaching
+they found that it proceeded from a small window, whose shutters--most
+fortunately for them, poor, lost wanderers--had not yet been closed. The
+dogs within the enclosure, perceiving the approach of strangers, began
+to bark loudly and rush about the yard; they could hear them jumping
+up at the walls in vain efforts to get at the intruders. Presently the
+sound of a man's voice and footsteps mingled with their barking, and in
+a moment the whole establishment seemed to be on the alert.
+
+"Stay here, all of you," said the pedant, halting at a little distance
+from the gate, "and let me go forward alone to knock for admission. Our
+numbers might alarm the good people of the farm, and lead them to fancy
+us a band of robbers, with designs upon their rustic Penates; as I am
+old, and inoffensive looking, they will not be afraid of me."
+
+This advice was approved by all, and Blazius, going forward by himself,
+knocked gently at the great gate, which was first opened cautiously just
+a very little, then flung impetuously back; and then the comedians, from
+their outpost in the snow, saw a most extraordinary and inexplicable
+scene enacted before their astonished eyes. The pedant and the farmer
+who had opened the gate, after gazing at each other a moment intently,
+by the light of the lantern which the latter held up to see what manner
+of man his nocturnal visitor might be, and after exchanging rapidly
+a few words, that the others could not hear, accompanied by wild
+gesticulations, rushed into each other's arms, and began pounding
+each other heartily upon the back--mutually bestowing resounding
+accolades--as is the manner upon the stage of expressing joy at meeting
+a dear friend. Emboldened by this cordial reception, which yet was a
+mystery to them, the rest of the troupe ventured to approach, though
+slowly and timidly.
+
+"Halloa! all of you there," cried the pedant suddenly, in a joyful
+voice, "come on without fear, you will be made welcome by a friend and a
+brother, a world-famed member of our profession, the darling of Thespis,
+the favourite of Thalia, no less a personage than the celebrated
+Bellombre--you all know his glorious record. Blessed is the happy chance
+that has directed our steps hither, to the philosophic retreat where
+this histrionic hero reposes tranquilly upon his laurels."
+
+"Come in, I pray you, ladies and gentlemen," said Bellombre, advancing
+to meet them, with a graceful courtesy which proved that the ci-devant
+actor had not put aside his elegant, courtly manners when he donned his
+peasant dress.
+
+"Come in quickly out of this biting wind; my dwelling is rude and
+homely, but you will be better off within it than here in the open air."
+
+They needed no urging, and joyfully accepting his kind invitation
+followed their host into the house, charmed with this unhoped-for good
+fortune. Blazius and Bellombre were old acquaintances, and had formerly
+been members Of the same troupe; as their respective roles did not
+clash there was no rivalry between them, and they had become fast
+friends--being fellow worshippers at the shrine of the merry god of
+wine. Bellombre had retired from the stage some years before, when at
+his father's death he inherited this farm and a small fortune. The parts
+that he excelled in required a certain degree of youth, and he was not
+sorry to withdraw before wrinkles and whitening locks should make it
+necessary for him to abandon his favourite roles. In the world he was
+believed to be dead, but his splendid acting was often quoted by his
+former admirers--who were wont to declare that there had been nothing to
+equal it seen on the stage since he had made his last bow to the public.
+
+The room into which he led his guests was very spacious, and served
+both as kitchen and sitting-room--there was also a large curtained bed
+standing in an alcove at the end farthest from the fire, as was not
+unusual in ancient farm-houses. The blaze from the four or five immense
+logs of wood heaped up on the huge andirons was roaring up the broad
+chimney flue, and filling the room with a bright, ruddy glow--a most
+welcome sight to the poor half-frozen travellers, who gathered around it
+and luxuriated in its genial warmth. The large apartment was plainly and
+substantially furnished, just as any well-to-do farmer's house might be,
+but near one of the windows stood a round table heaped up with books,
+some of them lying open as if but just put down, which showed that the
+owner of the establishment had not lost his taste for literary pursuits,
+but devoted to them his long winter evenings.
+
+The cordiality of their welcome and the deliciously warm atmosphere in
+which they found themselves had combined to raise the spirits of the
+comedians--colour returned to pate faces, light to heavy eyes, and
+smiles to anxious lips--their gaiety was in proportion to the misery and
+peril from which they had just happily escaped, their hardships were all
+forgotten, and they gave themselves up entirely to the enjoyment of the
+hour. Their host had called up his servants, who bustled about, setting
+the table and making other preparations for supper, to the undisguised
+delight of Blazius, who said triumphantly to the tyrant, "You see now,
+Herode, and must acknowledge, that my predictions, inspired by the
+little glimmer of light we saw from afar, are completely verified--they
+have all come literally true. Fragrant puffs are issuing even now from
+the mammoth pot-au-feu there over the fire, and we shall presently wash
+down its savoury contents with draughts of generous wine, which I see
+already awaiting us on the table yonder. It is warm and bright and
+cosy in this room, and we appreciate and enjoy it all doubly, after the
+darkness and the cold and the danger from which we have escaped into the
+grateful shelter of this hospitable roof; and to crown the whole, our
+host is the grand, illustrious, incomparable Bellombre--flower and cream
+of all comedians, past, present and future, and best of good fellows."
+
+"Our happiness would be complete if only poor Matamore were here," said
+Isabelle with a sigh.
+
+"Pray what has happened to him?" asked Bellombre, who knew him by
+reputation.
+
+The tyrant told him the tragic story of the snow-storm, and its fatal
+consequences. "But for this thrice-blessed meeting with my old and
+faithful friend here," Blazius added, "the same fate would probably have
+overtaken us ere morning--we should all have been found, frozen stiff
+and stark, by the next party of travellers on the post road."
+
+"That would have been a pity indeed," Bellombre rejoined, and glancing
+admiringly at Isabelle and Serafina, added gallantly, "but surely these
+young goddesses would have melted the snow, and thawed the ice, with the
+fire I see shining in their sparkling eyes."
+
+"You attribute too much power to our eyes," Scrafina made answer; "they
+could not even have made any impression upon a heart, in the thick,
+impenetrable darkness that enveloped us; the tears that the icy cold
+forced from them would have extinguished the flames of the most ardent
+love."
+
+While they sat at supper, Blazius told their host of the sad condition
+of their affairs, at which he seemed no way surprised.
+
+"There are always plenty of ups and downs in a theatrical career," he
+said--"the wheel of Fortune turns very fast in that profession; but if
+misfortunes come suddenly, so also does prosperity follow quickly in
+their train. Don't be discouraged!--things are brightening with you now.
+Tomorrow morning I will send one of my stout farm-horses to bring your
+chariot on here, and we will rig up a theatre in my big barn; there is a
+large town not far from this which will send us plenty of spectators.
+If the entertainment does not fetch as good a sum as I think it will, I
+have a little fund of pistoles lying idle here that will be entirely at
+your service, for, by Apollo! I would not leave my good Blazius and his
+friends in distress so long as I had a copper in my purse."
+
+"I see that you are always the same warm-hearted, openhanded Bellombre
+as of old," cried the pedant, grasping the other's outstretched hand
+warmly; "you have not grown rusty and hard in consequence of your
+bucolic occupations."
+
+"No," Bellombre replied, with a smile; "I do not let my brain lie fallow
+while I cultivate my fields. I make a point of reading over frequently
+the good old authors, seated comfortably by the fire with my feet on
+the fender, and I read also such new works as I am able to procure, from
+time to time, here in the depths of the country. I often go carefully
+over my own old parts, and I see plainly what a self-satisfied fool
+I was in the old days, when I was applauded to the echo every time I
+appeared upon the stage, simply because I happened to be blessed with
+a sonorous voice, a graceful carriage, and a fine leg; the doting
+stupidity of the public, with which I chanced to be a favourite, was the
+true cause of my success."
+
+"Only the great Bellombre himself would ever be suffered to say such
+things as these of that most illustrious ornament of our profession,"
+said the tyrant, courteously.
+
+"Art is long, but life is short," continued the ci-devant actor, "and I
+should have arrived at a certain degree of proficiency at last perhaps,
+but--I was beginning to grow stout; and I would not allow myself to
+cling to the stage until two footmen should have to come and help me up
+from my rheumatic old knees every time I had a declaration of love
+to make, so I gladly seized the opportunity afforded me by my little
+inheritance, and retired in the height of my glory."
+
+"And you were wise, Bellombre," said Blazius, "though your retreat was
+premature; you might have given ten years more to the theatre, and then
+have retired full early."
+
+In effect he was still a very handsome, vigorous man, about whom no
+signs of age were apparent, save an occasional thread of silver amid the
+rich masses of dark hair that fell upon his shoulders.
+
+The younger men, as well as the three actresses, were glad to retire to
+rest early; but Blazius and the tyrant, with their host, sat up drinking
+the latter's capital wine until far into the night. At length they, too,
+succumbed to their fatigue; and while they are sleeping we will return
+to the abandoned chariot to see what was going on there. In the gray
+light of the early morning it could be perceived that the poor old horse
+still lay just as he had fallen; several crows were flitting about,
+not yet venturing to attack the miserable carcass, peering at it
+suspiciously from a respectful distance, as if they feared some hidden
+snare. At last one, bolder than its fellows, alighted upon the poor
+beast's head, and was just bending over that coveted dainty, the
+eye--which was open and staring--when a heavy step, coming over the
+snow, startled him. With a croak of disappointment he quitted his
+post of vantage, rose heavily in the air, and flapped slowly off to
+a neighbouring tree, followed by his companions, cawing and scolding
+hoarsely. The figure of a man appeared, coming along the road at a brisk
+pace, and carrying a large bundle in his arms, enveloped in his cloak.
+This he put down upon the ground when he came up with the chariot,
+standing directly in his way, and it proved to be a little girl about
+twelve years old; a child with large, dark, liquid eyes that had a
+feverish light in them--eyes exactly like Chiquita's. There was a string
+of pearl beads round the slender neck, and an extraordinary combination
+of rags and tatters, held together in some mysterious way, hung about
+the thin, fragile little figure. It was indeed Chiquita herself, and
+with her, Agostino--the ingenious rascal, whose laughable exploit
+with his scarecrow brigands has been already recorded--who, tired of
+following a profession that yielded no profits, had set out on foot for
+Paris--where all men of talent could find employment they said--marching
+by night, and lying hidden by day, like all other beasts of prey. The
+poor child, overcome with fatigue and benumbed by the cold, had given
+out entirely that night, in spite of her valiant efforts to keep up with
+Agostino, and he had at last picked her up in his arms and carried her
+for a while--she was but a light burden--hoping to find some sort of
+shelter soon.
+
+"What can be the meaning of this?" he said to Chiquita. "Usually we stop
+the vehicles, but here we are stopped by one in our turn; we must look
+out lest it be full of travellers, ready to demand our money or our
+lives."
+
+"There's nobody in it," Chiquita replied, having peeped in under the
+cover.
+
+"Perhaps there may be something worth having inside there," Agostino
+said; "we will look and see," and he proceeded to light the little dark
+lantern he always had with him, for the daylight was not yet strong
+enough to penetrate into the dusky interior of the chariot. Chiquita,
+who was greatly excited by the hope of booty, jumped in, and rapidly
+searched it, carefully directing the light of the lantern upon the
+packages and confused mass of theatrical articles stowed away in the
+back part of it, but finding nothing of value anywhere.
+
+"Search thoroughly, my good little Chiquita!" said the brigand, as he
+kept watch outside, "be sure that you don't overlook anything."
+
+"There is nothing here, absolutely nothing that is worth the trouble of
+carrying away. Oh, yes! here is a bag, with something that sounds like
+money in ft."
+
+"Give it to me," cried Agostino eagerly, snatching it from her, and
+making a rapid examination of its contents; but he threw it down angrily
+upon the ground, exclaiming, "the devil take it! I thought we had found
+a treasure at last, but instead of good money there's nothing but a lot
+of pieces of gilded lead and such-like in it. But we'll get one thing
+out of this anyhow--a good rest inside here for you, sheltered from
+the wind and cold. Your poor little feet are bleeding, and they must be
+nearly frozen. Curl yourself down there on those cushions, and I will
+cover you with this bit of painted canvas. Now go to sleep, and I will
+watch while you have a nap; it is too early yet for honest folks to be
+abroad, and we shall not be disturbed." In a few minutes poor little
+Chiquita was sound asleep.
+
+Agostino sat on the front seat of the chariot, with his navaja open and
+lying beside him, watching the road and the fields all about, with the
+keen, practised eye of a man of his lawless profession. All was still.
+No sound or movement any where, save among the crows. In spite of his
+iron will and constitution he began to feel an insidious drowsiness
+creeping over him, which he did not find it easy to shake off; several
+times his eyelids closed, and he lifted them resolutely, only to have
+them fall again in another instant. In fact he was just dropping into
+a doze, when he felt, as in a dream, a hot breath on his face, and
+suddenly waked to see two gleaming eyeballs close to his. With a
+movement more rapid than thought itself, he seized the wolf by the
+throat with his left hand, and picking up his navaja with the other,
+plunged it up to the hilt into the animal's breast. It must have gone
+through the heart, for he dropped down dead in the road, without a
+struggle.
+
+Although he had gained the victory so easily over his fierce assailant,
+Agostino concluded that this was not a good place for them to tarry
+in, and called to Chiquita, who jumped up instantly, wide awake, and
+manifested no alarm at sight of the dead wolf lying beside the chariot.
+
+"We had better move on," said he, "that carcass of the horse there draws
+the wolves; they are often mad with hunger in the winter time you know,
+and especially when there is snow on the ground. I could easily kill a
+pretty good number of them, but they might come down upon us by scores,
+and if I should happen to fall asleep again it would not be pleasant
+to wake up and find myself in the stomach of one of those confounded
+brutes. When I was disposed of they would make only a mouthful of you,
+little one! So come along, we must scamper off as fast as ever we can.
+That fellow there was only the advance guard, the others will not be far
+behind him--this carcass will keep them busy for a while, and give us
+time to get the start of them. You can walk now, Chiquita, can't you?"
+
+"Yes, indeed," she replied cheerily, "that little nap has done me so
+much good. Poor Agostino! you shall not have to carry me again, like
+a great clumsy parcel. And Agostino," she added with a fierce energy,
+"when my feet refuse to walk or run in your service you must just cut
+my throat with your big knife there, and throw me into the next ditch.
+I will thank you for it, Agostino, for I could not bear to have your
+precious life in danger for the sake of poor, miserable little me."
+Thereupon this strange pair, both very fleet of foot, set off running,
+side by side, the brigand holding Chiquita by the hand, so as to give
+her all the aid and support he could, and they quickly passed out of
+sight. No sooner had they departed than the crows came swooping down
+from their perch in the nearest tree, and fell to fiercely upon their
+horrible feast, in which they were almost directly joined by several
+ravenous wolves--and they made such good use of their time, that in
+a few hours nothing remained of the poor old horse but his bones, his
+tail, and his shoes. When somewhat later the tyrant arrived, accompanied
+by one of Bellombre's farm-hands, leading the horse that was to take
+the chariot back with them, he was naturally astonished to find only the
+skeleton, with the harness and trappings, still intact, about it, for
+neither birds nor beasts had interfered with them, and his surprise was
+increased when he discovered the half-devoured carcass of the wolf lying
+under the chariot wheels. There also, scattered on the road, were the
+sham louis-d'or that did duty upon the stage when largesses were to be
+distributed; and upon the snow were the traces, clearly defined, of the
+footsteps of a man, approaching the chariot from the way it had come,
+and of those of the same man, and also of a child, going on beyond it.
+
+"It would appear," said Herode to himself, "that the chariot of Thespis
+has received visitors, since we abandoned it, of more than one sort,
+and for my part I am very thankful to have missed them all. Oh, happy
+accident! that, when it happened, seemed to us so great a misfortune,
+yet is proven now to have been a blessing in disguise. And you, my poor
+old horse, you could not have done us a greater service than to die
+just when and where you did. Thanks to you we have escaped the
+wolves--two-legged ones, which are perhaps the most to be dreaded of
+all, as well as the ravenous brethren of this worthy lying here. What
+a dainty feast the sweet, tender flesh of those plump little pullets,
+Isabelle and Serafina, would have been for them, to say nothing of
+the tougher stuff the rest of us are made of. What a bountiful meal we
+should have furnished them--the murderous brutes!" While the tyrant was
+indulging in this soliloquy Bellombre's servant had detached the chariot
+from the skeleton of the poor old horse, and had harnessed to it, with
+considerable difficulty, the animal he had been leading, which was
+terrified at sight of the bleeding, mutilated carcass of the wolf lying
+on the snow, and the ghastly skeleton of its predecessor. Arrived at
+the farm, the chariot was safely stowed away under a shed, and upon
+examination it was found that nothing was missing. Indeed, something had
+been left there, for a small clasp-knife was picked up in it, which had
+fallen out of Chiquita's pocket, and excited a great deal of curiosity
+and conjecture. It was of Spanish make, and bore upon its sharp, pointed
+blade, a sinister inscription in that language, to this effect--
+
+     "When this viper bites you, make sure
+     That you must die--for there is no cure."
+
+No one could imagine how it had come there, and the tyrant was
+especially anxious to clear up the mystery that puzzled them all.
+Isabelle, who was a little inclined to be superstitious, and attach
+importance to omens, signs of evil, and such-like, felt troubled about
+it. She spoke Spanish perfectly, and understood the full force and
+significance of the strange inscription upon the wicked-looking blade of
+the tiny weapon.
+
+Meantime, Scapin, dressed in his freshest and most gaudy costume, had
+marched into the neighbouring town, carrying his drum; he stationed
+himself in the large, public square, and made such good play with his
+drum-sticks that he soon had a curious crowd around him, to whom he
+made an eloquent address, setting forth in glowing terms the great
+attractions offered by "the illustrious comedians of Herode's celebrated
+troupe," who, "for this night only," would delight the public by the
+representation of that screaming farce, the Rodomontades of Captain
+Fracasse; to be followed by a "bewitching Moorish dance," performed by
+the "incomparable Mlle. Serafina." After enlarging brilliantly upon this
+theme, he added, that as they were "more desirous of glory than profit,"
+they would be willing to accept provisions of all kinds, instead of coin
+of the realm, in payment of places, from those who had not the money
+to spare, and asked them to let all their friends know. This closing
+announcement made a great sensation among his attentive listeners, and
+he marched back to the farm, confident that they would have a goodly
+number of spectators. There he found the stage already erected in the
+barn, and a rehearsal in progress, which was necessary on de Sigognac's
+account.
+
+Bellombre was instructing him in various minor details as the play went
+on, and for a novice he did wonderfully well--acting with much spirit
+and grace, showing decided talent, and remarkable aptitude. But it was
+very evident that he was greatly annoyed by some portions of the piece,
+and an angry flush mounted to the roots of his hair at the whacks and
+cuffs so liberally bestowed upon the doughty captain.
+
+His comrades spared him as much as possible--feeling that it must be
+intensely repugnant to him--but he grew furious in spite of all his
+efforts to control his temper, and at each fresh attack upon him his
+flashing eyes and knitted brows betrayed the fierce rage he was in;
+then, suddenly remembering that his role required a very different
+expression of countenance, he would pull himself up, and endeavour to
+imitate that which Matamore had been wont to assume in this character.
+Bellombre, who was watching him critically, stopped him a moment, to
+say: "You make a great mistake in attempting to suppress your natural
+emotions; you should take care not to do it, for they produce a capital
+effect, and you can create a new type of stage bully; when you have
+gotten accustomed to this sort of thing, and no longer feel this burning
+indignation, you must feign it. Strike out in a path of your own, and
+you will be sure to attain success--far more so than if you attempt to
+follow in another's footsteps. Fracasse, as you represent him, loves and
+admires courage, and would fain be able to manifest it--he is angry
+with himself for being such an arrant coward. When free from danger, he
+dreams of nothing but heroic exploits and superhuman enterprises; but
+when any actual peril threatens him, his too vivid imagination conjures
+up such terrible visions of bleeding wounds and violent death that his
+heart fails him. Yet his pride revolts at the idea of being beaten; for
+a moment he is filled with rage, but his courage all disappears with the
+first blows he receives, and he finally shows himself to be the poltroon
+that he himself despises. This method it appears to me is far superior
+to the absurd grimaces, trembling legs, and exaggerated gestures, by
+which indifferent actors endeavour to excite the laughter of their
+audience--but meantime lose sight entirely of their art."
+
+The baron gratefully accepted the veteran actor's advice, and played
+his part after the fashion indicated by him with so much spirit that
+all present applauded his acting enthusiastically, and prophesied its
+success. The performances were to begin at an early hour, and as the
+time approached, de Sigognac put on poor Matamore's costume, to which he
+had fallen heir, and which Mme. Leonarde had taken in hand and cleverly
+altered for him, so that he could get into it. He had a sharp struggle
+with his pride as be donned this absurd dress, and made himself ready
+for his debut as an actor, but resolutely repressed all rising regrets,
+and determined faithfully to do his best in the new role he had
+undertaken.
+
+A large audience had gathered in the big barn, which was brilliantly
+lighted, and the representation began before a full house. At the end
+farthest from the stage, and behind the spectators, were some cattle in
+their stalls, that stared at the unwonted scene with an expression of
+stupid wonder in their great, soft eyes--the eyes that Homer, the grand
+old Greek poet, deemed worthy to supply an epithet for the beauteous
+orbs of majestic Juno herself--and in the midst of one of the most
+exciting parts of the play, a calf among them was moved to express its
+emotions by an unearthly groan, which did not in the least disconcert
+the audience, but had nearly been too much for the gravity of the actors
+upon the stage.
+
+Captain Fracasse won much applause, and indeed acted his part admirably,
+being under no constraint; for he did not need to fear the criticism of
+this rustic audience as he would have done that of a more cultivated and
+experienced one; and, too, he felt sure that there could be nobody among
+the spectators that knew him, or anything about him. The other actors
+were also vigorously clapped by the toil-hardened hands of these lowly
+tillers of the soil--whose applause throughout was bestowed, Bellombre
+declared, judiciously and intelligently. Serafina executed her Moorish
+dance with a degree of agility and voluptuous grace that would have
+done honour to a professional ballet-dancer, or to a Spanish gipsy, and
+literally brought down the house.
+
+But while de Sigognac was thus employed, far from his ancient chateau,
+the portraits of his ancestors that hung upon its walls were frowning
+darkly at the degeneracy of this last scion of their noble race, and a
+sigh, almost a groan, that issued from their faded lips, echoed dismally
+through the deserted house. In the kitchen, Pierre, with Miraut and
+Beelzebub on either side of him--all three looking melancholy and
+forlorn--sat thinking of his absent lord, and said aloud, "Oh, where is
+my poor, dear master now?" a big tear rolling down his withered cheek as
+he stooped to caress his dumb companions.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII. THE DUKE OF VALLOMBREUSE
+
+The next morning Bellombre drew Blazius aside, and untying the strings
+of a long leathern purse emptied out of it into the palm of his hand a
+hundred pistoles, which he piled up neatly on the table by which they
+were standing; to the great admiration of the pedant, who thought to
+himself that his friend was a lucky fellow to be in possession of so
+large a sum--absolute wealth in his eyes. But what was his surprise when
+Bellombre swept them all up and put them into his own hands.
+
+"You must have understood," he said, "that I did not bring out this
+money in order to torment you in like manner with Tantalus, and I want
+you to take it, without any scruples, as freely as it is given--or
+loaned, if you are too proud to accept a gift from an old friend. These
+pieces were made to circulate--they are round, you see--and by this time
+they must be tired of lying tied up in my old purse there. I have no
+use for them; there's nothing to spend them on here; the farm produces
+everything that is needed in my household, so I shall not miss them, and
+it is much better in every way that they should be in your hands."
+
+Not finding any adequate reply to make to this astonishing speech,
+Blazius put the money into his pocket, and, after first administering to
+his friend a cordial accolade, grasped and wrung his hand with grateful
+fervour, while an inconvenient tear, that he had tried in vain to wink
+away, ran down his jolly red nose. As Bellombre had said the night
+before, affairs were brightening with the troupe; good fortune had
+come at last, and the hard times they had met and struggled against
+so bravely and uncomplainingly were among the things of the past. The
+receipts of the previous evening--for there had been some money taken
+in, as well as plentiful stores of edibles--added to Bellombre's
+pistoles, made a good round sum, and the chariot of Thespis, so
+deplorably bare of late, was now amply provisioned. Not to do things by
+halves, their generous host lent to the comedians two stout farm horses,
+with a man to drive them into Poitiers, and bring them back home again.
+They had on their gala-day harness, and from their gaudily-painted,
+high-peaked collars hung strings of tiny bells, that jingled cheerily
+at every firm, regular step of the great, gentle creatures. So our
+travellers set out in high feather, and their entry into Poitiers,
+though not so magnificent as Alexander's into Babylon, was still in
+very fine style indeed. As they threaded their way through the narrow,
+tortuous streets of that ancient town, the noise of their horses' iron
+shoes ringing out against the rough stone pavement, and the clatter of
+their wheels drew many inmates of the houses they passed to the windows,
+and a little crowd collected around them as they stood waiting for
+admission before the great entrance door of the Armes de France; the
+driver, meanwhile, cracking his whip till it sounded like a volley of
+musketry, to which the horses responded by shaking their heads, and
+making all the little bells about them jingle sharply and merrily. There
+was a wonderful difference between this and their arrival at the last
+inn they had stopped at--the night of the snow-storm--and the landlord,
+hearing such welcome sounds without, ran himself to admit his guests,
+and opened the two leaves of the great door, so that the chariot could
+pass into the interior court. This hotel was the finest in Poitiers,
+where all the rich and noble travellers were in the habit of alighting,
+and there was an air of gaiety and prosperity about it very pleasing to
+our comedians, in contrast with all the comfortless, miserable lodgings
+they had been obliged to put up with for a long time past. The landlord,
+whose double, or rather triple chin testified to bountiful fare, and the
+ruddy tints of his face to the excellence of his wines, seemed to be the
+incarnation of good humour.
+
+He was so plump, so fresh, so rosy and so smiling, that it was a
+pleasure only to look at him. When he saw the tyrant, he fairly bubbled
+over with delight. A troupe of comedians always attracted people to his
+house, and brought him in a great deal of money; for the young men of
+leisure of the town sought their company, and were constantly drinking
+wine with the actors, and giving dainty little suppers, and treats of
+various kinds, to the actresses.
+
+"You are heartily welcome, Seignior Herode! What happy chance brings
+you this way?" said the landlord, smilingly. "It is a long time since we
+have had the pleasure of seeing you at the Armes de France."
+
+"So it is, Maitre Bilot," the tyrant answered; "but we cannot be giving
+our poor little performances always in the same place, you see; the
+spectators would become so familiar with all our tricks that they could
+do them themselves, so we are forced to absent ourselves for a while.
+And how are things going on here, now? Have you many of the nobility and
+gentry in town at present?"
+
+"A great many, Seignior Herode, for the hunting is over, so they
+have come in from the chateaux. But they don't know what to do with
+themselves, for it is so dull and quiet here. People can't be eating
+and drinking all the time, and they are dying for want of a little
+amusement. You will have full houses."
+
+"Well," rejoined the tyrant, "then please give us seven or eight good
+rooms, have three or four fat capons put down to roast, bring up, from
+that famous cellar of yours, a dozen of the capital wine I used to drink
+here--you know which I mean--and spread abroad the news of the arrival
+of Herode's celebrated troupe at the Armes de France, with a new and
+extensive repertoire, to give a few representations in Poitiers."
+
+While this conversation was going on the rest of the comedians had
+alighted, and were already being conducted to their respective rooms by
+several servants. The one given to Isabelle was a little apart from the
+others--those in their immediate vicinity being occupied--which was not
+displeasing to the modest young girl, who was often greatly annoyed
+and embarrassed by the promiscuous, free-and-easy way of getting
+on, inseparable from such a Bohemian life. She always accepted the
+inevitable with a good grace, and never complained of the vexation she
+felt at being obliged to share her bed-chamber with Serafina or the
+duenna, or perhaps both; but it was a luxury she had scarcely dared to
+hope for to have her room entirely to herself, and moreover sufficiently
+distant from her companions to insure her a good deal of privacy.
+
+In a marvellously short space of time the whole town had become
+acquainted with the news of the arrival of the comedians, and the young
+men of wealth and fashion began flocking to the hotel, to drink a bottle
+of Maitre Bilot's wine, and question him about the beauty and charms of
+the actresses; curling up the points of their mustaches as they did so
+with such an absurdly conceited, insolent air of imaginary triumph, that
+the worthy landlord could not help laughing in his sleeve at them as
+he gave his discreet, mysterious answers, accompanied by significant
+gestures calculated to turn the silly heads of these dandified young
+calves, and make them wild with curiosity and impatience.
+
+Isabelle, when left alone, had first unpacked a portion of her clothing,
+and arranged it neatly on the shelves of the wardrobe in her room, and
+then proceeded to indulge in the luxury of a bath and complete change
+of linen. She took down her long, fine, silky hair, combed it
+carefully, and arranged it tastefully, with a pale blue ribbon entwined
+artistically in it; which delicate tint was very becoming to her, with
+her fair, diaphanous complexion, and lovely flush, like a rose-leaf, on
+her cheek. When she had put on the silvery gray dress, with its pretty
+blue trimmings, which completed her simple toilet, she smiled at her
+own charming reflection in the glass, and thought of a pair of dark,
+speaking eyes that she knew would find her fair, and pleasant to look
+upon. As she turned away from the mirror a sunbeam streamed in through
+her window, and she could not resist the temptation to open the casement
+and put her pretty head out, to see what view there might be from it.
+She looked down into a narrow, deserted alley, with the wall of the
+hotel on one side and that of the garden opposite on the other, so high
+that it reached above the tops of the trees within. From her window she
+could look down into this garden, and see, quite at the other end of it,
+the large mansion it belonged to, whose lofty, blackened walls testified
+to its antiquity. Two gentlemen were walking slowly, arm in arm,
+along one of the broad paths leading towards the house, engrossed in
+conversation; both were young and handsome, but they were scarcely of
+equal rank, judging by the marked deference paid by one, the elder, to
+the other.
+
+We will call this friendly pair Orestes and Pylades for the present,
+until we ascertain their real names. The former was about one or two and
+twenty, and remarkably handsome and distinguished--strikingly so--with
+a very white skin, intensely black hair and eyes, a tall, slender, lithe
+figure, shown to advantage by the rich costume of tan-coloured velvet
+he wore; and well-formed feet, with high, arched insteps, small and
+delicate enough for a woman's--that more than one woman had envied
+him--encased in dainty, perfectly fitting boots, made of white Russia
+leather. From the careless ease of his manners, and the haughty grace of
+his carriage, one would readily divine that he was a great noble; one
+of the favoured few of the earth, who are sure of being well received
+everywhere, and courted and flattered by everybody. Pylades, though
+a good-looking fellow enough, with auburn hair and mustache, was
+not nearly so handsome or striking, either in face or figure, as his
+companion. They were talking of women; Orestes declaring himself a
+woman-hater from that time forward, because of what he was pleased to
+call the persecutions of his latest mistress, of whom he was thoroughly
+tired--no new thing with him--but who would not submit to be thrown
+aside, like a cast-off glove, without making a struggle to regain the
+favour of her ci-devant admirer. He was anathematizing the vanity,
+treachery, and deceitfulness of all women, without exception, from the
+duchess down to the dairy-maid, and declaring that he should renounce
+their society altogether for the future, when they reached the end of
+the walk, at the house, and turned about to pace its length again.
+
+As they did so he chanced to glance upward, and perceived Isabelle at
+her window. He nudged his companion, to direct his attention to her,
+as he said, "Just look up at that window! Do you see the delicious,
+adorable creature there? She seems a goddess, rather than a mere mortal
+woman--Aurora, looking forth from her chamber in the East--with her
+golden brown hair, her heavenly countenance, and her sweet, soft eyes.
+Only observe the exquisite grace of her attitude--leaning slightly
+forward on one elbow, so as to bring into fine relief the shapely curves
+of her beautiful form. I would be willing to swear that hers is a lovely
+character--different from the rest of her sex. She is one by herself--a
+peerless creature--a very pearl of womanhood--a being fit for Paradise.
+Her face tells me that she is modest, pure, amiable, and refined.
+Her manners must be charming, her conversation fresh, sparkling, and
+elevating."
+
+"The deuce!" exclaimed Pylades, laughingly, "what good eyes you must
+have to make out all that at such a distance! Now I see merely a woman
+at a window, who is rather pretty, to tell the honest truth, but not
+likely to possess half the perfections you so lavishly bestow upon her.
+Take care, or you will be in love with her directly."
+
+"Oh! I'm that now, over head and ears. I must find out forthwith who she
+is, and what; but one thing is certain, mine she must be, though it cost
+me the half, nay, the whole of my fortune to win her, and there be a
+hundred rivals to overcome and slay ere I can carry her off from them in
+triumph."
+
+"Come, come, don't get so excited," said Pylades, "you will throw
+yourself into a fever; but what has become of the contempt and hatred
+for the fair sex you were declaring so vehemently just now? The first
+pretty face has routed it all."
+
+"But when I talked like that I did not know that this lovely angel
+existed upon earth, and what I said was an odious, outrageous
+blasphemy--a monstrous, abominable heresy--for which I pray that Venus,
+fair goddess of love and beauty, will graciously forgive me."
+
+"Oh, yes! she'll forgive you fast enough, never fear, for she is always
+very indulgent to such hot-headed lovers as you are."
+
+"I am going to open the campaign," said Orestes, "and declare war
+courteously on my beautiful enemy."
+
+With these words he stopped short, fixed his bold eyes on Isabelle's
+face, took off his hat, in a gallant and respectful way, so that its
+long plume swept the ground, and wafted a kiss on the tips of his
+fingers towards the new object of his ardent admiration. The young
+actress, who saw this demonstration with much annoyance, assumed a cold,
+composed manner, as if to show this insolent fellow that he had made a
+mistake, drew back from the window, closed it, and let fall the curtain;
+all done calmly and deliberately, and with the frigid dignity with which
+she was wont to rebuke such overtures.
+
+"There," exclaimed Pylades, "your Aurora is hidden behind a cloud; not
+very promising, that, for the rest of the day."
+
+"I don't agree with you; I regard it, on the contrary, as a favourable
+augury that my little beauty has retired. Don't you know that when the
+soldier hides himself behind the battlements of the tower, it signifies
+that the besieger's arrow has hit him? I tell you she has mine now,
+sticking in under her left wing; that kiss will force her to think of
+me all night, if only to be vexed with me, and tax me with effrontery--a
+fault which is never displeasing to ladies, I find, though they do
+sometimes make a great outcry about it, for the sake of appearances.
+There is something between me and the fair unknown now; a very slight,
+almost imperceptible thread it may seem at present, but I will so manage
+as to make from it a rope, by which I shall climb up into her window."
+
+"I must admit," rejoined Pylades respectfully, "that you certainly are
+wonderfully well versed in all the stratagems and ruses of love-making."
+
+"I rather pique myself upon my accomplishments in that line, I will
+confess," Orestes said, laughingly; "but come, let's go in now; the
+little beauty was startled, and will not show herself at the window
+again just yet. This evening I shall begin operations in earnest." And
+the two friends turned about and strolled slowly back towards the house,
+which they presently entered, and disappeared from sight.
+
+There was a large tennis-court not far from the hotel, which was
+wonderfully well suited to make a theatre of; so our comedians hired
+it, took immediate possession, set carpenters and painters to work,
+furbished up their own rather dilapidated scenery and decorations, and
+soon had a charming little theatre, in which all the numbered seats
+and boxes were eagerly snapped up, directly they were offered to
+"the nobility and gentry of Poitiers," who secured them for all the
+representations to be given by the troupe, so that success was insured.
+The dressing-room of the tennis players had to serve as green-room, and
+dressing-room as well for the comedians, large folding screens being
+disposed round the toilet tables of the actresses, so as to shut them
+off as much as possible from the gentlemen visitors always lounging
+there. Not a very agreeable arrangement for the former, but the best
+that could be done, and highly approved by the latter, of course.
+
+"What a pity it is," said the tyrant to Blazius, as they were arranging
+what pieces they could play, seated at a window looking into the
+interior court of the Armes de France, "what a great pity it is that
+Zerbine is not with us here. She is almost worth her weight in gold,
+that little minx; a real treasure, so full of fun and deviltry that
+nobody can resist her acting; she would make any piece go off well--a
+pearl of soubrettes is Zerbine."
+
+"Yes, she is a rare one," Blazius replied, with a deep sigh, "and I
+regret more and more every day our having lost her. The devil fly away
+with that naughty marquis who must needs go and rob us of our paragon of
+waiting-maids."
+
+Just at this point they were interrupted by the noise of an arrival, and
+leaning out of the window saw three fine mules, richly caparisoned in
+the gay Spanish fashion, entering the court, with a great jingling of
+bells and clattering of hoofs. On the first one was mounted a lackey
+in gray livery, and well armed, who led by a long strap a second mule
+heavily laden with baggage, and on the third was a young woman, wrapped
+in a large cloak trimmed with fur, and with her hat, a gray felt with
+a scarlet feather, drawn down over her eyes, so as to conceal her face
+from the two interested spectators at the window above.
+
+"I say, Herode," exclaimed the pedant, "doesn't all this remind you of
+something? It seems to me this is not the first time we have heard the
+jingling of those bells, eh?"
+
+"By Saint Alipantin!" cried the tyrant, joyfully, "these are the very
+mules that carried Zerbine off so mysteriously. Speak of a wolf--"
+
+"And you will hear the rustling of his wings," interrupted Blazius,
+with a peal of laughter. "Oh! thrice happy day!--day to be marked with
+white!--for this is really Mlle. Zerbine in person. Look, she jumps down
+from her mule with that bewitching little air peculiar to herself, and
+throws her cloak to that obsequious lackey with a nonchalance worthy of
+a princess; there, she has taken off her hat, and shakes out her raven
+tresses as a bird does its feathers; it delights my old eyes to see her
+again. Come, let's go down and welcome her."
+
+So Blazius and his companions hastened down to the court, and met
+Zerbine just as she turned to enter the house.
+
+The impetuous girl rushed at the pedant, threw her arms around his neck,
+and kissed him heartily, crying, "I must kiss your dear, jolly, ugly old
+face, just the same as though it were young and handsome, for I am so
+glad, so very glad to see it again. Now don't you be jealous, Herode,
+and scowl as if you were just going to order the slaughter of the
+innocents; wait a minute! I'm going to kiss you, too; I only began with
+my dear old Blazius here because he's the ugliest."
+
+And Zerbine loyally fulfilled her promise. Then giving a hand to each of
+her companions, went up-stairs between them to the room Maitre Bilot had
+ordered to be made ready for her. The moment she entered it she threw
+herself down into an arm-chair standing near the door, and began to
+draw long deep breaths, like a person who has just gotten rid of a heavy
+load.
+
+"You cannot imagine," she said after a little, "how glad I am to get
+back to you again, though you needn't go and imagine that I am in love
+with your old phizes because of that; I'm not in love with anybody,
+Heaven be praised! I'm so joyful because I've gotten back into my own
+element once more. Everything is badly off out of its own element, you
+know. The water will not do for birds, nor the air for fishes. I am an
+actress by nature, and the atmosphere of the theatre is my native air;
+in it alone do I breathe freely; even its unpleasant odours are sweet to
+my nostrils. Real, everyday life seems very dull and flat. I must have
+imaginary love affairs to manage for other people, and take part in the
+whirl of romantic adventures to be found only on the stage, to keep me
+alive and happy. So I've come back to claim my old place again. I hope
+you haven't found any one else to fill it; though of course I know
+that you couldn't get anybody to really replace me. If you had I should
+scratch her eyes out, that I promise you, for I am a real little devil
+when my rights are encroached upon, though you might not think it."
+
+"There's no need for you to show your prowess in that way," said the
+tyrant, "for we have not had any one to take your role, and we're
+delighted, overjoyed, to have you back again. If you had had some of the
+magic compound Apuleius tells us of, and had thereby changed yourself
+into a bird, to come and listen to what Blazius and I were saying a
+little while ago, you would have heard nothing but good of yourself--a
+rare thing that for listeners--and you would have heard some very
+enthusiastic praise besides."
+
+"That's charming!" the soubrette exclaimed. "I see that you two are just
+the same good old souls as ever, and that you have missed your little
+Zerbine."
+
+Several servants now came in, carrying trunks, boxes, portmanteaus,
+packages, no end of baggage, which Zerbine counted over and found
+correct; and when they had gone she opened two or three of the larger
+chests with the keys she had on a small silver ring. They were filled
+with all sorts of handsome things--silks and velvets, laces and
+jewels--and among the rest a long purse, crammed as full as it could
+hold of gold pieces, which Zerbine poured out in a heap on the table;
+seeming to take a childish delight in looking at and playing with her
+golden treasure, while laughing and chattering merrily all the time.
+
+"Serafina would burst with rage and envy if she should see all this
+money," said she gaily, "so we will keep it out of her sight. I only
+show it to you to prove that I didn't need to return to my profession,
+but was actuated by a pure love of my art. As to you, my good old
+friends, if your finances happen to be not just as you could wish, put
+your paws into this and help yourselves; take just as much as ever they
+will hold."
+
+The two actors thanked her heartily for her generous offer, but assured
+her that they were very well off, and in need of no assistance.
+
+"Ah well!" said Zerbine, "it will be for another time then. I shall
+put it away in my strong box, and keep it for you, like a faithful
+treasurer."
+
+"But surely you haven't abandoned the poor marquis," said Blazius,
+rather reproachfully. "Of course I know there was no question of his
+giving you up; you are not one of that sort. The role of Ariadne
+would not suit you at all; you are a Circe. Yet he is a splendid young
+nobleman-handsome, wealthy, amiable, and not wanting in wit."
+
+"Oh! I haven't given him up; very far from it," Zerbine replied, with a
+saucy smile. "I shall guard him carefully, as the most precious gem in
+my casket. Though I have quitted him for the moment, he will shortly
+follow me."
+
+"Fugax sequax, sequax fugax," the pedant rejoined; "these four Latin
+words, which have a cabalistic sound, not unlike the croaking of certain
+batrachians, and might have been borrowed, one would say, from the
+'Comedy of the Frogs,' by one Aristophanes, an Athenian poet, contain
+the very pith and marrow of all theories of love and lovemaking; they
+would make a capital rule to regulate everybody's conduct--of the virile
+as well as of the fair sex."
+
+"And what under the sun do your fine Latin words mean, you pompous old
+pedant?" asked Zerbine. "You have neglected to translate them, entirely
+forgetting that not everybody has been professor in a college, and
+knight of the ferule, like yourself."
+
+"Their meaning," he replied, "may be expressed in this little couplet:
+'If you fly from men, they'll be sure to pursue, But if you follow them,
+they will fly from you."
+
+"Ha! ha!" laughed Zerbine, "that's a verse that ought to be set to
+music." And she began singing it to a merry tune at the top of her
+voice; a voice so clear and ringing that it was a pleasure to hear it.
+She accompanied her song with such an amusing and effective pantomime,
+representing flight and pursuit, that it was a pity she had not had
+a larger audience to enjoy it. After this outburst of merriment she
+quieted down a little, and gave her companions a brief, history of her
+adventures since she had parted from them, declaring that the marquis
+had invariably treated her with the courtesy and generosity of a prince.
+But in spite of it all she had longed for her old wandering life with
+the troupe, the excitement of acting, and the rounds of applause she
+never failed to win; and at last she confessed to the marquis that she
+was pining for her role of soubrette.
+
+"'Very well,' he said to me, 'you can take your mules and your
+belongings and go in pursuit of the troupe, and I will shortly follow
+in pursuit of you. I have some matters to look after in Paris, that have
+been neglected of late, and I have been too long absent from the court.
+You will permit me to applaud you I suppose, and truth to tell I shall
+be very glad to enjoy your bewitching acting again.' So I told him I
+would look for him among the audience every evening till he made his
+appearance, and, after the most tender leave-taking, I jumped on my mule
+and caught you up here at the Armes de France, as you know."
+
+"But," said Herode, "suppose your marquis should not turn up at all! you
+would be regularly sold."
+
+This idea struck Zerbine as being so utterly absurd that she threw
+herself back and laughed until she had to hold her sides, and was fairly
+breathless. "The marquis not come!" she cried, when she could speak,
+"you had better engage rooms for him right away--not come! Why my fear
+was that he would overtake me on the road; you will see him very soon,
+I can guarantee. Ah! you abominable old bear! you doubt the power of
+my charms, do you? You're decidedly growing stupid, Herode, as you grow
+old; you used to be rather clever than otherwise."
+
+At this moment appeared Leander and Scapin, who had heard of Zerbine's
+arrival from the servants, and came to pay their respects, soon
+followed by old Mme. Leonarde, who greeted the soubrette with as much
+obsequiousness as if she had-been a princess. Isabelle came also to
+welcome her, to the great delight of Zerbine, who was devotedly fond of
+her, and always trying to do something to please her. She now insisted
+upon presenting her with a piece of rich silk, which Isabelle accepted
+very reluctantly, and only when she found that the warm-hearted
+soubrette would be really wounded if she refused her first gift.
+Serafina had shut herself up in her own room, and was the only one that
+failed to come and bid Zerbine welcome. She could neither forget nor
+forgive the inexplicable preference of the Marquis de Bruyeres for her
+humble rival, and she called the soubrette all sorts of hard names in
+her wrath and indignation; but nobody paid any attention to her bad
+humour, and she was left to sulk in solitude.
+
+When Zerbine asked why Matamore had not come to speak to her with the
+rest, they told her the sad story of his death, and also that the Baron
+de Sigognac now filled his role, under the name of Captain Fracasse.
+
+"It will be a great honour for me to act with a gentleman whose
+ancestors figured honourably in the crusades," said she, "and I only
+hope that my profound respect for him will not overwhelm me, and spoil
+my acting; fortunately I have become pretty well accustomed to the
+society of people of rank lately."
+
+A moment later de Sigognac knocked at the door, and came in to greet
+Zerbine, and courteously express his pleasure at her return. She rose
+as he approached, and making a very low curtsey, said, "This is for
+the Baron de Sigognac; and this is for my comrade, Captain Fracasse;"
+kissing him on both cheeks--which unexpected and unprecedented
+proceeding put poor de Sigognac completely out of countenance; partly
+because he was not used to such little theatrical liberties, but more,
+because he was ashamed to have such a thing happen in the presence of
+his pure and peerless Isabelle.
+
+And now we will return to Orestes and Pylades, who, after their eventful
+promenade in the garden, were cosily dining together. The former, that
+is to say the young Duke of Vallombreuse, had scarcely eaten any dinner,
+and had even neglected his glass of wine, so preoccupied was he with
+thoughts of his lovely unknown. The Chevalier de Vidalinc, his friend
+and confidant, tried in vain to draw him into conversation; he replied
+only by monosyllables, or not at all, to the other's brilliant sallies.
+When the dessert had been put upon the table, and the servants had
+retired and left them alone, the chevalier said to the duke: "I am
+entirely at your service in this new affair, of course, ready to help
+you bag your bird in any way you please; shall I go and send out the
+beaters to drive it towards your nets?"
+
+"No, indeed, you will do nothing of the kind; I shall go myself, for
+there is nothing I enjoy so much as the pursuit of game, of whatever
+sort it may be. I would follow a deer, or a pheasant, to the ends of
+the earth but what I would have it; how much more a divine creature like
+this. It is only after I have captured the flying prize that I lose
+all interest in it; so do not, I pray you, propose to deprive me of the
+delights of the chase; the more difficult it is the better I like it,
+the more fascinating I find it. The most annoying thing is that women
+are always so willing to be caught; if I could only find an obdurate,
+cruel fair one, who would fly from me in earnest, how I should adore
+her! but, alas! such an anomaly does not exist on this terraqueous
+globe."
+
+"If I were not so well acquainted with your innumerable triumphs, I
+should be obliged to tax you with conceit," said Vidalinc, "but as it
+is I must admit that you are justified in what you say. But perhaps your
+wish may be gratified this time, for the young beauty certainly did
+seem to be very modest and retiring, as well as positively cold and
+forbidding in her manner of receiving your little act of gallantry."
+
+"We will see about that, and without any delay. Maitre Bilot is always
+ready and glad to tell all he knows whenever he can secure a good
+listener, and he is sharp enough to find out very quickly pretty much
+all that's worth knowing about his guests in the hotel. Come, we'll go
+and drink a bottle of his best Madeira; I will draw him out, and get all
+the information he can give us about this fair inmate of his house."
+
+A few minutes later the two young gentlemen entered the Armes de France,
+and asked for Maitre Bilot. The worthy landlord came forward at once,
+and himself conducted them into a cosy, well-lighted room on the ground
+floor, where a bright fire was burning cheerily; he took the old, dusty
+bottle, with cobwebs clinging about it, from the waiter's hands, drew
+the cork very carefully, and then poured the amber wine, as clear as a
+topaz, into the delicate Venetian glasses held out for it by the duke
+and his companion, with a hand as steady as if it bad been of bronze.
+In taking upon himself this office Maitre Bilot affected an almost
+religious solemnity, as though he were a priest of Bacchus, officiating
+at his altar, and about to celebrate the mysterious rites of the ancient
+worshippers of that merry god; nothing was wanting but the crown of
+vine leaves. He seemed to think that this ceremoniousness was a sort
+of testimony to the superior quality of the wine from his well-stocked
+cellar, which needed no recommendation, for it was really very good,
+worthy of even a royal table, and of wide-spread fame.
+
+Maitre Bilot, having finished his little performance, was about to
+withdraw, when a significant glance from the duke made him pause
+respectfully on the threshold.
+
+"Maitre Bilot," said he, "fetch a glass for yourself from the buffet
+there, and come and drink a bumper of this capital wine to my health."
+
+This command, for such it was in reality, was instantly obeyed, and
+after emptying his glass at a single draught, the well-pleased landlord
+stood, with one hand resting on the table and his eyes fixed on the
+duke, waiting to see, what was wanted of him.
+
+"Have you many strangers in your house now?" asked Vallombreuse, "and
+who and what are they?" Bilot was about to reply, but the young duke
+interrupted him, and continued, "But what's the use of beating about the
+bush with such a wily old miscreant as you are, Maitre Bilot? Who is
+the lady that has the room with a window, the third one from the corner,
+looking into my garden? Answer to the point, and you shall have a gold
+piece for every syllable."
+
+"Under those conditions," said Bilot, with a broad grin, "one must be
+very virtuous indeed to make use of the laconic style so highly esteemed
+by the ancients. However, as I am devoted to your lordship, I will
+answer in a single word--Isabelle."
+
+"Isabelle! a charming and romantic name. But do not confine yourself to
+such Lacedaemonian brevity, Maitre Bilot; be prolix! and relate to me,
+minutely, everything that you know about the lovely Isabelle."
+
+"I am proud and happy to obey your lordship's commands," the worthy
+landlord answered, with a low bow; "my cellar, my kitchen, my tongue and
+myself are all at your lordship's disposition. Isabelle is an actress,
+belonging to the celebrated troupe of Seignior Herode, stopping at
+present at the Armes de France."
+
+"An actress!" exclaimed the young duke, with an air of disappointment.
+"I should have taken her for a lady of rank, from her quiet, dignified
+mien, or at least a well-bred bourgeoise, rather than a member of a band
+of strolling players."
+
+"Yes, your lordship is right; any one might think so, for her
+manners and appearance are very lady-like, and she has an untarnished
+reputation, despite the difficulties of her position. No one understands
+better how to keep all the gallants that hover about her at a respectful
+distance; she treats these would-be suitors for her favour with a cold,
+reserved, yet perfect politeness that there is no getting over."
+
+"What you say pleases me," interrupted Vallombreuse, "for there
+is nothing I so thoroughly despise as a fortress that is ready to
+capitulate before the first assault has been made."
+
+"It would need more than one to conquer this fair citadel, my lord,
+though you are a bold and successful captain, not used to encountering
+any serious resistance, and sweeping everything before you; and,
+moreover, it is guarded by the vigilant sentinel of a pure and devoted
+love."
+
+"Oh ho! she has a lover then, this modest Isabelle!" cried the young
+duke, in a tone at once triumphant and annoyed, for though on the one
+side he had no faith in the steadfast virtue of any woman, on the other
+he was vexed to learn that he had a successful rival.
+
+"I said love, not lover," continued the landlord with respectful
+persistency, "which is by no means the same thing. Your lordship is too
+well versed in such matters not to appreciate the difference. A woman
+that has one lover may have two, as the old song says; but a woman who
+loves, with a pure love, and has that love returned in every sense,
+it is impossible, or at least very difficult, to win away from it. She
+possesses already everything that you, my lord, or any one, could offer
+for her acceptance."
+
+"You talk as if you had been studying the subject of love
+diligently--and Petrarch's sonnets as well; but notwithstanding all
+that, Maitre Bilot, I don't believe you thoroughly understand anything
+outside of your own wines and sauces, which, I am bound to admit, are
+always excellent. And pray, who is the favoured object of this Platonic
+attachment?"
+
+"One of the members of the troupe," Bilot replied, "and it is not to be
+wondered at, for he's a handsome young fellow, and very different from
+the rest of them; far superior, more like a gentleman than an actor; and
+I shrewdly suspect he is one," added the landlord, with a knowing look.
+
+"Well, now you must be happy!" said the Chevalier de Vidalinc to
+his friend. "Here are unexpected obstacles in plenty, and a perfect
+none-such of a prize. A virtuous actress is a rare phenomenon, not to be
+found every day in the week. You are in luck!"
+
+"Are you sure," continued the young duke, still addressing the landlord,
+and without paying any attention to the last remark, "that this chaste
+Isabelle does not accord any privileges secretly to that conceited young
+jackanapes? I despise the fellow thoroughly, and detest him as well."
+
+"Your lordship does not know her," answered Maitre Bilot, "or I should
+not need to declare, as I do, that she is as spotless as the ermine. She
+would rather die than suffer a stain upon her purity. It is impossible
+to see much of her without perceiving that; it shines out in everything
+that she says and does."
+
+Hereupon a long discussion followed as to the best manner of conducting
+the attack upon this fair citadel, which the young nobleman became more
+and more determined to conquer, as new difficulties were suggested. The
+worthy landlord, who was a shrewd fellow and had made a just estimate
+of Isabelle's character, finished by advising his noble interlocutor
+to turn his attention to Serafina, "who was very charming, and not less
+beautiful than Isabelle, and who would be greatly pleased and flattered
+by his lordship's notice." This, because he felt sure that the duke
+would not succeed with Isabelle, in spite of his exalted rank, handsome
+person, and immense wealth, and he wished to spare him an inevitable
+disappointment.
+
+"It is Isabelle that I admire, and will have," said Vallombreuse, in
+a dry tone that put an end to the discussion. "Isabelle, and no other,
+Maitre Bilot."
+
+Then plunging his hand into his pocket, he drew forth a goodly number of
+gold pieces, and throwing them down carelessly on the table, said, "Pay
+yourself for the bottle of wine out of this, and keep the balance."
+
+The landlord gathered up the louis with a deprecating air, and dropped
+them one by one into his purse. The two gentlemen rose, without another
+word, put on their broad, plumed hats, threw their cloaks on their
+shoulders, and quitted the hotel. Vallombreuse took several turns up
+and down the narrow alley between the Armes de France and his own garden
+wall, looking up searchingly at Isabelle's window every time he passed
+under it; but it was all for naught. Isabelle, now on her guard, did not
+approach the window again; the curtain was drawn closely over it, and
+not a sign visible from without that the room was occupied. Tired at
+last of this dull work, the duke slowly withdrew to his own mansion,
+feeling highly indignant that this inappreciative little actress should
+presume to slight the attentions of a great and powerful noble like
+himself; but he found some comfort in the thought that when she came
+to see and know him she could not long hold out against his numerous
+attractions. As to his rival--if the fellow ventured to interfere with
+him too much, he would quietly suppress him, by means of certain stout
+ruffians--professional cut-throats--he had in his employ, to do all
+that sort of work for him; his own dignity not allowing him to come into
+personal contact with such cattle as actors. Though Vallombreuse had
+not seen anything of Isabelle at her window, he himself had been closely
+watched, by jealous eyes, from a neighbouring casement that commanded
+the same view. They belonged to de Sigognac, who was greatly annoyed and
+incensed by the manoeuvres of this mysterious personage under Isabelle's
+window. A dozen times he was on the point of rushing down, sword
+in hand, to attack and drive away the impertinent unknown; but he
+controlled himself by a strong effort; for there was after all nothing
+in the mere fact of a man's promenading back and forth in a deserted
+alley to justify him in such an onslaught, and he would only bring down
+ridicule on himself; besides, the name of Isabelle might be dragged
+in--sweet Isabelle, who was all unconscious of the ardent glances
+directed at her window from below, as well as of the burning
+indignation, because of them, of her own true lover close at hand. But
+he promised himself to keep a watchful eye for the future upon this
+young gallant, and studied his features carefully, every time his face
+was raised towards Isabelle's window, so that he should be sure to
+recognise him when he saw him again.
+
+Herode had selected for their first representation in Poitiers a new
+play, which all the comedians were very much occupied in learning and
+rehearsing, to be followed by the Rodomontades of Captain Fracasse, in
+which de Sigognac was to make his real debut before a real public having
+only acted as yet to an audience of calves, horned cattle, and peasants
+in Bellombre's barn. He was studying diligently under the direction of
+Blazius, who was more devoted to him than ever, and who had proposed
+something which was a most welcome suggestion to the sensitive young
+baron. This was for him to wear what is called a half-mask, which covers
+only the forehead and nose, but if arranged with skill alters entirely
+the wearer's appearance--so that his nearest friend would not recognise
+him--without interfering materially with his comfort. This idea
+de Sigognac hailed with delight, for it insured his preserving his
+incognito; the light pasteboard screen seemed to him like the closed
+visor of a helmet, behind which he need not shrink from facing the
+enemy--that is to stay the gazing crowd on the other side of the
+foot-lights. With it he would take merely the part of the unknown,
+concealed intelligence that directs the movements of the marionette, and
+the voice that makes it speak; only he should be within it, instead of
+behind the scenes pulling the strings--his dignity would have nothing
+to suffer in playing the game in that manner, and for this relief from
+a dreaded ordeal he was unspeakably thankful. Biatius, who never could
+take too much pains in the service of his dear baron, himself modelled
+and fashioned the little mask, very deftly, so as to make his stage
+physiognomy as unlike his real, every-day countenance as possible. A
+prominent nose, very red at the point, bushy, high-arched eyebrows,
+and an immensely heavy mustache drooping over his mouth, completely
+disguised the well-cut, regular features of the handsome young nobleman,
+and although in reality it only concealed the forehead and nose, yet it
+transfigured the whole face.
+
+There was to be a dress rehearsal the evening before the first
+representation, so that they might judge of the general effect in their
+improvised theatre, and test its capabilities; and as the actresses
+could not very well go through the streets in full costume, they were to
+finish their toilets in the green-room, while the actor themselves ready
+for the stage in the small dressing-closets set aside for that purpose.
+All the gentlemen in Poitiers, young and old, were wild to penetrate
+into this temple, or rather sacristy, of Thalia, where the priestesses
+of that widely worshipped muse adorned themselves to celebrate her
+mysterious rites, and a great number of them had succeeded in gaining
+admittance. They crowded round the actresses, offering advice as to the
+placing of a flower or a jewel, handing the powder-box or the rouge-pot,
+presenting the little hand-mirror, taking upon themselves all such small
+offices with the greatest "empressement," and vying with each other in
+their gallant attendance upon the fair objects of their admiration; the
+younger and more timid among them holding a little aloof and sitting on
+the large chests scattered about, swinging their feet and twisting their
+mustaches, while they watched the proceedings of their bolder companions
+with envious eyes. Each actress had her own circle of admiring cavaliers
+about her, paying her high-flown compliments in the exaggerated language
+of the day, and doing their best to make themselves agreeable in every
+way they could think of. Zerbine laughed at them all, and made fun of
+them unmercifully, turning everything they said into ridicule; yet so
+coquettishly that they thought her bewitching, in spite of her sharp
+tongue, which was like a two-edged sword. Serafina, whose vanity was
+overweening, delighted in the fulsome homage paid to her charms, and
+smiled encouragingly upon her throng of admirers, but Isabelle, who
+was intensely annoyed at the whole thing, did not pay the slightest
+attention to them, nor even once raise her eyes to look at them; being
+apparently absorbed in the duties of her toilet, which she accomplished
+as quietly and modestly as possible--having left only the finishing
+touches to be given in that public place.
+
+The Duke of Vallombreuse was careful, of course, not to miss this
+excellent opportunity, of which he had been informed by Maitre Bilot, to
+see Isabelle again, and entering the green-room in good season, followed
+by his friend Vidalinc, marched straight up to her toilet-table. He
+was enchanted to find that, on this close inspection, she was even more
+beautiful than he had supposed, and in his enthusiastic delight at
+this discovery could scarcely refrain from seizing her in his arms and
+declaring his passion there and then; only the presence of the crowd of
+lookers-on saved Isabelle from what would have been a most trying and
+painful scene.
+
+The young duke was superbly dressed. He had spared no pains, for
+he wanted to dazzle Isabelle, and he certainly did look splendidly
+handsome. He wore a magnificent costume of rich white satin, slashed and
+trimmed with crimson, with many knots of ribbon about it fastened with
+diamond clasps, with broad ruffles of exquisitely fine lace at throat
+and wrists, with a wide belt of cloth of silver supporting his sword,
+and with perfumed gloves on the hands that held his white felt hat, with
+its long crimson feather. His wavy black hair fell around the perfect
+oval of his face, enhancing its smooth whiteness; a delicate mustache
+shaded, not concealed, his full red lips; his splendid, great black
+eyes flashed through their thick, silky fringes, and his neck, white
+and round as a marble column, rose from amid its surrounding of soft,
+priceless lace, proudly supporting his haughty, handsome head. Yet with
+all this perfection of outline and colouring, his appearance was
+not entirely pleasing; a repelling haughtiness shone out through the
+perfectly modelled features, and it was but too evident that the joys
+and sorrows of his fellow mortals would awaken no sympathy in the owner
+of that surpassingly handsome face and form. He believed that he was not
+made of common clay like other men, but was a being of a higher order,
+who condescended to mingle with his inferiors--a piece of fine porcelain
+amid homely vessels of coarser earthenware.
+
+Vallombreuse stationed himself silently close beside the mirror on
+Isabelle's dressing-table, leaning one elbow on its frame all the other
+gallants respectfully making way for him--just where she could not
+possibly help seeing him whenever she looked in the glass; a skilful
+manoeuvre, which would surely have succeeded with any other than this
+modest young girl. He wished to produce an impression, before addressing
+a word to her, by his personal beauty, his lordly mien, and his
+magnificence of apparel. Isabelle, who had instantly recognised the
+audacious gallant of the garden, and who was displeased by the imperious
+ardour of his gaze, redoubled her reserve of manner, and did not lift
+her eyes to the mirror in front of her at all; she did not even seem
+to be aware that one of the handsomest young noblemen in all France
+was standing there before her, trying to win a glance from her lovely
+eyes--but then, she was a singular girl, this sweet Isabelle! At length,
+exasperated by her utter indifference, Vallombreuse suddenly took the
+initiative, and said to her, "Mademoiselle, you take the part of Sylvia
+in this new play, do you not?"
+
+"Yes, sir," Isabelle answered curtly, without looking at him--not able
+to evade this direct question.
+
+"Then never will a part have been so admirably played," continued the
+duke. "If it is poor your acting will make it excellent, if it is fine
+you will make it peerless. Ah! happy indeed the poet whose verses are
+intrusted to those lovely lips of yours."
+
+These vague compliments were only such as admiring gallants were in the
+habit of lavishing upon pretty actresses, and Isabelle could not with
+any show of reason resent it openly, but she acknowledged it only by
+a very slight bend of the head, and still without looking up. At this
+moment de Sigognac entered the green-room; he was masked and in full
+costume, just buckling around his waist the belt of the big sword he had
+inherited from Matamore, with the cobweb dangling from the scabbard. He
+also marched straight up to Isabelle, and was received with a radiant
+smile.
+
+"You are capitally gotten up," she said to him in a low, tone, so low
+that he had to bend down nearer her to hear, "and I am sure that no
+fierce Spanish captain ever had a more superbly arrogant air than you."
+
+The Duke of Vallombreuse drew himself up to his full height, and looked
+this unwelcome new-comer over from head to foot, with an air of the
+coolest, most haughty disdain. "This must be the contemptible scoundrel
+they say she's in love with," he said to himself, swelling with
+indignation and spite--filled with amazement too--for he could not
+conceive of a woman's hesitating for an instant between the magnificent
+young Duke of Vallombreuse and this ridiculous play-actor. After the
+first rapid glance he made as if he did not perceive de Sigognac at all,
+no more than if he had been a piece of furniture standing there; for him
+Captain Fracasse was not a MAN, but a THING, and he continued to gaze
+fixedly at poor Isabelle--his eyes fairly blazing with passion--exactly
+as though no one was near. She, confused at last, and alarmed, blushed
+painfully, in spite of all her efforts to appear calm and unmoved, and
+hastened to finish what little remained to be done, so that she
+might make her escape, for she could see de Sigognac's hand close
+spasmodically on the handle of his sword, and, realizing how he must
+be feeling, feared an outbreak on his part. With trembling fingers she
+adjusted a little black "mouche" near the corner of her pretty mouth,
+and pushed back her chair preparatory to rising from it--having a
+legitimate cause for haste, as the tyrant had already more than once
+roared out from the stage door, "Mesdemoiselles, are you ready?"
+
+"Permit me, mademoiselle," said the duke starting forward, "you have
+forgotten to put on an 'assassine,'" and touching the tip of his
+forefinger to his lips he plunged it into the box of patches standing
+open on the dressing-table, and brought one out on it. "Permit me to put
+it on for you--here, just above your snowy bosom; it will enhance its
+exquisite whiteness."
+
+The action followed so quickly upon the words that Isabelle, terrified
+at this cruel effrontery, had scarcely time to start to one side, and so
+escape his profane touch; but the duke was not one to be easily balked
+in anything he particularly desired to do, and pressing nearer he
+again extended his hand towards Isabelle's white neck, and had almost
+succeeded in accomplishing his object, when his arm was seized from
+behind, and held firmly in a grasp of iron.
+
+Furiously angry, he turned his head to see who had dared to lay hands
+upon his sacred person, and perceived that it was the odious Captain
+Fracasse.
+
+"My lord duke," said he calmly, still holding his wrist firmly,
+"Mademoiselle is in need of no assistance from you, or any one else, in
+this matter." Then his grasp relaxed and he let go of the duke's arm.
+
+Vallombreuse, who looked positively hideous at that moment, his face
+pale to ghastliness and disfigured by the rage he felt, grasped the hilt
+of his sword with the hand released by de Sigognac, and drew it partly
+out of its scabbard, as if he meant to attack him, his eyes flashing
+fire and every feature working in its frenzy--the baron meanwhile
+standing perfectly motionless, quietly awaiting the onset.
+
+But ere he had touched him the duke stopped short; a sudden thought
+had extinguished his blazing fury like a douche of cold water; his
+self-control returned, his face resumed its wonted expression, the
+colour came to his lips, and his eyes showed the most icy disdain, the
+most supreme contempt that it could be possible for one human being to
+manifest for another. He had remembered just in time that he must not so
+greatly demean himself as to cross swords with a person of no birth,
+and an actor besides; all his pride revolted at the bare idea of such a
+thing. An insult coming from a creature so low in the social scale could
+not reach him. Does a gentleman declare war upon the mud that
+bespatters him? However, it was not in his character to leave an offence
+unpunished, no matter whence it proceeded, and stepping nearer to de
+Sigognac he said, "You impertinent scoundrel, I will have every bone in
+your body broken for you with cudgels, by my lackeys."
+
+"You'd better take care what you do, my lord," answered the baron, in
+the most tranquil tone and with the most careless air imaginable, "you'd
+much better take care what you do! My bones are not so easily broken,
+but cudgels may be. I do not put up with blows anywhere but on the
+stage."
+
+"However insolent you may choose to be, you graceless rascal, you cannot
+provoke me to do you so much honour as to attack you myself; that is
+too high an ambition for such as you to realize," said Vallombreuse,
+scornfully.
+
+"We will see about that, my lord duke," de Sigognac replied; "it may
+happen that I, having less pride than yourself, will fight you, and
+conquer you, with my own hands."
+
+"I do not dispute with a masker," said the duke shortly, taking
+Vidalinc's arm as if to depart.
+
+"I will show you my face, duke, at a more fitting time and place,"
+de Sigognac continued composedly, "and I think it will be still more
+distasteful to you than my false nose. But enough for the present. I
+hear the bell that summons me, and if I wait any longer here with you I
+shall miss my entry at the proper moment."
+
+He turned on his heel and leisurely walked off, with admirable
+nonchalance, leaving the haughty duke very much disconcerted, and at a
+disadvantage, as indeed de Sigognac had cleverly managed that he should
+be throughout the brief interview.
+
+The comedians were charmed with his courage and coolness, but, knowing
+his real rank, were not so much astonished as the other spectators
+of this extraordinary scene, who were both shocked and amazed at such
+temerity.
+
+Isabelle was so terrified and excited by this fierce altercation that
+a deathly pallor had overspread her troubled face, and Zerbine, who had
+flown to her assistance, had to fetch some of her own rouge and bestow
+it plentifully upon the colourless lips and cheeks before she could obey
+the tyrant's impatient call, again resounding through the green-room.
+
+When she tried to rise her trembling knees had nearly given way under
+her, and but for the soubrette's kind support she must have fallen to
+the floor. To have been the cause, though innocently, of a quarrel like
+this was a terrible blow to poor Isabelle sweet, pure, modest child that
+she was--for she knew that it is a dreadful thing for any woman to have
+her name mixed up in such an affair, and shrank from the publicity that
+could not fail to be given to it; besides, she loved de Sigognac with
+fervour and devotion, though she had never acknowledged it to him, and
+the thought of the danger to which he was exposed, of a secret attack by
+the duke's hired ruffians, or even of a duel with his lordship himself,
+drove her well-nigh frantic with grief and terror.
+
+In spite of this untoward incident, the rehearsal went on, and very
+smoothly; the theatre was found to be all that they could desire, and
+everybody acted with much spirit. Even poor, trembling Isabelle did
+herself credit, though her heart was heavy within her; but for de
+Sigognac's dear sake, whose anxious glances she strove to meet with a
+reassuring smile, she succeeded in controlling her emotion, and felt
+inspired to do her very best. As to Captain Fracasse, excited by
+the quarrel, he acted superbly. Zerbine surpassed herself. Shouts
+of laughter and storms of clapping followed her animated words and
+gestures. From one corner, near the orchestra, came such vigorous bursts
+of applause, leading all the rest and lasting longer than any, that at
+last Zerbine's attention was attracted and her curiosity excited.
+
+Approaching the foot-lights, in such a way as to make it appear part of
+her usual by-play, she peered over them and caught sight of her marquis,
+beaming with smiles and flushed from his violent efforts in her behalf.
+
+"The marquis is here," she managed to whisper to Blazius, who was
+playing Pandolphe; "just look at him! how delighted he is, and how he
+applauds me--till he is actually red in the face, the dear man! So he
+admires my acting, does he? Well, he shall have a spicy specimen of it,
+then."
+
+Zerbine kept her word, and, from that on to the end of the piece, played
+with redoubled spirit. She was never so sparkling, so bewitchingly
+coquettish, so charmingly mischievous before, and the delighted marquis
+was more fascinated than ever. The new play, entitled "Lygdamon et
+Lydias," and written by a certain Georges de Scudery (a gentleman who,
+after having served with honour in the French Guards, quitted the sword
+for the pen, which he wielded with equal success), was next rehearsed,
+and highly approved by all--without a single dissenting voice. Leander,
+who played the leading part of Lygdamon, was really admirable in it,
+and entertained high hopes of the effect he should produce upon the fair
+ladies of Poitiers and its environs.
+
+But we will leave our comedians now, and follow the Duke of Vallombreuse
+and his devoted friend Vidalinc.
+
+Quite beside himself with rage, the young duke, after the scene in the
+green-room in which he had played so unsatisfactory a part to himself,
+returned to his own home and there raved to Vidalinc about his revenge,
+threatening the insolent captain with all manner of punishments, and
+going on like a madman. His friend tried in vain to soothe him.
+
+He rushed wildly around the room, wringing his hands, kicking the
+furniture about right and left, upsetting tables and arm-chairs, and
+finally, seizing a large Japanese vase, very curious and costly, threw
+it violently on the floor, where it broke into a thousand pieces.
+
+"Oh!" he shrieked, "if I could only smash that abominable blackguard
+like this vase, trample him under foot as I do this debris, and then
+have the remains of him swept up and thrown out into the dust-heap,
+where he belongs. A miserable scoundrel, that dares to interpose between
+me, the Duke of Vallombreuse, and the object of my desires! If he
+were only a gentleman I would fight him, on foot or on horseback, with
+swords, daggers, pistols, anything in the shape of a weapon, until I had
+him down, with my foot on his breast, and could spit into the face of
+his corpse."
+
+"Perhaps he is one," said Vidalinc; "his audacious defiance looks like
+it. You remember what Maitre Bilot told you about Isabelle's favoured
+lover? This must be the one, judging by his jealousy of you, and the
+agitation of the girl."
+
+"Do you really mean what you say?" cried Vallombreuse, contemptuously.
+"What! a man of birth and condition mingle voluntarily and on terms
+of equality with these low buffoons of actors, paint his nose red, and
+strut about the stage, receiving cuffs and kicks from everybody? Oh no,
+Vidalinc, the thing is impossible."
+
+"But just remember," persisted the chevalier, "that mighty Jove himself
+resorted to the expedient of adopting the shapes of various beasts, as
+well as birds, in his terrestrial love affairs, which was surely much
+more derogatory to the majesty of the king of the gods than to play in a
+comedy is to the dignity of a gentleman."
+
+"Never mind," said the duke, as he rang a small hand bell sharply; "be
+he what he may, I intend first to have the scamp well punished in his
+character of play-actor; even though I should be obliged to chastise
+the gentleman afterward, if there prove to be one hidden behind that
+ridiculous mask--which idea I cannot credit."
+
+"If there be one! There's no doubt of it, I tell you," rejoined his
+friend, with an air of conviction. "The more I think of it, the
+more positive I am of it. Why, his eyes shone like stars under his
+overhanging false eye-brows, and in spite of his absurd pasteboard nose
+he had a grand, majestic air about him that was very imposing, and would
+be utterly impossible to a low-born man."
+
+"Well, so much the better," said Vallombreuse; "for if you are right, I
+can make his punishment twofold."
+
+Meantime a servant, in rich livery, had entered, and after bowing low
+stood as motionless as a statue, with one hand on the knob of the door,
+awaiting his master's orders; which were presently given, as follows:
+"Go and call up Basque, Azolan, Merindol, and Labriche, if they have
+gone to bed; tell them to arm themselves with stout cudgels and go down
+to the tennis-court, find a dark corner near by and wait there, until
+the players come out, for a certain Captain Fracasse. They are to fall
+upon him and beat him until they leave him for dead upon the pavement,
+but to be careful not to kill him outright--it might be thought that I
+was afraid of him if they did, you know," in an aside to Vidalinc.
+
+"I will be responsible for the consequences; and with every blow they
+are to cry, 'This is from the Duke of Vallombreuse,' so that he may
+understand plainly what it means."
+
+This order, though of so savage and fierce a nature, did not seem to
+surprise the lackey, who, as he retired, assured his lordship, with an
+unmoved countenance and another low bow, that his commands should be
+immediately obeyed.
+
+"I am sorry," said Vidalinc, after the servant had closed the door
+behind him, "that you mean to treat this man so roughly, for after all
+he showed a spirit superior to his position, and becoming a gentleman.
+Suppose you let me go and pick a quarrel with him, and kill him for you
+in a duel. All blood is red when it is shed, the lowly as well as the
+lofty, though they do pretend that the blood of the nobles is blue. I
+come of a good and ancient family, if not so high in rank as yours, and
+I have no fear of belittling myself in this affair. Only say the word,
+and I will go this instant, for this histrionic captain is, it seems
+to me, more worthy of the sword of a gentleman than the cudgels of your
+hired ruffians."
+
+"I thank you heartily for this offer," answered the duke, "which proves
+your faithful devotion to me and my interests, but I cannot accept it.
+That low scoundrel has dared to lay hands upon me, and he must
+expiate his crime in the most ignominious way. Should he prove to be a
+gentleman, he will be able to find redress. I never fail to respond, as
+you know, when there is question of settling a matter by the sword."
+
+"As you please, my lord duke," said Vidalinc, stretching out his legs
+lazily and putting his feet on the fender, with the air of a man who can
+do no more, but must stand aside and let things take their own course.
+"By the way, do you know that that Serafina is charming? I paid her
+several compliments, which were very graciously received; and more than
+that, she has promised to allow me to call upon her, and appointed the
+time. She is a very amiable as well as beautiful young woman. Maitre
+Bilot was perfectly correct in his statements to us."
+
+After which the two gentlemen awaited, in almost unbroken silence, the
+return of the FOUR ruffians who had gone forth to chastise de Sigognac.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX. A MELEE AND A DUEL
+
+The rehearsal was over, and the comedians were preparing to return to
+their hotel; de Sigognac, expecting some sort of an assault on his way
+through the deserted streets, did not lay aside Matamore's big sword
+with the rest of his costume. It was an excellent Spanish blade, very
+long, and with a large basket hilt, which made a perfect protection for
+the hand--altogether a weapon which, wielded by a brave man, was by no
+means to be despised, and which could give, as well as parry, good hard
+thrusts. Though scarcely able to inflict a mortal wound, as the point
+and edge had been blunted, according to the usual custom of theatrical
+sword owners, it would be, however, all that was requisite to defend its
+wearer against the cudgels of the ruffians that the Duke of Vallombreuse
+had despatched to administer his promised punishment. Herode, who also
+anticipated an attack upon de Sigognac, and was not one to desert a
+friend when danger threatened, took the precaution to arm himself
+with the big heavy club that was used to give the signal--three loud
+raps--for the rising of the curtain, which made a very formidable
+weapon, and would do good service in his strong hands.
+
+"Captain," said he to the baron as they quitted the tennis-court, "we
+will let the women go on a little way in advance of us, under the escort
+of Blazius and Leander, one of whom is too old, the other too cowardly,
+to be of any service to us in case of need. And we don't want to have
+their fair charges terrified, and deafening us with their shrieks.
+Scapin shall accompany us, for he knows a clever trick or two for
+tripping a man up, that I have seen him perform admirably in several
+wrestling bouts. He will lay one or two of our assailants flat on their
+backs for us before they can turn round. In any event here is my good
+club, to supplement your good sword."
+
+"Thanks, my brave friend Herode," answered de Sigognac, "your kind offer
+is not one to be refused; but let us take our precautions not to be
+surprised, though we are in force. We will march along in single file,
+through the very middle of the street, so that these rogues, lurking in
+dark corners, will have to emerge from their hiding places to come out
+to us, and we shall be able to see them before they can strike us. I
+will draw my sword, you brandish your club, and Scapin must cut a pigeon
+wing, so as to make sure that his legs are supple and in good working
+order. Now, forward march!"
+
+He put himself at the head of the little column, and advanced cautiously
+into the narrow street that led from the tennis-court to the hotel of
+the Armes de France, which was very crooked, badly paved, devoid of
+lamps, and capitally well calculated for an ambuscade. The overhanging
+gable-ends on either side of the way made the darkness in the street
+below them still more dense--a most favourable circumstance for the
+ruffians lying in wait there. Not a single ray of light streamed forth
+from the shut-up house whose inmates were presumably all sleeping
+soundly in their comfortable beds, and there was no moon that night.
+Basque, Azolan, Labriche and Merindol had been waiting more than half an
+hour for Captain Fracasse in this street, which they knew he was obliged
+to pass through in returning to his hotel. They had disposed themselves
+in pairs on opposite sides of the way, so that when he was between them
+their clubs could all play upon him together, like the hammers of
+the Cyclops on their great anvil. The passing of the group of women,
+escorted by Blazius and Leander, none of whom perceived them, had
+warned them of the approach of their victim, and they stood awaiting his
+appearance, firmly grasping their cudgels in readiness to pounce upon
+him; little dreaming of the reception in store for them--for ordinarily,
+indeed one may say invariably, the poets, actors, bourgeois, and
+such-like, whom the nobles condescended to have cudgeled by their hired
+ruffians, employed expressly for that purpose, took their chastisement
+meekly, and without attempting to make any resistance. Despite the
+extreme darkness of the night, the baron, with his penetrating eyes,
+made out the forms of the four villains lying in wait for him, at some
+distance, and before he came up with them stopped and made as if he
+meant to turn back--which ruse deceived them completely--and fearing
+that their prey was about to escape them, they rushed impetuously forth
+from their hiding places towards him. Azolan was the first, closely
+followed by the others, and all crying at the tops of their voices,
+"Kill! Kill! this for Captain Fracasse, from the Duke of Vallombreuse."
+Meantime de Sigognac had wound his large cloak several times round
+his left arm for a shield, and receiving upon it the first blow from
+Azolan's cudgel, returned it with such a violent lunge, full in his
+antagonist's breast, that the miserable fellow went over backward,
+with great force, right into the gutter running down the middle of the
+street, with his head in the mud and his heels in the air. If the point
+of the sword had not been blunted, it would infallibly have gone through
+his body, and come out between his shoulder-blades, leaving a dead man,
+instead of only a stunned one, on the ground. Basque, in spite of his
+comrade's disaster, advanced to the charge bravely, but a furious blow
+on his head, with the flat of the blade, sent him down like a shot, and
+made him see scores of stars, though there was not one visible in the
+sky that night. The tyrant's club encountering Merindol's cudgel broke
+it short off, and the latter finding himself disarmed, took to his
+heels; not however without receiving a tremendous blow on the shoulder
+before he could get out of Herode's reach. Scapin, for his part, had
+seized Labriche suddenly round the waist from behind, pinning down his
+arms so that he could not use his club at all, and raising him from the
+ground quickly, with one dexterous movement tripped him up, and sent him
+rolling on the pavement ten paces off, so violently that he was knocked
+senseless--the back of his neck coming in contact with a projecting
+stone--and lay apparently lifeless where he fell.
+
+So the way was cleared, and the victory in this fierce encounter was
+honourably gained by our hero and his two companions over the four
+sturdy ruffians, who had never been defeated before. They were in a
+sorry plight--Azolan and Basque creeping stealthily away, on their hands
+and knees, trying under cover of the darkness to put themselves beyond
+the reach of further danger; Labriche lying motionless, like a drunken
+man, across the gutter, and Merindol, less badly hurt, flying towards
+home as fast as his legs could carry him. As he drew near the house,
+however, he slackened his pace, for he dreaded the duke's anger more
+than Herode's club, and almost forgot, for the moment, the terrible
+agony from his dislocated shoulder, from which the arm hung down
+helpless and inert. Scarcely had he entered the outer door ere he was
+summoned to the presence of the duke, who was all impatient to learn the
+details of the tremendous thrashing that, he took it for granted, they
+had given to Captain Fracasse. When Merindol was ushered in, frightened
+and embarrassed, trembling in every limb, not knowing what to say or
+do, and suffering fearfully from his injured shoulder, he paused at the
+threshold, and stood speechless and motionless, waiting breathlessly for
+a word or gesture of encouragement from the duke, who glared at him in
+silence.
+
+"Well," at length said the Chevalier de Vidalinc to the discomfited
+Merindol, seeing that Vallombreuse only stared at him savagely and did
+not seem inclined to speak, "what news do you bring us? Bad, I am
+sure, for you have by no means a triumphant air--very much the reverse,
+indeed, I should say."
+
+"My lord, the duke, of course cannot doubt our zeal in striving to
+execute his orders, to the best of our ability," said Merindol,
+cringingly, "but this time we have had very bad luck."
+
+"What do you mean by that?" asked the duke sharply, with an angry frown
+and flashing eyes, before which the stout ruffian quailed. "There were
+four of you! do you mean to tell me that, among you, you could not
+succeed in thrashing this miserable play-actor?"
+
+"That miserable play-actor, my lord," Merindol replied, plucking up a
+little courage, "far exceeds in vigour and bravery the great Hercules
+they tell us of. He fell upon us with such fury that in one instant he
+had knocked Azolan and Basque down into the gutter. They fell under his
+blows like pasteboard puppets--yet they are both strong men, and used
+to hard knocks. Labriche was tripped up and cleverly thrown by another
+actor, and fell with such force that he was completely stunned; the
+back of his head has found out that the stones of Poitiers pavements
+are harder than it is, poor fellow! As for me, my thick club was broken
+short off by an immense stick in the hands of that giant they call
+Herode, and my shoulder so badly hurt that I sha'n't have the use of my
+arm here for a fortnight."
+
+"You are no better than so many calves, you pitiful, cowardly knaves!"
+cried the Duke of Vallombreuse, in a perfect frenzy of rage. "Why, any
+old woman could put you to rout with her distaff, and not half try.
+I made a horrid mistake when I rescued you from the galleys and the
+gallows, and took you into my service, believing that you were brave
+rascals, and not afraid of anything or anybody on the face of the globe.
+And now, answer me this: When you found that clubs would not do, why
+didn't you whip out your swords and have at him?"
+
+"My lord had given us orders for a beating, not an assassination, and we
+would not have dared to go beyond his commands."
+
+"Behold," cried Vidalinc, laughing contemptuously, "behold a faithful,
+exact and conscientious scoundrel whose obedience does not deviate so
+much as a hair's breadth from his lord's commands. How delightful and
+refreshing to find such purity and fidelity, combined with such rare
+courage, in the character of a professional cut-throat! But now,
+Vallombreuse, what do you think of all this? This chase of yours opens
+well, and romantically, in a manner that must be immensely pleasing
+to you, since you find the pursuit agreeable in proportion to its
+difficulty, and the obstacles in the way constitute its greatest charms
+for you. I ought to congratulate you, it seems to me. This Isabelle,
+for an actress, is not easy of access; she dwells in a fortress, without
+drawbridge or other means of entrance, and guarded, as we read of in the
+history of ancient chivalry, by dragons breathing out flames of fire and
+smoke. But here comes our routed army."
+
+Azolan, Basque, and Labriche, who had recovered from his swoon, now
+presented themselves reluctantly at the door, and stood extending their
+hands supplicatingly towards their master. They were a miserable-looking
+set of wretches enough--very pale, fairly livid indeed, haggard, dirty
+and blood-stained; for although they had only contused wounds, the force
+of the blows had set the blood flowing from their noses, and great red
+stains disfigured their hideous countenances.
+
+"Get to your kennel, ye hounds!" cried the duke, in a terrible voice,
+being moved only to anger by the sight of this forlorn group of
+supplicants. "I'm sure I don't know why I have not ordered you all
+soundly thrashed for your imbecility and cowardice. I shall send you my
+surgeon to examine your wounds, and see whether the thumps you make such
+a babyish outcry about really were as violent and overpowering as
+you represent. If they were not, I will have you skinned alive, every
+mother's son of you, like the eels at Melun; and now, begone! out of my
+sight, quick, you vile canaille!" The discomfited ruffians turned and
+fled, thankful to make their escape, and forgetful for the moment of
+their painful wounds and bruises; such abject terror did the young
+duke's anger inspire in the breasts of those hardened villains. When the
+poor devils had disappeared, Vallombreuse threw himself down on a heap
+of cushions, piled up on a low, broad divan beside the fire, and fell
+into a revery that Vidalinc was careful not to break in upon.
+They evidently were not pleasant thoughts that occupied him; dark,
+tempestuous ones rather, judging by the expression of his handsome face,
+as he lay back idly among the soft pillows, looking very picturesque in
+the rich showy costume he still wore. He did not remain there long. Only
+a short time had elapsed when he suddenly started up, with a smothered
+imprecation, and bidding his friend an abrupt good-night, retired to
+his own chamber, without touching the dainty little supper that had
+just been brought in. Vidalinc sat down and enjoyed it by himself, with
+perfect good humour, thinking meanwhile of Serafina's remarkable beauty
+and amiability, with which he was highly charmed, and not neglecting
+to drink her health in the duke's choice wine ere he quitted the table,
+and, following his example, retired to his own room, where he slept
+soundly, dreaming of Serafina, until morning; while Vallombreuse, less
+fortunate, and still haunted by disturbing thoughts, tossed restlessly,
+and turned from side to side, courting sleep in vain, under the rich
+silken hangings drawn round his luxurious bed.
+
+When de Sigognac, the tyrant and Scapin reached the Armes de France,
+after having overcome the serious obstacles in their way, they found the
+others in a terrible state of alarm about them. In the stillness of the
+night they had distinctly heard the loud cries of the duke's ruffians,
+and the noise of the fierce combat, and feared that their poor friends
+were being murdered. Isabelle, nearly frantic in her terror lest her
+lover should be overpowered and slain, tried to rush back to him, never
+remembering that she would be more of a hindrance than a help; but at
+the first step she had again almost fainted away, and would have fallen
+upon the rough pavement but for Blazius and Zerbine, who, each taking
+an arm, supported her between them the rest of the way to the hotel When
+they reached it at last, she refused to go to her own room, but waited
+with the others at the outer door for news of their comrades, fearing
+the worst, yet prayerfully striving to hope for the best. At sight of de
+Sigognac--who, alarmed at her extreme pallor, hastened anxiously to
+her side--she impetuously raised her arms to heaven, as a low cry of
+thanksgiving escaped her lips, and letting them fall around his neck,
+for one moment hid her streaming eyes against his shoulder; but quickly
+regaining her self-control, she withdrew herself gently from the
+detaining arm that had fondly encircled her slender, yielding form, and
+stepping back from him a little, resumed with a strong effort her usual
+reserve and quiet dignity.
+
+"And you are not wounded or hurt?" she asked, in her sweetest tones,
+her face glowing with happiness as she caught his reassuring gesture;
+he could not speak yet for emotion. The clasp of her arms round his neck
+had been like a glimpse of heaven to him a moment of divine ecstasy.
+"Ah! if he could only snatch her to his breast and hold her there
+forever," he was thinking, "close to the heart that beat for her alone,"
+as she continued: "If the slightest harm had befallen you, because of
+me, I should have died of grief. But, oh! how imprudent you were, to
+defy that handsome, wicked duke, who has the assurance and the pride of
+Lucifer himself, for the sake of a poor, insignificant girl like me. You
+were not reasonable, de Sigognac! Now that you are a comedian, like
+the rest of us, you must learn to put up with certain impertinences and
+annoyances, without attempting to resent them."
+
+"I never will," said de Sigognac, finding his voice at last, "I swear
+it, I never will permit an affront to be offered to the adorable
+Isabelle in my presence even when I have on my player's mask."
+
+"Well spoken, captain," cried Herode, "well spoken, and bravely. I would
+not like to be the man to incur your wrath. By the powers above! what
+a fierce reception you gave those rascals yonder. It was lucky for
+them that poor Matamore's sword had no edge. If it had been sharp and
+pointed, you would have cleft them from head to heels, clean in two, as
+the ancient knight-errants did the Saracens, and wicked enchanters."
+
+"Your club did as much execution as my sword, Herode, and your
+conscience need not reproach you, for they were not innocents that you
+slaughtered this time."
+
+"No, indeed!" the tyrant rejoined, with a mighty laugh, "the flower of
+the galleys these--the cream of gallows-birds."
+
+"Such jobs would scarcely be undertaken by any other class of fellows
+you know," de Sigognac said; "but we must not neglect to make Scapin's
+valiant deeds known, and praise them as they deserve. He fought and
+conquered without the aid of any other arms than those that nature gave
+him."
+
+Scapin, who was a natural buffoon, acknowledged this encomium with a
+very low obeisance--his eyes cast down, his hand on his heart--and with
+such an irresistibly comical affectation of modesty and embarrassment
+that they all burst into a hearty laugh, which did them much good after
+the intense excitement and alarm.
+
+After this, as it was late, the comedians bade each other good-night,
+and retired to their respective rooms; excepting de Sigognac, who
+remained for a while in the court, walking slowly back and forth,
+cogitating deeply. The actor was avenged, but the gentleman was not.
+Must he then throw aside the mask that concealed his identity, proclaim
+his real name, make a commotion, and run the risk of drawing down upon
+his comrades the anger of a powerful nobleman? Prudence said no, but
+honour said yes. The baron could not resist its imperious voice, and
+the moment that he decided to obey it he directed his steps towards
+Zerbine's room.
+
+He knocked gently at the door, which was opened cautiously, a very
+little way at first, by a servant, who instantly admitted the unexpected
+guest when he saw who it was.
+
+The large room was brilliantly lighted, with many rose-coloured wax
+candles in two handsome candelabra on a table covered with fine damask,
+on which smoked a dainty supper. Game and various other delicacies were
+there, most temptingly served. One crystal decanter, with sprigs of gold
+scattered over its shining surface, was filled with wine rivalling the
+ruby in depth and brilliancy of hue, while that in the other was clear
+and yellow as a topaz. Only two places had been laid on this festive
+board, and opposite Zerbine sat the Marquis de Bruyeres, of whom de
+Sigognac was in search. The soubrette welcomed him warmly, with a
+graceful mingling of the actress's familiarity with her comrade with her
+respect for the gentleman.
+
+"It is very charming of you to come and join us here, in our cosy little
+nest," said the marquis to de Sigognac, with much cordiality, "and
+we are right glad to welcome you. Jacques, lay a place for this
+gentleman--you will sup with us?"
+
+"I will accept your kind invitation," de Sigognac replied; "but not for
+the sake of the supper. I do not wish to interfere with your enjoyment,
+and nothing is so disagreeable for those at table as a looker-on who is
+not eating with them."
+
+The baron accordingly sat down in the arm-chair rolled up for him by the
+servant, beside Zerbine and opposite the marquis, who helped him to some
+of the partridge he had been carving, and filled his wine-glass for him;
+all without asking any questions as to what brought him there, or even
+hinting at it. But he felt sure that it must be something of importance
+that had caused the usually reserved and retiring young nobleman to take
+such a step as this.
+
+"Do you like this red wine best or the other?" asked the marquis. "As
+for me, I drink some of both, so that there may be no jealous feeling
+between them."
+
+"I prefer the red wine, thank you," de Sigognac said, with a smile, "and
+will add a little water to it. I am very temperate by nature and habit,
+and mingle a certain devotion to the nymphs with my worship at the
+shrine of Bacchus, as the ancients had it. But it was not for feasting
+and drinking that I was guilty of the indiscretion of intruding upon you
+at this unseemly hour. Marquis, I have come to ask of you a service
+that one gentleman never refuses to another. Mlle. Zerbine has probably
+related to you something of what took place in the green-room this
+evening. The Duke of Vallombreuse made an attempt to lay hands upon
+Isabelle, under pretext of placing an assassine for her, and was guilty
+of an insolent, outrageous, and brutal action, unworthy of a gentleman,
+which was not justified by any coquetry or advances on the part of that
+young girl, who is as pure as she is modest and for whom I feel the
+highest respect and esteem."
+
+"And she deserves it," said Zerbine heartily, "every word you say
+of her, as I, who know her thoroughly, can testify. I could not say
+anything but good of her, even if I would."
+
+"I seized the duke's arm, and stopped him before he had succeeded in
+what he meant to do," continued de Sigognac, after a grateful glance at
+the soubrette; "he was furiously angry, and assailed me with threats and
+invectives, to which I replied with a mocking sang-froid, from behind my
+stage mask. He declared he would have me thrashed by his lackeys, and
+in effect, as I was coming back to this house, a little while ago, four
+ruffians fell upon me in the dark, narrow street. A couple of blows with
+the flat of my sword did for two of the rascals, while Herode and
+Scapin put the other two hors-de-combat in fine style. Although the duke
+imagined that only a poor actor was concerned, yet as there is also a
+gentleman in that actor's skin, such an outrage cannot be committed with
+impunity. You know me, marquis, though up to the present moment you have
+kindly and delicately respected my incognito, for which I thank you. You
+know who and what my ancestors were, and can certify that the family of
+de Sigognac has been noble for more than a thousand years, and that not
+one who has borne the name has ever had a blot on his scutcheon."
+
+"Baron de Sigognac," said the marquis, addressing him for the first time
+by his own name, "I will bear witness, upon my honour, before whomsoever
+you may choose to name, to the antiquity and nobility of your family.
+Palamede de Sigognac distinguished himself by wonderful deeds of valour
+in the first crusade, to which he led a hundred lances, equipped, and
+transported thither, at his own expense. That was at an epoch when the
+ancestors of some of the proudest nobles of France to-day were not even
+squires. He and Hugues de Bruyeres, my own ancestor, were warm friends,
+and slept in the same tent as brothers in arms."
+
+At these glorious reminiscences de Sigognac raised his head proudly, and
+held it high; he felt the pure blood of his ancestors throbbing in his
+veins, and his heart beat tumultuously. Zerbine, who was watching him,
+was surprised at the strange inward beauty--if the expression may be
+allowed--that seemed to shine through the young baron's ordinarily sad
+countenance, and illuminate it. "These nobles," she said to herself,
+"are certainly a race by themselves; they look as if they had sprung
+from the side of Jupiter, not been born into the world like ordinary
+mortals. At the least word their pride is up in arms, and transforms
+them, as it does the Baron de Sigognae now. If he should make love to
+me, with eyes like those, I simply could not resist him; I should have
+to throw over my marquis. Why, he fairly glows with heroism; he is
+god-like."
+
+Meantime de Sigognac, in blissful ignorance of this ardent admiration,
+which would have been so distasteful to him, was saying to the marquis,
+"Such being your opinion of my family, you will not, I fancy, object to
+carry a challenge from me to the Duke of Vallombreuse."
+
+"Assuredly I will do it for you," answered the marquis, in a grave,
+measured way, widely different from his habitual good-natured, easy
+carelessness of manner and speech; "and, moreover, I offer my own
+services as your second. To-morrow morning I will present myself at
+the duke's night in your behalf; there is one thing to be said in his
+favour--that although he may be, in fact is, very insolent, he is no
+coward, and he will no longer intrench himself behind his dignity when
+he is made acquainted with your real rank. But enough of this subject
+for the present; I will see you to-morrow morning in good season, and we
+will not weary poor Zerbine any longer with our man's talk of affairs of
+honour. I can plainly see that she is doing her best to suppress a yawn,
+and we would a great deal rather that a smile should part her pretty red
+lips, and disclose to us the rows of pearls within. Come, Zerbine, fill
+the Baron de Sigognac's glass, and let us be merry again."
+
+The soubrette obeyed, and with as much grace and dexterity as if she had
+been Hebe in person; everything that she attempted to do she did well,
+this clever little actress.
+
+The conversation became animated, and did not touch upon any other
+grave subject, but was mainly about Zerbine's own acting--the marquis
+overwhelming her with compliments upon it, in which de Sigognac could
+truthfully and sincerely join him, for the soubrette had really
+shown incomparable spirit, grace, and talent. They also talked of the
+productions of M. de Scudery--who was one of the most brilliant writers
+of the day--which the marquis declared that he considered perfect, but
+slightly soporific; adding that he, for his part, decidedly preferred
+the Rodomontades of Captain Fracasse to Lygdamon et Lydias--he was a
+gentleman of taste, the marquis!
+
+As soon as he could do so without an actual breach of politeness, de
+Sigognac took his leave, and retiring to his own chamber locked himself
+in; then took an ancient sword out of the woollen case in which he kept
+it to preserve it from rust--his father's sword--which he had brought
+with him from home, as a faithful friend and ally. He drew it slowly out
+of the scabbard, kissing the hilt with fervent affection and respect as
+he did so, for to him it was sacred. It was a handsome weapon, richly,
+but not too profusely, ornamented--a sword for service, not for show;
+its blade of bluish steel, upon which a few delicate lines of gold were
+traced, bore the well-known mark of one of the most celebrated armourers
+of Toledo. The young baron examined the edge critically, drawing his
+fingers lightly over it, and then, resting the point against the door,
+bent it nearly double to test its elasticity. The noble blade stood the
+trial right valiantly, and there was no fear of its betraying its master
+in the hour of need. Delighted to have it in his hand again, and excited
+by the thought of what was in store for it and himself, de Sigognac
+began to fence vigorously against the wall, and to practise the varius
+thrusts and passes that his faithful old Pierre, who was a famous
+swordsman, had taught him at Castle Misery. They had been in the habit
+of spending hours every day in these lessons, glad of some active
+occupation, and the exercise had developed the young baron's frame,
+strengthened his muscles, and greatly augmented his natural suppleness
+and agility. He was passionately fond of and had thoroughly studied the
+noble art of fencing, and, while he believed himself to be still only a
+scholar, had long been a master in it--a proficient, such as is rarely
+to be found, even in the great cities. A better instructor than old
+Pierre he could not have had--not in Paris itself--and buried though he
+had been in the depths of the country, entirely isolated, and deprived
+of all the usual advantages enjoyed by young men of his rank, he yet
+had become, though perfectly unconscious of it, a match for the most
+celebrated swordsmen in France--that is to say, in the world--able
+to measure blades with the best of them. He may not have had all the
+elegant finish, and the many little airs and graces affected by
+the young sprigs of nobility and polished men of fashion in their
+sword-play, but skilful indeed must be the blade that could penetrate
+within the narrow circle of flashing steel in which he intrenched
+himself. Finding, after a long combat with an imaginary foe, that his
+hand had not lost its cunning, and satisfied at length both with himself
+and with his sword, which he placed near his bedside, de Sigognac was
+soon sleeping soundly, and as quietly as if he had never even dreamed
+of sending a challenge to that lofty and puissant nobleman, the Duke of
+Vallombreuse.
+
+Isabelle meanwhile could not close her eyes, because of her anxiety
+about the young baron. She knew that he would not allow the matter to
+rest where it was, and she dreaded inexpressibly the consequences of a
+quarrel with the duke; but the idea of endeavouring to prevent a
+duel never even occurred to her. In those days affairs of honour were
+regarded as sacred things, that women did not dream of interfering
+with, or rendering more trying to their near and dear ones by tears and
+lamentations, in anticipation of the danger to be incurred by them.
+
+At nine o'clock the next morning, the Marquis de Bruyeres was astir, and
+went to look up de Sigognae, whom he found in his own room, in order
+to regulate with him the conditions of the duel. The baron asked him to
+take with him, in case of incredulity, or refusal of his challenge, on
+the duke's part, the old deeds and ancient parchments, to which large
+seals were suspended, the commissions of various sorts with royal
+signatures in faded ink, the genealogical tree of the de Sigognacs, and
+in fact all his credentials, which he had brought away from the chateau
+with him as his most precious treasures; for they were indisputable
+witnesses to the nobility and antiquity of his house. These valuable
+documents, with their strange old Gothic characters, scarcely
+decipherable save by experts, were carefully wrapped up in a piece of
+faded crimson silk, which looked as if it might have been part of the
+very banner borne by Palamede de Sigognac at the head of his hundred
+followers in the first crusade.
+
+"I do not believe," said the marquis, "that these credentials will be
+necessary; my word should be sufficient; it has never yet been doubted.
+However, as it is possible that this hot-headed young duke may persist
+in recognising only Captain Fracasse in your person, I will let my
+servant accompany me and carry them for me to his house, in case I
+should deem it best to produce them."
+
+"You must do whatever you think proper and right," de Sigognac answered;
+"I have implicit confidence in your judgment, and leave my honour in
+your hands, without a condition or reservation."
+
+"It will be safe with me, I do solemnly assure you," said the Marquis de
+Bruyeres earnestly, "and we will have satisfaction yet from this proud
+young nobleman, whose excessive insolence and outrageously imperious
+ways are more than a little offensive to me, as well as to many others.
+He is no better than the rest of us, whose blood is as ancient and noble
+as his own, nor does his ducal coronet entitle him to the superiority he
+arrogates to himself so disagreeably. But we won't talk any more about
+it--we must act now. Words are feminine, but actions are masculine, and
+offended honour can only be appeased with blood, as the old saying has
+it."
+
+Whereupon the marquis called his servant, consigned the precious packet,
+with an admonition, to his care, and followed by him set off on his
+mission of defiance. The duke, who had passed a restless, wakeful night,
+and only fallen asleep towards morning, was not yet up when the Marquis
+de Bruyeres, upon reaching his house, told the servant who admitted him
+to announce him immediately to his master. The valet was aghast at the
+enormity of this demand, which was expressed in rather a peremptory
+tone. What! disturb the duke! before he had called for him! it would be
+as much as his life was worth to do it; he would as soon venture unarmed
+into the cage of a furious lion, or the den of a royal tiger. The duke
+was always more or less surly and ill-tempered on first waking in the
+morning, even when he had gone to bed in a good humour, as his servants
+knew to their cost.
+
+"Your lordship had much better wait a little while, or call again later
+in the day," said the valet persuasively, in answer to the marquis. "My
+lord, the duke, has not summoned me yet, and I would not dare--"
+
+"Go this instant to your master and announce the Marquis de Bruyeres,"
+interrupted that gentleman, in loud, angry tones, "or I will force the
+door and admit myself to his presence. I MUST speak to him, and that at
+once, on important business, in which your master's honour is involved."
+
+"Ah! that makes a difference," said the servant, promptly, "why didn't
+your lordship mention it in the first place? I will go and tell my lord,
+the duke, forthwith; he went to bed in such a furious, blood-thirsty
+mood last night that I am sure he will be enchanted at the prospect of a
+duel this morning--delighted to have a pretext for fighting."
+
+And the man went off with a resolute air, after respectfully begging the
+marquis to be good enough to wait a few minutes. At the noise he made in
+opening the door of his master's bedroom, though he endeavoured to do it
+as softly as possible, Vallombreuse, who was only dozing, started up in
+bed, broad awake, and looked round fiercely for something to throw at
+his head.
+
+"What the devil do you mean by this?" he cried savagely. "Haven't I
+ordered you never to come in here until I called for you? You shall have
+a hundred lashes for this, you scoundrel, I promise you; and you needn't
+whine and beg for mercy either, for you'll get none from me. I'd like to
+know how I am to go to sleep again now?"
+
+"My lord may have his faithful servant lashed to death, if it so please
+his lordship," answered the valet, with abject respect, "but though
+I have dared to transgress my lord's orders, it is not without a good
+reason. His lordship, the Marquis de Bruyeres, is below, asking to speak
+with my lord, the duke, on important business, relating to an affair of
+honour, and I know that my lord never denies himself to any gentleman on
+such occasions, but always receives visits of that sort, at any time of
+day or night."
+
+"The Marquis de Bruyeres!" said the duke, surprised, "have I any
+quarrel with him? I don't recollect a difference between us ever; and
+besides, it's an age since I've seen him. Perhaps he imagines that I
+want to steal his dear Zerbine's heart away from him; lovers are always
+fancying that everybody else is enamoured of their own particular
+favourites. Here, Picard, give me my dressing-gown, and draw those
+curtains round the bed, so as to hide its disorder; make haste about it,
+do you hear? we must not keep the worthy marquis waiting another
+minute."
+
+Picard bustled about, and brought to his master a magnificent
+dressing-gown-made, after the Venetian fashion, of rich stuff, with
+arabesques of black velvet on a gold ground--which he slipped on, and
+tied round the waist with a superb cord and tassels; then, seating
+himself in an easychair, told Picard to admit his early visitor.
+
+"Good morning, my dear marquis," said the young duke smilingly, half
+rising to salute his guest as he entered. "I am very glad to see you,
+whatever your errand may be. Picard, a chair for his lordship! Excuse
+me, I pray you, for receiving you so unceremoniously here in my bedroom,
+which is still in disorder, and do not look upon it as a lack of
+civility, but rather as a mark of my regard for you. Picard said that
+you wished to see me immediately."
+
+"I must beg you to pardon me, my dear duke," the marquis hastened to
+reply, "for insisting so strenuously upon disturbing your repose, and
+cutting short perhaps some delicious dream; but I am charged to see you
+upon a mission, which, among gentlemen, will not brook delay."
+
+"You excite my curiosity to the highest degree," said Vallombreuse, "and
+I cannot even imagine what this urgent business may be about."
+
+"I suppose it is not unlikely, my lord," rejoined the marquis, "that you
+have forgotten certain occurrences that took place last evening. Such
+trifling matters are not apt to make a very deep impression, so with
+your permission I will recall them to your mind. In the so-called
+green-room, down at the tennis-court, you deigned to honour with
+your particular notice a young person, Isabelle by name, and with
+a playfulness that I, for my part, do not consider criminal, you
+endeavoured to place an assassine for her, just above her white bosom,
+complimenting her upon its fairness as you did so. This proceeding,
+which I do not criticise, greatly shocked and incensed a certain actor
+standing by, called Captain Fracasse, who rushed forward and seized your
+arm."
+
+"Marquis, you are the most faithful and conscientious of
+historiographers," interrupted Vallombreuse. "That is all true, every
+word of it, and to finish the narrative I will add that I promised the
+rascal, who was as insolent as a noble, a sound thrashing at the hands
+of my lackeys; the most appropriate chastisement I could think of, for a
+low fellow of that sort."
+
+"No one can blame you for that, my dear duke, for there is certainly
+no very great harm in having a play-actor--or writer either, for that
+matter--thoroughly thrashed, if he has had the presumption to offend,"
+said the marquis, with a contemptuous shrug; "such cattle are not worth
+the value of the sticks broken over their backs. But this is a different
+case altogether. Under the mask of Captain Fracasse--who, by the way,
+routed your ruffians in superb style--is the Baron de Sigognac; a
+nobleman of the old school, the head of one of the best families we have
+in Gascony; one that has been above reproach for many centuries."
+
+"What the devil is he doing in this troupe of strolling players, pray?"
+asked the Duke of Vallombreuse, with some heat, toying nervously with
+the cord and tassels of his dressing-gown as he spoke. "Could I be
+expected to divine that there was a de Sigognac hidden under that
+grotesque costume, and behind that absurd false nose?"
+
+"As to your first question," the marquis replied, "I can answer it in
+one word--Isabelle. Between ourselves, I believe that the young baron is
+desperately in love with her. Indeed, he makes no secret of that fact;
+and, not having been able to induce her to remain with him in his
+chateau, he has joined the troupe of which she is a member, in order
+to pursue his love affair. You certainly ought not to find this gallant
+proceeding in bad taste, since you also admire the fair object of his
+pursuit."
+
+"No; I admit all that you say. But you, in your turn, must acknowledge
+that I could not be cognisant of this extraordinary romance by
+inspiration, and that the action of Captain Fracasse was impertinent."
+
+"Impertinent for an actor, I grant you," said the marquis, "but
+perfectly natural, indeed inevitable, for a gentleman, resenting
+unauthorized attentions to his mistress, and angry at an affront offered
+to her. Now Captain Fracasse throws aside his mask, and as Baron de
+Sigognac sends you by me his challenge to fight a duel, and demands
+redress in that way for the insult you have offered him."
+
+"But who is to guarantee me that this pretended Baron de Sigognac, who
+actually appears on the stage before the public with a company of low
+buffoons as one of themselves, is not a vulgar, intriguing rascal,
+usurping an honourable name, in the hope of obtaining the honour of
+crossing swords with the Duke of Vallombreuse?"
+
+"Duke," said the Marquis de Bruyeres, with much dignity, and some
+severity of tone, "_I_ would not serve as second to any man who was
+not of noble birth, and of honourable character. I know the Baron de
+Sigognac well. His chateau is only a few leagues from my estate. I will
+be his guarantee. Besides, if you still persist in entertaining any
+doubts with regard to his real rank, I have here with me all the proofs
+necessary to convince you of his right to the ancient and distinguished
+name of Sigognac. Will you permit me to call in my servant, who is
+waiting in the antechamber? He will give you all those documents, for
+which I am personally responsible."
+
+"There is no need," Vallombreuse replied courteously; "your word
+is sufficient. I accept his challenge. My friend, the Chevalier de
+Vidalinc, who is my guest at present, will be my second; will you be
+good enough to consult with him as to the necessary arrangements? I will
+agree to anything you may propose--fight him when and where you please,
+and with any weapons he likes best; though I will confess that I should
+like to see whether the Baron de Sigognac can defend himself against
+a gentleman's sword as successfully as Captain Fracasse did against my
+lackeys' cudgels. The charming Isabelle shall crown the conqueror in
+this tournament, as the fair ladies crowned the victorious knights in
+the grand old days of chivalry. But now allow me to retire and finish my
+toilet. The Chevalier de Vidalinc will be with you directly. I kiss your
+hand, valiant marquis, as our Spanish neighbours say."
+
+With these courteous words the Duke of Vallombreuse bowed with studied
+deference and politeness to his noble guest, and lifting the heavy
+portiere of tapestry that hung over the door opening into his
+dressing-room, passed through it and vanished. But a very few moments
+had elapsed when the Chevalier de Vidalinc joined the marquis, and they
+lost no time in coming to an understanding as to the conditions of
+the duel. As a matter of course, they selected swords--the gentleman's
+natural weapon--and the meeting was fixed for the following morning,
+early; as de Sigognac, with his wonted consideration for his humble
+comrades, did not wish to fight that same day, and run the risk of
+interfering with the programme Herode had announced for the evening,
+in case of his being killed or wounded. The rendezvous was at a certain
+spot in a field outside the walls of the town, which was level, smooth,
+well sheltered from observation, and advantageous in every way--being
+the favourite place of resort for such hostile meetings among the
+duellists of Poitiers.
+
+The Marquis de Bruyeres returned straightway to the Armes de France, and
+rendered an account of the success of his mission to de Sigognac; who
+thanked him warmly for his services, and felt greatly relieved, now
+that he was assured of having the opportunity to resent, as a gentleman
+should do, the affront offered to his adored Isabelle.
+
+The representation was to begin very early that evening, and all day
+the town crier went about through the streets, beating his drum lustily,
+and, whenever he had gathered a curious crowd around him, stopping and
+announcing the "great attractions--offered for that evening by Herode's
+celebrated troupe." Immense placards were posted upon the walls of
+the tennis-court and at the entrance of the Armes de France, also
+announcing, in huge, bright-coloured capitals, which reflected great
+credit on Scapin, who was the calligraphist of the troupe, the new play
+of "Lygdamon et Lydias," and the Rodomontades of Captain Fracasse. Long
+before the hour designated an eager crowd had assembled in the street in
+front of the theatre, and when the doors were opened poured in, like a
+torrent that has burst its bounds, and threatened to sweep everything
+before them. Order was quickly restored, however, within, and "the
+nobility and gentry of Poitiers" soon began to arrive in rapid
+succession. Titled dames, in their sedan chairs, carried by liveried
+servants, alighted amid much bowing and flourishing of attendant
+gallants. Gentlemen from the environs came riding in, followed by
+mounted grooms who led away their masters' horses or mules. Grand,
+clumsy old carriages, vast and roomy, with much tarnished gildings and
+many faded decorations about them, and with coats-of-arms emblazoned on
+their panels, rolled slowly up, and out of them, as out of Noah's
+ark, issued all sorts of odd-looking pairs, and curious specimens of
+provincial grandeur; most of them resplendent in the strange fashions of
+a bygone day, yet apparently well satisfied with the elegance of their
+appearance. The house was literally packed, until there was not room
+left for another human being, be he never so slender. On each side
+of the stage was a row of arm-chairs, intended for distinguished
+spectators, according to the custom of the times, and there sat the
+young Duke of Vallombreuse, looking exceedingly handsome, in a very
+becoming suit of black velvet, elaborately trimmed with jet, and with
+a great deal of exquisite lace about it. Beside him was his faithful
+friend, the Chevalier de Vidalinc, who wore a superb costume of dark
+green satin, richly ornamented with gold. As to the Marquis de Bruyeres,
+he had not claimed his seat among the notables, but was snugly ensconced
+in his usual place--a retired corner near the orchestra--whence he could
+applaud his charming Zerbine to his heart's content, without making
+himself too conspicuous. In the boxes were the fine ladies, in full
+dress, settling themselves to their satisfaction with much rustling
+of silks, fluttering of fans, whispering and laughing. Although their
+finery was rather old-fashioned, the general effect was exceedingly
+brilliant, and the display of magnificent jewels--family heirlooms--was
+fairly dazzling. Such flashing of superb diamonds on white bosoms and in
+dark tresses; such strings of large, lustrous pearls round fair necks,
+and twined amid sunny curls; such rubies and sapphires, with their
+radiant surroundings of brilliants; such thick, heavy chains of virgin
+gold, of curious and beautiful workmanship; such priceless laces, yellow
+with age, of just that much-desired tint which is creamy at night; such
+superb old brocades, stiff and rich enough to stand alone; and best of
+all, such sweet, sparkling, young faces, as were to be seen here and
+there in this aristocratic circle. A few of the ladies, not wishing to
+be known had kept on their little black velvet masks, though they did
+not prevent their being recognised, spoken of by name, and commented on
+with great freedom by the plebeian crowd in the pit. One lady, however,
+who was very carefully masked, and attended only by a maid, baffled the
+curiosity of all observers. She sat a little back in her box, so that
+the full blaze of light should not fall upon her, and a large black lace
+veil, which was loosely fastened under her chin, covered her head so
+effectually that it was impossible to make out even the colour of her
+hair. Her dress was rich and elegant in the extreme, but sombre in hue,
+and in her hand she held a handsome fan made of black feathers, with
+a tiny looking-glass in the centre. A great many curious glances were
+directed at her, which manifestly made her uneasy, and she shrank still
+farther back in her box to avoid them; but the orchestra soon struck up
+a merry tune, and attracted all eyes and thoughts to the curtain, which
+was about to rise, so that the mysterious fair one was left to her
+enjoyment of the animated scene in peace. They began with "Lygdamon et
+Lydias," in which Leander, who played the principal part, and wore
+a most becoming new costume, was quite overwhelmingly handsome. His
+appearance was greeted by a murmur of admiration and a great whispering
+among the ladies, while one unsophisticated young creature, just
+emancipated from her convent-school, exclaimed rapturously, aloud, "Oh!
+how charming he is!" for which shocking indiscretion she received a
+severe reprimand from her horrified mama, that made her retire into the
+darkest corner of the box, covered with blushes and confusion. Yet the
+poor girl had only innocently given expression to the secret thought
+of every woman in the audience, her own dignified mother included; for,
+really, Leander was delightfully, irresistibly handsome as Lygdamon--a
+perfect Apollo, in the eyes of those provincial dames. But by far the
+most agitated of them all was the masked beauty; whose heaving bosom,
+trembling hand--betrayed by the fan it held--and eager attitude--leaning
+breathlessly forward and intently watching Leander's every
+movement--would inevitably have borne witness to her great and absorbing
+interest in him, if anybody had been observing her to mark her emotion;
+but fortunately for her all eyes were turned upon the stage, so she had
+time to recover her composure. Leander was surpassing himself in his
+acting that night, yet even then he did not neglect to gaze searchingly
+round the circle of his fair admirers, trying to select the titled
+dames, and decide which one among them he should favour with his most
+languishing glances. As he scrutinized one after another, his eyes
+finally reached the masked lady, and at once his curiosity was on
+the qui vive--here was assuredly something promising at last; he was
+convinced that the richly dressed, graceful incognita was a victim
+to his own irresistible charms, and he directed a long, eloquent,
+passionate look full at her, to indicate that she was understood. To
+his delight--his rapturous, ecstatic delight--she answered his
+appealing glance by a very slight bend of the head, which was full of
+significance, as if she would thank him for his penetration. Being thus
+happily brought en rapport, frequent glances were exchanged throughout
+the play, and even little signals also, between the hero on the stage
+and the lady in her box.
+
+Leander was an adept in that sort of thing, and could so modulate his
+voice and use his really fine eyes in making an impassioned declaration
+of love to the heroine of the play, that the fair object of his
+admiration in the audience would believe that it was addressed
+exclusively to herself. Inspired by this new flame, he acted with so
+much spirit and animation that he was rewarded with round after round
+of applause; which he had the art to make the masked lady understand he
+valued less than the faintest mark of approbation and favour from her.
+
+After "Lygdamon et Lydias" came the Rodomontades of Captain Fracasse,
+which met with its accustomed success. Isabelle was rendered very uneasy
+by the close proximity of the Duke of Vallombreuse, dreading some act
+of insolence on his part; but her fears were needless, for he studiously
+refrained from annoying her in any way--even by staring at her too
+fixedly. He was moderate in his applause, and quietly attentive, as he
+sat in a careless attitude in his arm-chair on the stage throughout the
+piece. His lip curled scornfully sometimes when Captain Fracasse was
+receiving the shower of blows and abuse that fell to his share, and his
+whole countenance was expressive of the most lofty disdain, but that was
+all; for though violent and impetuous by nature, the young duke was too
+much of a gentleman--once his first fury passed--to transgress the rules
+of courtesy in any way; and more especially towards an adversary
+with whom he was to fight on the morrow--until then hostilities were
+suspended, and he religiously observed the truce.
+
+The masked lady quietly withdrew a little before the end of the second
+piece, in order to avoid mingling with the crowd, and also to be able
+to regain her chair, which awaited her close at hand, unobserved; her
+disappearance mightily disturbed Leander, who was furtively watching
+the movements of the mysterious unknown. The moment he was free, almost
+before the curtain had fallen, he threw a large cloak around him to
+conceal his theatrical costume, and rushed towards the outer door in
+pursuit of her. The slender thread that bound them together would be
+broken past mending he feared if he did not find her, and it would be
+too horrible to lose sight of this radiant creature--as he styled her
+to himself--before he had been able to profit by the pronounced marks
+of favour she had bestowed upon him so lavishly during the evening. But
+when he reached the street, all out of breath from his frantic efforts
+in dashing through the crowd, and bustling people right and left
+regardless of everything but the object he had in view, there was
+nothing to be seen of her; she had vanished, and left not a trace
+behind. Leander reproached himself bitterly with his own folly in not
+having endeavoured to exchange a few words with his lost divinity in the
+brief interval between the two plays, and called himself every hard name
+he could think of; as we are all apt to do in moments of vexation.
+
+But while he still stood gazing disconsolately in the direction that she
+must have taken, a little page, dressed in a dark brown livery, and with
+his cap pulled down over his eyes, suddenly appeared beside him, and
+accosted him politely in a high childish treble, which he vainly strove
+to render more manly. "Are you M. Leander? the one who played Lygdamon a
+while ago?"
+
+"Yes, I am," answered Leander, amused at the pretentious airs of his
+small interlocutor, "and pray what can I do for you, my little man?"
+
+"Oh! nothing for me, thank you," said the page, with a significant
+smile, "only I am charged to deliver a message to you--if you are
+disposed to hear it--from the lady of the mask."
+
+"From the lady of the mask!" cried Leander. "Oh I tell me quickly what
+it is; I am dying to hear it."
+
+"Well, here it is, then, word for word," said the tiny page jauntily.
+"If Lygdamon is as brave as he is gallant, he will go at midnight to
+the open square in front of the church, where he will find a carriage
+awaiting him; he will enter it without question, as without fear, and go
+whither it will take him."
+
+Before the astonished Leander had time to answer, the page had
+disappeared in the crowd, leaving him in great perplexity, for if
+his heart beat high with joy at the idea of a romantic adventure, his
+shoulders still reminded him painfully of the beating he had received in
+a certain park at dead of night, and he remembered with a groan how he
+had been lured on to his own undoing. Was this another snare spread for
+him by some envious wretch who begrudged him his brilliant success that
+evening, and was jealous of the marked favour he had found in the eyes
+of the fair ladies of Poitiers? Should he encounter some furious husband
+at the rendezvous, sword in hand, ready to fall upon him and run him
+through the body? These thoughts chilled his ardour, and had nearly
+caused him to disregard entirely the page's mysterious message. Yet,
+if he did not profit by this tempting opportunity, which looked so
+promising, he might make a terrible mistake; and, if he failed to
+go, would not the lady of the mask suspect him of cowardice, and be
+justified in so doing? This thought was insupportable to the gallant
+Leander, and he decided to venture, though low be it spoken--in fear
+and trembling. He hastened back to the hotel, scarcely touched the
+substantial supper provided for the comedians--his appetite lost in his
+intense excitement--and retiring to his own chamber made an elaborate
+toilet; curling and perfuming his hair and mustache, and sparing no
+pains to make himself acceptable to the lovely lady of the mask. He
+armed himself with a dagger and a sword, though he did not know how to
+use either; but he thought that the mere sight of them might inspire
+awe.
+
+When he was all ready at last, he drew his broad felt hat well down over
+his eyes, threw the corner of his cloak over his shoulder, in Spanish
+fashion, so as to conceal the lower part of his face, and crept
+stealthily out of the hotel--for once being lucky enough to escape
+the observation of his wily tormentor, Scapin, who was at that moment
+snoring his loudest in his own room at the other end of the house.
+
+The streets had long been empty and deserted, for the good people of the
+ancient and respectable town of Poitiers go early to bed. Leander did
+not meet a living creature, excepting a few forlorn, homeless cats,
+prowling about and bewailing themselves in a melancholy way, that fled
+before him, and vanished round dark corners or in shadowy doorways. Our
+gallant reached the open square designated by the little page just as
+the last stroke of twelve was vibrating in the still night air. It gave
+him a shudder; a superstitious sensation of horror took possession of
+him, and he felt as if he had heard the tolling of his own funeral bell.
+For an instant he was on the point of rushing back, and seeking quiet,
+safe repose in his comfortable bed at the Armes de France, but was
+arrested by the sight of the carriage standing there waiting for him,
+with the tiny page himself in attendance, perched on the step and
+holding the door open for him. So he was obliged to go on--for few
+people in this strange world of ours have the courage to be cowardly
+before witnesses--and instinctively acting a part, he advanced with a
+deliberate and dignified bearing, that gave no evidence of the inward
+fear and agitation that had set his heart beating as if it would burst
+out of his breast, and sent strong shivers over him from his head to his
+feet. Scarcely had he taken his seat in the carriage when the coachman
+touched his horses with the whip, and they were off at a good round
+pace; while he was in utter darkness, and did not even know which way
+they went, as the leathern curtains were carefully drawn down, so that
+nothing could be seen from within, or without. The small page remained
+at his post on the carriage step, but spoke never a word, and Leander
+could not with decency question him, much as he would have liked to
+do so. He knew that his surroundings were luxurious, for his exploring
+fingers told him that the soft, yielding cushions, upon which he was
+resting, were covered with velvet, and his feet sank into a thick, rich
+rug, while the vague, delicious perfume, that seemed to surround and
+caress him, soothed his ruffled feelings, and filled his mind with
+rapturous visions of bliss. He tried in vain to divine who it could
+be that had sent to fetch him in this delightfully mysterious way, and
+became more curious than ever, and also rather uneasy again, when he
+felt that the carriage had quitted the paved streets of the town, and
+was rolling smoothly and rapidly along over a country road. At last it
+stopped, the little page jumped down and flung the door wide open, and
+Leander, alighting, found himself confronted by a high, dark wall, which
+seemed to inclose a park, or garden; but he did not perceive a wooden
+door close at hand until his small companion, pushing back a rusty bolt,
+proceeded to open it, with considerable difficulty, and admitted him
+into what was apparently a thick wood.
+
+"Take hold of my hand," said the page patronizingly to Leander, "so that
+I can guide you; it is too dark for you to be able to make out the path
+through this labyrinth of trees."
+
+Leander obeyed, and both walked cautiously forward, feeling their way as
+they wound in and out among the trees, and treading the crackling, dry
+leaves, strewn thickly upon the ground, under their feet. Emerging from
+the wood at last, they came upon a garden, laid out in the usual style,
+with rows of box bordering the angular flower beds, and with yew trees,
+cut into pyramids, at regular intervals; which, just perceptible in the
+darkness, looked like sentinels posted on their way--a shocking sight
+for the poor timid actor, who trembled in every limb. They passed them
+all, however, unchallenged, and ascended some stone steps leading up to
+a terrace, on which stood a small country house--a sort of pavilion,
+with a dome, and little turrets at the corners. The place seemed quite
+deserted, save for a subdued glimmer of light from one large window,
+which the thick crimson silk curtains within could not entirely conceal.
+At this reassuring sight Leander dismissed all fear from his mind, and
+gave himself up to the most blissful anticipations. He was in a seventh
+heaven of delight; his feet seemed to spurn the earth; he would have
+flown into the presence of the waiting angel within if he had but
+known the way. How he wished, in this moment of glory and triumph, that
+Scapin, his mortal enemy and merciless tormentor, could see him. The
+tiny page stepped on before him, and after opening a large glass door
+and showing him into a spacious apartment, furnished with great luxury
+and elegance, retired and left him alone, without a word. The vaulted
+ceiling--which was the interior of the dome seen from without--was
+painted to represent a light blue sky, in which small rosy clouds were
+floating, and bewitching little Loves flying about in all sorts of
+graceful attitudes, while the walls were hung with beautiful tapestry.
+The cabinets, inlaid with exquisite Florentine mosaics and filled with
+many rare and curious objects of virtu, the round table covered with
+a superb Turkish cloth, the large, luxurious easy-chairs, the vases of
+priceless porcelain filled with fragrant flowers, all testified to
+the wealth and fastidious taste of their owner. The richly gilded
+candelabra, of many branches, holding clusters of wax candles, which
+shed their soft, mellow light on all this magnificence, were upheld
+by sculptured arms and hands in black marble, to represent a negro's,
+issuing from fantastic white marble sleeves; as if the sable attendants
+were standing without the room, and had passed their arms through
+apertures in the wall.
+
+Leander, dazzled by so much splendour, did not at first perceive that
+there was no one awaiting him in this beautiful apartment, but when he
+had recovered from his first feeling of astonishment, and realized that
+he was alone, he proceeded to take off his cloak and lay it, with his
+hat and sword, on a chair in one corner, after which he deliberately
+rearranged his luxuriant ringlets in front of a Venetian mirror, and
+then, assuming his most graceful and telling pose, began pouring forth
+in dulcet tones the following monologue: "But where, oh! where, is the
+divinity of this Paradise? Here is the temple indeed, but I see not the
+goddess. When, oh! when, will she deign to emerge from the cloud that
+veils her perfect form, and reveal herself to the adoring eyes, that
+wait so impatiently to behold her?" rolling the said organs of vision
+about in the most effective manner by way of illustration.
+
+Just at that moment, as if in response to this eloquent appeal, the
+crimson silk hanging, which fell in front of a door that Leander had not
+noticed, was pushed aside, and the lady he had come to seek stood before
+him; with the little black velvet mask still over her face, to the great
+disappointment and discomfiture of her expectant suitor. "Can it be
+possible that she is ugly?" he thought to himself; "this obstinate
+clinging to the mask alarms me." But his uncertainty was of short
+duration, for the lady, advancing to the centre of the room, where
+Leander stood respectfully awaiting her pleasure, untied the strings
+of the mask, took it off, and threw it down on the table, disclosing a
+rather pretty face, with tolerably regular features, large, brilliant,
+brown eyes, and smiling red lips. Her rich masses of dark hair were
+elaborately dressed, with one long curl hanging down upon her neck, and
+enhancing its whiteness by contrast; the uncovered shoulders were plump
+and shapely, and the full, snowy bosom rose and fell tumultuously under
+the cloud of beautifully fine lace that veiled, not concealed, its
+voluptuous curves.
+
+"Mme. la Marquise de Bruyeres!" cried Leander, astonished to the highest
+degree, and not a little agitated, as the remembrance of his last, and
+first, attempt to meet her, and what he had found in her place, rushed
+back upon him; "can it be possible? am I dreaming? or may I dare to
+believe in such unhoped-for, transcendent happiness?"
+
+"Yes; you are not mistaken, my dear friend," said she, "I am indeed the
+Marquise de Bruyeres, and recognised, I trust, by your heart as well as
+your eyes."
+
+"Ah! but too well," Leander replied, in thrilling tones. "Your adored
+image is cherished there, traced in living lines of light; I have only
+to look into that devoted, faithful heart, to see and worship your
+beauteous form, endowed with every earthly grace, and radiant with every
+heavenly perfection."
+
+"I thank you," said the marquise, "for having retained such a kind and
+tender remembrance of me; it proves that yours is a noble, magnanimous
+soul. You had every reason to think me cruel, ungrateful, false--when,
+alas! my poor heart in reality is but too susceptible, and I was far
+from being insensible to the passionate admiration you so gracefully
+testified for me. Your letter addressed to me did not reach my hands,
+but unfortunately fell into those of the marquis--through the heartless
+treachery of the faithless maid to whom it was intrusted--and he sent
+you the answer which so cruelly deceived you, my poor Leander! Some
+time after he showed me that letter, laughing heartily over what he
+was wicked enough to call a capital joke; that letter, in every line of
+which the purest, most impassioned love shone so brightly, and filled
+my heart with joy, despite his ridicule and coarse abuse. It did not
+produce the effect upon me that he expected and intended; the sentiment
+I cherished secretly for you was only increased and strengthened by its
+persuasive eloquence, and I resolved to reward you for all that you had
+suffered for my sake. Knowing my husband to be perfectly absorbed in his
+most recent conquest, and so oblivious of me that there was no danger
+of his becoming aware of my absence from the Chateau de Bruyeres, I have
+ventured to come to Poitiers; for I have heard you express fictitious
+love so admirably, that I long to know whether you can be as eloquent
+and convincing when you speak for yourself."
+
+"Mme. la Marquise," said Leander, in his sweetest tones, sinking
+gracefully on his knees, upon a cushion at the feet of the lady, who had
+let herself fall languidly into a low easy-chair, as if exhausted by the
+extreme effort that her confession had been to her modesty. "Madame,
+or rather most lovely queen and deity, what can mere empty words,
+counterfeit passion, imaginary raptures, conceived and written in cold
+blood by the poets, and make-believe sighs, breathed out at the feet of
+an odious actress, all powdered and painted, whose eyes are wandering
+absently around the theatre--what can these be beside the living words
+that gush out from the soul, the fire that burns in the veins and
+arteries, the hyperboles of an exalted passion, to which the whole
+universe cannot furnish images brilliant and lofty enough to apply to
+its idol, and the aspirations of a wildly loving heart, that would fain
+break forth from the breast that contains it, to serve as a footstool
+for the dear object of its adoration? You deign to say, celestial
+marquise, that I express with some feeling the fictitious love in the
+pieces I play. Shall I tell you why it is so? Because I never look at,
+or even think of, the actress whom I seem to address--my thoughts soar
+far above and beyond her--and I speak to my own perfect ideal; to a
+being, noble, beautiful, spirituelle as yourself, Mme. la Marquise!
+It is you, in fine, YOU that I see and love under the name of Silvie,
+Doralice, Isabelle, or whatever it may chance to be; they are only your
+phantoms for me."
+
+With these words Leander, who was too good an actor to neglect the
+pantomime that should accompany such a declaration, bent down over the
+hand that the marquise had allowed him to take, and covered it with
+burning kisses; which delicate attention was amiably received, and his
+real love-making seemed to be as pleasing to her ladyship as even he
+could have desired.
+
+The eastern sky was all aflame with the radiance of the coming sun when
+Leander, well wrapped in his warm cloak, was driven back to Poitiers.
+As he lifted a corner of one of the carefully lowered curtains, to see
+which side of the town they were approaching, he caught sight of the
+Marquis de Bruyeres and the Baron de Sigognac, still at some distance,
+who were walking briskly along the road towards him, on their way to the
+spot designated for the duel.
+
+Leander let the curtain drop, so as not to be seen by the marquis, who
+was almost grazed by the carriage wheels as they rolled by him, and a
+satisfied smile played round his lips; he was revenged--the beating was
+atoned for now.
+
+The place selected for the hostile meeting between the Baron de Sigognac
+and the Duke of Vallombreuse was sheltered from the cold north wind by
+a high wall, which also screened the combatants from the observation of
+those passing along the road. The ground was firm, well trodden down,
+without stones, tufts of grass, or inequalities of any kind, which might
+be in the way of the swordsmen, and offered every facility to men of
+honour to murder each other after the most correct and approved fashion.
+The Duke of Vallombreuse and the Chevalier de Vidalinc, followed by a
+surgeon, arrived at the rendezvous only a few seconds after the others,
+and the four gentlemen saluted each other with the haughty courtesy and
+frigid politeness becoming to well-bred men meeting for such a purpose.
+The duke's countenance was expressive of the most careless indifference,
+as he felt perfect confidence in his own courage and skill. The baron
+was equally cool and collected, though it was his first duel, and a
+little nervousness or agitation would have been natural and excusable.
+The Marquis de Bruyeres watched him with great satisfaction, auguring
+good things for their side from his quiet sang-froid. Vallombreuse
+immediately threw off his cloak and hat, and unfastened his pourpoint,
+in which he was closely imitated by de Sigognac. The marquis and the
+chevalier measured the swords of the combatants, which were found to be
+of equal length, and then each second placed his principal in position,
+and put his sword in his hand.
+
+"Fall to, gentlemen, and fight like men of spirit, as you are," said the
+marquis.
+
+"A needless recommendation that," chimed in the Chevalier de Vidalinc;
+"they go at it like lions---we shall have a superb duel."
+
+The Duke of Vallombreuse, who, in his inmost heart, could not help
+despising de Sigognac more than a little, and had imagined that he
+should find in him but a weak antagonist, was astonished when he
+discovered the strength of the baron's sword, and could not deny to
+himself that he wielded a firm and supple blade, which baffled his own
+with the greatest ease--that he was, in fine, a "foeman worthy of his
+steel." He became more careful and attentive; then tried several feints,
+which were instantly detected. At the least opening he left, the point
+of de Sigognac's sword, rapid as lightning in its play, darted in upon
+him, necessitating the exercise of all his boasted skill to parry it.
+He ventured an attack, which was so promptly met, and his weapon so
+cleverly struck aside, that he was left exposed to his adversary's
+thrust, and but for throwing himself back out of reach, by a sudden,
+violent movement, he must have received it full in his breast. From
+that instant all was changed for the young duke; he had believed that
+he would be able to direct the combat according to his own will and
+pleasure, but, instead of that, he was forced to make use of all his
+skill and address to defend himself. He had believed that after a few
+passes he could wound de Sigognae, wherever he chose, by a thrust which,
+up to that time, he had always found successful; but, instead of that,
+he had hard work to avoid being wounded himself. Despite his efforts
+to remain calm and cool, he was rapidly growing angry; he felt himself
+becoming nervous and feverish, while the baron, perfectly at his ease
+and unmoved, seemed to take a certain pleasure in irritating him by the
+irreproachable excellence of his fence.
+
+"Sha'n't we do something in this way too, while our friends are
+occupied?" said the chevalier to the marquis.
+
+"It is very cold this morning. Suppose we fight a little also, if only
+to warm ourselves up, and set our blood in motion."
+
+"With all my heart," the marquis replied; "we could not do better."
+
+The chevalier was superior to the Marquis de Bruyeres in the noble art
+of fencing, and after a few passes had sent the latter's sword flying
+out of his hand. As no enmity existed between them, they stopped there
+by mutual consent, and turned their attention again to de Sigognac and
+Vallombreuse. The duke, sore pressed by the close play of the baron,
+had fallen back several feet from his original position. He was becoming
+weary, and beginning to draw panting breaths. From time to time, as
+their swords clashed violently together, bluish sparks flew from them;
+but the defence was growing perceptibly weaker, and de Sigognac was
+steadily forcing the duke to give way before his attack. When he saw the
+state of affairs, the Chevalier de Vidalinc turned very pale, and began
+to feel really anxious for his friend, who was so evidently getting the
+worst of it.
+
+"Why the devil doesn't he try that wonderful thrust he learned from
+Girolamo of Naples?" murmured he. "This confounded Gascon cannot
+possibly know anything about that."
+
+As if inspired by the same thought, the young duke did, at that very
+moment, try to put it into execution; but de Sigognac, aware of what he
+was preparing to do, not only prevented but anticipated him, and touched
+and wounded his adversary in the arm--his sword going clean through it.
+
+The pain was so intense that the duke's fingers could no longer grasp
+his sword, and it fell to the ground. The baron, with the utmost
+courtesy, instantly desisted, although he was entitled by the rules
+of the code to follow up his blow with another--for the duel does not
+necessarily come to an end with the first blood drawn. He turned the
+point of his sword to the ground, put his left hand on his hip, and
+stood silently awaiting his antagonist's pleasure. But Vallombreuse
+could not hold the sword which his second had picked up and presented to
+him, after a nod of acquiescence from de Sigognac; and he turned away
+to signify that he had had enough. Whereupon, the marquis and the baron,
+after bowing politely to the others, set forth quietly to walk back to
+the town.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X. A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE
+
+After the surgeon had bandaged his injured arm, and arranged a sling for
+it, the Duke of Vallombreuse was put carefully into a chair, which had
+been sent for in all haste, to be taken home. His wound was not in the
+least a dangerous one, though it would deprive him of the use of his
+right hand for some time to come, for the blade had gone quite through
+the forearm; but, most fortunately, without severing any important
+tendons or arteries. He suffered a great deal of pain from it of
+course, but still more from his wounded pride; and he felt furiously and
+unreasonably angry with everything and everybody about him. It seemed
+to be somewhat of a relief to him to swear savagely at his bearers, and
+call them all the hardest names he could think of, whenever he felt the
+slightest jar, as they carried him slowly towards home, though they
+were walking as steadily as men could do, and carefully avoiding every
+inequality in the road. When at last he reached his own house, he was
+not willing to be put to bed, as the surgeon advised, but lay down upon
+a lounge instead, where he was made as comfortable as was possible by
+his faithful Picard, who was in despair at seeing the young duke in
+such a condition; astonished as well, for nothing of the kind had ever
+happened before, in all the many duels he had fought; and the admiring
+valet had shared his master's belief that he was invincible. The
+Chevalier de Vidalinc sat in a low chair beside his friend, and gave him
+from time to time a spoonful of the tonic prescribed by the surgeon,
+but refrained from breaking the silence into which he had fallen.
+Vallombreuse lay perfectly still for a while; but it was easy to see,
+in spite of his affected calmness, that his blood was boiling with
+suppressed rage. At last he could restrain himself no longer, and burst
+out violently: "Oh! Vidalinc, this is too outrageously aggravating! to
+think that that contemptible, lean stork, who has flown forth from his
+ruined chateau so as not to die of starvation in it, should have dared
+to stick his long bill into me! I have encountered, and conquered, the
+best swordsmen in France, and never returned from the field before with
+so much as a scratch, or without leaving my adversary stretched lifeless
+on the ground, or wounded and bleeding in the arms of his friends."
+
+"But you must remember that the most favoured and the bravest of
+mortals have their unlucky days, Vallombreuse," answered the chevalier
+sententiously, "and Dame Fortune does not ALWAYS smile, even upon
+her prime favourites. Until now you have never had to complain of her
+frowns, for you have been her pampered darling all your life long."
+
+"Isn't it too disgraceful," continued Vallombreuse, growing more and
+more heated, "that this ridiculous buffoon--this grotesque country
+clown--who takes such abominable drubbings on the stage, and has never
+in his life known what it was to associate with gentlemen, should have
+managed to get the best of the Duke of Vallombreuse, hitherto by common
+accord pronounced invincible? He must be a professional prize-fighter,
+disguised as a strolling mountebank."
+
+"There can be no doubt about his real rank," said Vidalinc, "for
+the Marquis de Bruyeres guarantees it; but I must confess that his
+unequalled performance to-day filled me with astonishment; it was simply
+marvellous. Neither Girolamo nor Paraguante, those two world-renowned
+swordsmen, could have surpassed it. I watched him closely, and I tell
+you that even they could not have withstood him. It took all your
+remarkable skill--which has been so greatly enhanced by the Neapolitan's
+instructions--to avoid being mortally wounded; why your defeat was a
+victory in my eyes, in that it was not a more overwhelming one."
+
+"I don't know how I am to wait for this wound to heal," the duke said,
+after a short pause, "I am so impatient to provoke him again, and have
+the opportunity to revenge myself."
+
+"That would be a very hazardous proceeding, and one that I should
+strongly advise you not to attempt," Vidalinc replied in an earnest
+tone. "Your sword-arm will scarcely be as strong as before for a long
+time I fear, and that would seriously diminish your chances of success.
+This Baron de Sigognac is a very formidable antagonist, and will be
+still more so, for you, now that he knows your tactics; and besides, the
+confidence in himself which his first victory naturally gives him would
+be another thing in his favour. Honour is satisfied, and the encounter
+was a serious one for you. Let the matter rest here, I beseech you!"
+
+Vallombreuse could not help being secretly convinced of the justice of
+these remarks, but was not willing to avow it openly, even to his most
+intimate friend. He was a sufficiently accomplished swordsman himself
+to appreciate de Sigognac's wonderful prowess, and he knew that it far
+surpassed his own much vaunted skill, though it enraged him to have to
+recognise this humiliating fact. He was even obliged to acknowledge, in
+his inmost heart, that he owed his life to the generous forbearance of
+his hated enemy; who might have taken it just as well as not, but had
+spared him, and been content with giving him only a flesh wound, just
+severe enough to put him hors-de-combat, without doing him any serious
+injury. This magnanimous conduct, by which a less haughty nature would
+have been deeply touched, only served to irritate the young duke's
+pride, and increase his resentment. To think that he, the valiant and
+puissant Duke of Vallombreuse, had been conquered, humiliated, wounded!
+the bare idea made him frantic. Although he said nothing further to his
+companion about his revenge, his mind was filled with fierce projects
+whereby to obtain it, and he swore to himself to be even yet with the
+author of his present mortification--if not in one way, then in another;
+for injuries there be that are far worse than mere physical wounds and
+hurts.
+
+"I shall cut a sorry figure enough now in the eyes of the fair
+Isabelle," said he at last, with a forced laugh, "with my arm here run
+through and rendered useless by the sword of her devoted gallant. Cupid,
+weak and disabled, never did find much favour with the Graces, you
+know. But oh! how charming and adorable she seems to me, this sweet,
+disdainful Isabelle! I am actually almost grateful to her for resisting
+me so; for, if she had yielded, I should have been tired of her by this
+time, I fancy. Her nature certainly cannot be a base, ordinary one, or
+she would never have refused thus the advances of a wealthy and powerful
+nobleman, who is ready to lavish upon her everything that heart could
+desire, and whose own personal attractions are not to be despised; if
+the universal verdict of the fair sex of all ranks can be relied
+upon. There is a certain respect and esteem mingled with my passionate
+admiration for her, that I have never felt before for any woman, and
+it is very sweet to me. But how in the world are we to get rid of this
+confounded young sprig of nobility, her self-constituted champion? May
+the devil fly away with him!"
+
+"It will not be an easy matter," the chevalier replied, and especially
+now that he is upon his guard. "But even if you did succeed in getting
+rid of him, Isabelle's love for him would still be in your way, and you
+ought to know, better than most men, how obstinate a woman can be in her
+devoted attachment to a man."
+
+"Oh! if I could only kill this miserable baron," continued Vallombreuse,
+not at all impressed by the chevalier's last remark, "I could soon win
+the favour of this virtuous young person, in spite of all her little
+prudish airs and graces. Nothing is so quickly forgotten as a defunct
+suitor."
+
+These were by no means the chevalier's sentiments, but he refrained from
+pursuing the subject then, wishing to soothe, rather than irritate, his
+suffering friend.
+
+"You must first get well as fast as you can," he said, "and it will be
+time enough then for us to discuss the matter. All this talking wearies
+you, and does you no good. Try to get a little nap now, and not excite
+yourself so. The surgeon will tax me with imprudence, and call me a bad
+nurse, I'm afraid, if I don't manage to keep you more quiet--mentally as
+well as physically."
+
+His patient, yielding with rather an ill grace to this sensible advice,
+sank back wearily upon his pillows, closed his eyes, and soon fell
+asleep--where we will leave him, enjoying his much needed repose.
+
+Meantime the Marquis de Bruyeres and de Sigognac had quietly returned to
+their hotel, where, like well-bred gentlemen, they did not breathe even
+a hint of what had taken place. But walls have ears they say, and eyes
+as well it would appear, for they certainly see as much as they ever
+hear. In the neighbourhood of the apparently solitary, deserted spot
+where the duel had taken place, more than one inquisitive, hidden
+observer had closely watched the progress of the combat, and had not
+lost a moment after it was over in spreading the news of it; so that
+by breakfast-time all Poitiers was in a flutter of excitement over the
+intelligence that the Duke of Vallombreuse had been wounded in a duel
+with an unknown adversary, and was exhausting itself in vain conjectures
+as to who the valiant stranger could possibly be. No one thought of de
+Sigognac, who had led the most retired life imaginable ever since his
+arrival; remaining quietly at the hotel all day, and showing only his
+stage mask, not his own face, at the theatre in the evening.
+
+Several gentlemen of his acquaintance sent to inquire ceremoniously
+after the Duke of Vallombreuse, giving their messengers instructions to
+endeavour to get some information from his servants about the mysterious
+duel, but they were as taciturn as the mutes of a seraglio, for the very
+excellent and sufficient reason that they knew nothing what ever about
+it. The young duke, by his great wealth, his overweening pride, his
+uncommon good looks, and his triumphant success among fair ladies
+everywhere, habitually excited much secret jealousy and hatred among
+his associates, which not one of them dared to manifest openly--but they
+were mightily pleased by his present discomfiture.
+
+It was the first check he had ever experienced, and all those who
+had been hurt or offended by his arrogance--and they were legion--now
+rejoiced in his mortification. They could not say enough in praise of
+his successful antagonist, though they had never seen him, nor had any
+idea as to what manner of than he might be. The ladies, who nearly all
+had some cause of complaint against the haughty young noble man, as he
+was wont to boast loudly of his triumphs, and basely betray the favours
+that had been accorded to him in secret, were full of enthusiastic and
+tender admiration for this victorious champion of a woman's virtue, who,
+they felt, had unconsciously avenged for them many scornful slights, and
+they would have gladly crowned him with laurel and myrtle, and rewarded
+him with their sweetest smiles and most distinguished favour.
+
+However, as nothing on this terraqueous and sublunary globe can long
+remain a secret, it soon transpired through Maitre Bilot, who had it
+direct from Jacques, the valet of the Marquis de Bruyeres, who had been
+present during the momentous interview between his master and the Baron
+de Sigognac, that the duke's brave antagonist was no other than the
+redoubtable Captain Fracasse; or rather, a young nobleman in disguise,
+who for the sake of a love affair had become a member of Herode's troupe
+of travelling comedians. As to his real name, Jacques had unfortunately
+forgotten it, further than that it ended in "gnac," as is not uncommon
+in Gascony, but on the point of his rank he was positive. This
+delightfully romantic and "ower-true tale" was received with
+acclamations by the good folk of Poitiers. They were fairly overflowing
+with admiration for and interest in the valiant gentleman who wielded
+such a powerful blade, and the devoted lover who had left everything to
+follow his mistress, and when Captain Fracasse appeared upon the stage
+that evening, the prolonged and enthusiastic applause that greeted him,
+and was renewed over and over again before he was allowed to speak a
+single word, bore witness unmistakably to the favour with which he
+was regarded; while the ladies rose in their boxes and waved their
+handkerchiefs, even the grandest and most dignified among them, and
+brought the palms of their gloved hands daintily together in his honour.
+It was a real ovation, and best of all a spontaneous one. Isabelle
+also received a perfect storm of applause, which alarmed and had
+nearly overcome the retiring young actress, who blushed crimson in her
+embarrassment, as she made a modest curtsey in acknowledgment of the
+compliment.
+
+Herode was overjoyed, and his face shone like the full moon as he rubbed
+his hands together and grinned broadly in his exuberant delight; for the
+receipts were immense, and the cash-box was full to bursting. Everybody
+had rushed to the theatre to see and applaud the now famous Captain
+Fracasse--the capital actor and high-spirited gentleman--who feared
+neither cudgels nor swords; and had not shrunk from encountering the
+dreaded Duke of Vallombreuse, the terror of all the country round, in
+mortal combat, as the champion of offended beauty. Blazius, however, did
+not share the tyrant's raptures, but on the contrary foreboded no good
+from all this, for he feared, and not without reason, the vindictive
+character of the Duke of Vallombreuse, and was apprehensive that
+he would find some means of revenging himself for his defeat at de
+Sigognac's hands that would be detrimental to the troupe. "Earthen
+vessels," said he, "should be very careful how they get in the way of
+metal ones, lest, if they rashly encounter them, they be ignominiously
+smashed in the shock." But Herode, relying upon the support and
+countenance of the Baron de Sigognac and the Marquis de Bruyeres,
+laughed at his fears, and called him faint-heart, a coward, and a
+croaker.
+
+When the comedians returned to their hotel, after the play was over, de
+Sigognac accompanied Isabelle to the door of her room, and, contrary to
+her usual custom, the young actress invited him to enter it with her.
+When they found themselves quite alone, and safe from all curious eyes,
+Isabelle turned to de Sigognac, took his hand in both of hers, and
+pressing it warmly said to him in a voice trembling with emotion,
+
+"Promise me never to run such a fearful risk for my sake again, de
+Sigognac; promise me! Swear it, if you really do love me as you say."
+
+"That is a thing I cannot do," the baron replied, "even to please you,
+sweet Isabelle! If ever any insolent fellow dares to show a want of
+proper respect for you, I shall surely chastise him for it, as I ought,
+be he what he may--duke, or even prince."
+
+"But remember, de Sigognac, that I am nothing but an actress, inevitably
+exposed to affronts from the men that haunt the coulisses. It is the
+generally received opinion, which alas! is but too well justified by the
+usual ways of the members of my profession, that an actress is no
+better than she should be; in fine, not a proper character nor worthy of
+respect. From the moment that a woman steps upon the stage she becomes
+public property, and even if she be really pure and virtuous it is
+universally believed that she only affects it for a purpose. These
+things are hard and bitter, but they must be borne, since it is
+impossible to change them. In future trust to me, I pray you, to
+repel those who would force their unwelcome attentions upon me in the
+green-room, or endeavour to make their way into my dressing-room. A
+sharp rap over the knuckles with a corset board from me will be quite as
+efficacious as for you to draw your sword in my behalf."
+
+"But I am not convinced," said de Sigognac, with a smile; "I must still
+believe, sweet Isabelle, that the sword of a chivalrous ally would be
+your best weapon of defence, and I beg you not to deprive me of the
+precious privilege of being your devoted knight and champion."
+
+Isabelle was still holding de Sigognac's hand, and she now raised her
+lovely eyes, full of mute supplication, to meet his adoring gaze,
+hoping yet to draw from him, the much desired promise. But the baron was
+incorrigible; where honour was concerned he was as firm and unyielding
+as a Spanish hidalgo, and he would have braved a thousand deaths rather
+than have allowed an affront to the lady of his love to pass unpunished;
+he wished that the same deference and respect should be accorded to
+Isabelle upon the stage, as to a duchess in her drawing-room.
+
+"Come, de Sigognac, be reasonable," pleaded the young actress, "and
+promise me not to expose yourself to such danger again for so frivolous
+a cause. Oh! what anxiety and anguish I endured as I awaited your return
+this morning. I knew that you had gone out to fight with that dreadful
+duke, who is held in such universal terror here; Zerbine told me all
+about it. Cruel that you are to torture my poor heart so! That is always
+the way with men; they never stop to think of what we poor, loving women
+must suffer when their pride is once aroused! off they go, as fierce as
+lions, deaf to our sobs and blind to our tears. Do you know, that if you
+had been killed I should have died too?"
+
+The tears that filled Isabelle's eyes, and the excessive trembling of
+her voice, showed that she was in earnest, and that she had not even
+yet recovered her usual calmness and composure. More deeply touched
+than words can express by her emotion, and the love for himself it bore
+witness to, de Sigognac, encircling her slender form with the arm that
+was free, drew her gently to him, and softly kissed her fair forehead,
+whilst he could feel, as he pressed her to his breast, how she was
+panting and trembling. He held her thus tenderly embraced for a blissful
+few seconds of silent ecstasy, which a less respectful lover would
+doubtless have presumed upon; but he would have scorned to take
+advantage of the unreserved confidence bestowed upon him in a moment of
+such agitation and sorrowful excitement.
+
+"Be comforted, dear Isabelle," said he at last, tenderly. "I was not
+killed you see, nor even hurt; and I actually wounded my adversary,
+though he does pass for a tolerably good swordsman hereabouts, I
+believe."
+
+"Yes, I well know what a strong hand is yours, and what a brave, noble
+heart," Isabelle replied; "and I do not scruple to acknowledge that I
+love you for it with all my heart; feeling sure that you will respect
+my frank avowal, and not endeavour to take advantage of it. When I
+first saw you, de Sigognac, dispirited and desolate, in that dreary,
+half-ruined chateau, where your youth was passing in sadness and
+solitude, I felt a tender interest in you suddenly spring into being in
+my heart; had you been happy and prosperous I should have been afraid of
+you, and have shrunk timidly from your notice. When we walked together
+in that neglected garden, where you held aside the brambles so carefully
+for me to pass unscathed, you gathered and presented to me a little
+wild rose--the only thing you had to give me. As I raised it to my lips,
+before putting it in my bosom, and kissed it furtively under pretence of
+inhaling its fragrance, I could not keep back a tear that dropped upon
+it, and secretly and in silence I gave you my heart in exchange for it."
+
+As these entrancing words fell upon his ear, de Sigognac impulsively
+tried to kiss the sweet lips so temptingly near his own, but Isabelle
+withdrew herself gently from his embrace; not with any show of excessive
+prudery, but with a modest timidity that no really gallant lover would
+endeavour to overcome by force.
+
+"Yes, I love you, de Sigognac," she continued, in a voice that was
+heavenly sweet, "and with all my heart, but not as other women love;
+your glory is my aim, not my own pleasure. I am perfectly willing to be
+looked upon as your mistress; it is the only thing that would account
+satisfactorily to the world at large for your presence in this troupe of
+strolling players. And why should I care for slanderous reports, so long
+as I keep my own self-esteem, and know myself to be virtuous and true?
+If there were really a stain upon my purity it would kill me; I could
+not survive it. It is the princely blood in my veins doubtless that
+gives rise to such pride in me; very ridiculous, perhaps, in an actress,
+but such is my nature."
+
+This enchanting avowal, which would not have taught anything new to a
+more conceited or bolder suitor, but was a wonderful revelation to de
+Sigognac, who had scarcely dared to hope that his passionate, devoted
+love might some day be returned, filled him with such rapturous,
+overwhelming delight, that he was almost beside himself. A burning flush
+overspread his usually pale face; he seemed to see flames before his
+eyes; there was a strange ringing in his ears, and his heart throbbed
+so violently that he felt half suffocated. Losing control of himself in
+this moment of ecstasy, so intense that it was not unmixed with pain,
+he suddenly seized Isabelle passionately in his arms, strained her
+trembling form convulsively to his heaving breast, and covered her face
+and neck with burning kisses. She did not even try to struggle against
+this fierce embrace, but, throwing her head back, looked fixedly at him,
+with eyes full of sorrow and reproach. From those lovely eyes, clear and
+pure as an angel's, great tears welled forth and rolled down over her
+blanched cheeks, and a suppressed sob shook her quivering frame as a
+sudden faintness seemed to come over her. The young baron, distracted at
+the sight of her grief, and full of keen self-reproach, put her gently
+down into a low, easy-chair standing near, and kneeling before her, took
+in both his own the hands that she abandoned to him, and passionately
+implored her pardon; pleading that a momentary madness had taken
+possession of him, that he repented of it bitterly, and was ready to
+atone for his offence by the most perfect submission to her wishes.
+
+"You have hurt me sadly, my friend!" said Isabelle at last, with a
+deep-drawn sigh. "I had such perfect confidence in your delicacy and
+respect. The frank, unreserved avowal of my love for you ought to have
+been enough, and have shown you clearly, by its very openness, that I
+trusted you entirely. I believed that you would understand me and let
+me love you in my own way, without troubling my tenderness for you by
+vulgar transports. Now, you have robbed me of my feeling of security.
+I do not doubt your words, but I shall no longer dare to yield to the
+impulses of my own heart. And yet it was so sweet to me to be with you,
+to watch you, to listen to your dear voice, and to follow the course of
+your thoughts as I saw them written in your eyes. I wished to share your
+troubles and anxieties, de Sigognac, leaving your pleasures to others.
+I said to myself, among all these coarse, dissolute, presuming men
+that hover about us, there is one who is different--one who believes
+in purity, and knows how to respect it in the woman he honours with his
+love. I dared to indulge in a sweet dream--even I, Isabelle the actress,
+pursued as I am constantly by a gallantry that is odious to me--I dared
+to indulge in the too sweet dream of enjoying with you a pure mutual
+love. I only asked to be your faithful companion, to cheer and comfort
+you in your struggles with an adverse fate until you had reached the
+beginning of happiness and prosperity, and then to retire into obscurity
+again, when you had plenty of new friends and followers, and no longer
+needed me. You see that I was not very exacting."
+
+"Isabelle, my adored Isabelle," cried de Sigognac, "every word that you
+speak makes me reproach myself more and more keenly for my fault, and
+the pain I have given you. Rest assured, my own darling, that you have
+nothing further to fear from me. I am not worthy to kiss the traces of
+your footprints in the dust; but yet, I pray you, listen to me! Perhaps
+you do not fully understand all my thoughts and intentions, and will
+forgive me when you do. I have nothing but my name, which is as pure
+and spotless as your sweet self, and I offer it to you, my own beloved
+Isabelle, if you will deign to accept it."
+
+He was still kneeling at her feet, and at these ardently spoken words
+she leaned towards him, took his upraised face between her hands with a
+quick, passionate movement, and kissed him fervently on the lips; then
+she sprang to her feet and began, hurriedly and excitedly, pacing back
+and forth in the chamber.
+
+"You will be my wife, Isabelle?" cried de Sigognac in agitated tones,
+thrilling in every nerve from the sweet contact of her pure, lovely
+mouth--fresh as a flower, ardent as a flame.
+
+"Never, never," answered Isabelle, with a clear ring of rapture in her
+voice. "I will show myself worthy of such an honour by refusing it.
+I did mistake you for a moment, my dearest friend; I did mistake you;
+forgive me. Oh! how happy you have made me; what celestial joy fills
+my soul! You do respect and esteem me, then, to the utmost? Ah! de
+Sigognac, you would really lead me, as your wife, into the hall where
+all the portraits of your honoured ancestors would look down upon us?
+and into the chapel, where your dead mother lies at rest? I could
+meet fearlessly, my beloved, the searching gaze of the dead, from whom
+nothing is hidden; the crown of purity would not be wanting on my brow."
+
+"But what!" exclaimed the young baron, "you say that you love me,
+Isabelle, with all that true, faithful heart of yours, yet you will not
+accept me! either as lover or husband?"
+
+"You have offered me your name, de Sigognac, your noble, honoured name,
+and that is enough for me. I give it back to you now, after having
+cherished it for one moment in my inmost heart. For one instant I was
+your wife, and I will never, never be another's. While my lips were
+on yours I was saying yes to myself, and oh! I did not deserve such
+happiness. For you, my beloved, it would be a sad mistake to burden
+yourself with a poor little actress like me, who would always be taunted
+with her theatrical career, however pure and honourable it may have
+been. The cold, disdainful mien with which great ladies would be sure
+to regard me would cause you keen suffering, and you could not challenge
+THEM, you know, my own brave champion! You are the last of a noble race,
+de Sigognac, and it is your duty to build up your fallen house. When, by
+a tender glance, I induced you to quit your desolate home and follow me,
+you doubtless dreamed of a love affair of the usual sort, which was but
+natural; but I, looking into the future, thought of far other things.
+I saw you returning, in rich attire, from the court of your gracious
+sovereign, who had reinstated you in your rights, and given you an
+honourable office, suitable to your exalted rank. The chateau had
+resumed its ancient splendour. In fancy I tore the clinging ivy from its
+crumbling walls, put the fallen stones back in their places, restored
+the dilapidated roof and shattered window-panes, regilded the three
+storks on your escutcheon over the great entrance door, and in the grand
+old portico; then, having installed you in the renovated home of your
+honoured ancestors, I retired into obscurity, stifling a sigh as I
+bade you adieu, though sincerely rejoicing in your well merited good
+fortune."
+
+"And your dream shall be accomplished, my noble Isabelle; I feel sure of
+it--but not altogether as you relate it to me; such an ending would be
+too sad and grievous. You shall be the first, you, my own darling, with
+this dear hand clasped in mine, as now, to cross the threshold of that
+blessed abode, whence ruin and desolation shall have disappeared, and
+have been replaced by prosperity and happiness."
+
+"No, no, de Sigognac, it will be some great, and noble, and beautiful
+heiress, worthy of you in every way, who will accompany you then; one
+that you can present with just pride to all your friends, and of whom
+none can say, with a malicious smile, I hissed or applauded her at such
+a time and place."
+
+"It is downright cruelty on your part to show your self so adorable, so
+worthy of all love and admiration, my sweet Isabelle, and at the same
+time to deprive me of every hope," said de Sigognac, ruefully; "to give
+one glimpse of heaven and then shut me out again; nothing could be more
+cruel. But I will not despair; I shall make you yield to me yet."
+
+"Do not try, I beseech you," continued Isabelle, with gentle firmness,
+"for I never shall; I should despise myself if I did. Strive to be
+content, de Sigognac, with the purest, truest, most devoted love that
+ever filled a woman's heart, and do not ask for more. Is it such an
+unsatisfactory thing to you," she added, with a bright smile, "to be
+adored by a girl that several men have had the bad taste to declare
+charming? Why, even the Duke of Vallombreuse himself professes that he
+would be proud of it."
+
+"But to give yourself to me so absolutely, and to refuse yourself to
+me as absolutely! to mingle such sweet and bitter drops in the same
+cup--honey and wormwood--and present it to my lips! only you, Isabelle,
+could be capable of such strange contradictions."
+
+"Yes, I AM an odd girl," she replied, "and therein I resemble my poor
+mother; but such as I am you must put up with me. If you should persist
+in persecuting me, I know well how I could elude and escape you, and
+where I could hide myself from you so that you would never be able to
+find me. But there will be no need of that, we will not talk of it; our
+compact is made. Let it be as I say, de Sigognac, and let us be happy
+together while we may. It grows late now, and you must go to your own
+room; will you take with you these verses, of a part that does not suit
+me at all, and remodel them for me? they belong to a piece that we are
+to play very soon. Let me be your faithful little friend, de Sigognac,
+and you shall be my great, and well-beloved poet."
+
+Isabelle, as she spoke, drew forth from a bureau a roll of manuscript,
+tied with a rose-coloured ribbon, which she gave to the baron with a
+radiant smile.
+
+"Now kiss me, and go," she said, holding up her cheek for his caress.
+"You are going to work for me, and this is your reward. Good-night, my
+beloved, good-night."
+
+It was long after he had regained the quiet of his own room ere de
+Sigognac could compose himself sufficiently to set about the light task
+imposed upon him by Isabelle. He was at once enchanted and cast down;
+radiant with joy, and filled with sorrow; in a seventh heaven
+of ecstasy, and in the depths of despair. He laughed and he wept
+alternately, swayed by the most tumultuous and contradictory emotions.
+The intense happiness of at last knowing himself beloved by his adored
+Isabelle made him exultant and joyful, while the terrible thought that
+she never would be his made his heart sink within him. Little by little,
+however, he grew calmer, as his mind dwelt lovingly upon the picture
+Isabelle had drawn of the Chateau de Sigognac restored to its ancient
+splendour, and as he sat musing he had a wonderful vision of it--so
+glowing and vivid that it was like reality. He saw before him the facade
+of the chateau, with its large windows shining in the sunlight, and its
+many weather-cocks, all freshly gilded, glistening against the bright
+blue sky, whilst the columns of smoke rising from every chimney, so
+long cold and unused, told of plenty and prosperity within, and his good
+faithful Pierre, in a rich new suit of livery, stood between Miraut and
+Beelzebub at the great entrance door awaiting him. He saw himself, in
+sumptuous attire, proudly leading his fair Isabelle by the hand towards
+the grand old home of his forefathers; his beautiful Isabelle, dressed
+like a princess, wearing ornaments bearing a device which seemed to be
+that of one of the greatest, most illustrious families of France, and
+with a ducal coronet upon her shapely head. But with it all she did
+not appear to be proud or haughty--she was just her own sweet, modest
+self--and in the hand that was free she carried the little wild rose,
+fresh as when it was first plucked, that he had given her, and from time
+to time raised and pressed it tenderly to her lips as she inhaled its
+fragrance; it seemed more precious to her than all the superb jewels
+that she wore. As they approached the chateau a most stately and
+majestic old man, whose breast was covered with orders, and whose face
+seemed not entirely unfamiliar to de Sigognac, stepped forth from the
+portico to meet and welcome them. But what greatly surprised him was
+that a remarkably handsome young man, of most proud and lofty
+bearing, accompanied the old prince, who closely resembled the Duke
+of Vallombreuse, and who smilingly advanced and offered a cordial
+salutation and welcome to Isabelle and himself. A great crowd of
+tenantry stationed near at hand hailed them with lusty cheers, making
+many demonstrations of hearty joy and delight, and his own happiness
+seemed to be complete. Suddenly the sound of a horn was heard, and at
+a little distance he saw the beautiful Yolande de Foix, radiant and
+charming as ever, riding slowly by--apparently returning from the chase.
+He followed her with his eyes admiringly, but felt no regret as her
+figure was lost to view amid the thick gorse bushes bordering the road
+down which she was going, and turned with ever increasing love and
+adoration to the sweet being at his side. The memory of the fair
+Yolande, whom he had once worshipped in a vague, boyish way, faded
+before the delicious reality of his passionate love for Isabelle;
+who satisfied so fully every requirement of his nature, and had so
+thoroughly healed the wound made by the scorn and ridicule of the other,
+that it seemed to be entirely forgotten then.
+
+It was not easy for de Sigognac to rouse himself after this entrancing
+vision, which had been so startlingly real, and fix his attention upon
+the verses he had promised to revise and alter for Isabelle, but when at
+last he had succeeded, he threw himself into his task with enthusiasm,
+and wrote far into the night--inspired by the thought of the sweet lips
+that had called him her poet, and that were to pronounce the words he
+penned; and he was rewarded for his exertions by Isabelle's sweetest
+smile, and warmest praise and gratitude.
+
+At the theatre the next evening the crowd was even greater than before,
+and the crush unprecedented. The reputation of Captain Fracasse, the
+valiant conqueror of the Duke of Vallombreuse; increased hourly, and
+began to assume a chimerical and fabulous character. If the labours of
+Hercules had been ascribed to him, there would have been some credulous
+ones to believe the tale, and he was endowed by his admirers with the
+prowess of a dozen good knights and brave, of the ancient times of
+chivalrous deeds. Some of the young noblemen of the place talked of
+seeking his acquaintance, and giving a grand banquet in his honour; more
+than one fair lady was desperately in love with him, and had serious
+thoughts of writing a billet-doux to tell him so. In short, he was
+the fashion, and everybody swore by him. As for the hero of a this
+commotion, he was greatly annoyed at being thus forcibly dragged forth
+from the obscurity in which he had desired to remain, but it was not
+possible to avoid it, and he could only submit. For a few moments he did
+think of bolting, and not making his appearance again upon the stage in
+Poitiers; but the remembrance of the disappointment it would be to the
+worthy tyrant, who was in an ecstasy of delight over the riches pouring
+into the treasury, prevented his carrying out this design. And, indeed,
+as he reminded himself, were not these honest comedians, who had rescued
+him from his misery and despair, entitled in all fairness to profit, so
+far as they could, by this unexpected and overwhelming favour which he
+had all unwittingly gained? So, resigning himself as philosophically as
+he could to his fate, he buckled his sword-belt, draped his cloak over
+his shoulder, put on his mask and calmly awaited his call to the stage.
+
+As the receipts were so large, Herode, like a generous manager, had
+doubled the usual number of lights, so that the theatre was almost as
+radiant as if a flood of sunshine had been poured into it. The fair
+portion of the audience, hoping to attract the attention of the valiant
+Captain Fracasse, had arrayed themselves in all their splendour; not a
+diamond was left in its casket; they sparkled and flashed, every one, on
+necks and arms more or less white and round, and on heads more or less
+shapely, but all filled with an ardent desire to please the hero of the
+hour; so the scene was a brilliant one in every way. Only one box yet
+remained unoccupied, the best situated and most conspicuous in the whole
+house; every eye was turned upon it, and much wonder expressed at the
+apathy manifested by those who had secured it, for all the rest of the
+spectators had been long settled in their places. At length, just as the
+curtain was rising, a young lady entered and took her seat in the much
+observed box, accompanied by a gentleman of venerable and patriarchal
+appearance; apparently an indulgent old uncle, a slave to the caprices
+of his pretty niece, who had renounced his comfortable after-dinner nap
+by the fire, in order to obey her behest and escort her to the theatre.
+She, slender and erect as Diana, was very richly and elegantly dressed,
+in that peculiar and exquisite shade of delicate sea green which can
+be worn only by the purest blondes, and which seemed to enhance the
+dazzling whiteness of her uncovered shoulders, and the rounded, slender
+neck, diaphanous as alabaster, that proudly sustained her small,
+exquisitely poised head. Her hair, clustering in sunny ringlets round
+her brow, was like living gold, it made a glory round her head, and the
+whole audience was enraptured with her beauty, though an envious mask
+concealed so much of it; all, indeed, save the snow-white forehead, the
+round dimpled chin, the ripe red lips, whose tint was rendered yet
+more vivid by the contrast with the black velvet that shaded them,
+the perfect oval of the face, and a dainty little ear, pink as a
+sea-shell--a combination of charms worthy of a goddess, and which made
+every one impatient to see the radiant, beauteous whole. They were soon
+gratified; for the young deity, either incommoded by the heat, or else
+wishing to show a queenly generosity to the gazing throng, took off the
+odious mask, and disclosed to view a pair of brilliant eyes, dark
+and blue as lapis lazuli, shaded with rich golden fringes, a piquant,
+perfectly cut little nose, half Grecian, half aquiline, and cheeks
+tinged with a delicate flush that would have put a rose-leaf to shame.
+In fine, it was Yolande de Foix, more radiantly beautiful than ever,
+who, leaning forward in a negligent, graceful pose, looked nonchalantly
+about the house, not in the least discomposed by the many eyes fixed
+boldly and admiringly upon her. A loud burst of applause, that greeted
+the first appearance of the favourite actor, drew attention from her
+for a moment, as de Sigognac stalked forward upon the stage in the
+character of Captain Fracasse. As he paused, to wait until his admirers
+would allow him to begin his first tirade, he looked negligently round
+the eager audience, and when his eyes fell upon Yolande de Foix, sitting
+tranquil and radiant in her box, calmly surveying him with her glorious
+eyes, he suddenly turned dizzy and faint; the lights appeared first
+to blaze like suns, and then sink into darkness; the heads of the
+spectators seemed sinking into a dense fog; a cold perspiration started
+out on him from head to foot; he trembled violently, and felt as if his
+legs were giving way under him; composure, memory, courage, all seemed
+to have failed him, as utterly as if he had been struck by lightning.
+
+Oh, shame! oh, rage! oh, too cruel stroke of fate! for him, a de
+Sigognac, to be seen by her--the haughty beauty that he used to worship
+from afar--in this grotesque array, filling so unworthy, so ridiculous
+a part, for the amusement of the gaping multitude! and he could not hide
+himself, he could not sink into the earth, away from her contemptuous,
+mocking gaze. He felt that he could not, would not bear it, and for a
+moment was upon the point of flying; but there seemed to be leaden soles
+to his shoes, which he could by no means raise from the ground. He
+was powerless to move hand or foot, and stood there in a sort of
+stupefaction; to the great astonishment of Scapin, who, thinking that
+he must have forgotten his part, whispered to him the opening phrases
+of his tirade. The public thought that their favourite actor desired
+another round of applause, and broke out afresh, clapping, stamping,
+crying bravo, making a tremendous racket, which little respite gave poor
+de Sigognac time to collect his scattered senses, and, with a mighty
+effort, he broke the spell that had bound him, and threw himself into
+his part with such desperation that his acting was more extravagant and
+telling than ever. It fairly brought down the house. The haughty Yolande
+herself could not forbear to smile, and her old uncle, thoroughly
+aroused, laughed heartily, and applauded with all his might. No one
+but Isabelle had the slightest idea of the reason of Captain Fracasse's
+unwonted fury--but she saw at once who was looking on, and knowing how
+sensitive he was, realized the effect it must infallibly produce upon
+him. She furtively watched the proud beauty as she modestly played her
+own part, and thought, not without a keen pang through her faithful,
+loving heart, that here would be a worthy mate for the Baron de
+Sigognac, when he had succeeded in re-establishing the lost splendour of
+his house. As to the poor young nobleman, he resolved not to glance once
+again at Yolande, lest he should be seized by a sudden transport of rage
+and do something utterly rash and disgraceful, but kept his eyes fixed,
+whenever he could, upon his sweet, lovely Isabelle. The sight of her
+dear face was balm to his wounded spirit--her love, of which he was now
+so blissfully sure, consoled him for the openly manifested scorn of the
+other, and from her he drew strength to go on bravely with his detested
+part.
+
+It was over at last--the piece was finished--and when de Sigognac tore
+off his mask, like a man who is suffocating, his companions were alarmed
+at his altered looks. He was fairly livid, and let himself fall upon a
+bench standing near like a lifeless body. Seeing that he was very faint,
+Blazius hastened to fetch some wine--his sovereign remedy for every
+ill--but de Sigognac rejected it, and signed that he wanted water
+instead.
+
+"A great mistake," said the pedant, shaking his head disapprovingly,
+"a sad mistake--water is only fit for frogs, and fish, and such-like
+cold-blooded creatures--it does not do for human beings at all. Every
+water-bottle should be labelled,'For external use only.' Why, I should
+die instantly if so much as a drop of the vile stuff found its way down
+my throat. Take my advice, Captain Fracasse, and let it alone. Here,
+have some of this good strong wine; it will set you right in a jiffy."
+
+But de Sigognac would not be persuaded, and persisted in motioning for
+water. When it was brought, cool and fresh, he eagerly swallowed a large
+draught of the despised liquid, and found himself almost immediately
+revived by it--his face resuming a more natural hue, and the light
+returning to his eyes. When he was able to sit up and look about him
+again, Herode approached, in his turn, and said, "You played admirably
+this evening, and with wonderful spirit, Captain Fracasse, but it
+does not do to take too much out of yourself in this way--such violent
+exertions would quickly do for you. The comedian's art consists in
+sparing himself as much as possible, whilst producing striking effects;
+he should be calm amidst all his simulated fury, and cool in his
+apparently most burning rage. Never did actor play this part as superbly
+as you have done to-night--THAT I am bound to acknowledge--but this is
+too dear a price to pay for it."
+
+"Yes, wasn't I absurd in it?" answered the baron bitterly. "I felt
+myself supremely ridiculous throughout--but especially when my head went
+through the guitar with which Leander was belabouring me."
+
+"You certainly did put on the most comically furious airs imaginable,"
+the tyrant replied, "and the whole audience was convulsed with laughter.
+Even Mlle. Yolande de Foix, that very great, and proud, and noble lady,
+condescended to smile. I saw her myself."
+
+"It was a great honour for me assuredly," cried de Sigognac, with
+flaming cheeks, "to have been able to divert so great a lady."
+
+"Pardon me, my lord," said the tyrant, who perceived the painful flush
+that covered the baron's face, "I should have remembered that the
+success which is so prized by us poor comedians, actors by profession,
+cannot but be a matter of indifference to one of your lordship's rank."
+
+"You have not offended me, my good Herode," de Sigognac hastened to
+reply, holding out his hand to the honest tyrant with a genial smile,
+"whatever is worth doing is worth doing well. But I could not help
+remembering that I had dreamed of and hoped for very different triumphs
+from this."
+
+Isabelle, who meantime had been dressing for the other piece, passed
+near de Sigognac just then, and gave him such an angelic look--so full
+of tenderness, sympathy, and passionate love--that he quite forgot the
+haughty Yolande, and felt really happy again. It was a divine balm, that
+healed his wounded pride--for the moment at least; but such wounds are
+all too apt to open and bleed again and again.
+
+The Marquis de Bruyeres was at his post as usual, and though very
+much occupied in applauding Zerbine, yet found time to go and pay his
+respects to Mlle. Yolande de Foix. He related to her, without mentioning
+the baron's name, the affair of the duel between Captain Fracasse and
+the Duke of Vallombreuse saying that he ought to be able to give all the
+details of that famous encounter better than anybody else, since he had
+been present as one of the seconds.
+
+"You need not be so mysterious about it," answered Yolande, "for it is
+not difficult to divine that your Captain Fracasse is no other than the
+Baron de Sigognac. Didn't I myself see him leaving his old owl-haunted
+towers in company with this little Bohemienne, who plays her part of
+ingenuous young girl with such a precious affectation of modesty?" she
+added, with a forced laugh. "And wasn't he at your chateau with these
+very players? Judging from his usual stupid, silly air, I would not
+have believed him capable of making such a clever mountebank, and such a
+faithful gallant."
+
+As he conversed with Yolande, the marquis was looking about the house,
+of which he had a much better view than from his own place near the
+stage, and his attention was caught and fixed by the masked lady,
+whom he had not seen before, as his back was always turned to her box.
+Although her head and figure were much enveloped and disguised in a
+profusion of black laces, the attitude and general contour of this
+mysterious beauty seemed strangely familiar to him, and there was
+something about her that reminded him forcibly of the marquise, his own
+wife. "Bah!" said he to himself, "how foolish I am; she must be all safe
+at the Chateau de Bruyeres, where I left her." But at that very moment
+he caught sight of a diamond ring--a large solitaire, peculiarly
+set--sparkling on her finger, which was precisely like one that the
+Marquise de Bruyeres always wore.
+
+A little troubled by this strange coincidence, he took leave abruptly of
+the fair Yolande and her devoted old uncle, and hastened to the masked
+lady's box. But, prompt as his movements had been, he was too late--the
+nest was empty--the bird had flown. The lady, whoever she might be, had
+vanished, and the suspicious husband was left in considerable vexation
+and perplexity. "Could it be possible," he murmured, as his doubts
+became almost certainty, "that she was sufficiently infatuated to fall
+in love with that miserable Leander, and follow him here? Fortunately I
+had the rascal thoroughly thrashed, so I am even with him, how ever it
+may be." This thought restored his ruffled serenity, and he made his way
+as fast as he could to the green-room, to rejoin the soubrette, who had
+been impatiently expecting him, and did not hesitate to rate him soundly
+for his unwonted delay.
+
+When all was over, and Leander--who had been feeling excessively anxious
+about the sudden disappearance of his marquise--was free, he immediately
+repaired to the open square where he had been first bidden to meet
+the carriage sent to fetch him, and where he had found it awaiting him
+nightly ever since. The little page, who was there alone, put a letter
+and a small package into his hand, without a word, and then running
+swiftly away, before Leander had time to question him, vanished in
+the darkness. The note, which was signed simply Marie, was from the
+marquise, who said that she feared her husband's suspicions had been
+excited, and that it would no longer be safe for them to meet just then,
+bade him an affectionate farewell until it might be their good
+fortune to see each other again, expressed much regret at this unlucky
+contretemps, and begged him to accept the gold chain she sent therewith
+as a little souvenir, to remind him of the many happy hours they had
+spent together. Leander was at first very much vexed and disappointed,
+but was somewhat reconciled and consoled when he felt the weight of his
+golden treasure, and saw its length and thickness; and, on the whole,
+was rather glad to come off with such flying colours from an adventure
+that might have brought down a yet more severe punishment than that he
+had already received upon his devoted head.
+
+When Isabelle regained her own room she found a very rich and elegant
+casket awaiting her there, which had been placed conspicuously on the
+dressing-table, where it could not fail to meet her eye the moment she
+entered the chamber. A folded paper was lying under one corner of the
+casket, which must have contained some very precious gems, for it was
+a real marvel of beauty itself. The paper was not sealed, and bore only
+these two words, evidently written by a weak and trembling hand, "For
+Isabelle." A bright flush of indignation overspread her sweet face when
+she perceived it, and without even yielding to her feminine curiosity
+so far as to open the richly carved and inlaid casket for a peep at its
+contents, she called for Maitre Bilot, and ordered him peremptorily
+to take it immediately out of her room, and give it back to whomsoever
+owned it, for she would not suffer it to remain where it was another
+minute. The landlord affected astonishment, and swore by all he held
+sacred that he did not know who had put the casket there, nor whose it
+was; though it must be confessed that he had his suspicions, and felt
+very sure that they were correct. In truth, the obnoxious jewel-case had
+been secretly placed upon Isabelle's table by old Mme. Leonarde, to whom
+the Duke of Vallombreuse had had recourse, in the hope that she might be
+able to aid him, and in the full belief, shared by her, that the superb
+diamonds which the beautiful casket contained would accomplish all that
+he desired with Isabelle. But his offering only served to rouse her
+indignation, and she spoke very severely to Maitre Bilot, commanding him
+to remove it instantly from her sight, and to be careful not to mention
+this fresh affront to Captain Fracasse. The worthy landlord could
+not help feeling enthusiastic admiration for the conduct of the young
+actress, who rejected jewels that would have made a duchess envious, and
+as he retired bowed to her as respectfully and profoundly as he would
+have done to a queen. After he had withdrawn and she was left alone,
+Isabelle, feeling agitated and feverish, opened her window for a breath
+of fresh air, and to cool her burning cheeks and brow. She saw a bright
+light issuing from a couple of windows in the mansion of the Duke of
+Vallombreuse--doubtless in the room where the wounded young nobleman
+lay--but the garden and the little alley beneath her seemed absolutely
+deserted. In a moment, however, she caught a low whisper from the
+latter, not intended for her ears, which said, "She has not gone to
+bed yet." She softly leaned out of her window--the room within was
+not lighted, so she could not be seen--and peering anxiously into the
+darkness thought she could distinguish two cloaked figures lurking in
+the alley, and farther away, near one end of it, a third one, apparently
+on the watch. They seemed to feel that they were observed, and all three
+presently slunk away and vanished, leaving Isabelle half in doubt as to
+whether they were the creatures of her excited imagination, or had been
+real men prowling there. Tired at last of watching, without hearing or
+seeing anything more, she withdrew from the window, closed and secured
+it softly, procured a light, saw that the great, clumsy bolt on her door
+was property adjusted, and made her preparations for bed; lying down at
+last and trying to sleep, for she was very tired, but haunted by
+vague fears and doubts that made her anxious and uneasy. She did not
+extinguish her light, but placed it near the bed, and strove to reassure
+herself and reason away her nameless terror; but all in vain. At every
+little noise--the cracking of the furniture or the falling of a cinder
+in the fire-place, she started up in fresh alarm, and could not close
+her eyes. High up in the wall of one side of her room was a small round
+window--a bull's eye--evidently intended to give light and air to some
+dark inner chamber or closet, which looked like a great black eye in
+the gray wall, keeping an unwinking watch upon her, and Isabelle found
+herself again and again glancing up at it with a shudder. It was crossed
+by two strong iron bars, leaving four small apertures, so that there
+could not possibly be any danger of intrusion from that quarter, yet she
+could not avoid feeling nervous about it, and at times fancied that she
+could see two gleaming eye-balls in its black depths. She lay for a long
+time perfectly motionless gazing at it, like one under a spell, and at
+last was paralyzed with horror when a head actually appeared at one
+of the four openings--a small, dark head, with wild, tangled elf-locks
+hanging about it; next came a long, thin arm with a claw-like hand,
+then the shoulder followed, and finally the whole body of a slender,
+emaciated little girl wriggled dexterously, though with much difficulty,
+through the narrow aperture, and the child dropped down upon the floor
+as lightly and noiselessly as a feather, a snow-flake, or a waft of
+thistle-down. She had been deceived by Isabelle's remaining so long
+perfectly quiet, and believed her asleep; but when she softly approached
+the bed, to make sure that her victim's slumber had not been disturbed
+by her own advent, an expression of extreme surprise was depicted on her
+face, as she got a full view of the head lying upon the pillow and the
+eyes fixed upon her in speechless terror. "The lady of the necklace!"
+she exclaimed aloud. "Yes, the lady of the necklace!" putting one hand,
+as she spoke, caressingly upon the string of pearl beads round her
+little, thin, brown neck. Isabelle, for her part, though half dead with
+fright, had recognised the little girl she had first seen at the Blue
+Sun inn, and afterwards on the road to the Chateau de Bruyeres, in
+company with Agostino, the brigand. She tried to cry out for help, but
+the child put her hand quickly and firmly over her mouth.
+
+"Don't scream," she said reassuringly, "nothing shall hurt you. Chiquita
+promised that she would never kill nor harm the good, sweet lady, who
+gave her the pearls that she meant to steal."
+
+"But what have you come in here for, my poor child?" asked Isabelle,
+gradually recovering her composure, but filled with surprise at this
+strange intrusion.
+
+"To open the great bolt on your door there that you are so careful to
+close every night," answered Chiquita, in the most matter-of-fact way.
+"They chose me for it because I am such a good climber, and as thin
+and supple as a snake; there are not many holes that I cannot manage to
+crawl through."
+
+"And why were you to open my door, Chiquita? so that thieves could come
+in and steal what few things I have here? There is nothing of value
+among them, I assure you."
+
+"Oh, no!" Chiquita replied disdainfully, "it was to let the men in who
+were to carry you off."
+
+"My God! I am lost!" cried poor Isabelle, wringing her hands in despair.
+
+"Not at all," said Chiquita, "and you need not be so frightened. I shall
+just leave the bolt as it is, and they would not dare to force the door;
+it would make too much noise, and they would be caught at it; they're
+not so silly as that, never fear."
+
+"But I should have shrieked at the top of my voice, and clung to the
+bedstead with all my might, if they had tried to take me," exclaimed
+Isabelle excitedly, "so that I would have been heard by the people in
+the neighbouring rooms, and I'm sure they would have come to my rescue."
+
+"A good gag will stifle any shrieks," said Chiquita sententiously, with
+a lofty contempt for Isabelle's ignorance that was very amusing, "and a
+blanket rolled tightly about the body prevents any movements; that is
+an easy matter you see. They would have carried you off without the
+slightest difficulty, for the stable boy was bribed, and was to open the
+back door for them."
+
+"Who has laid this wicked plot?" asked the poor, frightened, young girl,
+with a trembling voice, horror-stricken at the danger she had escaped.
+
+"The great lord who has given them all such heaps of money; oh! such
+quantities of big gold pieces--by the handful," said Chiquita, her great
+dark eyes glittering with a fierce, covetous expression, strange and
+horrible to see in one so young. "But all the same, YOU gave me the
+pearls, and he shall not hurt you; he shall not have you if you don't
+want to go. I will tell them that you were awake, and there was a man
+in the room, so that I could not get in and open the door for them; they
+will all go away quietly enough; you need not be afraid. Now let me have
+one good look at you before I go--oh, how sweet and pretty you are--and
+I love you, yes, I do, ever so much; almost as much as Agostino. But
+what is this?" cried she suddenly, pouncing upon a knife that was lying
+on the table near the bed. "Why, you have got the very knife I lost; it
+was my father's knife. Well, you may keep it--it's a good one."
+
+     'When this viper bites you, make sure
+     That you must die, for there's no cure.'
+
+"See, this is the way to open it, and then you use it like this: strike
+from below upwards--the blade goes in better that way--and it's so sharp
+it will go through anything. Carry it in the bosom of your dress, and it
+is always ready; then if anybody bothers you, out with it, and paf! you
+have them ripped up in no time," and the strange, eerie little creature
+accompanied her words with appropriate gestures, by way of illustration.
+This extraordinary lesson in the art of using a knife, given in the dead
+of night, and under such peculiar circumstances, seemed like a nightmare
+to Isabelle.
+
+"Be sure you hold the knife like this, do you see? tightly clasped in
+your fingers--as long as you have it no one can harm you, but you can
+hurt them. Now, I must go--adieu, and don't forget Chiquita."
+
+So saying, the queer little elf pushed a table up to the wall under the
+bull's eye, mounted it, sprang up and caught hold of the iron bar with
+the agility of a monkey, swung herself up in some extraordinary fashion,
+wriggled through the small opening and disappeared, chanting in a rude
+measure, "Chiquita whisks through key-holes, and dances on the sharp
+points of spear-heads and the broken glass on garden walls, without ever
+hurting herself one bit--and nobody can catch her."
+
+Isabelle, left alone, awaited the break of day with trembling
+impatience, unable to sleep after the fright and agitation she had
+experienced, and momentarily dreading some fresh cause of alarm; but
+nothing else happened to disturb her. When she joined her companions
+at breakfast, they were all struck with her extreme pallor, and the
+distressed expression of her countenance. To their anxious questions
+she replied by giving an account of her nocturnal adventure, and de
+Sigognac, furious at this fresh outrage, could scarcely be restrained
+from going at once to demand, satisfaction for it from the Duke of
+Vallombreuse, to whom he did not hesitate to attribute this villainous
+scheme.
+
+"I think," said Blazius, when he could make himself heard, "that we
+had better pack up, and be off as soon as we can for Paris; the air is
+becoming decidedly unwholesome for us in this place."
+
+After a short discussion all the others agreed with him, and it was
+decided that they should take their departure from Poitiers the very
+next day.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI. THE PONT-NEUF
+
+It would be too long and tedious to follow our comedians, step by step,
+on their way up to Paris, the great capital. No adventures worthy of
+being recorded here befell them; as they were in good circumstances
+financially, they could travel rapidly and comfortably, and were not
+again subjected to such hardships and annoyances as they had endured
+in the earlier stages of their long journey. At Tours and Orleans they
+stopped to give a few representations, which were eminently successful,
+and very satisfactory to the troupe as well as the public. No attempt
+being made to molest them in any way, Blazius after a time forgot his
+fears, which had been excited by the vindictive character of the Duke of
+Vallombreuse, but Isabelle could not banish from her memory the wicked
+plot to abduct her, and many times saw again in her dreams Chiquita's
+wild, weird face, with the long, tangled elf-locks hanging around it,
+just as it had appeared to her that dreadful night at the Armes de
+Frame, glaring at her with fierce, wolfish eyes. Then she would start
+up, sobbing and trembling, in violent agitation, and it required the
+most tender soothing from her companion, Zerbine, whose room she had
+shared ever since they quitted Poitiers, to quiet and reassure her. The
+soubrette, thoroughly enamoured of Isabelle as of old, was devoted to
+her, and took great delight in watching over and ministering to her;
+an own sister could not have been kinder or more affectionately
+considerate.
+
+The only evidence that de Sigognac gave of the anxiety which he
+secretly felt, was his always insisting upon occupying the room nearest
+Isabelle's, and he used to lie down in his clothes, with his drawn sword
+on the bed beside him, so as to be ready in case of any sudden alarm.
+By day he generally walked on in advance of the chariot, taking upon
+himself the duty of a scout; redoubling his vigilance wherever there
+happened to be bushes, thickets, high walls, or lurking places of any
+kind, favourable to an ambuscade, near the roadside. If he perceived
+from afar a group of travellers approaching, whose appearance seemed to
+him in the least suspicious, he would instantly draw his sword and fall
+back upon the chariot, around which the tyrant, Scapin, Blazius and
+Leander formed an apparently strong guard; though, of the last two
+mentioned, one was incapacitated for active service by age, and the
+other was as timid as a hare. Some times, varying his tactics like a
+good general, who thinks of and provides against every emergency, the
+baron would constitute himself a rear guard, and follow the chariot at
+a little distance, keeping watch over the road behind them. But all his
+precautions were needless, for no attack was made upon the travellers,
+or any attempt to interfere with them, and they proceeded tranquilly
+on their way, "without let or hindrance." Although it was winter, the
+season was not a rigorous one, and our comedians, well fortified against
+the cold by plenty of warm clothing and good nourishing food, did not
+mind their exposure to the weather, and found their journey a very
+enjoyable affair. To be sure, the sharp, frosty air brought a more
+brilliant colour than usual into the cheeks of the fair members of the
+troupe, but no one could say that it detracted from their charms; and
+even when it extended, as it did sometimes, to their pretty little
+noses, it could not be found serious fault with, for everything is
+becoming to a young and beautiful woman.
+
+At last they drew near to the capital--following the windings of the
+Seine, whose waters flow past royal palaces, and many another edifice of
+world-wide renown--and at four o'clock of a bright winter afternoon came
+in sight of its spires and domes. The smoke rising from its forest of
+chimneys hung over it in a semi-transparent cloud, through which the sun
+shone, round and red, like a ball of fire. As they entered the city by
+the Porte Saint Bernard, a glorious spectacle greeted their wondering
+eyes. In front of them Notre Dame stood out in bold relief, with its
+magnificent flying buttresses, its two stately towers, massive and
+majestic, and its slender, graceful spire, springing from the lofty
+roof at the point of intersection of the nave and transepts. Many other
+lesser towers and spires rose above churches and chapels that were lost
+amid the densely crowded houses all about them, but de Sigognac had
+eyes only for the grand old cathedral, which overwhelmed him with
+astonishment and delight. He would have liked to linger for hours and
+gaze upon that splendid triumph of architecture, but he needs must go
+forward with the rest, however reluctantly. The wonderful and unceasing
+whirl and confusion in the narrow, crowded streets, through which
+they made their way slowly, and not without difficulty, perplexed and
+distracted him, accustomed as he had been all his life to the vast
+solitude of the Landes, and the deathly stillness that reigned almost
+unbroken in his own desolate old chateau; it seemed to him as if a
+mill-wheel were running round and round in his head, and he could feel
+himself staggering like a drunken man. The Pont-Neuf was soon reached,
+and then de Sigognac caught a glimpse of the famous equestrian statue in
+bronze of the great and good king, Henri IV, which stands on its lofty
+pedestal and seems to be keeping guard over the splendid bridge, with
+its ever-rolling stream of foot-passengers, horsemen, and vehicles
+of every kind and description, from the superb court carriage to the
+huckster's hand-cart; but in a moment it was lost to view, as the
+chariot turned into the then newly opened Rue Dauphine. In this street
+was a fine big hotel, frequently patronized by ambassadors from foreign
+lands, with numerous retinues; for it was so vast that it could always
+furnish accommodations for large parties arriving unexpectedly. As the
+prosperous state of their finances admitted of their indulging in such
+luxury, Herode had fixed upon this house as their place of abode in
+Paris; because it would give a certain prestige to his troupe to be
+lodged there, and show conclusively that they were not mere needy,
+vagabond players, gaining a precarious livelihood in their wanderings
+through the provinces, but a company of comedians of good standing,
+whose talents brought them in a handsome revenue.
+
+Upon their arrival at this imposing hostelry, they were first shown into
+an immense kitchen, which presented an animated, busy scene--a whole
+army of cooks bustling about the great roaring fire, and around the
+various tables, where all sorts of culinary rites were in active
+progress; while the mingling of savoury odours that pervaded the whole
+place so tickled the olfactory organs of Blazius, Herode, and Scapin,
+the gourmands of the troupe, that their mouths expanded into the
+broadest of grins, as they edged as near as possible to the numerous
+saucepans, etc., from which they issued. In a few moments a servant came
+to conduct them to the rooms that had been prepared for them, and
+just as they turned away from the blazing fire, round which they had
+gathered, to follow him, a traveller entered and approached it, whose
+face seemed strangely familiar to de Sigognac. He was a tall, powerful
+man, wearing large spurs, which rang against the stone floor at every
+step, and the great spots of mud--some of them not yet dry--with which
+he was bespattered from head to foot, showed that he must have been
+riding far and fast. He was a fierce-looking fellow, with an insolent,
+devil-may-care, arrogant sort of expression, and bold, swaggering gait,
+yet he started at sight of the young baron, and plainly shrunk from his
+eye; hastening on to the fire and bending over it, with his back turned
+to de Sigognac, under pretence of warming his hands. In vain did our
+hero try to recall when and where he had seen the man before, but he
+was positive that he had come in contact with him somewhere, and that
+recently; and he was conscious of a vague feeling of uneasiness with
+regard to him, that he could not account for. However, there was nothing
+for him to do but follow his companions, and they all went to their
+respective chambers, there to make themselves presentable for the meal
+to which they were shortly summoned, and which they thoroughly enjoyed,
+as only hungry travellers can. The fare was excellent, the wine capital,
+the dining-room well lighted, warm, and comfortable, and all were in
+high spirits; congratulating each other upon having happily reached
+the end of their long journey at last, and drinking to their own future
+success in this great city of Paris. They indulged in the flattering
+hope of producing a sensation here as well as at Poitiers, and even
+dared to dream of being commanded to appear before the court, and of
+being rewarded royally for their exertions to please. Only de Sigognac
+was silent and preoccupied, and Isabelle, whose thoughts were all of
+him, cast anxious glances at him, and wished that she could charm away
+his melancholy. He was seated at the other end of the table, and still
+puzzling over the face that he had seen in the kitchen, but he soon
+looked towards her, and caught her lovely eyes fixed upon him, with such
+an adorable expression of chaste love and angelic tenderness in their
+shadowy depths, that all thoughts save of her were at once banished from
+his mind. The warmth of the room had flushed her cheeks a little, her
+eyes shone like stars, and she looked wonderfully beautiful; the young
+Duke of Vallombreuse would have been more madly enamoured of her than
+ever if he could have seen her then. As for de Sigognac, he gazed at her
+with unfeigned delight, his dark, expressive eyes eloquent of adoring
+love and deep reverence. A new sentiment mingled with his passion
+now--ever since she had opened her heart to him, and let him see all its
+heavenly purity and goodness--which elevated, ennobled, and intensified
+it. He knew now the true, lofty beauty of her soul, that it was akin
+to the angels, and but for the keen, ever-increasing grief he suffered
+because of her firm refusal to give herself wholly to him, his
+happiness, in possessing her faithful, devoted love, would have been too
+perfect for this life of trials and sorrow.
+
+When supper was over, de Sigognac accompanied Isabelle to the threshhold
+of her own room, and said ere he left her, "Be sure to fasten your door
+securely, my sweet Isabelle, for there are so many people about in a
+great hotel like this that one cannot be too careful."
+
+"You need have no fears for me here, my dear baron," she replied; "only
+look at this lock, and you will be convinced of that. Why it is strong
+enough for a prison door, and the key turns thrice in it. And here is
+a great thick bolt besides--actually as long as my arm. The window is
+securely barred, and there is no dreadful bull's eye, or opening of any
+kind in the wall, to make me afraid. Travellers so often have articles
+of value with them that I suppose it is necessary for them to have such
+protections against thieves. Make yourself easy about me, de Sigognac!
+never was the enchanted princess of a fairy tale, shut up in her strong
+tower guarded by dragons, in greater security than am I in this fortress
+of mine."
+
+"But sometimes it chances that the magic charms and spells, represented
+by these bolts and bars, are insufficient, my beloved Isabelle, and
+the enemy manages to force his way in, despite them all--and the mystic
+signs, phylacteries, and abracadabras into the bargain."
+
+"Yes; but that is when the princess within secretly favours his
+efforts," said Isabelle, with a mischievous smile, "and in some
+mysterious way constitutes herself his accomplice; being tired of her
+seclusion, perhaps, or else in love with the bold intruder--neither of
+which is my case you know, de Sigognac! Surely if I'm not afraid--I, who
+am more timid than the trembling doe when she hears the dread sound of
+the hunter's horn and the baying of the hounds you should not fear--you,
+who are brave as Alexander the Great himself. Sleep in peace to-night,
+my friend, I pray you, and sleep soundly--not with one eye open, as you
+have done so often of late for my sake; and now, good night."
+
+She held out to him a pretty little hand, white and soft enough to have
+belonged to a veritable princess, which he kissed as reverently as if it
+had been a queen's; then waited to hear her turn the big, clumsy, iron
+key three times in the lock--no easy task for her delicate fingers--and
+push home the heavy bolt. Breathing a fervent blessing upon her, he
+turned away reluctantly towards his own door. As he paused an instant
+before it he saw a shadow moving, turned round quickly, and caught sight
+of the very man he had been thinking of, and puzzling over, so much
+that evening--whose approach he had not heard at all--passing stealthily
+along the corridor, presumably on his way to his own room. Not an
+extraordinary circumstance, that; but the baron's suspicions were
+instantly aroused, and under pretext of trying to introduce his key
+into the lock, he furtively watched him the whole length of the passage,
+until a turn in it hid him from view, as he gained an unfrequented part
+of the house; a moment later, the sound of a door being softly opened
+and closed announced that he had probably reached his own chamber, and
+then all was still again.
+
+"Now what does this mean?" said de Sigognac to himself, and haunted by a
+vague feeling of anxiety and uneasiness, he could not even bring himself
+to lie down upon his bed and rest his weary frame; so, after pacing
+restlessly about the room for a while, he concluded to occupy himself in
+writing a letter to his good old Pierre; he had promised to apprise him
+of his arrival in Paris. He was careful that the handwriting should be
+very large, clear, and distinct, for the faithful old servant was not
+much of a scholar, and addressed him as follows:
+
+MY GOOD PIERRE:--Here I am at last, actually in Paris, the great
+capital, where, according to general belief, I am to fall in with some
+sort of good fortune or other, that will enable me to re-establish the
+ancient prosperity of my house--though in truth I cannot see where I am
+to look for it. However, some happy chance may bring me into relations
+with the court, and if I could only get to speak to the king--the great
+dispenser of all favours--the important and famous services rendered
+by my ancestors to his royal predecessors would surely incline him to
+listen to me with indulgence and interest. His gracious majesty could
+not, it seems to me, suffer a noble family, that had devoted all their
+possessions to the service of king and country, in many wars, to die
+out so miserably, if once he knew of it. Meantime, for want of other
+employment, I have taken to acting, and have made a little money
+thereby--part of which I shall send to you, as soon as I can find a good
+opportunity. It would have been better perhaps if I had enlisted as
+a soldier; but I could not give up my liberty, and however
+poverty-stricken a man may be, his pride revolts at the idea of putting
+himself under the orders of those whom his noble ancestors used to
+command. The only adventure worth relating that has befallen me since
+I left you was a duel that I fought at Poitiers, with a certain
+young duke, who is held to be invincible; but, thanks to your good
+instructions, I was able to get the better of him easily. I ran him
+through the right arm, and could just as well have run him through the
+body, and left him dead upon the field, for his defence was weak and
+insufficient--by no means equal to his attack, which was daring and
+brilliant, though very reckless--and several times he was entirely at
+my mercy, as he grew heated and angry. He has not been so thoroughly
+trained to preserve his sang-froid, whatever may happen, as I, and I now
+appreciate, for the first time, your wonderful patience and perseverance
+in making me a master of the noble art of fencing, and how valuable my
+proficiency in it will be to me. Your scholar does you honour, my brave
+Pierre, and I won great praise and applause for my really too easy
+victory. In spite of the constant novelty and excitement of my new way
+of life, my thoughts often return to dwell upon my poor old chateau,
+crumbling gradually into ruin over the tombs of my ancestors. From afar
+it does not seem so desolate and forlorn, and there are times when
+I fancy myself there once more, gazing up at the venerable family
+portraits, wandering through the deserted rooms, and I find a sort
+of melancholy pleasure in it. How I wish that I could look into your
+honest, sunburnt face, lighted up with the glad smile that always
+greeted me--and I am not ashamed to confess that I long to hear
+Beelzebub's contented purring, Miraut's joyful bark, and the loud
+whinnying of my poor old Bayard, who never failed to recognise my
+step. Are they all still alive--the good, faithful, affectionate
+creatures--and do they seem to remember me? Have you been able to keep
+yourself and them from starvation thus far? Try to hold out until my
+return, my good Pierre, so as to share my fate--be it bright or dark,
+happy or sad--that we may finish our days together in the place where we
+have suffered so much, yet which is so dear to us all. If I am to be the
+last of the de Sigognacs, I can only say, the will of God be done. There
+is still a vacant place left for me in the vault where my forefathers
+lie.
+
+"BARON DE SIGOGNAC."
+
+The baron sealed this letter with the ring bearing his family arms,
+which was the only jewel remaining in his possession; directed it, and
+put it into his portfolio, to wait until he should find an opportunity
+to forward it to Gascony. Although by this time it was very late, he
+could still hear the vague roar of the great city, which, like the sound
+of the ocean, never entirely ceases, and was so strange and novel to
+him, in contrast with the profound silence of the country that he had
+been accustomed to all his life long. As he sat listening to it, he
+thought he heard cautious footsteps in the corridor, and extinguishing
+his light, softly opened his door just a very little way, scarcely more
+than a crack--and caught a glimpse of a man, enveloped in a large cloak,
+stealing along slowly in the direction the other one had taken. He
+listened breathlessly until he heard him reach, and quietly enter,
+apparently the same door. A few minutes later, while he was still on the
+lookout, another one came creeping stealthily by, making futile efforts
+to stifle the noise of his creaking boots. His suspicions now thoroughly
+aroused, de Sigognac continued his watch, and in about half an hour came
+yet another--a fierce, villainous looking fellow, and fully armed, as
+every one of his predecessors had been also. This strange proceeding
+seemed very extraordinary and menacing to the baron, and the number
+of the men--four--brought to his mind the night attack upon him in the
+streets of Poitiers, after his quarrel with the Duke of Vallombreuse.
+This recollection was like a ray of light, and it instantly flashed upon
+him that the man he had seen in the kitchen was no other than one of
+those precious rascals, who had been routed so ignominiously--and these,
+without doubt, were his comrades. But how came they there? in the very
+house with him--not by chance surely. They must have followed him up to
+Paris, stage by stage, in disguise, or else keeping studiously out of
+his sight, Evidently the young duke's animosity was still active, as
+well as his passion, and he had not renounced his designs upon either
+Isabelle or himself. Our hero was very brave by nature, and did not feel
+the least anxiety about his own safety trusting to his good sword to
+defend himself against his enemies--but he was very uneasy in regard to
+his sweet Isabelle, and dreaded inexpressibly what might be attempted
+to gain possession of her. Not knowing which one of them the four
+desperadoes had in view now, he determined not to relax his vigilance
+an instant, and to take such precautions as he felt pretty sure would
+circumvent their plans, whatever they might be. He lighted all the
+candles there were in his room--a goodly number--and opened his door,
+so that they threw a flood of light on that of Isabelle's chamber, which
+was exactly opposite his own. Next he drew his sword, laid it, with his
+dagger, on a table he had drawn out in front of the door, and then
+sat down beside it, facing the corridor, to watch. He waited some time
+without hearing or seeing anything. Two o'clock had rung out from a
+neighbouring church tower when a slight rustling caught his listening
+ear, and presently one of the four rascals--the very man he had first
+seen--emerged from the shadow into the bright light streaming out into
+the passage from his open door. The baron had sprung to his feet at the
+first sound, and stood erect on the threshold, sword in hand, with
+such a lofty, heroic, and triumphant air, that Merindol--for it was
+he--passed quickly by, without offering to molest him, with a most
+deprecating, crestfallen expression; a laughable contrast to his
+habitual fierce insolence. His three doughty comrades followed in quick
+succession--but not one of them dared to attack de Sigognac, and they
+slunk out of sight as rapidly as possible. He saluted each one with a
+mocking gesture as he passed, and stood tranquilly watching them as
+long as he could see them. In a few minutes he had the satisfaction of
+hearing the stamping of horses' feet in the court-yard below, then the
+opening of the outer door to let them pass out into the street, and
+finally a great clattering of hoofs as they galloped off down the Rue
+Dauphine.
+
+At breakfast the next morning the tyrant said to de Sigognac, "Captain,
+doesn't your curiosity prompt you to go out and look about you a little
+in this great city--one of the finest in the world, and of such high
+renown in history? If it is agreeable to you I will be your guide and
+pilot, for I have been familiar from my youth up with the rocks and
+reefs, the straits and shallows, the scyllas and charybdises of this
+seething ocean, which are often so dangerous--sometimes so fatal--to
+strangers, and more especially to inexperienced country people. I will
+be your Palinurus--but I promise you that I shall not allow myself to
+be caught napping, and so fall overboard, like him that Virgil tells us
+about. We are admirably located here for sight-seeing; the Pont-Neuf,
+which is close at hand, you know, is to Paris what the Sacra Via was to
+ancient Rome--the great resort and rallying place of high and low, great
+and small, noble men, gentlemen, bourgeois, working men, rogues and
+vagabonds. Men of every rank and profession under the sun are to be
+found gathered together at this general rendezvous."
+
+"Your kind proposition pleases me greatly, my good Herode," de Sigognac
+replied, "and I accept it with thanks; but be sure to tell Scapin that
+he must remain here, and keep a sharp watch over all who come and go;
+and, above all, that he must not let any one gain access to Isabelle.
+The Duke of Vallombreuse has not given up his designs against her and
+me--I feel very anxious about her safety," and therewith he recounted
+the occurrences of the preceding night.
+
+"I don't believe they would dare to attempt anything in broad daylight,"
+said the tyrant; "still it is best to err on the safe side, and we will
+leave Scapin, Blazius and Leander to keep guard over Isabelle while we
+are out. And, by the way, I will take my sword with me, too, so that
+I can be of some assistance in case they should find an opportunity to
+fall upon you in the streets."
+
+After having made every arrangement for Isabelle's safety, de Sigognac
+and his companion sallied forth into the Rue Dauphine, and turned
+towards the Pont-Neuf. It was quickly reached, and when they had taken
+a few steps upon it a magnificent view suddenly burst upon them, which
+held the young baron enthralled. In the immediate foreground, on the
+bridge itself, which was not encumbered with a double row of houses,
+like the Pont au Change and the Pont Saint Michel, was the fine
+equestrian statue of that great and good king, Henri IV, rivalling in
+its calm majesty the famous one of Marcus Aurelius, on the Capitoline
+Hill at Rome. A high railing, richly gilded, protected its pedestal from
+injury by mischievous street arabs, and the deep, strong tints of the
+bronze horse and rider stood out vigorously against the appropriate
+background formed by the distant hill-sides beyond the Pont Rouge. On
+the left bank of the river the spire of the venerable old church
+of Saint Germain des Pres pointed upwards from amid the houses that
+completely hemmed it in, and the lofty roof of the unfinished Hotel
+de Nevers towered conspicuously above all its surroundings. A little
+farther on was the only tower still standing of the famous, and
+infamous, Hotel de Nesle, its base bathed by the river, and though it
+was in a ruinous condition it still lifted itself up proudly above the
+adjacent buildings. Beyond it lay the marshy Grenouillere, and in the
+blue, hazy distance could be distinguished the three crosses on the
+heights of Calvary, or Mont-Valerien. The palace of the Louvre occupied
+the other bank right royally, lighted up by the brilliant winter
+sunshine, which brought out finely all the marvellous details of its
+rich and elaborate ornamentation. The long gallery connecting it with
+the Tuileries, which enabled the monarch to pass freely from his city
+palace to his country house, especially challenged their admiration;
+with its magnificent sculptures, its historical bas-reliefs and
+ornamented cornices, its fretted stonework, fine columns and pilasters,
+it rivalled the renowned triumphs of the best Greek and Roman
+architects. Beyond the gardens of the Tuileries, where the city ended,
+stood the Porte de la Conference, and along the river bank, outside of
+it, were the trees of Cours-la-Reine, the favourite promenade of the
+fashionable world, which was thronged of an afternoon with gay and
+luxurious equipages. The two banks, which we have thus hastily sketched,
+framed in the most animated scene imaginable; the river being covered
+with boats of all sorts and descriptions, coming and going, crossing and
+recrossing, while at the quay, beside the Louvre, lay the royal barges,
+rich with carving and gilding, and gay with bright-coloured awnings, and
+near at hand rose the historic towers of Saint Germain l'Auxerrois.
+
+After gazing silently for a long time at this splendid view, de Sigognac
+turned away reluctantly at his companion's instance, and joined the
+little crowd already gathered round the "Samaritan," waiting to see the
+bronze figure surmounting the odd little hydraulic edifice strike the
+hour with his hammer on the bell of the clock. Meanwhile they examined
+the gilt bronze statue of Christ, standing beside the Samaritan, who was
+leaning on the curb of the well, the astronomic dial with its zodiac,
+the grotesque stone mask pouring out the water drawn up from the river
+below, the stout figure of Hercules supporting the whole thing, and
+the hollow statue, perched on the topmost pinnacle, that served as a
+weathercock, like the Fortune on the Dogana at Venice and the Giralda
+at Seville. As the hands on the clock-face at last pointed to ten and
+twelve respectively, the little chime of bells struck up a merry tune,
+while the bronze man with the hammer raised his ponderous arm and
+deliberately struck ten mighty blows, to the great delight of the
+spectators. This curious and ingenious piece of mechanism, which had
+been cunningly devised by one Lintlaer, a Fleming, highly amused and
+interested de Sigognac, to whom everything of the kind was absolutely
+new and surprising.
+
+"Now," said Herode, "we will glance at the view from the other side of
+the bridge, though it is not so magnificent as the one you have already
+seen, and is very much shut in by the buildings on the Pont au Change
+yonder. However, there is the tower of Saint Jacques, the spire of Saint
+Mederic, and others too numerous to mention; and that is the Sainte
+Chapelle--a marvel of beauty, so celebrated, you know, for its treasures
+and relics. All the houses in that direction are new and handsome, as
+you see; when I was a boy I used to play at hop-scotch where they now
+stand. Thanks to the munificence of our kings, Paris is being constantly
+improved and beautified, to the great admiration and delight of
+everybody; more especially of foreigners, who take home wondrous tales
+of its splendour."
+
+"But what astonishes me," said de Sigognac, "more even than the grandeur
+and sumptuousness of the buildings, both public and private, is the
+infinite number of people swarming everywhere--in the streets and open
+squares, and on the bridges--like ants when one has broken into an ant
+hill; they are all rushing distractedly about, up and down, back and
+forth, as if life and death depended upon their speed. How strange it is
+to think that every individual in this immense crowd must be lodged
+and fed--and what a prodigious amount of food and wine it must take to
+satisfy them all."
+
+And indeed, it was not surprising that the great numbers of people,
+moving in every direction, should strike one unaccustomed to the crowded
+thoroughfares of large cities as extraordinary. On the Pont-Neuf an
+unceasing stream of vehicles rolled in each direction--fine carriages,
+richly decorated and gilded, drawn by two or four prancing horses, with
+lackeys in brilliant liveries clinging on behind, and stately coachmen
+on the box; less pretentious carriages with more quiet steeds and fewer
+servants; heavy carts laden with stone, wood, or wine-barrels, whose
+drivers swore loudly at the detentions they were frequently obliged to
+submit to, and which were unavoidable in such a crush of vehicles; and
+among them all, gentlemen on horseback, threading their way carefully
+in and out among the press of carts and carriages, and endeavouring
+to avoid coming in contact with their muddy wheels--not always
+successfully; while here and there a sedan chair crept slowly along,
+keeping upon the edge of the stream, so as not to be crushed; and
+the narrow, raised walk on either side was thronged with pedestrians.
+Presently a drove of cattle made its appearance on the bridge, and then
+the uproar and confusion became terrible indeed; horses, as well as
+foot-passengers, were frightened, and tried to run away from danger,
+requiring all the strength of their drivers to restrain them. Soon after
+that excitement was over a detachment of soldiers came marching along,
+with drums beating and colours flying, and everybody had to make way for
+the valiant sons of Mars, no matter at what inconvenience to themselves.
+And so it went on, one thing after another--a constant scene of bustle,
+hurry, and commotion. As de Sigognac and the tyrant strolled
+slowly along they were beset by beggars, more or less impudent and
+pertinacious, and by all sorts of odd characters, plying various
+extraordinary vocations for the amusement of the passers-by, for
+which they seemed to be liberally enough remunerated. Here was an
+improvisatore, singing, not unmelodiously, his rather clever verses;
+there a blind man, led by a stout, jolly-looking old woman, who recited
+his dolorous history in a whining voice, and appealed to the charity of
+the ever-changing multitude; farther on a charlatan, loudly claiming
+to be able to cure "all the ills that flesh is heir to" by his magical
+compound--and finding plenty of dupes; and next to him a man with a
+monkey, whose funny tricks caused much merriment. Suddenly a great
+tumult arose near the other end of the bridge, and in a moment a
+compact crowd had gathered around four men, who, with loud cries and
+imprecations, were fighting with swords--apparently with great fury,
+though in reality it was only a mock combat, probably intended to give a
+good chance to the thieves and pickpockets in the throng, with whom they
+were in league; such tactics being very common, as well as successful.
+By Herode's advice, de Sigognac refrained from mingling with the crowd
+immediately around the combatants, so he could not get a very good view
+of them; but he was almost sure that they were the very men he had met
+first in the streets of Poitiers, to their great discomfiture, and had
+seen again the previous night at the hotel in the Rue Dauphine, where
+they certainly had gained no advantage to make up for their former
+defeat. He communicated his suspicions to the tyrant, but the rascals
+had already slipped away, and it would have been as useless to attempt
+to find them in the throng as to look for a needle in a haystack.
+
+"It certainly is possible," said Herode, thoughtfully, "that this
+quarrel was gotten up with a view to involving you in it, by some means
+or other, for we are undoubtedly followed and watched by the emissaries
+of the Duke of Vallombreuse. One of the scoundrels might have made
+believe that you were in the way, or that you had struck him, and
+falling upon you suddenly, before you had time to draw your sword, have
+given you a thrust that would have done for you; and if he failed to
+wound you mortally; the others could have pretended to come to their
+comrade's aid, and have completed the job--nothing would have been
+easier. Then they would have separated, and slipped away through the
+crowd, before any one could interfere with them, or else have stood
+their ground, and declared unanimously that they had been obliged to
+attack you in self defence. It is next to impossible in such cases to
+prove that the act was premeditated, and there is no redress for the
+unhappy victim of such a conspiracy."
+
+"But I am loath to believe," said the brave, generous young baron, "that
+any gentleman could be capable of such an utterly base and unworthy act
+as this--what, send a set of hired ruffians to foully assassinate his
+rival! If he is not satisfied with the result of our first encounter, I
+am willing and ready to cross swords with him again and again, until
+one or the other of us is slain. That is the way that such matters are
+arranged among men of honour, my good Herode!"
+
+"Doubtless," replied the tyrant, dryly, "but the duke well
+knows--despite his cursed pride--that the result of another meeting with
+you could not but be disastrous to himself. He has tried the strength
+of your blade, and learned by bitter experience that its point is sharp.
+You may be sure that he hates you like the very devil, and will not
+scruple to make use of any means whatever to revenge himself for his
+defeat at your hands."
+
+"Well, if he does not care to try my sword again, we could fight on
+horseback with pistols. He could not accuse me of having any advantage
+of him there."
+
+Talking thus the two had reached the Quai de l'Ecole, and there a
+carriage just missed running over de Sigognac, though he did his best to
+get out of its way. As it was, only his extremely slender figure saved
+him from being crushed between it and the wall, so close did it come to
+him--notwithstanding the fact that there was plenty of room on the other
+side, and that the coachman could easily have avoided the foot passenger
+he actually seemed to pursue. The windows of the carriage were all
+closed, and the curtains drawn down, so that it was impossible to tell
+whether it had any inmates or not--but if de Sigognac could have peeped
+within he would have seen, reclining languidly upon the luxurious
+cushions, a handsome young nobleman, richly dressed, whose right arm was
+supported by a black silk scarf, arranged as a sling. In spite of the
+warm red glow from the crimson silk curtains, he was very pale, and,
+though so remarkably handsome, his face wore such an expression of
+hatred and cruelty, that he would have inspired dislike, rather than
+admiration--as he sat there with a fierce frown contracting his brow,
+and savagely gnawing his under lip with his gleaming white teeth. In
+fine, the occupant of the carriage that had so nearly run over the Baron
+de Sigognac was no other than the young Duke of Vallombreuse.
+
+"Another failure!" said he to himself, with an oath, as he rolled along
+up the broad quay past the Tuileries. "And yet I promised that stupid
+rascal of a coachman of mine twenty-five louis if he could be adroit
+enough to run afoul of that confounded de Sigognac--who is the bane of
+my life--and drive over him, as if by accident. Decidedly the star of my
+destiny is not in the ascendant--this miserable little rustic lordling
+gets the better of me in everything. Isabelle, sweet Isabelle, adores
+HIM, and detests me--he has beaten my lackeys, and dared to wound ME.
+But there shall be an end of this sort of thing, and that speedily--even
+though he be invulnerable, and bear a charmed life, he must and shall be
+put out of my way--I swear it! though I should be forced to risk my name
+and my title to compass it."
+
+"Humph!" said Herode, drawing a long breath; "why those brutes must be
+of the same breed as the famous horses of that Diomedes, King of Thrace,
+we read of, that pursued men to tear them asunder, and fed upon their
+flesh. But at least you are not hurt, my lord, I trust! That coachman
+saw you perfectly well, and I would be willing to wager all I possess
+in the world that he purposely tried to run over you--he deliberately
+turned his horses towards you--I am sure of it, for I saw the whole
+thing. Did you observe whether there was a coat of arms on the panel?
+As you are a nobleman yourself I suppose you must be familiar with the
+devices of the leading families in France."
+
+"Yes, I am of course," answered de Sigognac, "but I was too much
+occupied in getting out of the way of the swift rolling carriage to
+notice whether there was anything of that kind on it or not."
+
+"That's a pity," rejoined the tyrant regretfully, "for if we only knew
+that, we should have a clew that might lead to our discovering the truth
+about this most suspicious affair. It is only too evident that some one
+is trying to put you out of the way, quibuscumque viis, as the pedant
+would say. Although we unfortunately have no proof of it, I am very much
+inclined to think that this same carriage belongs to his lordship, the
+Duke of Vallombreuse, who wished to indulge himself in the pleasure of
+driving over the body of his enemy in his chariot, in true classical and
+imperial style."
+
+"What extraordinary idea have you got into your head now, Sir Herode?"
+said de Sigognac, rather indignantly. "Come, that would be too infamous
+and villainous a proceeding for any gentleman to be guilty of, and you
+must remember that after all the Duke of Vallombreuse is one, and that
+he belongs to a very high and noble family. Besides, did not we leave
+him in Poitiers, laid up with his wound? How then could he possibly be
+in Paris, when we have only just arrived here ourselves?"
+
+"But didn't we stop several days at Tours? and again at Orleans? And
+even if his wound were not entirely healed he could easily travel in his
+luxurious carriage, by easy stages, from Poitiers to Paris. His hurt was
+not of a dangerous character, you know, and he is young and vigorous.
+You must be on your guard, my dear captain, unceasingly; never relax
+your vigilance for one moment, for I tell you there are those about
+who seek your life. You once out of the way, Isabelle would, be in the
+duke's power--for what could we, poor players, do against such a
+great and powerful nobleman? Even if Vallombreuse himself be not in
+Paris--though I am almost positive that he is--his emissaries are, as
+you know, and but for your own courage and watchfulness you would have
+been assassinated in your bed by them last night."
+
+This de Sigognac could not dispute, and he only nodded in token of
+assent, as he grasped the hilt of his sword, so as to be ready to draw
+it at the slightest cause for suspicion or alarm. Meantime they had
+walked on as far as the Porte de la Conference, and now saw ahead of
+them a great cloud of dust, and through it the glitter of bayonets.
+They stepped aside to let the cavalcade pass, and saw that the soldiers
+preceded the carriage of the king, who was returning from Saint Germain
+to the Louvre. The curtains of the royal vehicle were raised, and
+the glasses let down, so that the people could distinctly see their
+sovereign, Louis XIII, who, pale as a ghost and dressed all in black,
+sat as motionless as an effigy in wax. Long, dark brown hair fell about
+his mournful, ghastly countenance, upon which was depicted the same
+terrible ennui that drove Philip II of Spain, to seclude himself so
+much, during the later years of his life, in the silence and solitude of
+the dreary Escorial. His eyes were fixed on vacancy, and seemed utterly
+lifeless--no desire, no thought, no will lent them light or expression.
+A profound disgust for and weariness of everything in this life had
+relaxed his lower lip, which fell sullenly, in a morose, pouting way.
+His hands, excessively thin and white, lay listlessly upon his knees,
+like those of certain Egyptian idols. And yet, for all, there was
+a truly royal majesty about this mournful figure, which personified
+France, and in whose veins flowed sluggishly the generous blood of Henri
+IV.
+
+The young baron had always thought of the king as a sort of supernatural
+being, exalted above all other men. Glorious and majestic in his person,
+and resplendent in sumptuous raiment, enriched with gold and precious
+stones; and now he saw only this sad, motionless figure, clad in
+dismal black, and apparently unconscious of his surroundings, sunk in a
+profound reverie that none would dare to intrude upon. He had dreamed
+of a gracious, smiling sovereign, showering good gifts upon his loyal
+subjects, and here was an apathetic, inanimate being, who seemed capable
+of no thought for any one but himself. He was sadly disappointed,
+shocked, amazed; and he felt, with a sinking heart, how hopeless was his
+own case. For even should he be able to approach this mournful, listless
+monarch, what sympathy could be expected from him? The future looked
+darker than ever now to this brave young heart. Absorbed in these
+sorrowful reflections he walked silently along beside his companion, who
+suspected his taciturn mood, and did not intrude upon it, until, as the
+hour of noon approached, he suggested that they should turn their steps
+homeward, so as to be in time for the mid-day meal. When they reached
+the hotel they were relieved to find that nothing particular had
+happened during their absence. Isabelle, quietly seated at table with
+the others when they entered, received the baron with her usual sweet
+smile, and held out her little white hand to him. The comedians asked
+many questions about his first experiences in Paris, and inquired
+mischievously whether he had brought his cloak, his purse, and his
+handkerchief home with him, to which de Sigognac joyfully answered
+in the affirmative. In this friendly banter he soon forgot his sombre
+thoughts, and asked himself whether he had not been the dupe of a
+hypochondriac fancy, which could see nothing anywhere but plots and
+conspiracies.
+
+He had not been alarmed without reason however, for his enemies, vexed
+but not discouraged by the failure of their several attempts upon him,
+had by no means renounced their determination to make away with him.
+Merindol, who was threatened by the duke with being sent back to the
+galleys whence he had rescued him, unless he and his comrades succeeded
+in disposing of the Baron de Sigognac, resolved to invoke the assistance
+of a certain clever rascal of his acquaintance, who had never been known
+to fail in any job of that kind which he undertook. He no longer felt
+himself capable to cope with the baron, and moreover now, laboured
+under the serious disadvantage of being personally known to him. He
+went accordingly to look up his friend, Jacquemin Lampourde by name, who
+lodged not very far from the Pont-Neuf, and was lucky enough to find him
+at home, sleeping off the effects of his last carouse. He awoke him with
+some difficulty, and was violently abused for his pains. Then, having
+quietly waited until his friend's first fury was exhausted, he announced
+that he had come to consult with him on important business, having
+an excellent job to intrust to him, and begging that he would be good
+enough to listen to what he had to say.
+
+"I never listen to anybody when I am drunk," said Jacquemin Lampourde,
+majestically, putting his elbow on his knee as he spoke, and resting his
+head on his hand--"and besides, I have plenty of money--any quantity
+of gold pieces. We plundered a rich English lord last night, who was
+a walking cash-box, and I am a gentleman of wealth just at present.
+However, one evening at lansquenet may swallow it all up. I can't resist
+gambling you know, and I'm deuced unlucky at it, so I will see you
+to-night about this little matter of yours. Meet me at the foot of the
+bronze statue on the Pont-Neuf at midnight. I shall be as fresh and
+bright as a lark by that time, and ready for anything. You shall give me
+your instructions then, and we will agree upon my share of the spoils.
+It should be something handsome, for I have the vanity to believe
+that no one would come and disturb a fellow of my calibre for any
+insignificant piece of business. But after all I am weary of playing
+the thief and pickpocket--it is beneath me--and I mean to devote all my
+energies in future to the noble art of assassination; it is more worthy
+of my undisputed prowess. I would rather be a grand, man-slaying lion
+than any meaner beast of prey. If this is a question of killing I
+am your man--but one thing more, it must be a fellow who will defend
+himself. Our victims are so apt to be cowardly, and give in without a
+struggle--it is no better than sticking a pig--and that I cannot stand,
+it disgusts me. A good manly resistance, the more stubborn the better,
+gives a pleasant zest to the task."
+
+"You may rest easy on that score," Mirindol replied, with a malicious
+smile; "you will find a tough customer to handle, I promise you."
+
+"So much the better," said Lampourde, "for it is a long time since I
+have found an adversary worth crossing swords with. But enough of this
+for the present. Good-bye to you, and let me finish my nap."
+
+But he tried in vain to compose himself to sleep again, and, after
+several fruitless efforts, gave it up as a bad job; then began to shake
+a companion, who had slept soundly on the floor under the table during
+the preceding discussion, and when he had succeeded in rousing him, both
+went off to a gaming-house, where lansquenet was in active progress.
+The company was composed of thieves, cut-throats, professional bullies,
+ruffians of every sort, lackeys, and low fellows of various callings,
+and a few well-to-do, unsophisticated bourgeois, who had been enticed
+in there--unfortunate pigeons, destined to be thoroughly plucked.
+Lampourde, who played recklessly, had soon lost all his boasted wealth,
+and was left with empty pockets. He took his bad luck with the utmost
+philosophy.
+
+"Ouf!" said he to his companion, when they had gone out into the street,
+and the cool, night air blew refreshingly upon his heated face, "here
+am I rid of my money, and a free man again. It is strange that it should
+always make such a brute of me. It surprises me no longer that rich
+men should invariably be such stupid fools. Now, that I haven't a penny
+left, I feel as gay as a lark--ready for anything. Brilliant ideas buzz
+about my brain, like bees around the hive. Lampourde's himself again.
+But there's the Samaritan striking twelve, and a friend of mine must be
+waiting for me down by the bronze Henri IV, so goodnight."
+
+He quitted his companion and walked quickly to the rendezvous, where he
+found Merindol, diligently studying his own shadow in the moonlight; and
+the two ruffians, after looking carefully about them to make sure that
+there was no one within ear-shot, held a long consultation, in very low
+tones. What they said we do not know; but, when Lampourde quitted the
+agent of the Duke of Vallombreuse, he joyously jingled the handful
+of gold pieces in his pocket, with an imprudent audacity that showed
+conclusively how much he was respected by the thieves and cut throats
+who haunted the Pont-Neuf.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII. THE CROWNED RADISH
+
+Jacquemin Lampourde, after parting company with Merindol, seemed in
+great uncertainty as to which way he should go, and had not yet decided
+when he reached the end of the Pont-Neuf. He was like the donkey between
+two bundles of hay; or, if that comparison be not pleasing, like a
+piece of iron between two magnets of equal power. On the one side was
+lansquenet, with the fascinating excitement of rapidly winning and
+losing the broad gold pieces that he loved; and on the other the tavern,
+with its tempting array of bottles; for he was a drunkard as well as a
+gambler, this same notorious Jacquemin Lampourde. He stood stock still
+for a while, debating this knotty point with himself, quite unable to
+come to a decision, and growing very much vexed at his own hesitation,
+when suddenly a brilliant idea occurred to him, and, plunging his hand
+into his well-filled pocket, he drew forth a gold piece, which he tossed
+into the air, crying, "Head for the tavern, tail for lansquenet." The
+coin rang upon the pavement as it fell, and he kneeled down to see
+what fate had decided for him; head was up. "Very well," said he,
+philosophically, as he picked up the piece of money, carefully wiped off
+the mud, and put it back in his pocket, "I'll go and get drunk." Then,
+with long strides, he made off to his favourite tavern, which had the
+advantage of being in the immediate vicinity of his own lodgings, so
+that with a few zigzags he was at home, after he had filled himself with
+wine from the soles of his boots to the apple in his throat. It was not
+an inviting-looking place, this same tavern, with the odd device of an
+enormous radish, bearing a golden crown--now rather tarnished--which
+had served as its sign for many generations of wine-drinkers. The heavy
+wooden shutters were all closed when Lampourde reached it; but by the
+bright light streaming through their crevices, and the sounds of song
+and revelry that reached his ear, he knew that there must be a numerous
+company within. Knocking on the door in a peculiar way with the handle
+of his sword, he made himself known as an habitue of the house, and was
+promptly admitted--the door being carefully made fast again the moment
+he had entered. The large, low room into which he made his way was
+filled with the smoke from many pipes, and redolent with the fumes of
+wine. A cheerful wood fire was blazing on the hearth, lighting up the
+array of bottles in the bar, which was placed near it, where the master
+of the establishment sat enthroned, keeping a watchful eye on the noisy
+crowd gathered round the many small tables with which the room abounded,
+drinking, smoking, playing at various games, and singing ribald songs.
+Lampourde paid no attention to the uproarious throng, further than to
+look about and make sure that none of his own particular friends and
+associates were among them. He found an unoccupied table, to which a
+servant quickly brought a bottle of fine old Canary wine, very choice
+and rare, which was reserved for a few privileged and appreciative
+customers, who could afford to indulge in such luxuries. Although he was
+quite by himself, two glasses were placed before him, as his dislike of
+drinking alone was well known, and at any moment a comrade might come
+in and join him. Meantime he slowly filled his glass, raised it to the
+level of his eyes, and looked long and lovingly through the beautiful,
+clear topaz of the generous wine. Having thus satisfied the sense
+of sight, he passed to that of smell, and held the glass under his
+nostrils, where he could enjoy the delicious aroma arising from it,
+giving the wine a rotary motion as he did so, in a very artistic manner;
+then, putting the glass to his lips, he let a few drops trickle slowly
+down over his tongue to his palate, lengthening out the enjoyment as
+much as possible, and approving smack of relish as he at last swallowed
+the smooth nectar. Thus Maitre Jacquemin Lampourde managed to gratify
+three of the five senses man is blessed with by means of a single glass
+of wine. He pretended that the other two might also have a share of the
+enjoyment--that of touch by the highly polished surface and swelling
+curves of the wine-glass, and that of hearing by the merry ringing when
+two glasses are clinked together, or by the musical sounds to be brought
+forth from a glass by drawing the moistened finger round and round the
+edge of it. But these are fantastic and paradoxical ideas, which only
+serve to show the vicious refinement of this fastidious ruffian. He
+had been but a few minutes alone when an odd-looking, shabbily dressed
+individual came in, who rejoiced in a remarkably pale face, which looked
+as if it had been chalked, and a nose as red and fiery as a live coal;
+the idea of how many casks of wine and bottles of brandy must have been
+imbibed to bring it to such an intensity of erubescence would be enough
+to terrify the ordinary drinker. This singular countenance was like
+a cheese, with a bright, red cherry stuck in the middle of it; and to
+finish the portrait it would only be necessary to add two apple seeds,
+placed a little obliquely, for the eyes, and a wide gash for a mouth.
+Such was Malartic--the intimate friend, the Pylades, the Euryalus,
+the "fidus Achates" of Jacquemin Lampourde; who certainly was not
+handsome--but his mental and moral qualities made up for his little
+physical disadvantages. Next to Lampourde--for whom he professed the
+most exalted admiration and respect--he was accounted the most skillful
+swordsman in Paris; he was always lucky at cards, and could drink to any
+extent without becoming intoxicated. For the rest, he was a man of
+great delicacy and honour, in his way--ready to run any risk to help or
+support a friend, and capable of enduring any amount of torture rather
+than betray his comrades--so that he enjoyed the universal and unbounded
+esteem of his circle.
+
+Malartic went straight to Lampourde's table, sat down opposite to him,
+silently seized the glass the other had promptly filled, and drained it
+at a single draught; evidently his method differed from his friend's,
+but that it was equally efficacious his nose bore indisputable witness.
+The two men drank steadily and in silence until they had emptied their
+third bottle, and then called for pipes. When they had puffed away for
+a while, and enveloped themselves in a dense cloud of smoke, they fell
+into conversation, deploring the bad times since the king, his court
+and followers, had all gone to Saint Germain, and comparing notes as to
+their own individual doings since their last meeting. Thus far they had
+paid no attention whatever to the company round them, but now such a
+loud discussion arose over the conditions of a bet between two men
+about some feat that one of them declared he could perform and the other
+pronounced impossible, that they both looked round to see what it was
+all about. A man of lithe, vigorous frame, with a complexion dark as
+a Moor's, jet-black hair and flashing eyes, was drawing out of his red
+girdle a large, dangerous looking knife, which, when opened, was nearly
+as long as a sword, and called in Valencia, where it was made, a navaja.
+He carefully examined and tested the edge and point of this formidable
+weapon, with which he seemed satisfied, said to the man he had been
+disputing with, "I am ready!" then turned and called, "Chiquita!
+Chiquita!"
+
+At the sound of her name a little girl, who had been sleeping, rolled
+up in a cloak, on the floor in a dark corner, rose and came towards
+Agostino--for it was he of course--and, fixing her large dark eyes upon
+his face earnestly, said, "Master, what do you want me to do? I am ready
+to obey you here as everywhere else, because you are so brave, and have
+so many red marks on your navaja."
+
+Chiquita said this rapidly, in a patois which was as unintelligible to
+the Frenchmen around her as German, Hebrew or Chinese. Agostino took her
+by the hand and placed her with her back against the door, telling
+her to keep perfectly still, and the child, accustomed to that sort of
+thing, showed neither alarm nor surprise, but stood quietly, looking
+straight before her with perfect serenity, while Agostino, at the other
+end of the room, standing with one foot advanced, balanced the dread
+navaja in his hand. Suddenly with a quick jerking movement he sent it
+flying through the air, and it struck into the wooden door, just
+over Chiquita's head. As it darted by, like a flash of lightning, the
+spectators had involuntarily closed their eyes for a second, but the
+fragile child's long dark eyelashes did not even quiver. The brigand's
+wonderful skill elicited a loud burst of admiration and applause from an
+audience not easily surprised or pleased, in which even the man who had
+lost his water joined enthusiastically. Agostino went and drew out the
+knife, which was still vibrating, and returning to his place this
+time sent it in between Chiquita's arm--which was hanging down by her
+side--and her body; if it had deviated a hair's breadth it must have
+wounded her. At this everybody cried "Enough!" but Agostino insisted
+upon aiming at the other side as well, so as to prove to them that there
+was no chance about it; that it was purely a matter of skill. Again the
+terrible navaja flew through the air, and went straight to the mark,
+and Chiquita, very much delighted at the applause that followed, looked
+about her proudly, glorying in Agostino's triumph. She still wore
+Isabelle's pearl beads round her slender brown neck; in other respects
+was much better dressed than when we first saw her, and even had shoes
+on her tiny feet; they seemed to worry and annoy her very much, it
+is true, but she found them a necessary nuisance on the cold Paris
+pavements, and so had to submit to wearing them with as good a grace as
+she could muster. When Agostino gave her leave to quit her position
+she quietly returned to her corner, rolled herself up anew in the large
+cloak, and fell sound asleep again, while he, after pocketing the five
+pistoles he had won, sat down to finish his measure of cheap wine;
+which he did very slowly, intending to remain where he was as long as
+possible; he had no lodging place yet in Paris, having arrived that very
+evening, and this warm room was far more comfortable than a refuge in
+some convent porch, or under the arch of a bridge perhaps, where he had
+feared that he and Chiquita might have to lie shivering all night long.
+
+Quiet being restored, comparatively speaking, Lampourde and Malartic
+resumed their interrupted conversation, and after a few remarks upon
+the strange performance they had just witnessed--in which Lampourde
+especially praised Agostino's marvellous skill, and Malartic warmly
+commended Chiquita's wonderful courage and sang-froid--the former
+confided to his friend that he had a piece of work in prospect, in which
+he would need some assistance, and desired to have his opinion as to
+which of their comrades would be best suited for his purpose. He told
+him that, in the first place, he was commissioned to despatch a certain
+Captain Fracasse, an actor, who had dared to interfere with the love
+affair of a very great lord. In this, of course, he would not require
+any aid; but he had also to make arrangements for the abduction of
+the lady, a very beautiful young actress, who was beloved by both the
+nobleman and the comedian, and who would be zealously defended by the
+members of the dramatic company to which she belonged; so that he should
+be obliged to resort to some stratagem, and would probably need the help
+of several hands to carry it out--adding that they were sure of being
+well paid, for the young lord was as generous and open handed as he was
+wealthy and determined. Thereupon they fell to discussing the respective
+merits of their numerous friends and acquaintances--gentlemen of the
+same stamp as themselves--and having decided upon four, and determined
+to keep an eye upon Agostino, who seemed a clever rascal and might be
+of use, they called for another bottle of wine. When that was finished
+Jacquemin Lampourde was indisputably drunk, and having loyally kept his
+word, retired, somewhat unsteadily, to his own quarters in a high state
+of maudlin satisfaction, accompanied by his friend Malartic, whom he had
+invited to spend the night with him. By this time--it was nearly four
+o'clock in the morning--the Crowned Radish was almost deserted, and
+the master of the establishment, seeing that there was no prospect
+of further custom, told his servants to rouse up and turn out all the
+sleepers--Agostino and Chiquita among the rest--and his orders were
+promptly executed.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII. A DOUBLE ATTACK
+
+The Duke of Vallombreuse was not a man to neglect his love affairs, any
+more than his enemies. If he hated de Sigognac mortally, he felt for
+Isabelle that furious passion which the unattainable is apt to excite
+in a haughty and violent nature like his, that has never met with
+resistance. To get possession of the young actress had become the ruling
+thought of his life. Spoiled by the easy victories he had always gained
+heretofore, in his career of gallantry, his failure in this instance was
+utterly incomprehensible to him, as well as astonishing and maddening.
+He could not understand it. Oftentimes in the midst of a conversation,
+at the theatre, at church, at the court, anywhere and everywhere, the
+thought of it would suddenly rush into his mind, sweeping everything
+before it, overwhelming him afresh with wonder and amazement. And indeed
+it could not be easy for a man who did not believe that such an anomaly
+as a truly virtuous woman ever existed--much less a virtuous actress--to
+understand Isabelle's firm resistance to the suit of such a rich and
+handsome young nobleman as himself. He sometimes wondered whether it
+could be that after all she was only playing a part, and holding back
+for a while so as to obtain more from him in the end--tactics that he
+knew were not unusual--but the indignant, peremptory way in which she
+had rejected the casket of jewels proved conclusively that no such base
+motives actuated Isabelle. All his letters she had returned unopened.
+All his advances she had persistently repulsed; and he was at his wit's
+end to know what to do next. Finally he concluded to send for old Mme.
+Leonarde to come and talk the matter over with him; he had kept up
+secret relations with her, as it is always well to have a spy in the
+enemy's camp. The duke received her, when she came in obedience to
+his summons, in his own particular and favoured room, to which she was
+conducted by a private staircase. It was a most dainty and luxurious
+apartment, fitted up with exquisite taste, and hung round with portraits
+of beautiful women--admirably painted by Simon Vouet, a celebrated
+master of that day--representing different mythological characters, and
+set in richly carved oval frames. These were all likenesses of the young
+duke's various mistresses, each one displaying her own peculiar charms
+to the greatest possible advantage, and having consented to sit for her
+portrait--in a costume and character chosen by the duke--as a special
+favour, without the most remote idea that it was to form part of a
+gallery.
+
+When the duenna had entered and made her best curtsey, the duke
+condescendingly signed to her to be seated, and immediately began to
+question her eagerly about Isabelle--as to whether there were any signs
+yet of her yielding to his suit, and also how matters were progressing
+between her and the detested Captain Fracasse. Although the crafty old
+woman endeavoured to put the best face upon everything, and was very
+diplomatic in her answers to these searching questions, the information
+that she had to give was excessively displeasing to the imperious
+young nobleman, who had much ado to control his temper sufficiently to
+continue the conversation. Before he let her go he begged her to
+suggest some plan by which he could hope to soften the obdurate
+beauty--appealing to her great experience in such intrigues, and
+offering to give her any reward she chose to claim if she would but
+help him to succeed. She had nothing better to propose, however, than
+secretly administering a strong narcotic to Isabelle, and concerting
+some plan to deliver her into his hands while unconscious from the
+effects of it; which even the unscrupulous young duke indignantly
+rejected. Whereupon, fixing her wicked old eyes admiringly upon his
+handsome face, and apparently moved by a sudden inspiration, she said:
+"But why does not your lordship conduct this affair in person? why not
+begin a regular and assiduous courtship in the good old style? You
+are as beautiful as Adonis, my lord duke! You are young, fascinating,
+powerful, wealthy, a favourite at court, rich in everything that is
+pleasing to the weaker sex; and there is not a woman on earth who could
+long hold out against you, if you would condescend, my lord, to plead
+your own cause with her."
+
+"By Jove! the old woman is right," said Vallombreuse to himself,
+glancing complacently at the reflection of his own handsome face
+and figure in a full-length mirror opposite to him; "Isabelle may be
+virtuous and cold, but she is not blind, and Nature has not been so
+unkind to me that the sight of me should inspire her with horror. I
+can at least hope to produce the same happy effect as a fine statue
+or picture, which attracts and charms the eye by its symmetry, or its
+beautiful and harmonious colouring. Then, kneeling at her feet, I can
+softly whisper some of those persuasive words that no woman can listen
+to unmoved--accompanied by such passionately ardent looks that the ice
+round her heart will melt under them and vanish quite away. Not one
+of the loftiest, haughtiest ladies at the court has ever been able to
+withstand them--they have thawed the iciest, most immaculate of them
+all; and besides, it surely cannot fail to flatter the pride of this
+disdainful, high-spirited little actress to have a real duke actually
+and openly kneeling at her feet. Yes, I will take the old woman's
+advice, and pay my court to her so charmingly and perseveringly that I
+shall conquer at last--she will not be able to withstand me, my sweet
+Isabelle. And it will be a miracle indeed if she has a regret left then
+for that cursed de Sigognac; who shall no longer interfere between my
+love and me--that I swear! She will soon forget him in my arms."
+
+Having dismissed old Mme. Leonarde with a handsome gratuity, the duke
+next summoned his valet, Picard, and held an important consultation with
+him, as to his most becoming costumes, finally deciding upon a very
+rich but comparatively plain one, all of black velvet; whose elegant
+simplicity he thought would be likely to suit Isabelle's fastidious
+taste better than any more gorgeous array, and in which it must be
+confessed that he looked adorably handsome--his really beautiful face
+and fine figure appearing to the utmost advantage.
+
+His toilet completed, he sent a peremptory order to his coachman to have
+the carriage, with the four bays, ready in a quarter of an hour. When
+Picard had departed on this errand, Vallombreuse began pacing slowly to
+and fro in his chamber, glancing into the mirror each time he passed it
+with a self-satisfied smile. "That proud little minx must be deucedly
+cross-grained and unappreciative," said he, "if she does not perceive
+how much more worthy I am of her admiration than that shabby de
+Sigognac. Oh, yes! she'll be sure to come round, in spite of her
+obstinate affectation of such ferocious virtue, and her tiresome,
+Platonic love for her impecunious suitor. Yes, my little beauty, your
+portrait shall figure in one of those oval frames ere long. I think I'll
+have you painted as chaste Diana, descended from the sky, despite her
+coldness, to lavish sweet kisses on Endymion. You shall take your place
+among those other goddesses, who were as coy and hard to please at first
+as yourself, and who are far greater ladies, my dear, than you ever will
+be. Your fall is at hand, and you must learn, as your betters have done
+before you, that there's no withstanding the will of a Vallombreuse.
+'Frango nec frangor,' is my motto."
+
+A servant entered to announce that the carriage awaited his lordship's
+pleasure, and during the short drive from his own house to the Rue
+Dauphine, the young duke, despite his arrogant assurance, felt his heart
+beating faster than usual as he wondered how Isabelle would receive him.
+When the splendid carriage, with its four prancing horses and servants
+in gorgeous liveries, drove into the courtyard of the hotel where the
+comedians were stopping, the landlord himself, cap in hand, rushed
+out to ask the pleasure of the lordly visitor; but, rapid as were his
+movements, the duke had already alighted before he could reach him.
+He cut short the obsequious host's obeisances and breathless offers of
+service by an impatient gesture, and said peremptorily:
+
+"Mlle. Isabelle is stopping here. I wish to see her. Is she at home? Do
+not send to announce my visit; only let me have a servant to show me the
+way to her room."
+
+"My lord, let me have the glory of conducting your lordship myself--such
+an honour is too great for a rascally servant--I myself am not worthy of
+so distinguished a privilege."
+
+"As you please," said Vallombreuse, with haughty negligence, "only be
+quick about it. There are people at every window already, staring down
+at me as if I were the Grand Turk in person."
+
+He followed his guide, who, with many bows and apologies, preceded him
+upstairs, and down a long, narrow corridor with doors on either side,
+like a convent, until they reached Isabelle's room, where the landlord
+paused, and, bowing lower than ever, asked what name he should have the
+honour of announcing.
+
+"You can go, now," the duke replied, laying his hand on the door; "I
+will announce myself."
+
+Isabelle was sitting by the window, diligently studying her part in a
+new play to be shortly put in rehearsal, and, at the moment the Duke of
+Vallombreuse softly entered her chamber, was repeating, in a low voice
+and with closed eyes, the verses she was learning by heart--just as a
+child does its lessons. The light from the window shone full upon her
+beautiful head and face--seen in profile--and her lovely figure, thrown
+back in a negligent attitude full of grace and abandon. She made a most
+bewitching picture thus, and with a delicious effect of chiaroscuro that
+would have enchanted an artist--it enthralled the young duke.
+
+Supposing that the intruder who entered so quietly was only the
+chambermaid, come to perform some forgotten duty, Isabelle did not
+interrupt her study or look up, but went on composedly with her
+recitation. The duke, who had breathlessly advanced to the centre of the
+room, paused there, and stood motionless, gazing with rapture upon her
+beauty. As he waited for her to open her eyes and become aware of his
+presence, he sank gracefully down upon one knee, holding his hat so that
+its long plume swept the floor, and laying his hand on his heart, in an
+attitude that was slightly theatrical perhaps, but as respectful as
+if he had been kneeling before a queen. Excitement and agitation had
+flushed his pale cheeks a little, his eyes were luminous and full of
+fire, a sweet smile hovered on his rich, red lips, and he had never
+looked more splendidly, irresistibly handsome in his life. At last
+Isabelle moved, raised her eyelids, turned her head, and perceived the
+Duke of Vallombreuse, kneeling within six feet of her. If Perseus had
+suddenly appeared before her, holding up Medusa's horrid head, the
+effect would have been much the same. She sat like a statue, motionless,
+breathless, as if she had been petrified, or frozen stiff--her eyes,
+dilated with excessive terror, fixed upon his face, her lips parted, her
+throat parched and dry, her tongue paralyzed--unable to move or speak.
+A ghastly pallor overspread her horror-stricken countenance, a deathly
+chill seized upon all her being, and for one dreadful moment of supreme
+anguish she feared that she was going to faint quite away; but, by a
+desperate, prodigious effort of will, she recalled her failing senses,
+that she might not leave herself entirely defenceless in the power of
+her cruel persecutor.
+
+"Can it be possible that I inspire such overwhelming horror in your
+gentle breast, my sweet Isabelle," said Vallombreuse in his most dulcet
+tones, and without stirring from his position, "that the mere sight of
+me produces an effect like this? Why, a wild beast, crouching to spring
+upon you from his lair, with angry roar and blazing eyeballs, could not
+terrify you more. My presence here may be a little sudden and startling,
+I admit; but you must not be too hard upon one who lives only to love
+and adore you. I knew that I risked your anger when I decided to take
+this step; but I could not exist any longer without a sight of you,
+and I humbly crave your pardon if I have offended you by my ardour and
+devotion. I kneel at your feet, fair lady, a despairing and most unhappy
+suppliant for your grace and favour."
+
+"Rise, my lord, I beseech you," said the frightened, trembling girl,
+speaking with great difficulty and in a voice that sounded strange in
+her own ears; "such a position does not become your rank. I am only an
+actress, and my poor attractions do not warrant such homage. Forget this
+fleeting fancy, I pray you, and carry elsewhere the ardour and devotion
+that are wasted upon me, and that so many great and noble ladies would
+be proud and happy to receive and reward."
+
+"What do I care for other women, be they what they may?" cried
+Vallombreuse impetuously, as he rose in obedience to her request; "it
+is YOUR pride and purity that I adore, YOUR beauty and goodness that I
+worship; your very cruelty is more charming to me than the utmost
+favour of any other woman in the world. Your sweet modesty and angelic
+loveliness have inspired in me a passion that is almost delirium, and
+unless you can learn to love me I shall die--I cannot live without you.
+You need not be afraid of me," he added, as Isabelle recoiled when he
+made one step forward, and tried to open the window with her trembling
+bands, as if she meant to throw herself out in case of his coming any
+nearer; "see, I will stay where I am. I will not touch you, not even the
+hem of your garment, so great is my respect for you, charming Isabelle!
+I do not ask anything more than that you will deign to suffer my
+presence here a little longer now, and permit me to pay my court to you,
+lay siege to your heart, and wait patiently until it surrenders
+itself to me freely and of its own accord, as it surely will. The most
+respectful lover could not do more."
+
+"Spare me this useless pursuit, my lord," pleaded Isabelle, "and I will
+reward you with the warmest gratitude; but love you I cannot, now or
+ever."
+
+"You have neither father, brother, husband, or affianced lover,"
+persisted Vallombreuse, "to forbid the advances of a gallant gentleman,
+who seeks only to please and serve you. My sincere homage is surely not
+insulting to you; why do you repulse me so? Oh! you do not dream what a
+splendid prospect would open out before you if you would but yield to my
+entreaties. I would surround you with everything that is beautiful and
+dainty, luxurious and rare. I would anticipate your every wish; I would
+devote my whole life to your service. The story of our love should
+be more enchanting, more blissful than that of Love himself with his
+delicious Psyche--not even the gods could rival us. Come, Isabelle,
+do not turn so coldly away from me, do not persevere in this maddening
+silence, nor drive to desperation and desperate deeds a passion that is
+capable of anything, of everything, save renouncing its adored object,
+your own sweet, charming self!"
+
+"But this love, of which any other woman would be justly proud," said
+Isabelle modestly, "I cannot return or accept; you MUST believe me, my
+lord, for I mean every word I say, and I shall never swerve from this
+decision. Even if the virtue and purity that I value more highly than
+life itself were not against it, I should still feel myself obliged to
+decline this dangerous honour."
+
+"Deign to look upon me with favour and indulgence, my sweet Isabelle,"
+continued Vallombreuse, without heeding her words, "and I will make you
+an object of envy to the greatest and noblest ladies in all France. To
+any other woman I should say--take what you please of my treasures--my
+chateaux, my estates, my gold, my jewels--dress your lackeys in liveries
+richer than the court costumes of princes--have your horses shod with
+silver--live as luxuriously as a queen--make even Paris wonder at your
+lavish splendour if you will--though Paris is not easily roused to
+wonder--but I well know that you have a soul far above all such sordid
+temptations as these. They would have no weight with you, my noble
+Isabelle! But there IS a glory that may touch you--that of having
+conquered Vallombreuse--of leading him captive behind your chariot
+wheels--of commanding him as your servant, and your slave. Vallombreuse,
+who has never yielded before--who has been the commander, not the
+commanded--and whose proud neck has never yet bowed to wear the fetters
+that so many fair bands have essayed to fasten round it."
+
+"Such a captive would be too illustrious for my chains," said Isabelle,
+firmly, "and as I could never consent to accept so much honour at your
+hands, my lord, I pray you to desist, and relieve me of your presence."
+
+Hitherto the Duke of Vallombreuse had managed to keep his temper under
+control; he had artfully concealed his naturally violent and domineering
+spirit under a feigned mildness and humility, but, at Isabelle's
+determined and continued--though modest and respectful--resistance to
+his pleading, his anger was rapidly rising to boiling point. He felt
+that there was love--devoted love--for another behind her persistent
+rejection of his suit, and his wrath and jealousy augmented each
+other. Throwing aside all restraint, he advanced towards her
+impetuously--whereat she made another desperate effort to tear open the
+casement. A fierce frown contracted his brow, he gnawed his under lip
+savagely, and his whole face was transformed--if it had been beautiful
+enough for an angel's before, it was like a demon's now.
+
+"Why don't you tell the truth," he cried, in a loud, angry voice, "and
+say that you are madly in love with that precious rascal, de Sigognac?
+THAT is the real reason for all this pretended virtue that you
+shamelessly flaunt in men's faces. What is there about that cursed
+scoundrel, I should like to know, that charms you so? Am I not
+handsomer, of higher rank, younger, richer, as clever, and as much in
+love with you as he can possibly be? aye, and more--ten thousand times
+more."
+
+"He has at least one quality that you are lacking in, my lord," said
+Isabelle, with dignity; "he knows how to respect the woman he loves."
+
+"That's only because he cares so little about you, my charmer!" cried
+Vallombreuse, suddenly seizing Isabelle, who vainly strove to
+escape from him, in his arms, and straining her violently to his
+breast--despite her frantic struggles, and agonized cry for help. As if
+in response to it, the door was suddenly opened, and the tyrant, making
+the most deprecating gestures and profound bows, entered the room and
+advanced towards Isabelle, who was at once released by Vallombreuse,
+with muttered curses at this most inopportune intrusion.
+
+"I beg your pardon, mademoiselle," said Herode, with a furtive glance
+at the duke, "for interrupting you. I did not know that you were in such
+good company; but the hour for rehearsal has struck, and we are only
+waiting for you to begin."
+
+He had left the door ajar, and an apparently waiting group could be
+discerned without, consisting of the pedant, Scapin, Leander, and
+Zerbine; a reassuring and most welcome sight to poor Isabelle. For one
+instant the duke, in his rage, was tempted to draw his sword, make a
+furious charge upon the intruding canaille, and disperse them "vi et
+armis"--but a second thought stayed his hand, as he realized that the
+killing or wounding of two or three of these miserable actors would not
+further his suit; and besides, he could not stain his noble hands with
+such vile blood as theirs. So he put force upon himself and restrained
+his rage, and, bowing with icy politeness to Isabelle, who, trembling in
+every limb, had edged nearer to her friends, he made his way out of the
+room; turning, however, at the threshold to say, with peculiar emphasis,
+"Au revoir, mademoiselle!"--a very simple phrase certainly, but replete
+with significance of a very terrible and threatening nature from the way
+in which it was spoken. His face was so expressive of evil passions as
+he said it that Isabelle shuddered, and felt a violent spasm of fear
+pass over her, even though the presence of her companions guaranteed her
+against any further attempts at violence just then. She felt the mortal
+anguish of the fated dove, above which the cruel kite is circling
+swiftly in the air, drawing nearer with every rapid round.
+
+The Duke of Vallombreuse regained his carriage, which awaited him in
+the court followed by the obsequious landlord, with much superfluous and
+aggravating ceremony that he would gladly have dispensed with, and
+the next minute the rumble of wheels indicated to Isabelle that her
+dangerous visitor had taken his departure.
+
+Now, to explain the timely interruption that came so opportunely to
+rescue Isabelle from her enemy's clutches. The arrival of the duke
+in his superb carriage at the hotel in the Rue Dauphine had caused an
+excitement and flutter throughout the whole establishment, which soon
+reached the ears of the tyrant, who, like Isabelle, was busy learning
+his new part in the seclusion of his own room. In the absence of de
+Sigognac, who was detained at the theatre to try on a new costume, the
+worthy tyrant, knowing the duke's evil intentions, determined to keep
+a close watch over his actions, and having summoned the others, applied
+his ear to the key-hole of Isabelle's door, and listened attentively to
+all that passed within--holding himself in readiness to interfere at any
+moment, if the duke should venture to offer violence to the defenceless
+girl--and to his prudence and courage it was due that she escaped
+further persecution, on that occasion, from her relentless and
+unscrupulous tormentor.
+
+That day was destined to be an eventful one. It will be remembered that
+Lampourde, the professional assassin, had received from Merindol--acting
+for the Duke Of Vallombreuse--a commission to put Captain Fracasse
+quietly out of the way, and accordingly that worthy was dodging about on
+the Pont-Neuf, at the hour of sunset, waiting to intercept his intended
+victim, who would necessarily pass that way in returning to his hotel.
+Jacquemin awaited his arrival impatiently, frequently breathing on his
+fingers and rubbing them vigorously, so that they should not be quite
+numb with the cold when the moment for action came, and stamping up and
+down in order to warm his half-frozen feet. The weather was extremely
+cold, and the sun had set behind the Pont Rouge, in a heavy mass of
+blood-red clouds. Twilight was coming on apace, and already there were
+only occasional foot-passengers, or vehicles, to be encountered hurrying
+along the deserted streets.
+
+At last de Sigognac appeared, walking very fast, for a vague anxiety
+about Isabelle had taken possession of him, and he was in haste to get
+back to her. In his hurry and preoccupation he did not notice Lampourde,
+who suddenly approached and laid hold of his cloak, which he snatched
+off, with a quick, strong jerk that broke its fastenings. Without
+stopping to dispute the cloak with his assailant, whom he mistook at
+first for an ordinary foot-pad, de Sigognac instantly drew his sword
+and attacked him. Lampourde, on his side, was ready for him, and pleased
+with the baron's way of handling his weapon, said to himself, though in
+an audible tone, "Now for a little fun." Then began a contest that would
+have delighted and astonished a connoisseur in fencing--such swift,
+lightning-like flashing of the blades, as they gave and parried cut and
+thrust--the clashing of the steel, the blue sparks that leaped from the
+contending swords as the fight grew more furious--Lampourde keeping up
+meanwhile an odd running commentary, as his wonder and admiration grew
+momentarily greater and more enthusiastic, and he had soon reached an
+exulting mood. Here at last was a "foeman worthy of his steel," and he
+could not resist paying a tribute to the amazing skill that constantly
+and easily baffled his best efforts, in the shape of such extraordinary
+and original compliments that de Sigognac was mightily amused thereby.
+As usual, he was perfectly cool and self-possessed, keeping control of
+his temper as well as of his sword--though by this time he felt sure
+that it was another agent of the Duke of Vallombreuse's he had to deal
+with, and that his life, not his cloak, was the matter at stake. At last
+Lampourde, who had begun to entertain an immense respect for his valiant
+opponent, could restrain his curiosity no longer, and eagerly asked,
+
+"Would it be indiscreet, sir, to inquire who was your instructor?
+Girolamo, Paraguante, or Cote d'Acier would have reason to be proud of
+such a pupil. Which one of them was it?"
+
+"My only master was an old soldier, Pierre by name," answered de
+Sigognac, more and more amused at the oddities of the accomplished
+swordsman he was engaged with. "Stay, take that! it is one of his
+favourite strokes."
+
+"The devil!" cried Lampourde, falling back a step, "I was very nearly
+done for, do you know! The point of your sword actually went through my
+sleeve and touched my arm--I felt the cold steel; luckily for me it
+was not broad daylight--I should have been winged; but you are not
+accustomed, like me, to this dim, uncertain light for such work. All the
+same, it was admirably well done, and Jacquemin Lampourde congratulates
+you upon it, sir! Now, pay attention, to me--I will not take any mean
+advantage of such a glorious foe as you are, and I give you fair warning
+that I am going to try on you my own secret and special thrust Captain
+Fracasse--the crowning glory of my art, the 'ne plus ultra' of my
+science--the elixir of my life. It is known only to myself, and up to
+this time has been infallible. I have never failed to kill my man
+with it. If you can parry it I will teach it to you. It is my only
+possession, and I will leave it to you if you survive it; otherwise I
+will take my secret to the grave with me. I have never yet found any
+one capable of executing it, unless indeed it be yourself--admirable,
+incomparable swordsman that you are! It is a joy to meet such an one.
+But suppose we suspend hostilities a moment to take breath."
+
+So saying Jacquemin Lampourde lowered the point of his sword, and de
+Sigognac did the same. They stood eyeing each other for a few moments
+with mutual admiration and curiosity, and then resumed the contest more
+fiercely than ever--each man doing his best, as he had need to do,
+and enjoying it. After a few passes, de Sigognac became aware that his
+adversary was preparing to give the decisive blow, and held himself
+on his guard against a surprise; when it came, delivered with terrible
+force, he parried it so successfully that Lampourde's sword was broken
+short off in the encounter with his own trusty weapon, leaving only the
+hilt and a few inches of the blade in his hand.
+
+"If you have not got the rest of my sword in your body," cried
+Lampourde, excitedly, "you are a great man!--a hero!--a god!"
+
+"No," de Sigognac replied calmly, "it did not touch me; and now, if
+I chose, I could pin you to the wall like a bat; but that would be
+repugnant to me, though you did waylay me to take my life, and besides,
+you have really amused me with your droll sayings.
+
+"Baron," said Jacquemin Lampourde, calmly, "permit me, I humbly pray
+you, to be henceforth, so long as I live, your devoted admirer, your
+slave, your dog! I was to be paid for killing you--I even received a
+portion of the money in advance, which I have spent. But never mind
+that; I will pay it back, every penny of it, though I must rob some one
+else to do it."
+
+With these words he picked up de Sigognac's cloak, and having put it
+carefully, even reverentially, over his shoulders, made him a profound
+obeisance, and departed.
+
+Thus the efforts of the Duke of Vallombreuse, to advance his suit and to
+get rid of his rival, had once more failed ignominiously.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV. LAMPOURDE'S DELICACY
+
+It is easy to imagine the frame of mind in which the Duke of
+Vallombreuse returned home after his repulse by Isabelle, and her rescue
+from his arms by the timely intervention of her friends, the comedians.
+At sight of his face, fairly livid and contorted with suppressed rage,
+his servants trembled and shrunk away from him--as well they might--for
+his natural cruelty was apt to vent itself upon the first unhappy
+dependent that happened to come in his way when his wrath was excited.
+He was not an easy master to serve, even in his most genial mood--this
+haughty, exacting young nobleman--and in his frantic fits of anger he
+was more savage and relentless than a half-starved tiger. Upon entering
+his own house he rushed through it like a whirlwind, shutting every
+door behind him with such a violent bang that the very walls shook,
+and pieces of the gilt mouldings round the panels were snapped off, and
+scattered on the floor. When he reached his own room he flung down his
+hat with such force that it was completely flattened, and the feather
+broken short off. Then, unable to breathe freely, he tore open his
+rich velvet pourpoint, as he rushed frantically to and fro, without any
+regard for the superb diamond buttons that fastened it, which flew in
+every direction. The exquisitely fine lace ruffles round his neck were
+reduced to shreds in a second, and with a vigorous kick he knocked over
+a large arm-chair that stood in his way, and left it upside down, with
+its legs in the air.
+
+"The impudent little hussy!" he cried, as he continued his frenzied
+walk, like a wild beast in a cage. "I have a great mind to have her
+thrown into prison, there to be well-whipped, and have her hair shaved
+off, before being sent to a lunatic asylum--or better still to some
+strict convent where they take in bad girls who have been forcibly
+rescued from lives of infamy. I could easily manage it. But no, it would
+be worse than useless--persecution would only make her hate me more, and
+would not make her love that cursed de Sigognac a bit less. How can I
+punish her? what on earth shall I do?" and still he paced restlessly to
+and fro, cursing and swearing, and raving like a madman. While he was
+indulging in these transports of rage, without paying any attention to
+how the time was passing, evening drew on, and it was rapidly growing
+dark when his faithful Picard, full of commiseration, screwed up his
+courage to the highest point, and ventured to go softly in--though he
+had not been called, and was disobeying orders--to light the candles
+in his master's room; thinking that he was quite gloomy enough already
+without being left in darkness as well, and hoping that the lights might
+help to make him more cheerful. They did seem to afford him some relief,
+in that they caused a diversion; for his thoughts, which had been all
+of Isabelle and her cruel repulse of his passionate entreaties, suddenly
+flew to his successful rival, the Baron de Sigognac.
+
+"But how is this?" he cried, stopping short in his rapid pacing up and
+down the room. "How comes it that that miserable, degraded wretch has
+not been despatched before this? I gave the most explicit orders about
+it to that good-for-nothing Merindol. In spite of what Vidalinc says,
+I am convinced that I shall succeed with Isabelle when once that cursed
+lover of hers is out of my way. She will be left entirely at my mercy
+then, and will have to submit to my will and pleasure with the best
+grace she can muster--for I shall not allow any sulking or tears.
+Doubtless she clings so obstinately to that confounded brute in the
+belief that she can induce him to marry her in the end. She means to be
+Mme. la Baronne de Sigognac--the aspiring little actress! That must
+be the reason of all this mighty display of mock modesty, and of her
+venturing to repulse the attentions of a duke, as scornfully, by Jove!
+as if he were a stable-boy. But she shall rue it--the impertinent little
+minx! and I'll have no mercy shown to the audacious scoundrel who dared
+to disable this right arm of mine. Halloa there! send Merindol up to me
+instantly, do you hear?"
+
+Picard flew to summon him, and in a few moments the discomfited bully
+made his appearance; pale from abject terror, with teeth chattering and
+limbs trembling, as he was ushered into the dread presence of his angry
+lord. In spite of his efforts to assume the sang-froid he was so far
+from feeling, he staggered like a drunken man, though he had not drank
+enough wine that day to drown a fly, and did not dare to lift his eyes
+to his master's face.
+
+"Well, you cowardly beast," said Vallombreuse angrily, how long, pray,
+are you going to stand there speechless, like a stupid fool, with that
+hang-dog air, as if you already had the rope that you so richly deserve
+round your wicked neck? "I only awaited your lordship's orders,"
+stammered Merindol, trying to appear at ease, and failing lamentably.
+"My lord duke knows that I am entirely devoted to his service--even to
+being hanged, if it seems good to your lordship."
+
+"Enough of that cant!" interrupted the duke impatiently. "Didn't I
+charge you to have that cursed de Sigognac, otherwise Captain Fracasse,
+cleared out of my way? You have not done it--my orders have not been
+obeyed. It is worth while, upon my word, to keep confounded hired
+rascals to do such work for me, at this rate! All that you are good for
+is to stuff yourself in the kitchen, you dastardly beast, and to guzzle
+my good wine from morning until night. But I've had enough of this, by
+Jove! and if there is not a change, and that without any further loss
+of time, to the hangman you shall go--do you hear? just as sure as you
+stand there, gaping like a drivelling idiot."
+
+"My lord duke," said Merindol in a trembling voice, "is unjust to his
+faithful servant, who desires nothing but to do his lord's bidding. But
+this Baron de Sigognac is not to be disposed of so easily as my lord
+believes. Never was there a braver, more fearless man. In our first
+attack on him, at Poitiers, he got the better of us in a most wonderful
+way--we never saw the like of it--and all he had to fight with was a
+dull, rusty sword, not intended for use at all; a theatre sword, just
+for looks. And when we tried to do for him here in Paris, the very night
+he got here, it all came to naught, because he was so watchful, and
+somehow suspected what we were up to, and was ready for us; and that
+upset our beautiful little plan entirely. I never was so surprised in my
+life; and there was nothing for us to do, the whole four of us, but to
+get out of his sight as fast as we could, and he standing there laughing
+at us. Oh! he's a rare one, is Captain Fracasse. And now he knows my
+face, so I can't go near him myself. But I have engaged the services
+of a particular friend of mine--the bravest man and the best fighter in
+Paris--he hasn't his equal in the world with the sword, they all say. He
+is lying in wait for him on the Pont-Neuf now, at this very moment, and
+there'll be no mistake this time. Lampourde will be sure to despatch him
+for us--if it is not done already--and that without the slightest danger
+of your lordship's name being mixed up with the affair in any way, as it
+might have been if your lordship's own servants had done it."
+
+"The plan is not a bad one," said the young duke, somewhat mollified,
+"and perhaps it is better that it should be done in that way. But are
+you really sure of the courage and skill of this friend of yours? He
+will need both to get the better of that confounded de Sigognac, who is
+no coward, and a master hand with the sword, I am bound to acknowledge,
+though I do hate him like the devil."
+
+"My lord need have no fears," said Merindol enthusiastically, being now
+more at his ease. "Jacquemin Lampourde is a hero, a wonder, as everybody
+will tell your lordship. He is more valiant than Achilles, or the great
+Alexander. He is not spotless certainly, like the Chevalier Bayard, but
+he is fearless."
+
+Picard, who had been hovering about for a few minutes in an uneasy way,
+now seeing that his master was in a better humour, approached and
+told him that a very odd-looking man was below, who asked to see him
+immediately on most important business.
+
+"You may bring him in," said the duke, "but just warn him, Picard, that
+if he dares to intrude upon me for any trifling matter, I'll have him
+skinned alive before I let him go."
+
+Mirindol was just about leaving the room, when the entrance of the
+newcomer rooted him to the spot; he was so astonished and alarmed that
+he could not move hand or foot. And no wonder, for it was no other
+than the hero whose name he had just spoken--Jacquemin Lampourde in
+person--and the bare fact of his having dared to penetrate so boldly
+into the dread presence of that high and mighty seignior, the Duke of
+Vallombreuse, ignoring entirely the agent through whom his services had
+been engaged, showed of itself that something very extraordinary must
+have taken place.
+
+Lampourde himself did not seem to be in the least disconcerted, and
+after winking at his friend furtively in a very knowing way, stood
+unabashed before the duke, with the bright light of the many wax candles
+shining full upon his face. There was a red mark across his forehead,
+where his hat had been pressed down over it, and great drops of sweat
+stood on it, as if he had been running fast, or exercising violently.
+His eyes, of a bluish gray tint, with a sort of metallic lustre in
+them, were fixed upon those of the haughty young nobleman, with a calm
+insolence that made Merindol's blood run cold in his veins; his large
+nose, whose shadow covered all one side of his face, as the shadow of
+Mount Etna covers a considerable portion of the island of Sicily, stood
+out prominently, almost grotesquely, in profile; his mustache, with its
+long stiff points carefully waxed, which produced exactly the effect of
+an iron skewer stuck through his upper lip, and the "royal" on his chin
+curled upward, like a comma turned the wrong way, all contributed to
+make up a very extraordinary physiognomy, such as caricaturists dote on.
+He wore a large scarlet cloak, wrapped closely about his erect, vigorous
+form, and in one hand, which he extended towards the duke, he held
+suspended a well filled purse--a strange and mysterious proceeding which
+Mirindol could by no means understand.
+
+"Well, you rascal," said the duke, after staring for a moment in
+astonishment at this odd-looking specimen, "what does this mean? Are you
+offering alms to me, pray, or what? with your purse there held out at
+arm's length, apparently for my acceptance."
+
+"In the first place, my lord duke," said Lampourde, with perfect
+sang-froid and gravity, "may it not displease your highness, but I am
+not a rascal. My name is Jacquemin Lampourde, and I ply the sword for a
+living. My profession is an honourable one. I have never degraded myself
+by taking part in trade of any kind, or by manual labour. Killing is my
+business, at the risk of my own life and limb--for I always do my work
+alone, unaided, armed only with my trusty sword. Fair play is a jewel,
+and I would scorn to take a mean advantage of anybody. I always give
+warning before I attack a man, and let him have a chance to defend
+himself--having a horror of treachery, and cowardly, sneaking ways. What
+profession could be more noble than mine, pray? I am no common, brutal
+assassin, my lord duke, and I beseech your lordship to take back that
+offensive epithet, which I could never accept, save in a friendly,
+joking way--it outrages too painfully the sensitive delicacy of my
+amour-propre, my lord!"
+
+"Very well, so be it, Maitre Jacquemin Lampourde, since you desire it,"
+answered Vallombreuse, very much amused at the oddity of his strange
+visitor. "And now have the goodness to explain your business here, with
+a purse in your hand, that you certainly appear to be steadily offering
+to me."
+
+Jacquemin satisfied by this concession to his susceptibility, suddenly
+jerked his head forward, without bending his body, while he waved the
+hat that he held slowly to and fro, making, according to his ideas,
+a salute that was a judicious mingling of the soldier's and the
+courtier's--which ceremony being concluded, he proceeded as follows with
+his explanation:
+
+"Here is the whole thing in a nutshell, my lord duke! I received,
+from Merindol--acting for your lordship--part payment in advance
+for despatching a certain Baron de Sigognac, commonly called Captain
+Fracasse. On account of circumstances beyond my control, I have not been
+able to finish the job, and as I am a great stickler for honesty, and
+honour also, I have hastened to bring back to you, my lord duke, the
+money that I did not earn."
+
+With these words he advanced a step, and with a gesture that was not
+devoid of dignity, gently laid the purse down on a beautiful Florentine
+mosaic table, that stood at the duke's elbow.
+
+"Verily," said Vallombreuse sneeringly, "we seem to have here one of
+those droll bullies who are good for naught but to figure in a comedy;
+an ass in a lion's skin, whose roar is nothing worse than a bray. Come,
+my man, own up frankly that you were afraid of that same de Sigognac."
+
+"Jacquemin Lampourde has never been afraid of anybody in his life," the
+fighting man replied, drawing himself up haughtily, "and no adversary
+has ever seen his back. Those who know me will tell your lordship that
+easy victories have no charm for me. I love danger and court it. I
+take positive delight in it. I attacked the Baron de Sigognac 'secundum
+artem,' and with one of my very best swords--made by Alonzo de Sahagun,
+the elder, of Toledo."
+
+"Well, and what happened then?" said the young duke eagerly. "It would
+seem that you could not have been victorious, since you wish to refund
+this money, which was to pay you for despatching him."
+
+"First let me inform your highness that in the course of my duels and
+combats, of one sort and another, I have left no less than thirty-seven
+men stretched dead upon the ground--and that without counting in all
+those I have wounded mortally or crippled for life. But this Baron
+de Sigognac intrenched himself within a circle of flashing steel
+as impenetrable as the walls of a granite fortress. I called into
+requisition all the resources of my art against him, and tried in
+every possible way to surprise him off his guard, but he was ready for
+everything--as quick as a flash, as firm as a rock--he parried every
+thrust triumphantly, magnificently, with the most consummate science,
+and a grace and ease I have never seen equalled. He kept me busy
+defending myself too all the time, and more than once had nearly done
+for me. His audacity was astonishing, his sang froid superb, and his
+perfect mastery over his sword, and his temper, sublime--he was not a
+man, but a god. I could have fallen down and worshipped him. At the risk
+of being spitted on his sword, I prolonged the fight as much as I dared,
+so as to enjoy his marvellous, glorious, unparalleled method to the
+utmost. However, there had to be an end of it, and I thought I was sure
+of despatching him at last by means of a secret I possess--an infallible
+and very difficult thrust, taught and bequeathed to me by the great
+Girolamo of Naples, my beloved master--no man living has a knowledge
+of it but myself--there is no one else left capable of executing it
+to perfection, and upon that depends its success. Well, my lord duke,
+Girolamo himself could not have done it better than I did to-night. I
+was thunderstruck when my opponent did not go down before it as if he
+had been shot. I expected to see him lying dead at my feet. But not
+at all, by Jove! That devil of a Captain Fracasse parried my blow with
+dazzling swiftness, and with such force that my blade was broken short
+off, and I left completely at his mercy, with nothing but the stump in
+my hand. See here, my lord duke! just look what he did to my precious,
+priceless Sahagun." And Jacquemin Lampourde, with a piteous air, drew
+out and exhibited the sorry remains of his trusty sword--almost weeping
+over it--and calling the duke's attention to the perfectly straight and
+even break.
+
+"Your highness can see that it was a prodigious blow that snapped this
+steel like a pipe-stem, and it was done with such ease and precision.
+To despatch Captain Fracasse by fair means is beyond my skill, my lord
+duke, and I would scorn to resort to treachery. Like all truly brave
+men, he is generous. I was left entirely defenceless, and he could have
+spitted me like an ortolan just by extending his arm, but he refrained;
+he let me go unscathed. A miraculous display of delicacy, as well as
+chivalrous generosity, from a gentleman assaulted in the gloaming on the
+Pont-Neuf. I owe my life to him, and moreover, such a debt of gratitude
+as I shall never be able to repay. I cannot undertake anything more
+against him, my lord duke; henceforth he is sacred to me. Besides, it
+would be a pity to destroy such a swordsman--good ones are rare in these
+degenerate days, and growing more so every year. I don't believe he has
+his equal on earth. Most men handle a sword as if it were a broomstick
+nowadays, and then expect to be praised and applauded, the clumsy,
+stupid fools! Now, I have given my reasons for coming to inform your
+highness that I must resign the commission I had accepted. As for the
+money there, I might perhaps have been justified in keeping it, to
+indemnify me for the great risk and peril I incurred, but such a
+questionable proceeding would be repugnant to my tender conscience and
+my honest pride, as your highness can understand."
+
+"In the name of all the devils in the infernal regions, take back your
+money!" cried Vallombreuse impetuously, "or I will have you pitched out
+of the window yonder, you and your money both. I never heard of such
+a scrupulous scoundrel in my life. You, Merindol, and your cursed
+crew, have not a spark of honour or honesty among you all; far enough
+from it." Then perceiving that Lampourde hesitated about picking up
+the purse, he added, "Take it, I tell you! I give it to you to drink my
+health with."
+
+"In that, my lord duke, you shall be religiously obeyed," Lampourde
+replied joyfully; "however, I do not suppose that your highness will
+object to my dedicating part of it to lansquenet." And he stretched out
+his long arm, seized the purse, and with one dexterous movement, like a
+juggler, chucked it jingling into the depths of his pocket.
+
+"It is understood then, my lord duke, that I retire from the affair so
+far as the Baron de Sigognac is concerned," continued Lampourde, "but,
+if agreeable to your highness, it will be taken in hand by my 'alter
+ego,' the Chevalier Malartic, who is worthy to be intrusted with the
+most delicate and hazardous enterprises, because of his remarkable
+adroitness and superior ability, and he is one of the best fellows
+in the world into the bargain. I had sketched out a scheme for the
+abduction of the young actress, in whom your highness condescends
+to take an interest, which Malartic will now carry out, with all the
+wonderful perfection of detail that characterizes his clever way of
+doing things. Merindol here, who knows him, will testify to his rare
+qualifications, my lord duke, and you could not find a better man
+for your purpose. I am presenting a real treasure to your lordship in
+tendering Malartic's services. When he is wanted your highness has only
+to send a trusty messenger to mark a cross in chalk on the left-hand
+door-post of the Crowned Radish. Malartic will understand, and repair at
+once, in proper disguise, to this house, to receive your lordship's last
+orders."
+
+Having finished this triumphant address, Maitre Jacquemin Lampourde
+again saluted the duke as before, then put his hat on his head and
+stalked majestically out of the room, exceedingly well satisfied with
+his own eloquence, and what he considered courtly grace, in the presence
+of so illustrious a nobleman. His oddity and originality, together
+with his strange mingling of lofty notions of honour and rascality, had
+greatly amused and interested the young Duke of Vallombreuse, who was
+even willing to forgive him for not having despatched de Sigognac; for,
+if even this famous professional duellist could not get the better of
+him, he really must be invincible, and in consequence the thought of his
+own defeat became less galling and intolerable to his pride and
+vanity. Moreover, he had not been able to get rid of an uncomfortable
+consciousness, even in his most angry mood, that his endeavouring to
+compass de Sigognac's assassination was rather too great an enormity,
+not on account of any conscientious scruples, but simply because his
+rival was a gentleman; he would not have hesitated a second about having
+half-a-dozen bourgeois murdered, if they had been rash or unfortunate
+enough to interfere with him, the blood of such base, ignoble
+creature being of no more consequence in his eyes than so much
+water. Vallombreuse would have liked to despatch his enemy himself
+in honourable combat, but that was rendered impossible by the baron's
+superior ability as a swordsman, of which he still had a painful
+reminder in his wounded arm; which was scarcely healed yet, and would
+prevent his indulging in anything like a duel for some time to come. So
+his thoughts turned to the abduction of the young actress; a pleasanter
+subject to dwell upon, as he felt not the slightest doubt that once he
+had her to himself, separated from de Sigognac and her companions, she
+would not long be able to withstand his eloquent pleading and personal
+attractions. His self-conceit was boundless, but not much to be wondered
+at, considering his invariable and triumphant success in affairs of
+gallantry; so, in spite of his recent repulse, he flattered himself that
+he only required a fitting opportunity to obtain from Isabelle all that
+he desired.
+
+"Let me have her for a few days in some secluded place," said he to
+himself, "where she cannot escape from me, or have any intercourse with
+her friends, and I shall be sure to win her heart. I shall be so kind
+and good and considerate to her, treat her with so much delicacy and
+devotion, that she cannot help feeling grateful to me; and then the
+transition to love will be easy and natural. But when once I have won
+her, made her wholly mine, then she shall pay dearly for what she has
+made me suffer. Yes, my lady, I mean to have my revenge--you may rest
+assured of that."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV. MALARTIC AT WORK
+
+If the Duke of Vallombreuse had been furious after his unsuccessful
+visit to Isabelle, the Baron de Sigognac was not less so, when, upon his
+return that evening, he learned what had taken place during his absence.
+The tyrant and Blazius were almost obliged to use force to prevent his
+rushing off, without losing a minute, to challenge the duke to mortal
+combat--a challenge sure to be refused; for de Sigognac, being neither
+the brother nor husband of the injured fair one, had no earthly right
+to call any other gentleman to account for his conduct towards her; in
+France all men are at liberty to pay their court to every pretty woman.
+
+As to the attack upon the baron on the Pont-Neuf, there could be no
+doubt that it was instigated by the Duke of Vallombreuse; but how
+to prove it? that was the difficulty. And even supposing it could be
+proved, what good would that do? In the eyes of the world the Baron
+de Sigognac, who carefully concealed his real rank, was only Captain
+Fracasse, a low play-actor, upon whom a great noble, like the Duke of
+Vallombreuse, had a perfect right to inflict a beating, imprisonment, or
+even assassination, if it so pleased him; and that without incurring the
+blame, or serious disapproval, of his friends and equals.
+
+So far as Isabelle was concerned, if the affair were made public, nobody
+would believe that she was really pure and virtuous--the very fact of
+her being an actress was enough to condemn her--for her sake it was
+important to keep the matter secret if possible. So there was positively
+no means of calling their enemy to account for his flagrant misdeeds,
+though de Sigognac, who was almost beside himself with rage and
+indignation, and burning to avenge Isabelle's wrongs and his own, swore
+that he would punish him, even if he had to move heaven and earth
+to compass it. Yet, when he became a little calmer, he could not but
+acknowledge that Herode and Blazius were right in advising that
+they should all remain perfectly quiet, and feign the most absolute
+indifference; but at the same time keep their eyes and ears very wide
+open, and be unceasingly on their guard against artful surprises, since
+it was only too evident that the vindictive young duke, who was handsome
+as a god and wicked as the devil, did not intend to abandon his designs
+upon them; although thus far he had failed ignominiously in everything
+he had undertaken against them.
+
+A gentle, loving remonstrance from Isabelle, as she held de Sigognac's
+hands, all hot and trembling with suppressed rage, between her own soft,
+cool palms, and caressingly interlaced her slender white fingers with
+his, did more to pacify him than all the rest, and he finally yielded to
+her persuasions; promising to keep quiet himself, and allow, things to
+go on just as usual.
+
+Meantime the representations of the troupe had met with splendid
+success. Isabelle's modest grace and refined beauty, Serafina's more
+brilliant charms, the soubrette's sparkling vivacity and bewitching
+coquetry, the superb extravagances of Captain Fracasse, the tyrant's
+majestic mien, Leander's manly beauty, the grotesque good humour of the
+pedant, Scapin's spicy deviltries, and the duenna's perfect acting
+had taken Paris by storm, and their highest hopes were likely to be
+realized. Having triumphantly won the approbation of the Parisians,
+nothing was wanting but to gain also that of the court, then at Saint
+Germain, and a rumour had reached their ears that they were shortly to
+be summoned thither; for it was asserted that the king, having heard
+such favourable reports of them, had expressed a desire to see them
+himself. Whereas Herode, in his character of treasurer, greatly
+rejoiced, and all felt a pleasant excitement at the prospect of so
+distinguished an honour. Meanwhile the troupe was often in requisition
+to give private representations at the houses of various people of rank
+and wealth in Paris, and it quickly became the fashion among them to
+offer this very popular style of entertainment to their guests.
+
+Thus it befell that the tyrant, being perfectly accustomed to that sort
+of thing, was not at all surprised, or suspicious of evil, when one
+fine morning a stranger, of most venerable and dignified mien, presented
+himself at the hotel in the Rue Dauphine, and asked to speak with him
+on business. He appeared to be the major-domo, or steward, of some great
+nobleman's establishment, and, in effect, announced to Herode that he
+had been sent to consult with him, as manager of the troupe, by his
+master, the Comte de Pommereuil.
+
+This highly respectable old functionary was richly dressed in black
+velvet, and had a heavy gold chain round his neck. His face was slightly
+sunburnt; the wavy hair that fell upon his shoulders, his thick, bushy
+eyebrows, heavy mustache, and long, sweeping beard were all white as
+snow. He had the most patriarchal, benevolent air imaginable, and a very
+gentle, yet dignified manner. The tyrant could not help admiring him
+very much, as he said, courteously, "Are you, sir, the famous Herode I
+am in quest of, who rules with a hand as firm as Apollo's the excellent
+company of comedians now playing in Paris? Their renown has gone abroad,
+beyond the walls of the city, and penetrated even to my master's ears,
+on his estate out in the country."
+
+"Yes, I have the honour to be the man you seek," the tyrant answered,
+bowing very graciously.
+
+"The Comte de Pommereuil greatly desires to have you give one of your
+celebrated representations at his chateau, where guests of high rank are
+sojourning at this moment, and I have come to ascertain whether it will
+be possible for you to do so. The distance is not very considerable,
+only a few leagues. The comte, my master, is a very great and
+generous seignior, who is prepared to reward your illustrious company
+munificently for their trouble, and will do everything in his power to
+make them comfortable while they are under his roof."
+
+"I will gladly do all that I can to please your noble master," the
+tyrant replied, "though it will be a little difficult for us to leave
+Paris at present, just in the height of the season; even if it be only
+for a short absence."
+
+"Three days would suffice for this expedition," said the venerable
+major-domo persuasively; "one for the journey, the second for the
+representation, and the third for the return to Paris. There is a
+capital theatre at the chateau, furnished with everything that is
+requisite, so that you need not be encumbered with much luggage--nothing
+beyond your costumes. Here is a purse containing a hundred pistoles that
+the Comte de Pommereuil charged me to put into your hands, to defray
+the expenses of the journey. You will receive as much more before
+you return, and there will be handsome presents for the actresses
+forthcoming, of valuable jewels, as souvenirs of the occasion."
+
+After a momentary hesitation, the tyrant accepted the well-filled purse
+tendered to him, and, with a gesture of acquiescence, put it into his
+pocket.
+
+"I am to understand then that you accept, and I may tell my master that
+you will give a representation at the chateau, as he desires?"
+
+"Yes, I place myself and my company at his disposition," Herode said,
+smilingly. "And now let me know what day you want us to go, and which of
+our pieces your master prefers."
+
+"Thursday is the day my master designated; as for selecting the play,
+that he leaves to your own good taste and discretion."
+
+"Very well; and now you have only to give me directions as to the road
+we must take to reach the chateau. Be as explicit as you can, I pray
+you, so that there may be no danger of our going astray."
+
+The agent of the Comte de Pommereuil accordingly gave the most minute
+and exact directions possible, but ended by saying, "Never mind, you
+need not burden your memory with all these troublesome details! I will
+send you a lackey to serve as guide."
+
+Matters being thus satisfactorily arranged, the charming old major-domo
+took leave of Herode, who accompanied him down the stairs and across
+the court to the outer door of the hotel, and departed, looking back to
+exchange a last polite sign of farewell ere he turned the corner of the
+street. If the honest tyrant could have seen him as he walked briskly
+away, the moment he was safely out of sight, he would have been
+astonished at the way the broad, stooping shoulders straightened
+themselves up, and at the rapid, vigorous step that succeeded to the
+slow, rather infirm gait of his venerable visitor--but these things our
+worthy Herode neither saw nor suspected.
+
+On Wednesday morning, as the comedians were finishing the packing of
+their chariot, which stood ready for departure in the courtyard of the
+hotel, with a pair of fine spirited horses before it that the tyrant had
+hired for the journey, a tall, rather fierce-looking lackey, dressed
+in a neat livery and mounted on a stout pony, presented himself at the
+outer door, cracking his whip vigorously, and announcing himself as
+the guide, sent according to promise by the considerate major-domo, to
+conduct them to the Chateau de Pommereuil.
+
+Eight clear strokes rang out from the Samaritan just as the heavy
+vehicle emerged into the Rue Dauphine, and our company of players set
+forth on their ill-fated expedition. In less than half an hour they had
+left the Porte Saint Antoine and the Bastile behind them, passed through
+the thickly settled faubourg and gained the open country; advancing
+towards Vincennes, which they could distinguish in the distance, with
+its massive keep partially veiled by a delicate blue mist, that was
+rapidly dispersing under the influence of the bright, morning sunshine.
+As the horses were fresh, and travelled at a good pace, they soon came
+up with the ancient fortress--which was still formidable in appearance,
+though it could not have offered any adequate resistance to the
+projectiles of modern artillery. The gilded crescents on the minarets of
+the chapel built by Pierre de Montereau shone out brightly, as if joyous
+at finding themselves in such close proximity to the cross--the sign of
+redemption. After pausing a few minutes to admire this monument of
+the ancient splendour of our kings, the travellers entered the forest,
+where, amid the dense growth of younger trees, stood a few majestic old
+oaks--contemporaries doubtless of the one under which Saint Louis, that
+king of blessed memory, used to sit and dispense justice to his loyal
+subjects in person--a most becoming and laudable occupation for a
+monarch.
+
+The road was so little used that it was grass-grown in many places, and
+the chariot rolled so smoothly and noiselessly along over it that they
+occasionally surprised a party of rabbits frolicking merrily together,
+and were very much amused to see them scamper away, in as great a hurry
+as if the hounds were at their heels. Farther on a frightened deer
+bounded across the road in front of them, and they could watch its
+swift, graceful flight for some distance amid the leafless trees.
+The young baron was especially interested in all these things, being
+country-bred, and it was a delight unspeakable to him to see the fields,
+the hedgerows, the forest, and the wild creatures of the wood once more.
+It was a pleasure he had been deprived of ever since he had frequented
+cities and towns, where there is nothing to look at but dingy houses,
+muddy streets and smoky chimneys--the works of man not of God. He would
+have pined in them for the fresh country air if he had not had the sweet
+companionship of the lovely woman he adored; in whose deep, blue eyes he
+saw a whole heaven of bliss.
+
+Upon emerging from the wood the road wound up a steep hill-side, so the
+horses were stopped, to rest a few minutes before beginning the ascent,
+and de Sigognac, profiting by the opportunity thus afforded him, said to
+Isabelle, "Dear heart, will you get down and walk a little way with me?
+You will find it a pleasant change and rest after sitting still in
+the chariot so long. The road is smooth and dry, and the sunshine
+deliciously warm--do come!"
+
+Isabelle joyfully acceded to this request, and putting her hand into the
+one extended to help her, jumped lightly down. It was a welcome means of
+according an innocent tete-a-tete to her devoted lover, and both felt
+as if they were treading on air, they were so happy to find themselves
+alone together, as, arm in arm, they walked briskly forward, until they
+were out of sight of their companions. Then they paused to look long and
+lovingly into each other's eyes, and de Sigognac began again to pour out
+to Isabelle "the old, old story," that she was never weary of hearing,
+but found more heavenly sweet at every telling. They were like the first
+pair of mortal lovers in Paradise, entirely sufficient to and happy
+in each other. Yet even then Isabelle gently checked the passionate
+utterances of her faithful suitor, and strove to moderate his rapturous
+transports, though their very fervour made her heart rejoice, and
+brought a bright flush to her cheeks and a happy light to her eyes that
+rendered her more adorably beautiful than ever.
+
+"Whatever you may do or say, my darling," he answered, with a sweet,
+tender smile, "you will never be able to tire out my constancy. If need
+be, I will wait for you until all your scruples shall have vanished of
+themselves--though it be not till these beautiful, soft brown tresses,
+with their exquisite tinge of gold where the sun shines on them, shall
+have turned to silver."
+
+"Oh!" cried Isabelle, "I shall be so old and so ugly then that even
+your sublime courage will be daunted, and I fear that in rewarding
+your perseverance and fidelity by the gift of myself I should only be
+punishing my devoted knight and brave champion."
+
+"You will never be ugly, my beloved Isabelle, if you live to be a
+hundred," he replied, with an adoring glance, "for yours is not the mere
+physical beauty, that fades away and vanishes--it is the beauty of the
+soul, which is immortal."
+
+"All the same you would be badly off," rejoined Isabelle, "if I were to
+take you at your word, and promise to be yours when I was old and gray.
+But enough of this jesting," she continued gravely, "let us be serious!
+You know my resolution, de Sigognac, so try to content yourself with
+being the object of the deepest, truest, most devoted love that was ever
+yet bestowed on mortal man since hearts began to beat in this strange
+world of ours."
+
+"Such a charming avowal ought to satisfy me, I admit, but it does
+not! My love for you is infinite--it can brook no bounds--it is ever
+increasing--rising higher and higher, despite your heavenly voice, that
+bids it keep within the limits you have fixed for it."
+
+"Do not talk so, de Sigognac! you vex me by such extravagances," said
+Isabelle, with a little pout that was as charming as her sweetest smile;
+for in spite of herself her heart beat high with joy at these fervent
+protestations of a love that no coldness could repel, no remonstrance
+diminish.
+
+They walked on a little way in silence--de Sigognac not daring to say
+more then, lest he should seriously displease the sweet creature he
+loved better than his own life. Suddenly she drew her arm out of his,
+and with an exclamation of delight, sprang to a little bank by the
+road-side, where she had spied a tiny violet, peeping out from amid
+the dead leaves that had lain there all the winter through--the first
+harbinger of spring, smiling up at her a friendly greeting, despite the
+wintry cold of February. She knelt down and gently cleared away the dry
+leaves and grass about it, carefully broke the frail little stem, and
+returned to de Sigognac's side with her treasure--more delighted than if
+she had found a precious jewel lying hidden among the mosses.
+
+"Only see, how exquisitely beautiful and delicate it is"--said she,
+showing it to him--"with its dear little petals scarcely unrolled yet
+to return the greeting of this bright, warm sunshine, that has roused it
+from its long winter sleep."
+
+"It was not the sunshine, however bright and warm," answered de
+Sigognac, "but the light of your eyes, sweet Isabelle, that made it open
+out to greet you--and it is exactly the colour too of those dear eyes of
+yours."
+
+"It has scarcely any fragrance, but that is because it's so cold," said
+Isabelle, loosening her scarf, and putting it carefully inside the ruff
+that encircled her slender, white neck. In a few minutes she took it out
+again, inhaled its rich perfume, pressed it furtively to her lips, and
+offered it to de Sigognac.
+
+"See how sweet it is now! The warmth I imparted to it has reassured
+the little modest, timid blossom, and it breathes out its incomparable
+fragrance in gratitude to me."
+
+"Say rather that it has received it from you," he replied, raising the
+violet tenderly to his lips, and taking from it the kiss Isabelle had
+bestowed--"for this delicate, delicious odour has nothing gross or
+earthly about it--it is angelically pure and sweet, like yourself, my
+own Isabelle."
+
+"Ah! the naughty flatterer," said she, smiling upon him with all her
+heart in her eyes. "I give him a little flower that he may enjoy its
+perfume, and straightway he draws from it inspiration for all sorts of
+high-flown conceits, and fine compliments. There's no doing anything
+with him--to the simplest, most commonplace remark he replies with a
+poetical flight of fancy."
+
+However, she could not have been very seriously displeased, for she
+took his arm again, and even leaned upon it rather more heavily than the
+exigencies of the way actually required; which goes to prove that the
+purest virtue is not insensible to pretty compliments, and that modesty
+itself knows how to recompense delicate flattery.
+
+Not far from the road they were travelling stood a small group of
+thatched cottages--scarcely more than huts--whose inhabitants were all
+afield at their work, excepting a poor blind man, attended by a little
+ragged boy, who sat on a stone by the wayside, apparently to solicit
+alms from those who passed by. Although he seemed to be extremely aged
+and feeble, he was chanting a sort of lament over his misfortunes, and
+an appeal to the charity of travellers, in a loud, whining, yet vigorous
+voice; promising his prayers to those who gave him of their substance,
+and assuring them that they should surely go to Paradise as a reward for
+their generosity. For some time before they came up with him, Isabelle
+and de Sigognac had heard his doleful chant--much to the annoyance of
+the latter; for when one is listening, entranced, to the sweet singing
+of the nightingale, it is sorely vexatious to be intruded upon by the
+discordant croaking of a raven. As they drew near to the poor old blind
+man, they saw his little attendant bend down and whisper in his ear,
+whereupon he redoubled his groans and supplications--at the same time
+holding out towards them a small wooden bowl, in which were a few
+coppers, and shaking it, so as to make them rattle as loudly as
+possible, to attract their attention. He was a venerable looking old
+man, with a long white beard, and seemed to be shivering with cold,
+despite the great, thick, woollen cloak in which he was wrapped. The
+child, a wild-looking little creature, whose scanty, tattered clothing
+was but a poor protection against the stinging cold, shrunk timidly from
+notice, and tried to hide himself behind his aged charge. Isabelle's
+tender heart was moved to pity at the sight of so much misery, and she
+stopped in front of the forlorn little group while she searched in her
+pocket for her purse--not finding it there she turned to her companion
+and asked him to lend her a little money for the poor old blind beggar,
+which the baron hastened to do--though he was thoroughly out of patience
+with his whining jeremiads--and, to prevent Isabelle's coming in actual
+contact with him, stepped forward himself to deposit the coins in his
+wooden bowl. Thereupon, instead of tearfully thanking his benefactor
+and invoking blessings upon his head, after the usual fashion of such
+gentry, the blind man--to Isabelle's inexpressible alarm--suddenly
+sprang to his feet, and straightening himself up with a jerk, opened his
+arms wide, as a vulture spreads its wings for flight, gathered up his
+ample cloak about his shoulders with lightning rapidity and flung
+it from him with a quick, sweeping motion like that with which the
+fisherman casts his net. The huge, heavy mantle spread itself out like
+a dense cloud directly above de Sigognac, and falling over and about him
+enveloped him from head to foot in its long, clinging folds, held
+firmly down by the lead with which its edges were weighted--making him a
+helpless prisoner--depriving him at once of sight and breath, and of the
+use of his hands and feet. The young actress, wild with terror, turned
+to fly and call for help, but before she could stir, or utter a sound,
+a hand was clapped over her mouth, and she felt herself lifted from the
+ground. The old blind beggar, who, as by a miracle, had suddenly become
+young and active, and possessed of all his faculties, had seized her by
+the shoulders, while the boy took her by the feet, and they carried her
+swiftly and silently round a clump of bushes near by to where a man on
+horseback and masked, was waiting for them. Two other men, also mounted
+and masked, and armed to the teeth, were standing close at hand, behind
+a wall that prevented their being seen from the road. Poor Isabelle,
+nearly fainting with fright, was lifted up in front of the first
+horseman, and seated on a cloak folded so as to serve for a cushion; a
+broad leather strap being passed round her waist, which also encircled
+that of the rider, to hold her securely in her place. All this was done
+with great rapidity and dexterity, as if her captors were accustomed
+to such manoeuvres, and then the horseman, who held her firmly with one
+hand, shook his bridle with the other, drove his spurs into the horse's
+sides, and was off like a flash--the whole thing being done in less
+time than it takes to describe it. Meanwhile de Sigognac was struggling
+fiercely and wildly under the heavy cloak that enveloped him--like a
+gladiator entangled in his adversary's net--beside himself with rage and
+despair, as he gasped for breath in his stifling prison, and
+realized that this diabolical outrage must be the work of the Duke of
+Vallombreuse. Suddenly, like an inspiration, the thought flashed into
+his mind of using his dagger to free himself from the thick, clinging
+folds, that weighed him down like the leaden cloaks of the wretched
+condemned spirits we read of with a shudder in Dante's Inferno. With two
+or three strong, quick strokes he succeeded in cutting through it, and
+casting it from him, with a fierce imprecation, perceived Isabelle's
+abductors, still near at hand, galloping across a neighbouring field,
+and apparently making for a thick grove at a considerable distance from
+where he was standing. As to the blind beggar and the child, they had
+disappeared--probably hiding somewhere near by--but de Sigognac did
+not waste a second thought on them; throwing off his own cloak, lest it
+should impede him, he started swiftly in pursuit of the flying enemy and
+their fair prize, with fury and despair in his heart. He was agile and
+vigorous, lithe of frame, fleet of foot, the very figure for a runner,
+and he quickly began to gain on the horsemen. As soon as they became
+aware of this one of them drew a pistol from his girdle and fired at
+their pursuer, but missed him; whereupon de Sigognac, bounding rapidly
+from side to side as he ran, made it impossible for them to take aim at
+him, and effectually prevented their arresting his course in that way.
+The man who had Isabelle in front of him tried to ride on in advance,
+and leave the other two to deal with the baron, but the young actress
+struggled so violently on the horse's neck, and kept clutching so
+persistently at the bridle, that his rider could not urge him to his
+greatest speed. Meantime de Sigognac was steadily gaining upon them;
+without slackening his pace he had managed to draw his sword from the
+scabbard, and brandished it aloft, ready for action, as he ran. It is
+true that he was one against three--that he was on foot while they were
+on horseback--but he had not time to consider the odds against him, and
+he seemed possessed of the strength of a giant in Isabelle's behalf.
+Making a prodigious effort, he suddenly increased his speed, and coming
+up with the two horsemen, who were a little behind the other one,
+quickly disposed of them, by vigorously pricking their horses' flanks
+with the point of his sword; for, what with fright and pain, the
+animals, after plunging violently, threw off all restraint and
+bolted--dashing off across country as if the devil were after them, and
+carrying their riders with them, just as de Sigognac had expected
+and intended that they should do. The brave young baron was nearly
+spent--panting, almost sobbing, as he struggled desperately on--feeling
+as if his heart would burst at every agonizing throb; but he was indued
+with supernatural strength and endurance, and as Isabelle's voice
+reached his ear calling, "Help, de Sigognac, help!" he cleared with a
+bound the space that separated them, and leaping up to catch the broad
+leathern strap that was passed round her and her captor, answered in a
+hoarse, shrill tone, "I am here." Clinging to the strap, he ran along
+beside the galloping horse--like the grooms that the Romans called
+desultores--and strove with all his might to pull the rider down out
+of his saddle. He did not dare to use his sword to disable him, as they
+struggled together, lest he should wound Isabelle also; and, meantime,
+the man on horseback was trying his utmost to shake off his fierce
+assailant-unsuccessfully, because he had both hands fully occupied with
+his horse and his captive, who was doing all she could to slip from his
+grasp, and throw herself into her lover's arms. Loosing his hold on the
+rein for a second, the horseman managed to draw a knife from his girdle,
+and with one blow severed the strap to which the baron was clinging;
+then, driving his spurs into the horse's sides made the frightened
+animal spring suddenly forward, while de Sigognac--who was not prepared
+for this emergency, and found himself deprived of all support--fell
+violently upon his back in the road. He was up again in an instant, and
+flying after Isabelle, who was now being borne rapidly away from him,
+and whose cries for help came more and more faintly to his ear; but the
+moment he had lost made his pursuit hopeless, and he knew that it was
+all in vain when he saw her disappear behind the thicket her ravisher
+had been aiming for from the first. His heart sank within him, and he
+staggered as he still ran feebly on--feeling now the effects of his
+superhuman exertions, and fearing at each step that his feet would carry
+him no farther. He was soon overtaken by Herode and Scapin, who, alarmed
+by the pistol shot, and fearing that something was wrong, had started
+in hot pursuit, though the lackey who served them as guide had done all
+that he possibly could to hinder them, and in a few faltering words he
+told them what had occurred.
+
+"Vallombreuse again!" cried the tyrant, with an oath. "But how the devil
+did he get wind of our expedition to the Chateau de Pommereuil? or can
+it be possible that it was all a plot from the beginning, and we are
+bound on a fool's errand? I really begin to think it must be so. If it
+is true, I never saw a better actor in my life than that respectable old
+major-domo, confound him! But let us make haste and search this grove
+thoroughly; we may find some trace of poor Isabelle; sweet creature that
+she is! Rough old tyrant though I be, my heart warms to her, and I love
+her more tenderly than I do myself. Alas! I'm afraid, that this poor,
+innocent, little fly is caught in the toils of a cruel spider, who will
+take care never to let us get sight of her again."
+
+"I will crush him," said de Sigognac, striking his heel savagely on the
+ground, as if he actually had the spider under it. "I will crush
+the life out of him, the venomous beast!" and the fierce, determined
+expression of his usually calm, mild countenance showed that this was no
+idle threat, but that he was terribly in earnest.
+
+"Look," cried Herode, as they dashed through the thicket, "there they
+are!"
+
+They could just discern, through the screen of leafless but thickly
+interlaced branches, a carriage, with all the curtains carefully closed,
+and drawn by four horses lashed to a gallop, which was rapidly rolling
+away from them in the distance. The two men whose horses had run away
+with them had them again under control, and were riding on either side
+of it--one of them leading the horse that had carried Isabelle and
+her captor. HE was doubtless mounting guard over her in the
+carriage--perhaps using force to keep her quiet--at thought of which
+de Sigognac could scarcely control the transport of rage and agony that
+shook him. Although the three pursuers followed the fugitives, as fast
+as they could run, it was all of no avail, for they soon lost sight of
+them altogether, and nothing remained to be done but to ascertain, if
+possible, the direction they had taken, so as to have some clew to poor
+Isabelle's whereabouts. They had considerable difficulty in making out
+the marks of the carriage wheels, for the roads were very dry; and when
+at length they had succeeded in tracing them to a place where four roads
+met they lost them entirely--it was utterly impossible to tell which
+way they had gone. After a long and fruitless search they turned back
+sorrowfully to join their companions, trying to devise some plan for
+Isabelle's rescue, but feeling acutely how hopeless it was. They found
+the others in the chariot waiting for them, just where the tyrant and
+Scapin had left them, for their false guide had put spurs to his horse
+and ridden off after his confederates, as soon as he became aware
+that their undertaking had proved successful. When Herode asked an old
+peasant woman, who came by with a bundle of fagots on her back, how
+far it was to the Chateau de Pommereuil, she answered that there was no
+place of that name anywhere in the country round. Upon being questioned
+closely, she said that she had lived in the neighbourhood for seventy
+years, knew every house within many leagues, and could positively assure
+them that there was no such Chateau within a day's journey. So it was
+only too evident that they were the dupes of the clever agents of the
+Duke of Vallombreuse, who had at last succeeded in getting possession
+of Isabelle, as he had sworn that he would do. Accordingly, all of the
+party turned back towards Paris, excepting de Sigognac, the tyrant and
+Scapin, who had decided to go on to the next village, where they hoped
+to be able to procure horses, with which to prosecute their search for
+Isabelle and her abductors.
+
+After the baron's fall, she had been swiftly taken on to the other side
+of the thicket, where the carriage stood awaiting her; then lifted down
+from the horse and put into it, in spite of her frantic struggles and
+remonstrances. The man who had held her in front of him got down also
+and sprang in after her, closing the door with a bang, and instantly
+they were off at a tremendous pace. He seated himself opposite to her,
+and when she impetuously tried to pull aside the curtain, so that she
+could see out of the window nearest to her, he respectfully but firmly
+restrained her.
+
+"Mademoiselle, I implore you to keep quiet," he said, with the utmost
+politeness, "and not oblige me to use forcible means to restrain so
+charming and adorable a creature as your most lovely self. No harm shall
+come to you--do not be afraid!--only kindness is intended; therefore I
+beseech you do not persist in vain resistance. If you will only submit
+quietly, you shall be treated with as much consideration and respect as
+a captive queen, but if you go on acting like the devil, struggling and
+shrieking, I have means to bring you to terms, and I shall certainly
+resort to them. THIS will stop your screaming, mademoiselle, and THIS
+will prevent your struggling."
+
+As he spoke he drew out of his pocket a small gag, very artistically
+made, and a long, thick, silken cord, rolled up into a ball.
+
+"It would be barbarous indeed," he continued, "to apply such a thing as
+this to that sweet, rosy mouth of yours, mademoiselle, as I am sure
+that you will admit--or to bind together those pretty, delicate, little
+wrists, upon which no worse fetters than diamond bracelets should ever
+be placed."
+
+Poor Isabelle, furious and frightened though she was, could not but
+acknowledge to herself that further physical resistance then would
+be worse than useless, and determined to spare herself at least such
+indignities as she was at that moment threatened with; so, without
+vouchsafing a word to her attendant, she threw herself back into the
+corner of the carriage, closed her eyes, and tried to keep perfectly
+still. But in spite of her utmost endeavours she could not altogether
+repress an occasional sob, nor hold back the great tears that welled
+forth from under her drooping eyelids and rolled down over her pale
+cheeks, as she thought of de Sigognac's despair and her own danger.
+
+"After the nervous excitement comes the moist stage;" said her masked
+guardian to himself, "things are following their usual and natural
+course. I am very glad of it, for I should have greatly disliked to be
+obliged to act a brutal part with such a sweet, charming girl as this."
+
+Now and then Isabelle opened her eyes and cast a timid glance at her
+abductor, who finally said to her, in a voice he vainly strove to render
+soft and mild:
+
+"You need not be afraid of me, mademoiselle! I would not harm you in any
+way for the world. If fortune had been more generous to me I certainly
+would never have undertaken this enterprise against such a lovely,
+gentle young lady as you are; but poor men like me are driven to all
+sorts of expedients to earn a little money; they have to take whatever
+comes within their reach, and sacrifice their scruples to their
+necessities."
+
+"You do admit then," said Isabelle vehemently, "that you have been
+bribed to carry me off? An infamous, cruel, outrageous thing it is."
+
+"After what I have had to do," he replied, "it would be idle to deny it.
+There are a good many philosophers like myself in Paris, mademoiselle,
+who, instead of indulging in love affairs, and intrigues of various
+sorts, of their own, interest themselves in those of other people, and,
+for a consideration, make use of their courage, ingenuity and strength
+to further them. But to change the subject, how charming you were in
+that last new play! You went through the scene of the avowal with a
+grace I have never seen equalled. I applauded you to the echo; the pair
+of hands that kept it up so perseveringly and vigorously, you know,
+belonged to me."
+
+"I beg you to dispense with these ill-judged remarks and compliments,
+and to tell me where you are taking me, in this strange, outrageous
+manner, against my will, and, in despite of all the ordinary usages of
+civilized society."
+
+"I cannot tell you that, mademoiselle, and besides, it would do you
+no sort of good to know. In our profession, you see, we are obliged to
+observe as much secrecy and discretion as confessors and physicians.
+Indeed, in such affairs as this we often do not know the names of the
+parties we are working for ourselves."
+
+"Do you mean to say that you do not know who has employed you to commit
+this abominable, cruel crime?"
+
+"It makes no difference whether I know his name or not, since I am not
+at liberty to disclose it to you. Think over your numerous admirers,
+mademoiselle! the most ardent and least favoured one among them would
+probably be at the bottom of all this."
+
+Finding that she could not get any information from him, Isabelle
+desisted, and did not speak again. She had not the slightest doubt
+that the Duke of Vallombreuse was the author of this new and daring
+enterprise. The significant and threatening way in which he had said "au
+revoir, mademoiselle," as he quitted her presence after she had repulsed
+him a few days before, had haunted her, and she had been in constant
+dread ever since of some new outrage. She hoped, against hope, that de
+Sigognac, her valiant lover, would yet come to her rescue, and thought
+proudly of the gallant deeds he had already done in her behalf that
+day--but how was he to find out where to seek her?
+
+"If worst comes to worst," she said to herself, "I still have Chiquita's
+knife, and I can and will escape from my persecutor in that way, if all
+other means fail."
+
+For two long hours she sat motionless, a prey to sad and terrible
+thoughts and fears, while the carriage rolled swiftly on without
+slackening its speed, save once, for a moment, when they changed horses.
+As the curtains were all lowered, she could not catch even a glimpse of
+the country she was passing through, nor tell in what direction she was
+being driven. At last she heard the hollow sound of a drawbridge under
+the wheels; the carriage stopped, and her masked companion, promptly
+opening the door, jumped nimbly out and helped her to alight. She cast
+a hurried glance round her, as she stepped down, saw that she was in a
+large, square court, and that all the tall, narrow windows in the high
+brick walls that surrounded it had their inside shutters carefully
+closed. The stone pavement of the spacious courtyard was in some places
+partly covered with moss, and a few weeds had sprung up in the corners,
+and along the edges by the walls. At the foot of a broad, easy flight of
+steps, leading up to a covered porch, two majestic Egyptian sphinxes
+lay keeping guard; their huge rounded flanks mottled here and there with
+patches of moss and lichens. Although the large chateau looked lonely
+and deserted, it had a grand, lordly air, and seemed to be kept in
+perfect order and repair. Isabelle was led up the steps and into the
+vestibule by the man who had brought her there, and then consigned
+to the care of a respectable-looking majordomo, who preceded her up
+a magnificent staircase, and into a suite of rooms furnished with
+the utmost luxury and elegance. Passing through the first--which was
+enriched with fine old carvings in oak, dark with age--he left her in a
+spacious, admirably proportioned apartment, where a cheery wood fire was
+roaring up the huge chimney, and she saw a bed in a curtained alcove.
+She chanced to catch sight of her own face in the mirror over an
+elaborately furnished dressing-table, as she passed it, and was startled
+and shocked at its ghastly pallor and altered expression; she scarcely
+could recognise it, and felt as if she had seen a ghost--poor Isabelle!
+Over the high, richly ornamented chimney-piece hung a portrait of a
+gentleman, which, as she approached the fire, at once caught and riveted
+her attention. The face seemed strangely familiar to her, and yet she
+could not remember where she had seen it before. It was pale, with
+large, black eyes, full red lips, and wavy brown hair, thrown carelessly
+back from it-apparently the likeness of a man about forty years of age
+and it had a charming air of nobility and lofty pride, tempered with
+benevolence and tenderness, which was inexpressibly attractive. The
+portrait was only half-length--the breast being covered with a steel
+cuirass, richly inlaid with gold, which was partly concealed by a white
+scarf, loosely knotted over it. Isabelle, despite her great alarm and
+anxiety, could not long withdraw her eyes or her thoughts from this
+picture, which seemed to exert a strange fascination over her. There
+was something about it that at the first glance resembled the Duke of
+Vallombreuse, but the expression was so different that the likeness
+disappeared entirely upon closer examination. It brought vague memories
+to Isabelle's mind that she tried in vain to seize--she felt as if she
+must be looking at it in a dream. She was still absorbed in reverie
+before it when the major-domo reappeared, followed by two lackeys, in
+quiet livery, carrying a small table set for one person, which they
+put down near the fire; and as one of them took the cover off an
+old-fashioned, massive silver tureen, he announced to Isabelle that
+her dinner was ready. The savoury odour from the smoking soup was very
+tempting, and she was very hungry; but after she had mechanically seated
+herself and dipped her spoon into the broth, it suddenly occurred to her
+that the food might contain a narcotic--such things had been done--and
+she pushed away the plate in front of her in alarm. The major-domo, who
+was standing at a respectful distance watching her, ready to anticipate
+her every wish, seemed to divine her thought, for he advanced to the
+table and deliberately partook of all the viands upon it, as well as of
+the wine and water--as if to prove to her that there was nothing wrong
+or unusual about them. Isabelle was somewhat reassured by this, and
+feeling that she would probably have need of all her strength, did bring
+herself to eat and drink, though very sparingly. Then, quitting the
+table, she sat down in a large easy-chair in front of the fire to think
+over her terrible position, and endeavour to devise some means of escape
+from it. When the servants had attended to their duties and left her
+alone again, she rose languidly and walked slowly to the window--feeling
+as weak as though she had had a severe illness, after the violent
+emotions and terrors of the day, and as if she had aged years in the
+last few hours. Could it be possible that only that very morning she and
+de Sigognac had been walking together, with hearts full of happiness and
+peace--and she had rapturously hailed the appearance of the first spring
+violet as an omen of good, and gathered the sweet little blossom to
+bestow upon the devoted lover who adored her? And now, alas! alas! they
+were as inexorably and hopelessly separated as if half the globe lay
+between them. No wonder that her breast heaved tumultuously with choking
+sobs, and hot tears rained down over her pallid cheeks, as she wept
+convulsively at the thought of all she had lost. But she did not long
+indulge her grief--she remembered that at any moment she might have need
+of all her coolness and fortitude--and making a mighty effort, like the
+brave heroine that she was, she regained control over herself, and drove
+back the gushing tears to await a more fitting season. She was relieved
+to find that there were no bars at the window, as she had feared; but
+upon opening the casement and leaning out she saw immediately beneath
+her a broad moat, full of stagnant water, which surrounded the chateau,
+and forbade any hope of succour or escape on that side. Beyond the moat
+was a thick grove of large trees, which entirely shut out the view; and
+she returned to her seat by the fire, more disheartened and cast
+down than ever. She was very nervous, and trembled at the slightest
+sound--casting hasty, terrified glances round the vast apartment, and
+dreading lest an unseen door in some shadowy corner should be softly
+opened, or a hidden panel in the wall be slipped aside, to admit her
+relentless enemy to her presence. She remembered all the horrible tales
+she had ever heard of secret passages and winding staircases in
+the walls, that are supposed to abound in ancient castles; and the
+mysterious visitants, both human and supernatural, that are said to be
+in the habit of issuing from them, in the gloaming, and at midnight.
+As the twilight deepened into darkness, her terror increased, and she
+nearly fainted from fright when a servant suddenly entered with lights.
+
+While poor Isabelle was suffering such agony in one part of the chateau,
+her abductors were having a grand carouse in another. They were to
+remain there for a while as a sort of garrison, in case of an attack
+by de Sigognac and his friends; and were gathered round the table in
+a large room down on the ground floor--as remote as possible from
+Isabelle's sumptuous quarters. They were all drinking like sponges, and
+making merry over their wine and good cheer, but one of them especially
+showed the most remarkable and astounding powers of ingurgitation--it
+was the man who had carried off the fair prize before him on his horse;
+and, now that the mask was thrown aside, he disclosed to view the
+deathly pale face and fiery red nose of Malartic, bosom friend and
+"alter ego" of Maitre Jacquemin Lampourde.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI. VALLOMBREUSE
+
+Isabelle sat for a long time perfectly motionless in her luxurious
+chamber, sunk in a sad reverie, apparently entirely oblivious of the
+glow of light, warmth, and comfort that closed her in--glancing up
+occasionally at the portrait over the chimney-piece, which seemed to be
+smiling down upon her and promising her protection and peace, while it
+more than ever reminded her of some dear face she had known and loved
+long ago. After a time, however, her mood changed. She grew restless,
+and rising, began to wander aimlessly about the room; but her uneasiness
+only increased, and finally, in desperation, she resolved to venture out
+into the corridor and look about her, no matter at what risk. Anything
+would be better than this enforced inactivity and suspense. She tried
+the door with a trembling hand, dreading to find herself locked in, but
+it was not fastened, and seeing that all was dark outside, she took up
+a small lamp, that had been left burning on a side table, and boldly
+setting forth, went softly down the long flight of stairs, in the hope
+of finding some means of exit from the chateau on the lower floor. At
+the foot of the stairs she came to a large double door, one leaf of
+which yielded easily when she timidly tried to open it, but creaked
+dolefully as it turned on its hinges. She hesitated for a moment,
+fearing that the noise would alarm the servants and bring them out to
+see what was amiss; but no one came, and taking fresh courage, she moved
+on and passed into a lofty, vaulted hall, with high-backed, oaken benches
+ranged against the tapestry-covered walls, upon which hung several large
+trophies of arms, and sundry swords, shields, and steel gauntlets, which
+caught and flashed back the light from her lamp as she held it up to
+examine them. The air was heavy, chilly, and damp. An awful stillness
+reigned in this deserted hall. Isabelle shivered as she crept slowly
+along, and nearly stumbled against a huge table, with massive carved
+feet, that stood in the centre of the tesselated marble pavement. She
+was making for a door, opposite the one by which she had entered; but,
+as she approached it, was horror-stricken when she perceived two tall
+men, clad in armour, standing like sentinels, one on either side of it.
+She stopped short, then tried to turn and fly, but was so paralyzed with
+terror that she could not stir, expecting every instant that they would
+pounce upon her and take her prisoner, while she bitterly repented her
+temerity in having ventured to leave her own room, and vainly wished
+herself back by the quiet fireside there. Meanwhile the two dread
+figures stood as motionless as herself--the silence was unbroken, and
+"the beating of her own heart was the only sound she heard." So at last
+she plucked up courage to look more closely at the grim sentinels, and
+could not help smiling at her own needless alarm, when she found that
+they were suits of armour, indeed, but without men inside of them--just
+such as one sees standing about in the ancient royal palaces of France.
+Passing them with a saucy glance of defiance, and a little triumphant
+toss of the head, Isabelle entered a vast dining room, with tall,
+sculptured buffets, on which stood many superb vessels of gold and
+silver, together with delicate specimens of exquisite Venetian and
+Bohemian glass, and precious pieces of fine porcelain, fit for a king's
+table. Large handsome chairs, with carved backs, were standing round the
+great dining-table, and the walls, above the heavy oaken wainscot, were
+hung with richly embossed Cordova leather, glowing with warm, bright
+tints and golden arabesques.
+
+She did not linger to examine and admire all the beautified things dimly
+revealed to her by the feeble light of her small lamp, but hurried on
+to the third door, which opened into an apartment yet more spacious
+and magnificent than the other two. At one end of it was a lordly dais,
+raised three steps above the inlaid floor, upon which stood a splendid
+great arm-chair, almost a throne, under a canopy emblazoned with a
+brilliant coat of arms and surmounted by a tuft of nodding plumes. Still
+hurrying on, Isabelle next entered a sumptuous bed-chamber, and, as she
+paused for an instant to hold up her lamp and look about her, fancied
+that she could hear the regular breathing of a sleeper in the immense
+bed, behind the crimson silk curtains which were closely drawn around
+it. She did not dare to stop and investigate the matter, but flew on her
+way, as lightly as any bird, and next found herself in a library, where
+the white busts surmounting the well-filled book-cases stared down at
+her with their hard, stony eyes, and made her shudder as she nervously
+sought for an exit, without delaying one moment to glance at the great
+variety of curious and beautiful objects scattered lavishly about,
+which, under any ordinary circumstances, would have held her enthralled.
+
+Running at right angles with the library, and opening out of it, was
+the picture gallery, where the family portraits were arranged in
+chronological order on one side, while opposite to them was a long row
+of windows, looking into the court. The shutters were closed, but near
+the top of each one was a small circular opening, through which the moon
+shone and faintly lighted the dusky gallery, striking here and there
+directly upon the face of a portrait, with an indescribably weird and
+startling effect. It required all of Isabelle's really heroic courage to
+keep on past the long line of strange faces, looking down mockingly it
+seemed to her from their proud height upon her trembling form as she
+glided swiftly by, and she was thankful to find, at the end of the
+gallery, a glass door opening out upon the court. It was not fastened,
+and after carefully placing her lamp in a sheltered corner, where no
+draughts could reach it, she stepped out under the stars. It was a
+relief to find herself breathing freely in the fresh, pure air, though
+she was actually no less a prisoner than before, and as she stood
+looking up into the clear evening sky, and thinking of her own true
+lover, she seemed to feel new courage and hope springing up in her
+heart.
+
+In one corner of the court she saw a strong light shining out through
+the crevices in the shutters that closed several low windows, and heard
+sounds of revelry from the same direction--the only signs of life she
+had detected about the whole place. Her curiosity was excited by them,
+and she stole softly over towards the quarter from whence they came,
+keeping carefully in the shadow of the wall, and glancing anxiously
+about to make sure that no one was furtively watching her. Finding a
+considerable aperture in one of the wooden shutters she peeped through
+it, and saw a party of men gathered around a table, eating and drinking
+and making merry in a very noisy fashion. The light from a lamp with
+three burners, which was suspended by a copper chain from the low
+ceiling, fell full upon them, and although she had only seen them masked
+before, Isabelle instantly recognised those who had been concerned
+in her abduction. At the head of the table sat Malartic, whose
+extraordinary face was paler and nose redder than ever, and at sight
+of whom the young girl shuddered and drew back. When she had recovered
+herself a little, she looked in again upon the repulsive scene, and was
+surprised to see, at the other end of the table, and somewhat apart from
+the others, Agostino, the brigand, who had now laid aside the long
+white beard in which he had played the part of the old blind beggar
+so successfully. A great deal of loud talking was going on, constantly
+interrupted by bursts of laughter, but Isabelle could not hear
+distinctly enough through the closed window to make out what they were
+saying. Even if she had been actually in the room with them, she would
+have found much of their conversation incomprehensible, as it was
+largely made up of the extraordinary slang of the Paris street Arabs
+and rascals generally. From time to time one or the other of the
+participants in this orgy seemed to propose a toast, whereupon they
+would all clink their glasses together before raising them to their
+lips, drain them at a draught, and applaud vociferously, while there was
+a constant drawing of corks and placing of fresh bottles on the table
+by the servant who was waiting upon them. Just as Isabelle, thoroughly
+disgusted with the brutality of the scene before her, was about to turn
+away, Malartic rapped loudly on the table to obtain a hearing, and after
+making a proposition, which met with ready and cordial assent, rose
+from his seat, cleared his throat, and began to sing, or rather shout,
+a ribald song, all the others joining in the chorus, with horrible
+grimaces and gesticulations, which so frightened poor Isabelle that she
+could scarcely find strength to creep away from the loathsome spectacle.
+
+Before re-entering the house she went to look at the drawbridge, with a
+faint hope that she might chance upon some unexpected means of escape,
+but all was secure there, and a little postern, opening on the moat,
+which she discovered near by, was also carefully fastened, with bolts
+and bars strong enough to keep out an army. As these seemed to be the
+only means of exit from the chateau, she felt that she was a prisoner
+indeed, and understood why it had not been deemed necessary to lock any
+of the inner doors against her. She walked slowly back to the gallery,
+entered it by the glass door, found her lamp burning tranquilly just
+where she had left it, retraced her steps swiftly through the long suite
+of spacious apartments already described and flew up the grand staircase
+to her own room, congratulating herself upon not having been detected in
+her wanderings. She put her lamp down in the antechamber, but paused in
+terror on the threshold of the inner room, stifling a shriek that
+had nearly escaped her as she caught sight of a strange, wild figure
+crouching on the hearth. But her fears were short-lived, for with an
+exclamation of delight the intruder sprang towards her and she saw that
+it was Chiquita--but Chiquita in boy's clothes.
+
+"Have you got the knife yet?" said the strange little creature abruptly
+to Isabelle--"the knife with three bonny red marks."
+
+"Yes, Chiquita, I have it here in my bosom," she replied. "But why do
+you ask? Is my life in danger?"
+
+"A knife," said the child with fierce, sparkling eyes, "a knife is a
+faithful friend and servant; it never betrays or fails its master, if he
+is careful to give it a drink now and then, for a knife is often thirsty
+you know."
+
+"You frighten me, you naughty child!" exclaimed Isabelle, much troubled
+and agitated by these sinister, extravagant words, which perhaps, she
+thought, might be intended as a friendly warning.
+
+"Sharpen the edge on the marble of the chimney-piece, like this,"
+continued Chiquita, "and polish the blade on the sole of your shoe."
+
+"Why do you tell me all this?" cried Isabelle, turning very pale.
+
+"For nothing in particular, only he who would defend himself gets his
+weapons ready--that's all."
+
+These odd, fierce phrases greatly alarmed Isabelle, yet Chiquita's
+presence in her room was a wonderful relief and comfort to her. The
+child apparently cherished a warm and sincere affection for her, which
+was none the less genuine because of its having arisen from such a
+trivial incident--for the pearl beads were more precious than diamonds
+to Chiquita. She had given a voluntary promise to Isabelle never to kill
+or harm her, and with her strange, wild, yet exalted notions of honour
+she looked upon it as a solemn obligation and vow, by which she must
+always abide--for there was a certain savage nobility in Chiquita's
+character, and she could be faithful unto death. Isabelle was the only
+human being, excepting Agostino, who had been kind to her. She had
+smiled upon the unkempt child, and given her the coveted necklace, and
+Chiquita loved her for it, while she adored her beauty. Isabelle's
+sweet countenance, so angelically mild and pure, exercised a wonderful
+influence over the neglected little savage, who had always been
+surrounded by fierce, haggard faces, expressive of every evil passion,
+and disfigured by indulgence in the lowest vices, and excesses of every
+kind.
+
+"But how does it happen that you are here, Chiquita?" asked Isabelle,
+after a short silence. "Were you sent to keep guard over me?"
+
+"No, I came alone and of my own accord," answered Chiquita, "because I
+saw the light and fire. I was tired of lying all cramped up in a corner,
+and keeping quiet, while those beastly men drank bottle after bottle of
+wine, and gorged themselves with the good things set before them. I
+am so little, you know, so young and slender, that they pay no more
+attention to me than they would to a kitten asleep under the table.
+While they were making a great noise I slipped quietly away unperceived.
+The smell of the wine and the food sickened me. I am used to the sweet
+perfume of the heather, and the pure resinous odour of the pines. I
+cannot breathe in such an atmosphere as there is down below there."
+
+"And you were not afraid to wander alone, without a light, through the
+long, dark corridors, and the lonely, deserted rooms?"
+
+"Chiquita does not know what it is to be afraid--her eyes can see in
+the dark, and her feet never stumble. The very owls shut their eyes when
+they meet her, and the bats fold their wings when she comes near their
+haunts. Wandering ghosts stand aside to let her pass, or turn back when
+they see her approaching. Night is her comrade and hides no secrets from
+her, and Chiquita never betrays them to the day."
+
+Her eyes flashed and dilated as she spoke, and Isabelle looked at her
+with growing wonder, not unmixed with a vague sensation of fear.
+
+"I like much better to stay here, in this heavenly quiet, by the fire
+with you," continued the child, "than down there in all the uproar. You
+are so beautiful that I love to look at you-you are like the Blessed
+Virgin that I have seen shining above the altar. Only from afar though,
+for they always chase me out of the churches with the dogs, because I
+am so shabby and forlorn. How white your hand is! Mine looks like a
+monkey's paw beside it--and your hair is as fine and soft as silk, while
+mine is all rough and tangled. Oh! I am so horribly ugly--you must think
+so too."
+
+"No, my dear child," Isabelle replied, touched by her naive expressions
+of affection and admiration, "I do not think so. You have beauty
+too--you only need to make yourself neat and clean to be as pretty a
+little girl as one would wish to see."
+
+"Do you really think so? Are you telling me true? I would steal fine
+clothes if they would make me pretty, for then Agostino would love me."
+
+This idea brought a little flush of colour to her thin brown cheeks, and
+for a few minutes she seemed lost in a pleasant reverie.
+
+"Do you know where we are?" asked Isabelle, when Chiquita looked up at
+her again.
+
+"In a chateau that belongs to the great seignior who has so much money,
+and who wanted to carry you off at Poitiers. I had only to draw the bolt
+and it would have been done then. But you gave me the pearl necklace,
+and I love you, and I would not do anything you did not like."
+
+"Yet you have helped to carry me off this time," said Isabelle
+reproachfully. "Is it because you don't love me any more that you have
+given me up to my enemies?"
+
+"Agostino ordered me, and I had to obey; besides, some other child could
+have played guide to the blind man as well as I, and then I could not
+have come into the chateau with you, do you see?--here I may be able to
+do something to help you. I am brave, active and strong, though I am
+so small, and quick as lightning too--and I shall not let anybody harm
+you."
+
+"Is this chateau very far from Paris?" asked Isabelle, drawing Chiquita
+up on her lap. "Did you hear any one mention the name of this place?"
+
+"Yes, one of them called it--now what was it?" said the child, looking
+up at the ceiling and absently scratching her head, as if to stimulate
+her memory.
+
+"Try to remember it, my child!" said Isabelle, softly stroking
+Chiquita's brown cheeks, which flushed with delight at the unwonted
+caress--no one had ever petted the poor child in her life before.
+
+"I think that it was Val-lom-breuse," said Chiquita at last, pronouncing
+the syllables separately and slowly, as if listening to an inward echo.
+"Yes, Vallombreuse, I am sure of it now. It is the name of the seignior
+that your Captain Fracasse wounded in a duel--he would have done much
+better if he had killed him outright--saved a great deal of trouble to
+himself and to you. He is very wicked, that rich duke, though he does
+throw his gold about so freely by the handfuls--just like a man sowing
+grain. You hate him, don't you? and you would be glad if you could get
+away from him, eh?"
+
+"Oh yes, indeed!" cried Isabelle impetuously. "But alas! it is
+impossible--a deep moat runs all around this chateau the drawbridge is
+up, the postern securely fastened--there is no way of escape."
+
+"Chiquita laughs at bolts and bars, at high walls and deep moats.
+Chiquita can get out of the best guarded prison whenever she pleases,
+and fly away to the moon, right before the eyes of her astonished
+jailer. If you choose, before the sun rises your Captain Fracasse shall
+know where the treasure that he seeks is hidden."
+
+Isabelle was afraid, when she heard these incoherent phrases, that the
+child was not quite sane, but her little face was so calm, her dark eyes
+so clear and steady, her voice so earnest, and she spoke with such an
+air of quiet conviction, that the supposition was not admissible, and
+the strange little creature did seem to be possessed of some of the
+magic powers she claimed. As if to convince Isabelle that she was
+not merely boasting, she continued, "Let me think a moment, to make a
+plan--don't speak nor move, for the least sound interferes with me--I
+must listen to the spirit."
+
+Chiquita bent down her head, put her hand over her eyes, and remained
+for several minutes perfectly motionless; then she raised her head and
+without a word went and opened the window, clambered up on the sill, and
+gazed out intently into the darkness.
+
+"Is she really going to take flight?" said Isabelle to herself, as she
+anxiously watched Chiquita's movements, not knowing what to expect.
+Exactly opposite to the window, on the other side of the moat, was an
+immense tree, very high and old, whose great branches, spreading out
+horizontally, overhung the water; but the longest of them did not reach
+the wall of the chateau by at least ten feet. It was upon this tree,
+however, that Chiquita's plan for escape depended. She turned away from
+the window, drew from her pocket a long cord made of horse-hair, very
+fine and strong, which she carefully unrolled to its full length and
+laid upon the floor; then produced from another pocket an iron hook,
+which she fastened securely to the cord. This done to her satisfaction,
+she went to the window again, and threw the end of the cord with the
+hook into the branches of the tree. The first time she was unsuccessful;
+the iron hook fell and struck against the stone wall beneath the
+casement; but at the second attempt the hook caught and held, and
+Chiquita, drawing the cord taut, asked Isabelle to take hold of it
+and bear her whole weight on it, until the branch was bent as far as
+possible towards the chateau--coming five or six feet nearer to the
+window where they were. Then Chiquita tied the cord firmly to the
+ornamental iron railing of the tiny balcony, with a knot that could not
+slip, climbed over, and grasping the cord with both hands, swung herself
+off, and hung suspended over the waters of the moat far below. Isabelle
+held her breath. With a rapid motion of the hands Chiquita crossed the
+clear space, reached the tree safely, and climbed down into it with the
+agility of a monkey.
+
+"Now undo the knot so that I can take the cord with me," she said, in
+a low but very distinct tone of voice to Isabelle, who began to breathe
+freely again, "unless, indeed, you would like to follow me. But you
+would be frightened and dizzy, and might fall, so you had better stay
+where you are. Good-bye! I am going straight to Paris, and shall soon be
+back again; I can get on quickly in this bright moonlight."
+
+Isabelle did as she was bid, and the branch, being no longer held by
+the cord, swung back to its original position. In less than a minute
+Chiquita had scrambled down to the ground, and the captive soon lost
+sight of her slender little figure as she walked off briskly towards the
+capital.
+
+All that had just occurred seemed like a strange dream to Isabelle, now
+that she found herself alone again. She remained for some time at the
+open casement, looking at the great tree opposite, and trembling as she
+realized the terrible risk Chiquita had run for her sake--feeling warm
+gratitude and tender affection for the wild, incomprehensible little
+creature, who manifested such a strong attachment for herself, and a new
+hope sprang up in her heart as she thought that now de Sigognac would
+soon know where to find her. The cold night air at last forced her to
+close the window, and after arranging the curtains over it carefully,
+so as to show no signs of having been disturbed, she returned to her
+easy-chair by the fire; and just in time, for she had scarcely seated
+herself when the major-domo entered, followed by the two servants,
+again carrying the little table, set for one, with her supper daintily
+arranged upon it. A few minutes earlier and Chiquita's escape would have
+been discovered and prevented. Isabelle, still greatly agitated by all
+that had passed, could not eat, and signed to the servants to remove the
+supper untouched. Whereupon the major-domo himself put some bread and
+wine on a small table beside the bed, and placed on a chair near the
+fire a richly trimmed dressing-gown, and everything that a lady could
+require in making her toilet for the night. Several large logs of wood
+were piled up on the massive andirons, the candles were renewed, and
+then the major-domo, approaching Isabelle with a profound obeisance,
+said to her that if she desired the services of a maid he would send one
+to her. As she made a gesture of dissent he withdrew, after again bowing
+to her most respectfully. When they had all gone, Isabelle, quite worn
+out, threw herself down on the outside of the bed without undressing, so
+as to be ready in case of any sudden alarm in the night; then took out
+Chiquita's knife, opened it, and laid it beside her. Having taken these
+precautions, she closed her eyes, and hoped that she could for a while
+forget her troubles in sleep; but she had been so much excited and
+agitated that her nerves were all quivering, and it was long before she
+even grew drowsy. There were so many strange, incomprehensible noises in
+the great, empty house to disturb and startle her; and in her own room,
+the cracking of the furniture, the ticking of a death-watch in the wall
+near her bed, the gnawing of a rat behind the wainscot, the snapping of
+the fire. At each fresh sound she started up in terror, with her
+poor heart throbbing as if it would burst out of her breast, a cold
+perspiration breaking out on her forehead, and trembling in every limb.
+At last, however, weary nature had to succumb, and she fell into a deep
+sleep, which lasted until she was awakened by the sun shining on her
+face. Her first thought was to wonder that she had not yet seen the Duke
+of Vallombreuse; but she was thankful for his absence, and hoped that
+it would continue until Chiquita should have brought de Sigognac to the
+rescue.
+
+The reason why the young duke had not yet made his appearance was one of
+policy. He had taken especial pains to show himself at Saint Germain on
+the day of the abduction--had joined the royal hunting party, and
+been exceedingly and unwontedly affable to all who happened to come
+in contact with him. In the evening he had played at cards, and lost
+ostentatiously sums that would have been of importance to a less wealthy
+man--being all the time in a very genial mood--especially after the
+arrival of a mounted messenger, who brought him a little note. Thus the
+duke's desire to be able to establish an incontestable alibi, in case of
+need, had spared Isabelle thus far the infliction of his hated presence;
+but while she was congratulating herself upon it, and welcoming the
+sunshine that streamed into her room, she heard the drawbridge being let
+down, and immediately after a carriage dashed over it and thundered
+into the court. Her heart sank, for who would be likely to enter in
+that style save the master of the house? Her face grew deathly pale, she
+reeled, and for one dreadful moment felt as if she should faint; but,
+rallying her courage, she reminded herself that Chiquita had gone to
+bring de Sigognac to her aid, and determined afresh to meet bravely
+whatever trials might be in store for her, until her beloved knight
+and champion should arrive, to rescue her from her terrible danger and
+irksome imprisonment. Her eyes involuntarily sought the portrait over
+the chimney-piece, and after passionately invoking it, and imploring
+its aid and protection, as if it had been her patron saint, she felt
+a certain sense of ease and security, as if what she had so earnestly
+entreated would really be accorded to her.
+
+A full hour had elapsed, which the young duke had employed in the duties
+of the toilet, and in snatching a few minutes of repose after his
+rapid night-journey, when the major-domo presented himself, and asked
+respectfully if Isabelle would receive the Duke of Vallombreuse.
+
+"I am a prisoner," she replied, with quiet dignity, "and this demand,
+which would be fitting and polite in any ordinary case, is only a
+mockery when addressed to one in my position. I have no means of
+preventing your master's coming into this room, nor can I quit it to
+avoid him. I do not accept his visit but submit to it. He must do as he
+pleases about it, and come and go when he likes. He allows me no choice
+in the matter. Go and tell him exactly what I have said to you."
+
+The major-domo bowed low, and retired backward to the door, having
+received strict orders to treat Isabelle with the greatest respect and
+consideration. In a few minutes he returned, and announced the Duke of
+Vallombreuse.
+
+Isabelle half rose from her chair by the fire, but turned very pale and
+fell back into it, as her unwelcome visitor made his appearance at the
+door. He closed it and advanced slowly towards her, hat in hand, but
+when he perceived that she was trembling violently, and looked ready to
+faint, he stopped in the middle of the room, made a low bow, and said in
+his most dulcet, persuasive tones:
+
+"If my presence is too unbearably odious now to the charming Isabelle,
+and she would like to have a little time to get used to the thought of
+seeing me, I will withdraw. She is my prisoner, it is true, but I am
+none the less her slave."
+
+"This courtesy is tardy," Isabelle replied coldly, "after the violence
+you have made use of against me."
+
+"That is the natural result," said the duke, with a smile, "of pushing
+people to extremity by a too obstinate and prolonged resistance. Having
+lost all hope, they stop at nothing--knowing that they cannot make
+matters any worse, whatever they do. If you had only been willing to
+suffer me to pay my court to you in the regular way, and shown a little
+indulgence to my love, I should have quietly remained among the ranks
+of your passionate adorers; striving, by dint of delicate attentions,
+chivalrous devotion, magnificent offerings, and respectful yet ardent
+solicitations, to soften that hard heart of yours. If I could not
+have succeeded in inspiring it with love for me, I might at least have
+awakened in it that tender pity which is akin to love, and which is so
+often only its forerunner. In the end, perhaps, you would have repented
+of your cruel severity, and acknowledged that you had been unjust
+towards me. Believe me, my charming Isabelle, I should have neglected
+nothing to bring it about."
+
+"If you had employed only honest and honourable means in your suit,"
+Isabelle rejoined, "I should have felt very sorry that I had been so
+unfortunate as to inspire an attachment I could not reciprocate, and
+would have given you my warm sympathy, and friendly regard, instead of
+being reluctantly compelled, by repeated outrages, to hate you instead.
+
+"You do hate me then?--you acknowledge it?" the duke cried, his voice
+trembling with rage; but he controlled himself, and after a short pause
+continued, in a gentler tone, "Yet I do not deserve it. My only wrongs
+towards you, if any there be, have come from the excess and ardour of
+my love; and what woman, however chaste and virtuous, can be seriously
+angry with a gallant gentleman because he has been conquered by the
+power of her adorable charms? whether she so desired or not."
+
+"Certainly, that is not a reason for dislike or anger, my lord, if the
+suitor does not overstep the limits of respect, as all women will agree.
+But when his insolent impatience leads him to commit excesses, and he
+resorts to fraud, abduction, and imprisonment, as you have not hesitated
+to do, there is no other result possible than an unconquerable aversion.
+Coercion is always and inevitably revolting to a nature that has any
+proper pride or delicacy. Love, true love, is divine, and cannot be
+furnished to order, or extorted by violence. It is spontaneous, and
+freely given--not to be bought, nor yet won by importunity."
+
+"Is an unconquerable aversion then all that I am to expect from you?"
+said Vallombreuse, who had become pale to ghastliness, and been fiercely
+gnawing his under lip, while Isabelle was speaking, in her sweet, clear
+tones, which fell on his ear like the soft chiming of silver bells, and
+only served to enhance his devouring passion.
+
+"There is yet one means of winning my friendship and gratitude--be noble
+and generous, and give me back the liberty of which you have deprived
+me. Let me return to my companions, who must be anxiously seeking for
+me, and suffering keenly because of their fears for my safety. Let me
+go and resume my lowly life as an actress, before this outrageous
+affair--which may irreparably injure my reputation--has become generally
+known, or my absence from the theatre been remarked by the public."
+
+"How unfortunate it is," cried the duke, angrily, "that you should ask
+of me the only thing I cannot do for you. If you had expressed your
+desire for an empire, a throne, I would have given it to you--or if you
+had wished for a star, I would have climbed up into the heavens to get
+it for you. But here you calmly ask me to open the door of this cage,
+little bird, to which you would never come back of your own accord, if I
+were stupid enough to let you go. It is impossible! I know well that you
+love me so little, or rather hate me so much, that you would never see
+me again of your own free will--that my only chance of enjoying your
+charming society is to lock you up--keep you my prisoner. However much
+it may cost my pride, I must do it--for I can no more live without
+you than a plant without the light. My thoughts turn to you as the
+heliotrope to the sun. Where you are not, all is darkness for me. If
+what I have dared to do is a crime, I must make the best of it, and
+profit by it as much as I can--for you would never forgive nor overlook
+it, whatever you may say now. Here at least I have you--I hold you. I
+can surround you with my love and care, and strive to melt the ice of
+your coldness by the heat of my passion. Your eyes must behold me--your
+ears must listen to my voice. I shall exert an influence over you, if
+only by the alarm and detestation I am so unfortunate as to inspire in
+your gentle breast; the sound of my footsteps in your antechamber will
+make you start and tremble. And then, besides all that, this captivity
+separates you effectually from the miserable fellow you fancy that you
+love--and whom I abhor; because he has dared to turn your heart away
+from me. I can at least enjoy this small satisfaction, of keeping you
+from him; and I will not let you go free to return to him--you may be
+perfectly sure of that, my fair lady!"
+
+"And how long do you intend to keep me captive?--not like a Christian
+gentleman, but like a lawless corsair."
+
+"Until you have learned to love me--or at least to say that you have,
+which amounts to the same thing."
+
+Then he made her a low bow, and departed, with as self-satisfied and
+jaunty an air as if he had been in truth a favoured suitor. Half an
+hour later a lackey brought in a beautiful bouquet, of the rarest
+and choicest flowers, while the stems were clasped by a magnificent
+bracelet, fit for a queen's wearing. A little piece of folded paper
+nestled among the flowers--a note from the duke--and the fair prisoner
+recognised the handwriting as the same in which "For Isabelle" was
+written, on the slip of paper that accompanied the casket of jewels at
+Poitiers. The note read as follows:
+
+"DEAR ISABELLE--I send you these flowers, though I know they will be
+ungraciously received. As they come from me, their beauty and fragrance
+will not find favour in your eyes. But whatever may be their fate, even
+though you only touch them to fling them disdainfully out of the window,
+they will force you to think for a moment--if it be but in anger--of him
+who declares himself, in spite of everything, your devoted adorer,
+
+"VALLOMBREUSE."
+
+This note, breathing of the most specious gallantry, and tenacity of
+purpose, did produce very much the effect it predicted; for it made
+Isabelle exceedingly angry; and, without even once inhaling the
+delicious perfume of the flowers, or pausing for an instant to admire
+their beauty, she flung the bouquet, diamond bracelet and all, out into
+the antechamber. Never surely were lovely blossoms so badly treated; and
+yet Isabelle was excessively fond of them; but she feared that if she
+even allowed them to remain a little while in her room, their donor
+would presume upon the slight concession. She had scarcely resumed her
+seat by the fire, after disposing of the obnoxious bouquet, when a maid
+appeared, who had been sent to wait upon her. She was a pretty, refined
+looking girl, but very pale, and with an air of deep melancholy--as
+if she were brooding over a secret sorrow. She offered her services
+to Isabelle without looking up, and in a low, subdued voice, as if she
+feared that the very walls had ears. Isabelle allowed her to take down
+and comb out her long, silky hair, which was very much dishevelled, and
+to arrange it again as she habitually wore it; which was quickly and
+skilfully done. Then the maid opened a wardrobe and took out several
+beautiful gowns, exquisitely made and trimmed, and just Isabelle's
+size; but she would not even look at them, and sharply ordered that they
+should instantly be put back where they belonged, though her own dress
+was very much the worse for the rough treatment it had been subjected to
+on the preceding day, and it was a trial to the sweet, dainty creature
+to be so untidy. But she was determined to accept nothing from the duke,
+no matter how long her captivity might last. The maid did not insist,
+but acceded to her wishes with a mild, pitying air--just as indulgence
+is shown, as far as possible, to all the little whims and caprices of
+prisoners condemned to death. Isabelle would have liked to question her
+attendant, and endeavour to elicit some information from her, but
+the girl was more like an automaton than anything else, and it was
+impossible to gain more than a monosyllable from her lips. So Isabelle
+resigned herself with a sigh to her mute ministerings, not without a
+sort of vague terror.
+
+After the maid had retired, dinner was served as before, and Isabelle
+made a hearty meal--feeling that she must keep up her strength, and
+also hopeful of hearing something in a few hours more from her faithful
+lover. Her thoughts were all of him, and as she realized the dangers to
+which he would inevitably be exposed for her sake, her eyes filled
+with tears, and a sharp pang shot through her heart. She was angry with
+herself for being the cause of so much trouble, and fain to curse her
+own beauty--the unhappy occasion of it all. She was absorbed in these
+sad thoughts when a little noise as if a hail-stone had struck against
+the window pane, suddenly aroused her. She flew to the casement, and saw
+Chiquita, in the tree opposite, signing to her to open it, and swinging
+back and forth the long horse-hair cord, with the iron hook attached to
+it. She hastened to comply with the wishes of her strange little ally,
+and, as she stepped back in obedience to another sign, the hook, thrown
+with unerring aim, caught securely in the iron railing of the little
+balcony. Chiquita tied the other end of the cord to the branch to which
+she was clinging, and then began to cross over the intervening space
+as before; but ere she was half-way over, the knot gave way, and poor
+Isabelle for one moment of intense agony thought that the child was
+lost. But, instead of falling into the moat beneath her, Chiquita, who
+did not appear to be in the least disconcerted by this accident, swung
+over against the wall below the balcony, and climbing up the cord hand
+over hand, leaped lightly into the room, before Isabelle had recovered
+her breath. Finding her very pale, and tremulous, the child said
+smilingly, "You were frightened, eh? and thought Chiquita would fall
+down among the frogs in the moat. When I tied my cord to the branch,
+I only made a slip-knot, so that I could bring it back with me. I must
+have looked like a big spider climbing up its thread," she added, with a
+laugh.
+
+"My dear child," said Isabelle, with much feeling, and kissing
+Chiquita's forehead, "you are a very brave little girl."
+
+"I saw your friends. They had been searching and searching for you; but
+without Chiquita they would never have found out where you were hidden.
+The captain was rushing about like an angry lion--his eyes flashed
+fire--he was magnificent. I came back with him. He rode, and held me
+in front of him. He is hidden in a little wood not far off, he and his
+comrades--they must keep out of sight, you know. This evening, as soon
+as it is dark, they will try to get in here to you--by the tree,
+you know. There's sure to be a scrimmage--pistol shots and swords
+clashing--oh! it will be splendid; for there's nothing so fine as a good
+fight; when the men are in earnest, and fierce and brave. Now don't you
+be frightened and scream, as silly women do; nothing upsets them like
+that. You must just remain perfectly quiet, and keep out of their
+way. If you like, I will come and stay by you, so that you will not be
+afraid."
+
+"Don't be uneasy about that, Chiquita! I will not annoy my brave
+friends, who come to save my life at the risk of their own, by any
+foolish fears or demonstrations; that I promise you."
+
+"That's right," the child replied, "and until they come, you can defend
+yourself with my knife, you know. Don't forget the proper way to use it.
+Strike like this, and then do so; you can rip him up beautifully. As
+for me, I'm going to hunt up a quiet corner where I can get a nap. No,
+I can't stay here, for we must not be seen together; it would never do.
+Now do you be sure to keep away from that window. You must not even go
+near it, no matter what you hear, for fear they might suspect that you
+hoped for help from that direction. If they did, it would be all up with
+us; for they would send out and search the woods, and beat the bushes,
+and find our friends where they lie hidden. The whole thing would fall
+through, and you would have to stop here with this horrid duke that you
+hate so much."
+
+"I will not go near the window," Isabelle answered, "nor even look
+towards it, however much I may wish to. You may depend upon my
+discretion, Chiquita, I do assure you."
+
+Reassured upon this important point, Chiquita crept softly away, and
+went back to the lower room where she had left the ruffians carousing.
+They were still there--lying about on the benches and the floor, in a
+drunken sleep, and evidently had not even missed her. She curled herself
+up in a corner, as far as might be from the loathsome brutes, and was
+asleep in a minute. The poor child was completely tired out; her slender
+little feet had travelled eight leagues the night before, running a good
+part of the way, and the return on horseback had perhaps fatigued her
+even more, being unaccustomed to it. Although her fragile little body
+had the strength and endurance of steel, she was worn out now, and lay,
+pale and motionless, in a sleep that seemed like death.
+
+"Dear me! how these children do sleep to be sure," said Malartic,
+when he roused himself at last and looked about him. "In spite of our
+carouse, and all the noise we made, that little monkey in the corner
+there has never waked nor stirred. Halloa! wake up you fellows! drunken
+beasts that you are. Try to stand up on your hind legs, and go out in
+the court and dash a bucket of cold water over your cursed heads. The
+Circe of drunkenness has made swine of you in earnest--go and see if the
+baptism I recommend will turn you back into men, and then we'll take a
+little look round the place, to make sure there's no plot hatching to
+rescue the little beauty we have in charge."
+
+The men scrambled to their feet slowly and with difficulty, and
+staggered out into the court as best they might, where the fresh air,
+and the treatment prescribed by Malartic, did a good deal towards
+reviving them; but they were a sorry looking set after all, and there
+were many aching heads among them. As soon as they were fit for it,
+Malartic took three of the least tipsy of them, and leading the way to a
+small postern that opened on the moat, unchained a row-boat lying there,
+crossed the broad ditch, ascended a steep flight of steps leading up
+the bank on the other side, and, leaving one man to guard the boat,
+proceeded to make a tour of inspection in the immediate vicinity of the
+chateau; fortunately without stumbling on the party concealed in the
+wood, or seeing anything to arouse their suspicions; so they returned to
+their quarters perfectly satisfied that there was no enemy lurking near.
+
+Meantime Isabelle, left quite alone, tried in vain to interest herself
+in a book she had found lying upon one of the side-tables. She read
+a few pages mechanically, and then, finding it impossible to fix her
+attention upon it, threw the volume from her and sat idly in front of
+the fire, which was blazing cheerily, thinking of her own true lover,
+and praying that he might be preserved from injury in the impending
+struggle. Evening came at last--a servant brought in lights, and soon
+after the major-domo announced a visit from the Duke of Vallombreuse.
+He entered at once, and greeted his fair captive with the most finished
+courtesy. He looked very handsome, in a superb suit of pearl gray satin,
+richly trimmed with crimson velvet, and Isabelle could not but admire
+his personal appearance, much as she detested his character.
+
+"I have come to see, my adorable Isabelle, whether I shall be more
+kindly received than my flowers," said he, drawing up a chair beside
+hers. "I have not the vanity to think so, but I want you to become
+accustomed to my presence. To-morrow another bouquet, and another
+visit."
+
+"Both will be useless, my lord," she replied, "though I am sorry to have
+to be so rude as to say so--but I had much better be perfectly frank
+with you."
+
+"Ah, well!" rejoined the duke, with a malicious smile, "I will dispense
+with hope, and content myself with reality. You do not know, my poor
+child, what a Vallombreuse can do--you, who vainly try to resist him.
+He has never yet known what it was to have an unsatisfied desire--he
+invariably gains his ends, in spite of all opposition--nothing can stop
+him. Tears, supplication, laments, threats, even dead bodies and smoking
+ruins would not daunt him. Do not tempt him too powerfully, by throwing
+new obstacles in his way, you imprudent child!"
+
+Isabelle, frightened by the expression of his countenance as he spoke
+thus, instinctively pushed her chair farther away from his, and felt for
+Chiquita's knife. But the wily duke, seeing that he had made a mistake,
+instantly changed his tone, and begging her pardon most humbly for his
+vehemence, endeavoured to persuade her, by many specious arguments, that
+she was wrong in persistently turning a deaf ear to his suit--setting
+forth at length, and in glowing words, all the advantages that would
+accrue to her if she would but yield to his wishes, and describing the
+happiness in store for her. While he was thus eloquently pleading his
+cause, Isabelle, who had given him only a divided attention, thought
+that she heard a peculiar little noise in the direction whence the
+longed-for aid was to come, and fearing that Vallombreuse might hear it
+also, hastened to answer him the instant that he paused, in a way to vex
+him still further--for she preferred his anger to his love-making. Also,
+she hoped that by quarrelling with him she would be able to prevent
+his perceiving the suspicious little sound--now growing louder and more
+noticeable.
+
+"The happiness that you so eloquently describe, my lord, would be for me
+a disgrace, which I am resolved to escape by death, if all other means
+fail me. You never shall have me living. Formerly I regarded you with
+indifference, but now I both hate and despise you, for your infamous,
+outrageous and violent behaviour to me, your helpless victim. Yes, I may
+as well tell you openly--and I glory in it--that I do love the Baron de
+Sigognac, whom you have more than once so basely tried to assassinate,
+through your miserable hired ruffians."
+
+The strange noise still kept on, and Isabelle raised her voice to drown
+it. At her audacious, defiant words, so distinctly and impressively
+enunciated--hurled at him, as it were--Vallombreuse turned pale, and his
+eyes flashed ominously; a light foam gathered about the corners of his
+mouth, and he laid hold of the handle of his sword. For an instant he
+thought of killing Isabelle himself, then and there. If he could not
+have her, at least no one else should. But he relinquished that idea
+almost as soon as it occurred to him, and with a hard, forced laugh
+said, as he sprang up and advanced impetuously towards Isabelle, who
+retreated before him:
+
+"Now, by all the devils in hell, I cannot help admiring you immensely
+in this mood. It is a new role for you, and you are deucedly charming
+in it. You have got such a splendid colour, and your eyes are so
+bright--you are superb, I declare. I am greatly flattered at your
+blazing out into such dazzling beauty on my account--upon my word I am.
+You have done well to speak out openly--I hate deceit. So you love de
+Sigognac, do you? So much the better, say I--it will be all the sweeter
+to call you mine. It will be a pleasing variety to press ardent
+kisses upon sweet lips that say 'I hate you,' instead of the insipid,
+everlasting 'I love you,' that one gets a surfeit of from all the pretty
+women of one's acquaintance."
+
+Alarmed at this coarse language, and the threatening gestures that
+accompanied it, Isabelle started back and drew out Chiquita's knife.
+
+"Bravo!" cried the duke--"here comes the traditional poniard. We are
+being treated to a bit of high tragedy. But, my fierce little beauty, if
+you are well up in your Roman history, you will remember that the chaste
+Mme. Lucretia did not make use of her dagger until AFTER the assault of
+Sextus, the bold son of Tarquin the Proud. That ancient and much-cited
+example is a good one to follow."
+
+And without paying any more attention to the knife than to a bee-sting,
+he had violently seized Isabelle in his arms before she could raise it
+to strike.
+
+Just at that moment a loud cracking noise was heard, followed by a
+tremendous crash, and the casement fell clattering to the floor, with
+every pane of glass in it shattered; as if a giant had put his knee
+against it and broken it in; while a mass of branches protruded through
+the opening into the room. It was the top of the tree that Chiquita had
+made such good use of as a way of escape and return. The trunk, sawed
+nearly through by de Sigognac and his companions, was guided in its fall
+so as to make a means of access to Isabelle's window; both bridging the
+moat, and answering all the purposes of a ladder.
+
+The Duke of Vallombreuse, astonished at this most extraordinary
+intrusion upon his love-making, released his trembling victim, and drew
+his sword. Chiquita, who had crept into the room unperceived when the
+crash came, pulled Isabelle's sleeve and whispered, "Come into this
+corner, out of the way; the dance is going to begin."
+
+As she spoke, several pistol shots were heard without, and four of
+the duke's ruffians--who were doing garrison duty came rushing up the
+stairs, four steps at a time, and dashed into the room-sword in hand,
+and eager for the fray.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII. THE AMETHYST RING
+
+The topmost branches of the tree, protruding through the window,
+rendered the centre of the room untenable, so Malartic and his three
+aids ranged themselves two and two against the wall on either side of
+it, armed with pistols and swords--ready to give the assailants a warm
+welcome.
+
+"You had better retire, my lord duke, or else put on a mask," whispered
+Malartic to the young nobleman, "so that you may not be seen and
+recognised in this affair."
+
+"What do I care?" cried Vallombreuse, flourishing his sword. "I am not
+afraid of anybody in the world--and besides, those who see me will never
+go away from this to tell of it."
+
+"But at least your lordship will place this second Helen in some safe
+retreat. A stray bullet might so easily deprive your highness of the
+prize that cost so dear--and it would be such a pity."
+
+The duke, finding this advice judicious, went at once over to where
+Isabelle was standing beside Chiquita, and throwing his arms round
+her attempted to carry her into the next room. The poor girl made a
+desperate resistance, and slipping from the duke's grasp rushed to the
+window, regardless of danger, crying, "Save me, de Sigognac! save me!"
+A voice from without answered, "I am coming," but, before he could reach
+the window, Vallombreuse had again seized his prey, and succeeded in
+carrying her into the adjoining room, closing and bolting the stout
+oaken door behind him just as de Sigognac bounded into the chamber he
+had quitted. His entrance was so sudden, and so swiftly and boldly made,
+that he entirely escaped the pistol shots aimed at him, and the four
+bullets all fell harmless. When the smoke had cleared away and the
+"garrison" saw that he was unhurt, a murmur of astonishment arose, and
+one of the men exclaimed aloud that Captain Fracasse--the only name
+by which THEY knew him--must bear a charmed life; whereupon, Malartic
+cried, "Leave him to me, I'll soon finish him, and do you three keep
+a strict guard over the window there; for there will be more to follow
+this one if I am not mistaken."
+
+But he did not find his self-imposed task as easy as he supposed--for
+de Sigognac was ready for him, and gave him plenty to do, though
+his surprise and disappointment were overwhelming when he found that
+Isabelle was nowhere to be seen.
+
+"Where is she?" he cried impetuously. "Where is Isabelle? I heard her
+voice in here only a moment ago."
+
+"Don't ask me!" Malartic retorted. "YOU didn't give her into my charge."
+And all this time their swords were flashing and clashing, as the combat
+between them grew more animated.
+
+A moment later, before the men had finished reloading their pistols,
+Scapin dashed in through the window, throwing a remarkable somersault
+like an acrobat as he came, and seeing that the three ruffians had laid
+down their swords beside them on the floor while attending to their
+other weapons, he seized upon them all, ere their owners had recovered
+from their astonishment at his extraordinary advent, and hurled them
+through the broken casement down into the moat. Then, laying hold of one
+of the three from behind, and pinning down his arms securely, he placed
+him in front of himself for a shield--turning him dexterously this
+way and that, in order to keep his body always between his own and the
+enemy; so that they dared not fire upon him lest they should kill their
+comrade, who was vehemently beseeching them to spare his life, and
+vainly struggling to escape from Scapin's iron grip.
+
+The combat between de Sigognac and Malartic was still going on, but at
+last, the baron--who had already wounded his adversary slightly, and
+whose agony and desperation at being kept from prosecuting his search
+for Isabelle were intense--wrested Malartic's sword from his grasp, by a
+dexterous manoeuvre with his own, and putting his foot upon it as it lay
+on the floor raised the point of his blade to the professional ruffian's
+throat, crying "Surrender, or you are a dead man!"
+
+At this critical moment another one of the besieging party burst in
+through the window, who, seeing at a glance how matters stood, said to
+Malartic in an authoritative tone, "You can surrender without dishonour
+to this valiant hero--you are entirely at his mercy. You have done your
+duty loyally--now consider yourself a prisoner of war."
+
+Then turning to de Sigognac, he said, "You may trust his word, for he is
+an honourable fellow in his way, and will not molest you again--I will
+answer for him."
+
+Malartic made a gesture of acquiescence, and the baron let him
+go--whereupon the discomfited bully picked up his sword, and with a
+crestfallen air walked off very disconsolately to a corner, where he sat
+down and occupied himself in staunching the blood that was flowing
+from his wound. The other three men were quickly conquered, and, at the
+suggestion of the latest comer, were securely bound hand and foot
+as they lay upon the floor, and then left to reflect upon their
+misfortunes.
+
+"They can't do any more mischief now," said Jacquemin Lampourde,
+mockingly; for it was that famous fighting man in person, who, in his
+enthusiastic admiration, or rather adoration, for de Sigognac, had
+offered his services on this momentous occasion--services by no means
+to be despised. As to the brave Herode, he was doing good service in
+fighting the rest of the garrison below. They had hastened out and
+crossed the moat in the little row-boat as quickly as possible after the
+alarm was given, but arrived too late, as we have seen, to prevent
+the assailants from ascending their strange scaling ladder. So they
+determined to follow, hoping to overtake and dislodge some of them. But
+Herode, who had found the upper branches bending and cracking in a very
+ominous manner under his great weight, was forced to turn about and
+make his way back to the main trunk, where, under cover of darkness,
+he quietly awaited the climbing foe. Merindol, who commanded this
+detachment of the garrison, was first, and being completely taken by
+surprise was easily dislodged and thrown down into the water below. The
+next one, aroused to a sense of his danger by this, pulled out a pistol
+and fired, but in the agitation of the moment, and the darkness, missed
+his aim, so that he was entirely at the tyrant's mercy, and in an
+instant was held suspended over the deep waters of the moat. He clung
+desperately to a little branch he had managed to lay hold of, and
+made such a brave fight for his life, that Herode, who was merciful by
+nature, though so fierce of aspect, decided to make terms with him, if
+he could do so without injuring the interests of his own party; and upon
+receiving a solemn promise from him to remain strictly neutral during
+the remainder of the fray, the powerful actor lifted him up, with the
+greatest ease, and seated him in safety upon the tree-trunk again. The
+poor fellow was so grateful that he was even better than his word, for,
+making use of the password and giving a pretended order from Merindol
+to the other two, who were some distance behind him and ignorant of what
+had happened, he sent them off post-haste to attend to an imaginary foe
+at some distance from the chateau; availing himself of their absence to
+make good his escape, after heartily thanking Herode for his clemency.
+The moon was just rising, and by its light the tyrant spied the little
+row-boat, lying not very far off at the foot of a flight of steps in the
+steep bank, and he was not slow to make use of it to cross the moat,
+and penetrate into the interior court of the chateau--the postern having
+been fortunately left open. Looking about him, to see how he could best
+rejoin his comrades within the building, his eyes fell upon the porch
+guarded by the two huge, calm sphinxes, and he wisely concluded that
+through it must lie his way to the scene of action.
+
+Meantime de Sigognac, Scapin and Lampourde, having a chance to look
+about them, were horrified to find that they were prisoners in the room
+where the battle had been fought. In vain they tried to burst open the
+stout oaken door which was their only means of egress--for the tree had,
+but a moment before, given way and fallen with a loud crash into the
+moat; in vain they strove to cut through one of the panels, or force the
+lock from its fastenings. To de Sigognac this delay was maddening, for
+he knew that the Duke of Vallombreuse had carried Isabelle away, and
+that he must still be with her. He worked like a giant himself, and
+incited the others to redouble their efforts; making battering rams
+of various pieces of furniture--resorting to every means that their
+ingenuity could devise--but without making the least impression on the
+massive barrier. They had paused in dismay, when suddenly a slight,
+grinding noise was heard, like a key turning in a lock, and the door, so
+unsuccessfully attacked, opened as if by magic before them.
+
+"What good angel has come to our aid?" cried de Sigognac; "and by what
+miracle does this door open of itself, after having so stoutly resisted
+all our efforts?"
+
+"There is neither angel nor miracle; only Chiquita," answered a quiet
+little voice, as the child appeared from behind the door, and fixed her
+great, dark, liquid eyes calmly on de Sigognac. She had managed to slip
+out with Vallombreuse and Isabelle, entirely unnoticed by the former,
+and in the hope of being of use to the latter.
+
+"Where is Isabelle?" cried the baron, as he crossed the threshold and
+looked anxiously round the anteroom, which was dimly lighted by one
+little flickering lamp. For a moment he did not perceive her; the Duke
+of Vallombreuse, surprised at the sudden opening of the door, which he
+had believed to be securely fastened and impenetrable, had retreated
+into a corner, and placed Isabelle, who was almost fainting from terror
+and exhaustion, behind him. She had sunk upon her knees, with her head
+leaning against the wall, her long hair, which had come down, falling
+about her, and her dress in the utmost disorder; for she had struggled
+desperately in the arms of her captor; who, feeling that his fair victim
+was about to escape from his clutches, had vainly striven to snatch a
+few kisses from the sweet lips so temptingly near his own.
+
+"Here she is," said Chiquita, "in this corner, behind the Duke of
+Vallombreuse; but to get to her you must first kill him."
+
+"Of course I shall kill him," cried de Sigognac, advancing sword in hand
+towards the young duke, who was ready to receive him.
+
+"We shall see about that, Sir Captain Fracasse--doughty knight of
+Bohemiennes!" said Vallombreuse disdainfully, and the conflict began.
+The duke was not de Sigognac's equal at this kind of work, but still he
+was skilful and brave, and had had too much good instruction to handle
+his sword like a broom-stick, as Lampourde expressed it. He stood
+entirely upon the defensive, and was exceedingly wary and prudent,
+hoping, as his adversary must be already considerably fatigued by his
+encounter with Malartic, that he might be able to get the better of him
+this time, and retrieve his previous defeat. At the very beginning he
+had succeeded in raising a small silver whistle to his lips with his
+left hand--and its shrill summons brought five or six armed attendants
+into the room.
+
+"Carry away this woman," he cried, "and put out those two rascals. I
+will take care of the captain myself."
+
+The sudden interruption of these fresh forces astonished de Sigognac,
+and as he saw two of the men lift up and carry off Isabelle--who had
+fainted quite away--he was thrown for an instant off his guard, and very
+nearly run through the body by his opponent.
+
+Roused to a sense of his danger, he attacked the duke with renewed fury,
+and with a terrible thrust, that made him reel, wounded him seriously in
+the upper part of the chest.
+
+Meanwhile Lampourde and Scapin had shown the duke's lackeys that it
+would not be a very easy matter to put them out, and were handling them
+rather roughly, when the cowardly fellows, seeing that their master was
+wounded, and leaning against the wall, deathly pale, thought that he was
+done for, and although they were fully armed, took to their heels and
+fled, deaf to his feeble cry for assistance. While all this was going
+on, the tyrant was making his way up the grand staircase, as fast as
+his corpulence would permit, and reached the top just in time to see
+Isabelle, pale, dishevelled, motionless, and apparently dead, being
+borne along the corridor by two lackeys. Without stopping to make any
+inquiries, and full of wrath at the thought that the sweet girl had
+fallen a victim to the wickedness of the cruel Duke of Vallombreuse,
+he drew his sword, and fell upon the two men with such fury that they
+dropped their light burden and fled down the stairs as fast as their
+legs could carry them. Then he knelt down beside the unconscious girl,
+raised her gently in his arms, and found that her heart was beating,
+though but feebly, and that she apparently had no wound, while she
+sighed faintly, like a person beginning to revive after a swoon. In this
+position he was found by de Sigognac, who had effectually gotten rid
+of Vallombreuse, by the famous and well-directed thrust that had thrown
+Jacquemin Lampourde into a rapture of admiration and delight. He knelt
+down beside his darling, took both her hands in his, and said, in the
+most tender tones, that Isabelle heard vaguely as if in a dream:
+
+"Rouse yourself, dear heart, and fear nothing. You are safe now, with
+your own friends, and your own true lover--nobody can harm or frighten
+you again."
+
+Although she did not yet open her eyes, a faint smile dawned upon the
+colourless lips, and her cold, trembling, little fingers feebly returned
+the tender pressure of de Sigognac's warm hands. Lampourde stood by,
+and looked down with tearful eyes upon this touching group--for he was
+exceedingly romantic and sentimental, and always intensely interested in
+a love affair. Suddenly, in the midst of the profound silence that had
+succeeded to the uproar of the melee, the winding of a horn was heard
+without, and in a moment energetically repeated. It was evidently a
+summons that had to be instantly obeyed; the drawbridge was lowered in
+haste, with a great rattling of chains, and a carriage driven rapidly
+into the court, while the red flaring light of torches flashed through
+the windows of the corridor. In another minute the door of the vestibule
+was thrown open, and hasty steps ascended the grand staircase. First
+came four tall lackeys, in rich liveries, carrying lights, and directly
+behind them a tall, noble-looking man, who was dressed from head to foot
+in black velvet, with an order shining on his breast--of those that
+are usually reserved for kings and princes of the blood, and only very
+exceptionally bestowed, upon the most illustrious personages.
+
+When the four lackeys reached the landing at the head of the stairs,
+they silently ranged themselves against the wall, and stood like statues
+bearing torches; without the raising of an eyelid, or the slightest
+change in the stolid expression of their countenances to indicate that
+they perceived anything out of the usual way--exhibiting in perfection
+that miraculous imperturbability and self-command which is peculiar to
+well-bred, thoroughly trained menservants. The gentleman whom they
+had preceded paused ere he stepped upon the landing. Although age had
+brought wrinkles to his handsome face, and turned his abundant dark hair
+gray, it was still easy to recognise in him the original of the
+portrait that had so fascinated Isabelle, and whose protection she had
+passionately implored in her distress.
+
+It was the princely father of Vallombreuse--the son bearing a different
+name, that of a duchy he possessed, until he in his turn should become
+the head of the family, and succeed to the title of prince.
+
+At sight of Isabelle, supported by de Sigognac and the tyrant, whose
+ghastly pallor made her look like one dead, the aged gentleman raised
+his arms towards heaven and groaned.
+
+"Alas! I am too late," said he, "for all the haste I made," and
+advancing a few steps he bent over the prostrate girl, and took her
+lifeless hand in his. Upon this hand, white, cold and diaphanous, as if
+it had been sculptured in alabaster, shone a ring, set with an amethyst
+of unusual size. The old nobleman seemed strangely agitated as it
+caught his eye. He drew it gently from Isabelle's slender finger, with
+a trembling hand signed to one of the torch-bearers to bring his light
+nearer, and by it eagerly examined the device cut upon the stone; first
+holding it close to the light and then at arm's length; as those whose
+eyesight is impaired by age are wont to do. The Baron de Sigognac,
+Herode and Lampourde anxiously watched the agitated movements of the
+prince, and his change of expression, as he contemplated this jewel,
+which he seemed to recognise; and which he turned and twisted between
+his fingers, with a pained look in his face, as if some great trouble
+had befallen him.
+
+"Where is the Duke of Vallombreuse?" he cried at last, in a voice of
+thunder. "Where is that monster in human shape, who is unworthy of my
+race?"
+
+He had recognised, without a possibility of doubt, in this ring, the one
+bearing a fanciful device, with which he had been accustomed, long ago,
+to seal the notes he wrote to Cornelia--Isabelle's mother, and his own
+youthful love. How happened it that this ring was on the finger of
+the young actress, who had been forcibly and shamefully abducted by
+Vallombreuse? From whom could she have received it? These questions were
+torturing to him.
+
+"Can it be possible that she is Cornelia's daughter and mine?" said the
+prince to himself. "Her profession, her age, her sweet face, in which I
+can trace a softened, beautified likeness of her mother's, but which has
+a peculiarly high bred, refined expression, worthy of a royal princess,
+all combine to make me believe it must be so. Then, alas! alas! it is
+his own sister that this cursed libertine has so wronged, and he has
+been guilty of a horrible, horrible crime. Oh! I am cruelly punished for
+my youthful folly and sin."
+
+Isabelle at length opened her eyes, and her first look fell upon the
+prince, holding the ring that he had drawn from her finger. It seemed to
+her as if she had seen his face before--but in youth, without the gray
+hair and beard. It seemed also to be an aged copy of the portrait over
+the chimney-piece in her room, and a feeling of profound veneration
+filled her heart as she gazed at him. She saw, too, her beloved de
+Sigognac kneeling beside her, watching her with tenderest devotion; and
+the worthy tyrant as well--both safe and sound. To the horrors of the
+terrible struggle had succeeded the peace and security of deliverance.
+She had nothing more to fear, for her friends or for herself--how could
+she ever be thankful enough?
+
+The prince, who had been gazing at her with passionate earnestness, as
+if her fair face possessed an irresistible charm for him, now addressed
+her in low, moved tones:
+
+"Mademoiselle, will you kindly tell me how you came by this ring, which
+recalls very dear and sacred memories to me? Has it been long in your
+possession?"
+
+"I have had it ever since my infancy; it is the only thing that my poor
+mother left me," Isabelle replied, with gentle dignity.
+
+"And who was your mother? Will you, tell me something about her?"
+continued the prince, with increasing emotion.
+
+"Her name was Cornelia, and she was an actress, belonging to the same
+troupe that I am a member of now."
+
+"Cornelia! then there is no possible doubt about it," murmured the
+prince to himself, in great agitation. "Yes, it is certainly she whom I
+have been seeking all these years--and now to find her thus!"
+
+Then, controlling his emotion, he resumed his usual calm, majestic
+demeanour, and turning back to Isabelle, said to her, "Permit me to keep
+this ring for the present; I will soon give it back to you."
+
+"I am content to leave it in your lordship's hands," the young actress
+replied, in whose mind the memory of a face, that she had seen long
+years ago bending over her cradle, was growing clearer and more distinct
+every moment.
+
+"Gentlemen," said the prince, turning to de Sigognac and his companions,
+"under any other circumstances I might find your presence here, in my
+chateau, with arms in your hands, unwarranted, but I am aware of the
+necessity that drove you to forcibly invade this mansion, hitherto
+sacred from such scenes as this--I know that violence must be met with
+violence, and justifies it; therefore I shall take no further notice of
+what has happened here to-night, and you need have no fears of any evil
+consequences to yourselves because of your share in it. But where is the
+Duke of Vallombreuse? that degenerate son who disgraces my old age."
+
+As if in obedience to his father's call, the young duke at that moment
+appeared upon the threshold of the door leading into what had been
+Isabelle's apartment, supported by Malartic. He was frightfully pale,
+and his clinched hand pressed a handkerchief tightly upon his wounded
+chest. He came forward with difficulty, looking like a ghost. Only a
+strong effort of will kept him from falling--an effort that gave to
+his face the immobility of a marble mask. He had heard the voice of his
+father, whom, depraved and shameless as he was, he yet respected and
+dreaded, and he hoped to be able to conceal his wound from him. He bit
+his lips so as not to cry out or groan in his agony, and resolutely
+swallowed down the bloody foam that kept rising and filling his mouth.
+He even took off his hat, in spite of the frightful pain the raising
+of his arm caused him, and stood uncovered and silent before his angry
+parent.
+
+"Sir," said the prince, severely, "your misdeeds transcend all limits,
+and your behaviour is such that I shall be forced to implore the king
+to send you to prison, or into exile. You are not fit to be at large.
+Abduction--imprisonment--criminal assault. These are not simple
+gallantries; and though I might be willing to pardon and overlook many
+excesses, committed in the wildness of licentious youth, I never could
+bring myself to forgive a deliberate and premeditated crime. Do
+you know, you monster," he continued approaching Vallombreuse, and
+whispering in his ear, so that no one else could hear, "do you know
+who this young girl is? this good and chaste Isabelle, whom you have
+forcibly abducted, in spite of her determined and virtuous resistance!
+She is your own sister!
+
+"May she replace the son you are about to lose," the young duke replied,
+attacked by a sudden faintness, and an agony of pain which he felt
+that he could not long endure and live; "but I am not as guilty as you
+suppose. Isabelle is pure--stainless. I swear it, by the God before whom
+I must shortly appear. Death does not lie, and you may believe what I
+say, upon the word of a dying gentleman."
+
+These words were uttered loudly and distinctly, so as to be heard
+by all. Isabelle turned her beautiful eyes, wet with tears, upon de
+Sigognac, and read in those of her true and faithful lover that he had
+not waited for the solemn attestation, "in extremis," of the Duke of
+Vallombreuse to believe in the perfect purity of her whom he adored.
+
+"But what is the matter?" asked the prince, holding out his hand to his
+son, who staggered and swayed to and fro in spite of Malartic's efforts
+to support him, and whose face was fairly livid.
+
+"Nothing, father," answered Vallombreuse, in a scarcely articulate
+voice, "nothing--only I am dying"--and he fell at full length on the
+floor before the prince could clasp him in his arms, as he endeavoured
+to do.
+
+"He did not fall on his face," said Jacquemin Lampourde, sententiously;
+"it's nothing but a fainting fit. He may escape yet. We duellists are
+familiar with this sort of thing, my lord; a great deal more so than
+most medical men, and you may depend upon what I say."
+
+"A doctor! a doctor!" cried the prince, forgetting his anger as he saw
+his son lying apparently lifeless at his feet. "Perhaps this man is
+right, and there may be some hope for him yet. A fortune to whomsoever
+will save my son!--my only son!--the last scion of a noble race. Go! run
+quickly! What are you about there?--don't you understand me? Go, I say,
+and run as fast as you can; take the fleetest horse in the stable."
+
+Whereupon two of the imperturbable lackeys, who had held their torches
+throughout this exciting scene without moving a muscle, hastened off
+to execute their master's orders. Some of his own servants now came
+forward, raised up the unconscious Duke of Vallombreuse with every
+possible care and precaution, and by his father's command carried him to
+his own room and laid him on his own bed, the aged prince following, with
+a face from which grief and anxiety had already driven away all traces
+of anger. He saw his race extinct in the death of this son, whom he
+so dearly loved--despite his fault--and whose vices he forgot for the
+moment, remembering only his brilliant and lovable qualities. A profound
+melancholy took complete possession of him, as he stood for a few
+moments plunged in a sorrowful reverie that everybody respected.
+
+Isabelle, entirely revived, and no longer feeling at all faint, bad
+risen to her feet, and now stood between de Sigognac and the tyrant,
+adjusting, with a trembling hand, her disordered dress and dishevelled
+hair. Lampourde and Scapin had retired to a little distance from them,
+and held themselves modestly aloof, whilst the men within, still bound
+hand and foot, kept as quiet as possible; fearful of their fate if
+brought to the prince's notice. At length that aged nobleman returned,
+and breaking the terrible silence that had weighed upon all, said,
+in severe tones, "Let all those who placed their services at the
+disposition of the Duke of Vallombreuse, to aid him in indulging
+his evil passions and committing a terrible crime, quit this chateau
+instantly. I will refrain from placing you in the hands of the public
+executioner, though you richly deserve it. Go now! vanish! get ye back
+to your lairs! and rest assured that justice will not fail to overtake
+you at last."
+
+These words were not complimentary, but the trembling offenders were
+thankful to get off so easily, and the ruffians, whom Lampourde and
+Scapin had unbound, followed Malartic down the stairs in silence,
+without daring to claim their promised reward. When they had
+disappeared, the prince advanced and took Isabelle by the hand, and
+gently detaching her from the group of which she had formed a part, led
+her over to where he had been standing, and kept her beside him.
+
+"Stay here, mademoiselle," he said; "your place is henceforth by
+my side. It is the least that you can do to fulfil your duty as my
+daughter, since you are the innocent means of depriving me of my son."
+And he wiped away a tear, that, despite all his efforts to control his
+grief, rolled down his withered cheek. Then turning to de Sigognac, he
+said, with an incomparably noble gesture, "Sir, you are at liberty to
+withdraw, with your brave companions. Isabelle will have nothing to fear
+under her father's protection, and this chateau will be her home for
+the present. Now that her birth is made known it is not fitting that my
+daughter should return to Paris with you. I thank you, though it
+costs me the hope of perpetuating my race, for having spared my son a
+disgraceful action--what do I say? An abominable crime. I would rather
+have a bloodstain on my escutcheon than a dishonourable blot. Since
+Vallombreuse was infamous in his conduct, you have done well to kill
+him. You have acted like a true gentleman, which I am assured that you
+are, in chivalrously protecting weakness, innocence and virtue. You
+are nobly in the right. That my daughter's honour has been preserved
+unstained, I owe to you--and it compensates me for the loss of my
+son--at least my reason tells me that it should do so; but the father's
+heart rebels, and unjust ideas of revenge might arise, which I should
+find it difficult to conquer and set at rest. Therefore you had better
+go your way now, and whatever the result may be I will not pursue or
+molest you. I will try to forget that a terrible necessity turned your
+sword against my son's life."
+
+"My lord," said de Sigognac, with profound respect, "I feel so keenly
+for your grief as a father, that I would have accepted any reproaches,
+no matter how bitter and unjust, from you, without one word of protest
+or feeling of resentment; even though I cannot reproach myself for my
+share in this disastrous conflict. I do not wish to say anything to
+justify myself in your eyes, at the expense of the unhappy Duke of
+Vallombreuse, but I beg you to believe that this quarrel was not of
+my seeking. He persistently threw himself in my way, and I have done
+everything I could to spare him, in more than one encounter. Even
+here it was his own blind fury that led to his being wounded. I leave
+Isabelle, who is dearer to me than my own soul, in your hands, and shall
+grieve my whole life long for this sad victory; which is a veritable and
+terrible defeat for me, since it destroys my happiness. Ah! if only I
+could have been slain myself, instead of your unhappy son; it would have
+been better and happier for me."
+
+He bowed with grave dignity to the prince, who courteously returned
+his salute, exchanged a long look, eloquent of passionate love and
+heart-breaking regret, with Isabelle, and went sadly down the grand
+staircase, followed by his companions--not however without glancing back
+more than once at the sweet girl he was leaving--who to save herself
+from falling, leaned heavily against the railing of the landing,
+sobbing as if her heart would break, and pressing a handkerchief to her
+streaming eyes. And, so strange a thing is the human heart, the Baron
+de Sigognac departed much comforted by the bitter grief and tears of her
+whom he so devotedly loved and worshipped. He and his friends went on
+foot to the little wood where they had left their horses tied to the
+trees, found them undisturbed, mounted and returned to Paris.
+
+"What do you think, my lord, of all these wonderful events?" said the
+tyrant, after a long silence, to de Sigognac, beside whom he was
+riding. "It all ends up like a regular tragi-comedy. Who would ever
+have dreamed, in the midst of the melee, of the sudden entrance upon the
+scene of the grand old princely father, preceded by torches, and coming
+to put a little wholesome restraint on the too atrociously outrageous
+pranks of his dissolute young son? And then the recognition of Isabelle
+as his daughter, by means of the ring with a peculiar device of his own
+engraved upon it; haven't you seen exactly the same sort of thing on the
+stage? But, after all, it is not so surprising perhaps as it seems
+at the first glance--since the theatre is only a copy of real life.
+Therefore, real life should resemble it, just as the original does the
+portrait, eh? I have always heard that our sweet little actress was of
+noble birth. Blazius and old Mme. Leonarde remember seeing the prince
+when he was devoted to Cornelia. The duenna has often tried to persuade
+Isabelle to seek out her father, but she is of too modest and gentle a
+nature to take a step of that kind; not wishing to intrude upon a family
+that might reject her, and willing to content herself in her own lowly,
+position."
+
+"Yes, I knew all about that," rejoined de Sigognac, "for Isabelle
+told me some time ago her mother's history, and spoke of the ring; but
+without attaching any importance to the fact of her illustrious origin.
+It is very evident, however, from the nobility and delicacy of her
+nature, without any other proof, that princely blood flows in her veins;
+and also the refined, pure, elevated type of her beauty testifies to
+her descent. But what a terrible fatality that this cursed Vallombreuse
+should turn out to be her brother! There is a dead body between us
+now--a stream of blood separates us--and yet, I could not save her
+honour in any other way. Unhappy mortal that I am! I have myself created
+the obstacle upon which my love is wrecked, and killed my hopes of
+future bliss with the very sword that defended the purity of the woman I
+adore. In guarding her I love, I have put her away from me forever. How
+could I go now and present myself to Isabelle with blood-stained hands?
+Alas! that the blood which I was forced to shed in her defence should
+have been her brother's. Even if she, in her heavenly goodness, could
+forgive me, and look upon me without a feeling of horror, the prince,
+her father, would repulse and curse me as the murderer of his only son.
+I was born, alas! under an unlucky star."
+
+"Yes, it is all very sad and lamentable, certainly," said the tyrant;
+"but worse entanglements than this have come out all right in the end.
+You must remember that the Duke of Vallombreuse is only half-brother
+to Isabelle, and that they were aware of the relationship but for a
+few minutes before he fell dead at our feet; which must make a great
+difference in her feelings. And besides, she hated that overbearing
+nobleman, who pursued her so cruelly with his violent and scandalous
+gallantries. The prince himself was far from being satisfied with his
+wretched son--who was ferocious as Nero, dissolute as Heliogabalus, and
+perverse as Satan himself, and who would have been hanged ten times over
+if he had not been a duke. Do not be so disheartened! things may turn
+out a great deal better than you think now."
+
+"God grant it, my good Herode," said de Sigognac fervently. "But
+naturally I cannot feel happy about it. It would have been far better
+for all if I had been killed instead of the duke, since Isabelle would
+have been safe from his criminal pursuit under her father's care. And
+then, I may as well tell you all, a secret horror froze the very marrow
+in my bones when I saw that handsome young man, but a moment before so
+full of life, fire, and passion, fall lifeless, pale and stiff at my
+feet. Herode, the death of a man is a grave thing, and though I cannot
+suffer from remorse for this one, since I have committed no crime,
+still, all the time I see Vallombreuse before me, lying, motionless and
+ghastly, with the blood oozing slowly from his wound. It haunts me. I
+cannot drive the horrid sight away."
+
+"That is all wrong," said the tyrant, soothingly--for the other was much
+excited--"for you could not have done otherwise. Your conscience should
+not reproach you. You have acted throughout, from the very beginning to
+the end, like the noble gentleman that you are. These scruples are owing
+to exhaustion, to the feverishness due to the excitement you have gone
+through, and the chill from the night air. We will gallop on swiftly in
+a moment, to set our blood flowing more freely, and drive away these sad
+thoughts of yours. But one thing must be promptly done; you must quit
+Paris, forthwith, and retire for a time to some quiet retreat, until all
+this trouble is forgotten. The violent death of the Duke of Vallombreuse
+will make a stir at the court, and in the city, no matter how much pains
+may be taken to keep the facts from the public, and, although he was not
+at all popular, indeed very much the reverse, there will be much regret
+expressed, and you will probably be severely blamed. But now let us put
+spurs to these lazy steeds of ours, and try to get on a little faster."
+
+While they are galloping towards Paris, we will return to the
+chateau--as quiet now as it had been noisy a little while before. In
+the young duke's room, a candelabrum, with several branches, stood on a
+round table, so that the light from the candles fell upon the bed, where
+he lay with closed eyes, as motionless as a corpse, and as pale. The
+walls of the large chamber, above a high wainscot of ebony picked out
+with gold, were hung with superb tapestry, representing the history of
+Medea and Jason, with all its murderous and revolting details. Here,
+Medea was seen cutting the body of Pelias into pieces, under pretext of
+restoring his youth--there, the madly jealous woman and unnatural
+mother was murdering her own children; in another panel she was
+fleeing, surfeited with vengeance, in her chariot, drawn by huge dragons
+breathing out flames of fire. The tapestry was certainly magnificent in
+quality and workmanship, rich in colouring, artistic in design, and very
+costly--but inexpressibly repulsive. These mythological horrors gave
+the luxurious room an intensely disagreeable, lugubrious aspect, and
+testified to the natural ferocity and cruelty of the person who had
+selected them. Behind the bed the crimson silk curtains had been drawn
+apart, exposing to view the representation of Jason's terrible conflict
+with the fierce, brazen bulls that guarded the golden fleece, and
+Vallombreuse, lying senseless below them, looked as if he might have
+been one of their victims. Various suits of clothes, of the greatest
+richness and elegance, which had been successively tried on and
+rejected, were scattered about, and in a splendid great Japanese vase,
+standing on an ebony table near the head of the bed, was a bouquet of
+beautiful flowers, destined to replace the one Isabelle had already
+refused to receive--its glowing tints making a strange contrast with the
+death-like face, which was whiter than the snowy pillow it rested
+on. The prince, sitting in an arm-chair beside the bed, gazed at his
+unconscious son with mournful intentness, and bent down from time to
+time to listen at the slightly parted lips; but no fluttering breath
+came through them; all was still. Never had the young duke looked
+handsomer. The haughty, fierce expression, habitual with him, had given
+place to a serenity that was wonderfully beautiful, though so like
+death. As the father contemplated the perfect face and form, so soon to
+crumble into dust, he forgot, in his overwhelming grief, that the soul
+of a demon had animated it, and he thought sorrowfully of the great name
+that had been revered and honoured for centuries past, but which could
+not go down to centuries to come. More even than the death of his son
+did he mourn for the extinction of his home.
+
+Isabelle stood at the foot of the bed, with clasped hands, praying with
+her whole soul for this new-found brother, who had expiated his crime
+with his life--the crime of loving too much, which woman pardons so
+easily.
+
+The prince, who had been for some time holding his son's icy cold hand
+between both his own, suddenly thought that he could feel a slight
+warmth in it, and not realizing that he himself had imparted it, allowed
+himself to hope again.
+
+"Will the doctor never come?" he cried impatiently; "something may yet
+be done; I am persuaded of it."
+
+Even as he spoke the door opened, and the surgeon appeared, followed by
+an assistant carrying a case of instruments. He bowed to the prince, and
+without saying one word went straight to the bedside, felt the patient's
+pulse, put his hand over his heart, and shook his head despondingly.
+However, to make sure, he drew a little mirror of polished steel from
+his pocket, removed it from its case, and held it for a moment over the
+parted lips; then, upon examining its surface closely, he found that
+a slight dimness was visible upon it. Surprised at this unexpected
+indication of life, he repeated the experiment, and again the little
+mirror was dimmed--Isabelle and the prince meantime breathlessly
+watching every movement, and even the expression of the doctor's face.
+
+"Life is not entirely extinct," he said at last, turning to the anxious
+father, as he wiped the polished surface of his tiny mirror. "The
+patient still breathes, and as long as there is life there is hope, But
+do not give yourself up to a premature joy that might render your grief
+more bitter afterwards. I only say that the Duke of Vallombreuse has not
+yet breathed his last; that is all. Now, I am going to probe the wound,
+which perhaps is not fatal, as it did not kill him at once."
+
+"You must not stay here, Isabelle," said the prince, tenderly; "such
+sights are too trying for a young girl like you. Go to your own room
+now, my dear, and I will let you know the doctor's verdict as soon as he
+has pronounced it."
+
+Isabelle accordingly withdrew, and was conducted to an apartment that
+had been made ready for her; the one she had occupied being all in
+disorder after the terrible scenes that had been enacted there.
+
+The surgeon proceeded with his examination, and when it was finished
+said to the prince, "My lord, will you please to order a cot put up in
+that corner yonder, and have a light supper sent in for my assistant and
+myself? We shall remain for the night with the Duke of Vallombreuse, and
+take turns in watching him. I must be with him constantly, so as to note
+every symptom; to combat promptly those that are unfavorable, and aid
+those that are the reverse. Your highness may trust everything to me,
+and feel assured that all that human skill and science can do towards
+saving your son's life shall be faithfully done. Let me advise you to
+go to your own room now and try to get some rest; I think I may safely
+answer for my patient's life until the morning."
+
+A little calmed and much encouraged by this assurance, the prince
+retired to his own apartment, where every hour a servant brought him a
+bulletin from the sick-room.
+
+As to Isabelle, lying in her luxurious bed and vainly trying to sleep,
+she lived over again in imagination all the wonderful as well as
+terrible experiences of the last two days, and tried to realize her new
+position; that she was now the acknowledged daughter of a mighty
+prince, than whom only royalty was higher; that the dreaded Duke of
+Vallombreuse, so handsome and winning despite his perversity, was no
+longer a bold lover to be feared and detested, but a brother, whose
+passion, if he lived, would doubtless be changed into a pure and calm
+fraternal affection. This chateau, no longer her prison, had become her
+home, and she was treated by all with the respect and consideration due
+to the daughter of its master. From what had seemed to be her ruin had
+arisen her good fortune, and a destiny radiant, unhoped-for, and beyond
+her wildest flights of fancy. Yet, surrounded as she was by everything
+to make her happy and content, Isabelle was far from feeling so--she was
+astonished at herself for being sad and listless, instead of joyous and
+exultant--but the thought of de Sigognac, so infinitely dear to her,
+so far more precious than any other earthly blessing, weighed upon her
+heart, and the separation from him was a sorrow for which nothing could
+console her. Yet, now that their relative positions were so changed,
+might not a great happiness be in store for her? Did not this very
+change bring her nearer in reality to that true, brave, faithful,
+and devoted lover, though for the moment they were parted? As a poor
+nameless actress she had refused to accept his offered hand, lest such
+an alliance should be disadvantageous to him and stand in the way of his
+advancement, but now--how joyfully would she give herself to him. The
+daughter of a great and powerful prince would be a fitting wife for the
+Baron de Sigognac. But if he were the murderer of her father's only son;
+ah! then indeed they could never join hands over a grave. And even if
+the young duke should recover, he might cherish a lasting resentment for
+the man who had not only dared to oppose his wishes and designs, but
+had also defeated and wounded him. As to the prince, good and generous
+though he was, still he might not be able to bring himself to look with
+favour upon the man who had almost deprived him of his son. Then, too,
+he might desire some other alliance for his new-found daughter--it
+was not impossible--but in her inmost heart she promised herself to be
+faithful to her first and only love; to take refuge in a convent rather
+than accept the hand of any other; even though that other were as
+handsome as Apollo, and gifted as the prince of a fairy tale. Comforted
+by this secret vow, by which she dedicated her life and love to de
+Sigognac, whether their destiny should give them to each other or keep
+them asunder, Isabelle was just falling into a sweet sleep when a slight
+sound made her open her eyes, and they fell upon Chiquita, standing at
+the foot of the bed and gazing at her with a thoughtful, melancholy air.
+
+"What is it, my dear child?" said Isabelle, in her sweetest tones. "You
+did not go away with the others, then? I am glad; and if you would
+like to stay here with me, Chiquita, I will keep you and care for you
+tenderly; as is justly due to you, my dear, for you have done a great
+deal for me."
+
+"I love you dearly," answered Chiquita, "but I cannot stay with you
+while Agostino lives; he is my master, I must follow him. But I have one
+favour to beg before I leave you; if you think that I have earned the
+pearl necklace now, will you kiss me? No one ever did but you, and it
+was so sweet."
+
+"Indeed I will, and with all my heart," said Isabelle, taking the
+child's thin face between her hands and kissing her warmly on her brown
+cheeks, which flushed crimson under the soft caress.
+
+"And now, good-bye!" said Chiquita, when after a few moments of silence
+she had resumed her usual sang-froid. She turned quickly away, but,
+catching sight of the knife she had given Isabelle, which lay upon the
+dressing-table, she seized it eagerly, saying, "Give me back my knife
+now; you will not need it any more," and vanished.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII. A FAMILY PARTY
+
+The next morning found the young Duke of Vallombreuse still living,
+though his life hung by so slender a thread, that the surgeon, who
+anxiously watched his every breath, feared from moment to moment that it
+might break. He was a learned and skilful man, this same Maitre Laurent,
+who only needed some favourable opportunity to bring him into notice and
+make him as celebrated as he deserved to be. His remarkable talents and
+skill had only been exercised thus far "in anima vili," among the lower
+orders of society--whose living or dying was a matter of no moment
+whatever. But now had come at last the chance so long sighed for in
+secret, and he felt that the recovery of his illustrious patient was of
+paramount importance to himself. The worthy doctor's amour propre
+and ambition were both actively engaged in this desperate duel he
+was fighting with Death, and he set his teeth and determined that the
+victory must rest with him. In order to keep the whole glory of
+the triumph for himself, he had persuaded the prince--not without
+difficulty--to renounce his intention of sending for the most celebrated
+surgeons in Paris, assuring him that he himself was perfectly capable to
+do all that could be done, and pleading that nothing was more dangerous
+than a change of treatment in such a case as this. Maitre Laurent
+conquered, and feeling that there was now no danger of his being
+pushed into the background, threw his whole heart and strength into the
+struggle; yet many times during that anxious night he feared that his
+patient's life was slipping away from his detaining grasp, and almost
+repented him of having assumed the entire responsibility. But with the
+morning came encouragement, and as the watchful surgeon stood at
+the bedside, intently gazing upon the ghastly face on the pillow, he
+murmured to himself:
+
+"No, he will not die--his countenance has lost that terrible,
+hippocratic look that had settled upon it last evening when I first saw
+him--his pulse is stronger, his breathing free and natural. Besides, he
+MUST live--his recovery will make my fortune. I must and will tear him
+out of the grim clutches of Death--fine, handsome, young fellow that he
+is, and the heir and hope of his noble family--it will be long ere his
+tomb need be made ready to receive him. He will help me to get away from
+this wretched little village, where I vegetate ignobly, and eat my
+heart out day by day. Now for a bold stroke!--at the risk of producing
+fever--at all risks--I shall venture to give him a dose of that
+wonder-working potion of mine." Opening his case of medicines, he took
+out several small vials, containing different preparations--some red as
+a ruby, others green as an emerald--this one yellow as virgin gold,
+that bright and colourless as a diamond--and on each one a small label
+bearing a Latin inscription. Maitre Laurent, though he was perfectly
+sure of himself, carefully read the inscriptions upon those he had
+selected several times over, held up the tiny vials one after another,
+where a ray of sunshine struck upon them, and looked admiringly through
+the bright transparent liquids they contained--then, measuring with the
+utmost care a few drops from each, compounded a potion after a secret
+recipe of his own; which he made a mystery of, and refused to impart to
+his fellow practitioners. Rousing his sleeping assistant, he ordered him
+to raise the patient's head a little, while, with a small spatula, he
+pried the firmly set teeth apart sufficiently to allow the liquid he
+had prepared to trickle slowly into the mouth. As it reached the throat
+there was a spasmodic contraction that gave Maitre Laurent an instant
+of intense anxiety--but it was only momentary, and the remainder of the
+dose was swallowed easily and with almost instantaneous effect. A slight
+tinge of colour showed itself in the pallid cheeks, the eyelids trembled
+and half unclosed, and the hand that had lain inert and motionless upon
+the counterpane stirred a little. Then the young duke heaved a deep
+sigh, and opening his eyes looked vacantly in about him, like one
+awakening from a dream, or returning from those mysterious regions
+whither the soul takes flight when unconsciousness holds this mortal
+frame enthralled. Only a glance, and the long eyelashes fell again upon
+the pale cheeks--but a wonderful change had passed over the countenance.
+
+"I staked everything on that move," said Maitre Laurent to himself,
+with a long breath of relief, "and I have won. It was either kill or
+cure--and it has not killed him. All glory be to Aesculapius, Hygeia,
+and Hippocrates!"
+
+At this moment a hand noiselessly put aside the hangings over the door,
+and the venerable head of the prince appeared--looking ten years older
+for the agony and dread of the terrible night just passed.
+
+"How is he, Maitre Laurent?" he breathed, in broken, scarcely audible
+tones.
+
+The surgeon put his finger to his lips, and with the other hand pointed
+to the young duke's face-still raised a little on the pillows, and no
+longer wearing its death-like look; then, with the light step habitual
+with those who are much about the sick, he went over to the prince,
+still standing on the threshold, and drawing him gently outside and
+away from the door, said in a low voice, "Your highness can see that the
+patient's condition, so far from growing worse, has decidedly improved.
+Certainly he is not out of danger yet--his state is very critical--but
+unless some new and totally unforeseen complication should arise,
+which I shall use every effort to prevent, I think that we can pull him
+through, and that he will be able to enjoy life again as if he had never
+been hurt."
+
+The prince's care-worn face brightened and his fine eyes flashed at
+these hopeful words; he stepped forward to enter the sick-room, but
+Maitre Laurent respectfully opposed his doing so.
+
+"Permit me, my lord, to prevent your approaching your son's bedside just
+now--doctors are often very disagreeable, you know, and have to impose
+trying conditions upon those to whom their patients are dear. I beseech
+you not to go near the Duke of Vallombreuse at present. Your beloved
+presence might, in the excessively weak and exhausted condition of
+my patient, cause dangerous agitation. Any strong emotion would be
+instantly fatal to him, his hold upon life is still so slight. Perfect
+tranquility is his only safety. If all goes well--as I trust and believe
+that it will--in a few days he will have regained his strength in a
+measure, his wound will be healing, and you can probably be with him as
+much as you like, without any fear of doing him harm. I know that this
+is very trying to your highness, but, believe me, it is necessary to
+your son's well-being."
+
+The prince, very much relieved, and yielding readily to the doctor's
+wishes, returned to his own apartment; where he occupied himself with
+some religious reading until noon, when the major-domo came to announce
+that dinner was on the table.
+
+"Go and tell my daughter, the Comtesse Isabelle de Lineuil--such is the
+title by which she is to be addressed henceforth--that I request her to
+join me at dinner," said the prince to the major-domo, who hastened off
+to obey this order.
+
+Isabelle went quickly down the grand staircase with a light step, and
+smiled to herself as she passed through the noble hall where she had
+been so frightened by the two figures in armour, on the occasion of
+her bold exploring expedition the first night after her arrival at the
+chateau. Everything looked very different now--the bright sunshine
+was pouring in at the windows, and large fires of juniper, and other
+sweet-smelling woods, had completely done away with the damp, chilly,
+heavy atmosphere that pervaded the long disused rooms when she was in
+them before.
+
+In the splendid dining-room she found a table sumptuously spread, and
+her father already seated at it, in his large, high-backed, richly
+carved chair, behind which stood two lackeys, in superb liveries. As she
+approached him she made a most graceful curtsey, which had nothing in
+the least theatrical about it, and would have met with approbation even
+in courtly circles. A servant was holding the chair destined for her,
+and with some timidity, but no apparent embarrassment, she took her seat
+opposite to the prince. She was served with soup and wine, and then with
+course after course of delicate, tempting viands; but she could not eat
+her heart was too full--her nerves were still quivering, from the terror
+and excitement of the preceding day and night.
+
+She was dazzled and agitated by this sudden change of fortune, anxious
+about her brother, now lying at the point of death, and, above all,
+troubled and grieved at her separation from her lover--so she could only
+make a pretence of dining, and played languidly with the food on her
+plate.
+
+"You are eating nothing, my dear comtesse," said the prince, who had
+been furtively watching her; "I pray you try to do better with this bit
+of partridge I am sending you."
+
+At this title of comtesse, spoken as a matter of course, and in such a
+kind, tender tone, Isabelle looked up at the prince with astonishment
+written in her beautiful, deep blue eyes, which seemed to plead timidly
+for an explanation.
+
+"Yes, Comtesse de Lineuil; it is the title which goes with an estate I
+have settled on you, my dear child, and which has long been destined for
+you. The name of Isabelle alone, charming though it be, is not suitable
+for my daughter."
+
+Isabelle, yielding to the impulse of the moment--as the servants had
+retired and she was alone with her father--rose, and going to his side,
+knelt down and kissed his hand, in token of gratitude for his delicacy
+and generosity.
+
+"Rise, my child," said he, very tenderly, and much moved, "and return
+to your place. What I have done is only just. It calls for no thanks. I
+should have done it long ago if it had been in my power. In the terrible
+circumstances that have reunited us, my dear daughter, I can see the
+finger of Providence, and through them I have learned your worth. To
+your virtue alone it is due that a horrible crime was not committed, and
+I love and honour you for it; even though it may cost me the loss of my
+only son. But God will be merciful and preserve his life, so that he may
+repent of having so persecuted and outraged the purest innocence.
+Maitre Laurent, in whom I have every confidence, gives me some hope this
+morning; and when I looked at Vallombreuse--from the threshold of his
+room only--I could see that the seal of death was no longer upon his
+face."
+
+They were interrupted by the servants, bringing in water to wash their
+fingers, in a magnificent golden bowl, and this ceremony having been
+duly gone through with, the prince threw down his napkin and led the way
+into the adjoining salon, signing to Isabelle to follow him. He seated
+himself in a large arm-chair in front of the blazing wood fire, and
+bidding Isabelle place herself close beside him, took her hand tenderly
+between both of his, and looked long and searchingly at this lovely
+young daughter, so strangely restored to him. There was much of sadness
+mingled with the joy that shone in his eyes, for he was still very
+anxious about his son, whose life was in such jeopardy; but as he gazed
+upon Isabelle's sweet face the joy predominated, and he smiled very
+lovingly upon the new comtesse, as he began to talk to her of long past
+days.
+
+"Doubtless, my beloved child, in the midst of the strange events that
+have brought us together, in such an odd, romantic, almost supernatural
+manner, the thought has suggested itself to your mind, that during all
+the years that have passed since your infancy I have not sought you out,
+and that chance alone has at last restored the long-lost child to her
+neglectful father. But you are so good and noble that I know you would
+not dwell upon such an idea, and I hope that you do not so misjudge
+me as to think me capable of such culpable neglect, now that you are
+getting a little better acquainted with me. As you must know, your
+mother, Cornelia, was excessively proud and high-spirited. She resented
+every affront, whether intended as such or not, with extraordinary
+violence, and when I was obliged, in spite of my most heartfelt wishes,
+to separate myself from her, and reluctantly submit to a marriage that I
+could not avoid, she obstinately refused to allow me to provide for
+her maintenance in comfort and luxury, as well as for you and your
+education. All that I gave her, and settled on her, she sent back to
+me with the most exaggerated disdain, and inexorably refused to receive
+again. I could not but admire, though I so deplored, her lofty spirit,
+and proud rejection of every benefit which I desired to confer upon her,
+and I left in the hands of a trusty agent, for her, the deeds of all the
+landed property and houses I had destined for her, as well as the
+money and jewels--so that she could at any time reclaim them, if she
+would--hoping that she might see fit to change her mind when the first
+flush of anger was over. But, to my great chagrin, she persisted in her
+refusal of everything, and changing her name, fled from Paris into the
+provinces; where she was said to have joined a roving band of comedians.
+Soon after that I was sent by my sovereign on several foreign missions
+that kept me long away from France, and I lost all trace of her and you.
+In vain were all my efforts to find you both, until at last I heard that
+she was dead. Then I redoubled my diligence in the search for my little
+motherless daughter, whom I had so tenderly loved; but all in vain. No
+trace of her could I find. I heard, indeed, of many children among these
+strolling companies, and carefully investigated each case that came
+to my knowledge; but it always ended in disappointment. Several women,
+indeed, tried to palm off their little girls upon me as my child, and
+I had to be on my guard against fraud; but I never failed to sift the
+matter thoroughly, even though I knew that deceit was intended, lest I
+should unawares reject the dear little one I was so anxiously seeking.
+At last I was almost forced to conclude that you too had perished; yet
+a secret intuition always told me that you were still in the land of the
+living. I used to sit for hours and think of how sweet and lovely you
+were in infancy; how your little rosy fingers used to play with and pull
+my long mustache--which was black then, my dear--when I leaned over to
+kiss you in your cradle--recalling all your pretty, engaging little baby
+tricks, remembering how fond and proud I was of you, and grieving over
+the loss that I seemed to feel more and more acutely as the years went
+on. The birth of my son only made me long still more intensely for you,
+instead of consoling me for your loss, or banishing you from my memory,
+and when I saw him decked with rich laces and ribbons, like a royal
+babe, and playing with his jewelled rattle, I would think with an aching
+heart that perhaps at that very moment my dear little daughter was
+suffering from cold and hunger, or the unkind treatment of those who
+had her in charge. Then I regretted deeply that I had not taken you away
+from your mother in the very beginning, and had you brought up as
+my daughter should be--but when you were born I did not dream of our
+parting. As years rolled on new anxieties tortured me. I knew that
+you would be beautiful, and how much you would have to suffer from the
+dissolute men who hover about all young and pretty actresses--my blood
+would boil as I thought of the insults and affronts to which you might
+be subjected, and from which I was powerless to shield you--no words can
+tell what I suffered. Affecting a taste for the theatre that I did not
+possess, I never let an opportunity pass to see every company of
+players that I could hear of--hoping to find you at last among them. But
+although I saw numberless young actresses, about your age, not one of
+them could have been you, my dear child--of that I was sure. So at last
+I abandoned the hope of finding my long-lost daughter, though it was a
+bitter trial to feel that I must do so. The princess, my wife, had
+died three years after our marriage, leaving me only one
+child--Vallombreuse--whose ungovernable disposition has always given me
+much trouble and anxiety. A few days ago, at Saint Germain, I heard some
+of the courtiers speak in terms of high praise of Herode's troupe,
+and what they said made me determine to go and see one of their
+representations without delay, while my heart beat high with a new
+hope--for they especially lauded a young actress, called Isabelle; whose
+graceful, modest, high-bred air they declared to be irresistible, and
+her acting everything that could be desired--adding that she was as
+virtuous as she was beautiful, and that the boldest libertines respected
+her immaculate purity. Deeply agitated by a secret presentiment, I
+hastened back to Paris, and went to the theatre that very night. There I
+saw you, my darling, and though it would seem to be impossible for even
+a father's eye to recognise, in the beautiful young woman of twenty, the
+babe that he had kissed in its cradle, and had never beheld since,
+still I knew you instantly--the very moment you came in sight--and I
+perceived, with a heart swelling with happiness and thankfulness, that
+you were all that I could wish. Moreover, I recognised the face of an
+old actor, who had been I knew in the troupe that Cornelia joined when
+she fled from Paris, and I resolved to address myself first to him; so
+as not to startle you by too abrupt a disclosure of my claims upon you.
+But when I sent the next morning to the hotel in the Rue Dauphine, I
+learned that Herode's troupe had just gone to give a representation at
+a chateau in the environs of Paris, and would be absent three days. I
+should have endeavoured to wait patiently for their return, had not
+a brave fellow, who used to be in my service, and has my interest at
+heart, come to inform me that the Duke of Vallombreuse, being madly in
+love with a young actress named Isabelle, who resisted his suit with
+the utmost firmness and determination, had arranged to gain forcible
+possession of her in the course of the day's journey--the expedition
+into the country being gotten up for that express purpose--that he had
+a band of hired ruffians engaged to carry out his nefarious purpose and
+bring his unhappy victim to this chateau--and that he had come to warn
+me, fearing lest serious consequences should ensue to my son, as the
+young actress would be accompanied by brave and faithful friends, who
+were armed, and would defend her to the death. This terrible news threw
+me into a frightful state of anxiety and excitement. Feeling sure, as
+I did, that you were my own daughter, I shuddered at the thought of the
+horrible crime that I might not be in time to prevent, and without one
+moment's delay set out for this place--suffering such agony by the
+way as I do not like even to think of. You were already delivered from
+danger when I arrived, as you know, and without having suffered anything
+beyond the alarm and dread--which must have been terrible indeed, my
+poor child! And then, the amethyst ring on your finger confirmed, past
+any possibility of doubt, what my heart had told me, when first my eyes
+beheld you in the theatre."
+
+"I pray you to believe, dear lord and father," answered Isabelle, "that
+I have never accused you of anything, nor considered myself neglected.
+Accustomed from my infancy to the roving life of the troupe I was with,
+I neither knew nor dreamed of any other. The little knowledge that I had
+of the world made me realize that I should be wrong in wishing to
+force myself upon an illustrious family, obliged doubtless by powerful
+reasons, of which I knew nothing, to leave me in obscurity. The confused
+remembrance I had of my origin sometimes inspired me--when I was very
+young--with a certain pride, and I would say to myself, when I noticed
+the disdainful air with which great ladies looked down upon us poor
+actresses, I also am of noble birth. But I outgrew those fancies,
+and only preserved an invincible self-respect, which I have always
+cherished. Nothing in the world would have induced me to dishonour the
+illustrious blood that flows in my veins. The disgraceful license of the
+coulisses, and the loathsome gallantries lavished upon all actresses,
+even those who are not comely, disgusted me from the first, and I have
+lived in the theatre almost as if in a convent. The good old pedant
+has been like a watchful father to me, and as for Herode, he would have
+severely chastised any one who dared to touch me with the tip of his
+finger, or even to pronounce a vulgar word in my presence. Although they
+are only obscure actors, they are very honourable, worthy men, and I
+trust you will be good enough to help them if they ever find themselves
+in need of assistance. I owe it partly to them that I can lift my
+forehead for your kiss without a blush of shame, and proudly declare
+myself worthy, so far as purity is concerned, to be your daughter. My
+only regret is to have been the innocent cause of the misfortune that
+has overtaken the duke, your son. I could have wished to enter your
+family, my dear father, under more favourable auspices."
+
+"You have nothing to reproach yourself with, my sweet child, for you
+could not divine these mysteries, which have been suddenly disclosed
+by a combination of circumstances that would be considered romantic
+and improbable, even in a novel; and my joy at finding you as worthy
+in every way to be my beloved and honoured daughter, as if you had not
+lived amid all the dangers of such a career, makes up for the pain and
+anxiety caused by the illness and danger of my son. Whether he lives or
+dies, I shall never for one moment blame you for anything in connection
+with his misfortune. In any event, it was your virtue and courage that
+saved him from being guilty of a crime that I shudder to contemplate.
+And now, tell me, who was the handsome young man among your liberators
+who seemed to direct the attack, and who wounded Vallombreuse? An actor
+doubtless, though it appeared to me that he had a very noble bearing,
+and magnificent courage."
+
+"Yes, my dear father," Isabelle replied, with a most lovely and becoming
+blush, "he is an actor, a member of our troupe; but if I may venture to
+betray his secret, which is already known to the Duke of Vallombreuse,
+I will tell you that the so-called Captain Fracasse conceals under his
+mask a noble countenance, as indeed you already know, and under his
+theatrical pseudonym, the name of an illustrious family."
+
+"True!" rejoined the prince, "I have heard something about that already.
+It would certainly have been astonishing if an ordinary, low-born actor
+had ventured upon so bold and rash a course as running counter to a Duke
+of Vallombreuse, and actually entering into a combat with him; it
+needs noble blood for such daring acts. Only a gentleman can conquer a
+gentleman, just as a diamond can only be cut by a diamond."
+
+The lofty pride of the aged prince found much consolation in the
+knowledge that his son had not been attacked and wounded by an adversary
+of low origin; there was nothing compromising in a duel between equals,
+and he drew a deep breath of relief at thought of it.
+
+"And pray, what is the real name of this valiant champion?" smilingly
+asked the prince, with a roguish twinkle in his dark eyes--"this
+dauntless knight, and brave defender of innocence and purity!"
+
+"He is the Baron de Sigognac," Isabelle replied blushingly, with a
+slight trembling perceptible in her sweet, low voice. "I reveal his name
+fearlessly to you, my dear father, for you are both too just and too
+generous to visit upon his head the disastrous consequences of a victory
+that he deplores."
+
+"De Sigognac?" said the prince. "I thought that ancient and illustrious
+family was extinct. Is he not from Gascony?"
+
+"Yes; his home is in the neighbourhood of Dax."
+
+"Exactly--and the de Sigognacs have an appropriate coat of arms--three
+golden storks on an azure field. Yes, it is as I said, an ancient and
+illustrious family--one of the oldest and most honourable in France.
+Paramede de Sigognac figured gloriously in the first crusade. A Raimbaud
+de Sigognac, the father of this young man without doubt, was the devoted
+friend and companion of Henri IV, in his youth, but was not often
+seen at court in later years. It was said that he was embarrassed
+financially, I remember."
+
+"So much so, that when our troupe sought refuge of a stormy night under
+his roof, we found his son living in a half ruined chateau, haunted by
+bats and owls, where his youth was passing in sadness and misery. We
+persuaded him to come away with us, fearing that he would die there of
+starvation and melancholy--but I never saw misfortune so bravely borne."
+
+"Poverty is no disgrace," said the prince, "and any noble house that
+has preserved its honour unstained may rise again from its ruins to
+its ancient height of glory and renown. But why did not the young baron
+apply to some of his father's old friends in his distress? or lay his
+case before the king, who is the natural refuge of all loyal gentlemen
+under such circumstances?"
+
+"Misfortunes such as his are apt to breed timidity, even with the
+bravest," Isabelle replied, "and pride deters many a man from betraying
+his misery to the world. When the Baron de Sigognac consented to
+accompany us to Paris, he hoped to find some opportunity there to
+retrieve his fallen fortunes; but it has not presented itself. In order
+not to be an expense to the troupe, he generously and nobly insisted
+upon taking the place of one of the actors, who died on the way, and who
+was a great loss to us. As he could appear upon the stage always masked,
+he surely did not compromise his dignity by it."
+
+"Under this theatrical disguise, I think that, without being a sorcerer,
+I can detect a little bit of romance, eh?" said the prince, with a
+mischievous smile. "But I will not inquire too closely; I know how good
+and true you are well enough not to take alarm at any respectful tribute
+paid to your charms. I have not been with you long enough yet as a
+father, my sweet child, to venture upon sermonizing."
+
+As he paused, Isabelle raised her lovely eyes, in which shone the purest
+innocence and the most perfect loyalty, to his, and met his questioning
+gaze unflinchingly. The rosy flush which the first mention of de
+Sigognac's name had called up was gone, and her countenance showed no
+faintest sign of embarrassment or shame. In her pure heart the most
+searching looks of a father, of God himself, could have found nothing
+to condemn. Just at this point the doctor's assistant was announced, who
+brought a most favourable report from the sick-room. He was charged to
+tell the prince that his son's condition was eminently satisfactory--a
+marked change for the better having taken place; and that Maitre Laurent
+considered the danger past--believing that his recovery was now only a
+question of time.
+
+A few days later, Vallombreuse, propped up on his pillows, received a
+visit from his faithful and devoted friend, the Chevalier de Vidalinc,
+whom he had not been permitted to see earlier. The prince was sitting
+by the bedside, affectionately watching every flitting expression on
+his son's face, which was pathetically thin and pale, but handsomer
+than ever; because the old haughty, fierce look had vanished, and a soft
+light, that had never been in them before, shone in his beautiful eyes,
+whereat his father's heart rejoiced exceedingly. Isabelle stood at
+the other side of the bed, and the young duke had clasped his thin,
+startlingly white fingers round her hand. As he was forbidden to speak,
+save in monosyllables--because of his injured lung--he took this means
+of testifying his sympathy with her, who had been the involuntary cause
+of his being wounded and in danger of losing his life, and thus made her
+understand that he cherished no resentments. The affectionate brother
+had replaced the fiery lover, and his illness, in calming his ardent
+passion, had contributed not a little to make the transition a less
+difficult one than it could possibly have been otherwise. Isabelle was
+now for him really and only the Comtesse de Lineuil, his dear sister.
+He nodded in a friendly way to Vidalinc, and disengaged his hand for
+a moment from Isabelle's to give it to him--it was all that the doctor
+would allow--but his eyes were eloquent enough to make up for his
+enforced silence.
+
+In the course of a few weeks, Vallombreuse, who had gained strength
+rapidly, was able to leave his bed and recline upon a lounge near the
+open window; so as to enjoy the mild, delightful air of spring, that
+brought colour to his cheeks and light to his eyes. Isabelle was often
+with him, and read aloud for hours together to entertain him; as Maitre
+Laurent's orders were strict that he should not talk, even yet, any
+more than was actually necessary. One day, when Isabelle had finished a
+chapter in the volume from which she was reading to him, and was about
+to begin another, he interrupted her, and said, "My dear sister, that
+book is certainly very amusing, and the author a man of remarkable wit
+and talent; but I must confess that I prefer your charming conversation
+to your delightful reading. Do you know, I would not have believed it
+possible to gain so much, in losing all hope of what I desired more
+ardently than I had ever done anything in my whole life before. The
+brother is very much more kindly treated than the suitor--are you aware
+of that? You are as sweet and amiable to the one as you were severe and
+unapproachable to the other. I find in this calm, peaceful affection,
+charms that I had never dreamed of, and you reveal to me a new side of
+the feminine character, hitherto utterly unknown to me. Carried away by
+fiery passions, and irritated to madness by any opposition, I was like
+the wild huntsman of the ancient legend, who stopped for no obstacle,
+but rode recklessly over everything in his path. I looked upon whatever
+beautiful woman I was in pursuit of as my legitimate prey. I scouted the
+very idea of failure, and deemed myself irresistible. At the mention of
+virtue, I only shrugged my shoulders, and I think I may say, without too
+much conceit, to the only woman I ever pursued who did not yield to me,
+that I had reason not to put much faith in it. My mother died when I was
+a mere baby; you, my sweet sister, were not near me, and I have never
+known, until now, all the purity, tenderness, and sublime courage
+of which your sex is capable. I chanced to see you. An irresistible
+attraction, in which, perhaps, the unknown tie of blood had its
+influence, drew me to you, and for the first time in my life a feeling
+of respect and esteem mingled with my passion. Your character delighted
+me, even when you drove me to despair. I could not but secretly approve
+and admire the modest and courteous firmness with which you rejected
+my homage. The more decidedly you repulsed me, the more I felt that you
+were worthy of my adoration. Anger and admiration succeeded each other
+in my heart, and even in my most violent paroxysms of rage I always
+respected you. I descried the angel in the woman, and bowed to the
+ascendency of a celestial purity. Now I am happy and blessed indeed;
+for I have in you precisely what I needed, without knowing it--this pure
+affection, free from all earthly taint--unalterable--eternal. I possess
+at last the love of a soul."
+
+"Yes, my dear brother, it is yours," Isabelle replied; "and it is a
+great source of happiness to me that I am able to assure you of it. You
+have in me a devoted sister and friend, who will love you doubly to make
+up for the years we have lost--above all, now that you have promised me
+to correct the faults that have so grieved and alarmed our dear father,
+and to exhibit only the good qualities of which YOU have plenty."
+
+"Oh! you little preacher," cried Vallombreuse, with a bright, admiring
+smile; "how you take advantage of my weakness. However, it is perfectly
+true that I have been a dreadful monster, but I really do mean to do
+better in future--if not for love of virtue itself, at least to avoid
+seeing my charming sister put on a severe, disapproving air, at some
+atrocious escapade of mine. Still, I fear that I shall always be Folly,
+as you will be Reason."
+
+"If you will persist in paying me such high-flown compliments,"
+said Isabelle, with a little shrug of her pretty shoulders, "I shall
+certainly resume the reading, and you will have to listen to a long
+story that the corsair is just about to relate to the beautiful
+princess, his captive, in the cabin of his galley."
+
+"Oh, no! surely I do not deserve such a severe punishment as that. Even
+at the risk of appearing garrulous, I do so want to talk a little. That
+confounded doctor has kept me mute long enough in all conscience, and
+I am tired to death of having the seal of silence upon my lips, like a
+statue of Hippocrates."
+
+"But I am afraid you may do yourself harm; remember that your wound
+is scarcely healed yet, and the injured lung is still very irritable.
+Maitre Laurent laid such stress upon my reading to you, so that you
+should keep quiet, and give your chest a good chance to get strong and
+well again."
+
+"Maitre Laurent doesn't know what he's talking about, and only wants
+to prolong his own importance to me. My lungs work as well as ever they
+did. I feel perfectly myself again, and I've a great mind to order my
+horse and go for a canter in the forest."
+
+"You had better talk than do such a wildly imprudent thing as that; it
+is certainly less dangerous."
+
+"I shall very soon be about again, my sweet little sister, and then I
+shall have the pleasure of introducing you into the society suitable
+to your rank--where your incomparable grace and beauty will create a
+sensation, and bring crowds of adorers to your feet. From among them
+you will be able to select a husband, eh?" "I can have no desire to
+do anything of that kind, Vallombreuse, and pray do not think this the
+foolish declaration of a girl who would be very sorry to be taken at her
+word. I am entirely in earnest, I do assure you. I have bestowed my hand
+so often in the last act of the pieces I have played that I am in no
+hurry to do it in reality. I do not wish for anything better than to
+remain quietly here with the prince and yourself."
+
+"But, my dear girl, a father and brother will not always content you--do
+not think it! Such affection cannot satisfy the demands of the heart
+forever."
+
+"It will be enough for me, however, and if some day they fail me, I can
+take refuge in a convent."
+
+"Heaven forbid! that would be carrying austerity too far indeed. I pray
+you never to mention it again, if you have any regard for my peace of
+mind. And now tell me, my sweet little sister, what do you think of my
+dear friend, the Chevalier de Vidalinc? does not he seem to be possessed
+of every qualification necessary to make a good husband?"
+
+"Doubtless, and the woman that he marries will have a right to consider
+herself fortunate but however charming and desirable your friend may be,
+my dear Vallombreuse, _I_ shall never be that woman."
+
+"Well, let him pass, then--but tell me what you think of the Marquis de
+l'Estang, who came to see me the other day, and gazed spell-bound at my
+lovely sister all the time he was here. He was so overwhelmed by your
+surpassing grace, so dazzled by your exquisite beauty, that he was
+struck dumb, and when he tried to pay you pretty compliments, did
+nothing but stammer and blush. Aside from this timidity, which made him
+appear to great disadvantage, and which your ladyship should readily
+excuse, since you yourself were the cause of it, the marquis is an
+accomplished and estimable gentleman. He is handsome, young, of high
+birth and great wealth. He would do capitally for my fair sister, and is
+sure to address himself to the prince--if indeed he has not already done
+so--as an aspirant to the honour of an alliance with her."
+
+"As I have the honour of belonging to this illustrious family," said
+Isabelle a little impatiently, for she was exceedingly annoyed by this
+banter, "too much humility would not become me, therefore I will not say
+that I consider myself unworthy of such an alliance; but if the Marquis
+de l'Estang should ask my hand of my father, I would refuse him. I
+have told you, my dear brother, more than once, that I do not wish to
+marry--and you know it too--so pray don't tease me any more about it."
+
+"Oh! what a fierce, determined little woman is this fair sister of mine.
+Diana herself was not more inaccessible, in the forests and valleys of
+Haemus--yet, if the naughty mythological stories may be believed, she
+did at last smile upon a certain Endymion. You are vexed, because I
+casually propose some suitable candidates for the honour of your hand;
+but you need not be, for, if THEY do not please you, we will hunt up one
+who will."
+
+"I am not vexed, my dear brother, but you are certainly talking far too
+much for an invalid, and I shall tell Maitre, Laurent to reprimand you,
+or not permit you to have the promised bit of fowl for your supper."
+
+"Oh! if that's the case I will desist at once," said Vallombreuse,
+with a droll air of submission, "for I'm as hungry as an ogre--but
+rest assured of one thing, my charming sister: No one shall select your
+husband but myself."
+
+To put an end to this teasing, Isabelle began to read the corsair's long
+story, without paying any attention to the indignant protests that were
+made, and Vallombreuse, to revenge himself, finally closed his eyes
+and pretended to be asleep; which feigned slumber soon became real,
+and Isabelle, perceiving that it was so, put aside her book and quietly
+stole away.
+
+This conversation, in which, under all his mischievous banter, the duke
+seemed to have a definite and serious purpose in view, worried Isabelle
+very much, in spite of her efforts to banish it from her mind. Could
+it be that Vallombreuse was nursing a secret resentment against de
+Sigognac? He had never once spoken his name, or referred to him in
+any way, since he was wounded by him; and was he trying to place an
+insurmountable barrier between his sister and the baron, by bringing
+about her marriage with another? or was he simply trying to find out
+whether the actress transformed to a countess, had changed in
+sentiments as well as in rank? Isabelle could not answer these questions
+satisfactorily to herself. As she was the duke's sister, of course the
+rivalry between him and de Sigognac could no longer exist; but, on the
+other hand, it was difficult to imagine that such a haughty, vindictive
+character as the young duke's could have forgotten, or forgiven, the
+ignominy of his first defeat at the baron's hands, and still less of the
+second more disastrous encounter. Although their relative positions
+were changed, Vallombreuse, in his heart, would doubtless always hate
+de Sigognac--even if he had magnanimity enough to forgive him, it could
+scarcely be expected that he should also love him, and be willing
+to welcome him as a member of his family. No, all hope of such a
+reconciliation must be abandoned. Besides, she feared that the prince,
+her father, would never be able to regard with favour the man who had
+imperilled the life of his only son. These sad thoughts threw poor
+Isabelle into a profound melancholy, which she in vain endeavoured to
+shake off. As long as she considered that her position as an actress
+would be an obstacle to de Sigognac, she had resolutely repelled the
+idea of a marriage with him, but now that an unhoped-for, undreamed-of
+stroke of destiny had heaped upon her all the good things that heart
+could desire, she would have loved to reward, with the gift of her hand
+and fortune, the faithful lover who had addressed her when she was poor
+and lowly--it seemed an actual meanness, to her generous spirit, not to
+share her prosperity with the devoted companion of her misery. But all
+that she could do was to be faithful to him--for she dared not say a
+word in his favour, either to the prince or to Vallombreuse.
+
+Very soon the young duke was well enough to join his father and sister
+at meals, and he manifested such respectful and affectionate deference
+to the prince, and such an ingenuous and delicate tenderness towards
+Isabelle, that it was evident he had, in spite of his apparent
+frivolity, a mind and character very superior to what one would have
+expected to find in such a licentious, ungovernable youth as he had
+been, and which gave promise of an honourable and useful manhood.
+Isabelle took her part modestly--but with a very sweet dignity, that sat
+well upon her--in the conversation at the table, and in the salon, and
+her remarks were so to the point, so witty, and so apropos, that the
+prince was astonished as well as charmed, and grew daily more proud of
+and devoted to his new treasure; finding a happiness and satisfaction
+he had longed for all his life in the affection and devotion of his
+children.
+
+At last Vallombreuse was pronounced well enough to mount his horse, and
+go for a ride in the forest--which he had long been sighing for--and
+Isabelle gladly consented to bear him company. They looked a wonderfully
+handsome pair, as they rode leisurely through the leafy arcades. But
+there was one very marked difference between them.
+
+The young man's countenance was radiant with happiness and smiles,
+but the girl's face was clouded over with an abiding melancholy.
+Occasionally her brother's lively sallies would bring a faint smile to
+her sweet lips, but they fell back immediately into the mournful droop
+that had become habitual with them. Vallombreuse apparently did not
+perceive it--though in reality he was well aware of it, and of its
+cause--and was full of fun and frolic.
+
+"Oh! what a delicious thing it is to live," he cried, "yet how seldom
+we think of the exquisite enjoyment there is in the simple act of
+breathing," and he drew a long, deep breath, as if he never could get
+enough of the soft, balmy air. "The trees surely were never so green
+before, the sky so blue, or the flowers so fragrant. I feet as if I had
+been born into the world only yesterday, and was looking upon nature for
+the first time to-day. I never appreciated it before. When I remember
+that I might even now be lying, stiff and stark, under a fine marble
+monument, and that instead of that I am riding through an elysium,
+beside my darling sister, who has really learned to love me, I am too
+divinely happy. I do not even feel my wound any more. I don't believe
+that I ever was wounded. And now for a gallop, for I'm sure that our
+good father is wearying for us at home."
+
+In spite of Isabelle's remonstrances he put spurs to his horse, and she
+could not restrain hers when its companion bounded forward, so off
+they went at a swift pace, and never drew rein until they reached the
+chateau. As he lifted his sister down from her saddle, Vallombreuse
+said, "Now, after to-day's achievement, I can surely be treated like a
+big boy, and get permission to go out by myself."
+
+"What! you want to go away and leave us already? and scarcely well yet,
+you bad boy!"
+
+"Even so, my sweet sister; I want to make a little journey that will
+take several days," said Vallombreuse negligently.
+
+Accordingly, the very next morning he departed, after having taken an
+affectionate leave of the prince, his father; who did not oppose
+his going, as Isabelle had confidently expected, but seemed, on the
+contrary, to approve of it heartily. After receiving many charges to
+be careful and prudent, from his sister, which he dutifully promised to
+remember and obey, the young duke bade her good-bye also, and said, in a
+mysterious, yet most significant way,
+
+"Au revoir, my sweet little sister, you will be pleased with what I am
+about to do." And Isabelle sought in vain for the key to the enigma.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX. NETTLES AND COBWEBS
+
+The worthy tyrant's advice was sensible and good, and de Sigognac
+resolved to follow it without delay. Since Isabelle's departure, no
+attraction existed for him in the troupe, and he was very glad of a
+valid pretext for quitting it; though he could not leave his humble
+friends without some regrets. It was necessary that he should disappear
+for a while--plunge into obscurity, until the excitement consequent upon
+the violent death of the young Duke of Vallombreuse should be forgotten
+in some new tragedy in real life.
+
+So, after bidding farewell to the worthy comedians, who had shown him
+so much kindness, he departed from the gay capital--mounted on a stout
+pony, and with a tolerably well-filled purse--his share of the receipts
+of the troupe, which he had fairly earned. By easy stages he travelled
+slowly towards his own ruined chateau. After the storm the bird flies
+home to its nest, no matter how ragged and torn it may be. It was the
+only refuge open to him, and in the midst of his despondency he felt
+a sort of sad pleasure at the thought of returning to his ancestral
+home--desolate and forlorn as it was--where it would have been better,
+perhaps, for him to have quietly remained--for his fortunes were not
+improved, and this last crowning disaster had been ruinous to all his
+hopes and prospects of happiness.
+
+"Ah, well!" said he to himself, sorrowfully, as he jogged slowly on,
+"it was predestined that I should die of hunger and ennui within those
+crumbling walls, and under my poor, dilapidated, old roof, that lets the
+rain run through it like a huge sieve. No one can escape his destiny,
+and I shall accomplish mine. I am doomed to be the last de Sigognac."
+
+Then came visions of what might have been, that made the sad present
+seem even darker by contrast; and his burden was well-nigh too heavy
+for him to bear, when he remembered all Isabelle's goodness and
+loveliness--now lost to him forever. No wonder that his eyes were often
+wet with tears, and that there was no brightness even in the sunshine
+for him.
+
+It is needless to describe in detail a journey that lasted twenty days,
+and was not marked by any remarkable incidents or adventures. It is
+enough to say that one fine evening de Sigognac saw from afar the lofty
+towers of his ancient chateau, illuminated by the setting sun, and
+shining out in bold relief against the soft purple of the evening sky;
+whilst one of the few remaining casements had caught the fiery sunset
+glow, and looked like a great carbuncle set in the fine facade of
+the stately old castle. This sight aroused a strange tenderness and
+agitation in the young baron's breast. It was true that he had suffered
+long and acutely in that dreary mansion, yet after all it was very
+dear to him--far more than he knew before he had quitted it--and he was
+deeply moved at seeing it again. In a few moments more the glorious god
+of day had sunk behind the western horizon, and the chateau seemed
+to retreat, until it became scarcely perceptible as the light faded,
+forming only a vague, gray blot in the distance as the gloaming
+succeeded to the glow. But de Sigognac knew every step of the way
+perfectly, and soon turned from the highway into the neglected,
+grass-grown road that led to the chateau. In the profound stillness,
+which seemed wonderfully peaceful and pleasant to him, he fancied that
+he could distinguish the distant barking of a dog, and that it sounded
+like Miraut. He stopped to listen; yes, there could be no doubt about
+it, and it was approaching. The baron gave a clear, melodious whistle--a
+signal well known of old to Miraut-and in a few moments the faithful
+dog, running as fast as his poor old legs could carry him, burst through
+a break in the hedge--panting, barking, almost sobbing for joy. He
+strove to jump up on the horse's neck to get at his beloved master; he
+was beside himself with delight, and manifested it in the most frantic
+manner, whilst de Sigognac bent down to pat his head and try to quiet
+his wild transports. After bearing his master company a little way,
+Miraut set off again at full speed, to announce the good news to
+the others at the chateau--that is to say, to Pierre, Bayard, and
+Beelzebub--and bounding into the kitchen where the old servant was
+sitting, lost in sad thoughts, he barked in such a significant way that
+Pierre knew at once that something unusual had happened.
+
+"Can it be possible that the young master is coming? said he aloud,
+rising, in compliance with Miraut's wishes, who was pulling at the
+skirts of his coat, and imploring him with his eyes to bestir himself
+and follow him. As it was quite dark by this time, Pierre lighted a pine
+torch, which he carried with him, and as he turned into the road its
+ruddy light suddenly flashed upon de Sigognac and his horse.
+
+"Is it really you, my lord?" cried Pierre, joyfully, as he caught sight
+of his young master; "Miraut had tried to tell me of your arrival in his
+own way before I left the house, but as I had not heard anything about
+your even thinking of coming, I feared that he might be mistaken.
+Welcome home to your own domain, my beloved master! We are overjoyed to
+see you."
+
+"Yes, my good Pierre, it is really I, and not my wraith. Miraut was not
+mistaken. Here I am again, if not richer than when I went away, at least
+all safe and sound. Come now, lead the way with your torch, and we will
+go into the chateau."
+
+Pierre, not without considerable difficulty, opened the great door,
+and the Baron de Sigognac rode slowly through the ancient portico,
+fantastically illuminated by the flaring torchlight, in which the three
+sculptured storks overhead seemed to be flapping their wings, as if
+in joyful salutation to the last representative of the family they had
+symbolized for so many centuries. Then a loud, impatient whinny, like
+the blast of a trumpet, was heard ringing out on the still night air, as
+Bayard, in his stable, caught the welcome sound of his master's voice.
+
+"Yes, yes, I hear you, my poor old Bayard," cried de Sigognac, as he
+dismounted in the court, and threw the bridle to Pierre; "I am coming to
+say how d'you do," and as he turned he stumbled over Beelzebub, who
+was trying to rub himself against his master's legs, purring and mewing
+alternately to attract his attention. The baron stooped down, took the
+old black cat up in his arms, and tenderly caressed him as he advanced
+towards the stables; then put him down gently as he reached Bayard's
+stall, and another touching scene of affectionate greeting was enacted.
+The poor old pony laid his head lovingly on his master's shoulder, and
+actually tried to kick up his hind legs in a frisky way in honour of the
+great event; also, he received the horse that de Sigognac had ridden all
+the way from Paris, and which was put in the stall beside his own,
+very politely, and seemed pleased to have a companion in his solitary
+grandeur.
+
+"And now that I have responded to the endearments of my dumb friends,"
+said the baron to Pierre, "we will go into the kitchen, and examine
+into the condition of your larder. I had but a poor breakfast this
+morning, and no dinner at all, being anxious to push on and reach my
+journey's end before nightfall. I am as hungry as a bear, and will be
+glad of anything, no matter what."
+
+"I have not much to put before you, my lord, and I fear that you
+will find it but sorry fare after the delicacies you must have been
+accustomed to in Paris; but though it will not be tempting, nor over
+savoury, it will at least satisfy your hunger."
+
+"That is all that can be required of any food," answered de Sigognac,
+"and I am not as ungrateful as you seem to think, my good Pierre, to the
+frugal fare of my youth, which has certainly made me healthy, vigorous,
+and strong. Bring out what you have, and serve it as proudly as if it
+were of the choicest and daintiest; I will promise to do honour to it,
+for I am desperately hungry."
+
+The old servant bustled about joyously, and quickly had the table ready
+for his master; then stood behind his chair, while he ate and drank
+with a traveller's appetite, as proudly erect as if he had been a grand
+major-domo waiting on a prince. According to the old custom, Miraut
+and Beelzebub, stationed on the right and on the left, watched their
+master's every motion, and received a share of everything that was on
+the table. The great kitchen was lighted, not very brilliantly, by a
+torch, stuck in an iron bracket just inside the broad, open chimney, so
+that the smoke should escape through it and not fill the room, and the
+scene was so exactly a counterpart of the one described at the beginning
+of this narrative, that the baron, struck with the perfect resemblance,
+fancied that he must have been dreaming, and had never quitted his
+ancient chateau at all. Everything was precisely as he had left it,
+excepting that the nettles and weeds had grown a little taller, and
+the cobweb draperies a little more voluminous; all else was unchanged.
+Unconsciously lapsing into the old ways, de Sigognac fell into a deep
+reverie after he had finished his simple repast, which Pierre, as of
+old, respected, and even Miraut and Beelzebub did not venture to intrude
+upon. All that had occurred since he last sat at his own table passed in
+review before him, but seemed like adventures that he had read of, not
+actually participated in himself. It had all passed into the background.
+Captain Fracasse, already nearly obliterated, appeared like a pale
+spectre in the far distance; his combats with the Duke of Vallombreuse
+seemed equally unreal. In fine, everything that he had seen, done, and
+suffered, had sunk into shadowy vagueness; but his love for Isabelle had
+undergone no change; it had neither diminished nor grown cold; it was as
+passionate and all-absorbing as ever; it was his very life; yet rather
+like an aspiration of the soul than a real passion, since with it all he
+knew that the angelic being who was its object, and whom he worshipped
+from afar, could never, never be his. The wheels of his chariot, which
+for a brief space had turned aside into a new track, were back in the
+old rut again, and realizing that there could be no further escape from
+it possible for him, he gave way sullenly to a despairing, stolid sort
+of resignation, that he had no heart to struggle against, but yielded to
+it passively; blaming himself the while for having presumed to indulge
+in a season of bright hopes and delicious dreams. Why the devil should
+such an unlucky fellow as he had always been venture to aspire
+to happiness? It was all foolishness, and sure to end in bitter
+disappointment; but he had had his lesson now, and would be wiser for
+the future.
+
+He sat perfectly motionless for a long time, plunged in a sad
+reverie--sunk in a species of torpor; but he roused himself at last, and
+perceiving that his faithful old follower's eyes were fixed upon him,
+full of timid questioning that he did not venture to put into words,
+briefly related to him the principal incidents of his journey up to the
+capital, and his short stay there. When he graphically described his two
+duels with the Duke of Vallombreuse--the old man, filled with pride and
+delight at the proficiency of his beloved pupil, could not restrain his
+enthusiasm, and snatching up a stick gave vigorous illustrations of all
+the most salient points of the encounters as the baron delineated them,
+ending up with a wild flourish and a shout of triumph.
+
+"Alas! my good Pierre," said he, with a sigh, when quiet was restored,
+"you taught me how to use my sword only too well. My unfortunate victory
+has been my ruin, and has sent me back, hopeless and bereaved, to this
+poor old crumbling chateau of mine, where I am doomed to drag out
+the weary remainder of my days in sorrow and misery. I am peculiarly
+unhappy, in that my very triumphs have only made matters worse for
+me--it would have been better far for me, and for all, if I had been
+wounded, or even killed, in this last disastrous encounter, instead of
+my rival and enemy, the young Duke of Vallombreuse."
+
+"The de Sigognacs are never beaten," said the old retainer loftily. "No
+matter what may come of it, I am glad, my dear young master, that you
+killed that insolent duke. The whole thing was conducted in strict
+accordance with the code of honour--what more could be desired? How
+could any valiant gentleman object to die gloriously, sword in hand,
+of a good, honest wound, fairly given? He should consider himself most
+fortunate."
+
+"Ah well! perhaps you are right--I will not dispute you," said de
+Sigognac, smiling secretly at the old man's philosophy. "But I am very
+tired, and would like to go to my own room now--will you light the lamp,
+my good Pierre, and lead the way?"
+
+Pierre obeyed, and the baron, preceded by his old servant and followed
+by his old dog and cat, slowly ascended the ancient staircase. The
+quaint frescoes were gradually fading, growing ever paler and more
+indistinct, and there were new stains on the dull blue sky of the
+vaulted ceiling, where the rain and melting snow of winter storms had
+filtered through from the dilapidated roof. The ruinous condition of
+everything in and about the crumbling old chateau, to which de Sigognac
+had been perfectly accustomed before he quitted it, and taken as a
+matter of course, now struck him forcibly, and increased his dejection.
+He saw in it the sad and inevitable decadence of his race, and said
+to himself, "If these ancient walls had any pity for the last forlorn
+remnant of the family they have sheltered for centuries, they would fall
+in and bury me in their ruins."
+
+When he reached the landing at the head of the stairs he took the lamp
+from Pierre's hand, bade him good-night and dismissed him--not willing
+that even his faithful old servant, who had cared for him ever since his
+birth, should witness his overpowering emotion. He walked slowly through
+the great banqueting hall, where the comedians had supped on that
+memorable night, and the remembrance of that gay scene rendered the
+present dreary solitude and silence more terrible than they had ever
+seemed to him before. The death-like stillness was only broken by
+the horrid gnawing of a rat somewhere in the wall, and the old family
+portraits glared down at him reproachfully, as he passed on below them
+with listless step and downcast eyes, oblivious of everything but his
+own deep misery, and his yearning for his lost Isabelle. As he came
+under the last portrait of all, that of his own sweet young mother,
+he suddenly looked up, and as his eyes rested on the calm, beautiful
+countenance--which had always worn such a pathetic, mournful expression
+that it used to make his heart ache to look at it in his boyish days--it
+seemed to smile upon him. He was startled for an instant, and then,
+thrilling with a strange, exquisite delight, and inspired with new hope
+and courage, he said in a low, earnest tone, "I accept my dear dead
+mother's smile as a good omen--perhaps all may not be lost even yet--I
+will try to believe so."
+
+After a moment of silent thought, he went on into his own chamber, and
+put down the small lamp he carried, upon the little table, where still
+lay the stray volume of Ronsard's poems that he had been reading--or
+rather trying to read--on that tempestuous night when the old pedant
+knocked at his door. And there was his bed, where Isabelle had
+slept--the very pillow upon which her dear head had rested. He trembled
+as he stood and gazed at it, and saw, as in a vision, the perfect form
+lying there again in his place, and the sweetest face in all the world
+turned towards him, with a tender smile parting the ripe red lips, a
+rosy flush mantling in the delicate cheeks, and warm lovelight
+shining in the deep blue eyes. He stood spell-bound--afraid to move
+or breathe--and worshipped the beautiful vision with all his soul
+and strength, as if it had been indeed divine--but alas! it faded as
+suddenly as it had appeared, and he felt as if the doors of heaven had
+been shut upon him. He hastily undressed, and threw himself down in
+the place where Isabelle had actually reposed; passionately kissed the
+pillow that had been hallowed by the touch of her head, and bedewed it
+with his tears. He lay long awake, thinking of the angelic being who
+loved him and whom he adored, whilst Beelzebub, rolled up in a ball,
+slept at his feet, and snored like the traditional cat of Mahomet, that
+lay and slumbered upon the prophet's sleeve.
+
+When morning came, de Sigognac was more impressed than ever with the
+dilapidated, crumbling condition of his ancient mansion. Daylight has
+no mercy upon old age and ruins; it reveals with cruel distinctness the
+wrinkles, gray hairs, poverty, misery, stains, fissures, dust and mould
+in which they abound; but more kindly night softens or conceals all
+defects, with its friendly shade, spreading over them its mantle of
+darkness. The rooms that used to seem so vast to their youthful owner
+had shrunken, and looked almost small and insignificant to him now, to
+his extreme surprise and mortification; but he soon regained the feeling
+of being really at home, and resumed his former way of life completely;
+just as one goes back to an old garment, that has for a time been laid
+aside, and replaced by a new one. His days were spent thus: early in the
+morning he went to say a short prayer in the half-ruined chapel where
+his ancestors lay, ere he repaired to the kitchen where his simple
+breakfast awaited him; that disposed of, he and old Pierre fetched their
+swords, and fought their friendly duels; after which he mounted Bayard,
+or the pony he had brought home with him, and went off for long,
+solitary rides over the desolate Landes. Returning late in the afternoon
+he sat, sad and silent as of old, until his frugal supper was prepared,
+partook of it, also in silence, and then retired to his lonely chamber,
+where he tried to read some musty old volume which he knew by heart
+already, or else flung himself on his bed--never without kissing the
+sacred pillow that had supported Isabelle's beloved head--and lay there
+a prey to mournful and bitter meditations, until at last he could forget
+his troubles and grief in sleep. There was not a vestige left of the
+brilliant Captain Fracasse, nor of the high-spirited rival of the
+haughty Duke of Vallombreuse; the unfortunate young Baron de Sigognac
+had relapsed entirely into the sad-eyed, dejected master of Castle
+Misery.
+
+One morning he sauntered listlessly down into the garden, which was
+wilder and more overgrown than ever--a tangled mass of weeds and
+brambles. He mechanically directed his steps towards the straggling
+eglantine that had had a little rose ready for each of the fair visitors
+that accompanied him when last he was there, and was surprised and
+delighted to see that it again held forth, as if for his acceptance, two
+lovely little blossoms that had come out to greet him, and upon each of
+which a dewdrop sparkled amid the frail, delicately tinted petals. He
+was strangely moved and touched by the sight of these tiny wild roses,
+which awoke such tender, precious memories, and he repeated to himself,
+as he had often done before, the words in which Isabelle had confessed
+to him that she had furtively kissed the little flower, his offering,
+and dropped a tear upon it, and then secretly given him her own heart in
+exchange for it--surely the sweetest words ever spoken on this earth. He
+gently plucked one of the dainty little roses, passionately inhaled its
+delicate fragrance and pressed a kiss upon it, as if it had been her
+lips, which were not less sweet, and soft, and fresh. He had done
+nothing but think of Isabelle ever since their separation, and he fully
+realized now, if he had not before, how indispensable she was to his
+happiness. She was never out of his mind, waking or sleeping, for he
+dreamed of her every night, and his love grew fonder, if that were
+possible, as the weary days went on. She was so good and true, so pure
+and sweet, so beautiful, so everything that was lovely and desirable,
+"made of all creatures' best," a veritable angel in human guise. Ah!
+how passionately he loved her--how could he live without her? Yet
+he feared--he was almost forced to believe--that he had lost her
+irreparably, and that for him hope was dead. Those were terrible days
+for the poor, grief-stricken young baron, and he felt that he could not
+long endure such misery and live. Two or three months passed away thus,
+and one day when de Sigognac chanced to be in his own room, finishing
+a sonnet addressed to Isabelle, Pierre entered, and announced to his
+master that there was a gentleman without who wished to speak with him.
+
+"A gentleman, who wants to see me!" exclaimed the astonished baron. "You
+must be either romancing or mad, my good Pierre! There is no gentleman
+in the world who can have anything to say to me. However, for the rarity
+of the thing, you may bring in this extraordinary mortal--if such there
+really be, and you are not dreaming, as I shrewdly suspect. But tell me
+his name first, or hasn't he got any?"
+
+"He declined to give it, saying that it would not afford your lordship
+any information," Pierre made answer, as he turned back and opened wide
+both leaves of the door.
+
+Upon the threshold appeared a handsome young man, dressed in a rich and
+elegant travelling costume of chestnut brown cloth trimmed with green,
+and holding in his hand a broad felt hat with a long green plume;
+leaving his well shaped, proudly carried head fully exposed to view, as
+well as the delicate, regular features of a face worthy of an ancient
+Greek statue. The sight of this fine cavalier did not seem to make an
+agreeable impression upon de Sigognac, who turned very pale, and rushing
+to where his trusty sword was suspended, over the head of his bed, drew
+it from the scabbard, and turned to face the new-comer with the naked
+blade in his hand.
+
+"By heaven, my lord duke, I believed that I had killed you!" he cried
+in excited tones. "Is it really you--your very self--or your wraith that
+stands before me?"
+
+"It is really I--my very self--Hannibal de Vallombreuse, in the flesh,
+and no wraith; as far from being dead as possible," answered the young
+duke, with a radiant smile. "But put up that sword I pray you, my
+dear baron! We have fought twice already, you know, and surely that is
+enough. I do not come as an enemy, and if I have to reproach myself with
+some little sins against you, you have certainly had your revenge for
+them, so we are quits. To prove that my intentions are not hostile,
+but of the most friendly nature if you will so allow, I have brought
+credentials, in the shape of this commission, signed by the king, which
+gives you command of a regiment. My good father and I have reminded his
+majesty of the devotion of your illustrious ancestors to his royal ones,
+and I have ventured to bring you this good news in person. And now, as
+I am your guest, I pray you have something or other killed, I don't care
+what, and put on the spit to roast as quickly as may be--for the love of
+God give me something to eat--I am starving. The inns are so far apart
+and so abominably bad down here that there might almost as well be none
+at all, and my baggage-wagon, stocked with edibles, is stuck fast in a
+quagmire a long way from this. So you see the necessities of the case."
+
+"I am very much afraid, my lord duke, that the fare I can offer will
+seem to you only another form of revenge on my part," said de Sigognac
+with playful courtesy; "but do not, I beseech you, attribute to
+resentment the meagre repast for which I shall be obliged to claim your
+indulgence. You must know how gladly I would put before you a sumptuous
+meal if I could; and what we can give you will at least, as my good
+Pierre says, satisfy hunger, though it may not gratify the palate. And
+let me now say that your frank and cordial words touch me deeply, and
+find an echo in my inmost heart. I am both proud and happy to call you
+my friend--henceforth you will not have one more loyal and devoted than
+myself--and though you may not often have need of my services, they will
+be, none the less, always at your disposition. Halloa! Pierre! do
+you go, without a moment's delay, and hunt up some fowls, eggs, meat,
+whatever you can find, and try to serve a substantial meal to this
+gentleman, my friend, who is nearly dying with hunger, and is not used
+to it like you and I."
+
+Pierre put in his pocket some of the money his master had sent him from
+Paris--which he had never touched before--mounted the pony, and galloped
+off to the nearest village in search of provisions. He found several
+fowls--such as they were--a splendid Bayonne ham, a few bottles of fine
+old wine, and by great good luck, discovered, at the priest's house, a
+grand big pate of ducks' livers--a delicacy worthy of a bishop's or
+a prince's table--and which he had much difficulty to obtain from his
+reverence, who was a bit of a gourmand, at an almost fabulous price. But
+this was evidently a great occasion, and the faithful old servant would
+spare no pains to do it honour. In less than an hour he was at home
+again, and leaving the charge of the cooking to a capable woman he had
+found and sent out to the chateau, he immediately proceeded to set the
+table, in the ancient banqueting hall--gathering together all the fine
+porcelain and dainty glass that yet remained intact in the two tall
+buffets--evidences of former splendour. But the profusion of gold and
+silver plate that used to adorn the festive board of the de Sigognacs
+had all been converted into coin of the realm long ago.
+
+When at last the old servant announced that dinner was ready, the
+two young men took their places opposite to each other at table, and
+Vallombreuse, who was in the gayest, most jovial mood, attacked the
+viands with an eagerness and ferocity immensely diverting to his host.
+After devouring almost the whole of a chicken, which, it is true, seemed
+to have died of a consumption, there was so little flesh on its bones,
+he fell back upon the tempting, rosy slices of the delicate Bayonne ham,
+and then passed to the pate of ducks' livers, which he declared to be
+supremely delicious, exquisite, ambrosial--food fit for the gods; and
+he found the sharp cheese, made of goat's milk, which followed, an
+excellent relish. He praised the wine, too--which was really very old
+and fine and drank it with great gusto, out of his delicate Venetian
+wine-glass. Once, when he caught sight of Pierre's bewildered, terrified
+look, as he heard his master address his merry guest as the Duke of
+Vallombreuse--who ought to be dead, if he was not--he fairly roared with
+laughter, and was as full of fun and frolic as a school-boy out for
+a holiday; Meantime de Sigognac, whilst he endeavoured to play the
+attentive host, and to respond as well as he could to the young duke's
+lively sallies, could not recover from his surprise at seeing him
+sitting there opposite to himself, as a guest at his own table--making
+himself very much at home, too, in the most charming, genial, easy way
+imaginable--and yet he was the haughty, overbearing, insolent young
+nobleman, who had been his hated rival; whom he had twice encountered
+and defeated, in fierce combat, and who had several times tried
+to compass his death by means of hired ruffians. What could be the
+explanation of it all?
+
+The Duke of Vallombreuse divined his companion's thoughts, and when the
+old servant had retired, after placing a bottle of especially choice
+wine and two small glasses on the table, he looked up at de Sigognac and
+said, with the most amicable frankness, "I can plainly perceive, my dear
+baron, in spite of your admirable courtesy, that this unexpected step of
+mine appears very strange and inexplicable to you. You have been saying
+to yourself, How in the world has it come about, that the arrogant,
+imperious Vallombreuse has been transformed, from the unscrupulous,
+cruel, blood-thirsty tiger that he was, into the peaceable, playful lamb
+he seems to be now--which a 'gentle shepherdess' might lead about with a
+ribbon round its neck!--I will tell you. During the six weeks that I was
+confined to my bed, I made various reflections, which the thoughtless
+might pronounce cowardly, but which are permitted to the bravest and
+most valiant when death stares them in the face. I realized then, for
+the first time, the relative value of many things, and also how wrong
+and wicked my own course had been; and I promised myself to do very
+differently for the future, if I recovered. As the passionate love that
+Isabelle inspired in my heart had been replaced by a pure and sacred
+fraternal affection--which is the greatest blessing of my life--I had
+no further reason to dislike you. You were no longer my rival; a brother
+cannot be jealous in that way of his own sister; and then, I was deeply
+grateful to you, for the respectful tenderness and deference I knew you
+had never failed to manifest towards her, when she was in a position
+that authorized great license. You were the first to recognise her pure,
+exalted soul, while she was still only an obscure actress. When she was
+poor, and despised by those who will cringe to her now, you offered
+to her--lowly as was her station--the most precious treasure that a
+nobleman can possess: the time-honoured name of his ancestors. You would
+have made her your wife then--now that she is rich, and of high rank,
+she belongs to you of right. The true, faithful lover of Isabelle, the
+actress, should be the honoured husband of the Comtesse de Lineuil."
+
+"But you forget," cried de Sigognac, in much agitation, "that she
+always absolutely refused me, though she knew that I was perfectly
+disinterested."
+
+"It was because of her supreme delicacy, her angelic susceptibility, and
+her noble spirit of self-sacrifice that she said that. She feared that
+she would necessarily be a disadvantage to you--an obstacle in the way
+of your advancement. But the situation is entirely changed now."
+
+"Yes, now it is I who would be a disadvantage to her; have I then a
+right to be less generous and magnanimous than she was?"
+
+"Do you still love my sister?" said Vallombreuse, in a grave tone. "As
+her brother, I have the right to ask this question."
+
+"I love her with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my strength,"
+de Sigognac replied fervently, "as much and more than ever man loved
+woman on this earth--where nothing is perfect--save Isabelle."
+
+"Such being the case, my dear Captain of Mousquetaires, and governor of
+a province--soon to be--have your horse saddled, and come with me to
+the Chateau of Vallombreuse, so that I may formally present you to the
+prince, my father, as the favoured suitor of the Comtesse de Lineuil, my
+sister. Isabelle has refused even to think of the Chevalier de Vidalinc,
+or the Marquis de l'Estang, as aspirants to her hand--both right
+handsome, attractive, eligible young fellows, by Jove!--but I am of
+opinion that she will accept, without very much persuasion, the Baron de
+Sigognac."
+
+The next day the duke and the baron were riding gaily forward, side by
+side, on the road to Paris.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX. CHIQUITA'S DECLARATION OF LOVE
+
+A compact crowd filled the Place de Greve, despite the early hour
+indicated by the clock of the Hotel de Ville.
+
+The tall buildings on the eastern side of the square threw their
+shadows more than half-way across it, and upon a sinister-looking wooden
+framework, which rose several feet above the heads of the populace, and
+bore a number of ominous, dull red stains. At the windows of the houses
+surrounding the crowded square, a few heads were to be seen looking out
+from time to time, but quickly drawn back again as they perceived that
+the interesting performance, for which all were waiting, had not yet
+begun. Clinging to the transverse piece of the tall stone cross, which
+stood at that side of the open square nearest the river, was a
+forlorn, little, ragged boy, who had climbed up to it with the greatest
+difficulty, and was holding on with all his might, his arms clasped
+round the cross-piece and his legs round the upright, in a most painful
+and precarious position. But nothing would have induced him to abandon
+it, so long as he could possibly maintain himself there, no matter at
+what cost of discomfort, or even actual distress, for from it he had
+a capital view of the scaffold, and all its horribly fascinating
+details--the wheel upon which the criminal was to revolve, the coil of
+rope to bind him to it, and the heavy bar to break his bones.
+
+If any one among the anxious crowd of spectators, however, had carefully
+studied the small, thin countenance of the child perched up on the tall
+stone cross, he would have discovered that its expression was by no
+means that of vulgar curiosity. It was not simply the fierce attractions
+of an execution that had drawn thither this wild, weird-looking young
+creature, with his sun-burned complexion, great, flashing, dark eyes,
+brilliant white teeth, unkempt masses of thick, black hair, and slender
+brown hands--which were convulsively clinging to the rough, cold stone.
+The delicacy of the features would seem to indicate a different sex from
+the dress--but nobody paid any attention to the child, And all eyes
+were turned towards the scaffold, or the direction from which the cart
+bearing the condemned criminal was to come. Among the groups close
+around the scaffold were several faces we have seen before; notably, the
+chalky countenance and fiery red nose of Malartic, and the bold profile
+of Jacquemin Lampourde, also several of the ruffians engaged in the
+abduction of Isabelle, as well as various other habitues of the Crowned
+Radish. The Place de Greve, to which sooner or later they were all
+pretty sure to come and expiate their crimes with their lives, seemed to
+exercise a singular fascination over murderers, thieves, and criminals
+of all sorts, who invariably gathered in force to witness an execution.
+They evidently could not resist it, and appeared to find a fierce
+satisfaction in watching the terrible spectacle that they themselves
+would some day probably furnish to the gaping multitude. Then the victim
+himself always expected his friends' attendance--he would be hurt and
+disappointed if his comrades did not rally round him at the last. A
+criminal in that position likes to see familiar faces in the throng that
+hems him in. It gives him courage, steadies his nerves.
+
+He cannot exhibit any signs of cowardice before those who appreciate
+true merit and bravery, according to his way of thinking, and pride
+comes to his aid. A man will meet death like a Roman under such
+circumstances, who would be weak as a woman if he were despatched in
+private.
+
+The criminal to be executed on that occasion was a thief, already
+notorious in Paris for his daring and dexterity, though he had only been
+there a few months. But, unfortunately for himself--though very much the
+reverse for the well-to-do citizens of the capital in general--he
+had not confined himself to his legitimate business. In his last
+enterprise--breaking into a private dwelling to gain possession of a
+large sum of money that was to be kept there for a single night--he had
+killed the master of the house, who was aroused by his entrance; and,
+not content to stop there, had also brutally murdered his wife, as she
+lay quietly sleeping in her bed--like a tiger, that has tasted blood
+and is wild for more. So atrocious a crime had roused the indignation of
+even his own unscrupulous, hardened companions, and it was not long ere
+his hiding-place was mysteriously revealed, and he was arrested, tried,
+and condemned to death. Now he was to pay the penalty of his guilt.
+
+As the fatal hour approached, a carriage drove down along the quay,
+turned into the Place de Greve, and attempted to cross it; but, becoming
+immediately entangled in the crowd, could make little or no progress,
+despite the utmost exertions of the majestic coachman and attendant
+lackeys to induce the people to make way for it, and let it pass.
+
+But for the grand coat of arms and ducal coronet emblazoned on the
+panels, which inspired a certain awe as well as respect in the motley
+throng of pedestrians, the equipage would undoubtedly have been roughly
+dealt with-but as it was, they contented themselves with resolutely and
+obstinately barring its passage, after it had reached the middle of the
+square. The indignant coachman did not dare to urge his spirited
+horses forward at all hazards, ruthlessly trampling down the unlucky
+individuals who happened to be directly in his way, as he would
+certainly have done in any ordinary crowd, for the canaille, that filled
+the Place de Greve to overflowing, was out in too great force to be
+trifled with--so there was nothing for it but patience.
+
+"These rascals are waiting for an execution, and will not stir, nor
+let us stir, until it is over," said a remarkably handsome young man,
+magnificently dressed, to his equally fine looking, though more modestly
+attired friend, who was seated beside him in the luxurious carriage.
+"The devil take the unlucky dog who must needs be broken on the wheel
+just when we want to cross the Place de Greve. Why couldn't he have put
+it off until to-morrow morning, I should like to know!"
+
+"You may be sure that the poor wretch would be only too glad to do so if
+he could," answered the other, "for the occasion is a far more serious
+matter to him than to us."
+
+"The best thing we can do under the circumstances, my dear de Sigognac,
+is to turn our heads away if the spectacle is too revolting--though it
+is by no means easy, when something horrible is taking place close at
+hand. Even Saint Augustine opened his eyes in the arena at a loud cheer
+from the people, though he had vowed to himself beforehand to keep them
+closed."
+
+"At all events, we shall not be detained here long," rejoined de
+Sigognac, "for there comes the prisoner. See, Vallombreuse, how the
+crowd gives way before him, though it will not let us move an inch."
+
+A rickety cart, drawn by a miserable old skeleton of a horse, and
+surrounded by mounted guards, was slowly advancing through the dense
+throng towards the scaffold. In it were a venerable priest, with a long
+white beard, who was holding a crucifix to the lips of the condemned
+man, seated beside him, the executioner, placed behind his victim, and
+holding the end of the rope that bound him, and an assistant, who was
+driving the poor old horse. The criminal, whom every one turned to gaze
+at, was no other than our old acquaintance, Agostino, the brigand.
+
+"Why, what is this!" cried de Sigognac, in great surprise. "I know
+that man--he is the fellow who stopped us on the highway, and tried to
+frighten us with his band of scarecrows, as poor Matamore called them. I
+told you all about it when we came by the place where it happened."
+
+"Yes, I remember perfectly," said Vallombreuse; "it was a capital story,
+and I had a good laugh over it. But it would seem that the ingenious
+rascal has been up to something more serious since then--his ambition
+has probably been his ruin. He certainly is no coward--only look what a
+good face he puts on it."
+
+Agostino, holding his head proudly erect, but a trifle paler than usual
+perhaps, seemed to be searching for some one in the crowd. When the cart
+passed slowly in front of the stone cross, he caught sight of the little
+boy, who had not budged from his excessively uncomfortable and wearisome
+position, and a flash of joy shone in the brigand's eyes, a slight smile
+parted his lips, as he made an almost imperceptible sign with his head,
+and said, in a low tone, "Chiquita!"
+
+"My son, what was that strange word you spoke?" asked the priest. "It
+sounded like an outlandish woman's name. Dismiss all such subjects from
+your mind, and fix your thoughts on your own hopes of salvation, for you
+stand on the threshold of eternity."
+
+"Yes, my father, I know it but too well, and though my hair is black
+and my form erect, whilst you are bowed with age, and your long beard
+is white as snow, you are younger now than I--every turn of the wheels,
+towards that scaffold yonder, ages me by ten years."
+
+During this brief colloquy the cart had made steady progress, and
+in a moment more had stopped at the foot of the rude wooden steps
+that led up to the scaffold, which Agostino ascended slowly but
+unfalteringly--preceded by the assistant, supported by the priest, and
+followed by the executioner. In less than a minute he was firmly bound
+upon the wheel, and the executioner, having thrown off his showy scarlet
+cloak, braided with white, and rolled up his sleeves, stooped to pick up
+the terrible bar that lay at his feet. It was a moment of intense
+horror and excitement. An anxious curiosity, largely mixed with
+dread, oppressed the hearts of the spectators, who stood motionless,
+breathless, with pale faces, and straining eyes fixed upon the tragic
+group on the fatal scaffold. Suddenly a strange stir ran through the
+crowd--the child, who was perched up on the cross, had slipped quickly
+down to the ground, and gliding like a serpent through the closely
+packed throng, reached the scaffold, cleared the steps at a bound, and
+appeared beside the astonished executioner, who was just in the act
+of raising the ponderous bar to strike, with such a wild, ghastly, yet
+inspired and noble countenance--lighted up by a strength of will and
+purpose that made it actually sublime--that the grim dealer of death
+paused involuntarily, and withheld the murderous blow about to fall.
+
+"Get out of my way, thou puppet!" he roared in angry tones, as he
+recovered his sang-froid, "or thou wilt get thy accursed head smashed."
+
+But Chiquita paid no attention to him--she did not care whether she was
+killed too, or not. Bending over Agostino, she passionately kissed his
+forehead, whispered "I love thee!"--and then, with a blow as swift
+as lightning, plunged into his heart the knife she had reclaimed from
+Isabelle. It was dealt with so firm a hand, and unerring an aim, that
+death was almost instantaneous--scarcely had Agostino time to murmur
+"Thanks."
+
+With a wild burst of hysterical laughter the child sprang down from the
+scaffold, while the executioner, stupefied at her bold deed, lowered his
+now useless club; uncertain whether or not he should proceed to break
+the bones of the man already dead, and beyond his power to torture.
+
+"Well done, Chiquita, well done, and bravely!" cried Malartic--who had
+recognised her in spite of her boy's clothes--losing his self-restraint
+in his admiration. The other ruffians, who had seen Chiquita at the
+Crowned Radish, and wondered at and admired her courage when she stood
+against the door and let Agostino fling his terrible navaja at her
+without moving a muscle, now grouped themselves closely together so as
+to effectually prevent the soldiers from pursuing her. The fracas
+that ensued gave Chiquita time to reach the carriage of the Duke of
+Vallombreuse--which, taking advantage of the stir and shifting in the
+throng, was slowly making its way out of the Place de Greve. She climbed
+up on the step, and catching sight of de Sigognac within, appealed to
+him, in scarcely audible words, as she panted and trembled--"I saved
+your Isabelle, now save me!"
+
+Vallombreuse, who had been very much interested by this strange and
+exciting scene, cried to the coachman, "Get on as fast as you can, even
+if you have to drive over the people."
+
+But there was no need--the crowd opened as if by magic before the
+carriage, and closed again compactly after it had passed, so that
+Chiquita's pursuers could not penetrate it, or make any progress--they
+were completely baffled, whichever way they turned. Meanwhile the
+fugitive was being rapidly carried beyond their reach. As soon as the
+open street was gained, the coachman had urged his horses forward,
+and in a very few minutes they reached the Porte Saint Antoine. As
+the report of what had occurred in the Place de Greve could not have
+preceded them, Vallombreuse thought it better to proceed at a more
+moderate pace--fearing that their very speed might arouse suspicion--and
+gave orders accordingly; as soon as they were fairly beyond the gate
+he took Chiquita into the carriage--where she seated herself, without a
+word, opposite to de Sigognac. Under the calmest exterior she was filled
+with a preternatural excitement--not a muscle of her face moved; but
+a bright flush glowed on her usually pale cheeks, which gave to her
+magnificent dark eyes--now fixed upon vacancy, and seeing nothing that
+was before them--a marvellous brilliancy. A complete transformation
+had taken place in Chiquita--this violent shock had torn asunder the
+childish chrysalis in which the young maiden had lain dormant--as she
+plunged her knife into Agostino's heart she opened her own. Her love was
+born of that murder--the strange, almost sexless being, half child, half
+goblin, that she had been until then, existed no longer--Chiquita was
+a woman from the moment of that heroic act of sublime devotion. Her
+passion, that had bloomed out in one instant, was destined to be
+eternal--a kiss and a stab, that was Chiquita's love story.
+
+The carriage rolled smoothly and swiftly on its way towards
+Vallombreuse, and when the high, steep roof of the chateau came in sight
+the young duke said to de Sigognac, "You must go with me to my room
+first, where you can get rid of the dust, and freshen up a bit before I
+present you to my sister--who knows nothing whatever of my journey,
+or its motive. I have prepared a surprise for her, and I want it to be
+complete--so please draw down the curtain on your side, while I do the
+same on mine, in order that we may not be seen, as we drive into the
+court, from any of the windows that command a view of it. But what are
+we to do with this little wretch here?"
+
+Chiquita, who was roused from her deep reverie by the duke's question,
+looked gravely up at him, and said, "Let some one take me to Mlle.
+Isabelle--she will decide what is to be done with me."
+
+With all the curtains carefully drawn down the carriage drove over the
+drawbridge and into the court. Vallombreuse alighted, took de Sigognac's
+arm, and led him silently to his own apartment, after having ordered a
+servant to conduct Chiquita to the presence of the Comtesse de Lineuil.
+At sight of her Isabelle was greatly astonished, and, laying down the
+book she was reading, fixed upon the poor child a look full of interest,
+affection, and questioning.
+
+Chiquita stood silent and motionless until the servant had retired,
+then, with a strange solemnity, which was entirely new in her, she went
+up to Isabelle, and timidly taking her hand, said:
+
+"My knife is in Agostino's heart. I have no master now, and I must
+devote myself to somebody. Next to him who is dead I love you best of
+all the world. You gave me the pearl necklace I wished for, and you
+kissed me. Will you have me for your servant, your slave, your dog? Only
+give me a black dress, so that I may wear mourning for my lost love--it
+is all I ask. I will sleep on the floor outside your door, so that
+I shall not be in your way. When you want me, whistle for me, like
+this,"--and she whistled shrilly--"and I will come instantly. Will you
+have me?"
+
+In answer Isabelle drew Chiquita into her arms, pressed her lips to
+the girl's forehead warmly, and thankfully accepted this soul, that
+dedicated itself to her.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI. HYMEN! OH HYMEN!
+
+Isabelle, accustomed to Chiquita's odd, enigmatical ways, had refrained
+from questioning her--waiting to ask for explanations until the poor
+girl should have become more quiet, and able to give them. She could see
+that some terrible catastrophe must have occurred, which had left all
+her nerves quivering, and caused the strong shudders that passed over
+her in rapid succession; but the child had rendered her such good
+service, in her own hour of need, that she felt the least she could
+do was to receive and care for the poor little waif tenderly, without
+making any inquiries as to her evidently desperate situation. After
+giving her in charge to her own maid, with orders that she should be
+properly clothed, and made thoroughly comfortable in every way, Isabelle
+resumed her reading--or rather tried to resume it; but her thoughts
+would wander, and after mechanically turning over a few pages in a
+listless way, she laid the book down, beside her neglected embroidery,
+on a little table at her elbow. Leaning her head on her hand, and
+closing her eyes, she lapsed into a sorrowful reverie--as, indeed, she
+had done of late many times every day.
+
+"Oh! what has become of de Sigognac?" she said to herself. "Where can he
+be? and does he still think of me, and love me as of old? Yes, I am
+sure he does; he will be true and faithful to me so long as he lives, my
+brave, devoted knight! I fear that he has gone back to his desolate,
+old chateau, and, believing that my brother is dead, does not dare to
+approach me. It must be that chimerical obstacle that stands in his
+way--otherwise he would surely have tried to see me again--or at
+least have written to me. Perhaps I ought to have sent him word that
+Vallombreuse had recovered; yet how could I do that? A modest woman
+shrinks from even seeming to wish to entice her absent lover back to
+her side. How often I think that I should be far happier if I could have
+remained as I was--an obscure actress; then I could at least have
+had the bliss of seeing him every day, and of enjoying in peace the
+sweetness of being loved by such a noble, tender heart as his. Despite
+the touching affection and devotion that my princely father lavishes
+upon me, I feel sad and lonely in this magnificent chateau. If
+Vallombreuse were only here his society would help to pass the time; but
+he is staying away so long--and I try in vain to make out what he meant
+when he told me, with such a significant smile, as he bade me adieu,
+that I would be pleased with what he was about to do. Sometimes I fancy
+that I do understand; but I dare not indulge myself with such blissful
+thoughts for an instant. If I did, and were mistaken after all, the
+disappointment would be too cruel--too heart-rending. But, if it only
+could be true! ah! if it only might! I fear I should go mad with excess
+of joy."
+
+The young Comtesse de Lineuil was still absorbed in sad thoughts when a
+tall lackey appeared, and asked if she would receive his lordship, the
+Duke of Vallombreuse who had just arrived, at the chateau and desired to
+speak with her.
+
+"Certainly, I shall be delighted to see him," she said in glad surprise;
+"ask him to come to me at once."
+
+In a few minutes--which had seemed like hours to Isabelle--the young
+duke made his appearance, with beaming eyes, rosy cheeks, light, elastic
+step, and that air of glorious health and vigour which had distinguished
+him before his illness. He threw down his broad felt hat as he came in,
+and, hastening to his sister's side, took her pretty white hands and
+raised them to his lips.
+
+"Dearest Isabelle," he cried, "I am so rejoiced to see you again! I was
+obliged to stay away from you much longer than I wished, for it is a
+great deprivation to me now not to be with you every day--I have gotten
+so thoroughly into the habit of depending upon your sweet society. But
+I have been occupied entirely with your interests during my absence, and
+the hope of pleasing my darling sister, and adding to her happiness, has
+helped me to endure the long separation from her."
+
+"The way to please me most, as you ought to have known," Isabelle
+replied, "was to stay here at home quietly with your father and me, and
+let us take care of you, instead of rushing off so rashly--with your
+wound scarcely healed, or your health fully re-established--on some
+foolish errand or other, that you were not willing to acknowledge."
+
+"Was I ever really wounded, or ill?" said Vallombreuse, laughing. "Upon
+my word I had forgotten all about it. Never in my life was I in better
+health than at this moment, and my little expedition has done me no end
+of good. But you, my sweet sister, are not looking as well as when I
+left you; you have grown thin and pale. What is the matter? I fear that
+you find your life here at the chateau very dull. Solitude and seclusion
+are not at all the thing for a beautiful young woman, I know. Reading
+and embroidery are but melancholy pastimes at best and there must be
+moments when even the gravest, most sedate of maidens grows weary of
+gazing out upon the stagnant waters of the moat, and longs to look upon
+the face of a handsome young knight."
+
+"Oh! what an unmerciful tease you are, Vallombreuse, and how you do love
+to torment me with these strange fancies of yours. You forget that I
+have had the society of the prince, who is so kind and devoted to me,
+and who abounds in wise and instructive discourse."
+
+"Yes, there is no doubt that our worthy father is a most learned and
+accomplished gentleman, honoured and admired at home and abroad; but his
+pursuits and occupations are too grave and weighty for you to share, my
+dear little sister, and I don't want to see your youth passed altogether
+in such a solemn way. As you would not smile upon my friend, the
+Chevalier de Vidalinc, nor condescend to listen to the suit of the
+Marquis de l'Estang, I concluded to go in search of somebody that would
+be more likely to please your fastidious taste, and, my dear, I have
+found him. Such a charming, perfect, ideal husband he will make! I am
+convinced that you will dote upon him."
+
+"It is downright cruelty, Vallombreuse, to persecute me as you do, with
+such unfeeling jests. You know perfectly well that I do not wish to
+marry; I cannot give my hand without my heart, and my heart is not mine
+to give."
+
+"But you will talk very differently, I do assure you, my dear little
+sister, when you see the husband I have chosen for you."
+
+"Never! never!" cried Isabelle, whose voice betrayed her distress.
+"I shall always be faithful to a memory that is infinitely dear and
+precious to me; for I cannot think that you intend to force me to act
+against my will."
+
+"Oh, no! I am not quite such a tyrant as that; I only ask you not to
+reject my protege before you have seen him."
+
+Without waiting for her reply, Vallombreuse abruptly left the room, and
+returned in a moment with de Sigognac, whose heart was throbbing as
+if it would burst out of his breast. The two young men, hand in hand,
+paused on the threshold, hoping that Isabelle would turn her eyes
+towards them; but she modestly cast them down and kept them fixed upon
+the floor, while her thoughts flew far away, to hover about the beloved
+being who she little dreamed was so near her. Vallombreuse, seeing that
+she took no notice of them, and had fallen into a reverie, advanced
+towards her, still holding de Sigognac by the hand, and made a
+ceremonious bow, as did also his companion; but while the young duke was
+smiling and gay, de Sigognac was deeply agitated, and very pale. Brave
+as a lion when he had to do with men, he was timid with women--as are
+all generous, manly hearts.
+
+"Comtesse de Lineuil," said Vallombreuse, in an emphatic tone of voice,
+"permit me to present to you one of my dearest friends, for whom I
+entreat your favour--the Baron de Sigognac."
+
+As he pronounced this name, which she at first believed to be a jest
+on her brother's part, Isabelle started, trembled violently, and then
+glanced up timidly at the newcomer.
+
+When she saw that Vallombreuse had not deceived her, that it was really
+he, her own true lover, standing there before her, she turned deathly
+pale, and had nearly fallen from her chair; then the quick reaction
+came, and a most lovely blush spread itself all over her fair face, and
+even her snowy neck, as far as it could be seen. Without a word, she
+sprang up, and throwing her arms round her brother's neck hid her face
+on his shoulder, while two or three convulsive sobs shook her slender
+frame and a little shower of tears fell from her eyes. By this
+instinctive movement, so exquisitely modest and truly feminine, Isabelle
+manifested all the exceeding delicacy and purity of her nature. Thus
+were her warm thanks to Vallombreuse, whose kindness and generosity
+overcame her, mutely expressed; and as she could not follow the dictates
+of her heart, and throw herself into her lover's arms, she took refuge
+in her transport of joy with her brother, who had restored him to her.
+
+Vallombreuse supported her tenderly for a few moments, until he found
+she was growing calmer, when he gently disengaged himself from her
+clasping arms, and drawing down the hands with which she had covered her
+face, to hide its tears and blushes, said, "My sweet sister, do not,
+I pray you, hide your lovely face from us; I fear my protege will be
+driven to believe that you entertain such an invincible dislike to him
+you will not even look at him."
+
+Isabelle raised her drooping head, and turning full upon de Sigognac her
+glorious eyes, shining with a celestial joy, in spite of the sparkling
+tear-drops that still hung upon their long lashes, held out to him her
+beautiful white hand, which he took reverentially in both his own,
+and bending down pressed fervently to his lips. The passionate kiss he
+imprinted upon it thrilled through Isabelle's whole being, and for a
+second she turned faint and giddy; but the delicious ecstasy, which
+is almost anguish, of such emotion as hers, is never hurtful, and she
+presently looked up and smiled reassuringly upon her anxious lover, as
+the colour returned to her lips and cheeks, and the warm light to her
+eyes.
+
+"And now tell me, my sweet little sister," began Vallombreuse, with an
+air of triumph, and a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, "wasn't I right
+when I declared that you would smile upon the husband I had chosen for
+you? and would not be discouraged, though you were so obstinate? If I
+had not been equally so, this dear de Sigognac would have gone back to
+his far-away chateau, without even having seen you; and that would have
+been a pity, as you must admit."
+
+"Yes, I do admit it, my dearest brother, and also that you have been
+adorably kind and good to me. You were the only one who, under the
+circumstances, could bring about this reunion, and we both know how to
+appreciate what you have so nobly and generously done for us."
+
+"Yes, indeed," said de Sigognac warmly; "your brother has given us ample
+proof of the nobility and generosity of his nature--he magnanimously put
+aside the resentment that might seem legitimate, and came to me with his
+hand outstretched, and his heart in it. He revenges himself nobly for
+the harm I was obliged to do him, by imposing an eternal gratitude upon
+me--a light burden, that I shall bear joyfully so long as I live."
+
+"Say nothing more about that, my dear baron!" Vallombreuse exclaimed.
+"You would have done as much in my place. The differences of two valiant
+adversaries are very apt to end in a warm mutual attachment--we were
+destined from the beginning to become, sooner or later, a devoted pair
+of friends; like Theseus and Pirithous, Nisus and Euryalus, or Damon and
+Pythias. But never mind about me now, and tell my sister how you were
+thinking of her, and longing for her, in that lonely chateau of yours;
+where, by the way, I made one of the best meals I ever had in my life,
+though you do pretend that starvation is the rule down there."
+
+"And _I_ had a charming supper there too," said Isabelle with a smile,
+"which I look back upon with the greatest pleasure."
+
+"Nevertheless," rejoined de Sigognac, "plenty does not abound there--but
+I cannot regret the blessed poverty that was the means of first winning
+me your regard, my precious darling! I am thankful for it--I owe
+everything to it."
+
+"_I_ am of opinion," interrupted Vallombreuse, with a significant smile,
+"that it would be well for me to go and report myself to my father. I
+want to announce your arrival to him myself, de Sigognac! Not that he
+will need to be specially prepared to receive you, for I am bound to
+confess--what may surprise my little sister here--that he knew such a
+thing might come about, and was equally implicated with my graceless
+self in this little conspiracy. But one thing yet--tell me before I go,
+Isabelle, Comtesse de Lineuil, whether you really do intend to accept
+the Baron de Sigognac as your husband--I don't want to run any risk of
+making a blunder at this stage of the proceedings, you understand, after
+having conducted the negotiations successfully up to this point. You do
+definitely and finally accept him, eh?--that is well--and now I will
+go to the prince. Engaged lovers sometimes have matters to discuss that
+even a brother may not hear, so I will leave you together, feeling sure
+that you will both thank me for it in your hearts. Adieu!--make the
+most of your time, for I shall soon return to conduct de Sigognac to the
+prince."
+
+With a laughing nod the young duke picked up his hat and went away,
+leaving the two happy lovers alone together, and--however agreeable his
+company may have been to them, it must be admitted that his absence was,
+as he had predicted, very welcome to both. The Baron de Sigognac eagerly
+approached Isabelle, and--again possessed himself of her fair hand,
+which she did not withdraw from his warm, loving clasp. Neither spoke,
+and for a few minutes the fond lovers stood side by side and gazed into
+each other's eyes. Such silence is more eloquent than any words. At last
+de Sigognac said softly, "I can scarcely believe even yet in the reality
+of so much bliss. Oh! what a strange, contradictory destiny is mine. You
+loved me, my darling, because I was poor and unhappy--and thus my
+past misery was the direct cause of my present felicity. A troupe of
+strolling actors, who chanced to seek refuge under my crumbling roof,
+held in reserve for me an angel of purity and goodness--a hostile
+encounter has given me a devoted friend--and, most wonderful of all,
+your forcible abduction led to your meeting the fond father who had
+been seeking you so many years in vain. And all this because a Thespian
+chariot went astray one stormy night in the Landes."
+
+"We were destined for each other--it was all arranged for us in heaven
+above. Twin souls are sure to come together at last, if they can only
+have patience to wait for the meeting. I felt instinctively, when we met
+at the Chateau de Sigognac, that you were my fate. At sight of you my
+heart, which had always lain dormant before, and never responded to any
+appeal, thrilled within me, and, unasked, yielded to you all its love
+and allegiance. Your very timidity won more for you than the greatest
+boldness and assurance could have done, and from the first moment of
+our acquaintance I resolved never to give myself to any one but you, or
+God."
+
+"And yet, cruel, hard-hearted child that you were--though so divinely
+good and lovely--you refused your hand to me, when I sued for it on my
+knees. I know well that it was all through generosity, and that of the
+noblest--but, my darling, it was a very cruel generosity too."
+
+"I will do my best to atone for it now, my dearest de Sigognac, in
+giving you this hand you wished for, together with my heart, which
+has long been all your own. The Comtesse de Lineuil is not bound to be
+governed by the scruples of Isabelle, the actress. I have had only one
+fear--that your pride might keep you from ever seeking me again as I
+am now. But, even if you had given me up, you would never have loved
+another woman, would you, de Sigognac? You would have been faithful to
+me always, even though you had renounced me--I felt so sure of that.
+Were you thinking of me down there in your ancient chateau, when
+Vallombreuse broke in upon your solitude?"
+
+"My dearest Isabelle, by day I had only one thought--of you--and at
+night, when I kissed the sacred pillow on which your lovely head had
+rested, before laying my own down upon it, I besought the god of dreams
+to show me your adored image while I slept."
+
+"And were your prayers sometimes answered?"
+
+"Always--not once was I disappointed--and only when morning came did you
+leave me, vanishing through 'the ivory gates.' Oh I how interminable the
+sad, lonely days seemed to me, and how I wished that I could sleep, and
+dream of you, my angel, all the weary time."
+
+"I saw you also in my dreams, many nights in succession. Our souls must
+have met, de Sigognac, while our bodies lay wrapped in slumber. But now,
+thanks be to God, we are reunited--and forever. The prince, my father,
+knew and approved of your being brought here, Vallombreuse said, so we
+can have no opposition to our wishes to fear from him. He has spoken to
+me of you several times of late in very flattering terms; looking at me
+searchingly, the while, in a way that greatly agitated and troubled me,
+for I did not know what might be in his mind, as Vallombreuse had not
+then told me that he no longer hated you, and I feared that he would
+always do so after his double defeat at your hands. But all the terrible
+anxiety is over now, my beloved, and blessed peace and happiness lie
+before us."
+
+At this moment the door opened, and the young duke announced to
+de Sigognac that his father was waiting to receive him. The baron
+immediately rose from his seat beside Isabelle, bowed low to her, and
+followed Vallombreuse to the prince's presence. The aged nobleman,
+dressed entirely in black, and with his breast covered with orders, was
+sitting in a large arm-chair at a table heaped up with books and papers,
+with which he had evidently been occupied. His attitude was stately
+and dignified, and the expression of his noble, benevolent countenance
+affable in the extreme. He rose to receive de Sigognac, gave him a
+cordial greeting, and politely bade him be seated.
+
+"My dear father," said Vallombreuse, "I present to you the Baron de
+Sigognac; formerly my rival, now my friend, and soon to be my brother,
+if you consent. Any improvement that you may see in me is due to his
+influence, and it is no light obligation that I owe to him--though he
+will not admit that there is any. The baron comes to ask a favour of
+you, which I shall rejoice to see accorded to him."
+
+The prince made a gesture of acquiescence, and looked reassuringly at de
+Sigognac, as if inviting him to speak fearlessly for himself. Encouraged
+by the expression of his eyes, the baron rose, and, with a low bow,
+said, in clear, distinct tones, "Prince, I am here to ask of you the
+hand of Mlle. la Comtesse Isabelle de Lineuil, your daughter."
+
+The old nobleman looked at him steadily and searchingly for a moment,
+and then, as if satisfied with his scrutiny, answered: "Baron de
+Sigognac, I accede to your request, and consent to this alliance, with
+great pleasure--so far, that is, as my paternal will accords with the
+wishes of my beloved daughter--whom I should never attempt to coerce in
+anything. The Comtesse de Lineuil must be consulted in this matter, and
+herself decide the question which is of such vital importance to her.
+I cannot undertake to answer for her--the whims and fancies of young
+ladies are sometimes so odd and unexpected."
+
+The prince said this with a mischievous smile--as if he had not long
+known that Isabelle loved de Sigognac with all her heart, and was pining
+for him. After a brief pause, he added: "Vallombreuse, go and fetch your
+sister, for, without her, I cannot give a definite answer to the Baron
+de Sigognac."
+
+The young duke accordingly went for Isabelle, who was greatly alarmed at
+this summons, and obeyed it in fear and trembling. Despite her brother's
+assurances, she could not bring herself to believe in the reality of
+such great happiness. Her breast heaved tumultuously, her face was very
+pale, at each step her knees threatened to give way under her, and when
+her father drew her fondly to his side she was forced to grasp the arm
+of his chair tightly, to save herself from falling.
+
+"My daughter," said the prince gravely, "here is a gentleman who does
+you the honour to sue for your hand. For my own part, I should hail
+this union with joy--for he is of an ancient and illustrious family,
+of stainless reputation and tried courage, and appears to me to possess
+every qualification that heart could desire. I am perfectly satisfied
+with him--but has he succeeded in pleasing you, my child? Young heads do
+not always agree with gray ones. Examine your own heart carefully,
+and tell me if you are willing to accept the Baron de Sigognac as your
+husband. Take plenty of time to consider--you shall not be hurried, my
+dear child, in so grave a matter as this."
+
+The prince's kindly, cordial smile gave evidence that he was in a
+playful mood, and Isabelle, plucking up courage, threw her arms round
+her father's neck, and said in the softest tones, "There is no need for
+me to consider or hesitate, my dear lord and father! Since the Baron de
+Sigognac is so happy as to please you, I confess, freely and frankly,
+that I have loved him ever since we first met, and have never wished for
+any other alliance. To obey, you in this will be my highest happiness."
+
+"And now clasp hands, my children, and exchange the kiss of betrothal,"
+cried the Duke of Vallombreuse gaily. "Verily, the romance ends more
+happily than could have been expected after such a stormy beginning. And
+now the next question is, when shall the wedding be?"
+
+"It will take a little time to make due preparation," said the prince.
+"So many people must be set to work, in order that the marriage of my
+only daughter may be worthily celebrated. Meanwhile, Isabelle, here is
+your dowry, the deed of the estate of Lineuil--from which you derive
+your title, and which yields you an income of fifty thousand crowns
+per annum--together with rent-rolls, and all the various documents
+appertaining thereto"--and he handed a formidable roll of papers to her.
+"As to you, my dear de Sigognac, I have here for you a royal ordinance,
+which constitutes you governor of a province; and no one, I venture to
+say, could be more worthy of this distinguished honour than yourself."
+
+Vallombreuse, who had gone out of the room while his father was
+speaking, now made his appearance, followed by a servant carrying a box
+covered with crimson velvet.
+
+He took it from the lackey at the door, and advancing, placed it upon
+the table in front of Isabelle.
+
+"My dear little sister," said he, "will you accept this from me as a
+wedding gift?"
+
+On the cover was inscribed "For Isabelle," in golden letters, and it
+contained the very casket which the Duke of Vallombreuse had offered at
+Poitiers to the young actress, and which she had so indignantly refused
+to receive, or even look at.
+
+"You will accept it this time?" he pleaded, with a radiant smile; "and
+honour these diamonds of finest water, and these pearls of richest
+lustre, by wearing them, for my sake. They are not more pure and
+beautiful than yourself."
+
+Isabelle smilingly took up a magnificent necklace and clasped it round
+her fair neck, to show that she harboured no resentment; then put the
+exquisite bracelets on her round, white arms, and decked herself with
+the various superb ornaments that the beautiful casket contained.
+
+And now we have only to add, that a week later Isabelle and de Sigognac
+were united in marriage in the chapel at Vallombreuse, which was
+brilliantly lighted, and filled with fragrance from the profusion of
+flowers that converted it into a very bower. The music was heavenly, the
+fair bride adorably beautiful, with her long white veil floating about
+her, and the Baron de Sigognac radiant with happiness. The Marquis de
+Bruyeres was one of his witnesses, and a most brilliant and aristocratic
+assemblage "assisted" at this notable wedding in high life. No one, who
+had not been previously informed of it, could ever have suspected
+that the lovely bride--at once so noble and modest, so dignified and
+graceful, so gentle and refined, yet with as lofty a bearing as a
+princess of the blood royal--had only a short time before been one of a
+band of strolling players, nightly fulfilling her duties as an actress.
+While de Sigognac, governor of a province, captain of mousquetaires,
+superbly dressed, dignified, stately and affable, the very beau-ideal
+of a distinguished young nobleman, had nothing about him to recall
+the poor, shabby, disconsolate youth, almost starving in his dreary,
+half-ruined chateau, whose misery was described at the beginning of this
+tale.
+
+After a splendid collation, graced by the presence of the bride and
+groom, the happy pair vanished; but we will not attempt to follow them,
+or intrude upon their privacy--turning away at the very threshold of
+the nuptial chamber, singing, in low tones, after the fashion of the
+ancients, "Hymen! oh Hymen!"
+
+The mysteries of such sacred happiness as theirs should be respected;
+and besides, sweet, modest Isabelle would have died of shame if so much
+as a single one of the pins that held her bodice were indiscreetly drawn
+out.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII. THE CASTLE OF HAPPINESS
+
+EPILOGUE
+
+It will be readily believed that our sweet Isabelle had not forgotten,
+in her exceeding happiness as Mme. la Baronne de Sigognac, her former
+companions of Herode's troupe. As she could not invite them to her
+wedding because they would have been so much out of place there--she
+had, in commemoration of that auspicious occasion, sent handsome and
+appropriate gifts to them all; offered with a grace so charming that
+it redoubled their value. So long as the company remained in Paris, she
+went often to see them play; applauding her old friends heartily, and
+judiciously as well, knowing just where the applause should be given.
+The young baronne did not attempt to conceal the fact that she had
+formerly been an actress herself--not parading it, but referring to it
+quietly, if necessary, as a matter of course; an excellent method to
+disarm ill-natured tongues, which would surely have wagged vigorously
+had any mystery been made about it. In addition, her illustrious birth
+and exalted position imposed silence upon those around her, and her
+sweet dignity and modesty had soon won all hearts--even those of her own
+sex--until it was universally conceded that there was not a greater
+or truer lady in court circles than the beautiful young Baronne de
+Sigognac.
+
+The king, Louis XIII, having heard Isabelle's eventful history, praised
+her highly for her virtuous conduct, and evinced great interest in de
+Sigognac, whom he heartily commended for his respectful, honourable
+gallantry, under circumstances that, according to general opinion, would
+authorize all manner of license. His deference to defenceless virtue
+peculiarly pleased the chaste, reserved monarch, who had no sympathy
+with, or indulgence for the wild, unbridled excesses of the licentious
+youth of his capital and court. As to Vallombreuse, he had entirely
+changed and amended his way of life, and seemed to find unfailing
+pleasure and satisfaction, as well as benefit, in the companionship
+of his new friend and brother, to whom he was devoted, and who fully
+reciprocated his warm affection; while the prince, his father, joyfully
+dwelt in the bosom of his reunited family, and found in it the happiness
+he had vainly sought before. The young husband and wife led a charming
+life, more and more in love with and devoted to each other, and never
+experiencing that satiety of bliss which is ruinous to the most perfect
+happiness. Although Isabelle had no concealments from her husband, and
+shared even her inmost thoughts with him, yet for a time she seemed very
+much occupied with some mysterious business--apparently exclusively her
+own.
+
+She had secret conferences with her steward, with an architect, and
+also with certain sculptors and painters--all without de Sigognac's
+knowledge, and by the connivance of Vallombreuse, who seemed to be her
+confidant, aider and abettor.
+
+One fine morning, several months after their marriage, Isabelle said to
+de Sigognac, as if a sudden thought had struck her: "My dear lord, do
+you never think of your poor, deserted, old chateau? and have you no
+desire to return to the birthplace of our love?"
+
+"I am not so unfeeling as that, my darling, and I have thought of it
+longingly many times of late. But I did not like to propose the journey
+to you without being sure that it would please you. I did not like to
+tear you away from the delights of the court--of which you are the chief
+ornament--and take you to that poor, old, half-ruined mansion, the haunt
+of rats and owls, where I could not hope to make you even comfortable,
+yet, which I prefer, miserable as it is, to the most luxurious palaces;
+for it was the home of my ancestors, and the place where I first saw
+you, my heart's delight!--spot ever sacred and dear to me, upon which I
+should like to erect an altar."
+
+"And I," rejoined Isabelle, "often wonder whether the eglantine in the
+garden still blooms, as it did for me."
+
+"It does," said de Sigognac, "I am sure of it--having once been blessed
+by your touch, it must be always blooming--even though there be none to
+see."
+
+"Ah! my lord, unlike husbands in general, you are more gallant after
+marriage than before," Isabelle said, laughingly, yet deeply touched by
+his tender words, "and you pay your wife compliments as if she were your
+ladylove. And now, since I have ascertained that your wishes accord
+with my whim, will it please your lordship to set out for the Chateau
+de Sigognac this week? The weather is fine. The great heat of summer is
+over, and we can really enjoy the journey. Vallombreuse will go with
+us, and I shall take Chiquita. She will be glad to see her own country
+again."
+
+The needful preparations were soon made, and the travelling party set
+off in high spirits. The journey was rapid and delightful. Relays of
+horses had been sent on in advance by Vallombreuse, so that in a few
+days they reached the point where the road leading to the Chateau de
+Sigognac branched off from the great post-road. It was about two o'clock
+of a bright, warm afternoon when the carriage turned off the highway,
+and as they got, at the same moment, their first view of the chateau,
+de Sigognac could not believe the testimony of his own eyes--he was
+bewildered, dazzled, overwhelmed--he no longer recognised the familiar
+details which had been so deeply impressed upon his memory. All was
+changed, as if by magic. The road, smooth, free from grass and weeds,
+and freshly gravelled, had no more ruts; the hedges, neatly trimmed and
+properly tended, no longer reached out long, straggling arms to catch
+the rare passer-by; the tall trees on either side had been carefully
+pruned, so that their branches met in an arch overhead, and framed in a
+most astonishing picture. Instead of the dreary ruin, slowly crumbling
+into dust, a fine new chateau rose before them--resembling the old one
+as a son resembles his father. It was an exact reproduction--nothing
+had been changed, only renewed--it was simply the ancient mansion
+rejuvenated. The walls were smooth and unbroken, the lofty towers
+intact, rising proudly at the four angles of the building, with their
+freshly gilded weathercocks gleaming in the sunlight. A handsome new
+roof, tastefully ornamented with a pretty design in different coloured
+slates, had replaced the broken, weather-stained tiles, through which
+the rain used to find its way down into the frescoed hall, and the long
+suite of deserted rooms. Every window had bright large panes of clear
+glass shining in its casement, and a magnificent great door, turning
+smoothly and noiselessly upon its huge hinges, had superseded the old,
+worm-eaten one, that used to groan and creak piteously when opened ever
+so little. Above it shone the de Sigognac arms--three golden storks
+upon an azure field, with this noble motto--entirely obliterated of
+old--"Alta petunt."
+
+For a few moments de Sigognac gazed at it all in silence, overcome by
+astonishment and emotion. Then he suddenly turned to Isabelle, with
+joyful surprise written in every line of his speaking countenance, and
+seizing her hands passionately, and holding them firmly clasped in his,
+said: "It is to you, my kind, generous fairy, that I owe this marvellous
+transformation of my poor, dilapidated, old chateau. You have touched it
+with your wand and restored its ancient splendour, majesty and youth.
+I cannot tell you how enchanted, how gratified I am by this wonderful
+surprise. It is unspeakably charming and delightful, like everything
+that emanates from my good angel. Without a word or hint from me, you
+have divined, and carried out, the secret and most earnest wish of my
+heart."
+
+"You must also thank a certain sorcerer, who has greatly aided me in
+all this," said Isabelle softly, touched by her husband's emotion and
+delight, and pointing to Vallombreuse, who was sitting opposite to her.
+The two young men clasped hands for a moment, and smiled at each other
+in friendly fashion. There was a perfect under standing between these
+kindred spirits now, and no words were needed on either side.
+
+By this time the carriage had reached the chateau, where Pierre, in a
+fine new livery--and a tremor of delight--was waiting to receive them.
+After an affectionate, as well as respectful, greeting from the faithful
+old servant, they entered the grand portico, which had been, like all
+the rest, admirably restored, and, alighting from the carriage, paused a
+moment to admire its magnificent proportions ere they passed on into the
+frescoed hall, where eight or ten tall lackeys were drawn up in line,
+and bowed profoundly to their new master and mistress. Skilful artists
+had retouched the ancient frescoes, and made them glow with all their
+original brilliant tints. The colossal figures of Hercules were still
+supporting the heavy cornice, and the busts of the Roman emperors looked
+out majestically from their niches. Higher up, the vine climbing on
+its trellis was as luxuriant as in the olden time, and there were no
+unsightly stains on the bright blue sky of the vaulted roof to mar its
+beauty. A like metamorphosis had been worked everywhere--the worm-eaten
+woodwork had been renewed, the uneven floors relaid, the tarnished
+gilding restored to its original splendour--and the new furniture
+throughout had been made exactly like the old that it replaced. The fine
+old tapestry in de Sigognac's own room had been minutely copied, down to
+the smallest detail, and the hangings of the bed were of green and white
+brocade, in precisely the same delicate tint and graceful pattern as the
+old.
+
+Isabelle, with her innate delicacy and perfect taste, had not aimed
+at producing a sensation, by any overwhelming magnificence or dazzling
+splendour in renovating the intrinsically fine old Chateau de Sigognac,
+but had simply wished to gratify and delight the heart of her
+husband, so tenderly loved, in giving back to him the impressions and
+surroundings of his childhood and youth, robbed of their misery and
+sadness. All was bright and gay now in this lordly mansion, erst so
+dreary and melancholy; even the sombre old family portraits, cleansed,
+retouched and revarnished by skilful hands, smiled down upon them, as
+if pleased with the new order of things; especially their own handsome,
+richly gilt frames.
+
+After looking through the interior of the chateau, de Sigognac and
+Isabelle went out into the court, where no weeds or nettles were to be
+seen, no grass growing up between the paving stones, no heaps of rubbish
+in the corners, and through the clear glass panes of the numerous
+windows looking into it were visible the folds of the rich curtains in
+the chambers that were formerly the favourite haunt of owls and bats.
+They went on down into the garden, by a noble flight of broad stone
+steps, no longer tottering and moss-grown, and turned first to seek the
+wild eglantine which had offered its delicate little rose to the young
+actress, on the memorable morning when the baron had decided to go forth
+from his ruined castle for love of her. It had another dainty blossom
+ready for her now, which Isabelle received from de Sigognac's hand, with
+tears, that told of a happiness too deep for words, welling up into her
+eyes, and exchanged with her adored and adoring husband a long, fond
+look, that seemed to give to each a glimpse of heaven.
+
+The gardeners had been busy too, and had converted the neglected
+wilderness we made acquaintance with long ago into a veritable little
+paradise. At the end of the well-ordered and exquisitely arranged garden,
+Pomona still stood in her cool grotto, restored to all the beauty of her
+youth, while a stream of pure, sparkling water poured from the lion's
+mouth, and fell with a musical murmur into the marble basin. Even in
+their best and most glorious days the garden and the chateau had never
+known greater beauty and luxury than now. The baron, ever more and more
+astonished and enchanted, as he rambled slowly through it all, like one
+in a delicious dream, kept Isabelle's arm pressed tenderly to his heart,
+and was not ashamed to let her see the tears that at last he could no
+longer restrain, and which came from a very full heart.
+
+"Now," said Isabelle, "that we have seen everything here, we must go and
+inspect the different pieces of property we have been able to buy back,
+so as to reconstruct, as nearly as possible, the ancient barony of
+Sigognac. I will leave you for a few moments, to go and put on my riding
+habit; I shall not be long, for I learned to make changes of that sort
+very rapidly in my old profession, you know. Will you, meantime, go and
+select our horses, and order that they should be made ready?"
+
+Vallombreuse accompanied de Sigognac to the stables, where they found
+ten splendid horses contentedly munching their oats in their oaken
+stalls. Everything was in perfect order, but ere the baron had time to
+admire and praise, as he wished to do, a loud whinnying that was almost
+deafening suddenly burst forth, as good old Bayard peremptorily claimed
+his attention. Isabelle had long ago sent orders to the chateau that the
+superannuated pony should always have the best place in the stable,
+and be tenderly cared for. His manger was full of ground oats, which he
+seemed to be enjoying with great gusto, and he evidently approved highly
+of the new regime. In his stall Miraut lay sleeping, but the sound of
+his master's voice aroused him, and he joyfully jumped up and came to
+lick his hand, and claim the accustomed caress. As to Beelzebub, though
+he had not yet made his appearance, it must not be attributed to a want
+of affection on his part, but rather to an excess of timidity. The poor
+old cat had been so unsettled and alarmed at the invasion of the quiet
+chateau by an army of noisy workmen, and all the confusion and changes
+that had followed, that he had fled from his usual haunts, and taken up
+his abode in a remote attic; where he lay in concealment, impatiently
+waiting for darkness to come, so that he might venture out to pay his
+respects to his beloved master.
+
+The baron, after petting Bayard and Miraut until they were in ecstasies
+of delight, chose from among the horses a beautiful, spirited chestnut
+for himself, the duke selected a Spanish jennet, with proudly arched
+neck and flowing mane, which was worthy to carry an Infanta, and an
+exquisite white palfrey, whose skin shone like satin, was brought out
+for the baronne. In a few moments Isabelle came down, attired in a
+superb riding habit, which consisted of a dark blue velvet basque,
+richly braided with silver, over a long, ample skirt of silver-gray
+satin, and her broad hat of white felt, like a cavalier's, was trimmed
+with a floating, dark blue feather. Her beautiful hair was confined in
+the most coquettish little blue and silver net, and as she came forward,
+radiant with smiles, she was a vision of loveliness, that drew forth
+fervent exclamations of delight from her two devoted and adoring
+knights. The Baronne de Sigognac certainly was enchantingly beautiful
+in her rich equestrian costume, which displayed the perfection of her
+slender, well-rounded figure to the greatest advantage, and there was
+a high-bred, dainty look about her which bore silent witness to her
+illustrious origin. She was still the sweet, modest Isabelle of old,
+but she was also the daughter of a mighty prince, the sister of a proud
+young duke, and the honoured wife of a valiant gentleman, whose race had
+been noble since before the crusades. Vallombreuse, remarking it, could
+not forbear to say: "My dearest sister, how magnificent you look
+to-day! Hippolyte, queen of the Amazons, was never more superb, or more
+triumphantly beautiful, than you are in this most becoming costume."
+
+Isabelle smiled in reply, as she put her pretty little foot into de
+Sigognac's hand, and sprang lightly into her saddle.
+
+Her husband and brother mounted also, and the little cavalcade set forth
+in high glee, making the vaulted portico ring with their merry laughter,
+as they rode through it. Just in front of the chateau they met the
+Marquis de Bruyeres, and several other gentlemen of the neighbourhood,
+coming to pay their respects. They wished to go back into the chateau
+and receive their guests properly, saying that they could ride out at
+any time, but the visitors would not listen to such a thing, and turning
+their horses' heads proposed to ride with them. The party, increased by
+six or eight cavaliers in gala dress--for the provincial lordlings
+had made themselves as fine as possible to do honour to their new
+neighbours--was really very imposing; a cortege worthy of a princess.
+They rode on between broad green fields, through woods and groves and
+highly cultivated farms, all of which had now been restored to the
+estate they had originally belonged to; and the grateful, adoring
+glances that the Baron de Sigognac found opportunity to bestow upon his
+lovely baronne, made her heart beat high with a happiness almost too
+perfect for this weary world of trials and sorrows.
+
+As they were riding through a little pine wood, near the boundary line
+of the estate, the barking of hounds was heard, and presently the party
+met the beautiful Yolande de Foix, followed by her old uncle, and one
+or two attendant cavaliers. The road was very narrow, and there was
+scarcely room to pass, though each party endeavoured to make way for the
+other. Yolande's horse was prancing about restively, and the skirt of
+her long riding-habit brushed Isabelle's as she passed her. She was
+furiously angry, and sorely tempted to address some cutting words to the
+"Bohemienne" she had once so cruelly insulted; but Isabelle, who had a
+soul above such petty malice, and had long ago forgiven Yolande for
+her unprovoked insolence, felt how much her own triumph must wound the
+other's proud spirit, and with perfect dignity and grace bowed to Mlle.
+de Foix, who could not do less than respond by a slight inclination of
+her haughty head, though her heart was filled with rage, and she had
+much ado to control herself. The Baron de Sigognac, with a quiet,
+unembarrassed air, had bowed respectfully to the fair huntress, who
+looked eagerly, but in vain, into the eyes of her former adorer for a
+spark of the old flame that used to blaze up in them at sight of her.
+Angry and disappointed, she gave her horse a sharp cut with the whip,
+and swept away at a gallop.
+
+"Now, by Venus and all the Loves," said Vallombreuse to the Marquis de
+Bruyeres, beside whom he was riding, "that girl is a beauty, but she
+looked deucedly savage and cross. How she did glare at my sister, eh! as
+if she wanted to stab her."
+
+"When one has long been the acknowledged queen of a neighbourhood,"
+the marquis replied, "it is not pleasant to be dethroned, you know,
+and every one must admit that Mme. la Baronne de Sigognac bears off the
+palm."
+
+The gay cavalcade, after a long ride, returned to the chateau, to find a
+sumptuous repast awaiting them in the magnificent banqueting hall, where
+the poor young baron had once supped with the wandering comedians, upon
+their own provisions. What a transformation had been effected! now a
+superb service of silver, bearing the family arms, shone upon the fine
+damask that covered the table, in which also the three storks were
+apparent, while beautiful porcelain and dainty glass, lovely flowers
+and luscious fruits contributed to the attractions of the bountifully
+furnished board. Isabelle sat in the same place she had occupied on the
+eventful night that had changed the destiny of the young lord of the
+chateau, and she could not but think of, and live over, that widely
+different occasion, as did also the baron, and the married lovers
+exchanged furtive smiles and glances, in which tender memories and
+bright hopes were happily mingled.
+
+Near one of the tall buffets stood a large, fine-looking man with a
+thick black beard, dressed in black velvet, and wearing a massive chain
+of silver round his neck, who kept a watchful eye upon the numerous
+lackeys waiting on the guests, and from time to time gave an order, with
+a most majestic air. Presiding over another buffet, on which were neatly
+arranged numerous wine-bottles of different forms and dimensions, was
+another elderly man, of short, corpulent figure, and with a jolly
+red face, who stepped about actively and lightly, despite his age and
+weight, dispensing the wine to the servants as it was needed. At
+first de Sigognac did not notice them, but chancing to glance in their
+direction, was astonished to recognise in the first the tragic Herode,
+and in the second the grotesque Blazius. Isabelle, seeing that her
+husband had become aware of their presence, whispered to him, that
+in order to provide for the old age of those two devoted and faithful
+friends she had thought it well to give them superior positions in their
+household; in which they would have only easy duties to perform, as they
+had to direct others in their work, not to do any themselves; and the
+baron heartily approved and commended what his sweet young wife, ever
+considerate for others, had been pleased to do.
+
+Course succeeded to course, and bottle to bottle--there was much
+laughing and talking around the convivial board, and the host was
+exerting himself to do honour to the festive occasion, when he felt a
+head laid on his knee, and a tattoo vigorously played by a pair of paws
+on his leg that was well known to him of old. Miraut and Beelzebub, who
+had slipped into the room, and under the table, without being detected,
+thus announced their presence to their indulgent master. He did not
+repulse them, but managed, without attracting notice, to give them
+a share of everything on his plate, and was especially amused at the
+almost insatiable voracity of the old black cat--who had evidently been
+fasting in his hiding-place in the attic. He actually seemed to enjoy,
+like an epicure, the rich and dainty viands that had replaced the frugal
+fare of long ago, and ate so much that when the meal was over he could
+scarcely stand, and made his way with difficulty into his master's
+bed-chamber, where he curled himself up in a luxurious arm-chair and
+settled down comfortably for the night.
+
+Vallombreuse kept pace with the Marquis de Bruyeres, and the other
+guests, in disposing of the choice wines, that did credit to the
+pedant's selection; but de Sigognac, who had not lost his temperate
+habits, only touched his lips to the edge of his wine-glass, and made
+a pretence of keeping them company. Isabelle, under pretext of fatigue,
+had withdrawn when the dessert was placed upon the table. She really was
+very tired, and sent at once for Chiquita, now promoted to the dignity
+of first lady's maid, to come and perform her nightly duties. The wild,
+untutored child had--under Isabelle's judicious, tender and careful
+training--developed into a quiet, industrious and very beautiful young
+girl. She still wore mourning for Agostino, and around her neck was the
+famous string of pearl beads--it was a sacred treasure to Chiquita, and
+she was never seen without it. She attended to her duties quickly and
+deftly--evidently taking great delight in waiting upon the mistress she
+adored--and kissed her hand passionately, as she never failed to do,
+when all was finished and she bade her good-night.
+
+When, an hour later, de Sigognac entered the room in which he had spent
+so many weary, lonely nights--listening to the wind as it shrieked and
+moaned round the outside of the desolate chateau, and wailed along the
+corridors-feeling that life was a hard and bitter thing, and fancying
+that it would never bring anything but trials and misery to him--he
+saw, by the subdued light from the shaded lamp, the face to him most
+beautiful in all the world smiling lovingly to greet him from under the
+green and white silken curtains that hung round his own bed, where it
+lay resting upon the pillow he had so often kissed, and moistened with
+his tears. His eyes were moist now--but from excess of happiness, not
+sorrow--as he saw before him the blessed, blissful realization of his
+vision.
+
+Towards morning Beelzebub, who had been excessively uneasy and restless
+all night, managed, with great difficulty, to clamber up on the bed,
+where he rubbed his nose against his master's hand--trying at the same
+time to purr in the old way, but failing lamentably. The baron woke
+instantly, and saw poor Beelzebub looking at him appealingly, with his
+great green eyes unnaturally dilated, and momentarily growing dim; he
+was trembling violently, and as his master's kind hand was stretched
+out to stroke his head, fell over on his side, and with one half-stifled
+cry, one convulsive shudder, breathed his last.
+
+"Poor Beelzebub!" softly said Isabelle, who had been roused from her
+sweet slumber by his dying groan, "he has lived through all the misery
+of the old time, but will not be here to share and enjoy the prosperity
+of the new."
+
+Beelzebub, it must be confessed, fell a victim to his own
+intemperance--a severe fit of indigestion, consequent upon the enormous
+supper he had eaten, was the cause of his death--his long-famished
+stomach was not accustomed to, nor proof against, such excesses. This
+death, even though it was only that of a dumb beast, touched de Sigognac
+deeply; for poor Beelzebub had been his faithful companion, night and
+day, through many long, weary years of sadness and poverty, and had
+always shown the warmest, most devoted affection for him. He carefully
+wrapped the body in a piece of fine, soft cloth, and waited, until
+evening should come, to bury it himself; when he would be safe from
+observation and possible ridicule. Accordingly, after nightfall, he took
+a spade, a lantern, and poor Beelzebub's body, which was stiff and stark
+by that time, and went down into the garden, where he set to work to
+dig the grave, under the sacred eglantine, in what seemed to him like
+hallowed ground. He wanted to make it deep enough to insure its
+not being disturbed by any roaming beast of prey, and worked away
+diligently, until his spade struck sharply against some hard substance,
+that he at first thought must be a large stone, or piece of rock
+perhaps. He attempted, in various ways, to dislodge it, but all in vain,
+and it gave out such a peculiar, hollow sound at every blow, that
+at last he threw down his spade and took the lantern to see what the
+strange obstacle might be.
+
+He was greatly surprised at finding the corner of a stout oaken chest,
+strengthened with iron bands, much rusted, but still intact. He dug all
+round it, and then, using his spade as a lever, succeeded in raising it,
+though it was very heavy, to the edge of the hole, and sliding it out
+on the grass beside it; then he put poor Beelzebub into the place it
+had occupied, and filled up the grave. He carefully smoothed it over,
+replaced the sod, and when all was finished to his satisfaction, went in
+search of his faithful old Pierre, upon whose discretion and secrecy he
+knew that he could rely. Together they carried the mysterious strong box
+into the chateau, but not without great difficulty and frequent pauses
+to rest, because of its immense weight. Pierre broke open the chest with
+an axe, and the cover sprang back, disclosing to view a mass of gold
+coins--all ancient, and many of them foreign. Upon examination, a
+quantity of valuable jewelry, set with precious stones, was found
+mingled with the gold, and, under all, a piece of parchment, with a huge
+seal attached, bearing the three storks of the de Sigognacs, still in
+a good state of preservation; but the writing was almost entirely
+obliterated by dampness and mould. The signature, however, was still
+visible, and letter by letter the baron spelled it out--"Raymond de
+Sigognac." It was the name of one of his ancestors, who had gone to
+serve his king and country in the war then raging, and never returned;
+leaving the mystery of his death, or disappearance, unsolved. He had
+only one child, an infant son, and when he left home--in those troublous
+times--must have buried all his treasures for safety, and they had
+remained undiscovered until this late day. Doubtless, he had confided
+the secret of their whereabouts to some trusty friend or retainer, who,
+perhaps, had died suddenly before he could disclose it to the rightful
+heir. From the time of that Raymond began the decadence of the de
+Sigognacs, who, previous to that epoch, had always been wealthy and
+powerful.
+
+Of course, the mystery about this treasure--so strangely brought to
+light--could never be cleared up now; but one thing was certain, beyond
+a question or a doubt, that the strong box and its contents belonged of
+right to the present Baron de Sigognac--the only living representative
+of the family. His first move was to seek his generous, devoted wife, so
+that he might show her the mysterious treasure he had found, and claim
+her sweet sympathy in his joy, which would be incomplete without it.
+After relating to her all the surprising incidents of the evening, he
+finished by saying, "Decidedly, Beelzebub was the good genius of the de
+Sigognacs--through his means I have become rich--and now that my blessed
+angel has come to me he has taken his departure; for there is nothing
+else left for him to do, since you, my love, have given me perfect
+happiness."
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Captain Fracasse, by Theophile Gautier
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diff --git a/old/old/1235.zip b/old/old/1235.zip
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+Project Gutenberg Etext of Captain Fracasse by Theophile Gautier
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+Captain Fracasse
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+
+Captain Fracasse by Theophile Gautier
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+I.     Castle Misery
+II.    The chariot of Thespis
+III.   The Blue Sun Inn
+IV.    An adventure with brigands
+V.     At the Chateau de Bruyeres
+VI.    A snow-storm and its consequences
+VII.   Captain Fracasse
+VIII.  The Duke of Vallombreuse
+IX.    A melee and a duel
+X.     A midnight adventure
+XI.    The Pont-Neuf
+XII.   The Crowned Radish
+XIII.  A double attack
+XIV.   Lampourde's delicacy
+XV.    Malartic at work
+XVI.   Vallombreuse
+XVII.  The amethyst ring
+XVIII. A family party
+XIX.   Nettles and cobwebs
+XX.    Chiquita's declaration of love
+XXI.   "Hymen! Oh Hymen!"
+XXII.  The castle of happiness
+
+
+
+
+CAPTAIN FRACASSE
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I. CASTLE MISERY
+
+Upon the southern slope of one of those barren hills that rise
+abruptly here and there in the desolate expanse of the Landes, in
+South-western France, stood, in the reign of Louis XIII, a
+gentleman's residence, such as abound in Gascony, and which the
+country people dignify by the name of chateau.
+
+Two tall towers, with extinguisher tops, mounted guard at the
+angles of the mansion, and gave it rather a feudal air. The deep
+grooves upon its facade betrayed the former existence of a
+draw-bridge, rendered unnecessary now by the filling up of the
+moat, while the towers were draped for more than half their
+height with a most luxuriant growth of ivy, whose deep, rich
+green contrasted happily with the ancient gray walls.
+
+A traveller, seeing from afar the steep pointed roof and lofty
+towers standing out against the sky, above the furze and heather
+that crowned the hill-top, would have pronounced it a rather
+imposing chateau--the residence probably of some provincial
+magnate; but as he drew near would have quickly found reason to
+change his opinion.  The road which led to it from the highway
+was entirely  overgrown with moss and weeds, save a narrow
+pathway in the centre, though two deep ruts, full of water, and
+inhabited by a numerous family of frogs, bore mute witness to the
+fact that carriages had once passed that way.
+
+The roof, of dark red tiles, was disfigured by many large,
+leprous-looking, yellow patches, while in some places the decayed
+rafters had given way, leaving formidable gaps. The numerous
+weather-cocks that surmounted the towers and chimneys were so
+rusted that they could no longer budge an inch, and pointed
+persistently in various directions. The high dormer windows were
+partially closed by old wooden shutters, warped, split, and in
+every stage of dilapidation; broken stones filled up the
+loop-holes and openings in the towers; of the twelve large
+windows in the front of the house, eight were boarded up; the
+remaining four had small diamond-shaped panes of thick, greenish
+glass, fitting so loosely in their leaden frames that they shook
+and rattled at every breath of wind; between these windows a
+great deal of the stucco had fallen off, leaving the rough wall
+exposed to view.
+
+Above the grand old entrance door, whose massive stone frame and
+lintel retained traces of rich ornamentation, almost obliterated
+by time and neglect, was sculptured a coat of arms, now so
+defaced that the most accomplished adept in heraldry would not be
+able to decipher it. Only one leaf of the great double door was
+ever opened now, for not many guests were received or entertained
+at the chateau in these days of its decadence. Swallows had built
+their nests in every available nook about it, and but for a
+slender thread of smoke rising spirally from a chimney at the
+back of this dismal, half-ruined mansion, the traveller would
+have surely believed it to be uninhabited. This was the only sign
+of life visible about the whole place, like the little cloud upon
+the mirror from the breath of a dying man, which alone gives
+evidence that he still lives.
+
+Upon pushing open the practicable leaf of the great worm-eaten
+door, which yielded reluctantly, and creaked dolefully as it
+turned upon its rusty hinges, the curious visitor entered a sort
+of portico, more ancient than the rest of the building, with
+fine, large columns of bluish granite, and a lofty vaulted roof.
+At the point of intersection of the arches was a stone shield,
+bearing the same coat of arms that was sculptured over the
+entrance without. This one was in somewhat better preservation
+than the other, and seemed to bear something resembling three
+golden storks (cigognes) on an azure field; though it was so much
+in shadow, and so faded and dingy, that it was impossible to make
+it out clearly. Fastened to the wall, at a convenient height from
+the ground, were great iron extinguishers, blackened by the smoke
+from torches in long by-gone years, and also iron rings, to which
+the guests' horses were made fast in the olden times, when the
+castle was in its glory. The dust that lay thick upon them now
+showed that it was long since they had been made use of.
+
+From this portico--whence a door on either side opened into the
+main building; one leading into a long suite of apartments on
+the ground floor, and the other into what had probably been a
+guard-room--the explorer passed into an interior court, dismal,
+damp, and bare. In the corners nettles and various rank weeds
+were growing riotously amid the great heaps of rubbish fallen
+from the crumbling cornice high above, and grass had sprung up
+everywhere in the crevices of the stone pavement. Opposite the
+entrance a flight of dilapidated, shaky steps, with a heavy stone
+balustrade, led down into a neglected garden, which was gradually
+becoming a perfect thicket. Excepting in one small bed, where a
+few cabbages were growing, there was no attempt at cultivation,
+and nature had reasserted her rights everywhere else in this
+abandoned spot, taking, apparently, a fierce delight in effacing
+all traces of man's labour. The fruit trees threw out
+irregular branches without fear of the pruning knife; the box,
+intended to form a narrow border to the curiously shaped
+flower-beds and grass-plots, had grown up unchecked into huge,
+bushy shrubs, while a great variety of sturdy weeds had usurped
+the places formerly devoted to choice plants and beautiful,
+fragrant flowers. Brambles, bristling with sharp thorns, which
+had thrown their long, straggling arms across the paths, caught
+and tried to hold back any bold adventurer who attempted to
+penetrate into the mysterious depths of this desolate wilderness.
+Solitude is averse to being surprised in dishabille, and
+surrounds herself with all sorts of defensive obstacles.
+
+However, the courageous explorer who persisted in following the
+ancient, overgrown alley, and was not to be daunted by formidable
+briers that tore his hands and clothing, nor low-hanging, closely
+interlaced branches that struck him smart blows in the face as he
+forced his way through them, would have reached at last a sort of
+rocky niche, fancifully arranged as a grotto. Besides the masses
+of ivy, iris and gladiolus, that had been carefully planted long
+ago in the interstices of the rock, it was draped with a
+profusion of graceful wild vines and feathery ferns, which
+half-veiled the marble statue, representing some mythological
+divinity, that still stood in this lonely retreat. It must have
+been intended for Flora or Pomona, but now there were tufts of
+repulsive, venomous-looking mushrooms in the pretty, graceful,
+little basket on her arm, instead of the sculptured fruit or
+flowers that should have filled it. Although her nose was broken,
+and her fair body disfigured by many dark stains, and overgrown
+in part with clinging mosses, it could still plainly be seen that
+she had once been very lovely. At her feet was a marble basin,
+shaped like a shell, half full of discoloured, stagnant water;
+the lion's head just above it, now almost entirely concealed by a
+thick curtain of leaves, no longer poured forth the sparkling
+stream that used to fall into it with a musical murmur. This
+little grotto, with its fountain and statue, bore witness to
+former wealth; and also to the aesthetic taste of some long-dead
+owner of the domain. The marble goddess was in the Florentine
+style of the Renaissance, and probably the work of one of those
+Italian sculptors who followed in the train of del Rosso or
+Primaticcio, when they came to France at the bidding of that
+generous patron of the arts, Francis I; which time was also,
+apparently, the epoch of the greatest prosperity of this noble
+family, now so utterly fallen into decay.
+
+Behind the grotto rose a high wall, built of stone, crumbling and
+mouldy now, but still bearing some broken remains of
+trellis-work, evidently intended to be covered with creepers that
+would entirely conceal the wall itself with a rich tapestry of
+verdure. This was the limit of the garden; beyond stretched the
+wide expanse of the sandy, barren Landes, flecked here and there
+with patches of scanty heather, and scattered groves of pine
+trees.
+
+Turning back towards the chateau it became apparent that this
+side of it was even more neglected and ruinous than the one we
+have already described; the recent poverty-stricken owners having
+tried to keep up appearances as far as possible, and concentrated
+their efforts upon the front of their dilapidated abode. In the
+stable, where were stalls for twenty horses, a miserable, old,
+white pony stood at an empty manger, nibbling disconsolately at a
+scanty truss of hay, and frequently turning his sunken,
+lack-lustre eyes expectantly towards the door. In front of an
+extensive kennel, where the lord of the manor used to keep a
+whole pack of hounds, a single dog, pathetically thin, lay
+sleeping tranquilly and soundly, apparently so accustomed to the
+unbroken solitude of the place that he had abandoned all habits
+of watchfulness.
+
+Entering the chateau the visitor found himself in a broad and
+lofty hall, containing a grand old staircase, with a richly
+carved, wooden balustrade--a good deal broken and defaced now,
+like everything else in this doleful Castle Misery. The walls had
+been elaborately frescoed, representing colossal figures of
+Hercules supporting brackets upon which rested the heavily
+ornamented cornice. Springing from it fantastic vines climbed
+upward on the arched ceiling, and above them the blue sky, faded
+and dingy, was grotesquely variegated with dark spots, caused by
+the water filtering through from the dilapidated roof. Between
+the oft-repeated figures of Hercules were frescoed niches,
+wherein heads of Roman emperors and other illustrious historical
+characters had been depicted in glowing tints; but all were so
+vague and dim now that they were but the ghosts of pictures,
+which should be described with the shadows of words--ordinary
+terms are too substantial to apply to them. The very echoes in
+this deserted hall seemed startled and amazed as they repeated
+and multiplied the unwonted sound of footsteps.
+
+A door near the head of the first flight of stairs opened into
+what had evidently been the great banqueting hall in the old days
+when sumptuous repasts and numerous guests were not uncommon
+things in the chateau. A huge beam divided the lofty ceiling into
+two compartments, which were crossed at regular intervals by
+smaller joists, richly carved, and retaining some traces of
+gilding. The spaces between had been originally of a deep blue
+tint, almost lost now under the thick coating of dust and
+spiders' webs that no housemaid's mop ever invaded. Above the
+grand old chimney-piece was a noble stag's head, with huge,
+spreading antlers, and on the walls hung rows of ancient family
+portraits, so faded and mouldy now that most of the faces had a
+ghastly hue, and at night, by the dim, flickering lamp-light,
+they looked like a company of spectres. Nothing in the world
+is sadder than a collection of old portraits hanging thus,
+neglected and forgotten, in deserted halls--representations,
+half obliterated themselves, of forms and faces long since
+returned to dust. Yet these painted phantoms were most
+appropriate inhabitants of this desolate abode; real living
+people would have seemed out of place in the death-stricken
+house.
+
+In the middle of the room stood an immense dining-table of dark,
+polished wood, much worm-eaten, and gradually falling into
+decay. Two tall buffets, elaborately carved and ornamented, stood
+on opposite sides of the room, with only a few odd pieces of
+Palissy ware, representing lizards, crabs, and shell-fish,
+reposing on shiny green leaves, and two or three delicate
+wine-glasses of quaint patterns remaining upon the shelves where
+gold and silver plate used to glitter in rich profusion, as was
+the mode in France. The handsome old chairs, with their high,
+carved backs and faded velvet cushions, that had been so firm and
+luxurious once, were tottering and insecure; but it mattered
+little, since no one ever came to sit in them now round the
+festive board, and they stood against the wall in prim order,
+under the rows of family portraits.
+
+A smaller room opened out of this one, hung round with faded,
+moth-eaten tapestry. In one corner stood a large bed, with four
+tall, twisted columns and long, ample curtains of rich brocade,
+which had been delicate green and white, but now were of a dingy,
+yellowish hue, and cut completely through from top to bottom in
+every fold. An ebony table, with some pretty gilded ornaments
+still clinging to it, a mirror dim with age, and two large
+arm-chairs, covered with worn and faded embroidery, that had been
+wrought by the fair fingers of some noble dame long since dead
+and forgotten, completed the furniture of this dismal chamber.
+
+In these two rooms were the latticed windows seen in the front of
+the chateau, and over them still hung long sweeping curtains, so
+tattered and moth-eaten that they were almost falling to pieces.
+Profound silence reigned here, unbroken save by occasional
+scurrying and squeaking of mice behind the wainscot, the
+gnawing of rats in the wall, or the ticking of the death-watch.
+
+From the tapestried chamber a door opened into a long suite of
+deserted rooms, which were lofty and of noble proportions, but
+devoid of furniture, and given up to dust, spiders, and rats. The
+apartments on the floor above them were the home of great numbers
+of bats, owls, and jackdaws, who found ready ingress through
+the large holes in the roof. Every evening they flew forth in
+flocks, with much flapping of wings, and weird, melancholy cries
+and shrieks, in search of the food not to be found in the
+immediate vicinity of this forlorn mansion.
+
+The apartments on the ground floor contained nothing but a few
+bundles of straw, a heap of corn-cobs, and some antiquated
+gardening implements. In one of them, however, was a rude bed,
+covered with a single, coarse blanket; presumably that of the
+only domestic remaining in the whole establishment.
+
+It was from the kitchen chimney that the little spiral of smoke
+escaped which was seen from without. A few sticks were burning in
+the wide, old-fashioned fireplace, but the flames looked pale
+under the bright light that streamed down upon them through the
+broad, straight flue. The pot that hung from the clumsy iron
+crane was boiling sleepily, and if the curious visitor could have
+peeped into it he would have seen that the little cabbage bed in
+the garden had contributed of its produce to the pot-au-feu. An
+old black cat was sitting as close to the fire as he could
+without singeing his whiskers, and gravely watching the simmering
+pot with longing eyes. His ears had been closely cropped, and he
+had not a vestige of a tail, so that he looked like one of those
+grotesque Japanese chimeras that everybody is familiar with. Upon
+the table, near at hand, a white plate, a tin drinking cup, and a
+china dish, bearing the family arms stamped in blue, were neatly
+arranged, evidently in readiness for somebody's supper. For a
+long time the cat remained perfectly motionless, intently
+watching the pot which had almost ceased to boil as the fire got
+low, and the silence continued unbroken; but at last a slow,
+heavy step was heard approaching from without, and presently the
+door opened to admit an old man, who looked half peasant, half
+gentleman's servant. The black cat immediately quitted his place
+by the fire and went to meet him; rubbing himself against the
+newcomer's legs, arching his back and purring loudly; testifying
+his joy in every way possible to him.
+
+"Well, well, Beelzebub," said the old man, bending down and
+stroking him affectionately, "are you really so glad to see me?
+Yes, I know you are, and it pleases me, old fellow, so it does.
+We are so lonely here, my poor young master and I, that even the
+welcome of a dumb beast is not to be despised. They do say that
+you have no soul, Beelzebub, but you certainly do love us, and
+understand most times what we say to you too." These greetings
+exchanged, Beelzebub led the way back to the fire, and then with
+beseeching eyes, looking alternately from the face of his friend
+to the pot-au-feu, seemed mutely begging for his share of its
+contents. Poor Beelzebub was growing so old that he could no
+longer catch as many rats and mice as his appetite craved, and he
+was evidently very hungry.
+
+Pierre, that was the old servant's name, threw more wood on the
+smouldering fire, and then sat down on a settle in the chimney
+corner, inviting his companion--who had to wait still for his
+supper as patiently as he might--to take a seat beside him. The
+firelight shone full upon the old man's honest, weather-beaten
+face, the few scattered locks of snow-white hair escaping from
+under his dark blue woollen cap, his thick, black eyebrows and
+deep wrinkles. He had the usual characteristics of the Basque
+race; a long face, hooked nose, and dark, gipsy-like complexion.
+He wore a sort of livery, which was so old and threadbare that it
+would be impossible to make out its original colour, and his
+stiff, soldier-like carriage and movements proclaimed that he had
+at some time in his life served in a military capacity. "The
+young master is late to-night," he muttered to himself, as the
+daylight faded. "What possible pleasure can he find in these
+long, solitary rambles over the dunes? It is true though that it
+is so dreary here, in this lonely, dismal house, that any other
+place is preferable."
+
+At this moment a joyous barking was heard without, the old pony
+in the stable stamped and whinnied, and the cat jumped down from
+his place beside Pierre and trotted off towards the door with
+great alacrity. In an instant the latch was lifted, and the old
+servant rose, taking off his woollen cap respectfully, as his
+master came into the kitchen. He was preceded by the poor old
+dog, trying to jump up on him, but falling back every time
+without being able to reach his face, and Beelzebub seemed to
+welcome them both--showing no evidence of the antipathy usually
+existing between the feline and canine races; on the contrary,
+receiving Miraut with marks of affection which were fully
+reciprocated.
+
+The Baron de Sigognac, for it was indeed the lord of the manor
+who now entered, was a young man of five or six and twenty;
+though at first sight he seemed much older, because of the deep
+gravity, even sadness, of his demeanour; the feeling of utter
+powerlessness which poverty brings having effectually chased away
+all the natural piety and light-heartedness of youth. Dark
+circles surrounded his sunken eyes, his cheeks were hollow, his
+mustache drooped in a sorrowful curve over his sad mouth. His
+long black hair was negligently pushed back from his pale face,
+and showed a want of care remarkable in a young man who was
+strikingly handsome, despite his doleful desponding expression.
+The constant pressure of a crushing grief had drawn sorrowful
+lines in a countenance that a little animation would have
+rendered charming. All the elasticity and hopefulness natural to
+his age seemed to have been lost in his useless struggles against
+an unhappy fate. Though his frame was lithe, vigorous, and
+admirably proportioned, all his movements were slow and
+apathetic, like those of an old man. His gestures were entirely
+devoid of animation, his whole expression inert, and it was
+evidently a matter of perfect indifference to him where he might
+chance to find himself at home, in his dismal chateau, or abroad
+in the desolate Landes.
+
+He had on an old gray felt hat, much too large for him, with a
+dingy, shabby feather, that drooped as if it felt heartily
+ashamed
+of itself, and the miserable condition to which it was reduced. A
+broad collar of guipure lace, ragged in many places, was turned
+down over a just-au-corps, which had been cut for a taller and
+much stouter man than the slender, young baron. The sleeves of
+his doublet were so long that they fell over his hands, which
+were small and shapely, and there were large iron spurs on the
+clumsy, old-fashioned riding-boots he wore. These shabby,
+antiquated clothes had belonged to his father; they were made
+according to the fashion that prevailed during the preceding
+reign; and the poor young nobleman, whose appearance in them was
+both ridiculous and touching, might have been taken for one of
+his own ancestors. Although he tenderly cherished his father's
+memory, and tears often came into his eyes as he put on these
+garments that had seemed actually a part of him, yet it was not
+from choice that young de Sigognac availed himself of the
+paternal wardrobe. Unfortunately he had no other clothes, save
+those of his boyhood, long ago outgrown, and so he was thankful
+to have these, distasteful as they could not fail to be to him.
+The peasants, who had been accustomed to hold them in respect
+when worn by their old seignior, did not think it strange or
+absurd to see them on his youthful successor; just as they did
+not seem to notice or be aware of the half-ruined condition of
+the chateau. It had come so gradually that they were thoroughly
+used to it, and took it as a matter of course. The Baron de
+Sigognac, though poverty-stricken and forlorn, was still in their
+eyes the noble lord of the manor; the decadence of the family did
+not strike them at all as it would a stranger; and yet it was a
+grotesquely melancholy sight to see the poor young nobleman pass
+by, in his shabby old clothes, on his miserable old pony, and
+followed by his forlorn old dog.
+
+The baron sat down in silence at the table prepared for him,
+having recognised Pierre's respectful salute by a kindly gesture.
+The old servant immediately busied himself in serving his
+master's frugal supper; first pouring the hot soup--which was of
+that kind, popular among the poor peasantry of Gascony, called
+"garbure"--upon some bread cut into small pieces in an earthen
+basin, which he set before the baron; then, fetching from the
+cupboard a dish of bacon, cold, and cooked in Gascon fashion, he
+placed that also upon the table, and had nothing else to add to
+this meagre repast. The baron ate it slowly, with an absent air,
+while Miraut and Beelzebub, one on each side of him, received
+their full share from his kind hand.
+
+The supper finished, he fell into a deep reverie. Miraut had laid
+his head caressingly upon his master's knee, and looked up into
+his face with loving, intelligent eyes, somewhat dimmed by age,
+but still seeming to understand his thoughts and sympathize with
+his sadness. Beelzebub purred loudly meantime, and occasionally
+mewed plaintively to attract his attention, while Pierre stood in
+a respectful attitude, cap in hand, at a little distance,
+motionless as a statue, waiting patiently until his master's
+wandering thoughts should return. By this time the darkness had
+fallen, and the flickering radiance from the few sticks blazing
+in the great fireplace made strange effects of light and shade in
+the spacious old kitchen. It was a sad picture; this last scion
+of a noble race, formerly rich and powerful, left wandering like
+an uneasy ghost in the castle of his ancestors, with but one
+faithful old servant remaining to him of the numerous retinue of
+the olden times; one poor old dog, half starved, and gray with
+age, where used to be a pack of thirty hounds; one miserable,
+superannuated pony in the stable where twenty horses had been
+wont to stand; and one old cat to beg for caresses from his hand.
+
+At last the baron roused himself, and signed to Pierre that he
+wished to retire to his own chamber; whereupon the servant
+lighted a pine knot at the fire, and preceded his master up the
+stairs, Miraut and Beelzebub accompanying them. The smoky,
+flaring light of the torch made the faded figures on the wall
+seem to waver and move as they passed through the hall and up the
+broad staircase, and gave a strange, weird expression to the
+family portraits that looked down upon this little procession as
+it moved by below them. When they reached the tapestried chamber
+Pierre lighted a little copper lamp, and then bade the baron
+good-night, followed by Miraut as he retraced his steps to the
+kitchen; but Beelzebub, being a privileged character, remained,
+and curled himself up comfortably in one of the old arm-chairs,
+while his master threw himself listlessly into the other, in
+utter despair at the thought of his miserable loneliness, and
+aimless, hopeless life. If the chamber seemed dreary and forlorn
+by day, it was far more so by night. The faded figures in the
+tapestry had an uncanny look; especially one, a hunter, who might
+have passed for an assassin, just taking aim at his victim. The
+smile on his startlingly red lips, in reality only a
+self-satisfied smirk, was fairly devilish in that light, and his
+ghastly face horribly life-like. The lamp burned dimly in the
+damp heavy air, the wind sighed and moaned along the corridors,
+and strange, frightful sounds came from the deserted chambers
+close at hand. The storm that had long been threatening had come
+at last, and large, heavy rain-drops were driven violently
+against the window-panes by gusts of wind that made them rattle
+loudly in their leaden frames. Sometimes it seemed as if the
+whole sash would give way before the fiercer blasts, as though a
+giant had set his knee against it, and was striving to force an
+entrance. Now and again, when the wind lulled for a moment while
+it gathered strength for a fresh assault, the horrid shriek of an
+owl would be heard above the dashing of the rain that was falling
+in torrents.
+
+The master of this dismal mansion paid little attention to this
+lugubrious symphony, but Beelzebub was very uneasy, starting up
+at every sound, and peering into the shadowy corners of the
+room, as if he could see there something invisible to human eyes.
+The baron took up a little book that was lying upon the table,
+glanced at the familiar arms stamped upon its tarnished cover,
+and opening it, began to read in a listless, absent way. His eyes
+followed the smooth rhythm of Ronsard's ardent love-songs and
+stately sonnets, but his thoughts were wandering far afield, and
+he soon threw the book from him with an impatient gesture, and
+began slowly unfastening his garments, with the air of a man who
+is not sleepy, but only goes to bed because he does not know what
+else to do with himself, and has perhaps a faint hope of
+forgetting his troubles in the embrace of Morpheus, most blessed
+of all the gods. The sand runs so slowly in the hour-glass on a
+dark, stormy night, in a half-ruined castle, ten leagues away
+from any living soul.
+
+The poor young baron, only surviving representative of an ancient
+and noble house, had much indeed to make him melancholy and
+despondent. His ancestors had worked their own ruin, and that of
+their descendants, in various ways. Some by gambling, some in the
+army, some by undue prodigality in living--in order that they
+might shine at court--so that each generation had left the estate
+more and more diminished. The fiefs, the farms, the land
+surrounding the chateau itself, all had been sold, one after the
+other, and the last baron, after desperate efforts to retrieve
+the fallen fortunes of the family--efforts which came too late,
+for it is useless to try to stop the leaks after the vessel has
+gone down--had left his son nothing but this half-ruined chateau
+and the few acres of barren land immediately around it. The
+unfortunate child had been born and brought up in poverty. His
+mother had died young, broken-hearted at the wretched prospects
+of her only son; so that he could not even remember her sweet
+caresses and tender, loving care. His father had been very stern
+with him; punishing him severely for the most trivial offences;
+yet he would have been glad now even of his sharp rebukes, so
+terribly lonely had he been for the last four years; ever since
+his father was laid in the family vault. His youthful pride would
+not allow him to associate with the noblesse of the province
+without the accessories suitable to his rank, though he would
+have been received with open arms by them, so his solitude was
+never invaded. Those who knew his circumstances respected as well
+as pitied the poor, proud young baron, while many of the former
+friends of the family believed that it was extinct; which indeed
+it inevitably would be, with this its only remaining scion, if
+things went on much longer as they had been going for many years
+past.
+
+The baron had not yet removed a single garment when his attention
+was attracted by the strange uneasiness of Beelzebub, who finally
+jumped down from his arm-chair, went straight to one of the
+windows, and raising himself on his hind legs put his fore-paws
+on the casing and stared out into the thick darkness, where it
+was impossible to distinguish anything but the driving rain. A
+loud howl from Miraut at the same moment proclaimed that he too
+was aroused, and that something very unusual must be going on in
+the vicinity of the chateau, ordinarily as quiet as the grave.
+Miraut kept up persistently a furious barking, and the baron gave
+up all idea of going to bed. He hastily readjusted his dress, so
+that he might be in readiness for whatever should happen, and
+feeling a little excited at this novel commotion.
+
+"What can be the matter with poor old Miraut? He usually sleeps
+from sunset to sunrise without making a sound, save his snores.
+Can it be that a wolf is prowling about the place?" said the
+young man to himself, as he buckled the belt of his sword round
+his slender waist. A formidable weapon it was, that sword, with
+long blade, and heavy iron scabbard.
+
+At that moment three loud knocks upon the great outer door
+resounded through the house. Who could possibly have strayed here
+at this hour, so far from the travelled roads, and in this
+tempest that was making night horrible without? No such thing had
+occurred within the baron's recollection. What could it portend?
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II. THE CHARIOT OF THESPIS
+
+The Baron de Sigognac went down the broad staircase without a
+moment's delay to answer this mysterious summons, protecting with
+his hand the feeble flame of the small lamp he carried from the
+many draughts that threatened to blow it out. The light, shining
+through his slender fingers, gave them a rosy tinge, so that he
+merited the epithet applied by Homer, the immortal bard, to the
+laughing, beautiful Aurora, even though he advanced through the
+thick darkness with his usual melancholy mien, and followed by a
+black cat, instead of preceding the glorious god of day.
+
+Setting down his lamp in a sheltered corner, he proceeded to take
+down the massive bar that secured the door, cautiously opened the
+practicable leaf, and found himself face to face with a man, upon
+whom the light of the lamp shone sufficiently to show rather a
+grotesque figure, standing uncovered in the pelting rain. His
+head was bald and shining, with a few locks of gray hair
+clustering about the temples. A jolly red nose, bulbous in form,
+a small pair of twinkling, roguish eyes, looking out from under
+bushy, jet-black eyebrows, flabby cheeks, over which was spread a
+network of purplish fibres, full, sensual lips, and a scanty,
+straggling beard, that scarcely covered the short, round chin,
+made up a physiognomy worthy to serve as the model for a Silenus;
+for it was plainly that of a wine-bibber and bon vivant. Yet a
+certain expression of good humour and kindness, almost of
+gentleness, redeemed what would otherwise have been a repulsive
+face. The comical little wrinkles gathering about the eyes, and
+the merry upward turn of the comers of the mouth, showed a
+disposition to smile as he met the inquiring gaze of the young
+baron, but he only bowed repeatedly and profoundly, with
+exaggerated politeness and respect.
+
+This extraordinary pantomime finished, with a grand flourish, the
+burlesque personage, still standing uncovered in the pouring
+rain, anticipated the question upon de Sigognac's lips, and began
+at once the following address, in an emphatic and declamatory
+tone:
+
+"I pray you deign to excuse, noble seignior, my having come thus
+to knock at the gates of your castle in person at this untimely
+hour, without sending a page or a courier in advance, to announce
+my approach in a suitable manner. Necessity knows no law, and
+forces the most polished personages to be guilty of gross
+breaches of etiquette at times."
+
+"What is it you want?" interrupted the baron, in rather a
+peremptory tone, annoyed by the absurd address of this strange
+old creature, whose sanity he began to doubt.
+
+"Hospitality, most noble seignior; hospitality for myself and my
+comrades--princes and princesses, heroes and beauties, men of
+letters and great captains, pretty waiting-maids and honest
+valets, who travel through the provinces from town to town in the
+chariot of Thespis, drawn by oxen, as in the ancient times. This
+chariot is now hopelessly stuck in the mud only a stone's throw
+from your castle, my noble lord."
+
+"If I understand aright what you say," answered the baron, "you
+are a strolling band of players, and have lost your way. Though
+my house is sadly dilapidated, and I cannot offer you more than
+mere shelter, you are heartily welcome to that, and will be
+better off within here than exposed to the fury of this wild
+storm."
+
+The pedant--for such seemed to be his character in the troupe--
+bowed his acknowledgments.
+
+During this colloquy, Pierre, awakened by Miraut's loud barking,
+had risen and joined his master at the door. As soon as he was
+informed of what had occurred, he lighted a lantern, and with the
+baron set forth, under the  guidance of the droll old actor, to
+find and rescue the chariot in distress. When they reached it
+Leander and Matamore were tugging vainly at the wheels, while his
+majesty, the king, pricked up the weary oxen with the point of
+his dagger. The actresses, wrapped in their cloaks and seated in
+the rude chariot, were in despair, and much frightened as
+well--wet and weary too, poor things. This most welcome
+re-enforcement inspired all with fresh courage, and, guided by
+Pierre's suggestions, they soon succeeded in getting the unwieldy
+vehicle out of the quagmire and into the road leading to the
+chateau, which was speedily reached, and the huge equipage safely
+piloted through the grand portico into the interior court. The
+oxen were at once taken from before it and led into the stable,
+while the aciresses followed de Sigognac up to the ancient
+banqueting hall, which was the most habitable room in the
+chateau. Pierre brought some wood, and soon had a bright fire
+blazing cheerily in the great fireplace. It was needed, although
+but the beginning of September and the weather still warm, to dry
+the dripping garments of the company; and besides, the air was so
+damp and chilly in this long disused apartment that the genial
+warmth and glow of the fire were welcome to all.
+
+Although the strolling comedians were accustomed to find
+themselves in all sorts of odd, strange lodgings in the course of
+their wanderings, they now looked with astonishment at their
+extraordinary surroundings; being careful, however, like
+well-bred people, not to manifest too plainly the surprise they
+could not help feeling,
+
+"I regret very much that I cannot offer you a supper," said their
+young host, when all had assembled round the fire, "but my larder
+is so bare that a mouse could not find enough for a meal in it. I
+live quite alone in this house with my faithful old Pierre; never
+visited by anybody;. and you can plainly perceive, without my
+telling you, that plenty does not abound here."
+
+"Never mind that, noble seignior," answered Blazius, the pedant,
+"for though on the stage we may sit down to mock repasts--
+pasteboard fowls and wooden bottles--we  are careful to provide
+ourselves with more substantial and savoury viands in real life.
+As quartermaster of the troupe I always have in reserve a Bayonne
+ham, a game pasty, or something, of that sort, with at least a
+dozen bottles of good old Bordeaux."
+
+"Bravo, sir pedant," cried Leander, "do you go forthwith and
+fetch in the provisions; and if his lordship will permit, and
+deign to join us, we will have our little feast here. The ladies
+will set the table for us meanwhile I am sure."
+
+The baron graciously nodded his assent, being in truth so amazed
+at the whole proceeding that he could not easily have found words
+just then; and he followed with wondering and admiring eyes the
+graceful movements of Serafina and Isabelle, who, quitting their
+seats by the fire, proceeded to arrange upon the worn but
+snow-white cloth that Pierre had spread on the ancient
+dining-table, the plates and other necessary articles that the
+old servant brought forth from the recesses of the carved
+buffets. The pedant quickly came back, carrying a large basket in
+each hand, and with a triumphant air placed a huge pasty of most
+tempting appearance in the middle of the table. To this he added
+a large smoked tongue, some slices of rosy Bayonne ham, and six
+bottles of wine.
+
+Beelzebub watched these interesting preparations from a distance
+with eager eyes, but was too much afraid of all these strangers
+to approach and claim a share of the good things on the table.
+The poor beast was so accustomed to solitude and quiet, never
+seeing any one beyond his beloved master and Pierre, that he was
+horribly frightened at the sudden irruption of these noisy
+newcomers.
+
+Finding the feeble light of the baron's small lamp rather dim,
+Matamore bad gone out to the chariot and brought back two showy
+candelabra, which ordinarily did duty on the stage. They each
+held several candles, which, in addition to the warm radiance
+from the blazing fire,, made quite a brilliant illumination in
+this room, so lately dark, cheerless, and deserted. It had become
+warm and comfortable by this time; its family portmits and
+tarnished splendour looked their best in the bright, soft light,
+which had chased away the dark shadows and given a new beauty to
+everything it fell upon; the whole place was metamorphosed; a
+festive air prevailed, and the ancient banqueting hall once more
+resounded with cheery voices and gay laughter.
+
+The poor young baron, to whom all this had been intensely
+disagreeable at first, became aware of a strange feeling of
+comfort and pleasure stealing over him, to which, after a short
+struggle, he finally yielded himself entirely. Isabelle,
+Serafina, even the pretty soubrette, seemed to him, unaccustomed
+as he was to feminine beauty and grace, like goddesses come down
+from Mount Olympus, rather than mere ordinary mortals. They were
+all very pretty, and well fitted to turn heads far more
+experienced than his. The whole thing was like a delightful dream
+to him; he almost doubted the evidence of his own senses, and
+every few minutes found himself dreading the awakening, and the
+vanishing of the entrancing vision.
+
+When all was ready de Sigognac led Isabelle and Serafina to the
+table, placing one on each side of him, with the pretty soubrette
+opposite. Mme. Leonarde, the duenna of the troupe, sat beside the
+pedant, Leander, Matamore, his majesty the tyrant, and Scapin
+finding places for themselves. The youthful host was now able to
+study the faces of his guests at his ease, as they sat round the
+table in the full light of the candles burning upon it in the two
+theatrical candelabra. He turned his attention to the ladies
+first, and it perhaps will not be out of place to give a little
+sketch of them here, while the pedant attacks the gigantic game
+pasty.
+
+Serafina, the "leading lady" of the troupe, was a handsome young
+woman of four or five and twenty, who had quite a grand air, and
+was as dignified and graceful withal as any veritable noble dame
+who shone at the court of his most gracious majesty, Louis XIII.
+She had an oval face, slightly aquiline nose, large gray eyes,
+bright red lips--the under one full and pouting, like a ripe
+cherry---a very fair complexion, with a beautiful colour in her
+cheeks when she was animated or excited, and rich masses of dark
+brown hair most becomingly arranged. She wore a round felt hat,
+with the wide rim turned up at one side, and trimmed with long,
+floating plumes. A broad lace collar was turned down over her
+dark green velvet dress, which was elaborately braided, and
+fitted closely to a fine, well-developed figure. A long, black
+silk scarf was worn negligently around her shapely shoulders and
+although both velvet and silk were old and dingy, and the
+feathers in her hat wet and limp, they were still very effective,
+and she looked like a young queen who had strayed away from her
+realm; the freshness and radiant beauty of her face more than
+made up for the shabbiness of her dress, and de Sigognac was
+fairly dazzled by her many charms.
+
+Isabelle was much more youthful than Serafina, as was requisite
+for her role of ingenuous young girl, and far more simply
+dressed. She had a sweet, almost childlike face, beautiful,
+silky, chestnut hair, with golden lights in it, dark, sweeping
+lashes veiling her large, soft eyes, a little rosebud of a mouth,
+and an air of modesty and purity that was evidently natural to
+her--not assumed. A gray silk gown, simply made, showed to
+advantage her slender, graceful form, which seemed far too
+fragile to endure the hardships inseparable from the wandering
+life she was leading. A high Elizabethan ruff made a most
+becoming frame for her sweet, delicately tinted, young face, and
+her only ornament was a string of pearl beads, clasped round her
+slender, white neck. Though her beauty was less striking at first
+sight than Serafina's, it was of a higher order: not dazzling
+like hers, but surpassingly lovely in its exquisite purity and
+freshness, and promising to eclipse the other's more showy
+charms, when the half-opened bud should have expanded into the
+full-blown flower.
+
+The soubrette was like a beautiful Gipsy, with a clear, dark
+complexion, rich, mantling colour in her velvety cheeks,
+intensely black hair--long, thick, and wavy--great, flashing,
+brown eyes, and rather a large mouth, with ripe, red lips, and
+dazzling white teeth--one's very beau-ideal of a bewitching,
+intriguing waiting-maid, and one that might be a dangerous rival
+to any but a surpassingly lovely and fascinating mistress. She
+was one of the beauties that women are not apt to admire, but men
+rave about and run after the world over. She wore a fantastic
+costume of blue and yellow, which was odd, piquant, and becoming,
+and seemed fully conscious of her own charms.
+
+Mme. Leonarde, the "noble mother" of the troupe dressed all in
+black, like a Spanish duenna, was portly of figure, with a heavy,
+very pale face, double chin, and intensely black eyes, that had a
+crafty, slightly malicious expression. She had been upon the
+stage from her early childhood, passing through all the different
+phases, and was an actress of decided talent, often still winning
+enthusiastic applause at the expense of younger and more
+attractive women, who were inclined to think her something of an
+old sorceress.
+
+So much for the feminine element. The principal roles were all
+represented; and if occasionally a re-enforcement was required,
+they could almost always pick up some provincial actress, or even
+an amateur, at a pinch. The actors were five in number: The
+pedant, already described, who rejoiced in the name of Blazitis;
+Leander; Herode, the tragic tyrant; Matamore, the bully; and
+Scapin, the intriguing valet.
+
+Leander, the romantic, irresistible, young lover--darling of the
+ladies--was a tall, fine-looking fellow of about thirty, though
+apparently much more youthful, thanks to the assiduous care be
+bestowed on his handsome person. His slightly curly, black hair
+was worn long, so that he might often have occasion to push it
+back from his forehead, with a hand as white and delicate as a
+woman's, upon one of whose taper fingers sparkled an enormous
+diamond--a great deal too big to be real. He was rather
+fancifully
+dressed, and always falling into such graceful, languishing
+attitudes as he thought would be admired by the fair sex, whose
+devoted slave he was. This Adonis never for one moment laid aside
+his role. He punctuated his sentences with sighs, even when
+speaking of the most indifferent matters, and assumed all sorts
+of preposterous airs and graces, to the secret amusement of his
+companions. But he had great success among the ladies, who all
+flattered him and declared he was charming, until they had turned
+his head completely; and it was his firm belief that he was
+irresistibly fascinating.
+
+The tyrant was the most good-natured, easy-going creature
+imaginable; but, strangely enough, gifted by nature with all the
+external signs of ferocity. With his tall, burly frame, very dark
+skin, immensely thick, shaggy eyebrows, black as jet, crinkly,
+bushy hair of the same hue, and long beard, that grew far up on
+his cheeks, he was a very formidable, fierce-looking fellow; and
+when he spoke, his loud, deep voice made everything ring again.
+He affected great dignity, and filled his role to perfection.
+
+Matamore was as different as possible, painfully thin--scarcely
+more than mere skin and bones--a living skeleton with a large
+hooked nose, set in a long, narrow face, a huge mustache turned
+up at the ends, and flashing, black eyes. His excessively tall,
+lank figure was so emaciated that it was like a caricature of a
+man. The swaggering air suitable to his part had become habitual
+with him, and he walked always with immense strides, head well
+thrown back, and hand on the pommel of the huge sword he was
+never seen without.
+
+As to Scapin, he looked more like a fox than anything else, and
+had a most villainous countenance; yet he was a good enough
+fellow in reality.
+
+The painter has a great advantage over the writer, in that he can
+so present the group on his canvas that one glance suffices to
+take in the whole picture, with the lights and shadows,
+attitudes, costumes, and details of every kind, which are sadly
+wanting in our description--too long, though so imperfect--of the
+party gathered thus unexpectedly round our young baron's table.
+The beginning of the repast was very silent, until the most
+urgent demands of hunger had been satisfied. Poor de Sigognac,
+who had never perhaps at any one time had as much to eat as he
+wanted since he was weaned, attacked the tempting viands with an
+appetite and ardour quite new to him; and that too despite his
+great desire to appear interesting and romantic in the eyes of
+the beautiful young women between whom he was seated. The pedant,
+very much amused at the boyish eagerness and enjoyment of his
+youthful host, quietly heaped choice bits upon his plate, and
+watched their rapid disappearance with beaming satisfaction.
+Beelzebub had at last plucked up courage and crept softly under
+the table to his master, making his presence known by a quick
+tapping with his fore-paws upon the baron's knees; his claims
+were at once recognised, and he feasted to his heart's content
+on the savoury morsels quietly thrown down to him. Poor old
+Miraut, who had followed Pierre into the room, was not neglected
+either, and had his full share of the good things that found
+their way to his master's plate.
+
+By this time there was a good deal of laughing and talking round
+the festive board. The baron, though very timid, and much
+embarrassed, had ventured to enter into conversation with his
+fair neighbours. The pedant and the tyrant were loudly discussing
+the respective merits of tragedy and comedy. Leander, like
+Narcissus of old, was complacently admiring his own charms as
+reflected in a little pocket mirror he always had about him.
+Strange to say he was not a suitor of either Serafina's or
+Isabelle's; fortunately for them he aimed higher, and was always
+hoping that some grand lady, who saw him on the stage, would fall
+violently in love with him, and shower all sorts of favours upon
+him. He was in the habit of boasting that he had had many
+delightful adventures of the kind, which Scapin persistently
+denied, declaring that to his certain knowledge they had never
+taken place, save in the aspiring lover's own vivid imagination.
+The exasperating valet, malicious as a monkey, took the greatest
+delight in tormenting poor Leander, and never lost an
+opportunity; so now, seeing him absorbed in self-admiration, he
+immediately attacked him, and soon had made him furious. The
+quarrel grew loud and violent, and Leander was heard declaring
+that he could produce a large chest crammed full of love letters,
+written to him by various high and titled ladies; whereupon
+everybody laughed uproariously, while Serafina said to de
+Sigognac that she for one did not admire their taste, and
+Isabelle silently looked her disgust. The baron meantime was more
+and more charmed with this sweet, dainty young girl, and though
+he was too shy to address any high-flown compliments to her,
+according to the fashion of the day, his eyes spoke eloquently
+for him. She was not at all displeased at his ardent glances, and
+smiled radiantly and encouragingly upon him, thereby
+unconsciously making poor Matamore, who was secretly enamoured of
+her, desperately unhappy, though he well knew that his passion
+was an utterly hopeless one. A more skilful and audacious lover
+would have pushed his advantage, but our poor young hero had not
+learned courtly manners nor assurance in his isolated chateau,
+and, though he lacked neither wit nor learning, it must be
+confessed that at this moment he did appear lamentably stupid.
+
+All the bottles having been scrupulously emptied, the pedant
+turned the last one of the half dozen upside down, so that every
+drop might run out; which significant action was noted and
+understood by Matamore, who lost no time in bringing in a fresh
+supply from the chariot. The baron began to feel the wine a
+little in his head, being entirely unaccustomed to it, yet he
+could not resist drinking once again to the health of the ladies.
+The pedant and the tyrant drank like old topers, who can absorb
+any amount of liquor--be it wine, or something stronger--without
+becoming actually intoxicated. Matamore was very abstemious, both
+in eating and drinking, and could have lived like the
+impoverished Spanish hidalgo, who dines on three olives and sups
+on an air upon his mandoline. There was a reason for his extreme
+frugality; he feared that if he ate and drank like other people
+he might lose his phenomenal thinness, which was of inestimable
+value to him in a professional point of view. If he should be so
+unfortunate as to gain flesh, his attractions would diminish in
+an inverse ratio, so he starved himself almost to death, and was
+constantly seen anxiously examining the buckle of his belt, to
+make sure that he had not increased in girth since his last meal.
+Voluntary Tantalus, he scarcely allowed himself enough to keep
+life in his attenuated frame, and if he had but fasted as
+carefully from motives of piety he would have been a full-fledged
+saint.
+
+The portly duenna disposed of solids and fluids perseveringly,
+and in formidable quantities, seeming to have an unlimited
+capacity; but Isabelle and Serafina had finished their supper
+long ago, and were yawning wearily behind their pretty, outspread
+hands, having no fans within reach, to conceal these pronounced
+symptoms of sleepiness.
+
+The baron, becoming aware of this state of things, said to them,
+"Mesdemoiselles, I perceive that you are very weary, and I wish
+with all my heart that I could offer you each a luxurious
+bed-chamber; but my house, like my family, has fallen into decay,
+and I can only give to you and Madame my own room. Fortunately
+the bed is very large, and you must make yourselves as
+comfortable as you can--for a single night you will not mind. As
+to the gentlemen, I must ask them to remain here with me, and try
+to sleep in the arm-chairs before the fire. I pray you, ladies,
+do not allow yourselves to be startled by the waving of the
+tapestry-which is only due to the strong draughts about the room
+on a stormy night like this--the moaning of the wind in the
+chimney, or the wild scurrying and squeaking of the mice behind
+the wainscot. I can guarantee that no ghosts will disturb you
+here, though this place does look dreary and dismal enough to be
+haunted."
+
+"I am not a bit of a coward," answered Serafina laughingly, "and
+will do my best to reassure this timid little Isabelle. As to our
+duenna,--she is something of a sorceress herself, and if the
+devil in person should make his appearance he would meet his
+match in her."
+
+The baron then took a light in his hand and showed the three
+ladies the way into the bed-chamber, which certainly did strike
+them rather unpleasantly at first sight, and looked very eerie in
+the dim, flickering light of the one small lamp.
+
+"What a capital scene it would make for the fifth act of a
+tragedy," said Serafina, as she looked curiously about her, while
+poor little Isabelle shivered with cold and terror. They all
+crept into bed without undressing, Isabelle begging to lie
+between Serafina and Mme. Leonarde, for she felt nervous and
+frightened. The other two fell asleep at once, but the timid
+young girl lay long awake, gazing with wide-open, straining eyes
+at the door that led into the shut-up apartments beyond, as if
+she dreaded its opening to admit some unknown horror. But it
+remained fast shut, and though all sorts of mysterious noises
+made her poor little heart flutter painfully, her eyelids closed
+at last, and she forgot her weariness and her fears in profound
+slumber.
+
+In the other room the pedant slept soundly, with his head on the
+table, and the tyrant opposite to him snored like a giant.
+Matamore had rolled himself up in a cloak and made himself as
+comfortable as possible under the circumstances in a large
+arm-chair, with his long, thin legs extended at full length, and
+his feet on the fender. Leander slept sitting bolt upright, so as
+not to disarrange his carefully brushed hair, and de Sigognac,
+who had taken possession of a vacant arm-chair, was too much
+agitated and excited by the events of the evening to be able to
+close his eyes. The coming of two beautiful, young women thus
+suddenly into his life--which had been hitherto so isolated, sad
+and dreary, entirely devoid of all the usual pursuits and
+pleasures of youth--could not fail to rouse him from his habitual
+apathy, and set his pulses beating after a new fashion.
+Incredible as it may seem yet it was quite true that our young
+hero had never had a single love affair. He was too proud, as we
+have already said, to take his rightful place among his equals,
+without any of the appurtenances suitable to his rank, and also
+too proud to associate familiarly with the surrounding peasantry,
+who accorded him as much respect in his poverty as they had ever
+shown to his ancestors in their prosperity. He had no near
+relatives to come to his assistance, and so lived on, neglected
+and forgotten, in his crumbling chateau, with nothing to look
+forward to or hope for. In the course of his solitary wanderings
+he had several times chanced to encounter the young and beautiful
+Yolande de Foix, following the hounds on her snow-white palfrey,
+in company with her father and a number of the young noblemen of
+the neighbourhood. This dazzling vision of beauty often haunted
+his dreams, but what possible relations could there ever be hoped
+for between the rich, courted heiress, whose suitors were legion,
+and his own poverty-stricken self? Far from seeking to attract
+her attention, he always got out of her sight as quickly as
+possible, lest his ill-fitting, shabby garments and miserable old
+pony should excite a laugh at his expense; for he was very
+sensitive, this poor young nobleman, and could not have borne the
+least approach to ridicule from the fair object of his secret and
+passionate admiration. He had tried his utmost to stifle the
+ardent emotions that filled his heart whenever his thoughts
+strayed to the beautiful Yolande, realizing how far above his
+reach she was, and he believed that he had succeeded; though
+there were times even yet when it all rushed back upon him with
+over-whelming force, like a huge tidal wave that sweeps
+everything before it.
+
+The night passed quietly at the chateau, without other incident
+than the fright of poor Isabelle, when Beelzebub, who had climbed
+up on the bed, as was his frequent custom, established himself
+comfortably upon her bosom; finding it a deliciously soft, warm
+resting-place, and obstinately resisting her frantic efforts to
+drive him away.
+
+As to de Sigognac, he did not once close his eyes. A vague
+project was gradually shaping itself in his mind, keeping him
+wakeful and perplexed. The advent of these strolling comedians
+appeared to him like a stroke of fate, an ambassador of fortune,
+to invite him to go out into the great world, away from this old
+feudal ruin, where his youth was passing in misery and
+inaction--to quit this dreary shade, and emerge into the light
+and
+life of the outer world.
+
+At last the gray light of the dawn came creeping in through the
+lattice windows, speedily followed by the first bright rays from
+the rising sun. The storm was over, and the glorious god of day
+rose triumphant in a perfectly clear sky. It was a strange group
+that he peeped in upon, where the old family portraits seemed
+looking down with haughty contempt upon the slumbering invaders
+of their dignified solitude. The soubrette was the first to
+awake, starting up as a warm sunbeam shone caressingly full upon
+her face. She sprang to her feet, shook out her skirts, as a bird
+does its plumage, passed the palms of her hands lightly over her
+glossy bands of jet-black hair, and then seeing that the baron
+was quietly observing her, with eyes that showed no trace of
+drowsiness, she smiled radiantly upon him as she made a low and
+most graceful curtsey.
+
+"I am very sorry," said de Sigognac, as he rose to acknowledge
+her salute, "that the ruinous condition of this chateau, which
+verily seems better fitted to receive phantoms than real living
+guests, would not permit me to offer you more comfortable
+accommodations. If I had been able to follow my inclinations, I
+should have lodged you in a luxurious chamber, where you could
+have reposed between fine linen sheets, under silken curtains,
+instead of resting uneasily in that worm-eaten old chair."
+
+"Do not be sorry about anything, my lord, I pray you," answered
+the soubrette with another brilliant smile; " but for your
+kindness we should have been in far worse plight; forced to pass
+the night in the poor old chariot, stuck fast in the mud; exposed
+to the cutting wind and pelting rain. We should assuredly have
+found ourselves in wretched case this morning. Besides, this
+chateau which you speak of so disparagingly is magnificence
+itself in comparison with the miserable barns, open to the
+weather, in which we have sometimes been forced to spend the
+night, trying to sleep as best we might on bundles of straw, and
+making light of our misery to keep our courage up."
+
+While the baron and the actress were exchanging civilities the
+pedant's chair, unable to support his weight any longer, suddenly
+gave way under him, and he fell to the floor with a tremendous
+crash, which startled the whole company. In his fall he had
+mechanically seized hold of the table-cloth, and so brought
+nearly all the things upon it clattering down with him. He lay
+sprawling like a huge turtle in the midst of them until the
+tyrant, after rubbing his eyes and stretching his burly limbs,
+came to the rescue, and held out a helping hand, by aid of which
+the old actor managed with some difficulty to scramble to his
+feet.
+
+"Such an accident as that could never happen to Matamore," said
+Herode, with his resounding laugh; "he might fall into a spider's
+web without breaking through it."
+
+"That's true," retorted the shadow of a man, in his turn
+stretching his long attenuated limbs and yawning tremendously,
+"but then, you know, not everybody has the advantage of being a
+second Polyphemus, a mountain of flesh and bones, like you, or a
+big wine-barrel, like our friend Blazius there."
+
+All this commotion had aroused Isabelle, Serafina and the duenna,
+who presently made their appearance. The two younger women,
+though a little pale and weary, yet looked very charming in the
+bright morning light. In de Sigognac's eyes they appeared
+radiant, in spite of the shabbiness of their finery, which was
+far more apparent now than on the preceding evening. But what
+signify faded ribbons and dingy gowns when the wearers are fresh,
+young and beautiful? Besides, the baron's eyes were so accustomed
+to dinginess that they were not capable of detecting such
+slight defects in the toilets of his fair guests, and he gazed
+with delight upon these bewitching creatures, enraptured with
+their grace and beauty. As to the duenna, she was both old and
+ugly, and had long ago accepted the inevitable with commendable
+resignation.
+
+As the ladies entered by one door, Pierre came in by the other,
+bringing more wood for the fire, and then proceeding to make
+the disordered room as tidy as he could. All the company now
+gathered round the cheerful blaze that was roaring up the chimney
+and sending out a warm glow that was an irresistible attraction
+in the chill of the early morning. Isabelle knelt down and
+stretched out the rosy palms of her pretty little hands as near
+to the flames as she dared, while Serafina stood behind and laid
+her hands caressingly on her shoulders, like an elder sister
+taking tender care of a younger one. Matamore stood on one leg
+like a huge heron, leaning against the corner of the carved
+chimney-piece, and seemed inclined to fall asleep again, while
+the pedant was vainly searching for a swallow of wine among the
+empty bottles.
+
+The baron meantime had held a hurried private consultation with
+Pierre as to the possibility of procuring a few eggs, or a fowl
+or two, at the nearest hamlet, so that he might give the
+travellers something to eat before their departure, and he bade
+the old servant be quick about it, for the chariot was to make an
+early start, as they had a long day's journey before them.
+
+"I cannot let you go away fasting, though you will have rather a
+scanty breakfast I fear," he said to his guests, "but it is
+better to have a poor one than none at all; and there is not an
+inn within six leagues of this where you could be sure of getting
+anything to eat. I will not make further apologies, for the
+condition of everything in this house shows you plainly enough
+that I am not rich; but as my poverty is mainly owing to the
+great expenditures made by my honoured ancestors in many wars for
+the defence of king and country, I do not need to be ashamed of
+it."
+
+"No indeed, my lord," answered Herode in his deep, bass voice,
+"and many there be in these degenerate days who hold their heads
+very high because of their riches, who would not like to have to
+confess how they came in possession of them."
+
+"What astonishes me," interrupted Blazius, "is that such an
+accomplished young gentleman as your lordship seems to be should
+be willing to remain here in this isolated spot, where Fortune
+cannot reach you even if she would. You ought to go to Paris, the
+great capital of the world, the rendezvous of brave and learned
+men, the El Dorado, the promised land, the Paradise of all true
+Frenchmen. There you would be sure to make your way, either in
+attaching yourself to the household of some great nobleman, a
+friend of your family, or in performing some brilliant deed of
+valour, the opportunity for which will not be long to find."
+
+These words, although rather high-flown, were not devoid of
+sense, and de Sigognac could not help secretly admitting that
+there was some truth in them. He had often, during his long
+rambles over the desolate Landes, thought wishfully of
+undertaking what the pedant had just proposed; but he had not
+money enough for the journey even, and he did not know where to
+look for more. Though brave and high-spirited, he was very
+sensitive, and feared a smile of derision more than a
+sword-thrust. He was not familiar with the prevailing fashions in
+dress, but he felt that his antiquated costume was ridiculous as
+well as shabby, and sure to be laughed at anywhere but among his
+own simple peasantry. Like most of those who are disheartened and
+crushed by extreme poverty, he only looked at the dark side of
+things, and made no allowance for any possible advantages.
+Perhaps he might have been delicately as well as generously
+assisted by some of his father's old friends if he would only
+have let them know of his situation, but his pride held him back,
+and he would have died of starvation rather than ask for aid in
+any form.
+
+"I used to think sometimes of going to Paris," he answered
+slowly, after some hesitation, "but I have no friends or even
+acquaintances there; and the descendants of those who perhaps
+knew my ancestors when they were rich and powerful, and in favour
+at court, could scarcely be expected to welcome a
+poverty-stricken
+Baron de Sigognac, who came swooping down from his ruined tower
+to try and snatch a share of any prey that chanced to lie
+within reach of his talons. And besides--I do not know why
+I should be ashamed to acknowledge it--I have not any of the
+appurtenances suitable to my rank, and could not present myself
+upon a footing worthy of my name. I doubt if I have even money
+enough for the expenses of the journey alone, and that in the
+humblest fashion."
+
+"But it is not necessary," Blazius hastened to reply, that you
+should make a state entry into the capital, like a Roman
+emperor, in a gilded chariot drawn by four white horses abreast.
+If our humble equipage does not appear too unworthy to your
+lordship, come with us to Paris; we are on our way there now.
+Many a man shines there to-day in brave apparel, and enjoys high
+favour at court, who travelled thither on foot, carrying his
+little bundle over his shoulder, swung on the point of his
+rapier, and his shoes in his hand, for fear of wearing them out
+on the way."
+
+A slight flush, partly of shame, partly of pleasure, rose to de
+Sigognac's cheek at this speech. If on the one side his pride
+revolted at the idea of being under an obligation to such a
+person as the pedant, on the other he was touched and gratified
+by this kind proposition so frankly made, and which, moreover,
+accorded so well with his own secret desires. He feared also that
+if he refused the actor's kindly-meant offer he would wound his
+feelings, and perhaps miss an opportunity that would never be
+afforded to him again. It is true that the idea of a descendant
+of the noble old house of Sigognac travelling in the chariot of a
+band of strolling players, and making common cause with them, was
+rather shocking at first sight, but surely it would be better
+than to go on any longer leading his miserable, hopeless life in
+this dismal, deserted place. He wavered between those two
+decisive little monosyllables, yes and no, and could by no means
+reach a satisfactory conclusion, when Isabelle, who had been
+watching the colloquy with breathless interest, advanced
+smilingly to where he was standing somewhat apart with Blazius,
+and addressed the following words to him, which speedily put an
+end to all his uncertainty:
+
+"Our poet, having fallen heir to a fortune, has lately left us,
+and his lordship would perhaps be good enough to take his place.
+I found accidentally, in opening a volume of Ronsard's poems that
+lay upon the table in his room, a piece of paper with a sonnet
+written upon it, which must be of his composition, and proves him
+not unaccustomed to writing in verse. He could rearrange our
+parts for us, make the necessary alterations and additions in the
+new plays we undertake, and even perhaps write a piece for us now
+and then. I have now a very pretty little Italian comedy by me,
+which, with some slight modifications, would suit us nicely, and
+has a really charming part for me."
+
+With her last words, accompanied though they were with a smile,
+she gave the baron such a sweet, wistful look that he could no
+longer resist; but the appearance of Pierre at this moment with a
+large omelette created a diversion, and interrupted this
+interesting conversation. They all immediately gathered round the
+table, and attacked the really good breakfast, which the old
+servant had somehow managed to put before them, with great zest.
+As to de Sigognac, he kept them company merely out of politeness,
+and trifled with what was on his plate while the others were
+eating, having partaken too heartily of the supper the night
+before to be hungry now, and, besides, being so much preoccupied
+with weightier matters that he was not able to pay much attention
+to this.
+
+After the meat was finished, and while the chariot was being made
+ready for a start, Isabelle and Serafina expressed a desire to go
+into the garden, which they looked down upon from the court.
+
+"I am afraid," said de Sigognac, as he aided them to descend the
+unsteady, slippery stone steps, "that the briers will make sad
+work with your dresses, for thorns abound in my neglected garden,
+though roses do not."
+
+The young baron said this in the sad, ironical tone he usually
+adopted when alluding to his poverty; but a moment after they
+suddenly came upon two exquisite little wild roses, blooming
+directly fn their path. With an exclamation of surprise de
+Sigognac gathered them, and as he offered one to each lady, said,
+with a smile, "I did not know there was anything of this sort
+here, having never found aught but rank weeds and brambles
+before; it is your gracious presence that has brought forth these
+two blossoms in the midst of ruin and desolation."
+
+Isabelle put her little rose carefully in the bosom of her dress,
+giving him her thanks mutely by an eloquent glance, which spoke
+more perhaps than she knew, and brought a flush of pleasure to
+his cheeks. They walked on to the statue in its rocky niche at
+the end of the garden, de Sigognac carefully bending back the
+branches that obstructed the way. The young girl looked round
+with a sort of tender interest at this overgrown, neglected spot,
+so thoroughly in keeping with the ruined chateau that frowned
+down upon them, and thought pityingly of the long, dreary hours
+that the poor baron must have spent here in solitude and despair.
+Serafina's face only expressed a cold disdain, but slightly
+masked by politeness. To her mind the ruinous condition of things
+was anything but interesting, and though she dearly loved a title
+she had still greater respect for wealth and magnificence.
+
+"My domain ends here," said the baron, as they reached the grotto
+of the statue, "though formerly all the surrounding country, as
+far as the eye can reach from the top of that high tower yonder,
+belonged to my ancestors. But barely enough remains now to afford
+me a shelter until the day comes when the last of the de
+Sigognacs shall be laid to rest amid his forefathers in the
+family vault, thenceforward "their sole possession."
+
+"Do you know you are very much out of spirits this morning?" said
+Isabelle in reply, touched by the expression of this sad thought
+that had occurred to her also, and assuming a bright, playful
+air, in the hope that it might help to chase away the heavy
+shadow that lay upon her young host's brow. "Fortune is blind,
+they say, but nevertheless she does sometimes shower her good
+gifts upon the worthy and the brave; the only thing is that they
+must put themselves in her way. Come, decide to go with us, and
+perhaps in a few years the Chateau de Sigognac, restored to its
+ancient splendour, may loom up as proudly as of old; think of
+that, my lord, and take courage to quit it for a time. And
+besides," she added in a lower tone that only de Sigognac could
+hear, "I cannot bear to go away and leave you here alone in this
+dreary place."
+
+The soft light that shone in Isabelle's beautiful eyes as she
+murmured these persuasive words was irresistible to the man who
+already loved her madly; and the idea of following his divinity
+in a humble disguise, as many a noble knight had done of old,
+reconciled him to what would otherwise have seemed too
+incongruous and humiliating. It could not be considered
+derogatory to any gentleman to accompany his lady-love, be she
+what she might, actress or princess, and to attach himself, for
+love of her bright eyes, to even a band of strolling players. The
+mischievous little boy of the bow had compelled even gods and
+heroes to submit to all sorts of odd tests and means. Jupiter
+himself took the form of a bull to carry off Europa, and swam
+across the sea with her upon his back to the island of Crete.
+Hercules, dressed as a woman, sat spinning meekly at Omphale's
+feet. Even Aristotle went upon all fours that his mistress might
+ride on his back. What wonder then that our youthful baron
+thought that nothing could be too difficult or repulsive in the
+service of the lovely being at his side! So he decided at once
+not to let her leave him behind, and begging the comedians to
+wait a few moments while he made his hurried preparations, drew
+Pierre aside and told him in few words of his new project. The
+faithful old servant, although nearly heart-broken at the thought
+of parting with his beloved master, fully realized how greatly it
+would be to his advantage to quit the dreary life that was
+blighting his youth, and go out into the world; and while he felt
+keenly the incongruity of such fellow travellers for a de
+Sigognac, yet wisely thought that it was better for him to go
+thus than not at all. He quickly filled an old valise with the
+few articles of clothing that formed the baron's scanty wardrobe,
+and put into a leathern purse the little money he still
+possessed; secretly adding thereto his own small hoard, which he
+could safely do without fear of detection, as he had the care of
+the family finances, as well as everything else about the
+establishment. The old white pony was brought out and saddled,
+for de Sigognac did not wish to get into the chariot until they
+had gone some distance from home, not caring to make his
+departure public. He would seem thus to be only accompanying his
+guests a little way upon their journey, and Pierre was to follow
+on foot to lead the horse back home.
+
+The oxen, great slow-moving, majestic creatures, were already
+harnessed to the heavy chariot, while their driver, a tall,
+sturdy peasant lad, standing in front of them leaning upon his
+goad, had unconsciously assumed an attitude so graceful that he
+closely resembled the sculptured figures in ancient Greek
+bas-reliefs. Isabelle and Serafina had seated themselves in the
+front of the chariot, so that they could enjoy the fresh, cool
+air, and see the country as they passed along; while the others
+bestowed themselves inside, where they might indulge in a morning
+nap. At last all were ready; the driver gave the word of command,
+and the oxen stepped slowly forward, setting in motion the great
+unwieldy, lumbering vehicle, which creaked and groaned in
+lamentable fashion, making the vaulted portico ring again as it
+passed through it and out of the chateau.
+
+In the midst of all this unwonted commotion, Beelzebub and Miraut
+moved restlessly about the court, evidently very much perplexed
+as to what could be the meaning of it. The old dog ran back and
+forth from his master, who always had a caress for him, to
+Pierre, looking up into their faces with questioning, anxious
+eyes, and Beelzebub finally went and held a consultation with his
+good friend, the old white pony, now standing with saddle and
+bridle on, quietly awaiting his master's pleasure. He bent down
+his head so that his lips almost touched Beelzebub, and really
+appeared to be whispering something to him; which the cat in his
+turn imparted to Miraut, in that mysterious language of animals
+which Democritus, claimed that he understood, but which we are
+not able to translate. Whatever it might have been that Bayard,
+the old pony, communicated to Beelzebub, one thing is certain,
+that when at last the baron vaulted into his saddle and sallied
+forth from his ancient castle, he was accompanied by both cat and
+dog. Now, though it was no uncommon thing for Miraut to follow
+him abroad, Beelzebub had never been known to attempt such a feat
+before.
+
+As he rode slowly out through the grand old portico de Sigognac
+felt his heart heavy within him, and when, after going a few
+paces from the chateau, he turned round for one last look at its
+crumbling walls, he felt an acute grief at bidding them farewell
+which was an astonishment to himself. As his eyes sought and
+dwelt upon the roof of the little chapel where his father and
+mother lay sleeping side by side, he almost reproached himself
+for wishing to go and leave them, and it required a mighty effort
+to turn away and ride after the chariot, which was some distance
+in advance of him. He had soon overtaken and passed it, when a
+gentle gust of wind brought to him the penetrating, faintly
+aromatic scent of his native heather, still wet from last night's
+rain, and also the silvery sound of a distant convent bell that
+was associated with his earliest recollections. They both seemed
+to be reproaching him for his desertion of his home, and he
+involuntarily checked the old pony, and made as if he would turn
+back. Miraut and Beelzebub, seeming to understand the movement,
+looked up at him eagerly, but as he was in the very act of
+turning the horse's head he met Isabelle's soft eyes fixed on him
+with such an entreating, wistful look that he flushed and
+trembled under it, and entirely forgetting his ancient chateau,
+the perfume of the heather, and the quick strokes of the distant
+bell, that still continued ringing, he put spurs to his horse and
+dashed on in advance again. The struggle was over--Isabelle had
+conquered.
+
+When the highway was reached, de Sigognac again fell behind the
+chariot--which moved more quickly over the smooth, hard road--so
+that Pierre might be able to catch up to him, and rode slowly
+forward, lost in thought; he roused himself, however, in time to
+take one last look at the towers of Sigognac, which were still
+visible over the tops of the pine trees. Bayard came to a full
+stop as he gazed, and Miraut took advantage of the pause to
+endeavour to climb up and lick his master's face once more; but
+he was so old and stiff that de Sigognac had to lift him up in
+front of him; holding him there he tenderly caressed the faithful
+companion of many sad, lonely years, even bending down and
+kissing him between the eyes. Meantime the more agile Beelzebub
+had scrambled up on the other side, springing from the ground to
+the baron's foot, and then climbing up by his leg; he purred
+loudly as his master affectionately stroked his head, looking up
+in his face as if he understood perfectly that this was a leave-
+taking. We trust that the kind reader will not laugh at our poor
+young hero, when we say that he was so deeply touched by these
+evidences of affection from his humble followers that two great
+tears rolled down his pale cheeks and fell upon the heads of his
+dumb favourites, before he put them gently from him and resumed
+his journey.
+
+Miraut and Beelzebub stood where he had put them down, looking
+after their beloved master until a turn in the road hid him from
+their sight, and then quietly returned to the chateau together.
+The rain of the previous night had left no traces in the sandy
+expanse of the Landes, save that it had freshened up the heather
+with its tiny purple bells, and the furze bushes with their
+bright yellow blossoms. The very pine trees themselves looked
+less dark and mournful than usual, and their penetrating,
+resinous odour filled the fresh morning air. Here and there a
+little column of smoke rising from amid a grove of chestnut trees
+betrayed the homestead of some farmer, and scattered over the
+gently rolling plain, that extended as far as the eye could
+reach, great flocks of sheep could be discerned, carefully
+guarded by shepherd and dog; the former mounted on stilts, and
+looking very odd to those unaccustomed to the shepherds of the
+Landes. On the southern horizon the snow-clad tops of the more
+lofty peaks of the Pyrenees rose boldly into the clear sky, with
+light wreaths of mist still clinging round them here and there.
+
+Oxen travel slowly, especially over roads where at times the
+wheels sink deep into the sand, and the sun was high above the
+horizon before they had gone two leagues on their way. The baron,
+loath to fatigue his old servant and poor Bayard, determined to
+bid adieu to them without further delay; so he sprang lightly to
+the ground, put the bridle into Pierre's trembling hand, and
+affectionately stroked the old pony's neck, as he never failed to
+do when he dismounted. It was a painful moment. The faithful
+servant had taken care of his young master from his infancy, and
+he turned very pale as he said in faltering tones, "God bless and
+keep your lordship. How I wish that I could go with you."
+
+"And so do I, my good Pierre, but that is impossible. You must
+stay and take care of the chateau for me; I could not bear to
+think of it entirely abandoned, or in any other hands than yours,
+my faithful friend! And besides, what would become of Bayard and
+Miraut and Beelzebub, if you too deserted them?"
+
+"You are right, master," answered Pierre, his eyes filling with
+tears as he bade him farewell before he turned and led Bayard
+slowly back by the road they had come. The old pony whinnied
+loudly as he left his master, and long after he was out of sight
+could be heard at short intervals calling out his adieux.
+
+The poor young baron, left quite alone, stood for a moment with
+downcast eyes, feeling very desolate and sad; then roused himself
+with an effort, and hastened after the chariot. As he walked
+along beside it with a sorrowful, preoccupied air, Isabelle
+complained of being tired of her somewhat cramped position, and
+said that she would like to get down and walk a little way for a
+change; her real motive being a kind wish to endeavour to cheer
+up poor de Sigognac and make him forget his sad thoughts. The
+shadow that had overspread his countenance passed away entirely
+as he assisted Isabelle to alight, and then offering his arm led
+her on in advance of the lumbering chariot. They had walked some
+distance, and she was just reciting some verses, from one of her
+parts, which she wished to have altered a little, when the sound
+of a horn close at hand startled them, and from a by-path emerged
+a gay party returning from the chase. The beautiful Yolande de
+Foix came first, radiant as Diana, with a brilliant colour in her
+cheeks and eyes that shone like stars. Several long rents in the
+velvet skirt of her riding habit showed that she had been
+following the hounds through the thickets of furze that abound in
+the Landes, yet she did not look in the least fatigued, and as
+she came forward made her spirited horse fret and prance under
+quick, light strokes of her riding-whip--in whose handle shone a
+magnificent amethyst set in massive gold, and engraved with the
+de Foix arms. Three or four young noblemen, splendidly dressed
+and mounted, were with her, and as she swept proudly past our
+hero and his fair companion-upon whom she cast a glance of
+haughty disdain--she said in clear ringing tones, "Do look at the
+Baron de Sigognac, dancing attendance upon a Bohemienne." And the
+little company passed on with a shout of laughter.
+
+The poor baron was furious, and instinctively grasped the handle
+of his sword with a quick, angry movement; but as quickly
+released it--for he was on foot and those who had insulted him
+were on horseback, so that he could not hope to overtake them;
+and besides, he could not challenge a lady. But the angry flush
+soon faded from his cheek, and the remembrance of his displeasure
+from his mind, under the gentle influence of Isabelle, who put
+forth all her powers of fascination to make her companion forget
+the affront he had received because of her.
+
+The day passed without any other incident worthy of being
+recorded, and our travellers arrived in good season at the inn
+where they were to sup and sleep.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III. THE BLUE SUN INN
+
+It was in front of the largest house in a wretched little hamlet
+that the weary oxen drawing the chariot of Thespis stopped of
+their own accord. The wooden sign that creaked distractingly as
+it swung to and fro at every breath of wind bore a large, blue
+sun, darting its rays, after the most approved fashion, to the
+utmost dimensions of the board on which it was painted. Rather an
+original idea, one would say, to have a blue orb of day instead
+of a golden one--such as adorned so many other inns on the great
+post-road--but originality had had nothing whatever to do with
+it. The wandering painter who produced this remarkable work of
+art happened to have no vestige of any colour but blue left upon
+his palette, and he discoursed so eloquently of the superiority
+of this tint to all others that he succeeded in persuading the
+worthy innkeeper to have an azure sun depicted on his swinging
+sign. And not this one alone had yielded to his specious
+arguments, for he had painted blue lions, blue cocks, blue
+horses, on various signs in the country round, in a manner that
+would have delighted the Chinese--who esteem an artist in
+proportion to the unnaturalness of his designs and colouring.
+
+The few scrawny, unwholesome-looking children feebly playing in
+the muddy, filthy, little street, and the prematurely old,
+ghastly women standing at the open doors of the miserable
+thatched huts of which the hamlet was composed, were but too
+evidently the wretched victims of a severe type of malarial fever
+that prevails in the Landes. They were truly piteous objects, and
+our travellers were glad to take refuge in the inn--though it was
+anything but inviting--and so get out of sight of them.
+
+The landlord, a villainous looking fellow, with an ugly crimson
+scar across his forehead, who rejoiced in the extraordinary name
+of Chirriguirri, received them with many low obeisances, and led
+the way into his house, talking volubly of the excellent
+accommodations to be found therein.
+
+The Baron de Sigognac hesitated ere he crossed the threshold,
+though the comedians had all drawn back respectfully to allow him
+to precede them. His pride revolted at going into such a place in
+such company, but one glance from Isabelle put everything else
+out of his head, and he entered the dirty little inn at her side
+with an air of joyful alacrity. In the happy kingdom of France
+the fortunate man who escorted a pretty woman, no matter where,
+needed not to fear ridicule or contumely, and was sure to be
+envied.
+
+The large low room into which Maitre Chirriguirri ushered the
+party, with much ceremony and many bows, was scarcely so
+magnificent as he had given them reason to expect, but our
+strolling players had long ago learned to take whatever came in
+their way without grumbling, and they seated themselves quietly
+on the rude wooden settles ranged round a rough, stone platform
+in the centre of the apartment, upon which a few sticks of wood
+were blazing the smoke escaping through an opening in the roof
+above. From an iron bar which crossed this opening a strong chain
+was suspended, and fastened to it was the crane, so that it hung
+at the proper height over the fire--for this was the kitchen as
+well as the reception room. The low ceiling was blackened with
+the smoke that filled the upper part of the room and escaped
+slowly through the hole over the fire, unless a puff of wind
+drove it back again. A row of bright copper casseroles hanging
+against the wall--like the burnished shields along the sides of
+the ancient triremes, if this comparison be not too noble for
+such a lowly subject--gleamed vaguely in the flashing of the red
+fire-light, and a large, half-empty wine-skin lying on the floor
+in one corner looked like a beheaded body carelessly flung down
+there. Certainly not a cheerful looking place, but, the fire
+being newly replenished burned brightly, and our weary travellers
+were glad to bask in its genial warmth.
+
+At the end of one of the wooden benches a little girl was
+sitting, apparently sound asleep. She was a poor, thin, little
+creature, with a mass of long, tangled, black hair, which hung
+down over her face and almost concealed it, as she sat with her
+head drooping forward on her breast. Her scanty clothing was
+tattered and dirty, her feet and poor, thin, little legs brown
+and bare, and covered with scratches--some still bleeding which
+bore witness to much running through the thorny furze thickets.
+
+Isabelle, who chanced to sit down near her, cast many pitying
+glances upon this forlorn little figure, but took care not to
+disturb the quiet sleep she seemed to be enjoying in her
+uncomfortable resting-place. After a little, when she had turned
+to speak to Serafina, who sat beside her, the child woke with a
+start, and pushing back the mass of dishevelled hair revealed a
+sad little face, so thin that the cheek bones were painfully
+prominent, and pale to ghastliness. A pair of magnificent, dark
+brown eyes, with heavy sweeping lashes, looked preternaturally
+large in her woe-begone little countenance, and at this moment
+were filled with wonderingr admiration, mingled with fierce
+covetousness, as she stared at Serafina's mock jewels--and more
+especially at Isabelle's row of pearl beads. She seemed fairly
+dazzled by these latter, and gazed at them fixedly in a sort of
+ecstasy-hving evidently never seen anything like them before,
+and probably thinking they must be of immense value. Occasionally
+her eyes wandered to the dresses of the two ladies, and at last,
+unable to restrain her ardent curiosity any longer, she put out
+her little brown hand and softly felt of Isabelle's gown,
+apparently finding exquisite delight in the mere contact of her
+finger-tips with the smooth, glossy surface of the silk. Though
+her touch was so light Isabelle immediately turned towards the
+child and smiled upon her encouragingly, but the poor little
+vagabond, finding herself detected, in an instant had assumed a
+stupid, almost idiotic look--with an instinctive amount of
+histrionic art that would have done honour to a finished actress.
+Then dropping her eyelids and leaning her shoulders against the
+hard back of the wooden settle she seemed to fall into a deep
+sleep, with her head bent down upon her breast in the old
+attitude.
+
+Meanwhile Maitre Chirriguirri had been talking long and loudly
+about the choice delicacies he could have set before his guests
+if they had only come a day or two earlier, and enumerating all
+sorts of fine dishes--which doubtless had existed only in his own
+very vivid imagination--though he told a high-sounding story
+about the noblemen and grandees who had supped at his house and
+devoured all these dainties only yesterday. When at length the
+flow of his eloquence was checked by a display of ferocity on the
+part of the tyrant, and he was finally brought to the point, he
+acknowledged that he could only give them some of the soup called
+garbure--with which we have already made acquaintance at the
+Chateau de Sigognac, some salt codfish, and a dish of bacon; with
+plenty of wine, which according to his account was fit for the
+gods. Our weary travellers were so hungry by this time that they
+were glad of even this frugal fare, and when Mionnette, a gaunt,
+morose-looking creature, the only servant that the inn could
+boast, announced that their supper was ready in an adjoining
+room, they did not wait to be summoned a second time.
+
+They were still at table when a great barking of dogs was heard
+without, together with the noise of horses' feet, and in a moment
+three loud, impatient knocks upon the outer door resounded
+through the house. Mionnette rushed to open it, whereupon a
+gentleman entered, followed by a number of dogs, who nearly
+knocked the tall maid-servant over in their eagerness to get in,
+and rushed into the dining-room where our friends were assembled,
+barking, jumping over each other, and licking off the plates
+that had been used and removed to a low side table, before their
+master could stop them. A few sharp cuts with the whip he held in
+his hand distributed promiscuously among them, without
+distinction between the innocent and the  guilty ones, quieted
+this uproar as if by magic, and the aggressive hounds, taking
+refuge under the benches ranged along the walls, curled
+themselves round on the floor and went comfortably to sleep, or
+lay panting, with their red tongues hanging out of their mouths
+and heads reposing on their fore-paws--not daring to stir.
+
+The obstreperous dogs thus disposed of, the cavalier advanced
+into the room, with the calm assurance of a man who feels
+perfectly at his ease; his spurs ringing against the stone floor
+at every step. The landlord followed him obsequiously, cap in
+hand, cringing and bowing in most humble fashion--having entirely
+laid aside his boasting air and evidently feeling very ill at
+ease--this being a personage of whom he stood in awe. As the
+gentleman approached the table he politely saluted the company,
+before turning to give his orders to Maitre Chirriguirri, who
+stood silently awaiting them.
+
+The newcomer was a handsome man of about thirty, with curly light
+hair, and a fair complexion, somewhat reddened by exposure to the
+sun. His eyes were blue, and rather prominent, his nose slightly
+retroussi; his small blond mustache was carefully turned up at
+the ends, and scarcely shaded a well-formed but sensual mouth,
+below which was a small, pointed beard--called a royal in those
+days, an imperial in these. As he took off his broad felt hat,
+richly ornamented with long sweeping plumes, and threw it
+carelessly down on one of the benches, it was seen that his
+smooth, broad forehead was snowy white, and the contrast with his
+sunburnt cheeks was not by any means displeasing. Indeed it was a
+very handsome, attractive face, in which an expression of frank
+gaiety and good humonr tempered the air of pride that pervaded
+it.
+
+The dress of this gay cavalier was extremely rich and elegant;
+almost too much so for the country. But when we say that the
+marquis--for such was his title--had been followingy the hounds
+in
+company with the beatitiful Yolande de Foix, we feel that his
+costume, of blue velvet elaborately decorated with silver braid,
+is fully accounted for. He was one of the gallants that shone at
+court in Paris--where he was in the habit of spending a large
+portion of every year--and he prided himself on being one of the
+best dressed noblemen in France.
+
+His order to the obsequious landlord was in few words. "I want
+some
+broth for my dogs, some oats for my horses, a piece of bread and
+a slice of ham for myself, and something or other for my grooms"
+--and then he advanced smilingly to the table and sat down in a
+vacant place beside the pretty soubrette, who, charmed with such
+a gay, handsome seignior, had been pleased to bestow a
+languishing glance and a brilliant smile upon him.
+
+Maitre Chirriguirri hastened to fetch what he had demanded, while
+the soubrette, with the grace of a Hebe, filled his glass to the
+brim with wine; which he accepted with a smile, and drank off at
+a single draught. For a few minutes he was fully occupied in
+satisfying his hunger--which was veritably that of a hunter--and
+then looking about him at the party assembled round the table,
+remarked the Baron de Sigognac, with whom he had a slight
+acquaintance, seated beside the fair Isabelle--in whose company
+indeed he had seen him already once before that day. The two
+young people were talking together in low tones, and quite
+absorbed in each other; but the language of their eyes was
+unmistakable, and the marquis smiled to himself as he took note
+of what he supposed to be a very promising intrigue--wherein he
+did the youthful pair great injustice. As a thorough man of the
+world he was not at all surprised at finding de Sigognac with
+this band of vagabond players, from such a motive, and the
+half-pitying contempt he had formerly felt for the shabby,
+retiring young baron was straightway changed to a certain
+admiration and respect by this evidence of his gallantry. When he
+caught his eye he made a little gesture of recognition and
+approval--to show that he understood and appreciated his
+position--but paid no further attention to him, evidently meaning
+to respect his incognito, and devoted himself to the soubrette.
+She received his high-flown compliments with peals of laughter,
+and paid him back in his own coin with considerable wit and much
+merriment, to the great delight of the marquis--who was always
+delighted to meet with any adventure of this sort.
+
+Wishing to pursue this one, which opened so well, he declared
+loudly that he was passionately fond of the theatre, and
+complained pathetically of being deprived altogether of this, his
+favourite amusement, in the country; then addressing himself to
+the tyrant he asked whether the troupe had any pressing
+engagements that would prevent their turning aside a little from
+the usual route to visit the Chateau de Bruyeres and give one of
+their best plays there--it would be an easy matter to rig up a
+theatre for them in the great hall or the orangery.
+
+The tyrant hastened to reply that nothing could be easier, and
+that the troupe, one of the best that had ever travelled through
+the provinces, was entirely at his lordship's disposition--"from
+the king to the soubrette"--he added, with a broad grin.
+
+"That is capital," said the marquis, "and as to money matters,
+you can arrange them to suit yourself. I should not think of
+bargaining with the votaries of Thalia--a muse so highly favoured
+by Apollo, and as eagerly sought after, and enthusiastically
+applauded, at the court of his most gracious majesty as in town
+and country everywhere."
+
+After arranging the necessary preliminaries, the marquis, who had
+meantime surreptitiously squeezed the soubrette's hand under the
+table, rose, called his dogs together, put on his hat, waved his
+hand to the company in token of adieu, and took his departure
+amid much barking and commotion--going directly home, in order to
+set on foot his preparations to receive the comedians on the
+morrow at his chateau.
+
+As it was growing late, and they were to make an eariy start the
+next morning, our tired travellers lost no time in going to rest;
+the women in a sort of loft, where they had to make themselves as
+comfortable as they could with the bundles of straw that were to
+serve them for beds, whilst the men slept on the benches in the
+room where they had supped.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV. AN ADVENTURE WITH BRIGANDS
+
+Let us return now. to the little girl we left feigning to sleep
+soundly upon a settle in the kitchen. There was certainly
+something suspicious about the fierce way in which she eyed
+Isabelle's pearl necklace, and her little bit of clever acting
+afterwards. As soon as the door had closed upon the comedians she
+slowly opened her large, dark eyes, looked sharply round the
+great, dim kitchen, and when she found that nobody was watching
+her, slipped quietly down from the bench, threw back her hair
+with a quick movement of the head peculiar to her, crept softly
+to the door, which she cautiously unlatched, and escaped into the
+open air without making any more sound than a shadow, then walked
+slowly and listlessly away until she had turned a corner and was
+out of sight of the house, when she set off running as fleetly as
+a deer pursued by the hounds--jumping over the frequent obstacles
+in her path with wonderful agility, never stumbling, and flying
+along, with her black hair streaming out behind her, like some
+wild creature of the desolate pine barrens through which she was
+skilfully threading her way.
+
+She reached at last a little knoll, crowned by a group of pine
+trees crowded closely together, and dashing up the steep bank
+with undiminished speed came to a sudden stop in the very middle
+of the grove. Here she stood still for a moment, peering
+anxiously about her, and then, putting two fingers in her mouth,
+gave three shrill whistles, such as no traveller in those
+desolate regions can hear without a shudder. In an instant what
+seemed to be a heap of pine twigs sfirred, and a man emerging
+from beneath them rose slowly to his feet at a little distance
+from the child.
+
+"Is it you, Chiquita?" he asked. "What news do you bring? You are
+late. I had given over expecting you to-night, and gone to
+sleep."
+
+The speaker was a dark, fierce-looking fellow of about five and
+twenty, with a spare, wiry frame, brilliant black eyes, and very
+white teeth--which were long and pointed like the fangs of a
+young wolf. He looked as if he might be a brigand, poacher,
+smuggler, thief, or assassin--all of which he had been indeed by
+turns. He was dressed like a Spanish peasant, and in the red
+woollen girdle wound several times around his waist was stuck a
+formidable knife, called in Spain a navaja. The desperadoes who
+make use of these terrible weapons usually display as many red
+stripes, cut in the steel, upon their long pointed blades as they
+have committed murders, and are esteemed by their companions in
+proportion to the number indicated by this horrible record. We do
+not know exactly how many of these scarlet grooves adorned
+Agostino's navaja, but judging by the savage expression of his
+countenance, and the fierce glitter of his eye, we may safely
+suppose them to have been creditably numerous.
+
+"Well, Chiquita," said he, laying his hand caressingly on the
+child's head, "and what did you see at Maitre Chirriguirri's
+inn?"
+
+"A great chariot full of people came there this afternoon," she
+answered. "I saw them carry five large chests into the barn, and
+they must have been very heavy, for it took two men to lift
+them."
+
+"Hum!" said Agostino, "sometimes travellers put stones into their
+boxes to make them seem very weighty and valuable, and deceive
+the inn-keepers."
+
+"But," interrupted the child eagerly, "the three young ladies had
+trimmings of gold on their clothes; and one of them, the
+prettiest, had round her neck a row of round, shining, white
+things, and oh! they were so beautiful!" and she clasped her
+hands in an ecstasy of admiration, her voice trembling with
+excitement.
+
+"Those must be pearls," muttered Agostino to himself, and they
+will be worth having--provided they are real--but then they do
+make such perfect imitations now-a-days, and even rich people are
+mean enough to wear them."
+
+"My dear Agostino, my good Agostino," continued Chiquita, in her
+most coaxing tones, and without paying any attention to his
+mutterings, "will you give me the beautiful, shining things if
+you kill that lady?"
+
+"They would go so well with your rags and tatters!" he answered
+mockingly.
+
+"But I have so often kept watch for you while you slept, and I
+have run so far to tell you when any one was coming, no matter
+how cold it was, nor how my poor, bare feet ached--and I have
+never once kept you waiting for your food, when I used to carry
+it to you in your hiding places, even when I was bad with the
+fever, or my teeth chattering with the chill, and I so weak that
+I could hardly drag myself along. Oh Agostino! do remember what I
+have done for you, and let me have the beautiful, shining
+things."
+
+"Yes, you have been both brave and faithful, Chiquita, I admit;
+but we have not got the wonderful necklace yet, you know. Now,
+tell me, how many men were there in the party."
+
+"Oh! a great many. A big, tall man with a long beard; an old, fat
+man--one that looked like a fox--two thin men, and one that
+looked like a gentleman, though his clothes were very old and
+shabby."
+
+"Six men," said Agostino, who had counted them on his fingers as
+she enumerated them, and his face fell. "Alas! I am the only one
+left of our brave band now; when the others were with me we would
+not have minded double the number. Have they arms, Chiquita?"
+
+"The gentleman has a sword, and so has the tall, thin man--a very
+long one."
+
+"No pistols or guns?"
+
+"I didn't see any," answered Chiquita, "but they might have left
+them in the chariot, you know; only Maitre Chirriguirri or
+Mionnette would have been sure to send you word if they had, and
+they said nothing to me about them."
+
+"Well, we will risk it then, and see what we can do," said
+Agostino resolutely. "Five large, heavy chests, gold ornaments, a
+pearl necklace! they certainly are worth trying for."
+
+The brigand and his little companion then went to a secret place
+in the thick pine grove, and set to work industriously, removing
+a few large stones, a quantity of branches, and finally the five
+or six boards they had concealed, disclosing a large hole that
+looked like a grave. It was not very deep, and Agostino, jumping
+down into it, stooped and lifted out what seemed to be a dead
+body--dressed in its usual every-day clothes--which he flung down
+upon the ground beside the hole. Chiquita, who did not appear to
+be in the least agitated or alarmed by these mysterious
+proceedings, seized the figure by the feet, with the utmost
+sang-froid, and dragged it out of Agostino's way, with a much
+greater degree of strength than could have been expected from
+such a slight, delicate little creature. Agostino continued his
+work of exhumation until five other bodies lay beside the first
+one--all neatly arranged in a row by the little girl, who seemed
+to actually enjoy her lugubrious task. It made a strange picture
+in the weird light of the nearly full moon, half veiled by
+driving clouds--the open grave, the bodies lying side by side
+under the dark pine trees, and the figures of Agostino and
+Chiquita bending over them. But the tragic aspect of the affair
+soon changed to a comic one; for when Agostino placed the first
+of the bodies in an upright position it became apparent that it
+was only a sort of a scarecrow--a rude figure intended to
+frighten timid traveller--which being skilfully disposed at the
+edge of the grove, partly hidden among the trees, looked at a
+little distance exactly like a brigand--gun and all. Indeed it
+really was dressed in the garments of one of his old comrades,
+who had paid the penalty of his crimes on the gallows. He
+apostrophized the figure as he arranged it to his liking, calling
+it by name, relating some of the brave deeds of its prototype,
+and bewailing the sad fate that had left him to ply his nefarious
+trade single-handed, with a rude eloquence that was not wanting
+in pathos. Returning to where the others lay, he lifted up one
+which he reminded Chiquita, represented her father--whose valour
+and skill he eulogized warmly--whilst the child devoutly made the
+sign of the cross as she muttered a prayer. This one being put in
+position, he carried the remaining figures, one by one, to the
+places marked for them, keeping up a running commentary upon the
+ci-devant brigands whose representatives they were, and calling
+them each repeatedly by name, as if there were a certain sad
+satisfaction in addressing them in the old, familiar way.
+
+When this queer task was completed, the bandit and his faithful
+little companion, taking advantage of a flood of moonlight as the
+clouds drifted away before the wind, went and stood on the road--
+not very far from their retreat--by which our travellers were to
+pass, to judge of the effect of their group of brigands. It was
+really very formidable, and had often been of great service to
+the bold originator of the plan; for on seeing so numerous a band
+apparently advancing upon them, most travellers took to their
+heels, leaving the coveted spoils behind them for Agostino to
+gather up at his leisure.
+
+As they slowly returned to the pine grove he said to the child,
+who was clinging to his arm affectionately as she walked beside
+him, "The first stage of their journey to-morrow is a long one,
+and these people will be sure to start in good season, so that
+they will reach this spot just at the right time for us--in the
+uncertain light of the dawn. In the darkness of night our
+brigands yonder could not be seen, and in broad daylight the ruse
+would be apparent; so we are in luck, Chiquita! But now for a
+nap--we have plenty of time for it, and the creaking of the
+wheels will be sure to wake us." Accordingly Agostino threw
+himself down upon a little heap of pine branches and heather,
+Chiquita crept close to him, so that the large cloak with which
+he had covered himself might protect her also from the chilly
+night air, and both were soon sound asleep.
+
+It was so early when our travellers were roused from their
+slumbers and told that it was time for them to resume their
+journey, by the treacherous landlord of the Blue Sun Inn, that it
+seemed to them like the middle of the night; to they arranged
+themselves as comfortably as they could in the great, roomy
+chariot, and despite the loud creaking and groaning that
+accompanied its every movement as it went slowly lumbering along,
+and the shrill cries of the driver to his oxen, they were all
+soon asleep again, excepting de Sigognac, who walked beside the
+chariot, lost in thoughts of Isabelle's beauty, grace and
+modesty, and adorable goodness, which seemed better suited to a
+young lady of noble birth than a wandering actress. He tormented
+himself with trying to devise some means to induce her to
+reciprocate the ardent love that filled his heart for her, not
+for an instant suspecting that it was already a fait accompli,
+and that the sweet, pure maiden had given him, unasked, her
+gentle, faithful heart. The bashful young baron imagined all
+sorts of romantic and perilous incidents in which he might
+constitute himself her knight and protector, and show such brave
+and tender devotion to her as he had read of in the old books of
+chivalry; and which might lead up to the avowal he was burning to
+make, yet dared not. It never occurred to him that the look in
+his dark eyes whenever they rested on her face, the tone of his
+voice when he addressed her, the deep sighs he vainly sought to
+stifle, and the tender, eager care with which he strove to
+anticipate her every wish had spoken for him, as plainly as any
+words could do; and that, though he had not dared to breathe one
+syllable of his passionate love to Isabelle, she knew it,
+rejoiced in it, and was proud of it, and that it filled her with
+a delicious, rapturous joy, such as she had never felt before, or
+even dreamed of.
+
+The morning began to break--the narrow band of pale light on the
+horizon, which was growing rapidly brighter and assuming a rosy
+tinge, was reflected here and there in the little pools of water
+that shone like bits of a broken mirror scattered over the
+ground--distant sounds were heard, and columns of smoke rising
+into the still morning air proved that even in this desolate,
+God-forsaken part of the Landes there were human habitations to
+be found. Stalking along with giant strides on the highest part
+of some rising ground not very far off was a grotesque figure,
+clearly defined against the bright eastern sky, which would have
+been a puzzle to a stranger, but was a familiar sight to de
+Sigognac--a shepherd mounted on his high stilts, such as are to
+be met with everywhere throughout the Landes.
+
+But the young baron was too much absorbed in his own engrossing
+thoughts to take any note of his surroundings as he kept pace
+with the slow-moving chariot, until his eye was caught and his
+attention fixed by a strange little point of light, glittering
+among the sombre pines that formed the dense grove where we left
+Agostino and Chiquita sleeping. He wondered what it could be--
+certainly not a glow-worm, the season for them was past long
+ago--and he watched it as he advanced towards it with a vague
+feeling of uneasiness. Approaching nearer he caught a glimpse of
+the singular group of figures lurking among the trees, and at
+first feared an ambuscade; but finding that they continued
+perfectly motionless he concluded that he must have been
+mistaken, and that they were only old stumps after all; so he
+forbore to arouse the comedians, as he had for a moment thought
+of doing.
+
+A few steps farther and suddenly a loud report was heard from the
+grove, a bullet sped through the air, and struck the oxen's
+yoke--happily without doing any damage, further than causing the
+usually quiet, steady-going beasts to swerve violently to one
+side--when fortunately a considerable heap of sand prevented the
+chariot's being overturned into the ditch beside the road. The
+sharp report and violent shock startled the sleeping travellers
+in the chariot, and the younger women shrieked wildly in their
+terror, whilst the duenna, who had met with such adventures
+before, slipped the few gold pieces she had in her purse into her
+shoe. Beside the chariot, from which the actors were struggiing
+to extricate themselves, stood Agostino--his cloak wrapped around
+his left arm and the formidable navaja in his right hand-and
+cried in a voice of thunder, "Your money or your lives!
+Resistance is useless! At the first sign of it my band will fire
+upon you."
+
+Whilst the bandit was shouting out these terrible words, de
+Sigognac had quietly drawn his sword, and as he finished attacked
+him furiously. Agostino skilfully parried his thrusts, with the
+cloak on his left arm, which so disposed made an excellent
+shield, and watched his opportunity to give a murderous stab with
+his navaja, which indeed he almost succeeded in doing; a quick
+spring to one side alone saved the baron from a wound which must
+have been fatal, as the brigand threw the knife at him with
+tremendous force, and it flew through the air and fell ringing
+upon the ground at a marvellous distance, instead of piercing de
+Sigognac's heart. His antagonist turned pale, for he was quite
+defenceless, having depended entirely upon his trusty navaja,
+which had never failed him before, and he very well knew that his
+vaunted band could not come to his rescue. However, he shouted to
+them to fire, counting upon the sudden terror that command would
+inspire to deliver him from his dilemma; and, indeed, the
+comedians, expecting a broadside, did take refuge behind the
+chariot, whilst even our brave hero involuntarily bent his head a
+little, to avoid the shower of bullets.
+
+Meantime Chiquita, who had breathlessly watched all that passed
+from her hiding place among some furze bushes close at hand, when
+she saw her friend in peril, crept softly forth, glided along on
+the ground like a snake until she reached the knife, lying
+unnoticed where it had fallen, and, seizing it, in one instant
+had restored it to Agostino, She looked like a little fury as she
+did so, and if her strength had been equal to her ferocity she
+would have been a formidable foe.
+
+Agostino again aimed his navaja at the baron, who was at that
+moment off his guard, and would not perhaps have escaped the
+deadly weapon a second time if it had been hurled at him from
+that skilful hand, but that a grasp of iron fastened upon the
+desperado's wrist, just in time to defeat his purpose. He strove
+in vain to extricate his right arm from the powerful grip that
+held it like a vice--struggling violently, and writhing with the
+pain it caused him--but he dared not turn upon this new
+assailant, who was behind him, because de Sigognac would have
+surely scored his back for him; and he was forced to continue
+parrying his thrusts with his left arm, still protected by the
+ample cloak firmly wound around it., He soon discovered that he
+could not possibly free his right hand, and the agony became so
+great that his fingers could no longer keep their grasp of the
+knife, which fell a second time to the ground.
+
+It was the tyrant who had come to de Sigognac's rescue, and now
+suddenly roared out in his stentorian voice, "What the deuce is
+nipping me? Is it a viper? I felt two sharp fangs meet in the
+calf of my leg."
+
+It was Chiquita, who was biting his leg like a dog, in the vain
+hope of making him turn round and loose his hold upon Agostino;
+but the tyrant shook her off with a quick movement, that sent her
+rolling in the dust at some distance, without relinquishing his
+captive, whilst Matamore dashed forward and picked up the navaja,
+which he shut together and put into his pocket.
+
+Whilst this scene was enacting the sun had risen, and poured a
+flood of radiance upon the earth in which the sham brigands lost
+much of their life-like effect. "Ha, ha!" laughed the peasant,
+"it
+would appear that those gentlemen's guns take a long time to go
+off; they must be wet with dew. But whatever may be the matter
+with them they are miserable cowards, to stand still there at a
+safe distance and leave their chief to do all the fighting by
+himself."
+
+"There is a good reason for that," answered Matamore, as he
+climbed up the steep bank to them, "these are nothing but
+scarecrows." And with six vigorous kicks he sent the six absurd
+figures rolling in every direction, making the most comical
+gestures as they fell.
+
+"You may safely alight now, ladies," said the baron,
+reassuringly, to the trembling actresses, "there's nothing more
+to fear; it was only a sham battle after all."
+
+In despair at his overwhelming defeat, Agostino hung his head
+mournfully, and stood like a statue of grief, dreading lest worse
+still should befall him, if the comedians, who were in too great
+force for him to attempt to struggle any longer against them,
+decided to take him on to the next town and deliver him over to
+the jailor to be locked up, as indeed he richly deserved. His
+faithful little friend, Chiquita, stood motionless at his side,
+as downcast as himself. But the farce of the false brigands so
+tickled the fancy of the players that it seemed as if they never
+would have done laughing over it, and they were evidently
+inclined to deal leniently with the ingenious rascal who had
+devised it. The tyrant, who had loosened, but not quitted, his
+hold upon the bandit, assumed his most tragic air and voice, and
+said to him, "You have frightened these ladies almost to death,
+you scoundrel, and you richly deserve to be strung up for it; but
+if, as I believe, they will consent to pardon you--for they are
+very kind and good---I will not take you to the lock-up. I
+confess that I do not care to furnish a subject for the gallows.
+Besides, your stratagem is really very ingenious and amusing--a
+capital farce to play at the expense of cowardly travellers--who
+have doubtless paid you well for the entertainment, eh? As an
+actor, I appreciate the joke, and your ingenuity inclines me to
+be indulgent. You are not simply and brutally a robber, and it
+would certainly be a pity to cut short such a fine career."
+
+"Alas!" answered Agostino mournfully, "no other career is open to
+me, and I am more to be pitied than you suppose. I am the only
+one left of a band formerly as complete as yours; the executioner
+has deprived me of my brave comrades one by one, and now I am
+obliged to carry on my operations entirely alone--dressing up my
+scarecrows, as your friend calls them, and assuming different
+voices to make believe that I am supported by a numerous company.
+Ah! mine is a sad fate; and then my road is such a poor one--so
+few travellers come this way--and I have not the means to
+purchase a better one. Every good road is owned by a band of
+brigands, you know. I wish that I could get some honest work to
+do, but that is hopeless; who would employ such a looking fellow
+as I am? all in rags and tatters, worse than the poorest beggar.
+I must surely have been born under an unlucky star. And now this
+attempt has failed, from which I hoped to get enough to keep us.
+for two months, and buy a decent cloak for poor Chiquita besides;
+she needs it badly enough, poor thing! Yesterday I had nothing to
+eat, and I had to tighten my belt to sustain my empty stomach.
+Your unexpected resistance has taken the very bread out of my
+mouth; and since you would not let me rob you, at least be
+generous and give me something."
+
+"To be sure," said the tyrant, who was greatly amused; "as we
+have prevented your successfully plying your trade we certainly
+do owe you an indemnity. Here, take these two pistoles to drink
+our healths with."
+
+Isabelle meantime sought in the chariot for a piece of new
+woollen stuff she happened to have with her, which was soft and
+warm, and gave it to Chiquita, who exclaimed, "Oh! but it is the
+necklace of shining white things that I want."
+
+Kind Isabelle immediately unclasped it, and then fastened it
+round the slender neck of the child, who was so overwhelmed with
+delight that she could not speak. She silently rolled the smooth,
+white beads between her little brown fingers in a sort of mute
+ecstasy for a few moments, then suddenly raising her head and
+tossing back her thick black hair, she fixed her sparkling eyes
+on Isabelle, and said in a low, earnest voice, "Oh! you are very,
+very good, and I will never, never kill you." Then she ran
+swiftly back to the pine grove, clambered up the steep bank, and
+sat down to admire and enjoy her treasure. As to Agostino, after
+making his best bow, and thanking the tyrant for his really
+princely munificence, he picked up his prostrate comrades, and
+carried them back to be buried again until their services should
+be needed on some, he hoped, more auspicious occasion.
+
+The driver, who had deserted his oxen and run to hide himself
+among the furze bushes at the beginning of the affray, returned
+to his post when he saw that all danger was over, and the chariot
+once more started upon its way--the worthy duenna having taken
+her doubloons out of her shoes and restored them to her purse,
+which was then deposited in the depths of a mysterious pocket.
+
+"You behaved like a real hero of romance," Isabelle said in an
+undertone to de Sigognac, "and I feel that under your protection
+we can travel securely; how bravely you attacked that bandit
+single-handedly when you had every reason to believe that he was
+supported by an armed band."
+
+"You overestimate my little exploit," the baron replied modestly,
+"there was no danger worth mentioning," then sinking his voice to
+a whisper, "but to protect you I would meet and conquer giants,
+put to flight a whole host of Saracens, attack and destroy
+dragons and horrid monsters; I would force my way through
+enchanted forests filled with snares and perils, such as we read
+of, and even descend into hell itself, like Aeneas of old. In
+your dear service the most difficult feats would be easy; your
+beautiful eyes inspire me with indomitable courage, and your
+sweet presence, or even the bare thought of you, seems to endue
+me with a super-human strength."
+
+This was, perhaps, rather exaggerated, but perfectly sincere, and
+Isabelle did not doubt for a moment that de Sigognac would be
+able to accomplish fabulous deeds of prowess in her honour and
+for her sake; and she was not so very far wrong, for he was
+becoming hourly more passiontely enamoured of her, and ardent
+young lovers are capable of prodigies of valour, inspired by the
+fair objects of their adoration.
+
+Serafina, who had overheard some of the baron's impassioned
+words, could not repress a scornful smile; so many women are apt
+to find the fervid protestations of lovers, when addressed to
+others than themselves, supremely ridiculous, yet they joyfully
+receive the very same protestations, without detecting anything
+in the least absurd in them when whispered into their own ears.
+For a moment she was tempted to try the power of her many charms,
+which she believed to be irresistible, with the young baron, and
+win him away from Isabelle; but this idea was speedily rejected,
+for Serafina held beauty to be a precious gem that should be
+richly set in gold--the gem was hers, but the golden setting was
+lamentably wanting, and poor de Sigognac could not possibly
+furnish it. So the accomplished coquette decided not to interfere
+with this newly-born love affair, which was "all very well for
+a simple-minded young girl like Isabelle," she said to herself,
+with a disdainful smile and toss of the head.
+
+Profound silence had fallen upon the party after the late
+excitement, and some of them were even growing sleepy again, when
+several hours later the driver suddenly called out, "There is the
+Chateau de Bruyeres."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.  AT THE CHATEAU DE BRUYERES
+
+The extensive domain of the Marquis de Bruyeres was situated just
+upon the edge of the Landes, and consisted mostly of productive,
+highly-cultivated land--the barren sand reaching only to the
+boundary wall of the great park that surrounded the chateau. An
+air of prosperity pervaded the entire estate, in pleasing
+contrast with the desolate region of country close at hand.
+Outside the park wall was a broad, deep ditch, filled with clear
+water and spanned by a handsome stone bridge, wide enough for two
+carriages abreast, which led to the grand entrance gates. These
+were of wrought iron, and quite a marvel of delicate workmanship
+and beauty. There was a good deal of gilding about them, and the
+lofty apex bore a marquis's crown above a shield supported by two
+naked savages, upon which the de Bruyeres arms were richly
+emblazoned--it was an entrance worthy of a royal demesne. When
+our
+party paused before it, in the course of the morning, a servant
+in a rich, showy livery was slowly opening the folding leaves of
+the magnificent gates, so as to admit them into the park. The
+very oxen hesitated ere they took their slow way through it, as
+if dazzled by so much splendour, and ashamed of their own
+homeliness--the honest brutes little suspecting that the wealthy
+nobleman's pomp and glitter are derived from the industry of the
+lowly tillers of the soil. It certainly would seem as if only
+fine carriages and prancing horses should be permitted to pass
+through such a portal as this, but the chariot of Thespis, no
+matter how humble, is privileged, and not only enters, but is
+welcome everywhere.
+
+A broad avenue led from the bridge to the chateau, passing by
+carefully clipped shrubbery, whence marble statues peeped out
+here and there, and a beautiful garden, with flower-beds
+ingeniously laid out in geometrical pattems, and brilliant with
+well contrasted colours. The narrow walks among them were
+bordered with box, and strewn with fine sand of various tints,
+and several little fountains threw up their sparkling jets among
+the flowers. In the centre of the garden was a magnificent
+fountain, with a large, oblong, marble basin, and a Triton, on a
+high pedestal, pouring water from a shell. A row of yews,
+skilfully trimmed into pyramids, balls, and various fanciful
+shapes, and placed at regular distances on each side of the grand
+avenue, extended from the entrance gates to the chateau, their
+sombre hue contrasting well with the brighter green of the
+foliage behind them. Everything was in the most perfect order;
+not a leaf out of place, nor a particle of dust to be seen
+anywhere, as if the gardeners had just freshly washed and trimmed
+every tree, shrub, and plant under their care.
+
+All this magnificence astonished and delighted the poor
+comedians, who rarely gained admission to such an abode as this.
+Serafina, affecting indifference, but noting everything carefully
+from under her lowered eye-lashes, promised herself to supplant
+the soubrette in the marquis's favour, feeling that this great
+seignior was her own legitimate prey, and ought to have devoted
+himself to her in the first place, instead of weakly yielding to
+the vulgar blandishments of the pretty waiting-maid, as he should
+no longer be permitted to do--if she had any power.
+
+Meanwhile the soubrette, feeling sure of her conquest, had given
+herself up to castle-building with all the fervour Of her ardent
+southern nature. Isabelle, who was not preoccupied by any
+ambitious projects, turned her head now and then to glance and
+smile tenderly at de Sigognac, who was sitting in the chariot
+behind her and who she knew must be feeling acutely the painful
+contrast between this splendid estate and his own desolate,
+half-ruined chateau. Her loving heart ached for him, and her
+eyes spoke sweetest sympathy to the poor young nobleman, reduced
+so low a fortune, yet so worthy of a better fate.
+
+The tyrant was deep in thought, trying to decide how, much he
+might venture to demand for the services of his troupe, and
+mentally increasing the amount at every step, as new glories
+disclosed themselves to his wondering eyes. The pedant was
+looking forward impatiently to the copious draughts of generous
+wine he felt sure of enjoying in the splendid chateau that was
+now in full view, and Leander, striving to smooth his slightly
+dishevelled locks with a dainty little tortoise-shell
+pocket-comb, was wondering, with a fluttering heart, whether a
+fair marquise dwelt within those walls, and would gaze down upon
+him from one of those windows as he alighted--indulging in high
+hopes of the impression he should make upon her susceptible
+heart.
+
+The Chateau de Bruyeres, which had been entirely rebuilt in the
+preceding reign, was a noble structure, of immense size, three
+stories in height, and enclosing a large interior court. It was
+built of red brick, with elaborate, white stone facings. There
+were many pretty balconies with sculptured stone railings, and
+large, clear panes of glass--an unusual luxury at that epoch--in
+the numerous lofty windows, through which the rich hangings
+within were visible; and a projecting porch, reached by an
+imposing flight of broad stone steps, in the centre of the
+facade, marked the main entrance. The high, steep roof was of
+slate, in several shades, wrought into a quaint, pretty pattern,
+and the groups of tall chimneys were symmetrically disposed and
+handsomely ornamented. There was a look of gaiety and luxury
+about this really beautiful chateau which gave the idea of great
+prosperity, but not the slightest approach to vulgar pretension.
+There was nothing meretricious or glaring; everything was
+substantial and in perfect taste, and an indescribably majestic,
+dignified air, if we may be allowed the expression, pervaded the
+whole establishment, which spoke of ancient wealth and nobility
+under all this modern splendour.
+
+Behind the chateau, its gardens and terraces, was a veritable
+forest of lofty, venerable trees, forming the magnificent park,
+which was of great extent, and for centuries had been the pride
+of the Bruyeres.
+
+Although our high-minded young hero had never been envious of any
+one in his life, he could not altogether suppress the melancholy
+sigh with which he remembered that in former years the de
+Sigognacs had stood higher than the de Bruyeres in the province,
+and had taken precedence of them at court; nor could he help
+contrasting in his own mind this fresh, new chateau, replete with
+every beauty and luxury that a cultivated taste could devise and
+plentiful wealth procure, with his own desolate, dilapidated
+mansion--the home of owls and rats--which was gradually but
+surely crumbling into dust, and a keen pang shot through his
+heart
+at the thought. He recalled the dreary, solitary, hopeless
+life he had led there, and said to himself that the Marquis de
+Bruyeres ought to be a very happy man, with so much to make his
+existence delightful. The stopping of the chariot at the foot of
+the broad stone steps in the front of the chateau aroused him
+from his reverie; he dismissed as quickly as he could the sad
+thoughts that had engrossed him, endeavoured to dismiss also the
+dark shadow from his brow, and jumping lightly to the ground
+turned and held out his hand to help Isabelle to descend, before
+any one else could offer her that little service.
+
+The Marquis de Bruyeres, who had seen the chariot advancing
+slowly up the avenue, stood in the porch to receive them. He was
+superbly dressed, and looked very handsome, as both Serafina and
+the soubrette secretly remarked. He descended two or three steps
+as the chariot stopped, and welcomed his guests with a friendly
+wave of the hand--doing them as much honour as if they had been
+of his own rank--which act of courtesy, let us hasten to explain,
+was because of the Baron de Sigognac's presence among them; but
+for that they would not have been brought to the main entrance at
+all.
+
+At this moment the wily soubrette, seeing her opportunity for a
+bold stroke, prepared to alight; and as de Sigognac was fully
+occupied with Isabelle, and nobody else thought of paying any
+attention to her--for she always jumped to the ground as lightly
+as a bird, disdaining assistance--she hesitated for a moment,
+with an adorable little air of timidity, and then raised an
+appealing glance to the marquis. He could not resist it, and,
+rushing down the steps to her aid, held out both hands to her.
+With wonderful art the clever little actress managed to slip and
+lose her balance, so as to fall into his extended arms, clasping
+him around the neck as she did so.
+
+"Pardon me, my lord," said she, breathlessly, to the marquis,
+feigning a confusion she was far from really feeling, "I thought
+I was going to fall, and grasped your collar, just as a drowning
+man clutches at the nearest object. A fall is a bad omen, you
+know, as well as a serious matter, for a poor actress."
+
+"Permit me to look upon this little accident as a favour," the
+marquis replied, giving her a most significant glance, and
+lightly pressing her yielding form in his arms before he released
+her.
+
+Serafina had watched this little by-play out of the corner of her
+eye, though her face was apparently turned away from them, and
+she bit her lip till it bled, with vexation; so after all the
+soubrette had succeeded, by an abominably bold action, in
+compelling the marquis to neglect her betters and give his
+warmest welcome to a low intrigante, said the "leading lady" to
+herself, swelling with righteous indignation, and abusing the
+offender roundly in her thoughts--wishing that she could do it
+aloud, and expose her outrageous, unmannerly artifice.
+
+"Jean," said the marquis to a servant in livery who stood near,
+"have this chariot taken into the court, and see that the
+decorations, scenery, etc., are carefully put in some convenient
+place; have the luggage of these ladies and gentlemen carried to
+the rooms that I ordered to be made ready for them, and take care
+that they have everything they want;" then in a lower tone, but
+very emphatically, "I desire that they should be treated with the
+utmost courtesy and respect."
+
+These orders being given, the marquis gravely ascended the steps,
+followed by the comedians, and having consigned them to his
+major-domo to show them to their respective rooms and make them
+comfortable, he gracefully bowed and left them; darting an
+admiring glance at the soubrette as he did so, which she
+acknowledged by a radiant smile, that Serafina, raging inwardly,
+pronounced "abominably bold."
+
+The chariot meantime had made its way into a back court,
+accompanied by the tyrant, the pedant and Scapin, who
+superintended the unloading of the various articles that would be
+needed--a strange medley, which the supercilious servants of the
+chateau, in their rich liveries, handled with a very lofty air of
+contempt and condescension, feeling it quite beneath their
+dignity to wait upon a band of strolling players. But they dared
+not rebel, for the marquis had ordered it, and he was a severe
+master, as well as a very generous one.
+
+The major-domo, however, conducted his charges to their appointed
+chambers with as profound an air of respect as if they had been
+real princes and princesses; for the marquis himself had visited
+the left wing of the chateau, where they were to be lodged, had
+specified the room for each guest, and ordered that they should
+want for nothing--a very unusual proceeding on his part, as he
+was in the habit of leaving all such minor details to his trusty
+major-domo. A beautiful chamber, hung with tapestry which
+represented the loves of Cupid and Psyche, was given to the
+soubrette, the pretty, dainty, blue one to Isabelle, and the
+luxurious red one to Serafina, whilst the more sober brown one
+was assigned to the duenna. The Baron de Sigognac was installed
+in a magnificent apartment, whose panelled walls were covered
+with richly embossed Spanish leather. It was close to Isabelle's
+room--a delicate attention on the part of the marquis. This
+superb chamber was always reserved for his most honoured guests,
+and in giving it to our young hero he desired to testify that he
+recognised and appreciated his rank, though he religiously
+respected his incognito.
+
+When de Sigognac was left alone, and at liberty to think over
+quietly the odd situation in which he found himself, he looked at
+his magnificent surroundings with surprise as well as
+admiration--for he had never in his life seen, or even imagined,
+such splendour and luxury. The rich glowing colours of the
+chimerical flowers and foliage embossed on a golden ground of the
+Spanish leather on the walls, the corresponding tints in the
+frescoed ceiling and the heavy, silken hangings at the windows
+and doors and round the bed, the elaborately carved and gilded
+furniture, the luxurious easy-chairs and sofas, the large mirrors
+with bevelled edges, and the dainty dressing-table, lavishly
+furnished with all the accessories of the toilet, with its oval
+glass draped with lace which was tied back with knots of gay
+ribbon, certainly did make up a charming whole, and the wood fire
+burning brightly in the open fireplace gave a cheerful, cosy air
+to it all.
+
+Our poor young baron blushed painfully as he caught sight of his
+own figure in one of the long mirrors--his shabby, ill-fitting
+clothes looked so sadly out of place amidst all this
+magnificence--and for the first time in his life he felt ashamed
+of his poverty. Highly unphilosophical this, but surely excusable
+in so young a man as our hero. With a natural desire to improve
+his forlorn appearance if he could, he unpacked the scanty supply
+of clothing that his faithful Pierre had put up for him--hoping
+that he might come across something a little less thread-bare
+than the suit he actually had on his back--but the inspection was
+not satisfactory, and he groaned as he discarded one faded,
+shabby garment after another. The linen was not any better--worn
+so that it was thin everywhere, with numerous darns and patches,
+and many holes, he could not find a single shirt that was whole
+and in good condition. He was so absorbed in this melancholy
+inspection that he did not hear a low knock at the door, nor
+notice that it was slowly pushed open, having been already ajar,
+to admit the stout person of Blazius, who approached him with
+many bows and flourishes, though entirely unobserved. When the
+pedant reached his side de Sigognac was just holding up before
+him a shirt that had as many openings as the rose window of a
+cathedral, and slowly shaking his head as he gazed at it, with an
+expression of utter discouragement.
+
+"Body of Bacchus!" exclaimed the pedant--his voice, so close at
+hand, startling the astonished baron, who had believed himself
+alone, and safe from intrusion--"that shirt has verily a valiant
+and triumphant air. It looks as if it had been worn by Mars
+himself in battle, so riddled has it been by lances, spears,
+darts, arrows, and I know not what besides. Don't be ashamed of
+it, Baron!--these holes are honourable to you. Many a shirt of
+fine linen, ruffled and embroidered, according to the latest
+fashion, disguises the graceless person of some rascally parvenu
+--and usurer as well perhaps--who usurps the place of his
+betters.
+Several of the great heroes, of immortal fame, had not a shirt to
+their backs--Ulysses, for example, that wise and valiant man, who
+presented himself before the beautiful Princess Nausicaa, with no
+other covering than a bunch of sea-weed--as we are told, in the
+Odyssey, by the grand old bard, Homer."
+
+"Unfortunately," de Sigognac replied, "there is no point of
+resemblance, my dear Blazius, between me and the brave King of
+Ithaca, save the lack of linen. _I_ have done no deeds of valour
+to shed a lustre over MY poverty. I have had no chance to make
+myself famous, and I fear that the poets will never celebrate my
+praises in glowing hexameters. But, jesting aside, I must confess
+that I do feel greatly annoyed at being forced to appear in this
+guise here. The Marquis de Bruyeres recognised me, though he made
+no sign, and he may betray my secret."
+
+"It IS a pity," said the pedant in reply, "but there's a remedy
+for every ill under the sun, save death, according to the old
+saying, and if you will permit me, I think that I can help you
+out of this awkward dilemma. We, poor players, shadows of real
+men and women, phantoms of personages of every degree, from the
+highest to the lowest, have the means necessary for assuming
+almost any character, you know. As "costumier" of the troupe I am
+accustomed to make all sorts of transformations, and can turn a
+miserable vagabond into an Alexander, or a vulgar wench into a
+princess. Now, if you are not too proud, I will exercise my poor
+skill in your lordship's service. Since you have been willing to
+join our company for this journey, do not disdain to make use of
+our resources, such as they are, and put aside these ill-fitting
+garments, which disguise your natural advantages, and make you
+feel ill at ease. Most fortunately I happen to have in reserve a
+handsome suit of black velvet, which has not the least of a
+theatrical air about it, and has never been used; any gentleman
+could wear it, and unless I am much mistaken it will fit you
+capitally. I have also the fine linen shirt, silk stockings,
+shoes--with broad buckles, and cloak to go with it--there is
+nothing wanting, not even the sword."
+
+"Oh! as to that," cried de Sigognac, with a gesture expressive of
+all that pride of birth which no misfortunes could crush, "I have
+my father's sword."
+
+"True," answered Blazius, "and guard it sacredly, my lord! for a
+sword is a faithful friend--defender of its master's life and
+honour. IT does not abandon him in times of peril and disaster,
+like the false friends who cling only to prosperity. Our stage
+swords have neither edge nor point, for they are only intended
+for show; the wounds they make disappear suddenly when the
+curtain falls, without the aid of the surgeon with his
+instruments and lint. That trusty sword of yours you can depend
+upon in any emergency, and I have already seen it doing good
+service in our behalf. But permit me to go and fetch the things I
+spoke of; I am impatient to see the butterfly emerge from the
+chrysalis."
+
+Having thus spoken, in the theatrical way that had become
+habitual with him, the worthy pedant quitted the room, and soon
+reappeared, carrying a large package, which he deposited on the
+table in the centre of the chamber.
+
+"If your lordship will accept an old actor as valet-de-chambre,"
+he said, rubbing his hands joyfully together, "I will beautify
+you in no time. All the ladies will be sure to fall in love with
+you, for--with no disrespect to the larder at the Chateau de
+Sigognac be it said--you have fasted so much in your lonely life
+there that it has made you most interestingly slender and pale--
+just what the dear creatures delight in. They would not listen to
+a word from a stout lover, even if the diamonds and pearls of the
+fairy tale dropped from his lips whenever he spoke. That is the
+sole reason for my want of success with the fair sex, and I long
+ago deserted the shrine of Venus for the worship of Bacchus. A
+big paunch is not amiss among the devotees of that merry god, for
+it bears witness to plentiful libations."
+
+Thus running on gaily, the worthy pedant strove to amuse the
+melancholy young nobleman, while he deftly performed his duties
+as valet; and they were very quickly completed, for the
+requirements of the stage necessitate great dexterity on the part
+of the actors to make the metamorphoses frequently needed with
+sufficient promptness and rapidity. Charmed with the result of
+his efforts he led de Sigognac up to one of the large mirrors,
+wherein, upon raising his eyes, he saw a figure which, at the
+first glance, he thought must be that of some person who had
+entered the room without his knowledge, and turned to ask who the
+intruder was--but there was no stranger there, and he discovered
+that it was his own reflection--so changed that he was mute with
+astonishment. A young, handsome, richly-dressed de Sigognae stood
+before him, and a radiant smile parted his lips and lighted up
+his face as he gazed at his own image, which perfected the really
+marvellous transformation. Blazius, standing near, contemplated
+his work with undisguised pride and satisfaction, changing his
+position several times so as to get different views, as a
+sculptor might who had just put the finishing touches to his
+statue altogether to his liking.
+
+"When you have made your way at court, my lord, and regained the
+position held by your ancestors, as I hope and expect that you
+will do, I shall pray you to give me a refuge for my old age in
+your household, and make me imtendant of your lordship's
+wardrobe," said he, with a profound bow to the baron.
+
+"I will not forget your request, my good Blazius, even though I
+fear that I shall never be able to comply with it," de Sigognae
+answered with a melancholy smile. "You, my kind friend, are the
+first human being that has ever asked a favour of me."
+
+"After our dinner, which we are to have very shortly, we are to
+consult with his lordship, the marquis, as to what play shall be
+given this evening, and learn from him where we are to rig our
+theatre. You will pass for the poet of the troupe; it is by no
+means an unheard-of thing for men of learning and position to
+join a band of players thus--either for the fun of the thing, and
+in hope of adventures, or for the love of a young and beautiful
+actress. I could tell you of several notable instances; and it is
+thought to be rather to a man's credit than otherwise in
+fashionable circles. Isabelle is a very good pretext for you; she
+is young, beautiful, clever, modest, and virtuous. In fact many
+an actress who takes like her the role of the ingenuous young
+girl is in reality all that she personates, though a frivolous
+and frequently licentious public will not credit it for a
+moment."
+
+Herewith the pedant discreetly retired, having accomplished, to
+his great satisfaction, what he had really feared to propose to
+the young baron, for whom he had conceived a very warm affection.
+
+Meanwhile the elegant Leander, indulging in delightful dreams of
+the possible fair chatelaine who was to fall a victim to his
+charms, was making his careful toilet--arraying himself in his
+most resplendent finery, scrupulously kept for grand
+occasions--convinced that great good fortune awaited him, and
+determined to carry the noble lady's heart by storm.
+
+As to the actresses, to whom the gallant marquis, with princely
+munificence, had sent several pieces of rich stuffs and silks, it
+is needless to say that they spared no pains to make themselves
+as charming as possible, and obeyed the summons to dinner radiant
+with smiles and in high good humour--excepting indeed the fair
+Serafina, who was inwardly consumed with envy and spite, but
+careful to conceal it from all beholders.
+
+The marquis, who was of an ardent, impatient nature, made his
+appearance in the dining-room before they had quite finished the
+sumptuous repast which had been served to them; he would not
+allow them to rise, but seated himself at the table with them,
+and when the last course had been removed, asked the tyrant to be
+good enough to give him a list of the plays they were in the
+habit of acting, so that he might select one for the evening's
+entertainment. But so many were enumerated that his lordship
+found it not easy to make a choice, and expressed his desire to
+have the tyrant's ideas upon the subject.
+
+"There is one piece we often play," Herode said, "which never
+fails to please, and is so full of good-natured fun and nonsense
+that it keeps the audience in a roar of laughter from the
+beginning to the end."
+
+"Let us have that one, by all means," the marquis exclaimed; "and
+pray what is the name of this delightful play?"
+
+"The Rodomontades of Captain Matamore."
+
+"A capital title, upon my word! and has the soubrette a good part
+in it?" asked his lordship, with a languishing glance at her.
+
+"The most racy, mischievous role imaginable," said Herode warmly,
+"and she plays it to perfection--it is her chef d'oeuvre. She is
+always applauded to the echo in it."
+
+At this high praise from the manager, Zerbine--for such was the
+soubrette's name--tried her best to get up a becoming blush, but
+in vain. Modesty she had none, and the tint she would fain have
+called into requisition at that moment was not contained in any
+of her numerous rouge-pots. So she cast down her eyes, thereby
+displaying to advantage the length and thickness of her jet-black
+lashes, and raised her hand with a deprecating gesture, which
+called attention to its pretty, taper fingers and rosy nails. The
+marquis watched he admiringly, and she certainly was very
+charming in her way. He did not vouchsafe even a glance to the
+other two young actresses--refraining from testifying any marked
+admiration for Isabelle because of the prior claim of the Baron
+de Sigognac--though he was secretly very much delighted with her
+sweet, refined style of beauty, and the quiet dignity and grace
+of her deportment. Serafina, who was naturally indignant that the
+marquis had not even asked if there was a part for her in the
+piece to be performed, accused him in her heart of being no
+gentleman, and of having very low, vulgar tastes, but she was the
+only one of the party that felt any dissatisfaction.
+
+Before the marquis left them he said to Herode, "I have given
+orders to have the orangery cleared so that our theatre can be
+arranged there; they are carrying planks, trestles, benches,
+hangings, and all other needful articles in there now. Will you
+kindly superintend the workmen, who are new to this sort of
+business? They will obey your orders as they would my own."
+
+Accordingly the tyrant, Blazius and Scapin repaired to the
+orangery, which was at a little distance from the chateau and
+admirably calculated for the purpose it was now to serve, and
+where they found everything necessary to convert it into a
+temporary theatre.
+
+Whilst this work is going forward we will make our amiable,
+indulgent readers acquainted with the fair mistress of the
+chateau--having heretofore forgotten to mention that the Marquis
+de Bruyeres was a married man; he thought of it so seldom himself
+that we may surely be pardoned for this omission. As can be
+readily imagined, from our last remark, love had not been the
+moving cause in this union. Adjoining estates, which, united in
+one, formed a noble domain, and equality of rank had been the
+chief considerations. After a very brief honeymoon, during which
+they had become painfully aware of a total want of congeniality,
+the marquis and marquise--like well-bred people, making no outcry
+about their matrimonial failure--had tacitly agreed to live
+amicably under the same roof, but entirely independent of each
+other--he to go his way and she hers, with perfect freedom. They
+always treated each other in public, and indeed whenever they
+chanced to meet, with the greatest courtesy, and might easily
+have been mistaken by a casual observer for an unusually happy
+and united pair. Mme. la Marquise occupied a sumptuous suite of
+apartments in the chateau, which her husband never thought of
+entering without first sending to ascertain whether it would be
+convenient for madame to receive him, like a formal visitor. But
+we will avail ourselves of the time-honoured privilege of
+authors, and make our way into the noble chatelaine's
+bed-chamber, without any form or ceremony--feeling sure of not
+disturbing its fair occupant, since the writer of a romance wears
+upon his finger the wonder-working ring of Gyges, which renders
+him invisible.
+
+It was a large, lofty room, hung with superb tapestry
+representing the adventures of Apollo, and exhibiting every
+luxury that wealth could procure. Here also a bright wood fire
+was, burning cheerily, and the Marquise de Bruyeres sat before
+her dressing table, with two maids in attendance upon her,
+absorbed in the all-important business of putting the finishing
+touches to her extremely becoming as well as effective toilet.
+Mme. la Marquise was a handsome brunette, whose embonpoint, which
+had succeeded to the slender outline of early youth, had added to
+her beauty; her magnificent black hair, which was one of her
+ladyship's greatest charms, was dressed in the most elaborate
+fashion--an intricate mass of glossy braids, puffs and curls,
+forming a lofty structure, and ornamented with a large bow of
+crimson ribbon, while one long curl fell upon her fair neck,
+making it look all the wihiter by contrast. Her dress of crimson
+silk, cut very low, displayed to advantage--the plump, dimpled
+shoulders, and her snowy bosom, and from a band of black velvet
+round her throat was suspended a heart-shaped locket, set with
+superb rubies and brilliants. A white satin petticoat covered
+with priceless old lace, over which the crimson silk gown, open
+in front, was looped high upon the hips, and then swept back in a
+long, ample, richly trimmed train, completed the elegant toilet
+of Mme. la Marquise. Jeanne, the favourite maid and confidante,
+held open the box of tiny black, "muoches"--without which no
+fashionable lady of that epoch considered herself fully
+equipped--while the marquise placed one, with most happy effect,
+near the corner of her rather pretty mouth, and then hesitated
+some time before she could decide where to put the other, which
+she held ready on the tip of her forefinger. The two maids stood
+motionless, breathlessly watching their mistress, as if fully
+impressed with the importance of this grave question, until at
+last the little black star found a resting-place just above the
+edge of the crimson silk bodice, to the left--indicating, in the
+accepted hierogiyphics of that age of gallantry, that he who
+aspired to the lips of the fair wearer must first win her heart.
+
+After a last lingering look in the mirror Mme. la Marquise rose
+and walked slowly towards the fire, but suddenly, remembering
+that there was yet one adornment wanting, turned back, and took
+from a beautiful casket standing open on the toilet-table, a
+large, thick watch--called in those days a Nuremberg egg--which
+was curiously enamelled in a variety of bright colours, and set
+with brilliants. It hung from a short, broad chain of rich
+workmanship, which she hooked into her girdle, near another chain
+of the same description, from which depended a small hand-mirror
+in a pretty gold frame.
+
+"Madame is looking her loveliest to-day," said Jeanne in
+flattering tones; "her hair is dressed to perfection, and her
+gown fits like a glove."
+
+"Do you really think so?" asked her mistress languidly, and with
+affected indifference. "It seems to me, on the contrary, that I
+am positively hideous. My eyes are sunken, and this colour makes
+me look immensely stout. I have half a mind to exchange this
+dress for a black one now. What do you think, Jeanne? Black makes
+people look slender, they say."
+
+"If madame insists upon it I can quickly make the exchange; but
+it would be a sad pity not to wear such an elegant and becoming
+costume as madame has on now."
+
+"Well, let it be then; but it will be all your fault, Jeanne, if
+I fail to receive as much admiration as usual this evening. Do
+you know whether the marquis has invited many people to come and
+see this play?"
+
+"Yes, madame, several messengers have been sent off on horseback
+in different directions, and there will be sure to be a large
+gathering--they will come from all the chateaux within driving
+distance--for such an occasion as this is rare, here in the
+depths of the country."
+
+"You are right," said Mme. la Marquise, with a deep sigh, which
+was almost a groan; "we are buried alive in this dreary place.
+And what about these players?--have you seen them, Jeanne?--are
+there any handsome young actors among them?"
+
+"I have only had a glimpse of them, madame, and such people are
+so painted and fixed up, they say, that it is hard to tell what
+they really do look like; but there was one slender young man,
+with long, black curls and a very good figure, who had quite a
+grand air."
+
+"That must be the lover, Jeanne, for it is always the best
+looking young actor in the troupe who takes that part. It would
+be ridiculous, you know, to have a stout old codger, or a very
+ugly man, or even an awkward one, making declarations of love,
+and going down on their knees, and all that sort of thing--it
+would not do at all, Jeanne!"
+
+"No, madame, it would not be very nice," said the maid with a
+merry laugh, adding shrewdly, "and although it seems to make very
+little difference what husbands may be like, lovers should always
+be everything that is charming."
+
+"I confess that I have a weakness for those stage gallants," Mme.
+la Marquise said with a little sigh, "they are so handsome, and
+so devoted--they always use such beautiful language, and make
+such
+graceful gestures--they are really irresistible. I cannot help
+feeling vexed when their impassioned appeals are received coldly,
+and they are driven to despair, as so often happens in plays; I
+would like to call them to me and try to console them, the
+bewitching creatures!"
+
+"That is because madame has such a kind heart that she can't bear
+to see any one suffer without trying to help and comfort them,"
+said the specious Jeanne. "Now I am of quite a different
+mind--nothing I would like better than to flout a sentimental
+suitor; fine words would not gain any favour with me--I should
+distrust them."
+
+"Oh! you don't understand the matter, Jeanne! You have not read
+as many romances, or seen as many plays as I have. Did you say
+that young actor was very handsome?"
+
+"Mme. la Marquise can judge for herself," answered the maid, who
+had gone to the window, "for he is just crossing the court this
+blessed minute, on his way to the orangery, where they are
+rigging up their theatre."
+
+Mme. la Marquise hastened to the window, and there was Leander in
+full view, walking along slowly, apparently lost in thought, and
+wearing a tender, sad expression, which he considered especially
+effective and interesting--as we have said, he never for a moment
+forgot his role. As he drew near he looked up, as by a sudden
+inspiration, to the very window where the marquise stood watching
+him, and instantly taking off his hat with a grand flourish, so
+that its long feather swept the ground, made a very low
+obeisance, such as courtiers make to a queen; then drew himself
+up proudly to his full height, and darting an ardent glance of
+admiration and homage at the beautiful unknown, put on his broad
+felt hat again and went composedly on his way. It was admirably
+well done; a genuine cavalier, familiar with all the gallant
+usages in vogue at court, could not have acquitted himself
+better. Flattered by this mark of respect for her rank and
+admiration of her beauty, so gracefully tendered, Mme. la
+Marquise could not help acknowledging it by a slight bend of the
+head, and a little half suppressed smile. These favourable signs
+did not escape Leander, who, with his usual self-conceit, took a
+most exaggerated view of their import. He did not for a moment
+doubt that the fair mistress of the chateau--for he took it for
+granted it was she--had fallen violently in love with him, then
+and there; he felt sure that he had read it in her eyes and her
+smile. His heart beat tumultuously; he trembled with excitement;
+at last it had come! the dream of his life was to be
+accomplished; he, the poor, strolling player, had won the heart
+of a great lady; his fortune was made! He got through the
+rehearsal to which he had been summoned as best he might, and the
+instant it was over hastened back to his own room, to indite an
+impassioned appeal to his new divinity, and devise some means to
+insure its reaching her that same evening.
+
+As everything was in readiness the play was to begin as soon as
+the invited guests had all assembled. The orangery had been
+transformed into a charming little theatre, and was brilliantly
+lighted by many clusters of wax candles. Behind the spectators
+the orange trees had been arranged in rows, rising one above the
+other, and filled the air with their delicious fragrance. In the
+front row of seats, which was composed of luxurious arm-chairs,
+were to be seen the beautiful Yolande de Foix, the Duchesse de
+Montalban, the Baronne d'Hagemeau, the Marquise de Bruyres, and
+many other titled dames, resplendent in gorgeous array, and vying
+with each other in magnificence and beauty. Rich velvets,
+brilliant satins, cloth of silver and gold, misty laces, gay
+ribbons, white feathers, tiaras of diamonds, strings of pearls,
+superb jewels, glittering in delicate shell-like ears, on white
+necks and rounded arms, were in profusion, and the scene would
+have graced the court itself. If the surpassingly lovely Yolande
+de Foix had not been present, several radiant mortal goddesses in
+the exceptionally brilliant assemblage might have made it
+difficult for a Paris to decide between their rival claims to the
+golden apple; but her beauty eclipsed them all, though it was
+rather that of the haughty Diana than the smiling Venus. Men
+raved about her, declared her irresistible, worshipped at her
+shrine, but never dared aspire to her love; one scornful glance
+from her cold blue eyes effectually extinguished any nascent
+hope, and the cruel beauty punished presumption as relentlessly,
+and won and flung away hearts with as much nonchalance, as ever
+did her immortal prototype, the fair goddess of the chase.
+
+How was this exquisite creature dressed? It would require more
+sang-froid than we are possessed of to venture upon a description
+of her perfect toilet; her raiment floated about her graceful
+form like a luminous cloud, in which one could think only of
+herself; we believe, however, that there were clusters of pearls
+nestling amid the bright curls that made an aureola--a veritable
+golden glory--about her beautiful head.
+
+Behind these fair ladies sat or stood the nobles and gentlemen
+who had the honour of being their fathers, husbands, and
+brothers. Some were leaning forward to whisper soft nothings and
+dainty compliments into willing ears, others lounging and fanning
+themselves lazily with their broad felt hats, and others still
+standing in the background looking admiringly at the pretty group
+before them. The hum of conversation filled the air, and a slight
+impatience was just beginning to manifest itself among the
+waiting audience, when the traditional three knocks were heard,
+and all suddenly subsided into silence.
+
+The curtain rose slowly and revealed a very pretty scene
+representing a public square where several streets met,
+surrounded by picturesque houses with small latticed windows,
+overhanging gables, high peaked roofs, and smoke curling upwards
+from the slender chimneys against the blue sky.
+
+One of these houses had a practicable door and window, whilst two
+of those in the side scenes enjoyed equal advantages, and one of
+them was furnished with a balcony. A few trees were scattered
+about in front of the houses, and, though the painting was not of
+the highest order of scenic art, the general effect was very
+good, and won a round of applause from the aristocratic audience.
+The piece opens with a quarrel between the testy old bourgeois,
+Pandolphe, and his daughter, Isabelle, who, being in love with a
+handsome young suitor, obstinately refuses to obey her father's
+commands and marry a certain Captain Matamore, with whom he is
+perfectly infatuated. She is ably supported in her resistance by
+her pretty maid, Zerbine, who is well paid by Leander, the
+favoured lover, to espouse his cause. To all the curses and abuse
+that Pandolphe showers upon her, she answers gaily with the most
+exasperating and amusing impertinences, advising him to marry
+this fine captain himself if he is so fond of him; as for her
+part she will never suffer her dear, beautiful mistress to become
+the wife of that horrid old codger, that abominable bully, that
+detestable scarecrow! Whereupon Pandolphe, furiously angry,
+orders her into the house, so that he may speak to his daughter
+alone; and when she refuses to obey, and defies him to make her,
+he takes her by the shoulders and attempts to force her to go,
+but she, bending forward with admirable elasticity, from the
+waist only, at each vigorous effort of his, stands her ground and
+does not budge one inch from her place, breaking into peals of
+laughter at every fresh attempt, and accompanying it all with an
+irresistibly saucy, comical by-play, that wins her round after
+round of enthusiastic applause--whilst the Marquis de Bruyeres,
+enchanted with her spirited acting, congratulates himself anew
+upon the happy chance that threw this charming creature in his
+way.
+
+Another character now enters upon the scene, looking cautiously
+about him at every step, as if he feared an unpleasant surprise.
+This is Leander, the horror of fathers, husbands, and guardians,
+the delight of wives, daughters, and wards--in one word, the
+lover--the very beau-ideal of a lover; young, handsome, ardent,
+ready for anything, winning over strict old duennas, bribing pert
+waiting-maids, climbing up rope-ladders, overcoming every
+obstacle to reach the fair mistress of his affections, and
+kneeling at her feet to pour out burning protestations of love
+and devotion, that no mortal woman could ever resist. Suddenly
+perceiving that Pandolphe is here, where he only expected to find
+Isabelle, Leander stops and throws himself into an attitude,
+which he has frequently practised before the mirror, and which,
+he flatters himself, shows his handsome person to great
+advantage; standing with his weight thrown upon the left leg, the
+right one advanced and slightly bent at the knee; one hand on the
+hilt of his sword, the other stroking his chin, so as to make the
+big diamond on his finger flash in the light, and a slight smile
+playing about his lips. He really did look very handsome as he
+stood there, and was greatly admired by all the ladies--even the
+haughty Yolande herself not disdaining to smile upon him
+approvingly. Profiting by the opportunity that this pause gave
+him, Leander fixed his eyes upon the Marquise de Bruyeres, with
+such a look of passionate entreaty and admiration that she
+blushed crimson in spite of herself under his ardent gaze; then
+he turned reluctantly towards Isabelle, with an absent,
+indifferent air, which he intended should indicate to the fair
+object of his aspirations the difference between real and
+simulated passion.
+
+When Pandolphe becomes aware of the presence of Leander he is
+more furious than ever, and hustles his daughter and her maid
+into the house as quickly as possible, not, however, without
+Zerbine's finding means to take from Leander a note for Isabelle,
+which she slips into the pocket of her coquettish little apron.
+The young man, left alone with the irate father, assures him in
+the most respectful manner that his intentions are honourable;
+that he asks the hand of his fair daughter in marriage; that he
+is of gentle birth, has an ample fortune, and is in high favour
+at court; that nothing could ever induce him to give up Isabelle;
+he is ready to risk everything to win her, for he loves her
+better than his life--delicious words, which the young girl
+listens to with rapture from her balcony, whence she makes little
+signs of approval and encouragement to her lover, quite unknown
+to the stern father, whose back is turned to her, and who
+believes her safely locked up in the house. Despite the
+mellifluous eloquence of the ardent young suitor Pandolphe
+remains obstinate and unmoved, and swears, by all the gods that
+either he will have Captain Matamore for his son-in-law, or his
+refractory daughter shall be shut up in a convent and forced to
+become a nun. Off he bustles in hot haste to find a notary and
+have the contract of marriage drawn without further delay.
+
+As soon as he is out of sight Leander tries to persuade
+Isabelle--who is still in her balcony, her father having carried
+off the key of the street door in his pocket--to consent to fly
+from such persecution, and accompany him to the cell of a certain
+holy hermit whom he knows, and who is always willing and ready to
+marry runaway couples like themselves, whose loves are thwarted
+by tyrannical parents. But the young girl answers modestly, yet
+firmly, that, although she wishes nothing so earnestly as to be
+permitted to bestow her hand upon her faithful Leander, who
+already has her heart, she cannot disobey her father, for that
+she, like all dutiful daughters, is in duty bound to respect and
+submit to the commands of the author of her being; but she
+promises never to marry the detested Captain Matamore--she will
+go into the convent rather than listen to him for a moment.
+Unable to shake her decision Leander then retires to devise
+plans, with the aid of his clever valet, to overcome the
+formidable obstacles in his way--more than ever determined not to
+give up the fair Isabelle, and promising her to return in the
+evening and report progress.
+
+Isabelle retires from her balcony and closes her window, and a
+moment after Captain Matamore strides fiercely upon the stage--
+his appearance is greeted with peals of laughter--his tall,
+attenuated figure is encased in an absurd costume, in which the
+bright red and yellow stripes of his tunic meet in points in
+front and behind, whilst they run spirally round his long, thin
+arms and legs, producing the most preposterously comical effect
+imaginable; a stiffly-starched ruff, immensely broad, encircles
+his neck, upon which his head seems to be set, like that of John
+the Baptist on the charger; a large felt hat, turned up at one
+side, and ornamented with a huge tuft of red and yellow feathers,
+is stuck jauntily on his head, and a short cloak of the same
+colour, fastened round his neck and thrown back from his
+shoulders, floats behind him. He wears an enormous sword, whose
+heavily weighted hilt keeps the point always raised and standing
+out prominently behind him, whilst from it dangles a clever
+imitation of a spider's web--a convincing proof of how much he is
+in the habit of making use of this formidable weapon. Closely
+followed by his valet, Scapin, who is in imminent danger of
+having an eye put out by the end of his master's big sword, he
+marches several times around the stage, taking preternaturally
+long strides, rolling his eyes about fiercely, twisting the long
+ends of his huge mustache, and indulging in a variety of
+ridiculous gestures indicative of exaggerated rage and fury,
+which are irresistibly funny--all the more so because there is
+nothing whatever to provoke this display of ferocity. Finally he
+stops in front of the footlights, strikes an attitude, and
+delivers himself thus: "For to-day, Scapin, I am willing to let
+my man-killer here have a little rest, so that there may be an
+opportunity to get all its recent victims decently buried, in the
+cemeteries I contribute so largely towards filling. When a man
+has performed such feats of courage and carnage as I have--
+killing my hundreds single-handed, while my dastardly comrades
+trembled with fear, or turned and fled from the foe--to say
+nothing of my daily affairs of honour, now that the wars are
+over--he may assuredly indulge himself occasionally in milder
+amusements. Besides, the whole civilized world, having now been
+subjugated by my good sword, no longer offers any resistance to
+my indomitable arm, and Atropos, the eldest of the dread Parcae
+sisters, has sent word to me that the fatal scissors, with which
+she cuts the threads of human lives, have become so dulled by the
+great amount of work my trusty blade has given her to do with
+them, that she has been obliged to send them to Vulcan to be
+sharpened, and she begs for a short respite. So you see, Scapin,
+I must put force upon myself and restrain my natural ardour--
+refrain for a time from wars, massacres, sacking of cities,
+stand-up fights with giants, killing of monsters and dragons,
+like Theseus and Hercules of glorious memory, and all the other
+little pastimes which usually occupy my good sword and me. I will
+take my ease now for a brief period, and Death may enjoy a short
+rest too. But to whom did my worthy prototype, Mars, the great
+god of war, devote HIS leisure hours? in whose sweet society did
+HE find delight? Ask Venus, the immortal goddess of love and
+beauty, who had the good taste to prefer a warlike man to all
+others, and lent a willing ear to the suit of my valiant
+predecessor. So I, following his illustrious example, condescend
+to turn my attention for the moment to the tender sex, and pay
+my court to the fair Isabelle, the young and beautiful object of
+my ardent love. Being aware that Cupid, with all his assurance,
+would not dare to aim one of his golden-tipped arrows at such an
+all-conquering hero as my unworthy self, I have given him a
+little encouragement; and, in order that the shaft may penetrate
+to the generous lion's heart that beats in this broad breast, I
+have laid aside the world-famed coat of mail--made of the rings
+given to me by goddesses, empresses, queens, infantas,
+princesses,
+and great ladies of every degree, my illustrious admirers the
+world over--which is proof against all weapons, and has so often
+saved my life in my maddest deeds of daring."
+
+"All of which signifies," interrupts the valet, who had listened
+to this high-blown tirade with ill-concealed impatience, "as far
+as my feeble intellect can comprehend such magnificent eloquence,
+that your most redoubtable lordship has fallen in love with some
+young girl hereabouts, like any ordinary mortal."
+
+"Really, Scapin," says Matamore, with good-humoured
+condescension, "you have hit the nail upon the head--you are not
+so stupid after all, for a valet. Yes, I  have fallen in love,
+but do not imagine for a moment that my courage will suffer
+diminution on that account. It was all very well for Samson to
+allow his hair to be cut off, and for Alcides to handle the
+distaff at the bidding of his mistress; but Delilah would not
+have dared to touch one hair of my head, and Omphale should have
+pulled off my boots for me--at the least sign of revolt I would
+have given her worse to do: cleaning the skin of the Nemaean
+lion, for instance, when I brought it home all fresh and
+bleeding, just as I had torn it from the quivering carcass. The
+thought that has lately occurred to me, that I have subjugated
+only half of the human race, is humiliating. Women, by reason of
+their weakness, escape me; I cannot treat them as I do my
+masculine opponents--cut their throats, run them through the
+body, or hew off their arms and legs; I must lay siege to their
+hearts, and conquer them in that way. It is true that I have
+stormed and taken a greater number of such fair citadels than
+there are drops of water in the ocean, or stars in the sky--why,
+I sleep on a mattress stuffed with thousands of beautiful curls
+and tresses of every shade, light and dark, golden and jet-black,
+which are among my most treasured trophies. Juno herself has made
+overtures to me, but I turned a deaf ear to her blandishments,
+finding her charms rather too ripe for my taste; I prefer the
+first flush of youthful beauty; it is a pure and innocent maiden
+that I would honour with my notice now, but she repulses me--that
+I should live to say it!--she dares to repulse me. I cannot
+permit such an impertinence on her part, and the fair Isabelle
+must humbly sue to me for pardon, and herself bringing the golden
+keys of the citadel of her heart, upon a salver of silver, offer
+them to me upon her bended knees, with streaming eyes and
+dishevelled tresses, begging for grace and favour in my sight. Go
+now, and summon the fortress to surrender--this house contains
+the rebellious fair."
+
+But doors and windows remain inexorably closed, and no notice is
+taken of the valet's thundering knocks and mocking summons to
+surrender; secure in the strength of their bolts and bars, the
+garrison, which consists of Isabelle and her maid, vouchsafes no
+reply. Matamore, becoming more enraged at each vain attempt to
+gain a response from his fair enemy, stamps about the stage,
+roaring out his defiance, threatening to sack and burn the place,
+pouring out volleys of remarkable oaths, and lashing himself into
+such a fury that he actually foams at the mouth. When his valet
+at length, after many vain efforts, is able to gain a hearing,
+and tells him of his formidable rival, Leander, and how he has
+already won the lady's heart, all his rage is turned against that
+fortunate suitor, of whom he vows that he will make mince-meat as
+soon as he can lay hands on him. At this very moment Leander
+himself returns, and Scapin points him out to his master as he
+approaches, adding that he will keep a sharp look-out for the
+police while Matamore is giving him his quietus. But the cowardly
+braggadocio would fain withdraw, now that the enemy is actually
+in sight, and is only restrained from flight by his servant, who
+pushes him forward directly in Leander's path.
+
+Seeing that escape is impossible, Matamore settles his hat firmly
+on his head, twists the long ends of his mustache, puts his hand
+on the hilt of his big sword, and advances threateningly towards
+Leander--but it is pure bravado, for his teeth are chattering
+with fear, and his long, thin legs waver and tremble under him
+visibly, like reeds shaken by the wind. Only one hope remains to
+him--that of intimidating Leander by loud threats and ferocious
+gestures, if, by a happy chance, he be a fellow of his own
+kidney. So in a terrible voice he addresses him thus: "Sir, do
+you know that I am the great Captain Matamore of the celebrated
+house of Cuerno de Cornazan, and allied to the no less
+illustrious family of Escobombardon de la Papirontonda? I am a
+descendant, on my mother's side, of the famous Antacus, the
+ancient hero and giant."
+
+"Well, you may be a descendant of the man in the moon for all
+that I care," answers Leander, with a disdainful shrug of the
+shoulders; "what the devil have I to do with such absurd stuff
+and nonsense?"
+
+"Blood and bones! thunder and Mars! You see, sir, you shall see,
+and that very quickly, what you have to do with it, unless you
+take yourself off in the twinkling of an eye. I will give you one
+minute's grace, for your extreme youth touches me, so take to
+your heels and fly while there is yet time. Observe me well! I am
+the terror of the whole world--my path is marked with graves--my
+own shadow scarcely dares to follow me into the perils I delight
+in. If I enter a besieged city, it is by the breach--when I quit
+it I pass under a triumphal arch; if I cross a river, it is one
+of blood, and the bridge is made of the bodies of my adversaries.
+I can toss a knight and his horse, both, weighted with armour,
+high into the air. I can snap elephants' bones, as you would
+pipe-stems. When great Mars himself chances to meet me on the
+battle-field he turns and flees, dreading the weight of my arm.
+My prowess is so well known, and the terror I inspire so great,
+that no one dares to meet me face to face, and I never see
+anything but the backs of my retreating foes."
+
+"Is it so? well, you shall meet ME face to face. Take THAT, and
+see how you like it!" says Leander laughing merrily, and giving
+him a sounding slap on one cheek which almost knocks the poor
+devil over, and is instantly followed by an equally hearty one on
+the other, to restore his equilibrium.
+
+During this scene Isabelle and Zerbine come out upon the balcony.
+The mischievous soubrette goes into convulsions of laughter,
+whilst her mistress nods encouragingly to Leander. Meantime
+Pandolphe, accompanied by the notary, turns the corner of one of
+the streets and enters the square just in time to see Leander's
+extraordinary exploit, whereat he is horrified and amazed. The
+valiant captain bellows like a bull, shrieks out the most
+frightful threats and curses, vowing all sorts of vengeance, and
+making prodigious efforts to draw his big sword, so that he may
+forthwith set about cutting up his unmannerly assailant into
+mince-meat. He tugs and strains until he is red in the face, but
+his "man-killer" cannot be induced to quit the scabbard and
+Leander, growing impatient, follows up his first attack with a
+vigorous, well directed kick, which sends the unlucky bully
+flying
+to the other side of the stage, where he falls all in a heap and
+rolls in the dust. The handsome, young gallant then bows
+gracefully to Isabelle and retires from the scene.
+
+Captain Matamore meanwhile lies sprawling on the ground, making
+ludicrous and ineffectual efforts to regain his feet. Pandolphe
+and Scapin go to his assistance, and when they have hauled him
+up, and he has made sure that Leander is no longer present, he
+roars out in a voice of thunder: "Scapin, quick, hoop me with
+iron bands or I shall burst! I am in such a rage! I shall explode
+like a bomb! and you, treacherous blade, do YOU play me false at
+such a moment? Is it thus you reward me for having always tried
+to slake your insatiable thirst with the blood of the bravest and
+noblest? I don't know why I have not already broken you into a
+thousand pieces, as you so richly deserve--false, ungrateful
+weapon that you are! But stay--was it to teach me that it is
+unworthy of the true warrior to desert his post?--or forget his
+sterner duties in the soft delights of love?--was it for that you
+refused to leap from your scabbard as of old? It is true, alas!
+that thus far this week I have not defeated a single army--I have
+killed neither ogre nor dragon--I have not furnished his usual
+rations to Death--and in consequence my trusty blade has rusted
+in the scabbard--that I should live to say it! rusted!--and I
+have been forced to submit to insults, and even blows, before the
+very eyes of my mistress. What a lesson! Henceforth I shall make
+it a rule to kill at least three men every morning before I break
+my fast, so as to be sure that my good sword plays freely--keep
+me in mind, Scapin, do you hear?"
+
+"Perhaps Leander will return before long," says the valet;
+"suppose we all help you to draw your 'TRUSTY BLADE,' so that you
+may be ready for him."
+
+Matamore, accordingly, plants himself firmly, holding the
+scabbard in both hands, Scapin seizes the handle of the sword,
+Pandolphe clasps him firmly round the waist, the notary tries to
+do as much by Pandolphe's stout person, and they all pull and
+pull. For some time the rusty old sword resists all their
+efforts, but at last yields suddenly, and the three fall in a
+confused heap on the ground, with legs and arms waving wildly in
+the air, while Matamore tumbles the other way, still clinging to
+the now empty scabbard. Picking himself up as quickly as
+possible he seizes his big sword, which has dropped from the
+valet's hand, and waving it triumphantly says with stem emphasis,
+"Now Leander's fate is sealed! There is but one way for him to
+escape certain death. He must emigrate to some distant planet.
+If he be sufficiently fool-hardy to remain on this globe I will
+find him, no matter in what distant land he strives to hide
+himself, and transfix him with this good sword--unless indeed he
+be first turned to stone by the terrible Medusa-like power of my
+eye."
+
+In spite of all that he has witnessed, the obstinate old father
+still feels unbounded faith in Matamore's valour, and persists in
+his lamentable intention to bestow the hand of his fair daughter
+upon this magnificent hero. Poor Isabelle bursts into tears, and
+declares that she prefers the convent to such a fate. Zerbine
+loudly swears that this marriage shall never take place, and
+tries to console her weeping mistress. Matamore attributes this
+rather discouraging demonstration on the part of Isabelle to an
+excess of maidenly modesty, not doubting her penchant for
+himself, though he acknowledges that he has not yet properly paid
+his court, nor shown himself in all his glory to her--this last
+from prudential motives, feanng lest she might be dangerously
+dazzled and overwhelmed if he should burst upon her too suddenly
+in the full splendour of his heroic character, remembering, and
+taking warning by, the sad and terrible fate that befell Semele,
+when Jupiter, reluctantly yielding to her wishes, appeared before
+her with all the insignia of his majesty.
+
+Isabelle and her maid withdrew from the balcony, without taking
+any further notice of the valiant Matamore; but he, undaunted,
+wishing to play the lover after the most approved fashion, plants
+himself resolutely under her window and sends Scapin to fetch a
+guitar; upon which he thrums awkwardly for a while, and then
+accompanies it with his voice, in an attempt at a Spanish love
+song, which sounds much like the nocturnal caterwauling of a
+disconsolate tabby than anything else we can compare it to. A
+dash of cold water, mischievously thrown down on him by Zerbine
+under pretext of watering the plants in the balcony, does not
+extinguish his musical ardour. "A gentle shower from the sweet
+eyes of my Isabelle, moved to tears by this plaintive melody,"
+says he, "for it is universally conceded that I excel in music as
+in arms, and wield the lyre as skilfully as the sword."
+
+Unfortunately for him, Leander suddenly reappears, and highly
+indignant that this miserable rascal should presume to serenade
+HIS mistress, snatches the guitar from his hands and begins
+whacking him over the head with it, so furiously that it is
+quickly broken through, and slipping over the unhappy serenader's
+head remains fixed round his neck, so that he is completely at
+the mercy of his assailant. Holding fast to the handle of the
+guitar, Leander hauls him about the stage, banging him against
+the side-scenes, dragging him forward to the footlights--making
+the most absurd scene imaginable--and finally, letting go of him
+suddenly, sends him sprawling on the ground. Fancy the ridiculous
+appearance of the unfortunate bully, who looked as if he had put
+his head through a frying-pan!
+
+But his miseries are not yet at an end. Leander's valet had been
+arranging a clever little plot to prevent the fulfilment of the
+proposed marriage between Isabelle and Captain Matamore. At his
+instigation, a certain Doralice, very pretty and coquettish,
+makes her appearance, accompanied by a fierce-looking
+brother--represented by Herode--carrying two immensely long
+rapiers under his arm, and evidently "spoiling for a fight." The
+young lady complains that she has been shamefully jilted by
+Captain Matamore, who has deserted her for Isabelle, the daughter
+of a certain Pandolphe, and demands instant reparation for this
+outrage, adding that her brother is ready to exact it at the
+point of the sword, or avenge the insult by taking the life of
+the heartless villain who has trifled with her youthful
+affections.
+
+"Make haste to give this rascal his quietus," says Pandolphe to
+his future son-in-law; "it will be only child's play for you, who
+have fearlessly encountered, single-handed, a whole army of
+Saracens."
+
+Very reluctantly, and after many most absurd grimaces, Matamore
+crosses swords with Doralice's ferocious brother, but he trembles
+so that the latter, with one quick movement, sends his weapon
+flying out of his hand, and chastises him with the flat of his
+sword until he roars for mercy.
+
+To cap the climax, Mme. Leonarde comes upon the scene, mopping
+her streaming eyes with an enormous pocket-handkerchief, sighing
+and sobbing, and bewailing herself. She goes straight to
+Pandolphe and shows him a written promise of marriage, over
+Matamore's signature, cleverly counterfeited; whereupon the poor
+wretch, convicted of such abominable and complicated perfidy, is
+assailed with a new shower of blows and curses, and finally
+condemned, by the unanimous vote of all present, to marry old
+Mme. Leonarde--who has made herself as hideous as possible--as a
+fitting punishment for all his deviltries, rodomontades, and
+cowardice. Pandolphe, thoroughly disgusted with Matamore at last,
+makes no further objections to Leander's suit, and the curtain
+falls as he gives his consent to the marriage of the two young
+lovers.
+
+This bouffonnade, being played with great spirit, was
+enthusiastically applauded. The gentlemen were charmed with the
+mischievous, coquettish soubrette, who was fairly radiant with
+beauty that evening; the ladies were greatly pleased with
+Isabelle's refinement and modesty; whilst Matamore received the
+well merited encomiums of all. It would have been impossible to
+find, even in the great Parisian theatres, an actor better fitted
+for the part he had played so admirably. Leander was much admired
+by all the younger ladies, but the gentlemen agreed, without a
+dissenting voice, that he was a horridly conceited coxcomb.
+Wherever he appeared indeed this was the universal verdict, with
+which he was perfectly content--caring far more for his handsome
+person, and the effect it produced upon the fair sex, than for
+his art; though, to do him justice, he was a very good actor.
+Serafina's beauty did not fail to find admirers, and more than
+one young gentleman swore by his mustache that she was an
+adorable creature--quite regardless of the displeasure of the
+fair ladies within hearing.
+
+During the play, de Sigognac, hidden in the coulisses, had
+enjoyed intensely Isabelle's charming rendering of her part,
+though he was more than a little jealous of the favour she
+apparently bestowed upon Leander--and especially at the tender
+tone of her voice whenever she spoke to him--not being yet
+accustomed to the feigned love-making on the stage, which often
+covers profound antipathies and real enmity. When the play was
+over, he complimented the young actress with a constrained,
+embarrassed air, which she could not help remarking, and
+perfectly understood.
+
+"You play that part admirably, Isabelle! so well that one might
+almost think there was some truth in it."
+
+"Is it not my duty to do so?" she asked smilingly, secretly
+pleased at his displeasure; "did not the manager engage me for
+that?"
+
+"Doubtless," de Sigognac replied, "but you seemed to be REALLY in
+love with that conceited fellow, who never thinks of anything but
+his own good looks, and how to display them to the best
+advantage."
+
+"But the role required it. You surely would not have had me play
+it as if he disgusted me! besides, did I not preserve throughout
+the quiet demeanour of a well-bred, respectable girl? If I failed
+in that you must tell me how and where, so that I may endeavour
+to correct it in future."
+
+"Oh no! you appeared from the beginning to the end like a modest,
+retiring, young lady--no, there is no fault to be found with you
+in that respect; your acting was inimitable--so graceful,
+lady-like, and easy--but withal so true to nature that it was
+almost too real."
+
+"My dear baron, they are putting out the lights; everybody has
+gone but ourselves, and we shall be left in the dark if we don't
+make haste. Be good enough to throw this cloak around my
+shoulders and accompany me to the chateau."
+
+De Sigognac acquitted himself of this novel duty with less
+awkwardness than might have been expected, though his hands
+trembled a little, and he felt an almost irresistible desire to
+take her into his arms as he wrapped the mantle  round her
+slender form; but he restrained himself, and respectfully
+offering his arm led her out of the orangery, which by this time
+was entirely deserted. It was, as we have said, at a little
+distance from the chateau, and on the level of the park, lower
+than the mansion, which stood on a high terrace, with a handsome
+stone balustrade at the edge, supporting at regular intervals
+large vases filled with blooming plants, in the pretty Italian
+fashion. A broad, easy flight of stone steps led up to the
+terrace, affording in their ascent a most imposing view of the
+chateau, which loomed up grandly against the evening sky. Many of
+the windows on this side were lighted, whilst the others
+glistened brightly as the silvery moon-beams struck upon them--as
+did also the dewdrops on the shrubbery and the grass-plots--as if
+a shower of diamonds had fallen on this favoured spot. Looking
+towards the park, the long vistas cut through the wood, losing
+themselves in the hazy blue of the distance, called to mind
+Breughel's famous picture of Paradise, or else disclosed the
+far-away gleam of a marble statue, or the spray of a misty
+fountain sparkling in the moonlight.
+
+Isabelle and de Sigognac slowly ascended the broad steps, pausing
+frequently to turn and look back at this enchanting scene, and
+charmed with the beauty of the night walked for a little while to
+and fro upon the terrace before retiring to their rooms. As they
+were in full sight of the windows, and it was not yet very late,
+thle modest young girl felt that there could be no impropriety in
+this little indulgence; and besides, the baron's extreme timidity
+was very reassuring to her, and she knew that he would not
+presume upon the favour accorded to him. He had not made a formal
+avowal of his love to her, but she was as well aware of it as if
+he had, and also of his profound respect for her, which sentiment
+is indeed always an accompaniment of a worthy passion. She knew
+herself beloved--the knowledge was very sweet to her--and she
+felt herself safe from all fear of offence in the company of this
+honourable gentleman and true lover. With the delicious
+embarrassment of nascent, unavowed love, this young couple
+wandering by moonlight in a lonely garden, side by side, arm in
+arm, only exchanged the most insignificant, commonplace remarks;
+but if no undercurrent was betrayed by actual words, the
+trembling, voices, long pauses, stifled sighs, and low,
+confidential tones told of strong emotions beneath this quiet
+surface.
+
+The chamber assigned to the beautiful Yolande de Foix, near that
+of Mme. la Marquise, was on this side of the chateau, overlooking
+the park, and after she had dismissed her maid, she went to the
+window to look out once more upon the exceeding beauty of the
+night, and caught sight of de Sigognac and Isabelle, pacing
+slowly back and forth on the terrace below, without any other
+company than their own shadows. Assuredly the disdainful Yolande,
+haughty as a goddess, could never have felt anything but scorn
+for our poor young baron, past whom she had sometimes flashed in
+a whirlwind of light and noise in the chase, and whom she had so
+recently cruelly insulted; but still it displeased her to see him
+devoting himself thus to a beautiful young girl, to whom he was
+undoubtedly making love at that very moment. She had regarded him
+as her own humble vassal--for she had not failed to read the
+passionate admiration in his eyes whenever they met her own--and
+could not brook his shaking off his allegiance thus; her slaves
+ought to live and die in her service, even though their fidelity
+were never rewarded by a single smile. She watched them, with a
+frowning brow, until they disappeared, and then sought her conch
+in anything but a tranquil mood, haunted by the lover-like pair
+that had so roused her wrath, and still kept her long awake.
+
+De Sigognac escorted Isabelle to the door of her chamber, where
+he bade her good-night, and as he turned away towards his own,
+saw, at the end of the corridor, a mysterious looking individual
+closely wrapped in a large cloak, with one end thrown over the
+shoulder in Spanish fashion, and so drawn up round his face that
+only the eyes were visible; a slouch hat concealed his forehead,
+so that he was completely disguised, yet he drew back hurriedly
+into a dark corner when de Sigognac turned towards him, as if to
+avoid his notice. The baron knew that the comedians had all gone
+to their rooms already, and besides, it could not be one of them,
+for the tyrant was much larger and taller, the pedant a great
+deal stouter, Leander more slender, Matamore much thinner, and
+Scapin of quite a different make. Not wishing to appear curious,
+or to annoy the unknown in any way, de Sigognac hastened to enter
+his own room--not however without having observed that the door
+of the tapestry-hung chamber stood ajar. When he had closed his,
+he heard stealthy footsteps approaching, and presently a bolt
+shot home softly, then profound silence.
+
+About an hour later, Leander opened his door as quietly as
+possible, looked carefully to see if the corridor was empty, and
+then, stepping as lightly and cautiously as a gipsy performing
+the famous egg-dance, traversed its whole length, reached the
+staircase, which he descended as noiselessly as the phantoms in a
+haunted castle, and passed out into the moonlight; he crept along
+in the shadow of the wall and of some thick shrubbery, went down
+the steps into the park, and made his way to a sort of bower,
+where stood a charming statue of the mischievous little god of
+love, with his finger on his lip--an appropriate presiding genius
+of a secret rendezvous, as this evidently must be. Here he
+stopped and waited, anxiously watching the path by which he had
+come, and listening intently to catch the first sound of
+approaching footsteps.
+
+We have already related how Leander, encouraged by the smile with
+which Mme. la Marquise acknowledged his salutation, and convinced
+that she was smitten with his beauty and grace, had made bold to
+address a letter to her, which he bribed Jeanne to place secretly
+upon her mistress's toilet-table, where she would be sure to see
+it. This letter we copy here at length, so as to give an idea of
+the style of composition employed by Leander in addressing the
+great ladies of whose favours he boasted so loudly.
+
+"Madame, or rather fair goddess of beauty, do not blame anything
+but your own incomparable charms for this intrusion upon you. I
+am forced by their radiance to emerge from the deep shadow in
+which I should remain shrouded, and approach their dazzling
+brilliancy--just as the dolphins are attracted from the depths of
+ocean, by the brightness of the fisherman's lanterns, though they
+are, alas! to find destruction there, and perish by the sharp
+harpoons hurled pitilessly at them with unerring aim. I know but
+too well that the waves will be reddened by my blood; but as I
+cannot live without your favour, I do not fear to meet death
+thus. It may be strangely audacious, on my part to pretend to the
+privileges of gods and demi-gods--to die by your fair hand--but I
+dare to aspire to it; being already in despair, nothing worse can
+come to me, and I would rather incur your wrath than your scorn,
+or your disdain. In order to direct the fatal blow aright, the
+executioner must look upon his victim, and I shall have, in
+yielding up my life under your fair, cruel hand, the supreme
+delight of being for one blissful moment the object of your
+regard. Yes, I love you, madame! I adore you! And if it be a
+crime, I cannot repent of it. God suffers himself to be adored;
+the stars receive the admiration of the humblest shepherd; it is
+the fate of all such lofty perfection as yours to, be beloved,
+adored, only by inferior beings, since it has not its equal upon
+earth, nor scarcely indeed in heaven. I, alas! am but a poor,
+wandering actor, yet were I a haughty duke or prince, my head
+would not be on a level with your beauteous feet, and there would
+be, all the same, between your heavenly height and my kneeling
+adoration, as great a distance as from the soaring summit of the
+loftiest Alp to the yawning abyss far, far below. You must always
+stoop to reach a heart that adores you. I dare to say, madame,
+that mine is as proud as it is tender, and she who would deign
+not to repulse it, would find in it the most ardent love, the
+most perfect delicacy, the most absolute respect, and unbounded
+devotion. Besides, if such divine happiness be accorded me, your
+indulgence would not have to stoop so low as you might fancy.
+Though reduced by an adverse destiny and the jealous hatred of
+one of the great ones of the earth, who must be nameless, to the
+dire necessity of hiding myself under this disguise, I am not
+what I seem. I do not need to blush for my birth--rather I may
+glory in it. If I dared to betray the secrecy imposed upon me,
+for reasons of state, I could prove to you that most illustrious
+blood runs in my veins. Whoever may love me, noble though she be,
+will not degrade herself. But I have already said too much--my
+lips are sealed. I shall never be other than the humblest, most
+devoted of your slaves; even though, by one of those strange
+coincidences that happen sometimes in real life, I should come to
+be recognised by all the world as a king's son. If in your great
+goodness you will condescend to show me, fair goddess of beauty,
+by the slightest sign, that my boldness has not angered you, I
+shall die happy, consumed by the burning brightness of your eyes
+upon the funeral pyre of my love."
+
+How would Mme. la Marquise have received this ardent epistle?
+which had perhaps done him good service already more than once.
+Would she have looked favourably upon her humble suitor?--who can
+tell?--for the feminine heart is past comprehension.
+Unfortunately the letter did not reach her. Being entirely taken
+up with great ladies, Leander overlooked their waiting-maids, and
+did not trouble himself to show them any attentions or
+gallantries--wherein he made a sad mistake--for if the pistoles
+he gave to Jeanne, with his precious epistle, had been
+supplemented by a few kisses and compliments, she would have
+taken far more pains to execute his commission. As she held the
+letter carelessly in her hand, the marquis chanced to pass by,
+and asked her idly what she had got there.
+
+"Oh! nothing much," she answered scornfully, "only a note from
+Mr. Leander to Mme. la Marquise."
+
+"From Leander? that jackanapes who plays the lover in the
+Rodomontades of Captain Matamore? What in the world can HE have
+to say to Mme. la Marquise? Doubtless he asks for a gratuity!"
+
+"I don't think so," said the spiteful waiting-maid; "when he gave
+me this letter he sighed, and rolled up his eyes like a love-sick
+swain."
+
+"Give me the letter," said the marquis, "_I_ will answer it--and
+don't say anything about it to your mistress. Such chaps are apt
+to be impertinent--they are spoiled by admiration, and sometimes
+presume upon it."
+
+The marquis, who dearly loved a joke, amused himself by answering
+Leander's extraordinary epistle with one in much the same
+style--written in a delicate, lady-like hand upon perfumed paper,
+and sealed with a fanciful device--altogether a production well
+calculated to deceive the poor devil, and confirm him in his
+ridiculous fancies. Accordingly, when he regained his bed-chamber
+after the play was over, he found upon his dressing-table a note
+addressed to himself. He hastened to open it, trembling from head
+to foot with excitement and delight, and read as follows: "It is
+true, as you say so eloquently--too eloquently for my peace of
+mind--that goddesses can only love mortals. At eleven o'clock,
+when all the world is sunk in slumber, and no prying human eyes
+open to gaze upon her, Diana will quit her place in the skies
+above and descend to earth, to visit the gentle shepherd,
+Endymion--not upon Mount Latmus, but in the park--at the foot of
+the statue of silent love. The handsome shepherd must be sure to
+have fallen asleep ere Diana appears, so as not to shock the
+modesty of the immortal goddess--who will come without her
+cortege of nymphs, wrapped in a cloud and devoid of her silvery
+radiance."
+
+We will leave to the reader's imagination the delirious joy that
+filled to overflowing the foolish heart of the susceptible
+Leander, who was fooled to the top of his bent, when he read this
+precious note, which exceeded his wildest hopes. He immediately
+began his preparations to play the part of Endymion--poured a
+whole bottle of perfume upon his hair and hands, chewed a flower
+of mace to make his breath sweet, twisted his glossy curls
+daintily round his white fingers--though not a hair was awry--and
+then waited impatiently for the moment when he should set forth
+to seek the rendezvons at the foot of the statue of silent
+love--where we left him anxiously awaiting the arrival of his
+goddess. He shivered nervously from excitement, and the
+penetrating chilliness of the damp night air, as he stood
+motionless at the appointed spot. He trembled at the falling of a
+leaf--the crackling of the gravel under his feet whenever he
+moved them sounded so loud in his ears that he felt sure it would
+be heard at the chateau. The mysterious darkness of the wood
+filled him with awe, and the great, black trees seemed like
+terrible genii, threatening him. The poor wretch was not exactly
+frightened, but not very far from it. Mme. la Marquise was
+tardy--Diana was leaving her faithful Endymion too long cooling
+his heels in the heavy night dew. At last he thought he heard
+heavy footsteps approaching,--but they could not be those of his
+goddess--he must be mistaken--goddesses glide so lightly over the
+sward that not even a blade of grass is crushed beneath their
+feet--and, indeed, all was silent again.
+
+"Unless Mme. la Marquise comes quickly, I fear she will find only
+a half-frozen lover, instead of an ardent, impatient one,"
+murmured Leander with chattering teeth; and even as the words
+escaped him four dark shadows advanced noiselessly from behind
+upon the expectant gallant. Two of these shadows, which were the
+substantial bodies of stout rascals in the service of the Marquis
+de Bruyeres, seized him suddenly by the arms, which they held
+pinioned closely to his sides, while the other two proceeded to
+rain blows alternately upon his back--keeping perfect time as
+their strokes fell thick and fast. Too proud to run the risk of
+making his woes public by an outcry, their astonished victim took
+his punishment bravely--without making a sound. Mutius Scaevola
+did not bear himself more heroically while his right hand lay
+among the burning coals upon the altar in the presence of
+Porsenna, than did Leander under his severe chastisement. When it
+was finished the two men let go of their prisoner, all four
+saluted him gravely, and retired as noiselessly as they had come,
+without a single word being spoken.
+
+What a terrible fall was this! that famous one of Icarus himself,
+tumbling down headlong from the near neighbourhood of the sun,
+was not a greater. Battered, bruised, sore and aching all over,
+poor Leander, crestfallen and forlorn, limping painfully, and
+suppressing his groans with Spartan resolution, crept slowly back
+to his own room; but so overweening as his self-conceit that he
+never even suspected that a trick had been played upon him. He
+said to himself that without doubt Mme. la Marquise had been
+watched and followed by her jealous husband, who had overtaken
+her before she reached the rendezvous in the park, carried her
+back to the chateau by main strength, and forced her, with a
+poniard at her throat, to confess all. He pictured her to himself
+on her knees, with streaming eyes, disordered dress and
+dishevelled hair, imploring her stem lord and master to be
+merciful--to have pity upon her and forgive her this once--vowing
+by all she held sacred never to be faithless to him again, even
+in thought. Suffering and miserable as he was after his
+tremendous thrashing, he yet pitied and grieved over the poor
+lady who had put herself in such peril for his sake, never
+dreaming that she was in blissful ignorance of the whole affair,
+and at that very moment sleeping peacefully in her luxurious bed.
+As the poor fellow crept cautiously and painfully along the
+corridor leading to his room and to those of the other members of
+the troupe he had the misfortune to be detected by Scapin, who,
+evidently on the watch for him, was peeping out of his own
+half-open door, grinning, grimacing, and gesticulating
+significantly, as he noted the other's limping gait and drooping
+figure.
+
+In vain did Leander strive to straighten himself up and assume a
+gay, careless air; his malicious tormentor was not in the least
+taken in by it.
+
+The next morning the comedians prepared to resume their journey;
+no longer, however, in the slow-moving, groaning ox-cart, which
+they were glad, indeed, to exchange for the more roomy,
+commodious vehicle that the tyrant had been able to hire for
+them--thanks to the marquis's liberality--in which they could
+bestow themselves and their belongings comfortably, and to which
+was harnessed four stout draught horses.
+
+Leander and Zerbine were both rather late in rising, and the last
+to make their appearance--the former with a doleful countenance,
+despite his best efforts to conceal his sufferings under a
+cheerful exterior, the latter beaming with satisfaction, and with
+smiles for everybody. She was decidedly inclined to be munificent
+towards her companions, and bestow upon them some of the rich
+spoils that had fallen plentifully to her share--taking quite a
+new position among them--even the duenna treating her with a
+certain obsequious, wheedling consideration, which she had been
+far from ever showing her before. Scapin, whose keen observation
+nothing ever escaped, noticed that her box had suddenly doubled
+in weight, by some magic or other, and drew his own conclusions
+therefrom. Zerbine was a universal favourite, and no one
+begrudged her her good fortune, save Serafina, who bit her lip
+till it bled, and murmured indignantly, "Shameless creature!" but
+the soubrette pretended not to hear it, content for the moment
+with the signal humiliation of the arch-coquette.
+
+At last the new Thespian chariot was ready for a start, and our
+travellers bade adieu to the hospitable chateau, where they had
+been so honourably received and so generously treated, and which
+they all, excepting poor Leander, quitted with regret. The tyrant
+dwelt upon the bountiful supply of pistoles he had received; the
+pedant upon the capital wines of which he had drunk his fill;
+Matamore upon the enthusiastic applause that had been lavished
+upon him by that aristocratic audience; Zerbine upon the pieces
+of rich silk, the golden necklaces and other like treasures with
+which her chest was replete--no wonder that it was heavy--while
+de Sigognac and Isabelle, thinking only of each other, and happy
+in being together, did not even turn their heads for one last
+glimpse of the handsome Chateau de Bruyere.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI. A SNOW-STORM AND ITS CONSEQUENCES
+
+As may be readily supposed, the comedians were well satisfied
+with the kind treatment they had received during their brief
+sojourn at the Chateau de Bruyeres; such a piece of good fortune
+did not often fall to their lot, and they rejoiced in it
+exceedingly. The tyrant had distributed among them each one's
+share of the marquis's liberal remuneration for their services,
+and it was wonderfully pleasant to them to have broad pieces in
+the purses usually so scantily supplied, and not infrequently
+quite empty. Zerbine, who was evidently rejoicing over some
+secret source of satisfaction, accepted good-naturedly all the
+taunts and jokes of her companions upon the irresistible power of
+her charms. She was triumphant, and could afford to be laughed
+at--indeed, joined heartily in the general merriment at her own
+expense--while Serafina sulked openly, with "envy, hatred, and
+malice" filling her heart. Poor Leander, still smarting from his
+severe beating, sore and aching, unable to find an easy position,
+and suffering agonies from the jolting of the chariot, found it
+hard work to join in the prevailing gaiety.
+
+When he thought no one was looking at him, he would furtively rub
+his poor, bruised shoulders and arms with the palm of his hand,
+which stealthy manceuvre might very readily have passed
+unobserved by the rest of the company, but did not escape the
+wily valet, who was always on the lookout for a chance to torment
+Leander; his monstrous self-conceit being intensely exasperating
+to him. A harder jolt than usual having made the unfortunate
+gallant groan aloud, Scapin immediately opened his attack,
+feigning to feel the liveliest commiseration for him.
+
+"My poor Leander, what is the matter with you this morning? You
+moan and sigh as if you were in great agony! Are you really
+suffering so acutely? You seem to be all battered and bruised,
+like the Knight of the Sorrowful Countenance, after he had
+capered stark naked, for a love penance, among the rocks in the
+Sierra Morena, in humble imitation of his favourite hero, Amadis
+de Gaul. You look as if you had not slept at all last night, and
+had been lying upon hard sticks, rods, or clubs, instead of in a
+soft, downy bed, such as were given to the rest of us in the fine
+chateau yonder. Tell us, I pray you, did not Morpheus once visit
+you all the night through?"
+
+"Morpheus may have remained shut up in his cavern, but Cupid is a
+wanderer by night, who does not need a lantern to find the way to
+those fortunate individuals he favours with a visit," Leander
+replied, hoping to divert attention from the tell-tale bruises,
+that he had fancied were successfully concealed.
+
+"I am only a humble valet, and have had no experience in affairs
+of gallantry. I never paid court to a fine lady in my life; but
+still, I do know this much, that the mischievous little god,
+Cupid, according to all the poets, aims his arrows at the hearts
+of those he wishes to wound, instead of using his bow upon their
+backs."
+
+"What in the world do you mean?" Leander interrupted quickly,
+growing seriously uneasy at the turn the conversation was taking.
+
+"Oh! nothing; only that I see, in spite of all your efforts to
+hide it with that handkerchief knotted so carefully round your
+neck, that you have there on the back of it a long, black mark,
+which to-morrow will be indigo, the day after green, and then
+yellow, until it fades away altogether, like any other bruise--a
+black mark that looks devilishly like the authentic flourish
+which accompanies the signature of a good, stout club on a calf's
+skin--or on vellum, if that term pleases you better."
+
+"Ah! my good Scapin, you do not understand such matters," Leander
+replied, a scarlet flush mounting to the very roots of his hair,
+and at his wits' ends to know how to silence his tormentor;
+"doubtless some dead and gone beauty, who loved me passionately
+during her lifetime, has come back and kissed me there while I
+was sleeping; as is well known, the contact of the lips of the
+dead leave strange, dark marks, like bruises, on human flesh,
+which the recipient of the mysterious caress is astonished to
+find upon awaking."
+
+"Your defunct beauty visited you and bestowed her mysterious
+caress very apropos," remarked Scapin, incredulously; "but I
+would be willing to take my oath that yonder vigorous kiss had
+been imprinted upon your lily-white neck by the stinging contact
+of a stout club."
+
+"Unmannerly jester and scoffer that you are! is nothing sacred to
+you?" broke in Leander, with some show of heat.
+
+"You push my modesty too far. I endeavoured delicately to put off
+upon a dead beauty what I should have ascribed to a living one.
+Ignorant and unsophisticated though you claim to be, have you
+never heard of kisses so ardent that such traces of them are
+left?--where pearly teeth have closed upon the soft flesh, and
+made their mark on the white skin?"
+
+"Memorem dente notam," interrupted the pedant, charmed to have a
+chance to quote Horace.
+
+"This explanation appears to me very judicious," Scapin said;
+then, with a low bow to the pedant, "and is sustained by
+unquestionable if incomprehensible authority; but the mark is so
+long that this nocturnal beauty of yours, dead or alive, must
+have had in her lovely mouth that famous tooth which the three
+Gorgon sisters owned among them, and passed about from one to the
+other."
+
+This sally was followed by a roar of laughter, and Leander,
+beside himself with rage, half rose, to throw himself upon
+Scopin, and chastise him then and there for his insufferable
+impertinence; but he was so stiff and sore from his own beating,
+and the pain in his back, which was striped like a zebra's, was
+so excruciating, that he sank back into his place with a
+suppressed groan, and concluded to postpone his revenge to some
+more convenient season. Herode and Blazius, who were accustomed
+to settle such little disputes, insisted upon their making up
+their differences, and a sort of reconciliation took place-Scapin
+promising never to allude to the subject again, but managing to
+give poor Leander one or two more digs that made him wince even
+as he did so.
+
+During this absurd altercation the chariot had been making steadv
+progress, and soon arrived at an open space where another great
+post-road crossed the one they were following, at right angles. A
+large wooden crucifix, much the worse for long exposure to the
+weather, had been erected upon a grassy mound at the intersection
+of the two highways. A group, consisting of two men and three
+mules, stood at its foot, apparently awaiting some one's arrival.
+As they approached, one of the mules, as if weary of standing
+still, impatiently shook its head, which was gaily decorated with
+bright, many-coloured tufts and tassels, and set all the little
+silver bells about it ringing sharply. Although a pair of leather
+blinkers, decked with gay embroidery, effectually prevented its
+seeing to the right or to the left, it evidently was aware of the
+approach of the chariot before the men's senses had given them
+any intimation of it.
+
+"The Colonelle shakes her ear-trumpets and shows her teeth," said
+one of them; "they cannot be far off now."
+
+In effect, after a very few minutes the chariot was seen
+approaching, and presently rolled into the open space. Zerbine,
+who sat in front, glanced composedly at the little group of men
+and mules standing there, without betraying any surprise at
+seeing them.
+
+"By Jove! those are fine beasts yonder," exclaimed the tyrant,
+"splendid Spanish mules, especially that foremost one; they can
+easily do their fifteen or twenty leagues a day, I'll venture,
+and if we were mounted on the like we should soon find ourselves
+in Paris. But what the devil are they doing in this lonely place?
+it must be a relay, waiting for some rich seignior travelling
+this way."
+
+"No," said the duenna, "that foremost mule is intended for a
+lady--don't you see the cushions and housings?"
+
+"In that case," he replied, "there must be an abduction in the
+wind; those two equerries, in gray liveries, certainly have a
+very mysterious, knowing sort of an air."
+
+"Perhaps you are right," said Zerbine, demurely, with a
+significant little smile and shrug.
+
+"Can it be possible that the lady is among us?" asked Scapin;
+"one of the men is coming this way by himself, as if he desired
+to parley before resorting to violence."
+
+"Oh! there'll be no need," said Serafina, casting a scornful
+glance at the soubrette, who returned it with interest.
+
+"There are bold creatures that go of their own accord, without
+waiting to be carried off."
+
+"And there are others who are NOT carried off, that would like to
+be," retorted the soubrette, "but the desire is not sufficient; a
+few charms are needed too."
+
+At this point the equerry who had advanced to meet the chariot
+made a sign to them to stop, and, cap in hand, politely asked if
+Mlle. Zerbine was among them. The soubrette herself answered this
+inquiry in the affirmative, and sprang to the ground as lightly
+as a bird.
+
+"Mademoiselle, I am at your disposal," said the equerry to her,
+in a respectful and gallant tone. Zerbine shook out her skirts,
+adjusted her wraps, and then, turning towards the comedians,
+delivered this little harangue: "My dear comrades, I pray you
+pardon me for quitting you in this unceremonious manner. There
+are times when Opportunity offers itself suddenly for our
+acceptance, and we must seize it without delay, or lose it
+altogether; he would be a fool who let it slip through his
+fingers, for once relinquished it returns not again. The face of
+Fortune, which until now has always frowned upon me, at last
+vouchsafes me a smile, and I am delighted to enjoy its
+brightness, even though it may prove to be only fleeting. In my
+humble role of soubrette, I could not aspire to, or expect to
+receive, the admiration of rich lords and gentlemen--that is for
+my betters; and now that a happy chance has thrown such an
+unboped-for piece of good luck in my way, you will not blame me,
+I am confident, for gladly accepting it. Let me take my
+belongings then--which are packed in the chariot with the
+others--and receive my adieux. I shall be sure to rejoin you
+some day, sooner or later, at Paris, for I am a born actress; the
+theatre was my first love, and I have never long been faithless
+to it."
+
+The two men accordingly, aided by the comedians, took Zerbine's
+boxes out of the chariot, and adjusted them carefully on the
+pack-mule. The soubrette made a sweeping curtsey to her friends
+in the chariot, and threw a kiss to Isabelle from her finger
+tips, then, aided by one of the equerries, sprang to her place
+behind him, on the back of the Colonelle, as lightly and
+gracefully as if she had been taught the art of mounting in an
+equestrian academy, nodded a last farewell, and striking the mule
+sharply with the high heel of her pretty little shoe, set off at
+a round pace.
+
+"Good-bye, and good luck to you, Zerbine," cried the comedians
+heartily, one and all; save only Serafina, who was more furiously
+angry with her than ever.
+
+"This is an unfortunate thing for us," said the tyrant
+regretfully, "a serious loss. I wish with all my heart that we
+could have kept that capital little actress with us; we shall not
+easily find any one to replace her, even in Paris; she is really
+incomparable in her own role--but she was not in any way bound to
+stay with us a moment longer than she chose. We shall have to
+substitute a duenna, or a chaperon, for the soubrette in our
+pieces for the present; it will be less pleasing of course, but
+still Mme. Leonarde here is a host in herself, and we shall
+manage to get on very nicely, I dare say."
+
+The chariot started on its way again as he spoke, at rather a
+better pace than the lumbering old ox-cart. They were travelling
+through a part of the country now which was a great contrast to
+the desolate Landes. To the Baron de Sigognac, who had never been
+beyond their desolate expanse before, it was a revelation, and he
+could not sufficiently admire the richness and beauty of this
+region. The productive, red soil was highly cultivated--not an
+inch of ground neglected--comfortable, often handsome, stone
+houses scattered along their route at frequent intervals, and
+surrounded by large, luxuriant gardens, spoke of a well-to-do
+population. On each side of the broad, smooth road was a row of
+fine trees, whose falling leaves lay piled upon the ground in
+yellow heaps, or whirled in the wind before de Sigognac and
+Isabelle, as they walked along beneath their spreading branches,
+finding the exercise a welcome relief after sitting for a long
+time in the chariot in rather a cramped position. One day as they
+were walking thus side by side, de Sigognac said to his fair
+companion, "I wish you would tell me, Isabelle, how it has
+happened that you, with all the characteristics of a lady of
+lofty lineage in the innate modesty and dignity of your manners,
+the refinement and purity of your language, the incomparable
+grace of your carriage, the elevation of your sentiments upon all
+subjects, to say nothing of the delicate, aristocratic type of
+your beauty--should have become a member of a wandering band of
+players like this--good, honest people no doubt, but not of the
+same rank or race as yourself."
+
+"Don't fancy that I am a princess in disguise, or a great lady
+reduced to earn my living in this way," she replied, with an
+adorable smile, "merely because of some good qualities you think
+you have discovered in me. The history of my life is a very
+simple, uneventful one, but since you show such kind interest in
+me I will gladly relate it to you. So far from being brought
+down to the station I occupy by some grievous catastrophe or
+romantic combination of adverse circumstances, I was born to the
+profession of an actress--the chariot of Thespis was, so to say,
+my birthplace. My mother, who was a very beautiful woman and
+finished actress, played the part of tragic princess. She did not
+confine her role to the theatre, but exacted as much deference
+and respect from those around her when off the stage, as she
+received upon it, until she came to consider herself a veritable
+princess. She had all the majesty and grace of one, and was
+greatly admired and courted, but never would suffer any of the
+gallants, who flutter about pretty actresses like moths around a
+candle, to approach her--holding herself entirely above them, and
+keeping her good name unsullied through everything. An account of
+this unusual conduct on the part of a beautiful young actress
+chanced to reach the ears of a certain rich and powerful prince,
+who was very much struck and interested by it, and immediately
+sought an introduction to my mother. As his actual rank and
+position equalled hers of imaginary princess, she received his
+attentions with evident pleasure. He was young, handsome,
+eloquent, and very much in love with her--what wonder then that
+she yielded at last to his impassioned entreaties, and gave
+herself to him, though, because of his high station, he could not
+do as his heart dictated, and make her his wife. They were very
+happy in each other's love, and after I was born my young father
+was devoted to me."
+
+"Ah!" interrupted de Sigognac, eagerly, "that explains it all;
+princely blood does flow in your veins. I knew it--was sure of
+it!"
+
+"Their happiness continued," resumed Isabelle, "until reasons of
+state made it necessary for him to tear himself away from her, to
+go on a diplomatic mission to one of the great capitals of
+Europe; and ere his return to France an illustrious marriage had
+been arranged for him by his family, with the sanction of
+royalty, which he found it impossible to evade. In these cruel
+circumstances he endeavoured to do everything in his power to
+soften the pain of this rupture to my poor mother--himself almost
+broken-hearted at being forced to leave her--and made every
+possible arrangement for her comfort and well-being; settling a
+generous income on her, and providing lavishly for my maintenance
+and education. But she would accept nothing from him--she could
+not receive his money without his love--"all or nothing" was her
+motto; and taking me with her she fled from him, successfully
+concealing her place of refuge. She soon after joined a band of
+players travelling through the provinces, and resumed her old
+role; but her heart was broken, and she gradually faded away,
+dying at last when I was only about seven years old. Even then I
+used to appear upon the stage in parts suitable to my age. I was
+a precocious little thing in many ways. My mother's death caused
+me a grief far more acute than most children, even a good deal
+older than I was then, are capable of feeling. How well I
+remember being punished because I refused to act the part of one
+of Medea's children, the day after she died. But my grief was not
+very long-lived--I was but a child after all, and the actors and
+actresses of the troupe were so good to me, always petting me,
+and devising all sorts of ways to please and divert
+me--theatrical people are proverbially kind to comrades in
+distress, you know. The pedant, who belonged to our company, and
+looked just as old and wrinkled then as he does now, took the
+greatest interest in me, constituted himself my master, and
+taught me thoroughly and indefatigably all the secrets of the
+histrionic art--taking unwearied pains with me. I could not have
+had a better teacher; perhaps you do not know that he has a great
+reputation, even in Paris. You will wonder that a man of his fame
+and attainments should be found in a strolling company of players
+like this, but his unfortunate habits of intemperance have been
+the cause of all his troubles. He was professor of elocution in
+one of the celebrated colleges, holding an enviable and lucrative
+position, but lost it because of his inveterate irregularities.
+He is his own worst enemy, poor Blazius! In the midst of all the
+confusion and serious disadvantages of a vagabond life, I have
+always been able to hold myself somewhat apart, and remain pure
+and innocent. My companions, who have known me from babyhood,
+look upon me as a sister or daughter, and treat me with
+invariable affection and respect; and as for the men of the
+outside world who haunt the coulisses, and seem to think that an
+actress is public property, off the stage as well as upon it, I
+have thus far managed to keep them at a distance--continuing in
+real life my role of modest, ingenuous, young girl, without
+hypocrisy or false pretensions."
+
+Thus, as they strolled along together, and could talk
+confidentially without fear of listeners, Isabelle related the
+story of her life to de Sigognac, who was a most attentive and
+delighted listener, and ever more and more charmed with his fair
+divinity.
+
+"And the name of the prince," said he, after a short pause, "do
+you remember it?"
+
+"I fear that it might be dangerous to my peace to disclose it,"
+she replied; "but it is indelibly engraven upon my memory."
+
+"Are there any proofs remaining to you of his connection with
+your mother?"
+
+"I have in my possession a seal-ring bearing his coat of arms"
+Isabelle answered; "it is the only jewel of all he had lavished
+upon her that my mother kept, and that entirely on account of the
+associations connected with it, not for its intrinsic value,
+which is small. If you would like to see it I will be very glad
+to show it to you some day."
+
+It would be too tedious to follow our travellers step by step on
+their long journey, so we will skip over a few days--which passed
+quietly, without any incidents worth recording--and rejoin them
+as they were drawing near to the ancient town of Poitiers. In the
+meantime their receipts had not been large, and hard times had
+come to the wandering comedians. The money received from the
+Marquis de Bruyeres had all been spent, as well as the modest sum
+in de Sigognac's purse-who had contributed all that he possessed
+to the common fund, in spite of the protestations of his comrades
+in distress. The chariot was drawn now by a single horse-instead
+of the four with which they had set off so triumphantly from the
+Chiteau de Bruyeres--and such a horse! a miserable, old,
+broken-down hack, whose ribs were so prominent that he looked as
+if he lived upon barrel-hoops instead of oats and hay; his
+lack-lustre eyes, drooping head, halting gait, and panting breath
+combined to make him a most pitiable object, and he plodded on at
+a snail's pace, looking as if he might drop down dead on the road
+at any moment. Only the three women were in the chariot--the men
+all walking, so as to relieve their poor, jaded beast as much as
+possible. The weather was bitterly cold, and they wrapped their
+cloaks about them and strode on in silence, absorbed in their own
+melancholy thoughts.
+
+Poor de Sigognac, well-nigh discouraged, asked himself
+despondingly whether it would not have been better for him to
+have remained in the dilapidated home of his fathers, even at the
+risk of starving to death there in silence and seclusion, than
+run the risk of such hardships in company with these Bohemians.
+His thoughts flew back to his good old Pierre, to Bayard, Miraut,
+and Beelzebub, the faithful companions of his solitude; his heart
+was heavy within him, and at the sudden remembrance of his dear
+old friends and followers his throat contracted spasmodically,
+and he almost sobbed aloud; but he looked back at Isabelle,
+wrapped in her cloak and sitting serenely in the front of the
+chariot, and took fresh courage, feeling glad that he could be
+near her in this dark hour, to do all that mortal man, struggling
+against such odds, could compass for her comfort and protection.
+She responded to his appealing glance with a sweet smile, that
+quickened his pulses and sent a thrill of joy through every
+nerve. She did not seem at all disheartened or cast down by the
+greatness of their misery. Her heart was satisfied and happy; why
+should she be crushed by mere physical suffering and discomforts?
+She was very brave, although apparently so delicate and fragile,
+and inspired de Sigognac, who could have fallen down and
+worshipped her as he gazed up into her beautiful eyes, with some
+of her own undaunted courage.
+
+The great, barren plain they were slowly traversing, with a few
+dreary skeletons of misshapen old trees scattered here and there,
+and not a dwelling in sight, was not calculated to dissipate the
+melancholy of the party. Save one or two aged peasants trudging
+listlessly along, bending under the weight of the fagots they
+carried on their backs, they had not seen a human being all day
+long. The spiteful magpies, that seemed to be the only
+inhabitants of this dreary waste, danced about in front of them,
+chattering and almost laughing at them, as if rejoicing in and
+making fun of their miseries. A searching north wind, that
+penetrated to the very marrow in their bones, was blowing, and
+the few white flakes that flew before it now and then were the
+avantcouriers of the steady fall of snow that began as nightfall
+approached.
+
+"It would appear," said the pedant, who was walking behind the
+chariot trying to find shelter from the icy wind, "that the
+celestial housewife up above has been plucking her geese, and is
+shaking the feathers out of her apron down upon us. She might a
+great deal better send us the geese themselves. I for one would
+be glad enough to eat 114 them, without being very particular as
+to whether they were done to a turn, and without sauce or
+seasoning either."
+
+"Yes, so would I, even without salt," added the tyrant, "for my
+stomach is empty. I could welcome now an omelette such as they
+gave us this morning, and swallow it without winking, though the
+eggs were so far gone that the little chicks were almost ready to
+peep."
+
+By this time de Sigognac also had taken refuge behind the
+chariot--Isabelle having been driven from her seat in front to a
+place in the interior by the increasing violence of the storm-and
+Blazius said to him, "This is a trying time, my lord, and I
+regret very much that you should have to share our bad fortune;
+but I trust it will be only of brief duration, and although we do
+get on but slowly, still every, step brings us nearer to Paris."
+
+"I was not brought up in the lap of luxury," de Sigognac
+answered, "and I am not a man to be frightened by a few
+snowflakes and a biting wind; but it is for these poor, suffering
+women that I am troubled; they are exposed to such severe
+hardships--cold, privations, fatigue--and we cannot adequately
+shelter and protect them, do what we will."
+
+"But you must remember that they are accustomed to roughing it,
+my dear baron, and what would be simply unendurable to many of
+their sex, who have never been subjected to such tests, they meet
+bravely, and make light of, in a really remarkable manner."
+
+The storm grew worse and worse; the snow, driven with great force
+by the wind, penetrated into,the chariot where Isabelle,
+Serafina, and Mme. Leonarde had taken refuge among the luggage,
+in spite of all that could be done to keep it out, and had soon
+covered their wraps with a coating of white. The poor horse was
+scarcely able to make any headway at all against the wind and
+snow; his feet slipped at every step, and he panted painfully.
+Herode went to his head, and took hold of the bridle with his
+strong hand to lead him and try to help him along, while the
+pedant, de Sigognac, and Scapin put their shoulders to the wheels
+at every inequality in the road and whenever he paused or
+stumbled badly, and Leander cracked the whip loudly to encourage
+the poor beast; it would have been downright cruelty to strike
+him. As to Matamore, he had lingered behind, and they were
+expecting every moment to see his tall, spare figure emerge from
+the gloom with rapid strides and rejoin them. Finally the storm
+became so violent that it was impossible to face it any longer;
+and though it was so important that they should reach the next
+village before the daylight was all gone, they were forced to
+halt, and turn the chariot, with its back to the wind. The poor
+old horse, utterly exhausted by this last effort, slipped and
+fell, and without making any attempt to rise lay panting on the
+ground. Our unhappy travellers found themselves in a sad
+predicament indeed--wet, cold, tired and hungry, all in the
+superlative degree--blinded by the driving snow, and lost,
+without
+any means of getting on save their own powers of locomotion, in
+the midst of a great desert--for the white covering which now lay
+upon everything had obliterated almost all traces of the road;
+they did not know which way to turn, or what to do. For the
+moment they all took refuge in the chariot, until the greatest
+violence of the tempest should be over, huddled close together
+for warmth, and striving not to lose heart entirely. Presently
+the wind quieted down all of a sudden, as if it had expended its
+fury and wanted to rest; but the snow continued to fall
+industriously, though noiselessly, and as far as the eye could
+reach through the gathering darkness the surface of the earth was
+white, as if it had been wrapped in a winding sheet.
+
+"What in the world has become of Matamore?" cried Blazius
+suddenly; "has the wind carried him off to the moon I wonder?"
+
+"Yes; where can he be?" said the tyrant, in an anxious tone; "I
+can't see him anywhere--I thought he was among us; perhaps he is
+lying asleep among the stage properties at the back of the
+chariot; I have known him curl himself down there for a nap
+before now. Holloa! Matamore! where are you? wake up and answer
+us!" But no Matamore responded, and there was no movement under
+the great heap of scenery, and decorations of all sorts, stowed
+away there.
+
+"Holloa! Matamore!" roared Herode again, in his loudest tones,
+which might have waked the seven sleepers in their cavern, and
+roused their dog too.
+
+"We have not seen him here in the chariot at all today," said one
+of the actresses; "we thought he was walking with the others."
+
+"The deuce!" exclaimed Blazius, "this is very strange. I hope no
+accident has happened to the poor fellow."
+
+"Undoubtedly he has taken shelter in the worst of the storm on
+the lee side of the trunk of a tree somewhere," said de Sigognac,
+"and will soon come up with us."
+
+After a short discussion, it was decided to wait where they were
+a few minutes longer, and then if he did not make his appearance
+go in search of him. They anxiously watched the way by which they
+had come, but no human form appeared on the great expanse of
+white, and the darkness was falling rapidly upon the earth, as it
+does after the short days of December. The distant howling of a
+dog now came to their ears, to add to the lugubrious effect of
+their surroundings, but they were all so troubled at the strange
+absence of their comrade that their own individual miseries were
+for the moment forgotten. The doleful howling, so far away at
+first, gradually became louder, until at last a large, black dog
+came in sight, and sitting down upon the snow, still a long
+distance from them, raised his head so that his muzzle pointed
+upward to the sky and howled, as if in the greatest distress.
+
+"I'm afraid something terrible has happened to our poor
+Matamore," cried the tyrant, and his voice trembled a little;
+"that dog howls as if for a death."
+
+At this speech the two young women turned even paler than they
+had been before, if that were possible, and made the sign of the
+cross devoutly, while Isabelle murmured a prayer.
+
+"We must go in search of him without a moment's delay," said
+Blazius, "and take the lantern with us; it will as a guiding star
+to him if he has wandered off from the road, as is very
+probable, with everything covered with snow like this."
+
+They accordingly lighted their horn lantern, and set off with all
+possible speed--the tyrant, Blazius, and de Sigognac--whilst
+Scapin and Leander remained with the three women in the chariot.
+The dog, meantime, kept up his dismal howling without a moment's
+intermission as the three men hastened towards him. The darkness
+and the newfallen snow, which had completely obliterated all
+traces of footsteps, made the task of looking for the missing
+actor a very difficult one, and after walking nearly a mile
+without seeing a sign of him, they began to fear that their
+search would prove fruitless. They kept calling, "Matamore!
+Matamore!" but there was no reply, nothing to be heard but the
+howling of the large black dog, at intervals now, or the scream
+of an owl, disturbed by the light of the lantern. At last de
+Sigognac, with his penetrating vision, thought he could make out
+a recumbent figure at the foot of a tree, a little way off from
+the road, and they all pressed forward to the spot he indicated.
+
+It was indeed poor Matamore, sitting on the ground, with his back
+against the tree, and his long legs, stretched out in front of
+him, quite buried under the snow; he did not stir at the approach
+of his comrades, or answer their joyful shout of recognition, and
+when Blazius, alarmed at this strange apathy, hastened forward
+and threw the light of the lantern upon his face, he had nearly
+let it fall from fright at what it revealed. Poor Matamore was
+dead, stiff and stark, with wide-open, sunken eyes staring out
+vaguely into the darkness, and his ghastly face wearing that
+pinched, indescribable expression which the mortal puts on when
+the spirit that dwelt within has fled. The three who had found
+him thus were inexpressibly shocked, and stood for a moment
+speechless and motionless, in the presence of death. The tyrant
+was the first to recover himself, and hoping that some sign of
+life might yet remain he stooped and took the cold hand into his,
+and essayed to find a pulse at the wrist--in vain! it was still
+and icy. Unwilling yet to admit that the vital spark was extinct,
+he asked Blazius for his gourd, which he always carried with him,
+and endeavoured to pour a few drops of wine into his mouth--in
+vain! the teeth were tightly locked together, and the wine
+trickled from between his pale lips, and dropped slowly down upon
+his breast.
+
+"Leave him in peace! do not disturb these poor remains!" said de
+Sigognac in trembling tones; "don't you see that he is dead?
+"Alas! you are right," Blazius added, "he is dead; dead as Cheops
+in the great pyramid. Poor fellow! he must have been confused by
+the blinding snow, and unable to make his way against that
+terrible wind, turned aside and sat down under this tree, to wait
+until its violence should be spent; but he had not flesh enough
+on his bones to keep them warm, and must have been quickly frozen
+through and through. He has starved himself more than ever
+lately, in hopes of producing a sensation at Paris, and he was
+thinner than any greyhound before. Poor Matamore! thou art out of
+the way of all trouble now; no more blows, and kicks, and curses
+for thee, my friend, whether on or off the stage, and thou wilt
+be laughed at no more forever."
+
+"What shall we do about his body?" interrupted the more practical
+tyrant. "We cannot leave it here for dogs, and wolves, and birds
+of prey to devour--though indeed I almost doubt whether they
+would touch it, there is so little flesh upon his bones."
+
+"No, certainly, we cannot leave him here," Blazius replied; "he
+was a good and loyal comrade; he deserves better of us than that;
+we will not abandon him, poor Matamore! He is not heavy; you take
+his head and I will take his feet, and we will carry him to the
+chariot. To-morrow morning we will bury him as decently as we can
+in some quiet, retired spot, where he will not be likely to be
+disturbed. Unfortunately we cannot do better for him than that,
+for we, poor actors, are excluded by our hard-hearted and very
+unjust step-mother, the church, from her cemeteries; she denies
+us the security and comfort of being laid to rest for our last
+long sleep in consecrated ground. After having devoted our lives
+to the amusment of the human race--the highest as well as the
+more lowly among them, and faithful sons and daughters of holy
+church too--we must be thrown into the next ditch when the end
+comes, like dead dogs and horses. Now, Herode, are you ready? and
+will you, my lord, lead the way with the lantern?"
+
+The mournful little procession moved slowly forward; the howling
+dog was quiet at last, as if his duty was done, and a deathlike
+stillness prevailed around them. It was well that there were no
+passers-by at that hour; it would have been a strange sight,
+almost a frightful one, for any such, for they might well have
+supposed that a hideous crime had been committed; the two men
+bearing the dead body away at night, lighted by the third with
+his lantern, which threw their shadows, long, black and
+misshapen, upon the startling whiteness of the snow, as they
+advanced with measured tread. Those who had remained with the
+chariot saw from afar the glimmer of de Sigognac's lantern, and
+wondered why they walked so slowly, not perceiving at that
+distance their sad burden. Scapin and Leander hastened forward to
+meet them, and as soon as they got near enough to see them
+distinctly the former shouted to them--"Well, what is the matter?
+why are you carrying Matamore like that? is he ill, or has he
+hurt himself?"
+
+"He is not ill," answered Blazius, quietly, as they met, and
+nothing can ever hurt him again--he is cured forever of the
+strange malady we call life, which always ends in death."
+
+"Is he really dead?" Scapin asked, with a sob he did not even try
+to suppress, as he bent to look at the face of the poor comic
+actor, for he had a tender heart under his rough exterior, and
+had cherished a very sincere affection for poor Matamoie.
+
+"Very dead indeed, for he is frozen as well," Blazius replied, in
+a voice that belied the levity of his words.
+
+"He has lived! as they always say at the end of a tragedy," said
+Herode; "but relieve us, please, it is your turn now; we have
+carried the poor fellow a long way, and it is well for us that he
+is no heavier."
+
+Scapin took Herode's place, reverently and tenderly, while
+Leander relieved the pedant--though this office was little to his
+taste--and they resumed their march, soon reaching the chariot.
+In spite of the cold and snow, Isabelle and Serafina sprang to
+the ground to meet them, but the duenna did not leave her seat--
+with age had come apathy, and selfishness had never been wanting.
+When they saw poor Matamore stiff and motionless, and were told
+that he was dead, the two young women were greatly shocked and
+moved, and Isabelle, bursting into tears, raised her pure eyes to
+heaven and breathed a fervent prayer for the departed soul.
+
+And now came the question, what was to be done? The village for
+which they were bound was still a league away; but they could not
+stay where they were all night, and they decided to go on, even
+if they had to abandon the chariot and walk--anything would be
+better than freezing to death like poor Matamore. But after all,
+things were not at such a desperate pass as they supposed; the
+long rest, and a good feed of oats that Scapin had been
+thoughtful enough to give their tired horse, had so revived the
+poor old beast that he seemed to be ready and willing to go
+forward again--so their most serious difficulty was removed.
+Matamore's body was laid in the chariot, and carefully covered
+with a large piece of white linen they fortunately happened to
+have among their heterogeneous belongings, the women resumed
+their seats, not without a slight shudder as they thought of
+their ghastly companion, and the men walked--Scapin going in
+front with the lantern, and Herode leading the horse. They could
+not make very rapid progress, but at the end of two hours
+perceived--oh, welcome sight!--the first straggling houses of the
+village where they were to spend the night. At the noise of the
+approaching vehicle the dogs began to bark furiously, and more
+than one nightcapped head appeared at the windows as they passed
+along through the deserted street--so the pedant was able to ask
+the way to the inn, which proved to be at the other end of the
+hamlet--and the worn-out old horse had to make one more effort;
+but he seemed to feel that the stable, where he should find
+shelter, rest and food, was before him, and pushed on with
+astonishing alacrity.
+
+They found it at last--the inn--with its bunch of holly for a
+sign. It looked a forlorn place, for travellers did not usually
+stop over night in this small, unimportant village; but the
+comedians were not in a mood to be fastidious, and would have
+been thankful for even a more unpromising house of entertainment
+than this one. It was all shut up for the night, with not a sign
+of life to be seen, so the tyrant applied himself diligently to
+pounding on the door with his big fists, until the sound of
+footsteps within, descending the stairs, showed that he had
+succeeded in rousing somebody. A ray of light shone through the
+cracks in the rickety old door, then it was cautiously opened
+just a little, and an aged, withered crone, striving to protect
+the flame of her flaring candle from the wind with one skinny
+hand, and to hold the rags of her most extraordinary undress
+together with the other, peered out at them curiously. She was
+evidently just as she had turned out of her bed, and a more
+revolting, witch-like old hag it would be hard to find; but she
+bade the belated travellers enter, with a horrible grimace that
+was intended for a smile, throwing the door wide open, and
+telling them they were welcome to her house as she led the way
+into the kitchen. She kindled the smouldering embers on the
+hearth into a blaze, threw on some fresh wood, and then withdrew
+to mount to her chamber and make herself a little more
+presentable--having first roused a stout peasant lad, who served
+as hostler, and sent him to take the chariot into the court,
+where he was heard directly unharnessing the weary horse and
+leading him into the stable.
+
+"We cannot leave poor Matamore's body in the chariot all night,
+like a dead deer brought home from the chase," said Blazius; "the
+dogs out there in the court might find it out. Besides, he had
+been baptized, and his remains ought to be watched with and cared
+for, like any other good Christian's."
+
+So they brought in the sad burden tenderly, laid it on the long
+table, and covered it again carefully with the white linen cloth.
+When the old woman returned, and saw this strange and terrible
+sight, she was frightened almost to death, and, throwing herself
+on her knees, began begging volubly for mercy--evidently taking
+the troupe of comedians for a band of assassins, and the dead man
+for their unfortunate victim. It was with the greatest difficulty
+that Isabelle finally succeeded in calming and reassuring the
+poor, distracted, old creature, who was beside herself with
+terror, and made her listen to the story of poor Matamore's
+death. When, at last, she fully understood the true state of the
+case, she went and fetched more candles, which she lighted and
+disposed symmetrically about the dead body, and kindly offered to
+sit up and watch it with Mme. Leonarde--also to do all that was
+necessary and usual for it--adding that she was always sent for
+in the village when there was a death, to perform those last, sad
+offices. All this being satisfactorily arranged--whereat they
+were greatly relieved--the weary travellers were conducted into
+another room, and food was placed before them; but the sad scenes
+just enacted had taken away their appetites, though it was many
+long hours since they had eaten. And be it here recorded that
+Blazius, for the first time in his life, forgot to drink his
+wine, though it was excellent, and left his glass half full. He
+could not have given a more convincing proof of the depth and
+sincerity of his grief.
+
+Isabelle and Serafina spent the night in an adjoining chamber,
+sharing the one small bed it contained, and the men lay down upon
+bundles of straw that the stable-boy brought in for them. None of
+them slept much--being haunted by disturbing dreams inspired by
+the sad and trying events of the previous day--and all were up
+and stirring at an early hour, for poor Matamore's burial was to
+be attended to. For want of something more appropriate the aged
+hostess and Mme. Leonarde had enveloped the body in an old piece
+of thick canvass--still bearing traces of the foliage and
+garlands of flowers originally painted in bright colours upon
+it--
+in which they had sewed it securely, so that it looked not
+unlike an Egyptian mummy. A board resting on two cross pieces of
+wood served as a bier, and, the body being placed upon it, was
+carried by Herode, Blazius, Scapin and Leander. A large, black
+velvet cloak, adorned with spangles, which was used upon the
+stage by sovereign pontiffs or venerable necromancers, did duty
+as a pall--not inappropriately surely. The little cortege left
+the inn by a small door in the rear that opened upon a deserted
+common, so as to avoid passing through the street and rousing the
+curiosity of the villagers, and set off towards a retired spot,
+indicated by the friendly old woman, where no one would be likely
+to witness or interfere with their proceedings. The early morning
+was gray and cold, the sky leaden--no one had ventured abroad yet
+save a few peasants searching for dead wood and sticks, who
+looked with suspicious eyes upon the strange little procession
+making its way slowly through the untrodden snow, but did not
+attempt to approach or molest it. They reached at last the lonely
+spot where they were to leave the mortal remains of poor
+Matamore, and the stable-boy, who had accompanied them carrying a
+spade, set to work to dig the grave. Several carcasses of animals
+lay scattered about close at hand, partly hidden by the
+snow--among them two or three skeletons of horses, picked clean
+by birds of prey; their long heads, at the end of the slender
+vertebral columns, peering out horribly at them, and their ribs,
+like the sticks of an open fan stripped of its covering,
+appearing above the smooth white surface, bearing each one its
+little load of snow. The comedians observed these ghastly
+surroundings with a shudder, as they laid their burden gently
+down upon the ground, and gathered round the grave which the boy
+was industriously digging. He made but slow progress, however,
+and the tyrant, taking the spade from him, went to work with a
+will, and had soon finished the sad task. Just at the last a
+volley of stones suddenly startled the little group, who, intent
+upon the mournful business in hand, had not noticed the stealthy
+approach of a considerable number of peasants.
+
+These last had been hastily summoned by their friends who had
+first perceived the mysterious little funeral procession, without
+priest, crucifix, or lighted tapers, and taken it for granted
+that there must be something uncanny about it.
+
+They were about to follow up the shower of stones by a charge
+upon the group assembled round the open grave, when de
+Sigognac, outraged at this brutal assault, whipped out his sword,
+and rushed upon them impetuously, striking some with the flat of
+the blade, and threatening others with the point; while the
+tyrant, who had leaped out of the grave at the first alarm,
+seized one of the cross pieces of the improvised bier, and
+followed the baron into the thick of the crowd, raining blows
+right and left among their cowardly assailants; who, though they
+far outnumbered the little band of comedians, fled before the
+vigorous attack of de Sigognac and Herode, cursing and swearing,
+and shouting out violent threats as they withdrew. Poor
+Matamore's humble obsequies were completed without further
+hindrance. When the first spadeful of earth fell upon his body
+the pedant, with great tears slowly rolling down his cheeks, bent
+reverently over the grave and sighed out, "Alas! poor Matamore!"
+little thinking that he was, using the very words of Hamlet,
+prince of Denmark, when he apostrophized the skull of Yorick, an
+ancient king's jester, in the famous tragedy of one Shakespeare--
+a poet of great renown in England, and protege of Queen
+Elizabeth.
+
+The grave was filled up in silence, and the tyrant--after having
+trampled down the snow for some distance around it, so that its
+exact whereabouts might not be easy to find in case the angry
+peasants should come back to disturb it--said as they turned
+away, "Now let us get out of this place as fast as we can; we
+have nothing more to do here, and the sooner we quit it the
+better. Those brutes that attacked us may return with
+reinforcements--indeed I think it more than likely that they
+will--in which case your sword, my dear baron, and my stick might
+not be enough to scatter them again. We don't want to kill any of
+them, and have the cries of widows and orphans resounding in our
+ears; and besides, it might be awkward for us if we were obliged
+to do it in self-defence, and then were hauled up before the
+local justice of peace to answer for it."
+
+There was so much good sense in this advice that it was
+unanimously agreed to follow it, and in less than an hour, after
+having settled their account at the inn, they, were once more
+upon the road.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII. CAPTAIN FRACASSE
+
+The comedians pushed forward at first as rapidly as the strength
+of their horse--resuscitated by a night's rest in a comfortable
+stable, and a generous feed of oats--would allow; it being
+important to put a good distance between themselves and the
+infuriated peasants who had been repulsed by de Sigognac and the
+tyrant. They plodded on for more than two leagues in profound
+silence, for poor Matamore's sad fate weighed heavily upon their
+hearts, and each one thought, with a shudder, that the day might
+come when he too would die, and be buried secretly and in haste,
+in some lonely and neglected spot by the roadside, wherever they
+chanced to be, and there abandoned by his comrades.
+
+At last Blazius, whose tongue was scarcely ever at rest, save
+when he slept, could restrain it no longer, and began to
+expatiate upon the mournful theme of which all were thinking,
+embellishing his discourse with many apt quotations, apothegms
+and maxims, of which in his role of pedant he had an ample store
+laid up in his memory. The tyrant listened in silence, but with
+such a scowling, preoccupied air that Blazius finally observed
+it, and broke off his eloquent disquisition abruptly to inquire
+what he was cogitating so intently.
+
+"I am thinking about Milo, the celebrated Crotonian," he replied,
+"who killed a bullock with one blow of his fist, and devoured it
+in a single day. I always have admired that exploit particularly,
+and I feel as if I could do as much myself to-day."
+
+"But as bad luck will have it," said Scapin, putting in his oar,
+"the bullock is wanting."
+
+"Yes," rejoined the tyrant, "I, alas! have only the fist and the
+stomach. Oh! thrice happy the ostrich, that, at a pinch, makes a
+meal of pebbles, bits of broken glass, shoe-buttons,
+knife-handles, belt-buckles, or any such-like delicacies that
+come in its way, which the poor, weak, human stomach cannot
+digest at all. At this moment I feel capable of swallowing whole
+that great mass of scenery and decorations in the chariot yonder.
+I feel as if I had as big a chasm in me as the grave I dug this
+morning for poor Matamore, and as if I never could get enough to
+fill it. The ancients were wise old fellows; they knew what they
+were about when they instituted the feasts that always followed
+their funerals, with abundance of meats and all sorts of good
+things to eat, washed down with copious draughts of wine, to the
+honour of the dead and the great good of the living. Ah! if we
+only had the wherewithal now to follow their illustrious example,
+and accomplish worthily that philosophical rite, so admirably
+calculated to stay the tears of mourners and raise their drooping
+spirits."
+
+"In other words," said Blazius, "you are hankering after
+something to eat. Polyphemus, ogre, Gargantua, monster that you
+are! you disgust me."
+
+"And you," retorted the tyrant, "I know that you are hankering
+after something to drink. Silenus, hogshead, wine-bottle, sponge
+that you are! you excite my pity."
+
+"How delightful it would be for us all if you both could have
+your wish," interposed Scapin, in a conciliatory tone.
+
+"Look, yonder by the roadside is a little grove, capitally
+situated for a halting-place. We might stop there for a little,
+ransack the chariot to find whatever fragments may yet remain in
+it of our last stock of provisions, and gathering them all up
+take our breakfast, such as it may be, comfortably sheltered from
+this cold north wind on the lee side of the thicket there. The
+short halt will give the poor old horse a chance to rest, and we
+meantime, while we are breakfasting, can discuss at our leisure
+some expedients for supplying our immediate needs, and also talk
+over our future plans and prospects--which latter, it seems to
+me, look devilishly dark and discouraging."
+
+"Your words are golden, friend Scapin," the pedant said, "let
+us by all means gather up the crumbs that are left of former
+plenty, though they will be but few and musty, I fear. There are
+still, however, two or three bottles of wine remaining--the last
+of a goodly store--enough for us each to have a glass. What a
+pity that the soil hereabouts is not of that peculiar kind of
+clay upon which certain tribes of American savages are said to
+subsist, when they have been unlucky in their hunting and
+fishing, and have nothing better to eat."
+
+They accordingly turned the chariot off from the road into the
+edge of the thicket, unharnessed the horse, and left him free to
+forage for himself; whereupon he began to nibble, with great
+apparent relish, at the scattered spears of grass peeping up here
+and there through the snow. A large rug was brought from the
+chariot and spread upon the ground in a sheltered spot, upon
+which the comedians seated themselves, in Turkish fashion, in a
+circle, while Blazius distributed among them the sorry rations he
+had managed to scrape together; laughing and jesting about them
+in such an amusing manner that all were fain to join in his
+merriment, and general good humour prevailed. The Baron de
+Sigognac, who had long, indeed always, been accustomed to extreme
+frugality, in fact almost starvation, and found it easier to bear
+such trials with equanimity than his companions, could not help
+admiring the wonderful way in which the pedant made the best of a
+really desperate situation, and found something to laugh at and
+make merry over where most people would have grumbled and
+groaned, and bewailed their hard lot, in a manner to make
+themselves, and all their companions in misery, doubly unhappy.
+But his attention was quickly absorbed in his anxiety about
+Isabelle, who was deathly pale, and shivering until her teeth
+chattered, though she did her utmost to conceal her suffering
+condition, and to laugh with the rest. Her wraps were sadly
+insufficient to protect her properly from such extreme cold as
+they were exposed to then, and de Sigognac, who was sitting
+beside her, insisted upon sharing his cloak with her--though she
+protested against his depriving himself of so much of it--and
+beneath its friendly shelter gently drew her slender, shrinking
+form close to himself, so as to impart some of his own vital
+warmth to her. She could feel the quickened beating of his heart
+as he held her respectfully, yet firmly and tenderly, embraced,
+and he was soon rewarded for his loving care by seeing the colour
+return to her pale lips, the happy light to her sweet eyes, and
+even a faint flush appear on her delicate cheeks.
+
+While they were eating--or rather making believe to eat their
+make-believe breakfast--a singular noise was heard near by, to
+which at first they paid no particular attention, thinking it was
+the wind whistling through the matted branches of the thicket, if
+they thought of it at all; but presently it grew louder, and they
+could not imagine what it proceeded from. It was a sort of
+hissing sound, at once shrill and hoarse, quite impossible to
+describe accurately.
+
+As it grew louder and louder, and seemed to be approaching them,
+the women manifested some alarm.
+
+"Oh!" shrieked Serafina "I hope it's not a snake; I shall die if
+it is; I am so terrified by the horrid, crawling creatures."
+
+"But it can't possibly be a snake," said Leander, reassuringly;
+"in such cold weather as this the snakes are all torpid and lying
+in their holes underground, stiffer than so many sticks."
+
+"Leander is right," added the pedant, "this cannot be a snake;
+and besides, snakes never make such a sound as that at any time.
+It must proceed from some wild creature of the wood that our
+invasion has disturbed; perhaps we may be lucky enough to capture
+it and find it edible; that would be a piece of good fortune,
+indeed, quite like a fairy-tale."
+
+Meantime Scapin was listening attentively to the strange,
+incomprehensible sound, and watching keenly that part of the
+thicket from which it seemed to come. Presently a movement of the
+underbrush became noticeable, and just as he motioned to the
+company to keep perfectly quiet a magnificent big gander emerged
+from the bushes, stretching out his long neck, hissing with all
+his might, and waddling along with a sort of stupid majesty that
+was most diverting--closely followed by two geese, his good,
+simple-minded, confiding wives, in humble attendance upon their
+infuriated lord and master.
+
+"Don't stir, any of you," said Scapin, under his breath, and I
+will endeavour to capture this splendid prize"--with which the
+clever scamp crept softly round behind his companions, who were
+still seated in a circle on the rug, so lightly that he made not
+the slightest sound; and while the gander--who with his two
+followers had stopped short at sight of the intruders--was
+intently examining them, with some curiosity mingled with his
+angry defiance, and apparently wondering in his stupid way how
+these mysterious figures came to be in that usually deserted
+spot, Scapin succeeded, by making a wide detour, in getting
+behind the three geese unseen, and noiselessly advancing upon
+them, with one rapid, dexterous movement, threw his large heavy
+cloak over the coveted prize. In another instant he had the
+struggling gander, still enveloped in the cloak, in his arms,
+and, by compressing his neck tightly, quickly put an end to his
+resistance--and his existence at the same time; while his two
+wives, or rather widows, rushed back into the thick underbrush to
+avoid a like fate, making a great cackling and ado over the
+terrible catastrophe that had befallen their quondam lord and
+master.
+
+"Bravo, Scapin! that was a clever trick indeed," cried Herode;
+"it throws those you are so often applauded for on the stage
+quite into the shade--a masterpiece of strategy, friend Scapin!--
+for, as is well known, geese are by nature very vigilant, and
+never caught off their guard--of which history gives us a notable
+instance, in the watchfulness of the sacred geese of the Capitol,
+whose loud cackling in the dead of night at the stealthy approach
+of the Gauls woke the sleeping soldiers to a sense of their
+danger just in time to save Rome. This splendid big fellow here
+saves us--after another fashion it is true, but one which is no
+less providential."
+
+The goose was plucked and prepared for the spit by Mme. Leonarde,
+while Blazius, the tyrant, and Leander busied themselves in
+gathering together a goodly quantity of dead wood and twigs, and
+laying them ready to light in a tolerably dry spot. Scapin, with
+his large clasp-knife, cut a straight, strong stick, stripped off
+the bark for a spit, and found two stout forked branches, which
+he stuck firmly into the ground on each side of the fire so that
+they would meet over it. A handful of dry straw from the chariot
+served as kindling, and they quickly had a bright blaze, over
+which the goose was suspended, and being duly turned and tended
+by Scapin, in a surprisingly short space of time began to assume
+a beautiful light brown hue, and send out such a savoury
+delicious odour that the tyrant sprang up and strode away from
+its immediate vicinity, declaring that if he remained near it the
+temptation to seize and swallow it, spit and all, would surely be
+too strong for him. Blazius had fetched from the chariot a huge
+tin platter that usually figured in theatrical feasts, upon which
+the goose, done to a turn, was finally placed with all due
+ceremony, and a second breakfast was partaken of, which was by no
+means a fallacious, chimerical repast like the first. The pedant,
+who was an accomplished carver, officiated in that capacity on
+this auspicious occasion; begging the company, as he did so, to
+be kind enough to excuse the unavoidable absence, which he deeply
+regretted, of the slices of Seville oranges that should have
+formed a part of the dish--being an obligatory accessory of roast
+goose--and they with charming courtesy smilingly expressed their
+willingness to overlook for this once such a culinary solecism.
+
+"Now," said Herode, when nothing remained of the goose but its
+well-picked bones, "we must try to decide upon what is best to be
+done. Only three or four pistoles are left in the exchequer, and
+my office as treasurer bids fair to become a sinecure. We have
+been so unfortunate as to lose two valuable members of the
+troupe, Zerbine and poor Matamore, rendering many of our best
+plays impossible for us, and at any rate we cannot give dramatic
+representations that would bring in much money here in the
+fields, where our audience would be mainly composed of crows,
+jackdaws, and magpies--who could scarcely be expected to pay us
+very liberally for our entertainment. With that poor, miserable,
+old horse there, slowly dying between the shafts of our chariot,
+hardly able to drag one foot after another, we cannot reasonably
+expect to reach Poitiers in less than two days--if we do then--
+and our situation is an unpleasantly tragic one, for we run the
+risk of being frozen or starved to death by the wayside; fat
+geese, already roasted, do not emerge from every thicket you
+know."
+
+"You state the case very clearly," the pedant said as he paused,
+"and make the evil very apparent, but you don't say a word about
+the remedy."
+
+"My idea is," rejoined Herode, "to stop at the first village we
+come to and give an entertainment. All work in the fields is at a
+standstill now, and the peasants are idle in consequence; they
+will be only too delighted at the prospect of a little amusement.
+Somebody will let us have his barn for our theatre, and Scapin
+shall go round the town beating the drum, and announcing our
+programme, adding this important clause, that all those who
+cannot pay for their places in money may do so in provisions. A
+fowl, a ham, or a jug of wine, will secure a seat in the first
+row; a pair of pigeons, a dozen eggs, or a loaf of bread, in the
+second, and so on down. Peasants are proverbially stingy with
+their money, but will be liberal enough with their provisions;
+and though our purse will not be replenished, our larder will,
+which is equally important, since our very lives depend upon it.
+After that we can push on to Poitiers, and I know an inn-keeper
+there who will give us credit until we have had time to fill our
+purse again, and get our finances in good order."
+
+"But what piece can we play, in case we find our village?" asked
+Scapin. "Our repertoire is sadly reduced, you know. Tragedies,
+and even the better class of comedies, would be all Greek to the
+stupid rustics, utterly ignorant as they are of history or fable,
+and scarcely even understanding the French language. The only
+thing to give them would be a roaring farce, with plenty of funny
+by-play, resounding blows, kicks and cuffs, ridiculous tumbles,
+and absurdities within their limited comprehension. The
+Rodomontades of Captain Matamore would be the very thing; but
+that is out of our power now that poor Matamore is dead."
+
+When Scapin paused, de Sigognac made a sign with his hand that he
+wished to speak, and all the company turned respectfully towards
+him to listen to what he had to say. A little flush spread itself
+over his pale countenance, and it was only after a brief but
+sharp struggle with himself that he opened his tightly compressed
+lips, and addressed his expectant audience, as follows: "Although
+I do not possess poor Matamore's talent, I can almost rival him
+in thinness, and I will take his role, and do the best I can with
+it. I am your comrade, and I want to do my part in this strait we
+find ourselves in. I should be ashamed to share your prosperity,
+as I have done, and not aid you, so far as lies in my power, in
+your adversity, and this is the only way in which I can assist
+you. There is no one in the whole world to care what may become
+of the de Sigognacs; my house is crumbling into dust over the
+tombs of my ancestors; oblivion covers my once glorious name, and
+the arms of my family are almost entirely obliterated above the
+deserted entrance to the Chateau de Sigognac. Perhaps I may yet
+see the three golden storks shine out brilliantly upon my shield,
+and life, prosperity, and happiness return to the desolate abode
+where my sad, hopeless youth was spent. But in the meantime,
+since to you I owe my escape from that dreary seclusion, I beg
+you to accept me freely as your comrade, and my poor services as
+such; to you I am no longer de Sigognac."
+
+Isabelle had laid her hand on his arm at his first sentence, as
+soon as she comprehended what he meant to say, to try to stop
+him, and here she made another effort to interrupt; but for once
+he would not heed her, and continued, "I renounce my title of
+baron for the present; I fold it up and put it away at the bottom
+of my portmanteau, like a garment that is laid aside. Do not make
+use of it again, I pray you; we will see whether under a new name
+I may not succeed in escaping from the ill fortune that has thus
+far pursued me as the Baron de Sigognac. Henceforth then I take
+poor Matamore's place, and my name is Captain Fracasse."
+
+"Bravo! Vive Captain Fracasse!" cried they all, with enthusiasm,
+"may applause greet and follow him wherever he goes."
+
+This sudden move on de Sigognac's part, at which the comedians
+were greatly astonished, as well as deeply touched, was not so
+unpremeditated as it seemed; he had been thinking about it for
+some time. He blushed at the idea of being a mere parasite,
+living upon the bounty of these honest players--who shared all
+they had with him so generously, and without ever making him
+feel, for a moment, that he was under any obligation to them,
+but--rather that he was conferring an honour upon them--he deemed
+it less unworthy a gentleman to appear upon the stage and do his
+part towards filling the common purse than to be their pensioner
+in idleness; and after all, there was no disgrace in becoming an
+actor. The idea of quitting them and going back to Sigognac had
+indeed presented itself to his mind, but he had instantly
+repulsed it as base and cowardly--it is not in the hour of danger
+and disaster that the true soldier retires from the ranks.
+Besides, if he had wished to go ever so much, his love for
+Isabelle would have kept him near her; and then, though he was
+not given to day-dreams, he yet fancied that wonderful
+adventures, sudden changes, and strokes of good fortune might
+possibly be awaiting him in the mysterious future, into which he
+fain would peer, and he would inevitably lose the chance of them
+all if he returned to his ruinous chateau.
+
+Everything being thus satisfactorily arranged, the old horse was
+harnessed up again, and the chariot moved slowly forward on its
+way. Their good meal had revived everybody's drooping spirits,
+and they all, excepting the duenna and Serafina, who never walked
+if they could possibly help it, trudged cheerily along, laughing
+and talking as they went.
+
+Isabelle had taken de Sigognac's offered arm, and leaned on it
+proudly, glancing furtively up into his face, whenever he was
+looking away from her, with eyes full of tenderness and loving
+admiration, never suspecting, in her modesty, that it was for
+love of her that he had decided to turn actor--a thing so
+revolting, as she knew, to his pride as a gentleman. He was a
+hero in her eyes, and though she wished to reproach him for his
+hasty action, which she would have prevented if she could, she
+had not the heart to find fault with him for his noble devotion
+to the common cause after all. Yet she would have done anything,
+suffered everything herself, to have saved him this humiliation;
+hers being one of those true, loyal hearts that forget themselves
+in their love, and think only of the interests and happiness of
+the being beloved. She walked on beside him until her strength
+was exhausted, and then returned to her place in the chariot,
+giving him a look so eloquent of love and admiration, as he
+carefully drew her wraps about her, that his heart bounded with
+joy, and he felt that no sacrifice could be too great which was
+made for her sweet sake.
+
+In every direction around them, as far as the eye could reach,
+the snow-covered country was utterly devoid of town, village, or
+hamlet; not a sign of life was anywhere to be seen.
+
+"A sorry prospect for our fine plan," said the pedant, after a
+searching examination of their surroundings, "and I very much
+fear that the plentiful store of provisions Herode promised us
+will not be forthcoming. I cannot see the smoke of a single
+chimney, strain my eyes as I will, nor the weather-cock on any
+village spire."
+
+"Have a little patience, Blazius!" the tyrant replied. "Where
+people live too much crowded together the air becomes vitiated,
+you know, and it is very salubrious to have the villages situated
+a good distance apart."
+
+"What a healthy part of the country this must be then the
+inhabitants need not to fear epidemics--for to begin with there
+are no inhabitants. At this rate our Captain Fracasse will not
+have a chance very soon to make his debut."
+
+By this time it was nearly dark, the sky was overcast with heavy
+leaden clouds, and only a faint lurid glow on the horizon in the
+west showed where the sun had gone down. An icy wind, blowing
+full in their faces, and the hard, frozen surface of the snow,
+made their progress both difficult and painful. The poor old
+horse slipped at every step, though Scapin was carefully leading
+him, and staggered along like a drunken man, striking first
+against one shaft and then against the other, growing perceptibly
+weaker at every turn of the wheels behind him. Now and again he
+shook his head slowly up and down, and cast appealing glances at
+those around him, as his trembling legs seemed about to give way
+under him. His hour had come--the poor, old horse! and he was
+dying in harness like a brave beast, as he was. At last he could
+no more, and falling heavily to the ground gave one feeble kick
+as he stretched himself out on his side, and yielded up the
+ghost. Frightened by the sudden shock, the women shrieked loudly,
+and the men, running to their assistance, helped them to clamber
+out of the chariot. Mme. Leonarde and Serafina were none the
+worse for the fright, but Isabelle had fainted quite away, and de
+Sigognac, lifting her light weight easily, carried her in his
+arms to the bank at the side of the road, followed by the duenna,
+while Scapin bent down over the prostrate horse and carefully
+examined his ears.
+
+"He is stone dead," said he in despairing tones; "his ears are
+cold, and there is no pulsation in the auricular artery."
+
+"Then I suppose we shall have to harness ourselves to the chariot
+in his place," broke in Leander dolefully, almost weeping. "Oh!
+cursed be the mad folly that led me to choose an actor's career."
+
+"Is this a time to groan and bewail yourself?  roared the tyrant
+savagely, entirely out of patience with Leander's everlasting
+jeremiads; "for heaven's sake pluck up a little courage, and be a
+man! And now to consider what is to be done; but first let us see
+how our good little Isabelle is getting on; is she still
+unconscious? No; she opens her eyes, and there is the colour
+coming back to her lips; she will do now, thanks to the baron and
+Mme. Leonarde. We must divide ourselves into two bands; one will
+stay with the women and the chariot, the other will scour the
+country in search of aid. We cannot think of remaining here all
+night, for we should be frozen stiff long before morning. Come,
+Captain Fracasse, Leander, and Scapin, you three being the
+youngest, and also the fleetest of foot, off with you. Run like
+greyhounds, and bring us succour as speedily as may be. Blazius
+and I will meantime do duty as guardians of the chariot and its
+contents."
+
+The three men designated signified their readiness to obey the
+tyrant, and set off across country, though not feeling at all
+sanguine as to the results of their search, for the night was
+intensely dark; but that very darkness had its advantages, and
+came to their aid in an unexpected manner, for though it
+effectually concealed all surrounding objects, it made visible a
+tiny point of light shining at the foot of a little hill some
+distance from the road.
+
+"Behold," cried the pedant, "our guiding star! as welcome to us
+weary travellers, lost in the desert, as the polar star to the
+distressed mariner 'in periculo maris.' That blessed star yonder,
+whose rays shine far out into the darkness, is a light burning in
+some warm, comfortable room, which forms--Heaven be
+praised!--part of the habitation of human and civilized
+beings--not Laestrygon savages. Without doubt there is a bright
+fire blazing on the hearth in that cosy room, and over it hangs a
+famous big pot, from which issue puffs of a delicious odour--
+oh, delightful thought!--round which my imagination holds high
+revel, and in fancy I wash down with generous wine the savoury
+morsels from that glorious pot-au-feu."
+
+"You rave, my good Blazius," said the tyrant, "the frost must
+have gotten into your brain--that makes men mad, they say, or
+silly. Yet there is some method in your madness, some truth in
+your ravings, for yonder light must indicate an inhabited
+dwelling. This renders a change in the plans for our campaign
+advisable. We will all go forward together towards the promised
+refuge, and leave the chariot where it is; no robbers will be
+abroad on such a night as this to interfere with its contents. We
+will take our few valuables--they are not so numerous or weighty
+but that we can carry them with us; for once it is an advantage
+that our possessions are few. To-morrow morning we will come back
+to fetch the chariot: now, forward, march!--and it is time, for I
+am nearly frozen to death."
+
+The comedians accordingly started across the fields, towards the
+friendly light that promised them so much--Isabelle supported by
+de Sigognac, Serafina by Leander, and the duenna dragged along by
+Scapin; while Blazius and the tyrant formed the advance guard. It
+was not easy work; sometimes plunging into deep snow, more than
+knee high, as they came upon a ditch, hidden completely under the
+treacherously smooth white surface, or stumbling, and even
+falling more than once, over some unseen obstacle; but at length
+they came up to what seemed to be a large, low building, probably
+a farm-house, surrounded by stone walls, with a big gate for
+carts to enter. In the expanse of dark wall before them shone the
+light which had guided their steps, and upon approaching they
+found that it proceeded from a small window, whose shutters--most
+fortunately for them, poor, lost wanderers--had not yet been
+closed. The dogs within the enclosure, perceiving the approach of
+strangers, began to bark loudly and rush about the yard; they
+could hear them jumping up at the walls in vain efforts to get at
+the intruders. Presently the sound of a man's voice and footsteps
+mingled with their barking, and in a moment the whole
+establishment seemed to be on the alert.
+
+"Stay here, all of you," said the pedant, halting at a little
+distance from the gate, "and let me go forward alone to knock for
+admission. Our numbers might alarm the good people of the farm,
+and lead them to fancy us a band of robbers, with designs upon
+their rustic Penates; as I am old, and inoffensive looking, they
+will not be afraid of me."
+
+This advice was approved by all, and Blazius, going forward by
+himself, knocked gently at the great gate, which was first opened
+cautiously just a very little, then flung impetuously back; and
+then the comedians, from their outpost in the snow, saw a most
+extraordinary and inexplicable scene enacted before their
+astonished eyes. The pedant and the farmer who had opened the
+gate, after gazing at each other a moment intently, by the light
+of the lantern which the latter held up to see what manner of
+man his nocturnal visitor might be, and after exchanging rapidly
+a few words, that the others could not hear, accompanied by wild
+gesticulations, rushed into each other's arms, and began pounding
+each other heartily upon the back--mutually bestowing resounding
+accolades--as is the manner upon the stage of expressing joy at
+meeting a dear friend. Emboldened by this cordial reception,
+which yet was a mystery to them, the rest of the troupe ventured
+to approach, though slowly and timidly.
+
+"Halloa! all of you there," cried the pedant suddenly, in a
+joyful voice, "come on without fear, you will be made welcome by
+a friend and a brother, a world-famed member of our profession,
+the darling of Thespis, the favourite of Thalia, no less a
+personage than the celebrated Bellombre--you all know his
+glorious record. Blessed is the happy chance that has directed
+our steps hither, to the philosophic retreat where this
+histrionic hero reposes tranquilly upon his laurels."
+
+"Come in, I pray you, ladies and gentlemen," said Bellombre,
+advancing to meet them, with a graceful courtesy which proved
+that the ci-devant actor had not put aside his elegant, courtly
+manners when he donned his peasant dress.
+
+"Come in quickly out of this biting wind; my dwelling is rude and
+homely, but you will be better off within it than here in the
+open air."
+
+They needed no urging, and joyfully accepting his kind invitation
+followed their host into the house, charmed with this unhoped-for
+good fortune. Blazius and Bellombre were old acquaintances, and
+had formerly been members Of the same troupe; as their respective
+roles did not clash there was no rivalry between them, and they
+had become fast friends--being fellow worshippers at the shrine
+of the merry god of wine. Bellombre had retired from the stage
+some years before, when at his father's death he inherited this
+farm and a small fortune. The parts that he excelled in required
+a certain degree of youth, and he was not sorry to withdraw
+before wrinkles and whitening locks should make it necessary for
+him to abandon his favourite roles. In the world he was believed
+to be dead, but his splendid acting was often quoted by his
+former admirers--who were wont to declare that there had been
+nothing to equal it seen on the stage since he had made his last
+bow to the public.
+
+The room into which he led his guests was very spacious, and
+served both as kitchen and sitting-room--there was also a large
+curtained bed standing in an alcove at the end farthest from the
+fire, as was not unusual in ancient farm-houses. The blaze from
+the four or five immense logs of wood heaped up on the huge
+andirons was roaring up the broad chimney flue, and filling the
+room with a bright, ruddy glow--a most welcome sight to the poor
+half-frozen travellers, who gathered around it and luxuriated in
+its genial warmth. The large apartment was plainly and
+substantially furnished, just as any well-to-do farmer's house
+might be, but near one of the windows stood a round table heaped
+up with books, some of them lying open as if but just put down,
+which showed that the owner of the establishment had not lost his
+taste for literary pursuits, but devoted to them his long winter
+evenings.
+
+The cordiality of their welcome and the deliciously warm
+atmosphere in which they found themselves had combined to raise
+the spirits of the comedians--colour returned to pate faces,
+light to heavy eyes, and smiles to anxious lips--their gaiety was
+in proportion to the misery and peril from which they had just
+happily escaped, their hardships were all forgotten, and they
+gave themselves up entirely to the enjoyment of the hour. Their
+host had called up his servants, who bustled about, setting the
+table and making other preparations for supper, to the
+undisguised delight of Blazius, who said triumphantly to the
+tyrant, "You see now, Herode, and must acknowledge, that my
+predictions, inspired by the little glimmer of light we saw from
+afar, are completely verified--they have all come literally true.
+Fragrant puffs are issuing even now from the mammoth pot-au-feu
+there over the fire, and we shall presently wash down its savoury
+contents with draughts of generous wine, which I see already
+awaiting us on the table yonder. It is warm and bright and cosy
+in this room, and we appreciate and enjoy it all doubly, after
+the darkness and the cold and the danger from which we have
+escaped into the grateful shelter of this hospitable roof; and to
+crown the whole, our host is the grand, illustrious, incomparable
+Bellombre--flower and cream of all comedians, past, present and
+future, and best of good fellows."
+
+"Our happiness would be complete if only poor Matamore were
+here," said Isabelle with a sigh.
+
+"Pray what has happened to him?" asked Bellombre, who knew him by
+reputation.
+
+The tyrant told him the tragic story of the snow-storm, and its
+fatal consequences. "But for this thrice-blessed meeting with my
+old and faithful friend here," Blazius added, "the same fate
+would probably have overtaken us ere morning--we should all have
+been found, frozen stiff and stark, by the next party of
+travellers on the post road."
+
+"That would have been a pity indeed," Bellombre rejoined, and
+glancing admiringly at Isabelle and Serafina, added gallantly,
+"but surely these young goddesses would have melted the snow, and
+thawed the ice, with the fire I see shining in their sparkling
+eyes."
+
+"You attribute too much power to our eyes," Scrafina made answer;
+"they could not even have made any impression upon a heart, in
+the thick, impenetrable darkness that enveloped us; the tears
+that the icy cold forced from them would have extinguished the
+flames of the most ardent love."
+
+While they sat at supper, Blazius told their host of the sad
+condition of their affairs, at which he seemed no way surprised.
+
+"There are always plenty of ups and downs in a theatrical
+career," he said--"the wheel of Fortune turns very fast in that
+profession; but if misfortunes come suddenly, so also does
+prosperity follow quickly in their train. Don't be discouraged!
+--things are brightening with you now. Tomorrow morning I will
+send one of my stout farm-horses to bring your chariot on here,
+and we will rig up a theatre in my big barn; there is a large
+town not far from this which will send us plenty of spectators.
+If the entertainment does not fetch as good a sum as I think it
+will, I have a little fund of pistoles lying idle here that will
+be entirely at your service, for, by Apollo! I would not leave my
+good Blazius and his friends in distress so long as I had a
+copper in my purse."
+
+"I see that you are always the same warm-hearted, openhanded
+Bellombre as of old," cried the pedant, grasping the other's
+outstretched hand warmly; "you have not grown rusty and hard in
+consequence of your bucolic occupations."
+
+"No," Bellombre replied, with a smile; "I do not let my brain lie
+fallow while I cultivate my fields. I make a point of reading
+over frequently the good old authors, seated comfortably by the
+fire with my feet on the fender, and I read also such new works
+as I am able to procure, from time to time, here in the depths of
+the country. I often go carefully over my own old parts, and I
+see plainly what a self-satisfied fool I was in the old days,
+when I was applauded to the echo every time I appeared upon the
+stage, simply because I happened to be blessed with a sonorous
+voice, a graceful carriage, and a fine leg; the doting stupidity
+of the public, with which I chanced to be a favourite, was the
+true cause of my success."
+
+"Only the great Bellombre himself would ever be suffered to say
+such things as these of that most illustrious ornament of our
+profession," said the tyrant, courteously.
+
+"Art is long, but life is short," continued the ci-devant actor,
+"and I should have arrived at a certain degree of proficiency at
+last perhaps, but--I was beginning to grow stout; and I would not
+allow myself to cling to the stage until two footmen should have
+to come and help me up from my rheumatic old knees every time I
+had a declaration of love to make, so I gladly seized the
+opportunity afforded me by my little inheritance, and retired in
+the height of my glory."
+
+"And you were wise, Bellombre," said Blazius, "though your
+retreat was premature; you might have given ten years more to the
+theatre, and then have retired full early."
+
+In effect he was still a very handsome, vigorous man, about whom
+no signs of age were apparent, save an occasional thread of
+silver amid the rich masses of dark hair that fell upon his
+shoulders.
+
+The younger men, as well as the three actresses, were glad to
+retire to rest early; but Blazius and the tyrant, with their
+host, sat up drinking the latter's capital wine until far into
+the night. At length they, too, succumbed to their fatigue; and
+while they are sleeping we will return to the abandoned chariot
+to see what was going on there. In the gray light of the early
+morning it could be perceived that the poor old horse still lay
+just as he had fallen; several crows were flitting about, not yet
+venturing to attack the miserable carcass, peering at it
+suspiciously from a respectful distance, as if they feared some
+hidden snare. At last one, bolder than its fellows, alighted upon
+the poor beast's head, and was just bending over that coveted
+dainty, the eye--which was open and staring--when a heavy step,
+coming over the snow, startled him. With a croak of
+disappointment he quitted his post of vantage, rose heavily in
+the air, and flapped slowly off to a neighbouring tree, followed
+by his companions, cawing and scolding hoarsely. The figure of a
+man appeared, coming along the road at a brisk pace, and carrying
+a large bundle in his arms, enveloped in his cloak. This he put
+down upon the ground when he came up with the chariot, standing
+directly in his way, and it proved to be a little girl about
+twelve years old; a child with large, dark, liquid eyes that had
+a feverish light in them--eyes exactly like Chiquita's. There was
+a string of pearl beads round the slender neck, and an
+extraordinary combination of rags and tatters, held together in
+some mysterious way, hung about the thin, fragile little figure.
+It was indeed Chiquita herself, and with her, Agostino--the
+ingenious rascal, whose laughable exploit with his scarecrow
+brigands has been already recorded--who, tired of following a
+profession that yielded no profits, had set out on foot for
+Paris--where all men of talent could find employment they
+said--marching by night, and lying hidden by day, like all other
+beasts of prey. The poor child, overcome with fatigue and
+benumbed by the cold, had given out entirely that night, in spite
+of her valiant efforts to keep up with Agostino, and he had
+at last picked her up in his arms and carried her for a
+while--she was but a light burden--hoping to find some sort of
+shelter soon.
+
+"What can be the meaning of this?" he said to Chiquita. "Usually
+we stop the vehicles, but here we are stopped by one in our turn;
+we must look out lest it be full of travellers, ready to demand
+our money or our lives."
+
+"There's nobody in it," Chiquita replied, having peeped in under
+the cover.
+
+"Perhaps there may be something worth having inside there,"
+Agostino said; "we will look and see," and he proceeded to light
+the little dark lantern he always had with him, for the daylight
+was not yet strong enough to penetrate into the dusky interior of
+the chariot. Chiquita, who was greatly excited by the hope of
+booty, jumped in, and rapidly searched it, carefully directing
+the light of the lantern upon the packages and confused mass of
+theatrical articles stowed away in the back part of it, but
+finding nothing of value anywhere.
+
+"Search thoroughly, my good little Chiquita!" said the brigand,
+as he kept watch outside, "be sure that you don't overlook
+anything."
+
+"There is nothing here, absolutely nothing that is worth the
+trouble of carrying away. Oh, yes! here is a bag, with something
+that sounds like money in ft."
+
+"Give it to me," cried Agostino eagerly, snatching it from her,
+and making a rapid examination of its contents; but he threw it
+down angrily upon the ground, exclaiming, "the devil take it! I
+thought we had found a treasure at last, but instead of good
+money there's nothing but a lot of pieces of gilded lead and
+such-like in it. But we'll get one thing out of this anyhow--a
+good rest inside here for you, sheltered from the wind and cold.
+Your poor little feet are bleeding, and they must be nearly
+frozen. Curl yourself down there on those cushions, and I will
+cover you with this bit of painted canvas. Now go to sleep, and I
+will watch while you have a nap; it is too early yet for honest
+folks to be abroad, and we shall not be disturbed." In a few
+minutes poor little Chiquita was sound asleep.
+
+Agostino sat on the front seat of the chariot, with his
+navaja open and lying beside him, watching the road and the
+fields all about, with the keen, practised eye of a man of his
+lawless profession. All was still. No sound or movement any
+where, save among the crows. In spite of his iron will and
+constitution he began to feel an insidious drowsiness creeping
+over him, which he did not find it easy to shake off; several
+times his eyelids closed, and he lifted them resolutely, only to
+have them fall again in another instant. In fact he was just
+dropping into a doze, when he felt, as in a dream, a hot breath
+on his face, and suddenly waked to see two gleaming eyeballs
+close to his. With a movement more rapid than thought itself, he
+seized the wolf by the throat  with his left hand, and picking up
+his navaja with the other, plunged it up to the hilt into the
+animal's breast. It must have gone through the heart, for he
+dropped down dead in the road, without a struggle.
+
+Although he had gained the victory so easily over his fierce
+assailant, Agostino concluded that this was not a good place for
+them to tarry in, and called to Chiquita, who jumped up
+instantly, wide awake, and manifested no alarm at sight of the
+dead wolf lying beside the chariot.
+
+"We had better move on," said he, "that carcass of the horse
+there draws the wolves; they are often mad with hunger in the
+winter time you know, and especially when there is snow on the
+ground. I could easily kill a pretty good number of them, but
+they might come down upon us by scores, and if I should happen to
+fall asleep again it would not be pleasant to wake up and find
+myself in the stomach of one of those confounded brutes. When I
+was disposed of they would make only a mouthful of you, little
+one! So come along, we must scamper off as fast as ever we can.
+
+That fellow there was only the advance guard, the others will not
+be far behind him--this carcass will keep them busy for a while,
+and give us time to get the start of them. You can walk now,
+Chiquita, can't you?"
+
+"Yes, indeed," she replied cheerily, "that little nap has done me
+so much good. Poor Agostino! you shall not have to carry me
+again, like a great clumsy parcel. And Agostino," she added with
+a fierce energy, "when my feet refuse to walk or run in your
+service you must just cut my throat with your big knife there,
+and throw me into the next ditch. I will thank you for it,
+Agostino, for I could not bear to have your precious life in
+danger for the sake of poor, miserable little me." Thereupon this
+strange pair, both very fleet of foot, set off running, side by
+side, the brigand holding Chiquita by the hand, so as to give her
+all the aid and support he could, and they quickly passed out of
+sight. No sooner had they departed than the crows came swooping
+down from their perch in the nearest tree, and fell to fiercely
+upon their horrible feast, in which they were almost directly
+joined by several ravenous wolves--and they made such good use of
+their time, that in a few hours nothing remained of the poor old
+horse but his bones, his tail, and his shoes. When somewhat later
+the tyrant arrived, accompanied by one of Bellombre's farm-hands,
+leading the horse that was to take the chariot back with them, he
+was naturally astonished to find only the skeleton, with the
+harness and trappings, still intact, about it, for neither birds
+nor beasts had interfered with them, and his surprise was
+increased when he discovered the half-devoured carcass of the
+wolf lying under the chariot wheels. There also, scattered on the
+road, were the sham louis-d'or that did duty upon the stage when
+largesses were to be distributed; and upon the snow were the
+traces, clearly defined, of the footsteps of a man, approaching
+the chariot from the way it had come, and of those of the same
+man, and also of a child, going on beyond it.
+
+"It would appear," said Herode to himself, "that the chariot of
+Thespis has received visitors, since we abandoned it, of more
+than one sort, and for my part I am very thankful to have missed
+them all. Oh, happy accident! that, when it happened, seemed to
+us so great a misfortune, yet is proven now to have been a
+blessing in disguise. And you, my poor old horse, you could not
+have done us a greater service than to die just when and where
+you did. Thanks to you we have escaped the wolves--two-legged
+ones, which are perhaps the most to be dreaded of all, as well as
+the ravenous brethren of this worthy lying here. What a
+dainty feast the sweet, tender flesh of those plump little
+pullets, Isabelle and Serafina, would have been for them, to say
+nothing of the tougher stuff the rest of us are made of. What a
+bountiful meal we should have furished them--the murderous
+brutes!"  While the tyrant was indulging in this soliloquy
+Bellombre's servant had detached the chariot from the skeleton of
+the poor old horse, and had harnessed to it, with considerable
+difficulty, the animal he had been leading, which was terrified
+at sight of the bleeding, mutilated carcass of the wolf lying on
+the snow, and the ghastly skeleton of its predecessor. Arrived at
+the farm, the chariot was safely stowed away under a shed, and
+upon examination it was found that nothing was missing. Indeed,
+something had been left there, for a small clasp-knife was picked
+up in it, which had fallen out of Chiquita's pocket, and excited
+a great deal of curiosity and conjecture. It was of Spanish make,
+and bore upon its sharp, pointed blade, a sinister inscription in
+that language, to this effect--
+
+"When this viper bites you, make sure
+That you must die--for there is no cure."
+
+No one could imagine how it had come there, and the tyrant was
+especially anxious to clear up the mystery that puzzled them all.
+Isabelle, who was a little inclined to be superstitious, and
+attach importance to omens, signs of evil, and such-like, felt
+troubled about it. She spoke Spanish perfectly, and understood
+the full force and significance of the strange inscription upon
+the wicked-looking blade of the tiny weapon.
+
+Meantime, Scapin, dressed in his freshest and most gaudy costume,
+had marched into the neighbouring town, carrying his drum; he
+stationed himself in the large, public square, and made such good
+play with his drum-sticks that he soon had a curious crowd around
+him, to whom he made an eloquent address, setting forth in
+glowing terms the great attractions offered by "the illustrious
+comedians of Herode's celebrated troupe," who, "for this night
+only," would delight the public by the representation of that
+screaming farce, the Rodomontades of Captain Fracasse; to be
+followed by a "bewitching Moorish dance," performed by the
+"incomparable Mlle. Serafina." After enlarging brilliantly upon
+this theme, he added, that as they were "more desirous of glory
+than profit," they would be willing to accept provisions of all
+kinds, instead of coin of the realm, in payment of places, from
+those who had not the money to spare, and asked them to let all
+their friends know. This closing announcement made a great
+sensation among his attentive listeners, and he marched back to
+the farm, confident that they would have a goodly number of
+spectators. There he found the stage already erected in the barn,
+and a rehearsal in progress, which was necessary on de Sigognac's
+account.
+
+Bellombre was instructing him in various minor details as the
+play went on, and for a novice he did wonderfully well--acting
+with much spirit and grace, showing decided talent, and
+remarkable aptitude. But it was very evident that he was greatly
+annoyed by some portions of the piece, and an angry flush mounted
+to the roots of his hair at the whacks and cuffs so liberally
+bestowed upon the doughty captain.
+
+His comrades spared him as much as possible--feeling that it must
+be intensely repugnant to bim--but he grew furious in spite of
+all his efforts to control his temper, and at each fresh attack
+upon him his flashing eyes and knitted brows betrayed the fierce
+rage he was in; then, suddenly remembering that his role required
+a very different expression of countenance, he would pull himself
+up, and endeavour to imitate that which Matamore had been wont to
+assume in this character. Bellombre, who was watching him
+critically, stopped him a moment, to say: "You make a great
+mistake in attempting to suppress your natural emotions; you
+should take care not to do it, for they produce a capital effect,
+and you can create a new type of stage bully; when you have
+gotten accustomed to,this sort of thing, and no longer feel this
+burning indignation, you must feign it. Strike out in a path of
+your own, and you will be sure to attain success--far more so
+than if you attempt to follow in another's footsteps. Fracasse,
+as you represent him, loves and admires courage, and would fain
+be able to manifest it--he is angry with himself for being such
+an arrant coward. When free from danger, he dreams of nothing but
+heroic exploits and superhuman enterprises; but when any actual
+peril threatens him, his too vivid imagination conjures up such
+terrible visions of bleeding wounds and violent death that his
+heart fails him. Yet his pride revolts at the idea of being
+beaten; for a moment he is filled with rage, but his courage all
+disappears with the first blows he receives, and he finally shows
+himself to be the poltroon that he himself despises.
+
+This method it appears to me is far superior to the absurd
+grimaces, trembling legs, and exaggerated gestures, by which
+indifferent actors endeavour to excite the laughter of their
+audience--but meantime lose sight entirely of their art."
+
+The baron gratefully accepted the veteran actor's advice, and
+played his part after the fashion indicated by him with so much
+spirit that all present applauded his acting enthusiastically,
+and prophesied its success. The performances were to begin at an
+early hour, and as the time approached, de Sigognac put on poor
+Matamore's costume, to which he had fallen heir, and which Mme.
+Leonarde had taken in hand and cleverly altered for him, so that
+he could get into it. He had a sharp struggle with his pride as
+be donned this absurd dress, and made himself ready for his debut
+as an actor, but resolutely repressed all rising regrets, and
+determined faithfully to do his best in the new role he had
+undertaken.
+
+A large audience had gathered in the big barn, which was
+brilliantly lighted, and the representation began before a full
+house. At the end farthest from the stage, and behind the
+spectators, were some cattle in their stalls, that stared at the
+unwonted scene with an expression of stupid wonder in their
+great, soft eyes--the eyes that Homer, the grand old Greek poet,
+deemed worthy to supply an epithet for the beauteous orbs of
+majestic Juno herself--and in the midst of one of the most
+exciting parts of the play, a calf among them was moved to
+express its emotions by an unearthly groan, which did not in the
+least disconcert the audience, but had nearly been too much
+for the gravity of the actors upon the stage.
+
+Captain Fracasse won much applause, and indeed acted his part
+admirably, being under no constraint; for he did not need to fear
+the criticism of this rustic audience as he would have done that
+of a more cultivated and experienced one; and, too, he felt sure
+that there could be nobody among the spectators that knew him, or
+anything about him. The other actors were also vigorously clapped
+by the toil-hardened hands of these lowly tillers of the soil--
+whose applause throughout was bestowed, Bellombre declared,
+judiciously and intelligently. Serafina executed her Moorish
+dance with a degree of agility and voluptuous grace that would
+have done honour to a professional ballet-dancer, or to a Spanish
+gipsy, and literally brought down the house.
+
+But while de Sigognac was thus employed, far from his ancient
+chateau, the portraits of his ancestors that hung upon its walls
+were frowning darkly at the degeneracy of this last scion of
+their noble race, and a sigh, almost a groan, that issued from
+their faded lips, echoed dismally through the deserted house. In
+the kitchen, Pierre, with Miraut and Beelzebub on either side of
+him--all three looking melancholy and forlorn--sat thinking of
+his absent lord, and said aloud, "Oh, where is my poor, dear
+master now?" a big tear rolling down his withered cheek as he
+stooped to caress his dumb companions.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII. THE DUKE OF VALLOMBREUSE
+
+The next morning Bellombre drew Blazius aside, and untying the
+strings of a long leathern purse emptied out of it into the palm
+of his hand a hundred pistoles, which he piled up neatly on the
+table by which they were standing; to the great admiration of the
+pedant, who thought to himself that his friend was a lucky fellow
+to be in possession of so large a sum--absolute wealth in his
+eyes. But what was his surprise when Bellombre swept them all up
+and put them into his own hands.
+
+"You must have understood," he said, "that I did not bring out
+this money in order to torment you in like manner with Tantalus,
+and I want you to take it, without any scruples, as freely as it
+is given--or loaned, if you are too proud to accept a gift from
+an old friend. These pieces were made to circulate--they are
+round, you see--and by this time they must be tired of lying tied
+up in my old purse there. I have no use for them; there's nothing
+to spend them on here; the farm produces everything that is
+needed in my household, so I shall not miss them, and it is much
+better in every way that they should be in your hands."
+
+Not finding any adequate reply to make to this astonishing
+speech, Blazius put the money into his pocket, and, after first
+administering to his friend a cordial accolade, grasped and wrung
+his hand with grateful fervour, while an inconvenient tear, that
+he had tried in vain to wink away, ran down his jolly red nose.
+As Bellombre had said the night before, affairs were brightening
+with the troupe; good fortune had come at last, and the hard
+times they had met and struggled against so bravely and
+uncomplainingly were among the things of the past. The
+receipts of the previous evening--for there had been some money
+taken in, as well as plentiful stores of edibles--added to
+Bellombre's pistoles, made a good round sum, and the chariot of
+Thespis, so deplorably bare of late, was now amply provisioned.
+Not to do things by halves, their generous host lent to the
+comedians two stout farm horses, with a man to drive them into
+Poitiers, and bring them back home again. They had on their
+gala-day harness, and from their gaudily-painted, high-peaked
+collars hung strings of tiny bells, that jingled cheerily at
+every firm, regular step of the great, gentle creatures. So our
+travellers set out in high feather, and their entry into
+Poitiers, though not so magnificent as Alexander's into Babylon,
+was still in very fine style indeed. As they threaded their way
+through the narrow, tortuous streets of that ancient town, the
+noise of their horses' iron shoes ringing out against the rough
+stone pavement, and the clatter of their wheels drew many inmates
+of the houses they passed to the windows, and a little crowd
+collected around them as they stood waiting for admission before
+the great entrance door of the Armes de France; the driver,
+meanwhile, cracking his whip till it sounded like a volley of
+musketry, to which the horses responded by shaking their heads,
+and making all the little bells about them jingle sharply and
+merrily. There was a wonderful difference between this and their
+arrival at the last inn they had stopped at--the night of the
+snow-storm--and the landlord, hearing such welcome sounds
+without, ran himself to admit his guests, and opened the two
+leaves of the great door, so that the chariot could pass into the
+interior court. This hotel was the finest in Poitiers, where all
+the rich and noble travellers were in the habit of alighting, and
+there was an air of gaiety and prosperity about it very pleasing
+to our comedians, in contrast with all the comfortless, miserable
+lodgings they had been obliged to put up with for a long time
+past. The landlord, whose double, or rather triple chin testified
+to bountiful fare, and the ruddy tints of his face to the
+excellence of his wines, seemed to be the incarnation of good
+humour.
+
+He was so plump, so fresh, so rosy and so smiling, that it was
+a pleasure only to look at him. When he saw the tyrant, he
+fairly bubbled over with delight. A troupe of comedians always
+attracted people to his house, and brought him in a great deal of
+money; for the young men of leisure of the town sought their
+company, and were constantly drinking wine with the actors, and
+giving dainty little suppers, and treats of various kinds, to the
+actresses.
+
+"You are heartily welcome, Seignior Herode! What happy chance
+brings you this way?" said the landlord, smilingly. "It is a long
+time since we have had the pleasure of seeing you at the Armes de
+France."
+
+"So it is, Maitre Bilot," the tyrant answered; "but we cannot be
+giving our poor little performances always in the same place, you
+see; the spectators would become so familiar with all our tricks
+that they could do them themse1ves, so we are forced to absent
+ourselves for a while. And how are things going on here, now?
+Have you many of the nobility and gentry in town at present?"
+
+"A great many, Seignior Herode, for the hunting is over, so they
+have come in from the chateaux. But they don't know what to do
+with themselves, for it is so dull and quiet here. People can't
+be eating and drinking all the time, and they are dying for want
+of a little amusement. You will have full houses."
+
+"Well," rejoined the tyrant, "then please give us seven or eight
+good rooms, have three or four fat capons put down to roast,
+bring up, from that famous cellar of yours, a dozen of the
+capital wine I used to drink here--you know which I mean--and
+spread abroad the news of the arrival of Herode's celebrated
+troupe at the Armes de France, with a new and extensive
+repertoire, to give a few representations in Poitiers."
+
+While this conversation was going on the rest of the comedians
+had alighted, and were already being conducted to their
+respective rooms by several servants. The one given to Isabelle
+was a little apart from the others--those in their immediate
+vicinity being occupied--which was not displeasing to the modest
+young girl, who was often greatly annoyed and embarrassed by the
+promiscuous, free-and-easy way of getting on, inseparable from
+such a Bohemian life. She always accepted the inevitable with a
+good grace, and never complained of the vexation she felt at
+being obliged to share her bed-chamber with Serafina or the
+duenna, or perhaps both; but it was a luxury she had scarcely
+dared to hope for to have her room entirely to herself, and
+moreover sufficiently distant from her companions to insure her a
+good deal of privacy.
+
+In a marvellously short space of time the whole town had become
+acquainted with the news of the arrival of the comedians, and the
+young men of wealth and fashion began flocking to the hotel, to
+drink a bottle of Maitre Bilot's wine, and question him about the
+beauty and charms of the actresses; curling up the points of
+their mustaches as they did so with such an absurdly conceited,
+insolent air of imaginary triumph, that the worthy landlord could
+not help laughing in his sleeve at them as he gave his discreet,
+mysterious answers, accompanied by significant gestures
+calculated to turn the silly heads of these dandified young
+calves, and make them wild with curiosity and impatience.
+
+Isabelle, when left alone, had first unpacked a portion of her
+clothing, and arranged it neatly on the shelves of the wardrobe
+in her room, and then proceeded to indulge in the luxury of a
+bath and complete change of linen. She took down her long, fine,
+silky hair, combed it carefully, and arranged it tastefully, with
+a pale blue ribbon entwined artistically in it; which delicate
+tint was very becoming to her, with her fair, diaphanous
+complexion, and lovely flush, like a rose-leaf, on her cheek.
+When she had put on the silvery gray dress, with its pretty blue
+trimmings, which completed her simple toilet, she smiled at her
+own charming reflection in the glass, and thought of a pair of
+dark, speaking eyes that she knew would find her fair, and
+pleasant to look upon. As she turned away from the mirror a
+sunbeam streamed in through her window, and she could not resist
+the temptation to open the casement and put her pretty head out,
+to see what view there might be from it. She looked down into a
+narrow, deserted alley, with the wall of the hotel on one side
+and that of the garden opposite on the other, so high that it
+reached above the tops of the trees within. From her window she
+could look down into this garden, and see, quite at the other end
+of it, the large mansion it belonged to, whose lofty, blackened
+walls testified to its antiquity. Two gentlemen were walking
+slowly, arm in arm, along one of the broad paths leading towards
+the house, engrossed in conversation; both were young and
+handsome, but they were scarcely of equal rank, judging by the
+marked deference paid by one, the elder, to the other.
+
+We will call this friendly pair Orestes and Pylades for the
+present, until we ascertain their real names. The former was
+about one or two and twenty, and remarkably handsome and
+distinguished--strikingly so--with a very white skin, intensely
+black hair and eyes, a tall, slender, lithe figure, shown to
+advantage by the rich costume of tan-coloured velvet he wore; and
+well-formed feet, with high, arched insteps, small and delicate
+enough for a woman's--that more than one woman had envied
+him--encased in dainty, perfectly fitting boots, made of white
+Russia leather. From the careless ease of his manners, and the
+haughty grace of his carriage, one would readily divine that he
+was a great noble; one of the favoured few of the earth, who are
+sure of being well received everywhere, and courted and flattered
+by everybody. Pylades, though a good-looking fellow enough, with
+auburn hair and mustache, was not nearly so handsome or striking,
+either in face or figure, as his companion. They were talking of
+women; Orestes declaring himself a woman-hater from that time
+forward, because of what he was pleased to call the persecutions
+of his latest mistress, of whom he was thoroughly tired--no new
+thing with him--but who would not submit to be thrown aside, like
+a cast-off glove, without making a struggle to regain the favour
+of her ci-devant admirer. He was anathematizing the vanity,
+treachery, and deceitfulness of all women, without exception,
+from the duchess down to the dairy-maid, and declaring that he
+should renounce their society altogether for the future, when
+they reached the end of the walk, at the house, and turned about
+to pace its length again.
+
+As they did so he chanced to glance upward, and perceived
+Isabelle at her window. He nudged his companion, to direct his
+attention to her, as he said, "Just look up at that window! Do
+you see the delicious, adorable creature there? She seems a
+goddess, rather than a mere mortal woman--Aurora, looking forth
+from her chamber in the East--with her golden brown hair, her
+heavenly countenance, and her sweet, soft eyes. Only observe the
+exquisite grace of her attitude--leaning slightly forward on one
+elbow, so as to bring into fine relief the shapely curves of her
+beautiful form. I would be willing to swear that hers is a lovely
+character--different from the rest of her sex. She is one by
+herself--a peerless creature--a very pearl of womanhood--a being
+fit for Paradise. Her face tells me that she is modest, pure,
+amiable, and refined. Her manners must be charming, her
+conversation fresh, sparkling, and elevating."
+
+"The deuce!" exclaimed Pylades, laughingly, "what good eyes you
+must have to make out all that at such a distance! Now I see
+merely a woman at a window, who is rather pretty, to tell the
+honest truth, but not likely to possess half the perfections you
+so lavishly bestow upon her. Take care, or you will be in love
+with her directly."
+
+"Oh! I'm that now, over head and ears. I must find out forthwith
+who she is, and what; but one thing is certain, mine she must be,
+though it cost me the half, nay, the whole of my fortune to win
+her, and there be a hundred rivals to overcome and slay ere I can
+carry her off from them in triumph."
+
+"Come, come, don't get so excited," said Pylades, "you will throw
+yourself into a fever; but what has become of the contempt and
+hatred for the fair sex you were declaring so vehemently just
+now? The first pretty face has routed it all."
+
+"But when I talked like that I did not know that this lovely
+angel existed upon earth, and what I said was an odious,
+outrageous blasphemy--a monstrous, abominable heresy--for which I
+pray that Venus, fair goddess of love and beauty, will graciously
+forgive me."
+
+"Oh, yes! she'll forgive you fast enough, never fear, for she
+is always very indulgent to such hot-headed lovers as you are."
+
+"I am going to open the campaign," said Orestes, "and declare war
+courteously on my beautiful enemy."
+
+With these words he stopped short, fixed his bold eyes on
+Isabelle's face, took off his hat, in a gallant and respectful
+way, so that its long plume swept the ground, and wafted a kiss
+on the tips of his fingers towards the new object of his ardent
+admiration. The young actress, who saw this demonstration with
+much annoyance, assumed a cold, composed manner, as if to show
+this insolent fellow that he had made a mistake, drew back from
+the window, closed it, and let fall the curtain; all done calmly
+and deliberately, and with the frigid dignity with which she was
+wont to rebuke such overtures.
+
+"There," exclaimed Pylades, "your Aurora is hidden behind a
+cloud; not very promising, that, for the rest of the day."
+
+"I don't agree with you; I regard it, on the contrary, as a
+favourable augury that my little beauty has retired. Don't you
+know that when the soldier hides himself behind the battlements
+of the tower, it signifies that the besieger's arrow has hit him?
+I tell you she has mine now, sticking in under her left wing;
+that kiss will force her to think of me all night, if only to be
+vexed with me, and tax me with effrontery--a fault which is never
+displeasing to ladies, I find, though they do sometimes make a
+great outcry about it, for the sake of appearances. There is
+something between me and the fair unknown now; a very slight,
+almost imperceptible thread it may seem at present, but I will so
+manage as to make from it a rope, by which I shall climb up into
+her window."
+
+"I must admit," rejoined Pylades respectfully, "that you
+certainly are wonderfully well versed in all the stratagems and
+ruses of love-making."
+
+"I rather pique myself upon my accomplishments in that line, I
+will confess," Orestes said, laughingly; "but come, let's go in
+now; the little beauty was startled, and will not show herself at
+the window again just yet. This evening I shall begin
+operations in earnest." And the two friends turned about and
+strolled slowly back towards the house, which they presently
+entered, and disappeared from sight.
+
+There was a large tennis-court not far from the hotel, which was
+wonderfully well suited to make a theatre of; so our comedians
+hired it, took immediate possession, set carpenters and painters
+to work, furbished up their own rather dilapidated scenery and
+decorations, and soon had a charming little theatre, in which all
+the numbered seats and boxes were eagerly snapped up, directly
+they were offered to "the nobility and gentry of Poitiers," who
+secured them for all the representations to be given by the
+troupe, so that success was insured. The dressing-room of the
+tennis players had to serve as green-room, and dressing-room as
+well for the comedians, large folding screens being disposed
+round the toilet tables of the actresses, so as to shut them off
+as much as possible from the gentlemen visitors always lounging
+there. Not a very agreeable arrangement for the former, but the
+best that could be done, and highly approved by the latter, of
+course.
+
+"What a pity it is," said the tyrant to Blazius, as they were
+arranging what pieces they could play, seated at a window looking
+into the interior court of the Armes de France, "what a great
+pity it is that Zerbine is not with us here. She is almost worth
+her weight in gold, that little minx; a real treasure, so full of
+fun and deviltry that nobody can resist her acting; she would
+make any piece go off well--a pearl of soubrettes is Zerbine."
+
+"Yes, she is a rare one," Blazius replied, with a deep sigh, "and
+I regret more and more every day our having lost her. The devil
+fly away with that naughty marquis who must needs go and rob us
+of our paragon of waiting-maids."
+
+Just at this point they were interrupted by the noise of an
+arrival, and leaning out of the window saw three fine mules,
+richly caparisoned in the gay Spanish fashion, entering the
+court, with a great jingling of bells and clattering of hoofs. On
+the first one was mounted a lackey in gray livery, and well
+armed, who led by a long strap a second mule heavily laden with
+baggage, and on the third was a young woman, wrapped in a large
+cloak trimmed with fur, and with her hat, a gray felt with a
+scarlet feather, drawn down over her eyes, so as to conceal her
+face from the two interested spectators at the window above.
+
+"I say, Herode," exclaimed the pedant, "doesn't all this remind
+you of something? It seems to me this is not the first time we
+have heard the jingling of those bells, eh?"
+
+"By Saint Alipantin!" cried the tyrant, joyfully, "these are the
+very mules that carried Zerbine off so mysteriously. Speak of a
+wolf--"
+
+"And you will hear the rustling of his wings," interrupted
+Blazius, with a peal of laughter. "Oh! thrice happy day!--day to
+be marked with white!--for this is really Mlle. Zerbine in
+person. Look, she jumps down from her mule with that bewitching
+little air peculiar to herself, and throws her cloak to that
+obsequious lackey with a nonchalance worthy of a princess; there,
+she has taken off her hat, and shakes out her raven tresses as a
+bird does its feathers; it delights my old eyes to see her again.
+Come, let's go down and welcome her."
+
+So Blazius and his companions hastened down to the court, and met
+Zerbine just as she turned to enter the house.
+
+The impetuous girl rushed at the pedant, threw her arms around
+his neck, and kissed him heartily, crying, "I must kiss your
+dear, jolly, ugly old face, just the same as though it were young
+and handsome, for I am so glad, so very glad to see it again. Now
+don't you be jealous, Herode, and scowl as if you were just going
+to order the slaughter of the innocents; wait a minute! I'm going
+to kiss you, too; I only began with my dear old Blazius here
+because he's the ugliest."
+
+And Zerbine loyally fulfilled her promise. Then giving a hand to
+each of her companions, went up-stairs between them to the room
+Maitre Bilot had ordered to be made ready for her. The moment she
+entered it she threw herself down into an arm-chair standing near
+the door, and began to draw long deep breaths, like a person who
+has just gotten rid of a heavy load.
+
+"You cannot imagine," she said after a little, "how glad I am to
+get back to you again, though you needn't go and imagine that I
+am in love with your old phizes because of that; I'm not in love
+with anybody, Heaven be praised! I'm so joyful because I've
+goten back into my own element once more. Everything is badly
+off out of its own element, you know. The water will not do for
+birds, nor the air for fishes. I am an actress by nature, and the
+atmosphere of the theatre is my native air; in it alone do I
+breathe freely; even its unpleasant odours are sweet to my
+nostrils. Real, everyday life seems very dull and flat. I must
+have imaginary love affairs to manage for other people, and take
+part in the whirl of romantic adventures to be found only on the
+stage, to keep me alive and happy. So I've come back to claim my
+old place again. I hope you haven't found any one else to fill
+it; though of course I know that you couldn't get anybody to
+really replace me. If you had I should scratch her eyes out, that
+I promise you, for I am a real little devil when my rights are
+encroached upon, though you might not think it."
+
+"There's no need for you to show your prowess in that way," said
+the tyrant, "for we have not had any one to take your role, and
+we're delighted, overjoyed, to have you back again. If you had
+had some of the magic compound Apuleius tells us of, and had
+thereby changed yourself into a bird, to come and listen to what
+Blazius and I were saying a little while ago, you would have
+heard nothing but good of yourself--a rare thing that for
+listeners--and you would have heard some very enthusiastic praise
+besides."
+
+"That's charming!" the soubrette exclaimed. "I see that you two
+are just the same good old souls as ever, and that you have
+missed your little Zerbine."
+
+Several servants now came in, carrying trunks, boxes,
+portmanteaus, packages, no end of baggage, which Zerbine counted
+over and found correct; and when they had gone she opened two or
+three of the larger chests with the keys she had on a small
+silver ring. They were filled with all sorts of handsome
+things--silks and velvets, laces and jewels--and among the rest a
+long purse, crammed as full as it could hold of gold pieces,
+which Zerbine poured out in a heap on the table; seeming to take
+a childish delight in looking at and playing with her golden
+treasure, while laughing and chattering merrily all the time.
+
+"Serafina would burst with rage and envy if she should see all
+this money," said she gaily, "so we will keep it out of her
+sight. I only show it to you to prove that I didn't need to
+return to my profession, but was actuated by a pure love of my
+art. As to you, my good old friends, if your finances happen to
+be not just as you could wish, put your paws into this and help
+yourselves; take just as much as ever they will hold."
+
+The two actors thanked her heartily for her generous offer, but
+assured her that they were very well off, and in need of no
+assistance.
+
+"Ah well!" said Zerbine, "it will be for another time then. I
+shall put it away in my strong box, and keep it for you, like a
+faithful treasurer."
+
+"But surely you haven't abandoned the poor marquis," said
+Blazius, rather reproachfully. "Of course I know there was no
+question of his giving you up; you are not one of that sort. The
+role of Ariadne would not suit you at all; you are a Circe. Yet
+he is a splendid young nobleman-handsome, wealthy, amiable, and
+not wanting in wit."
+
+"Oh! I haven't given him up; very far from it," Zerbine replied,
+with a saucy smile. "I shall guard him carefully, as the most
+precious gem in my casket. Though I have quitted him for the
+moment, he will shortly follow me."
+
+"Fugax sequax, sequax fugax," the pedant rejoined; "these four
+Latin words, which have a cabalistic sound, not unlike the
+croaking of certain batrachians, and might have been borrowed,
+one would say, from the 'Comedy of the Frogs,' by one
+Aristophanes, an Athenian poet, contain the very pith and marrow
+of all theories of love and lovemaking; they would make a capital
+rule to regulate everybody's conduct--of the virile as well as of
+the fair sex."
+
+"And what under the sun do your fine Latin words mean, you
+pompous old pedant?" asked Zerbine. "You have neglected to
+translate them, entirely forgetting that not everybody has been
+professor in a college, and knight of the ferule, like yourself."
+
+"Their meaning," he replied, "may be expressed in this little
+couplet: 'If you fly from men, they'll be sure to pursue, But if
+you follow them, they will fly from you."
+
+"Ha! ha!" laughed Zerbine, "that's a verse that ought to be set
+to music." And she began singing it to a merry tune at the top of
+her voice; a voice so clear and ringing that it was a pleasure to
+hear it. She accompanied her song with such an amusing and
+effective pantomime, representing flight and pursuit, that it was
+a pity she had not had a larger audience to enjoy it. After this
+outburst of merriment she quieted down a little, and gave her
+companions a brief, history of her adventures since she had
+parted from them, declaring that the marquis had invariably
+treated her with the courtesy and generosity of a prince. But in
+spite of it all she had longed for her old wandering life with
+the troupe, the excitement of acting, and the rounds of applause
+she never failed to win; and at last she confessed to the marquis
+that she was pining for her role of soubrette.
+
+"'Very well,' he said to me, 'you can take your mules and your
+belongings and go in pursuit of the troupe, and I will shortly
+follow in pursuit of you. I have some matters to look after in
+Paris, that have been neglected of late, and I have been too long
+absent from the court. You will permit me to applaud you I
+suppose, and truth to tell I shall be very glad to enjoy your
+bewitching acting again.' So I told him I would look for him
+among the audience every evening till he made his appearance,
+and, after the most tender leave-taking, I jumped on my mule and
+caught you up here at the Armes de France, as you know."
+
+"But," said Herode, "suppose your marquis should not turn up at
+all! you would be regularly sold."
+
+This idea struck Zerbine as being so utterly absurd that she
+threw herself back and laughed until she had to hold her
+sides, and was fairly breathless. "The marquis not come!" she
+cried, when she could speak, "you had better engage rooms for him
+right away--not come! Why my fear was that he would overtake me
+on the road; you will see him very soon, I can guarantee. Ah! you
+abominable old bear! you doubt the power of my charms, do you?
+You're decidedly growing stupid, Herode, as you grow old; you
+used to be rather clever than otherwise."
+
+At this moment appeared Leander and Scapin, who had heard of
+Zerbine's arrival from the servants, and came to pay their
+respects, soon followed by old Mme. Leonarde, who greeted the
+soubrette with as much obsequiousness as if she had-been a
+princess. Isabelle came also to welcome her, to the great delight
+of Zerbine, who was devotedly fond of her, and always trying to
+do something to please her. She now insisted upon presenting her
+with a piece of rich silk, which Isabelle accepted very
+reluctantly, and only when she found that the warm-hearted
+soubrette would be really wounded if she refused her first gift.
+Serafina had shut herself up in her own room, and was the only
+one that failed to come and bid Zerbine welcome. She could
+neither forget nor forgive the inexplicable preference of the
+Marquis de Bruyeres for her humble rival, and she called the
+soubrette all sorts of hard names in her wrath and indignation;
+but nobody paid any attention to her bad humour, and she was left
+to sulk in solitude.
+
+When Zerbine asked why Matamore had not come to speak to her with
+the rest, they told her the sad story of his death, and also that
+the Baron de Sigognac now filled his role, under the name of
+Captain Fracasse.
+
+"It will be a great honour for me to act with a gentleman whose
+ancestors figured honourably in the crusades," said she, "and I
+only hope that my profound respect for him will not overwhelm me,
+and spoil my acting; fortunately I have become pretty well
+accustomed to the society of people of rank lately."
+
+A moment later de Sigognac knocked at the door, and came in to
+greet Zerbine, and courteously express his pleasure at her
+return. She rose as he approached, and making a very low curtsey,
+said, "This is for the Baron de Sigognac; and this is for my
+comrade, Captain Fracasse;" kissing him on both cheeks--which
+unexpected and unprecedented proceeding put poor de Sigognac
+completely out of countenance; partly because he was not used to
+such little theatrical liberties, but more, because he was
+ashamed to have such a thing happen in the presence of his pure
+and peerless Isabelle.
+
+And now we will return to Orestes and Pylades, who, after their
+eventful promenade in the garden, were cosily dining together.
+The former, that is to say the young Duke of Vallombreuse, had
+scarcely eaten any dinner, and had even neglected his glass of
+wine, so preoccupied was he with thoughts of his lovely unknown.
+The Chevalier de Vidalinc, his friend and confidant, tried in
+vain to draw him into conversation; he replied only by
+monosyllables, or not at all, to the other's brilliant sallies.
+When the dessert had been put upon the table, and the servants
+had retired and left them alone, the chevalier said to the duke:
+"I am entirely at your service in this new affair, of course,
+ready to help you bag your bird in any way you please; shall I go
+and send out the beaters to drive it towards your nets?"
+
+"No, indeed, you will do nothing of the kind; I shall go myself,
+for there is nothing I enjoy so much as the pursuit of game, of
+whatever sort it may be. I would follow a deer, or a pheasant, to
+the ends of the earth but what I would have it; how much more a
+divine creature like this. It is only after I have captured the
+flying prize that I lose all interest in it; so do not, I pray
+you, propose to deprive me of the delights of the chase; the more
+difficult it is the better I like it, the more fascinating I find
+it. The most annoying thing is that women are always so willing
+to be caught; if I could only find an obdurate, cruel fair one,
+who would fly from me in earnest, how I should adore her! but,
+alas! such an anomaly does not exist on this terraqueous globe."
+
+"If I were not so well acquainted with your innumerable triumphs,
+I should be obliged to tax you with conceit," said Vidalinc, "but
+as it is I must admit that you are justified in what you say. But
+perhaps your wish may be gratified this time, for the young
+beauty certainly did seem to be very modest and retiring, as well
+as positively cold and forbidding in her manner of receiving your
+little act of gallantry."
+
+"We will see about that, and without any delay. Maitre Bilot is
+always ready and glad to tell all he knows whenever he can secure
+a good listener, and he is sharp enough to find out very quickly
+pretty much all that's worth knowing about his guests in the
+hotel. Come, we'll go and drink a bottle of his best Madeira; I
+will draw him out, and get all the information he can give us
+about this fair inmate of his house."
+
+A few minutes later the two young gentlemen entered the Armes de
+France, and asked for Maitre Bilot. The worthy landlord came
+forward at once, and himself conducted them into a cosy,
+well-lighted room on the ground floor, where a bright fire was
+burning cheerily; he took the old, dusty bottle, with cobwebs
+clinging about it, from the waiter's hands, drew the cork very
+carefully, and then poured the amber wine, as clear as a topaz,
+into the delicate Venetian glasses held out for it by the duke
+and his companion, with a hand as steady as if it bad been of
+bronze. In taking upon himself this office Maitre Bilot affected
+an almost religious solemnity, as though he were a priest of
+Bacchus, officiating at his altar, and about to celebrate the
+mysterious rites of the ancient worshippers of that merry god;
+nothing was wanting but the crown of vine leaves. He seemed to
+think that this ceremoniousness was a sort of testimony to the
+superior quality of the wine from his well-stocked cellar, which
+needed no recommendation, for it was really very good, worthy of
+even a royal table, and of wide-spread fame.
+
+Maitre Bilot, having finished his little performance, was about
+to withdraw, when a significant glance from the duke made him
+pause respectfully on the threshold.
+
+"Maitre Bilot," said he, "fetch a glass for yourself from the
+buffet there, and come and drink a bumper of this capital wine to
+my health."
+
+This command, for such it was in reality, was instantly
+obeyed, and after emptying his glass at a single draught, the
+well-pleased landlord stood, with one hand resting on the table
+and his eyes fixed on the duke, waiting to see, what was wanted
+of him.
+
+"Have you many strangers in your house now?" asked Vallombreuse,
+"and who and what are they?" Bilot was about to reply, but the
+young duke interrupted him, and continued, "But what's the use of
+beating about the bush with such a wily old miscreant as you are,
+Maitre Bilot? Who is the lady that has the room with a window,
+the third one from the corner, looking into my garden? Answer to
+the point, and you shall have a gold piece for every syllable."
+
+"Under those conditions," said Bilot, with a broad grin, "one
+must be very virtuous indeed to make use of the laconic style so
+highly esteemed by the ancients. However, as I am devoted to your
+lordship, I will answer in a single word--Isabelle."
+
+"Isabelle! a charming and romantic name. But do not confine
+yourself to such Lacedaemonian brevity, Maitre Bilot; be prolix!
+and relate to me, minutely, everything that you know about the
+lovely Isabelle."
+
+"I am proud and happy to obey your lordship's commands," the
+worthy landlord answered, with a low bow; my cellar, my
+kitchen, my tongue and myself are all at your lordship's
+disposition. Isabelle is an actress, belonging to the celebrated
+troupe of Seignior Herode, stopping at present at the Armes de
+France."
+
+"An actress! " exclaimed the young duke, with an air of
+disappointment. "I should have taken her for a lady of rank, from
+her quiet, dignified mien, or at least a well-bred bourgeoise,
+rather than a member of a band of strolling players."
+
+"Yes, your lordship is right; any one might think so, for her
+manners and appearance are very lady-like, and she has an
+untarnished reputation, despite the difficulties of her position.
+No one understands better how to keep all the gallants that hover
+about her at a respectful distance; she treats these would-be
+suitors for her favour with a cold, reserved, yet perfect
+politeness that there is no getting over."
+
+"What you say pleases me," interrupted Vallombreuse, "for there
+is nothing I so thoroughlv despise as a fortress that is ready to
+capitulate before the first assault has been made."
+
+"It would need more than one to conquer this fair citadel, my
+lord, though you are a bold and successful captain, not used to
+encountering any serious resistance, and sweeping everything
+before you; and, moreover, it is guarded by the vigilant sentinel
+of a pure and devoted love."
+
+"Oh ho! she has a lover then, this modest Isabelle!" cried the
+young duke, in a tone at once triumphant and annoyed, for though
+on the one side he had no faith in the steadfast virtue of any
+woman, on the other he was vexed to learn that he had a
+successful rival.
+
+"I said love, not lover," continued the landlord with respectful
+persistency, "which is by no means the same thing. Your lordship
+is too well versed in such matters not to appreciate the
+difference. A woman that has one lover may have two, as the old
+song says; but a woman who loves, with a pure love, and has that
+love returned in every sense, it is impossible, or at least very
+difficult, to win away from it. She possesses already everything
+that you, my lord, or any one, could offer for her acceptance."
+
+"You talk as if you had been studying the subject of love
+diligently--and Petrarch's sonnets as well; but notwithstanding
+all that, Maitre Bilot, I don't believe you thoroughly understand
+anything outside of your own wines and sauces, which, I am bound
+to admit, are always excellent. And pray, who is the favoured
+object of this Platonic attachment?"
+
+"One of the members of the troupe," Bilot replied, "and it is not
+to be wondered at, for he's a handsome young fellow, and very
+different from the rest of them; far superior, more like a
+gentleman than an actor; and I shrewdly suspect he is one," added
+the landlord, with a knowing look.
+
+"Well, now you must be happy!" said the Chevalier de Vidalinc to
+his friend. "Here are unexpected obstacles in plenty, and a
+perfect none-such of a prize. A virtuous actress is a rare
+phenomenon, not to be found every day in the week. You are in
+luck!"
+
+"Are you sure," continued the young duke, still addressing the
+landlord, and without paying any attention to the
+last remark, "that this chaste Isabelle does not accord any
+privileges secretly to that conceited young jackanapes? I
+despise the fellow thoroughly, and detest him as well."
+
+"Your lordship does not know her," answered Maitre Bilot, "or I
+should not need to declare, as I do, that she is as spotless as
+the ermine. She would rather die than suffer a stain upon her
+purity. It is impossible to see much of her without perceiving
+that; it shines out in everything that she says and does."
+
+Hereupon a long discussion followed as to the best manner of
+conducting the attack upon this fair citadel, which the young
+nobleman became more and more determined to conquer, as new
+difficulties were suggested. The worthy landlord, who was a
+shrewd fellow and had made a just estimate of Isabelle's
+character, finished by advising his noble interlocutor to turn
+his attention to Serafina, "who was very charming, and not less
+beautiful than Isabelle, and who would be greatly pleased and
+flattered by his lordship's notice." This, because he felt sure
+that the duke would not succeed with Isabelle, in spite of his
+exalted rank, handsome person, and immense wealth, and he wished
+to spare him an inevitable disappointment.
+
+"It is Isabelle that I admire, and will have," said Vallombreuse,
+in a dry tone that put an end to the discussion. "Isabelle, and
+no other, Maitre Bilot."
+
+Then plunging his hand into his pocket, he drew forth a goodly
+number of gold pieces, and throwing them down carelessly on the
+table, said, "Pay yourself for the bottle of wine out of this,
+and keep the balance."
+
+The landlord gathered up the louis with a deprecating air, and
+dropped them one by one into his purse. The two gentlemen rose,
+without another word, put on their broad, plumed hats, threw
+their cloaks on their shoulders, and quitted the hotel.
+Vallombreuse took several turns up and down the narrow alley
+between the Armes de France and his own garden wall, looking up
+searchingly at Isabelle's window every time he passed under it;
+but it was all for naught. Isabelle, now on her guard, did not
+approach the window again; the curtain was drawn closely over it,
+and not a sign visible from without that the room was occupied.
+Tired at last of this dull work, the duke slowly withdrew to his
+own mansion, feeling highly indignant that this inappreciative
+little actress should presume to slight the attentions of a great
+and powerful noble like himself; but he found some comfort in the
+thought that when she came to see and know him she could not long
+hold out against his numerous attractions. As to his rival--if
+the fellow ventured to interfere with him too much, he would
+quietly suppress him, by means of certain stout ruffians
+--professional cut-throats--he had in his employ, to do all that
+sort of work for him; his own dignity not allowing him to come
+into personal contact with such cattle as actors. Though
+Vallombreuse had not seen anything of Isabelle at her window, he
+himself had been closely watched, by jealous eyes, from a
+neighbouring casement that commanded the same view. They belonged
+to de Sigognac, who was greatly annoyed and incensed by
+the manoeuvres of this mysterious personage under Isabelle's
+window. A dozen times he was on the point of rushing down, sword
+in hand, to attack and drive away the impertinent unknown; but he
+controlled himself by a strong effort; for there was after all
+nothing in the mere fact of a man's promenading back and forth
+in a deserted alley to justify him in such an onslaught, and he
+would only bring down ridicule on himself; besides, the name of
+Isabelle might be dragged in--sweet Isabelle, who was all
+unconscious of the ardent glances directed at her window from
+below, as well as of the burning indignation, because of them, of
+her own true lover close at hand. But he promised himself to keep
+a watchful eye for the future upon this young gallant, and
+studied his features carefully, every time his face was raised
+towards Isabelle's window, so that he should be sure to recognise
+him when he saw him again.
+
+Herode had selected for their first representation in
+Poitiers a new play, which all the comedians were very much
+occupied in learning and rehearsing, to be followed by the
+Rodomontades of Captain Fracasse, in which de Sigognac was to
+make his real debut before a real public having only acted as yet
+to an audience of calves, horned cattle, and peasants in
+Bellombre's barn. He was studying diligently under the direction
+of Blazius, who was more devoted to him than ever, and who had
+proposed something which was a most welcome suggestion to the
+sensitive young baron. This was for him to wear what is called a
+half-mask, which covers only the forehead and nose, but if
+arranged with skill alters entirely the wearer's appearance--so
+that his nearest friend would not recognise him--without
+interfering materially with his comfort. This idea de Sigognac
+hailed with delight, for it insured his preserving his incognito;
+the light pasteboard screen seemed to him like the closed visor
+of a helmet, behind which he need not shrink from facing the
+enemy--that is to stay the gazing crowd on the other side of the
+foot-lights. With it he would take merely the part of the
+unknown, concealed intelligence that directs the movements of the
+marionette, and the voice that makes it speak; only he should be
+within it, instead of behind the scenes pulling the strings--his
+dignity would have nothing to suffer in playing the game in that
+manner, and for this relief from a dreaded ordeal he was
+unspeakably thankful. Bia;tius, who never could take too much
+pains in the service of his dear baron, himself modelled and
+fashioned the little mask, very deftly, so as to make his stage
+physiognomy as unlike his real, every-day countenance as
+possible. A prominent nose, very red at the point, bushy,
+high-arched eyebrows, and an immensely heavy mustache drooping
+over his mouth, completely disguised the well-cut, regular
+features of the handsome young nobleman, and although in reality
+it only concealed the forehead and nose, yet it transfigured the
+whole face.
+
+There was to be a dress rehearsal the evening before the first
+representation, so that they might judge of the general effect in
+their improvised theatre, and test its capabilities; and as the
+actresses could not very well go through the streets in full
+costume, they were to finish their toilets in the green-room,
+while the actor themselves ready for the stage in the small
+dressing-closets set aside for that purpose. All the gentlemen in
+Poitiers, young and old, were wild to penetrate into this temple,
+or rather sacristy, of Thalia, where the priestesses of that
+widely worshipped muse adorned themselves to celebrate her
+mysterious rites, and a great number of them had succeeded in
+gaining admittance. They crowded round the actresses, offering
+advice as to the placing of a flower or a jewel, handing the
+powder-box or the rouge-pot, presenting the little hand-mirror,
+taking upon themselves all such small offices with the greatest
+"empressement," and vying with each other in their gallant
+attendance upon the fair objects of their admiration; the younger
+and more timid among them holding a little aloof and sitting on
+the large chests scattered about, swinging their feet and
+twisting their mustaches, while they watched the proceedings of
+their bolder companions with envious eyes. Each actress had her
+own circle of admiring cavaliers about her, paying her high-flown
+compliments in the exaggerated language of the day, and doing
+their best to make themselves agreeable in every way they could
+think of. Zerbine laughed at them all, and made fun of them
+unmercifully, turning everything they said into ridicule; yet so
+coquettishly that they thought her bewitching, in spite of her
+sharp tongue, which was like a two-edged sword. Serafina, whose
+vanity was overweening, delighted in the fulsome homage paid to
+her charms, and smiled encouragingly upon her throng of admirers,
+but Isabelle, who was intensely annoyed at the whole thing, did
+not pay the slightest attention to them, nor even once raise her
+eyes to look at them; being apparently absorbed in the duties of
+her toilet, which she accomplished as quietly and modestly as
+possible--having left only the finishing touches to be given in
+that public place.
+
+The Duke of Vallombreuse was careful, of course, not to miss this
+excellent opportunity, of which he had been informed by Maitre
+Bilot, to see Isabelle again, and entering the green-room in good
+season, followed by his friend Vidalinc, marched straight up to
+her toilet-table. He was enchanted to find that, on this close
+inspection, she was even more beautiful than he had supposed, and
+in his enthusiastic delight at this discovery could scarcely
+refrain from seizing her in his arms and declaring his passion
+there and then; only the presence of the crowd of lookers-on
+saved Isabelle from what would have been a most trying and
+painful scene.
+
+The young duke was superbly dressed. He had spared no pains,
+for he wanted to dazzle Isabelle, and he certainly did
+look splendidly handsome. He wore a magnificent costume
+of rich white satin, slashed and trimmed with crimson,
+with many knots of ribbon about it fastened with diamond clasps,
+with broad ruffles of exquisitely fine lace at throat and wrists,
+with a wide belt of cloth of silver supporting his sword, and
+with perfumed gloves on the hands that held his white felt hat,
+with its long crimson feather. His wavy black hair fell around
+the perfect oval of his face, enhancing its smooth whiteness; a
+delicate mustache shaded, not concealed, his full red lips; his
+splendid, great black eyes flashed through their thick, silky
+fringes, and his neck, white and round as a marble column, rose
+from amid its surrounding of soft, priceless lace, proudly
+supporting his haughty, handsome head. Yet with all this
+perfection of outline and colouring, his appearance was not
+entirely pleasing; a repelling haughtiness shone out through the
+perfectly modelled features, and it was but too evident that the
+joys and sorrows of his fellow mortals would awaken no sympathy
+in the owner of that surpassingly handsome face and form. He
+believed that he was not made of common clay like other men, but
+was a being of a higher order, who condescended to mingle with
+his inferiors--a piece of fine porcelain amid homely vessels of
+coarser earthenware.
+
+Vallombreuse stationed himself silently close beside the mirror
+on Isabelle's dressing-table, leaning one elbow on its frame all
+the other gallants respectfully making way for him--just where
+she could not possibly help seeing him whenever she looked in the
+glass; a skilful manoeuvre, which would surely have succeeded
+with any other than this modest young girl. He wished to produce
+an impression, before addressing a word to her, by his personal
+beauty, his lordly mien, and his magnificence of apparel.
+Isabelle, who had instantly recognised the audacious gallant of
+the garden, and who was displeased by the imperious ardour of his
+gaze, redoubled her reserve of manner, and did not lift her eyes
+to the mirror in front of her at all; she did not even seem to be
+aware that one of the handsomest young noblemen in all France was
+standing there before her, trying to win a glance from her lovely
+eyes--but then, she was a singular girl, this sweet Isabelle! At
+length, exasperated by her utter indifference, Vallombreuse
+suddenly took the initiative, and said to her, "Mademoiselle, you
+take the part of Sylvia in this new play, do you not?"
+
+"Yes, sir," Isabelle answered curtly, without looking at him--not
+able to evade this direct question.
+
+"Then never will a part have been so admirably played," continued
+the duke. "If it is poor your acting will make it excellent, if
+it is fine you will make it peerless. Ah! happy indeed the poet
+whose verses are intrusted to those lovely lips of yours."
+
+These vague compliments were only such as admiring gallants were
+in the habit of lavishing upon pretty actresses, and Isabelle
+could not with any show of reason resent it openly, but she
+acknowledged it only by a very slight bend of the head, and still
+without looking up. At this moment de Sigognac entered the
+green-room; he was masked and in full costume, just buckling
+around his waist the belt of the big sword he had inherited from
+Matamore, with the cobweb dangling from the scabbard. He also
+marched straight up to Isabelle, and was received with a radiant
+smile.
+
+"You are capitally gotten up," she said to him in a low, tone, so
+low that he had to bend down nearer her to hear, "and I am sure
+that no fierce Spanish captain ever had a more superbly arrogant
+air than you."
+
+The Duke of Vallombreuse drew himself up to his full height, and
+looked this unwelcome new-comer over from head to foot, with an
+air of the coolest, most haughty disdain. "This must be the
+contemptible scoundrel they say she's in love with," he said to
+himself, swelling with indignation and spite--filled with
+amazement too--for he could not conceive of a woman's hesitating
+for an instant between the magnificent young Duke of Vallombreuse
+and this ridiculous play-actor. After the first rapid glance he
+made as if he did not perceive de Sigognac at all, no more than
+if he had been a piece of furniture standing there; for him
+Captain Fracasse was not a MAN, but a THING, and he continued to
+gaze fixedly at poor Isabelle--his eyes fairly blazing with
+passion--exactly as though no one was near. She, confused at
+last, and alarmed, blushed painfully, in spite of all her efforts
+to appear calm and unmoved, and hastened to finish what little
+remained to be done, so that she might make her escape, for she
+could see de Sigognac's hand close spasmodically on the handle of
+his sword, and, realizing how he must be feeling, feared an
+outbreak on his part. With trembling fingers she adjusted a
+little black "mouche" near the corner of her pretty mouth, and
+pushed back her chair preparatory to rising from it--having a
+legitimate cause for haste, as the tyrant had already more than
+once roared out from the stage door, "Mesdemoiselles, are you
+ready?"
+
+"Permit me, mademoiselle," said the duke starting forward, "you
+have forgotten to put on an 'assassine,'" and touching the tip of
+his forefinger to his lips he plunged it into the box of patches
+standing open on the dressing-table, and brought one out on it.
+"Permit me to put it on for you--here, just above your snowy
+bosom; it will enhance its exquisite whiteness."
+
+The action followed so quickly upon the words that Isabelle,
+terrified at this cruel effrontery, had scarcely time to start to
+one side, and so escape his profane touch; but the duke was not
+one to be easily balked in anything he particularly desired to
+do, and pressing nearer he again extended his hand towards
+Isabelle's white neck, and had almost succeeded in accomplishing
+his object, when his arm was seized from behind, and held firmly
+in a grasp of iron.
+
+Furiously angry, he turned his head to see who had dared to lay
+hands upon his sacred person, and perceived that it was the
+odious Captain Fracasse.
+
+"My lord duke," said he calmly, still holding his wrist
+firmly, "Mademoiselle is in need of no assistance from you, or
+any one else, in this matter." Then his grasp relaxed and he let
+go of the duke's arm.
+
+Vallombreuse, who looked positively hideous at that moment, his
+face pale to ghastliness and disfigured by the rage he felt,
+grasped the hilt of his sword with the hand released by de
+Sigognac, and drew it partly out of its scabbard, as if he meant
+to attack him, his eyes flashing fire and every feature working
+in its frenzy--the baron meanwhile standing perfectly motionless,
+quietly awaiting the onset.
+
+But ere he had touched him the duke stopped short; a sudden
+thought had extinguished his blazing fury like a douche of cold
+water; his self-control returned, his face resumed its wonted
+expression, the colour came to his lips, and his eyes showed the
+most icy disdain, the most supreme contempt that it could be
+possible for one human being to manifest for another. He had
+remembered just in time that he must not so greatly demean
+himself as to cross swords with a person of no birth, and an
+actor besides; all his pride revolted at the bare idea of such a
+thing. An insult coming from a creature so low in the social
+scale could not reach him. Does a gentleman declare war upon the
+mud that bespatters him? However, it was not in his character to
+leave an offence unpunished, no matter whence it proceeded, and
+stepping nearer to de Sigognac he said, "You impertinent
+scoundrel, I will have every bone in your body broken for you
+with cudgels, by my lackeys."
+
+"You'd better take care what you do, my lord," answered the
+baron, in the most tranquil tone and with the most careless air
+imaginable, "you'd much better take care what you do! My bones
+are not so easily broken, but cudgels may be. I do not put up
+with blows anywhere but on the stage."
+
+"However insolent you may choose to be, you graceless rascal, you
+cannot provoke me to do you so much honour as to attack you
+myself; that is too high an ambition for such as you to realize,"
+said Vallombreuse, scornfully.
+
+"We will see about that, my lord duke," de Sigognac replied;
+"it may happen that I, having less pride than yourself, will
+fight you, and conquer you, with my own hands."
+
+"I do not dispute with a masker," said the duke shortly, taking
+Vidalinc's arm as if to depart.
+
+"I will show you my face, duke, at a more fitting time and
+place," de Sigognac continued composedly, "and I think it will be
+still more distasteful to you than my false nose. But enough for
+the present. I hear the bell that summons me, and if I wait any
+longer here with you I shall miss my entry at the proper moment."
+
+He turned on his heel and leisurely walked off, with admirable
+nonchalance, leaving the haughty duke very much disconcerted, and
+at a disadvantage, as indeed de Sigognac had cleverly managed
+that he should be throughout the brief interview.
+
+The comedians were charmed with his courage and coolness, but,
+knowing his real rank, were not so much astonished as the other
+spectators of this extraordinary scene, who were both shocked and
+amazed at such temerity.
+
+Isabelle was so terrified and excited by this fierce altercation
+that a deathly pallor had overspread her troubled face, and
+Zerbine, who had flown to her assistance, had to fetch some of
+her own rouge and bestow it plentifully upon the colourless lips
+and cheeks before she could obey the tyrant's impatient call,
+again resounding through the green-room.
+
+When she tried to rise her trembling knees had nearly given way
+under her, and but for the soubrette's kind support she must have
+fallen to the floor. To have been the cause, though innocently,
+of a quarrel like this was a terrible blow to poor Isabelle
+sweet, pure, modest child that she was--for she knew that it is a
+dreadful thing for any woman to have her name mixed up in such an
+affair, and shrank from the publicity that could not fail to be
+given to it; besides, she loved de Sigognac with fervour and
+devotion, though she had never acknowledged it to him, and the
+thought of the danger to which he was exposed, of a secret attack
+by the duke's hired ruffians, or even of a duel with his lordship
+himself, drove her well-nigh frantic with grief and terror.
+
+In spite of this untoward incident, the rehearsal went on, and
+very smoothly; the theatre was found to be all that they could
+desire, and everybody acted with much spirit. Even poor,
+trembling Isabelle did herself credit, though her heart was heavy
+within her; but for de Sigognac's dear sake, whose anxious
+glances she strove to meet with a reassuring smile, she succeeded
+in controlling her emotion, and felt inspired to do her very
+best. As to Captain Fracasse, excited by the quarrel, he acted
+superbly. Zerbine surpassed herself. Shouts of laughter and
+storms of clapping followed her animated words and gestures. From
+one corner, near the orchestra, came such vigorous bursts of
+applause, leading all the rest and lasting longer than any, that
+at last Zerbine's attention was attracted and her curiosity
+excited.
+
+Approaching the foot-lights, in such a way as to make it appear
+part of her usual by-play, she peered over them and caught sight
+of her marquis, beaming with smiles and flushed from his violent
+efforts in her behalf.
+
+"The marquis is here," she managed to whisper to Blazius, who was
+playing Pandolphe; "just look at him! how delighted he is, and
+how he applauds me--till he is actually red in the face, the dear
+man! So he admires my acting, does he? Well, he shall have a
+spicy specimen of it, then."
+
+Zerbine kept her word, and, from that on to the end of the piece,
+played with redoubled spirit. She was never so sparkling, so
+bewitcbingly coquettish, so charmingly mischievous before, and
+the delighted marquis was more fascinated than ever. The new
+play, entitled "Lygdamon et Lydias," and written by a certain
+Georges de Scudery (a gentleman who, after having served with
+honour in the French Guards, quitted the sword for the pen, which
+he wielded with equal success), was next rehearsed, and highly
+approved by all--without a single dissenting voice. Leander, who
+played the leading part of Lygdamon, was really admirable in it,
+and entertained high hopes of the effect he should produce upon
+the fair ladies of Poitiers and its environs.
+
+But we will leave our comedians now, and follow the Duke of
+Vallombreuse and his devoted friend Vidalinc.
+
+Quite beside himself with rage, the young duke, after the
+scene in the green-room in which he had played so unsatisfactory
+a part to himself, returned to his own home and there raved to
+Vidalinc about his revenge, threatening the insolent captain with
+all manner of punishments, and going on like a madman. His friend
+tried in vain to soothe him.
+
+He rushed wildly around the room, wringing his hands, kicking the
+furniture about right and left, upsetting tables and arm-chairs,
+and finally, seizing a large Japanese vase, very curious and
+costly, threw it violently on the floor, where it broke into a
+thousand pieces.
+
+"Oh!" he shrieked, "if I could only smash that abominable
+blackguard like this vase, trample him under foot as I do this
+debris, and then have the remains of him swept up and thrown out
+into the dust-heap, where he belongs. A miserable scoundrel, that
+dares to interpose between me, the Duke of Vallombreuse, and the
+object of my desires! If he were only a gentleman I would fight
+him, on foot or on horseback, with swords, daggers, pistols,
+anything in the shape of a weapon, until I had him down, with my
+foot on his breast, and could spit into the face of his corpse."
+
+"Perhaps he is one," said Vidalinc; "his audacious defiance looks
+like it. You remember what Maitre Bilot told you about Isabelle's
+favoured lover? This must be the one, judging by his jealousy of
+you, and the agitation of the girl."
+
+"Do you really mean what you say?" cried Vallombreuse,
+contemptuously. "What! a man of birth and condition mingle
+voluntarily and on terms of equality with these low buffoons of
+actors, paint his nose red, and strut about the stage, receiving
+cuffs and kicks from everybody? Oh no, Vidalinc, the thing is
+impossible."
+
+"But just remember," persisted the chevalier, "that mighty Jove
+himself resorted to the expedient of adopting the shapes of
+various beasts, as well as birds, in his terrestrial love
+affairs, which was surely much more derogatory to the majesty of
+the king of the gods than to play in a comedy is to the dignity
+of a gentleman."
+
+"Never mind," said the duke, as he rang a small hand bell
+sharply; "be he what he may, I intend first to have the scamp
+well punished in his character of play-actor; even though I
+should be obliged to chastise the gentleman afterward, if there
+prove to be one hidden behind that ridiculous mask--which idea I
+cannot credit."
+
+"If there be one! There's no doubt of it, I tell you," rejoined
+his friend, with an air of conviction. "The more I think of it,
+the more positive I am of it. Why, his eyes shone like stars
+under his overhanging false eye-brows, and in spite of his absurd
+pasteboard nose he had a grand, majestic air about him that was
+very imposing, and would be utterly impossible to a low-born
+man."
+
+"Well, so much the better," said Vallombreuse; "for if you are
+right, I can make his punishment twofold."
+
+Meantime a servant, in rich livery, had entered, and after bowing
+low stood as motionless as a statue, with one hand on the knob of
+the door, awaiting his master's orders; which were presently
+given, as follows: "Go and call up Basque, Azolan, Merindol, and
+Labriche, if they have gone to bed; tell them to arm themselves
+with stout cudgels and go down to the tennis-court, find a dark
+corner near by and wait there, until the players come out, for a
+certain Captain Fracasse. They are to fall upon him and beat him
+until they leave him for dead upon the pavement, but to be
+careful not to kill him outright--it might be thought that I was
+afraid of him if they did, you know," in an aside to Vidalinc.
+
+"I will be responsible for the consequences; and with every blow
+they are to cry, 'This is from the Duke of Vallombreuse,' so that
+he may understand plainly what it means."
+
+This order, though of so savage and fierce a nature, did not seem
+to surprise the lackey, who, as he retired, assured his lordship,
+with an unmoved countenance and another low bow, that his
+commands should be immediately obeyed.
+
+"I am sorry," said Vidalinc, after the servant had closed the
+door behind him, "that you mean to treat this man so roughly, for
+after all he showed a spirit superior to his position, and
+becoming a gentleman. Suppose you let me go and pick a quarrel
+with him, and kill him for vou in a duel. All blood is red when
+it is shed, the lowly as well as the lofty, though they do
+pretend that the blood of the nobles is blue. I come of a good
+and ancient family, if not so high in rank as yours, and I have
+no fear of belittling myself in this affair. Only say the word,
+and I will go this instant, for this histrionic captain is, it
+seems to me, more worthy of the sword of a gentleman than the
+cudgels of your hired ruffians."
+
+"I thank you heartily for this offer," answered the duke, which
+proves your faithful devotion to me and my interests, but I
+cannot accept it. That low scoundrel has dared to lay hands upon
+me, and he must expiate his crime in the most ignominious way.
+Should he prove to be a gentleman, he will be able to find
+redress. I never fail to respond, as you know, when there is
+question of settling a matter by the sword."
+
+"As you please, my lord duke," said Vidalinc, stretching out his
+legs lazily and putting his feet on the fender, with the air of a
+man who can do no more, but must stand aside and let things take
+their own course. "By the way, do you know that that Serafina is
+charming? I paid her several compliments, which were very
+graciously received; and more than that, she has promised to
+allow me to call upon her, and appointed the time. She is a very
+amiable as well as beautiful young woman. Maitre Bilot was
+perfectly correct in his statements to us."
+
+After which the two gentlemen awaited, in almost unbroken
+silence, the return of the FOUR ruffians who had gone forth to
+chastise de Sigognac.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX. A MELEE AND A DUEL
+
+The rehearsal was over, and the comedians were preparing to
+return to their hotel; de Sigognac, expecting some sort of an
+assault on his way through the deserted streets, did not lay
+aside Matamore's big sword with the rest of his costume. It was
+an excellent Spanish blade, very long, and with a large basket
+hilt, which made a perfect protection for the hand--altogether a
+weapon which, wielded by a brave man, was by no means to be
+despised, and which could give, as well as parry, good hard
+thrusts. Though scarcely able to inflict a mortal wound, as the
+point and edge had been blunted, according to the usual custom of
+theatrical sword owners, it would be, however, all that was
+requisite to defend its wearer against the cudgels of the
+ruffians that the Duke of Vallombreuse had despatched to
+administer his promised punishment. Herode, who also anticipated
+an attack upon de Sigognac, and was not one to desert a friend
+when danger threatened, took the precaution to arm himself with
+the big heavy club that was used to give the signal--three loud
+raps--for the rising of the curtain, which made a very formidable
+weapon, and would do good service in his strong hands.
+
+"Captain," said he to the baron as they quitted the tennis-court,
+"we will let the women go on a little way in advance of us, under
+the escort of Blazius and Leander, one of whom is too old, the
+other too cowardly, to be of any service to us in case of need.
+And we don't want to have their fair charges terrified, and
+deafening us with their shrieks. Scapin shall accompany us, for
+he knows a clever trick or two for tripping a man up, that I have
+seen him perform admirably in several wrestling bouts. He will
+lay one or two of our assailants flat on their backs for us
+before they can turn round. In any event here is my good club, to
+supplement your good sword."
+
+"Thanks, my brave friend Herode," answered de Sigognac, "your
+kind offer is not one to be refused; but let us take our
+precautions not to be surprised, though we are in force. We will
+march along in single file, through the very middle of the
+street, so that these rogues, lurking in dark corners, will have
+to emerge from their hiding places to come out to us, and we
+shall be able to see them before they can strike us. I will draw
+my sword, you brandish your clnb, and Scapin must cut a pigeon
+wing, so as to make sure that his legs are supple and in good
+working order. Now, forward march!"
+
+He put himself at the head of the little column, and advanced
+cautiously into the narrow street that led from the tennis-court
+to the hotel of the Armes de France, which was very crooked,
+badly paved, devoid of lamps, and capitally well calculated for
+an ambuscade. The overhanging gable-ends on either side of the
+way made the darkness in the street below them still more dense--
+a most favourable circumstance for the ruffians lying in wait
+there. Not a single ray of light streamed forth from the shut-up
+house whose inmates were presumably all sleeping soundly in their
+comfortable beds, and there was no moon that night. Basque,
+Azolan, Labriche and Merindol had been waiting more than half an
+hour for Captain Fracasse in this street, which they knew he was
+obliged to pass through in returning to his hotel. They had
+disposed themselves in pairs on opposite sides of the way, so
+that when he was between them their clubs could all play upon him
+together, like the hammers of the Cyclops on their great anvil.
+The passing of the group of women, escorted by Blazius and
+Leander, none of whom perceived them, had warned them of the
+approach of their victim, and they stood awaiting his appearance,
+firmly grasping their cudgels in readiness to pounce upon him;
+little dreaming of the reception in store for them--for
+ordinarily, indeed one may say invariably, the poets, actors,
+bourgeois, and such-like, whom the nobles condescended to have
+cudgeled by their hired ruffians, employed expressly for that
+purpose, took their chastisement meekly, and without attempting
+to make any resistance. Despite the extreme darkness of the
+night, the baron, with his penetrating eyes, made out the forms
+of the four villains lying in wait for him, at some distance, and
+before he came up with them stopped and made as if he meant to
+turn back--which ruse deceived them completely--and fearing that
+their prey was about to escape them, they rushed impetuously
+forth from their hiding places towards him. Azolan was the first,
+closely followed by the others, and all crying at the tops of
+their voices, "Kill! Kill! this for Captain Fracasse, from the
+Duke of Vallombreuse." Meantime de Sigognac had wound his large
+cloak several times round his left arm for a shield, and
+receiving upon it the first blow from Azolan's cudgel, returned
+it with such a violent lunge, full in his antagonist's breast,
+that the miserable fellow went over backward, with great force,
+right into the gutter running down the middle of the street, with
+his head in the mud and his heels in the air. If the point of the
+sword had not been blunted, it would infallibly have gone through
+his body, and come out between his shoulder-blades, leaving a
+dead man, instead of only a stunned one, on the ground. Basque,
+in spite of his comrade's disaster, advanced to the charge
+bravely, but a furious blow on his head, with the flat of the
+blade, sent him down like a shot, and made him see scores of
+stars, though there was not one visible in the sky that night.
+The tyrant's club encountering Merindol's cudgel broke it short
+off, and the latter finding himself disarmed, took to his heels;
+not however without receiving a tremendous blow on the shoulder
+before he could get out of Herode's reach. Scapin, for his part,
+had seized Labriche suddenly round the waist from behind, pinning
+down his arms so that he could not use his club at all, and
+raising him from the ground quickly, with one dexterous movement
+tripped him up, and sent him rolling on the pavement ten paces
+off, so violently that he was knocked senseless--the back of his
+neck coming in contact with a projecting stone--and lay
+apparently lifeless where he fell.
+
+So the way was cleared, and the victory in this fierce encounter
+was honourably gained by our hero and his two companions over the
+four sturdy ruffians, who had never been defeated before. They
+were in a sorry plight--Azolan and Basque creeping stealthily
+away, on their hands and knees, trying under cover of the
+darkness to put themselves beyond the reach of further danger;
+Labriche lying motionless, like a drunken man, across the gutter,
+and Merindol, less badly hurt, flying towards home as fast as his
+legs could carry him. As he drew near the house, however, he
+slackened his pace, for he dreaded the duke's anger more than
+Herode's club, and almost forgot, for the moment, the terrible
+agony from his dislocated shoulder, from which the arm hung down
+helpless and inert. Scarcely had he entered the outer door ere he
+was summoned to the presence of the duke, who was all impatient
+to learn the details of the tremendous thrashing that, he took it
+for granted, they had given to Captain Fracasse. When Merindol
+was ushered in, frightened and embarrassed, trembling in every
+limb, not knowing what to say or do, and suffering fearfully from
+his injured shoulder, he paused at the threshold, and stood
+speechless and motionless, waiting breathlessly for a word or
+gesture of encouragement from the duke, who glared at him in
+silence.
+
+"Well," at length said the Chevalier de Vidalinc to the
+discomfited Merindol, seeing that Vallombreuse only stared at him
+savagely and did not seem inclined to speak, "what news do you
+bring us? Bad, I am sure, for you have by no means a triumphant
+air--very much the reverse, indeed, I should say."
+
+My lord, the duke, of course cannot doubt our zeal in striving to
+execute his orders, to the best of our ability," said Merindol,
+cringingly, "but this time we have had very bad luck."
+
+"What do you mean by that?" asked the duke sharply, with an angry
+frown and flashing eyes, before which the stout ruffian quailed.
+"There were four of you! do you mean to tell me that, among
+you, you could not succeed in thrashing this miserable
+play-actor?"
+
+"That miserable play-actor, my lord," Merindol replied, plucking
+up a little courage, "far exceeds in vigour and bravery the great
+Hercules they tell us of. He fell upon us with such fury that in
+one instant he had knocked Azolan and Basque down into the
+gutter. They fell under his blows like pasteboard puppets--yet
+they are both strong men, and used to hard knocks. Labriche was
+tripped up and cleverly thrown by another actor, and fell with
+such force that he was completely stunned; the back of his head
+has found out that the stones of Poitiers pavements are harder
+than it is, poor fellow! As for me, my thick club was broken
+short off by an immense stick in the hands of that giant they
+call Herode, and my shoulder so badly hurt that I sha'n't have
+the use of my arm here for a fortnight."
+
+"You are no better than so many calves, you pitiful, cowardly
+knaves!" cried the Duke of Vallombreuse, in a perfect frenzy of
+rage. "Why, any old woman could put you to rout with her distaff,
+and not half try. I made a horrid mistake when I rescued you from
+the galleys and the gallows, and took you into my service,
+believing that you were brave rascals, and not afraid of anything
+or anybody on the face of the globe. And now, answer me this:
+When you found that clubs would not do, why didn't you whip out
+your swords and have at him?"
+
+"My lord had given us orders for a beating, not an assassination,
+and we would not have dared to go beyond his commands."
+
+"Behold," cried Vidatine, laughing contemptuously, "behold a
+faithful, exact and conscientious scoundrel whose obedience does
+not deviate so much as a hair's breadth from his lord's commands.
+How delightful and refreshing to find such purity and fidelity,
+combined with such rare courage, in the character of a
+professional cut-throat! But now, Vallombreuse, what do you think
+of all this? This chase of yours opens well, and romantically, in
+a manner that must be immensely pleasing to you, since you find
+the pursuit agreeable in proportion to its difficulty, and the
+obstacles in the way constitute its greatest charms for you.
+I ought to congratulate you, it seems to me. This Isabelle, for
+an actress, is not easy of access; she dwells in a fortress,
+without drawbridge or other means of entrance, and guarded, as we
+read of in the history of ancient chivalry, by dragons breathing
+out flames of fire and smoke. But here comes our routed army."
+
+Azolan, Basque, and Labriche, who had recovered from his swoon,
+now presented themselves reluctantly at the door, and stood
+extending their hands supplicatingly towards their master. They
+were a miserable-looking set of wretches enough--very pale,
+fairly livid indeed, haggard, dirty and blood-stained; for
+although they had only contused wounds, the force of the blows
+had set the blood flowing from their noses, and great red stains
+disfigured their hideous countenances.
+
+"Get to your kennel, ye hounds!" cried the duke, in a terrible
+voice, being moved only to anger by the sight of this forlorn
+group of supplicants. "I'm sure I don't know why I have not
+ordered you all soundly thrashed for your imbecility and
+cowardice. I shall send you my surgeon to examine your wounds,
+and see whether the thumps you make such a babyish outcry about
+really were as violent and overpowering as you represent. If they
+were not, I will have you skinned alive, every mother's son of
+you, like the eels at Melun; and now, begone! out of my sight,
+quick, you vile canaille!" The, discomfited ruffians turned and
+fled, thankful to make their escape, and forgetful for the moment
+of their painful wounds and bruises; such abject terror did the
+young duke's anger inspire in the breasts of those hardened
+villains. When the poor devils had disappeared, Vallombreuse
+threw himself down on a heap of cushions, piled up on a low,
+broad divan beside the fire, and fell into a revery that Vidalinc
+was careful not to break in upon. They evidently were not
+pleasant thoughts that occupied him; dark, tempestuous ones
+rather, judging by the expression of his handsome face, as he lay
+back idly among the soft pillows, looking very picturesque in the
+rich showy costume he still wore. He did not remain there
+long. Only a short time had elapsed when he suddenly started up,
+with a smothered imprecation, and bidding his friend an abrupt
+good-night, retired to his own chamber, without touching the
+dainty little supper that had just been brought in. Vidalinc sat
+down and enjoyed it by himself, with perfect good humour,
+thinking meanwhile of Serafina's remarkable beauty and
+amiability, with which he was highly charmed, and not neglecting
+to drink her health in the duke's choice wine ere he quitted the
+table, and, following his example, retired to his own room, where
+he slept soundly, dreaming of Serafina, until morning; while
+Vallombreuse, less fortunate, and still haunted by disturbing
+thoughts, tossed restlessly, and turned from side to side,
+courting sleep in vain, under the rich silken hangings drawn
+round his luxurious bed.
+
+When de Sigognac, the tyrant and Scapin reached the Armes de
+France, after having overcome the serious obstacles in their way,
+they found the others in a terrible state of alarm about them. In
+the stillness of the night they had distinctly heard the loud
+cries of the duke's ruffians, and the noise of the fierce combat,
+and feared that their poor friends were being murdered. Isabelle,
+nearly frantic in her terror lest her lover should be overpowered
+and slain, tried to rush back to him, never remembering that she
+would be more of a hindrance than a help; but at the first step
+she had again almost fainted away, and would have fallen upon the
+rough pavement but for Blazius and Zerbine, who, each taking an
+arm, supported her between them the rest of the way to the hotel
+When they reached it at last, she refused to go to her own room,
+but waited with the others at the outer door for news of their
+comrades, fearing the worst, yet prayerfully striving to hope for
+the best. At sight of de Sigognac--who, alarmed at her extreme
+pallor, hastened anxiously to her side--she impetuously raised
+her arms to heaven, as a low cry of thanksgiving escaped her
+lips, and letting them fall around his neck, for one moment hid
+her streaming eyes against his shoulder; but quickly regaining
+her self-control, she withdrew herself gently from the detaining
+arm that had fondly encircled her slender, yielding form, and
+stepping back from him a little, resumed with a strong effort her
+usual reserve and quiet dignity.
+
+"And you are not wounded or hurt?" she asked, in her sweetest
+tones, her face glowing with happiness as she caught his
+reassuring gesture; he could not speak yet for emotion. The clasp
+of her arms round his neck had been like a glimpse of heaven to
+him a moment of divine ecstasy. "Ah! if he could only snatch her
+to his breast and hold her there forever," he was thinking,
+"close to the heart that beat for her alone," as she continued:
+"If the slightest harm had befallen you, because of me, I should
+have died of grief. But, oh! how imprudent you were, to defy that
+handsome, wicked duke, who has the assurance and the pride of
+Lucifer himself, for the sake of a poor, insignificant girl like
+me. You were not reasonable, de Sigognac! Now that you are a
+comedian, like the rest of us, you must learn to put up with
+certain impertinences and annoyances, without attempting to
+resent them."
+
+"I never will," said de Sigognac, finding his voice at last, "I
+swear it, I never will permit an affront to be offered to the
+adorable Isabelle in my presence even when I have on my player's
+mask."
+
+"Well spoken, captain," cried Herode, "well spoken, and bravely.
+I would not like to be the man to incur your wrath. By the powers
+above! what a fierce reception you gave those rascals yonder. It
+was lucky for them that poor Matamore's sword had no edge. If it
+had been sharp and pointed, you would have cleft them from head
+to heels, clean in two, as the ancient knight-errants did the
+Saracens, and wicked enchanters."
+
+"Your club did as much execution as my sword, Herode, and your
+conscience need not reproach you, for they were not innocents
+that you slaughtered this time."
+
+"No, indeed!" the tyrant rejoined, with a mighty laugh, "the
+flower of the galleys these--the cream of gallows-birds."
+
+"Such jobs would scarcely be undertaken by any other class of
+fellows you know," de Sigognac said; "but we must not neglect to
+make Scapin's valiant deeds known, and praise them as they
+deserve. He fought and conquored without the aid of any other
+arms than those that nature gave him."
+
+Scapin, who was a natural buffoon, acknowledged this encomium
+with a very low obeisance--his eyes cast down, his hand on his
+heart--and with such an irresistibly comical affectation of
+modesty and embarrassment that they all burst into a hearty
+laugh, which did them much good after the intense excitement and
+alarm.
+
+After this, as it was late, the comedians bade each other
+good-night, and retired to their respective rooms; excepting de
+Sigognac, who remained for a while in the court, walking slowly
+back and forth, cogitating deeplv. The actor was avenged, but the
+gentleman was not. Must he then throw aside the mask that
+concealed his identity, proclaim his real name, make a commotion,
+and run the risk of drawing down upon his comrades the anger of a
+powerful nobleman? Prudence said no, but honour said yes. The
+baron could not resist its imperious voice, and the moment that
+he decided to obey it he directed his steps towards Zerbine's
+room.
+
+He knocked gently at the door, which was opened cautiously, a
+very little way at first, by a servant, who instantly admitted
+the unexpected guest when he saw who it was.
+
+The large room was brilliantly lighted, with many rose-coloured
+wax candles in two handsome candelabra on a table covered with
+fine damask, on which smoked a dainty supper. Game and various
+other delicacies were there, most temptingly served. One crystal
+decanter, with sprigs of gold scattered over its shining surface,
+was filled with wine rivalling the ruby in depth and brilliancy
+of hue, while that in the other was clear and yellow as a topaz.
+Only two places had been laid on this festive board, and opposite
+Zerbine sat the Marquis de Bruyeres, of whom de Sigognac was in
+search. The soubrette welcomed him warmly, with a graceful
+mingling of the actress's familiarity with her comrade with her
+respect for the gentleman.
+
+"It is very charming of you to come and join us here, in our cosy
+little nest," said the marquis to de Sigognac, with much
+cordiality, "and we are right glad to welcome you. Jacques, lay a
+place for this gentleman--you will sup with us?"
+
+"I will accept your kind invitation," de Sigognac replied; "but
+not for the sake of the supper. I do not wish to interfere with
+your enjoyment, and nothing is so disagreeable for those at table
+as a looker-on who is not eating with them."
+
+The baron accordingly sat down in the arm-chair rolled up for him
+by the servant, beside Zerbine and opposite the marquis, who
+helped him to some of the partridge he had been carving, and
+filled his wine-glass for him; all without asking any questions
+as to what brought him there, or even hinting at it. But he felt
+sure that it must be something of importance that had caused the
+usually reserved and retiring young nobleman to take such a step
+as this.
+
+"Do you like this red wine best or the other?" asked the marquis.
+"As for me, I drink some of both, so that there may be no jealous
+feeling between them."
+
+"I prefer the red wine, thank you," de Sigognac said, with a
+smile, "and will add a little water to it. I am very temperate by
+nature and habit, and mingle a certain devotion to the nymphs
+with my worship at the shrine of Bacchus, as the ancients had it.
+But it was not for feasting and drinking that I was guilty of the
+indiscretion of intruding upon you at this unseemly hour.
+Marquis, I have come to ask of you a service that one gentleman
+never refuses to another. Mlle. Zerbine has probably related to
+you something of what took place in the green-room this evening.
+The Duke of Vallombreuse made an attempt to lay hands upon
+Isabelle, under pretext of placing an assassine for her, and was
+guilty of an insolent, outrageous, and brutal action, unworthy of
+a gentleman, which was not justified by any coquetry or advances
+on the part of that young girl, who is as pure as she is modest
+and for whom I feel the highest respect and esteem."
+
+"And she deserves it," said Zerbine heartily, "every word you say
+of her, as I, who know her thoroughly, can testify. I could not
+say anything but good of her, even if I would."
+
+"I seized the duke's arm, and stopped him before he had succeeded
+in what he meant to do," continued de Sigognac, after a grateful
+glance at the soubrette; "he was furiously angry, and assailed me
+with threats and invectives, to which I replied with a mocking
+sang-froid, from behind my stage mask. He declared he would have
+me thrashed by his lackeys, and in effect, as I was coming back
+to this house, a little while ago, four ruffians fell upon me in
+the dark, narrow street. A couple of blows with the flat of my
+sword did for two of the rascals, while Herode and Scapin put the
+other two hors-de-combat in fine style. Although the duke
+imagined that only a poor actor was concerned, yet as there is
+also a gentleman in that actor's skin, such an outrage cannot be
+committed with impunity. You know me, marquis, though up to the
+present moment you have kindly and delicately respected my
+incognito, for which I thank you. You know who and what my
+ancestors were, and can certify that the family of de Sigognac
+has been noble for more than a thousand years, and that not one
+who has borne the name has ever had a blot on his scutcheon."
+
+"Baron de Sigognac," said the marquis, addressing him for the
+first time by his own name, "I will bear witness, upon my honour,
+before whomsoever you may choose to name, to the antiquity and
+nobility of your family. Palamede de Sigognac distinguished
+himself by wonderful deeds of valour in the first crusade, to
+which he led a hundred lances, equipped, and transported thither,
+at his own expense. That was at an epoch when the ancestors of
+some of the proudest nobles of France to-day were not even
+squires. He and Hugues de Bruyeres, my own ancestor, were warm
+friends, and slept in the same tent as brothers in arms."
+
+At these glorious reminiscences de Sigognac raised his head
+proudly, and held it high; he felt the pure blood of his
+ancestors throbbing in his veins, and his heart beat
+tumultuously. Zerbine, who was watching him, was surprised at the
+strange inward beauty--if the expression may be allowed--that
+seemed to shine through the young baron's ordinarily sad
+countenance, and illuminate it. "These nobles," she said to
+herself, "are certainly a race by themselves; they look as if
+they had sprung from the side of Jupiter, not been born into the
+world like ordinary mortals. At the least word their pride is up
+in arms, and transforms them, as it does the Baron de Sigognae
+now. If he should make love to me, with eyes like those, I simply
+could not resist him; I should have to throw over my marquis.
+Why, he fairly glows with heroism; he is god-like."
+
+Meantime de Sigognac, in blissful ignorance of this ardent
+admiration, which would have been so distasteful to him, was
+saying to the marquis, "Such being your opinion of my family, you
+will not, I fancy, object to carry a challenge from me to the
+Duke of Vallombreuse."
+
+"Assuredly I will do it for you," answered the marquis, in a
+grave, measured way, widely different from his habitual
+good-natured, easy carelessness of manner and speech; and,
+moreover, I offer my own services as your second. To-morrow
+morning I will present myself at the duke's house in your behalf;
+there is one thing to be said in his favour--that although he may
+be, in fact is, very insolent, he is no coward, and he will no
+longer intrench himself behind his dignity when he is made
+acquainted with your real rank. But enough of this subject for
+the present; I will see you to-morrow morning in good season, and
+we will not weary poor Zerbine any longer with our man's talk of
+affairs of honour. I can plainly see that she is doing her best
+to suppress a yawn, and we would a great deal rather that a smile
+should part her pretty red lips, and disclose to us the rows of
+pearls within. Come, Zerbine, fill the Baron de Sigognac's glass,
+and let us be merry again."
+
+The soubrette obeyed, and with as much grace and dexterity as if
+she had been Hebe in person; everything that she attempted to do
+she did well, this clever little actress.
+
+The conversation became animated, and did not touch upon any
+other grave subject, but was mainly about Zerbine's own
+acting--the marquis overwhelming her with compliments upon it, in
+which de Sigognac could truthfully and sincerely join him, for
+the soubrette had really shown incomparable spirit, grace, and
+talent. They also talked of the productions of M. de Scudery--who
+was one of the most brilliant writers of the day--which the
+marquis declared that he considered perfect, but slightly
+soporific; adding that he, for his part, decidedly preferred the
+Rodomontades of Captain Fracasse to Lygdamon et Lydias--he was a
+gentleman of taste, the marquis!
+
+As soon as he could do so without an actual breach of politeness,
+de Sigognac took his leave, and retiring to his own chamber
+locked himself in; then took an ancient sword out of the woollen
+case in which he kept it to preserve it from rust--his father's
+sword--which he had brought with him from home, as a faithful
+friend and ally. He drew it slowly out of the scabbard, kissing
+the hilt with fervent affection and respect as he did so, for to
+him it was sacred. It was a handsome weapon, richly, but not too
+profusely, ornamented--a sword for service, not for show; its
+blade of bluish steel, upon which a few delicate lines of gold
+were traced, bore the well-known mark of one of the most
+celebrated armourers of Toledo. The young baron examined the edge
+critically, drawing his fingers lightly over it, and then,
+resting the point against the door, bent it nearly double to test
+its elasticity. The noble blade stood the trial right valiantly,
+and there was no fear of its betraying its master in the hour of
+need. Delighted to have it in his hand again, and excited by the
+thought of what was in store for it and himself, de Sigognac
+began to fence vigorously against the wall, and to practise the
+variow thrusts and passes that his faithful old Pierre, who was a
+famous swordsman, had taught him at Castle Misery. They had been
+in the habit of spending hours every day in these lessons, glad
+of some active occupation, and the exercise had developed the
+young baron's frame, strengthened his muscles, and greatly
+augmented his natural suppleness and agility. He was passionately
+fond of and had thoroughly studied the noble art of fencing, and,
+while he believed himself to be still only a scholar, had long
+been a master in it--a proficient, such as is rarely to be found,
+even in the great cities. A better instructor than old Pierre he
+could not have had--not in Paris itself--and buried though he had
+been in the depths of the country, entirely isolated, and
+deprived of all the usual advantages enjoyed by young men of his
+rank, he yet had become, though perfectly unconscious of it, a
+match for the most celebrated swordsmen in France--that is to
+say, in the world--able to measure blades with the best of them.
+He may not have had all the elegant finish, and the many little
+airs and graces affected by the young sprigs of nobility and
+polished men of fashion in their sword-play, but skilful indeed
+must be the blade that could penetrate within the narrow circle
+of flashing steel in which he intrenched himself. Finding, after
+a long combat with an imaginary foe, that his hand had not lost
+its cunning, and satisfied at length both with himself and with
+his sword, which he placed near his bedside, de Sigognac was soon
+sleeping soundly, and as quietly as if he had never even dreamed
+of sending a challenge to that lofty and puissant nobleman, the
+Duke of Vallombreuse.
+
+Isabelle meanwhile could not close her eyes, because of her
+anxiety about the young baron. She knew that he would not allow
+the matter to rest where it was, and she dreaded inexpressibly
+the consequences of a quarrel with the duke; but the idea of
+endeavouring to prevent a duel never even occurred to her. In
+those days affairs of honour were regarded as sacred things, that
+women did not dream of interfering with, or rendering more trying
+to their near and dear ones by tears and lamentations, in
+anticipation of the danger to be incurred by them.
+
+At nine o'clock the next morning, the Marquis de Bruyeres was
+astir, and went to look up de Sigognae, whom he found in his own
+room, in order to regulate with him the conditions of the duel.
+The baron asked him to take with him, in case of incredulity, or
+refusal of his challenge, on the duke's part, the old deeds and
+ancient parchments, to which large seals were suspended, the
+commissions of various sorts with royal signatures in faded ink,
+the genealogical tree of the de Sigognacs, and in fact all his
+credentials, which he had brought away from the chateau with him
+as his most precious treasures; for they were indisputable
+witnesses to the nobility and antiquity of his house. These
+valuable documents, with their strange old Gothic characters,
+scarcely decipherable save by experts, were carefully wrapped up
+in a piece of faded crimson silk, which looked as if it might
+have been part of the very banner borne by Palamede de Sigognac
+at the head of his hundred followers in the first crusade.
+
+"I do not believe," said the marquis, "that these credentials
+will be necessary; my word should be sufficient; it has never yet
+been doubted. However, as it is possible that this hot-headed
+young duke may persist in recognising only Captain Fracasse in
+your person, I will let my servant accompany me and carry them
+for me to his house, in case I should deem it best to produce
+them."
+
+"You must do whatever you think proper and right," de Sigognac
+answered; "I have implicit confidence in your judgment, and leave
+my honour in your hands, without a condition or reservation."
+
+"It will be safe with me, I do solemnly assure you," said the
+Marquis de Bruyeres earnestly, "and we will have satisfaction yet
+from this proud young nobleman, whose excessive insolence and
+outrageously imperious ways are more than a little offensive to
+me, as well as to many others. He is no better than the rest of
+us, whose blood is as ancient and noble as his own, nor does his
+ducal coronet entitle him to the superiority he arrogates to
+himself so disagreeably. But we won't talk any more about it--we
+must act now. Words are feminine, but actions are masculine, and
+offended honour can only be appeased with blood, as the old
+saying has it."
+
+Whereupon the marquis called his servant, consigned the precious
+packet, with an admonition, to his care, and followed by him set
+off on his mission of defiance. The duke, who had passed a
+restless, wakeful night, and only fallen asleep towards morning,
+was not yet up when the Marquis de Bruyeres, upon reaching his
+house, told the servant who admitted him to announce him
+immediately to his master. The valet was aghast at the enormity
+of this demand, which was expressed in rather a peremptory tone.
+What! disturb the duke! before he had called for him! it would be
+as much as his life was worth to do it; he would as soon venture
+unarmed into the cage of a furious lion, or the den of a royal
+tiger. The duke was always more or less surly and ill-tempered on
+first waking in the morning, even when he had gone to bed in a
+good humour, as his servants knew to their cost.
+
+"Your lordship had much better wait a little while, or call again
+later in the day," said the valet persuasively, in answer to the
+marquis. "My lord, the duke, has not summoned me yet, and I would
+not dare--"
+
+"Go this instant to your master and announce the Marquis de
+Bruyeres," interrupted that gentleman, in loud, angry tones, "or
+I will force the door and admit myself to his presence. I MUST
+speak to him, and that at once, on important business, in which
+your master's honour is involved."
+
+"Ah! that makes a difference," said the servant, promptly, "why
+didn't your lordship mention it in the first place? I will go and
+tell my lord, the duke, forthwith; he went to bed in such a
+furious, blood-thirsty mood last nigbt that I am sure he will be
+enchanted at the prospect of a duel this morning--delighted to
+have a pretext for fighting."
+
+And the man went off with a resolute air, after respectfully
+begging the marquis to be good enough to wait a few minutes. At
+the noise he made in opening the door of his master's bedroom,
+though he endeavoured to do it as softly as possible,
+Vallombreuse, who was only dozing, started up in bed, broad
+awake, and looked round fiercely for something to throw at his
+head.
+
+"What the devil do you mean by this?" he cried savagely. "Haven't
+I ordered you never to come in here until I called for you? You
+shall have a hundred lashes for this, you scoundrel, I promise
+you; and you needn't whine and beg for mercy either, for you'll
+get none from me. I'd like to know how I am to go to sleep again
+now?"
+
+"My lord may have his faithful servant lashed to death, if it so
+please his lordship," answered the valet, with abject respect,
+"but though I have dared to transgress my lord's orders, it is
+not without a good reason. His lordship, the Marquis de Bruyeres,
+is below, asking to speak with my lord, the duke, on important
+business, relating to an affair of honour, and I know that my
+lord never denies himself to any gentleman on such occasions, but
+always receives visits of that sort, at any time of day or
+night."
+
+"The Marquis de Bruyeres! " said the duke, surprised, "have I any
+quarrel with him? I don't recollect a difference between us ever;
+and besides, it's an age since I've seen him.
+
+Perhaps he imagines that I want to steal his dear Zerbine's heart
+away from him; lovers are always fancying that everybody else is
+enamoured of their own particular favourites. Here, Picard, give
+me my dressing-gown, and draw those curtains round the bed, so as
+to hide its disorder; make haste about it, do you hear? we must
+not keep the worthy marquis waiting another minute."
+
+Picard bustled about, and brought to his master a magnificent
+dressing-gown-made, after the Venetian fashion, of rich stuff,
+with arabesques of black velvet on a gold ground--which he
+slipped on, and tied round the waist with a superb cord and
+tassels; then, seating himself in an easychair, told Picard to
+admit his early visitor.
+
+"Good morning, my dear marquis," said the young duke smilingly,
+half rising to salute his guest as he entered. "I am very glad to
+see you, whatever your errand may be. Picard, a chair for his
+lordship! Excuse me, I pray you, for receiving you so
+unceremoniously here in my bedroom, which is still in disorder,
+and do not look upon it as a lack of civility, but rather as a
+mark of my regard for you. Picard said that you wished to see me
+immediately."
+
+"I must beg you to pardon me, my dear duke," the marquis hastened
+to reply, "for insisting so strenuously upon disturbing your
+repose, and cutting short perhaps some delicious dream; but I am
+charged to see you upon a mission, which, among gentlemen, will
+not brook delay."
+
+"You excite my curiosity to the highest degree," said
+Vallombreuse, "and I cannot even imagine what this urgent
+business may be about."
+
+"I suppose it is not unlikely, my lord," rejoined the marquis,
+"that you have forgotten certain occurrences that took place last
+evening. Such trifling matters are not apt to make a very deep
+impression, so with your permission I will recall them to your
+mind. In the so-called green-room, down at the tennis-court, you
+deigned to honour with your particular notice a young person,
+Isabelle by name, and with a playfulness that I, for my part, do
+not consider criminal, you endeavoured to place an assassine for
+her, just above her white bosom, complimenting her upon its
+fairness as you did so. This proceeding, which I do not
+criticise, greatly shocked and incensed a certain actor standing
+by, called Captain Fracasse, who rushed forward and seized your
+arm."
+
+"Marquis, you are the most faithful and conscientious of
+historiographers," interrupted Vallombreuse. "That is all true,
+every word of it, and to finish the narrative I will add that I
+promised the rascal, who was as insolent as a noble, a sound
+thrashing at the hands of my lackeys; the most appropriate
+chastisement I could think of, for a low fellow of that sort."
+
+"No one can blame you for that, my dear duke, for there is
+certainly no very great harm in having a play-actor--or writer
+either, for that matter--thoroughly thrashed, if he has had the
+presumption to offend," said the marquis, with a contemptuous
+shrug; "such cattle are not worth the value of the sticks broken
+over their backs. But this is a different case altogether. Under
+the mask of Captain Fracasse--who, by the way, routed your
+ruffians in superb style--is the Baron de Sigognac; a nobleman of
+the old school, the head of one of the best families we have in
+Gascony; one that has been above reproach for many centuries."
+
+"What the devil is he doing in this troupe of strolling players,
+pray?" asked the Duke of Vallombreuse, with some heat, toying
+nervously with the cord and tassels of his dressing-gown as he
+spoke. "Could I be expected to divine that there was a de
+Sigognac hidden under that grotesque costume, and behind that
+absurd false nose?"
+
+"As to your first question," the marquis replied, "I can answer
+it in one word--Isabelle. Between ourselves, I believe that the
+young baron is desperately in love with her. Indeed, he makes no
+secret of that fact; and, not having been able to induce her to
+remain with him in his chateau, he has joined the troupe of which
+she is a member, in order to pursue his love affair. You
+certainly ought not to find this gallant proceeding in bad taste,
+since you also admire the fair object of his pursuit."
+
+"No; I admit all that you say. But you, in your turn, must
+acknowledge that I could not be cognisant of this extraordinary
+romance by inspiration, and that the action of Captain Fracasse
+was impertinent."
+
+"Impertinent for an actor, I grant you," said the marquis, "but
+perfectly natural, indeed inevitable, for a gentleman, resenting
+unauthorized attentions to his mistress, and angry at an affront
+offered to her. Now Captain Fracasse throws aside his mask, and
+as Baron de Sigognac sends you by me his challenge to fight a
+duel, and demands redress in that way for the insult you have
+offered him."
+
+"But who is to guarantee me that this pretended Baron de
+Sigognac, who actually appears on the stage before the public
+with a company of low buffoons as one of themselves, is not a
+vulgar, intriguing rascal, usurping an honourable name, in the
+hope of obtaining the honour of crossing swords with the Duke of
+Vallombreuse?"
+
+"Duke," said the Marquis de Bruyeres, with much dignity, and some
+severity of tone, "_I_ would not serve as second to any man who
+was not of noble birth, and of honourable character. I know the
+Baron de Sigognac well. His chateau is only a few leagues from my
+estate. I will be his guarantee. Besides, if you still persist in
+entertaining any doubts with regard to his real rank, I have here
+with me all the proofs necessary to convince you of his right to
+the ancient and distinguished name of Sigognac. Will you permit
+me to call in my servant, who is waiting in the antechamber? He
+will give you all those documents, for which I am personally
+responsible."
+
+"There is no need," Vallombreuse replied courteously; "your word
+is sufficient. I accept his challenge. My friend, the Chevalier
+de Vidalinc, who is my guest at present, will be my second; will
+you be good enough to consult with him as to the necessary
+arrangements? I will agree to anything you may propose--fight him
+when and where you please, and with any weapons he likes best;
+though I will confess that I should like to see whether the Baron
+de Sigognac can defend himself against a gentleman's sword as
+successfully as Captain Fracasse did against my lackeys' cudgels.
+The charming Isabelle shall crown the conqueror in this
+tournament, as the fair ladies crowned the victorious knights in
+the grand old days of chivalry. But now allow me to retire and
+finish my toilet. The Chevalier de Vidalinc will be with you
+directly. I kiss your hand, valiant marquis, as our Spanish
+neighbours say."
+
+With these courteous words the Duke of Vallombreuse bowed with
+studied deference and politeness to his noble guest, and lifting
+the heavy portiere of tapestry that hung over the door opening
+into his dressing-room, passed through it and vanished. But a
+very few moments had elapsed when the Chevalier de Vidalinc
+joined the marquis, and they lost no time in coming to an
+understanding as to the conditions of the duel. As a matter of
+course, they selected swords--the gentleman's natural weapon--and
+the meeting was fixed for the following morning, early; as de
+Sigognac, with his wonted consideration for his humble comrades,
+did not wish to fight that same day, and run the risk of
+interfering with the programme Herode had announced for the
+evening, in case of his being killed or wounded. The rendezvous
+was at a certain spot in a field outside the walls of the town,
+which was level, smooth, well sheltered from observation, and
+advantageous in every way--being the favourite place of resort
+for such hostile meetings among the duellists of Poitiers.
+
+The Marquis de Bruyeres returned straightway to the Armes de
+France, and rendered an account of the success of his mission to
+de Sigognac; who thanked him warmly for his services, and felt
+greatly relieved, now that he was assured of having the
+opportunity to resent, as a gentleman should do, the affront
+offered to his adored Isabelle.
+
+The representation was to begin very early that evening, and all
+day the town crier went about through the streets, beating his
+drum lustily, and, whenever he had gathered a curious crowd
+around him, stopping and announcing the "great attractions--
+offered for that evening by Herode's celebrated troupe." Immense
+placards were posted upon the walls of the tennis-court and at
+the entrance of the Armes de France, also announcing, in huge,
+bright-coloured capitals, which reflected great credit on Scapin,
+who was the calligraphist of the troupe, the new play of
+"Lygdamon et Lydias," and the Rodomontades of Captain Fracasse.
+Long before the hour designated an eager crowd had assembled in
+the street in front of the theatre, and when the doors were
+opened poured in, like a torrent that has burst its bounds, and
+threatened to sweep everything before them. Order was quickly
+restored, however, within, and "the nobility and gentry of
+Poitiers" soon began to arrive in rapid succession. Titled dames,
+in their sedan chairs, carried by liveried servants, alighted
+amid much bowing and flourishing of attendant gallants. Gentlemen
+from the environs came riding in, followed by mounted grooms who
+led away their masters' horses or mules. Grand, clumsy old
+carriages, vast and roomy, with much tarnished gildings and many
+faded decorations about them, and with coats-of-arms emblazoned
+on their panels, rolled slowly up, and out of them, as out of
+Noah's ark, issued all sorts of odd-looking pairs, and curious
+specimens of provincial grandeur; most of them resplendent in the
+strange fashions of a bygone day, yet apparently well satisfied
+with the elegance of their appearance. The house was literally
+packed, until there was not room left for another human being, be
+he never so slender. On each side of the stage was a row of
+arm-chairs, intended for distinguished spectators, according to
+the custom of the times, and there sat the young Duke of
+Vallombreuse, looking exceedingly handsome, in a very becoming
+suit of black velvet, elaborately trimmed with jet, and with a
+great deal of exquisite lace about it. Beside him was his
+faithful friend, the Chevalier de Vidalinc, who wore a superb
+costume of dark green satin, richly ornamented with gold. As to
+the Marquis de Bruyeres, he had not claimed his seat among the
+notables, but was snugly ensconced in his usual place--a retired
+corner near the orchestra--whence he could applaud his charming
+Zerbine to his heart's content, without making himself too
+conspicuous. In the boxes were the fine ladies, in full dress,
+settling thetnselves to their satisfaction with much rustling of
+silks, fluttering of fans, whispering and laughing. Although
+their finery was rather old-fashioned, the general effect was
+exceedingly brilliant, and the display of magnificent jewels--
+family heirlooms--was fairly dazzling. Such flashing of superb
+diamonds on white bosoms and in dark tresses; such strings of
+large, lustrous pearls round fair necks, and twined amid sunny
+curls; such rubies and sapphires, with their radiant surroundings
+of brilliants; such thick, heavy chains of virgin gold, of
+curious and beautiful workmanship; such priceless laces, yellow
+with age, of just that much-desired tint which is creamy at
+night; such superb old brocades, stiff and rich enough to stand
+alone; and best of all, such sweet, sparkling, young faces, as
+were to be seen here and there in this aristocratic circle. A few
+of the ladies, not wishing to be known had kept on their little
+black velvet masks, though they did not prevent their being
+recognised, spoken of by name, and commented on with great
+freedom by the plebeian crowd in the pit. One lady, however, who
+was very carefully masked, and attended only by a maid, baffled
+the curiosity of all observers. She sat a little back in her box,
+so that the full blaze of light should not fall upon her, and a
+large black lace veil, which was loosely fastened under her chin,
+covered her head so effectually that it was impossible to make
+out even the colour of her hair. Her dress was rich and elegant
+in the extreme, but sombre in hue, and in her hand she held a
+handsome fan made of black feathers, with a tiny looking-glass in
+the centre. A great many curious glances were directed at her,
+which manifestly made her uneasy, and she shrank still farther
+back in her box to avoid them; but the orchestra soon struck up a
+merry tune, and attracted all eyes and thoughts to the curtain,
+which was about to rise, so that the mysterious fair one was left
+to her enjoyment of the animated scene in peace. They began with
+"Lygdamon et Lydias," in which Leander, who played the principal
+part, and wore a most becoming new costume, was quite
+overwhelmingly handsome. His appearance was greeted by a murmur
+of admiration and a great whispering among the ladies, while one
+unsophisticated young creature, just emancipated from her
+convent-school, exclaimed rapturously, aloud, "Oh! how charming
+he is!" for which shocking indiscretion she received a severe
+reprimand from her horrified mama, that made her retire into the
+darkest corner of the box, covered with blushes and confusion.
+Yet the poor girl had only innocently given expression to the
+secret thought of every woman in the audience, her own dignified
+mother included; for, really, Leander was delightfully,
+irresistibly handsome as Lygdamon--a perfect Apollo, in the eyes
+of those provincial dames. But by far the most agitated of them
+all was the masked beauty; whose heaving bosom, trembling hand--
+betrayed by the fan it held--and eager attitude--leaning
+breathlessly forward and intently watching Leander's every
+movement--would inevitably have borne witness to her great and
+absorbing interest in him, if anybody had been observing her to
+mark her emotion; but fortunately for her all eyes were turned
+upon the stage, so she had time to recover her composure. Leander
+was surpassing himself in his acting that night, yet even then he
+did not neglect to gaze searchingly round the circle of his fair
+admirers, trying to select the titled dames, and decide which one
+among them he should favour with his most languishing glances. As
+he scrutinized one after another, his eyes finally reached the
+masked lady, and at once his curiosity was on the qui vive--here
+was assuredly something promising at last; he was convinced that
+the richly dressed, graceful incognita was a victim to his own
+irresistible charms, and he directed a long, eloquent, passionate
+look full at her, to indicate that she was understood. To his
+delight--his rapturous, ecstatic delight--she answered his
+appealing glance by a very slight bend of the head, which was
+full of significance, as if she would thank him for his
+penetration. Being thus happily brought en rapport, frequent
+glances were exchanged throughout the play, and even little
+signals also, between the hero on the stage and the lady in her
+box.
+
+Leander was an adept in that sort of thing, and could so modulate
+his voice and use his really fine eyes in making an impassioned
+declaration of love to the heroine of the play, that the fair
+object of his admiration in the audience would believe that it
+was addressed exclusively to herself. Inspired by this new flame,
+he acted with so much spirit and animation that he was rewarded
+with round after round of applause; which he had the art to make
+the masked lady understand he valued less than the faintest mark
+of approbation and favour from her.
+
+After "Lygdamon et Lydias" came the Rodomontades of Captain
+Fracasse, which met with its accustomed success. Isabelle was
+rendered very uneasy by the close proximity of the Duke of
+Vallombreuse, dreading some act of insolence on his part; but her
+fears were needless, for he studiously refrained from annoying
+her in any way--even by staring at her too fixedly. He was
+moderate in his applause, and quietly attentive, as he sat in a
+careless attitude in his arm-chair on the stage throughout the
+piece. His lip curled scornfully sometimes when Captain Fracasse
+was receiving the shower of blows and abuse that fell to his
+share, and his whole countenance was expressive of the most lofty
+disdain, but that was all; for though violent and impetuous by
+nature, the young duke was too much of a gentleman--once his
+first fury passed--to transgress the rules of courtesy in any
+way;
+and more especially towards an adversary with whom be was to
+fight on the morrow--until then hostilities were suspended, and
+he
+religiously observed the truce.
+
+The masked lady quietly withdrew a little before the end of the
+second piece, in order to avoid mingling with the crowd, and also
+to be able to regain her chair, which awaited her close at hand,
+unobserved; her disappearance mightily disturbed Leander, who was
+furtively watching the movements of the mysterious unknown. The
+moment he was free, almost before the curtain had fallen, he
+threw a large cloak around him to conceal his theatrical costume,
+and rushed towards the outer door in pursuit of her. The slender
+thread that bound them together would be broken past mending he
+feared if he did not find her, and it would be too horrible to
+lose sight of this radiant creature--as he styled her to
+himself--before he had been able to profit by the pronounced
+marks of favour she had bestowed upon him so lavishly during the
+evening. But when he reached the street, all out of breath from
+his frantic efforts in dashing through the crowd, and bustling
+people right and left regardless of everything but the object he
+had in view, there was nothing to be seen of her; she had
+vanished, and left not a trace behind. Leander reproached himself
+bitterly with his own folly in not having endeavoured to exchange
+a few words with his lost divinity in the brief interval between
+the two plays, and called himself every hard name he could think
+of; as we are all apt to do in moments of vexation.
+
+But while he still stood gazing disconsolately in the direction
+that she must have taken, a little page, dressed in a dark brown
+livery, and with his cap pulled down over his eyes, suddenly
+appeared beside him, and accosted him politely in a high childish
+treble, which he vainly strove to render more manly. "Are you M.
+Leander? the one who played Lygdamon a while ago?"
+
+"Yes, I am," answered Leander, amused at the pretentious airs of
+his small interlocutor, "and pray what can I do for you, my
+little man?"
+
+"Oh! nothing for me, thank you," said the page, with a
+significant smile, "only I am charged to deliver a message to
+you--if you are disposed to hear it--from the lady of the mask."
+
+"From the lady of the mask!" cried Leander. "Oh I tell me quickly
+what it is; I am dying to hear it."
+
+"Well, here it is, then, word for word," said the tiny page
+jauntily. "If Lygdamon is as brave as he is gallant, he will go
+at midnight to the open square in front of the church, where he
+will find a carriage awaiting him; he will enter it without
+question, as without fear, and go whither it will take him."
+
+Before the astonished Leander had time to answer, the page had
+disappeared in the crowd, leaving him in great perplexity, for if
+his heart beat high with joy at the idea of a romantic adventure,
+his shoulders still reminded him painfully of the beating he had
+received in a certain park at dead of night, and he remembered
+with a groan how he had been lured on to his own undoing. Was
+this another snare spread for him by some envious wretch who
+begrudged him his brilliant success that evening, and was jealous
+of the marked favour he had found in the eyes of the fair ladies
+of Poitiers? Should he encounter some furious husband at the
+rendezvous, sword in hand, ready to fall upon him and run him
+through the body? These thoughts chilled his ardour, and had
+nearly caused him to disregard entirely the page's mysterious
+message. Yet, if he did not profit by this tempting opportunity,
+which looked so promising, he might make a terrible mistake; and,
+if he failed to go, would not the lady of the mask suspect him of
+cowardice, and be justified in so doing? This thought was
+insupportable to the gallant Leander, and he decided to venture,
+though low be it spoken--in fear and trembling. He hastened back
+to
+the hotel, scarcely touched the substantial supper provided for
+the comedians--his appetite lost in his intense excitement--and
+retiring to his own chamber made an elaborate toilet; curling and
+perfuming his hair and mustache, and sparing no pains to make
+himself acceptable to the lovely lady of the mask. He armed
+himself with a dagger and a sword, though he did not know how to
+use either; but he thought that the mere sight of them might
+inspire awe.
+
+When he was all ready at last, he drew his broad felt hat well
+down over his eyes, threw the corner of his cloak over his
+shoulder, in Spanish fashion, so as to conceal the lower part of
+his face, and crept stealthily out of the hotel--for once being
+lucky enough to escape the observation of his wily tormentor,
+Scapin, who was at that moment snoring his loudest in his own
+room at the other end of the house.
+
+The streets had long been empty and deserted, for the good people
+of the ancient and respectable town of Poitiers go early to bed.
+Leander did not meet a living creature, excepting a few forlorn,
+homeless cats, prowling about and bewailing themselves in a
+melancholy way, that fled before him, and vanished round dark
+corners or in shadowy doorways. Our gallant reached the open
+square designated by the little page just as the last stroke of
+twelve was vibrating in the still night air. It gave him a
+shudder; a superstitious sensation of horror took possession of
+him, and he felt as if he had heard the tolling of his own
+funeral bell. For an instant he was on the point of rushing back,
+and seeking quiet, safe repose in his comfortable bed at the
+Armes de France, but was arrested by the sight of the carriage
+standing there waiting for him, with the tiny page himself in
+attendance, perched on the step and holding the door open for
+him. So he was obliged to go on--for few people in this strange
+world of ours have the courage to be cowardly before
+witnesses--and instinctively acting a part, he advanced with a
+deliberate and dignified bearing, that gave no evidence of the
+inward fear and agitation that had set his heart beating as if it
+would burst out of his breast, and sent strong shivers over him
+from his head to his feet. Scarcely had he taken his seat in the
+carriage when the coachman touched his horses with the whip, and
+they were off at a good round pace; while he was in utter
+darkness, and did not even know which way they went, as the
+leathern curtains were carefully drawn down, so that nothing
+could be seen from within, or without. The small page remained at
+his post on the carriage step, but spoke never a word, and
+Leander could not with decency question him, much as he would
+have liked to do so. He knew that his surroundings were
+luxurious, for his exploring fingers told him that the soft,
+yielding cushions, upon which he was resting, were covered with
+velvet, and his feet sank into a thick, rich rug, while the
+vague, delicious perfume, that seemed to surround and caress him,
+soothed his ruffled feelings, and filled his mind with rapturous
+visions of bliss. He tried in vain to divine who it could be that
+had sent to fetch him in this delightfully mysterious way, and
+became more curious than ever, and also rather uneasy again, when
+he felt that the carriage had quitted the paved streets of the
+town, and was rolling smoothly and rapidly along over a country
+road. At last it stopped, the little page jumped down and flung
+the door wide open, and Leander, alighting, found himself
+confronted by a high, dark wall, which seemed to inclose a park,
+or garden; but he did not perceive a wooden door close at hand
+until his small companion, pushing back a rusty bolt, proceeded
+to open it, with considerable difficulty, and admitted him into
+what was apparently a thick wood.
+
+"Take hold of my hand," said the page patronizingly to Leander,
+"so that I can guide you; it is too dark for you to be able to
+make out the path through this labyrinth of trees."
+
+Leander obeyed, and both walked cautiously forward, feeling their
+way as they wound in and out among the trees, and treading the
+crackling, dry leaves, strewn thickly upon the ground, under
+their feet. Emerging from the wood at last, they came upon a
+garden, laid out in the usual style, with rows of box bordering
+the angular flower beds, and with yew trees, cut into pyramids,
+at regular intervals; which, just perceptible in the darkness,
+looked like sentinels posted on their way--a shocking sight for
+the poor timid actor, who trembled in every limb. They passed
+them all, however, unchallenged, and ascended some stone steps
+leading up to a terrace, on which stood a small country housea
+sort of pavilion, with a dome, and little turrets at the corners.
+The place seemed quite deserted, save for a subdued glimmer of
+light from one large window, which the thick crimson silk
+curtains within could not entirely conceal. At this reassuring
+sight Leander dismissed all fear from his mind, and gave himself
+up to the most blissful anticipations. He was in a seventh heaven
+of delight; his feet seemed to spurn the earth; he would have
+flown into the presence of the waiting angel within if he had but
+known the way. How he wished, in this moment of glory and
+triumph, that Scapin, his mortal enemy and merciless tormentor,
+could see him. The tiny page stepped on before him, and after
+opening a large glass door and showing him into a spacious
+apartment, furnished with great luxury and elegance, retired and
+left him alone, without a word. The vaulted ceiling--which was
+the interior of the dome seen from without--was painted to
+represent a light blue sky, in which small rosy clouds were
+floating, and bewitching little Loves flying about in all sorts
+of graceful attitudes, while the walls were hung with beautiful
+tapestry. The cabinets, inlaid with exquisite Florentine mosaics
+and filled with many rare and curious objects of virtu, the round
+table covered with a superb Turkish cloth, the large, luxurious
+easy-chairs, the vases of priceless porcelain filled with
+fragrant flowers, all testified to the wealth and fastidious
+taste of their owner. The richly gilded candelabra, of many
+branches, holding clusters of wax candles, which shed their soft,
+mellow light on all this magnificence, were upheld by sculptured
+arms and hands in black marble, to represent a negro's, issuing
+from fantastic white marble sleeves; as if the sable attendants
+were standing without the room, and had passed their arms through
+apertures in the wall.
+
+Leander, dazzled by so much splendour, did not at first perceive
+that there was no one awaiting him in this beautiful apartment,
+but when be had recovered from his first feeling of astonishment,
+and realized that he was alone, he proceeded to take off his
+cloak and lay it, with his hat and sword, on a chair in one
+corner, after which he deliberately rearranged his luxuriant
+ringlets in front of a Venetian mirror, and then, assuming his
+most graceful and telling pose, began pouring forth in dulcet
+tones the following monologue: "But where, oh! where, is the
+divinity of this Paradise? Here is the temple indeed, but I see
+not the goddess. When, oh! when, will she deign to emerge from
+the cloud that veils her perfect form, and reveal herself to the
+adoring eyes, that wait so impatiently to behold her?" rolling
+the
+said organs of vision about in the most effective manner by way
+of illustration.
+
+Just at that moment, as if in response to this eloquent appeal,
+the crimson silk hanging, which fell in front of a door that
+Leander had not noticed, was pushed aside, and the lady he had
+come to seek stood before him; with the little black velvet mask
+still over her face, to the great disappointment and discomfiture
+of her expectant suitor. "Can it be possible that she is ugly?"
+he thought to himself; "this obstinate clinging to the mask
+alarms me." But his uncertainty was of short duration, for the
+lady, advancing to the centre of the room, where Leander stood
+respectfully awaiting her pleasure, untied the strings of the
+mask, took it off, and threw it down on the table, disclosing a
+rather pretty face, with tolerably regular features, large,
+brilliant, brown eyes, and smiling red lips. Her rich masses of
+dark hair were elaborately dressed, with one long curl hanging
+down upon her neck, and enhancing its whiteness by contrast; the
+uncovered shoulders were plump and shapely, and the full, snowy
+bosom rose and fell tumultuously under the cloud of beautifully
+fine lace that veiled, not concealed, its voluptuous curves.
+
+"Mme. la Marquise de Bruyeres!" cried Leander, astonished to the
+highest degree, and not a little agitated, as the remembrance of
+his last, and first, attempt to meet her, and what he had found
+in her place, rushed back upon him; "can it be possible? am I
+dreaming? or may I dare to believe in such unhoped-for,
+transcendent happiness?"
+
+"Yes; you are not mistaken, my dear friend," said she, "I am
+indeed the Marquise de Bruyeres, and recognised, I trust, by your
+heart as well as your eyes."
+
+"Ah! but too well," Leander replied, in thrilling tones. "Your
+adored image is cherished there, traced in living lines of light;
+I have only to look into that devoted, faithful heart, to see and
+worship your beauteous form, endowed with every earthly grace,
+and radiant with every heavenly perfection."
+
+"I thank you," said the marquise, "for having retained such a
+kind and tender remembrance of me; it proves that yours is a
+noble, magnanimous soul. You had every reason to think me cruel,
+ungrateful, false--when, alas! my poor heart in reality is but
+too susceptible, and I was far from being insensible to the
+passionate admiration you so gracefully testified for me. Your
+letter addressed to me did not reach my hands, but unfortunately
+fell into those of the marquis--through the heartless treachery
+of the faithless maid to whom it was intrusted--and he sent you
+the answer which so cruelly deceived you, my poor Leander! Some
+time after he showed me that letter, laughing heartily over what
+he was wicked enough to call a capital joke; that letter, in
+every line of which the purest, most impassioned love shone so
+brightly, and filled my heart with joy, despite his ridicule and
+coarse abuse. It did not produce the effect upon me that he
+expected and intended; the sentiment I cherished secretly for you
+was only increased and strengthened by its persuasive eloquence,
+and I resolved to reward you for all that you had suffered for my
+sake. Knowing my husband to be perfectly absorbed in his most
+recent conquest, and so oblivious of me that there was no danger
+of his becoming aware of my absence from the Chateau de Bruyeres,
+I have ventured to come to Poitiers; for I have heard you express
+fictitious love so admirably, that I long to know whether you can
+be as eloquent and convincing when you speak for yourself."
+
+"Mme. la Marquise," said Leander, in his sweetest tones, sinking
+gracefully on his knees, upon a cushion at the feet of the lady,
+who had let herself fall languidly into a low easy-chair, as if
+exhausted by the extreme effort that her confession had been to
+her modesty. "Madame, or rather most lovely queen and deity, what
+can mere empty words, counterfeit passion, imaginary raptures,
+conceived and written in cold blood by the poets, and
+make-believe sighs, breathed out at the feet of an odious
+actress, all powdered and painted, whose eyes are wandering
+absently around the theatre--what can these be beside the living
+words that gush out from the soul, the fire that burns in the
+veins and arteries, the hyperboles of an exalted passion, to
+which the whole universe cannot furnish images brilliant and
+lofty enough to apply to its idol, and the aspirations of a
+wildly loving heart, that would fain break forth from the breast
+that contains it, to serve as a footstool for the dear object of
+its adoration? You deign to say, celestial marquise, that I
+express with some feeling the fictitious love in the pieces I
+play. Shall I tell you why it is so? Because I never look at, or
+even think of, the actress whom I seem to address--my thoughts
+soar far above and beyond her--and I speak to my own perfect
+ideal; to a being, noble, beautiful, spirituelle as yourself,
+Mme. la Marquise! It is you, in fine, YOU that I see and love
+under the name of Silvie, Doralice, Isabelle, or whatever it may
+chance to be; they are only your phantoms for me."
+
+With these words Ieander, who was too good an actor to neglect
+the pantomime that should accompany such a declaration, bent down
+over the hand that the marquise had allowed him to take, and
+covered it with burning kisses; which delicate attention was
+amiably received, and his real love-making seemed to be as
+pleasing to her ladyship as even he could have desired.
+
+The eastern sky was all aflame with the radiance of the coming
+sun when Leander, well wrapped in his warm cloak, was driven back
+to Poitiers. As he lifted a corner of one of the carefully
+lowered curtains, to see which side of the town they were
+approaching, he caught sight of the Marquis de Bruyeres and the
+Baron de Sigognac, still at some distance, who were walking
+briskly along the road towards him, on their way to the spot
+designated for the duel.
+
+Leander let the curtain drop, so as not to be seen by the
+marquis, who was almost grazed by the carriage wheels as they
+rolled by him, and a satisfied smile played round his lips; he
+was revenged--the beating was atoned for now.
+
+The place selected for the hostile meeting between the Baron de
+Sigognac and the Duke of Vallombreuse was sheltered from the cold
+north wind by a high wall, which also screened the combatants
+from the observation of those passing along the road. The ground
+was firm, well trodden down, without stones, tufts of grass, or
+inequalities of any kind, which might be in the way of the
+swordsmen, and offered every facility to men of honour to murder
+each other after the most correct and approved fashion. The Duke
+of Vallombreuse and the Chevalier de Vidalinc, followed by a
+surgeon, arrived at the rendezvous only a few seconds after the
+others, and the four gentlemen saluted each other with the
+haughty courtesy and frigid politeness becoming to wellbred men
+meeting for such a purpose. The duke's countenance was expressive
+of the most careless indifference, as he felt perfect confidence
+in his own courage and skill. The baron was equally cool and
+collected, though it was his first duel, and a little nervousness
+or agitation would have been natural and excusable. The Marquis
+de Bruyeres watched him with great satisfaction, auguring good
+things for their side from his quiet sang-froid. Vallombreuse
+immediately threw off his cloak and hat, and unfastened his
+pourpoint, in which he was closely imitated by de Sigognac. The
+marquis and the chevalier measured the swords of the combatants,
+which were found to be of equal length, and then each second
+placed his principal in position, and put his sword in his hand.
+
+"Fall to, gentlemen, and fight like men of spirit, as you are,"
+said the marquis.
+
+"A needless recommendation that," chimed in the Chevalier de
+Vidalinc; "they go at it like lions---we shall have a superb
+duel."
+
+The Duke of Vallombreuse, who, in his inmost heart, could not
+help despising de Sigognac more than a little, and had imagined
+that he should find in him but a weak antagonist, was astonished
+when he discovered the strength of the baron's sword, and could
+not deny to himself that he wielded a firm and supple blade,
+which baffled his own with the greatest ease--that he was, in
+fine, a " foeman worthy of his steel." He became more careful and
+attentive; then tried several feints, which were instantly
+detected. At the least opening he left, the point of de
+Sigognac's sword, rapid as lightning in its play, darted in upon
+him, necessitating the exercise of all his boasted skill to parry
+it. He ventured an attack, which was so promptly met, and his
+weapon so cleverly struck aside, that he was left exposed to his
+adversary's thrust, and but for throwing himself back out of
+reach, by a sudden, violent movement, he must have received it
+full in his breast. From that instant all was changed for the
+young duke; he had believed that he would be able to direct the
+combat according to his own will and pleasure, but, instead of
+that, he was forced to make use of all his skill and address to
+defend himself. He had believed that after a few passes he could
+wound de Sigognae, wherever he chose, by a thrust which, up to
+that time, he had always found successful; but, instead of that,
+he had hard work to avoid being wounded himself. Despite his
+efforts to remain calm and cool, he was rapidly growing angry; he
+felt himself becoming nervous and feverish, while the baron,
+perfectly at his ease and unmoved, seemed to take a certain
+pleasure in irritating him by the irreproachable excellence of
+his fence.
+
+"Sha'n't we do something in this way too, while our friends are
+occupied?" said the chevalier to the marquis.
+
+"It is very cold this morning. Suppose we fight a little also, if
+only to warm ourselves up, and set our blood in motion."
+
+"With all my heart," the marquis replied; "we could not do
+better."
+
+The chevalier was superior to the Marquis de Bruyeres in the
+noble art of fencing, and after a few passes had sent the
+latter's sword flying out of his hand. As no enmity existed
+between them, they stopped there by mutual consent, and turned
+their attention again to de Sigognac and Vallombreuse. The duke,
+sore pressed by the close play of the baron, had fallen back
+several feet from his original position. He was becoming weary,
+and beginning to draw panting breaths. From time to time, as
+their swords clashed violently together, bluish sparks flew from
+them; but the defence was growing perceptibly weaker, and de
+Sigognac was steadily forcing the duke to give way before his
+attack. When he saw the state of affairs, the Chevalier de
+Vidalinc turned very pale, and began to feel really anxious for
+his friend, who was so evidently getting the worst of it.
+
+"Why the devil doesn't he try that wonderful thrust he learned
+from Girolamo of Naples?" murmured he. "This confounded Gascon
+cannot possibly know anything about that."
+
+As if inspired by the same thought, the young duke did, at that
+very moment, try to put it into execution; but de Sigognac, aware
+of what he was preparing to do, not only prevented but
+anticipated him, and touched and wounded his adversary in the
+arm--his sword going clean through it.
+
+The pain was so intense that the duke's fingers could no longer
+grasp his sword, and it fell to the ground. The baron, with the
+utmost courtesy, instantly desisted, although he was entitled by
+the rules of the code to follow up his blow with another--for the
+duel does not necessarily come to an end with the first blood
+drawn. He turned the point of his sword to the ground, put his
+left hand on his hip, and stood silently awaiting his
+antagonist's pleasure. But Vallombreuse could not hold the sword
+which his second had picked up and presented to him, after a nod
+of acquiescence from de Sigognac; and he turned away to signify
+that he had had enough. Whereupon, the marquis and the baron,
+after bowing politely to the others, set forth quietly to walk
+back to the town.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X. A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE
+
+After the surgeon had bandaged his injured arm, and arranged a
+sling for it, the Duke of Vallombreuse was put carefully into a
+chair, which had been sent for in all haste, to be taken home.
+His wound was not in the least a dangerous one, though it would
+deprive him of the use of his right hand for some time to come,
+for the blade had gone quite through the forearm; but, most
+fortunately, without severing any important tendons or arteries.
+He suffered a great deal of pain from it of course, but still
+more from his wounded pride; and he felt furiously and
+unreasonably angry with everything and everybody about him. It
+seemed to be somewhat of a relief to him to swear savagely at his
+bearers, and call them all the hardest names he could think of,
+whenever he felt the slightest jar, as they carried him slowly
+towards home, though they were walking as steadily as men could
+do, and carefully avoiding every inequality in the road. When at
+last he reached his own house, he was not willing to be put to
+bed, as the surgeon advised, but lay down upon a lounge instead,
+where he was made as comfortable as was possible by his faithful
+Picard, who was in despair at seeing the young duke in such a
+condition; astonished as well, for nothing of the kind had ever
+happened before, in all the many duels he had fought; and the
+admiring valet had shared his master's belief that he was
+invincible. The Chevalier de Vidalinc sat in a low chair beside
+his friend, and gave him from time to time a spoonful of the
+tonic prescribed by the surgeon, but refrained from breaking the
+silence into which he had fallen. Vallombreuse lay perfectly
+still for a while; but it was easy to see, in spite of his
+affected calmness, that his blood was boiling with suppressed
+rage. At last he could restrain himself no longer, and burst out
+violently: "Oh! Vidalinc, this is too outrageously aggravating!
+to think that that contemptible, lean stork, who has flown forth
+from his ruined chateau so as not to die of starvation in it,
+should have dared to stick his long bill into me! I have
+encountered, and conquered, the best swordsmen in France, and
+never returned from the field before with so much as a scratch,
+or without leaving my adversary stretched lifeless on the ground,
+or wounded and bleeding in the arms of his friends."
+
+"But you must remember that the most favoured and the bravest of
+mortals have their unlucky days, Vallombreuse," answered the
+chevalier sententiously, "and Dame Fortune does not ALWAYS smile,
+even upon her prime favourites. Until now you have never had to
+complain of her frowns, for you have been her pampered darling
+all your life long."
+
+"Isn't it too disgraceful," continued Vallombreuse, growing more
+and more heated, "that this ridiculous buffoon--this grotesque
+country clown--who takes such abominable drubbings on the stage,
+and has never in his life known what it was to associate with
+gentlemen, should have managed to get the best of the Duke of
+Vallombreuse, hitherto by common accord pronounced invincible? He
+must be a professional prize-fighter, disguised as a strolling
+mountebank."
+
+"There can be no doubt about his real rank," said Vidalinc, "for
+the Marquis de Bruyeres guarantees it; but I must confess that
+his unequalled performance to-day filled me with astonishment; it
+was simply marvellous. Neither Girolamo nor Paraguante, those two
+world-renowned swordsmen, could have surpassed it. I watched him
+closely, and I tell you that even they could not have withstood
+him. It took all your remarkable skill--which has been so greatly
+enhanced by the Neapolitan's instructions--to avoid being
+mortally
+wounded; why your defeat was a victory in my eyes, in that it was
+not a more overwhelming one."
+
+"I don't know how I am to wait for this wound to heal," the duke
+said, after a short pause, "I am so impatient to provoke him
+again, and have the opportunity to revenge myself."
+
+"That would be a very hazardous proceeding, and one that I should
+strongly advise you not to attempt," Vidalinc replied in an
+earnest tone. "Your sword-arm will scarcely be as strong as
+before for a long time I fear, and that would seriously diminish
+your chances of success. This Baron de Sigognac is a very
+formidable antagonist, and will be still more so, for you, now
+that he knows your tactics; and besides, the confidence in
+himself which his first victory naturally gives him would be
+another thing in his favour. Honour is satisfied, and the
+encounter was a serious one for you. Let the matter rest here, I
+beseech you!"
+
+Vallombreuse could not help being secretly convinced of the
+justice of these remarks, but was not willing to avow it openly,
+even to his most intimate friend. He was a sufficiently
+accomplished swordsman himself to appreciate de Sigognac's
+wonderful prowess, and he knew that it far surpassed his own much
+vaunted skill, though it enraged him to have to recognise this
+humiliating fact. He was even obliged to acknowledge, in his
+inmost heart, that he owed his life to the generous forbearance
+of his hated enemy; who might have taken it just as well as not,
+but had spared him, and been content with giving him only a flesh
+wound, just severe enough to put him hors-de-combat, without
+doing him any serious injury. This magnanimous conduct, by which
+a less haughty nature would have been deeply touched, only served
+to irritate the young duke's pride, and increase his resentment.
+To think that he, the valiant and puissant Duke of Vallombreuse,
+had been conquered, humiliated, wounded! the bare idea made him
+frantic. Although he said nothing further to his companion about
+his revenge, his mind was filled with fierce projects whereby to
+obtain it, and he swore to himself to be even yet with the author
+of his present mortification--if not in one way, then in another;
+for injuries there be that are far worse than mere physical
+wounds and hurts.
+
+"I shall cut a sorry figure enough now in the eyes of the fair
+Isabelle," said he at last, with a forced laugh, "with my arm
+here run through and rendered useless by the sword of her devoted
+gallant. Cupid, weak and disabled, never did find much favour
+with the Graces, you know. But oh! how charming and adorable she
+seems to me, this sweet, disdainful Isabelle! I am actually
+almost grateful to her for resisting me so; for, if she had
+yielded, I should have been tired of her by this time, I fancy.
+Her nature certainly cannot be a base, ordinary one, or she would
+never have refused thus the advances of a wealthy and powerful
+nobleman, who is ready to lavish upon her everything that heart
+could desire, and whose own personal attractions are not to be
+despised; if the universal verdict of the fair sex of all ranks
+can be relied upon. There is a certain respect and esteem mingled
+with my passionate admiration for her, that I have never felt
+before for any woman, and it is very sweet to me. But how in the
+world are we to get rid of this confounded young sprig of
+nobility, her self-constituted champion? May the devil fly away
+with him!"
+
+"It will not be an easy matter," the chevalier replied, and
+especially now that he is upon his guard. But even if you did
+succeed in getting rid of him, Isabelle's love for him would
+still be in your way, and you ought to know, better than most
+men, how obstinate a woman can be in her devoted attachment to a
+man."
+
+"Oh! if I could only kill this miserable baron,"  continued
+Vallombreuse, not at all impressed by the chevalier's last
+remark, "I could soon win the favour of this virtuous young
+person, in spite of all her little prudish airs and graces.
+Nothing is so quickly forgotten as a defunct suitor."
+
+These were by no means the chevalier's sentiments, but he
+refrained from pursuing the subject then, wishing to soothe,
+rather than irritate, his suffering friend.
+
+"You must first get well as fast as you can," he said, "and it
+will be time enough then for us to discuss the matter. All this
+talking wearies you, and does you no good. Try to get a little
+nap now, and not excite yourself so. The surgeon will tax me with
+imprudence, and call me a bad nurse, I'm afraid, if I don't
+manage to keep you more quiet--mentally as well as physically."
+
+His patient, yielding with rather an ill grace to this sensible
+advice, sank back wearily upon his pillows, closed his eyes, and
+soon fell asleep--where we will leave him, enjoying his much
+needed repose.
+
+Meantime the Marquis de Bruyeres and de Sigognac had quietly
+returned to their hotel, where, like well-bred gentlemen, they
+did not breathe even a hint of what had taken place. But walls
+have ears they say, and eyes as well it would appear, for they
+certainly see as much as they ever hear. In the neighbourhood of
+the apparently solitary, deserted spot where the duel had taken
+place, more than one inquisitive, hidden observer had closely
+watched the progress of the combat, and had not lost a moment
+after it was over in spreading the news of it; so that by
+breakfast-time all Poitiers was in a flutter of excitement over
+the intelligence that the Duke of Vallombreuse had been wounded
+in a duel with an unknown adversary, and was exhausting itself in
+vain conjectures as to who the valiant stranger could possibly
+be. No one thought of de Sigognac, who had led the most retired
+life imaginable ever since his arrival; remaining quietly at the
+hotel all day, and showing only his stage mask, not his own face,
+at the theatre in the evening.
+
+Several gentlemen of his acquaintance sent to inquire
+ceremoniously after the Duke of Vallombreuse, giving their
+messengers instructions to endeavour to get some information from
+his servants about the mysterious duel, but they were as taciturn
+as the mutes of a seraglio, for the very excellent and sufficient
+reason that they knew nothing what ever about it. The young duke,
+by his great wealth, his overweening pride, his uncommon good
+looks, and his triumphant success among fair ladies everywhere,
+habitually excited much secret jealousy and hatred among his
+associates, which not one of them dared to manifest openly--but
+they were mightily pleased by his present discomfiture.
+
+It was the first check he had ever experienced, and all those who
+had been hurt or offended by his arrogance--and they were
+legion--
+now rejoiced in his mortification. They could not say enough in
+praise of his successful antagonist, though they had never seen
+him, nor had any idea as to what man ner of tnan he might be. The
+ladies, who nearly all had some cause of complaint against the
+haughty young noble man, as he was wont to boast loudly of his
+triumphs, and basely betray the favours that had been accorded to
+him in secret, were full of enthusiastic and tender admiration
+for this victorious champion of a woman's virtue, who, they felt,
+had unconsciously avenged for them many scornful slights, and
+they would have gladly crowned him with laurel and myrtle, and
+rewarded him with their sweetest smiles and most distinguished
+favour.
+
+However, as nothing on this terraqueous and sublunary globe can
+long remain a secret, it soon transpired through Maitre Bilot,
+who had it direct from Jacques, the valet of the Marquis de
+Bruyeres, who had been present during the momentous interview
+between his master and the Baron de Sigognac, that the duke's
+brave antagonist was no other than the redoubtable Captain
+Fracasse; or rather, a young nobleman in disguise, who for the
+sake of a love affair had become a member of Herode's troupe of
+travelling comedians. As to his real name, Jacques had
+unfortunately forgotten it, further than that it ended in "gnac,"
+as is not uncommon in Gascony, but on the point of his rank he
+was positive. This delightfully romantic and "ower-true tale" was
+received with acclamations by the good folk of Poitiers. They
+were fairly overflowing with admiration for and interest in the
+valiant gentleman who wielded such a powerful blade, and the
+devoted lover who had left everything to follow his mistress, and
+when Captain Fracasse appeared upon the stage that evening, the
+prolonged and enthusiastic applause that greeted him, and was
+renewed over and over again before he was allowed to speak a
+single word, bore witness unmistakably to the favour with which
+he was regarded; while the ladies rose in their boxes and waved
+their handkerchiefs, even the grandest and most dignified among
+them, and brought the palms of their gloved hands daintily
+together in his honour. It was a real ovation, and best of all a
+spontaneous one. Isabelle also received a perfect storm of
+applause, which alarmed and had nearly overcome the retiring
+young actress, who blushed crimson in her embarrassment, as she
+made a modest curtsey in acknowledgment of the compliment.
+
+Herode was overjoyed, and his face shone like the full moon as he
+rubbed his hands together and grinned broadly in his exuberant
+delight; for the receipts were immense, and the cash-box was full
+to bursting. Everybody had rushed to the theatre to see and
+applaud the now famous Captain Fracasse--the capital actor and
+high-spirited gentleman--who feared neither cudgels nor swords;
+and had not shrunk from encountering the dreaded Duke of
+Vallombreuse, the terror of all the country round, in mortal
+combat, as the champion of offended beauty. Blazius, however, did
+not share the tyrant's raptures, but on the contrary foreboded no
+good from all this, for he feared, and not without reason, the
+vindictive character of the Duke of Vallombreuse, and was
+apprehensive that he would find some means of revenging himself
+for his defeat at de Sigognac's hands that would be detrimental
+to the troupe. "Earthen vessels," said he, "should be very
+careful how they get in the way of metal ones, lest, if they
+rashly encounter them, they be ignominiously smashed in the
+shock." But Herode, relying upon the support and countenance of
+the Baron de Sigognac and the Marquis de Bruyeres, laughed at his
+fears, and called him faint-heart, a coward, and a croaker.
+
+When the comedians returned to their hotel, after the play was
+over, de Sigognac accompanied Isabelle to the door of her room,
+and, contrary to her usual custom, the young actress invited him
+to enter it with her. When they found themselves quite alone, and
+safe from all curious eyes, Isabelle turned to de Sigognac, took
+his hand in both of hers, and pressing it warmly said to him in a
+voice trembling with emotion,
+
+"Promise me never to run such a fearful risk for my sake again,
+de Sigognac; promise me! Swear it, if you really do love me as
+you say."
+
+"That is a thing I cannot do," the baron replied, "even to please
+you, sweet Isabelle! If ever any insolent fellow dares to show a
+want of proper respect for you, I shall surely chastise him for
+it, as I ought, be he what he may--duke, or even prince."
+
+"But remember, de Sigognac, that I am nothing but an actress,
+inevitably exposed to affronts from the men that haunt the
+coulisses. It is the generally received opinion, which alas! is
+but too well justified by the usual ways of the members of my
+profession, that an actress is no better than she should be; in
+fine, not a proper character nor worthy of respect. From the
+moment that a woman steps upon the stage she becomes public
+property, and even if she be really pure and virtuous it is
+universally believed that she only affects it for a purpose.
+These things are hard and bitter, but they must be borne, since
+it is impossible to change them. In future trust to me, I pray
+you, to repel those who would force their unwelcome attentions
+upon me in the green-room, or endeavour to make their way into my
+dressing-room. A sharp rap over the knuckles with a corset board
+from me will be quite as efficacious as for you to draw your
+sword in my behalf."
+
+"But I am not convinced," said de Sigognac, with a smile; "I must
+still believe, sweet Isabelle, that the sword of a chivalrous
+ally would be your best weapon of defence, and I beg you not to
+deprive me of the precious privilege of being your devoted knight
+and champion."
+
+Isabelle was still holding de Sigognac's hand, and she now raised
+her lovely eyes, full of mute supplication, to meet his adoring
+gaze, hoping yet to draw from him, the much desired promise. But
+the baron was incorrigible; where honour was concerned he was as
+firm and unyielding as a Spanish hidalgo, and he would have
+braved a thousand deaths rather than have allowed an affront to
+the lady of his love to pass unpunished; he wished that the same
+deference and respect should be accorded to Isabelle upon the
+stage, as to a duchess in her drawing-room.
+
+"Come, de Sigognac, be reasonable," pleaded the young actress,
+"and promise me not to expose yourself to such danger again for
+so frivolous a cause. Oh! what anxiety and anguish I endured as I
+awaited your return this morning. I knew that you had gone out to
+fight with that dreadful duke, who is held in such universal
+terror here; Zerbine told me all about it. Cruel that you are to
+torture my poor heart so! That is always the way with men; they
+never stop to think of what we poor, loving women must suffer
+when their pride is once aroused! off they go, as fierce as
+lions, deaf to our sobs and blind to our tears. Do you know, that
+if you had been killed I should have died too?"
+
+The tears that filled Isabelle's eyes, and the excessive
+trembling of her voice, showed that she was in earnest, and that
+she had not even yet recovered her usual calmness and composure.
+More deeply touched than words can express by her emotion, and
+the love for himself it bore witness to, de Sigognac, encircling
+her slender form with the arm that was free, drew her gently to
+him, and softly kissed her fair forehead, whilst he could feel,
+as he pressed her to his breast, how she was panting and
+trembling. He held her thus tenderly embraced for a blissful few
+seconds of silent ecstasy, which a less respectful lover would
+doubtless have presumed upon; but he would have scorned to take
+advantage of the unreserved confidence bestowed upon him in a
+moment of such agitation and sorrowful excitement.
+
+"Be comforted, dear Isabelle," said he at last, tenderly. "I was
+not killed you see, nor even hurt; and I actually wounded my
+adversary, though he does pass for a tolerably good swordsman
+hereabouts, I believe."
+
+"Yes, I well know what a strong hand is yours, and what a brave,
+noble heart," Isabelle replied; "and I do not scruple to
+acknowledge that I love you for it with all my heart; feeling
+sure that you will respect my frank avowal, and not endeavour to
+take advantage of it. When I first saw you, de Sigognac,
+dispirited and desolate, in that dreary, half-ruined chateau,
+where your youth was passing in sadness and solitude, I felt a
+tender interest in you suddenly spring into being in my heart;
+had you been happy and prosperous I should have been afraid of
+you, and have shrunk timidly from your notice. When we walked
+together in that neglected garden, where you held aside the
+brambles so carefully for me to pass unscathed, you gathered and
+presented to me a little wild rose--the only thing you had to
+give me. As I raised it to my lips, before putting it in my
+bosom, and kissed it furtively under pretence of inhaling its
+fragrance, I could not keep back a tear that dropped upon it, and
+secretly and in silence I gave you my heart in exchange for it."
+
+As these entrancing words fell upon his ear, de Sigognac
+impulsively tried to kiss the sweet lips so temptingly near his
+own, but Isabelle withdrew herself gently from his embrace; not
+with any show of excessive prudery, but with a modest timidity
+that no really gallant lover would endeavour to overcome by
+force.
+
+"Yes, I love you, de Sigognac," she continued, in a voice that
+was heavenly sweet, "and with all my heart, but not as other
+women love; your glory is my aim, not my own pleasure. I am
+perfectly willing to be looked upon as your mistress; it is the
+only thing that would account satisfactorily to the world at
+large for your presence in this troupe of strolling players. And
+why should I care for slanderous reports, so long as I keep my
+own self-esteem, and know myself to be virtuous and true? If
+there were really a stain upon my purity it would kill me; I
+could not survive it. It is the princely blood in my veins
+doubtless that gives rise to such pride in me; very ridiculous,
+perhaps, in an actress, but such is my nature."
+
+This enchanting avowal, which would not have taught anything new
+to a more conceited or bolder suitor, but was a wonderful
+revelation to de Sigognac, who had scarcely dared to hope that
+his passionate, devoted love might some day be returned, filled
+him with such rapturous, overwhelming delight, that he was almost
+beside himself. A burning flush overspread his usually pale face;
+he seemed to see flames before his eyes; there was a strange
+ringing in his ears, and his heart throbbed so violently that he
+felt half suffocated. Losing control of himself in this moment of
+ecstasy, so intense that it was not unmixed with pain, he
+suddenly seized Isabelle passionately in his arms, strained her
+trembling form convulsively to his heaving breast, and covered
+her face and neck with burning kisses. She did not even try to
+struggle against this fierce embrace, but, throwing her head
+back, looked fixedly at him, with eyes full of sorrow and
+reproach. From those lovely eyes, clear and pure as an angel's,
+great tears welled forth and rolled down over her blanched
+cheeks, and a suppressed sob shook her quivering frame as a
+sudden faintness seemed to come over her. The young baron,
+distracted at the sight of her grief, and full of keen
+self-reproach, put her gently down into a low, easy-chair
+standing near, and kneeling before her, took in both his own the
+hands that she abandoned to him, and passionately implored her
+pardon; pleading that a momentary madness had taken possession of
+him, that he repented of it bitterly, and was ready to atone for
+his offence by the most perfect submission to her wishes.
+
+"You have hurt me sadly, my friend!" said Isabelle at last, with
+a deep-drawn sigh. "I had such perfect confidence in your
+delicacy and respect. The frank, unreserved avowal of my love for
+you ought to have been enough, and have shown you clearly, by its
+very openness, that I trusted you entirely. I believed that you
+would understand me and let me love you in my own way, without
+troubling my tenderness for you by vulgar transports. Now, you
+have robbed me of my feeling of security. I do not doubt your
+words, but I shall no longer dare to yield to the impulses of my
+own heart. And yet it was so sweet to me to be with you, to watch
+you, to listen to your dear voice, and to follow the course of
+your thoughts as I saw them written in your eyes. I wished to
+share your troubles and anxieties, de Sigognac, leaving your
+pleasures to others. I said to myself, among all these coarse,
+dissolute, presuming men that hover about us, there is one who is
+different--one who believes in purity, and knows how to respect
+it in the woman he honours with his love. I dared to indulge in a
+sweet dream--even I, Isabelle the actress, pursued as I am
+constantly by a gallantry that is odious to me--I dared to
+indulge in the too sweet dream of enjoying with you a pure mutual
+love. I only asked to be your faithful companion, to cheer and
+comfort you in your struggles with an adverse fate until you had
+reached the beginning of happiness and prosperity, and then to
+retire into obscurity again, when you had plenty of new friends
+and followers, and no longer needed me. You see that I was not
+very exacting."
+
+"Isabelle, my adored Isabelle," cried de Sigognac, "every word
+that you speak makes me reproach myself more and more keenly for
+my fault, and the pain I have given you. Rest assured, my own
+darling, that you have nothing further to fear from me. I am not
+worthy to kiss the traces of your footprints in the dust; but
+yet, I pray you, listen to me! Perhaps you do not fully
+understand all my thoughts and intentions, and will forgive me
+when you do. I have nothing but my name, which is as pure and
+spotless as your sweet self, and I offer it to you, my own
+beloved Isabelle, if you will deign to accept it."
+
+He was still kneeling at her feet, and at these ardently spoken
+words she leaned towards him, took his upraised face between her
+hands with a quick, passionate movement, and kissed him fervently
+on the lips; then she sprang to her feet and began, hurriedly and
+excitedly, pacing back and forth in the chamber.
+
+"You will be my wife, Isabelle?" cried de Sigognac in agitated
+tones, thrilling in every nerve from the sweet contact of her
+pure, lovely mouth--fresh as a flower, ardent as a flame.
+
+"Never, never," answered Isabelle, with a clear ring of rapture
+in her voice. "I will show myself worthy of such an honour by
+refusing it. I did mistake you for a moment, my dearest friend; I
+did mistake you; forgive me. Oh! how happy you have made me; what
+celestial joy fills my soul! You do respect and esteem me, then,
+to the utmost? Ah! de Sigognac, you would really lead me, as your
+wife, into the hall where all the portraits of your honoured
+ancestors would look down upon us? and into the chapel, where
+your dead mother lies at rest? I could meet fearlessly, my
+beloved, the searching gaze of the dead, from whom nothing is
+hidden; the crown of purity would not be wanting on my brow."
+
+"But what!" exclaimed the young baron, "you say that you love me,
+Isabelle, with all that true, faithful heart of yours, yet you
+will not accept me! either as lover or husband?"
+
+"You have offered me your name, de Sigognac, your noble, honoured
+name, and that is enough for me. I give it back to you now, after
+having cherished it for one moment in my inmost heart. For one
+instant I was your wife, and I will never, never be another's.
+While my lips were on yours I was saying yes to myself, and oh! I
+did not deserve such happiness. For you, my beloved, it would be
+a sad mistake to burden yourself with a poor little actress like
+me, who would always be taunted with her theatrical career,
+however pure and honourable it may have been. The cold,
+disdainful mien with which great ladies would be sure to regard
+me would cause you keen suffering, and you could not challenge
+THEM, you know, my own brave champion! You are the last of a
+noble race, de Sigognac, and it is your duty to build up your
+fallen house. When, by a tender glance, I induced you to quit
+your desolate home and follow me, you doubtless dreamed of a love
+affair of the usual sort, which was but natural; but I, looking
+into the future, thought of far other things. I saw you
+returning, in rich attire, from the court of your gracious
+sovereign, who had reinstated you in your rights, and given you
+an honourable office, suitable to your exalted rank. The chateau
+had resumed its ancient splendour. In fancy I tore the clinging
+ivy from its crumbling walls, put the fallen stones back in their
+places, restored the dilapidated roof and shattered window-panes,
+regilded the three storks on your escutcheon over the great
+entrance door, and in the grand old portico; then, having
+installed you in the renovated home of your honoured ancestors, I
+retired into obscurity, stifling a sigh as I bade you adieu,
+though sincerely rejoicing in your well merited good fortune."
+
+"And your dream shall be accomplished, my noble Isabelle; I feel
+sure of it--but not altogether as you relate it to me; such an
+ending would be too sad and grievous. You shall be the first,
+you, my own darling, with this dear hand clasped in mine, as now,
+to cross the threshold of that blessed abode, whence ruin and
+desolation shall have disappeared, and have been replaced by
+prosperity and happiness."
+
+"No, no, de Sigognac, it will be some great, and noble, and
+beautiful heiress, worthy of you in every way, who will accompany
+you then; one that you can present with just pride to all your
+friends, and of whom none can say, with a malicious smile, I
+hissed or applauded her at such a time and place."
+
+"It is downright cruelty on your part to show your self so
+adorable, so worthy of all love and admiration, my sweet
+Isabelle, and at the same time to deprive me of every hope," said
+de Sigognac, ruefully; "to give one glimpse of heaven and then
+shut me out again; nothing could be more cruel. But I will not
+despair; I shall make you yield to me yet."
+
+"Do not try, I beseech you," continued Isabelle, with gentle
+firmness, "for I never shall; I should despise myself if I did.
+Strive to be content, de Sigognac, with the purest, truest, most
+devoted love that ever filled a woman's heart, and do not ask for
+more. Is it such an unsatisfactory thing to you," she added, with
+a bright smile, "to be adored by a girl that several men have had
+the bad taste to declare charming? Why, even the Duke of
+Vallombreuse himself professes that he would be proud of it."
+
+"But to give yourself to me so absolutely, and to refuse yourself
+to me as absolutely! to mingle such sweet and bitter drops in the
+same cup--honey and wormwood--and present it to my lips! only
+you, Isabelle, could be capable of such strange contradictions."
+
+"Yes, I AM an odd girl," she replied, "and therein I resemble my
+poor mother; but such as I am you must put up with me. If you
+should persist in persecuting me, I know well how I could elude
+and escape you, and where I could hide myself from you so that
+you would never be able to find me. But there will be no need of
+that, we will not talk of it; our compact is made. Let it be as I
+say, de Sigognac, and let us be happy together while we may. It
+grows late now, and you must go to your own room; will you take
+with you these verses, of a part that does not suit me at all,
+and remodel them for me? they belong to a piece that we are to
+play very soon. Let me be your faithful little friend, de
+Sigognac, and you shall be my great, and well-beloved poet."
+
+Isabelle, as she spoke, drew forth from a bureau a roll of
+manuscript, tied with a rose-coloured ribbon, which she gave to
+the baron with a radiant smile.
+
+"Now kiss me, and go," she said, holding up her cheek for his
+caress. "You are going to work for me, and this is your reward.
+Good-night, my beloved, good-night."
+
+It was long after he had regained the quiet of his own room ere
+de Sigognac could compose himself sufficiently to set about the
+light task imposed upon him by Isabelle. He was at once enchanted
+and cast down; radiant with joy, and filled with sorrow; in a
+seventh heaven of ecstasy, and in the depths of despair. He
+laughed and he wept alternately, swayed by the most tumultuous
+and contradictory emotions. The intense happiness of at last
+knowing himself beloved by his adored Isabelle made him exultant
+and joyful, while the terrible thought that she never would be
+his made his heart sink within him. Little by little, however, he
+grew calmer, as his mind dwelt lovingly upon the picture Isabelle
+had drawn of the Chateau de Sigognac restored to its ancient
+splendour, and as he sat musing he had a wonderful vision of it--
+so glowing and vivid that it was like reality. He saw before him
+the facade of the chateau, with its large windows shining in the
+sunlight, and its many weather-cocks, all freshly gilded,
+glistening against the bright blue sky, whilst the columns of
+smoke rising from every chimney, so long cold and unused, told of
+plenty and prosperity within, and his good faithful Pierre, in a
+rich new suit of livery, stood between Miraut and Beelzebub at
+the great entrance door awaiting him. He saw himself, in
+sumptuous attire, proudly leading his fair Isabelle by the hand
+towards the grand old home of his forefathers; his beautiful
+Isabelle, dressed like a princess, wearing ornaments bearing a
+device which seemed to be that of one of the greatest, most
+illustrious families of France, and with a ducal coronet upon her
+shapely head. But with it all she did not appear to be proud or
+haughty--she was just her own sweet, modest self--and in the hand
+that was free she carried the little wild rose, fresh as when it
+was first plucked, that he had given her, and from time to time
+raised and pressed it tenderly to her lips as she inhaled its
+fragrance; it seemed more precious to her than all the superb
+jewels that she wore. As they approached the chateau a most
+stately and majestic old man, whose breast was covered with
+orders, and whose face seemed not entirely unfamiliar to de
+Sigognac, stepped forth from the portico to meet and welcome
+them. But what greatly surprised him was that a remarkably
+handsome young man, of most proud and lofty bearing, accompanied
+the old prince, who closely resembled the Duke of Vallombreuse,
+and who smilingly advanced and offered a cordial salutation and
+welcome to Isabelle and himself. A great crowd of tenantry
+stationed near at hand hailed them with lusty cheers, making many
+demonstrations of hearty joy and delight, and his own happiness
+seemed to be complete. Suddenly the sound of a horn was heard,
+and at a little distance he saw the beautiful Yolande de Foix,
+radiant and charming as ever, riding slowly by--apparently
+returning from the chase. He followed her with his eyes
+admiringly, but felt no regret as her figure was lost to view
+amid the thick gorse bushes bordering the road down which she was
+going, and turned with ever increasing love and adoration to the
+sweet being at his side. The memory of the fair Yolande, whom he
+had once worshipped in a vague, boyish way, faded before the
+delicious reality of his passionate love for Isabelle; who
+satisfied so fully every requirement of his nature, and had so
+thoroughly healed the wound made by the scom and ridicule of the
+other, that it seemed to be entirely forgotten then.
+
+It was not easy for de Sigognac to rouse himself after this
+entrancing vision, which had been so startlingly real, and fix
+his attention upon the verses he had promised to revise and alter
+for Isabelle, but when at last he had succeeded, he threw himself
+into his task with enthusiasm, and wrote far into the night--
+inspired by the thought of the sweet lips that had called him her
+poet, and that were to pronounce the words he penned; and he was
+rewarded for his exertions by Isabelle's sweetest smile, and
+warmest praise and gratitude.
+
+At the theatre the next evening the crowd was even greater than
+before, and the crush unprecedented. The reputation of Captain
+Fracasse, the valiant conqueror of the Duke of Vallombreuse;
+increased hourly, and began to assume a chimerical and fabulous
+character. If the labours of Hercules had been ascribed to him,
+there would have been some credulous ones to believe the tale,
+and he was endowed by his admirers with the prowess of a dozen
+good knights and brave, of the ancient times of chivalrous deeds.
+Some of the young noblemen of the place talked of seeking his
+acquaintance, and giving a grand banquet in his honour; more than
+one fair lady was desperately in love with him, and had serious
+thoughts of writing a billet-doux to tell him so. In short, he
+was the fashion, and everybody swore by him. As for the hero of a
+this commotion, he was greatly annoyed at being thus forcibly
+dragged forth from the obscurity in which he had desired to
+remain, but it was not possible to avoid it, and he could only
+submit. For a few moments he did think of bolting, and not
+making his appearance again upon the stage in Poitiers; but the
+remembrance of the disappointment it would be to the worthy
+tyrant, who was in an ecstasy of delight over the riches pouring
+into the treasury, prevented his carrying out this design. And,
+indeed, as he reminded himself, were not these honest comedians,
+who had rescued him from his misery and despair, entitled in all
+fairness to profit, so far as they could, by this unexpected and
+overwhelming favour which he had all unwittingly gained? So,
+resigning himself as philosophically as he could to his fate, he
+buckled his sword-belt, draped his cloak over his shoulder, put
+on his mask and calmly awaited his call to the stage.
+
+As the receipts were so large, Herode, like a generous manager,
+had doubled the usual number of lights, so that the theatre was
+almost as radiant as if a flood of sunshine had been poured into
+it. The fair portion of the audience, hoping to attract the
+attention of the valiant Captain Fracasse, had arrayed themselves
+in all their splendour; not a diamond was left in its casket;
+they sparkled and fiashrd, every one, on necks and arms more or
+less white and round, and on heads more or less shapely, but all
+filled with an ardent desire to please the hero of the hour; so
+the scene was a brilliant one in every way. Only one box yet
+remained unoccupied, the best situated and most conspicuous in
+the whole house; every eye was turned upon it, and much wonder
+expressed at the apathy manifested by those who had secured it,
+for all the rest of the spectators had been long settled in their
+places. At length, just as the curtain was rising, a young lady
+entered and took her seat in the much observed box, accompanied
+by a gentleman of venerable and patriarchal appearance;
+apparently an indulgent old uncle, a slave to the caprices of his
+pretty niece, who had renounced his comfortable after-dinner nap
+by the fire, in order to obey her behest and escort her to the
+theatre. She, slender and erect as Diana, was very richly and
+elegantly dressed, in that peculiar and exquisite shade of
+delicate sea green which can be worn only by the purest blondes,
+and which seemed to enhance the dazzling whiteness of her
+uncovered shoulders, and the rounded, slender neck, diaphanous as
+alabaster, that proudly sustained her small, exquisitely poised
+head. Her hair, clustering in sunny ringlets round her brow, was
+like living gold, it made a glory round her head, and the whole
+audience was enraptured with her beauty, though an envious mask
+concealed so much of it; all, indeed, save the snow-white
+forehead, the round dimpled chin, the ripe red lips, whose tint
+was rendered yet more vivid by the contrast with the black velvet
+that shaded them, the perfect oval of the face, and a dainty
+little ear, pink as a sea-shell--a combination of charms worthy
+of a goddess, and which made every one impatient to see the
+radiant, beauteous whole. They were soon gratified; for the young
+deity, either incommoded by the heat, or else wishing to show a
+queenly generosity to the gazing throng, took off the odious
+mask, and disclosed to view a pair of brilliant eyes, dark and
+blue as lapis lazuli, shaded with rich golden fringes, a piquant,
+perfectly cut little nose, half Grecian, half aquiline, and
+cheeks tinged with a delicate flush that would have put a
+rose-leaf to shame. In fine, it was Yolande de Foix, more
+radiantly beautiful than ever, who, leaning forward in a
+negligent, graceful pose, looked nonchalantly about the house,
+not in the least discomposed by the many eyes fixed boldly and
+admiringly upon her. A loud burst of applause, that greeted the
+first appearance of the favour ite actor, drew attention from her
+for a moment, as de Sigognac stalked forward upon the stage in
+the character of Captain Fracasse. As he paused, to wait until
+his admirers would allow him to begin his first tirade, he looked
+negligently round the eager audience, and when his eyes fell
+upon Yolande de Foix, sitting tranquil and radiant in her box,
+calmly surveying him with her glorious eyes, he suddenly turned
+dizzy and faint; the lights appeared first to blaze like suns,
+and then sink into darkness; the heads of the spectators seemed
+sinking into a dense fog; a cold perspiration started out on him
+from head to foot; he trembled violently, and felt as if his legs
+were giving way under him; composure, memory, courage, all seemed
+to have failed him, as utterly as if he had been struck by
+lightning.
+
+Oh, shame! oh, rage! oh, too cruel stroke of fate! for him, a de
+Sigognac, to be seen by her--the haughty beauty that he used to
+worship from afar--in this grotesque array, filling so unworthy,
+so ridiculous a part, for the amusement of the gaping multitude!
+and he could not hide himself, he could not sink into the earth,
+away from her contemptuous, mocking gaze. He felt that he could
+not, would not bear it, and for a moment was upon the point of
+flying; but there seemed to be leaden soles to his shoes, which
+he could by no means raise from the ground. He was powerless to
+move hand or foot, and stood there in a sort of stupefaction; to
+the great astonishment of Scapin, who, thinking that he must have
+forgotten his part, whispered to him the opening phrases of his
+tirade. The public thought that their favourite actor desired
+another round of applause, and broke out afresh, clapping,
+stamping, crying bravo, making a tremendous racket, which little
+respite gave poor de Sigognac time to collect his scattered
+senses, and, with a mighty effort, he broke the spell that had
+bound him, and threw himself into his part with such desperation
+that his acting was more extravagant and telling than ever. It
+fairly brought down the house. The haughty Yolande herself could
+not forbear to smile, and her old uncle, thoroughly aroused,
+laughed heartily, and applauded with all his might. No one but
+Isabelle had the slightest idea of the reason of Captain
+Fracasse's unwonted fury--but she saw at once who was looking on,
+and knowing how sensitive he was, realized the effect it must
+infallibly produce upon him. She furtively watched the proud
+beauty as she modestly played her own part, and thought, not
+without a keen pang through her faithful, loving heart, that here
+would be a worthy mate for the Baron de Sigognac, when he had
+succeeded in re-establishing the lost splendour of his house. As
+to the poor young nobleman, he resolved not to glance once again
+at Yolande, lest he should be seized by a sudden transport of
+rage and do something utterly rash and disgraceful, but kept his
+eyes fixed, whenever he could, upon his sweet, lovely Isabelle.
+The sight of her dear face was balm to his wounded spirit--her
+love, of which he was now so blissfully sure, consoled him for
+the openly manifested scorn of the other, and from her he drew
+strength to go on bravely with his detested part.
+
+It was over at last--the piece was finished--and when de Sigognac
+tore off his mask, like a man who is suffocating, his companions
+were alarmed at his altered looks. He was fairly livid, and let
+himself fall upon a bench standing near like a lifeless body.
+Seeing that he was very faint, Blazius hastened to fetch some
+wine--his sovereign remedy for every ill--but de Sigognac
+rejected it, and signed that he wanted water instead.
+
+"A great mistake," said the pedant, shaking his head
+disapprovingly, "a sad mistake--water is only fit for frogs, and
+fish, and such-like cold-blooded creatures--it does not do for
+human beings at all. Every water-bottle should be labelled,'For
+external use only.' Why, I should die instantly if so much as a
+drop of the vile stuff found its way down my throat. Take my
+advice, Captain Fracasse, and let it  alone. Here, have some of
+this good strong wine; it will set you right in a jiffy."
+
+But de Sigognac would not be persuaded, and persisted in
+motioning for water. When it was brought, cool and fresh, he
+eagerly swallowed a large draught of the despised liquid, and
+found himself almost immediately revived by it--his face resuming
+a more natural hue, and the light returning to his eyes. When he
+was able to sit up and look about him again, Herode approached,
+in his turn, and said, "You played admirably this evening, and
+with wonderful spirit, Captain Fracasse, but it does not do to
+take too much out of yourself in this way--such violent exertions
+would quickly do for you. The comedian's art consists in sparing
+himself as much as possible, whilst producing striking effects;
+he should be calm amidst all his simulated fury, and cool in his
+apparently most burning rage. Never did actor play this part as
+superbly as you have done to-night--THAT I am bound to
+acknowledge--but this is too dear a price to pay for it."
+
+"Yes, wasn't I absurd in it?" answered the baron bitterly. "I
+felt myself supremely ridiculous throughout--but especially when
+my head went through the guitar with which Leander was
+belabouring me."
+
+"You certainly did put on the most comically furious airs
+imaginable," the tyrant replied, "and the whole audience was
+convulsed with laughter. Even Mlle. Yolande de Foix, that very
+great, and proud, and noble lady, condescended to smile. I saw
+her myself."
+
+"It was a great honour for me assuredly," cried de Sigognac, with
+flaming cheeks, "to have been able to divert so great a lady."
+
+"Pardon me, my lord," said the tyrant, who perceived the painful
+flush that covered the baron's face, "I should have remembered
+that the success which is so prized by us poor comedians, actors
+by profession, cannot but be a matter of indifference to one of
+your lordship's rank."
+
+"You have not offended me, my good Herode," de Sigognac hastened
+to reply, holding out his hand to the honest tyrant with a genial
+smile, "whatever is worth doing is worth doing well. But I could
+not help remembering that I had dreamed of and hoped for very
+different triumphs from this."
+
+Isabelle, who meantime had been dressing for the other piece,
+passed near de Sigognac just then, and gave him such an angelic
+look--so full of tenderness, sympathy, and passionate love--that
+he quite forgot the haughty Yolande, and felt really happy again.
+It was a divine balm, that healed his wounded pride--for the
+moment at least; but such wounds are all too apt to open and
+bleed again and again.
+
+The Marquis de Bruyeres was at his post as usual, and though very
+much occupied in applauding Zerbine, yet found time to go and pay
+his respects to Mlle. Yolande de Foix. He related to her, without
+mentioning the baron's name, the affair of the duel between
+Captain Fracasse and the Duke of Vallombreuse saying that he
+ought to be able to give all the details of that famous encounter
+better than anybody else, since he had been present as one of the
+seconds.
+
+"You need not be so mysterious about it," answered Yolande, "for
+it is not difficult to divine that your Captain Fracasse is no
+other than the Baron de Sigognac. Didn't I myself see him leaving
+his old owl-haunted towers in company with this little
+Bohemienne, who plays her part of ingenuous young girl with such
+a precious affectation of modesty?" she added, with a forced
+laugh. "And wasn't he at your chateau with these very players?
+Judging from his usual stupid, silly air, I would not have
+believed him capable of making such a clever mountebank, and such
+a faithful gallant."
+
+As he conversed with Yolande, the marquis was looking about the
+house, of which he had a much better view than from his own place
+near the stage, and his attention was caught and fixed by the
+masked lady, whom he had not seen before, as his back was always
+turned to her box. Although her head and figure were much
+enveloped and disguised in a profusion of black laces, the
+attitude and general contour of this mysterious beauty seemed
+strangely familiar to him, and there was something about her that
+reminded him forcibly of the marquise, his own wife. "Bah!" said
+he to himself, "how foolish I am; she must be all safe at the
+Chateau de Bruyeres, where I left her." But at that very moment
+he caught sight of a diamond ring--a large solitaire, peculiarly
+set--sparkling on her finger, which was precisely like one that
+the Marquise de Bruyeres always wore.
+
+A little troubled by this strange coincidence, he took leave
+abruptly of the fair Yolande and her devoted old uncle, and
+hastened to the masked lady's box. But, prompt as his movements
+had been, he was too late--the nest was empty--the bird had
+flown. The lady, whoever she might be, had vanished, and the
+suspicious husband was left in considerable vexation and
+perplexity. "Could it be possible," he murmured, as his doubts
+became almost certainty, "that she was sufficiently infatuated to
+fall in love with that miserable Leander, and follow him here?
+Fortunately I had the rascal thoroughly thrashed, so I am even
+with him, how ever it may be." This thought restored his ruffled
+serenity, and he made his way as fast as he could to the
+green-room, to rejoin the soubrette, who had been impatiently
+expecting him, and did not hesitate to rate him soundly for his
+unwonted delay.
+
+When all was over, and Leander--who had been feeling excessively
+anxious about the sudden disappearance of his marquise--was free,
+he immediately repaired to the open square where he had been
+first bidden to meet the carriage sent to fetch him, and where he
+had found it awaiting him nightly ever since. The little page,
+who was there alone, put a letter and a small package into his
+hand, without a word, and then running swiftly away, before
+Leander had time to question him, vanished in the darkness. The
+note, which was signed simply Marie, was from the marquise, who
+said that she feared her husband's suspicions had been excited,
+and that it would no longer be safe for them to meet just then,
+bade him an affectionate farewell until it might be their good
+fortune to see each other again, expressed much regret at this
+unlucky contretemps, and begged him to accept the gold chain she
+sent therewith as a little souvenir, to remind him of the many
+happy hours they had spent together. Leander was at first very
+much vexed and disappointed, but was somewhat reconciled and
+consoled when he felt the weight of his golden treasure, and saw
+its length and thickness; and, on the whole, was rather glad to
+come off with such flying colours from an adventure that might
+have brought down a yet more severe punishment than that he had
+already received upon his devoted head.
+
+When Isabelle regained her own room she found a very rich and
+elegant casket awaiting her there, which had been placed
+conspicuously on the dressing-table, where it could not fail to
+meet her eye the moment she entered the chamber. A folded paper
+was lying under one corner of the casket, which must have
+contained some very precious gems, for it was a real marvel of
+beauty itself. The paper was not sealed, and bore only these two
+words, evidently written by a weak and trembling hand, "For
+Isabelle." A bright flush of indignation overspread her sweet
+face when she perceived it, and without even yielding to her
+feminine curiosity so far as to open the richly carved and inlaid
+casket for a peep at its contents, she called for Maitre Bilot,
+and ordered him peremptorily to take it immediately out of her
+room, and give it back to whomsoever owned it, for she would not
+suffer it to remain where it was another minute. The landlord
+affected astonishment, and swore by all he held sacred that he
+did not know who had put the casket there, nor whose it was;
+though it must be confessed that he had his suspicions, and felt
+very sure that they were correct. In truth, the obnoxious
+jewel-case had been secretly placed upon Isabelle's table by old
+Mme. Leonarde, to whom the Duke of Vallombreuse had had recourse,
+in the hope that she might be able to aid him, and in the full
+belief, shared by her, that the superb diamonds which the
+beautiful casket contained would accomplish all that he desired
+with Isabelle. But his offering only served to rouse her
+indignation, and she spoke very severely to Maitre Bilot,
+commanding him to remove it instantly from her sight, and to be
+careful not to mention this fresh affront to Captain Fracasse.
+The worthy landlord could not help feeling enthusiastic
+admiration for the conduct of the young actress, who rejected
+jewels that would have made a duchess envious, and as he retired
+bowed to her as respectfully and profoundly as he would have done
+to a queen. After he had withdrawn and she was left alone,
+Isabelle, feeling agitated and feverish, opened her window for a
+breath of fresh air, and to cool her burning cheeks and brow. She
+saw a bright light issuing from a couple of windows in the
+mansion of the Duke of Vallombreuse--doubtless in the room where
+the wounded young nobleman lay--but the garden and the little
+alley beneath her seemed absolutely deserted. In a moment,
+however, she caught a low whisper from the latter, not intended
+for her ears, which said, "She has not gone to bed yet." She
+softly leaned out of her window--the room within was not lighted,
+so she could not be seen--and peering anxiously into the darkness
+thought she could distinguish two cloaked figures lurking in the
+alley, and farther away, near one end of it, a third one,
+apparently on the watch. They seemed to feel that they were
+observed, and all three presently slunk away and vanished,
+leaving Isabelle half in doubt as to whether they were the
+creatures of her excited imagination, or had been real men
+prowling there. Tired at last of watching, without hearing or
+seeing anything more, she withdrew from the window, closed and
+secured it softly, procured a light, saw that the great, clumsy
+bolt on her door was property adjusted, and made her preparations
+for bed; lying down at last and trying to sleep, for she was very
+tired, but haunted by vague fears and doubts that made her
+anxious and uneasy. She did not extinguish her light, but placed
+it near the bed, and strove to reassure herself and reason away
+her nameless terror; but all in vain. At every little noise--the
+cracking of the furniture or the falling of a cinder in the
+fire-place, she started up in fresh alarm, and could not close
+her eyes. High up in the wall of one side of her room was a small
+round window--a bull's eye--evidently intended to give light and
+air to some dark inner chamber or closet, which looked like a
+great black eye in the gray wall, keeping an unwinking watch upon
+her, and Isabelle found herself again and again glancing up at it
+with a shudder. It was crossed by two strong iron bars, leaving
+four small apertures, so that there could not possibly be any
+danger of intrusion from that quarter, yet she could not avoid
+feeling nervous about it, and at times fancied that she could see
+two gleaming eye-balls in its black depths. She lay for a long
+time perfectly motionless gazing at it, like one under a spell,
+and at last was paralyzed with horror when a head actually
+appeared at one of the four openings --a small, dark head, with
+wild, tangled elf-locks hanging about it; next came a long, thin
+arm with a claw-like hand, then the shoulder followed, and
+finally the whole body of a slender, emaciated little girl
+wriggled dexterously, though with much difficulty, through the
+narrow aperture, and the child dropped down upon the floor as
+lightly and noiselessly as a feather, a snow-flake, or a waft of
+thistle-down. She had been deceived by Isabelle's remaining so
+long perfectly quiet, and believed her asleep; but when she
+softly approached the bed, to make sure that her victim's slumber
+had not been disturbed by her own advent, an expression of
+extreme surprise was depicted on her face, as she got a full view
+of the head lying upon the pillow and the eyes fixed upon her in
+speechless terror. "The lady of the necklace!" she exclaimed
+aloud. "Yes, the lady of the necklace!" putting one hand, as she
+spoke, caressingly upon the string of pearl beads round her
+little, thin, brown neck. Isabelle, for her part, though half
+dead with fright, had recognised the little girl she had first
+seen at the Blue Sun inn, and afterwards on the road to the
+Chateau de Bruyeres, in company with Agostino, the brigand. She
+tried to cry out for help, but the child put her hand quickly and
+firmly over her mouth.
+
+"Don't scream," she said reassuringly, "nothing shall hurt you.
+Chiquita promised that she would never kill nor harm the good,
+sweet lady, who gave her the pearls that she meant to steal."
+
+"But what have you come in here for, my poor child?" asked
+Isabelle, gradually recovering her composure, but filled with
+surprise at this strange intrusion.
+
+"To open the great bolt on your door there that you are so
+careful to close every night," answered Chiquita, in the most
+matter-of-fact way. "They chose me for it because I am such a
+good climber, and as thin and supple as a snake; there are not
+many holes that I cannot manage to crawl through."
+
+"And why were you to open my door, Chiquita? so that thieves
+could come in and steal what few things I have here? There is
+nothing of value among them, I assure you."
+
+"Oh, no!" Chiquita replied disdainfully, "it was to let the men
+in who were to carry you off."
+
+"My God! I am lost!" cried poor Isabelle, wringing her hands in
+despair.
+
+"Not at all," said Chiquita, "and you need not be so frightened.
+I shall just leave the bolt as it is, and they would not dare to
+force the door; it would make too much noise, and they would be
+caught at it; they're not so silly as that, never fear."
+
+"But I should have shrieked at the top of my voice, and clung to
+the bedstead with all my might, if they had tried to take me,"
+exclaimed Isabelle excitedly, "so that I would have been heard by
+the people in the neighbouring rooms, and I'm sure they would
+have come to my rescue."
+
+"A good gag will stifle any shrieks," said Chiquita
+sententiously, with a lofty contempt for Isabelle's ignorance
+that was very amusing, "and a blanket rolled tightly about the
+body prevents any movements; that is an easy matter you see. They
+would have carried you off without the slightest difficulty, for
+the stable boy was bribed, and was to open the back door for
+them."
+
+"Who has laid this wicked plot?" asked the poor, frightened,
+young girl, with a trembling voice, horror-stricken at the danger
+she had escaped.
+
+"The great lord who has given them all such heaps of money; oh!
+such quantities of big gold pieces--by the handful," said
+Chiquita, her great dark eyes glittering with a fierce, covetous
+expression, strange and horrible to see in one so young. "But all
+the same, YOU gave me the pearls, and he shall not hurt you; he
+shall not have you if you don't want to go. I will tell them that
+you were awake, and there was a man in the room, so that I could
+not get in and open the door for them; they will all go away
+quietly enough; you need not be afraid. Now let me have one good
+look at you before I go--oh, how sweet and pretty you are--and I
+love you, yes, I do, ever so much; almost as much as Agostino.
+But what is this?" cried she suddenly, pouncing upon a knife that
+was lying on the table near the bed. "Why, you have got the very
+knife I lost; it was my father's knife. Well, you may keep it--
+it's a good one."
+
+'When this viper bites you, make sure
+That you must die, for there's no cure.'
+
+See, this is the way to open it, and then you use it like this:
+strike from below upwards--the blade goes in better that way--and
+it's so sharp it will go through anything. Carry it in the bosom
+of your dress, and it is always ready; then if anybody bothers
+you, out with it, and paf! you have them ripped up in no time,"
+and the strange, eerie little creature accompanied her words with
+appropriate gestures, by way of illustration. This extraordinary
+lesson in the art of using a knife, given in the dead of night,
+and under such peculiar circumstances, seemed like a nightmare to
+Isabelle.
+
+"Be sure you hold the knife like this, do you see? tightly
+clasped in your fingers--as long as you have it no one can harm
+you, but you can hurt them. Now, I must go--adieu, and don't
+forget Chiquita."
+
+So saying, the queer little elf pushed a table up to the wall
+under the bull's eye, mounted it, sprang up and caught hold of
+the iron bar with the agility of a monkey, swung herself up in
+some extraordinary fashion, wriggled through the small opening
+and disappeared, chanting in a rude measure, "Chiquita whisks
+through key-holes, and dances on the sharp points of spear-heads
+and the broken glass on garden walls, without ever hurting
+herself one bit--and nobody can catch her."
+
+Isabelle, left alone, awaited the break of day with trembling
+impatience, unable to sleep after the fright and agitation she
+had experienced, and momentarily dreading some fresh cause of
+alarm; but nothing else happened to disturb her. When she joined
+her companions at breakfast, they were all struck with her
+extreme pallor, and the distressed expression of her countenance.
+To their anxious questions she replied by giving an account of
+her nocturnal adventure, and de Sigognac, furious at this fresh
+outrage, could scarcely be restrained from going at once to
+demand, satisfaction for it from the Duke of Vallombreuse, to
+whom he did not hesitate to attribute this villainous scheme.
+
+"I think," said Blazius, when he could make himself heard, "that
+we had better pack up, and be off as soon as we can for Paris;
+the air is becoming decidedly unwholesome for us in this place."
+
+After a short discussion all the others agreed with him, and it
+was decided that they should take their departure from Poitiers
+the very next day.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI. THE PONT-NEUF
+
+It would be too long and tedious to follow our comedians, step by
+step, on their way up to Paris, the great capital. No adventures
+worthy of being recorded here befell them; as they were in good
+circumstances financially, they could travel rapidly and
+comfortably, and were not again subjected to such hardships and
+annoyances as they had endured in the earlier stages of their
+long journey. At Tours and Orleans they stopped to give a few
+representations, which were eminently successful, and very
+satisfactory to the troupe as well as the public. No attempt
+being made to molest them in any way, Blazius after a time forgot
+his fears, which had been excited by the vindictive character of
+the Duke of Vallombreuse, but Isabelle could not banish from her
+memory the wicked plot to abduct her, and many times saw again in
+her dreams Chiquita's wild, weird face, with the long, tangled
+elf-locks hanging around it, just as it had appeared to her that
+dreadful night at the Armes de Frame, glaring at her with fierce,
+wolfish eyes. Then she would start up, sobbing and trembling, in
+violent agitation, and it required the most tender soothing from
+her companion, Zerbine, whose room she had shared ever since they
+quitted Poitiers, to quiet and reassure her. The soubrette,
+thoroughly enamoured of Isabelle as of old, was devoted to her,
+and took great delight in watching over and ministering to her;
+an own sister could not have been kinder or more affectionately
+considerate.
+
+The only evidence that de Sigognac gave of the anxiety which he
+secretly felt, was his always insisting upon occupying the room
+nearest Isabelle's, and he used to lie down in his clothes, with
+his drawn sword on the bed beside him, so as to be ready in case
+of any sudden alarm. By day he generally walked on in advance of
+the chariot, taking upon himself the duty of a scout; redoubling
+his vigilance wherever there happened to be bushes, thickets,
+high walls, or lurking places of any kind, favourable to an
+ambuscade, near the roadside. If he perceived from afar a group
+of travellers approaching, whose appearance seemed to him in the
+least suspicious, he would instantly draw his sword and fall back
+upon the chariot, around which the tyrant, Scapin, Blazius and
+Leander formed an apparently strong guard; though, of the last
+two mentioned, one was incapacitated for active service by age,
+and the other was as timid as a hare. Some times, varying his
+tactics like a good general, who thinks of and provides against
+every emergency, the baron would constitute himself a rear guard,
+and follow the chariot at a little distance, keeping watch over
+the road behind them. But all his precautions were needless, for
+no attack was made upon the travellers, or any attempt to
+interfere with them, and they proceeded tranquilly on their way,
+"without let or hindrance." Although it was winter, the season
+was not a rigorous one, and our comedians, well fortified against
+the cold by plenty of warm clothing and good nourishing food, did
+not mind their exposure to the weather, and found their journey a
+very enjoyable affair. To be sure, the sharp, frosty air brought
+a more brilliant colour than usual into the cheeks of the fair
+members of the troupe, but no one could say that it detracted
+from their charms; and even when it extended, as it did
+sometimes, to their pretty little noses, it could not be found
+serious fault with, for everything is becoming to a young and
+beautiful woman.
+
+At last they drew near to the capital--following the windings of
+the Seine, whose waters flow past royal palaces, and many another
+edifice of world-wide renown--and at four o'clock of a bright
+winter afternoon came in sight of its spires and domes. The smoke
+rising from its forest of chimneys hung over it in a
+semi-transparent cloud, through which the sun shone, round and
+red, like a ball of fire. As they entered the city by the Porte
+Saint Bernard, a glorious spectacle greeted their wondering eyes.
+In front of them Notre Dame stood out in bold relief, with its
+magnificent flying buttresses, its two stately towers, massive
+and majestic, and its slender, graceful spire, springing from the
+lofty roof at the point of intersection of the nave and
+transepts. Many other lesser towers and spires rose above
+churches and chapels that were lost amid the densely crowded
+houses all about them, but de Sigognac had eyes only for the
+grand old cathedral, which overwhelmed him with astonishment and
+delight. He would have liked to linger for hours and gaze upon
+that splendid triumph of architecture, but he needs must go
+forward with the rest, however reluctantly. The wonderful and
+unceasing whirl and confusion in the narrow, crowded streets,
+through which they made their way slowly, and not without
+difficulty, perplexed and distracted him, accustomed as he had
+been all his life to the vast solitude of the Landes, and the
+deathly stillness that reigned almost unbroken in his own
+desolate old chateau; it seemed to him as if a mill-wheel were
+running round and round in his head, and he could feel himself
+staggering like a drunken man. The Pont-Neuf was soon reached,
+and then de Sigognac caught a glimpse of the famous equestrian
+statue in bronze of the great and good king, Henri IV, which
+stands on its lofty pedestal and seems to be keeping guard over
+the splendid bridge, with its ever-rolling stream of
+foot-passengers, horsemen, and vehicles of every kind and
+description, from the superb court carriage to the huckster's
+hand-cart; but in a moment it was lost to view, as the chariot
+turned into the then newly opened Rue Dauphine. In this street
+was a fine big hotel, frequently patronized by ambassadors from
+foreign lands, with numerous retinues; for it was so vast that it
+could always furnish accommodations for large parties arriving
+unexpectedly. As the prosperous state of their finances admitted
+of their indulging in such luxury, Herode had fixed upon this
+house as their place of abode in Paris; because it would give a
+certain prestige to his troupe to be lodged there, and show
+conclusively that they were not mere needy, vagabond players,
+gaining a precarious livelihood in their wanderings through the
+provinces, but a company of comedians of good standing, whose
+talents brought them in a handsome revenue.
+
+Upon their arrival at this imposing hostelry, they were first
+shown into an immense kitchen, which presented an animated, busy
+scene--a whole army of cooks bustling about the great roaring
+fire, and around the various tables, where all sorts of culinary
+rites were in active progress; while the mingling of savoury
+odours that pervaded the whole place so tickled the olfactory
+organs of Blazius, Herode, and Scapin, the gourmands of the
+troupe, that their mouths expanded into the broadest of grins, as
+they edged as near as possible to the numerous saucepans, etc.,
+from which they issued. In a few moments a servant came to
+conduct them to the rooms that had been prepared for them, and
+just as they turned away from the blazing fire, round which they
+had gathered, to follow him, a traveller entered and approached
+it, whose face seemed strangely familiar to de Sigognac. He was a
+tall, powerful man, wearing large spurs, which rang against the
+stone floor at every step, and the great spots of mud--some of
+them not yet dry--with which he was bespattered from head to
+foot, showed that he must have been riding far and fast. He was a
+fierce-looking fellow, with an insolent, devil-may-care, arrogant
+sort of expression, and bold, swaggering gait, yet he started at
+sight of the young baron, and plainly shrunk from his eye;
+hastening on to the fire and bending over it, with his back
+turned to de Sigognac, under pretence of warming his hands. In
+vain did our hero try to recall when and where he had seen the
+man before, but he was positive that he had come in contact with
+him somewhere, and that recently; and he was conscious of a vague
+feeling of uneasiness with regard to him, that he could not
+account for. However, there was nothing for him to do but follow
+his companions, and they all went to their respective chambers,
+there to make themselves presentable for the meal to which they
+were shortly summoned, and which they thoroughly enjoyed, as only
+hungry travellers can. The fare was excellent, the wine capital,
+the dining-room well lighted, warm, and comfortable, and all were
+in high spirits; congratulating each other upon having happily
+reached the end of their long journey at last, and drinking to
+their own future success in this great city of Paris. They
+indulged in the flattering hope of producing a sensation here as
+well as at Poitiers, and even dared to dream of being commanded
+to appear before the court, and of being rewarded royally for
+their exertions to please. Only de Sigognac was silent and
+preoccupied, and Isabelle, whose thoughts were all of him, cast
+anxious glances at him, and wished that she could charm away his
+melancholy. He was seated at the other end of the table, and
+still puzzling over the face that he had seen in the kitchen, but
+he soon looked towards her, and caught her lovely eyes fixed upon
+him, with such an adorable expression of chaste love and angelic
+tenderness in their shadowy depths, that all thoughts save of her
+were at once banished from his mind. The warmth of the room had
+flushed her cheeks a little, her eyes shone like stars, and she
+looked wonderfully beautiful; the young Duke of Vallombreuse
+would have been more madly enamoured of her than ever if he could
+have seen her then. As for de Sigognac, he gazed at her with
+unfeigned delight, his dark, expressive eyes eloquent of adoring
+love and deep reverence. A new sentiment mingled with his passion
+now--ever since she had opened her heart to him, and let him see
+all its heavenly purity and goodness--which elevated, ennobled,
+and intensified it. He knew now the true, lofty beauty of her
+soul, that it was akin to the angels, and but for the keen,
+ever-increasing grief he suffered because of her firm refusal to
+give herself wholly to him, his happiness, in possessing her
+faithful, devoted love, would have been too perfect for this
+life of trials and sorrow.
+
+When supper was over, de Sigognac accompanied Isabelle to the
+threshhold of her own room, and said ere he left her, "Be sure to
+fasten your door securely, my sweet Isabelle, for there are so
+many people about in a great hotel like this that one cannot be
+too careful."
+
+"You need have no fears for me here, my dear baron," she replied;
+"only look at this lock, and you will be convinced of that. Why
+it is strong enough for a prison door, and the key turns thrice
+in it. And here is a great thick bolt besides--actually as long
+as my arm. The window is securely barred, and there is no
+dreadful bull's eye, or opening of any kind in the wall, to make
+me afraid. Travellers so often have articles of value with them
+that I suppose it is necessary for them to have such protections
+against thieves. Make yourself easy about me, de Sigognac! never
+was the enchanted princess of a fairy tale, shut up in her strong
+tower guarded by dragons, in greater security than am I in this
+fortress of mine."
+
+"But sometimes it chances that the magic charms and spells,
+represented by these bolts and bars, are insufficient, my beloved
+Isabelle, and the enemy manages to force his way in, despite them
+all--and the mystic signs, phylacteries, and abracadabras into
+the bargain."
+
+"Yes; but that is when the princess within secretly favours his
+efforts," said Isabelle, with a mischievous smile, "and in some
+mysterious way constitutes herself his accomplice; being tired of
+her seclusion, perhaps, or else in love with the bold intruder--
+neither of which is my case you know, de Sigognac! Surely if I'm
+not afraid--I, who am more timid than the trembling doe when she
+hears the dread sound of the hunter's horn and the baying of the
+hounds you should not fear--you, who are brave as Alexander the
+Great himself. Sleep in peace to-night, my friend, I pray you,
+and sleep soundly--not with one eye open, as you have done so
+often of late for my sake; and now, good night."
+
+She held out to him a pretty little hand, white and soft enough
+to have belonged to a veritable princess, which he kissed as
+reverently as if it had been a queen's; then waited to hear her
+turn the big, clumsy, iron key three times in the lock--no easy
+task for her delicate fingers--and push home the heavy bolt.
+Breathing a fervent blessing upon her, he turned away reluctantly
+towards his own door. As he paused an instant before it he saw a
+shadow moving, turned round quickly, and caught sight of the very
+man he had been thinking of, and puzzling over, so much that
+evening--whose approach he had not heard at all--passing
+stealthily along the corridor, presumably on his way to his own
+room. Not an extraordinary circumstance, that; but the baron's
+suspicions were instantly aroused, and under pretext of trying to
+introduce his key into the lock, he furtively watched him the
+whole length of the passage, until a turn in it hid him from
+view, as he gained an unfrequented part of the house; a moment
+later, the sound of a door being softly opened and closed
+announced that he had probably reached his own chamber, and then
+all was still again.
+
+"Now what does this mean?" said de Sigognac to himself, and
+haunted by a vague feeling of anxiety and uneasiness, he could
+not even bring himself to lie down upon his bed and rest his
+weary frame; so, after pacing restlessly about the room for a
+while, he concluded to occupy himself in writing a letter to his
+good old Pierre; he had promised to apprise him of his arrival in
+Paris. He was careful that the handwriting should be very large,
+clear, and distinct, for the faithful old servant was not much of
+a scholar, and addressed him as follows:
+
+MY GOOD PIERRE:--Here I am at last, actually in Paris, the great
+capital, where, according to general belief, I am to fall in with
+some sort of good fortune or other, that will enable me to
+re-establish the ancient prosperity of my house--though in truth
+I cannot see where I am to look for it. However, some happy
+chance may bring me into relations with the court, and if I could
+only get to speak to the king--the great dispenser of all
+favours--the important and famous services rendered by my
+ancestors to his royal predecessors would surely incline him to
+listen to me with indulgence and interest. His gracious majesty
+could not, it seems to me, suffer a noble family, that had
+devoted all their possessions to the service of king and country,
+in many wars, to die out so miserably, if once he knew of it.
+Meantime, for want of other employment, I have taken to acting,
+and have made a little money thereby--part of which I shall send
+to you, as soon as I can find a good opportunity. It would have
+been better perhaps if I had enlisted as a soldier; but I could
+not give up my liberty, and however poverty-stricken a man may
+be, his pride revolts at the idea of putting himself under the
+orders of those whom his noble ancestors used to command. The
+only adventure worth relating that has befallen me since I left
+you was a duel that I fought at Poitiers, with a certain young
+duke, who is held to be invincible; but, thanks to your good
+instructions, I was able to get the better of him easily. I ran
+him through the right arm, and could just as well have run him
+through the body, and left him dead upon the field, for his
+defence was weak and insufficient--by no means equal to his
+attack, which was daring and brilliant, though very reckless--and
+several times he was entirely at my mercy, as he grew heated and
+angry. He has not been so thoroughly trained to preserve his
+sang-froid, whatever may happen, as I, and I now appreciate, for
+the first time, your wonderful patience and perseverance in
+making me a master of the noble art of fencing, and how valuable
+my proficiency in it will be to me. Your scholar does you honour,
+my brave Pierre, and I won great praise and applause for my
+really too easy victory. In spite of the constant novelty and
+excitement of my new way of life, my thoughts often return to
+dwell upon my poor old chateau, crumbling gradually into ruin
+over the tombs of my ancestors. From afar it does not seem so
+desolate and forlorn, and there are times when I fancy myself
+there once more, gazing up at the venerable family portraits,
+wandering through the deserted rooms, and I find a sort of
+melancholy pleasure in it. How I wish that I could look into your
+honest, sunburnt face, lighted up with the glad smile that always
+greeted me--and I am not ashamed to confess that I long to hear
+Beelzebub's contented purring, Miraut's joyful bark, and the loud
+whinnying of my poor old Bayard, who never failed to recognise my
+step. Are they all still alive--the good, faithful, affectionate
+creatures--and do they seem to remember me? Have you been able to
+keep yourself and them from starvation thus far? Try to hold out
+until my return, my good Pierre, so as to share my fate--be it
+bright or dark, happy or sad--that we may finish our days
+together in the place where we have suffered so much, yet which
+is so dear to us all. If I am to be the last of the de Sigognacs,
+I can only say, the will of God be done. There is still a vacant
+place left for me in the vault where my forefathers lie.
+
+"BARON DE SIGOGNAC."
+
+The baron sealed this letter with the ring bearing his family
+arms, which was the only jewel remaining in his possession;
+directed it, and put it into his portfolio, to wait until he
+should find an opportunity to forward it to Gascony. Although by
+this time it was very late, he could still hear the vague roar of
+the great city, which, like the sound of the ocean, never
+entirely ceases, and was so strange and novel to him, in contrast
+with the profound silence of the country that be had been
+accustomed to all his life long. As he sat listening to it, he
+thought he heard cautious footsteps in the corridor, and
+extinguishing his light, softly opened his door just a very
+little way, scarcely more than a crack--and caught a glimpse of a
+man, enveloped in a large cloak, stealing along slowly in the
+direction the other one had taken. He listened breathlessly until
+he heard him reach, and quietly enter, apparently the same door.
+A few minutes later, while he was still on the lookout, another
+one came creeping stealthily by, making futile efforts to stifle
+the noise of his creaking boots. His suspicions now thoroughly
+aroused, de Sigognac continued his watch, and in about half an
+hour came yet another--a fierce, villainous looking fellow, and
+fully armed, as every one of his predecessors had been also. This
+strange proceeding seemed very extraordinary and menacing to the
+baron, and the number of the men--four--brought to his mind the
+night attack upon him in the streets of Poitiers, after his
+quarrel with the Duke of Vallombreuse. This recollection was like
+a ray of light, and it instantly flashed upon him that the man he
+had seen in the kitchen was no other than one of those precious
+rascals, who had been routed so ignominiously--and these, without
+doubt, were his comrades. But how came they there? in the very
+house with him--not by chance surely. They must have followed him
+up to Paris, stage by stage, in disguise, or else keeping
+studiously out of his sight, Evidently the young duke's animosity
+was still active, as well as his passion, and he had not
+renounced his designs upon either Isabelle or himself. Our hero
+was very brave by nature, and did not feel the least anxiety
+about his own safety trusting to his good sword to defend himself
+against his enemies--but he was very uneasy in regard to his
+sweet Isabelle, and dreaded inexpressibly what might be attempted
+to gain possession of her. Not knowing which one of them the four
+desperadoes had in view now, he determined not to relax his
+vigilance an instant, and to take such precautions as he felt
+pretty sure would circumvent their plans, whatever they might be.
+He lighted all the candles there were in his room--a goodly
+number--and opened his door, so that they threw a flood of light
+on that of Isabelle's chamber, which was exactly opposite his
+own. Next he drew his sword, laid it, with his dagger, on a table
+he had drawn out in front of the door, and then sat down beside
+it, facing the corridor, to watch. He waited some time without
+hearing or seeing anything. Two o'clock had rung out from a
+neighbouring church tower when a slight rustling caught his
+listening ear, and presently one of the four rascals--the very
+man
+he had first seen--emerged from the shadow into the bright light
+streaming out into the passage from his open door. The baron had
+sprung to his feet at the first sound, and stood erect on the
+threshold, sword in hand, with such a lofty, heroic, and
+triumphant air, that Merindol--for it was he--passed quickly by,
+without offering to molest him, with a most deprecating,
+crestfallen expression; a laughable contrast to his habitual
+fierce insolence. His three doughty comrades followed in quick
+succession--but not one of them dared to attack de Sigognac, and
+they slunk out of sight as rapidly as possible. He saluted each
+one with a mocking gesture as he passed, and stood tranquilly
+watching them as long as he could see them. In a few minutes he
+had the satisfaction of hearing the stamping of horses' feet in
+the court-yard below, then the opening of the outer door to let
+them pass out into the street, and finally a great clattering of
+hoofs as they galloped off down the Rue Dauphine.
+
+At breakfast the next morning the tyrant said to de Sigognac,
+"Captain, doesn't your curiosity prompt you to go out and look
+about you a little in this great city--one of the finest in the
+world, and of such high renown in history? If it is agreeable to
+you I will be your guide and pilot, for I have been familiar from
+my youth up with the rocks and reefs, the straits and shallows,
+the scyllas and charybdises of this seething ocean, which are
+often so dangerous--sometimes so fatal--to strangers, and more
+especially to inexperienced country people. I will be your
+Palinurus--but I promise you that I shall not allow myself to be
+caught napping, and so fall overboard, like him that Virgil tells
+us about. We are admirably located here for sight-seeing; the
+Pont-Neuf, which is close at hand, you know, is to Paris what the
+Sacra Via was to ancient Rome--the great resort and rallying
+place of high and low, great and small, noble men, gentlemen,
+bourgeois, working men, rogues and vagabonds. Men of every rank
+and profession under the sun are to be found gathered together at
+this general rendezvous."
+
+"Your kind proposition pleases me greatly, my good Herode," de
+Sigognac replied, "and I accept it with thanks; but be sure to
+tell Scapin that he must remain here, and keep a sharp watch over
+all who come and go; and, above all, that he must not let any one
+gain access to Isabelle. The Duke of Vallombreuse has not given
+up his designs against her and me--I feel very anxious about her
+safety," and therewith he recounted the occurrences of the
+preceding night.
+
+"I don't believe they would dare to attempt anything in broad
+daylight," said the tyrant; "still it is best to err on the safe
+side, and we will leave Scapin, Blazius and Leander to keep guard
+over Isabelle while we are out. And, by the way, I will take my
+sword with me, too, so that I can be of some assistance in case
+they should find an opportunity to fall upon you in the streets."
+
+After having made every arrangement for Isabelle's safety, de
+Sigognac and his companion sallied forth into the Rue Dauphine,
+and turned towards the Pont-Neuf. It was quickly reached, and
+when they had taken a few steps upon it a magnificent view
+suddenly burst upon them, which held the young baron enthralled.
+In the immediate foreground, on the bridge itself, which was not
+encumbered with a double row of houses, like the Pont au Change
+and the Pont Saint Michel, was the fine equestrian statue of that
+great and good king, Henri IV, rivalling in its calm majesty the
+famous one of Marcus Aurelius, on the Capitoline Hill at Rome. A
+high railing, richly gilded, protected its pedestal from injury
+by mischievous street arabs, and the deep, strong tints of the
+bronze horse and rider stood out vigorously against the
+appropriate background formed by the distant hill-sides beyond
+the Pont Rouge. On the left bank of the river the spire of the
+venerable old church of Saint Germain des Pres pointed upwards
+from amid the houses that completely hemmed it in, and the lofty
+roof of the unfinished Hotel de Nevers towered conspicuously
+above all its surroundings. A little farther on was the only
+tower still standing of the famous, and infamous, Hotel de Nesle,
+its base bathed by the river, and though it was in a ruinous
+condition it still lifted itself up proudly above the adjacent
+buildings. Beyond it lay the marshy Grenouillere, and in the
+blue, hazy distance could be distinguished the three crosses on
+the heights of Calvary, or Mont-Valerien. The palace of the
+Louvre occupied the other bank right royally, lighted up by the
+brilliant winter sunshine, which brought out finely all the
+marvellous details of its rich and elaborate ornamentation. The
+long gallery connecting it with the Tuileries, which enabled the
+monarch to pass freely from his city palace to his country house,
+especially challenged their admiration; with its magnificent
+sculptures, its historical bas-reliefs and ornamented cornices,
+its fretted stonework, fine columns and pilasters, it rivalled
+the renowned triumphs of the best Greek and Roman architects.
+Beyond the gardens of the Tuileries, where the city ended, stood
+the Porte de la Conference, and along the river bank, outside of
+it, were the trees of Cours-la-Reine, the favourite promenade of
+the fashionable world, which was thronged of an afternoon with
+gay and luxurious equipages. The two banks, which we have thus
+hastily sketched, framed in the most animated scene imaginable;
+the river being covered with boats of all sorts and descriptions,
+coming and going, crossing and recrossing, while at the quay,
+beside the Louvre, lay the royal barges, rich with carving and
+gilding, and gay with bright-coloured awnings, and near at hand
+rose the historic towers of Saint Germain l'Auxerrois.
+
+After gazing silently for a long time at this splendid view, de
+Sigognac turned away reluctantly at his companion's instance, and
+joined the little crowd already gathered round the "Samaritan,"
+waiting to see the bronze figure surmounting the odd little
+hydraulic edifice strike the hour with his hammer on the bell of
+the clock. Meanwhile they examined the gilt bronze statue of
+Christ, standing beside the Samaritan, who was leaning on the
+curb of the well, the astronomic dial with its zodiac, the
+grotesque stone mask pouring out the water drawn up from the
+river below, the stout figure of Hercules supporting the whole
+thing, and the hollow statue, perched on the topmost pinnacle,
+that served as a weathercock, like the Fortune on the Dogana at
+Venice and the Giralda at Seville. As the hands on the clock-face
+at last pointed to ten and twelve respectively, the little chime
+of bells struck up a merry tune, while the bronze man with the
+hammer raised his ponderous arm and deliberately struck ten
+mighty blows, to the great delight of the spectators. This
+curious and ingenious piece of mechanism, which had been
+cunningly devised by one Lintlaer, a Fleming, highly amused and
+interested de Sigognac, to whom everything of the kind was
+absolutely new and surprising.
+
+"Now," said Herode, "we will glance at the view from the other
+side of the bridge, though it is not so magnificent as the one
+you have already seen, and is very much shut in by the buildings
+on the Pont au Change yonder. However, there is the tower of
+Saint Jacques, the spire of Saint Mederic, and others too
+numerous to mention; and that is the Sainte Chapelle--a marvel of
+beauty, so celebrated, you know, for its treasures and relics.
+All the houses in that direction are new and handsome, as you
+see; when I was a boy I used to play at hop-scotch where they now
+stand. Thanks to the munificence of our kings, Paris is being
+constantly improved and beautified, to the great admiration and
+delight of everybody; more especially of foreigners, who take
+home wondrous tales of its splendour."
+
+"But what astonishes me," said de Sigognac, "more even than the
+grandeur and sumptuousness of the buildings, both public and
+private, is the infinite number of people swarming everywhere--in
+the streets and open squares, and on the bridges--like ants when
+one has broken into an ant hill; they are all rushing
+distractedly about, up and down, back and forth, as if life and
+death depended upon their speed. How strange it is to think that
+every individual in this immense crowd must be lodged and fed--
+and what a prodigious amount of food and wine it must take to
+satisfy them all."
+
+And indeed, it was not surprising that the great numbers of
+people, moving in every direction, should strike one unaccustomed
+to the crowded thoroughfares of large cities as extraordinary. On
+the Pont-Neuf an unceasing stream of vehicles rolled in each
+direction--fine carriages, richly decorated and gilded, drawn by
+two or four prancing horses, with lackeys in brilliant liveries
+clinging on behind, and stately coachmen on the box; less
+pretentious carriages with more quiet steeds and fewer servants;
+heavy carts laden with stone, wood, or wine-barrels, whose
+drivers swore loudly at the detentions they were frequently
+obliged to submit to, and which were unavoidable in such a crush
+of vehicles; and among them all, gentlemen on horseback,
+threading their way carefully in and out among the press of carts
+and carriages, and endeavouring to avoid coming in contact with
+their muddy wheels--not always successfully; while here and there
+a sedan chair crept slowly along, keeping upon the edge of the
+stream, so as not to be crushed; and the narrow, raised walk on
+either side was thronged with pedestrians. Presently a drove of
+cattle made its appearance on the bridge, and then the uproar and
+confusion became terrible indeed; horses, as well as
+foot-passengers, were frightened, and tried to run away from
+danger, requiring all the strength of their drivers to restrain
+them. Soon after that excitement was over a detachment of
+soldiers came marching along, with drums beating and colours
+flying, and everybody had to make way for the valiant sons of
+Mars, no matter at what inconvenience to themselves. And so it
+went on, one thing after another--a constant scene of bustle,
+hurry, and commotion. As de Sigognac and the tyrant strolled
+slowly along they were beset by beggars, more or less impudent
+and pertinacious, and by all sorts of odd characters, plying
+various extraordinary vocations for the amusement of the
+passers-by, for which they seemed to be liberally enough
+remunerated. Here was an improvisatore, singing, not
+unmelodiously, his rather clever verses; there a blind man, led
+by a stout, jolly-looking old woman, who recited his dolorous
+history in a whining voice, and appealed to the charity of the
+ever-changing multitude; farther on a charlatan, loudly claiming
+to be able to cure "all the ills that flesh is heir to" by his
+magical compound--and finding plenty of dupes; and next to him a
+man with a monkey, whose funny tricks caused much merriment.
+Suddenly a great tumult arose near the other end of the bridge,
+and in a moment a compact crowd had gathered around four men,
+who, with loud cries and imprecations, were fighting with
+swords--apparently with great fury, though in reality it was only
+a mock combat, probably intended to give a good chance to the
+thieves and pickpockets in the throng, with whom they were in
+league; such tactics being very common, as well as successful. By
+Herode's advice, de Sigognac refrained from mingling with the
+crowd immediately around the combatants, so he could not get a
+very good view of them; but he was almost sure that they were the
+very men he had met first in the streets of Poitiers, to their
+great discomfiture, and had seen again the previous night at the
+hotel in the Rue Dauphine, where they certainly had gained no
+advantage to make up for their former defeat. He communicated his
+suspicions to the tyrant, but the rascals had already slipped
+away, and it would have been as useless to attempt to find them
+in the throng as to look for a needle in a haystack.
+
+"It certainly is possible," said Herode, thoughtfully, "that this
+quarrel was gotten up with a view to involving you in it, by some
+means or other, for we are undoubtedly followed and watched by
+the emissaries of the Duke of Vallombreuse. One of the scoundrels
+might have made believe that you were in the way, or that you had
+struck him, and falling upon you suddenly, before you had time to
+draw your sword, have given you a thrust that would have done for
+you; and if he failed to wound you mortally; the others could
+have pretended to come to their comrade's aid, and have completed
+the job--nothing would have been easier. Then they would have
+separated, and slipped away through the crowd, before any one
+could interfere with them, or else have stood their ground, and
+declared unanimously that they had been obliged to attack you in
+self defence. It is next to impossible in such cases to prove
+that the act was premeditated, and there is no redress for the
+unhappy victim of such a conspiracy."
+
+"But I am loath to believe," said the brave, generous young
+baron, "that any gentleman could be capable of such an utterly
+base and unworthy act as this--what, send a set of hired ruffians
+to foully assassinate his rival! If he is not satisfied with the
+result of our first encounter, I am willing and ready to cross
+swords with him again and again, until one or the other of us is
+slain. That is the way that such matters are arranged among men
+of honour, my good Herode!"
+
+"Doubtless," replied the tyrant, dryly, "but the duke well
+knows--
+despite his cursed pride--that the result of another meeting
+with you could not but be disastrous to himself. He has tried the
+strength of your blade, and learned by bitter experience that its
+point is sharp. You may be sure that he hates you like the very
+devil, and will not scruple to make use of any means whatever to
+revenge himself for his defeat at your hands."
+
+"Well, if be does not care to try my sword again, we could fight
+on horseback with pistols. He could not accuse me of having any
+advantage of him there."
+
+Talking thus the two had reached the Quai de l'Ecole, and there a
+carriage just missed running over de Sigognac, though he did his
+best to get out of its way. As it was, only his extremely slender
+figure saved him from being crushed between it and the wall, so
+close did it come to him--notwithstanding the fact that there
+was plenty of room on the other side, and that the coachman could
+easily have avoided the foot passenger he actually seemed to
+pursue. The windows of the carriage were all closed, and the
+curtains drawn down, so that it was impossible to tell whether it
+had any inmates or not--but if de Sigognac could have peeped
+within he would have seen, reclining languidly upon the luxurious
+cushions, a handsome young nobleman, richly dressed, whose right
+arm was supported by a black silk scarf, arranged as a sling. In
+spite of the warm red glow from the crimson silk curtains, he was
+very pale, and, though so remarkably handsome, his face wore such
+an expression of hatred and cruelty, that he would have inspired
+dislike, rather than admiration--as he sat there with a fierce
+frown contracting his brow, and savagely gnawing his under lip
+with his gleaming white teeth. In fine, the occupant of the
+carriage that had so nearly run over the Baron de Sigognac was no
+other than the young Duke of Vallombreuse.
+
+"Another failure!" said he to himself, with an oath, as he rolled
+along up the broad quay past the Tuileries. "And yet I promised
+that stupid rascal of a coachman of mine twenty-five louis if he
+could be adroit enough to run afoul of that confounded de
+Sigognac--who is the bane of my life--and drive over him, as if
+by accident. Decidedly the star of my destiny is not in the
+ascendant--this miserable little rustic lordling gets the better
+of me in everything. Isabelle, sweet Isabelle, adores HIM, and
+detests me--he has beaten my lackeys, and dared to wound ME. But
+there shall be an end of this sort of thing, and that speedily--
+even though he be invulnerable, and bear a charmed life, he must
+and shall be put out of my way--I swear it! though I should be
+forced to risk my name and my title to compass it."
+
+"Humph!" said Herode, drawing a long breath; "why those brutes
+must be of the same breed as the famous horses of that Diomedes,
+King of Thrace, we read of, that pursued men to tear them
+asunder, and fed upon their flesh. But at least you are not hurt,
+my lord, I trust! That coachman saw you perfectly well, and I
+would be willing to wager all I possess in the world that he
+purposely tried to run over you--he deliberately turned his
+horses towards you--I am sure of it, for I saw the whole thing.
+Did you observe whether there was a coat of arms on the panel? As
+you are a nobleman yourself I suppose you must be familiar with
+the devices of the leading families in France."
+
+"Yes, I am of course," answered de Sigognac, "but I was too much
+occupied in getting out of the way of the swift rolling carriage
+to notice whether there was anything of that kind on it or not."
+
+"That's a pity," rejoined the tyrant regretfully, "for if we only
+knew that, we should have a clew that might lead to our
+discovering the truth about this most suspicious affair. It is
+only too evident that some one is trying to put you out of the
+way, quibuscumque viis, as the pedant would say. Although we
+unfortunately have no proof of it, I am very much inclined to
+think that this same carriage belongs to his lordship, the Duke
+of Vallombreuse, who wished to indulge himself in the pleasure of
+driving over the body of his enemy in his chariot, in true
+classical and imperial style."
+
+"What extraordinary idea have you got into your head now, Sir
+Herode?" said de Sigognac, rather indignantly. "Come, that would
+be too infamous and villainous a proceeding for any gentleman to
+be guilty of, and you must remember that after all the Duke of
+Vallombreuse is one, and that he belongs to a very high and noble
+family. Besides, did not we leave him in Poitiers, laid up with
+his wound? How then could he possibly be in Paris, when we have
+only just arrived here ourselves?"
+
+"But didn't we stop several days at Tours? and again at Orleans?
+And even if his wound were not entirely healed he could easily
+travel in his luxurious carriage, by easy stages, from Poitiers
+to Paris. His hurt was not of a dangerous character, you know,
+and he is young and vigorous. You must be on your guard, my dear
+captain, unceasingly; never relax your vigilance for one moment,
+for I tell you there are those about who seek your life. You once
+out of the way, Isabelle would, be in the duke's power--for what
+could we, poor players, do against such a great and powerful
+nobleman? Even if Vallombreuse himself be not in Paris--though I
+am almost positive that he is--his emissaries are, as you know,
+and but for your own courage and watchfulness you would have been
+assassinated in your bed by them last night."
+
+This de Sigognac could not dispute, and he only nodded in token
+of assent, as he grasped the hilt of his sword, so as to be ready
+to draw it at the slightest cause for suspicion or alarm.
+Meantime they had walked on as far as the Porte de la Conference,
+and now saw ahead of them a great cloud of dust, and through it
+the glitter of bayonets. They stepped aside to let the cavalcade
+pass, and saw that the soldiers preceded the carriage of the
+king, who was returning from Saint Germain to the Louvre. The
+curtains of the royal vehicle were raised, and the glasses let
+down, so that the people could distinctly see their sovereign,
+Louis XIII, who, pale as a ghost and dressed all in black, sat
+as motionless as an effigy in wax. Long, dark brown hair fell
+about his mournful, ghastly countenance, upon which was depicted
+the same terrible ennui that drove Philip II of Spain, to
+seclude himself so much, during the later years of his life, in
+the silence and solitude of the dreary Escorial. His eyes were
+fixed on vacancy, and seemed utterly lifeless--no desire, no
+thought, no will lent them light or expression. A profound
+disgust for and weariness of everything in this life had relaxed
+his lower lip, which fell sullenly, in a morose, pouting way. His
+hands, excessively thin and white, lay listlessly upon his knees,
+like those of certain Egyptian idols. And yet, for all, there was
+a truly royal majesty about this mournful figure, which
+personified France, and in whose veins flowed sluggishly the
+generous blood of Henri IV.
+
+The young baron had always thought of the king as a sort of
+supernatural being, exalted above all other men. Glorious and
+majestic in his person, and resplendent in sumptuous raiment,
+enriched with gold and precious stones; and now he saw only this
+sad, motionless figure, clad in dismal black, and apparently
+unconscious of his surroundings, sunk in a profound reverie that
+none would dare to intrude upon. He had dreamed of a gracious,
+smiling sovereign, showering good gifts upon his loyal subjects,
+and here was an apathetic, inanimate being, who seemed capable of
+no thought for any one but himself. He was sadly disappointed,
+shocked, amazed; and he felt, with a sinking heart, how hopeless
+was his own case. For even should he be able to approach this
+mournful, listless monarch, what sympathy could be expected from
+him? The future looked darker than ever now to this brave young
+heart. Absorbed in these sorrowful reflections he walked silently
+along beside his companion, who suspected his taciturn mood, and
+did not intrude upon it, until, as the hour of noon approached,
+he suggested that they should turn their steps homeward, so as to
+be in time for the mid-day meal. When they reached the hotel they
+were relieved to find that nothing particular had happened during
+their absence. Isabelle, quietly seated at table with the others
+when they entered, received the baron with her usual sweet smile,
+and held out her little white hand to him. The comedians asked
+many questions about his first experiences in Paris, and inquired
+mischievously whether he had brought his cloak, his purse, and
+his handkerchief home with him, to which de Sigognac joyfully
+answered in the affirmative. In this friendly banter he soon
+forgot his sombre thoughts, and asked himself whether he had not
+been the dupe of a hypochondriac fancy, which could see nothing
+anywhere but plots and conspiracies.
+
+He had not been alarmed without reason however, for his enemies,
+vexed but not discouraged by the failure of their several
+attempts upon him, had by no means renounced their determination
+to make away with him. Merindol, who was threatened by the duke
+with being sent back to the galleys whence he bad rescued him,
+unless he and his comrades succeeded in disposing of the Baron de
+Sigognac, resolved to invoke the assistance of a certain clever
+rascal of his acquaintance, who had never been known to fail in
+any job of that kind which he undertook. He no longer felt
+himself capable to cope with the baron, and moreover now,
+laboured under the serious disadvantage of being personally known
+to him. He went accordingly to look up his friend, Jacquemin
+Lampourde by name, who lodged not very far from the Pont-Neuf,
+and was lucky enough to find him at home, sleeping off the
+effects of his last carouse. He awoke him with some difficulty,
+and was violently abused for his pains. Then, having quietly
+waited until his friend's first fury was exhausted, he announced
+that he had come to consult with him on important business,
+having an excellent job to intrust to him, and begging that he
+would be good enough to listen to what he had to say.
+
+"I never listen to anybody when I am drunk," said Jacquemin
+Lampourde, majestically, putting his elbow on his knee as he
+spoke, and resting his head on his hand--"and besides, I have
+plenty of money--any quantity of gold pieces. We plundered a rich
+English lord last night, who was a walking cash-box, and I am a
+gentleman of wealth just at present. However, one evening at
+lansquenet may swallow it all up. I can't resist gambling you
+know, and I'm deuced unlucky at it, so I will see you to-night
+about this little matter of yours. Meet me at the foot of the
+bronze statue on the Pont-Neuf at midnight. I shall be as fresh
+and bright as a lark by that time, and ready for anything. You
+shall give me your instructions then, and we will agree upon my
+share of the spoils. It should be something handsome, for I have
+the vanity to believe that no one would come and disturb a fellow
+of my calibre for any insignificant piece of business. But after
+all I am weary of playing the thief and pickpocket--it is beneath
+me--and I mean to devote all my energies in future to the noble
+art of assassination; it is more worthy of my undisputed
+prowess. I would rather be a grand, man-slaying lion than any
+meaner beast of prey. If this is a question of killing I am your
+man--but one thing more, it must be a fellow who will defend
+himself. Our victims are so apt to be cowardly, and give in
+without a struggle--it is no better than sticking a pig--and that
+I cannot stand, it disgusts me. A good manly resistance, the more
+stubborn the better, gives a pleasant zest to the task."
+
+"You may rest easy on that score," Mirindol replied, with a
+malicious smile; "you will find a tough customer to handle, I
+promise you."
+
+"So much the better," said Lampourde, "for it is a long time
+since I have found an adversary worth crossing swords with. But
+enough of this for the present. Good-bye to you, and let me
+finish my nap."
+
+But he tried in vain to compose himself to sleep again, and,
+after several fruitless efforts, gave it up as a bad job; then
+began to shake a companion, who had slept soundly on the floor
+under the table during the preceding discussion, and when he had
+succeeded in rousing him, both went off to a gaming-house, where
+lansquenet was in active progress. The company was composed of
+thieves, cut-throats, professional bullies, ruffians of every
+sort, lackeys, and low fellows of various callings, and a few
+well-to-do, unsophisticated bourgeois, who had been enticed in
+there--unfortunate pigeons, destined to be thoroughly plucked.
+Lampourde, who played recklessly, had soon lost all his boasted
+wealth, and was left with empty pockets. He took his bad luck
+with the utmost philosophy.
+
+"Ouf!" said he to his companion, when they had gone out into the
+street, and the cool, night air blew refreshingly upon his heated
+face, "here am I rid of my money, and a free man again. It is
+strange that it should always make such a brute of me. It
+surprises me no longer that rich men should invariably be such
+stupid fools. Now, that I haven't a penny left, I feel as gay as
+a lark--ready for anything. Brilliant ideas buzz about my brain,
+like bees around the hive. Lampourde's himself again. But there's
+the Samaritan striking twelve, and a friend of mine must be
+waiting for me down by the bronze Henri IV, so goodnight."
+
+He quitted his companion and walked quickly to the rendezvous,
+where he found Merindol, diligently studying his own shadow in
+the moonlight; and the two ruffians, after looking carefully
+about them to make sure that there was no one within ear-shot,
+held a long consultation, in very low tones. What they said we do
+not know; but, when Lampourde quitted the agent of the Duke of
+Vallombreuse, he joyously jingled the handful of gold pieces in
+his pocket, with an imprudent audacity that showed conclusively
+how much he was respected by the thieves and cut throats who
+haunted the Pont-Neuf.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII. THE CROWNED RADISH
+
+Jacquemin Lampourde, after parting company with Merindol, seemed
+in great uncertainty as to which way he should go, and had not
+yet decided when he reached the end of the Pont-Neuf. He was like
+the donkey between two bundles of hay; or, if that comparison be
+not pleasing, like a piece of iron between two magnets of equal
+power. On the one side was lansquenet, with the fascinating
+excitement of rapidly winning and losing the broad gold pieces
+that he loved; and on the other the tavern, with its tempting
+array of bottles; for he was a drunkard as well as a gambler,
+this same notorious Jacquemin Lampourde. He stood stock still for
+a while, debating this knotty point with himself, quite unable to
+come to a decision, and growing very much vexed at his own
+hesitation, when suddenly a brilliant idea occurred to him, and,
+plunging his hand into his wellfilled pocket, he drew forth a
+gold piece, which he tossed into the air, crying, "Head for the
+tavern, tail for lansquenet." The coin rang upon the pavement as
+it fell, and he kneeled down to see what fate had decided for
+him; head was up. "Very well," said he, philosophically, as he
+picked up the piece of money, carefully wiped off the mud, and
+put it back in his pocket, "I'll go and get drunk." Then, with
+long strides, he made off to his favourite tavern, which had the
+advantage of being in the immediate vicinity of his own lodgings,
+so that with a few zigzags he was at home, after he had filled
+himself with wine from the soles of his boots to the apple in his
+throat. It was not an inviting-looking place, this same tavern,
+with the odd device of an enormous radish, bearing a golden
+crown--now rather tarnished--which had served as its sign for
+many generations of wine-drinkers. The heavy wooden shutters were
+all closed when Lampourde reached it; but by the bright light
+streaming through their crevices, and the sounds of song and
+revelry that reached his ear, he knew that there must be a
+numerous company within. Knocking on the door in a peculiar way
+with the handle of his sword, he made himself known as an habitue
+of the house, and was promptly admitted--the door being carefully
+made fast again the moment he had entered. The large, low room
+into which he made his way was filled with the smoke from many
+pipes, and redolent with the fumes of wine. A cheerful wood fire
+was blazing on the hearth, lighting up the array of bottles in
+the bar, which was placed near it, where the master of the
+establishment sat enthroned, keeping a watchful eye on the noisy
+crowd gathered round the many small tables with which the room
+abounded, drinking, smoking, playing at various games, and
+singing ribald songs. Lampourde paid no attention to the
+uproarious throng, further than to look about and make sure that
+none of his own particular friends and associates were among
+them. He found an unoccupied table, to which a servant quickly
+brought a bottle of fine old Canary wine, very choice and rare,
+which was reserved for a few privileged and appreciative
+customers, who could afford to indulge in such luxuries. Although
+he was quite by himself, two glasses were placed before him, as
+his dislike of drinking alone was well known, and at any moment a
+comrade might come in and join him. Meantime he slowly filled his
+glass, raised it to the level of his eyes, and looked long and
+lovingly through the beautiful, clear topaz of the generous wine.
+Having thus satisfied the sense of sight, he passed to that of
+smell, and held the glass under his nostrils, where he could
+enjoy the delicious aroma arising from it, giving the wine a
+rotary motion as he did so, in a very artistic manner; then,
+putting the glass to his lips, he let a few drops trickle slowly
+down over his tongue to his palate, lengthening out the enjoyment
+as much as possible, and approving smack of relish as he at last
+swallowed the smooth nectar. Thus Maitre Jacquemin Lampourde
+managed to gratify three of the five senses man is blessed with
+by means of a single glass of wine. He pretended that the other
+two might also have a share of the enjoyment--that of touch by
+the highly polished surface and swelling curves of the
+wine-glass, and that of hearing by the merry ringing when two
+glasses are clinked together, or by the musical sounds to be
+brought forth from a glass by drawing the moistened finger round
+and round the edge of it. But these are fantastic and paradoxical
+ideas, which only serve to show the vicious refinement of this
+fastidious ruffian. He had been but a few minutes alone when an
+odd-looking, shabbily dressed individual came in, who rejoiced in
+a remarkably pale face, which looked as if it had been chalked,
+and a nose as red and fiery as a live coal; the idea of how many
+casks of wine and bottles of brandy must have been imbibed to
+bring it to such an intensity of erubescence would be enough to
+terrify the ordinary drinker. This singular countenance was like
+a cheese, with a bright, red cherry stuck in the middle of it;
+and to finish the portrait it would only be necessary to add two
+apple seeds, placed a little obliquely, for the eyes, and a wide
+gash for a mouth. Such was Malartic--the intimate friend, the
+Pylades, the Euryalus, the "fidus Achates" of Jacquemin
+Lampourde; who certainly was not handsome--but his mental and
+moral qualities made up for his little physical disadvantages.
+Next to Lampourde--for whom he professed the most exalted
+admiration and respect--he was accounted the most skillful
+swordsman in Paris; he was always lucky at cards, and could drink
+to any extent without becoming intoxicated. For the rest, he was
+a man of great delicacy and honour, in his way--ready to run any
+risk to help or support a friend, and capable of enduring any
+amount of torture rather than betray his comrades-- so that he
+enjoyed the universal and unbounded esteem of his circle.
+
+Malartic went straight to Lampourde's table, sat down opposite to
+him, silently seized the glass the other had promptly filled, and
+drained it at a single draught; evidently his method differed
+from his friend's, but that it was equally efficacious his nose
+bore indisputable witness. The two men drank steadily and in
+silence until they had emptied their third bottle, and then
+called for pipes. When they had puffed away for a while, and
+enveloped themselves in a dense cloud of smoke, they fell into
+conversation, deploring the bad times since the king, his court
+and followers, had all gone to Saint Germain, and comparing notes
+as to their own individual doings since their last meeting. Thus
+far they had paid no attention whatever to the company round
+them, but now such a loud discussion arose over the conditions of
+a bet between two men about some feat that one of them declared
+he could perform and the other pronounced impossible, that they
+both looked round to see what it was all about. A man of lithe,
+vigorous frame, with a complexion dark as a Moor's, jet-black
+hair and flashing eyes, was drawing out of his red girdle a
+large, dangerous looking knife, which, when opened, was nearly as
+long as a sword, and called in Valencia, where it was made, a
+navaja. He carefully examined and tested the edge and point of
+this formidable weapon, with which he seemed satisfied, said to
+the man he had been disputing with, "I am ready!" then turned and
+called, "Chiquita! Chiquita!"
+
+At the sound of her name a little girl, who had been sleeping,
+rolled up in a cloak, on the floor in a dark corner, rose and
+came towards Agostino--for it was he of course--and, fixing her
+large dark eyes upon his face earnestly, said,"Master, what do
+you want me to do? I am ready to obey you here as everywhere
+else, because you are so brave, and have so many red marks on
+your navaja."
+
+Chiquita said this rapidly, in a patois which was as
+unintelligible to the Frenchmen around her as German, Hebrew or
+Chinese. Agostino took her by the hand and placed her with her
+back against the door, telling her to keep perfectly still, and
+the child, accustomed to that sort of thing, showed neither alarm
+nor surprise, but stood quietly, looking straight before her with
+perfect serenity, while Agostino, at the other end of the room,
+standing with one foot advanced, balanced the dread navaja in his
+hand. Suddenly with a quick jerking movement he sent it flying
+through the air, and it struck into the wooden door, just over
+Chiquita's head. As it darted by, like a flash of lightning, the
+spectators had involuntarily closed their eyes for a second,
+but the fragile child's long dark eyelashes did not even
+quiver. The brigand's wonderful skill elicited a loud burst of
+admiration and applause from an audience not easily surprised or
+pleased, in which even the man who had lost his water joined
+enthusiastically. Agostino went and drew out the knife, which was
+still vibrating, and returning to his place this time sent it in
+between Chiquita's arm--which was hanging down by her side--and
+her body; if it had deviated a hair's breadth it must have
+wounded her. At this everybody cried "Enough!" but Agostino
+insisted upon aiming at the other side as well, so as to prove to
+them that there was no chance about it; that it was purely a
+matter of skill. Again the terrible navaja flew through the air,
+and went straight to the mark, and Chiquita, very much delighted
+at the applause that followed, looked about her proudly, glorying
+in Agostino's triumph. She still wore Isabelle's pearl beads
+round her slender brown neck; in other respects was much better
+dressed than when we first saw her, and even had shoes on her
+tiny feet; they seemed to worry and annoy her very much, it is
+true, but she found them a necessary nuisance on the cold Paris
+pavements, and so had to submit to wearing them with as good a
+grace as she could muster. When Agostino gave her leave to quit
+her position she quietly returned to her corner, rolled herself
+up anew in the large cloak, and fell sound asleep again, while
+he, after pocketing the five pistoles he had won, sat down to
+finish his measure of cheap wine; which he did very slowly,
+intending to remain where he was as long as possible; he had no
+lodging place yet in Paris, having arrived that very evening, and
+this warm room was far more comfortable than a refuge in some
+convent porch, or under the arch of a bridge perhaps, where he
+had feared that he and Chiquita might have to lie shivering all
+night long.
+
+Quiet being restored, comparatively speaking, Lampourde and
+Malartic resumed their interrupted conversation, and after a few
+remarks upon the strange performance they had just witnessed--in
+which Lampourde especially praised Agostino's marvellous skill,
+and Malartic warmly commended Chiquita's wonderful courage and
+sang-froid--the former confided to his friend that he had a piece
+of work in prospect, in which he would need some assistance, and
+desired to have his opinion as to which of their comrades would
+be best suited for his purpose. He told him that, in the first
+place, he was commissioned to despatch a certain Captain
+Fracasse, an actor, who had dared to interfere with the love
+affair of a very great lord. In this, of course, he would not
+require any aid; but he had also to make arrangements for the
+abduction of the lady, a very beautiful young actress, who was
+beloved by both the nobleman and the comedian, and who would be
+zealously defended by the members of the dramatic company to
+which she belonged; so that he should be obliged to resort to
+some stratagem, and would probably need the help of several hands
+to carry it out--adding that they were sure of being well paid,
+for the young lord was as generous and open handed as he was
+wealthy and determined. Thereupon they fell to discussing the
+respective merits of their numerous friends and
+acquaintances--gentlemen of the same stamp as themselves--and
+having decided upon four, and determined to keep an eye upon
+Agostino, who seemed a clever rascal and might be of use, they
+called for another bottle of wine. When that was finished
+Jacquemin Lampourde was indisputably drunk, and having loyally
+kept his word, retired, somewhat unsteadily, to his own quarters
+in a high state of maudlin satisfaction, accompanied by his
+friend Malartic, whom he had invited to spend the night with him.
+By this time--it was nearly four o'clock in the morning--the
+Crowned Radish was almost deserted, and the master of the
+establishment, seeing that there was no prospect of further
+custom, told his servants to rouse up and turn out all the
+sleepers--Agostino and Chiquita among the rest--and his orders
+were promptly executed.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII. A DOUBLE ATTACK
+
+The Duke of Vallombreuse was not a man to neglect his love
+affairs, any more than his enemies. If he hated de Sigognac
+mortally, he felt for Isabelle that furious passion which the
+unattainable is apt to excite in a haughty and violent nature
+like his, that has never met with resistance. To get possession
+of the young actress had become the ruling thought of his life.
+Spoiled by the easy victories he had always gained heretofore, in
+his career of gallantry, his failure in this instance was utterly
+incomprehensible to him, as well as astonishing and maddening. He
+could not understand it. Oftentimes in the midst of a
+conversation, at the theatre, at church, at the court, anywhere
+and everywhere, the thought of it would suddenly rush into his
+mind, sweeping everything before it, overwhelming him afresh with
+wonder and amazement. And indeed it could not be easy for a man
+who did not believe that such an anomaly as a truly virtuous
+woman ever existed--much less a virtuous actress--to understand
+Isabelle's firm resistance to the suit of such a rich and
+handsome young nobleman as himself. He sometimes wondered whether
+it could be that after all she was only playing a part, and
+holding back for a while so as to obtain more from him in the
+end--tactics that he knew were not unusual--but the indignant,
+peremptory way in which she had rejected the casket of jewels
+proved conclusively that no such base motives actuated Isabelle.
+All his letters she had returned unopened. All his advances she
+had persistently repulsed; and he was at his wit's end to know
+what to do next. Finally he concluded to send for old Mme.
+Leonarde to come and talk the matter over with him; he had kept
+up secret relations with her, as it is always well to have a spy
+in the enemy's camp. The duke received her, when she came in
+obedience to his summons, in his own particular and favoured
+room, to which she was conducted by a private staircase. It was a
+most dainty and luxurious apartment, fitted up with exquisite
+taste, and hung round with portraits of beautiful
+women--admirably painted by Simon Vouet, a celebrated master of
+that day--representing different mythological characters, and set
+in richly carved oval frames. These were all likenesses of the
+young duke's various mistresses, each one displaying her own
+peculiar charms to the greatest possible advantage, and having
+consented to sit for her portrait--in a costume and character
+chosen by the duke--as a special favour, without the most remote
+idea that it was to form part of a gallery.
+
+When the duenna had entered and made her best curtsey, the duke
+condescendingly signed to her to be seated, and immediately began
+to question her eagerly about Isabelle--as to whether there were
+any signs yet of her yielding to his suit, and also how matters
+were progressing between her and the detested Captain Fracasse.
+Although the crafty old woman endeavoured to put the best face
+upon everything, and was very diplomatic in her answers to these
+searching questions, the information that she had to give was
+excessively displeasing to the imperious young nobleman, who had
+much ado to control his temper sufficiently to continue the
+conversation. Before he let her go he begged her to suggest some
+plan by which he could hope to soften the obdurate
+beauty--appealing to her great experience in such intrigues, and
+offering to give her any reward she chose to claim if she would
+but help him to succeed. She had nothing better to propose,
+however, than secretly administering a strong narcotic to
+Isabelle, and concerting some plan to deliver her into his hands
+while unconscious from the effects of it; which even the
+unscrupulous young duke indignantly rejected. Whereupon, fixing
+her wicked old eyes admiringly upon his handsome face, and
+apparently moved by a sudden inspiration, she said: "But why does
+not your lordship conduct this affair in person? why not begin a
+regular and assiduous courtship in the good old style? You are as
+beautiful as Adonis, my lord duke! You are young, fascinating,
+powerful, wealthy, a favourite at court, rich in everything that
+is pleasing to the weaker sex; and there is not a woman on earth
+who could long hold out against you, if you would condescend, my
+lord, to plead your own cause with her."
+
+"By Jove! the old woman is right," said Vallombreuse to himself,
+glancing complacently at the reflection of his own handsome face
+and figure in a full-length mirror opposite to him; "Isabelle may
+be virtuous and cold, but she is not blind, and Nature has not
+been so unkind to me that the sight of me should inspire her with
+horror. I can at least hope to produce the same happy effect as a
+fine statue or picture, which attracts and charms the eye by its
+sym metry, or its beautiful and harmonious colouring. Then,
+kneeling at her feet, I can softly whisper some of those
+persuasive words that no woman can listen to unmoved--accompanied
+by such passionately ardent looks that the ice round her heart
+will melt under them and vanish quite away. Not one of the
+loftiest, haughtiest ladies at the court has ever been able to
+withstand them--they have thawed the iciest, most immaculate of
+them all; and besides, it surely cannot fail to flatter the pride
+of this disdainful, high-spirited little actress to have a real
+duke actually and openly kneeling at her feet. Yes, I will take
+the old woman's advice, and pay my court to her so charmingly and
+perseveringly that I shall conquer at last--she will not be able
+to withstand me, my sweet Isabelle. And it will be a miracle
+indeed if she has a regret left then for that cursed de Sigognac;
+who shall no longer interfere between my love and me--that I
+swear! She will soon forget him in my arms."
+
+Having dismissed old Mme. Leonarde with a handsome gratuity, the
+duke next summoned his valet, Picard, and held an important
+consultation with him, as to his most becoming costumes, finally
+deciding upon a very rich but comparatively plain one, all of
+black velvet; whose elegant simplicity he thought would be likely
+to suit Isabelle's fastidious taste better than any more gorgeous
+array, and in which it must be confessed that he looked adorably
+handsome--his really beautiful face and fine figure appearing to
+the utmost advantage.
+
+His toilet completed, he sent a peremptory order to his coachman
+to have the carriage, with the four bays, ready in a quarter of
+an hour. When Picard had departed on this errand, Vallombreuse
+began pacing slowly to and fro in his chamber, glancing into the
+mirror each time he passed it with a self-satisfied smile. "That
+proud little minx must be deucedly cross-grained and
+unappreciative," said he, "if she does not perceive how much more
+worthy I am of her admiration than that shabby de Sigognac. Oh,
+yes! she'll be sure to come round, in spite of her obstinate
+affectation of such ferocious virtue, and her tiresome, Platonic
+love for her impecunious suitor. Yes, my little beauty, your
+portrait shall figure in one of those oval frames ere long. I
+think I'll have you painted as chaste Diana, descended from the
+sky, despite her coldness, to lavish sweet kisses on Endymion.
+You shall take your place among those other goddesses, who were
+as coy and hard to please at first as yourself, and who are far
+greater ladies, my dear, than you ever will be. Your fall is at
+hand, and you must learn, as your betters have done before you,
+that there's no withstanding the will of a Vallombreuse. 'Frango
+nec frangor,' is my motto."
+
+A servant entered to announce that the carriage awaited his
+lordship's pleasure, and during the short drive from his own
+house to the Rue Dauphine, the young duke, despite his arrogant
+assurance, felt his heart beating faster than usual as he
+wondered how Isabelle would receive him. When the splendid
+carriage, with its four prancing horses and servants in gorgeous
+liveries, drove into the courtyard of the hotel where the
+comedians were stopping, the landlord himself, cap in hand,
+rushed out to ask the pleasure of the lordly visitor; but, rapid
+as were his movements, the duke had already alighted before he
+could reach him. He cut short the obsequious host's obeisances
+and breathless offers of service by an impatient gesture, and
+said peremptorily:
+
+"Mlle. Isabelle is stopping here. I wish to see her. Is she at
+home? Do not send to announce my visit; only let me have a
+servant to show me the way to her room."
+
+"My lord, let me have the glory of conducting your lordship
+myself--such an honour is too great for a rascally servant--I
+myself am not worthy of so distinguished a privilege."
+
+"As you please," said Vallombreuse, with haughty negligence,
+"only be quick about it. There are people at every window
+already, staring down at me as if I were the Grand Turk in
+person."
+
+He followed his guide, who, with many bows and apologies,
+preceded him upstairs, and down a long, narrow corridor with
+doors on either side, like a convent, until they reached
+Isabelle's room, where the landlord paused, and, bowing lower
+than ever, asked what name he should have the honour of
+announcing.
+
+"You can go, now," the duke replied, laying his hand on the door;
+"I will announce myself."
+
+Isabelle was sitting by the window, diligently studying her part
+in a new play to be shortly put in rehearsal, and, at the moment
+the Duke of Vallombreuse softly entered her chamber, was
+repeating, in a low voice and with closed eyes, the verses she
+was learning by heart--just as a child does its lessons. The
+light from the window shone full upon her beautiful head and
+face--seen in profile--and her lovely figure, thrown back in a
+negligent attitude full of grace and abandon. She made a most
+bewitching picture thus, and with a delicious effect of
+chiaroscuro that would have enchanted an artist--it enthralled
+the young duke.
+
+Supposing that the intruder who entered so quietly was only the
+chambermaid, come to perform some forgotten duty, Isabelle did
+not interrupt her study or look up, but went on composedly with
+her recitation. The duke, who had breathlessly advanced to the
+centre of the room, paused there, and stood motionless, gazing
+with rapture upon her beauty. As he waited for her to open her
+eyes and become aware of his presence, he sank gracefully down
+upon one knee, holding his hat so that its long plume swept the
+floor, and laying his hand on his heart, in an attitude that was
+slightly theatrical perhaps, but as respectful as if he had been
+kneeling before a queen. Excitement and agitation had flushed his
+pale cheeks a little, his eyes were luminous and full of fire, a
+sweet smile hovered on his rich, red lips, and he had never
+looked more splendidly, irresistibly handsome in his life. At
+last Isabelle moved, raised her eyelids, turned her head, and
+perceived the Duke of Vallombreuse, kneeling within six feet of
+her. If Perseus had suddenly appeared before her, holding up
+Medusa's horrid head, the effect would have been much the same.
+She sat like a statue, motionless, breathless, as if she had been
+petrified, or frozen stiff--her eyes, dilated with excessive
+terror, fixed upon his face, her lips parted, her throat parched
+and dry, her tongue paralyzed--unable to move or speak. A ghastly
+pallor overspread her horror-stricken countenance, a deathly
+chill seized upon all her being, and for one dreadful moment of
+supreme anguish she feared that she was going to faint quite
+away; but, by a desperate, prodigious effort of will, she
+recalled her failing senses, that she might not leave herself
+entirely defenceless in the power of her cruel persecutor.
+
+"Can it be possible that I inspire such overwhelming horror in
+your gentle breast, my sweet Isabelle," said Vallombreuse in his
+most dulcet tones, and without stirring from his position, "that
+the mere sight of me produces an effect like this? Why, a wild
+beast, crouching to spring upon you from his lair, with angry
+roar and blazing eyeballs, could not terrify you more. My
+presence here may be a little sudden and startling, I admit; but
+you must not be too hard upon one who lives only to love and
+adore you. I knew that I risked your anger when I decided to take
+this step; but I could not exist any longer without a sight of
+you, and I humbly crave your pardon if I have offended you by my
+ardour and devotion. I kneel at your feet, fair lady, a
+despairing and most unhappy suppliant for your grace and favour."
+
+"Rise, my lord, I beseech you," said the frightened, trembling
+girl, speaking with great difficulty and in a voice that sounded
+strange in her own ears; "such a position does not become your
+rank. I am only an actress, and my poor attractions do not
+warrant such homage. Forget this fleeting fancy, I pray you, and
+carry elsewhere the ardour and devotion that are wasted upon me,
+and that so many great and noble ladies would be proud and happy
+to receive and reward."
+
+"What do I care for other women, be they what they may?" cried
+Vallombreuse impetuously, as he rose in obedience to her request;
+"it is YOUR pride and purity that I adore, YOUR beauty and
+goodness that I worship; your very cruelty is more charming to me
+than the utmost favour of any other woman in the world. Your
+sweet modesty and angelic loveliness have inspired in me a
+passion that is almost delirium, and unless you can learn to love
+me I shall die--I cannot live without you. You need not be afraid
+of me," he added, as Isabelle recoiled when he made one step
+forward, and tried to open the window with her trembling bands,
+as if she meant to throw herself out in case of his coming any
+nearer; "see, I will stay where I am. I will not touch you, not
+even the hem of your garment, so great is my respect for you,
+charming Isabelle! I do not ask anything more than that you will
+deign to suffer my presence here a little longer now, and permit
+me to pay my court to you, lay siege to your heart, and wait
+patiently until it surrenders itself to me freely and of its own
+accord, as it surely will. The most respectful lover could not do
+more."
+
+"Spare me this useless pursuit, my lord," pleaded Isabelle, "and
+I will reward you with the warmest gratitude; but love you I
+cannot, now or ever."
+
+"You have neither father, brother, husband, or affianced lover,"
+persisted Vallombreuse, "to forbid the advances of a gallant
+gentleman, who seeks only to please and serve you. My sincere
+homage is surely not insulting to you; why do you repulse me so?
+Oh! you do not dream what a splendid prospect would open out
+before you if you would but yield to my entreaties. I would
+surround you with everything that is beautiful and dainty,
+luxurious and rare. I would anticipate your every wish; I would
+devote my whole life to your service. The story of our love
+should be more enchanting, more blissful than that of Love
+himself with his delicious Psyche--not even the gods could rival
+us. Come, Isabelle, do not turn so coldly away from me, do not
+persevere in this maddening silence, nor drive to desperation and
+desperate deeds a passion that is capable of anything, of
+everything, save renouncing its adored object, your own sweet,
+charming self!"
+
+"But this love, of which any other woman would be justly proud,"
+said Isabelle modestly, "I cannot return or accept; you MUST
+believe me, my lord, for I mean every word I say, and I shall
+never swerve from this decision. Even if the virtue and purity
+that I value more highly than life itself were not against it, I
+should still feel myself obliged to decline this dangerous
+honour."
+
+"Deign to look upon me with favour and indulgence, my sweet
+Isabelle," continued Vallombreuse, without heeding her words,
+"and I will make you an object of envy to the greatest and
+noblest ladies in all France. To any other woman I should
+say--take what you please of my treasures--my chateaux, my
+estates, my gold, my jewels--dress your lackeys in liveries
+richer than the court costumes of princes--have your horses shod
+with silver--live as luxuriously as a queen--make even Paris
+wonder at your lavish splendour if you will--though Paris is not
+easily roused to wonder--but I well know that you have a soul far
+above all such sordid temptations as these. They would have no
+weight with you, my noble Isabelle! But there IS a glory that may
+touch you--that of having conquered Vallombreuse--of leading him
+captive behind your chariot wheels--of commanding him as your
+servant, and your slave. Vallombreuse, who has never yielded
+before--who has been the commander, not the commanded--and whose
+proud neck has never yet bowed to wear the fetters that so many
+fair bands have essayed to fasten round it."
+
+"Such a captive would be too illustrious for my chains," said
+Isabelle, firmly, "and as I could never consent to accept so much
+honour at your hands, my lord, I pray you to desist, and relieve
+me of your presence."
+
+Hitherto the Duke of Vallombreuse had managed to keep his temper
+under control; he had artfully concealed his naturally violent
+and domineering spirit under a feigned mildness and humility,
+but, at Isabelle's determined and continued--though modest and
+respectful--resistance to his pleading, his anger was rapidly
+rising to boiling point. He felt that there was love--devoted
+love--for another behind her persistent rejection of his suit,
+and his wrath and jealousy augmented each other. Throwing aside
+all restraint, he advanced towards her impetuously--whereat she
+made another desperate effort to tear open the casement. A fierce
+frown contracted his brow, he gnawed his under lip savagely, and
+his whole face was transformed--if it had been beautiful enough
+for an angel's before, it was like a demon's now.
+
+"Why don't you tell the truth," he cried, in a loud, angry voice,
+"and say that you are madly in love with that precious rascal, de
+Sigognac? THAT is the real reason for all this pretended virtue
+that you shamelessly flaunt in men's faces. What is there about
+that cursed scoundrel, I should like to know, that charms you so?
+Am I not handsomer, of higher rank, younger, richer, as clever,
+and as much in love with you as he can possibly be? aye, and
+more--ten thousand times more."
+
+"He has at least one quality that you are lacking in, my lord,"
+said Isabelle, with dignity; "he knows how to respect the woman
+he loves."
+
+"That's only because he cares so little about you, my charmer!"
+cried Vallombreuse, suddenly seizing Isabelle, who vainly strove
+to escape from him, in his arms, and straining her violently to
+his breast--despite her frantic struggles, and agonized cry for
+help. As if in response to it, the door was suddenly opened, and
+the tyrant, making the most deprecating gestures and profound
+bows, entered the room and advanced towards Isabelle, who was at
+once released by Vallombreuse, with muttered curses at this most
+inopportune intrusion.
+
+"I beg your pardon, mademoiselle," said Herode, with a furtive
+glance at the duke, "for interrupting you. I did not know that
+you were in such good company; but the hour for rehearsal has
+struck, and we are only waiting for you to begin."
+
+He had left the door ajar, and an apparently waiting group could
+be discerned without, consisting of the pedant, Scapin, Leander,
+and Zerbine; a reassuring and most welcome sight to poor
+Isabelle. For one instant the duke, in his rage, was tempted to
+draw his sword, make a furious charge upon the intruding
+canaille, and disperse them "vi et armis"--but a second thought
+stayed his hand, as he realized that the killing or wounding of
+two or three of these miserable actors would not further his
+suit; and besides, he could not stain his noble hands with such
+vile blood as theirs. So he put force upon himself and restrained
+his rage, and, bowing with icy politeness to Isabelle, who,
+trembling in every limb, had edged nearer to her friends, he made
+his way out of the room; turning, however, at the threshold to
+say, with peculiar emphasis, "Au revoir, mademoiselle!"--a very
+simple phrase certainly, but replete with significance of a very
+terrible and threatening nature from the way in which it was
+spoken. His face was so expressive of evil passions as he said it
+that Isabelle shuddered, and felt a violent spasm of fear pass
+over her, even though the presence of her companions guaranteed
+her against any further attempts at violence just then. She felt
+the mortal anguish of the fated dove, above which the cruel kite
+is circling swiftly in the air, drawing nearer with every rapid
+round.
+
+The Duke of Vallombreuse regained his carriage, which awaited him
+in the court followed by the obsequious landlord, with much
+superfluous and aggravating ceremony that he would gladly have
+dispensed with, and the next minute the rumble of wheels
+indicated to Isabelle that her dangerous visitor had taken his
+departure.
+
+Now, to explain the timely interruption that came so opportunely
+to rescue Isabelle from her enemy's clutches. The arrival of the
+duke in his superb carriage at the hotel in the Rue Dauphine had
+caused an excitement and flutter throughout the whole
+establishment, which soon reached the ears of the tyrant, who,
+like Isabelle, was busy learning his new part in the seclusion of
+his own room. In the absence of de Sigognac, who was detained at
+the theatre to try on a new costume, the worthy tyrant, knowing
+the duke's evil intentions, determined to keep a close watch over
+his actions, and having summoned the others, applied his ear to
+the key-hole of Isabelle's door, and listened attentively to all
+that passed within--holding himself in readiness to interfere at
+any moment, if the duke should venture to offer violence to the
+defenceless girl--and to his prudence and courage it was due that
+she escaped further persecution, on that occasion, from her
+relentless and unscrupulous tormentor.
+
+That day was destined to be an eventful one. It will be
+remembered that Lampourde, the professional assassin, had
+received from Merindol--acting for the Duke Of Vallombreuse--a
+commission to put Captain Fracasse quietly out of the way, and
+accordingly that worthy was dodging about on the Pont-Neuf, at
+the hour of sunset, waiting to intercept his intended victim, who
+would necessarily pass that way in returning to his hotel.
+Jacquemin awaited his arrival impatiently, frequently breathing
+on his fingers and rubbing them vigorously, so that they should
+not be quite numb with the cold when the moment for action came,
+and stamping up and down in order to warm his half-frozen feet.
+The weather was extremely cold, and the sun had set behind the
+Pont Rouge, in a heavy mass of blood-red clouds. Twilight was
+coming on apace, and already there were only occasional
+foot-passengers, or vehicles, to be encountered hurrying along
+the deserted streets.
+
+At last de Sigognac appeared, walking very fast, for a vague
+anxiety about Isabelle had taken possession of him, and he was in
+haste to get back to her. In his hurry and preoccupation he did
+not notice Lampourde, who suddenly approached and laid hold of
+his cloak, which he snatched off, with a quick, strong jerk that
+broke its fastenings. Without stopping to dispute the cloak with
+his assailant, whom he mistook at first for an ordinary foot-pad,
+de Sigognac instantly drew his sword and attacked him. Lampourde,
+on his side, was ready for him, and pleased with the baron's way
+of handling his weapon, said to himself, though in an audible
+tone, "Now for a little fun." Then began a contest that would
+have delighted and astonished a connoisseur in fencing--such
+swift, lightning-like flashing of the blades, as they gave and
+parried cut and thrust--the clashing of the steel, the blue
+sparks that leaped from the contending swords as the fight grew
+more furious--Lampourde keeping up meanwhile an odd running
+commentary, as his wonder and admiration grew momentarily greater
+and more enthusiastic, and he had soon reached an exulting mood.
+Here at last was a "foeman worthy of his steel," and he could not
+resist paying a tribute to the amazing skill that constantly and
+easily baffled his best efforts, in the shape of such
+extraordinary and original compliments that de Sigognac was
+mightily amused thereby. As usual, he was perfectly cool and
+self-possessed, keeping control of his temper as well as of his
+sword--though by this time he felt sure that it was another agent
+of the Duke of Vallombreuse's he had to deal with, and that his
+life, not his cloak, was the matter at stake. At last Lampourde,
+who had begun to entertain an immense respect for his valiant
+opponent, could restrain his curiosity no longer, and eagerly
+asked, " Would it be indiscreet, sir, to inquire who was your
+instructor? Girolamo, Paraguante, or Cote d'Acier would have
+reason to be proud of such a pupil. Which one of them was it?"
+
+"My only master was an old soldier, Pierre by name," answered de
+Sigognac, more and more amused at the oddities of the
+accomplished swordsman he was engaged with. "Stay, take that! it
+is one of his favourite strokes."
+
+"The devil!" cried Lampourde, falling back a step, "I was very
+nearly done for, do you know! The point of your sword actually
+went through my sleeve and touched my arm--I felt the cold steel;
+luckily for me it was not broad daylight--I should have been
+winged; but you are not accustomed, like me, to this dim,
+uncertain light for such work. All the same, it was admirably
+well done, and Jacquemin Lampourde congratulates you upon it,
+sir! Now, pay attention, to me--I will not take any mean
+advantage of such a glorious foe as you are, and I give you fair
+warning that I am going to try on you my own secret and special
+thrust Captain Fracasse--the crowning glory of my art, the
+'ne plus ultra' of my science--the elixir of my life. It is known
+only to myself, and up to this time has been infallible. I have
+never failed to kill my man with it. If you can parry it I will
+teach it to you. It is my only possession, and I will leave it to
+you if you survive it; otherwise I will take my secret to the
+grave with me. I have never yet found any one capable of
+executing it, unless indeed it be yourself--admirable,
+incomparable swordsman that you are! It is a joy to meet such an
+one. But suppose we suspend hostilities a moment to take breath."
+
+So saying Jacquemin Lampourde lowered the point of his sword, and
+de Sigognac did the same. They stood eyeing each other for a few
+moments with mutual admiration and curiosity, and then resumed
+the contest more fiercely than ever--each man doing his best, as
+he had need to do, and enjoying it. After a few passes, de
+Sigognac became aware that his adversary was preparing to give
+the decisive blow, and held himself on his guard against a
+surprise; when it came, delivered with terrible force, he parried
+it so successfully that Lampourde's sword was broken short off in
+the encounter with his own trusty weapon, leaving only the hilt
+and a few inches of the blade in his hand.
+
+"If you have not got the rest of my sword in your body," cried
+Lampourde, excitedly, "you are a great man!--a hero!--a god!"
+
+"No," de Sigognac replied calmly, "it did not touch me; and now,
+if I chose, I could pin you to the wall like a bat; but that
+would be repugnant to me, though you did waylay me to take my
+life, and besides, you have really amused me with your droll
+sayings.
+
+"Baron," said Jacquemin Lampourde, calmly, "permit me, I humbly
+pray you, to be henceforth, so long as I live, your devoted
+admirer, your slave, your dog! I was to be paid for killing
+you--I even received a portion of the money in advance, which I
+have spent. But never mind that; I will pay it back, every penny
+of it, though I must rob some one else to do it."
+
+With these words he picked up de Sigognac's cloak, and having put
+it carefully, even reverentially, over his shoulders, made him a
+profound obeisance, and departed.
+
+Thus the efforts of the Duke of Vallombreuse, to advance his suit
+and to get rid of his rival, had once more failed ignominiously.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV. LAMPOURDE'S DELICACY
+
+It is easy to imagine the frame of mind in which the Duke of
+Vallombreuse returned home after his repulse by Isabelle, and her
+rescue from his arms by the timely intervention of her friends,
+the comedians. At sight of his face, fairly livid and contorted
+with suppressed rage, his servants trembled and shrunk away from
+him--as well they might--for his natural cruelty was apt to vent
+itself upon the first unhappy dependent that happened to come in
+his way when his wrath was excited. He was not an easy master to
+serve, even in his most genial mood--this haughty, exacting young
+nobleman--and in his frantic fits of anger be was more savage and
+relentless than a half-starved tiger. Upon entering his own house
+he rushed through it like a whirlwind, shutting every door behind
+him with such a violent bang that the very walls shook, and
+pieces of the gilt mouldings round the panels were snapped off,
+and scattered on the floor. When he reached his own room he flung
+down his hat with such force that it was completely flattened,
+and the feather broken short off. Then, unable to breathe freely,
+he tore open his rich velvet pourpoint, as he rushed frantically
+to and fro, without any regard for the superb diamond buttons
+that fastened it, which flew in every direction. The exquisitely
+fine lace ruffles round his neck were reduced to shreds in a
+second, and with a vigorous kick he knocked over a large
+arm-chair that stood in his way, and left it upside down, with
+its legs in the air.
+
+"The impudent little hussy!" he cried, as he continued his
+frenzied walk, like a wild beast in a cage. "I have a great mind
+to have her thrown into prison, there to be well-whipped, and
+have her hair shaved off, before being sent to a lunatic
+asylum--or better still to some strict convent where they take in
+bad girls who have been forcibly rescued from lives of infamy. I
+could easily manage it. But no, it would be worse than
+useless--persecution would only make her hate me more, and would
+not make her love that cursed de Sigognac a bit less. How can I
+punish her? what on earth shall I do?" and still he paced
+restlessly to and fro, cursing and swearing, and raving like a
+madman. While he was indulging in these transports of rage,
+without paying any attention to how the time was passing, evening
+drew on, and it was rapidly growing dark when his faithful
+Picard, full of commiseration, screwed up his courage to the
+highest point, and ventured to go softly in--though he had not
+been called, and was disobeying orders--to light the candles in
+his master's room; thinking that he was quite gloomy enough
+already without being left in darkness as well, and hoping that
+the lights might help to make him more cheerful. They did seem to
+afford him some relief, in that they caused a diversion; for his
+thoughts, which had been all of Isabelle and her cruel repulse of
+his passionate entreaties, suddenly flew to his successful rival,
+the Baron de Sigognac.
+
+"But how is this?" he cried, stopping short in his rapid pacing
+up and down the room. "How comes it that that miserable, degraded
+wretch has not been despatched before this? I gave the most
+explicit orders about it to that good-for-nothing Merindol. In
+spite of what Vidalinc says, I am convinced that I shall succeed
+with Isabelle when once that cursed ]over of hers is out of my
+way. She will be left entirely at my mercy then, and will have to
+submit to my will and pleasure with the best grace she can
+muster--for I shall not allow any sulking or tears. Doubtless she
+clings so obstinately to that confounded brute in the belief that
+she can induce him to marry her in the end. She means to be Mme.
+la Baronne de Sigognac--the aspiring little actress! That must be
+the reason of all this mighty display of mock modesty, and of her
+venturing to repulse the attentions of a duke, as scornfully, by
+Jove! as if he were a stable-boy. But she shall rue it--the
+impertinent little minx! and I'll have no mercy shown to the
+audacious scoundrel who dared to disable this right arm of mine.
+Halloa there! send Merindol up to me instantly, do you hear?"
+
+Picard flew to summon him, and in a few moments the discomfited
+bully made his appearance; pale from abject terror, with teeth
+chattering and limbs trembling, as he was ushered into the dread
+presence of his angry lord. In spite of his efforts to assume the
+sang-froid he was so far from feeling, he staggered like a
+drunken man, though he had not drank enough wine that day to
+drown a fly, and did not dare to lift his eyes to his master's
+face.
+
+"Well, you cowardly beast," said Vallombreuse angrily, how long,
+pray, are you going to stand there speechless, like a stupid
+fool, with that hang-dog air, as if you already had the rope that
+you so richly deserve round your wicked neck?  "I only awaited
+your lordship's orders," stammered Merindol, trying to appear at
+ease, and failing lamentably. "My lord duke knows that I am
+entirely devoted to his service--even to being hanged, if it
+seems good to your lordship."
+
+"Enough of that cant!" interrupted the duke impatiently. "Didn't
+I charge you to have that cursed de Sigognac, otherwise Captain
+Fracasse, cleared out of my way? You have not done it--my orders
+have not been obeyed. It is worth while, upon my word, to keep
+confounded hired rascals to do such work for me, at this rate!
+All that you are good for is to stuff yourself in the kitchen,
+you dastardly beast, and to guzzle my good wine from morning
+until night. But I've had enough of this, by Jove! and if there
+is not a change, and that without any further loss of time, to
+the hangman you shall go--do you hear? just as sure as you stand
+there, gaping like a drivelling idiot."
+
+"My lord duke," said Merindol in a trembling voice, is unjust to
+his faithful servant, who desires nothing but to do his lord's
+bidding. But this Baron de Sigognac is not to be disposed of so
+easily as my lord believes. Never was there a braver, more
+fearless man. In our first attack on him, at Poitiers, he got the
+better of us in a most wonderful way--we never saw the like
+of it--and all he had to fight with was a dull, rusty sword, not
+intended for use at all; a theatre sword, just for looks. And
+when we tried to do for him here in Paris, the very night he got
+here, it all came to naught, because he was so watchful, and
+somehow suspected what we were up to, and was ready for us; and
+that upset our beautiful little plan entirely. I never was so
+surprised in my life; and there was nothing for us to do, the
+whole four of us, but to get out of his sight as fast as we
+could, and he standing there laughing at us. Oh! he's a rare one,
+is Captain Fracasse. And now he knows my face, so I can't go
+near him myself. But I have engaged the services of a particular
+friend of mine--the bravest man and the best fighter in Paris--he
+hasn't his equal in the world with the sword, they all say. He is
+lying in wait for him on the Pont-Neuf now, at this very moment,
+and there'll be no mistake this time. Lampourde will be sure to
+despatch him for us--if it is not done already--and that without
+the slightest danger of your lordship's name being mixed up with
+the affair in any way, as it might have been if your lordship's
+own servants bad done it."
+
+"The plan is not a bad one," said the young duke, somewhat
+mollified, "and perhaps it is better that it should be done in
+that way. But are you really sure of the courage and skill of
+this friend of yours? He will need both to get the better of that
+confounded de Sigognac, who is no coward, and a master hand with
+the sword, I am bound to acknowledge, though I do hate him like
+the devil."
+
+"My lord need have no fears," said Merindol enthusiastically,
+being now more at his ease. "Jacquemin Lampourde is a hero, a
+wonder, as everybody will tell your lordship. He is more valiant
+than Achilles, or the great Alexander. He is not spotless
+certainly, like the Chevalier Bayard, but he is fearless."
+
+Picard, who had been hovering about for a few minutes in an
+uneasy way, now seeing that his master was in a better humour,
+approached and told him that a very odd-looking man was below,
+who asked to see him immediately on most important business.
+
+"You may bring him in," said the duke, "but just warn him,
+Picard, that if he dares to intrude upon me for any trifling
+matter, I'll have him skinned alive before I let him go."
+
+Mirindol was just about leaving the room, when the entrance of
+the newcomer rooted him to the spot; he was so astonished and
+alarmed that he could not move hand or foot. And no wonder, for
+it was no other than the hero whose name he had just
+spoken--Jacquemin Lampourde in person--and the bare fact of his
+having dared to penetrate so boldly into the dread presence of
+that high and mighty seignior, the Duke of Vallombreuse, ignoring
+entirely the agent through whom his services had been engaged,
+showed of itself that something very extraordinary must have
+taken place.
+
+Lampourde himself did not seem to be in the least disconcerted,
+and after winking at his friend furtively in a very knowing way,
+stood unabashed before the duke, with the bright light of the
+many wax candles shining full upon his face. There was a red mark
+across his forehead, where his hat had been pressed down over it,
+and great drops of sweat stood on it, as if he had been running
+fast, or exercising violently. His eyes, of a bluish gray tint,
+with a sort of metallic lustre in them, were fixed upon those of
+the haughty young nobleman, with a calm insolence that made
+Merindol's blood run cold in his veins; his large nose, whose
+shadow covered all one side of his face, as the shadow of Mount
+Etna covers a considerable portion of the island of Sicily, stood
+out prominently, almost grotesquely, in profile; his mustache,
+with its long stiff points carefully waxed, which produced
+exactly the effect of an iron skewer stuck through his upper lip,
+and the "royal" on his chin curled upward, like a comma turned
+the wrong way, all contributed to make up a very extraordinary
+physiognomy, such as caricaturists dote on. He wore a large
+scarlet cloak, wrapped closely about his erect, vigorous form,
+and in one hand, which he extended towards the duke, he held
+suspended a well filled purse--a strange and mysterious
+proceeding which Mirindol could by no means understand.
+
+"Well, you rascal," said the duke, after staring for a moment in
+astonishment at this odd-looking specimen, "what does this mean?
+Are you offering alms to me, pray, or what? with your purse there
+held out at arm's length, apparently for my acceptance."
+
+"In the first place, my lord duke," said Lampourde, with perfect
+sang-froid and gravity, "may it not displease your highness, but
+I am not a rascal. My name is Jacquemin Lampourde, and I ply the
+sword for a living. My profession is an honourable one. I have
+never degraded myself by taking part in trade of any kind, or by
+manual labour. Killing is my business, at the risk of my own life
+and limb--for I always do my work alone, unaided, armed only with
+my trusty sword. Fair play is a jewel, and I would scorn to take
+a mean advantage of anybody. I always give warning before I
+attack a man, and let him have a chance to defend himself--having
+a horror of treachery, and cowardly, sneaking ways. What
+profession could be more noble than mine, pray? I am no common,
+brutal assassin, my lord duke, and I beseech your lordship to
+take back that offensive epithet, which I could never accept,
+save in a friendly, joking way--it outrages too painfully the
+sensitive delicacy of my amour-propre, my lord!"
+
+"Very well, so be it, Maitre Jacquemin Lampourde, since you
+desire it," answered Vallombreuse, very much amused at the oddity
+of his strange visitor. "And now have the goodness to explain
+your business here, with a purse in your hand, that you certainly
+appear to be steadily offering to me."
+
+Jacquemin satisfied by this concession to his susceptibility,
+suddenly jerked his head forward, without bending his body, while
+he waved the hat that he held slowly to and fro, making,
+according to his ideas, a salute that was a judicious mingling of
+the soldier's and the courtier's--which ceremony being concluded,
+he proceeded as follows with his explanation:
+
+"Here is the whole thing in a nutshell, my lord duke! I received,
+from Merindol--acting for your lordship--part payment in advance
+for despatching a certain Baron de Sigognac, commonly called
+Captain Fracasse. On account of circumstances beyond my control,
+I have not been able to finish the job, and as I am a great
+stickler for honesty, and honour also, I have hastened to bring
+back to you, my lord duke, the money that I did not earn."
+
+With these words he advanced a step, and with a gesture that was
+not devoid of dignity, gently laid the purse down on a beautiful
+Florentine mosaic table, that stood at the duke's elbow.
+
+"Verily," said Vallombreuse sneeringly, "we seem to have here one
+of those droll bullies who are good for naught but to figure in a
+comedy; an ass in a lion's skin, whose roar is nothing worse than
+a bray. Come, my man, own up frankly that you were afraid of that
+same de Sigognac."
+
+"Jacquemin Lampourde has never been afraid of anybody in his
+life," the fighting man replied, drawing himself up haughtily,
+"and no adversary has ever seen his back. Those who know me will
+tell your lordship that easy victories have no charm for me. I
+love danger and court it. I take positive delight in it. I
+attacked the Baron de Sigognac 'secundum artem,' and with one of
+my very best swords--made by Alonzo de Sahagun, the elder, of
+Toledo."
+
+"Well, and what happened then?" said the young duke eagerly. "It
+would seem that you could not have been victorious, since you
+wish to refund this money, which was to pay you for despatching
+him."
+
+"First let me inform your highness that in the course of my duels
+and combats, of one sort and another, I have left no less than
+thirty-seven men stretched dead upon the ground--and that without
+counting in all those I have wounded mortally or crippled for
+life. But this Baron de Sigognac intrenched himself within a
+circle of flashing steel as impenetrable as the walls of a
+granite fortress. I called into requisition all the resources of
+my art against him, and tried in every possible way to surprise
+him off his guard, but he was ready for everything--as quick as a
+flash, as firm as a rock--he parried every thrust triumphantly,
+magnificently, with the most consummate science, and a grace and
+ease I have never seen equalled. He kept me busy defending myself
+too all the time, and more than once had nearly done for me. His
+audacity was astonishing, his sang froid superb, and his perfect
+mastery over his sword, and his temper, sublime--he was not a
+man, but a god. I could have fallen down and worshipped him. At
+the risk of being spitted on his sword, I prolonged the fight as
+much as I dared, so as to enjoy his marvellous, glorious,
+unparalleled method to the utmost. However, there had to be an
+end of it, and I thought I was sure of despatching him at last by
+means of a secret I possess--an infallible and very difficult
+thrust, taught and bequeathed to me by the great Girolamo of
+Naples, my beloved master--no man living has a knowledge of it
+but myself--there is no one else left capable of executing it to
+perfection, and upon that depends its success. Well, my lord
+duke, Girolamo himself could not have done it better than I did
+to-night. I was thunderstruck when my opponent did not go down
+before it as if he had been shot. I expected to see him lying
+dead at my feet. But not at all, by Jove! That devil of a Captain
+Fracasse parried my blow with dazzling swiftness, and with such
+force that my blade was broken short off, and I left completely
+at his mercy, with nothing but the stump in my hand. See here, my
+lord duke! just look what he did to my precious, priceless
+Sahagun." And Jacquemin Lampourde, with a piteous air, drew out
+and exhibited the sorry remains of his trusty sword--almost
+weeping over it--and calling the duke's attention to the
+perfectly straight and even break.
+
+"Your highness can see that it was a prodigious blow that snapped
+this steel like a pipe-stem, and it was done with such ease and
+precision. To despatch Captain Fracasse by fair means is beyond
+my skill, my lord duke, and I would scorn to resort to treachery.
+Like all truly brave men, he is generous. I was left entirely
+defenceless, and he could have spitted me like an ortolan just by
+extending his arm, but he refrained; he let me go unscathed. A
+miraculous display of delicacy, as well as chivalrous generosity,
+from a gentleman assaulted in the gloaming on the Pont-Neuf. I
+owe my life to him, and moreover, such a debt of gratitude as I
+shall never be able to repay. I cannot undertake anything more
+against him, my lord duke; henceforth he is sacred to me.
+Besides, it would be a pity to destroy such a swordsman--good
+ones are rare in these degenerate days, and growing more so every
+year. I don't believe he has his equal on earth. Most men handle
+a sword as if it were a broomstick nowadays, and then expect to
+be praised and applauded, the clumsy, stupid fools! Now, I have
+given my reasons for coming to inform your highness that I must
+resign the commission I had accepted. As for the money there, I
+might perhaps have been justified in keeping it, to indemnify me
+for the great risk and peril I incurred, but such a questionable
+proceeding would be repugnant to my tender conscience and my
+honest pride, as your highness can understand."
+
+"In the name of all the devils in the infernal regions, take back
+your money!" cried Vallombreuse impetuously, "or I will have you
+pitched out of the window yonder, you and your money both. I
+never heard of such a scrupulous scoundrel in my life. You,
+Merindol, and your cursed crew,have not a spark of honour or
+honesty among you all; far enough from it." Then perceiving that
+Lampourde hesitated about picking up the purse, he added, "Take
+it, I tell you! I give it to you to drink my health with."
+
+"In that, my lord duke, you shall be religiously obeyed,"
+Lampourde replied joyfully; "however, I do not suppose that your
+highness will object to my dedicating part of it to lansquenet."
+And he stretched out his long arm, seized the purse, and with one
+dexterous movement, like a juggler, chucked it jingling into the
+depths of his pocket.
+
+"It is understood then, my lord duke, that I retire from the
+affair so far as the Baron de Sigognac is concerned," continued
+Lampourde, "but, if agreeable to your highness, it will be taken
+in hand by my 'alter ego,' the Chevalier Malartic, who is worthy
+to be intrusted with the most delicate and hazardous enterprises,
+because of his remarkable adroitness and superior ability, and he
+is one of the best fellows in the world into the bargain. I had
+sketched out a scheme for the abduction of the young actress, in
+whom your highness condescends to take an interest, which
+Malartic will now carry out, with all the wonderful perfection of
+detail that characterizes his clever way of doing things.
+Merindol here, who knows him, will testify to his rare
+qualifications, my lord duke, and you could not find a better man
+for your purpose. I am presenting a real treasure to your
+lordship in tendering Malartic's services. When he is wanted your
+highness has only to send a trusty messenger to mark a cross in
+chalk on the left-hand door-post of the Crowned Radish. Malartic
+will understand, and repair at once, in proper disguise, to this
+house, to receive your lordship's last orders."
+
+Having finished this triumphant address, Maitre Jacquemin
+Lampourde again saluted the duke as before, then put his hat on
+his head and stalked majestically out of the room, exceedingly
+well satisfied with his own eloquence, and what he considered
+courtly grace, in the presence of so illustrious a nobleman. His
+oddity and originality, together with his strange mingling of
+lofty notions of honour and rascality, had greatly amused and
+interested the young Duke of Vallombreuse, who was even willing
+to forgive him for not having despatched de Sigognac; for, if
+even this famous professional duellist could not get the better
+of him, he really must be invincible, and in consequence the
+thought of his own defeat became less galling and intolerable to
+his pride and vanity. Moreover, he had not been able to get rid
+of an uncomfortable consciousness, even in his most angry mood,
+that his endeavouring to compass de Sigognac's assassination was
+rather too great an enormity, not on account of any conscientious
+scruples, but simply because his rival was a gentleman; he would
+not have hesitated a second about having half-a-dozen bourgeois
+murdered, if they had been rash or unfortunate enough to
+interfere with him, the blood of such base, ignoble creature
+being of no more consequence in his eyes than so much water.
+Vallombreuse would have liked to despatch his enemy himself in
+honourable combat, but that was rendered impossible by the
+baron's superior ability as a swordsman, of which he still had a
+painful reminder in his wounded arm; which was scarcely healed
+yet, and would prevent his indulging in anything like a duel for
+some time to come. So his thoughts turned to the abduction of the
+young actress; a pleasanter subject to dwell upon, as he felt not
+the slightest doubt that once he had her to himself, separated
+from de Sigognac and her companions, she would not long be able
+to withstand his eloquent pleading and personal attractions. His
+self-conceit was boundless, but not much to be wondered at,
+considering his invariable and triumphant success in affairs of
+gallantry; so, in spite of his recent repulse, he flattered
+himself that he only required a fitting opportunity to obtain
+from Isabelle all that he desired.
+
+"Let me have her for a few days in some secluded place," said he
+to himself, "where she cannot escape from me, or have any
+intercourse with her friends, and I shall be sure to win her
+heart. I shall be so kind and good and considerate to her, treat
+her with so much delicacy and devotion, that she cannot help
+feeling grateful to me; and then the transition to love will be
+easy and natural. But when once I have won her, made her wholly
+mine, then she shall pay dearly for what she has made me suffer.
+Yes, my lady, I mean to have my revenge--you may rest assured of
+that."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV. MALARTIC AT WORK
+
+If the Duke of Vallombreuse had been furious after his
+unsuccessful visit to Isabelle, the Baron de Sigognac was not
+less so, when, upon his return that evening, he learned what had
+taken place during his absence. The tyrant and Blazius were
+almost obliged to use force to prevent his rushing off, without
+losing a minute, to challenge the duke to mortal combat--a
+challenge sure to be refused; for de Sigognac, being neither the
+brother nor husband of the injured fair one, had no earthly right
+to call any other gentleman to account for his conduct towards
+her; in France all men are at liberty to pay their court to every
+pretty woman.
+
+As to the attack upon the baron on the Pont-Neuf, there could be
+no doubt that it was instigated by the Duke of Vallombreuse; but
+how to prove it? that was the difficulty. And even supposing it
+could be proved, what good would that do? In the eyes of the
+world the Baron de Sigognac, who carefully concealed his real
+rank, was only Captain Fracasse, a low play-actor, upon whom a
+great noble, like the Duke of Vallombreuse, had a perfect right
+to inflict a beating, imprisonment, or even assassination, if it
+so pleased him; and that without incurring the blame, or serious
+disapproval, of his friends and equals.
+
+So far as Isabelle was concerned, if the affair were made public,
+nobody would believe that she was really pure and virtuous--the
+very fact of her being an actress was enough to condemn her--for
+her sake it was important to keep the matter secret if possible.
+So there was positively no means of calling their enemy to
+account for his flagrant misdeeds, though de Sigognac, who was
+almost beside himself with rage and indignation, and burning
+to avenge Isabelle's wrongs and his own, swore that he would
+punish him, even if he had to move heaven and earth to compass
+it. Yet, when he became a little calmer, he could not but
+acknowledge that Herode and Blazius were right in advising that
+they should all remain perfectly quiet, and feign the most
+absolute indifference; but at the same time keep their eyes and
+ears very wide open, and be unceasingly on their guard against
+artful surprises, since it was only too evident that the
+vindictive young duke, who was handsome as a god and wicked as
+the devil, did not intend to abandon his designs upon them;
+although thus far he had failed ignominiously in everything he
+had undertaken against them.
+
+A gentle, loving remonstrance from Isabelle, as she held de
+Sigognac's hands, all hot and trembling with suppressed rage,
+between her own soft, cool palms, and caressingly interlaced her
+slender white fingers with his, did more to pacify him than all
+the rest, and he finally yielded to her persuasions; promising to
+keep quiet himself, and allow, things to go on just as usual.
+
+Meantime the representations of the troupe had met with splendid
+success. Isabelle's modest grace and refined beauty, Serafina's
+more brilliant charms, the soubrette's sparkling vivacity and
+bewitching coquetry, the superb extravagances of Captain
+Fracasse, the tyrant's majestic mien, Leander's manly beauty, the
+grotesque good humour of the pedant, Scapin's spicy deviltries,
+and the duenna's perfect acting had taken Paris by storm, and
+their highest hopes were likely to be realized. Having
+triumphantly won the approbation of the Parisians, nothing was
+wanting but to gain also that of the court, then at Saint
+Germain, and a rumour had reached their ears that they were
+shortly to be summoned thither; for it was asserted that the
+king, having heard such favourable reports of them, had expressed
+a desire to see them himself. Whereas Herode, in his character of
+treasurer, greatly rejoiced, and all felt a pleasant excitement
+at the prospect of so distinguished an honour. Meanwhile the
+troupe was often in requisition to give private representations
+at the houses of various people of rank and wealth in Paris,
+and it quickly became the fashion among them to offer this very
+popular style of entertainment to their guests.
+
+Thus it befell that the tyrant, being perfectly accustomed to
+that sort of thing, was not at all surprised, or suspicious of
+evil, when one fine morning a stranger, of most venerable and
+dignified mien, presented himself at the hotel in the Rue
+Dauphine, and asked to speak with him on business. He appeared to
+be the major-domo, or steward, of some great nobleman's
+establishment, and, in effect, announced to Herode that he had
+been sent to consult with him, as manager of the troupe, by his
+master, the Comte de Pommereuil.
+
+This highly respectable old functionary was richly dressed in
+black velvet, and had a heavy gold chain round his neck. His face
+was slightly sunburnt; the wavy hair that fell upon his
+shoulders, his thick, bushy eyebrows, heavy mustache, and long,
+sweeping beard were all white as snow. He had the most
+patriarchal, benevolent air imaginable, and a very gentle, yet
+dignified manner. The tyrant could not help admiring him very
+much, as he said, courteously, "Are you, sir, the famous Herode I
+am in quest of, who rules with a hand as firm as Apollo's the
+excellent company of comedians now playing in Paris? Their renown
+has gone abroad, beyond the walls of the city, and penetrated
+even to my master's ears, on his estate out in the country."
+
+"Yes, I have the honour to be the man you seek," the tyrant
+answered, bowing very graciously.
+
+"The Comte de Pommereuil greatly desires to have you give one of
+your celebrated representations at his chateau, where guests of
+high rank are sojourning at this moment, and I have come to
+ascertain whether it will be possible for you to do so. The
+distance is not very considerable, only a few leagues. The comte,
+my master, is a very great and generous seignior, who is prepared
+to reward your illustrious company munificently for their
+trouble, and will do everything in his power to make them
+comfortable while they are under his roof."
+
+"I will gladly do all that I can to please your noble master,"
+the tyrant replied, " though it will be a little difficult for
+us to leave Paris at present, just in the height of the
+season; even if it be only for a short absence."
+
+"Three days would suffice for this expedition," said the
+venerable major-domo persuasively; "one for the journey, the
+second for the representation, and the third for the return to
+Paris. There is a capital theatre at the chateau, furnished with
+everything that is requisite, so that you need not be encumbered
+with much luggage--nothing beyond your costumes. Here is a purse
+containing a hundred pistoles that the Comte de Pommereuil
+charged me to put into your hands, to defray the expenses of the
+journey. You will receive as much more before you return, and
+there will be handsome presents for the actresses forthcoming, of
+valuable jewels, as souvenirs of the occasion."
+
+After a momentary hesitation, the tyrant accepted the well-filled
+purse tendered to him, and, with a gesture of acquiescence, put
+it into his pocket.
+
+"I am to understand then that you accept, and I may tell my
+master that you will give a representation at the chateau, as he
+desires?"
+
+"Yes, I place myself and my company at his disposition," Herode
+said, smilingly. "And now let me know what day you want us to go,
+and which of our pieces your master prefers."
+
+"Thursday is the day my master designated; as for selecting the
+play, that he leaves to your own good taste and discretion."
+
+"Very well; and now you have only to give me directions as to the
+road we must take to reach the chateau. Be as explicit as you
+can, I pray you, so that there may be no danger of our going
+astray."
+
+The agent of the Comte de Pommereuil accordingly gave the most
+minute and exact directions possible, but ended by saying, "Never
+mind, you need not burden your memory with all these troublesome
+details! I will send you a lackey to serve as guide."
+
+Matters being thus satisfactorily arranged, the charming old
+major-domo took leave of Herode, who accompanied him down the
+stairs and across the court to the outer door of the hotel,
+and departed, looking back to exchange a last polite sign of
+farewell ere he turned the corner of the street. If the honest
+tyrant could have seen him as he walked briskly away, the moment
+he was safely out of sight, he would have been astonished at the
+way the broad, stooping shoulders straightened themselves up, and
+at the rapid, vigorous step that succeeded to the slow, rather
+infirm gait of his venerable visitor--but these things our worthy
+Herode neither saw nor suspected.
+
+On Wednesday morning, as the comedians were finishing the packing
+of their chariot, which stood ready for departure in the
+courtyard of the hotel, with a pair of fine spirited horses
+before it that the tyrant had hired for the journey, a tall,
+rather fierce-looking lackey, dressed in a neat livery and
+mounted on a stout pony, presented himself at the outer door,
+cracking his whip vigorously, and announcing himself as the
+guide, sent according to promise by the considerate major-domo,
+to conduct them to the Chateau de Pommereuil.
+
+Eight clear strokes rang out from the Samaritan just as the heavy
+vehicle emerged into the Rue Dauphine, and our company of players
+set forth on their ill-fated expedition. In less than half an
+hour they had left the Porte Saint Antoine and the Bastile behind
+them, passed through the thickly settled faubourg and gained the
+open country; advancing towards Vincennes, which they could
+distinguish in the distance, with its massive keep partially
+veiled by a delicate blue mist, that was rapidly dispersing under
+the influence of the bright, morning sunshine. As the horses were
+fresh, and travelled at a good pace, they soon came up with the
+ancient fortress--which was still formidable in appearance,
+though it could not have offered any adequate resistance to the
+projectiles of modern artillery. The gilded crescents on the
+minarets of the chapel built by Pierre de Montereau shone out
+brightly, as if joyous at finding themselves in such close
+proximity to the cross--the sign of redemption. After pausing a
+few minutes to admire this monument of the ancient splendour of
+our kings, the travellers entered the forest, where, amid the
+dense growth of younger trees, stood a few majestic old
+oaks--contemporaries doubtless of the one under which Saint
+Louis, that king of blessed memory, used to sit and dispense
+justice to his loyal subjects in person--a most becoming and
+laudable occupation for a monarch.
+
+The road was so little used that it was grass-grown in many
+places, and the chariot rolled so smoothly and noiselessly along
+over it that they occasionally surprised a party of rabbits
+frolicking merrily together, and were very much amused to see
+them scamper away, in as great a hurry as if the hounds were at
+their heels. Farther on a frightened deer bounded across the road
+in front of them, and they could watch its swift, graceful flight
+for some distance amid the leafless trees. The young baron was
+especially interested in all these things, being country-bred,
+and it was a delight unspeakable to him to see the fields, the
+hedgerows, the forest, and the wild creatures of the wood once
+more. It was a pleasure he bad been deprived of ever since he had
+frequented cities and towns, where there is nothing to look at
+but dingy houses, muddy streets and smoky chimneys--the works of
+man not of God. He would have pined in them for the fresh country
+air if he had not had the sweet companionship of the lovely woman
+he adored; in whose deep, blue eyes he saw a whole heaven of
+bliss.
+
+Upon emerging from the wood the road wound up a steep hill-side,
+so the horses were stopped, to rest a few minutes before
+beginning the ascent, and de Sigognac, profiting by the
+opportunity thus afforded him, said to Isabelle, "Dear heart,
+will you get down and walk a little way with me? You will find it
+a pleasant change and rest after sitting still in the chariot so
+long. The road is smooth and dry, and the sunshine deliciously
+warm--do come!"
+
+Isabelle joyfully acceded to this request, and putting her hand
+into the one extended to help her, jumped lightly down. It was a
+welcome means of according an innocent tete-a-tete to her devoted
+lover, and both felt as if they were treading on air, they were
+so happy to find themselves alone together, as, arm in arm, they
+walked briskly forward, until they were out of sight of their
+companions. Then they paused to look long and lovingly into each
+other's eyes, and de Sigognac began again to pour out to Isabelle
+"the old, old story," that she was never weary of hearing, but
+found more heavenly sweet at every telling. They were like the
+first pair of mortal lovers in Paradise, entirely sufficient to
+and happy in each other. Yet even then Isabelle gently checked
+the passionate utterances of her faithful suitor, and strove to
+moderate his rapturous transports, though their very fervour made
+her heart rejoice, and brought a bright flush to her cheeks and a
+happy light to her eyes that rendered her more adorably beautiful
+than ever.
+
+"Whatever you may do or say, my darling," he answered, with a
+sweet, tender smile, "you will never be able to tire out my
+constancy. If need be, I will wait for you until all your
+scruples shall have vanished of themselves--though it be not till
+these beautiful, soft brown tresses, with their exquisite tinge
+of gold where the sun shines on them, shall have turned to
+silver."
+
+"Oh!" cried Isabelle, "I shall be so old and so ugly then that
+even your sublime courage will be daunted, and I fear that in
+rewarding your perseverance and fidelity by the gift of myself I
+should only be punishing my devoted knight and brave champion."
+
+"You will never be ugly, my beloved Isabelle, if you live to be a
+hundred," he replied, with an adoring glance, "for yours is not
+the mere physical beauty, that fades away and vanishes--it is the
+beauty of the soul, which is immortal."
+
+"All the same you would be badly off," rejoined Isabelle, "if I
+were to take you at your word, and promise to be yours when I was
+old and gray. But enough of this jesting," she continued gravely,
+"let us be serious! You know my resolution, de Sigognac, so try
+to content yourself with being the object of the deepest, truest,
+most devoted love that was ever yet bestowed on mortal man since
+hearts began to beat in this strange world of ours."
+
+"Such a charming avowal ought to satisfy me, I admit, but it does
+not! My love for you is infinite--it can brook no bounds--it is
+ever increasing--rising higher and higher, despite your
+heavenly voice, that bids it keep within the limits you have
+fixed for it."
+
+"Do not talk so, de Sigognac! you vex me by such extravagances,"
+said Isabelle, with a little pout that was as charming as her
+sweetest smile; for in spite of herself her heart beat high with
+joy at these fervent protestations of a love that no coldness
+could repel, no remonstrance diminish.
+
+They walked on a little way in silence--de Sigognac not daring to
+say more then, lest he should seriously displease the sweet
+creature he loved better than his own life. Suddenly she drew her
+arm out of his, and with an exclamation of delight, sprang to a
+little bank by the road-side, where she had spied a tiny violet,
+peeping out from amid the dead leaves that had lain there all the
+winter through--the first harbinger of spring, smiling up at her
+a friendly greeting, despite the wintry cold of February. She
+knelt down and gently cleared away the dry leaves and grass about
+it, carefully broke the frail little stem, and returned to de
+Sigognac's side with her treasure--more delighted than if she had
+found a precious jewel lying hidden among the mosses.
+
+"Only see, how exquisitely beautiful and delicate it is"--said
+she, showing it to him--"with its dear little petals scarcely
+unrolled yet to return the greeting of this bright, warm
+sunshine, that has roused it from its long winter sleep."
+
+"It was not the sunshine, however bright and warm," answered de
+Sigognac, "but the light of your eyes, sweet Isabelle, that made
+it open out to greet you--and it is exactly the colour too of
+those dear eyes of yours."
+
+"It has scarcely any fragrance, but that is because it's so
+cold," said Isabelle, loosening her scarf, and putting it
+carefully inside the ruff that encircled her slender, white neck.
+In a few minutes she took it out again, inhaled its rich perfume,
+pressed it furtively to her lips, and offered it to de Sigognac.
+
+"See how sweet it is now! The warmth I imparted to it has
+reassured the little modest, timid blossom, and it breathes out
+its incomparable fragrance in gratitude to me."
+
+"Say rather that it has received it from you," he replied,
+raising the violet tenderly to his lips, and taking from it the
+kiss Isabelle had bestowed--"for this delicate, delicious odour
+has nothing gross or earthly about it--it is angelically pure and
+sweet, like yourself, my own Isabelle."
+
+"Ah! the naughty flatterer," said she, smiling upon him with all
+her heart in her eyes. "I give him a little flower that he may
+enjoy its perfume, and straightway he draws from it inspiration
+for all sorts of high-flown conceits, and fine compliments.
+There's no doing anything with him--to the simplest, most
+commonplace remark he replies with a poetical flight of fancy."
+
+However, she could not have been very seriously displeased, for
+she took his arm again, and even leaned upon it rather more
+heavily than the exigencies of the way actually required; which
+goes to prove that the purest virtue is not insensible to pretty
+compliments, and that modesty itself knows how to recompense
+delicate flattery.
+
+Not far from the road they were travelling stood a small group of
+thatched cottages--scarcely more than huts--whose inhabitants
+were all afield at their work, excepting a poor blind man,
+attended by a little ragged boy, who sat on a stone by the
+wayside, apparently to solicit alms from those who passed by.
+Although he seemed to be extremely aged and feeble, he was
+chanting a sort of lament over his misfortunes, and an appeal to
+the charity of travellers, in a loud, whining, yet vigorous
+voice; promising his prayers to those who gave him of their
+substance, and assuring them that they should surely go to
+Paradise as a reward for their generosity. For some time before
+they came up with him, Isabelle and de Sigognac had heard his
+doleful chant--much to the annoyance of the latter; for when one
+is listening, entranced, to the sweet singing of the nightingale,
+it is sorely vexatious to be intruded upon by the discordant
+croaking of a raven. As they drew near to the poor old blind man,
+they saw his little attendant bend down and whisper in his ear,
+whereupon he redoubled his groans and supplications--at the same
+time holding out towards them a small wooden bowl, in which were
+a few coppers, and shaking it, so as to make them rattle as
+loudly as possible, to attract their attention. He was a
+venerable looking old man, with a long white beard, and seemed to
+be shivering with cold, despite the great, thick, woollen cloak
+in which he was wrapped. The child, a wild-looking little
+creature, whose scanty, tattered clothing was but a poor
+protection against the stinging cold, shrunk timidly from notice,
+and tried to hide himself behind his aged charge. Isabelle's
+tender heart was moved to pity at the sight of so much misery,
+and she stopped in front of the forlorn little group while she
+searched in her pocket for her purse--not finding it there she
+turned to her companion and asked him to lend her a little money
+for the poor old blind beggar, which the baron hastened to
+do--though he was thoroughly out of patience with his whining
+jeremiads--and, to prevent Isabelle's coming in actual contact
+with him, stepped forward himself to deposit the coins in his
+wooden bowl. Thereupon, instead of tearfully thanking his
+benefactor and invoking blessings upon his head, after the usual
+fashion of such gentry, the blind man--to Isabelle's
+inexpressible alarm--suddenly sprang to his feet, and
+straightening himself up with a jerk, opened his arms wide, as a
+vulture spreads its wings for flight, gathered up his ample cloak
+about his shoulders with lightning rapidity and flung it from him
+with a quick, sweeping motion like that with which the fisherman
+casts his net. The huge, heavy mantle spread itself out like a
+dense cloud directly above de Sigognac, and falling over and
+about him enveloped him from head to foot in its long, clinging
+folds, held firmly down by the lead with which its edges were
+weighted--making him a helpless prisoner--depriving him at once
+of sight and breath, and of the use of his hands and feet. The
+young actress, wild with terror, turned to fly and call for help,
+but before she could stir, or utter a sound, a hand was clapped
+over her mouth, and she felt herself lifted from the ground. The
+old blind beggar, who, as by a miracle, had suddenly become young
+and active, and possessed of all his faculties, had seized her by
+the shoulders, while the boy took her by the feet, and they
+carried her swiftly and silently round a clump of bushes near by
+to where a man on horseback and masked, was waiting for them.
+Two other men, also mounted and masked, and armed to the
+teeth, were standing close at hand, behind a wall that prevented
+their being seen from the road. Poor Isabelle, nearly fainting
+with fright, was lifted up in front of the first horseman, and
+seated on a cloak folded so as to serve for a cushion; a broad
+leather strap being passed round her waist, which also encircled
+that of the rider, to hold her securely in her place. All this
+was done with great rapidity and dexterity, as if her captors
+were accustomed to such manoeuvres, and then the horseman, who
+held her firmly with one hand, shook his bridle with the other,
+drove his spurs into the horse's sides, and was off like a
+flash--the whole thing being done in less time than it takes to
+describe it. Meanwhile de Sigognac was struggling fiercely and
+wildly under the heavy cloak that enveloped him--like a gladiator
+entangled in his adversary's net--beside himself with rage and
+despair, as he gasped for breath in his stifling prison, and
+realized that this diabolical outrage must be the work of the
+Duke of Vallombreuse. Suddenly, like an inspiration, the thought
+flashed into his mind of using his dagger to free himself from
+the thick, clinging folds, that weighed him down like the leaden
+cloaks of the wretched condemned spirits we read of with a
+shudder in Dante's Inferno. With two or three strong, quick
+strokes he succeeded in cutting through it, and casting it from
+him, with a fierce imprecation, perceived Isabelle's abductors,
+still near at hand, galloping across a neighbouring field, and
+apparently making for a thick grove at a considerable distance
+from where he was standing. As to the blind beggar and the child,
+they had disappeared--probably hiding somewhere near by--but de
+Sigognac did not waste a second thought on them; throwing off his
+own cloak, lest it should impede him, he started swiftly in
+pursuit of the flying enemy and their fair prize, with fury and
+despair in his heart. He was agile and vigorous, lithe of frame,
+fleet of foot, the very figure for a runner, and he quickly began
+to gain on the horsemen. As soon as they became aware of this one
+of them drew a pistol from his girdle and fired at their pursuer,
+but missed him; whereupon de Sigognac, bounding rapidly from
+side to side as he ran, made it impossible for them to take aim
+at him, and effectually prevented their arresting his course in
+that way. The man who had Isabelle in front of him tried to ride
+on in advance, and leave the other two to deal with the baron,
+but the young actress struggled so violently on the horse's neck,
+and kept clutching so persistently at the bridle, that his rider
+could not urge him to his greatest speed. Meantime de Sigognac
+was steadily gaining upon them; without slackening his pace he
+had managed to draw his sword from the scabbard, and brandished
+it aloft, ready for action, as he ran. It is true that he was one
+against three--that he was on foot while they were on
+horseback--but he had not time to consider the odds against him,
+and he seemed possessed of the strength of a giant in Isabelle's
+behalf. Making a prodigious effort, he suddenly increased his
+speed, and coming up with the two horsemen, who were a little
+behind the other one, quickly disposed of them, by vigorously
+pricking their horses' flanks with the point of his sword; for,
+what with fright and pain, the animals, after plunging violently,
+threw off all restraint and bolted--dashing off across country as
+if the devil were after them, and carrying their riders with
+them, just as de Sigognac had expected and intended that they
+should do. The brave young baron was nearly spent--panting,
+almost sobbing, as he struggled desperately on--feeling as if his
+heart would burst at every agonizing throb; but he was indued
+with supernatural strength and endurance, and as Isabelle's voice
+reached his ear calling, "Help, de Sigognac, help!" he cleared
+with a bound the space that separated them, and leaping up to
+catch the broad leathern strap that was passed round her and her
+captor, answered in a hoarse, shrill tone, "I am here." Clinging
+to the strap, he ran along beside the galloping horse--like the
+grooms that the Romans called desultores--and strove with all his
+might to pull the rider down out of his saddle. He did not dare
+to use his sword to disable him, as they struggled together, lest
+he should wound Isabelle also; and, meantime, the man on
+horseback was trying his utmost to shake off his fierce
+assailant-unsuccessfully, because he had both hands fully
+occupied with his horse and his captive, who was doing all she
+could to slip from his grasp, and throw herself into her lover's
+arms. Loosing his hold on the rein for a second, the horseman
+managed to draw a knife from his girdle, and with one blow
+severed the strap to which the baron was clinging; then, driving
+his spurs into the horse's sides made the frightened animal
+spring suddenly forward, while de Sigognac--who was not prepared
+for this emergency, and found himself deprived of all
+support--fell violently upon his back in the road. He was up
+again in an instant, and flying after Isabelle, who was now being
+borne rapidly away from him, and whose cries for help came more
+and more faintly to his ear; but the moment he had lost made his
+pursuit hopeless, and he knew that it was all in vain when he saw
+her disappear behind the thicket her ravisher had been aiming for
+from the first. His heart sank within him, and he staggered as he
+still ran feebly on--feeling now the effects of his superhuman
+exertions, and fearing at each step that his feet would carry him
+no farther. He was soon overtaken by Herode and Scapin, who,
+alarmed by the pistol shot, and fearing that something was wrong,
+had started in hot pursuit, though the lackey who served them as
+guide had done all that he possibly could to hinder them, and in
+a few faltering words he told them what had occurred.
+
+"Vallombreuse again!" cried the tyrant, with an oath. "But how
+the devil did he get wind of our expedition to the Chateau de
+Pommereuil? or can it be possible that it was all a plot from the
+beginning, and we are bound on a fool's errand? I really begin to
+think it must be so. If it is true, I never saw a better actor in
+my life than that respectable old major-domo, confound him! But
+let us make haste and search this grove thoroughly; we may find
+some trace of poor Isabelle; sweet creature that she is! Rough
+old tyrant though I be, my heart warms to her, and I love her
+more tenderly than I do myself. Alas! I'm afraid, that this poor,
+innocent, little fly is caught in the toils of a cruel spider,
+who will take care never to let us get sight of her again."
+
+"I will crush him," said de Sigognac, striking his heel savagely
+on the ground, as if he actually had the spider under it. "I will
+crush the life out of him, the venomous beast!" and the fierce,
+determined expression of his usually calm, mild countenance
+showed that this was no idle threat, but that he was terribly in
+earnest.
+
+"Look," cried Herode, as they dashed through the thicket, "there
+they are!
+
+They could just discern, through the screen of leafless but
+thickly interlaced branches, a carriage, with all the curtains
+carefully closed, and drawn by four horses lashed to a gallop,
+which was rapidly rolling away from them in the distance. The two
+men whose horses had run away with them had them again under
+control, and were riding on either side of it--one of them
+leading the horse that had carried Isabelle and her captor. HE
+was doubtless mounting guard over her in the carriage--perhaps
+using force to keep her quiet--at thought of which de Sigognac
+could scarcely control the transport of rage and agony that shook
+him. Although the three pursuers followed the fugitives, as fast
+as they could run, it was all of no avail, for they soon lost
+sight of them altogether, and nothing remained to be done but to
+ascertain, if possible, the direction they had taken, so as to
+have some clew to poor Isabelle's whereabouts. They had
+considerable difficulty in making out the marks of the carriage
+wheels, for the roads were very dry; and when at length they had
+succeeded in tracing them to a place where four roads met they
+lost them entirely--it was utterly impossible to tell which way
+they had gone. After a long and fruitless search they turned back
+sorrowfully to join their companions, trying to devise some plan
+for Isabelle's rescue, but feeling acutely how hopeless it was.
+They found the others in the chariot waiting for them, just where
+the tyrant and Scapin had left them, for their false guide had
+put spurs to his horse and ridden off after his confederates, as
+soon as he became aware that their undertaking had proved
+successful. When Herode asked an old peasant woman, who came by
+with a bundle of fagots on her back, how far it was to the
+Chateau de Pommereuil, she answered that there was no place of
+that name anywhere in the country round. Upon being questioned
+closely, she said that she had lived  in the neighbourhood for
+seventy years, knew every house within many leagues, and could
+positively assure them that there was no such Chateau within a
+day's journey. So it was only too evident that they were the
+dupes of the clever agents of the Duke of Vallombreuse, who had
+at last succeeded in getting possession of Isabelle, as he had
+sworn that he would do. Accordingly, all of the party turned back
+towards Paris, excepting de Sigognac, the tyrant and Scapin, who
+had decided to go on to the next village, where they hoped to be
+able to procure horses, with which to prosecute their search for
+Isabelle and her abductors.
+
+After the baron's fall, she had been swiftly taken on to the
+other side of the thicket, where the carriage stood awaiting her;
+then lifted down from the horse and put into it, in spite of her
+frantic struggles and remonstrances. The man who had held her in
+front of him got down also and sprang in after her, closing the
+door with a bang, and instantly they were off at a tremendous
+pace. He seated himself opposite to her, and when she impetuously
+tried to pull aside the curtain, so that she could see out of the
+window nearest to her, he respectfully but firmly restrained her.
+
+"Mademoiselle, I implore you to keep quiet," he said, with the
+utmost politeness, "and not oblige me to use forcible means to
+restrain so charming and adorable a creature as your most lovely
+self. No harm shall come to you--do not be afraid!--only kindness
+is intended; therefore I beseech you do not persist in vain
+resistance. If you will only submit quietly, you shall be treated
+with as much consideration and respect as a captive queen, but if
+you go on acting like the devil, struggling and shrieking, I have
+means to bring you to terms, and I shall certainly resort to
+them. THIS will stop your screaming, mademoiselle, and THIS will
+prevent your struggling."
+
+As he spoke he drew out of his pocket a small gag, very
+artistically made, and a long, thick, silken cord, rolled up into
+a ball.
+
+"It would be barbarous indeed," he continued, "to apply such a
+thing as this to that sweet, rosy mouth of yours, mademoiselle,
+as I am sure that you will admit--or to bind together those
+pretty, delicate, little wrists, upon which no worse fetters than
+diamond bracelets should ever be placed."
+
+Poor Isabelle, furious and frightened though she was, could not
+but acknowledge to herself that further physical resistance then
+would be worse than useless, and determined to spare herself at
+least such indignities as she was at that moment threatened with;
+so, without vouchsafing a word to her attendant, she threw
+herself back into the corner of the carriage, closed her eyes,
+and tried to keep perfectly still. But in spite of her utmost
+endeavours she could not altogether repress an occasional sob,
+nor hold back the great tears that welled forth from under her
+drooping eyelids and rolled down over her pale cheeks, as she
+thought of de Sigognac's despair and her own danger.
+
+"After the nervous excitement comes the moist stage; said her
+masked guardian to himself, "things are following their usual and
+natural course. I am very glad of it, for I should have greatly
+disliked to be obliged to act a brutal part with such a sweet,
+charming girl as this."
+
+Now and then Isabelle opened her eyes and cast a timid glance at
+her abductor, who finally said to her, in a voice he vainly
+strove to render soft and mild:
+
+"You need not be afraid of me, mademoiselle! I would not harm you
+in any way for the world. If fortune had been more generous to me
+I certainly would never have undertaken this enterprise against
+such a lovely, gentle young lady as you are; but poor men like me
+are driven to all sorts of expedients to earn a little money;
+they have to take whatever comes within their reach, and
+sacrifice their scruples to their necessities."
+
+"You do admit then," said Isabelle vehemently, "that you have
+been bribed to carry me off ? An infamous, cruel, outrageous
+thing it is."
+
+"After what I have had to do," he replied, "it would be idle to
+deny it. There are a good many philosophers like myself in Paris,
+mademoiselle, who, instead of indulging in love affairs, and
+intrigues of various sorts, of their own, interest themselves in
+those of other people, and, for a consideration, make use of
+their courage, ingenuity and strength to further them. But to
+change the subject, how charming you were in that last new play!
+You went through the scene of the avowal with a grace I have
+never seen equalled. I applauded you to the echo; the pair of
+hands that kept it up so perseveringly and vigorously, you know,
+belonged to me."
+
+"I beg you to dispense with these ill-judged remarks and
+compliments, and to tell me where you are taking me, in this
+strange, outrageous manner, against my will, and, in despite of
+all the ordinary usages of civilized society."
+
+"I cannot tell you that, mademoiselle, and besides, it would do
+you no sort of good to know. In our profession, you see, we are
+obliged to observe as much secrecy and discretion as confessors
+and physicians. Indeed, in such affairs as this we often do not
+know the names of the parties we are working for ourselves."
+
+"Do you mean to say that you do not know who has employed you to
+commit this abominable, cruel crime?"
+
+"It makes no difference whether I know his name or not, since I
+am not at liberty to disclose it to you. Think over your numerous
+admirers, mademoiselle! the most ardent and least favoured one
+among them would probably be at the bottom of all this."
+
+Finding that she could not get any information from him, Isabelle
+desisted, and did not speak again. She had not the slightest
+doubt that the Duke of Vallombreuse was the author of this new
+and daring enterprise. The significant and threatening way in
+which he had said "au revoir, mademoiselle," as he quitted her
+presence after she had repulsed him a few days before, had
+haunted her, and she had been in constant dread ever since of
+some new outrage. She hoped, against hope, that de Sigognac, her
+valiant lover, would yet come to her rescue, and thought proudly
+of the gallant deeds he had already done in her behalf that
+day--but how was he to find out where to seek her?
+
+"If worst comes to worst," she said to herself, "I still have
+Chiquita's knife, and I can and will escape from my persecutor in
+that way, if all other means fail."
+
+For two long hours she sat motionless, a prey to sad and terrible
+thoughts and fears, while the carriage rolled swiftly on without
+slackening its speed, save once, for a moment, when they changed
+horses. As the curtains were all lowered, she could not catch
+even a glimpse of the country she was passing through, nor tell
+in what direction she was being driven. At last she heard the
+hollow sound of a drawbridge under the wheels; the carriage
+stopped, and her masked companion, promptly opening the door,
+jumped nimbly out and helped her to alight. She cast a hurried
+glance round her, as she stepped down, saw that she was in a
+large, square court, and that all the tall, narrow windows in the
+high brick walls that surrounded it had their inside shutters
+carefully closed. The stone pavement of the spacious courtyard
+was in some places partly covered with moss, and a few weeds had
+sprung up in the corners, and along the edges by the walls. At
+the
+foot of a broad, easy flight of steps, leading up to a covered
+porch, two majestic Egyptian sphinxes lay keeping guard; their
+huge rounded flanks mottled here and there with patches of moss
+and lichens. Although the large chateau looked lonely and
+deserted, it had a grand, lordly air, and seemed to be kept in
+perfect order and repair. Isabelle was led up the steps and into
+the vestibule by the man who had brought her there, and then
+consigned to the care of a respectable-looking majordomo, who
+preceded her up a magnificent staircase, and into a suite of
+rooms furnished with the utmost luxury and elegance. Passing
+through the first--which was enriched with fine old carvings in
+oak, dark with age--he left her in a spacious, admirably
+proportioned apartment, where a cheery wood fire was roaring up
+the huge chimney, and she saw a bed in a curtained alcove. She
+chanced to catch sight of her own face in the mirror over an
+elaborately furnished dressing-table, as she passed it, and was
+startled and shocked at its ghastly pallor and altered
+expression; she scarcely could recognise it, and felt as if she
+had seen a ghost--poor Isabelle! Over the high, richly ornamented
+chimney-piece hung a portrait of a gentleman, which, as she
+approached the fire, at once caught and riveted her attention.
+The face seemed strangely familiar to her, and yet she could not
+remember where she had seen it before. It was pale, with large,
+black eyes, full red lips, and wavy brown hair, thrown carelessly
+back from it-apparently the likeness of a man about forty years
+of age and it had a charming air of nobility and lofty pride,
+tempered with benevolence and tenderness, which was inexpressibly
+attractive. The portrait was only half-length--the breast being
+covered with a steel cuirass, richly inlaid with gold, which was
+partly concealed by a white scarf, loosely knotted over it.
+Isabelle, despite her great alarm and anxiety, could not long
+withdraw her eyes or her thoughts from this picture, which seemed
+to exert a strange fascination over her. There was something
+about it that at the first glance resembled the Duke of
+Vallombreuse, but the expression was so different that the
+likeness disappeared entirely upon closer examination. It brought
+vague memories to Isabelle's mind that she tried in vain to
+seize--she felt as if she must be looking at it in a dream. She
+was still absorbed in reverie before it when the major-domo
+reappeared, followed by two lackeys, in quiet livery, carrying a
+small table set for one person, which they put down near the
+fire; and as one of them took the cover off an old-fashioned,
+massive silver tureen, he announced to Isabelle that her dinner
+was ready. The savoury odour from the smoking soup was very
+tempting, and she was very hungry; but after she had mechanically
+seated herself and dipped her spoon into the broth, it suddenly
+occurred to her that the food might contain a narcotic--such
+things had been done--and she pushed away the plate in front of
+her in alarm. The major-domo, who was standing at a respectful
+distance watching her, ready to anticipate her every wish, seemed
+to divine her thought, for he advanced to the table and
+deliberately partook of all the viands upon it, as well as of the
+wine and water--as if to prove to her that there was nothing
+wrong or unusual about them. Isabelle was somewhat reassured by
+this, and feeling that she would probably have need of all her
+strength, did bring herself to eat and drink, though very
+sparingly. Then, quitting the table, she sat down in a large
+easy-chair in front of the fire to think over her terrible
+position, and endeavour to devise some means of escape from it.
+When the servants had attended to their duties and left her alone
+again, she rose languidly and walked slowly to the
+window--feeling as weak as though she had had a severe illness,
+after the violent emotions and terrors of the day, and as if she
+had aged years in the last few hours. Could it be possible that
+only that very morning she and de Sigognac had been walking
+together, with hearts full of happiness and peace--and she had
+rapturously hailed the appearance of the first spring violet as
+an omen of good, and gathered the sweet little blossom to bestow
+upon the devoted lover who adored her? And now, alas! alas! they
+were as inexorably and hopelessly separated as if half the globe
+lay between them. No wonder that her breast heaved tumultuously
+with choking sobs, and hot tears rained down over her pallid
+cheeks, as she wept convulsively at the thought of all she had
+lost. But she did not long indulge her grief--she remembered that
+at any moment she might have need of all her coolness and
+fortitude--and making a mighty effort, like the brave heroine
+that she was, she regained control over herself, and drove back
+the gushing tears to await a more fitting season. She was
+relieved to find that there were no bars at the window, as she
+had feared; but upon opening the casement and leaning out she saw
+immediately beneath her a broad moat, full of stagnant water,
+which surrounded the chateau, and forbade any hope of succour or
+escape on that side. Beyond the moat was a thick grove of large
+trees, which entirely shut out the view; and she returned to her
+seat by the fire, more disheartened and cast down than ever. She
+was very nervous, and trembled at the slightest sound--casting
+hasty, terrified glances round the vast apartment, and dreading
+lest an unseen door in some shadowy corner should be softly
+opened, or a hidden panel in the wall be slipped aside, to admit
+her relentless enemy to her presence. She remembered all the
+horrible tales she had ever heard of secret passages and winding
+staircases in the walls, that are supposed to abound in ancient
+castles; and the mysterious visitants, both human and
+supernatural, that are said to be in the habit of issuing from
+them, in the gloaming, and at midnight. As the twilight deepened
+into darkness, her terror increased, and she nearly fainted from
+fright when a servant suddenly entered with lights.
+
+While poor Isabelle was suffering such agony in one part of the
+chateau, her abductors were having a grand carouse in another.
+They were to remain there for a while as a sort of garrison, in
+case of an attack by de Sigognac and his friends; and were
+gathered round the table in a large room down on the ground
+floor--as remote as possible from Isabelle's sumptuous quarters.
+They were all drinking like sponges, and making merry over their
+wine and good cheer, but one of them especially showed the most
+remarkable and astounding powers of ingurgitation--it was the man
+who had carried off the fair prize before him on his horse; and,
+now that the mask was thrown aside, he disclosed to view the
+deathly pale face and fiery red nose of Malartic, bosom friend
+and "alter ego" of Maitre Jacquemin Lampourde.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI. VALLOMBREUSE
+
+Isabelle sat for a long time perfectly motionless in her
+luxurious chamber, sunk in a sad reverie, apparently entirely
+oblivious of the glow of light, warmth, and comfort that closed
+her in--glancing up occasionally at the portrait over the
+chimney-piece, which seemed to be smiling down upon her and
+promising her protection and peace, while it more than ever
+reminded her of some dear face she had known and loved long ago.
+After a time, however, her mood changed. She grew restless, and
+rising, began to wander aimlessly about the room; but her
+uneasiness only increased, and finally, in desperation, she
+resolved to venture out into the corridor and look about her, no
+matter at what risk. Anything would be better than this enforced
+inactivity and suspense. She tried the door with a trembling
+hand, dreading to find herself locked in, but it was not
+fastened, and seeing that all was dark outside, she took up a
+small lamp, that had been left burning on a side table, and
+boldly setting forth, went softly down the long flight of stairs,
+in the hope of finding some means of exit from the chateau on the
+lower floor. At the foot of the stairs she came to a large double
+door, one leaf of which yielded easily when she timidly tried to
+open it, but creaked dolefully as it turned on its hinges. She
+hesitated for a moment, fearing that the noise would alarm the
+servants and bring them out to see what was amiss; but no one
+came, and taking fresh courage, she moved on and passed into a
+lofty, vaulted hall, with highbacked, oaken benches ranged
+against the tapestry-covered walls, upon which hung several large
+trophies of arms, and sundry swords, shields, and steel
+gauntlets,  which caught and flashed back the light from her lamp
+as she held it up to examine them. The air was heavy, chilly, and
+damp. An awful stillness reigned in this deserted hall. Isabelle
+shivered as she crept slowly along, and nearly stumbled against a
+huge table, with massive carved feet, that stood in the centre of
+the tesselated marble pavement. She was making for a door,
+opposite the one by which she had entered; but, as she approached
+it, was horror-stricken when she perceived two tall men, clad in
+armour, standing like sentinels, one on either side of it. She
+stopped short, then tried to turn and fly, but was so paralyzed
+with terror that she could not stir, expecting every instant that
+they would pounce upon her and take her prisoner, while she
+bitterly repented her temerity in having ventured to leave her
+own room, and vainly wished herself back by the quiet fireside
+there. Meanwhile the two dread figures stood as motionless as
+herself--the silence was unbroken, and "the beating of her own
+heart was the only sound she heard." So at last she plucked up
+courage to look more closely at the grim sentinels, and could not
+help smiling at her own needless alarm, when she found that they
+were suits of armour, indeed, but without men inside of
+them--just such as one sees standing about in the ancient royal
+palaces of France. Passing them with a saucy glance of defiance,
+and a little triumphant toss of the head, Isabelle entered a vast
+dining room, with tall, sculptured buffets, on which stood many
+superb vessels of gold and silver, together with delicate
+specimens of exquisite Venetian and Bohemian glass, and precious
+pieces of fine porcelain, fit for a king's table. Large handsome
+chairs, with carved backs, were standing round the great
+dining-table, and the walls, above the heavy oaken wainscot, were
+hung with richly embossed Cordova leather, glowing with warm,
+bright tints and golden arabesques.
+
+She did not linger to examine and admire all the beautified
+things dimly revealed to her by the feeble light of her small
+lamp, but hurried on to the third door, which opened into an
+apartment yet more spacious and magnificent than the other two.
+At one end of it was a lordly dais, raised three steps above the
+inlaid floor, upon which stood a splendid great arm-chair, almost
+a throne, under a canopy emblazoned with a brilliant coat of arms
+and surmounted by a tuft of nodding plumes. Still hurrying on,
+Isabelle next entered a sumptuous bed-chamber, and, as she paused
+for an instant to hold up her lamp and look about her, fancied
+that she could hear the regular breathing of a sleeper in the
+immense bed, behind the crimson silk curtains which were closely
+drawn around it. She did not dare to stop and investigate the
+matter, but flew on her way, as lightly as any bird, and next
+found herself in a library, where the white busts surmounting the
+well-filled book-cases stared down at her with their hard, stony
+eyes, and made her shudder as she nervously sought for an exit,
+without delaying one moment to glance at the great variety of
+curious and beautiful objects scattered lavishly about, which,
+under any ordinary circumstances, would have held her enthralled.
+
+Running at right angles with the library, and opening out of it,
+was the picture gallery, where the family portraits were arranged
+in chronological order on one side, while opposite to them was a
+long row of windows, looking into the court. The shutters were
+closed, but near the top of each one was a small circular
+opening, through which the moon shone and faintly lighted the
+dusky gallery, striking here and there directly upon the face of
+a portrait, with an indescribably weird and startling effect. It
+required all of Isabelle's really heroic courage to keep on past
+the long line of strange faces, looking down mockingly it seemed
+to her from their proud height upon her trembling form as she
+glided swiftly by, and she was thankful to find, at the end of
+the gallery, a glass door opening out upon the court. It was not
+fastened, and after carefully placing her lamp in a sheltered
+corner, where no draughts could reach it, she stepped out under
+the stars. It was a relief to find herself breathing freely in
+the fresh, pure air, though she was actually no less a prisoner
+than before, and as she stood looking up into the clear evening
+sky, and thinking of her own true lover, she seemed to feel new
+courage and hope springing up in her heart.
+
+In one corner of the court she saw a strong light shining out
+through the crevices in the shutters that closed several low
+windows, and heard sounds of revelry from the same direction--the
+only signs of life she had detected about the whole place. Her
+curiosity was excited by them, and she stole softly over towards
+the quarter from whence they came, keeping carefully in the
+shadow of the wall, and glancing anxiously about to make sure
+that no one was furtively watching her. Finding a considerable
+aperture in one of the wooden shutters she peeped through it, and
+saw a party of men gathered around a table, eating and drinking
+and making merry in a very noisy fashion. The light from a lamp
+with three burners, which was suspended by a copper chain from
+the low ceiling, fell full upon them, and although she had only
+seen them masked before, Isabelle instantly recognised those who
+had been concerned in her abduction. At the head of the table sat
+Malartic, whose extraordinary face was paler and nose redder than
+ever, and at sight of whom the young girl shuddered and drew
+back. When she had recovered herself a little, she looked in
+again upon the repulsive scene, and was surprised to see, at the
+other end of the table, and somewhat apart from the others,
+Agostino, the brigand, who had now laid aside the long white
+beard in which he had played the part of the old blind beggar so
+successfully. A great deal of loud talking was going on,
+constantly interrupted by bursts of laughter, but Isabelle could
+not hear distinctly enough through the closed window to make out
+what they were saying. Even if she had been actually in the room
+with them, she would have found much of their conversation
+incomprehensible, as it was largely made up of the extraordinary
+slang of the Paris street Arabs and rascals generally. From time
+to time one or the other of the participants in this orgy seemed
+to propose a toast, whereupon they would all clink their glasses
+together before raising them to their lips, drain them at a
+draught, and applaud vociferously, while there was a constant
+drawing of corks and placing of fresh bottles on the table by the
+servant who was waiting upon them. just as Isabelle, thoroughly
+disgusted with the brutality of the scene before her, was about
+to turn away, Malartic rapped loudly on the table to obtain a
+hearing, and after making a proposition, which met with ready and
+cordial assent, rose from his seat, cleared his throat, and began
+to sing, or rather shout, a ribald song, all the others joining
+in the chorus, with horrible grimaces and gesticulations, which
+so frightened poor Isabelle that she could scarcely find strength
+to creep away from the loathsome spectacle.
+
+Before re-entering the house she went to look at the drawbridge,
+with a faint hope that she might chance upon some unexpected
+means of escape, but all was secure there, and a little postern,
+opening on the moat, which she discovered near by, was also
+carefully fastened, with bolts and bars strong enough to keep out
+an army. As these seemed to be the only means of exit from the
+chateau, she felt that she was a prisoner indeed, and understood
+why it had not been deemed necessary to lock any of the inner
+doors against her. She walked slowly back to the gallery, entered
+it by the glass door, found her lamp burning tranquilly just
+where she had left it, retraced her steps swiftly through the
+long suite of spacious apartments already described and flew jp
+the grand staircase to her own room, congratulating herself upon
+not having been detected in her wanderings. She put her lamp down
+in the antechamber, but paused in terror on the threshold of the
+inner room, stifling a shriek that had nearly escaped her as she
+caught sight of a strange, wild figure crouching on the hearth.
+But her fears were short-lived, for with an exclamation of
+delight the intruder sprang towards her and she saw that it was
+Chiquita--but Chiquita in boy's clothes.
+
+"Have you got the knife yet?" said the strange little creature
+abruptly to Isabelle--"the knife with three bonny red marks."
+
+"Yes, Chiquita, I have it here in my bosom," she replied. "But
+why do you ask? Is my life in danger?"
+
+"A knife," said the child with fierce, sparkling eyes, "a knife
+is a faithful friend and servant; it never betrays or fails its
+master, if he is careful to give it a drink now and then, for a
+knife is often thirsty you know."
+
+"You frighten me, you naughty child!" exclaimed Isabelle, much
+troubled and agitated by these sinister, extravagant words, which
+perhaps, she thought, might be intended as a friendly warning.
+
+"Sharpen the edge on the marble of the chimney-piece, like this,"
+continued Chiquita, "and polish the blade on the sole of your
+shoe."
+
+"Why do you tell me all this?" cried Isabelle, turning very pale.
+
+"For nothing in particular, only he who would defend himself gets
+his weapons ready--that's all."
+
+These odd, fierce phrases greatly alarmed Isabelle, yet
+Chiquita's presence in her room was a wonderful relief and
+comfort to her. The child apparently cherished a warm and sincere
+affection for her, which was none the less genuine because of its
+having arisen from such a trivial incident--for the pearl beads
+were more precious than diamonds to Chiquita. She had given a
+voluntary promise to Isabelle never to kill or harm her, and with
+her strange, wild, yet exalted notions of honour she looked upon
+it as a solemn obligation and vow, by which she must always
+abide--for there was a certain savage nobility in Chiquita's
+character, and she could be faithful unto death. Isabelle was the
+only human being, excepting Agostino, who had been kind to her.
+She had smiled upon the unkempt child, and given her the coveted
+necklace, and Chiquita loved her for it, while she adored her
+beauty. Isabelle's sweet countenance, so angelically mild and
+pure, exercised a wonderful influence over the neglected little
+savage, who had always been surrounded by fierce, haggard faces,
+expressive of every evil passion, and disfigured by indulgence in
+the lowest vices, and excesses of every kind.
+
+"But how does it happen that you are here, Chiquita? asked
+Isabelle, after a short silence. "Were you sent to keep guard
+over me?
+
+"No, I came alone and of my own accord," answered Chiquita,
+"because I saw the light and fire. I was tired of lying all
+cramped up in a corner, and keeping quiet, while those beastly
+men drank bottle after bottle of wine, and gorged themselves with
+the good things set before them. I am so little, you know, so
+young and slender, that they pay no more attention to me than
+they would to a kitten asleep under the table. While they were
+making a great noise I slipped quietly away unperceived. The
+smell of the wine and the food sickened me. I am used to the
+sweet perfume of the heather, and the pure resinous odour of the
+pines. I cannot breathe in such an atmosphere as there is down
+below there."
+
+"And you were not afraid to wander alone, without a light,
+through the long, dark corridors, and the lonely, deserted
+rooms?"
+
+"Chiquita does not know what it is to be afraid--her eyes can see
+in the dark, and her feet never stumble. The very owls shut their
+eyes when they meet her, and the bats fold their wings when she
+comes near their haunts. Wandering ghosts stand aside to let her
+pass, or turn back when they see her approaching. Night is her
+comrade and hides no secrets from her, and Chiquita never betrays
+them to the day."
+
+Her eyes flashed and dilated as she spoke, and Isabelle looked at
+her with growing wonder, not unmixed with a vague sensation of
+fear.
+
+"I like much better to stay here, in this heavenly quiet, by the
+fire with you," continued the child, "than down there in all the
+uproar. You are so beautiful that I love to look at you-you are
+like the Blessed Virgin that I have seen shining above the altar.
+Only from afar though, for they always chase me out of the
+churches with the dogs, because I am so shabby and forlorn. How
+white your hand is! Mine looks like a monkey's paw beside it--and
+your hair is as fine and soft as silk, while mine is all rough
+and tangled. Oh! I am so horribly ugly--you must think so too."
+
+"No, my dear child,"Isabelle replied, touched by her naive
+expressions of affection and admiration, "I do not think so. You
+have beauty too--you only need to make yourself neat and clean to
+be as pretty a little girl as one would wish to see."
+
+"Do you really think so? Are you telling me true? I would steal
+fine clothes if they would make me pretty, for then Agostino
+would love me."
+
+This idea brought a little flush of colour to her thin brown
+cheeks, and for a few minutes she seemed lost in a pleasant
+reverie.
+
+"Do you know where we are?" asked Isabelle, when Chiquita looked
+up at her again.
+
+"In a chateau that belongs to the great seignior who has so much
+money, and who wanted to carry you off at Poitiers. I had only to
+draw the bolt and it would have been done then. But you gave me
+the pearl necklace, and I love you, and I would not do anything
+you did not like."
+
+"Yet you have helped to carry me off this time," said Isabelle
+reproachfully. "Is it because you don't love me any more that you
+have given me up to my enemies?"
+
+"Agostino ordered me, and I had to obey; besides, some other
+child could have played guide to the blind man as well as I, and
+then I could not have come into the chateau with you, do you
+see?--here I may be able to do something to help you. I am brave,
+active and strong, though I am so small, and quick as lightning
+too--and I shall not let anybody harm you."
+
+"Is this chateau very far from Paris?" asked Isabelle, drawing
+Chiquita up on her lap. "Did you hear any one mention the name of
+this place?"
+
+"Yes, one of them called it--now what was it?" said the child,
+looking up at the ceiling and absently scratching her head, as if
+to stimulate her memory.
+
+"Try to remember it, my child!" said Isabelle, softly stroking
+Chiquita's brown cheeks, which flushed with delight at the
+unwonted caress--no one had ever petted the poor child in her
+life before.
+
+"I think that it was Val-lom-breuse," said Chiquita at last,
+pronouncing the syllables separately and slowly, as if listening
+to an inward echo. "Yes, Vallombreuse, I am sure of it now. It is
+the name of the seignior that your Captain Fracasse wounded in a
+duel--he would have done much better if he had killed him
+outright--saved a great deal of trouble to himself and to you. He
+is very wicked, that rich duke, though he does throw his gold
+about so freely by the handfuls--just like a man sowing grain.
+You hate him, don't you? and you would be glad if you could get
+away from him, eh?"
+
+"Oh yes, indeed!" cried Isabelle impetuously. "But alas! it is
+impossible--a deep moat runs all around this chateau the
+drawbridge is up, the postern securely fastened--there is no way
+of escape."
+
+"Chiquita laughs at bolts and bars, at high walls and deep moats.
+Chiquita can get out of the best guarded prison whenever she
+pleases, and fly away to the moon, right before the eyes of her
+astonished jailer. If you choose, before the sun rises your
+Captain Fracasse shall know where the treasure that he seeks is
+hidden."
+
+Isabelle was afraid, when she heard these incoherent phrases,
+that the child was not quite sane, but her little face was so
+calm, her dark eyes so clear and steady, her voice so earnest,
+and she spoke with such an air of quiet conviction, that the
+supposition was not admissible, and the strange little creature
+did seem to be possessed of some of the magic powers she claimed.
+As if to convince Isabelle that she was not merely boasting, she
+continued, "Let me think a moment, to make a plan--don't speak
+nor move, for the least sound interferes with me--I must listen
+to the spirit."
+
+Chiquita bent down her head, put her hand over her eyes, and
+remained for several minutes perfectly motionless; then she
+raised her head and without a word went and opened the window,
+clambered up on the sill, and gazed out intently into the
+darkness.
+
+"Is she really going to take flight?" said Isabelle to herself,
+as she anxiously watched Chiquita's movements, not knowing what
+to expect. Exactly opposite to the window, on the other side of
+the moat, was an immense tree, very high and old, whose great
+branches, spreading out horizontally, overhung the water; but the
+longest of them did not reach the wall of the chateau by at least
+ten feet. It was upon this tree, however, that Chiquita's plan
+for escape depended. She turned away from the window, drew from
+her pocket a long cord made of horse-hair, very fine and
+strong, which she carefully unrolled to its full length and laid
+upon the floor; then produced from another pocket an iron hook,
+which she fastened securely to the cord. This done to her
+satisfaction, she went to the window again, and threw the end of
+the cord with the hook into the branches of the tree. The first
+time she was unsuccessful; the iron hook fell and struck against
+the stone wall beneath the casement; but at the second attempt
+the hook caught and held, and Chiquita, drawing the cord taut,
+asked Isabelle to take hold of it and bear her whole weight on
+it, until the branch was bent as far as possible towards the
+chateau--coming five or six feet nearer to the window where they
+were. Then Chiquita tied the cord firmly to the ornamental iron
+railing of the tiny balcony, with a knot that could not slip,
+climbed over, and grasping the cord with both hands, swung
+herself off, and hung suspended over the waters of the moat far
+below. Isabelle held her breath. With a rapid motion of the hands
+Chiquita crossed the clear space, reached the tree safely, and
+climbed down into it with the agility of a monkey.
+
+"Now undo the knot so that I can take the cord with me," she
+said, in a low but very distinct tone of voice to Isabelle, who
+began to breathe freely again, "unless, indeed, you would like to
+follow me. But you would be frightened and dizzy, and might fall,
+so you had better stay where you are. Good-bye! I am going
+straight to Paris, and shall soon be back again; I can get on
+quickly in this bright moonlight."
+
+Isabelle did as she was bid, and the branch, being no longer held
+by the cord, swung back to its original position. In less than a
+minute Chiquita had scrambled down to the ground, and the captive
+soon lost sight of her slender little figure as she walked off
+briskly towards the capital.
+
+All that had just occurred seemed like a strange dream to
+Isabelle, now that she found herself alone again. She remained
+for some time at the open casement, looking at the great tree
+opposite, and trembling as she realized the terrible risk
+Chiquita had run for her sake--feeling warm gratitude and tender
+affection for the wild, incomprehensible little creature, who
+manifested such a strong attachment for herself, and a new
+hope sprang up in her heart as she thought that now de Sigognac
+would soon know where to find her. The cold night air at last
+forced her to close the window, and after arranging the curtains
+over it carefully, so as to show no signs of having been
+disturbed, she returned to her easy-chair by the fire; and just
+in time, for she had scarcely seated herself when the major-domo
+entered, followed by the two servants, again carrying the little
+table, set for one, with her supper daintily arranged upon it. A
+few minutes earlier and Chiquita's escape would have been
+discovered and prevented. Isabelle, still greatly agitated by all
+that had passed, could not eat, and signed to the servants to
+remove the supper untouched. Whereupon the major-domo himself put
+some bread and wine on a small table beside the bed, and placed
+on a chair near the fire a richly trimmed dressing-gown, and
+everything that a lady could require in making her toilet for the
+night. Several large logs of wood were piled up on the massive
+andirons, the candles were renewed, and then the major-domo,
+approaching Isabelle with a profound obeisance, said to her that
+if she desired the services of a maid he would send one to her.
+As she made a gesture of dissent he withdrew, after again bowing
+to her most respectfully. When they had all gone, Isabelle, quite
+worn out, threw herself down on the outside of the bed without
+undressing, so as to be ready in case of any sudden alarm in the
+night; then took out Chiquita's knife, opened it, and laid it
+beside her. Having taken these precautions, she closed her eyes,
+and hoped that she could for a while forget her troubles in
+sleep; but she had been so much excited and agitated that her
+nerves were all quivering, and it was long before she even grew
+drowsy. There were so many strange, incomprehensible noises in
+the great, empty house to disturb and startle her; and in her own
+room, the cracking of the furniture, the ticking of a death-watch
+in the wall near her bed, the gnawing of a rat behind the
+wainscot, the snapping of the fire. At each fresh sound she
+started up in terror, with her poor heart throbbing as if it
+would burst out of her breast, a cold perspiration breaking out
+on her forehead, and trembling in every limb. At last, however,
+weary nature had to succumb, and she fell into a deep sleep,
+which lasted until she was awakened by the sun shining on her
+face. Her first thought was to wonder that she had not yet seen
+the Duke of Vallombreuse; but she was thankful for his absence,
+and hoped that it would continue until Chiquita should have
+brought de Sigognac to the rescue.
+
+The reason why the young duke had not yet made his appearance was
+one of policy. He had taken especial pains to show himself at
+Saint Germain on the day of the abduction--had joined the royal
+hunting party, and been exceedingly and unwontedly affable to all
+who happened to come in contact with him. In the evening he had
+played at cards, and lost ostentatiously sums that would have
+been of importance to a less wealthy man--being all the time in a
+very genial mood--especially after the arrival of a mounted
+messenger, who brought him a little note. Thus the duke's desire
+to be able to establish an incontestable alibi, in case of need,
+had spared Isabelle thus far the infliction of his hated
+presence; but while she was congratulating herself upon it, and
+welcoming the sunshine that streamed into her room, she heard the
+drawbridge being let down, and immediately after a carriage
+dashed over it and thundered into the court. Her heart sank, for
+who would be likely to enter in that style save the master of the
+house? Her face grew deathly pale, she reeled, and for one
+dreadful moment felt as if she should faint; but, rallying her
+courage, she reminded herself that Chiquita had gone to bring de
+Sigognac to her aid, and determined afresh to meet bravely
+whatever trials might be in store for her, until her beloved
+knight and champion should arrive, to rescue her from her
+terrible danger and irksome imprisonment. Her eyes involuntarily
+sought the portrait over the chimney-piece, and after
+passionately invoking it, and imploring its aid and protection,
+as if it had been her patron saint, she felt a certain sense of
+ease and security, as if what she had so earnestly entreated
+would really be accorded to her.
+
+A full hour had elapsed, which the young duke had employed in the
+duties of the toilet, and in snatching a few minutes of
+repose after his rapid night-journey, when the major-domo
+presented himself, and asked respectfully if Isabelle would
+receive the Duke of Vallombreuse.
+
+"I am a prisoner," she replied, with quiet dignity, "and this
+demand, which would be fitting and polite in any ordinary case,
+is only a mockery when addressed to one in my position. I have no
+means of preventing your master's coming into this room, nor can
+I quit it to avoid him. I do not accept his visit but submit to
+it.
+He must do as he pleases about it, and come and go when he likes.
+He allows me no choice in the matter. Go and tell him exactly
+what I have said to you."
+
+The major-domo bowed low, and retired backward to the door,
+having received strict orders to treat Isabelle with the greatest
+respect and consideration. In a few minutes he returned, and
+announced the Duke of Vallombreuse.
+
+Isabelle half rose from her chair by the fire, but turned very
+pale and fell back into it, as her unwelcome visitor made his
+appearance at the door. He closed it and advanced slowly towards
+her, hat in hand, but when he perceived that she was trembling
+violently, and looked ready to faint, he stopped in the middle of
+the room, made a low bow, and said in his most dulcet, persuasive
+tones:
+
+"If my presence is too unbearably odious now to the charming
+Isabelle, and she would like to have a little time to get used to
+the thought of seeing me, I will withdraw. She is my prisoner, it
+is true, but I am none the less her slave."
+
+"This courtesy is tardy," Isabelle replied coldly, "after the
+violence you have made use of against me."
+
+"That is the natural result," said the duke, with a smile, "of
+pushing people to extremity by a too obstinate and prolonged
+resistance. Having lost all hope, they stop at nothing--knowing
+that they cannot make matters any worse, whatever they do. If you
+had only been willing to suffer me to pay my court to you in the
+regular way, and shown a little indulgence to my love, I should
+have quietly remained among the ranks of your passionate adorers;
+striving, by dint of delicate attentions, chivalrous devotion,
+magnificent offerings, and respectful yet ardent solicitations,
+to soften that hard heart of yours. If I could not have succeeded
+in inspiring it with love for me, I might at least have
+awakened in it that tender pity which is akin to love, and
+which is so often only its forerunner. In the end, perhaps, you
+would have repented of your cruel severity, and acknowledged that
+you had been unjust towards me. Believe me, my charming Isabelle,
+I should have neglected nothing to bring it about."
+
+"If you had employed only honest and honourable means in your
+suit," Isabelle rejoined, "I should have felt very sorry that I
+had been so unfortunate as to inspire an attachment I could not
+reciprocate, and would have given you my warm sympathy, and
+friendly regard, instead of being reluctantly compelled, by
+repeated outrages, to hate you instead.
+
+"You do hate me then?--you acknowledge it?" the duke cried, his
+voice trembling with rage; but he controlled himself, and after a
+short pause continued, in a gentler tone, "Yet I do not deserve
+it. My only wrongs towards you, if any there be, have come from
+the excess and ardour of my love; and what woman, however chaste
+and virtuous, can be seriously angry with a gallant gentleman
+because he has been conquered by the power of her adorable
+charms? whether she so desired or not."
+
+"Certainly, that is not a reason for dislike or anger, my lord,
+if the suitor does not overstep the limits of respect, as all
+women will agree. But when his insolent impatience leads him to
+commit excesses, and he resorts to fraud, abduction, and
+imprisonment, as you have not hesitated to do, there is no other
+result possible than an unconquerable aversion. Coercion is
+always and inevitably revolting to a nature that has any proper
+pride or delicacy. Love, true love, is divine, and cannot be
+furnished to order, or extorted by violence. It is spontaneous,
+and freely given--not to be bought, nor yet won by importunity."
+
+"Is an unconquerable aversion then all that I am to expect from
+you?" said Vallombreuse, who had become pale to ghastliness, and
+been fiercely gnawing his under lip, while Isabelle was
+speaking, in her sweet, clear tones, which fell on his ear like
+the soft chiming of silver bells, and only served to enhance his
+devouring passion.
+
+"There is yet one means of winning my friendship and gratitude--
+be noble and generous, and give me back the liberty of which you
+have deprived me. Let me return to my companions, who must be
+anxiously seeking for me, and suffering keenly because of their
+fears for my safety. Let me go and resume my lowly life as an
+actress, before this outrageous affair--which may irreparably
+injure my reputation--has become generally known, or my absence
+from the theatre been remarked by the public."
+
+"How unfortunate it is," cried the duke, angrily, "that you
+should ask of me the only thing I cannot do for you. If you had
+expressed your desire for an empire, a throne, I would have given
+it to you--or if you had wished for a star, I would have climbed
+up into the heavens to get it for you. But here you calmly ask me
+to open the door of this cage, little bird, to which you would
+never come back of your own accord, if I were stupid enough to
+let you go. It is impossible! I know well that you love me so
+little, or rather hate me so much, that you would never see me
+again of your own free will--that my only chance of enjoying your
+charming society is to lock you up--keep you my prisoner. However
+much it may cost my pride, I must do it--for I can no more live
+without you than a plant without the light. My thoughts turn to
+you as the heliotrope to the sun. Where you are not, all is
+darkness for me. If what I have dared to do is a crime, I must
+make the best of it, and profit by it as much as I can--for you
+would never forgive nor overlook it, whatever you may say now.
+Here at least I have you--I hold you. I can surround you with my
+love and care, and strive to melt the ice of your coldness by the
+heat of my passion. Your eyes must behold me--your ears must
+listen to my voice. I shall exert an influence over you, if only
+by the alarm and detestation I am so unfortunate as to inspire in
+your gentle breast; the sound of my footsteps in your antechamber
+will make you start and tremble. And then, besides all that, this
+captivity separates you effectually from the miserable fellow
+you fancy that you love--and whom I abhor; because he has dared
+to turn your heart away from me. I can at least enjoy this small
+satisfaction, of keeping you from him; and I will not let you go
+free to return to him--you may be perfectly sure of that, my fair
+lady!"
+
+"And how long do you intend to keep me captive?--not like a
+Christian gentleman, but like a lawless corsair."
+
+"Until you have learned to love me--or at least to say that you
+have, which amounts to the same thing."
+
+Then he made her a low bow, and departed, with as self-satisfied
+and jaunty an air as if he had been in truth a favoured suitor.
+Half an hour later a lackey brought in a beautiful bouquet, of
+the rarest and choicest flowers, while the stems were clasped by
+a magnificent bracelet, fit for a queen's wearing. A little piece
+of folded paper nestled among the flowers--a note from the
+duke--and the fair prisoner recognised the handwriting as the
+same in which "For Isabelle" was written, on the slip of paper
+that accompanied the casket of jewels at Poitiers. The note read
+as follows:
+
+"DEAR ISABELLE--I send you these flowers, though I know they will
+be ungraciously received. As they come from me, their beauty and
+fragrance will not find favour in your eyes. But whatever may be
+their fate, even though you only touch them to fling them
+disdainfully out of the window, they will force you to think for
+a moment--if it be but in anger--of him who declares himself, in
+spite of everything, your devoted adorer,
+        "VALLOMBREUSE."
+
+This note, breathing of the most specious gallantry, and tenacity
+of purpose, did produce very much the effect it predicted; for it
+made Isabelle exceedingly angry; and, without even once inhaling
+the delicious perfume of the flowers, or pausing for an instant
+to admire their beauty, she flung the bouquet, diamond bracelet
+and all, out into the antechamber. Never surely were lovely
+blossoms so badly treated; and yet Isabelle was excessively fond
+of them; but she feared that if she even allowed them to remain a
+little while in her room, their donor would presume upon the
+slight concession. She had scarcely resumed her seat by the fire,
+after disposing of the obnoxious bouquet, when a maid appeared,
+who had been sent to wait upon her. She was a pretty, refined
+looking girl, but very pale, and with an air of deep
+melancholy--as if she were brooding over a secret sorrow. She
+offered her services to Isabelle without looking up, and in a
+low, subdued voice, as if she feared that the very walls had
+ears. Isabelle allowed her to take down and comb out her long,
+silky hair, which was very much dishevelled, and to arrange it
+again as she habitually wore it; which was quickly and skilfully
+done. Then the maid opened a wardrobe and took out several
+beautiful gowns, exquisitely made and trimmed, and just
+Isabelle's size; but she would not even look at them, and sharply
+ordered that they should instantly be put back where they
+belonged, though her own dress was very much the worse for the
+rough treatment it had been subjected to on the preceding day,
+and it was a trial to the sweet, dainty creature to be so untidy.
+But she was determined to accept nothing from the duke, no matter
+how long her captivity might last. The maid did not insist, but
+acceded to her wishes with a mild, pitying air--just as
+indulgence is shown, as far as possible, to all the little whims
+and caprices of prisoners condemned to death. Isabelle would have
+liked to question her attendant, and endeavour to elicit some
+information from her, but the girl was more like an automaton
+than anything else, and it was impossible to gain more than a
+monosyllable from her lips. So Isabelle resigned herself with a
+sigh to her mute ministerings, not without a sort of vague
+terror.
+
+After the maid had retired, dinner was served as before, and
+Isabelle made a hearty meal--feeling that she must keep up her
+strength, and also hopeful of hearing something in a few hours
+more from her faithful lover. Her thoughts were all of him, and
+as she realized the dangers to which he would inevitably be
+exposed for her sake, her eyes filled with tears, and a sharp
+pang shot through her heart. She was angry with herself for being
+the cause of so much trouble, and fain to curse her own
+beauty--the unhappy occasion of it all. She was absorbed in these
+sad thoughts when a little noise as if a hail-stone had struck
+against the window pane, suddenly aroused her. She flew to the
+casement, and saw Chiquita, in the tree opposite, signing to her
+to open it, and swinging back and forth the long horse-hair cord,
+with the iron hook attached to it. She hastened to comply with
+the wishes of her strange little ally, and, as she stepped back
+in obedience to another sign, the hook, thrown with unerring aim,
+caught securely in the iron railing of the little balcony.
+Chiquita tied the other end of the cord to the branch to which
+she was clinging, and then began to cross over the intervening
+space as before; but ere she was half-way over, the knot gave
+way, and poor Isabelle for one moment of intense agony thought
+that the child was lost. But, instead of falling into the moat
+beneath her, Chiquita, who did not appear to be in the least
+disconcerted by this accident, swung over against the wall below
+the balcony, and climbing up the cord hand over hand, leaped
+lightly into the room, before Isabelle had recovered her breath.
+Finding her very pale, and tremulous, the child said smilingly,
+"You were frightened, eh? and thought Chiquita would fall down
+among the frogs in the moat. When I tied my cord to the branch, I
+only made a slip-knot, so that I could bring it back with me. I
+must have looked like a big spider climbing up its thread," she
+added, with a laugh.
+
+"My dear child," said Isabelle, with much feeling, and kissing
+Chiquita's forehead, "you are a very brave little girl."
+
+"I saw your friends. They had been searching and searching for
+you; but without Chiquita they would never have found out where
+you were hidden. The captain was rushing about like an angry
+lion--his eyes flashed fire--he was magnificent. I came back with
+him. He rode, and held me in front of him. He is hidden in a
+little wood not far off, he and his comrades--they must keep out
+of sight, you know. This evening, as soon as it is dark, they
+will try to get in here to you--by the tree, you know. There's
+sure to be a scrimmage--pistol shots and swords clashing--oh!
+it will be splendid; for there's nothing so fine as a good fight;
+when the men are in earnest, and fierce and brave. Now don't you
+be frightened and scream, as silly women do; nothing upsets them
+like that. You must just remain perfectly quiet, and keep out of
+their way. If you like, I will come and stay by you, so that you
+will not be afraid."
+
+"Don't be uneasy about that, Chiquita! I will not annoy my brave
+friends, who come to save my life at the risk of their own, by
+any foolish fears or demonstrations; that I promise you."
+
+"That's right," the child replied, "and until they come, you can
+defend yourself with my knife, you know. Don't forget the proper
+way to use it. Strike like this, and then do so; you can rip him
+up beautifully. As for me, I'm going to hunt up a quiet corner
+where I can get a nap. No, I can't stay here, for we must not be
+seen together; it would never do. Now do you be sure to keep away
+from that window. You must not even go near it, no matter what
+you hear, for fear they might suspect that you hoped for help
+from that direction. If they did, it would be all up with us; for
+they would send out and search the woods, and beat the bushes,
+and find our friends where they lie hidden. The whole thing would
+fall through, and you would have to stop here with this horrid
+duke that you hate so much."
+
+"I will not go near the window," Isabelle answered, "nor even
+look towards it, however much I may wish to. You may depend upon
+my discretion, Chiquita, I do assure you."
+
+Reassured upon this important point, Chiquita crept softly away,
+and went back to the lower room where she had left the ruffians
+carousing. They were still there--lying about on the benches and
+the floor, in a drunken sleep, and evidently had not even missed
+her. She curled herself up in a corner, as far as might be from
+the loathsome brutes, and was asleep in a minute. The poor child
+was completely tired out; her slender little feet had travelled
+eight leagues the night before, running a good part of the way,
+and the return on horseback had perhaps fatigued her even more,
+being unaccustomed to it. Although her fragile little body
+had the strength and endurance of steel, she was worn out now,
+and lay, pale and motionless, in a sleep that seemed like death.
+
+"Dear me! how these children do sleep to be sure," said Malartic,
+when he roused himself at last and looked about him. "In spite of
+our carouse, and all the noise we made, that little monkey in the
+corner there has never waked nor stirred. Halloa! wake up you
+fellows! drunken beasts that you are. Try to stand up on your
+hind legs, and go out in the court and dash a bucket of cold
+water over your cursed heads. The Circe of drunkenness has made
+swine of you in earnest--go and see if the baptism I recommend
+will turn you back into men, and then we'll take a little look
+round the place, to make sure there's no plot hatching to rescue
+the little beauty we have in charge."
+
+The men scrambled to their feet slowly and with difficulty, and
+staggered out into the court as best they might, where the fresh
+air, and the treatment prescribed by Malartic, did a good deal
+towards reviving them; but they were a sorry looking set after
+all, and there were many aching heads among them. As soon as they
+were fit for it, Malartic took three of the least tipsy of them,
+and leading the way to a small postern that opened on the moat,
+unchained a row-boat lying there, crossed the broad ditch,
+ascended a steep flight of steps leading up the bank on the other
+side, and, leaving one man to guard the boat, proceeded to make a
+tour of inspection in the immediate vicinity of the chateau;
+fortunately without stumbling on the party concealed in the wood,
+or seeing anything to arouse their suspicions; so they returned
+to their quarters perfectly satisfied that there was no enemy
+lurking near.
+
+Meantime Isabelle, left quite alone, tried in vain to interest
+herself in a book she had found lying upon one of the
+side-tables. She read a few pages mechanically, and then, finding
+it impossible to fix her attention upon it, threw the volume from
+her and sat idly in front of the fire, which was blazing
+cheerily, thinking of her own true lover, and praying that he
+might be preserved from injury in the impending struggle.
+Evening came at last--a servant brought in lights, and soon after
+the major-domo announced a visit from the Duke of Vallombreuse.
+He entered at once, and greeted his fair captive with the most
+finished courtesy. He looked very handsome, in a superb suit of
+pearl gray satin, richly trimmed with crimson velvet, and
+Isabelle could not but admire his personal appearance, much as
+she detested his character.
+
+"I have come to see, my adorable Isabelle, whether I shall be
+more kindly received than my flowers," said he, drawing up a
+chair beside hers. "I have not the vanity to think so, but I want
+you to become accustomed to my presence. To-morrow another
+bouquet, and another visit."
+
+"Both will be useless, my lord," she replied, "though I am sorry
+to have to be so rude as to say so--but I had much better be
+perfectly frank with you."
+
+"Ah, well!" rejoined the duke, with a malicious smile, I will
+dispense with hope, and content myself with reality. You do not
+know, my poor child, what a Vallombreuse can do--you, who vainly
+try to resist him. He has never yet known what it was to have an
+unsatisfied desire--he invariably gains his ends, in spite of all
+opposition--nothing can stop him. Tears, supplication, laments,
+threats, even dead bodies and smoking ruins would not daunt him.
+Do not tempt him too powerfully, by throwing new obstacles in his
+way, you imprudent child!"
+
+Isabelle, frightened by the expression of his countenance as he
+spoke thus, instinctively pushed her chair farther away from his,
+and felt for Chiquita's knife. But the wily duke, seeing that he
+had made a mistake, instantly changed his tone, and begging her
+pardon most humbly for his vehemence, endeavoured to persuade
+her, by many specious arguments, that she was wrong in
+persistently turning a deaf ear to his suit--setting forth at
+length, and in glowing words, all the advantages that would
+accrue to her if she would but yield to his wishes, and
+describing the happiness in store for her. While he was thus
+eloquently pleading his cause, Isabelle, who had given him only a
+divided attention, thought that she heard a peculiar little noise
+in the direction whence the longed-for aid was to come, and
+fearing that Vallombreuse might hear it also, hastened to answer
+him the instant that he paused, in a way to vex him still
+further--for she preferred his anger to his love-making. Also,
+she hoped that by quarrelling with him she would be able to
+prevent his perceiving the suspicious little sound--now growing
+louder and more noticeable.
+
+"The happiness that you so eloquently describe, my lord, would be
+for me a disgrace, which I am resolved to escape by death, if all
+other means fail me. You never shall have me living. Formerly I
+regarded you with indifference, but now I both hate and despise
+you, for your infamous, outrageous and violent behaviour to me,
+your helpless victim. Yes, I may as well tell you openly--and I
+glory in it--that I do love the Baron de Sigognac, whom you have
+more than once so basely tried to assassinate, through your
+miserable hired ruffians."
+
+The strange noise still kept on, and Isabelle raised her voice to
+drown it. At her audacious, defiant words, so distinctly and
+impressively enunciated--hurled at him, as it were--Vallombreuse
+turned pale, and his eyes flashed ominously; a light foam
+gathered about the corners of his mouth, and he laid hold of the
+handle of his sword. For an instant he thought of killing
+Isabelle himself, then and there. If he could not have her, at
+least no one else should. But he relinquished that idea almost as
+soon as it occurred to him, and with a hard, forced laugh said,
+as he sprang up and advanced impetuously towards Isabelle, who
+retreated before him:
+
+"Now, by all the devils in hell, I cannot help admiring you
+immensely in this mood. It is a new role for you, and you are
+deucedly charming in it. You have got such a splendid colour, and
+your eyes are so bright--you are superb, I declare. I am greatly
+flattered at your blazing out into such dazzling beauty on my
+account--upon my word I am. You have done well to speak out
+openly--I hate deceit. So you love de Sigognac, do you? So much
+the better, say I--it will be all the sweeter to call you mine.
+It will be a pleasing variety to press ardent kisses upon sweet
+lips that say 'I hate you,' instead of the insipid, everlasting
+'I love you,' that one gets a surfeit of from all the pretty
+women of one's acquaintance."
+
+Alarmed at this coarse language, and the threatening gestures
+that accompanied it, Isabelle started back and drew out
+Chiquita's knife.
+
+Bravo!" cried the duke--"here comes the traditional poniard. We
+are being treated to a bit of high tragedy. But, my fierce little
+beauty, if you are well up in your Roman history, you will
+remember that the chaste Mme. Lucretia did not make use of her
+dagger until AFTER the assault of Sextus, the bold son of Tarquin
+the Proud. That ancient and much-cited example is a good one to
+follow."
+
+And without paying any more attention to the knife than to a
+bee-sting, he had violently seized Isabelle in his arms before
+she could raise it to strike.
+
+Just at that moment a loud cracking noise was heard, followed by
+a tremendous crash, and the casement fell clattering to the
+floor, with every pane of glass in it shattered; as if a giant
+had put his knee against it and broken it in; while a mass of
+branches protruded through the opening into the room. It was the
+top of the tree that Chiquita had made such good use of as a way
+of escape and return. The trunk, sawed nearly through by de
+Sigognac and his companions, was guided in its fall so as to make
+a means of access to Isabelle's window; both bridging the moat,
+and answering all the purposes of a ladder.
+
+The Duke of Vallombreuse, astonished at this most extraordinary
+intrusion upon his love-making, released his trembling victim,
+and drew his sword. Chiquita, who had crept into the room
+unperceived when the crash came, pulled Isabelle's sleeve and
+whispered, "Come into this corner, out of the way; the dance is
+going to begin."
+
+As she spoke, several pistol shots were heard without, and four
+of the duke's ruffians--who were doing garrison duty came rushing
+up the stairs, four steps at a time, and dashed into the
+room-sword in hand, and eager for the fray.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII. THE AMETHYST RING
+
+The topmost branches of the tree, protruding through the window,
+rendered the centre of the room untenable, so Malartic and his
+three aids ranged themselves two and two against the wall on
+either side of it, armed with pistols and swords--ready to give
+the assailants a warm welcome.
+
+"You had better retire, my lord duke, or else put on a mask,"
+whispered Malartic to the young nobleman, "so that you may not be
+seen and recognised in this affair."
+
+"What do I care?" cried Vallombreuse, flourishing his sword. "I
+am not afraid of anybody in the world--and besides, those who see
+me will never go away from this to tell of it."
+
+"But at least your lordship will place this second Helen in some
+safe retreat. A stray bullet might so easily deprive your
+highness of the prize that cost so dear--and it would be such a
+pity."
+
+The duke, finding this advice judicious, went at once over to
+where Isabelle was standing beside Chiquita, and throwing his
+arms round her attempted to carry her into the next room. The
+poor girl made a desperate resistance, and slipping from the
+duke's grasp rushed to the window, regardless of danger, crying,
+"Save me, de Sigognac! save me!" A voice from without answered,
+"I am coming," but, before he could reach the window,
+Vallombreuse had again seized his prey, and succeeded in carrying
+her into the adjoining room, closing and bolting the stout oaken
+door behind him just as de Sigognac bounded into the chamber he
+had quitted. His entrance was so sudden, and so swiftly and
+boldly made, that he entirely escaped the pistol shots aimed at
+him, and the four bullets all fell harmless. When the smoke had
+cleared away and the "garrison" saw that he was unhurt, a murmur
+of astonishment arose, and one of the men exclaimed aloud that
+Captain Fracasse--the only name by which THEY knew him--must bear
+a charmed life; whereupon, Malartic cried, "Leave him to me, I'll
+soon finish him, and do you three keep a strict guard over the
+window there; for there will be more to follow this one if I am
+not mistaken."
+
+But he did not find his self-imposed task as easy as he
+supposed--for de Sigognac was ready for him, and gave him plenty
+to do, though his surprise and disappointment were overwhelming
+when he found that Isabelle was nowhere to be seen.
+
+"Where is she?" he cried impetuously. "Where is Isabelle? I heard
+her voice in here only a moment ago."
+
+"Don't ask me!" Malartic retorted. "YOU didn't give her into my
+charge." And all this time their swords were flashing and
+clashing, as the combat between them grew more animated.
+
+A moment later, before the men had finished reloading their
+pistols, Scapin dashed in through the window, throwing a
+remarkable somersault like an acrobat as he came, and seeing that
+the three ruffians had laid down their swords beside them on the
+floor while attending to their other weapons, he seized upon them
+all, ere their owners had recovered from their astonishment at
+his extraordinary advent, and hurled them through the broken
+casement down into the moat. Then, laying hold of one of the
+three from behind, and pinning down his arms securely, he placed
+him in front of himself for a shield--turning him dexterously
+this way and that, in order to keep his body always between his
+own and the enemy; so that they dared not fire upon him lest they
+should kill their comrade, who was vehemently beseeching them to
+spare his life, and vainly struggling to escape from Scapin's
+iron grip.
+
+The combat between de Sigognac and Malartic was still going on,
+but at last, the baron--who had already wounded his adversary
+slightly, and whose agony and desperation at being kept from
+prosecuting his search for Isabelle were intense--wrested
+Malartic's sword from his grasp, by a dexterous manoeuvre with
+his own, and putting his foot upon it as it lay on the floor
+raised the point of his blade to the professional ruffian's
+throat, crying "Surrender, or you are a dead man!"
+
+At this critical moment another one of the besieging party burst
+in through the window, who, seeing at a glance how matters stood,
+said to Malartic in an authoritative tone, "You can surrender
+without dishonour to this valiant hero--you are entirely at his
+mercy. You have done your duty loyally--now consider yourself a
+prisoner of war."
+
+Then turning to de Sigognac, he said, "You may trust his word,
+for he is an honourable fellow in his way, and will not molest
+you again--I will answer for him."
+
+Malartic made a gesture of acquiescence, and the baron let him
+go--whereupon the discomfited bully picked up his sword, and with
+a crestfallen air walked off very disconsolately to a corner,
+where he sat down and occupied himself in staunching the blood
+that was flowing from his wound. The other three men were quickly
+conquered, and, at the suggestion of the latest comer, were
+securely bound hand and foot as they lay upon the floor, and then
+left to reflect upon their misfortunes.
+
+"They can't do any more mischief now," said Jacquemin Lampourde,
+mockingly; for it was that famous fighting man in person, who,
+in his enthusiastic admiration, or rather adoration, for
+de Sigognac, had offered his services on this momentous
+occasion--services by no means to be despised. As to the brave
+Herode, he was doing good service in fighting the rest of the
+garrison below. They had hastened out and crossed the moat in the
+little row-boat as quickly as possible after the alarm was given,
+but arrived too late, as we have seen, to prevent the assailants
+from ascending their strange scaling ladder. So they determined
+to follow, hoping to overtake and dislodge some of them. But
+Herode, who had found the upper branches bending and cracking in
+a very ominous manner under his great weight, was forced to turn
+about and make his way back to the main trunk, where, under
+cover of darkness, he quietly awaited the climbing foe. Merindol,
+who commanded this detachment of the garrison, was first, and
+being completely taken by surprise was easily dislodged and
+thrown down into the water below. The next one, aroused to a
+sense of his danger by this, pulled out a pistol and fired, but
+in the agitation of the moment, and the darkness, missed his aim,
+so that he was entirely at the tyrant's mercy, and in an instant
+was held suspended over the deep waters of the moat. He clung
+desperately to a little branch he had managed to lay hold of, and
+made such a brave fight for his life, that Herode, who was
+merciful by nature, though so fierce of aspect, decided to make
+terms with him, if he could do so without injuring the interests
+of his own party; and upon receiving a solemn promise from him to
+remain strictly neutral during the remainder of the fray, the
+powerful actor lifted him up, with the greatest ease, and seated
+him in safety upon the tree-trunk again. The poor fellow was so
+grateful that he was even better than his word, for, making use
+of the password and giving a pretended order from Merindol to the
+other two, who were some distance behind him and ignorant of what
+had happened, he sent them off post-haste to attend to an
+imaginary foe at some distance from the chateau; availing himself
+of their absence to make good his escape, after heartily thanking
+Herode for his clemency. The moon was just rising, and by its
+light the tyrant spied the little row-boat, lying not very far
+off at the foot of a flight of steps in the steep bank, and he
+was not slow to make use of it to cross the moat, and penetrate
+into the interior court of the chateau--the postern having been
+fortunately left open. Looking about him, to see how he could
+best rejoin his comrades within the building, his eyes fell upon
+the porch guarded by the two huge, calm sphinxes, and he wisely
+concluded that through it must lie his way to the scene of
+action.
+
+Meantime de Sigognac, Scapin and Lampourde, having a chance to
+look about them, were horrified to find that they were prisoners
+in the room where the battle had been fought. In vain they tried
+to burst open the stout oaken door which was their only means
+of egress--for the tree had, but a moment before, given way and
+fallen with a loud crash into the moat; in vain they strove to
+cut through one of the panels, or force the lock from its
+fastenings. To de Sigognac this delay was maddening, for he knew
+that the Duke of Vallombreuse had carried Isabelle away, and that
+he must still be with her. He worked like a giant himself, and
+incited the others to redouble their efforts; making battering
+rams of various pieces of furniture--resorting to every means
+that their ingenuity could devise--but without making the least
+impression on the massive barrier. They had paused in dismay,
+when suddenly a slight, grinding noise was heard, like a key
+turning in a lock, and the door, so unsuccessfully attacked,
+opened as if by magic  before them.
+
+"What good angel has come to our aid?" cried de Sigognac; "and by
+what miracle does this door open of itself, after having so
+stoutly resisted all our efforts?"
+
+"There is neither angel nor miracle; only Chiquita," answered a
+quiet little voice, as the child appeared from behind the door,
+and fixed her great, dark, liquid eyes calmly on de Sigognac. She
+had managed to slip out with Vallombreuse and Isabelle, entirely
+unnoticed by the former, and in the hope of being of use to the
+latter.
+
+"Where is Isabelle?" cried the baron, as he crossed the threshold
+and looked anxiously round the anteroom, which was dimly lighted
+by one little flickering lamp. For a moment he did not perceive
+her; the Duke of Vallombreuse, surprised at the sudden opening of
+the door, which he had believed to be securely fastened and
+impenetrable, had retreated into a corner, and placed Isabelle,
+who was almost fainting from terror and exhaustion, behind him.
+She had sunk upon her knees, with her head leaning against the
+wall, her long hair, which had come down, falling about her, and
+her dress in the utmost disorder; for she had struggled
+desperately in the arms of her captor; who, feeling that his fair
+victim was about to escape from his clutches, had vainly striven
+to snatch a few kisses from the sweet lips so temptingly near his
+own.
+
+"Here she is," said Chiquita, "in this corner, behind the Duke of
+Vallombreuse; but to get to her you must first kill him."
+
+"Of course I shall kill him," cried de Sigognac, advancing sword
+in hand towards the young duke, who was ready to receive him.
+
+"We shall see about that, Sir Captain Fracasse--doughty knight of
+Bohemiennes!" said Vallombreuse disdainfully, and the conflict
+began. The duke was not de Sigognac's equal at this kind of work,
+but still he was skilful and brave, and had had too much good
+instruction to handle his sword like a broom-stick, as Lampourde
+expressed it. He stood entirely upon the defensive, and was
+exceedingly wary and prudent, hoping, as his adversary must be
+already considerably fatigued by his encounter with Malartic,
+that he might be able to get the better of him this time, and
+retrieve his previous defeat. At the very beginning he had
+succeeded in raising a small silver whistle to his lips with his
+left hand--and its shrill summons brought five or six armed
+attendants into the room.
+
+"Carry away this woman," he cried, "and put out those two
+rascals. I will take care of the captain myself."
+
+The sudden interruption of these fresh forces astonished de
+Sigognac, and as he saw two of the men lift up and carry off
+Isabelle--who had fainted quite away--he was thrown for an
+instant off his guard, and very nearly run through the body by
+his opponent.
+
+Roused to a sense of his danger, he attacked the duke with
+renewed fury, and with a terrible thrust, that made him reel,
+wounded him seriously in the upper part of the chest.
+
+Meanwhile Lampourde and Scapin had shown the duke's lackeys that
+it would not be a very easy matter to put them out, and were
+handling them rather roughly, when the cowardly fellows, seeing
+that their master was wounded, and leaning against the wall,
+deathly pale, thought that he was done for, and although they
+were fully armed, took to their heels and fled, deaf to his
+feeble cry for assistance. While all this was going on, the
+tyrant was making his way up the grand staircase, as fast as his
+corpulence would permit, and reached the top just in time to see
+Isabelle, pale, dishevelled, motionless, and apparently dead,
+being borne along the corridor by two lackeys. Without stopping
+to make any inquiries, and full of wrath at the thought that the
+sweet girl had fallen a victim to the wickedness of the cruel
+Duke of Vallombreuse, he drew his sword, and fell upon the two
+men with such fury that they dropped their light burden and fled
+down the stairs as fast as their legs could carry them. Then he
+knelt down beside the unconscious girl, raised her gently in his
+arms, and found that her heart was beating, though but feebly,
+and that she apparently had no wound, while she sighed faintly,
+like a person beginning to revive after a swoon. In this position
+he was found by de Sigognac, who had effectually gotten rid of
+Vallombreuse, by the famous and well-directed thrust that had
+thrown Jacquemin Lampourde into a rapture of admiration and
+delight. He knelt down beside his darling, took both her hands in
+his, and said, in the most tender tones, that Isabelle heard
+vaguely as if in a dream:
+
+"Rouse yourself, dear heart, and fear nothing. You are safe now,
+with your own friends, and your own true lover--nobody can harm
+or frighten you again."
+
+Although she did not yet open her eyes, a faint smile dawned upon
+the colourless lips, and her cold, trembling, little fingers
+feebly returned the tender pressure of de Sigognac's warm hands.
+Lampourde stood by, and looked  down with tearful eyes upon this
+touching group--for he was exceedingly romantic and sentimental,
+and always intensely interested in a love affair. Suddenly, in
+the midst of the profound silence that had succeeded to the
+uproar  of the melee, the winding of a horn was heard without,
+and in a moment energetically repeated. It was evidently a
+summons that had to be instantly obeyed; the drawbridge was
+lowered in haste, with a great rattling of chains, and a
+carriage driven rapidly into the court, while the red flaring
+light of torches flashed through the windows of the  corridor. In
+another minute the door of the vestibule was thrown open, and
+hasty steps ascended the grand  staircase. First came four tall
+lackeys, in rich liveries, carrying lights, and directly  behind
+them a tall, noble-looking man, who was dressed from head to foot
+in black velvet, with an order shining on his breast--of those
+that are usually reserved for kings and princes of the blood, and
+only very exceptionally bestowed, upon the most illustrious
+personages.
+
+When the four lackeys reached the landing at the head of the
+stairs, they silently ranged themselves against the wall, and
+stood like statues bearing torches; without the raising of an
+eyelid, or the slightest change in the stolid expression of their
+countenances to indicate that they perceived anything out of the
+usual way--exhibiting in perfection that miraculous
+imperturbability and self-command which is peculiar to well-bred,
+thoroughly trained menservants. The gentleman whom they had
+preceded paused ere he stepped upon the landing. Although age had
+brought wrinkles to his handsome face, and turned his abundant
+dark hair gray, it was still easy to recognise in him the
+original of the portrait that had so fascinated Isabelle, and
+whose protection she had passionately implored in her distress.
+
+It was the princely father of Vallombreuse--the son bearing a
+different name, that of a duchy he possessed, until he in his
+turn should become the head of the family, and succeed to the
+title of prince.
+
+At sight of Isabelle, supported by de Sigognac and the tyrant,
+whose ghastly pallor made her look like one dead, the aged
+gentleman raised his arms towards heaven and groaned.
+
+"Alas! I am too late," said he, "for all the haste I made," and
+advancing a few steps he bent over the prostrate girl, and took
+her lifeless hand in his. Upon this hand, white, cold and
+diaphanous, as if it had been sculptured in alabaster, shone a
+ring, set with an amethyst of unusual size. The old nobleman
+seemed strangely agitated as it caught his eye. He drew it gently
+from Isabelle's slender finger, with a trembling hand signed to
+one of the torch-bearers to bring his light nearer, and by it
+eagerly examined the device cut upon the stone; first holding it
+close to the light and then at arm's length; as those whose
+eyesight is impaired by age are wont to do. The Baron de
+Sigognac, Herode and Lampourde anxiously watched the agitated
+movements of the prince, and his change of expression, as he
+contemplated this jewel, which he seemed to recognise; and which
+he turned and twisted between his fingers, with a pained look in
+his face, as if some great trouble had befallen him.
+
+"Where is the Duke of Vallombreuse?" he cried at last, in a voice
+of thunder. "Where is that monster in human shape, who is
+unworthy of my race?"
+
+He had recognised, without a possibility of doubt, in this ring,
+the one bearing a fanciful device, with which he had been
+accustomed, long ago, to seal the notes he wrote to
+Cornelia--Isabelle's mother, and his own youthful love. How
+happened it that this ring was on the finger of the young
+actress, who had been forcibly and shamefully abducted by
+Vallombreuse? From whom could she have received it? These
+questions were torturing to him.
+
+"Can it be possible that she is Cornelia's daughter and mine?"
+said the prince to himself. "Her profession, her age, her sweet
+face, in which I can trace a softened, beautified likeness of her
+mother's, but which has a peculiarly high bred, refined
+expression, worthy of a royal princess, all combine to make me
+believe it must be so. Then, alas! alas! it is his own sister
+that this cursed libertine has so wronged, and he has been guilty
+of a horrible, horrible crime. Oh! I am cruelly punished for my
+youthful folly and sin."
+
+Isabelle at length opened her eyes, and her first look fell upon
+the prince, holding the ring that he had drawn from her finger.
+It seemed to her as if she had seen his face before--but in
+youth, without the gray hair and beard. It seemed also to be an
+aged copy of the portrait over the chimney-piece in her room, and
+a feeling of profound veneration filled her heart as she gazed at
+him. She saw, too, her beloved de Sigognac kneeling beside her,
+watching her with tenderest devotion; and the worthy tyrant as
+well--both safe and sound. To the horrors of the terrible
+struggle had succeeded the peace and security of deliverance. She
+had nothing more to fear, for her friends or for herself--how
+could she ever be thankful enough?
+
+The prince, who had been gazing at her with passionate
+earnestness, as if her fair face possessed an irresistible charm
+for him, now addressed her in low, moved tones:
+
+"Mademoiselle, will you kindly tell me how you came by this ring,
+which recalls very dear and sacred memories to me? Has it been
+long in your possession?"
+
+"I have had it ever since my infancy; it is the only thing that
+my poor mother left me," Isabelle replied, with gentle dignity.
+
+"And who was your mother? Will you, tell me something about her?"
+continued the prince, with increasing emotion.
+
+"Her name was Cornelia, and she was an actress, belonging to the
+same troupe that I am a member of now."
+
+"Cornelia! then there is no possible doubt about it,' murmured
+the prince to himself, in great agitation. "Yes, it is certainly
+she whom I have been seeking all these years--and now to find her
+thus!"
+
+Then, controlling his emotion, he resumed his usual calm,
+majestic demeanour, and turning back to Isabelle, said to her,
+"Permit me to keep this ring for the present; I will soon give it
+back to you."
+
+"I am content to leave it in your lordship's hands," the young
+actress replied, in whose mind the memory of a face, that she had
+seen long years ago bending over her cradle, was growing clearer
+and more distinct every moment.
+
+"Gentlemen," said the prince, turning to de Sigognac and his
+companions, "under any other circumstances I might find your
+presence here, in my chateau, with arms in your hands,
+unwarranted, but I am aware of the necessity that drove you to
+forcibly invade this mansion, hitherto sacred from such scenes as
+this--I know that violence must be met with violence, and
+justifies it; therefore I shall take no further notice of what
+has happened here to-night, and you need have no fears of any
+evil consequences to yourselves because of your share in it. But
+where is the Duke of Vallombreuse? that degenerate son who
+disgraces my old age."
+
+As if in obedience to his father's call, the young duke at that
+moment appeared upon the threshold of the door leading into what
+had been Isabelle's apartment, supported by Malartic. He was
+frightfully. pale, and his clinched hand pressed a handkerchief
+tightly upon his wounded chest. He came forward with difficulty,
+looking like a ghost. Only a strong effort of will kept him from
+falling--an effort that gave to his face the immobility of a
+marble mask. He had heard the voice of his father, whom, depraved
+and shameless as he was, he yet respected and dreaded, and he
+hoped to be able to conceal his wound from him. He bit his lips
+so as not to cry out or groan in his agony, and resolutely
+swallowed down the bloody foam that kept rising and filling his
+mouth. He even took off his hat, in spite of the frightful pain
+the raising of his arm caused him, and stood uncovered and silent
+before his angry parent.
+
+"Sir," said the prince, severely, "your misdeeds transcend all
+limits, and your behaviour is such that I shall be forced to
+implore the king to send you to prison, or into exile. You are
+not fit to be at large. Abduction--imprisonment--criminal
+assault. These are not simple gallantries; and though I might be
+willing to pardon and overlook many excesses, committed in the
+wildness of licentious youth, I never could bring myself to
+forgive a deliberate and premeditated crime. Do you know, you
+monster," he continued approaching Vallombreuse, and whispering
+in his ear, so that no one else could hear, "do you know who this
+young girl is? this good and chaste Isabelle, whom you have
+forcibly abducted, in spite of her determined and virtuous
+resistance! She is your own sister!
+
+"May she replace the son you are about to lose," the young duke
+replied, attacked by a sudden faintness, and an agony of pain
+which he felt that he could not long endure and live; "but I am
+not as guilty as you suppose. Isabelle is pure--stainless. I
+swear it, by the God before whom I must shortly appear. Death
+does not lie, and you may believe what I say, upon the word of a
+dying gentleman."
+
+These words were uttered loudly and distinctly, so as to be heard
+by all. Isabelle turned her beautiful eyes, wet with tears, upon
+de Sigognac, and read in those of her true and faithful lover
+that he had not waited for the solemn attestation, "in extremis,"
+of the Duke of Vallombreuse to believe in the perfect purity of
+her whom he adored.
+
+"But what is the matter?" asked the prince, holding out his hand
+to his son, who staggered and swayed to and fro in spite of
+Malartic's efforts to support him, and whose face was fairly
+livid.
+
+"Nothing, father," answered Vallombreuse, in a scarcely
+articulate voice, "nothing--only I am dying"--and he fell at full
+length on the floor before the prince could clasp him in his
+arms, as he endeavoured to do.
+
+"He did not fall on his face," said Jacquemin Lampourde,
+sententiously; "it's nothing but a fainting fit. He may escape
+yet. We duellists are familiar with this sort of thing, my lord;
+a great deal more so than most medical men, and you may depend
+upon what I say."
+
+"A doctor! a doctor!" cried the prince, forgetting his anger as
+he saw his son lying apparently lifeless at his feet. "Perhaps
+this man is right, and there may be some hope for him yet. A
+fortune to whomsoever will save my son!--my only son!--the last
+scion of a noble race. Go! run quickly! What are you about
+there?--don't you understand me? Go, I say, and run as fast as
+you
+can; take the fleetest horse in the stable."
+
+Whereupon two of the imperturbable lackeys, who had held their
+torches throughout this exciting scene without moving a muscle,
+hastened off to execute their master's orders. Some of his own
+servants now came forward, raised up the unconscious Duke of
+Vallombreuse with every possible care and precaution, and by his
+father's command carried him to his own room and laid him on his
+own bed,the aged prince following, with a face from which grief
+and anxiety had already driven away all traces of anger. He saw
+his race extinct in the death of this son, whom he so dearly
+loved--despite his fault--and whose vices he forgot for the
+moment, remembering only his brilliant and lovable qualities. A
+profound melancholy took complete possession of him, as he stood
+for a few moments plunged in a sorrowful reverie that everybody
+respected.
+
+Isabelle, entirely revived, and no longer feeling at all faint,
+bad risen to her feet, and now stood between de Sigognac and the
+tyrant, adjusting, with a trembling hand, her disordered dress
+and dishevelled hair. Lampourde and Scapin had retired to a
+little distance from them, and held themselves modestly aloof,
+whilst the men within, still bound hand and foot, kept as quiet
+as possible; fearful of their fate if brought to the prince's
+notice. At length that aged nobleman returned, and breaking the
+terrible silence that had weighed upon all, said, in severe
+tones, "Let all those who placed their services at the
+disposition of the Duke of Vallombreuse, to aid him in indulging
+his evil passions and commiting a terrible crime, quit this
+chateau instantly. I will refrain from placing you in the hands
+of the public executioner, though you richly deserve it. Go now!
+vanish! get ye back to your lairs! and rest assured that justice
+will not fail to overtake you at last."
+
+These words were not complimentary, but the trembling offenders
+were thankful to get off so easily, and the ruffians, whom
+Lampourde and Scapin had unbound, followed Malartic down the
+stairs in silence, without daring to claim their promised reward.
+When they had disappeared, the prince advanced and took Isabelle
+by the hand, and gently detaching her from the group of which she
+had formed a part, led her over to where he had been standing,
+and kept her beside him.
+
+"Stay here, mademoiselle," he said; "your place is henceforth by
+my side. It is the least that you can do to fulfil your duty as
+my daughter, since you are the innocent means of depriving me of
+my son." And he wiped away a tear, that, despite all his efforts
+to control his grief, rolled down his withered cheek. Then
+turning to de Sigognac, he said, with an incomparably noble
+gesture, "Sir, you are at liberty to withdraw, with your brave
+companions. Isabelle will have nothing to fear under her father's
+protection, and this chateau will be her home for the present.
+Now that her birth is made known it is not fitting that
+my daughter should return to Paris with you. I thank you, though
+it costs me the hope of perpetuating my race, for having spared
+my son a disgraceful action--what do I say? An abominable crime.
+I would rather have a bloodstain on my escutcheon than a
+dishonourable blot. Since Vallombreuse was infamous in his
+conduct, you have done well to kill him. You have acted like a
+true gentleman, which I am assured that you are, in chivalrously
+protecting weakness, innocence and virtue. You are nobly in the
+right. That my daughter's honour has been preserved unstained, I
+owe to you--and it compensates me for the loss of my son--at
+least my reason tells me that it should do so; but the father's
+heart rebels, and unjust ideas of revenge might arise, which I
+should find it difficult to conquer and set at rest. Therefore
+you had better go your way now, and whatever the result may be I
+will not pursue or molest you. I will try to forget that a
+terrible necessity turned your sword against my son's life."
+
+"My lord," said de Sigognac, with profound respect, "I feel so
+keenly for your grief as a father, that I would have accepted any
+reproaches, no matter how bitter and unjust, from you, without
+one word of protest or feeling of resentment; even though I
+cannot reproach myself for my share in this disastrous conflict.
+I do not wish to say anything to justify myself in your eyes, at
+the expense of the unhappy Duke of Vallombreuse, but I beg you to
+believe that this quarrel was not of my seeking. He persistently
+threw himself in my way, and I have done everything I could to
+spare him, in more than one encounter. Even here it was his own
+blind fury that led to his being wounded. I leave Isabelle, who
+is dearer to me than my own soul, in your hands, and shall grieve
+my whole life long for this sad victory; which is a veritable and
+terrible defeat for me, since it destroys my happiness. Ah! if
+only I could have been slain myself, instead of your unhappy son;
+it would have been better and happier for me."
+
+He bowed with grave dignity to the prince, who courteously
+returned his salute, exchanged a long look, eloquent of
+passionate love and heart-breaking regret, with Isabelle, and
+went sadly down the grand staircase, followed by his
+companions--not however without glancing back more than once at
+the sweet girl he was leaving--who to save herself from falling,
+leaned heavily against the railing of the landing, sobbing as if
+her heart would break, and pressing a handkerchief to her
+streaming eyes. And, so strange a thing is the human heart, the
+Baron de Sigognac departed much comforted by the bitter grief and
+tears of her whom he so devotedly loved and worshipped. He and
+his friends went on foot to the little wood where they had left
+their horses tied to the trees, found them undisturbed, mounted
+and returned to Paris.
+
+"What do you think, my lord, of all these wonderful events?" said
+the tyrant, after a long silence, to de Sigognac, beside whom he
+was riding. "It all ends up like a regular tragi-comedy. Who
+would ever have dreamed, in the midst of the melee, of the sudden
+entrance upon the scene of the grand old princely father,
+preceded by torches, and coming to put a little wholesome
+restraint on the too atrociously outrageous pranks of his
+dissolute young son? And then the recognition of Isabelle as his
+daughter, by means of the ring with a peculiar device of his own
+engraved upon it; haven't you seen exactly the same sort of thing
+on the stage? But, after all, it is not so surprising perhaps as
+it seems at the first glance--since the theatre is only a copy of
+real life. Therefore, real life should resemble it, just as the
+original does the portrait, eh? I have always heard that our
+sweet little actress was of noble birth. Blazius and old Mme.
+Leonarde remember seeing the prince when he was devoted to
+Cornelia. The duenna has often tried to persuade Isabelle to seek
+out her father, but she is of too modest and gentle a nature to
+take a step of that kind; not wishing to intrude upon a family
+that might reject her, and willing to content herself in her own
+lowly, position."
+
+"Yes, I knew all about that," rejoined de Sigognac, "for Isabelle
+told me some time ago her mother's history, and spoke of the
+ring; but without attaching any importance to the fact of her
+illustrious origin. It is very evident, however, from the
+nobility and delicacy of her nature, without any other proof,
+that princely blood flows in her veins; and also the refined,
+pure, elevated type of her beauty testifies to her descent. But
+what a terrible fatality that this cursed Vallombreuse should
+turn out to be her brother! There is a dead body between us
+now--a stream of blood separates us--and yet, I could not save
+her honour in any other way. Unhappy mortal that I am! I have
+myself created the obstacle upon which my love is wrecked, and
+killed my hopes of future bliss with the very sword that defended
+the purity of the woman I adore. In guarding her I love, I have
+put her away from me forever. How could I go now and present
+myself to Isabelle with blood-stained hands? Alas! that the blood
+which I was forced to shed in her defence should have been her
+brother's. Even if she, in her heavenly goodness, could forgive
+me, and look upon me without a feeling of horror, the prince, her
+father, would repulse and curse me as the murderer of his only
+son. I was born, alas! under an unlucky star."
+
+"Yes, it is all very sad and lamentable, certainly," said the
+tyrant; "but worse entanglements than this have come out all
+right in the end. You must remember that the Duke of Vallombreuse
+is only half-brother to Isabelle, and that they were aware of the
+relationship but for a few minutes before he fell dead at our
+feet; which must make a great difference in her feelings. And
+besides, she hated that overbearing nobleman, who pursued her so
+cruelly with his violent and scandalous gallantries. The prince
+himself was far from being satisfied with his wretched son--who
+was ferocious as Nero, dissolute as Heliogabalus, and perverse as
+Satan himself, and who would have been hanged ten times over if
+he had not been a duke. Do not be so disheartened! things may
+turn out a great deal better than you think now."
+
+"God grant it, my good Herode," said de Sigognac fervently. "But
+naturally I cannot feel happy about it. It would have been far
+better for all if I had been killed instead of the duke, since
+Isabelle would have been safe from his criminal pursuit under her
+father's care. And then, I may as well tell you all, a secret
+horror froze the very marrow in my bones when I saw that handsome
+young man, but a moment before so full of life, fire, and
+passion, fall lifeless, pale and stiff at my feet. Herode, the
+death of a man is a grave thing, and though I cannot suffer from
+remorse for this one, since I have committed no crime, still, all
+the time I see Vallombreuse before me, lying, motionless and
+ghastly, with the blood oozing slowly from his wound. It haunts
+me. I cannot drive the horrid sight away."
+
+"That is all wrong," said the tyrant, soothingly--for the other
+was much excited--"for you could not have done otherwise. Your
+conscience should not reproach you. You have acted throughout,
+from the very beginning to the end, like the noble gentleman that
+you are. These scruples are owing to exhaustion, to the
+feverishness due to the excitement you have gone through, and the
+chill from the night air. We will gallop on swiftly in a moment,
+to set our blood flowing more freely, and drive away these sad
+thoughts of yours. But one thing must be promptly done; you must
+quit Paris, forthwith, and retire for a time to some quiet
+retreat, until all this trouble is forgotten. The violent death
+of the Duke of Vallombreuse will make a stir at the court, and in
+the city, no matter how much pains may be taken to keep the facts
+from the public, and, although he was not at all popular, indeed
+very much the reverse, there will be much regret expressed, and
+you will probably be severely blamed. But now let us put spurs to
+these lazy steeds of ours, and try to get on a little faster."
+
+While they are galloping towards Paris, we will return to the
+chateau--as quiet now as it had been noisy a little while before.
+In the young duke's room, a candelabrum, with several branches,
+stood on a round table, so that the light from the candles fell
+upon the bed, where he lay with closed eyes, as motionless as a
+corpse, and as pale. The walls of the large chamber, above a high
+wainscot of ebony picked out with gold, were hung with superb
+tapestry, representing the history of Medea and Jason, with all
+its murderous and revolting details. Here, Medea was seen cutting
+the body of Pelias into pieces, under pretext of restoring his
+youth--there, the madly jealous woman and unnatural mother was
+murdering her own children; in another panel she was fleeing,
+surfeited with vengeance, in her chariot, drawn by huge dragons
+breathing out flames of fire. The tapestry was certainly
+magnificent in quality and workmanship, rich in colouring,
+artistic in design, and very costly--but inexpressibly repulsive.
+These mythological horrors gave the luxurious room an intensely
+disagreeable, lugubrious aspect, and testified to the natural
+ferocity and cruelty of the person who had selected them. Behind
+the bed the crimson silk curtains had been drawn apart, exposing
+to view the representation of Jason's terrible conflict with the
+fierce, brazen bulls that guarded the golden fleece, and
+Vallombreuse, lying senseless below them, looked as if he might
+have been one of their victims. Various suits of clothes, of the
+greatest richness and elegance, which had been successively tried
+on and rejected, were scattered about, and in a splendid great
+Japanese vase, standing on an ebony table near the head of the
+bed, was a bouquet of beautiful flowers, destined to replace the
+one Isabelle had already refused to receive--its glowing tints
+making a strange contrast with the death-like face, which was
+whiter than the snowy pillow it rested on. The prince, sitting in
+an arm-chair beside the bed, gazed at his unconscious son with
+mournful intentness, and bent down from time to time to listen at
+the slightly parted lips; but no fluttering breath came through
+them; all was still. Never had the young duke looked handsomer.
+The
+haughty, fierce expression, habitual with him, had given place to
+a serenity that was wonderfully beautiful, though so like death.
+As the father contemplated the perfect face and form, so soon to
+crumble into dust, he forgot, in his overwhelming grief, that the
+soul of a demon had animated it, and he thought sorrowfully of
+the great name that had been revered and honoured for centuries
+past, but which could not go down to centuries to come. More even
+than the death of his son did he mourn for the exinction of his
+home.
+
+Isabelle stood at the foot of the bed, with clasped hands,
+praying with her whole soul for this new-found brother, who had
+expiated his crime with his life--the crime of loving too much,
+which woman pardons so easily.
+
+The prince, who had been for some time holding his son's icy cold
+hand between both his own, suddenly thought that he could feel a
+slight warmth in it, and not realizing that he himself had
+imparted it, allowed himself to hope again.
+
+"Will the doctor never come?" he cried impatiently; "something
+may yet be done; I am persuaded of it."
+
+Even as he spoke the door opened, and the surgeon appeared,
+followed by an assistant carrying a case of instruments. He bowed
+to the prince, and without saying one word went straight to the
+bedside, felt the patient's pulse, put his hand over his heart,
+and shook his head despondingly. However, to make sure, he drew a
+little mirror of polished steel from his pocket, removed it from
+its case, and held it for a moment over the parted lips; then,
+upon examining its surface closely, he found that a slight
+dimness was visible upon it. Surprised at this unexpected
+indication of life, he repeated the experiment, and again the
+little mirror was dimmed--Isabelle and the prince meantime
+breathlessly watching every movement, and even the expression of
+the doctor's face.
+
+"Life is not entirely extinct," he said at last, turning to the
+anxious father, as he wiped the polished surface of his tiny
+mirror. "The patient still breathes, and as long as there is life
+there is hope, But do not give yourself up to a premature joy
+that might render your grief more bitter afterwards. I only say
+that the Duke of Vallombreuse has not yet breathed his last; that
+is all. Now, I am going to probe the wound, which perhaps is not
+fatal, as it did not kill him at once."
+
+"You must not stay here, Isabelle," said the prince, tenderly;
+"such sights are too trying for a young girl like you. Go to your
+own room now, my dear, and I will let you know the doctor's
+verdict as soon as he has pronounced it."
+
+Isabelle accordingly withdrew, and was conducted to an apartment
+that had been made ready for her; the one she had occupied being
+all in disorder after the terrible scenes that had been enacted
+there.
+
+The surgeon proceeded with his examination, and when it was
+finished said to the prince, "My lord, will you please to order a
+cot put up in that corner yonder, and have a light supper sent in
+for my assistant and myself? We shall remain for the night with
+the Duke of Vallombreuse, and take turns in watching him. I must
+be with him constantly, so as to note every symptom; to combat
+promptly those that are unfavorable, and aid those that are the
+reverse. Your highness may trust everything to me, and feel
+assured that all that human skill and science can do towards
+saving your son's life shall be faithfully done. Let me advise
+you to go to your own room now and try to get some rest; I think
+I may safely answer for my patient's life until the morning."
+
+A little calmed and much encouraged by this assurance, the prince
+retired to his own apartment, where every hour a servant brought
+him a bulletin from the sick-room.
+
+As to Isabelle, lying in her luxurious bed and vainly trying to
+sleep, she lived over again in imagination all the wonderful as
+well as terrible experiences of the last two days, and tried to
+realize her new position; that she was now the acknowledged
+daughter of a mighty prince, than whom only royalty was higher;
+that the dreaded Duke of Vallombreuse, so handsome and winning
+despite his perversity, was no longer a bold lover to be feared
+and detested, but a brother, whose passion, if he lived, would
+doubtless be changed into a pure and calm fraternal affection.
+This chateau, no longer her prison, had become her home, and she
+was treated by all with the respect and consideration due to the
+daughter of its master. From what had seemed to be her ruin had
+arisen her good fortune, and a destiny radiant, unhoped-for, and
+beyond her wildest flights of fancy. Yet, surrounded as she was
+by everything to make her happy and content, Isabelle was far
+from feeling so--she was astonished at herself for being sad and
+listless, instead of joyous and exultant--but the thought of de
+Sigognac, so infinitely dear to her, so far more precious than
+any other earthly blessing, weighed upon her heart, and the
+separation from him was a sorrow for which nothing could console
+her. Yet, now that their relative positions were so changed,
+might not a great happiness be in store for her? Did not this
+very change bring her nearer in reality to that true, brave,
+faithful, and devoted lover, though for the moment they were
+parted? As a poor nameless actress she had refused to accept his
+offered hand, lest such an alliance should be disadvantageous to
+him and stand in the way of his advancement, but now--how
+joyfully would she give herself to him. The daughter of a great
+and powerful prince would be a fitting wife for the Baron de
+Sigognac. But if he were the murderer of her father's only son;
+ah! then indeed they could never join hands over a grave. And
+even if the young duke should recover, he might cherish a lasting
+resentment for the man who had not only dared to oppose his
+wishes and designs, but had also defeated and wounded him. As to
+the prince, good and generous though he was, still he might not
+be able to bring himself to look with favour upon the man who had
+almost deprived him of his son. Then, too, he might desire some
+other alliance for his new-found daughter--it was not
+impossible--but in her inmost heart she promised herself to be
+faithful to her first and only love; to take refuge in a convent
+rather than accept the hand of any other; even though that other
+were as handsome as Apollo, and gifted as the prince of a fairy
+tale. Comforted by this secret vow, by which she dedicated her
+life and love to de Sigognac, whether their destiny should give
+them to each other or keep them asunder, Isabelle was just
+falling into a sweet sleep when a slight sound made her open her
+eyes, and they fell upon Chiquita, standing at the foot of the
+bed and gazing at her with a thoughtful, melancholy air.
+
+"What is it, my dear child?" said Isabelle, in her sweetest
+tones. "You did not go away with the others, then? I am glad; and
+if you would like to stay here with me, Chiquita, I will keep you
+and care for you tenderly; as is justly due to you, my dear, for
+you have done a great deal for me."
+
+"I love you dearly," answered Chiquita, "but I cannot stay with
+you while Agostino lives; he is my master, I must follow him. But
+I have one favour to beg before I leave you; if you think that I
+have earned the pearl necklace now, will you kiss me? No one ever
+did but you, and it was so sweet."
+
+"Indeed I will, and with all my heart," said Isabelle, taking the
+child's thin face between her hands and kissing her warmly on her
+brown cheeks, which flushed crimson under the soft caress.
+
+"And now, good-bye!" said Chiquita, when after a few moments of
+silence she had resumed her usual sang-froid. She turned quickly
+away, but, catching sight of the knife she had given Isabelle,
+which lay upon the dressing-table, she seized it eagerly, saying,
+"Give me back my knife now; you will not need it any more," and
+vanished.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII. A FAMILY PARTY
+
+The next morning found the young Duke of Vallombreuse still
+living, though his life hung by so slender a thread, that the
+surgeon, who anxiously watched his every breath, feared from
+moment to moment that it might break. He was a learned and
+skilful man, this same Maitre Laurent, who only needed some
+favourable opportunity to bring him into notice and make him as
+celebrated as he deserved to be. His remarkable talents and skill
+had only been exercised thus far "in anima vili," among the lower
+orders of society--whose living or dying was a matter of no
+moment whatever. But now had come at last the chance so long
+sighed for in secret, and he felt that the recovery of his
+illustrious patient was of paramount importance to himself. The
+worthy doctor's amour propre and ambition were both actively
+engaged in this desperate duel he was fighting with Death, and he
+set his teeth and determined that the victory must rest with him.
+In order to keep the whole glory of the triumph for himself, he
+had persuaded the prince--not without difficulty--to renounce his
+intention of sending for the most celebrated surgeons in Paris,
+assuring him that he himself was perfectly capable to do all that
+could be done, and pleading that nothing was more dangerous than
+a change of treatment in such a case as this. Maitre Laurent
+conquered, and feeling that there was now no danger of his being
+pushed into the background, threw his whole heart and strength
+into the struggle; yet many times during that anxious night he
+feared that his patient's life was slipping away from his
+detaining grasp, and almost repented him of having assumed the
+entire responsibility. But with the morning came encouragement,
+and as the watchful surgeon stood at the bedside, intently gazing
+upon the ghastly face on the pillow, he murmured to himself:
+
+"No, he will not die--his countenance has lost that terrible,
+hippocratic look that had settled upon it last evening when I
+first saw him--his pulse is stronger, his breathing free and
+natural. Besides, he MUST live--his recovery will make my
+fortune. I must and will tear him out of the grim clutches of
+Death--fine, handsome, young fellow that he is, and the heir and
+hope of his noble family--it will be long ere his tomb need be
+made ready to receive him. He will help me to get away from this
+wretched little village, where I vegetate ignobly, and eat my
+heart out day by day. Now for a bold stroke!--at the risk of
+producing fever--at all risks--I shall venture to give him a dose
+of that wonder-working potion of mine." Opening his case of
+medicines, he took out several small vials, containing different
+preparations--some red as a ruby, others green as an
+emerald--this one yellow as virgin gold, that bright and
+colourless as a diamond--and on each one a small label bearing a
+Latin inscription. Maitre Laurent, though he was perfectly sure
+of himself, carefully read the inscriptions upon those he had
+selected several times over, held up the tiny vials one after
+another, where a ray of sunshine struck upon them, and looked
+admiringly through the bright transparent liquids they
+contained--then, measuring with the utmost care a few drops from
+each, compounded a potion after a secret recipe of his own; which
+he made a mystery of, and refused to impart to his fellow
+practitioners. Rousing his sleeping assistant, he ordered him to
+raise the patient's head a little, while, with a small spatula,
+he pried the firmly set teeth apart sufficiently to allow the
+liquid he had prepared to trickle slowly into the mouth. As it
+reached the throat there was a spasmodic contraction that gave
+Maitre Laurent an instant of intense anxiety--but it was only
+momentary, and the remainder of the dose was swallowed easily and
+with almost instantaneous effect. A slight tinge of colour showed
+itself in the pallid cheeks, the eyelids trembled and half
+unclosed, and the hand that had lain inert and motionless upon
+the counterpane stirred a little. Then the young duke heaved
+a deep sigh, and opening his eyes looked vacantly in about him,
+like one awakening from a dream, or returning from those
+mysterious regions whither the soul takes flight when
+unconsciousness holds this mortal frame enthralled. Only a
+glance, and the long eyelashes fell again upon the pale
+cheeks--but a wonderful change had passed over the countenance.
+
+"I staked everything on that move," said Maitre Laurent to
+himself, with a long breath of relief, "and I have won. It was
+either kill or cure--and it has not killed him. All glory be to
+Aesculapius, Hygeia, and Hippocrates!"
+
+At this moment a hand noiselessly put aside the hangings over the
+door, and the venerable head of the prince appeared--looking ten
+years older for the agony and dread of the terrible night just
+passed.
+
+"How is he, Maitre Laurent?" he breathed, in broken, scarcely
+audible tones.
+
+The surgeon put his finger to his lips, and with the other hand
+pointed to the young duke's face-still raised a little on the
+pillows, and no longer wearing its death-like look; then, with
+the light step habitual with those who are much about the sick,
+he went over to the prince, still standing on the threshold, and
+drawing him gently outside and away from the door, said in a low
+voice, "Your highness can see that the patient's condition, so
+far from growing worse, has decidedly improved. Certainly he is
+not out of danger yet--his state is very critical--but unless
+some new and totally unforeseen complication should arise, which
+I shall use every effort to prevent, I think that we can pull him
+through, and that he will be able to enjoy life again as if he
+had never been hurt."
+
+The prince's care-worn face brightened and his fine eyes flashed
+at these hopeful words; he stepped forward to enter the
+sick-room, but Maitre Laurent respectfully opposed his doing so.
+
+"Permit me, my lord, to prevent your approaching your son's
+bedside just now--doctors are often very disagreeable, you know,
+and have to impose trying conditions upon those to whom their
+patients are dear. I beseech you not to go near the Duke of
+Vallombreuse at present. Your beloved presence might, in the
+excessively weak and exhausted condition of my patient, cause
+dangerous agitation. Any strong emotion would be instantly fatal
+to him, his hold upon life is still so slight. Perfect
+tranquility is his only safety. If all goes well--as I trust and
+believe that it will--in a few days he will have regained his
+strength in a measure, his wound will be healing, and you can
+probably be with him as much as you like, without any fear of
+doing him harm. I know that this is very trying to your highness,
+but, believe me, it is necessary to your son's well-being."
+
+The prince, very much relieved, and yielding readily to the
+doctor's wishes, returned to his own apartment; where he occupied
+himself with some religious reading until noon, when the
+major-domo came to announce that dinner was on the table.
+
+"Go and tell my daughter, the Comtesse Isabelle de Lineuil--such
+is the title by which she is to be addressed henceforth--that I
+request her to join me at dinner," said the prince to the
+major-domo, who hastened off to obey this order.
+
+Isabelle went quickly down the grand staircase with a light step,
+and smiled to herself as she passed through the noble hall where
+she had been so frightened by the two figures in armour, on the
+occasion of her bold exploring expedition the first night after
+her arrival at the chateau. Everything looked very different
+now--the bright sunshine was pouring in at the windows, and large
+fires of juniper, and other sweet-smelling woods, had completely
+done away with the damp, chilly, heavy atmosphere that pervaded
+the long disused rooms when she was in them before.
+
+In the splendid dining-room she found a table sumptuously spread,
+and her father already seated at it, in his large, high-backed,
+richly carved chair, behind which stood two lackeys, in superb
+liveries. As she approached him she made a most graceful curtsey,
+which had nothing in the least theatrical about it, and would
+have met with approbation even in courtly circles. A servant was
+holding the chair destined for her, and with some timidity,
+but no apparent embarrassment, she took her seat opposite to the
+prince. She was served with soup and wine, and then with course
+after course of delicate, tempting viands; but she could not eat
+her heart was too full--her nerves were still quivering, from the
+terror and excitement of the preceding day and night.
+
+She was dazzled and agitated by this sudden change of fortune,
+anxious about her brother, now lying at the point of death, and,
+above all, troubled and grieved at her separation from her
+lover--so she could only make a pretence of dining, and played
+languidly with the food on her plate.
+
+"You are eating nothing, my dear comtesse," said the prince, who
+had been furtively watching her; "I pray you try to do better
+with this bit of partridge I am sending you.
+
+At this title of comtesse, spoken as a matter of course, and in
+such a kind, tender tone, Isabelle looked up at the prince with
+astonishment written in her beautiful, deep blue eyes, which
+seemed to plead timidly for an explanation.
+
+"Yes, Comtesse de Lineuil; it is the title which goes with an
+estate I have settled on you, my dear child, and which has long
+been destined for you. The name of Isabelle alone, charming
+though it be, is not suitable for my daughter."
+
+Isabelle, yielding to the impulse of the moment--as the servants
+had retired and she was alone with her father--rose, and going to
+his side, knelt down and kissed his hand, in token of gratitude
+for his delicacy and generosity.
+
+"Rise, my child," said he, very tenderly, and much moved, "and
+return to your place. What I have done is only just. It calls for
+no thanks. I should have done it long ago if it had been in my
+power. In the terrible circumstances that have reunited us, my
+dear daughter, I can see the finger of Providence, and through
+them I have learned your worth. To your virtue alone it is due
+that a horrible crime was not committed, and I love and honour
+you for it; even though it may cost me the loss of my only son.
+But God will be merciful and preserve his life, so that he may
+repent of having so persecuted and outraged the purest innocence.
+Maitre Laurent, in whom I have every confidence, gives me some
+hope this morning; and when I looked at Vallombreuse--from the
+threshold of his room only--I could see that the seal of death
+was no longer upon his face."
+
+They were interrupted by the servants, bringing in water to wash
+their fingers, in a magnificent golden bowl, and this ceremony
+having been duly gone through with, the prince threw down his
+napkin and led the way into the adjoining salon, signing to
+Isabelle to follow him. He seated himself in a large arm-chair in
+front of the blazing wood fire, and bidding Isabelle place
+herself close beside him, took her hand tenderly between both of
+his, and looked long and searchingly at this lovely young
+daughter, so strangely restored to him. There was much of sadness
+mingled with the joy that shone in his eyes, for he was still
+very anxious about his son, whose life was in such jeopardy; but
+as he gazed upon Isabelle's sweet face the joy predominated, and
+he smiled very lovingly upon the new comtesse, as he began to
+talk to her of long past days.
+
+"Doubtless, my beloved child, in the midst of the strange events
+that have brought us together, in such an odd, romantic, almost
+supernatural manner, the thought has suggested itself to your
+mind, that during all the years that have passed since your
+infancy I have not sought you out, and that chance alone has at
+last restored the long-lost child to her neglectful father. But
+you are so good and noble that I know you would not dwell upon
+such an idea, and I hope that you do not so misjudge me as to
+think me capable of such culpable neglect, now that you are
+getting a little better acquainted with me. As you must know,
+your mother, Cornelia, was excessively proud and high-spirited.
+She resented every affront, whether intended as such or not, with
+extraordinary violence, and when I was obliged, in spite of my
+most heartfelt wishes, to separate myself from her, and
+reluctantly submit to a marriage that I could not avoid, she
+obstinately refused to allow me to provide for her maintenance in
+comfort and luxury, as well as for you and your education.
+All that I gave her, and settled on her, she sent back to me with
+the most exaggerated disdain, and inexorably refused to receive
+again. I could not but admire, though I so deplored, her lofty
+spirit, and proud rejection of every benefit which I desired to
+confer upon her, and I left in the hands of a trusty agent, for
+her, the deeds of all the landed property and houses I had
+destined for her, as well as the money and jewels--so that she
+could at any time reclaim them, if she would--hoping that she
+might see fit to change her mind when the first flush of anger
+was over. But, to my great chagrin, she persisted in her refusal
+of everything, and changing her name, fled from Paris into the
+provinces; where she was said to have joined a roving band of
+comedians. Soon after that I was sent by my sovereign on several
+foreign missions that kept me long away from France, and I lost
+all trace of her and you. In vain were all my efforts to find you
+both, until at last I heard that she was dead. Then I redoubled
+my diligence in the search for my little motherless daughter,
+whom I had so tenderly loved; but all in vain. No trace of her
+could I find. I heard, indeed, of many children among these
+strolling companies, and carefully investigated each case that
+came to my knowledge; but it always ended in disappointment.
+Several women, indeed, tried to palm off their little girls upon
+me as my child, and I had to be on my guard against fraud; but I
+never failed to sift the matter thoroughly, even though I knew
+that deceit was intended, lest I should unawares reject the dear
+little one I was so anxiously seeking. At last I was almost
+forced to conclude that you too had perished; yet a secret
+intuition always told me that you were still in the land of the
+living. I used to sit for hours and think of how sweet and lovely
+you were in infancy; how your little rosy fingers used to play
+with and pull my long mustache--which was black then, my
+dear--when I leaned over to kiss you in your cradle--recalling
+all your pretty, engaging little baby tricks, remembering how
+fond and proud I was of you, and grieving over the loss that I
+seemed to feel more and more acutely as the years went on. The
+birth of my son only made me long still more intensely for
+you, instead of consoling me for your loss, or banishing you from
+my memory, and when I saw him decked with rich laces and ribbons,
+like a royal babe, and playing with his jewelled rattle, I would
+think with an aching heart that perhaps at that very moment my
+dear little daughter was suffering from cold and hunger, or the
+unkind treatment of those who had her in charge. Then I regretted
+deeply that I had not taken you away from your mother in the very
+beginning, and had you brought up as my daughter should be--but
+when you were born I did not dream of our parting. As years
+rolled on new anxieties tortured me. I knew that you would be
+beautiful, and how much you would have to suffer from the
+dissolute men who hover about all young and pretty actresses--my
+blood would boil as I thought of the insults and affronts to
+which you might be subjected, and from which I was powerless to
+shield you--no words can tell what I suffered. Affecting a taste
+for the theatre that I did not possess, I never let an
+opportunity pass to see every company of players that I could
+hear of--hoping to find you at last among them. But although I
+saw numberless young actresses, about your age, not one of them
+could have been you, my dear child--of that I was sure. So at
+last
+I abandoned the hope of finding my longlost daughter, though it
+was a bitter trial to feel that I must do so. The princess, my
+wife, had died three years after our marriage, leaving me only
+one child--Vallombreuse--whose ungovernable disposition has
+always given me much trouble and anxiety. A few days ago, at
+Saint Germain, I heard some of the courtiers speak in terms of
+high praise of Herode's troupe, and what they said made me
+determine to go and see one of their representations without
+delay, while my heart beat high with a new hope--for they
+especially lauded a young actress, called Isabelle; whose
+graceful, modest, high-bred air they declared to be irresistible,
+and her acting everything that could be desired--adding that she
+was as virtuous as she was beautiful, and that the boldest
+libertines respected her immaculate purity. Deeply agitated by a
+secret presentiment, I hastened back to Paris, and went to
+the theatre that very night. There I saw you, my darling, and
+though it would seem to be impossible for even a father's eye to
+recognise, in the beautiful young woman of twenty, the babe that
+he had kissed in its cradle, and had never beheld since, still I
+knew you instantly--the very moment you came in sight--and I
+perceived, with a heart swelling with happiness and thankfulness,
+that you were all that I could wish. Moreover, I recognised the
+face of an old actor, who had been I knew in the troupe that
+Cornelia joined when she fled from Paris, and I resolved to
+address myself first to him; so as not to startle you by too
+abrupt a disclosure of my claims upon you. But when I sent the
+next morning to the hotel in the Rue Dauphine, I learned that
+Herode's troupe had just gone to give a representation at a
+chateau in the environs of Paris, and would be absent three days.
+I should have endeavoured to wait patiently for their return, had
+not a brave fellow, who used to be in my service, and has my
+interest at heart, come to inform me that the Duke of
+Vallombreuse, being madly in love with a young actress named
+Isabelle, who resisted his suit with the utmost firmness and
+determination, had arranged to gain forcible possession of her in
+the course of the day's journey--the expedition into the country
+being gotten up for that express purpose--that he had a band of
+hired ruffians engaged to carry out his nefarious purpose and
+bring his unhappy victim to this chateau--and that he had come to
+warn me, fearing lest serious consequences should ensue to my
+son, as the young actress would be accompanied by brave and
+faithful friends, who were armed, and would defend her to the
+death. This terrible news threw me into a frightful state of
+anxiety and excitement. Feeling sure, as I did, that you were my
+own daughter, I shuddered at the thought of the horrible crime
+that I might not be in time to prevent, and without one moment's
+delay set out for this place-- suffering such agony by the way as
+I do not like even to think of. You were already delivered from
+danger when I arrived, as you know, and without having suffered
+anything beyond the alarm and dread--which must have been
+terrible indeed, my poor child! And then, the amethyst ring on
+your finger confirmed, past any possibility of doubt, what my
+heart had told me, when first my eyes beheld you in the theatre."
+
+"I pray you to believe, dear lord and father," answered Isabelle,
+"that I have never accused you of anything, nor considered myself
+neglected. Accustomed from my infancy to the roving life of the
+troupe I was with, I neither knew nor dreamed of any other. The
+little knowledge that I had of the world made me realize that I
+should be wrong in wishing to force myself upon an illustrious
+family, obliged doubtless by powerful reasons, of which I knew
+nothing, to leave me in obscurity. The confused remembrance I had
+of my origin sometimes inspired me--when I was very young--with a
+certain pride, and I would say to myself, when I noticed the
+disdainful air with which great ladies looked down upon us poor
+actresses, I also am of noble birth. But I outgrew those fancies,
+and only preserved an invincible self-respect, which I have
+always cherished. Nothing in the world would have induced me to
+dishonour the illustrious blood that flows in my veins. The
+disgraceful license of the coulisses, and the loathsome
+gallantries lavished upon all actresses, even those who are not
+comely, disgusted me from the first, and I have lived in the
+theatre almost as if in a convent. The good old pedant has been
+like a watchful father to me, and as for Herode, he would have
+severely chastised any one who dared to touch me with the tip of
+his finger, or even to pronounce a vulgar word in my presence.
+Although they are only obscure actors, they are very honourable,
+worthy men, and I trust you will he good enough to help them if
+they ever find themselves in need of assistance. I owe it partly
+to them that I can lift my forehead for your kiss without a blush
+of shame, and proudly declare myself worthy, so far as purity is
+concerned, to be your daughter. My only regret is to have been
+the innocent cause of the misfortune that has overtaken the duke,
+your son. I could have wished to enter your family, my dear
+father, under more favourable auspices."
+
+"You have nothing to reproach yourself with, my sweet child, for
+you could not divine these mysteries, which have been suddenly
+disclosed by a combination of circumstances that would be
+considered romantic and improbable, even in a novel; and my joy
+at finding you as worthy in every way to be my beloved and
+honoured daughter, as if you had not lived amid all the dangers
+of such a career, makes up for the pain and anxiety caused by the
+illness and danger of my son. Whether he lives or dies, I shall
+never for one moment blame you for anything in connection with
+his misfortune. In any event, it was your virtue and courage that
+saved him from being guilty of a crime that I shudder to
+contemplate. And now, tell me, who was the handsome young man
+among your liberators who seemed to direct the attack, and who
+wounded Vallombreuse? An actor doubtless, though it appeared to
+me that he had a very noble bearing, and magnificent courage."
+
+"Yes, my dear father," Isabelle replied, with a most lovely and
+becoming blush, "he is an actor, a member of our troupe; but if I
+may venture to betray his secret, which is already known to the
+Duke of Vallombreuse, I will tell you that the so-called Captain
+Fracasse conceals under his mask a noble countenance, as indeed
+you already know, and under his theatrical pseudonym, the name of
+an illustrious family."
+
+"True!" rejoined the prince, "I have heard something about that
+already. It would certainly have been astonishing if an ordinary,
+low-born actor had ventured upon so bold and rash a course as
+running counter to a Duke of Vallombreuse, and actually entering
+into a combat with him; it needs noble blood for such daring
+acts. Only a gentleman can conquer a gentleman, just as a diamond
+can only be cut by a diamond."
+
+The lofty pride of the aged prince found much consolation in the
+knowledge that his son had not been attacked and wounded by an
+adversary of low origin; there was nothing compromising in a duel
+between equals, and he drew a deep breath of relief at thought of
+it.
+
+"And pray, what is the real name of this valiant champion?"
+smilingly asked the prince, with a roguish twinkle in his dark
+eyes--"this dauntless knight, and brave defender of innocence and
+purity!"
+
+"He is the Baron de Sigognac," Isabelle replied blushingly, with
+a slight trembling perceptible in her sweet, low voice. "I reveal
+his name fearlessly to you, my dear father, for you are both too
+just and too generous to visit upon his head the disastrous
+consequences of a victory that he deplores."
+
+"De Sigognac?" said the prince. "I thought that ancient and
+illustrious family was extinct. Is he not from Gascony?"
+
+"Yes; his home is in the neighbourhood of Dax."
+
+"Exactly--and the de Sigognacs have an appropriate coat of arms--
+three golden storks on an azure field. Yes, it is as I said, an
+ancient and illustrious family--one of the oldest and most
+honourable in France. Paramede de Sigognac figured gloriously in
+the first crusade. A Raimbaud de Sigognac, the father of this
+young man without doubt, was the devoted friend and companion of
+Henri IV, in his youth, but was not often seen at court in later
+years. it was said that he was embarrassed financially, I
+remember."
+
+"So much so, that when our troupe sought refuge of a stormy night
+under his roof, we found his son living in a half ruined chateau,
+haunted by bats and owls, where his youth was passing in sadness
+and misery. We persuaded him to come away with us, fearing that
+he would die there of starvation and melancholy--but I never saw
+misfortune so bravely borne."
+
+"Poverty is no disgrace," said the prince, "and any noble house
+that has preserved its honour unstained may rise again from its
+ruins to its ancient height of glory and renown. But why did not
+the young baron apply to some of his father's old friends in his
+distress? or lay his case before the king, who is the natural
+refuge of all loyal gentlemen under such circumstances?"
+
+"Misfortunes such as his are apt to breed timidity, even with the
+bravest," Isabelle replied, "and pride deters many a man from
+betraying his misery to the world. When the Baron de Sigognac
+consented to accompany us to Paris, he hoped to find some
+opportunity there to retrieve his fallen fortunes; but it has not
+presented itself. In order not to be an expense to the troupe, he
+generously and nobly insisted upon taking the place of one of the
+actors, who died on the way, and who was a great loss to us. As
+he could appear upon the stage always masked, he surely did not
+compromise his dignity by it."
+
+"Under this theatrical disguise, I think that, without being a
+sorcerer, I can detect a little bit of romance, eh?" said the
+prince, with a mischievous smile. "But I will not inquire too
+closely; I know how good and true you are well enough not to take
+alarm at any respectful tribute paid to your charms. I have not
+been with you long enough yet as a father, my sweet child, to
+venture upon sermonizing."
+
+As he paused, Isabelle raised her lovely eyes, in which shone the
+purest innocence and the most perfect loyalty, to his, and met
+his questioning gaze unflinchingly. The rosy flush which the
+first mention of de Sigognac's name had called up was gone, and
+her countenance showed no faintest sign of embarrassment or
+shame. In her pure heart the most searching looks of a father, of
+God himself, could have found nothing to condemn. Just at this
+point the doctor's assistant was announced, who brought a most
+favourable report from the sick-room. He was charged to tell the
+prince that his son's condition was eminently satisfactory--a
+marked change for the better having taken place; and that Maitre
+Laurent considered the danger past--believing that his recovery
+was now only a question of time.
+
+A few days later, Vallombreuse, propped up on his pillows,
+received a visit from his faithful and devoted friend, the
+Chevalier de Vidalinc, whom he had not been permitted to see
+earlier. The, prince was sitting by the bedside, affectionately
+watching every flitting expression on his son's face, which was
+pathetically thin and pale, but handsomer than ever; because the
+old haughty, fierce look had vanished, and a soft light, that had
+never been in them before, shone in his beautiful eyes, whereat
+his father's heart rejoiced exceedingly. Isabelle stood at the
+other side of the bed, and the young duke had clasped his thin,
+startlingly white fingers round her hand. As he was forbidden to
+speak, save in monosyllables--because of his injured lung--he
+took this means of testifying his sympathy with her, who had been
+the involuntary cause of his being wounded and in danger of
+losing his life, and thus made her understand that he cherished
+no resentments. The affectionate brother had replaced the fiery
+lover, and his illness, in calming his ardent passion, had
+contributed not a little to make the transition a less difficult
+one than it could possibly have been otherwise. Isabelle was now
+for him really and only the Comtesse de Lineuil, his dear sister.
+He nodded in a friendly way to Vidalinc, and disengaged his hand
+for a moment from Isabelle's to give it to him--it was all that
+the doctor would allow--but his eyes were eloquent enough to make
+up for his enforced silence.
+
+In the course of a few weeks, Vallombreuse, who had gained
+strength rapidly, was able to leave his bed and recline upon a
+lounge near the open window; so as to enjoy the mild, delightful
+air of spring, that brought colour to his cheeks and light to his
+eyes. Isabelle was often with him, and read aloud for hours
+together to entertain him; as Maitre Laurent's orders were strict
+that he should not talk, even yet, any more than was actually
+necessary. One day, when Isabelle had finished a chapter in the
+volume from which she was reading to him, and was about to begin
+another, he interrupted her, and said, "My dear sister, that book
+is certainly very amusing, and the author a man of remarkable wit
+and talent; but I must confess that I prefer your charming
+conversation to your delightful reading. Do you know, I would not
+have believed it possible to gain so much, in losing all hope of
+what I desired more ardently than I had ever done anything in my
+whole life before. The brother is very much more kindly treated
+than the suitor--are you aware of that? You are as sweet and
+amiable to the one as you were severe and unapproachable to the
+other. I find in this calm, peaceful affection, charms that I had
+never dreamed of, and you reveal to me a new side of the feminine
+character, hitherto utterly unknown to me. Carried away by
+fiery passions, and irritated to madness by any opposition, I was
+like the wild huntsman of the ancient legend, who stopped for no
+obstacle, but rode recklessly over everything in his path. I
+looked upon whatever beautiful woman I was in pursuit of as my
+legitimate prey. I scouted the very idea of failure, and deemed
+myself irresistible. At the mention of virtue, I only shrugged my
+shoulders, and I think I may say, without too much conceit, to
+the only woman I ever pursued who did not yield to me, that I had
+reason not to put much faith in it. My mother died when I was a
+mere baby; you, my sweet sister, were not near me, and I have
+never known, until now, all the purity, tenderness, and sublime
+courage of which your sex is capable. I chanced to see you. An
+irresistible attraction, in which, perhaps, the unknown tie of
+blood had its influence, drew me to you, and for the first time
+in my life a feeling of respect and esteem mingled with my
+passion. Your character delighted me, even when you drove me to
+despair. I could not but secretly approve and admire the modest
+and courteous firmness with which you rejected my homage. The
+more decidedly you repulsed me, the more I felt that you were
+worthy of my adoration. Anger and admiration succeeded each other
+in my heart, and even in my most violent paroxysms of rage I
+always respected you. I descried the angel in the woman, and
+bowed to the ascendency of a celestial purity. Now I am happy and
+blessed indeed; for I have in you precisely what I needed,
+without knowing it--this pure affection, free from all earthly
+taint--unalterable--eternal. I possess at last the love of a
+soul."
+
+"Yes, my dear brother, it is yours," Isabelle replied; "and it is
+a great source of happiness to me that I am able to assure you of
+it. You have in me a devoted sister and friend, who will love you
+doubly to make up for the years we have lost--above all, now that
+you have promised me to correct the faults that have so grieved
+and alarmed our dear father, and to exhibit only the good
+qualities of which YOU have plenty."
+
+"Oh! you little preacher," cried Vallombreuse, with a bright,
+admiring smile; "how you take advantage of my weakness. However,
+it is perfectly true that I have been a dreadful monster, but I
+really do mean to do better in future--if not for love of virtue
+itself, at least to avoid seeing my charming sister put on a
+severe, disapproving air, at some atrocious escapade of mine.
+Still, I fear that I shall always be Folly, as you will be
+Reason."
+
+"If you will persist in paying me such high-flown compliments,"
+said Isabelle, with a little shrug of her pretty shoulders, "I
+shall certainly resume the reading, and you will have to listen
+to a long story that the corsair is just about to relate to the
+beautiful princess, his captive, in the cabin of his galley."
+
+"Oh, no! surely I do not deserve such a severe punishment as
+that. Even at the risk of appearing garrulous, I do so want to
+talk a little. That confounded doctor has kept me mute long
+enough in all conscience, and I am tired to death of having the
+seal of silence upon my lips, like a statue of Hippocrates."
+
+"But I am afraid you may do yourself harm; remember that your
+wound is scarcely healed yet, and the injured lung is still very
+irritable. Maitre Laurent laid such stress upon my reading to
+you, so that you should keep quiet, and give your chest a good
+chance to get strong and well again."
+
+"Maitre Laurent doesn't know what he's talking about, and only
+wants to prolong his own importance to me. My lungs work as well
+as ever they did. I feel perfectly myself again, and I've a great
+mind to order my horse and go for a canter in the forest."
+
+"You had better talk than do such a wildly imprudent thing as
+that; it is certainly less dangerous."
+
+"I shall very soon be about again, my sweet little sister, and
+then I shall have the pleasure of introducing you into the
+society suitable to your rank--where your incomparable grace and
+beauty will create a sensation, and bring crowds of adorers to
+your feet. From among them you will be able to select a husband,
+eh?" "I can have no desire to do anything of that kind,
+Vallombreuse, and pray do not think this the foolish declaration
+of a girl who would be very sorry to be taken at her word. I am
+entirely in earnest, I do assure you. I have bestowed my hand so
+often in the last act of the pieces I have played that I am in no
+hurry to do it in reality. I do not wish for anything better than
+to remain quietly here with the prince and yourself."
+
+"But, my dear girl, a father and brother will not always content
+you--do not think it! Such affection cannot satisfy the demands
+of the heart forever."
+
+"It will be enough for me, however, and if some day they fail me,
+I can take refuge in a convent."
+
+"Heaven forbid! that would be carrying austerity too far
+indeed. I pray you never to mention it again, if you have any
+regard for my peace of mind. And now tell me, my sweet little
+sister, what do you think of my dear friend, the Chevalier de
+Vidalinc? does not he seem to be possessed of every qualification
+necessary to make a good husband?"
+
+"Doubtless, and the woman that he marries will have a right to
+consider herself fortunate but however charming and desirable
+your friend may be, my dear Vallombreuse, _I_ shall never be that
+woman."
+
+"Well, let him pass, then--but tell me what you think of the
+Marquis de l'Estang, who came to see me the other day, and gazed
+spell-bound at my lovely sister all the time he was here. He was
+so overwhelmed by your surpassing grace, so dazzled by your
+exquisite beauty, that he was struck dumb, and when he tried to
+pay you pretty compliments, did nothing but stammer and blush.
+Aside from this timidity, which made him appear to great
+disadvantage, and which your ladyship should readily excuse,
+since you yourself were the cause of it, the marquis is an
+accomplished and estimable gentleman. He is handsome, young, of
+high birth and great wealth. He would do capitally for my fair
+sister, and is sure to address himself to the prince--if indeed
+be has not already done so--as an aspirant to the honour of an
+alliance with her."
+
+"As I have the honour of belonging to this illustrious family,"
+said Isabelle a little impatiently, for she was exceedingly
+annoyed by this banter, "too much humility would not become me,
+therefore I will not say that I consider myself unworthy of such
+an alliance; but if the Marquis de l'Estang should ask my hand of
+my father, I would refuse him. I have told you, my dear brother,
+more than once, that I do not wish to marry--and you know it
+too--so pray don't tease me any more about it."
+
+"Oh! what a fierce, determined little woman is this fair sister
+of mine. Diana herself was not more inaccessible, in the forests
+and valleys of Haemus--yet, if the naughty mythological stories
+may be believed, she did at last smile upon a certain Endymion.
+You are vexed, because I casually propose some suitable
+candidates for the honour of your hand; but you need not be, for,
+if THEY do not please you, we will hunt up one who will."
+
+"I am not vexed, my dear brother, but you are certainly talking
+far too much for an invalid, and I shall tell Maitre, Laurent to
+reprimand you, or not permit you to have the promised bit of fowl
+for your supper."
+
+"Oh! if that's the case I will desist at once," said
+Vallombreuse, with a droll air of submission, "for I'm as hungry
+as an ogre--but rest assured of one thing, my charming sister: No
+one shall select your husband but myself."
+
+To put an end to this teasing, Isabelle began to read the
+corsair's long story, without paying any attention to the
+indignant protests that were made, and Vallombreuse, to revenge
+himself, finally closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep;
+which feigned slumber soon became real, and Isabelle, perceiving
+that it was so, put aside her book and quietly stole away.
+
+This conversation, in which, under all his mischievous banter,
+the duke seemed to have a definite and serious purpose in view,
+worried Isabelle very much, in spite of her efforts to banish it
+from her mind. Could it be that Vallombreuse was nursing a secret
+resentment against de Sigognac? He had never once spoken his
+name, or referred to him in any way, since he was wounded by him;
+and was he trying to place an insurmountable barrier between his
+sister and the baron, by bringing about her marriage with
+another? or was he simply trying to find out whether the actress
+transformed to a countess, had changed in sentiments as well as
+in rank? Isabelle could not answer these questions satisfactorily
+to herself. As she was the duke's sister, of course the rivalry
+between him and de Sigognac could no longer exist; but, on the
+other hand, it was difficult to imagine that such a haughty,
+vindictive character as the young duke's could have forgotten, or
+forgiven, the ignominy of his first defeat at the baron's hands,
+and still less of the second more disastrous encounter. Although
+their relative positions were changed, Vallombreuse, in his
+heart, would doubtless always hate de Sigognac--even if he had
+magnanimity enough to forgive him, it could scarcely be expected
+that he should also love him, and be willing to welcome him as a
+member of his family. No, all hope of such a reconciliation must
+be abandoned. Besides, she feared that the prince, her father,
+would never be able to regard with favour the man who had
+imperilled the life of his only son. These sad thoughts threw
+poor Isabelle into a profound melancholy, which she in vain
+endeavoured to shake off. As long as she considered that her
+position as an actress would be an obstacle to de Sigognac, she
+had resolutely repelled the idea of a marriage with him, but now
+that an unhoped-for, undreamed-of stroke of destiny had heaped
+upon her all the good things that heart could desire, she would
+have loved to reward, with the gift of her hand and fortune, the
+faithful lover who had addressed her when she was poor and
+lowly--it seemed an actual meanness, to her generous spirit, not
+to share her prosperity with the devoted companion of her misery.
+But all that she could do was to be faithful to him--for she
+dared not say a word in his favour, either to the prince or to
+Vallombreuse.
+
+Very soon the young duke was well enough to join his father and
+sister at meals, and he manifested such respectful and
+affectionate deference to the prince, and such an ingenuous and
+delicate tenderness towards Isabelle, that it was evident he
+had, in spite of his apparent frivolity, a mind and character
+very superior to what one would have expected to find in such a
+licentious, ungovernable youth as he had been, and which gave
+promise of an honourable and useful manhood. Isabelle took her
+part modestly--but with a very sweet dignity, that sat well upon
+her--in the conversation at the table, and in the salon, and her
+remarks were so to the point, so witty, and so apropos, that the
+prince was astonished as well as charmed, and grew daily more
+proud of and devoted to his new treasure; finding a happiness and
+satisfaction he had longed for all his life in the affection and
+devotion of his children.
+
+At last Vallombreuse was pronounced well enough to mount his
+horse, and go for a ride in the forest--which he had long been
+sighing for--and Isabelle gladly consented to bear him company.
+They looked a wonderfully handsome pair, as they rode leisurely
+through the leafy arcades. But there was one very marked
+difference between them.
+
+The young man's countenance was radiant with happiness and
+smiles, but the girl's face was clouded over with an abiding
+melancholy. Occasionally her brother's lively sallies would bring
+a faint smile to her sweet lips, but they fell back immediately
+into the mournful droop that had become habitual with them.
+Vallombreuse apparently did not perceive it--though in reality he
+was well aware of it, and of its cause--and was full of fun and
+frolic.
+
+"Oh! what a delicious thing it is to live," he cried, "yet how
+seldom we think of the exquisite enjoyment there is in the simple
+act of breathing," and he drew a long, deep breath, as if he
+never could get enough of the soft, balmy air. "The trees surely
+were never so green before, the sky so blue, or the flowers so
+fragrant. I feet as if I had been born into the world only
+yesterday, and was looking upon nature for the first time to-day.
+I never appreciated it before. When I remember that I might even
+now be lying, stiff and stark, under a fine marble monument, and
+that instead of that I am riding through an elysium, beside my
+darling sister, who has really learned to love me, I am too
+divinely happy. I do not even feel my wound any more. I don't
+believe that I ever was wounded. And now for a gallop, for
+I'm sure that our good father is wearying for us at home."
+
+In spite of Isabelle's remonstrances he put spurs to his horse,
+and she could not restrain hers when its companion bounded
+forward, so off they went at a swift pace, and never drew rein
+until they reached the chateau. As he lifted his sister down from
+her saddle, Vallombreuse said, "Now, after to-day's achievement,
+I can surely be treated like a big boy, and get permission to go
+out by myself."
+
+"What! you want to go away and leave us already? and scarcely
+well yet, you bad boy!"
+
+"Even so, my sweet sister; I want to make a little journey that
+will take several days," said Vallombreuse negligently.
+
+Accordingly, the very next morning he departed, after having
+taken an affectionate leave of the prince, his father; who did
+not oppose his going, as Isabelle had confidently expected, but
+seemed, on the contrary, to approve of it heartily. After
+receiving many charges to be careful and prudent, from his
+sister, which he dutifully promised to remember and obey, the
+young duke bade her good-bye also, and said, in a mysterious, yet
+most significant way,
+
+"Au revoir, my sweet little sister, you will be pleased with what
+I am about to do." And Isabelle sought in vain for the key to the
+enigma.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX.  NETTLES AND COBWEBS
+
+The worthy tyrant's advice was sensible and good, and de Sigognac
+resolved to follow it without delay. Since Isabelle's departure,
+no attraction existed for him in the troupe, and he was very glad
+of a valid pretext for quitting it; though he could not leave his
+humble friends without some regrets. It was necessary that he
+should disappear for a while--plunge into obscurity, until the
+excitement consequent upon the violent death of the young Duke of
+Vallombreuse should be forgotten in some new tragedy in real
+life.
+
+So, after bidding farewell to the worthy comedians, who had shown
+him so much kindness, he departed from the gay capital--mounted
+on a stout pony, and with a tolerably well-filled purse--his
+share of the receipts of the troupe, which he had fairly earned.
+By easy stages he travelled slowly towards his own ruined
+chateau. After the storm the bird flies home to its nest, no
+matter how ragged and torn it may be. It was the only refuge open
+to him, and in the midst of his despondency he felt a sort of sad
+pleasure at the thought of returning to his ancestral home--
+desolate and forlorn as it was--where it would have been better,
+perhaps, for him to have quietly remained--for his fortunes were
+not improved, and this last crowning disaster had been ruinous to
+all his hopes and prospects of happiness.
+
+"Ah, well!" said he to himself, sorrowfully, as he jogged slowly
+on," it was predestined that I should die of hunger and ennui
+within those crumbling walls, and under my poor, dilapidated, old
+roof, that lets the rain run through it like a huge sieve. No one
+can escape his destiny, and I shall accomplish mine. I am
+doomed to be the last de Sigognac."
+
+Then came visions of what might have been, that made the sad
+present seem even darker by contrast; and his burden was
+well-nigh too heavy for him to bear, when he remembered all
+Isabelle's goodness and loveliness--now lost to him forever. No
+wonder that his eyes were often wet with tears, and that there
+was no brightness even in the sunshine for him.
+
+It is needless to describe in detail a journey that lasted twenty
+days, and was not marked by any remarkable incidents or
+adventures. It is enough to say that one fine evening de Sigognac
+saw from afar the lofty towers of his ancient chateau,
+illuminated by the setting sun, and shining out in bold relief
+against the soft purple of the evening sky; whilst one of the few
+remaining casements had caught the fiery sunset glow, and looked
+like a great carbuncle set in the fine facade of the stately old
+castle. This sight aroused a strange tenderness and agitation in
+the young baron's breast. It was true that he had suffered long
+and acutely in that dreary mansion, yet after all it was very
+dear to him--far more than he knew before he had quitted it--and
+he was deeply moved at seeing it again. In a few moments more the
+glorious god of day had sunk behind the western horizon, and the
+chateau seemed to retreat, until it became scarcely perceptible
+as the light faded, forming only a vague, gray blot in the
+distance as the gloaming succeeded to the glow. But de Sigognac
+knew every step of the way perfectly, and soon turned from the
+highway into the neglected, grass-grown road that led to the
+chateau. In the profound stillness, which seemed wonderfully
+peaceful and pleasant to him, he fancied that he could
+distinguish the distant barking of a dog, and that it sounded
+like Miraut. He stopped to listen; yes, there could be no doubt
+about it, and it was approaching. The baron gave a clear,
+melodious whistle--a signal well known of old to Miraut-and in a
+few moments the faithful dog, running as fast as his poor old
+legs could carry him, burst through a break in the
+hedge--panting, barking, almost sobbing for joy. He strove to
+jump up on the horse's neck to get at his beloved master; he was
+beside himself with delight, and manifested it in the most
+frantic manner, whilst de Sigognac bent down to pat his head and
+try to quiet his wild transports. After bearing his master
+company a little way, Miraut set off again at full speed, to
+announce the good news to the others at the chateau--that is to
+say, to Pierre, Bayard, and Beelzebub--and bounding into the
+kitchen where the old servant ,was sitting, lost in sad thoughts,
+he barked in such a significant way that Pierre knew at once that
+something unusual had happened.
+
+"Can it be possible that the young master is coming? said he
+aloud, rising, in compliance with Miraut's wishes, who was
+pulling at the skirts of his coat, and imploring him ,with his
+eyes to bestir himself and follow him. As it was quite dark by
+this time, Pierre lighted a pine torch, which he carried with
+him, and as he turned into the road its ruddy light suddenly
+flashed upon de Sigognac and his horse.
+
+"Is it really you, my lord?" cried Pierre, joyfully, as he caught
+sight of his young master; "Miraut had tried to tell me of your
+arrival in his own way before I left the house, but as I had not
+heard anything about your even thinking of coming, I feared that
+he might be mistaken. Welcome home to your own domain, my beloved
+master! We are overjoyed to see you."
+
+"Yes, my good Pierre, it is really I, and not my wraith. Miraut
+was not mistaken. Here I am again, if not richer than when I went
+away, at least all safe and sound. Come now, lead the way with
+your torch, and we will go into the chateau."
+
+Pierre, not without considerable difficulty, opened the great
+door, and the Baron de Sigognac rode slowly through the ancient
+portico, fantastically illuminated by the flaring torchlight, in
+which the three sculptured storks overhead seemed to be flapping
+their wings, as if in joyful salutation to the last
+representative of the family they had symbolized for so many
+centuries. Then a loud, impatient whinny, like the blast of a
+trumpet, was heard ringing out on the still night air, as
+Bayard, in his stable, caught the welcome sound of his master's
+voice.
+
+"Yes, yes, I hear you, my poor old Bayard," cried de Sigognac, as
+he dismounted in the court, and threw the bridle to Pierre; "I am
+coming to say how d'you do," and as he turned he stumbled over
+Beelzebub, who was trying to rub himself against his master's
+legs, purring and mewing alternately to attract his attention.
+The baron stooped down, took the old black cat up in his arms,
+and tenderly caressed him as he advanced towards the stables;
+then put him down gently as he reached Bayard's stall, and
+another touching scene of affectionate greeting was enacted. The
+poor old pony laid his head lovingly on his master's shoulder,
+and actually tried to kick up his hind legs in a frisky way in
+honour of the great event; also, he received the horse that de
+Sigognac had ridden all the way from Paris, and which was put in
+the stall beside his own, very politely, and seemed pleased to
+have a companion in his solitary grandeur.
+
+"And now that I have responded to the endearments of my dumb
+friends," said the baron to Pierre, " we will go into the
+kitchen, and examine into the condition of your larder. I had but
+a poor breakfast this morning, and no dinner at all, being
+anxious to push on and reach my journey's end before nightfall. I
+am as hungry as a bear, and will be glad of anything, no matter
+what."
+
+"I have not much to put before you, my lord, and I fear that you
+will find it but sorry fare after the delicacies you must have
+been accustomed to in Paris; but though it will not be tempting,
+nor over savoury, it will at least satisfy your hunger."
+
+"That is all that can be required of any food," answered de
+Sigognac, "and I am not as ungrateful as you seem to think, my
+good Pierre, to the frugal fare of my youth, which has certainly
+made me healthy, vigorous, and strong. Bring out what you have,
+and serve it as proudly as if it were of the choicest and
+daintiest; I will promise to do honour to it, for I am
+desperately hungry."
+
+The old servant bustled about joyously, and quickly had the
+table ready for his master; then stood behind his chair, while he
+ate and drank with a traveller's appetite, as proudly erect as if
+he had been a grand major-domo waiting on a prince. According to
+the old custom, Miraut and Beelzebub, stationed on the right and
+on the left, watched their master's every motion, and received a
+share of everything that was on the table. The great kitchen was
+lighted, not very brilliantly, by a torch, stuck in an iron
+bracket just inside the broad, open chimney, so that the smoke
+should escape through it and not fill the room, and the scene was
+so exactly a counterpart of the one described at the beginning of
+this narrative, that the baron, struck with the perfect
+resemblance, fancied that he must have been dreaming, and had
+never quitted his ancient chateau at all. Everything was
+precisely as he had left it, excepting that the nettles and weeds
+had grown a little taller, and the cobweb draperies a little more
+voluminous; all else was unchanged. Unconsciously lapsing into
+the old ways, de Sigognac fell into a deep reverie after he had
+finished his simple repast, which Pierre, as of old, respected,
+and even Miraut and Beelzebub did not venture to intrude upon.
+All that had occurred since he last sat at his own table passed
+in review before him, but seemed like adventures that he had read
+of, not actually participated in himself. It had all passed into
+the background. Captain Fracasse, already nearly obliterated,
+appeared like a pale spectre in the far distance; his combats
+with the Duke of Vallombreuse seemed equally unreal. In fine,
+everything that he had seen, done, and suffered, had sunk into
+shadowy vagueness; but his love for Isabelle had undergone no
+change; it had neither diminished nor grown cold; it was as
+passionate and all-absorbing as ever; it was his very life; yet
+rather like an aspiration of the soul than a real passion, since
+with it all he knew that the angelic being who was its object,
+and whom he worshipped from afar, could never, never be his. The
+wheels of his chariot, which for a brief space had turned aside
+into a new track, were back in the old rut again, and realizing
+that there could be no further escape from it possible for him,
+he gave way sullenly to a despairing, stolid sort of resignation,
+that he had no heart to struggle against, but yielded to it
+passively; blaming himself the while for having presumed to
+indulge in a season of bright hopes and delicious dreams. Why the
+devil should such an unlucky fellow as he had always been venture
+to aspire to happiness? It was all foolishness, and sure to end
+in bitter disappointment; but he had had his lesson now, and
+would be wiser for the future.
+
+He sat perfectly motionless for a long time, plunged in a sad
+reverie--sunk in a species of torpor; but he roused himself at
+last, and perceiving that his faithful old follower's eyes were
+fixed upon him, full of timid questioning that he did not venture
+to put into words, briefly related to him the principal incidents
+of his journey up to the capital, and his short stay there. When
+he graphically described his two duels with the Duke of
+Vallombreuse--the old man, filled with pride and delight at the
+proficiency of his beloved pupil, could not restrain his
+enthusiasm, and snatching up a stick gave vigorous illustrations
+of all the most salient points of the encounters as the baron
+delineated them, ending up with a wild flourish and a shout of
+triumph.
+
+"Alas! my good Pierre," said he, with a sigh, when quiet was
+restored, "you taught me how to use my sword only too well. My
+unfortunate victory has been my ruin, and has sent me back,
+hopeless and bereaved, to this poor old crumbling chateau of
+mine, where I am doomed to drag out the weary remainder of my
+days in sorrow and misery. I am peculiarly unhappy, in that my
+very triumphs have only made matters worse for me--it would have
+been better far for me, and for all, if I had been wounded, or
+even killed, in this last disastrous encounter, instead of my
+rival and enemy, the young Duke of Vallombreuse."
+
+"The de Sigognacs are never beaten," said the old retainer
+loftily. "No matter what may come of it, I am glad, my dear young
+master, that you killed that insolent duke. The whole thing was
+conducted in strict accordance with the code of honour--what more
+could be desired? How could any valiant gentleman object to die
+gloriously, sword in hand, of a good, honest wound, fairly
+given? He should consider himself most fortunate."
+
+"Ah well! perhaps you are right--I will not dispute you," said de
+Sigognac, smiling secretly at the old man's philosophy. "But I am
+very tired, and would like to go to my own room now--will you
+light the lamp, my good Pierre, and lead the way?"
+
+Pierre obeyed, and the baron, preceded by his old servant and
+followed by his old dog and cat, slowly ascended the ancient
+staircase. The quaint frescoes were gradually fading, growing
+ever paler and more indistinct, and there were new stains on the
+dull blue sky of the vaulted ceiling, where the rain and melting
+snow of winter storms had filtered through from the dilapidated
+roof. The ruinous condition of everything in and about the
+crumbling old chateau, to which de Sigognac had been perfectly
+accustomed before he quitted it, and taken as a matter of course,
+now struck him forcibly, and increased his dejection. He saw in
+it the sad and inevitable decadence of his race, and said to
+himself, "If these ancient walls had any pity for the last
+forlorn remnant of the family they have sheltered for centuries,
+they would fall in and bury me in their ruins."
+
+When he reached the landing at the head of the stairs he took the
+lamp from Pierre's hand, bade him good-night and dismissed
+him--not willing that even his faithful old servant, who had
+cared for him ever since his birth, should witness his
+overpowering emotion. He walked slowly through the great
+banqueting hall, where the comedians had supped on that memorable
+night, and the remembrance of that gay scene rendered the present
+dreary solitude and silence more terrible than they had ever
+seemed to him before. The death-like stillness was only broken by
+the horrid gnawing of a rat somewhere in the wall, and the old
+family portraits glared down at him reproachfully, as he passed
+on below them with listless step and downcast eyes, oblivious of
+everything but his own deep misery, and his yearning for his lost
+Isabelle. As he came under the last portrait of all, that of his
+own sweet young mother, he suddenly looked up, and as his eyes
+rested on the calm, beautiful countenance--which had always
+worn such a pathetic, mournful expression that it used to make
+his heart ache to look at it in his boyish days--it seemed to
+smile upon him. He was startled for an instant, and then,
+thrilling with a strange, exquisite delight, and inspired with
+new hope and courage, he said in a low, earnest tone, "I accept
+my dear dead mother's smile as a good omen--perhaps all may not
+be lost even yet--I will try to believe so."
+
+After a moment of silent thought, he went on into his own
+chamber, and put down the small lamp he carried, upon the little
+table, where still lay the stray volume of Ronsard's poems that
+he had been reading--or rather trying to read--on that
+tempestuous night when the old pedant knocked at his door. And
+there was his bed, where Isabelle had slept--the very pillow
+upon which her dear head had rested. He trembled as he stood and
+gazed at it, and saw, as in a vision, the perfect form lying
+there again in his place, and the sweetest face in all the world
+turned towards him, with a tender smile parting the ripe red
+lips, a rosy flush mantling in the delicate cheeks, and warm
+lovelight shining in the deep blue eyes. He stood
+spell-bound--afraid to move or breathe--and worshipped the
+beautiful vision with all his soul and strength, as if it had
+been indeed divine--but alas! it faded as suddenly as it had
+appeared, and he felt as if the doors of heaven had been shut
+upon him. He hastily undressed, and threw himself down in the
+place where Isabelle had actually reposed; passionately kissed
+the pillow that had been hallowed by the touch of her head, and
+bedewed it with his tears. He lay long awake, thinking of the
+angelic being who loved him and whom he adored, whilst Beelzebub,
+rolled up in a ball, slept at his feet, and snored like the
+traditional cat of Mahomet, that lay and slumbered upon the
+prophet's sleeve.
+
+When morning came, de Sigognac was more impressed than ever with
+the dilapidated, crumbling condition of his ancient mansion.
+Daylight has no mercy upon old age and ruins; it reveals with
+cruel distinctness the wrinkles, gray hairs, poverty, misery,
+stains, fissures, dust and mould in which they abound; but
+more kindly night softens or conceals all defects, with its
+friendly shade, spreading over them its mantle of darkness. The
+rooms that used to seem so vast to their youthful owner had
+shrunken, and looked almost small and insignificant to him now,
+to his extreme surprise and mortification; but he soon regained
+the feeling of being really at home, and resumed his former way
+of life completely; just as one goes back to an old garment, that
+has for a time been laid aside, and replaced by a new one. His
+days were spent thus: early in the morning he went to say a short
+prayer in the half-ruined chapel where his ancestors lay, ere he
+repaired to the kitchen where his simple breakfast awaited him;
+that disposed of, he and old Pierre fetched their swords, and
+fought their friendly duels; after which he mounted Bayard, or
+the pony he had brought home with him, and went off for long,
+solitary rides over the desolate Landes. Returning late in the
+afternoon he sat, sad and silent as of old, until his frugal
+supper was prepared, partook of it, also in silence, and then
+retired to his lonely chamber, where he tried to read some musty
+old volume which he knew by heart already, or else flung himself
+on his bed--never without kissing the sacred pillow that had
+supported Isabelle's beloved head--and lay there a prey to
+mournful and bitter meditations, until at last he could forget
+his troubles and grief in sleep. There was not a vestige left of
+the brilliant Captain Fracasse, nor of the high-spirited rival of
+the haughty Duke of Vallombreuse; the unfortunate young Baron de
+Sigognac had relapsed entirely into the sad-eyed, dejected master
+of Castle Misery.
+
+One morning he sauntered listlessly down into the garden, which
+was wilder and more overgrown than ever--a tangled mass of weeds
+and brambles. He mechanically directed his steps towards the
+straggling eglantine that had had a little rose ready for each of
+the fair visitors that accompanied him when last he was there,
+and was surprised and delighted to see that it again held forth,
+as if for his acceptance, two lovely little blossoms that had
+come out to greet him, and upon each of which a dewdrop sparkled
+amid the frail, delicately tinted petals. He was strangely
+moved and touched by the sight of these tiny wild roses, which
+awoke such tender, precious memories, and he repeated to himself,
+as he had often done before, the words in which Isabelle had
+confessed to him that she had furtively kissed the little flower,
+his offering, and dropped a tear upon it, and then secretly given
+him her own heart in exchange for it--surely the sweetest words
+ever spoken on this earth. He gently plucked one of the dainty
+little roses, passionately inhaled its delicate fragrance and
+pressed a kiss upon it, as if it had been her lips, which were
+not less sweet, and soft, and fresh. He had done nothing but
+think of Isabelle ever since their separation, and he fully
+realized now, if he had not before, how indispensable she was to
+his happiness. She was never out of his mind, waking or sleeping,
+for he dreamed of her every night, and his love grew fonder, if
+that were possible, as the weary days went on. She was so good
+and true, so pure and sweet, so beautiful, so everything that was
+lovely and desirable, "made of all creatures' best," a veritable
+angel in human guise. Ah! how passionately he loved her--how
+could he live without her? Yet he feared--he was almost forced to
+believe--that he had lost her irreparably, and that for him hope
+was dead. Those were terrible days for the poor, grief-stricken
+young baron, and he felt that he could not long endure such
+misery and live. Two or three months passed away thus, and one
+day when de Sigognac chanced to be in his own room, finishing a
+sonnet addressed to Isabelle, Pierre entered, and announced to
+his master that there was a gentleman without who wished to speak
+with him.
+
+"A gentleman, who wants to see me!" exclaimed the astonished
+baron. "You must be either romancing or mad, my good Pierre!
+There is no gentleman in the world who can have anything to say
+to me. However, for the rarity of the thing, you may bring in
+this extraordinary mortal--if such there really be, and you are
+not dreaming, as I shrewdly suspect. But tell me his name first,
+or hasn't he got any?"
+
+"He declined to give it, saying that it would not afford your
+lordship any information," Pierre made answer, as he turned back
+and opened wide both leaves of the door.
+
+Upon the threshold appeared a handsome young man, dressed in a
+rich and elegant travelling costume of chestnut brown cloth
+trimmed with green, and holding in his hand a broad felt hat with
+a long green plume; leaving his well shaped, proudly carried head
+fully exposed to view, as well as the delicate, regular features
+of a face worthy of an ancient Greek statue. The sight of this
+fine cavalier did not seem to make an agreeable impression upon
+de Sigognac, who turned very pale, and rushing to where his
+trusty sword was suspended, over the head of his bed, drew it
+from the scabbard, and turned to face the new-comer with the
+naked blade in his hand.
+
+"By heaven, my lord duke, I believed that I had killed you!" he
+cried in excited tones. "Is it really you--your very self--or
+your wraith that stands before me?"
+
+"It is really I--my very self--Hannibal de Vallombreuse, in the
+flesh, and no wraith; as far from being dead as possible,"
+answered the young duke, with a radiant smile. "But put up that
+sword I pray you, my dear baron! We have fought twice already,
+you know, and surely that is enough. I do not come as an enemy,
+and if I have to reproach myself with some little sins against
+you, you have certainly had your revenge for them, so we are
+quits. To prove that my intentions are not hostile, but of the
+most friendly nature if you will so allow, I have brought
+credentials, in the shape of this commission, signed by the king,
+which gives you command of a regiment. My good father and I have
+reminded his majesty of the devotion of your illustrious
+ancestors to his royal ones, and I have ventured to bring you
+this good news in person. And now, as I am your guest, I pray you
+have something or other killed, I don't care what, and put on the
+spit to roast as quickly as may be--for the love of God give me
+something to eat--I am starving. The inns are so far apart and so
+abominably bad down here that there might almost as well be none
+at all, and my baggage-wagon, stocked with edibles, is stuck
+fast in a quagmire a long way from this. So you see the
+necessities of the case."
+
+"I am very much afraid, my lord duke, that the fare I can offer
+will seem to you only another form of revenge on my part," said
+de Sigognac with playful courtesy; "but do not, I beseech you,
+attribute to resentment the meagre repast for which I shall be
+obliged to claim your indulgence. You must know how gladly I
+would put before you a sumptuous meal if I could; and what we can
+give you will at least, as my good Pierre says, satisfy hunger,
+though it may not gratify the palate. And let me now say that
+your frank and cordial words touch me deeply, and find an echo in
+my inmost heart. I am both proud and happy to call you my
+friend--henceforth you will not have one more loyal and devoted
+than myself--and though you may not often have need of my
+services, they will be, none the less, always at your
+disposition. Halloa! Pierre! do you go, without a moment's delay,
+and hunt up some fowls, eggs, meat, whatever you can find, and
+try to serve a substantial meal to this gentleman, my friend, who
+is nearly dying with hunger, and is not used to it like you and
+I."
+
+Pierre put in his pocket some of the money his master had sent
+him from Paris--which he had never touched before--mounted the
+pony, and galloped off to the nearest village in search of
+provisions. He found several fowls--such as they were--a splendid
+Bayonne ham, a few bottles of fine old wine, and by great good
+luck, discovered, at the priest's house, a grand big pate of
+ducks' livers--a delicacy worthy of a bishop's or a prince's
+table--and which he had much difficulty to obtain from his
+reverence, who was a bit of a gourmand, at an almost fabulous
+price. But this was evidently a great occasion, and the faithful
+old servant would spare no pains to do it honour. In less than an
+hour he was at home again, and leaving the charge of the cooking
+to a capable woman he had found and sent out to the chateau, he
+immediately proceeded to set the table, in the ancient banqueting
+hall--gathering together all the fine porcelain and dainty glass
+that yet remained intact in the two tall buffets--evidences of
+former splendour. But the profusion of gold and silver plate
+that used to adorn the festive board of the de Sigognacs had all
+been converted into coin of the realm long ago.
+
+When at last the old servant announced that dinner was ready, the
+two young men took their places opposite to each other at table,
+and Vallombreuse, who was in the gayest, most jovial mood,
+attacked the viands with an eagerness and ferocity immensely
+diverting to his host. After devouring almost the whole of a
+chicken, which, it is true, seemed to have died of a consumption,
+there was so little flesh on its bones, he fell back upon the
+tempting, rosy slices of the delicate Bayonne ham, and then
+passed to the pate of ducks' livers, which he declared to be
+supremely delicious, exquisite, ambrosial--food fit for the gods;
+and he found the sharp cheese, made of goat's milk, which
+followed, an excellent relish. He praised the wine, too-- which
+was really very old and fine and drank it with great gusto, out
+of his delicate Venetian wine-glass. Once, when he caught sight
+of Pierre's bewildered, terrified look, as he heard his master
+address his merry guest as the Duke of Vallombreuse--who ought to
+be dead, if he was not--he fairly roared with laughter, and was
+as full of fun and frolic as a school-boy out for a holiday;
+Meantime de Sigognac, whilst he endeavoured to play the attentive
+host, and to respond as well as he could to the young duke's
+lively sallies, could not recover from his surprise at seeing him
+sitting there opposite to himself, as a guest at his own
+table--making himself very much at home, too, in the most
+charming, genial, easy way imaginable--and yet he was the
+haughty, overbearing, insolent young nobleman, who had been his
+hated rival; whom he had twice encountered and defeated, in
+fierce combat, and who had several times tried to compass his
+death by means of hired ruffians. What could be the explanation
+of it all?
+
+The Duke of Vallombreuse divined his companion's thoughts, and
+when the old servant had retired, after placing a bottle of
+especially choice wine and two small glasses on the table, he
+looked up at de Sigognac and said, with the most amicable
+frankness, "I can plainly perceive, my dear baron, in spite
+of your admirable courtesy, that this unexpected step of mine
+appears very strange and inexplicable to you. You have been
+saying to yourself, How in the world has it come about, that the
+arrogant, imperious Vallombreuse has been transformed, from the
+unscrupulous, cruel, blood-thirsty tiger that he was, into the
+peaceable, playful lamb he seems to be now--which a 'gentle
+shepherdess' might lead about with a ribbon round its neck!--I
+will tell you. During the six weeks that I was confined to my
+bed, I made various reflections, which the thoughtless might
+pronounce cowardly, but which are permitted to the bravest and
+most valiant when death stares them in the face. I realized then,
+for the first time, the relative value of many things, and also
+how wrong and wicked my own course had been; and I promised
+myself to do very differently for the future, if I recovered. As
+the passionate love that Isabelle inspired in my heart had been
+replaced by a pure and sacred fraternal affection--which is the
+greatest blessing of my life--I had no further reason to dislike
+you. You were no longer my rival; a brother cannot be jealous in
+that way of his own sister; and then, I was deeply grateful to
+you, for the respectful tenderness and deference I knew you had
+never failed to manifest towards her, when she was in a position
+that authorized great license. You were the first to recognise
+her pure, exalted soul, while she was still only an obscure
+actress. When she was poor, and despised by those who will cringe
+to her now, you offered to her--lowly as was her station--the
+most
+precious treasure that a nobleman can possess: the time-honoured
+name of his ancestors. You would have made her your wife
+then--now that she is rich, and of high rank, she belongs to you
+of right. The true, faithful lover of Isabelle, the actress,
+should be the honoured husband of the Comtesse de Lineuil."
+
+"But you forget," cried de Sigognac, in much agitation, "that she
+always absolutely refused me, though she knew that I was
+perfectly disinterested."
+
+"It was because of her supreme delicacy, her angelic
+susceptibility, and her noble spirit of self-sacrifice that she
+said that. She feared that she would necessarily be a
+disadvantage to you--an obstacle in the way of your advancement.
+But the situation is entirely changed now."
+
+"Yes, now it is I who would be a disadvantage to her; have I then
+a right to be less generous and magnanimous than she was?"
+
+"Do you still love my sister?" said Vallombreuse, in a grave
+tone. "As her brother, I have the right to ask this question."
+
+"I love her with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my
+strength," de Sigognac replied fervently, "as much and more than
+ever man loved woman on this earth--where nothing is
+perfect--save Isabelle."
+
+"Such being the case, my dear Captain of Mousquetaires, and
+governor of a province--soon to be--have your horse saddled, and
+come with me to the Chateau of Vallombreuse, so that I may
+formally present you to the prince, my father, as the favoured
+suitor of the Comtesse de Lineuil, my sister. Isabelle has
+refused even to think of the Chevalier de Vidalinc, or the
+Marquis de l'Estang, as aspirants to her hand--both right
+handsome, attractive, eligible young fellows, by Jove!--but I am
+of opinion that she will accept, without very much persuasion,
+the Baron de Sigognac."
+
+The next day the duke and the baron were riding gaily forward,
+side by side, on the road to Paris.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX. CHIQUITA'S DECLARATION OF LOVE
+
+A compact crowd filled the Place de Greve, despite the early hour
+indicated by the clock of the Hotel de Ville.
+
+The tall buildings on the eastern side of the square threw their
+shadows more than half-way across it, and upon a sinister-looking
+wooden framework, which rose several feet above the heads of the
+populace, and bore a number of ominous, dull red stains. At the
+windows of the houses surrounding the crowded square, a few heads
+were to be seen looking out from time to time, but quickly drawn
+back again as they perceived that the interesting performance,
+for which all were waiting, had not yet begun. Clinging to the
+transverse piece of the tall stone cross, which stood at that
+side of the open square nearest the river, was a forlorn, little,
+ragged boy, who had climbed up to it with the greatest
+difficulty, and was holding on with all his might, his arms
+clasped round the cross-piece and his legs round the upright, in
+a most painful and precarious position. But nothing would have
+induced him to abandon it, so long as he could possibly maintain
+himself there, no matter at what cost of discomfort, or even
+actual distress, for from it he had a capital view of the
+scaffold, and all its horribly fascinating details--the wheel
+upon which the criminal was to revolve, the coil of rope to bind
+him to it, and the heavy bar to break his bones.
+
+If any one among the anxious crowd of spectators, however, had
+carefully studied the small, thin countenance of the child
+perched up on the tall stone cross, he would have discovered that
+its expression was by no means that of vulgar curiosity. It was
+not simply the fierce attractions of an execution that had
+drawn thither this wild, weird-looking young creature, with his
+sun-burned complexion, great, flashing, dark eyes, brilliant
+white teeth, unkempt masses of thick, black hair, and slender
+brown hands--which were convulsively clinging to the rough, cold
+stone. The delicacy of the features would seem to indicate a
+different sex from the dress--but nobody paid any attention to
+the child, And all eyes were turned towards the scaffold, or the
+direction from which the cart bearing the condemned criminal was
+to come. Among the groups close around the scaffold were several
+faces we have seen before; notably, the chalky countenance and
+fiery red nose of Malartic, and the bold profile of Jacquemin
+Lampourde, also several of the ruffians engaged in the abduction
+of Isabelle, as well as various other habitues of the Crowned
+Radish. The Place de Greve, to which sooner or later they were
+all pretty sure to come and expiate their crimes with their
+lives, seemed to exercise a singular fascination over murderers,
+thieves, and criminals of all sorts, who invariably gathered in
+force to witness an execution. They evidently could not resist
+it, and appeared to find a fierce satisfaction in watching the
+terrible spectacle that they themselves would some day probably
+furnish to the gaping multitude. Then the victim himself always
+expected his friends' attendance--he would be hurt and
+disappointed if his comrades did not rally round him at the last.
+A criminal in that position likes to see familiar faces in the
+throng that hems him in. It gives him courage, steadies his
+nerves.
+
+He cannot exhibit any signs of cowardice before those who
+appreciate true merit and bravery, according to his way of
+thinking, and pride comes to his aid. A man will meet death like
+a Roman under such circumstances, who would be weak as a woman if
+he were despatched in private.
+
+The criminal to be executed on that occasion was a thief, already
+notorious in Paris for his daring and dexterity, though he had
+only been there a few months. But, unfortunately for
+himself--though very much the reverse for the well-to-do citizens
+of the capital in general--he had not confined himself to his
+legitimate business. In his last enterprise--breaking into a
+private dwelling to gain possession of a large sum of money that
+was to be kept there for a single night--he had killed the master
+of the house, who was aroused by his entrance; and, not content
+to stop there, had also brutally murdered his wife, as she lay
+quietly sleeping in her bed--like a tiger, that has tasted blood
+and is wild for more. So atrocious a crime had roused the
+indignation of even his own unscrupulous, hardened companions,
+and it was not long ere his hiding-place was mysteriously
+revealed, and he was arrested, tried, and condemned to death. Now
+he was to pay the penalty of his guilt.
+
+As the fatal hour approached, a carriage drove down along the
+quay, turned into the Place de Greve, and attempted to cross it;
+but, becoming immediately entangled in the crowd, could make
+little or no progress, despite the utmost exertions of the
+majestic coachman and attendant lackeys to induce the people to
+make way for it, and let it pass.
+
+But for the grand coat of arms and ducal coronet emblazoned on
+the panels, which inspired a certain awe as well as respect in
+the motley throng of pedestrians, the equipage would undoubtedly
+have been roughly dealt with-but as it was, they contented
+themselves with resolutely and obstinately barring its passage,
+after it had reached the middle of the square. The indignant
+coachman did not dare to urge his spirited horses forward at all
+hazards, ruthlessly trampling down the unlucky individuals who
+happened to be directly in his way, as he would certainly have
+done in any ordinary crowd, for the canaille, that filled the
+Place de Greve to overflowing, was out in too great force to be
+trifled with--so there was nothing for it but patience.
+
+"These rascals are waiting for an execution, and will not stir,
+nor let us stir, until it is over," said a remarkably handsome
+young man, magnificently dressed, to his equally fine looking,
+though more modestly attired friend, who was seated beside him in
+the luxurious carriage. "The devil take the unlucky dog who must
+needs be broken on the wheel just when we want to cross the Place
+de Greve. Why couldn't he have put it off until to-morrow
+morning, I should like to know!"
+
+"You may be sure that the poor wretch would be only too glad to
+do so if he could," answered the other, "for the occasion is a
+far more serious matter to him than to us."
+
+"The best thing we can do under the circumstances, my dear de
+Sigognac, is to turn our heads away if the spectacle is too
+revolting--though it is by no means easy, when something horrible
+is taking place close at hand. Even Saint Augustine opened his
+eyes in the arena at a loud cheer from the people, though he had
+vowed to himself beforehand to keep them closed."
+
+"At all events, we shall not be detained here long," rejoined de
+Sigognac, "for there comes the prisoner. See, Vallombreuse, how
+the crowd gives way before him, though it will not let us move an
+inch."
+
+A rickety cart, drawn by a miserable old skeleton of a horse, and
+surrounded by mounted guards, was slowly advancing through the
+dense throng towards the scaffold. In it were a venerable priest,
+with a long white beard, who was holding a crucifix to the lips
+of the condemned man, seated beside him, the executioner, placed
+behind his victim, and holding the end of the rope that bound
+him, and an assistant, who was driving the poor old horse. The
+criminal, whom every one turned to gaze at, was no other than our
+old acquaintance, Agostino, the brigand.
+
+"Why, what is this!" cried de Sigognac, in great surprise. "I
+know that man--he is the fellow who stopped us on the highway,
+and tried to frighten us with his band of scarecrows, as poor
+Matamore called them. I told you all about it when we came by the
+place where it happened."
+
+"Yes, I remember perfectly," said Vallombreuse; "it was a capital
+story, and I had a good laugh over it. But it would seem that the
+ingenious rascal has been up to something more serious since
+then--his ambition has probably been his ruin. He certainly is no
+coward--only look what a good face he puts on it."
+
+Agostino, holding his head proudly erect, but a trifle paler than
+usual perhaps, seemed to be searching for some one in the crowd.
+When the cart passed slowly in front of the stone cross, he
+caught sight of the little boy, who had not budged from his
+excessively uncomfortable and wearisome position, and a flash of
+joy shone in the brigand's eyes, a slight smile parted his lips,
+as he made an almost imperceptible sign with his head, and said,
+in a low tone, "Chiquita!"
+
+"My son, what was that strange word you spoke?" asked the priest.
+"It sounded like an outlandish woman's name. Dismiss all such
+subjects from your mind, and fix your thoughts on your own hopes
+of salvation, for you stand on the threshold of eternity."
+
+"Yes, my father, I know it but too well, and though my hair is
+black and my form erect, whilst you are bowed with age, and your
+long beard is white as snow, you are younger now than I--every
+turn of the wheels, towards that scaffold yonder, ages me by ten
+years."
+
+During this brief colloquy the cart had made steady progress, and
+in a moment more had stopped at the foot of the rude wooden steps
+that led up to the scaffold, which Agostino ascended slowly but
+unfalteringly--preceded by the assistant, supported by the
+priest, and followed by the executioner. In less than a minute he
+was firmly bound upon the wheel, and the executioner, having
+thrown off his showy scarlet cloak, braided with white, and
+rolled up his sleeves, stooped to pick up the terrible bar that
+lay at his feet. It was a moment of intense horror and
+excitement. An anxious curiosity, largely mixed with dread,
+oppressed the hearts of the spectators, who stood motionless,
+breathless, with pale faces, and straining eyes fixed upon the
+tragic group on the fatal scaffold. Suddenly a strange stir ran
+through the crowd--the child, who was perched up on the cross,
+had slipped quickly down to the ground, and gliding like a
+serpent through the closely packed throng, reached the scaffold,
+cleared the steps at a bound, and appeared beside the astonished
+executioner, who was just in the act of raising the ponderous bar
+to strike, with such a wild, ghastly, yet inspired and noble
+countenance--lighted up by a strength of will and purpose that
+made it actually sublime--that the grim dealer of death paused
+involuntarily, and withheld the murderous blow about to fall.
+
+"Get out of my way, thou puppet!" he roared in angry tones, as he
+recovered his sang-froid, "or thou wilt get thy accursed head
+smashed."
+
+But Chiquita paid no attention to him--she did not care whether
+she was killed too, or not. Bending over Agostino, she
+passionately kissed his forehead, whispered "I love thee!"--and
+then, with a blow as swift as lightning, plunged into his heart
+the knife she had reclaimed from Isabelle. It was dealt with so
+firm a hand, and unerring an aim, that death was almost
+instantaneous--scarcely had Agostino time to murmur "Thanks."
+
+With a wild burst of hysterical laughter the child sprang down
+from the scaffold, while the executioner, stupefied at her bold
+deed, lowered his now useless club; uncertain whether or not he
+should proceed to break the bones of the man already dead, and
+beyond his power to torture.
+
+"Well done, Chiquita, well done, and bravely!" cried Malartic--
+who had recognised her in spite of her boy's clothes--losing his
+self-restraint in his admiration. The other ruffians, who had
+seen Chiquita at the Crowned Radish, and wondered at and admired
+her courage when she stood against the door and let Agostino
+fling his terrible navaja at her without moving a muscle, now
+grouped themselves closely together so as to effectually prevent
+the soldiers from pursuing her. The fracas that ensued gave
+Chiquita time to reach the carriage of the Duke of
+Vallombreuse--which, taking advantage of the stir and shifting in
+the throng, was slowly making its way out of the Place de Greve.
+She climbed up on the step, and catching sight of de Sigognac
+within, appealed to him, in scarcely audible words, as she panted
+and trembled--"I saved your Isabelle, now save me!"
+
+Vallombreuse, who had been very much interested by this strange
+and exciting scene, cried to the coachman, "Get on as fast as you
+can, even if you have to drive over the people."
+
+But there was no need--the crowd opened as if by  magic before
+the carriage, and closed again compactly after it had passed, so
+that Chiquita's pursuers could not penetrate it, or make any
+progress--they were completely baffled, whichever way they
+turned. Meanwhile the fugitive was being rapidly carried beyond
+their reach. As soon as the open street was gained, the coachman
+had urged his horses forward, and in a very few minutes they
+reached the Porte Saint Antoine. As the report of what had
+occurred in the Place de Greve could not have preceded them,
+Vallombreuse thought it better to proceed at a more moderate
+pace--fearing that their very speed might arouse suspicion--and
+gave orders accordingly; as soon as they were fairly beyond the
+gate he took Chiquita into the carriage-- where she seated
+herself, without a word, opposite to de Sigognac. Under the
+calmest exterior she was filled with a preternatural
+excitement--not a muscle of her face moved; but a bright flush
+glowed on her usually pale cheeks, which gave to her magnificent
+dark eyes--now fixed upon vacancy, and seeing nothing that was
+before them--a marvellous brilliancy. A complete transformation
+had taken place in Chiquita--this violent shock had torn asunder
+the childish chrysalis in which the young maiden had lain
+dormant--as she plunged her knife into Agostino's heart she
+opened her own. Her love was born of that murder--the strange,
+almost sexless being, half child, half goblin, that she had been
+until then, existed no longer--Chiquita was a woman from the
+moment of that heroic act of sublime devotion. Her passion, that
+had bloomed out in one instant, was destined to be eternal--a
+kiss and a stab, that was Chiquita's love story.
+
+The carriage rolled smoothly and swiftly on its way towards
+Vallombreuse, and when the high, steep roof of the chateau came
+in sight the young duke said to de Sigognac, "You must go with me
+to my room first, where you can get rid of the dust, and freshen
+up a bit before I present you to my sister--who knows nothing
+whatever of my journey, or its motive. I have prepared a surprise
+for her, and I want it to be complete--so please draw down the
+curtain on your side, while I do the same on mine, in order that
+we may not be seen, as we drive into the court, from any of the
+windows that command a view of it. But what are we to do with
+this little wretch here?"
+
+Chiquita, who was roused from her deep reverie by the duke's
+question, looked gravely up at him, and said, "Let some one take
+me to Mlle. Isabelle--she will decide what is to be done with
+me."
+
+With all the curtains carefully drawn down the carriage drove
+over the drawbridge and into the court. Vallombreuse alighted,
+took de Sigognac's arm, and led him silently to his own
+apartment, after having ordered a servant to conduct Chiquita to
+the presence of the Comtesse de Lineuil. At sight of her Isabelle
+was greatly astonished, and, laying down the book she was
+reading, fixed upon the poor child a look full of interest,
+affection, and questioning.
+
+Chiquita stood silent and motionless until the servant had
+retired, then, with a strange solemnity, which was entirely new
+in her, she went up to Isabelle, and timidly taking her hand,
+said:
+
+"My knife is in Agostino's heart. I have no master now, and I
+must devote myself to somebody. Next to him who is dead I love
+you best of all the world. You gave me the pearl necklace I
+wished for, and you kissed me. Will you have me for your servant,
+your slave, your dog? Only give me a black dress, so that I may
+wear mourning for my lost love--it is all I ask. I will sleep on
+the floor outside your door, so that I shall not be in your way.
+When you want me, whistle for me, like this,"--and she whistled
+shrilly--"and I will come instantly. Will you have me?"
+
+In answer Isabelle drew Chiquita into her arms, pressed her lips
+to the girl's forehead warmly, and thankfully accepted this soul,
+that dedicated itself to her.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI.  HYMEN! OH HYMEN!
+
+Isabelle, accustomed to Chiquita's odd, enigmatical ways, had
+refrained from questioning her--waiting to ask for explanations
+until the poor girl should have become more quiet, and able to
+give them. She could see that some terrible catastrophe must have
+occurred, which had left all her nerves quivering, and caused the
+strong shudders that passed over her in rapid succession; but the
+child had rendered her such good service, in her own hour of
+need, that she felt the least she could do was to receive and
+care for the poor little waif tenderly, without making any
+inquiries as to her evidently desperate situation. After giving
+her in charge to her own maid, with orders that she should be
+properly clothed, and made thoroughly comfortable in every way,
+Isabelle resumed her reading--or rather tried to resume it; but
+her thoughts would wander, and after mechanically turning over a
+few pages in a listless way, she laid the book down, beside her
+neglected embroidery, on a little table at her elbow. Leaning her
+head on her hand, and closing her eyes, she lapsed into a
+sorrowful reverie--as, indeed, she had done of late many times
+every day.
+
+"Oh! what has become of de Sigognac?" she said to herself. "Where
+can he be? and does he still think of me, and love me as of old?
+Yes, I am sure he does; he will be true and faithful to me so
+long as he lives, my brave, devoted knight! I fear that he has
+gone back to his desolate, old chateau, and, believing that my
+brother is dead, does not dare to approach me. It must be that
+chimerical obstacle that stands in his way--otherwise he
+would surely have tried to see me again--or at least have written
+to me. Perhaps I ought to have sent him word that Vallombreuse
+had recovered; yet how could I do that? A modest woman shrinks
+from even seeming to wish to entice her absent lover back to her
+side. How often I think that I should be far happier if I could
+have remained as I was--an obscure actress; then I could at least
+have had the bliss of seeing him every day, and of enjoying in
+peace the sweetness of being loved by such a noble, tender heart
+as his. Despite the touching affection and devotion that my
+princely father lavishes upon me, I feel sad and lonely in this
+magnificent chateau. If Vallombreuse were only here his society
+would help to pass the time; but he is staying away so long--and
+I try in vain to make out what he meant when he told me, with
+such a significant smile, as he bade me adieu, that I would be
+pleased with what he was about to do. Sometimes I fancy that I do
+understand; but I dare not indulge myself with such blissful
+thoughts for an instant. If I did, and were mistaken after all,
+the disappointment would be too cruel--too heart-rending. But, if
+it only could be true! ah! if it only might! I fear I should go
+mad with excess of joy."
+
+The young Comtesse de Lineuil was still absorbed in sad thoughts
+when a tall lackey appeared, and asked if she would receive his
+lordship, the Duke of Vallombreuse who had just arrived, at the
+chateau and desired to speak with her.
+
+"Certainly, I shall be delighted to see him," she said in glad
+surprise; "ask him to come to me at once."
+
+In a few minutes--which had seemed like hours to Isabelle--the
+young duke made his appearance, with beaming eyes, rosy cheeks,
+light, elastic step, and that air of glorious health and vigour
+which had distinguished him before his illness. He threw down his
+broad felt hat as he came in, and, hastening to his sister's
+side, took her pretty white hands and raised them to his lips.
+
+"Dearest Isabelle," he cried, "I am so rejoiced to see you again!
+I was obliged to stay away from you much longer than I wished,
+for it is a great deprivation to me now not to be with you
+every day--I have gotten so thoroughly into the habit of
+depending upon your sweet society. But I have been occupied
+entirely with your interests during my absence, and the hope of
+pleasing my darling sister, and adding to her happiness, has
+helped me to endure the long separation from her."
+
+"The way to please me most, as you ought to have known," Isabelle
+replied, "was to stay here at home quietly with your father and
+me, and let us take care of you, instead of rushing off so
+rashly--with your wound scarcely healed, or your health fully
+re-established--on some foolish errand or other, that you were
+not willing to acknowledge."
+
+"Was I ever really wounded, or ill?" said Vallombreuse, laughing.
+"Upon my word I had forgotten all about it. Never in my life was
+I in better health than at this moment, and my little expedition
+has done me no end of good. But you, my sweet sister, are not
+looking as well as when I left you; you have grown thin and pale.
+What is the matter? I fear that you find your life here at the
+chateau very dull. Solitude and seclusion are not at all the
+thing for a beautiful young woman, I know. Reading and embroidery
+are but melancholy pastimes at best and there must be moments
+when even the gravest, most sedate of maidens grows weary of
+gazing out upon the stagnant waters of the moat, and longs to
+look upon the face of a handsome young knight."
+
+"Oh! what an unmerciful tease you are, Vallombreuse, and how you
+do love to torment me with these strange fancies of yours. You
+forget that I have had the society of the prince, who is so kind
+and devoted to me, and who abounds in wise and instructive
+discourse."
+
+"Yes, there is no doubt that our worthy father is a most learned
+and accomplished gentleman, honoured and admired at home and
+abroad; but his pursuits and occupations are too grave and
+weighty for you to share, my dear little sister, and I don't want
+to see your youth passed altogether in such a solemn way. As you
+would not smile upon my friend, the Chevalier de Vidalinc, nor
+condescend to listen to the suit of the Marquis de l'Estang, I
+concluded to go in search of somebody that would be more
+likely to please your fastidious taste, and, my dear, I have
+found him. Such a charming, perfect, ideal husband he will make!
+I am convinced that you will dote upon him."
+
+"It is downright cruelty, Vallombreuse, to persecute me as you
+do, with such unfeeling jests. You know perfectly well that I do
+not wish to marry; I cannot give my hand without my heart, and my
+heart is not mine to give."
+
+"But you will talk very differently, I do assure you, my dear
+little sister, when you see the husband I have chosen for you."
+
+"Never! never!" cried Isabelle, whose voice betrayed her
+distress. "I shall always be faithful to a memory that is
+infinitely dear and precious to me; for I cannot think that you
+intend to force me to act against my will."
+
+"Oh, no! I am not quite such a tyrant as that; I only ask you not
+to reject my protege before you have seen him."
+
+Without waiting for her reply, Vallombreuse abruptly left the
+room, and returned in a moment with de Sigognac, whose heart was
+throbbing as if it would burst out of his breast. The two young
+men, hand in hand, paused on the threshold, hoping that Isabelle
+would turn her eyes towards them; but she modestly cast them down
+and kept them fixed upon the floor, while her thoughts flew far
+away, to hover about the beloved being who she little dreamed was
+so near her. Vallombreuse, seeing that she took no notice of
+them, and had fallen into a reverie, advanced towards her, still
+holding de Sigognac by the hand, and made a ceremonious bow, as
+did also his companion; but while the young duke was smiling and
+gay, de Sigognac was deeply agitated, and very pale. Brave as a
+lion when he had to do with men, he was timid with women--as are
+all generous, manly hearts.
+
+"Comtesse de Lineuil," said Vallombreuse, in an emphatic tone of
+voice, "permit me to present to you one of my dearest friends,
+for whom I entreat your favour--the Baron de Sigognac."
+
+As he pronounced this name, which she at first believed to be
+a jest on her brother's part, Isabelle started, trembled
+violently, and then glanced up timidly at the newcomer.
+
+When she saw that Vallombreuse had not deceived her, that it was
+really he, her own true lover, standing there before her, she
+turned deathly pale, and had nearly fallen from her chair; then
+the quick reaction came, and a most lovely blush spread itself
+all over her fair face, and even her snowy neck, as far as it
+could be seen. Without a word, she sprang up, and throwing her
+arms round her brother's neck hid her face on his shoulder, while
+two or three convulsive sobs shook her slender frame and a little
+shower of tears fell from her eyes. By this instinctive movement,
+so exquisitely modest and truly feminine, Isabelle manifested all
+the exceeding delicacy and purity of her nature. Thus were her
+warm thanks to Vallombreuse, whose kindness and generosity
+overcame her, mutely expressed; and as she could not follow the
+dictates of her heart, and throw herself into her lover's arms,
+she took refuge in her transport of joy with her brother, who had
+restored him to her.
+
+Vallombreuse supported her tenderly for a few moments, until he
+found she was growing calmer, when he gently disengaged himself
+from her clasping arms, and drawing down the hands with which she
+had covered her face, to hide its tears and blushes, said, "My
+sweet sister, do not, I pray you, hide your lovely face from us;
+I fear my protege will be driven to believe that you entertain
+such
+an invincible dislike to him you will not even look at him."
+
+Isabelle raised her drooping head, and turning full upon de
+Sigognac her glorious eyes, shining with a celestial joy, in
+spite of the sparkling tear-drops that still hung upon their long
+lashes, held out to him her beautiful white hand, which he took
+reverentially in both his own, and bending down pressed fervently
+to his lips. The passionate kiss he imprinted upon it thrilled
+through Isabelle's whole being, and for a second she turned faint
+and giddy; but the delicious ecstasy, which is almost anguish, of
+such emotion as hers, is never hurtful, and she presently looked
+up and smiled reassuringly upon her anxious lover, as the colour
+returned to her lips and cheeks, and the warm light to her eyes.
+
+"And now tell me, my sweet little sister," began Vallombreuse,
+with an air of triumph, and a mischievous twinkle in his eyes,
+"wasn't I right when I declared that you would smile upon the
+husband I had chosen for you? and would not be discouraged,
+though you were so obstinate? If I had not been equally so, this
+dear de Sigognac would have gone back to his far-away chateau,
+without even having seen you; and that would have been a pity, as
+you must admit."
+
+"Yes, I do admit it, my dearest brother, and also that you have
+been adorably kind and good to me. You were the only one who,
+under the circumstances, could bring about this reunion, and we
+both know how to appreciate what you have so nobly and generously
+done for us."
+
+"Yes, indeed," said de Sigognac warmly; "your brother has given
+us ample proof of the nobility and generosity of his nature--he
+magnanimously put aside the resentment that might seem
+legitimate, and came to me with his hand outstretched, and his
+heart in it. He revenges himself nobly for the harm I was obliged
+to do him, by imposing an eternal gratitude upon me--a light
+burden, that I shall bear joyfully so long as I live."
+
+"Say nothing more about that, my dear baron!" Vallombreuse
+exclaimed. "You would have done as much in my place. The
+differences of two valiant adversaries are very apt to end in a
+warm mutual attachment--we were destined from the beginning to
+become, sooner or later, a devoted pair of friends; like Theseus
+and Pirithous, Nisus and Euryalus, or Damon and Pythias. But
+never mind about me now, and tell my sister how you were thinking
+of her, and longing for her, in that lonely chateau of yours;
+where, by the way, I made one of the best meals I ever had in my
+life, though you do pretend that starvation is the rule down
+there."
+
+"And _I_ had a charming supper there too," said Isabelle with a
+smile, "which I look back upon with the greatest pleasure."
+
+"Nevertheless," rejoined de Sigognac, "plenty does not abound
+there--but I cannot regret the blessed poverty that was the means
+of first winning me your regard, my precious darling! I am
+thankful for it--I owe everything to it."
+
+"_I_ am of opinion," interrupted Vallombreuse, with a significant
+smile, "that it would be well for me to go and report myself to
+my father. I want to announce your arrival to him myself, de
+Sigognac! Not that he will need to be specially prepared to
+receive you, for I am bound to confess--what may surprise my
+little sister here--that he knew such a thing might come about,
+and was equally implicated with my graceless self in this little
+conspiracy. But one thing yet--tell me before I go, Isabelle,
+Comtesse de Lineuil, whether you really do intend to accept the
+Baron de Sigognac as your husband--I don't want to run any risk
+of making a blunder at this stage of the proceedings, you
+understand, after having conducted the negotiations successfully
+up to this point. You do definitely and finally accept him,
+eh?--that is well--and now I will go to the prince. Engaged
+lovers sometimes have matters to discuss that even a brother may
+not hear, so I will leave you together, feeling sure that you
+will both thank me for it in your hearts. Adieu!--make the most
+of
+your time, for I shall soon return to conduct de Sigognac to the
+prince."
+
+With a laughing nod the young duke picked up his hat and went
+away, leaving the two happy lovers alone together, and--however
+agreeable his company may have been to them, it must be admitted
+that his absence was, as he had predicted, very welcome to both.
+The Baron de Sigognac eagerly approached Isabelle, and--again
+possessed himself of her fair hand, which she did not withdraw
+from his warm, loving clasp. Neither spoke, and for a few minutes
+the fond lovers stood side by side and gazed into each other's
+eyes. Such silence is more eloquent than any words. At last de
+Sigognac said softly, "I can scarcely believe even yet in the
+reality of so much bliss. Oh! what a strange, contradictory
+destiny is mine. You loved me, my darling, because I was poor and
+unhappy--and thus my past misery was the direct cause of my
+present felicity. A troupe of strolling actors, who chanced to
+seek refuge under my crumbling roof, held in reserve for me an
+angel of purity and goodness--a hostile encounter has given me a
+devoted friend--and, most wonderful of all, your forcible
+abduction led to your meeting the fond father who had been
+seeking you so many years in vain. And all this because a
+Thespian chariot went astray one stormy night in the Landes."
+
+"We were destined for each other--it was all arranged for us in
+heaven above. Twin souls are sure to come together at last, if
+they can only have patience to wait for the meeting. I felt
+instinctively, when we met at the Chateau de Sigognac, that you
+were my fate. At sight of you my heart, which had always lain
+dormant before, and never responded to any appeal, thrilled
+within me, and, unasked, yielded to you all its love and
+allegiance. Your very timidity won more for you than the greatest
+boldness and assurance could have done, and from the first moment
+of our acquaintance I resolved never to give myself to any one
+but you, or God."
+
+"And yet, cruel, hard-hearted child that you were--though so
+divinely good and lovely--you refused your hand to me, when I
+sued for it on my knees. I know well that it was all through
+generosity, and that of the noblest--but, my darling, it was a
+very cruel generosity too."
+
+"I will do my best to atone for it now, my dearest de Sigognac,
+in giving you this hand you wished for, together with my heart,
+which has long been all your own. The Comtesse de Lineuil is not
+bound to be governed by the scruples of Isabelle, the actress. I
+have had only one fear--that your pride might keep you from ever
+seeking me again as I am now. But, even if you had given me up,
+you would never have loved another woman, would you, de Sigognac?
+You would have been faithful to me always, even though you had
+renounced me--I felt so sure of that. Were you thinking of me
+down there in your ancient chateau, when Vallombreuse broke in
+upon your solitude?"
+
+"My dearest Isabelle, by day I had only one thought--of
+you--and at night, when I kissed the sacred pillow on which your
+lovely head had rested, before laying my own down upon it, I
+besought the god of dreams to show me your adored image while I
+slept."
+
+"And were your prayers sometimes answered?"
+
+"Always--not once was I disappointed--and only when morning came
+did you leave me, vanishing through 'the ivory gates.' Oh I how
+interminable the sad, lonely days seemed to me, and how I wished
+that I could sleep, and dream of you, my angel, all the weary
+time."
+
+"I saw you also in my dreams, many nights in succession. Our
+souls must have met, de Sigognac, while our bodies lay wrapped in
+slumber. But now, thanks be to God, we are reunited--and forever.
+The prince, my father, knew and approved of your being brought
+here, Vallombreuse said, so we can have no opposition to our
+wishes to fear from him. He has spoken to me of you several times
+of late in very flattering terms; looking at me searchingly, the
+while, in a way that greatly agitated and troubled me, for I did
+not know what might be in his mind, as Vallombreuse had not then
+told me that he no longer hated you, and I feared that he would
+always do so after his double defeat at your hands. But all the
+terrible anxiety is over now, my beloved, and blessed peace and
+happiness lie before us."
+
+At this moment the door opened, and the young duke announced to
+de Sigognac that his father was waiting to receive him. The baron
+immediately rose from his seat beside Isabelle, bowed low to her,
+and followed Vallombreuse to the prince's presence. The aged
+nobleman, dressed entirely in black, and with his breast covered
+with orders, was sitting in a large arm-chair at a table heaped
+up with books and papers, with which he had evidently been
+occupied. His attitude was stately and dignified, and the
+expression of his noble, benevolent countenance affable in the
+extreme. He rose to receive de Sigognac, gave him a cordial
+greeting, and politely bade him be seated.
+
+"My dear father," said Vallombreuse, "I present to you the Baron
+de Sigognac; formerly my rival, now my friend, and soon to be my
+brother, if you consent. Any improvement that you may see in me
+is due to his influence, and it is no light obligation that I owe
+to him--though he will not admit that there is any. The baron
+comes to ask a favour of you, which I shall rejoice to see
+accorded to him."
+
+The prince made a gesture of acquiescence, and looked
+reassuringly at de Sigognac, as if inviting him to speak
+fearlessly for himself. Encouraged by the expression of his eyes,
+the baron rose, and, with a low bow, said, in clear, distinct
+tones, "Prince, I am here to ask of you the hand of Mlle. la
+Comtesse Isabelle de Lineuil, your daughter."
+
+The old nobleman looked at him steadily and searchingly for a
+moment, and then, as if satisfied with his scrutiny, answered:
+"Baron de Sigognac, I accede to your request, and consent to this
+alliance, with great pleasure--so far, that is, as my paternal
+will accords with the wishes of my beloved daughter--whom I
+should
+never attempt to coerce in anything. The Comtesse de Lineuil must
+be consulted in this matter, and herself decide the question
+which is of such vital importance to her. I cannot undertake to
+answer for her--the whims and fancies of young ladies are
+sometimes so odd and unexpected."
+
+The prince said this with a mischievous smile--as if he had not
+long known that Isabelle loved de Sigognac with all her heart,
+and was pining for him. After a brief pause, he added:
+"Vallombreuse, go and fetch your sister, for, without her, I
+cannot give a definite answer to the Baron de Sigognac."
+
+The young duke accordingly went for Isabelle, who was greatly
+alarmed at this summons, and obeyed it in fear and trembling.
+Despite her brother's assurances, she could not bring herself to
+believe in the reality of such great happiness. Her breast heaved
+tumultuously, her face was very pale, at each step her knees
+threatened to give way under her, and when her father drew her
+fondly to his side she was forced to grasp the arm of his chair
+tightly, to save herself from falling.
+
+"My daughter," said the prince gravely, "here is a gentleman who
+does you the honour to sue for your hand. For my own part, I
+should hail this union with joy--for he is of an ancient and
+illustrious family, of stainless reputation and tried courage,
+and appears to me to possess every qualification that heart could
+desire. I am perfectly satisfied with him--but has he succeeded
+in
+pleasing you, my child? Young heads do not always agree with gray
+ones. Examine your own heart carefully, and tell me if you are
+willing to accept the Baron de Sigognac as your husband. Take
+plenty of time to consider--you shall not be hurried, my dear
+child, in so grave a matter as this."
+
+The prince's kindly, cordial smile gave evidence that he was in a
+playful mood, and Isabelle, plucking up courage, threw her arms
+round her father's neck, and said in the softest tones, "There is
+no need for me to consider or hesitate, my dear lord and father!
+Since the Baron de Sigognac is so happy as to please you, I
+confess, freely and frankly, that I have loved him ever since we
+first met, and have never wished for any other alliance. To obey,
+you in this will be my highest happiness."
+
+"And now clasp hands, my children, and exchange the kiss of
+betrothal," cried the Duke of Vallombreuse gaily. "Verily, the
+romance ends more happily than could have been expected after
+such a stormy beginning. And now the next question is, when shall
+the wedding be?"
+
+"It will take a little time to make due preparation," said the
+prince. "So many people must be set to work, in order that the
+marriage of my only daughter may be worthily celebrated.
+Meanwhile, Isabelle, here is your dowry, the deed of the estate
+of Lineuil--from which you derive your title, and which yields
+you an income of fifty thousand crowns per annum--together with
+rent-rolls, and all the various documents appertaining thereto"--
+and he handed a formidable roll of papers to her. "As to you, my
+dear de Sigognac, I have here for you a royal ordinance, which
+constitutes you governor of a province; and no one, I venture to
+say, could be more worthy of this distinguished honour than
+yourself."
+
+Vallombreuse, who had gone out of the room while his father
+was speaking, now made his appearance, followed by a servant
+carrying a box covered with crimson velvet.
+
+He took it from the lackey at the door, and advancing, placed it
+upon the table in front of Isabelle.
+
+"My dear little sister," said he, "will you accept this from me
+as a wedding gift?"
+
+On the cover was inscribed "For Isabelle," in golden letters, and
+it contained the very casket which the Duke of Vallombreuse had
+offered at Poitiers to the young actress, and which she had so
+indignantly refused to receive, or even look at.
+
+"You will accept it this time?" he pleaded, with a radiant smile;
+"and honour these diamonds of finest water, and these pearls of
+richest lustre, by wearing them, for my sake. They are not more
+pure and beautiful than yourself."
+
+Isabelle smilingly took up a magnificent necklace and clasped it
+round her fair neck, to show that she harboured no resentment;
+then put the exquisite bracelets on her round, white arms, and
+decked herself with the various superb ornaments that the
+beautiful casket contained.
+
+And now we have only to add, that a week later Isabelle and de
+Sigognac were united in marriage in the chapel at Vallombreuse,
+which was brilliantly lighted, and filled with fragrance from the
+profusion of flowers that converted it into a very bower. The
+music was heavenly, the fair bride adorably beautiful, with her
+long white veil floating about her, and the Baron de Sigognac
+radiant with happiness. The Marquis de Bruyeres was one of his
+witnesses, and a most brilliant and aristocratic assemblage
+"assisted" at this notable wedding in high life. No one, who had
+not been previously informed of it, could ever have suspected
+that the lovely bride--at once so noble and modest, so dignified
+and graceful, so gentle and refined, yet with as lofty a bearing
+as a princess of the blood royal--had only a short time before
+been one of a band of strolling players, nightly fulfilling her
+duties as an actress. While de Sigognac, governor of a province,
+captain of mousquetaires, superbly dressed, dignified, stately
+and affable, the very beau-ideal of a distinguished young
+nobleman, had nothing about him to recall the poor, shabby,
+disconsolate youth, almost starving in his dreary, half-ruined
+chateau, whose misery was described at the beginning of this
+tale.
+
+After a splendid collation, graced by the presence of the bride
+and groom, the happy pair vanished; but we will not attempt to
+follow them, or intrude upon their privacy--turning away at the
+very threshold of the nuptial chamber, singing, in low tones,
+after the fashion of the ancients, "Hymen! oh Hymen!"
+
+The mysteries of such sacred happiness as theirs should be
+respected; and besides, sweet, modest Isabelle would have died of
+shame if so much as a single one of the pins that held her bodice
+were indiscreetly drawn out.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII. THE CASTLE OF HAPPINESS
+
+EPILOGUE
+
+It will be readily believed that our sweet Isabelle had not
+forgotten, in her exceeding happiness as Mme. la Baronne de
+Sigognac, her former companions of Herode's troupe. As she could
+not invite them to her wedding because they would have been so
+much out of place there--she had, in commemoration of that
+auspicious occasion, sent handsome and appropriate gifts to them
+all; offered with a grace so charming that it redoubled their
+value. So long as the company remained in Paris, she went often
+to see them play; applauding her old friends heartily, and
+judiciously as well, knowing just where the applause should be
+given. The young baronne did not attempt to conceal the fact that
+she had formerly been an actress herself--not parading it, but
+referring to it quietly, if necessary, as a matter of course; an
+excellent method to disarm ill-natured tongues, which would
+surely have wagged vigorously had any mystery been made about it.
+In addition, her illustrious birth and exalted position imposed
+silence upon those around her, and her sweet dignity and modesty
+had soon won all hearts--even those of her own sex--until it was
+universally conceded that there was not a greater or truer lady
+in court circles than the beautiful young Baronne de Sigognac.
+
+The king, Louis XIII, having heard Isabelle's eventful history,
+praised her highly for her virtuous conduct, and evinced great
+interest in de Sigognac, whom he heartily commended for his
+respectful, honourable gallantry, under circumstances that,
+according to general opinion, would authorize all manner of
+license. His deference to defenceless virtue peculiarly pleased
+the chaste, reserved monarch, who had no sympathy with, or
+indulgence for the wild, unbridled excesses of the licentious
+youth of his capital and court. As to Vallombreuse, he had
+entirely changed and amended his way of life, and seemed to find
+unfailing pleasure and satisfaction, as well as benefit, in the
+companionship of his new friend and brother, to whom he was
+devoted, and who fully reciprocated his warm affection; while the
+prince, his father, joyfully dwelt in the bosom of his reunited
+family, and found in it the happiness he had vainly sought
+before. The young husband and wife led a charming life, more and
+more in love with and devoted to each other, and never
+experiencing that satiety of bliss which is ruinous to the most
+perfect happiness. Although Isabelle had no concealments from her
+husband, and shared even her inmost thoughts with him, yet for a
+time she seemed very much occupied with some mysterious
+business--
+apparently exclusively her own.
+
+She had secret conferences with her steward, with an architect,
+and also with certain sculptors and painters--all without de
+Sigognac's knowledge, and by the connivance of Vallombreuse, who
+seemed to be her confidant, aider and abettor.
+
+One fine morning, several months after their marriage, Isabelle
+said to de Sigognac, as if a sudden thought had struck her: "My
+dear lord, do you never think of your poor, deserted, old
+chateau? and have you no desire to return to the birthplace of
+our love?"
+
+"I am not so unfeeling as that, my darling, and I have thought of
+it longingly many times of late. But I did not like to propose
+the journey to you without being sure that it would please you. I
+did not like to tear you away from the delights of the court--of
+which you are the chief ornament--and take you to that poor, old,
+half-ruined mansion, the haunt of rats and owls, where I could
+not hope to make you even comfortable, yet, which I prefer,
+miserable as it is, to the most luxurious palaces; for it was the
+home of my ancestors, and the place where I first saw you, my
+heart's delight!--spot ever sacred and dear to me, upon which I
+should like to erect an altar."
+
+"And I," rejoined Isabelle, "often wonder whether the eglantine
+in the garden still blooms, as it did for me."
+
+"It does," said de Sigognac, "I am sure of it--having once been
+blessed by your touch, it must be always blooming--even though
+there be none to see."
+
+"Ah! my lord, unlike husbands in general, you are more gallant
+after marriage than before," Isabelle said, laughingly, yet
+deeply touched by his tender words, "and you pay your wife
+compliments as if she were your ladylove. And now, since I have
+ascertained that your wishes accord with my whim, will it please
+your lordship to set out for the Chateau de Sigognac this week?
+The weather is fine. The great heat of summer is over, and we can
+really enjoy the journey. Vallombreuse will go with us, and I
+shall take Chiquita. She will be glad to see her own country
+again."
+
+The needful preparations were soon made, and the travelling party
+set off in high spirits. The journey was rapid and delightful.
+Relays of horses had been sent on in advance by Vallombreuse, so
+that in a few days they reached the point where the road leading
+to the Chateau de Sigognac branched off from the great post-road.
+It was about two o'clock of a bright, warm afternoon when the
+carriage turned off the highway, and as they got, at the same
+moment, their first view of the chateau, de Sigognac could not
+believe the testimony of his own eyes--he was bewildered,
+dazzled, overwhelmed--he no longer recognised the familiar
+details
+which had been so deeply impressed upon his memory. All was
+changed, as if by magic. The road, smooth, free from grass and
+weeds, and freshly gravelled, had no more ruts; the hedges,
+neatly trimmed and properly tended, no longer reached out long,
+straggling arms to catch the rare passer-by; the tall trees on
+either side had been carefully pruned, so that their branches met
+in an arch overhead, and framed in a most astonishing picture.
+Instead of the dreary ruin, slowly crumbling into dust, a fine
+new chateau rose before them--resembling the old one as a son
+resembles his father. It was an exact reproduction--nothing had
+been changed, only renewed--it was simply the ancient mansion
+rejuvenated. The walls were smooth and unbroken, the lofty towers
+intact, rising proudly at the four angles of the building, with
+their freshly gilded weathercocks gleaming in the sunlight. A
+handsome new roof, tastefully ornamented with a pretty design in
+different coloured slates, had replaced the broken,
+weather-stained tiles, through which the rain used to find its
+way down into the frescoed hall, and the long suite of deserted
+rooms. Every window had bright large panes of clear glass shining
+in its casement, and a magnificent great door, turning smoothly
+and noiselessly upon its huge hinges, had superseded the old,
+worm-eaten one, that used to groan and creak piteously when
+opened ever so little. Above it shone the de Sigognac arms--three
+golden storks upon an azure field, with this noble motto-
+-entirely obliterated of old--"Alta petunt."
+
+For a few moments de Sigognac gazed at it all in silence,
+overcome by astonishment and emotion. Then he suddenly turned to
+Isabelle, with joyful surprise written in every line of his
+speaking countenance, and seizing her hands passionately, and
+holding them firmly clasped in his, said: "It is to you, my kind,
+generous fairy, that I owe this marvellous transformation of my
+poor, dilapidated, old chateau. You have touched it with your
+wand and restored its ancient splendour, majesty and youth. I
+cannot tell you how enchanted, how gratified I am by this
+wonderful surprise. It is unspeakably charming and delightful,
+like everything that emanates from my good angel.
+
+Without a word or hint from me, you have divined, and carried
+out, the secret and most earnest wish of my heart."
+
+"You must also thank a certain sorcerer, who has greatly aided me
+in all this," said Isabelle softly, touched by her husband's
+emotion and delight, and pointing to Vallombreuse, who was
+sitting opposite to her. The two young men clasped hands for a
+moment, and smiled at each other in friendly fashion. There was a
+perfect under standing between these kindred spirits now, and no
+words were needed on either side.
+
+By this time the carriage had reached the chateau, where Pierre,
+in a fine new livery--and a tremor of delight--was waiting to
+receive them. After an affectionate, as well as respectful,
+greeting from the faithful old servant, they entered the grand
+portico, which had been, like all the rest, admirably restored,
+and, alighting from the carriage, paused a moment to admire its
+magnificent proportions ere they passed on into the frescoed
+hall, where eight or ten tall lackeys were drawn up in line, and
+bowed profoundly to their new master and mistress. Skilful
+artists had retouched the ancient frescoes, and made them glow
+with all their original brilliant tints. The colossal figures of
+Hercules were still supporting the heavy cornice, and the busts
+of the Roman emperors looked out majestically from their niches.
+Higher up, the vine climbing on its trellis was as luxuriant as
+in the olden time, and there were no unsightly stains on the
+bright blue sky of the vaulted roof to mar its beauty. A like
+metamorphosis had been worked everywhere--the worm-eaten woodwork
+had been renewed, the uneven floors relaid, the tarnished gilding
+restored to its original splendour--and the new furniture
+throughout had been made exactly like the old that it replaced.
+The fine old tapestry in de Sigognac's own room had been minutely
+copied, down to the smallest detail, and the hangings of the bed
+were of green and white brocade, in precisely the same delicate
+tint and graceful pattern as the old.
+
+Isabelle, with her innate delicacy and perfect taste, had not
+aimed at producing a sensation, by any overwhelming magnificence
+or dazzling splendour in renovating the intrinsically fine old
+Chateau de Sigognac, but had simply wished to gratify and delight
+the heart of her husband, so tenderly loved, in giving back to
+him the impressions and surroundings of his childhood and youth,
+robbed of their misery and sadness. All was bright and gay now in
+this lordly mansion, erst so dreary and melancholy; even the
+sombre old family portraits, cleansed, retouched and revarnished
+by skilful hands, smiled down upon them, as if pleased with the
+new order of things; especially their own handsome, richly gilt
+frames.
+
+After looking through the interior of the chateau, de Sigognac
+and Isabelle went out into the court, where no weeds or nettles
+were to be seen, no grass growing up between the paving stones,
+no heaps of rubbish in the corners, and through the clear glass
+panes of the numerous windows looking into it were visible the
+folds of the rich curtains in the chambers that were formerly the
+favourite haunt of owls and bats. They went on down into the
+garden, by a noble flight of broad stone steps, no longer
+tottering and moss-grown, and turned first to seek the wild
+eglantine which had offered its delicate little rose to the young
+actress, on the memorable morning when the baron had decided to
+go forth from his ruined castle for love of her. It had another
+dainty blossom ready for her now, which Isabelle received from de
+Sigognac's hand, with tears, that told of a happiness too deep
+for words, welling up into her eyes, and exchanged with her
+adored and adoring husband a long, fond look, that seemed to give
+to each a glimpse of heaven.
+
+The gardeners had been busy too, and had converted the neglected
+wilderness we made acquaintance with long ago into a veritable
+little paradise. At the end of the wellordered and exquisitely
+arranged garden, Pomona still stood in her cool grotto, restored
+to all the beauty of her youth, while a stream of pure, sparkling
+water poured from the lion's mouth, and fell with a musical
+murmur into the marble basin. Even in their best and most
+glorious days the garden and the chateau had never known greater
+beauty and luxury than now. The baron, ever more and more
+astonished and enchanted, as he rambled slowly through it all,
+like one in a delicious dream, kept Isabelle's arm pressed
+tenderly to his heart, and was not ashamed to let her see the
+tears that at last he could no longer restrain, and which came
+from a very full heart.
+
+"Now," said Isabelle, "that we have seen everything here, we must
+go and inspect the different pieces of property we have been able
+to buy back, so as to reconstruct, as nearly as possible, the
+ancient barony of Sigognac. I will leave you for a few moments,
+to go and put on my riding habit; I shall not be long, for I
+learned to make changes of that sort very rapidly in my old
+profession, you know. Will you, meantime, go and select our
+horses, and order that they should be made ready?"
+
+Vallombreuse accompanied de Sigognac to the stables, where they
+found ten splendid horses contentedly munching their oats in
+their oaken stalls. Everything was in perfect order, but ere the
+baron had time to admire and praise, as he wished to do, a loud
+whinnying that was almost deafening suddenly burst forth, as good
+old Bayard peremptorily claimed his attention. Isabelle had long
+ago sent orders to the chateau that the superannuated pony should
+always have the best place in the stable, and be tenderly cared
+for. His manger was full of ground oats, which he seemed to be
+enjoying with great gusto, and he evidently approved highly of
+the new regime. In his stall Miraut lay sleeping, but the sound
+of his master's voice aroused him, and he joyfully jumped up and
+came to lick his hand, and claim the accustomed caress. As to
+Beelzebub, though he had not yet made his appearance, it must not
+be attributed to a want of affection on his part, but rather to
+an excess of timidity. The poor old cat had been so unsettled and
+alarmed at the invasion of the quiet chateau by an army of noisy
+workmen, and all the confusion and changes that had followed,
+that he had fled from his usual haunts, and taken up his abode in
+a remote attic; where he lay in concealment, impatiently waiting
+for darkness to come, so that he might venture out to pay his
+respects to his beloved master.
+
+The baron, after petting Bayard and Miraut until they were in
+ecstasies of delight, chose from among the horses a beautiful,
+spirited chestnut for himself, the duke selected a Spanish
+jennet, with proudly arched neck and flowing mane, which was
+worthy to carry an Infanta, and an exquisite white palfrey, whose
+skin shone like satin, was brought out for the baronne. In a few
+moments Isabelle came down, attired in a superb riding habit,
+which consisted of a dark blue velvet basque, richly braided
+with silver, over a long, ample skirt of silver-gray satin, and
+her broad hat of white felt, like a cavalier's, was trimmed with
+a floating, dark blue feather. Her beautiful hair was confined in
+the most coquettish little blue and silver net, and as she came
+forward, radiant with smiles, she was a vision of loveliness,
+that drew forth fervent exclamations of delight from her two
+devoted and adoring knights. The Baronne de Sigognac certainly
+was enchantingly beautiful in her rich equestrian costume, which
+displayed the perfection of her slender, well-rounded figure to
+the greatest advantage, and there was a high-bred, dainty look
+about her which bore silent witness to her illustrious origin.
+She was still the sweet, modest Isabelle of old, but she was also
+the daughter of a mighty prince, the sister of a proud young
+duke, and the honoured wife of a valiant gentleman, whose race
+had been noble since before the crusades. Vallombreuse, remarking
+it, could not forbear to say: "My dearest sister, how magnificent
+you look to-day! Hippolyte, queen of the Amazons, was never more
+superb, or more triumphantly beautiful, than you are in this most
+becoming costume."
+
+Isabelle smiled in reply, as she put her pretty little foot into
+de Sigognac's hand, and sprang lightly into her saddle.
+
+Her husband and brother mounted also, and the little cavalcade
+set forth in high glee, making the vaulted portico ring with
+their merry laughter, as they rode through it. Just in front of
+the chateau they met the Marquis de Bruyeres, and several other
+gentlemen of the neighbourhood, coming to pay their respects.
+They wished to go back into the chateau and receive their guests
+properly, saying that they could ride out at any time, but the
+visitors would not listen to such a thing, and turning their
+horses' heads proposed to ride with them. The party, increased by
+six or eight cavaliers in gala dress--for the provincial
+lordlings had made themselves as fine as possible to do honour to
+their new neighbours--was really very imposing; a cortege worthy
+of a princess. They rode on between broad green fields, through
+woods and groves and highly cultivated farms, all of which had
+now been restored to the estate they had originally belonged to;
+and the grateful, adoring glances that the Baron de Sigognac
+found opportunity to bestow upon his lovely baronne, made her
+heart beat high with a happiness almost too perfect for this
+weary world of trials and sorrows.
+
+As they were riding through a little pine wood, near the boundary
+line of the estate, the barking of hounds was heard, and
+presently the party met the beautiful Yolande de Foix, followed
+by her old uncle, and one or two attendant cavaliers. The road
+was very narrow, and there was scarcely room to pass, though each
+party endeavoured to make way for the other. Yolande's horse was
+prancing about restively, and the skirt of her long riding-habit
+brushed Isabelle's as she passed her. She was furiously angry,
+and sorely tempted to address some cutting words to the
+"Bohemienne" she had once so cruelly insulted; but Isabelle, who
+had a soul above such petty malice, and had long ago forgiven
+Yolande for her unprovoked insolence, felt how much her own
+triumph must wound the other's proud spirit, and with perfect
+dignity and grace bowed to Mlle. de Foix, who could not do less
+than respond by a slight inclination of her haughty head, though
+her heart was filled with rage, and she had much ado to control
+herself. The Baron de Sigognac, with a quiet, unembarrassed air,
+had bowed respectfully to the fair huntress, who looked eagerly,
+but in vain, into the eyes of her former adorer for a spark of
+the old flame that used to blaze up in them at sight of her.
+Angry and disappointed, she gave her horse a sharp cut with the
+whip, and swept away at a gallop.
+
+"Now, by Venus and all the Loves," said Vallombreuse to the
+Marquis de Bruyeres, beside whom he was riding, "that girl is a
+beauty, but she looked deucedly savage and cross. How she did
+glare at my sister, eh! as if she wanted to stab her."
+
+"When one has long been the acknowledged queen of a
+neighbourhood," the marquis replied, "it is not pleasant to be
+dethroned, you know, and every one must admit that Mme. la
+Baronne de Sigognac bears off the palm."
+
+The gay cavalcade, after a long ride, returned to the chateau, to
+find a sumptuous repast awaiting them in the magnificent
+banqueting hall, where the poor young baron had once supped with
+the wandering comedians, upon their own provisions. What a
+transformation had been effected! now a superb service of silver,
+bearing the family arms, shone upon the fine damask that covered
+the table, in which also the three storks were apparent, while
+beautiful porcelain and dainty glass, lovely flowers and luscious
+fruits contributed to the attractions of the bountifully
+furnished board. Isabelle sat in the same place she had occupied
+on the eventful night that had changed the destiny of the young
+lord of the chateau, and she could not but think of, and live
+over, that widely different occasion, as did also the baron, and
+the married lovers exchanged furtive smiles and glances, in which
+tender memories and bright hopes were happily mingled.
+
+Near one of the tall buffets stood a large, fine-looking man with
+a thick black beard, dressed in black velvet, and wearing a
+massive chain of silver round his neck, who kept a watchful eye
+upon the numerous lackeys waiting on the guests, and from time to
+time gave an order, with a most majestic air. Presiding over
+another buffet, on which were neatly arranged numerous
+wine-bottles of different forms and dimensions, was another
+elderly man, of short, corpulent figure, and with a jolly red
+face, who stepped about actively and lightly, despite his age and
+weight, dispensing the wine to the servants as it was needed. At
+first de Sigognac did not notice them, but chancing to glance in
+their direction, was astonished to recognise in the first the
+tragic Herode, and in the second the grotesque Blazius. Isabelle,
+seeing that her husband had become aware of their presence,
+whispered to him, that in order to provide for the old age of
+those two devoted and faithful friends she had thought it well to
+give them superior positions in their household; in which they
+would have only easy duties to perform, as they had to direct
+others in their work, not to do any themselves; and the baron
+heartily approved and commended what his sweet young wife, ever
+considerate for others, had been pleased to do.
+
+Course succeeded to course, and bottle to bottle--there was much
+laughing and talking around the convivial board, and the host was
+exerting himself to do honour to the festive occasion, when he
+felt a head laid on his knee, and a tattoo vigorously played by a
+pair of paws on his leg that was well known to him of old.
+Miraut and Beelzebub, who had slipped into the room, and under
+the table, without being detected, thus announced their presence
+to their indulgent master. He did not repulse them, but managed,
+without attracting notice, to give them a share of everything on
+his plate, and was especially amused at the almost insatiable
+voracity of the old black cat--who had evidently been fasting in
+his hiding-place in the attic. He actually seemed to enjoy, like
+an epicure, the rich and dainty viands that had replaced the
+frugal fare of long ago, and ate so much that when the meal was
+over he could scarcely stand, and made his way with difficulty
+into his master's bed-chamber, where he curled himself up in a
+luxurious arm-chair and settled down comfortably for the night.
+
+Vallombreuse kept pace with the Marquis de Bruyeres, and the
+other guests, in disposing of the choice wines, that did credit
+to the pedant's selection; but de Sigognac, who had not lost his
+temperate habits, only touched his lips to the edge of his
+wine-glass, and made a pretence of keeping them company.
+Isabelle, under pretext of fatigue, had withdrawn when the
+dessert was placed upon the table. She really was very tired, and
+sent at once for Chiquita, now promoted to the dignity of first
+lady's maid, to come and perform her nightly duties. The wild,
+untutored child had--under Isabelle's judicious, tender and
+careful training--developed into a quiet, industrious and very
+beautiful young girl. She still wore mourning for Agostino, and
+around her neck was the famous string of pearl beads--it was a
+sacred treasure to Chiquita, and she was never seen without it.
+She attended to her duties quickly and deftly--evidently taking
+great delight in waiting upon the mistress she adored--and kissed
+her hand passionately, as she never failed to do, when all was
+finished and she bade her good-night.
+
+When, an hour later, de Sigognac entered the room in which he had
+spent so many weary, lonely nights--listening to the wind as it
+shrieked and moaned round the outside of the desolate chateau,
+and wailed along the corridors- feeling that life was a hard and
+bitter thing, and fancying that it would never bring anything but
+trials and misery to him--he saw, by the subdued light from the
+shaded lamp, the face to him most beautiful in all the world
+smiling lovingly to greet him from under the green and white
+silken curtains that hung round his own bed, where it lay resting
+upon the pillow he had so often kissed, and moistened with his
+tears. His eyes were moist now--but from excess of happiness, not
+sorrow--as he saw before him the blessed, blissful realization of
+his vision.
+
+Towards morning Beelzebub, who had been excessively uneasy and
+restless all night, managed, with great difficulty, to clamber up
+on the bed, where he rubbed his nose against his master's
+hand--trying at the same time to purr in the old way, but failing
+lamentably. The baron woke instantly, and saw poor Beelzebub
+looking at him appealingly, with his great green eyes unnaturally
+dilated, and momentarily growing dim; he was trembling violently,
+and as his master's kind hand was stretched out to stroke his
+head, fell over on his side, and with one half-stifled cry, one
+convulsive shudder, breathed his last.
+
+"Poor Beelzebub!" softly said Isabelle, who had been roused from
+her sweet slumber by his dying groan, "he has lived through all
+the misery of the old time, but will not be here to share and
+enjoy the prosperity of the new."
+
+Beelzebub, it must be confessed, fell a victim to his own
+intemperance--a severe fit of indigestion, consequent upon the
+enormous supper he had eaten, was the cause of his death--his
+long-famished stomach was not accustomed to, nor proof against,
+such excesses. This death, even though it was only that of a dumb
+beast, touched de Sigognac deeply; for poor Beelzebub had been
+his faithful companion, night and day, through many long, weary
+years of sadness and poverty, and had always shown the warmest,
+most devoted affection for him. He carefully wrapped the body in
+a piece of fine, soft cloth, and waited, until evening should
+come, to bury it himself; when he would be safe from observation
+and possible ridicule. Accordingly, after nightfall, he took a
+spade, a lantern, and poor Beelzebub's body, which was stiff and
+stark by that time, and went down into the garden, where he set
+to work to dig the grave, under the sacred eglantine, in what
+seemed to him like hallowed ground. He wanted to make it deep
+enough to insure its not being disturbed by any roaming beast of
+prey, and worked away diligently, until his spade struck sharply
+against some hard substance, that he at first thought must be a
+large stone, or piece of rock perhaps. He attempted, in various
+ways, to dislodge it, but all in vain, and it gave out such a
+peculiar, hollow sound at every blow, that at last he threw down
+his spade and took the lantern to see what the strange obstacle
+might be.
+
+He was greatly surprised at finding the corner of a stout oaken
+chest, strengthened with iron bands, much rusted, but still
+intact. He dug all round it, and then, using his spade as a
+lever, succeeded in raising it, though it was very heavy, to the
+edge of the hole, and sliding it out on the grass beside it; then
+he put poor Beelzebub into the place it had occupied, and filled
+up the grave. He carefully smoothed it over, replaced the sod,
+and when all was finished to his satisfaction, went in search of
+his faithful old Pierre, upon whose discretion and secrecy he
+knew that he could rely. Together they carried the mysterious
+strong box into the chateau, but not without great difficulty and
+frequent pauses to rest, because of its immense weight. Pierre
+broke open the chest with an axe, and the cover sprang back,
+disclosing to view a mass of gold coins--all ancient, and many of
+them foreign. Upon examination, a quantity of valuable jewelry,
+set with precious stones, was found mingled with the gold, and,
+under all, a piece of parchment, with a huge seal attached,
+bearing the three storks of the de Sigognacs, still in a good
+state of preservation; but the writing was almost entirely
+obliterated by dampness and mould. The signature, however, was
+still visible, and letter by letter the baron spelled it
+out--"Raymond de Sigognac." It was the name of one of his
+ancestors, who had gone to serve his king and country in the war
+then raging, and never returned; leaving the mystery of his
+death, or disappearance, unsolved. He had only one child, an
+infant son, and when he left home--in those troublous times--must
+have buried all his treasures for safety, and they had remained
+undiscovered until this late day. Doubtless, he had confided the
+secret of their whereabouts to some trusty friend or retainer,
+who, perhaps, had died suddenly before he could disclose it to
+the rightful heir. From the time of that Raymond began the
+decadence of the de Sigognacs, who, previous to that epoch, had
+always been wealthy and powerful.
+
+Of course, the mystery about this treasure--so strangely brought
+to light--could never be cleared up now; but one thing was
+certain, beyond a question or a doubt, that the strong box and
+its contents belonged of right to the present Baron de
+Sigognac--the only living representative of the family. His first
+move was to seek his generous, devoted wife, so that he might
+show her the mysterious treasure he had found, and claim her
+sweet sympathy in his joy, which would be incomplete without it.
+After relating to her all the surprising incidents of the
+evening, he finished by saying, "Decidedly, Beelzebub was the
+good genius of the de Sigognacs--through his means I have become
+rich--and now that my blessed angel has come to me he has taken
+his departure; for there is nothing else left for him to do,
+since you, my love, have given me perfect happiness."
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg Etext of Captain Fracasse by Theophile Gautier
+
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